Forgotten movie cars: Buick Roadmaster Convertible
01/19/2022
Wait a minute: "Forgotten"? Didn't they write an article about the 1949 Roadmaster and its famous appearance in "Rain Man" just last week? Right, but this isn't about Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman's beige Buick. Because in the shadow of its glory, it is often overlooked that the 1949 Roadmaster Convertible Sedan had already made a major appearance in a film twelve years before Barry Levinson's classic: in the 1976 high school B-movie "Revenge of the Cheerleaders".
The plot centers on Gail and her four friends Heather, Leslie, Sesame and Tishi from the cheerleaders at Aloha High School in Aloha, California. When their school is to be merged with rival Lincoln High to make way for a shopping center, the girls plan a rebellion. And what do you do when you're a rebellious high school teenage girl? That's right! Drug the entire school by spiking the food in the cafeteria with something and upsetting the school inspectors who happen to be there.
The last part of the "Cheerleader Trilogy" is also one of those silly petting movies that were only produced to delay the death of drive-in theaters, which have been dying for years. "Revenge of the Cheerleaders" was filmed back in 1974 and then put into the locker for two years. Any questions? Trash fans can at least admire David Hasselhoff in his first feature film role.
By the way, fans of the "condition according data plate" will also be in for a treat, as will discerning movie lovers. The cheerleaders' Roadmaster is a bright tomato red that was never offered ex-works. The only shade of red available in the Buick range in 1949 was "Royal Maroon", a much darker metallic paint. Buick fans should therefore watch "Rain Man" instead. It's not just the paint color that's more bearable...
