If you ever saw a television commercial and it had Cal Worthington and his wild animals from his “dog” Spot to monkeys to tigers, these were promoting Worthington Ford in Long Beach. The dealership was there for more than 60 years and was recently sold to BP Ford and changed ownership on March 1.
It is located at: 2950 Bellflower Blvd., in Long Beach. I spoke with Hamid Ahmadpour, who is the general sales manager of the dealership and has worked for the Worthington family since 1983. He is sad to see the nostalgia leave, including the mural on the wall with Cal and his tiger.
Long Beach Fourth District City Councilman Daryl Supernaw Said: “We’re sorry to see Cal Worthington go but also happy the new owners will keep the dealership thriving in our council district.”
Long Beach Heating/Air Conditioning Specialist David Czapiewski said:
“I met Cal with my Uncle Ray Baker who did all his HVAC work. When we were there he had a monkey doing a commercial. I also saw him at the Long Beach Autoshow back in 1995 at the Long Beach Arena.”
Former Long Beach Car Salesman Gary Worthington, no relation to Cal, said: “I met Cal on five occasions and worked about a mile from his dealership in Long Beach for another auto dealer. He wanted me to come to work for him but I decided to stay where I was at.”
Long Beach Native John Mccurnin said: “I remember before Worthington Ford it was the Los Altos Drive In Theater. We would load up the car and go to the drive in to watch a movie. We would bring folding chairs and sit outside the car and watch if the weather was warm.”
Long Beach Native Michael Rogers said: “I remember before he brought his car business to Long Beach his TV commercials were entertaining. His commercials played so often they got annoying to watch although his dog spot was always a laugh to see what animal he would choose next.”
You can learn more at: calworthington.com. You can also call: (562) 420-3333.
