McQueen tops bill at Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction

MidAmerica Auctions, the world's largest seller of antique motorcycles, will host the 21st Annual Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction and Races Jan. 12-14, 2012, at the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.

500 antique and classic motorcycles will be up for auction, including three motorcycles owned by legendary actor and biking enthusiast, Steve McQueen. Serving as guest of honor is his widow, Barbara McQueen, who will share memories of her famous husband and sign copies, "Steve McQueen: The Last Mile." Joining her will be McQueen biographer Marshall Terrill, who will sign copies of his 2010 book, "Steve McQueen: A Tribute to the King of Cool."

Barbara McQueen's photographs record a behind-the-scenes life of personal pleasures and enthusiasms. They include hitting the road in Steve's pickup trucks, visiting collectors' shows and swap-meets, driving 700 miles to view a rare World War I motorcycle, flying a vintage mail plane, and generally ducking out of Hollywood life. But when work did call, Barbara was also on hand to capture marvelous candid shots on the sets of McQueen's two last films, "Tom Horn" and "The Hunter."

The life and career of Steve McQueen is a classic example of the American dream made real: of a small town boy from a broken home triumphing over adversity to become one of the richest and most sought-after superstars in the world. McQueen lived every day as if it were his last, and by doing so he lived an extraordinary life, both on screen and off.

Barbara McQueen's "Steve McQueen: The Last Mile" tells the story of a simple love affair with life. Barbara, who had carved a very successful career for herself as a fashion model, met Steve McQueen in 1977. Together for less than four years, these rare and private photographs share Steve's rugged, blue-eyed features him in a relaxed and uninhibited setting, doing the things he loved. Barbara's photographs show a tough guy at peace but who retained an inner strength. In one particularly striking shot his hair is wild, his beard thick, and unkempt, and he is looking over his shoulder with a troubled vulnerability. Barbara catches him unaware perhaps in a deeply pensive mood.

MidAmerica Auctions have on display and for sale McQueen's Husqvarna, which he rode for the cover of the August 23, 1971 issue of Sports Illustrated as documented by factory and dealer bills of sale. Also available for auction will be two other Steve McQueen motorcycles – a 1938 Triumph Speed Twin and a 1940 Indian Four Cylinder. A 1970 Bell motorcycle helmet that was owned by McQueen will also be auctioned.

Barbara McQueen will be at the opening event dinner on Jan. 12 and available through Jan. 14 to sign books and greet fans. For information or questions, please contact MidAmerica Auctions at 651-633-9655 or by email at midauction@aol.com


Event Schedule for 21st Annual Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction:
•Thursday, Jan. 12, 5 p.m. Children’s Hospital Benefit Dinner Auction featuring Barbara McQueen as guest of honor; 6 p.m. auction; 6 to 10 p.m. auction of 75 premium vintage and collectible motorcycles.
•Friday, Jan. 13, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., auction of 200 vintage and collectible motorcycles; 7 p.m. Champion Indoor Short Flat Track Series.
•Saturday, Jan. 14, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. auction of 225 vintage and collectible motorcycles; 7:30 p.m. Championship Indoor Short Track Flat Track Series.

About MidAmerica Auctions
St. Paul-based MidAmerica Auctions is the world's largest seller of antique motorcycles and has sold more than 15,000 bikes since 1990. Their Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction has become a mecca for antique motorcycle enthusiasts worldwide and sets more world records for motorcycles than all other auctions companies combined. Please visit www.MidAmericaAuctions.com for more information.

'King of Cool' lecture at ASU

Steve McQueen: A Tribute to the King of Cool
ASU College of Nursing and Health Innovation
550 N. Third St. Phoenix, AZ, 85004
PHONE: 602-496-0638
April 7, 2011
Thursday, 6:30 PM

ON THE WEB: http://asunews.asu.edu/20110315_kingofcool

PRICE: Free


Synopsis:
Barbara McQueen, widow of Steve McQueen, and Marshall Terrill, author of the biography, Steve McQueen: The Life and Legend of a Hollywood Icon, discuss and answer questions about the late star known as "the king of cool." Copies of Terrill's biography and the 2007 photo book, Steve McQueen: The Last Mile by Barbara McQueen and Terrill are signed. The fourth event in ASU's spring 2011 Humanities Lecture Series.

Categories:
Book Event, Book Lecture/Discussion, Book Signing/Reading, Event

Features:
Free and open to the public

Barbara McQueen provides backup for K-9 Unit

'Kickstands Up for K-9s' set for April 9

The Arizona Republic

American Legion Post 35, 2240 W. Chandler Blvd., is hosting its second annual "Kickstands Up for K-9s" motorcycle ride to benefit the Chandler Police Department's canine unit, which has six Belgian Malinois. This year's ride has a special guest, Barbara McQueen, the widow of "King of Cool" actor Steve McQueen. She will be on hand at 2 p.m. April 9 to sign books about her late husband.

WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING AT THE EVENT?
In addition to the motorcycle ride, which takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the American Legion fundraiser includes music, food, a beer garden, door prizes and a canine demonstration by the Chandler Police Department canine unit.

