No, it wasn't Sean Penn. Nor Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, or even Tom Ammiano, as himself, getting off the best line in the film. The former
Milk star spotted back in the city was this 1977-vintage fire engine:
click to enlarge
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Joe Eskenazi
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I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. Van Sant
And yet this erstwhile movie star wasn't back in the city just to soak up adulation. It was here to work. This old rig and its 33-year-old colleague (in the background above) were parked on 10th street over the weekend, providing water to the adjacent tower at 1455 Market -- which blew a water pipe last week.
It wasn't the most glamorous credit on the trucks' resume according to Mark Hathaway, a San Jose fire fighter, fire rig collector, and one of the men behind
FireTrucks4Hire.com. It's partner Paul George's rig that had the
Milk gig, but Hathaway's trucks appeared in
Nash Bridges and a Bollywood flick filmed on Treasure Island. Still, providing water to a stricken building is noble work -- and it's not like an actor to turn down a good gig.
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Joe Eskenazi
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As seen on Nash Bridges...
Prior to their current incarnation pumping for stricken San Francisco buildings and appearing in popular cinematic features, George's rig served for decades on the East Coast, while Hathaway's truck (above) was the property of Vancouver, Wash.
The Bay Area ain't Los Angeles -- but for aspiring film star fire rigs, it's a hell of an improvement.
