Worthington family sells its last dealership, marking an end of an era
"It's Cal Worthington and his dog Spot!" Well, let's get this straight. It was Cal Worthington in those old commercials, but it was not a dog he was with. In one instance, it was a chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and pants strolling hand-in-hand with Cal, and it all worked.
The jingle, the hat, the animals – the late Cal Worthington was the consummate car dealer, and now, the last remaining Worthington Ford in Long Beach is no more.
Using television and gimmicks (a lot of animals) to catapult his Worthington brand to a Southern California household name -- and further expanding from his first 1950s Los Angeles dealership to 29 others in five states – Worthington Ford will no longer be visible anywhere, only in memories.
Worthington's grandson Nick said after his grandfather died nearly 10 years ago, it was just too difficult to maintain the business. He said his grandfather was just really great at what he did.
"If he were to live forever, he would have been a car dealer forever. He was so good at it, it's part of who he was," said Nick Worthington.
Cal Worthington was born in Oklahoma in 1920. He never graduated from high school and started fixing cars after serving in World War II. He got a taste for the business when he sold his own car for $500. He moved to California in the late 1940s and began buying car lots.
His "Go See Cal" ads were usually shot at the Long Beach dealership, which he purchased in 1963.
Over time, the dealerships dwindled and now it is only in our memories. The Long Beach Worthington sign will come down by March. It's reported that the new owner, the Nouri/Shaver Automotive Group, is changing the dealership's name to BP Ford.
"It's Cal Worthington and his dog Spot! If you need a great big truck Go See Cal, if you need a little truck Go See Cal. Get a camper change your luck, buy a van and save a buck, for any kind of car, Go See Cal," official Cal Worthington television commercial jingle.
