FORD ON A POLE, PHOENIX, AZ, 1960
OK, I always say, “This is one of my all-time favorite vintage slides…but this one REALLY is!”
A 1955 Ford Pick-Up crosses the intersection in front of a colorful corner lot full of chromy, two-toned cars. The art deco style Valley National Bank in the background wears its sky-high sign like a cherry on top of an ice cream sundae. Bold car lot signage tells us the goods are “USED.” I can just hear those plastic pennants flapping in the breeze. And that land-of-the-giants scale FORD emblem is so effectively rendered it looks 3-D. It for sure would be the crowning touch to this intoxicating city scene but it’s a bit upstaged by a man about to jump out of a 1959 Ford Sunliner convertible on a pole.
At first I thought the man was real. But he can’t be unless he’s seven feet tall. ’59 Fords are quite large! But it also seems highly unlikely that one could buy a mannequin in this pose and bolt him to the car. Maybe he is real and he’s a professional publicity stunt pole sitter. What do you think???
Here’s to Ford’s on poles, pro pole sitters and YOU!
Hummm . . . seems as if Read Mullan Ford was a big dealer in Phoenix from 1945 on. His children & grandchildren are still in the real estate business in Phoenix.
This is from a Google search:
The Mullan’s Business Legacy
For three generations, the Mullan family has been serving Phoenix area neighbors.
Read Mullan, owner of Read Mullan Ford, set the family standards high, back in 1945. Read was very well know for being a successful business owner who built his business on integrity and with a strong commitment
to customer service. His legacy of being a fair minded employer and business owner
is so well know that Phoenicians still speak of him 40 years after his retirement.
Ned Mullan, our father, was the owner of the first automotive leasing company in Arizona. Mullan’s Southwest Auto Lease was in existence from the mid 1950′s to the early 1990′s. Like his father before him, Ned’s business trademark was his commitment to providing a high level of customer service to his clients,
and doing so with integrity.
As our grandfather and father before us, we are committed to providing a high level of service to our real estate clients. We do so with integrity and with a great deal of family pride. As you have read, we have more at stake.
Sincerely,
Timothy Read Mullan
The grandson has a site at:
http://classicsouthwest.com/about_us
Anybody wanna send him the image and see if somebody in the family remembers the promotion?
Charles WOWEEEEE!! Todays Slide of the Week hit a homerun with me. That 1955 Ford pickup is a dead ringer for my very first truck! Same color, wheels, front bumper and grill! I traded up to a 1972 Ford F-100 and what a mistake! I wish I have never gotten rid of that old Ford. Lets not overlook that Sunliner either. My Uncle owned one of those beauties too. If only Ford made them that good these days. All classics just like you. Thanks for sharing these vintage shots. JE
There used to be a pink cadilac on a pole in Las Vegas along the 95 freeway, but alas, now gone also. Thanks for this wonderful slide.
Yes Charles. I have authenticated the truck as a 1955 model. The only difference between 54 and 56 being the slight V in the grille. Imagine the heat coming off the asphalt. Ford did not install air conditioning until 1956, so that 59 may have it, altho ordering it in a convertible was wreched excess. All us gearheads thank you for this slide.
There was a Lincoln-Mercury dealer in Skokie, Illinois that used to display a new car on a pole every year – I hope the eventual buyer of the “pole-sitter” got a good discount!
I’m likin the Sahara Hotel signage too.
Maybe the Phoenix newspapers from around that time could be researched. Perhaps the guy was a “jumper”. YIKES.
Love your site!
Youre the best.
Great pic,Charles!Pics like this one are my favorites.They truly exemplify a wy-begone era.It’s not often these days you see a full-size car-on-a-pole(with a big mannequin who looks like it’s ready to drop down on your head!) used as a adeversting gimmick. Why? Maybe we’ve gotten too cynical and lost our sense of humor…I can hear the lawyers yelling “That’s an accident waiting to happenn!” After all, how many insurance companies or businesses would be willing to incur the high price of liability to insure such a thing these days?Still, it’s fun to look back at these wacky pics and marvel at the funny, whimsical advertising ideas that were a part of olde Americana. Thanks for sharing.
Hi – when I saw the sign pointing to the Saharah Hotel — made me wonder if perhaps this was in Las Vegas a second dealership owned by same people ? Or is there a Phoenix Sahara Hotel??? I appeared on stage as singer/showgirl in 54 with FrankSinatra at the Sands Hotel — great experience.
Gotta love the creativity of those dealerships,
back in those days. Luv u Charles
Darius & Rose
I love your site, Charles – what would it take to convince you to present a slide show in Sydney, Australia for us ex-pats?
Hi Charles. Great, beautiful picture again. Congratulations. I can imagine myself driving a Ford like this and crossing America. Hugs from Brazil!
Hi again Charles – great find! your fans in Phx love your slides, especially those of your namesake city!
to Jo – this is definitely Phx. the Sahara Hotel is still there;
Marilyn Monroe stayed there while filming “Bus Stop” in Phx. it became a Ramada Inn later on, and was til about 1 or 2 years ago. it is now an AZ State Univ. dormitory. the old Valley Natl Bank bldg in the background is being renovated and converted into the Hotel Monroe, to open in Nov 2008. thanks!
The photo is of Read Mullan Ford. My brother tim has already made some comment on the photo. The stunt was a marketing idea of our Dad (Ned) for his dad’s ( Read Mullan ) dealership located in old Downtown Phoenix. The radio announcer, Lonesome Long John was up in the car for a number of days. I would have to look but over 100 days. You can’t imagine what went up and down the pole over the time he was up there. Even a record was cut in memory of the stunt.
This freaking rocks! I love this photo!It is total and complete Art.