Neal Walters
Poster Corp
is listed as
a business
out of
Bentoville
Ark.72712
There is
also a
listing for
the company
in
Fayettville
Ark.
I have
contacted
Benton and
Washington
Counties to
find out
more
information
about the
Neal Walters
Poster Corp
neither
county shows
a listing
for the
business.
Benton
County has
business
listing as
far back as
1907.
There are
phone
listings for
Neal Walters
Poster Corp
with an area
code 501,
the area
code for
Bentoville
was changed
from 501 to
479 about 18
mouths ago.
None of the
numbers I
found are
working
numbers for
the company.
On a resent
on line
auction the
same 4 panel
un-cut
poster was
listed for
sale, It
listed the
poster as
being from
1935/36
both your
poster and
the one at
auction have
the same
listing at
the bottom
for the Neal
Walters
Poster Corp
Bentoville
Ark. 72712
On July 1
1963 the US
Postal
Service
started
using new
codes, at
that time
they were
not
mandatory.
In 1967, the
Post Office
required
mailers of
second- and
third-class
bulk mail to
pre-sort by
ZIP Code.
Since there
is a Zip
Code on the
poster we
know that
the poster
was printed
no earlier
than 1963.
THE
MICKEY COHEN
CAR
The poster
also refers
to the
Mickey Cohen
Armored car
which was a
Cadillac
Gangster
Special 1950
Cadillac
Motor Co,
USA
Based on a
1950 Series
60S V8
Cadillac,
this exhibit
has special
body
treatment by
Rudy
Stoessel of
Coachcraft,
Los Angeles,
providing a
bomb-proof
floor,
armor-plated
doors, 40 mm
thick
bullet-proof
windows and
a special
hinged
windscreen
designed for
inside
firing. It
was owned by
Mickey
Cohen, a
gangster who
worked for
Al Capone
and Lucky
Luciano. The
car was
confiscated
by the Los
Angeles
police, and
in 1961
Cohen was
sentenced to
15 years for
the largest
tax evasion
in American
history.
900 V8, ohv,
96.8 mm
bore, 92.1
mm stroke,
5440 cc,
(160 bhp at
3800 rpm),
weight 4¼
tons.
The Mickey
Cohen
armored car
being from
the 1950's,
and Mickey going
to jail in
1961 also
helps us
date the
poster
to after
1960.
Bonnie
and
Clydes
car was
a 1934
Ford
Model
730
Deluxe
Sedan
(Fordor)
which
belonged
to Ruth
and
Jesse
Warren.
They had
recently
purchased
the car
and it
had been
sitting
in their
driveway.
Ruth,
who had
been
doing
dishes
looked
out of
the
window
and
noticed
that the
car was
missing.
Ruth
thought
that her
husband
had
driven
it to
the
house of
a
neighbor,
she
called
him and
he said
that he
hadn't
taken
the car.
The car
was
stolen
on April
29,
1934.
On May 23,
1934 the
posse had
been waiting
for
approximately
seven hours
when at
about 9:10
a.m. they
heard a
machine
approaching
at a high
rate of
speed. It is
not clear
whether the
officers
stepped into
the road to
challenge
them. But
when the car
stopped they
were told to
give up.
They reached
for their
guns but
never had a
chance to
use them.
The posse
opened fire,
the car
leaped ahead
and came to
a stop in a
ditch beside
the road.
The firing
continued
after the
car came to
a stop.
The officers
had pump 167
rounds into
the car,
approaching
it with
care. They
found Bonnie
Parker and
Clyde Barrow
dead. Fifty
rounds had
smashed into
their
bodies. Some
through the
driver's
door hitting
Clyde
passing
through him
and then
through
Bonnie and
out the
passenger
door. The
fingers on
Bonnie's
right hand
had been
shot off.
Her left
hand was
clutching a
bloody pack
of
cigarettes.
She died
with her
head slumped
between her
legs, with a
gun across
her lap.
Bonnie was
23 years
old, Clyde
24. It
looked as if
Bonnie had
just gotten
her hair
permanent
waved.
Inside the
1934 Ford,
Hamer found
the
following
items, 1
saxophone, 3
Browning
automatic
rifles, 1 10
gauge
Winchester
lever
action, 1
sawed-off
shotgun, 1
20 gauge
sawed-off
shotgun, 1
Colt 32
caliber
automatic, 1
Colt 45
caliber
revolver, 7
Colt
automatic
pistols, and
approximately
3,000 rounds
of
ammunition.
They found
license
plates from
Illinois,
Iowa,
Missouri,
Texas,
Indiana,
Kansas, Ohio
and
Louisiana
After the
ambush Mrs.
Ruth Warren
arrived in
Bienville
Parish to
claim her
car.
Sheriff
Henderson
Jordan
refused to
release the
car to her,
claiming
that she
would have
to pay
$15,000 to
get it back.
