Category Archives: News

Year In Review – 2017

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So much has happened in 2017. Let’s have a look back at a fantastic year for Movin’ On:

  • The big news of 2017 was the debut of officially licensed, remastered DVDs, which are for sale at Amazon.com and Moviezyng.com. It took a lot of work but we finally made it happen. Many thanks to the fans for your patience and support, and to Steve, Arny, and Ron at PRO for getting us there.
  • Movin’ On began streaming on Amazon Prime. We continue to stream on Hulu, Youtube, and Yahoo View.
  • Because of an innocuous comment about an unknown little girl, Movin’ On fans scoured the internet and located Alison Grooms, who, at age five, played Charley in the episode “Will The Last Trucker Leaving Charlotte, Please Turn Out The Lights”. I spoke with Alison and published her comments and the photos she sent us. See the full interview and photos here: http://movinontvshow.com/charley.
  • We posted an additional ten of Barry Weitz’s Movin’ On Memories to Facebook and also added them to our website’s Episode Guide Details. Fans can now read what the Movin’ On Creator had to say about actors, writers, directors, and locations for twenty-nine episodes!
  • The Big Green Movin’ On Kenworth starred at GATS with owner Paul Sagehorn. For three days it attracted crowds, was photographed, and then left with new owner, Mark Stracener. Mark has already been a great addition to the Movin’ On family! He has the big rig on public display at Art & Speed in Collierville TN, just outside Memphis. Mark has also been enlisted to help Bill and Dennis administer the Movin’ On Fan page. It’s great to have you with us, Mark!
  • Speaking of Bill Bazen and Dennis Johnson, they continue to do a fine job leading discussions with fans and posting everything that comes to them from people all over the country. Bill’s latest kick is tracking down local newspaper articles reporting about when the Movin’ On circus came to town.
  • In 2017 our Facebook likes grew to over 3700. That’s a 22% gain over one year!
  • Also continuing strong is the Movin’ On Museum. Bill’s had over 1000 visits and loves nothing more than showing off his wonderful collection of memorabilia. Stop by when you’re near Wake Forrest, NC. But please call ahead!

On the sad side we lost a real friend of the family in 2017. Bill’s sister, Brenda, passed after a long illness. We will all miss her.

Looking forward to 2018 –

  • We hope to remaster In Tandem, the Movin’ On Pilot! Once that is done, releasing it on DVD would be the next step.
  • We signed an agreement with Truckworx, a major Kenworth dealership with locations in Alabama and Mississippi, to build new, Movin’ On, “Special Edition” Kenworth tractors! Each big rig will boast the Movin’ On paint scheme and other Movin’ On goodies. Truckworx expects to show off a pair of them at GATS 2018, alongside Mark’s original. Visit Truckworx and get yours so you can “Do it like Pruitt”!
  • We hope to make original Movin’ On music available to fans. Our show had well known composers and we’d love to highlight their contributions to Movin’ On. What can be done is unclear at this point, but the desire to do something is strong.

Lastly, a very, very long shot for 2018 is a reboot! I only mention it because Barry and I have spoken with a talent agency and they are exploring opportunities. Take it with a grain of salt people.

Barry in the cab of the Movin' On Kenworth for the first time in 40-years

Barry in the cab of Movin’ On Kenworth

 

Robb Mariani and Overdrive Magazine

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I had written of Robb Mariani in a previous blog. Robb is the creator of American Trucker, a series that ran on the Speed Channel. In my September 2016 blog I described how, at his first trucking show, Barry had met Robb. Now Robb has written his version of not only meeting Barry, but of the historic nature of Brad Wike’s Southern Classic Truck Show itself. In his Overdrive Magazine article, Robb recounts how five legendary trucks, icons of movies and television, assembled for the first time ever on a hill in Lincolnton, NC. Now, and forevermore, that hill will be known as “Hollywood Hill”.

 

Here is Robb Mariani’s article, including photos and a video.

History made on ‘Hollywood hill’: The day five famous trucks from 1970s trucking movies, TV shows all got together

Merry Movin’ On Christmas

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Movin' On Christmas Card 2016

Movin’ On Christmas Card 2016

 

Merry Christmas Movin’ On fans!

2016 has been a great year with many significant steps forward for our beloved TV show.

