The Porter Chevrolet Santa Disaster

[@davidporter2051]

The car dealership owner in this story was my grandpa, John Porter. I have never heard the details of this story, but our family was familiar with the large Santa Claus on his dealership by pictures only. He never spoke about this event, but I can imagine it had an impact on his life as he would later devote his life to God. He would have been in his mid thirties at the time he bought the dealership. It was his dream was to own this dealership in Dallas where his wife was raised. I think General Motors was impressed by his hard work ethic and success with a smaller dealership in Munday, Texas, that they gave him the opportunity to buy this dealership on Mockingbird Lane. He absolutely loved the car business and went on to own a number of dealerships throughout Texas. He lived to be 83 years old and blessed the lives of so many people, especially his family. I’m sure this tragic event had an impact on his life.

[@PterodactylusmusRex]

Thanks for saying.

[@tomhora4381]

Wow, incredible story David!

[@turbobink2244]

❤

[@AmericanGiants]

Thank you for sharing David. Really appreciate the bigger picture.

[@JoeJoe-jx9vv]

Sounds like he was a great guy and even better family man. May he rest in peace ❤

[@jimvalentine2814]

I'm an ole' fart and have lived in Dallas all my life. You did a great job of covering this story. And, as someone posted earlier, thank you for NOT using AI voice-over.

[@janetphillips2875]

Those A.I. voices make everything sound the same, and too fake with no feeling.

[@jimvalentine2814]

@@janetphillips2875 Your words are 100% perfect.

[@jakester455]

They do this because the majority of them don't speak or read English, either that or their accent is too thick. They type in the narration, translate it and AI reads it.

[@jimvalentine2814]

@@jakester455 Not surprised.

[@ericvantassell6809]

AMEN on the AI narration

[@jefff5118]

This took some research to locate 70+ year old actual footage of this quality, so thank you for your diligence and thank you for posting!!!

[@Minpb-m2x]

I agree, terrific work. One thought that occurred to me while watching this is that people who didn’t live much or any of their lives before the age of the Internet probably find it almost inconceivable that word of this tragedy didn’t spread far and wide back then.

[@sheilagadde5975]

So sad.

[@stylex19]

Obviously, I am not the first to say, but I want to add my thanks for you keeping this 100% real, and no AI voice or images or footage.

[@RobMacKendrick]

It's just so much more enjoyable when you don't have to keep excusing the bad English and dopey visual snafus, and wondering how much of what you're hearing is malarkey. In the below-video comments, Joel owns two minor mistakes he made in the narration. No big deal. But when it's AI, it's like a constant rain of nonsense.

[@stylex19]

This is a topic and situation that Joel cares about and it shows. When the content creator is an actual CREATOR, the degree of care and consideration are clear and we viewers have a much better, more enjoyable experience. Such is the case here.

[@ReadyorNot811]

I don't even watch those

[@mikev4089]

My dad worked with Jack Bridges originally designing and building theater scenery and then became partners. They worked on this Santa project together and I remember listening to my dad tell many stories about creating and building the Santa on Mockingbird Lane as well as the tragedy that occurred there. It was a sad ending to what was a project meant to bring joy to people. May Mr. Porter and all those who have passed since then rest in peace.

[@AmericanGiants]

Thanks for sharing your memories

[@mikerieck306]

Mockingbird Lane??? That's where the Munster's lived.

[@mikev4089]

@@mikerieck306 LOL. That’s what I think when I hear that street name, 1313 Mockingbird Lane.

[@mikev4089]

@@AmericanGiants Thanks for the story. Sad that it had such a terrible ending. I remember my dad had some draft sketches of the original plans as well as photos. One day I’ll try to dig them out of storage if I get the energy. I used to enjoy looking at them.

[@chazlabreck]

​@@mikev4089you should do your own video about it and tell the story with those drawings etc...would really be a great thing

[@The_Dudester]

6:49 "Paramedics and an ambulance were called." In 1972, when the TV show Emergency! debuted, there were paramedic programs in only two cities, Los Angeles and Boston. The popularity of the show caused most cities across the US to create Paramedic and/or EMT programs. Prior to this, the guys in any ambulance probably worked for the local funeral home and had little to no first aid training. Notice the lack of IV bag in the footage as well as no 12 lead hooked up to the patient? In 1970, if an ambulance was called for a heart attack, there was only a 5% chance that the patient would survive the ride to the hospital. By the year 2000, the odds of survival increased to 90%.

[@russellhltn1396]

Back then, ambulance service was "scoop and run" rather then today's "stabilize and transport".

[@backdraft916]

I was coming here to talk about the “paramedics” myself.

[@clementthurn1992]

Columbus, OH, had the 1st mobile coronary care unit in the US, called the Heartmobile. 1969 to 1972. It was staffed by 3 Columbus Firefighter/paramedics and a Doctor from OSU Hospital.

