'50s song titles on your ride -- common???

In 1957 I was a 16 year old in San Jose, California. I remember that several of the guys with cool cars (more kustoms, but some rods) put song ***les on their cars as names ... names like "Little Darlin" or "Love Me Tender" or "Deep Purple" or "Get A Job." My question is for the guys who were actually there during the mid '50s to the early '60s: was naming your car with a song ***le and putting the ***le on your car widespread?

As I remember, the ***les were usually painted in script on the gl*** with quotes, usually the side of the back window. (I guess they always wanted the name visible as their cars were always on display with the windows down (460 A/C.) Was this practice widespread? Was it across the country or a regional thing? I still see it occasionally -- but only occasionally. Your thoughts???

 

Been popular in my area for a while, Still see it on newer cars at certain cruise nights.

This thread needs pics,, too bad i don't have any here at work.

 

Naming cars using R&R songs started just about the time R&R started. Popular on customs of the appropriate color was "Blue Angel" (I'll bet there are literally thousands of them out there). I did a bit of striping as a HS dude and put "MoonDoggie" (character in one of those beach movies with Annette).

Most car names attempted a clever play on words. There was a 50 Olds sedan in our HS parking lot that showed up with Miss Carriage lettered on the front quarter behind the wheels - principal asked him to remove the name, or keep the car off of school property. A 40 Ford coupe in an effeminant shade of primer carried the name "Pink ***ty"...for a few days. Most of us just put conservative pinstriping in certain areas, some of the better stripers could actually insert a name in the design - I never was that good.

Draggin' Wagon was quite popular, but not known as a song. "Only the Lonely" had some takers at car shows I attended back then. There were hundreds of other song/car name combos, but as I was only into customs for about six months, I wasn't as attentive as I could have been (who knew there'd be a test 50yrs later?).

dj

 

very common in my neck of the woods back in the late 50's and up til the mid 60's. My dad had a primered deuce 5window that was named after a gorilla cartoon character (Hanna Barbera, I think?) named WEE WILLIE. Probably referring to small car, big strength...it had a really hot flatty with all the goodies..and it was fast for its day.

 

55 Pontiac Im trying to locate had "Only the Lonely" on the trunk at one time, I'll try and find a pic...

 

ive always named my cars . just from that era . seems correct to me ! ... steve

 

I always wanted to build a 57 chevy g***er called "Black Betty" I think it could be cool. Plus if I see a build for it before I get to build it, I'll sue.

 

It seems really corny. Like dolls and food trays..etc.

 

10 years ago I used to see song names and stuff on all of the 50's customs at local car shows, and I just ***ociated it with being corny and lame because the cars that had names on them were the same ones that had to set up their collection of stuffed animals and Monroe/Dean cutouts around the car. They also tended to be the cars that had a huge 70s Caddy tilt/tele column and a c***ette deck in the dash of an otherwise 50's correct car.

I could see it being OK if the car is period correct and the name is clever, but the examples I've seen were pretty weak.

 

I never saw stuff like that flat black car in the '50-'60s. That's a 21st century style.

Songs striped on the rear quarters or side windows was very popular in So Cal for a while. I had mine done at Roth and Baron's shop in Maywood. I had Wiggle Wobble, the Les Cooper song on my dropped '55 Buick and Bold as Love, the Jimi Hendrix song on my '54 Bel Air. That was when Tom Kelly was there. So, yeah. It was popular.

 

Maybe so..but back in the day didn't Barris and his crew and others have names for most of the customs they did?

The Emperor?
The Grecian?
The Jade Idol?
The Persian Princess?

Maybe it came from all those guys in the Army Air Corps in WW II getting out of the service and naming their rides like they named their planes.

 

I remember my cousin in Michigan (1959) had a 54 Buick "Mr. Lonely" on the left quarter panel in script. My neighbor had a 50 Studebaker, painted all white (Earl Schieb) with Casper the friendly ghost on the trunk lid. It also had a cartoon picture of Casper. Stu

 

There's always a car named Blue Moon, at almost any car show it seems. Too popular of a name.

I see more names on boats than cars, not sure why?

 

From what I recall of the mid '50s, cartoons and footprints leading from the taillight to the gas tank filler were seen a lot. At least in East LA around '55-'57. Occasionally spider webs too.

 

It's supers***ion to name a boat. Supposed to give good voyages. I've named all my boats and cars except for the wife's. Hmmmm. Doesn't feel right without a name.

 

I have some pet names for my cars but normally they are a joke like the Hussy because that car was past around between my friends so many time. I did dub my '54 "Sky Pilot" because I want to build in memory of my father and that was one of his favorite songs by the Animals. My 35 does not have a name but I have been thinking Milk money might be appropriate for my '33 since the only way I'll have extra cash to build it now that my son is here is by selling my wife's breast milk. Hahaha!!!

