The Legend-News

Monday, 2000 January 31 : Volume 3, Number 4

A Novel Idea
Back in the 24 May 1999 edition of the Legend-News, I published an excerpt from the novelization of the motion picture "Convoy", by B.W.L. Norton. Copies of this novel are hard to find, even in the auctions on eBay. So, in my continuing quest to educate and inform the world about C.W. McCall, I've decided to continue the excerpts with the thought that The Powers That Be might decide to reprint this piece of C.W. McCallaneae (yet another new word that I've coined). However, given my efforts to persuade American Gramaphone or any other record label to release the Original Six albums on audio CD, I suspect a reprinting is pretty much out of the question.

If you haven't seen the movie, TBS SuperStation occasionally shows it, although rarely. The best place for information about the movie is at David Frederick's Convoy page. He's got more information on the movie than IMDb, plus many audio and video clips from the movie. And there's also the entry at the Internet Movie Database.

As for the book, today's selection includes the cover blurbs and hype on the pre-title page. Next week: the complete prologue.

Convoy novelization, front cover TO MEN HE WAS
A LEGEND IN A
BIG RIG. TO WOMEN
HE WAS A LEGEND
OF ANOTHER KIND!

NOW A BREAKNECK
ADVENTURE FILM FROM UNITED ARTISTS
Starring KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
and ALI MacGRAW

CONVOY
a novel by B.W.L. Norton

Convoy novelization, back cover BREAKER ONE-NINE,
BREAKER ONE-NINE --
HERE COMES RUBBER DUCK AND
THE BIGGEST, MEANEST, RAUNCHIEST
TRUCKIN' ARMY EVER!

THE SPEED LIMIT WAS 55...and the
truckers were mad. At 55, the haulin' was
slow, the take was poor, and the bears were
shining their badges and licking their chops...

Then Rubber Duck appeared.
He knew what to do.
They were gonna make themselves
a Convoy -- an asphalt-crunching
horn-blasting Convoy...

They would roll past the tanks, the bears,
the poised machine guns...
roll wild and proud,
straight into trucking history...

CONVOY
The runaway novel of the men and women
who fought The Great War of the Open Road!

KEEP ON TRUCKIN' WITH THE CONVOY . . .

RUBBER DUCK: The Michelangelo of truckology, the brains behind the Convoy . . .

DANGEROUS CURVES: She fit her handle like a glove -- but Rubber Duck was well-equipped to make the sharpest turns . . .

LYLE "COTTONMOUTH" WALLACE: The sneaky, snakey ole boy of a bear who had nasty plans for Rubber Duck's tender hide . . .

LOVE MACHINE: He had the sweetest little pleasure palace on eighteen wheels -- and no queen to share the fun . . .

WIDOW WOMAN: The lady trucker . . . she was woman enough to take on four husbands -- and every one of them died with a smile on his face . . .

CONVOY

Stick This On Your Truck
By the way, you can get a copy of the movie Duck's hood ornament from

Billings Artworks
P.O. Box 257
Ridgway, CO 81432

The price is $65.00, plus $6.00 shipping. Check or money order only, no credit cards.

These aren't cheap knock-offs, either: they're made from the original molds used for the movie.

Tell John Billings where you heard about it.

Song A’ Th’ Week
Usually, when I pick the Song A’ Th’ Week I've got a specific reason in mind. Maybe that reason is the time of year; maybe it's the weather; maybe it's an event in my life. But today, that reason is none of the above.

Some C.W. McCall songs are more popular than others, and so far I've presented 38 of C.W.'s works as 'Songs A' Th' Week', plus two non-C.W. songs. Curiously, I've used 'Sloan' and 'The Cowboy' twice.

So I'll start presenting the lesser-known (and loved? :) songs of C.W. McCall. Every song deserves to be a Song A’ Th’ Week.

Two-Way Lovin'

(C.W. McCall, Bill Fries, Chip Davis)
From the album Rubber Duck.