2016 Highlights

  • Movin’ On is now streaming on Hulu, Yahoo View, PROClassicTV.  Youtube is streaming four episodes with more being added regularly!
  • Movin’ On merchandise is available at our own Zazzle Store
  • The Movin’ On / In Tandem Museum is open in Wake Forest NC and has already attracted 200 visitors
  • Our Facebook page  continues to grow. We now have almost 3000 followers.
  • Barry Weitz attended his first Trucking Show this past summer and had a great time.
  • Barry and Mark were interviewed on Sirius/XM Radio on Freewheelin‘ and The Jay Thomas Show. Re-listen to them by accessing our blog posts
  • Movin’ On was featured in articles by Overdrive Magazine, It’s About TV, and Television Obscurities. You can find them on the blog page as well (except for The Overdrive article. That link will be posted soon)
  • Bill Bazen remains “Amazen”! He continues tracking down locations, fan photos and stories, and vintage Movin’ On newspaper clippings and posting them on the Official Historian Facebook page
  • And of course, Barry continues to publish his memories and random thoughts on Movin’ On. All of which can be read on this website’s Episode Guide.

Upcoming in 2017

I’m going to take a risk here. I’m going to break one of my rules because I’m so excited about Movin’ On’s future. I expect Producer approved DVDs of Movin’ On will finally be available in 2017. I also anticipate that the success of those DVDs will allow us to remaster In Tandem, Movin’ On’s TV movie pilot! If everything works out, we will be thrilled to present In Tandem to fans for the first time in over 40-years, at the quality you deserve.

We are also looking forward to new dramatic audio production of the classic shows. Some details are still to be worked out with our partner, Colonial Radio Theater, but if all goes as planned, fans, both old and new, will be downloading Movin’ On audio dramas and listening to them on the road in 2017. To be clear, these will be brand new productions of the existing episodes. That means new actors, sound effects, and except for Merle Haggard, new music. We hope truckers everywhere will enjoy content specially created with them in mind. I look forward to the day when a trucker can listen to Movin’ On at the wheel of his rig all day, then curl up comfortably in his sleeper at night and watch Movin’ On on DVD.

Because of Barry’s incredible experience and Brad Wike’s Southern Classic Truck Show, we are striving to arrange appearances for Barry and the Big Green Kenworth at a show or two in 2017. We are aiming for The ATHS National Convention in Des Moines, The Mid-Atlantic Truck Show in Louisville, and The Great American Trucking Show in Dallas. Maybe we’ll even make it back to Brad Wicke’s with the rig this time! Stay tuned for details.

Lastly, thanks to Bill, I’ve been in touch with a photographer in Astoria, OR who found a box of large format pictures he shot in 1974, when Movin’ On was in town. This means there are new, never before seen high quality images from the episodes filmed around Astoria. We are working to bring them to the fans.

That’s it for now. Barry, Bill, and Mark wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year.

 

Movin’ On Zazzle Shop

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Tee-shirt with Movin' On Kenworth design by Bill Bazen

Movin’ On Kenworth design by Bill Bazen

– Movin’ On has opened a new Zazzle Shop –

Movin’ On has several new designs on hats, tee-shirts, kids apparel, and mugs! Click Movin’ On Zazzle Store to see “Amazen” Bill Bazen’s designed Movin’ On Kenworth products. We also have designs incorporating the Movin’ On Logo based on the Movin’ On belt buckle that was a gift from the producers to the film crew!

 

 

– New Movin’ On Caricature –

Kiddie Caricature designed by Movin' On art department and given to film crew as gifts

Kiddie Caricature designed by Movin’ On art department

Back in the day, one of the art department film crew created an original caricature of Sonny & Will and the big green Kenworth and silkscreened it on shirts! Those shirts were given out as gifts to the entire crew. It’s a very different caricature than the one we all know and love but is wonderful none-the-less. This one is very kid friendly. We call it the “Kiddie Caricature”. Using Barry’s 40-year old shirt as our guide, we have reproduced the “Kiddie Caricature” on children’s apparel and offer it for sale at Movin’ On’s Zazzle Store!

Barry Weitz at The Movin’ On Museum –

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The Movin' On Museum Banner

Barry’s Emotional Visit To The Movin’ On Museum

Barry visited The Movin’ On Museum that Bill Bazen opened recently. The Museum is located at 14917 Creedmore Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587. It is open Saturdays from 12 pm to 3 pm and Monday – Friday by appointment. Sorry, we are closed Sunday. For appointments to visit the museum on a weekday please email MOVINONFAN@YAHOO.COM or call Bill at 919-282-2372 and leave a message.

A look inside the Movin' On Museum

A look inside the Movin’ On Museum

The extensive collection of Movin’ On items at the museum left Barry a little dazed. On the phone to me later in the day, Barry had a difficult time describing the emotions he experienced meeting Bill and finally realizing how deeply Movin’ On, his creation, touched people. Claude Akins had once told Barry that his part as Sheriff Lobo was a job, done for a paycheck; his role as Sonny Pruitt was for love, he’d have done it for nothing! At the Museum, Barry saw a letter Claude had written repeating the same story.

