Glenn Alan Bartels, President of Route 66 Modern Classics, the number one scooter shop in Los Angeles, CA, is proud to announce the success of his most recent celebrity red carpet event; 100 - plus scooter brigade to accompany fellow Genuine Buddy scooter owner, Tom Hanks to the premier of his new movie, Larry Crowne, on June 27th, 2011.
"This is the perfect film at the perfect time. Americans are dealing with the exact issues portrayed in the movie, Larry Crowne. We have a poor economy, the downsizing of jobs, and people trying to save money by riding scooters to beat high gas prices," explains Glenn Bartels. "Scooters are super economical and fashionable."
The parking lot of Route 66 Modern Classics was packed with a diverse array of scooters on the evening of the premier. A Dijon yellow Genuine Stella scooter, complete with a side car covered in black checkerboard graphics and a Crown Taxi image, was an obvious crowd favorite; cleverly referencing Tom Hanks scooter-riding character, Larry Crowne. The other riders, sporting vintage Vespas and Lambrettas as well as new Genuine Buddy and Stella scooters, intermingled as they awaited the start of the 12 mile ride to Hollywood Blvd.
"After spending twelve exhausting weeks creating the majority of the scooters used in the production of the film, I was curious as to what plans Tom Hanks had in mind for his movie premiere, so a couple months ago, I contacted his assistant and whispered my idea to her," says Bartels. "I was envisioning a massive scooter ride with Tom Hanks leading the entire pack!"
The idea managed to circulate, first to Tom, and then over to Universal Pictures. It wasnt until about a month ago, however, that Bartels received a phone call from Playtone informing him that Universal would be contacting him about the premiere scooter ride. "No sooner had I ended the call with Playtone when the call from Universal came in asking me if I could put together 100 scooter riders to ride the red carpet with Tom Hanks, explains Bartels, a question to which his answer was an enthusiastic, "Of course I can!"
At exactly 6:30pm, Tom Hanks arrived and greeted all the riders in his usual affable manner; stopping to chat and shake hands with each rider. After a brief interview and photo opportunity it was time to ride the red carpet. Hanks fired up his old blue Yamaha, revved the engine, pumped his fist in the air and said, Lets Roll!
Hanks, with Bartels, and the entire pack of 100 scooters in his wake, rolled onto Hollywood Blvd, which was barricaded from throngs of cheering spectators in every direction. Bartels had a chance to walk the red carpet, conducting interviews regarding scooter culture and how it pertains to the film. The riders were then treated to the premier showing of Larry Crowne, followed by a private after-party at Rolling Stone Caf
