Back in 1985 just before the series ended I decided to go down with the transport truck that hauled down the cars and such that Paul Baxley would order for production.
Paul Baxley was the stunt head and did that for Star Trek and numerous other productions.
Any mile, instead of riding in the hauler, I decided to go down in my VW diesel Rabbit. That looked very much like a mini KW(Kenworth). So there I was all the way down, got to Las Vegas , I never had seen women dressed so skimpy in my life. I thought they must be real tired to be dressing to go to bed at this hour, or mighty free on morals. Turns out it was a lot more, hey I grew up, and got worldly smart, but then, I was stupid, as you’ll soon see.
So we got to San Bernadino, at the 76 Truck Stop there, I bought all kinds of stuff, then we got into Los Angeles. Now here in Twin of even Salt Lake City streets are just a few blocks apart. In Shakey city(cb nick name for Los Angeles due to earthquakes) those streets are several miles apart. So Bro and I were on Sunset Blvd. We drove all the way to the end, and came to a gate, now a paved street that comes to dirt and looks to go on, is not that uncommon, but apparently it does in California. As we were tooling around the beach, not understanding that the beach was where we were. I looked over at what looked like a bridge, but was a fishing pier. Bro looked at me and said, “As good as the General is, he ain’t making that jump, next stop, was Japan” So we turned around, some how ended up in Beverley Hills, on Rodeo drive. Ever try telling a Iranian who don’t speak English, inside a plastic box in a smaller AM/PM store that you need a can of Skoal? That mid eastern feller I had to draw a picture, and tried to point to it. I have an idea , for our Immigration department, before we let these terrorist students in the country and give em a job, lets teach em some of our habits, like chew. Its an idea.
Okay , so got done there, still trying to get to Burbank where WB Studios is. We got there, after looping the center divider that separates Glendale and Burbank from each other, It’s a thing that looks like a grave stone. It was dark, getting chill, I know imagine that even in Hollyweird, and someone hadn’t marked us down on the delivery sheet. Really? So I walked over to Paramount studios across the street, made a call to Mr. Picard, he called someone and we were in.
But understand to get there from that AM/PM, I drove by the CHP station that I saw on Chips, went in asked where Paunch and John were they damn near threw me in the holding pen, then saw the fire station just off Mulholland drive , that the Jack Webb series Emergency was shot, so a nice LACSO deputy, escorted , Bro and I, down I-5, to 101, and up Burbank drive. He left us after stopping at this industrial park across the street, next to some rail road tracks, you have seen the same trax, on SOA, Fast and Furious, and a few others.
So I was finally on set.
Even though many of the cast was on this new vacation called Hiatus, there was a few stunt fellers and crew around so we off loaded, the crew, myself John, and Mr. Picard, went to dinner.
Understand I’m in my trucker jeans, torn T, I look like a rodeo dude, but off to swanky Beverley Hills Holiday Inn, had dinner, Mr. Picard set us up in a room, and I found a McDonalds next door. What was great about this Holiday Inn, was if you got tired of the shades being open, you could flip a switch and they’d close like magic.
The next day took a drive around the studio, saw much, and learned more. then got something showed me that I’d never would think to look.
Mid season of the Dukes, until the studio masked it, if you look in the middle of the Duke Farm house, you’ll see a very small shaded square. That is nothing less than the Burbank water tank, in the background.
Of course there’s than General Lee that hung on the side of the wall going into the studio. Wonder how they kept that up there?
So in review that was my first trip to the set, I spent 80.00 in fuel, 250 in food, $30 in Skoal, hey that Iranian at the AM/PM charged me $10.00 for it, and by the time I got home, I wanted to load up and go back.
In the next year the show had been canned but my I wanted to go.
Events in Idaho and Georgia, if you thought all was in California, I have news for you.
Ya’ll come back now.
Quote of the Day:
Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life.
--Terry Pritchett
Philippians 2:5-8“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”
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