James Garner
07-20-2014, 03:43 PM
#1
Safety Car
Thread Starter
James Garner
James Garner, passed away today. he made many fine movies and was an avid 68-69 Corvette Racer, another Legend will be missed.
link to 68 Racing info:
http://sspinball.com/SSGarage/James%...s%20Garner.htm
link to 68 Racing info:
http://sspinball.com/SSGarage/James%...s%20Garner.htm
07-20-2014, 04:27 PM
#2
Melting Slicks
After seeing him race I set my sights on my first Corvette: a brand new '73 Vert w/factory hardtop...
Last edited by HarleyB; 07-20-2014 at 04:31 PM.
07-20-2014, 05:54 PM
#4
Race Director
Usually I don't think twice when an actor passes away. But he was one of my favorites and I am sure he will be missed. Time to start watching Rockford on Netflix.
07-20-2014, 07:23 PM
#9
Drifting
A sad day- James Garner was a class act.
Most of the folks out here probably don't remember (or were born yet) but as a kid, I loved the children's show "Stingray" (go figure?) and many may not realize that the main character "Troy Tempest" was created in the likeness of James Garner by the Producer Gerry Anderson.
"Anything can happen in the next half hour!"
http://www.fablibrary.com/stingrayeng.htm
Another childhood and adult hero is now gone...
Most of the folks out here probably don't remember (or were born yet) but as a kid, I loved the children's show "Stingray" (go figure?) and many may not realize that the main character "Troy Tempest" was created in the likeness of James Garner by the Producer Gerry Anderson.
"Anything can happen in the next half hour!"
http://www.fablibrary.com/stingrayeng.htm
Another childhood and adult hero is now gone...
07-20-2014, 08:09 PM
#10
Drifting
A class act for sure. Something hollywood lacks big time nowadays. I remember as a kid watching him on Rockford Files and a bunch of cool shows that were playing at that time. Shows like Swat, Six Million Dollar Man, Cannon …ect. I will always remember him for His show RF and the part he played in The Great Escape, One of my favorite movies.
R.I.P J.G.
07-20-2014, 08:13 PM
#11
Race Director
The NBC F1 broadcast team, mentioned his passing, during this morning's German Grand Prix. I was sorry to hear it, as he was always one of my favorites. I'm probably showing my age here, but I became a fan of him as a kid from his Maverick TV show (1960, long before he joined Mel Gibson in the Maverick movie). "Grand Prix" and "The Great Escape" cemented his position at the top of my favorites list.
Autoblog did a nice piece on him, along with assorted video clips, including excerpts from Grand Prix and The Racing Scene, a piece on his Olds 442 Baja racer, and an assortment of his car chase scenes.
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/07/20/j...to-enthusiast/
Autoblog did a nice piece on him, along with assorted video clips, including excerpts from Grand Prix and The Racing Scene, a piece on his Olds 442 Baja racer, and an assortment of his car chase scenes.
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/07/20/j...to-enthusiast/
07-20-2014, 08:44 PM
#12
agree with 540 vette. Usually don't care, but James Garner was one I really respected. Loved Rockford files and Pontiacs because of the show. RF was the only show where the hero often came out on the losing end. Great show. Great story about a working man.
07-20-2014, 09:00 PM
#13
Team Owner
I really enjoyed him in the Maverick series. We couldn't afford color TV in those days but it was still a treat in B&W. I forget the name of his side-kick. And of course the Rockford Files was superb. Sad day.
07-20-2014, 10:19 PM
#14
Drifting
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he was just one of those guys that everybody liked. I think the ladies wanted to be with him and the guys just wanted to be him.
He will be missed.
He will be missed.
07-20-2014, 10:34 PM
#15
Le Mans Master
07-21-2014, 12:09 AM
#16
Advanced
James garner
I also grew up watching James Garner on Television in Maverick and the Rockford Files. I also remember watching him being interviewed by Chris Econamaki at Daytona and Sebring on ABC Wide World of Sports, even though I was a little Kid.
He is a guy we all would have liked to meet and just sit down and talk cars with, he was an original and he was a REAL car guy.
