Darnell’s Auto Body Shop was shot at a massive warehouse space previously used as a wire factory during World War II, and located in Irwindale, California-and it was more than just a set. Production designers used half of the space to stand in as the actual garage and junkyard, but the other half was used as a body shop to assemble and fix the numerous versions of Christine used in the actual movie.
Kills me how he usually played cantankerous, miserable old bastards in films but in real life he came over as everyone's favourite grandpa! That's some skill!
Clean up around the place throw the toilet paper on the spools shit like that and you can raid my junk pile for whatever you want hell maybe ill even throw in a few bucks.
Ole man Darnell got eyes in the back of his head, when arnies friend shoots him the bird, he quickly turns, awesome scene, luv that sixty eight with the covered headlights,
I used to work with an old blue collar guy who acted just like Darnell. Smoked like a chimney. He always had your back and was never afraid to speak his mind. I miss that greasy old dude.
Poor Arnie! Fed up of being treated like dirt. He ends up making a big mistake by buying that deadly car. He's got a good friend for certain & a girl who actually loved & showed interest in him. The very sad part was his parents only wanted him to become successful not rap him up in cotton wool. Great movie 👍🎉
His parents didn't allow for him to start gaining a facet of independence. Every decision having been made by them. That danger of this is not only do you not know who you are, at least Arnie has an interest in mechanics to which provides some direction, you have not a sense on how to navigate the world. His parents treat him as if he were a child when he is nearing adulthood. Adults are not children. This often results in dependence and resentment.
Darnell was a good example of a lost breed of hard boiled old men who put on a tough act when you first meet them but are not bad guys when they get to know you. By the 1980s most of them were gone, usually due to poor health habits. Yes, there were men like this.
I've seen this movie 100 times and I just now noticed that in this scene when they drive up to the door at Darnell's, there is a long wooden pole sticking out of the left rear window of the Charger.............WTF? Also, Darnell is my vote for the greatest movie scene stealer of all time.
Thats the last time you run " That Mechanical Asshole 😂😂 in here without an exhaust hose " It cracks me up every time 🤣🤣 How many takes did they do without someone pissing them selves laughing 😂😂
Anyone know how many different versions were used for Christine? It got destroyed a number of times in various ways, plus the old initial version seen here, then the restored version, one was lit on fire, etc.
my first car was a 1964 ford Ranchero with a 260 v8 for 800 dollars. Body was horrible, brakes were shot, radiator didn't work real good. fixed up the mechanical parts to make it driveable, didn't care for the body but man I loved my Ranchero my gal didn't like it at all though because she said it felt unsafe. hahaha.
Kinda hard to believe George Lebay's brother has some history with Darnell, not to mention that is the Exact Same Car Christine herself small world after all 🌏🌎🌍
In book Lebay stop care about her since late 1960s, which doesn't really explain it almost wrecked condition, but car wasn't maintained well for years by 1978.
Two deleted scenes either side of this. One before while Dennis is following Arnie to Darnell's the exhaust falls off Christine. You can see it in Dennis' Charger at 0:35. The other on their way back to Arnie's where Dennis calls Darnell a bum & should have told Arnie to shove it. Almost immediately after that Arnie breaks down.
“That’s the last time you run that mechanical asshole in here” haha! Rick Dalton calls the hippies’ car a “mechanical asshole” in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Who else adopted that hand wiggle Darnel using with your kids!?!?! LMMFAO! These soft punks these days couldn’t withstand a verbal lashing from Darnel!!!
I wish I had a couple of neighbors like Darnell. I live in a college town and and over the last ten years the college has been expanding and the student population has exploded with many of the single family houses in my neighborhood becoming rentals filled with snot nosed spoiled brats. I despise them, They're nothing like the humble hard-working people I grew up around. They're all immature assholes. Darnell would straighten their asses out.
The fact that Arnie became so cool that Darnell trusted him to work there and drive his caddie was a huge leap for a character arc. Every bit a vital part of the character, right up there with drinkin roadies and telling his boy to chill tf out!!