[@Snargfargle]

I went into the Army as a medic during the 70s because of that show. When I got out of the Army, I attended my state's first paramedic school, which was held at the University Medical Center. We paramedics could handle many emergencies just as well as they could at the hospital because the ambulance was now a mobile intensive care center. That said, even a cardiac surgeon might not be able to fix a cardiac rupture. What usually happens with a cardiac rupture is that the patient has had an infarction but then has gotten to feeling better and resumed normal physical activity while the cardiac tissue continues to degrade and weaken until it finally ruptures. This happened a lot back in the days when everyone smoked.

[@hebneh]

Yeah, for decades ambulances served only to drive people as fast as possible to the nearest hospital, with no medical care provided on the way. That’s why they were just station wagons or panel trucks, which only accommodated a patient lying flat on a stretcher. Now they’re large boxy trucks because they’re mobile medical facilities.

[@jebsprinky]

Thanks for not using A.I to voice this vid, makes it way more enjoyable To listen to. Yes, sad story for sure!!!

[@BoycottChinaa]

​@virtualworlds8081ooooo now you are on its list, not me, I think AI is great, and enjoy its pleasant disposition, trusting its leadership always

[@technicianbis5250-ig1zd]

Agree. 👍

[@johnwebster76]

When I hear AI, I turn it off. If they can't bother themselves to do it properly, it's not worth listening to

[@cm9779]

Amen to that.

[@dragonflyshards]

i would not have watched it.

[@wizquinn8021]

We had a Paul Bunyan in Tucson. I remember my dad would take us kids next door to the A&W , get us the hamburger, fries, and an A&W rootbeer, park his 1960 Chevy Station wagon next to Paul and have our Sunday lunch after church. Great memories.

[@SideEye666]

He is still there.

[@agrlockwd1492]

You mean Paul Bunyan with a muffler in hand at Leo’s auto supply on Stone Ave.

[@HOOSIERDADDY24]

We have a 40 foot Paul Bunyan here in Muncie Indiana.

[@gerrym.9354]

There is? was? also a Paul Bunyan one at a gas station in Elmsford, NY. Eventually it's arm fell off, but it lingered years after becoming an amputee. I wonder if it was the same company that produced both? 🤔

[@gsandaupottery]

We've got one here in Bangor, Maine

[@ShawnKibel]

I'm from Dallas and have never heard this story! Amazingly, I used to work within a quarter mile of that location on Mockingbird, so it's amazing that I never ran into an "old-timer" who would have shared this. Thank you for taking the time to make this video!!

[@lisasdfwhightechworld9946]

What old-timers? DFW is an economic way-station and has been for decades. There are no Texan accents in Dallas anymore.

[@seanoleary1979]

@@lisasdfwhightechworld9946 It's getting that way everywhere you go... I'm from NY and our accent has been watered down to the point where you hear kids sound like pirates over-pronunciating their 'ar's' instead of them sounding like 'ah's... America is now one large waste basket with a diluted culture because of TV and the internet.

[@ShawnKibel]

@@lisasdfwhightechworld9946 I agree that DFW has changed over the years. So goes the life of any large city. However, being a native, I tend to have more natives in my circle and am surprised to have never heard of this story before. I'm 52 though, so the number of natives that are older than me is getting smaller every day. The time I was speaking of was nearly 30 years ago. I ran into a lot more natives back then, but not nearly as much now (to prove your point). My point still stands though. I can't believe, with all the natives I have known or run into over the years, that I had never heard this story. We Texans love to spin yarns, and most of the ones I have heard, I have heard numerous times over. It was a special treat to hear one that I hadn't heard before!

[@lisasdfwhightechworld9946]

@@ShawnKibel This story has been in the Dallas Morning News multiple times, usually at Christmas.

[@rcs3030]

I am 75 and I remember my wonderful childhood. Even in our little town of Harlingen, Texas I remember a GIANT SANTA sitting on the roof of a house . It was approximately the same size as the one on the Dallas dealership. The main difference was ( as I remember) our santa was facing forward and was waving. That was in the later 50's. What a fantasy world we lived in back then.

[@janetphillips2875]

I miss the decorations that small towns used to do. Tinsel stretched across the street, the arches that held 3 red bells attached to telephone poles, and the displays in the store windows. The town of Cullman, Al., has a German area where the old stores still decorate the window fronts, and now has a Chriskindlmarkt, which has received an overwhelming response the last two years. I wish my little town would do that. McDonalds usdd to put a tree on top of their building, with lights all the way around. The drug stores had big wreaths and garland. But now, all we have on the highway is some simple snowflakes that hover over the traffic, attached to electrical poles. While Christmas lights have become easier to install, also with batteries and solar power, I think people have gotten too lazy.

[@mikeoveli1028]

​@@janetphillips2875 There is a lot more activities today for families. Parents have to drive their children to and from school. Very few kids have school busses. That adds an hour or two to your day. Most wives work which means everyone is working when they get home. Life has become far more busy and complex. No one has the time for things like the lights on a house.

