Im jamie colby, and, today, im in encino, california. Will rogers once said, if there are no dogs in heaven, then when i die, i want to go where they go. But when the owners go first, especially the rich or eccentric ones, it can make for one strange inheritance. My name is tyson kilmer. Im an animal trainer. When one of my clients, sam simon, passed away in march of 2015, i inherited his dog, who is not exactly lassie, marmaduke, or any other lovably harmless pet youve seen on tv. Hi, kilmers. Im jamie. Im tyson kilmer. This is my wife, alison. Aliyah and tyler. How are you . Im great i heard your family has a living, breathing inheritance . Indeed, we do. We have a cane corso that used to belong to the late, great sam simon. Sam simon even if you dont recognize the name, you surely know his work as codeveloper, with Matt Groening, of that iconic and longrunning tv show, the simpsons. Sam was born in 1955 and grew up in beverly hills, just down the street from groucho marx. After graduating from stanford university, sam catapults his way up in the tv business, becoming a showrunner in 1978 for the hit series taxi, at the age of 23. Sam was the youngest showrunner in the history of television, when he was a showrunner on taxi. Mark thompson is an l. A. Radio host and a longtime friend of simons. To describe him as highly intelligent would be to understate it in the extreme. Sam works on Barney Miller and cheers, before teaming up with Matt Groening on the simpsons, which premieres on the fox network in 1989. Matt groening created these characters and this family, but the universe that the simpsons exist in the town, the Nuclear Power plant, mr. Burns, all of these different characters. Sam simon was the driving force behind that. But in 1993, after four trailblazing seasons, sam decides he wants a life outside of television. Before quitting, he negotiates a deal giving him continuous credit as an executive producer and a share of the shows annual profit, to the tune of 30 million a year. Sam, now twice divorced with no children, turns his energy to what becomes his calling in life saving animals, especially dogs. In 2002, at the cost of several million dollars, he creates this lavish, sprawling dog shelter in malibu. One of the neglected pooches that end up at sams shelter is a 6month old cane corso, also known as an italian mastiff, a breed some people refer to as a pit bull on steroids. The big canine is quickly deemed too aggressive to stay at the shelter. So sam takes him home and names him columbo, after the rumpled, trenchcoatwearing detective played by peter falk. He adored columbo, clearly. I think he was like an offspring almost. He was like a son. A son with a nasty disposition. Within months, columbo attacks Staff Members on the simon estate. There are as many as eight biting incidents. He even goes after sams buddy, howard stern. Ok, guys, go play [ dogs barking ] so, in 2011, sam contacts tyson kilmer, who has a reputation for working with dangerous breeds. His hollywood clientele includes rob lowe and mike tyson, but none impresses him like sam simon. The first meeting he had with sam, tyson came back and went, i met my hero. I met a guy thats doing way more than i am with animals. It was a bromance. Alison kilmer is tysons wife. Was it more than just about the dog . Oh, yeah. Tyson knew right away that sam was someone that was gonna mentor him. Still, tyson hesitates taking the columbo case. Why . I had stopped working with that breed a few years prior, just because of the volatility and the liability issues around them. Im sure that training aggressive dogs is dangerous. Where is columbo on the scale . If its a scale from 1 to 10, columbos a 12. Tyson says he makes an exception for columbo, when simon convinces him that health issues, like painful hip dysplasia, explain why hes such a bad dog. So, its not just behavioral. Its also medicine . Thats correct. Simons already paying for the best veterinary medicine money can buy. Among other things, columbo gets electromagnetic therapy and acupuncture. Acupuncture for a dog . I know were in los angeles, but really . This dog has endured so much pain in his legs that this is not some frivolous treatment. And the price tag for columbos firstclass care . Columbo costs approximately 138,000 a year. Thats a Fouryear College education. The reality is i didnt hire these folks. I was just asked to be present while these folks were working. And this work changed my perspective on this dog entirely. Ready to go. Tyson takes over the actual training, hooking up columbo with a partner to keep him in line. Hey, jamie. I brought my friends. I see that, tyson. I hope theyll be my friends. They will be your friends. So, kashas been the one to teach him how he should be responding and reacting in these encounters. Shes a pit bull. Shes a pit bull, yes, but shes very fabulously trained. You want to give it a try . Im willing to try. Perfect. Okay, so, lets start off by showing her a stay. Point to the ground. Tell her, okay, down. Okay, down, kasha. Good girl, kasha. And now, this is how she smiles. So, it looks like kind of scary. Oh you get a rub on the belly stay. Tyson says his hard work and sams money transform columbo into a loving and muchlessaggressive pet. So, the bottom line is you have rehabilitated this dog. I would say that this dog is living, at this point, within very acceptable margins for behavior and safety, as long as we continue to put the work in with him daily. Its late 2012, when, at 57, sam simon is diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The prognosis its terminal. How did sam tell you he was sick . [ voice breaking ] he was just sick. What happened . You know, he said, you know, tyson, im dying. Will sams death sentence also be the end for columbo . I was asked to make sure that columbo was taken off the property immediately. Immediately . Yes. Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. Was it roy rogers trigger. Mr. Ed. Or seabiscuit . The answer when we return. Brad, ive got an idea for a song. Nationwide has this app. You can pay your bills, even start an auto claim. So what i was thinking. Let me guess. Start a claim right from your app. Have you been looking in my notes . Corey is living with metastatic Breast Cancer, which is Breast Cancer that has spread to other parts of her body. Shes also taking ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor, which is for postmenopausal women or for men with hr her2 metastatic Breast Cancer as the first hormonal based therapy. Ibrance plus letrozole was significantly more effective at delaying disease progression versus letrozole. Patients taking ibrance can develop low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infections that can lead to death. Before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant. Common side effects include low red blood cell and low platelet counts, infections, tiredness, nausea, sore mouth, abnormalities in liver blood tests, diarrhea, hair thinning or loss, vomiting, rash, and loss of appetite. Corey calls it her new normal because a lot has changed, but a lot hasnt. Ask your doctor about ibrance. The 1 prescribed fdaapproved oral Combination Treatment for hr her2 mbc. So, what stuffed horse fetched 266,000 at auction . Its a, trigger, who belonged to roy rogers. With the help of his new friend and dog trainer tyson kilmer and a year and a half of intense training sam simons rescued 140pound cane corso is under control. So, youve given columbo a stay of execution. Nobody else has been bitten, so the first part is amazing. Secondly, hes a happier soul. But, in 2012, sams diagnosis of stagefour cancer changes everything. After being told he has only months to live, the simpsons codeveloper launches a campaign to save as many animals as he can before hes gone. He brings tyson along for the ride. As his body began to fail him, he would be jumping on a learjet and flying off, so somebody had to watch out for him. Here was sam simon ready to do all of these things that seem unthinkable. He rescued all of these bears from roadside circuses. He shut down a mink farm. So, the money is kind of gone. You gave it all to peta. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I put in a trust that will be distributed, in perpetuity, to save the children and peta and other organizations. Fantastic. For two years, sam beats the clock, but his disease never relents. I got a call that he was in the hospital, and he had summoned for me to come to his bedside. He just said, im sorry to burden you with this, but will you please take my dog . Of course, i said yes. Tyson looked at me and said, i got to do this for him. If we dont, theyre gonna put columbo down. Tyson also makes sure columbo can stay by sam till the end. I was asked to train columbo to climb a set of steps beside sams bed so that columbo could get up there and sleep with him. Columbo was with sam right up until he passed. I was asked to be on the property when he passed to make sure that columbo was taken off the property immediately. Why immediately . Well, columbo couldnt be on the property with an influx of people coming in, just because it just wasnt safe. Arguably even less safe bringing this strange inheritance home to your wife and kids. I have to ask you about that. I met him. Hes fierce. You let them hang out with columbo . Supervised. Columbo cannot be unsupervised around my children or around anybody. When hes uncomfortable, hes grumpy. You dont want to be anywhere around him. And i dont want my kids to be anywhere around him. And stay. Your kids could get hurt. Youre willing to take the risk. We make all the precautions. We make sure theyre never alone with columbo. We make sure that they train him every day. And us, as a family we made a commitment to healing dogs and showing other families how to do it. A noble commitment, but whos going to pay for columbos ongoing 138,000ayear medical care . Was there some sort of verbal agreement between you and sam . Sam just basically said, listen, dont worry about this. Everythings taken care of. Ruhroh is it possible that sam made a promise to tyson he didnt intend to keep . Thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. Santas little helper, the simpsons family dog, is what breed . Fact is, every Insurance Company hopes you drive safely. 