FLYING SUZY BLUE PART 7 - Bank Commercial

I can hardly believe it's been over 3 months since I did a blog on Suzy Blue. The last one was here. Others were posted on 7/9, 7/21, 7/28, 9/3 and 9/4.

(click to enlarge)

In September, 1982 Mickey and Suzy Blue were hired by Bank of Tulsa do a TV commercial for them. When he accepted we truly had no idea what an adventure this would turn out to be. I'll endeavor to tell the story step by step with the pictures and narrative.

They dress Mickey up as a Limo Driver. The first scene is his driving up in this black limo.

The next scene shows him exiting the limo.

He goes to the waiting balloon basket.

This is the young man who was in the limo. I failed to get a picture of Mickey opening the back door of the limo, and this young man getting out with his briefcase in hand and walking to the balloon.

Suzy Blue has been inflated and they are flying off to go to the bank.

In actuality they fly only a short way and land, but you don't see this part.

This is what is now taking place. Mickey is laying out the balloon for a second flight. Notice the two parachute jumpers to the left. One of these is actually the young man in the business suit before. The other is a photographer.

By now Mickey has taken off the limo jacket and cap and is firing the hot air burner for another flight.

One of the jumpers is now in the balloon with the other about to get in.

Here Mickey and both jumpers are getting ready and positioned. Our 13 year old son, Marc, is holding down the basket

They are now beginning to lift off. Notice the one jumper is sitting on the edge of the balloon rim facing the inside of the basket. This jumper is actually the photographer.

Here is Suzy Blue as she is up-up and away.

Here I am, with one of our crew members, watching as they float away and we are getting ready for the chase. Notice the fan has been picked up off the ground and placed in the pickup bed.

The story, at this point, must be told by narrative only because we do not have pictures. The balloon flew away out of the city area where these snapshots were taken. When they were out far enough and high enough it was time for the next step of the commercial. The photographer who was sitting on the edge of the balloon as pictured in the previous picture now stands, still facing with his back to the ground. The second jumper, the young man who had been in the business suit, climbs up on the rim straddling the photographer and facing him. The photographer has the camera on his helmet. When they are positioned properly and ready the photographer goes first, falling out backward and then the second jumper following shortly thereafter. The photographer is filming the 2nd jumper all the way down.

With the basket loosing the weight of two men it has shot up very high and very fast and Mickey must maintain control of the balloon at this point. He does so and begins to fly away. In a "normal" balloon flight the chase crew (me and others) would be following the balloon, as we have been to this point, and watching for it to land and be there to help with the landing and packing up of the balloon. In this "abnormal" flight the crew is having to locate and pick up the two jumpers who are now stranded in a field. In the meantime the balloon is flying away.

Here is one of the jumpers as we arrive to pick him and his gear up. In the meantime the balloon is flying further away. The crew cannot be in two places at one time. By the time we have located and picked up both jumpers the balloon is out of our sight and no where to be seen!!! We finally had to contact the local sheriff to help us locate and pick up the balloon and pilot. This is only one of two times that I ever "lost" Suzy Blue.

Now for the rest of the story. Since a hot air balloon cannot be flown on a designated route, but only by the wind direction, this commercial is taken in several different segments and then spliced together for the TV commercial.

The "customer" jumper is placed in a helicopter and jumps out and lands in the bank parking lot. The helicopter is never "shown" and the illusion is he is being dropped out of the balloon. The young man, once again dressed in the suit and carrying the briefcase walks into the bank to make his deposit.

This is the last shot with Mickey returning to his limo after dropping off his customer.

This commercial ran on all three TV channels 2-6-8 at various times, from October 1 through 31, 1982.

This was truly an interesting and exciting adventure and learning process for all of us with Suzy Blue that were involved. The moral of the story, as if we didn't all already know this, don't believe everything you see on TV!!!! Multiple filming and a lot of splicing can do a lot.