Gee, I wonder who that might be.... ;)

Everything that happened on the hill is a series of short stories and no one single event would support a movie either. Television, on the other hand, is always a series of short stories. The "Un-PC" nature of the events would probably make selling it on television dificult except to the Speed Channel or Versus.

The above is to illustrate how simple it is to critisize anybodys effort when nothing has been actually done towards the project at all. A friend of mine is/was the creative producer for Kung Fu (a TV series) and the movie "Fast Charlie and the Moonbeem Riders" (a movie) both with David Caradine. To this day he won't even discuss Fast Charlie because he lost creative control of the project.

So, would you agree that the first step is to document the stories ? Because that's what I am trying to do. I have no interest in doing this thing alone. But I have at least started. Duecer's "Garage Story" is on disc and ready to be transcribed. It happens to be a story that no other people were involved however once it is in WORD it will be e-mailed around to be critiqued. And by the way, there is more to the story as another "blue Bug" got arrested further down Franklin and thrown in jail with Deuce but the police didn't know which one actually ditched them. The other was found to have pot in the car but Deucer got out on $50 bail because the police didn't know what to charge him with - True Story

SSB
I agree that the history and lore are short stories. In fact it would be difficult to nail a strong plot to it since it was about a bunch of people who's experiences paralleled each others over a span of time with one common aspect -a road. It was about tweaking your car to go faster and handle better. Throw in the friendships, the groups and the moments. For many of us it was a right of passage and a time when we were growing up. All of the charactors came from different walks of life and essentially gravitated towards a stretch of highway. They came and went, while a few stayed to play.

I think it could only come together if it was done in Pulp Non- Fiction or Documentary style otherwise it it wouldnt fly. I do not believe Mulholland Drive has such a modern day following except for those that were part of it and lived it. Compare the hill to Nascar or NHRA and it really wouldnt have much of an audience. To others now its just a road. To everyone here and myself its a small party. I hate saying that because I was a long time die hard and Mulholland Drive holds a lot of special memories for me as it does others -but on a grand scale its a reality. If a cinematic representation were to be told I would want the truth and nothing else. I hope others agree.

The biggest issue is there really wasnt one main charactor. Mulholland Drive in that era wasnt about a fast Porsche RSR and a guy who lives in an octagon shaped house. ( I know I am going to get flack about that -sorry Chris). Its about many people, a road and what occured on it. Just like Mulholland Drive I think there are too many side streets to get lost on to really put together an accurate visual record of what really happened into 2 hours of celluloid.

So yes I do agree with you. You have made some serious points. Compiling the stories would be a first start but then where does one go with it? I would jump at the chance if it was viable.

I wouldnt mind reading Duecer.
Jeff

Exactly !!! The real point, I believe, is that there is lots of time to sort out what it may become. Depends on how many people actually contribute. Allot of what has already been said here can be used. The reason I want to record and transcribe is that SOME people can't/won't/shouldn't actually write at all. Take Deucer for example. I got him to Henry's, a few drinks and dinner and the stories pour out. 2 questions were asked. The first was "how did you wind up on Mulholland?" (he flat sideways spun a Jag on the mini esses thew very first time up there) and then the garage story.

At the last Speed Cup race at Sears Point, Cortez & I started to banter about some old Mulholland story and off to the side I hear Lance Stewart tell Oscar Jackson: "Watch this, this is historic. You'll never hear these stories anywhere else." That's when I thought to myself "I wish I had a recorder."

Side bar: you ever see Malcom in the Middle where he jumps in and out of charterer during the story? Just a thought.

Fastbacker

Like Dave (TRE) said I dont think a lot of fatals occured. Lot of wrecks and a few injuries.

I recall a brown 58-59 small oval window Cal Bug coming through sweeper towards Bowmont/ Grandstands like a bat out of hell got side ways went up the curb and hit the telephone pole on the Grandstand side between Bowmont and Grandstands. He hooked the right rear wheel and swingarm on the guidewire of the pole and this poor guy rode the wire. The rear end of the bug lifted up about 8 feet. We thought it was going end over end and then it just flopped down on the ground. The cops were sitting at Bowmont backed in where the security gate is now. We all ran over to see if he was ok, this poor guy has a gash on the left side of his head with blood running out. The cops sat there while we helped the guy. Maybe it was better they didnt get involved. Tow truck showed up about 20 minutes later. We figured it was the cops who called the wrecker.

