Well I was poking around a web sight and ran across these pictures from the old Lassie T.V. show,..... I couldn't believe my eyes, but yes there it was the Don Hudson/Tom McMullen roadster with Lassie herself jumping up on it ,..... Is this cooool or what ? And some other pictures from the same episode,....
The pix of the green painted roadster was taken at Hollywood Bowl parking lot about 1961 or 62,---Possibly when Tom had just purchased it from Hudson.---I'll keep checking it out--------Don
I actually remember that show - first time around - These days I don't remember too much with the alheimer's a everything goin' on.
It was probably '61, I ran into McMullin that year in Hollywood, he wanted to street race but with the 6-carb Chev, I knew he would blow my doors off... the metalflake was pretty bad and he ultimately repainted the car black with flames
I have some great early shots of the McMullen Roadster taken when Tom first got it.I will scan them and post soon. I did 25,000 miles in the clone in 1997. That shot of the clone in front of the Bonneville sign was taken in 1997 during Speed Week. Bob Pierson of the Pierson brothers coupe fame had just walked up to me and asked if he could take the car for a spin. It was surreal as Bob slid behind the wheel and I rode shotgun and he blasted down the asphalt to the edge of the salt. Definitely a major Road Tour moment for me.
Tom's roadster was also in The Life of Riley episode called Juvenile Deliquent from 1956 when Don Hudson still had It. Also in 77 Sunset Strip episode called the Chrome Coffin after Tom bought it. I send Don a copy of the Lassie episode called Lassie's Protege from 1961-62.Hope Jerry Dixie remembers to post the old Don Hudson pictures of it soon. Hint ... Hint ... Jerry (BIG GRIN)
Do any of you have pictures from the feature of Tom's roadster in Popular Hot Rodding in 63-64 ? Where just the chassis was on the cover. Thank's
[/IMG] Here's the earliest known picture of the Hudson/McMullen roadster, taken in 1956 while under construction at my Dad's upholstery shop in Norwalk.
Hey Steve,.. thats one heck of a intro ! ,..... do you have any other pictures of the car ?,....... or other Hot Rods ?
Here's an "after" shot. Only thing missing is the baby moons. One noteworthy detail is those infamous wishbone plates are not installed at this stage. These appear to be "L" plates attached to the bottom of the frame rails, and that's the way it was when Dad sold the roadster.
Looks to me like the original version was clearly the best and doesn't even need the baby moons. Just about perfect just like that.
I built the clone chassis when I worked at TCI Engineering for Tom and Deanna Mc Mullen, I had to build it from these early pictures that Tom had brought me, fun to build the chassis and good to see the car still around. Todd
Tommy Ivo was a bad guy in that episode. He ran over a mother racoon in his hot rod and Lassie was pissed. I have it on an old VHS tape.