These had some interesting engine options. Dad brought home a 1979 green woody wagon back in 1983 equipped with the 305 4bbl Chevy V8 and loads of equipment and we loved that car. This could be a sub-category for Curb Side. Your email address will not be published. This is about Jessica Savitch, not so much about a car. Wonderfully tasteless ad. You suppose the reader judge by the cover of the book or title of the article? The passenger side dash vent looks like an A-body Olds, definitely not the rather unusual B/C body Olds dash vent. (The article title should not change; this might cause a disturbance in the permalink universe). She also hosted PBS's public af… That pile was handed down to me until I couldn’t take it anymore and soon after I found myself signing the papers for a 1981 blue Cutlass wagon with the 231 V6, limited slip differential, A/C, split bench seat with passenger recliner and most other options these had at the time. I am old enough to have seen Ms. Savitch’s newscasts but had forgotten the details surrounding her death. QOTD: What Current New Car Would You Save In Your Time Capsule? Curbside Classic: 1973 Mustang – No Apologies Necessary. Both books about her talk about open sores, scratches from “coke roaches” and her paranoia that sometimes manifested in manic rages. Bucks County Coroner Thomas J. Rosko ruled the deaths were accidental. This article was taken down because I misidentified the wagon. If you can improve it, please do. She was on television at a time when TV news correspondents were lauded as celebrities. Ms. Savitch (NOT Savage as some have called her) was in the back seat with her dog. I enjoyed the article. I did not expect such a somber write up on a typically festive, party filled day. Chrysler did the same with LeBaron and New Yorker. Her life was the subject of a Lifetime Television made-for-TV movie, starring Sela Ward, called "Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story." "Savitch was in danger after she began looking into the life and death of Italian banker Robert Calvi," the Post said in a story published yesterday. Sadly, Elizabeth Vargas seems to be suffering similar problems. "Miss Savitch's death came shortly after she finished an investigation of Calvi," Callahan told the Post. Or, I should say, the car model was incidental until your follow-up comment about “limo dreams in a station wagon reality.” This finally tied the car model to the life that ended inside it. So don’t click on the title link and comment then .?.. Jessica Beth Savitch (February 1, 1947 – October 23, 1983) was an American television news presenter and correspondent, best known for being the weekend anchor of NBC Nightly News and daily presenter of NBC News updates during the late 1970s and early 1980s. . Savitch died the night of Oct. 24, 1983, after she had dined at a New Hope restaurant with a companion, Martin Fishbein. The best articles on this site cast stories of cars in a human context, whether that context is an individual life or, as in the best pieces from Paul and Laurence, the larger culture. As I told Paul, I’m on a learning curve. Kind of sad, but still nice to know someone else out there remembers Jessica. They called her the Golden Girl of TV news, and for good reason. Life and career. "We also know she was about to do another. Did anyone else notice how radically different her appearance was in her final news broadcast versus the other photos? While getting drunk on beer=you have an alcohol problem. The only chance she might have had would be out the tailgate if it could have been opened from the inside, and even then, it would have to be immediately before the car was completely engulfed in mud. "So far, no one has contacted me," said the Bucks County coroner. I remember growing up listening to Walter Cronkite. I remember her well, and as an aside her younger sister Lori worked at WPXI TV in Pittsburgh as a local anchor in the early 1990’s. At KHOU she was hailed as the first anchorwoman in the South (although that would be contested). All the cars I ever had from Olds were decent and reliable, except the last one. I am Canadian and I remember watching her on American news programs, so her fame certainly wasn’t “local”, but may have been confined to North American shores. I didn’t see this personal element in this story. I would read more stories on notable figures who died in cars. It’s a bit rough around the edges. I wonder if she attempted to to get out of the car through the rear windows, only to discover that they don’t roll down. If that’s an actual picture of the car involved, then the story is wrong. I can think of so many others: Bonnie and Clyde’s Ford, the last car Elizabeth Short was seen in….a Studebaker I think. I don’t remember really listening to NBC news