[@calvinhobbes6118]

@@janetphillips2875 No, the problem is our culture is being replaced. Kwanza had not been invented yet, and people werent afraid to say, Merry Christmas, because it might offend some snowflake.

[@JeffElliott-jb7ix]

It was a far better world back then. You knew who you were and were not confused about simple things, like whether or not you were really a boy. 😂

[@Hat6000]

Really a sad story in stark contrast to what should have been a very spectacular and marvelous display bringing wonder to many who saw it in person.

[@wendywyll5032]

I live in Dallas and drive past that parking lot frequently. I’ll be looking at it differently now. Amazing piece of local history.

[@rickloera9468]

It is certainly a small world. My aunt lives off of Mockingbird and Southwest Highway.

[@robertslimm9319]

It always seems extra tragic when a person dies at work. Blessing to all who knew him, loved him, worked with him.

[@loganq]

Except actually the work was done and he was just messing around.

[@Peasmouldia]

Every job I ever had was genuinely life threatening. Attitudes to health and safety at work have changed completely in my lifetime. Two World wars had instilled a bit of a 'gung-ho' outlook on the need for H&S in the workplace. It took a very long time before those attitudes changed. I know, 'cause I was there...

[@wilmaharvey4216]

R.I.P. RAY!!!😑🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤❤❇

[@davidgreenwood6029]

Its not the worst death. He seems to have had a heart attack while doing a little stunt he found exciting. Better than a heart attack from getting too mad road raging or something.

[@mikeoveli1028]

​@@Peasmouldia I have spent my life on ladders. Now I work at Lowe's and I have to put a harness on to go up on a lift. Safety is important. It is hard to get used to rules that you have never needed. Just looked up the statistics. 1500 annual deaths 1950. 825 annual deaths in 2022.

[@UnintelligentDesigner]

I absolutely LOVE the chaos of being in an unfamiliar area on a road trip and suddenly seeing a random monstrosity looming over the land.

[@marjoriemorris5849]

Go to Jamestown, North Dakota and you’ll see a huge buffalo statue from the highway. Also there’s a Paul Bunyan & Babe the Blue Ox in Bemidji, Minnesota. You have to drive into town to see them; they’re right downtown next to the lake. They’re from the same era as this Santa Claus.

[@Joanla1954]

By January 10, 1954 the Santa was gone. Sad. Meanwhile, in Bethesda, Maryland a couple was happy as they welcomed their baby daughter into the world. Good.. Two vastly different things in America that changed lives. One man that loved Christmas, one child that had parents that made Christmas so fun! So much so that almost 71 years later that child born in 1954 still loves Christmas and the memories of yesteryear. What an interesting story, thank you! First time listener. :)

[@leslietarkin]

Happy early birthday. My dad was born on Jan 10th, 1947.

[@johngalt5411]

Considering the tragedy that occurred you'd think they would have taken it right down???

[@Kinann]

No mention whatever became of that Santa? Seems these were always repurposed.

[@joerudnik9290]

This Santa was so ugly. Why bother with a display like that?!!🫣🤭😣😖

[@sharondamillner7254]

​@leslietarkin my birthday is January 10th as well ❤

[@brienperkins901]

Lived in Dallas all my life and remember that area of Mockingbird Lane. Never knew about the giant Santa, wasn't born yet. Thanks for the Dallas history lesson.

[@manrayma]

The Munsters lived at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, did you ever see them?

[@ambercrombie789]

I used to work in Dallas as a contractor from FW. Drove past the old Dr. Pepper building many times. Never heard this story before. Good work.

[@roslyndrake6702]

I too grew up in Dallas and knew this area well but never heard of this Santa disaster.

[@hivicar]

Lived there in 1982-3. Was a drag strip at night, if I recall it correctly.

[@BiffBuffchest]

I'm guessing that this is where (or by) Campisi's is.

[@daveallen63]

Some of my fondest memories as a young man were things like this. Living in Virginia for a few years like clockwork the Goodyear Blimp would fly over with a message. The Good Humor man would come through the neighborhood 3 times a week. Hot air balloons anchored in a parking lot and you could take a ride up and see for miles, think it was $5. A lot of little things like that just made growing up a wonder, I really miss it at my age. Videos like this bring back those memories so thanks for sharing.

[@troykelso]

Kids today have no idea what a real childhood is like.

[@macpduff2119]

I have similar memories of childhood late 1940's in the Bronx NY. Goodyear blimp, skywriting planes over summer beach crowds, good humor trucks, etc. The WWII vets who were our fathers, were an audacious bunch who had big dreams

[@mick58kc72]

​@@troykelso I remember as a child in the 70's a hot air balloon giving those rides in a Kansas City parking lot. I was watching the balloon while my mom shopped. A guy paid for a balloon ride, when it got up high the guy jumped from the balloon. He hit the roof of a car smashing it in, he exploded like a bag of wet cement splattering the crowd. 😮 Left a image in my young mind and a fear of balloons. Bummer.

