It’s in the Movies…. “Cars are the Stars”

Since their invention movies have always fascinated and entertained people. I grew up on a farm in South Dakota and one thing that our family did was go to movies. My Dad and Mom loved going to movies.

Mom said that she got my name from the actress Yvette Minmew from the credits of a "B" rated monster movie. Dad would get done milking the cows and we would head to Sioux Falls to the K Cinema. In the summer in between the races, we’d even go to a movie. That’s where I saw Smokey and the Bandit. That’s where my Brother, Shannon Nordstrom, got his taste for the Trans Am. Didn’t matter what movie it was, the cars were always a part of the conversation on the way home. To our family they were just as important as Burt Reynolds or Jackie Gleason. The cars were the stars. Dad was always pointing out, “Hey they lots 6 hubcaps! Now they can’t do that! Did you see those cars.” So when I watch movies, I look at the cars too. They transport you back through the warm memories of that precise time you first saw them. They fit right in just like casting the “right” actor or actress. Can you imagine if Burt Reynolds tried to run blocker in a Ford Granada? Not knocking the Granada, but it just wouldn’t fit.

I love watching those movies and see all those fabulous cars and think, “oh, I’ve sold one of those, I love those cars, listen to that motor!” I think about some of the scenes and what a fabulous auction it would be with those cars.

American Graffiti is a movie that reminds me of stories that my Dad and Mom tell and how it mimics their life. Those were some incredible cars. The 1958 Impala and 1932 Ford Coupe are iconic, and I don’t know anybody that doesn’t associate a ‘32 Yellow Coupe with that movie.

One time, we went to a show and the Chitwood Brothers were doing stunts. Dad was getting derby cars ready, and just for fun, us kids sat on the edge of the hill while he put on a show attempting to do a lot of their stunts.

The Blues Brothers was a movie where the car is unforgettable. When we were horsing around in high school we would claim, “we were on a mission from God,” I still am.

Tonight we watched the Godfather Series, now there’s a whole bunch of cool cars of different eras in that movie. Those wonderful Lincolns, Packards, and Cadillacs that spanned all the way into the 60’s.

A few years ago at the Iola Old Car Show, they had some of the cars from the movie Public Enemy. What a great movie with great cars. Johnny Depp and a 1934 Ford, 2 beauties.

Be a part of the movies. They bring back memories and create memories. In high school, there was always that guy or gal that had a Trans Am, or even a Charger like the General Lee. The generations may change and tastes may change, but cars will always remain. As generations change, so do the cars in the movies. For example, today the Fast and Furious movies mix muscle cars with tuners. It will be interesting to see how the cars change with the movies in the future. But as long as there are movies, there will be cars that create icons and memories… cars will always be the stars.