IN SEARCH OF JACK BOYLE: On the Trail of Boston Blackie's Forgotten Creator

But, Blackie … Is That Thing Street Legal?

March 12, 2018 at 9:58 PM (Uncategorized) (A Close Call for Boston Blackie, b-movies, Betty Huet, Bill Gentry, Boston Blackie, Boston Blackie's car, Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture, Buick, Cadillac, Chester Morris, Columbia Pictures, Florida, Ford, In Search of Jack Boyle, jackboylefan, Kent Taylor, Lincoln, Longwood, Nash, Orlando Sentinel, Phil Huet, Rambler, television, Ziv Productions)

Some folks may wonder what sort of car Chester Morris drove in Columbia Pictures’ series of Boston Blackie b-movies.  After reading the following article from the March 2, 1969 edition of The Orlando Sentinel, you still really won’t be able to answer that question … but it sounds like an amazing machine:

I can only wonder what has become of this unique vehicle in the almost 50 years since this article was published.  I haven’t found any references to it around the internet, but hopefully someone out there has restored Blackie’s crazy custom ride to all its glory.

**UPDATE**      While reporter Bill Gentry connects the car in his article to Chester Morris’ Boston Blackie films, I believe he may have gotten his facts somewhat muddled.  The photograph accompanying his piece and his description of the vehicle’s low-riding rear boasting three fins evoke memories of the car driven by Kent Taylor during much of the second season of Ziv Productions’ syndicated Boston Blackie television series.  Multiple episodes are available on YouTube, for those curious enough to check it out.

JBF  –  3/14/18

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