The sad end to Squad 51 from Emergency! (1978) Series wise

[ranma]

In the Second made for TV movie, (the pilot episode was actually a two part movie called the Townsend Act) . In 1978 after the weekly series was taken off they made some made for TV movies the first which was Called: Survival from Charter 220. In this movie the famous '72 Dodge meet's a sad end, there is not only a jet engine sitting on it, but a huge tree landed on it as well. This was the last time the '72 dodge was in the movies, the other movies take place in different city's such as Seattle, and San Fransico . and end with both Johnny and Roy becoming Captains.

 

Edited February 21, 2021 by ranma

[Rodent]

There were three used, and one is on display with both Engine 51s at the LAFD museum.

[GLMFAA1]

I'll add my 2 cents: There were different squad 51's. One was built by the studio since it could be modified for camera work. If you watch some shows the hardware is under the front bumper. This one in the picture is not squad 51 but a stunt double squad. note the square slam locks as 51 has round ones. The upper body grab rails are absent. The taillights are in the wrong position. In the pilot movie there was also squad 10 which was a rescue squad and not paramedic. It was a 70 Dodge truck. Since the squad bodies were built by the fire department shop there were all kinds of variations and a few replicas built around the country.

Here is another view of the above truck. so there must have been different scenes discussed.

greg

[ChrisBcritter]

Frame grab from that TV movie, with a blooper: Another camera moves into the shot on the lower right. 

 

[Danno]

I'll go a bit further. 

There was a stunt double, but there was only one actual Squad 51. As Greg mentions, they used mock-ups for the couple of scenes where the Squad was supposedly damaged. 

The actual Squad 51 lives at the Los Angeles County Fire Department Museum (not the same as LAFD) as Steve mentions.

At one time, it made a coast-to-coast tour as a fund-raiser and promotion of the then-unveiled Emergency! exhibit at the Smithsonian. Both Mantooth and Kevin Tighe autographed the door panels of the actual Squad 51.  That's one way to differentiate it from any imposters. 

Even more interesting (at least around here) is that the actual Squad 51 came to Phoenix and lived temporarily at the National Hall of Flame Museum of Fire Fighting for a year while reconstruction work was being done at the Los Angeles County Fire Museum.  I worked at the Hall of Flame at the time and had the privilege of taking care of Squad 51. I even drove it once.

There are some stories, but we won't tie up the bandwidth. 

Interestingly, a recent interview with Randolph Mantooth (Johnny Gage) in Vintage Fire Truck & Equipment magazine included a recollection of his about how Squad 51 was to drive. I had to laugh. I had the very same experience and impression of it as he recounted!

 

🌵👨‍🚒

   

[Rodent]

11 minutes ago, Danno said:

Interestingly, a recent interview with Randolph Mantooth (Johnny Gage) in Vintage Fire Truck & Equipment magazine included a recollection of his about how Squad 51 was to drive. I had to laugh. I had the very same experience and impression of it as he recounted!

Not sure what you are relating, but the Dodge trucks of the 1970s that I have driven felt like a 1940s truck with a (crummy) disc brake conversion and lots of air in the lines.

[Danno]

2 hours ago, Rodent said:

Not sure what you are relating, but the Dodge trucks of the 1970s that I have driven felt like a 1940s truck with a (crummy) disc brake conversion and lots of air in the lines.

Stalling and stumbling. Didn't matter if you warmed it up or not.  No doubt something that could have been corrected, but interesting that the condition existed/lasted 20 years.  And, yes. For a sexy Hollywood star, it drove like an old lumber truck.

🌵👨‍🚒

Edited February 22, 2021 by Danno

[RandyW]

Here's another two cents.  "Rodent" is absolutely correct  There were three Dodge D300 cab and truck chassis owned by the studio and used in the series and T.V. movies.  Squad 10 in the pilot was a 1970 Dodge that was on loan to Universal from the LAcoFD.  The first Squad 51 was a 1972 D300 and it's common knowledge today that the Fabrication Shop at Universal built this chassis into a faithful replica of a LAcoFD rescue squad.  This truck lasted two seasons and prior to season three the studio acquired a 1973 D300 truck.  The '72 was stripped of all useable parts including the rear compartment box.  The front grill was also swapped to the '73 truck so the stock footage of the running squad shot in the first two seasons could be used again.  Watch season one and you'll see why.  The '73 truck was virtually identical to its older brethren with the exception of the two "D" ring towing lugs bolted to the diamond checker plate rear bumper and the Dodge letters on the front of the hood being painted over with the exterior color.  Once again, this truck survived two seasons and was replaced by a '74 D300.  And again the older truck was stripped to help build the next squad.  This is the vehicle that currently resides in the LA County Fire Museum.  Decode the V.I.N. of this truck and it will indeed reveal that it's a 1974 Dodge D300 1 & 1/2 truck cab and chassis.  (The excellent book "Emergency:  Behind the Scenes" incorrectly states that the museum truck is a 1972 model, yet they provide the V.I.N. that proves otherwise).  The '74 is discernible from the previous two squads by the rear external box light and the black vinyl upholstery trim inside the two cab doors.  The earlier trucks had bare metal doors painted to match the exterior with beige coloured arm rests.  An interesting and ironic twist to the Dodge rescue squad truck story.  When Universal actually began filming the pilot movie, the LAcoFD had stopped purchasing the Dodge truck to supplement its fleet and began using Ford trucks.  When Universal denoted their Squad truck to the County, it was the "newest" Dodge truck in the department.  The latest Dodge trucks owned by the County were 1970 models.