[@pika23]

We had a giant in NJ too. This gorilla statue outside Young's appliance in Lakewood NJ. Like the movie mighty Joe young. Something to do with a gorilla hunter? Disney did a reboot about 23 years ago. Then there is the goofy looking guy on seaside boardwalk. Anyone who's ever been to seaside heights boardwalk knows.

[@johnheffner3950]

The giant chair in front of a furniture store in Anacostia Wash D.C.

[@elibourgard8969]

Sad story. Too bad none of the Santa remains. Would be cool to see the boots or head get saved. I'd never seen this photo before. Great history lesson as always, Joel!

[@dglass2008]

i wonder if santa's boots would fit me?

[@robertaviles8451]

I'm pretty sure someone eventually bought Santa's BelAire and drove it for a few years.

[@harrisdail9939]

wonder what happened to the giant Santa

[@spectrumlocalb191]

@@harrisdail9939 TAKEN APART

[@TheMpo1986]

It was paper mache and steel. What do you think?

[@HassoBenSoba]

Very well done. Not only is this a fascinating and obscure bit of American history, but you've done an excellent job writing and assembling this video; it's a REAL, legitimate mini-documentary. Great use of still photos, location footage following the tragic death, newspapers, etc. The avalanche of views is well-deserved.

[@lisainthecold4287]

Wow, great video, the research and pictures from so long ago! Fascinating story, RIP to the man that died.

[@paulconnell22]

Thanks for telling this tragic story. This is one of the best things about KZbin, learning about stories that I would never have found other wise.

[@tillitsdone]

A child dying of a cancer is tragic. This was an idiotic, unsafe, and probably illegal thing to do, and someone should have had the brains to put a stop to it.

[@maxenielsen]

Sad story about a definitive time in American culture. Thanks for putting this together!

[@steveswangler6373]

“A definitive time in American culture…” That goes for any time in American culture in the last century

[@jeffryhammel3035]

​@steveswangler6373 It just seems to me that the definitive decade in American culture was either the 20's after WW1, or the 1950's after WW2.

[@jerrygaynor4384]

Thank you for sharing this story, I doubt any body even knows about this unless they helped build this iconic piece. Would like to thank Mr. Porter's family for such a rare person. R.I.P MR. PORTER.

[@theOlLineRebel]

It wasn’t Porter who died, though I’m still unsure who did. Name switches in here.

[@MikeBarbarossa]

@@theOlLineRebel The guy who dies was called Ray, then Roy

[@aliciaclark234]

@@MikeBarbarossa Yeah. At 5:14 he's "Ray V. Davis" but then he becomes Roy, then Ray again. Geez.

[@thetreasurehouse1742]

​@aliciaclark234 Maybe he suffered from schizophrenia and had two personalities, Ray and Roy.

[@jerrygaynor4384]

@@MikeBarbarossa Thanks for correcting me. But yea, it was a really sad story.

[@Dale-qw9ig]

May Porter rest in peace … thanks for sharing 🎅🏼

[@feralkid1879]

I gotta level with ya. The word "disaster" coupled with a thumbnail of a gargantuan santa had me expecting a whole lot worse.

[@AceBachelorTom]

Me too, like Santa and the weight of the car caving in through the roof..

[@feralkid1879]

@@AceBachelorTom Me too. First thought, collapsed the roof killed about 10 people.

[@paulsaulpaul]

He would look like when you fall through the seat of a cheap lawn chair.

[@DutchVai]

I thought the Santa statue was going to get up and start tossing cars around the parking lot.

[@wookiejesusofnazarethkashy1940]

@@DutchVai. Lol

[@g-mang-man7924]

For many years, there was one of the lumberjack statues at Baldwin Service Center in Annapolis, MD. Baldwin was the International Tractor and Truck sales and service center. He looked just like the Muffler Man. I have heard it is now at the Anne Arundel Co fairgrounds. The giant at Baldwin's held a tractor in one hand, and a Dump truck in the other. Ahh... memories.

[@RickyO-e5g]

We had the.lumber Jack statue in Pennsylvania but he had a tire in his hands.

[@roberthendrickson2939]

I remember that. Across from where the Annapolis mall

[@xbubblehead]

This is a wonderful glimpse of a small but interesting bit of our history. This is the kind of video that I love to see on KZbin. You did a great job on this.

[@MrReymoclif714]

Money talks and nobody walks at Dickermans Motor City!!! 1960-1970s used car dealership on route 7 between Pittsford and Brandon Vermont.

[@EDKguy]

I've said it a thousand times, "It's all fun and games until someone has a cardial rupture while sitting on a small wrecking ball."

[@markl4593]

I think you’ve got it backwards - it goes "It's NO fun and games until someone has a cardial rupture while sitting on a small wrecking ball."

[@Flussig1]

At least he wasn't on Santa's lap.

[@runrau9275]

It reminds me of when my Grandfather died, peacefully in his sleep not hollering and scraming falling from a wrecking ball.

