The 2022 Woodward Dream Cruise was an exciting weekend filled with sounds of rumbling engines and the air filled with the smells of high-octane fuel.
The Woodward Dream Cruise has meant so much to those of us in Detroit and the way we celebrate the motor city ever since its start in 1995. Instead of a standard day of filming the cruise and grabbing some interviews, our team of Visionalists crafted an idea of a 12-car procession traveling eight loops from 15 Mile to 13 Mile with Detroit drummer Johnny Bee Badanjek in the back of a 1965 Dodge A100 pickup (driven by David Smith) playing to the song “Radar Love” by Golden Earring. This procession was led by State Police Lt. Brett Beardslee in a 1965 Ford cruiser with two special passengers: Troy Poldo-Parker, a 20-year-old from Rainbow Connection (a Michigan based wish granting organization) sitting in the passenger seat, along with his mom, Cora Parker-Burnett. Troy was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in June 2021.
The story we set out to tell is about three Vietnam veterans now in their late 70s remembering their early life as they once again cruised Woodward together in the 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass (thanks to Perry Smith) they had bought together after returning from the war. The three Vietnam veterans, Robert Middleton, Doug Broquet, and David Gurtowsky were positioned in the center of the procession. The other nine cars in the procession were made up of iconic hot rods and muscle cars driven by Harold Sullivan, Greg Qualls, Bob Adams, Larry Smith, Diane Flis-Schneider, John McMullen, Carl Schiller, and Tim Hartge.
Part of our filming also included WOMC Detroit live radio broadcast at the famous Duggans Irish Pub with JoAnne Purtan and Jim JJ Johnson which will be used in the film.
None of this would have been possible without the support and professionalism of the State Police Motor Unit who carefully maneuvered our entire group through the bustling four lane traffic.
Thank you to Comerica Bank for allowing us to set up the other half of our crew on their property to complete this production where there were five Vietnam veterans from the VVA Detroit Chapter 9 saluting as their brothers in the 1971 Cutlass cruised by.
A very big thank you to Edward Rose & Sons for allowing us to stage this production in their parking lot.
The day before the Woodward Dream Cruise, M1 Concourse hosts an event called Woodward Dream Show that is a significant hot rod, custom, cruiser, and muscle car show. This year there were some big anniversaries where they had displays of the iconic 1932 Ford “Deuce” that turned 90, the Lincoln brand celebrating its 100th anniversary, and the Pontiac Firebird that turned 55. CEO Tim McGrane explained this in his interview with us about the event and why it’s so important to the car community.
Thank you to everyone for their dedication and time to this production.