WHO IS STEVE MCQUEEN?
McQueen starred in movies such as "The Great Escape," "Bullitt" and "The Thomas Crown Affair." Considered a rebel, he rode motorcycles and smoked incessantly. He died at age 50 in 1980 of lung cancer.

WHAT ARE THE BOOKS ABOUT MCQUEEN?
Barbara McQueen, who married her husband late in his life, is appearing with McQueen biographer Marshall Terrill, who wrote the biography, "Steve McQueen: The Life and Legend of a Hollywood Icon." Barbara had a photo book published in 2006 called "Steve McQueen: The Last Mile." The cover shows the couple on a motorcycle.

HOW MUCH IS THE RIDE AND WHERE DO I REGISTER?
The charity ride costs $25 per bike and $10 per passenger. Pre-registration and information can be found by calling the American Legion Post at 480-821-0002 or at www.kickstandsupfork9s.com. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. April 9. The price includes lunch and a ride pin.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/2011/03/25/20110325chandler-cop-dogs0325.html?source=nletter-news#ixzz1Hdm7le1G

The Last Mile makes final stop in Chandler

PRESS RELEASE:

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Diane Howell or Candee Lewis – 480.917.6859

Steve McQueen: The Last Mile, an exhibition of photographs taken by Barbara McQueen, will make its final stop in Chandler, Arizona next month.

The exhibition will be on display March 6-April 11, 2009 at the Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler, Arizona. An opening reception for Barbara McQueen will take place on March 6 from 7 to 9 p.m. McQueen will be present along with special guest, Jeb Rosebrook, who wrote the screenplay for Junior Bonner, which was a 1972 McQueen movie filmed in Prescott, Arizona.

“It’s the last stop for The Last Mile,” said Barbara McQueen, the actor’s widow. “The last two years have been a constant whirlwind of activity and I’m ready to return to a quieter lifestyle.” Since May 2007, McQueen has traveled with the exhibit to London, San Francisco, Carmel-By-The Sea, Ketchum, Idaho, Slater, Missouri, and Nashville, Tennessee.

Barbara McQueen’s photographs record a behind-the-scenes look at personal pleasures enjoyed near the end of the actor’s life: hitting the road in his vintage pick up trucks, driving 700 miles for a rare World War I motorcycle, flying antique planes in rural California and generally ducking out of Hollywood life. The pictures also capture McQueen on the sets of his last two films, Tom Horn and The Hunter.

The hundreds of photos taken by Barbara McQueen have been collected in a book, also titled Steve McQueen: The Last Mile, which was co-authored with Valley resident Marshall Terrill. The Chandler exhibit will include approximately 30 photographs from that collection, taken from the time the couple met in 1977 through the end of McQueen’s life in 1980, the same year they married.

Admission is free to this intimate portrayal of McQueen’s life. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information, call (480) 917.6859 or visit www.chandlercenter.org.


Where: Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler, Ariz.

What: Steve McQueen: The Last Mile, an exhibition of photographs by Barbara McQueen

When: March 6 - April 11, 2009, Opening Reception March 6, 7-9 p.m.

Hours: Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m
Saturdays, noon-4 p.m.

McQueen tribute book set for fall release

Steve McQueen: A Tribute to the King of Cool

Marshall Terrill’s long-awaited tribute to the small-town rebel who continues to keep so many millions spellbound is coming to bookstores for the holiday season.

Steve McQueen: A Tribute to the King of Cool (Dalton Watson Fine Books), tells the actor’s story in chronological order through the eyes of those who knew him best: family, friends, co-stars, business associates, acquaintances and adoring fans from around the globe. Written in passage form, each person brings a different view to the man and legend, presenting him in an unsurpassed 360-degree perspective.

“It’s very unique in its presentation because it reads like a biography, but it’s really a photo and tribute book,” Terrill said, who spent nearly three years compiling the information. “There’s really nothing else on the market quite like it. I know it will please McQueen fans.”

Accompanying the 200 passages are hundreds of photos taken of McQueen throughout his life and movie career, many seen here for the first time as well as personal items, documents and movie memorabilia.

The book will also include a foreword by Barbara McQueen, a family tree of Steve McQueen’s history and quotes by several Hollywood luminaries.

Steve McQueen: A Tribute to the King of Cool is slated for a fall 2009 release. For more information, visit www.daltonwatson.com.

McQueen's last years in exhibit

by Marissa Belles - Dec. 20, 2008 07:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

This spring a photography exhibition featuring the works of Barbara McQueen will be on display at the Chandler Center for the Arts.

Steve McQueen: The Last Mile, is composed of about 30 prints sampling an intimate glimpse into McQueen's world near the end of his life. McQueen had taken a step back from Hollywood before his untimely death from cancer at age 50.

"These pictures show a private side of a very private man," said Marshall Terrill, a Valley resident who helped co-write the book, Steve McQueen the Last Mile, which features about 150 private photos of the actor. "This was a guy who always had a sort of inner struggle and these pictures show him at peace."