Hiring
attorney
W.D.Goff
from Arcadia
to represent
her.
Goff claimed
that by
Jordan
setting the
value of the
car over
$3,000, the
case would
surely wind
up in
Federal
Court.
Because of
Sheriff
Jordan's
refusal to
comply,
Federal
Judge
Benjamin
Dawkins
threatened
to send the
sheriff to
jail, if he
did not
return the
car to Mrs.
Warren.
She finally
get her car
back, and
drove it to
Shreveport,
Louisiana.
From there
the car was
taken by
truck, back
to Topeka,
Kansas,
where it sat
in her
driveway for
several
days.
EXHIBITION
HISTORY OF
THE BONNIE &
CLYDE DEATH
CAR
Ruth leased
the car to
John Castle
of "United
Shows" and
when the
contract
went into
default, she
had the car
repossessed
and rented
it to
carnival
operator
Charles
Stanley. He
exhibited it
on the
Hennies
Brothers
Midways in
his 1939
crime show.
Stanley used
the car on
his outside
bally and
showed the
film of the
actual
ambush on
the inside.
After Ruth
divorced her
husband
Jesse, she
kept the
title to the
car and sold
it to
Stanley for
$3,500. It
had been
said that
Charles was
the original
owner of the
Death Car.
During the
1948 season
the car was
exhibited at
Coney Island
amusement
park in
Cincinnati,
Ohio.
Charles
joined the
Cavalcade of
Amusements
at Sedalia,
Mo. He added
a Dillinger
Crime Car
and toured
with the
Gooding
Amusements
and Hennies
Brothers
Shows. (In
1949
sideshowman
Charlie
Hodges also
exhibited a
Bonnie and
Clyde car
along with
his large
10-in-l
show.) In
1951 Stanley
toured the
Mosser
Family
Massacre
through
theaters.
Spent a
short time
at the Coney
Island in
Cincinnati.
Later
joining the
Cetlin and
Wilson Shows
for the
season. In
a 1952
Billboard he
offered the
Bonnie and
Clyde Death
Car for
sale. That
same season
he retired
from the
road to
manage the
Coney Island
Park in
Cincinnati
and
exhibited
the car
until 1960.
In 1968,
longtime
promoter
Frank Siro
also had a
Bonnie and
Clyde car on
midways also
in 1969 he
toured it at
Texas fairs.
In the 1960s
the
"original"
death car
was
purchased
for $14,500
by showman
Ted Toddy.
In October
1969,
Amusement
Business
reported:
"Ted Toddy
has won his
suit for an
injunction
over the use
of the
Bonnie and
Clyde name.
Johnny and
Marilyn
Portemont,
owners of
Johnny's
United
Shows, will
have to find
another
title for
theirs!"
Showmen were
warned to
avoid using
the title,
especially
around
Toddy's home
in Atlanta.
Ted Toddy
The car then
sat in a
warehouse
for years
In 1971
Toddy leased
his car to
the Royal
American
Shows. I
In 1973 the
Bonnie and
Clyde Death
Car was
purchased by
Peter Simon
of the Oasis
Casino in
Jean Nevada
for
$175.000.
It was on
display at
Whiskey
Pete's
Casino for
several
years and is
now on
permanent
display at
the Primm
Hotel and
Casino at
Primm Nevada
just of
Interstate
15 on the
Nevada and
California
Stateline.
Even after
70 years the
legend still
holds a
strange
fascination.
Considering
the poster
was printed
no earlier
that 1963
and the car
was
purchased by
Peter Simons
of Jean
Nevada in
1973 if it
was the
original car
then between
1963 and 73
one of the
shows above
would have
exhibited
the B & C
Death Car in
AK. There
were other
cars
reported to
have been
the B&C
Death Car on
Exhibit at
the same
time.
John
Robinson,
Sideshow
World
Information
add May 31,
2008
I am 60
years old
and I was 6
when my
father went
to work for
Ted Toddy
which was in
late 1950 to
early 1951.
My dad was
the operator
and the one
who traveled
with the car
and the
"Killer's
All" show.
Also, Ted
had made a
movie in
circa 1945
and he
bought the
car to help
promote his
movie,
"Killer's
All" which
was not only
about Bonnie
and Clyde,
but John
Dillenger,
Babyface
Nelson, Ma
Barker and
more.
So in answer
to her
question, I
know Ted had
the car in
1950 as he
had already
had the
"show on the
road" when
my father
went to work
for him
however he
had not been
to Arkansas
with it
until at
least 1951.
Because my
dad and Ted
were very
close
friends
until Ted
died and he
was my
"godfather",
I have
intimate
knowledge
and
recollection
of these
events.
Cindy
(Atlanta, Ga)
Some
information
and
assistance
compiled
from:
History of
the Warren
Car, Al
Stencell's
Seeing is
Believing
and the FBI
report on
the death of
Bonnie
Parker and
Clyde
Barrow.