If you encounter any more sightings, please let me know! I'm also interested in expanding these listings with further juicy gossip, tidbits, trivia, scandal, or whatever else that will make these movies more enticing. Thanks!
Check out the 1964 Imperial Crown four-door hardtop in the X-Files episode written by William Gibson ...
From: Watchfatha@aol.com
There was a movie made in 64 starring Andy Wiliams and some leading lady of the day,
[As opposed to a lady of the evening? :-> - Tony]
in which a blue/blue 64 convertible played a somewhat prolonged role. The shots of the car involved Williams and his beau driving along a beautiful country road on the way to their cottage. Some really good views.The name of the movie was "I'd Rather Be Rich" (a most intelligent sentiment, in my view).
Update to the present.
About a year ago I received a call from some property man associated with the movie business. It seems the original producers were looking to make a few new scenes to splice in to the movie and needed a replica of the original car. This fellow was told by a friend that I had the exact duplicate of the car and asked if I would be interested in allowing him to use it in the film to be shot in the LA area. It would probably have been a fun experience, however I had an extensive period of business travel planned and was unable to comply. This guy was very persistent and even "threatened" to have Andy Williams himself call me. I politely but persistently declined his offer.
Too bad, it would have been interesting.
From: kphilli@datasystems.com (Keith Phillips)
The Night Walker with Barbara Stanwyck and her 1964 Imperial convertible is available on videotape. It's in the Suspense/Horror section of Suncoast Video or Saturday Matinee Video stores here in North Carolina and I am sure elsewhere!
From: NN97@aol.com
I was just watching The Prophecy and very near the beginning after the angels fight one is hit by a car. It's not that one. But when the police get there and the camera pans the scene you see an Imperial very clearly in the alley. I believe it is a 1964 but I'm not sure. It looks like my 65 but it doesn't look like it has any glass over headlights.
Fantastic Voyage (1966) - Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch (lowered into a secret complex on an elevator), 1964
From: Jasona91@aol.com
The car that picks up the one scientist prior to being lowered into the bunker, is a 64-66 Imperial Limo, they showed a rear shot, and an interior shot, if my memory serves me correct.
[Hmmm - I believe it was a LeBaron, but I could be wrong. Anybody else seen it lately? I remember the sand falling away and the Imperial driving into a hole that suddenly appears...- Tony]
From: Bayrat1@aol.com
I happened to catch the movie Fantastic Voyage on the WB network late last night. The first scene following the credits shows either a 64 or 65 Imperial sedan. The scene is relatively dark, and a first I actually thought it was a Lincoln. When the car pulls in close to the camera, the Imperial hood ornament becomes obvious.
When the Boys Meet the Girls - A perfectly awful musical made in 1965, starring Connie Francis and Harve Presnell features a beautiful 1964 Imperial convertible with a metallic baby blue paint scheme with matching interior. Great shots of the car being driven wildly throught the woods. This wretched movie also stars Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, and Liberace believe it or not.
Satan Bug (1965) - George Maharis, Richard Basehart, 1964
Send Me No Flowers (1964) - Rock Hudson, Doris Day - You see a lot of Mopars--including a 1964 Imperial convertible--in a parking lot scene.
Freebie and the Bean (1974) - James Caan, Alin Arkin (early scene, traffic jam), 1964 Crown
Strange Bedfellows (1964) - Rock Hudson, Gina Lollabrigida, 1964 Crown
My Girl - starring Macaulay Culkin, Dan Aykroyd & Jamie Lee Curtis
(Kudos to Tony Curtis & Janet Leigh! -j) Not sure of release date, probably
around 1995. Set in 1972 (good soundtrack in my opinion) Last scene in the
movie - a light blue '64 or '65 Crown Coupe or LeBaron (small rear
window) drives slowly down the small-town main street with two girls following
behind on bicycles. Look fast, If you are not looking for Imperials you will
not see it. It is only distinguishable for about 1 1/2 seconds until it shrinks
into the background as the camera pulls up-and-away.
Cyborg 2087 (1966) - Michael Rennie, Wendell Corey, 1966
The Glass Bottom Boat (1966) - Doris Day, Rod Taylor. At the end,
a 1965 Imperial LeBaron drives through her garage door.
Roseland (1977, directed by James Ivory) - From: drucker@worldnet.att.net (David Drucker). I can't say for certain whether the shot ever made it into the movie (I'm ashamed to admit that I never went to the trouble of seeing it) but my 1966 LeBaron was used briefly in this movie. I rented it to the production company for $50, and watched them shoot the scene. Geraldine Chaplin leaves Roseland (the NYC dance palace), gets into the back seat, and is driven away. I'm going to have to rent it one day, and see if they ever used the shot.
Don't Make Waves with Tony Curtis and Sharon Tate. 1966 Imperial
convertible with the same metallic baby blue paint scheme is seen in
this 1967 comedy.. Good closeup scenes of the car hooking the bumper of Tony
Curtis VW bug and causing it (the VW) to wreck. Later the girl driving the
car cannot get the top to go up in driving rain and gives up. She slams the
door and the top raises automatically by itself (was this some unusual rain
sensitive option?)
The Happening. 1967. A brief scene of Martha Hyers' 1966 black 4 door hardtop is shown parked next to her husband's (Anthony Quinn) beige '66 Chrysler 300 convertible as he is being kidnapped and stuffed into the trunk of his car. Movie has Faye Dunaway in her first movie role. They always show this movie on the A & E channel early in the morning hours.
See the 1964 Imperial Ghia Limousine on the That Thing You
Do web-page.
