In the realm of the movie and television industry, there has been a lot of screen stars come and go. We tend to hold the movie star in high esteem. But there are other stars from the silver screen and the flat screen that we tend to forget about. These stars are not made of flesh and blood and bone. They are made of steel, aluminum, plastic, material and even wood. They are the vehicles of the motion picture business. They are used for stunts and road use.

Since the beginning of film making, there has been literally millions of screen-used planes, trains and automobiles. Also, trucks, buses, carriages, stagecoaches, covered wagons, buggies, even mechanical horses. We watch the films at the theaters and at home on video and we may remember the stars that are now gone. But we seldom think about the cars and other vehicles and whatever happened to them.

In the early days, the cars from films were bought for that film. Afterward they went back to their everyday use. Then they were scrapped. Many cars were smashed up in the film and simply went to the junkyard right afterward.

Whatever happened to the car from the "Topper" movies? All the police cars from the earlier Dick Tracy films? What about the car and mobile home from the 1950s Lucy and Desi film, "The Long, Long Trailer"?

Many of them have actually survived. And now that we have the internet, we can see where they are...mostly on You Tube videos where someone visits auto or film museums. There are thousands of the old movie and TV cars still with us. Who can ever forget the James Bond cars? All the gadgets and spy features. How about the prop cars for the movie, "Tucker"? And the Mad Max films and hundreds of other action films. And we can't forget, "Smoky and the Bandit".

This blog showcases just a handful of the vehicles that once graced the screen. and, as the actors and stuntmen and women who drove them, they are an important part of the industry. So check out a few of the more famous cars that held our excitment for an hour or so at the neighborhood theaters. The actors were human and have passed from us, but the cars, trucks and other vehicles are still here for our viewing pleasure.