At the Santa Paula Airport, Steve McQueen was a pilot, not a celebrity

LAT ^ | November 30, 2008 | Steve Chawkins

[Daffynition]

'The Great Escape' superstar spent his last year there. Neighbors remember him as a generous man who enjoyed quiet respect and cheap beer.

One day in 1979 the King of Cool decided to fly.

Before anyone knew it, Steve McQueen was living with his girlfriend in a hangar at the Santa Paula Airport. During the day, he learned to pilot a World War II-era biplane. In the evening, the tough-guy superstar would crack open cold beers with grease monkeys, fledgling pilots and aging flyboys who still had a few loop-de-loops left in them.

He and his girlfriend, a stunning model who would become his third wife, slept on a four-poster brass bed amid his vintage motorcycles and airplane parts. His bright yellow Stearman biplane loomed over their cramped quarters, its wings close enough to create a head-whacking hazard for someone groping through the dark.

But life was good: On Saturday nights, the couple kicked back in their hangar -- really a big storage shed -- to watch "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island" on a black-and-white TV. Dinner was often a feed at the local Chinese restaurant.

"It was a sweet time in a sweet place," said Barbara McQueen, the last woman in McQueen's life. "We just loved it."

[snip]

[RedRover]

His like will not come again, that is for sure.

[RedRover]

And “The Cincinnati Kid”.

[Monterrosa-24]

...and despite its campiness...THE BLOB !!

[RedRover]

I loved “The Blob”! As I recall, Steve McQueen played the part of a teen who just couldn’t get the adults to listen. Great stuff.

[ElayneJ]

Thank you!

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

I dont think so.The studios would have had a fit.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

I still have that poster from the Fox Theater/ Atlanta.My grandfather took me to see the movie and bought it from the doorman.

[BunnySlippers]

*

[Trajan88]

There’s a reason I drive a ‘01 Mustang Bullitt GT... Steve McQueen made it cool ;-)

[Brimack34]

Hay is that Lee Majors? Where have all the real actors gone?

[Daffynition]

From This Old Bird:

'Inside the hangar where his collection is housed, he climbs onto an airplane's wing and pulls the cockpit cover back, showing the interior of an carefully restored midnight blue Stearman PT-17 biplane -- the iconic PT-17 was used for decades as a crop-duster. Built by Boeing Co. in the mid-1940s, it is a beautiful example of aeronautical engineering, and this one's allure and value are enhanced by its provenance -- until the [Bill] Allens acquired it, it was the last plane owned by Steve McQueen. No matter what he might eventually do with his collection, Allen says, "I'm keeping the McQueen."'

McQueen's Stearman Parked in the hanger of Pat Tomlinson, Porterville, CA

In: Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
By Eric Burdon, Jeff Marshall Craig, Burton writes:

[Daffynition]

In my surfing I found a great user-friendly McQueen site you may be interested in that is full of photos and info/trivia: Steve McQueen Online:

The Ferrari Passion Cologne campaign

And from the Life photos collection, pix I've never seen before. Enjoy! ...

Actor Steve McQueen (R) and pals Jim Corbin (L) and Dave Resnic (C) practicing shooting during hunting trip in Sierra Madra Mountains

Actor Steve McQueen roused from sleep by pet malamute during hunting trip in Sierra Madre Mountains.
Photographer: John Dominis

[Daffynition]

[Daffynition]

Actor Steve McQueen in his old room at Boys Republic, w. youngsters.

"Over the years Steve constantly visited the boys home (Boys Republic) which he himself had spent time in while growing up. Each year in the holiday seasons (when their spirits could be lowest because they had no family to visit them) he appeared with Christmas toys, Easter baskets and Thanksgiving turkeys. So these boys without a family of their own got to see a real movie star each Christmas and on other festive occasions. It wasn't just a quick publicity walkthrough either. Steve would actually just sit with them and talk for long periods of time. On one occasion, when he heard that two teenage boys had been sent to an adult prison, he offered to pay for them to be sent to a less severe BOYS institution. Over the years Steve donated large amounts of money to Boys Republic."

[Daffynition]

Then you're iconicaly cool! :_D

[ElayneJ]

oooohhhh....excellent!

[bricklayer]

“Cinderella Liberty was good, too.”

That was James Caan....McQueen would have been perfect for the part, though.

[jazusamo]

Thanks for the link and pics, that’s a great site on McQueen.

[Daffynition]

Glad you enjoyed them.

[smokingfrog]

I like his Jag. Wonder what happened to it?