Barry is used to actors saying things like that. He believed Claude completely, but after all, Claude was in show biz. At the Movin’ On Museum, and earlier in the week at The Great Southern Truck Show, Barry was hearing from people – regular people who had been touched by his program. It’s a unique experience for a Producer to be told things like, “What you did was what made me want to be a trucker,” and “Your show made me proud that my Daddy was a trucker.”

Barry was deeply affected by what he saw and heard in North Carolina. Describing it to me he used the words inspirational, touching, tickled. Barry spoke of getting a little “weepy” when he touched items that he hadn’t seen in over 40-years.

Barry Wietz and Bill Bazen

Barry Wietz and Bill Bazen

I don’t expect you will get weepy when you visit the museum. Maybe only the baby’s father feels that way. But, if Movin’ On reminds you of family, pride, and long ago good times, perhaps you will have to fight back one or two tears.

Meet The Man Who Saved Movin’ On

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Movin' On original negative

Inside this pizza can lives an episode of Movin’ On original negative

According to Television Obscurities, a website dedicated to “Keeping Obscure TV From Fading Away Forever”, I, Mark Rathaus, am the man who saved Movin’ On! Thank you, Robert, you got it right and make me sound like a hero too.

Read “Meet The Man Who Saved Movin’ On“, the very complimentary article about how I rescued Movin’ On.

Television Obscurities is a great website and it’s obvious that Robert puts a lot of time and effort into it. There’s a vast amount of content there, with all kinds of references to TV shows that you have forgotten. But I promise, you will happily remember them thanks to Robert. I urge all fans of vintage television, not only Movin’ On fans, to visit Television Obscurities often.

Meet The Man Who Saved Movin’ On

Big Rig Tees to roll out Movin’ On apparel at Mid-American Trucking Show

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Big Rig Tees ad for Movin' On merchandise on sale at Mid-Atlantic Trucking ShowThe Mid-American Trucking Show

MATS, is the largest annual heavy-duty trucking industry event in the world. The show attracts over 1,000 exhibitors from around the world and 70,000 visitors to Louisville, KY for the three-day party from March 31 – April 2. Big Rig Tees will be selling several styles of Movin’ On shirts and hats from their own booth #60224.

Truckers Care

Everything I have heard about MATS sounds great. I’m not a trucker. I’ve never been involved in their world. But since reviving Movin’ On, I have been paying close attention. Through the Movin’ On Facebook page I have met some wonderful people. They are either truckers or family of truckers and they form a very close-knit community. They care about each other and they go out of their way to help one another, not unlike Sonny and Will. They also care deeply, about all things truck related.

Truckers are powerful fans

I know they’re passionate because I see their love for Movin’ On, a forty-year old television show. At first it amazed me, but after watching the episodes more closely, I do understand. The shows stars, Claude Akins and Frank Converse really captured the spirit of truckers. And of course there is the un-credited third star, a big green Kenworth. But the truth is that outside of their own community, truckers get very little recognition. Us four-wheelers don’t think about the good that truckers do every day. We don’t see the risks and hard work and service to our country. That’s why they stick together and when a TV show or movie represents them in a positive way, they take it into their hearts and hold it tight forever.

Pride in truckers and in Movin’ On

I’m very happy that I can give something back that pleases truckers. That’s how I feel about the work I’ve done restoring Movin’ On and getting it out in the world to be seen again. I’m proud to wear Movin’ On tee shirts and hats and I hope the fans appreciate them as much as I appreciate all the truckers.

Big Rig Tees makes a great partner

I wish I could be at MATS handing out the shirts myself but I feel good about our partners at Big Rig Tees. They have been serving the trucking community for years. I’m still new to the game. But hey, maybe I’ll see you there in 2017.

Listen to Barry and Mark on The Jay Thomas Show

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Jay Thomas

Jay Thomas

Jay Thomas Show logoYou asked for it and here it is! We spoke to Jay Thomas on his SIRIUSXM radio show on Monday March 14 and we had a blast. Barry was in great form, bantering with Jay. I especially get a kick out of the two of them improvising Jay’s audition for a part in the hoped for Movin’ On reboot as either a dispatcher, truck owner, or angry restaurant owner. I, on the other hand am not yet comfortable as a celebrity and could have been better. But I wanted it to be Barry’s moment, so I’m very happy with the way it went.

Big thanks to Jay and Cristina!