Unfortunately the A-body replacements were just the opposite. It really doesn’t have the polish I’ve come to expect at CC. If it upsets you to read it maybe it was written for you . He had the two Cutlasses and the Pontiac Bonneville version. (Thanks to all who pointed out my earlier error!). Usually, they were just issued the light stories. Generally speaking I don’t think that an intervention is revealed to the person getting one ahead of time, so the speculation that it might have contributed to the accident is unlikely. Jessica Savitch seemed to have the world at her fingers. But through all this time, her relationship with the viewing public never faltered – until October 3, 1983: She said she was healing after recent plastic surgery, was tired, faint, had a glass of wine on an empty stomach – there were lots of excuses. 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. Her death at 36 was an accident. Friends say this started a long, dark spiral that ended with her death. Jessica Savitch has been listed as a level-5 vital article in People, Journalists. Not an ad. Her fame was national and it was huge. If that’s an actual picture of the car involved, then the story is wrong. As a kid I remember JS as being prominent in national TV journalism but knew nothing of her personal life or death. Callahan told the Post that he plans to continue his investigation. 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. And his half-hearted run in 1980 showed just how much the nation didn’t forget. No drugs and very little alcohol were present in her system at the time of her death. Her life was the subject of a Lifetime Television made-for-TV movie, starring Sela Ward, called "Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story." 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 for Jessica, I couldn’t even begin to describe how messed up she was toward the end. Cocaine was found in her bloodstream. Let’s address the worst first. CC has very high standards on the automotive details, so that is my only beef with it. http://www.people.com/article/elizabeth-vargas-marc-cohn-rehab-divorce, “I never understood why getting drunk on wine=totally fine. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard such a thing. Her mother was a nurse and had to go to work to support the family. Jessica Starr's manner of death was ruled a suicide, a spokesperson from the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office told The Post on Friday. 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. Personally, any celebrity that has a strong connection with a vehicle, even if it’s only through death, is worthy of inclusion. And she did it well, better than any man of that time. Drug use led to promiscuity and sometimes threatened her standing at the station. EspecIally in NYC…the wealthy are not so much into cars! Sadly the dealer trying to sell it to us had a ridiculous price on it at the time and dad passed. NBC didn’t know what to do. So don’t click on the title link and comment then .?.. It *IS* a ‘ Car Story ‘ ~ a sad one to be sure but also a truthful cautionary tale . I think it adds diversity to Curbside Classics. It was a parody by National Lampoon. In all the articles I’ve read, it just refers to “an Oldsmobile station wagon” and I’m not well-versed on the interiors, especially after they have been upside-down and underwater for a few hours. Ms. Savitch was born in Kennett Square, outside Philadelphia, and grew up in Margate, N.J. It’s a bit rough around the edges. Lillian Savitch was born January 17, 1905. That’s very typical of the G-body cars – interior trim was not durable in the slightest, and would quickly age/fall off/disintegrate but the car itself was generally sturdy and rugged, and the drivetrain options would last. Am I the only one who noticed the Burberry trench coat, muddied and soaked on the passenger seat? The last thing I personally want this site to be is ‘Stepford Carstories’. He signed out a 1982 Oldsmobile station wagon from the Post’s fleet, and they headed toward Bucks County, PA with Chewy in tow. The interior trim pieces did not last long but I recall the drivetrain as being very durable, which is why Dad liked them. Is that picture in the front seat part of one either Jessica’s or Martin’s dead body? 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. I was like ‘dude, you have to wait!'”. Wiki and People did a better job reporting this….but they didn’t have to find a way to make the car “a killer”. The armrest on the driver door looks like a GM RWD A-body from the ’78 – mid ’80s era. Jessica, it’s nice to see others besides me remember her. Seven hours later, the bodies of 36-year-old Jessica Savitch and Martin Fischbein were pulled from the canal. Did anyone else notice how radically different her appearance was in her final news broadcast versus the other photos? Compared to the man, the “ad” was full of taste. That was the front-wheel-drive A-platform, which was introduced for the 1982 model year. As a kid, my Dad had two Cutlass Cruiser wagons that were a twin of the woodless (brown?) Curbside Outtake: Oh Lord, Won’t You Buy Me Three Mercedes-Benzes? It’s limo dreams in a station wagon reality. A tragic story and one that was probably only slightly less horrifying then the 1989 death of Leslie Ann Pluhar who had her Yugo blown off the Mackinac Bridge. But Rosko said he won't reopen the case until somebody steps forward with hard evidence. Some of the richest people I know will go out of their way to rent the least expensive cars on trips (especially for day trips outside of NYC)! No matter how many times in life she threatened suicide in the end instinct took over. Bucks County Coroner Thomas J. Rosko ruled the deaths were accidental. (Lynne, I hope we see more to come.) Add mine to the thanks for this article. Jessica Savitch has been regarded as merely a footnote in broadcast news history, which is tragic in itself; after all, Jessica did break new ground for women in journalism, having been one of the first female TV anchorwomen in the canon. This article has been rated as B-Class ... How did Savitch's dog die, or did he/she survive? Wonderfully tasteless ad. But on Sunday, Jessica had a date with the New York Post’s Martin