From: bsbrbank@pacbell.net (Bob Schmitt)
I was talking to the original owner of my '66 LeBaron - an old friend in Santa Barbara - and he mentioned that there is a '66 in the current Tim Allen movie, "Jungle to Jungle". He is pretty sure that the car being driven by the "Russian mafia" guys is a 1966 four-door, same color as mine, Regal Blue. He couldn't tell if it was a Crown or LeBaron.
I had a chance to see this movie a few weeks ago, free, in a studio showing, but passed because of mediocre reviews and Imperial tasks. Can anyone confirm this sighting?
From: John Brauninger
Yes. Saw the movie with my seven year old daughter a month ago. Good movie for kids but darn near torture for adults unless you're absolutely nuts about Tim Allen. Luckily, I was able to stay awake thru most of it and caught a glimpse of the Imperial. Sorry, can't remember the color (I think it was black) or the model.
From: Watchfatha@aol.com
My former 66 convertible (sold about a year ago) was famous for 15 seconds in a movie called "A Bronx Tale". You can see its rear quarter over the shoulder of Chaz Palminteri in the doorway of the bar fight scene.
Imperials in a TV Series?
From: mckee@wlv.hp.com (Jay McKee)
Yes - For anybody that gets the cable channel f/X, a 1966 Imperial Crown 4dr H/T can be seen on a regular basis. Do you remember the crime/drama show "The Green Hornet"?.
The Green Hornet TV series was based on the early radio dramas created by George W. Trendle. The Green Hornet's was a crime fighter and his means of transportation was a car, nicknamed "Black Beauty." If you get a chance to look closely at this car, it is a 1966 Imperial Crown 4dr that has been modified to "James Bond" standards.
Computers, surveillance monitors, rockets, ice spreader, smoke screen, remote doors, homing device were just some of this car's features. Also '66 Imperials, 300s, Newports, and New Yorkers were used as regular cars for many scenes. (many Dodges and Plymouths too!) Definitely worth checking out if you are a mid 60s Chrysler & Imperial buff. Shedule is Sunday 4:30pm PST. Check your local listings for f/X.
The following additional comments are from John W. Rosa:
Apparently three Imperial Black Beauties were built - two for the show, and one for exhibition drag racing against a similarly built Batmobile.
While all the Bat-cars were built by Barris and company, the Black Beauties are not his, but instead were built by another famed 60s customizer, Dean Jeffries.
The Black Beauty was driven in the TV series by the famous martial-arts actor Bruce Lee, who played the Hornet's sidekick Kato.
From: bzubkow@netcom.ca
The Dukes of Hazzard TV show had a 65 or 66 imperial convertible on a few weeks ago. The brakes had gone out of the imperial and they put General Lee in front of the imperial and let it run into the General Lee. It was a pretty red convertible with white interior. It didn't look like it got damaged too much, but I almost cried to watch it. The rest of the show only had a few quick shots of it. Too bad.
Batman (1967) - Adam West, Burt Ward (opening scene), Bruce Wayne and Robin pull up to Wayne Manor in a tan 1966 Imperial Crown convertible.
From: tdickson@ilhawaii.net (Tony Dickson)
The 1968 Imperial 4-door was used in the Batman series in 1968. The movie occurred in 1966, between the first and second seasons of the TV series.
And, of course, the Green Hornet's "Black Beauty" appeared in a Batman episode, too.
No Imperials in Star Trek, but there were a couple of Plymouths.
[Yeah - I remember the one episode featuring aliens blasting through the
cosmos in their '61 primer-gray Plymouth Savoy 2-door sedan. It was eerie
to see that those bolt-on taillights really ARE warp-drive units! - Tony]
And who could forget the giant Belvederes in "Land of the Giants".
From: pc@accesscom.com (Don Pierson)
The "Six-Million Dollar Man" (or "Bionic Man") and "Bionic Woman"
often
had a '64 or '65 Ghia limo. It was also in a few other shows made by the
same studio. I don't recall if I ever saw it from the front so am not
sure which year.
The Drysdales often drove Imperials in "Beverly Hillbillies". They
referred to them as Limousines but they were usually LeBarons, '64 or
'65.
From: walrusmk@pacbell.net (Michael Friedman)
Don't forget to mention that there was one episode of
"Mission/Impossible" that featured TWO '64 limos! They were side by
side in one shot, so there were two! I think the plot involved knocking
out a bad guy in his (modified by Greg Morris to spew knockout gas), and
substituting a M.I. force member (in the second one) to stop his bad
shenanagins, or overthrow his naughty government, I don't remember
which. We can believe that the interior shots of the modifications were
bogus, but there was no mistaking two identical limos side by side! I'd
love to get a copy of this episode on video, if you ever hear of someone
who has it!
From: walrusmk@pacbell.net (Michael Friedman)
Beverly Hillbillies update: Milburn Drysdale drove a '66 convertible in the last season
(color), which may have been my car. Metallic medium blue (then), with
black interior. If anyone catches one of these episodes, please look &
see if it had the Guide-Matic (automatic headlight dimmer), pod on the
dashboard (mine does), to either confirm this or lay it to rest.
Second, the other morning, I caught part of an episode of Perry Mason
(black & white), with a shot of the front of a posh golf club, with a
'64(?) Crown coupe gliding up to the door. I didn't catch the opening,
so I'm not sure what the episode was called, but I think it may have
been "The Case of the Golfer's Gambit".
Mike Friedman
I just received a video from Movies Unlimited called The Munsters' lost
episodes which contains all the original pilots and promos for the
original Munsters TV series and I noticed that in one of the pilots for
the show Marilyn Munster's date came to pick her up in what looked to be a
'64 Imperial.
From: gambitguy@geocities.com (Chris Card)
In the TV series The Munsters and The Man From U.N.C.L.E there are
also 1964-66 Imperials.