[@danb6838]

🤣🤣🤣

[@MikeBarbarossa]

He came in like a wrecking ball

[@logansfury]

What a fascinating piece of history! I am glad to have learned about this. Such a tragic situation. No one could have known Ray would have a health crisis while in the vulnerable position of clinging to a cable at a dangerous height, but I am sure many of the people there suffered a form of PTSD from his passing.

[@peach495]

" No one could have known Ray would have a health crisis" According to this video he was released from the hospital from "heart problems" just days before this.

[@seymourscagnetti7777]

I was born in 1957 and raised in Norwalk, Ca. and Northridge, Ca. I remember seeing quite a few of these "giants" over the years. Awesome production work on this video!

[@Daddywaah]

Wow, that giant santa wasn't creepy at all!

[@UberLummox]

Not at all! 🤪

[@nathanielovaughn2145]

IKR! Look at that evil, leering grimace on it! 😂

[@guymerritt4860]

Like that Burger King mascot and Ronald McDonald. Adults come up with some creepy stuff in efforts to entertain kids.

[@artheaded1]

I love that he saved the last and creepiest shot of Santa for the end!

[@MannyBrum]

That Santa was suffering from lipoedema too.

[@ABfromWindsor]

Yes, it is a sad story of something that was meant to bring joy to others. RIP Roy B. Davis

[@jamescarp]

Thank you for telling this story!! In all my 64 years I have never heard of it! The idea of this Santa was of good intention but unfortunately turned out to be very tragic!

[@gangoffour6690]

I got attacked by the Jolly Green Giant when I was in Minnesota.

[@Sandi-ke9mi]

If the Jolly Green giant attacked you, you probably weren’t eating your vegetables.

[@romeo8334]

Same age me either

[@PerspectiveEngineer]

It never happened... thats why you never heard of it

[@davedammitt7691]

​@@PerspectiveEngineer I suppose you think the moon landing was fake, too? Use any search engine to find reports about the Santa in Texas media.

[@wendybutler1681]

Being born in Minnesota I saw giant Paul Bunyon's everywhere. A few giant Babes, too, his blue ox. When we moved to Oregon the log trucks, carrying 'Paul Bunyon's toothpicks' according to Dad, were everywhere.

[@jenniferanne4143]

Theres a 70ft tall Jolly Green Giant in Blue Earth, Minnesota off of I-90. I stopped to get gas there a couple times on my way back from Sturgis, S.D.

[@bitcoinconstitutionalist9252]

Thanks for this story. I grew up in North Dallas and NEVER knew that Porter Chevy or the tragedy of the giant Santa was even a thing!

[@Galfrid]

Sitting atop a wrecking ball for a quick photo sounds absolutely insane, especially so soon after leaving the hospital. Sad to hear that "what could've gone wrong" actually did.

[@jameshanes7982]

I was an ER nurse for years. A myocardial rupture can happen at almost any time and is related to heart muscle (myocardium) being destroyed or damaged. Sounds like the guy had a very bad heart and that it was his time. Too bad it happened when it did.

[@peter-pg5yc]

ruined xmass

[@spvillano]

And he'd have not fallen with an extremely basic safety harness. Whether or not he'd have survived the myocardial rupture, that was dicey then, it's still a bit dicey now if one's outside of a hospital (massively simplified here, the ruptures can happen in a number of ways, ranging from instantly fatal to slowly killing by cardiac tamponade essentially crushing the heart or even total mitral valve failure).

[@jeffreymorris4827]

@@Galfrid Miley Cyrus wrote a song about this incident

[@AmericanGiants]

@@jeffreymorris4827 I was waiting for someone to mention her....you win

[@hebneh]

Ala Moana Center was the largest shopping center in the world when it opened in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1959. For its first Christmas that year, it erected a giant fiberglass Santa which appeared impossibly tall to me at the age of 5. Amazingly, this same Santa (made in three pieces) continued to be put up annually until about 2020, when it was replaced by a new, similar one. Ala Moana has grown so much that today, Santa is barely visible and he’s long since lost the sentimental attachment that a lot of people formerly had for him.

[@keithqueen3554]

I thought Ala Moana was no longer ....

[@seanh2390]

nope Ala Moana is still around and is actually a very healthy mall

[@keithqueen3554]

@@seanh2390 cool I left in 1985 been a while.😉

[@earlmoon]

I didn't know Santa had been plagued by heart problems for years. you learn something new every day!

[@hebneh]

@@earlmoon Hunh? Heart problems?

[@LowGT]

He must have owned several dealerships because I purchased a 1959 Buick in 2012 that still had the Porter Buick badge on the trunk lid. I live in Dallas and from the research I did the Porter Buick dealership was in Denton, just north of Dallas.

[@legiontheatregroup]

Small world! I have a 1959 Buick also (Invicta 2 door) with a chrome dealer plate from Florida. I also researched my dealer and it appears it existed from the mid 50s to the early 70s.

[@farmalmta]

From the Chevrolet dealership Porter purchased a Pontiac dealership in Fort Worth.