Fischbein. And back then, it was rare to have a female report who handled the “serious” news. I appreciate your work and want to encourage you to continue. If you can improve it, please do. There used to be people called ‘winos’, but I guess they’re all extinct now. Unfortunately rust would render them un-watertight and un-liftable in fairly short order. At KHOU she was hailed as the first anchorwoman in the South (although that would be contested). She also hosted PBS's public af… At that point the former rear-wheel-drive A-body was renamed the G-body. Golden Girl: The Story of Jessica Savitch. Again she got married to her boyfriend, but he sadly died by hanging himself in the basement. All the cars I ever had from Olds were decent and reliable, except the last one. Her end came in an Oldsmobile station wagon. The reputation followed her to NBC. Jessica’s time at NBC was filled with uncertainty, and with the uncertainty came drug use. The only other “death by station wagon” celebrity event I know of is the 1962 death of the actor/comedian Ernie Kovacs in Los Angeles. The Bonneville version was kind of a rare bird, actually, only produced for 1982-83. Your email address will not be published. And I apologize if a few folks here think I should praise/love all the features here…or just shut up. it’s akin to the James Dean’s Porsche, the Kennedy SS100X Lincoln and Jayne Mansfield’s Electra 225. Yep…Dad’s was an 83 Bonneville which he drove into the ground…well into the 90s. A common thread has emerged in the comments on this article that leads back to my opening statement. And to this day, many states and municipalities in the U.S. (particularly in the South) allow easier access to the purchase of beer and wine; liquors must be sold under a harder-to-obtain license, or in a state-owned store, if it’s allowed at all. While getting drunk on beer=you have an alcohol problem. The G body wagons were nice, but always looked very plain without the woodgrain. As a side note to a previous posters comments: I moved from Florida to Tennessee and then back to Florida a few years ago. Lieut. A friend then got her a job part-time reading the local news … Jessica Savitch was a famous, yet tragic figure who met her demise in an Oldsmobile. In Tennessee, liquor stores are NOT allowed to sell any kind of food. Savitch was one of the first women to anchor an evening network news broadcast alone, following in the footsteps … "We also know she was about to do another. I remember Jessica Savage. Jessica first considered a career in broadcasting while in high school. Her father suddenly died when she was just 12 years old. On October 23 1983, Jessica Savitch met a fatal automobile accident, while returning home from shopping along with her then boyfriend Martin Fischbein. And R.I.P Oldsmobile. Life’s struggles are definitely more important than a character line along the side of a car and what someone else might think about it. The incident caused widespread speculation that she was abusing drugs. It was just applied to some other cars within Olds. 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. Go to http://www.NBCUniversalArchives.com to license any portion of this video. 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. Interesting, chilling account. 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. This one fits quite nicely within the broad array presented on CC. 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. You suppose the reader judge by the cover of the book or title of the article? It’s not an ad, but a page from “The National Lampoon.”. Incidentally I found a TV movie of her life based on her book featuring Sela Ward playng Jessica. which no one seems to mind. “Original humor magazine” – that’s a LOL. But the public loved her, as it did in Philadelphia. Ms. Savitch (NOT Savage as some have called her) was in the back seat with her dog. Savitch was one of the first women to anchor an evening network news broadcast alone, following in the footsteps of Marlene Sanders of ABC News and Catherine Mackin of NBC News. Jessica Savitch was born on February 1, 1947 and died on October 23, 1983. Savitch was born in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles west of Philadelphia. But there are villains in this piece, all right. Jessica Savitch, Actress: Nasty Habits. This “Curbside Collaboration” idea sounds pretty good for the given context. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Matthew Patay. 1982 was the first year Oldsmobile spun Cutlass off into its own marque. Probably wouldn’t have made any difference. Your email address will not be published. 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. He was driving a Corvair station wagon. Life and career. MAP: Where coronavirus is in Pennsylvania, Lehigh Valley outdoor dining guide: More than 125 restaurants with al fresco retreats. Savitch died the night of Oct. 24, 1983, after she had dined at a New Hope restaurant with a companion, Martin Fishbein. Since we are visiting a place where political correctness really was moot, I’d like to mention it’s refreshing to see a woman’s name on the byline here. Jessica Savitch was born on February 1, 1947 in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. In this photo she’s roughly 35. The New York Post says so. It seemed acceptable at the time for news people to personify the stereotype of the hard hitting, hard drinking news reporter that sometimes showed their afflictions on camera. I’m a bit conflicted after reading this article. 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 … Mary Jo Kopechne was another young woman born in Pennsylvania, who met an infamous end in an Oldsmobile under water. They resumed production of the Oldsmobile, but have not manufactured the Pontiac for several years. W.O. I didn’t see this personal element in this story. 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 . She was on television at a time when TV news correspondents were lauded as celebrities. She was the first host of Frontline on PBS , (a show that still survies to this day) and the first truly beautiful woman to read the news. She was made Senate correspondent but she was in over her head. 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