Art Linkletter's All American in Vogue Magazine

by Bill Holland
intro by Patrick Hill
photos from Bill Holland and the Hot Rod Archive

This was the lead for the story in the August 1970 issue of Vogue magazine, with John Guedel talking it up with the model in front of the Art Linkletter's All American. Groovy!

Back in the February '08 issue, we had a pic in the Bench Racer columnof Bill Holland and John Guedel's Art Linkletter's All American frontengine dragster from the Santa Claus Lane Parade down Hollywood Blvd.Recently Bill unearthed some photos of the car being used in a photoshoot for Vogue magazine with an unknown female model, and male stand-inby the name of Michael Douglas (YES! That Michael Douglas!). Here's alittle more history from Bill about the dragster and some of its famousexploits:

The car was originally built by Don Tuttle (California ChassisEngineering) for Rocky Childs and Jimmy Albert. It debuted at the 1968Winternationals and driver Dwight Salisbury was runner-up to JamesWarren. They had a clutch problem and couldn't make the final.

Little did Vogue readers know that lurking in the pages of their normally sedate and dainty magazine was a nitro sucking, fire breathing monster!

My partner John Guedel and I bought the car in early 1969, as the newlyinstituted SFI chassis specs rendered our car obsolete. We had Tom Hannabuild a nose for the car, used our existing Ed Pink 392 power, and BillCarter painted it in a patriotic theme. This was in the thick of theVietnam war, and it was our way of showing a little bit of nationalpride. As our sponsor Art Linkletter's show "House Party" had just goneoff the air, we simply called the car "Art Linkletter's All-American."

We mostly ran the car locally, and had some match races. About this timeI got hired by Wally Parks to become editor of National Dragster, so itgot increasingly difficult to do justice to both the job and racing. Thejob won. In 1970 we did the Vogue gig, a Certs commercial and a "B"movie, raced sporadically, and parked the car. Last I knew it had asmall block Chevy in it and was bracket raced in the Northwest.

the male model for the shoot at then new Ontario Speedway was a young guy named Michael Douglas. Wonder what "The Streets of San Francisco" would've been like with a top fuel dragster spicing things up?!

As for the mechanics of the car, the engine was a cast iron 392 Chrysler(1957 variety) with a 6-71 blower and Enderle "bugcatcher" injector.Drivetrain was a direct-drive coupler and Schiefer 3-disc "slider"clutch. Rear end was a Mopar 8-3/4 with a spool. I think the best it ranwere 6.8s at almost 230 mph.

This car and Dwight Salisbury's "Smothers Bros./Beach Boys" car weretowed side-by-side down Hollywood Blvd. in the 1969 Santa Claus Laneparade. I've also attached a shot of our car in the 1968 parade withArt Linkletter.

This shot was taken at the Santa Claus Lane Parade on Hollywood Blvd. in 1969, with car co-owner Bill Holland ont he far right, co-owner John Guedel in the cockpit, NHRA founder Wally Parks, and Julie Parrish riding atop the blower.

Fuelers On Hollywood Blvd. (From February 2008 issue of Hot Rod)

I was perusing the September issue of HRM and came across the feature onTony Nancy's Top Fuel car doing a burnout on Hollywood Blvd. (Where itAll Began). I thought I'd let you know Tony didn't have the first diggerto grace Hollywood Blvd. While we didn't get to do a burnout, our T/Fcars (John Guedel and I) were in the fabled Santa Claus Lane Parade downHollywood Blvd. in 1967, 1968, and 1969. At the time, it was one of themost popular special events on TV and broadcast around the world. Iconvinced the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce it would be a cool deal, andthey bought into it. The first year we had the star of a long-defunct TVshow called Good Morning, World, Julie Parrish, riding on the Enderle (Ibuilt a special padded seat to go on top), and the next year ArtLinkletter's daughter Diane was our star (she was co-starring on Link'sHouse Party show, but later died a tragic death). The final year therewas our car and Dwight Salisbury in the Smothers Bros. Beach Boys fuelertowing side by side. Here is a photo of Art and Diane Linkletter, withme kneeling and John Guedel in the cockpit. The shot was taken in frontof the old A.E. England Pontiac store, a couple of blocks west of theold PPC building at 5959 Hollywood Blvd. We raced on a limited schedulebut did manage to hold the track record at OCIR, Hawaii Raceway Park,and Firebird Raceway (Boise) for a spell during those years. I wanted tobuild a rear-engined car in 1968 to replace the one shown, but everyonetold me I was nuts. Also, I still have the award we got in 1967 at theHot Rod Magazine Drags in Riverside for Best Appearing Car & Crew.

Bill Holland
Los Angeles, CA