much. When it would have been much simpler to just not read it. This wagon was officially known as a Cutlass Cruiser, until it morphed into a Ciera a few years later. Linda Ellerbee grew concerned and gathered a group to stage an intervention. I am not personally affected by their accidents. And I apologize if a few folks here think I should praise/love all the features here…or just shut up. If she and Fischbein had been arguing, say, about that very intervention, he could have been distracted and Savitch may have directly contributed to her own demise, Such a happy first post in the new year . If there is justification for the whining by some commenters, I think it lies in the fact that the car model was incidental to Savitch’s death; i.e., she and her companion would have had the same difficulty opening the doors of an upside-down Mercedes smooshed into a muddy canal bed. New York: HarperCollins, 1988. Instead he bought the unfortunate 1979 blue Fairmont with butt numbing bench seat, no A/C and few options other than the 200 six and automatic. (Lynne, I hope we see more to come.) The article prompted my to look her up and read her quite compelling story. He was lighting a cigar! “I was walking down the street and saw this wino who was eating grapes. She was pretty important in American news reporting at the time – Barbara Walters was about the only female who pulled better ratings. As for Jessica, I couldn’t even begin to describe how messed up she was toward the end. She died sadly in a car accident. Teddy couldn’t hold a candle to his brothers John and Robert. At KYW in Philadelphia, she carved a stylish, hard-hitting niche with flawless looks, tough talk … I never understood why getting drunk on wine=totally fine. W.O. He wouldn’t have been nearly as good as a President. Am I the only one who noticed the Burberry trench coat, muddied and soaked on the passenger seat? I found the story interesting. Not an ad. That October night in 1983 was foggy and Fischbein, known as a careful driver, was confused about which way to go after leaving the restaurant. As to the appropriateness of the article, there are others on stuff like bicycles, trains, buses, etc. It is a car story! The interior trim pieces did not last long but I recall the drivetrain as being very durable, which is why Dad liked them. This week I'll travel from my home in Kentucky to stand at the spot in New Hope, Pa., where NBC News anchor Jessica Savitch (right) died 30 years ago tonight on the rainy fall evening of October 23.I'll be wearing one of her amethyst birthstone rings - a gift from her sister, Lori, whose website celebrates Savitch's legacy as a a groundbreaking TV news star of the … For all the first class tickets and privilege she projected, the Golden Girl of TV news came from an ordinary, if humble background. She was made Senate correspondent but she was in over her head. Remembering Jessica Savitch (video from NBC archives) Here we see her as a guest of the NBC Today Show, being interviewed by Bryant Gumbel about her book Anchorwoman, and sharing her insight into the role of women and minorities in broadcasting. The last few moments of these folks lives must have been a living hell. He had the two Cutlasses and the Pontiac Bonneville version. Pa. coronavirus cases and deaths: Track them here. http://www.people.com/article/elizabeth-vargas-marc-cohn-rehab-divorce, “I never understood why getting drunk on wine=totally fine. A good automotive story is a good automotive story. it’s akin to the James Dean’s Porsche, the Kennedy SS100X Lincoln and Jayne Mansfield’s Electra 225. EspecIally in NYC…the wealthy are not so much into cars! These were big sellers for GM. Fischbein apparently mistook a dirt road for an exit and in a matter of seconds the car flipped off the road and plunged into the canal sinking almost instantly. The TV universe was narrow – three or four national networks and their local affiliates. You could get a diesel, a 3.8 V6 and four different V8s. It had a two piece tailgate…the glass part was held up by gas struts which failed often and caused the glass to hit folks on the head (ow)..ask me how I know and the tailgate which swung down. But all was not right in Jessica’s world. It really doesn’t have the polish I’ve come to expect at CC. 1982 was the first year Oldsmobile spun Cutlass off into its own marque. Jessica’s trauma and drug abuse kept her from doing the same. OBVIOUSLY, if I had remembered the details I might have skipped this story. According to Dunne, who chronicled his experiences dealing with studio executives in his book Monster: Living Off the Big Screen, the majority of these changes were made in order to appeal to a broader mainstream market. The reputation followed her to NBC. I read this story for at least 2 reasons: Contributors/editors here are occasionally “playful” with the headlines. Jessica first considered a career in broadcasting while in high school. After finishing their meal, Savitch and Fishbein drowned when their car plunged into the Delaware Canal while they were attempting to leave the restaurant's parking lot. This one fits quite nicely within the broad array presented on CC. Savitch died the night of Oct. 24, 1983, after she had dined at a New Hope restaurant with a companion, Martin Fishbein. I agree with Wolfgang that this is a very somber, sad story. All Rights Reserved. As for the report in the Post, Rosko said, "It's a crazy story. I knew the cars are only “Nebensache” (sideshow) in our lives. Jessica Savitch was born on February 1, 1947 and died on October 23, 1983. She was a bit before my time, and although I’ve never heard of her before now, the story of a celebrity’s downward spiral and death in a car accident sounds all too familiar . CC has very high standards on the automotive details, so that is my only beef with it. I guess we’re not supposed to call them ” stew bums ” any more either ? I appreciate your work and want to encourage you to continue. She died three weeks later by drowning when a car in which she was a passenger accidentally drove into a canal during a heavy rainstorm. And, Happy New Year to you and to all CC’ers! Please, don’t get me wrong. Sadly as per GM edict of the day they didn’t possess adequate reliability and performance until the last years of the series and by then they were standardized, dulled down and stripped of their personalities. Ms. Savitch was born in Kennett Square, outside Philadelphia, and grew up in Margate, N.J. After all picking up woman was a little tough in a station wagon at least during the 90’s. But it all came to an end on a rainy autumn night in 1983, when the car Savitch was in plunged into a Bucks County, Pennsylvania canal, killing her … went to the inimitable Sen. Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy, who was aiming his 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont 88 sedan across a bridge that wasn’t in the direction of the ferry that Kopechne wanted to catch. I think it adds diversity to Curbside Classics. Friends say this started a long, dark spiral that ended with her death. Her end came in an Oldsmobile station wagon. Automotive History: George Romney At Nash/Rambler/AMC (1947-1962) – Unflinching Vision, Zeal and Determination To Take On The Big Three With Compacts, COAL: 1988 Cadillac Brougham – Last Christmas at Clark Street. The inaccuracies involving the Cutlass give this story the tone of “gruesome celebrity death spirals” about on a par with The National Enquirer. David Savitch, nicknamed Buddy, was the son of Benjamin and Lillian (Dinaberg) Savitch. In Tennessee, liquor stores are NOT allowed to sell any kind of food. (Thanks to all who pointed out my earlier error!). According to the window sticker mine actually came with a no charge 3.08:1 rear gear or code GU4 as a 2.73 was standard on 231 V6 wagons and sedans came with 2.41 gears. For about two years she was the most riveting performer on U.S. television. Unfortunately the A-body replacements were just the opposite. Go to http://www.NBCUniversalArchives.com to license any portion of this video. We took them on many family vacations and hauled a lot of things in their cargo areas. Compared to the man, the “ad” was full of taste. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard such a thing. With that in mind, I assumed that “Death By Station Wagon” meant this would be a story about how a woman (albeit a celebrity newscaster) was perhaps bored to death by her life as a station wagon driving drudge. Probably wouldn’t have made any difference. The word "golden" jumps from the title of two new books about Jessica Savitch, the broadcaster who rocketed to network stardom in the 1970s and then died … He was the father of NBC News anchorwoman, Jessica Savitch. Her contemporary Diane Sawyer went on to have a much more durable career and homelife. And she did it well, better than any man of that time. No drugs and very little alcohol … its amazing how much time and energy people will spend complaining about what they don’t want to read, isn’t it? Her father suddenly died when she was just 12 years old. As a kid I remember JS as being prominent in national TV journalism but knew nothing of her personal life or death. Whether the car landed upside down or right side up, the thick mud made opening ANY door/tailgate pretty much impossible. Bodies were twisty and creaky and mechanically they were rubbish they stay the same any pretty. Then met a doctor with even worse drug troubles than hers, and had to fight to go to and! 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