Matchbox: The Movie will be a live-action action-comedy on Apple TV+ on October 9, 2026.

Starring John Cena and Jessica Biel, where an undercover CIA agent Cena) returns to his small hometown and his group of friends since childhood, who have their lives upended when their long-absent former leader unwittingly gets them embroiled in a frantic international pursuit to save the world from a dangerous plot

https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/matchbox-the-movie/umc.cmc.31qa8j1tn2cnpyk3fx43w928d

https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/matchbox-the-movie/

the preview isn't likely to get released until after the Hall H panel at Comic Con

Top 50 most memorable hot rods and street cars of all time that have made an appearance in a television series, or a memorable television episode. No. 41: Jack Benny’s 1923 The Good Maxwell Tourer

At the turn of the century, industrialist Ben Briscoe hired Jon Maxwell to build a new car. 

Jon had worked with Ransom Olds on the famed “curved dash Oldsmobile,” the first car made on an assembly line. A 1910 auto history credited Maxwell with “the unit power plant, multiple-disc clutch, and thermo-syphon system of cooling with the radiator in front of the engine;”

 The original 1904 Maxwell was popular, and Briscoe built numerous factories to make it before going on a buying spree which bankrupted the company. Walter Flanders bought the remains, swapped out the aging Maxwell cars for his own (renaming the Flanders to the Maxwell). After Flanders retired, Maxwell again started to fail, and Walter Chrysler stepped in with expert engineers to fix the car’s troubles and to create a car in his own name—the Chrysler. After 1925, the Maxwell was upgraded and sold as the “Chrysler Four” (the original 1924 Chrysler was a six) then upgraded again to be the “new” Plymouth.

In a skit, Rochester called Jack at 11:05 in the morning to tell him the Maxwell had been stolen. Jack asked when it happened, and Rochester said it was taken at 10:30 AM and he let the police know at 10:50 AM. When Jack then asked Rochester why it took so long for him to call the police, Rochester replied that he called them when he stopped laughing. 

Because of Jack Benny and Harry Conn, not to mention Mel Blanc, many Americans know Maxwell—if they know it at all—solely as the dilapidated, obsolete, sad car of Jack Benny.

 Jack Benny donated his Maxwell for the scrap metal drive in support of the war effort, Oct 18 1942  

https://www.streetmusclemag.com/news/top-50-tv-cars-of-all-time-no-41-jack-bennys-1923-maxwell/

https://thisdaybenny.com/2021/07/02/the-maxwell-for-scrap/

https://www.motales.com/chrysler-corp/people/jack-benny-maxwell.php

https://www.reddit.com/r/RareHistoricalPhotos/comments/1bwydkf/jack_benny_and_eddie_anderson_toying_with_a/#lightbox

It's one of the intriguing joys of life, that as time goes by, I learn more about a specific topic, and the eventual outcome... like the tv series Space Patrol tv series, that I posted about, I just learned they took it around the country on a publicity tour, prior to giving it away

Ten-year-old Ricky Walker won the first prize in the Space Patrol TV show's Name the Planet Contest sponsored by Ralston Purina.

The grand prize was a 40-foot long rocket clubhouse on a trailer, a replica of Commander Buzz Corry’s battlecruiser, the Terra IV, and a truck to pull it. Ricky's winning name for Planet X was "Cesaria," and the Ralston Rocket clubhouse was delivered to Ricky on 12 January 1954 in the town square of his home town, Washington, Illinois.

Schwinn World Traveler bicycle were the second prizes.

Eventually the novelty wore off and Ricky’s parents sold the rocket playhouse to a traveling carnival for the sum of $1000. 

In 1985 it was discovered on the property of a small construction company in Gent, New York.

Then they destroyed it and sold the metal as scrap

https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2025/03/space-patrol-lead-actor-ed-kemmers.html

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/328/

https://atomicscout.wordpress.com/2014/02/04/the-rolling-ralston-rocket-clubhouse-the-story-of-a-national-sensation
https://atomicscout.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/ralston-rocket-at-night.png

https://www.facebook.com/100077262622146/posts/one-of-the-ralston-rockets-was-part-of-a-contest-for-children-in-the-1950s-ricky/612696656795150/

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10231504726269723&set=a.1201792213383

https://www.facebook.com/groups/326073837423894/permalink/1949142695116992

http://solarguard.com/ralrcksearch.htm

https://spacemanstoychest.blogspot.com/2011/01/day-ricky-won-rocket.html

this is pretty damn cool... a movie and tv car poster, by Thomas Estrada. Posters are an incredibly affordable 11 dollars and 24 are still availbale

https://www.artofthomasestrada.com/product-page/18-x24-iconicars-poster

Thomas began an amazing career in Hollywood art in 1997 when he left pest control and entered the animation industry with DreamWorks:

The Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, Sinbad, Over the Hedge

 From there to work with Disney Feature Animation:

Emperor's New Groove, Atlantis, Treasure Planet, Home on the Range

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2110662/

https://www.facebook.com/Artofthomasestrada/

Been a long time but I bet you remember this. This building is a church now

 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2239980509812975&set=pcb.4348643872126869

new tv show, "Minx" set in 1971, with Jake Johnson (co-star in New Girl) has cool old cars in most outdoor scenes

 and the indoor scenes are about making porn magazines. Just FYI, it's not NSFW. Watch it for the naked people and interesting story, and check out the cool cars while you're watching

And this Bug might not even be a 70 or 71, I'm thinking it's a mid 70s, as it's go the Karmann coachbuilders fender tag and the curved windshield, I think those first were on Bugs in 73

I got a kick out of some audio booth having a van that looks like it's from Stanger Things to bring in cargo or use for storage at the booth

tv series, Dark Winds takes place in 1971, and has some very cool late 60s vehicles.

Because it's a tv series, with limited budget, they didn't go for accuracy, or authenticity in the right vehicles - but they sure did choose some cool vehicles 

 Curbside looked into what really was used  https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-tv/netflix-dark-winds-blows-its-automotive-casting/ back in 1970

the "go kart Terror!" lol.... hell, now I want to go watch CHiPS episodes for all the corny hammed up acting and ridiculous 70s plot lines, plus, the guest star actors and actresses (In the truck is Sonny Bono and Larry Storch)

This 1969 Vista Cruiser has been fully restored and parked at its new home at The Automobile Gallery & Event Center in Green Bay Wisconsin. Kurtwood Smith, who played Red Forman on 'That '70s Show' came for a photo op after the station wagon's arrival on Aug. 10.

Smith, 82, really is somebody from Wisconsin. He was born in New Lisbon, and owned a 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass back in the day

“That ‘70s Show” was set in Point Place, Wisconsin, a fictional suburb of Green Bay. 

Smith spent three days in Green Bay as part of That ’70s Show Summer Tour that debuted the vehicle (in its glass traveling case) outside Lambeau Field 

Acquiring this Vista Cruiser was a three-year process to bring a piece of TV pop culture home to Wisconsin. The Automobile Gallery already has a few pieces of memorabilia on display with the car, including a director’s chair signed by Smith and images of Red Forman from the show, but it is working with Carsey-Werner to create an entire exhibit around the car.

“We are going to build a shrine to this car,” Burnett said. “We have some exiting things planned for really creating a look and a feel around the Vista Cruiser that will I think touch people when they come in and see the car. Our goal is they will be transported back in time to ‘That ’70s Show.’”

https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/entertainment/television/2025/08/20/how-that-70s-show-1969-vista-cruiser-found-a-home-in-green-bay/85707756007

https://www.facebook.com/theautomobilegallery/posts/pfbid0RqfNPFCNWfJFEPxzD67q2dJ6iUSrh3YdTkCERX6g3WxCxrWR7KoNFGV5Rq4J9ranl

there's always more strange stuff to learn about... like the Inspector Gadget police car was based on the Bricklin, because the the original series, 1982-5, was a Canadian and French production, so the Gadget Car was based on the New Brunswick designed and built Bricklin

It appeared on the cartoon many years ago.

Not only was it based on the SV-1, but on the special Police version in particular. 

Bricklin wanted to supply five of these to the police in Scottsdale, Arizona, but only three of them were actually delivered, leased to the city for $1 each. 

They were painted in the colors of that departments cars, with a large, almost comedic light on the top. They were largely just used for public relations events, as officers found them difficult to get in and out of.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10212638826225108&set=pcb.10212638837385387

https://inspectorgadget.fandom.com/wiki/Gadgetmobile?file=Inspector_gadget-_gadgetmobile-676567478.jpg

Bewitched, Season 5 Episode 26... Samantha haunts a rich guy to get a meeting to raise money for UNICEF (thanks Mike!)

 

the video clip is on Instagram, but not You Tube, so I can't embed it. The blog framework is set up to accept videos from You Tube, that's about it. https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ78Lipv5Vo/

coolest thing I've seen today is the credits scene on the new TV series Duster, on HBO Max, a main title sequence described as "one of the best opening credits sequences in a long time"

Hot Wheels Style: The opening credits are designed in a style reminiscent of Hot Wheels toy cars, with the toy cars representing characters and elements of the show. 

Cars and Action: Toy cars are shown tearing down roads and going through loops, reflecting the high-octane action and car chases that are a central part of "Duster". 

Homage to 70s Pop Culture: The title sequence is considered a strong example of how "Duster" pays homage to 1970s pop culture in a fresh and engaging way.