Now that's downright tragic. I guess that explains why it took a year to clean up for sale though!

GREAT movie, but It's been a while since I've seen it... I didn't really remember what Swanson's car looked like but googling Isotta-Fraschini fixed that. I do have a stronger memory of the car Holden drives at the beginning... a 40's coupe or convertible if I remember correctly?

 

1946/48 Plymouth convertible. Impossible to tell one year from the other as the cars are identical.

The Isotta-Fraschini was owned by Pacific Auto Rentals, the oldest and largest company that rented vehicles to the studios.

The 1932 Duesenberg convertible used in the film "What Ever Happened to Mary Jane" was also owned by Pacific, as was the 1947 Lincoln Continental.

During filming, the Duesy hits a gatepost, damaging the front end. I knew George Swigart, owner of the company, asked him: "Did the studio really damage the Duesenberg?"

The answer was that the studio went to Mike McManus's classic car junkyard (was at 19020 S. Anelo Ave-near the 405/110 freeway interchange), obtained a fender and etc from a 1932 Chrysler Imperial.

Studio painted the sheet metal to match, then beat the parts up, tacked them on to the Duesy.

Most vehicles used in Hollywood films of the 1930's/70's and 1940's/70's TV shows were rented from Pacific. When George Swigart died suddenly in the mid 1970's, his widow auctioned their +/- 200 vehicles.