Believe It or Not, Buell Wesley Frazier's car

[Guest]

Hi

Edited February 15, 2023 by Lance Payette

[Tom Gram]

25 minutes ago, Lance Payette said:

How many of you knew that Frazier's car is on display at the Ripley's Believe It or Not "San Antonio Odditorium"? Ripley's collection includes an assortment of JFKA memorabilia including Oswald's toe tag from the morgue and the tools used to embalm him, including an "embalming machine" that looks suspiciously like a Juice-O-Matic. https://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/the-assassination-of-jfk

Steve Roe has an excellent piece on the car with lots of photos: Buell Wesley Frazier's Car (steveroeconsulting.wixsite.com)

Frazier sold the car, a 1954 Chevy, for $10 less than a year after the JFKA. In the sworn Bill of Sale, which I assume wasn't written by Warren Commission lawyers, he stated:

It was used to pick up the "curtain rods" which were later proven to be the disassembled murder weapon used to assassinate the President of the United States.

He also provided the buyer with a sworn affidavit, also presumably not written by Warren Commission lawyers, that included the above and added, "In this automobile, I believe Lee Harvey Oswald planned the last details of the assassination."

Dang, I was at the Alamo like a month ago which is right across the street from that museum. I’ll have to check it out next time. 

[Pat Speer]

2 hours ago, Lance Payette said:

How many of you knew that Frazier's car is on display at the Ripley's Believe It or Not "San Antonio Odditorium"? Ripley's collection includes an assortment of JFKA memorabilia including Oswald's toe tag from the morgue and the tools used to embalm him, including an "embalming machine" that looks suspiciously like a Juice-O-Matic. https://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/the-assassination-of-jfk

Steve Roe has an excellent piece on the car with lots of photos: Buell Wesley Frazier's Car (steveroeconsulting.wixsite.com)

Frazier sold the car, a 1954 Chevy, for $10 less than a year after the JFKA. In the sworn Bill of Sale, which I assume wasn't written by Warren Commission lawyers, he stated:

It was used to pick up the "curtain rods" which were later proven to be the disassembled murder weapon used to assassinate the President of the United States.

He also provided the buyer with a sworn affidavit, also presumably not written by Warren Commission lawyers, that included the above and added, "In this automobile, I believe Lee Harvey Oswald planned the last details of the assassination."

Oh, please. There's no way in hell Frazier wrote that note. The guy probably put it in front of him and said sign this and I'll give you ten bucks. I mean, really. "Erwin"? 

[Joe Bauer]

Wesley got ten bucks for the car?

From what he told everybody about that car right after the assassination it wasn't worth that. Battery dying all the time. Missing hub caps. Junk yard special.

I picture Frazier and Oswald constantly big-eyed praying this sputtering, rattling, oil burning and black exhaust spewing rust bucket wouldn't just die on the way to and from work!

Wouldn't be surprised if Oswald was embarrassed to be seen riding in that junker.

Maybe that's why he jumped out of it as soon as they arrived at the lot behind the TXSBD that Friday morning, and leaving his friend Frazier behind to keep revving the engine to keep it's battery from dying and/or make sure the engine actually stopped when he turned off the key?

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Joe Bauer

[David Von Pein]

6 hours ago, Joe Bauer said:

I picture Frazier and Oswald constantly big eyed praying this sputtering, rattling, oil burning and black exhaust spewing rust bucket wouldn't just die on the way to and from work!

Wouldn't be surprised if Oswald was embarrassed to be seen riding in that junker. Maybe that's why he jumped out of it as soon as they arrived at the lot behind the TXSBD that Friday morning, and leaving his friend Frazier behind to make sure the engine actually stopped when he turned off the key?

Oh, I don't know about that, Joe. In the filmed re-enactment (seen below) that Buell Frazier performed for David Wolper's movie cameras (which occurred sometime prior to October of 1964), Buell's ten-year-old Chevrolet sedan seems to be running pretty smoothly and quietly (based on what we can hear during the limited time when the microphone actually picks up the sounds of the car's engine just after Frazier gets in the car and starts it).

But maybe Wolper's film crew just got lucky and the 1954 Chevy* was having a good day when this re-creation scene was filmed.

* The narration in the Wolper film has the wrong model year for Frazier's vehicle. The narrator, Richard Basehart, says it's a 1953 model. But as we can see from Buell's ownership papers, it's actually a '54 model. I've always wondered why that mistake was made by the Wolper crew, especially since they had Buell Frazier right there with them for this re-enactment scene, and Buell should have been able to tell the film crew that his car was a '54 and not a '53. But maybe Buell just plain forgot and told them it was a '53. That's what I think probably happened.

 

Edited January 19, 2023 by David Von Pein

[Joe Bauer]

1 hour ago, David Von Pein said:

Oh, I don't know about that, Joe. In the filmed re-enactment (seen below) that Buell Frazier performed for David Wolper's movie cameras (which occurred sometime prior to October of 1964), Buell's ten-year-old Chevrolet sedan seems to be running pretty smoothly and quietly (based on what we can hear during the limited time when the microphone actually picks up the sounds of the car's engine just after Frazier gets in the car and starts it).

But maybe Wolper's film crew just got lucky and the 1954 Chevy* was having a good day when this re-creation scene was filmed.

* The narration in the Wolper film has the wrong model year for Frazier's vehicle. The narrator, Richard Basehart, says it's a 1953 model. But as we can see from Buell's ownership papers, it's actually a '54 model. I've always wondered why that mistake was made by the Wolper crew, especially since they had Buell Frazier right there with them for this re-enactment scene, and Buell should have been able to tell the film crew that his car was a '54 and not a '53. But maybe Buell just plain forgot and told them it was a '53. That's what I think probably happened.

 

Of course I embellished my take on BWF's car being a constantly not starting junk yard special. 

Call it ... occasional comedic compulsion syndrome.

Now and then this dark heavy subject matter needs a little lightening imo.

Actually would love to have a restored 54 Chevy like Frazier's. 4 doors. Lots of room.

Love Frazier's two toned, white topped, "spats" type loafers shown in this reenactment.

Frazier had a little "Elvis" coolness back in the day didn't he?

 

 

 

 

Edited January 19, 2023 by Joe Bauer

[David Von Pein]

1 hour ago, Joe Bauer said:

Love Frazier's two toned, white topped, "spats" type loafers shown in this reenactment.

Frazier had a little "Elvis" coolness back in the day didn't he?

Yes, I think so too. I like the loafers as well.

 

[Steve Roe]

On 1/18/2023 at 5:42 PM, Pat Speer said:

Oh, please. There's no way in hell Frazier wrote that note. The guy probably put it in front of him and said sign this and I'll give you ten bucks. I mean, really. "Erwin"? 

Yes, I agree with that Pat. Houghton, who was from Florida, most likely typed it up (Erwin goof). The $10 was nothing more than a bill of sale for record. Houghton agreed to exchange or provide another automobile for Frazier as part of the deal. Maybe this is explained in Frazier's book. 

Also, for the record, I'm not sure the Frazier car is still there. It was in the Ripley's Believe it or Not "Odditorium" building, just a block or so down the street from Alamo Plaza. There is (or was) another Ripley's just across the Alamo. That Ripley's will be moved out to make way for the Alamo Exhibits (historical artifacts), which I would like to see.  Not sure if the Phil Collin's collection will be in the new Exhibit building.