Then there were some humurous incidents. A friend of mine Leo Firpo had this bright orange Honda 600 car. He worked at All Auto Parts and had access to all sorts or junk. He put a Honda 1000 cc motorcyle engine in this shoe car. It had four pipes coming out the grill. The motorcycle engine was mated to the existing car transmission with a chain like a go-cart. It had the five speed motorcycle trans and the four speed car trans. (9 speeds altogether). The floor was cut out to clear the CV joints (Flintstones). Anyway we were just cruising through Carls and the right rear wheel fell off just before Carls drop off. He stopped just in time. Got out put the wheel back on after stealing a lugnut from each wheel corner. I never ever got in that car again.

Another (unnamed friend) of mine had a metallic green lowered Ford Pinto. He went off the side at the Carls turnouts and kept going. This was when everone would park and spectate at Carls. I think was about 79 or 80. I remember must have been 20 cars parked there to watch this event happen. Meanwhile he goes off and over. Car is upside down on its roof down in the rubble pile. We climb down about about 50 feet yelling for him. He yells back "pick me up at Fryman I need to pull me stereo out". That Pinto was there for 6 months until the city cleaned up the rubble pile. I recall the burners used to call that forested area below "The Rain Forest".

The serious: The last wreck I saw was in 1988 .There was a college kid who wasnt racing, was on his way home from school. He was riding a Honda 400/4 cycle and he lost it in the rain about 100 yards west of Laurel (at the entrance to Doggie Doo Park). I came around the turn towards him and all I saw was a wobbly flash of headlight and then the bike slid in front of me off over the side. Me and my friend Eric Odnert got out to help. Eric stayed with him and I drove over to the fire station east of Laurel and got medical help. This kid was really hurt bad. He hit his head went he went down and couldnt stand up. It scared us. I hope that kid made it.

Jeff

It is historic and were all lucky and proud to have been a part of it.

I admit it I have never watched Malcolm in the Middle.

Jeff

Keeping history alive. A few more images of Mulholland Drive .

Cahuenga Pass and Mulholland 1941 (The beggining)
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1170650214.jpg

Mulholland and Encino Hills Drive (End of the Road)
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1170650247.jpg

The Mulholland Bridge during construction of the 405 Freeway
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1170650286.jpg

Steve McQueen driving on Mulholland Drive was used in a cologne advertisement
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1170650357.jpg

Two toads
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1170650516.jpg

Mulholland at Calneva/ Park Lane
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1170650762.jpg

Jeff

Since you mentioned Sears and Cortez.. is the Cortez you guys are talking about Ron Cortez from AIM ? I have known Ron for a long time and he just did me a favor and took care of shipping a bunch of 935 center lock wheels for me and I owe him lunch... please tell me they are one and the same guy because for once I will let him do all the talking :)

Vic & all Pelican parts gang
Alan Jackson designer at BMW stopped in for dinner tonight @ ENRIQUE'S
Alan asked me about the Motor racing theme,turns out Alan was working for Ford on GT40 some great stories,his niece works with Sir Jackie Stewart, and that ain't all. HPV

Jeff - from where did you source the photos? Do you have a link? They're fantastic. I'm a real fanatic for L.A. history. :)

Not sure if Cortez is one and the same.
On the other hand you are a fortunate man having had a chance to drive the #5 Akins 962. I saw that car at Riverside in 1986. Started 13th and ended up 4th overall. I may even have some race photos.

Jeff

Here is a wake up photo for the gang. Broderick Crawford in the 1955 TV show "Highway Patrol" at the tunnel in Griffith Park. Up the hill past Travel Town at Mt Hollywood Drive.

Glad we didnt see anything like this image. Cars yes, tickets when no other option exists, guns no.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1170654985.jpg

Jeff

For those who have this Matthew Sweet album, IIRC the cover photo of Tuesday Weld was taken in the late '50s right around Dead Man's on Mulholland.

http://static.flickr.com/80/250884905_ad8d7cc18f.jpg

Interestingly enough, Sweet was threatened with a lawsuit by representatives of Weld as originally, along with her photo, Sweet wanted to title his album "Nothing Lasts." As it ended, to avoid a suit, he entitled the album "Girlfriend."

Jeff would love to see those 962 photos... I also have a car that ran at Riverside in 1981 if you have any photos from that race... # 84 935 , yellow with blue stripes

I have a strange mind for remembering details but was the 1976 #84 935 a Fabcar chassis or a Kremer? You are Van Zannis correct and run in Monterey?

Jeff

No , factory 934 converted to a 935... you may be confused with 935-84 .. first race the Daytona Finale in 1983 . The car I had at Monterey in 2006 is the car that ran at Riverside in 1981

Yep- Ron Cortez is the one and same that owns AIM at Infineon.

