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bed. With a powerful
Cadillac overhead valve engine that came from his parents' sedan, the vehicle that resulted had a unique appearance and stance, which inspired many hot rods created afterward. The car was first featured on the cover of the October, 1955 issue of
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As a consequence of the magazine exposure, Grabowski was approached about renting the car out to appear in movies and television shows. The contacts he made in this way led to an acting career for
Grabowski. He appeared in television shows, including
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and then underwent further modifications, including a greater rake, tilted windshield and blue paint with flames when it famously appeared in color on the cover of the April, 1957 issue of
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immigrant parents. In 1952, after leaving the US Army on a medical discharge, He built a hot rod based on a shortened 1922
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186:. The car was owned and driven in the show by the character Kookie, who was played by
137:(either Irvington or Maplewood, sources vary), the youngest of three siblings born to
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828:"Norm Grabowski - Father of the T-Bucket and Hot Rodding's Clown Prince"
864:
110:
117:-wearing Grabowski appeared in minor roles in many films produced by
323:
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hot rod, which became known as the Kookie Kar, was used in the
878:
109:(February 5, 1933 – October 12, 2012) was a Polish-American
465:(1963) — Rutland Football Player #33 (uncredited)
361:(1958) — Barracks Inspection Private (uncredited)
338:
Grabowski died on
October 12, 2012, at the age of 79.
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magazine, as well as in the April 29, 1957, issue of
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touring car mated to a similarly extremely shortened
96:
77:
55:
32:
780:"The Kookie T — Norm Grabowski's Seminal T-Bucket"
329:knobs. He retired from acting in the 1980s after
457:(1962) — Beach Football Player (uncredited)
497:(1965) — 'Wolf Call' O'Brien (uncredited)
385:(1958) — Soldier in Hospital (uncredited)
481:(1964) — Norman, Midvale Football Player
8:
747:, hhlohmeyer.com. Accessed February 2, 2024.
735:, motortrend.com. Accessed February 2, 2024.
377:(1958) — Shipboard Soldier (uncredited)
40:
29:
801:Hot Rod: The Photography of Peter Vincent
449:(1961) — Max's Operator (uncredited)
640:
725:
631:(1981) — Petoski (final film role)
473:(1963) — Delivery Boy (uncredited)
353:(1958) — Squad Member (uncredited)
569:(1970) — Man in Deli (uncredited)
393:(1958) — Sub Crewman (uncredited)
545:(1967) — Joe Turner (uncredited)
529:(1966) — Cavalryman (uncredited)
401:(1959) — Tough Punk (uncredited)
7:
919:Actors from Essex County, New Jersey
369:(1958) — Flat Top (uncredited)
759:"Part 3: Getting Down To Business"
615:(1975) — Redneck (uncredited)
558:The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
27:American hot rod builder and actor
25:
929:20th-century American male actors
924:American people of Polish descent
826:Taylor, Thom (October 12, 2012).
478:The Misadventures of Merlin Jones
257:The Misadventures of Merlin Jones
113:builder and actor. The heavy-set
909:American male television actors
593:(1974) — Security Guard #2
441:(1960) — Woo Woo Grabowski
172:Grabowski's hugely influential
860:Street Rodder Magazine Article
599:(1974) — Officer Sprivten
409:(1959) — The Beat Beatnik
209:The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
206:(episodes 39 and 40 in 1966),
1:
612:W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings
577:(1972) — Agent Jablonski
816:. MBI Publishing 2006, p. 74
934:Male actors from New Jersey
914:Vehicle modification people
874:Rumpsville's Norm Grabowski
513:(1965) — Air Policeman
950:
691:S2:E10, "The Wild Monkees"
561:(1968) — Truck Driver
904:American male film actors
803:. 2004 Motorbooks, p. 165
671:S4:E19, “The Cat Burglar”
438:Sex Kittens Go to College
398:Night of the Quarter Moon
311:Grabowski was known as a
251:Sex Kittens Go to College
215:The New Phil Silvers Show
39:
814:Rockin' Down the Highway
623:(1978) — Hammerhead
542:The Happiest Millionaire
537:(1967) — Male Nurse
366:High School Confidential
315:, and many hot rods and
221:High School Confidential
135:Essex County, New Jersey
70:Essex County, New Jersey
663:The Beverly Hillbillies
417:(1959) — Lou Green
107:Norman "Norm" Grabowski
526:Texas Across the River
374:The Naked and the Dead
133:Grabowski was born in
100:Hot rod builder, actor
585:(1973) — Sargent
446:The Honeymoon Machine
607:(1974) — Flaker
604:The Towering Inferno
553:(1968) — Virgil
505:(1965) — Norman
433:(1960) — Skippy
430:College Confidential
382:The Perfect Furlough
293:The Towering Inferno
245:College Confidential
218:, and films such as
838:on October 16, 2012
597:Win, Place or Steal
470:The Wheeler Dealers
406:The Beat Generation
342:Partial filmography
227:The Beat Generation
89:Cassville, Missouri
628:The Cannonball Run
590:Herbie Rides Again
550:Blackbeard's Ghost
521:(1966) — Huh!
502:The Monkey's Uncle
454:The Chapman Report
425:(1959) — Skin
332:The Cannonball Run
321:unique hand-carved
305:The Cannonball Run
287:Blackbeard's Ghost
275:The Monkey's Uncle
48:Herbie Rides Again
717:
716:
711:S2:E3, "Stakeout"
574:Another Nice Mess
510:Sergeant Deadhead
489:(1964) — Sam
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16:(Redirected from
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834:. Archived from
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799:Vincent, Peter.
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703:The Smith Family
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534:The Gnome-Mobile
414:The Big Operator
233:The Big Operator
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81:October 12, 2012
66:February 5, 1933
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18:Norman Grabowski
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97:Occupation(s)
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46:Grabowski in
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840:. Retrieved
836:the original
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762:. Retrieved
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626:
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518:Out of Sight
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319:feature his
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281:Out of Sight
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150:pickup truck
143:Ford Model T
132:
106:
105:
83:(2012-10-12)
47:
899:2012 deaths
894:1933 births
785:February 2,
764:February 2,
683:The Monkees
390:Torpedo Run
317:custom cars
313:wood carver
302:(1978) and
197:The Monkees
123:Walt Disney
888:Categories
842:2012-10-15
637:Television
494:Girl Happy
486:Roustabout
422:Girls Town
269:Girl Happy
263:Roustabout
239:Girls Town
188:Edd Byrnes
178:television
62:1933-02-05
733:Biography
327:gearshift
161:Car Craft
129:Biography
745:Obituary
308:(1981).
296:(1974),
290:(1968),
284:(1966),
278:(1965),
272:(1965),
266:(1964),
260:(1964),
254:(1960),
248:(1960),
242:(1959),
236:(1959),
230:(1959),
224:(1958),
174:T-bucket
115:crew cut
832:Hot Rod
156:Hot Rod
147:Model A
111:hot rod
708:Robber
668:Bernie
653:Notes
647:Title
620:Hooper
299:Hooper
212:, and
203:Batman
139:Polish
91:, U.S.
72:, U.S.
50:, 1974
720:Notes
688:Butch
650:Role
644:Year
324:skull
180:show
869:IMDb
787:2024
766:2024
698:1971
678:1967
658:1966
166:LIFE
121:and
78:Died
56:Born
867:at
890::
830:.
335:.
200:,
190:.
169:.
125:.
845:.
789:.
768:.
64:)
60:(
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