Barbara was his third wife and documented this pop culture icon enjoying some of the actor's more simple pleasures, such as hitting the open road in his vintage pick-up truck, driving 700 miles to pick up a rare World War I motorcycle and drinking a beer. She has had exhibitions everywhere from London to San Francisco, although Chandler will be her last stop.

The exhibition will be on display March 6- April 11 at the Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave.

Santa Paula pays tribute to Steve McQueen

Santa Paula Airport hosts Steve McQueen events on December 6 & 7

Steve McQueen fueling his plane at Santa Paula Airport, May 1979.

Steve McQueen's last hometown is paying tribute to its most famous resident with a weekend of aviation and family-related activities.

The Aviation Museum of Santa Paula will welcome home Barbara McQueen with a VIP reception, dinner and booksigning on Saturday, December 6 at the Santa Paula Airport. The 5 p.m. reception will include a catered dinner, slide show and booksigning for Steve McQueen: The Last Mile.

“Santa Paula was the beginning and end of Steve McQueen's aviation roots, and realized the airport had never recognized him before. Steve used to say, 'Santa Paula Airport is my kinda country club,'” said Mike Dewey, a museum board member who has a long history with the privately owned airport. “We also felt this was a good opportunity to promote our new 3,000-square foot museum headquarters.”

This is Barbara McQueen's first trip back to Santa Paula since her late husband's 1980 death.
“Santa Paula was Steve's church and he really loved the city with all of his heart and soul. He was treated like a normal person there where he could relax and be himself, hang out with friends and fly his planes,” McQueen said. “I'm really looking forward to coming back because it was a big part of my life. It'll be good to renew some of those old ties and make new friendships.”

The tax-deductible (as allowed by law) dinner is $50 with proceeds benefiting the Aviation Museum of Santa Paula. Seating, however, is limited and attendees are asked to RSVP by December 1, 2008. Please call (805) 525-1109 or e-mail mcqueenevent@amszp.org to RSVP.

The Santa Paula Airport will salute the life of Steve McQueen on its “First Sunday Open House,” on December 7. Privately owned hangars open their doors to unveil a variety of vintage aircraft, cars, and memorabilia, which are on display for the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Several other aircraft owners will put their antique aircraft on static display and many vintage aircraft also fly in each month. Car and motorcycle clubs will also display their machines on the airport's taxiways and the Museum Tram will provide travel between hangars. The Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 723 offers free airplane rides to kids ages 7-17. Barbara McQueen will also sign, Steve McQueen: The Last Mile at the five-hour extravaganza.

Steve McQueen: The Last Mile is a photo book that captures wonderful and unique images that the very private actor allowed to no one else. Barbara soon discovered that the screen legend she had idolized since a kid was a determined individualist who loved vintage planes, motorcycles and cars and admired the men who flew and drove them above all others.

For more information on both McQueen events, visit www.amszp.org.

2nd annual Steve McQueen Days March 28-29

Steve McQueen fans from around the world will gather in Slater, Missouri, the actor’s boyhood hometown, to celebrate the life and work of the legendary actor on Friday and Saturday, March 28 and 29.

The 2^nd Annual Steve McQueen Days is timed around the actor’s birthday; McQueen would have been 78 years old on March 24^th. McQueen was born in Beech Grove, Indiana but moved to Slater, when he was an infant and remained there for most of the next decade. Slater is located in central Missouri in Saline County and has approximately 2,100 residents.

Among those attending will be McQueen’s widow, Barbara McQueen, who will be signing copies of her book Steve McQueen: The Last Mile about her years with McQueen. Also attending will be McQueen’s friend from his early days in Greenwich Village and later, in Hollywood, Richard Martin. Martin has just produced a documentary on McQueen’s life titled An American Rebel. The film is based on the book Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel by noted biographer Marshall Terrill, who will be a key speaker during the festivities in Slater.

McQueen’s stuntman, Loren Janes, who worked with McQueen throughout his professional career from his television western series, Wanted: Dead or Alive to the last film he made, The Hunter will be presenting rare behind the scenes footage from Nevada Smith and The Sand Pebbles.

Highlights of the festival will include a Steve McQueen Lookalike Contest and a Classic Car and Motorcycle Show. McQueen was an accomplished and competitive semi-professional car and motorcycle racer who owned over 100 antique motorcycles. An auction of McQueen-related memorabilia to benefit the Boy’s Republic School in Chino, California will also be held during the weekend. McQueen attended the Boy’s Republic shortly after he left Slater and continued to visit and support the school throughout his life.

McQueen was a worldwide box-office champion in the '60s and '70s and starred in such blockbuster films as The Great Escape, Papillon and The Sand Pebbles, which garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. This year also marks the 40^th Anniversary of Bullitt and The Thomas Crown Affair, which are among McQueen’s most acclaimed films. At the time of his death in November of 1980 from asbestos-induced cancer, McQueen was the most-popular and highest-paid actor in the world.

For additional information about the 2nd Annual Steve McQueen Days visit www.cityofslater.com.

# # #