"The Dodge Boys" 1964 Dodge S/S

[RancheroSteve]

Dave Strickler’s 1964 Super Stock Dodge, built from the Lindberg Dodge “Color Me Gone” kit, with a roof transplant from the Lindberg Plymouth Belvedere. Since this was a manual trans car, I also used the engine from the Belvedere, as well as the bucket seats. Aftermarket stuff: Slixx decals and Fireball carbs. Paint is Mr. Color # 69. 

See the “Work in Progress” thread here for more details:

Finally, a personal connection to this car for me comes from my father, a musician who was earning a good part of his living in the commercial advertising business in 1963. I’ll let him tell it from his (unpublished) memoir:

“Then came a jingle writing gig for Will Lorin, “Wheaties’’, recorded at A&R Studios, and a jingle date of my own for BBD&O, a large Madison Avenue ad-agency, on “The Dodge Boys”. The agency had been started by four guys named Batten, Barton, Durstine and Osborne, which prompted humorist Russell Baker to write that the name sounded like someone falling down a flight of stairs.

BBD&O had two songwriters on staff, Joe Hornsby and Ted German, who I’d met through Bill Fredericks, and after several fruitless months of cordial meetings, they had decided to recommend me to Lloyd Oppenheim, the producer, to do the jingle. Bill contracted the all-star marching band that included Doc Severinsen, Mel Davis and Jimmy Maxwell in the trumpets, Urbie Green leading the trombones, Don Butterfield on tuba, and Charlie Russo, Joe Soldo and Phil Bodner in the reeds. To top it all off, Bill had hired the eight male singers who did the “Sing Along With Mitch Miller” TV show, and we recorded at A&R, with sound engineer Phil Ramone. I was especially happy with a musical section written to keep the jazzy 6/8 march feeling under the announcer. Starting with the trombones playing a Count Basie type line, it culminated with a stop time fanfare for the whole brass section. It was taking a chance to do something that powerful in a place that was supposed to be underscore, and although Oppenheim wanted to cut it he was over-ruled by the writers, fortunately for me and the future of the jingle.

“The Dodge Boys” was originally planned by BBD&O just for the dealers’ association in New Jersey. Because of its effectiveness commercially, though, it was soon picked up by the dealers in Connecticut, New York State, and then across the entire country. Naturally everyone was very pleased, including all the singers and musicians who had played on the date, and because it was all over the radio, the whole gang at Jerry Bruno’s would sing it whenever Pam and I walked in the place. It was gratifying, of course, but also a bit embarrassing; we just weren’t used to that kind of minor celebrity attention.”

After my father died in 2020 I was able to digitize his reel to reel tape archive and set up a Bandcamp page for his music. Here’s a link to his commercial presentation reel: https://ronroullier.bandcamp.com/track/ronnie-roullier-presentation-reel

Jump to about 52 seconds in to hear two versions of the "Dodge Boys" jingle.

Thanks for looking and reading.

 

 

[drodg]

First great job on the 64.  I worked at a few CDJ stores in Chicagoland over the years and remember BBD&O.  This would be in the late 80's and the 90's.   

[Mike 1017]

Great build of NHRA History

[Mopar2]

Awesome build of a Classic Mopar...

[PappyD340]

Very nice build!

[slusher]

Great builds!

[M W Elky]

You did a fantastic job here on my favorite model mopar . You might want to add the long traction bars they had on it 

[RancheroSteve]

5 hours ago, M W Elky said:

You did a fantastic job here on my favorite model mopar . You might want to add the long traction bars they had on it 

Thanks. Do you have any pictures of those traction bars (or similar) for reference?

[Ragtop Man]

Great story! 

BBDO became a powerhouse. They were very, very close to Chrysler leadership (there are stories...) and had it all in their back pocket for years. They invested heavily in ChryCo, and in the inverse. Knew a few folks who went there - and a few who came from there. 

But, like the rest of the world, there were cracks in the armor and eventually, all the Chrysler Corporation business was re-assigned to different shops in the BK era.