UPDATE: Thanks to pics posted to Facebook by Ken Wyatt, we now know that Frank’s GPW has moved to the lobby at the Golden Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection.
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Originally posted September 27, 2018: Gordon mentioned to me that Frank Sinatra had once owned a GPW. So, I spent some time searching for Sinatra and jeeps. Here’s what I have so far:
Franks GPW went to a Sotheby’s auction in 2003 (which listed it as a 1942 GPW),
then to a Barrett Jackson auction in 2005 (which listed it as a 1944).
It now resides in the Tebo Museum (private museum approx 400 vehicles) collection (Facebook link) (Flicker Link). Here’s how the jeep is presented:
Back when Frank built his home in 1947 at Palm Springs, California, his daughter noted that the town was still small and the roads rough, so “We . . . needed our jeep to manage the dirt roads, sand dunes, and tumbleweeds,” No indication as to what jeep model this was.
Of course, Frank spent some time in jeeps while acting. For example, this still photo from a French eBay page of Sinatra in a jeep is from his 1958 film “Kings Go Forth”.
According to an April 1966 Esquire magazine article,
“At other times, aiming to please, his men will overreact to his desires: when he casually observed that his big orange desert jeep in Palm Springs seemed in need of a new painting, the word was swiftly passed down through the channels, becoming ever more urgent as it went, until finally it was a command that the jeep be painted now, immediately, yesterday. To accomplish this would require the hiring of a special crew of painters to work all night, at overtime rates; which, in turn, meant that the order had to be bucked back up the line for further approval. When it finally got back to Sinatra’s desk, he did not know what it was all about; after he had figured it out he confessed, with a tired look on his face, that he did not care when the hell they painted the jeep.”
According to the “Remarkable Cars” website, this 1941? MB was used during the filming of the dirty dozen, then purchased by Sinatra, who then gave it to Burt Reynolds. It is now located in the Star Cars Museum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
I’m sure there’s much more out there. I’ll add to this thread as I learn more.
I can see Frankie baby driving this jeep around with a martini in one hand.
There is a picture of Frank driving a MC-38 Jeep in the 1950’s wearing a Lt’s uniform. The picture is on page 44 of Ryan Miller’s book, “Truck, Utility: 1/4 Ton, 4X4 G740 M38 Reference Guide:.
HAHAHAHA ??? — YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME ??? — FRANK HAD A JEEP ??? — WELL , HERES THE INSIDE SCOOP ON OLD BLOOD-SHOT-EYES — MY FATHER ( WW2 PEARL HARBOR , USS HORNET CV-8 , USS ENTERPRISE ) — WELL GOOD OLD WAR HERO POPS KNEW MR SINATRA IN THE 1930’S — THEY JUST HAPPENED TO BE IN THE SAME CCC CAMP IN UTAH AT THAT TIME — GOOD OLD WAR-HERO POPS DID HIS JOB , BUILT BRIDGES , ROADS , ETC. FOR AMERICA — SENT MOST OF HIS MEASLY PAY HOME TO HIS GRANDMA — YES , POPS DID HIS PART FOR PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AND HIS NEW DEAL — WELL HERES WHAT FRANKIE DID — HE WENT A.W.O.L. FROM THE CAMP !!! — WENT BACK TO NEW JERSEY FOR MORE BOOZING , BROADS AND CROONING !!! — FRANK WAS LATER DECLARED 4F AND DIDNT FIGHT IN WW2 —- CAN WE SAY COWARD ??? — YES WE CAN …
Dat’s a bit harsh! He was no Jimmy Stewart or Ted Williams, but he & John Wayne stayed home to provide a diversion. ie; From here to Fraternity, on a bar stool. & look @ Jr.! He’s wearing a watch, but has no place to go!
The real info on this jeep….I bought it on Ebay about 20 years ago from a person representing Frank Jr. Picked it up in Hollywood. Turns out to be a Hotchkiss jeep. Very nice but not a WWII jeep. Sold it at auction in Pebble Beach about 5 years later so I could afford a backyard pool for the grandkids. I still have an original TM with Frank Sinatra’s stamp inside. Nice piece of Hollywood history.
Thanks for that bit of inside info Lee!
I remember that jeep. I worked for Mr Sinatra in 1984 for a few months while going through the hiring process for a government job. I spent quite a lot of time driving his vehicles as he primarily drove the Chrysler station wagon given to him by the Bob Hope Classic Golf tournament. One day I was driving this very jeep and the brakes went out. I used the parking brake as I remember and took it to the Shell station (now gone) at Hwy 111 and Date Palm Dr in Cathedral City a short distance from his compound on Frank Sinatra Dr. in Rancho Mirage. They turned the drums and put new shoes on it.
On a side note I was doing some electrical work in a closet inside his theater room where I found the leather jacket Mr Sinatra wore in the movie Von Ryan’s Express with the prop tag on it.
I came here tonight after watching a video about ww2 willies jeeps and spare parts currently being produced in the Philippians. That jogged my memory about this jeep and I googled it and ended up on this site after all these decades later.
Hi M J D,
Thanks for sharing those memories! Hopefully, the new owner will see these and include them in a historical record of the jeep. Being able to publish obscure info that can be found via search engines so that folks can share memories is one of my favorite parts of keeping the site going.
thanks,
– Dave