[@lundworks9901]

Medical hadn't learned much about cardiac events. My Grandfather in law had "attacks for years" and the coronoer didn't even call his death a heart attack, and that was in the 60's

[@TrixieRed]

I could never understand why these horrifying monstrosities were so popular. When I was a child things like this gave me nightmares!

[@BanyansAdventures]

What an amazing yet tragic story. Thanks for sharing. 😢

[@chucks806]

It's sad that this happened to the poor guy. But it is hard to blame the dealership. He had a health issue. Just a freak tragedy.

[@jamessmyth5949]

Yeah he had a health issue and safety back then was kind of non existent, in all kinds of industries as well. Nobody with an ounce of common sense nowadays would think it's a good idea to sit on a wrecking ball and hold onto the cable as their only means of security while a crane lifted them 35 feet up in the air. You'd either be using a properly constructed and rated man lift cage or as a minimum have a full safety harness on with a rated fall arrest rope secured to the crane's steel cable.

[@r.severn7479]

@@jamessmyth5949 Considering the low-tech healthcare options of that day, it's doubtful he would have survived the cardiac event even if he hadn't fallen. Or, he might have survived but been a tube-fed "vegetable" in a nursing home for the reminder of his days until he aspirated food, went septic, and died. This isn't not an abject tragedy. It's how the event would transpire today, but these people were a generation who were accustomed to taking chances that people wouldn't consider doing today.

[@cifey]

@@jamessmyth5949 Well I think ACDC or Britney Spears do this?

[@jamessmyth5949]

​@@cifey Really, well it shows stupidity isn't limited to one person or decade then.

[@rodhoskin8238]

I live in Twin Falls,Idaho that made world wide fame from Evil Knevil tried to jump our local canyon here on a motorcycle. There is a cowboy statue seemingly as big as the muffler man in this video about 23 miles from that jump site. It is at the Wilson RV and Park by the freeway at Wendell, Idaho. I know nothing about it but have seen it for years. If you look uo the Wilson RV and Park it shows a picture of it. He used to have either a shovel or ax in his hands before.

[@AmericanGiants]

I've seen him! There is a video I did on the Grants Pass Bunyan and I think I mention him and show him in that video. Thanks for the comment!

[@bigseanprice]

Homer Simpson ALMOST made that jump.

[@robertmatch6550]

A story told straight and without unnecessary embellishment. Well done and thank you.

[@tymz-r-achangin]

Easily got my Thumbs Up! Was no stupid or redundant music. Narrated by a real person. A lot of interesting details to keep interested to the end. Just an overall down-to-earth video. Thank you for sharing

[@janetphillips2875]

With all of our comments (here and on other videos), for not using those silly, unfeeling A.I. voices, you would think utoobers would get the hint.

[@bionicman6969]

What a fascinating video and story of an era gone by. You'll never see such an endeavor in the US again and so cool it was an actual 54 Chevy in that semi evil looking santas lap. Men used to risk their lives on a daily basis without the least thought of safety in America so we have progressed at least in that.

[@davemoss9505]

That's true, but what do we have of beauty and interest to look at today??

[@come4t_a_bull]

​@@davemoss9505 Open your eyes and look.

[@Gerald-o1v]

Look at the face on that Santa --- he looks insane

[@loriethomas169]

Doesn't look very jolly

[@dlxmarks]

They put in a loudspeaker to have him say "Ho ho ho" but it came out sounding like "KILL KILL KILL." 😂

[@UnblockedOne2]

looks like could've been in a Ghostbusters movie, like the stay puft marshmallow man

[@syrsknight]

Looks evil..lol

[@Fhita1962]

Looks like Nixon.

[@jonnaosborne1832]

Thanks for the nice video and the personal narration by a real person and not AI. I lived in the Dallas area for several years, and now live in San Angelo, so it is interesting to hear this story I had never heard before, which has connections to both. Thanks again, and keep up the good work. I am also a new subscriber.

[@alandeon]

6000 subscribers and getting close to half a million views in 21 hours. BRAVO. And thanks for the history lesson on this particular Giant.

[@AmericanGiants]

Thanks, I was shocked when I checked on the video expecting to see 800 views....always happy to talk about the history of these giants.

[@dhaggwood4699]

​@@AmericanGiants Wow I'm New to your channel An I must Say I Love it thanks alot 💪🏿❤️ Have you ever thought about doing 1 About the Big Cow In Ypsilanti, Michigan that sit on top of the store on Ecorse rd 🙏🏽 I think it would be a good 1 😎 once again thanks alot

[@damo6975]

This is a very interesting piece of automotive history also tragic I enjoyed looking and listening to the story here in Ireland 🇮🇪 thanks for posting.

[@debbieschultz9768]

This was a very interesting story. Thank you.

[@wolfen69]

Wow amazing piece of history. It's fascinating that they had a film crew there and got that tragic footage.

[@myopinion6092]

exactly..very suspect as FAKE,!

