Hey, Jack! Great website. Glad to see you're up and running. Just wondered what you ever did with that white Cadillac I sold you back in the late 70"s?

That e-mail sparked quite a few threads on the Mid-Atlantic message boards, fun speculation of how just such a transaction between the broadcaster and the big Texan might have taken place.

In a lengthy interview with Landrum on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway, David Chappell broached the subject, and Rich shed a little light on that Cadillac, and I decided it would make for both a nice preview of the interview, and a good story to hold onto for the Bar-B-Que.

- Dick Bourne

February 2005

David Chappell: As we’re talking about Blackjack Mulligan, tell us the story about the Cadillac you sold him. 

Rich Landrum: I can’t remember what year it was, but I bought a Cadillac for my wife. It was a white Cadillac, four door…it wasn’t an El Dorado, it was a Coup Deville. It was used when I bought it, but it was in good shape. I don’t know why I bought it…I guess I just wanted to own a Cadillac!

Chappell: Nothing wrong with that!

Landrum: At that point in time, we were doing very well financially. I had never had a Cadillac before, and I guess I just wanted one. So, I gave it to her to drive. She drove it for a couple of weeks, but she said, ‘I can’t park this thing…it’s too big.’

So, I started driving it for a while…and eventually I fell out of fun with it. It just wasn’t something I wanted to keep. I got to thinking, ‘These boys like Cadillac’s.’ So one Wednesday, I said, ‘Jack…I got a car for you.’

Chappell: Was Blackjack interested at the outset?

Landrum: He said, ‘I don’t need any car.’ I said, ‘Yeah, you gotta have this one. It’s a big white Cadillac…it’ll be perfect for you.’

He said, ‘Talk to Flair.’

Chappell: (laughing)

Landrum: I said, ‘No, no man…this is yours. I’ll make you a deal.’ So, we hammered around with it for a while. I kept after him! I said, ‘Jack, I need the money…buy the Cadillac!’ He said, ‘Alright, alright…I’ll buy it.’

Jack, I need the money…buy the Cadillac!’

Chappell: Your hounding of Blackjack finally paid off!

Landrum: (laughs) I had put baking soda in the ashtray of the car to kill the smell of cigarettes. I didn’t say anything to Jack about it; I didn’t even think about it. So, we get the title switched over and everything, and we do all that, and get the deal done. Next week, he comes to me kinda agitated and said, ‘Did you put cocaine in that Cadillac?’

Chappell: (laughing)

Landrum: I said, ‘WHAT?’ He said, ‘In the ashtray…there’s all this white powder in there.’ I said, ‘Jack, that’s BAKING SODA.’ (laughing)

Jack said, ‘Oh, thank goodness…that had me scared to death! I opened that thing, and just knew a cop was gonna stop me; what am I gonna do with it. I dumped it out.’ I said, ‘Jack, I just put baking soda in there to kill the cigarette smell!’ (laughing)

Chappell: (laughing) That’s too funny…whew!

Landrum: He kept it for a couple of weeks, and for some reason I’m thinking he sold it to Don Kernodle. And he got in the used car business after that…buying little things and then turning around and selling them! He may have found a market there! (laughing)

Chappell: Well, we now know the story of the famed white Cadillac!

© 2005 Mid-Atlantic Gateway