My cruising memories from 1971-72

[fortyshooter]

Yep about 50 years ago while a senior in high school late 1971 I bought a nice 55 Chevy 283/4 bbl. with 3 spd stick Chevelle bucket seats roll pleated black interior and usual hot rod parts. Now I have no pictures of it but did have this Two Lane Blacktop 55 Chevy diecast and less the big Grumpy Lump hood scoop mine was much like it. Watch here.... https://youtu.be/y08luMGNOzE
While going thru some old pictures I ran across a couple from Thanksgiving 1971 at my folk's house of course and one that was taken of me and my girlfriend of that time and a wild idea flashed thru my brain looking at that 55 Chevy I had on the shelf. A little resizing copying and cutting I put both of us in the 55 Chevy just like in 1971-72. So with a Cruising 72 video backdrop I put it all together as my memory of a great time to be alive!
Now of great importance I met my next girl about 2 years later....my wife today and need a diecast 1974 Z/28 Camaro in yellow to do another video for us.
Still waiting on that bus going back to 1970 to do it all over again....that's when I got my drivers license!

[Sir Henry]

Nice! It looks like the highly sought after 210 series.

[fortyshooter]

Nice! It looks like the highly sought after 210 series.

Yep I paid a whole 175 bucks for it back then if I remember! Used to run it at the "Stoplight Drags" back then and had to weld the shifter levers to the side plate stubs so the linkage would not slip on the old 3 spd trannies. FUN TIMES back then....Shoney's Drive In and other hang outs and the drive -in movies! Just had to make sure I didn't run it too hard cause school and work the next day! Had a great job back then learning the trade of TV broadcasting/production while a Senior in school which later transferred into a full time job after graduation. Best job I ever had as far as working conditions !

[Hatchdog]

Very clever forty, especially with the camera movements.

My wife and I have watched the video you used as she was raised in SoCal and spent many nights cruising Van Nuys Blvd. She enjoyed seeing all the spots where she and her friends used to hang out.

[BrokenolMarine]

The job looks like lots of fun. I would have enjoyed seeing behind the scenes at the TV station back then.

[fortyshooter]

Very clever forty, especially with the camera movements.

My wife and I have watched the video you used as she was raised in SoCal and spent many nights cruising Van Nuys Blvd. She enjoyed seeing all the spots where she and her friends used to hang out.

Glad you and wife enjoyed the trip back in time! I tried to find a picture file of a Shoneys Drive-in resturant where I spent A LOT of evenings when not working but that cruising video worked out great. I had a Super 8 movie camera back then and should have carried it around back then recording how it was.

[fortyshooter]

The job looks like lots of fun. I would have enjoyed seeing behind the scenes at the TV station back then.

Yeah a bunch of stories to tell! My boss had come there 2 years earlier as Production manager from another local TV station where he was a local celebrity being host of a weekend horror movie show that aired late at night. So he/we continued his show at our station mixing it with various local bands at different nigh club locations around town. He was the "Bowman Body" and was dressed as Dracula and would crawl out a green coffin we had to tow around. So I was running camera for those deals and having a blast doing it. Getting paid to have fun!
While in school I would run the control board keeping the shows running until sign off at mid night about 3 nights a week. After graduation and full time very busy doing community interest shows like the Cooking show sponsored by the gas company....talk shows with local leaders...outdoor sports show...hunting and fishing out in the field. Was later given the job of taping two local high school football and basketball games. I covered one school and had a crew cover the other. We traveled to UVA to video the State High School Basketball Championship game back in 1973 with Petersburg and Moses Malone since we covered their local games thru the season. Covered the 1973 NASCAR Richmond 400 the first local station to video the whole race but we could only air it after the race was over. Had a young radio station reporter girl....nice... get interviews with some of the big drivers like Richard Petty...Buddy Baker and so on. She got excited walking up to big Buddy Baker and dropped the steel mike but caught it by the cord. Mike swinging while Buddy is walking up and hit him you know where. Didn't know he had a high voice like that! Man lots of stories to tell!!

[BrokenolMarine]

The middle daughter challenged the sports guy on the metro Richmond Station when she was in high school. I forget his name, but he was very popular in the late 90s, early 2000s. I think it was called, "I challenge Jeff," but it's been a long time. He would meet his challenger at their venue, compete against them in their "sport / skill" and broadcast the challenges on his challenge segment a couple times a week. The odder the better.... Axe throwing? He was in. Frisbie Golf? He was your man. He usually lost, but didn't care. It was a popular segment.

The daughter challenged him to a precision pony cart driving competition, using a pony cart we had rescued and restored. She held the event at a 501c3 Charity that provided horseback riding for physically/mentally challenged youth where she volunteered. A win/win. She got to be on TV and the charity got a free plug. He interviewed the owner, an extra segment.

[BrokenolMarine]

I remember Bowman Body, I also remember Sailor Bob.