 

On a sidebar, back in 1980 when I was twenty years old, my buddy and I spent a week in Los Angeles and we toured the Universal lot.  I happened to spy a studio employee who was wearing a "Squad 51" t-shirt.  Being the fan that I was I had no apprehensions about approaching him and asking if he had worked the series and did he ever meet the cast.  Regrettably the answer was no, but he worked in the Fabrication Shop and was part of the crew that built the third squad.  I asked what happened to the other two trucks and he said after they were stripped they had no real value and nobody knew where they ended up.

[Brutalform]

After all these years, I’m still crazy over Dixie!!

[BlackSheep214]

19 hours ago, Brutalform said:

After all these years, I’m still crazy over Dixie!!

LOL! I used to watch EMERGENCY back in the 70s. Talk about a blast from the past. Interesting topic. 

[RichCostello]

3 hours ago, BlackSheep214 said:

LOL! I used to watch EMERGENCY back in the 70s. Talk about a blast from the past. Interesting topic. 

I still watch it every chance I get. It's on COZI 10, and 11 AM mtn. time. Then I watch Adam-12 at 4 and 4:30 pm on ME-TV.

[Green51]

I’m sorry for reviving a dead thread but the 50th anniversary of the premiere of “Emergency!” was last week and I had to chime in. The original poster stated that the premiere episode was a two parter. That is correct in the sense that all of the two hour movies were edited down to two parts for syndication. The premiere of “Emergency!” was a two hour movie that was first televised on NBC on January 15, 1972. During the show’s 5th season the movie was cut into two parts and the filler reminiscences of Johnny and Roy were filmed and edited into the cut. This allowed NBC to show 24 episodes that season. Those two episodes (‘The Wedsworth-Townsend Act’ pts 1 & 2) are what most people today have seen in the last 20 years in syndication on TVLand or Antenna TV or METV or Cozi TV.

The real question is what ever happened to the 1970 squad that Universal bought from L.A. County and used as Squad 10 then as a filming stand in for the ‘72 Dodge. There are episodes from the 1st season where Station 51 is on a run and you can see the white grill and older cab of the ‘70 Dodge as Squad 51 is responding. Were those days that the ‘72 wouldn’t start, wasn’t ready or did the studio use the ‘70 to get their money out of it, especially running through red lights at intersections. That stock footage is used occasionally throughout the first 3 seasons. If anyone knows what happened to the ‘70 Dodge, please chime in. I’m sure the L. A. County Fire Museum would be interested.

[leafsprings]

On 6/29/2021 at 6:35 PM, RandyW said:

 This truck lasted two seasons and prior to season three the studio acquired a 1973 D300 truck.  The '72 was stripped of all useable parts including the rear compartment box.  The front grill was also swapped to the '73 truck so the stock footage of the running squad shot in the first two seasons could be used again.  

Why would you swap the '72 grill to the '73?  Both '72 and '73 year models use the same grill. The '72 grill  must have been swapped to the new '74.   Season 1, 2, and 3 show the '72 D 300 with 16" 2 piece rims and beige inner door arm rests. Season 4, 5 and 6 show the '74 D 300 with solid 16.5" rims and black inner door panels and arm rests. I'm thinking there were 2 squads, a '72 and '74. Rings could have been added to same truck and  hood letters could have been painted over on the same truck. During the 5th and 6 th season, the  old '72  grill was showing oxidation, somebody painted the headlight doors  and wiper arms black. ( eye sore)

Edited January 30, 2022 by leafsprings

[leafsprings]

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Edited January 27, 2022 by leafsprings

[The Junkman]

1 hour ago, leafsprings said:

  I'm thinking there were 2 squads, a '72 and '74.

With my limited experience with film productions (repeated support, road closures, smoothing over sharp edges with local residents) I will guarantee there was at least 2 and likely more Squad 51 rigs available for use during filming.  A "hero" car the main car in use and a backup.  The backup often gets used for 2nd unit filming so different aspects of the filming can be shot at different locations and at the same time.  Which makes sense if you realize that a lot of bucks get lost if the filming schedule get interrupted-highly paid people sitting around doing nothing because a car/truck won't start etc.  To say nothing of the insurance that won't pay off if the film company doesn't do everything in its power to keep going.  I was on a film shoot years ago for "Pontiac Moon", unremarkable except that Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen got married after starring in it.  The company had two (2!) 1951 Pontiac Chieftain convertibles on scene and at least 2 Amphicar 770s.  Neither of those are/were common.  And naturally one of the Pontiacs broke but production didn't stop.

Edited January 27, 2022 by The Junkman