If the car is right then I think a name would be pretty cool on the side. If not it just makes it worse.

 

Here in Indy back in the late '50s and in the late '60 car naming a big thing. I remember one 55 Chevy having "6 pack to go" and a '51 plymonth with "Drifter" one other 65 GTO "Catch me if you can" there was others but I forget.

 

Naming your car is fine. But striping "Peggy Sue" on the trunk like 500 other dudes haven't done it is just corny and lame. I'm not against it, I won't shun a guy cause he did it. It just is what it is. If Jeffries or Roth put it on it's different, but I don't think thats happening anymore so...yeah. Keep on keepin on. World turns. Yada yada yada.

 

Well, of all the old clunkers I saw in junkyards I only saw stuff like that a couple of times, one on a Nash Metropolitan that had something goofy on the doors - I can't remember what now, will have to see if I saved a picture - and in another yard, a '57 Chevy had a 50s-era cartoon Dennis The Menace with something in Spanish below, on the left fender just ahed of the door. Memory too fuzzy but I want to say it translated to "little one" or something along those lines. That guy s****ped out in the 1990s, it kind of predates digital photos. (more amusing in that yard was the '55 Ford 2dr someone repainted red with two asymetrical stripes and numbers like a road racer of the 60s).

Memory's working tonight, I think it said "Lil' Pepito" on that '57 fender. Maybe it was Speedy the Alka-Seltzer mascot on there.... that would actually be funny to put on the back of the car.

 

Ive named alot of my past and present cars. Has an 81 ford fairmont station wagon i called the "wonder wagon." Had an 82 i called "little red wagon." My 81 cutl*** is named "gutl***" although its got 450hp. Thats just to name a few. Still trying to figure one out for my 52 chevy. Once i start thrashing on it i'll come up with one.

 

In the early 60's I remember well a '54 Ford in my area with the song ***le "Midnight Special" lettered on the quarter panels. Ironically the young owner tried to beat the KCS Southern Belle p***enger train across a rural grade crossing. The Southern Belle took everything off cleanly to the rear gl***. The quarter panels with "Midnight Special" were unharmed and on display in front of the salvage yard. There were no survivors in the car.

 

There was a '56 Pontiac Safari running around Tulsa in the late 60s/early 70s with "Never So Few" lettered on the rear quarters (1959 movie starring Frank Sinatra, Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Lawford, Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen and Dean Jones).

 

In 1960 or so two brothers had a 46 Ford sedan they bought for pocket change to fix up. They painted it dark green, but as they knew nothing about painting cars the orange peel was so bad the paint looked like hammertone. They lettered "poison Ivy" on the rear quarter panels after the song by the Coasters. Their dad was a navy officer so they had access to the hobby shop on the navy base. One day we were going to work on their car and wanted to use the lift at the hobby shop. The gate guards wouldn't let them on the base because the Admiral made a rule that no cars with names on them would be allowed on the base. They wouldn't let me go in either because I was wearing Levis which they called "dungarees". Fine with me I don't want to go on your stupid navy base and I can wear whatever I please. Bob and Dave, are you out there?

 

Thanks for the input, guys. I know that lots of people name their cars (my girlfriend does) but I never have. I'm about to take possession of a '57 Lincoln and it seems appropriate for it to have a name, probably a song ***le, but I'm not sure yet. I don't want the car to be too hokey but maybe it would be OK to have a cool name on it. I definitely would not take an overused name (like Blue Angel) or duplicate a famous car name (like the Moonglow or Earth Angel) but I may be able to come up with something cool that fits a black suede Lincoln. What do you think?

 

There is a chopped 50 Mercury around here grafted on an Olds ch***is. Never lowered, flamed with "The Wanderer" on the rear quarters. People have walked up to the owner and asked how he hid the transfer case. Local joke is the name refers to the fact that it needs an alignment. Could be a great custom with more work. I guess he's satisfied and thats all that matters.

 

Had a buddy whos car had Chug-a-lug lettered on it, (Roger Miller hit). and I remember a couple cars with Blue Bayou lettered on the deck lid (think Blew by You) Orbison/Ronstadt hits

 

Early '60's my '55 Chevy had "Ghost Rider" on the front fenders.

 

All my car's and truck's have had names. Mother named all we had growing up. I guess it stuck with me. She was the one that would tell me all the car and racing stories from before I came along. Dad had a 40 ford convert. Had a 100 hp merc engine, truck clutch, la salle trans and I think a columbia rear end. The way she told it and my uncle it was a pretty quick car. Painted a dark metalic green. I think dad said a guy at Scotts Field painted it for him. Her name, Betsy. I even had this ford e150 van that had a name, but not so nice, it was "The Big Red Turd"....

 

My 52 was lil,Husey and the 57 fairlane was lil,runaway