He was the kind of guy who knew what hard work was all about, and he knew the harder you worked the better it got. He also knew how to help his friends, many actors and behind the scenes people started with him on Maverick in 1957, and stayed with him his whole career, because his friends were part of his family(one was Jack Elam, another was his older brother Jack Garner, who passed away in 2011. Now the Garner Brothers are together again.)
One passion he had was racing, he started in the late 50's and early 60's with this, and met a lot of the up and coming California Racers. His passion really took off while filming Grand Prix in 1966, while surrounded by several world famous race car drivers, he and Bob Bondurant(his personal driving instructor for the movie) struck up a friendship that lasted for the rest of his life. He took his passion and helped take Corvette Racing to the next level with Bondurant as a partner, The American International Racing team began, with Bondurant( who was severely injured in a June 17 1967 accident while driving a McLaren NK2 at Watkins Glen, this prevented him from driving for the AIR team at Daytona 1968), Dick Guildstrand, Ed Leslie, Dave Jordan, Scooter Patrick, and Herb Caplan. All were highly accomplished Corvette Racers with a lot of experience in several other classes. Later the team switched to Chevy powered Lolas and other world class drivers were added, such as Lothar Motschenbacher . Garner later teamed with Parnelli Jones and Bondurant with a Baja 1000 AMC sponsored AIR team. Among the finishers were seven of Garner's 10 Ramblers, with Bondurant taking 1st place.
James Garner was just a regular car guy, who was down to earth, who knew about hard work, took care of his friends and was a guy who just happened work as an actor. A guy, if we had the opportunity, we all could have called a friend.
Rest in peace James Garner, you will be missed.
He is a guy we all would have liked to meet and just sit down and talk cars with, he was an original and he was a REAL car guy.
He was the kind of guy who knew what hard work was all about, and he knew the harder you worked the better it got. He also knew how to help his friends, many actors and behind the scenes people started with him on Maverick in 1957, and stayed with him his whole career, because his friends were part of his family(one was Jack Elam, another was his older brother Jack Garner, who passed away in 2011. Now the Garner Brothers are together again.)
One passion he had was racing, he started in the late 50's and early 60's with this, and met a lot of the up and coming California Racers. His passion really took off while filming Grand Prix in 1966, while surrounded by several world famous race car drivers, he and Bob Bondurant(his personal driving instructor for the movie) struck up a friendship that lasted for the rest of his life. He took his passion and helped take Corvette Racing to the next level with Bondurant as a partner, The American International Racing team began, with Bondurant( who was severely injured in a June 17 1967 accident while driving a McLaren NK2 at Watkins Glen, this prevented him from driving for the AIR team at Daytona 1968), Dick Guildstrand, Ed Leslie, Dave Jordan, Scooter Patrick, and Herb Caplan. All were highly accomplished Corvette Racers with a lot of experience in several other classes. Later the team switched to Chevy powered Lolas and other world class drivers were added, such as Lothar Motschenbacher . Garner later teamed with Parnelli Jones and Bondurant with a Baja 1000 AMC sponsored AIR team. Among the finishers were seven of Garner's 10 Ramblers, with Bondurant taking 1st place.
James Garner was just a regular car guy, who was down to earth, who knew about hard work, took care of his friends and was a guy who just happened work as an actor. A guy, if we had the opportunity, we all could have called a friend.
Rest in peace James Garner, you will be missed.
07-21-2014, 12:28 AM
#17
Safety Car
Jim Garner, Paul Newman, Steve McQueen all missed. I guess that leaves Dick Smothers as the last racer/actor of the era.
Last edited by parkerracing; 07-21-2014 at 05:32 PM.
07-21-2014, 11:40 AM
#19
Was that a Zl1 corvette he raced? Paint looks familiar
I remenber him I think in my GM issues of corvette news ....
I think Garner and the Smother s brother raced about the same era.
He was cool guy .Love Rockford Files too.
I remenber him I think in my GM issues of corvette news ....
I think Garner and the Smother s brother raced about the same era.
He was cool guy .Love Rockford Files too.
