+DAN BLOCKER+NICKEY ????

[Z-11 396]

I SAW A OLE 1966 ""NICKEY AD"", AND IT HAD <<< DAN BLOCKER >>> AS A SPOKESMAN, WHAT'S THAT ALL ABOUT ???????? ...KASEY

[PeteLeathersac]

Dan Blocker was on GM's advertising payroll and appeared in Chevy commercials...there was a link to one of them w/ all the Bonanza Cartrights here about a year ago. .

He was an original Z-16 owner too also appeared at road-races as I think a team owner...on paper anyway? .

~ Pete

[PeteLeathersac]

Here's a blurb below from online...the cheapskate part may be a bit much but you can decide yourself? .

I had forgotten or didn't know the road-racing cars were Nickey sponsored...I was only remembering they did show up here at Mosport in Canada at least once...about '67? .

~ Pete

"...Seems old Hoss was a reaaaaaaaaaaal tightwad. Close with a buck, a cheapskate etc. Worse than Rudy Vallee and Fred MacMurray (two other legendary freeloaders).

Hoss got involved with road racing in the late 1960s and owned a car called "The Vinegeroon." It was built and maintained by Nickey Chevrolet in Chicago. Dan and Nickey owner Jack Stephani were friends. Hoss would come to town (always at Jack's expense) for personal appearances at the dealership. He'd wear the Hoss hat and Hoss vest from Bonanza and shake hands and kiss babies, etc. Nice guy, but incredibly cheap. How cheap? While in town he never stayed in a hotel. Ever. Jack Stephani had a sofa bed in his office at Nickey Chevrolet, and Hoss would sack on the property. Stephani's flunkies would lock the gates at closing time, and turn the guard dogs loose with Hoss inside. He'd watch TV by himself, and drift off to sleep in the middle of a used car lot at Irving Park Road and the Kennedy Expressway.

Hoss never rented a car. One of Stephani's car hikers would pick him up at the airport and drive him around in a demo Chevy, usually an Impala. Hoss never paid for meals. Jack would pick up the tabs. Or when Hoss got hungry and wandered out around the neighborhood in search of a snack, he'd take a stack of 8" by 10" glossies with and go to different hash houses and greasy spoons where he'd naturally be recognized as a Cartwright. The owners wouldn't let him pay for the $20 worth of vile crap he'd wolfed down. Hoss, always protesting, would then peel off a glossy and autograph it to Sam, Gus, Pete, Alex or Joe with a great flourish.

Then he'd saddle on back to Nickey Chevrolet, put on his nightshirt and nightcap and haul out the sofa bed and take a snooze.

I heard all of this from a guy who worked at Nickey Chevrolet. There you go!..."

[Z-11 396]

THANKS ALOT , I WAS JUST SURPRISED TO SEE HIM IN A ''NICKEY AD'', THOUGHT HE MIGHT OF BEEN A RACE CAR KIND OF GUY...TRADED IN ONE KIND OF // HORSE /// FOR ANOTHER... ...KASEY

[ChrisS]

From the fall of 1966.

[mockingbird812]

[ QUOTE ]
From the fall of 1966.

[/ QUOTE ]

Cool. Looks like they would take S&H Green Stamps as payment!!!!

[Stefano]

Dan Blocker was one of the "biggest" most recognized TV Stars of the Era.

To use him to help sell Chevys locally was a huge testament to the forward thinking and marketing suave of the Stephani's who owned and ran Nickey Chevrolet, until it was sold in 1973.

Chevrolet was a major sponsor of the Bonanza TV show.

The Story of how the relationship came to be was shared with me by Ronnie Kaplan, Crew Chief and Builder, for the Nickey Road Race cars.

I will take the opportunity to share the info as I recall that it was relayed to me. Ronnie has so many cool stories that I stopped taking notes and now just sit back and enjoy listening to them.

Just an aside, but if Ronnie is not testing a race car and his health permits, we all might be able to talk to him in person at the Spring Vette Fest at the Nickey display.

Nickey was running one of their road race cars at Laguna Secca/Monterey CA sometime in the early 1960s??. Ronnie and Jack Stephani were walking thru the lobby of the their Hotel, in downtown Monterey and Dan Blocker was spotted coming out of an elevator.

Jack turned to Ronnie and stated, "that's Dan Blocker. Do you know him?" Ronnie replied, "of course I do." Jack then stated, "then I want to meet him."

Well, Ronnie had seen Dan/Hoss around the pits before, as he was the owner of a Maserati race car and they had exchanged pleasant hellos and nods, only in passing.

But Ronnie and Jack walked confidently towards Dan and Ronnie held out his hand to greet Dan and said, "Mr. Blocker, I want you to meet Jack Stephani, owner of Nickey Chevrolet and the Nickey Racing Team".

Ronnie then slipped away, as soon as he could and Jack and Dan struck up a conversation which eventually ensued into long lasting friendship and business relationship.

There was a bigger than life head shot of "Hoss" on the back wall as you entered the Nickey show room and his picture was also used in some advertisements, from back in the day.

Dan Blocker was a school teacher from Carlsbad New Mexico, home town of Dick Harrell. I asked Ronnie who knew both men if Dick and Dan knew each other prior to the Nickey days?

Ronnie was confident that they had met during the Nickey relationship.

[JHS]

Stefan, I have sent you a pm...

[Brett68]

Just a side note to the Dan Blocker story.. My X-wife's great uncle worked on the set of Bonanza through its entire production run. My X's great uncle/aunt lived across the street from Paramount studios at the time and Dan would park his car(s) in their driveway instead of the studio lot. He didn't like door dings, etc. Heard many stories of how he was a pleasant, likeable kind of guy.