Chapter 43: Don’t Worry; Be Yankee

According to the URANTIA Book, the most difficult disappointments to bear are those that never come to pass. This concept highlights the human tendency to worry about & fear potential outcomes, even if they never materialize. This dread of the unlikely, but possible, can indeed paralyze individuals and mar their minds with anxiety.

The Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy Book, calls that Irrational Thinking.

I call it f/u Thinking.

Fr, Sep 25, 1970

Double-Header

Regular Season, Game 157, vs Detroit Tigers. We Lost 1-3.

Regular Season, Game 158, vs Detroit Tigers. We Won 8-3.

James Brown, Aretha Franklin & The Staple Singers, Day 4 of 6 @ Radio City Music

Hall, NYC, 8pm.

Now listen, the times today
Well, they ain’t nothing to write home about
There’s too many people walking ‘round
And they ain’t got a life
Ain’t that the truth
Ain’t that the truth, people
And the ones that have
Well, I’ll tell you now
They can stand no change
Well, the truth is they’re being bankrupt
For what they already went and got
Well, it’s clear to me that we’re here for some reason
Yeah
To stop some kind of dread from our midst
So don’t worry, be happy
I say, don’t you worry, be happy
Don’t worry, be happy
With any luck that we never got
This old world will never stop
And this seems to indicate to me
Exactly what we’ve got
We’ve got to stop bitching
And start preaching over people’s children
Live together
We ought to love together
We ought to better the whole situation
Don’t worry, be happy
Don’t worry, be happy
Don’t worry, be happy...

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

By Humble Pie

Written by Steve Marriott, Dave “Clem” Clempson, Greg Ridley, Jerry Shirley

I remembered that a great RestoMod, maybe the 1st, was the Jerrari, a Jeep Wagoneer, but with a Ferrari Engine & mucho other Mods for Safety.

My good friend Bill Harrah, had the Jeep Dealership, as well as the Dealership for Ferrari, for Nevada.

Bill eventually owned over 1,500 Cars in his Reno Collection. He & a young Jay Leno would talk Cars for hours, before & after Jay Performed Comedy at his Casinos. Jay says that Bill Harrah always treated Comics the best, loving them, always Comping them well.

It even was called being Harrah-ized. It was Bills version of over-the-top Customer Service.

Jay Leno has said that Bill Harrah vowed to Drive each of his 1,500 Cars, at least 1 Mile each per year. Jay Leno does the same thing, with his 300+ Cars, & 200+ Motorcycles.

I was planning on reaching out to Jay Leno, 20yo in 1970. Jay was just getting started as a Comic in 1970. I thought he would be a great Spokesman for C-4, alongside Bob Seger. I thought Jay would be a natural, as he had already worked at an Imported Car Dealership in Boston, picking up Rolls-Royce’s from the Docks in New Jersey, driving them up to Boston. He’d do that a couple times per week. Jay would do many Corporate Gigs over the years, one of the few Clean Comics. He was great as a Dorito’s Spokesman later on, keeping it fun.

In 1969, Bill Harrah had reached out to Ferrari, about working with him, in creating a cool Hybrid. Bill Harrah loved to go Fast, even the Cops looked the other way when he blew past them in his Ferrari.

The problem was, the Winters of Lake Tahoe can be hazardous. Bill asked to get a Ferrari Engine, as well as help in upgrading the Brakes, Suspension, etc, to make a stock Jeep Wagoneer safe as a Hotrod.

Ferrari said NO. Bill didn’t like the Word NO, so when a Ferrari was Damaged while being Delivered to a Customer, he got his wish. The Car was considered not worth fixing.

That was all Bill needed to start experimenting. He & his Top-Notch Restoration Crew, went to work. They 1st tried a Ferrari Front End, attached to a Jeep Wagoneer Body. Pretty ugly.

By 1977, they had it worked out. Bill Harrah was seen driving at 140 MPH, between the Reno A/P, RNO, to his Casino & Hotel, at Stateline, NV-CA. It was next to the Heavenly Ski Resort. Across the Lake was the World-Class Squaw Valley Ski Resort. Bill personally would pick up his friends & influential Guests, so he needed reliable but super fast transport. He used a Ferrari 365 Engine. Jay Leno says he was picked up by Bill Harrah, more than once.

Harry Helmsley & Warren Buffett, had Bought both the Heavenly & Squaw Valley Ski Resorts for us, as Subsidiaries of our American Ski Resort Company. ASRC. We were Partnering 50/50 with Bill Harrah on both Ski Resorts. He would love to bring his Friendly Hospitality to both. We were more than happy to Coattail off of him doing that.

Now, as Pug in 1970, I sat Enzo Ferrari & Bill Harrah down one evening, sharing a Doozie with both. I brought up how cool it would be, if we could turn a Jeep Wagoneer into a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing.

Ali & I had been to Enzo’s Home in the Italian Alps. Enzo always drove Fast, just like Bill Harrah. Wouldn’t it be cool if Enzo could take those Curves at Speed, even in the Winter?

Enzo was Sold, immediately getting Bill & himself to a nearby Drafting Table, sketching out places that would need to be addressed in the Jeep.

It was quickly decided to add a Jerrari, as another of our Retro Models for 1971. It would a Limited Edition Model, only made for a select few.

Enzo would get Jerrari #1, in Ferrari Red of course. Bill Harrah, #2, in Burnt Orange, & Thunderbird Lodge, #3, in Stainless Steel & Mahogany, just like the Thunderbird Art Deco Speedboat-Yacht is adorned. All Jerrari’s would be Hand-Built, with love & care.

#4 was going to be Featured in Sean Connery’s new James Bond Film, Diamonds Are Forever, due to be Released, Dec 14, 1971. Sean would get to keep the Jerrari after Filming. The color would be British Racing Green.

All of us were excited to have another cool Car to Produce in 1971.

We were already competed 25% of our new Factory, that was being Built behind the Plymouth Road Plant, in Detroit. We should be able to start setting up our 1st couple Assembly Lines by Jan 1, 1971. We were bringing together the best Technology, from Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari, Fiat, Jeep & Rambler. Why not share the best from each with each other, to improve all our Models.

Any new ways of Manufacturing, would also be incorporated back into the European Factories, a Win-Win for all of my Partners.