Straight Eights "Divas Outdoors" Display (June 19 & 26)
Mrs. Post’s Custom Cruisers – Be Part of the Tradition!
Free admission for you and one passenger is just part of the benefit of sharing your vintage ride at one of the fun and fabulous "Divas Outdoors" film screenings at Hillwood Estate (Saturday, June 19 and June 26). A promotional event for One In Ten's " Reel Affirmations" Film Fest, this event traditionally draws between 350 and 500 attendees and is great outreach for the Club. But you might be surprised to learn that displaying your car here also links you to a long automotive tradition at Marjorie Merriwether Post's storied Rock Creek Park estate!
Mustang Marjorie!
A former staffer of Mrs. Post's visited Hillwood in April and shared some vintage photos. "Apparently, the pay was good, so many of the staff purchased Mustangs," said Michael Kruelle, a Straight Eights member and Head of Visitor's Services at Hillwood. Just for kicks, one day they lined the cars up at the Administrative Building (formerly the male staff quarters) and took the photo shown here!
Mrs. Post’s Custom Cruisers!
Mrs. Post was well aware of the impact of having “the right car” – and, when necessary, how to make the car right for her. At Hillwood’s annual “Gay Day” in September 2006, Straight Eights Member Barry Bugg displayed his lovely 1963 Cadillac Sedan de Ville - a car similar in basic design to Mrs. Post's customized 1964 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 limousine. An enlarged copy of Hess & Eisenstadt's drawings were displayed beside Barry's car, so audiences could compare the two. The cereal heiress spent $13,000 to have the roof modified to allow her to keep her hats on during her ride. Here’s an article (unfortunately, source unknown) detailing the history of this special limousine.
But this wasn’t Mrs. Post’s first time at the automotive customization rodeo. She was well acquainted with having already costly luxury vehicles further modified to suit her needs. She so adored her 1931 Chrysler Custom Imperial 8 dual-cowl phaeton by LeBaron, the young society leader decided to purchase a new 1933 version of the same model. Unfortunately, she discovered that LeBaron no longer offered the dual-cowl phaeton body-style for Chrysler Imperials in 1933. So, what's a woman to do? Simple. She shipped her 1931 model to Chrysler’s flagship Manhattan dealership, where the 1931 dual-cowl body was completely refurbished, and then retrofitted to a brand new 1933 chassis. Still in existence, you can see and read more about the car at this link. After the war, Mrs. Post had the renowned Derham coachbuilders modify the roof and rear quarters of her new 1946 Chrysler Crown Imperial limousine to resemble a more formal pre-war/classic-era town car (see link).
You can be part of this grand automotive tradition and display your car at Hillwood during one of two "Divas Outdoors" Film Screenings. On Saturday, June 19, they're screening What’s Up Doc? with Barbara Streisand and Ryan O’Neil. Then, on Saturday, June 26, they're showing My Little Chickadee with Mae West and W.C. Fields. As usual, the gates will open at 6:30 pm, and the films will end right around 10:00 (display participants will need to be on-site by 6:00 pm). On June 19, the Gay Men’s Chorus will be performing a few selections from their Divas concert. We have room for two or three more cars on each date. If you would like to participate and show your beauty, email Jim Byers at impsrule@prodigy.net for more information.
