Coming soon to a car show near you—trucks.
Trucks are the rising stars at car shows now, but trucks have been stars for over 70 years on TV shows–here are some classic examples.
Jerry Sutherland
The first example is Nellybelle. Roy Rogers had a TV show that ran from 1951-1957 and it featured a 1946 Willys CJ-2A Jeep as part of the cast.
Pat Brady drove Nellybelle on the show and he became known for the phrase “Whoa Nellybelle!” every time the old Jeep struggled to start. This was clean, 50s TV fun at its finest—Roy Rogers was such a mild cowboy he sang his way through the whole series.
The second example is the ‘Ironside’ 1940 Ford 1 ½ -ton paddy wagon. ‘Ironside’ ran from 1967 to 1975 and it starred Raymond Burr as a wheelchair-bound consultant to the San Francisco Police Department.
Ironside used the old paddy wagon as daily transportation until it was demolished in a 1969 episode—a blaze of glory ending for a star truck.
He still needed to get to crime scenes, so Ironside bought a 1969 custom Ford van to cover his transportation needs. That van was so popular it had a model kit version—how’s that for star power?
Sanford and Son was a Redd Foxx sitcom that ran from 1972 to 1977.
The show was set in a junkyard, and that meant Redd needed a work truck. He used a rough-looking 1951 Ford F-1 pickup to haul stuff and it became his signature vehicle. It wasn’t pretty, but it was the perfect choice for a junkyard dog.
‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ ran from 1979 to 1985. Most people remember the show because of the 1969 Charger used by the Duke boys, but Daisy Duke drove a 1980 Jeep CJ-7. That made her Jeep wildly popular with every guy who watched the Dukes on a weekly basis.
That was her star vehicle, but there was another truck star in ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’.
Uncle Jessie drove a white 1973 Ford F-100 that became another big part of the Dukes lineup—not as big as the Charger, but still a significant truck co-star.
‘The A-Team’ ran from 1983-1987 and it featured a custom 1983 GMC Vandura.
This van was a key part of “The A-Team’ plots because it was involved in so many stunts during shoots. It was the perfect van at the peak of the van craze.
The last truck star was seen on ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’. This TV series starred legendary tough guy Chuck Norris and it ran from 1993 to 2001.
Chuck’s character needed a new truck for the second season, and he chose a 1994 Dodge Ram 1500 for the role. This truck was the perfect co-star for Chuck because he rigged it out to look like something a tough law enforcement guy would drive.
Trucks are taking the car show circuit by force now, but they’ve been stars for decades on TV.
They’ve gone from daily workhorse to TV stars to car show stars—it’s a Hollywood ending.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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