Quote:
Originally Posted by tbalutis
You are really enriching our lives, Rick. Thank you once again. The work and patience involved must be mind-boggling in that you can capture the photos within just a few days. Especially liked the Dirty Dancing reference points.
Oh, by the way, the third car in the photos is a Kaiser-Frazer. The model is most likely a Deluxe, the upscale versions would have been either a Manhattan or Dragon and would be a little fancier. Not to be confused with the Kaiser Virginian, which preceded the merged company!
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tbalutis,
"Enriching your lives," eh? Well, it's the least I can do for this pack of reprobates!
Believe it or not, I took the photos at the Mountain Lake Resort without having seen Dirty Dancing for a very long time. I got lucky in that I used a number of the same vantage spots that were used in the film. I was able to just grab a few screenshots from the movie that aligned well with my photos. (It would have been smarter to do it the other way around, no doubt.)
As for the Kaiser-Frazer, well done! It's such a little-known car that I wasn't sure anyone would be able to identify it. (I cheated by checking the rear license plate holder, which clearly said Kaiser. I would have had a lot of trouble, otherwise.)
Prior to seeing this car, I wasn't aware that Kaiser cars were related to Henry J. cars, or that they were produced by the industrialist Henry J. Kaiser. Of course, he also founded the Kaiser Shipyard, Kaiser Aluminum, Kaiser Steel, the mammoth Kaiser Permanente health system in California and other parts of the U.S., the Kaiser Family Foundation, and other ventures and organizations over the course of his lifetime. Unfortunately, he only made cars for a few years.
I agree on your identification of the specific model as being a Deluxe, although, in retrospect, I should have checked the interior for the "Dragon" upholstery. FWIW, the company brought back the Virginian name for a low-cost version of this same car for 1 year, I believe. Regardless, I thought it was a great-looking car, particularly from the rear three-quarter view.
Here's a photo of Henry J., at the wheel of his far-ahead-of-its-time 1946 articulated bus—supercharged diesel engine (just like all modern Greyhound buses), alloy coachwork, air conditioning, and all.
Rick