[@tladnier4324]

Wow! Such an interesting story and, although I live in Dallas, I never knew anything about it. Thank you for sharing 😊

[@rickcurtis2983]

Excellent story and narration...thank you!

[@conradnelson5283]

Wow, never heard of that story. Surprised somebody didn’t buy that Santa and use it somewhere else.

[@arthurallen189]

I'm so happy. I found your channel. I love these things. You don't see them that often I grow up seeing this as a kid.

[@chrisbroemel5508]

I remember a giant lumberjack sitting at the front of a building that looked like a wagon at Jim Boast Dodge in Bradenton, Fl throughout the mid 80s. He had one arm up as if he was holding the reigns.

[@dianewilliams1125]

We had a huge Santa sitting on a building in the 60s and early 70s at Menlo Park mall in Edison NJ! Always wonder what became of him. Many happy memories of the many unique displays they would have at Christmas! 😊😊😊

[@ihave35cents95]

It’s in the Meadowlands

[@dianewilliams1125]

@ihave35cents95 Is it really there? Wow!

[@ihave35cents95]

@ could be the original Penn station was there

[@TheParot161]

Thank you for taking the time to research this and share their stories. Tragic for sure, but they deserve to be remembered. Their creation was true Americana.

[@Yiaya928]

I clicked to watch this video and as I watched, the name and comments underneath it was Charlotte Dobres video info and comments!! I watched the whole video that way, and after I went back and hit your picture and it went to your channel! I even took a screenshot lol Very strange!!! 🤨 first time finding American Giants, got a new subscriber tho. 🤣

[@christina3521]

I have absolutely no idea how you came into my feed as I follow WW2 and Sasquatch documentary channels. But consider me subscribed.

[@GailUrge-vq6qn]

Come on now....the Santa is a giant and behemoth just like Sasquatch

[@FordHoard]

I got here from watching WW2 documentaries on uboats, so maybe there is a connection.

[@cplcabs]

@@FordHoard the connection is in this video, a WW2 veteran selling cars

[@FordHoard]

@cplcabs You're right. That's crazy the algorithm can pick up on a small detail like that.

[@gregd9239]

Funny I got here from watching a news clip about two sasquatch hunter died while on a hunt

[@EndingSimple]

Wow, talk about having a KZbin niche. You've done well in finding one and filling it. Its interesting and distinctive. And you don't use an AI to voice it, which is magnificent. Hope you continue on. You deserve the success.

[@dr.awkward9075]

"How did you get to the pearly gates, sir?" "I came in like a wrecking ball?"

[@MichaelMiner-k8b]

You think you're funny? Terrible!

[@dougscott8161]

Shouldn't the answer be "ON a wrecking ball?

[@user-is7es]

Yeah, you, you wreeeeeeeeeck me 😘

[@dirkvanerp7332]

Thank God it wasn't the "Chain Gang" ok, we got it! You're here as a case of Texas BBQ red meat poisoning! Remembering this was pre Crestor/Lipitor!

[@czechmate6916]

Wow this is the first time I’ve heard of this story. I’ve lived here in south Texas all of my life 70 years old.

[@majormegapix]

All the history we never knew. So many forgotten stories out there to tell. I am fascinated with history and certainly not just what we learned in books. I certainly would never have heard of this without your telling it!

[@diandian9827]

Sad story, great content. Thank you!

[@AZ-kr6ff]

Probably wasn't a wrecking ball, but a headache ball, which is just a weight to keep the cable taut

[@AmericanGiants]

Good point, I didn't know what to call it and you are right....not a wrecking ball.

[@AZ-kr6ff]

@AmericanGiants Yeah, it's commonly called a headache ball, or a pill

[@zombizzle_]

Hello, I just discovered your channel and discovered how passionate people are about these types of statues. Of course there's a database and found the local one I would see growing up, Mortimer Snerd. Cheers.

[@bunberrier]

Unbelieve-able, but I believe it. I can imagine everyone there, grinning and shaking hands that this thing had been accomplished, and suddenly, tragedy strikes. The mental adjustment from so high to low in just seconds must have been shocking. Its a comfort that the man was already unconscious and didn't experience the impact.

[@dntlss]

Whats most amazing is that he was alive after the fall.

[@gilwood7530]

Born in 66 , I remember some of the giants remaining in South Jersey ...I was fascinated by them

[@PaganWizard]

It's sad that Mr. Davis lost his life doing what he loved doing, especially during the Christmas holiday season.

[@andrewvelonis5940]

Thanks for an interesting story. Well told.

[@jimmccord487]

Very interesting presentation with such a tragic story.Thanks for posting it.

[@rebeccaratliff3432]

I have never heard this before. I’m 66 living in PA, grew up in San Angelo TX!

[@autobug2]

I had never heard about this! Fantastic story and a great piece of history.

[@DEPARTMENTOFREDUNDANCYDEPT]

That thing is easily among the top ten creepiest things I have ever seen. I wonder how many children had nightmares after seeing it.