Dave... After that crazy race you put on in Mexico in 1996 I somehow ended up driving back accross the boarder in my rig with more people than I came to Ensenada with ... it was a real funny ride back with a few interesting events along the way... Ron hitched a ride with us back then. I figured it had to be him . I am going to see him up at the track today and let him know he is still famous... or should I say , infamous :)

Hey Jeff
Remember when the dirt section was open all the way to Topanga?
When the road was graded it was a lot of fun traveling from the 101 all the way to PCH using Mul Drive and Highway on a few night runs

Bob Hall had some friends in the Chrysler motor pool. This pool was created to supply cars to the production companies for TV and movies. So they had all sorts of Chrysler. Plymouth, Dodge products available. Well... in comes this group of students from USC film school. They are working on some production where it entails cop car chase scenes. Hmmm... Bob enlists some of the CRE regulars to drive the cars. We pick up the faux LAPD cruiser in Burbank and we head out to the rock store where we meet the film crew. We had a fun afternoon with me "chasing" the bad guys, doing handbrake turns into turn outs, squealing tires, and the like.
Kind of disconcerting when a director asks you to deliberately drive off line at the camera, thru some twisties fast just so it looks good for the camera !
The cop car had working lights but no siren.
On the way back to the valley we decided to have some fun. We took dirt Mulholland from Topanga east and with Bob driving, we were running along at a good clip, slipping the rear out on some of the turns. While doing his best Road Runner imitation with the Belvedere we would pass other end of day traffic on the road. Er.. the lights were used from time to time to help convince people to move over.
At one spot we came upon a really large area where the dirt road was about 150 feet wide. Bob decided to try his hand at E brake turns and spinning the car around. When we came to a stop, we realized we had an "audience " of about 5-6 cars with the occupants' mouths agape at our foolishness !!

Bob never lost his composure as he flipped on the cop lights and high beams and we took off on our way east again.

When we got to the 405, we thought it better to blend in with all the traffic (teens in a cop car? Right!) So as we are cruising back on the 101 towards Burbank, Jeff F who is sitting in the back seat with a sullen long hair teenager attitude notices that people in other cars are staring at him. What does he do? He pretends that he is handcuffed (hands front) and starts to "beat" Bob and myself- the bespectacled "cops" in the front seat !!!!
OH dear Lord- thank heavens that there were no cell phones back then !

I rememeber well when Topanga was open all the way. We called it the Baja. Great view from the old Nike tower. The dirt section was a last resort option to use as an escape route too if a car was not to low. It worked because there was the section above Vanalden that had a fire road that no one could see from dirt Mul. Guys would hide down there thinking cops were coming from both ends. Would just sit there for an hour until the coast was clear. I got stuck in the mud one time in an old Landcruiser and had to walk it out all the way to where George Barris used to live on Encino Hills Drive. People were nice back then they would let you use the phone.

If i am correct Bob is related to Rick Hall of RH Camera Cars. I also remember a faux police car was up there a few times. Not sure if it was you guys. The one I remember didnt have a shield on the door but at night everone still thought it was the real McCoy.Got everyone stirred up. I bet you had a blast with that film crew.

I at one time I wrapped some blue cellophane over a hand held Bosch foglite and would hold it out the window flash it if I needed to "pass" quickly. Well this obviously seemed funny at the time but about 10:00pm on a Friday night I came up and sat at the intersection of Coldwater and Mul in my 67 Barracuda. I would flash the light at anyone who was turning onto Mulholland. I then drove really slow towards Grandstands with this blue light out the window. The whole lot was already on its way east. So I proceed to "catch up" to everyone going towards Laurel. I get to Carls and parked at the Armco is the cops and I have this H1 powered blue light on. I am thinking I am not getting out of this one. I turn it off and keep driving really slow. The cops followed me to Deadmans and then flipped a u turn. I didnt get pulled over but I was shaking in my seat. I knew there was a line cars in front of me and had no where to go. Last time the blue light was used.

I have something to confess here. Back then I ran the valet parking at The Far East Terrace on Lankershim, Sorentinos on Pass and the Money Tree on Riverside. I got to meet most of the N. Hollywood cops because they ate for free at these establisments. Most of them were cool and were familiar with my cars. If I ran into them on the hill I normally would just go on my way without a hassle. A lot of people are going to remember this but my friend was managing the In and Out Burger at Tiera and Lankershim next to the N. Hollywood Station. He gave me about 10, 000 In & Out Burger Decals. If anyone recalls all the N.H PD Cars had In & Out Urge stickers on the lower left hand rear bumper of the Patrol cars. A few had them on the rear of the light bars. This went on for a couple of years. The sargent came in one day to have a talk with me. He made it clear that some things go both ways and if I valued play time on a certain road it was in everyones best interest to stop with the sticker placement. My friend ratted me out. The sarg was cool about it even thought it was funny but asked that it stop and it did. Just a bit history.

Jeff