This Duesenberg was a gift from Carole Lombard to her husband Clark Gable, who owned it until her death in an airplane crash in 1942. He then left it in Canada with instructions that it not be driven in California as long as he was alive.
I’m not even a car person. For me, a car is a means to get me from point A to point B, and I’ll even take point A ¾ if it isn’t too far to walk and it means avoiding a car repair. I’d be happy to live in a city where I didn’t even need a car.
Unless I could tool around in one of the 18 gorgeous cars I saw last week at the new aptly named exhibition at the High Museum of Art, The Allure of the Automobile. These shining masterpieces of metal are jaw-droppingly beautiful and look way more at home in the galleries of the High than they would in the parking lot at Publix, where my H.W. Bush-administration-era car spends most of its time.
Not only are many of them about as rare as pro-health-care reform Republicans, most of them were built during the Depression. Kinda hard to believe that when some folks were living in Hoovervilles, others were riding in cars with hoods longer than the soup lines.
But these beauties are so well-maintained you could put your make-up on in their reflections. And speaking of make-up, one of my favorite fun facts was about the 1957 Cadillac Eldorado, one of the newer cars. Its glove compartment came with a lipstick holder, powder puff, cologne atomizer and mirror. Wouldn’t that be way more useful that outdated maps of Alabama, unpaid parking tickets and hair-covered Lifesavers?
Here are a few more fun facts I learned during my tour last week:
• Steve McQueen terrorized his neighbors on Mulholland Drive by tearing around in the Jaguar, which he called The Green Rat.
• This isn’t the first exhibition of cars. That was actually back in 1951 at MOMA when the curator there called them “hollow, rolling sculptures.” But this exhibition is rare in that it will only be in Atlanta.
• Famed aviatrix Betty Skelton set a speed record of 143.44 MPH in the 1954 Dodge Firearrow. And she was wearing a dress and high heels.
• Two of the cars were gifts from Carole Lombard to Clark Gable.
Just go see them for yourself. It really is a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition, as most of these owners don’t let these cars travel around. As Ken Gross, the guest curator said, “They are rare, they are exciting, and they are here.”
The Allure of the Automobile is at the High through June 20, 2010.
Pork on Parade
One morning I cooked up a whole mess of bacon, planning on saving several slices for a salad that night. Within five minutes of waking up, my son had devoured the entire plate.”Don’t you think you ate too much bacon?” I asked.
“There is no such thing as too much bacon,” he said. “I just eat it until it isn’t there anymore.”
Too bad he’s away at school because I can’t think of anyone who would enjoy the 10th Annual Dad’s Garage BaconFest more. Vegetarians aside, most of us would agree that bacon, beer and bands are the ingredients for an unparalleled afternoon. Check it out yourself this Saturday, March 27, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Dad’s Garage Theatre Company at 280 Elizabeth Street. Tickets range from $15 o $45, depending on whether you are a Lil Pig or a Big Pig, and can be purchased in advance at Dad’s Garage Ticket Office or at the gate that day. Be sure to check out the silent auction for some awesome items, including business class tickets on AirTran. The money goes to support this quirky, gem of a theater in Inman Park.
Dad’s Garage BaconFest, March 27, 1-5 PM
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