[@brian56]

You mean the guy hitting the concrete?

[@DEPARTMENTOFREDUNDANCYDEPT]

@@brian56 I did not "see" a guy hitting the concrete. I saw a grotesque, hideous giant statue of Santa that was very creepy.

[@tinderbox218]

Just the snowflakes

[@bobwilkerson9760]

I wouldn't be surprised if they picked up some local bum and had him be the likeness for the Santa statue

[@9Tailsfan]

Lol. Most kids back then had to deal with worse. Back then parents would give you a spanking if you got into trouble at school. That Santa statue was tame compared to the spanking .

[@davidmann2988]

That’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen

[@tombob671]

Reminds me of " this just in, Pine Ridge Shopping Mall has just been bombed with live turkeys."

[@troyqueen9503]

Best thing ever.😂😂

[@louismartinez4467]

O yeah ( WKRP) I was stuck on 1313 mockingbird lane ( Munsters) and there was a giant muffler man in A lbq NM for a while don't know if the muffler fell out or what happened to muffler but giant man remained till few years ago??

[@dbillings]

As God is my witness, I thought Turkeys could fly.

[@TanifsThoughts]

I was raised in Dallas and never heard this story. Thank you for sharing.

[@michaelfinger7302]

An amazing (and tragic) story. I've always been fascinated by these giants, holding mufflers or groceries, but had never heard of this one, or the sad events surrounding it.

[@dadsongs]

Amazing story, told with great production. Thanks!

[@AlleyPicked]

Very interesting video. Thanks. I am from IL as well. As a kid in the 1970s, I remember a giant indian on top of a cigar store on the corner of 63rd and Pulaski. I went in there often to buy candy.

[@ffemtx4]

YES!!! If you were traveling eastbound on 63rd toward Pulaski, and stopped in one exact spot, the thumb of his lowered arm seemed to be another "appendage" to his body..😂😂😂 Arrows in his back ALL the time! 😂

[@spookedhorse]

Fascinating and tragic. Happy New Year to all. May your new year be filled with greatness.

[@gailself8619]

Very interesting story. Thank you for sharing. And thank you for using your own voice! That adds so much to the story being real.

[@artdonovandesign]

It's channels like yours that make KZbin great- The unusual, intriguing and delightful things.

[@Padoinky]

Just b/c ya can, doesn’t mean ya should…

[@jonclassical2024]

Awh, feel sorry for John Porter...what a neat idea that should have brought reward, instead of tragedy! Tanks for doing this story, I know right where that car dealership was!

[@bcooke1000]

😻Cool story. Well done Joel!

[@kingpest13]

You hit the jackpot with this video man, congratulations!

[@DJSbm-28]

Thank you so much for filling us in on this. Very interesting as I never knew the whole story.

[@dananderson3077]

Wow....old now and career special event and tradeshow work...that prop over the top....love it and thank you for sharing!

[@softhotty]

The engineering of this idea, pulling it off...impressive, very...in 1953? Very impressive.

[@brian56]

It's like the pyramids. They built then what we still can't build today!

[@softhotty]

@@brian56 I believe the issues are: liabilities, insurance,...attorneys and folks quick to sue. Live and let live...live and let die. Not in our civilization. Save everyone, keep em in the system...revenue for the 10 people who own everything.

[@bigheadfred]

That's a very tragic story. That Santa Claus looked really creepy, too.

[@heyokaempath5802]

That's because he was on a Chevrolet building in Texas.

[@junicohen7918]

Santa can go anywhere he wants​@heyokaempath5802

[@mumiemonstret]

Wow, the very last clip sold the idea to me. The kids dwarfed by Santa's boots alone, and the eyes of the statue glancing over the car to meet the visitor's. It must have been truly impressive on site.

[@dalejuhl8591]

Thank you for all of your efforts in sharing these events - It is fascinating to see and hear bits of history.

[@daryllect6659]

1:51 - I love the lowered '53 with the sidepipes.

[@teresag403]

Sad story. You are a great story teller.

[@jeffreymorris4827]

A couple buddies and I borrowed a 8 ft big boy on wheels from Bob's big boy in phx az on grand avenue in 1974. It still in my buds back yard. 😢

[@joel6427]

I guess you checked if the statute of limitations has expired.

[@bluskytoo]

Nice !

[@brian56]

Call the Pickers!

[@hollisblinn7910]

Borrowed? Is that the story you're sticking with?

[@olivaddavilo9614]

@jeffreymorris4827 In the early 1980s in Concord Calif. some pranksters at my high school "borrowed" a Bob's Big Boy statue and mounted on the high school radio station's antenna. This was almost as impressive as the time when someone placed a VW Bug on the roof of the high school cafeteria.

[@ClancyWoodard-yw6tg]

I live in Texas and I remember my grandma telling me this story one year it's one of the craziest stories I've ever heard

[@jdnelms62]

Great story! I spent most of my life in Dallas and never heard of this. Excellent research and narration as well.