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Ill pass. And my side super soft . With the sleep number 360 smart bed you can both adjust your comfort with your sleep number setting. So, can it help us fall asleep faster . Yes, by gently warming your feet. But can it help keep me asleep . Absolutely, it intelligently senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both effortlessly comfortable. Will it help me keep up with him . Yup. So, ill wake up ready for anything . Oh, weve got your back. So, you can really promise better sleep . Not promise. Prove. And now, save up to 600 on select sleep number 360 smart beds. Only for a limited time. So, santas little helper, the simpsons family dog, is what breed . The answer is b, a greyhound homer rescues from the dog track in the simpsons first episode. [ dog growls ] the cane corso, or italian mastiff, is an aggressive breed, sometimes called a pit bull on steroids. Columbo, a 140pounder who belonged to simpsons codeveloper sam simon, was actually deemed too vicious for simons dogrescue shelter. Hollywood dog trainer tyson kilmer says one of simons last requests was that he take columbo when simon died. One thing that sam said is that, every animals life has value. Tyson assumes simons multibilliondollar trust will pay for columbos costly medical treatments, including acupuncture and electromagnetic therapy. Was there some sort of verbal agreement between you and sam . Sam took care of everything while he was alive. When sam said, will you take columbo . , i didnt say, hey, how much, buddy . I just said, of course. Ill take care of it. Then, in june 2015, three months after sams death, tyson learns that those vets and therapists will no longer be paid and all those hollywoodstyle treatments will be discontinued. Tyson reaches out to the executor of the simon trust. Now, im a dog lover dont get me wrong but tell me how much you were asking, moneywise, to take care of columbo in the style sam had i didnt ask for money. I was asking for them to send the vets over. I wasnt asking for money. Come on, columbo. Either way, tyson says hes told theres no money earmarked for columbo. I first thought, it has to be a misunderstanding, but, at some point, youd think, even if that were the case, they would have an allegiance to what sam would have wanted. Radio host Mark Thompson was a longtime friend of simons. Is it possible that sam made a promise to tyson he didnt intend to keep . I think the answer is of course not, of course not. Sam would have wanted money to go for the continued care of columbo. The executor of simons trust doesnt return our phone calls but has ripped tyson in the media. The trustee issued a statement that we got our hands on, and it starts with, its truly sad that someone would try to take advantage of sams generosity to unjustly enrich themselves at the expense of other causes. And im just an outsider, but the same money that sam was paying for columbo, when sam was alive, is all tyson is asking for. And its about his therapy, not a dollar more. I think thats a reasonable request. How much is it costing you a month, besides your daily time, to take care of columbo . It costs me approximately 9,000, 9,500 a month to take care of him. Tyson has custody of a dog that is considered very dangerous. And we have a trustee unwilling to disperse money for the dogs care. End of case . If theyre willing to go to court, tyson might be able to assert rights on columbos behalf and get the court to construe the trust. Underscore might, says ken kossoff, an l. A. Lawyer specializing in pet inheritances. He says its telling simon apparently did not set up a trust fund to pay for columbos care, which is allowed under california law. You want your trust or any other document to be very clear that who was ever in charge of the money needs to support the pet. Case in point kens client in palmdale, california, a widow who wanted to provide for her faithful companions when she was gone. Hi, yvonne. Im jamie. Jamie, hi. How are you . Nice to meet you. I heard youre the bird lady. I am that. Would you like to meet my kids . I would like to meet your kids. Come on. Oh, thank you. Look at all these guys. Oh, hello there. Whos that . He says, im bogie bird. And he says, im the senior bird here. Bogie is a 34 yearold double yellowhead amazon parrot. While hes older than yvonnes two cockatiels, hes still a youngin among the parrot breed, who can easily live for 60 years. When yvonne first adopts bogie from a bird sanctuary, in 2013, she worries about making a commitment to a pet that could very well outlive her. At my age, i thought, how am i gonna make this work out . These guys can live to be 60 years old. Im not rich. So, will bogie become a strange inheritance . Yvonne is worried that her cherished parrot will get discarded, like columbo. And what about columbo . It must be costing you a fortune. Columbos not cheap, and we never, ever, ever, in a million years, thought wed be here. And . How can the kilmers get the funds they say they need for his care . Good boy you know, i agreed to take sam simons dog. I didnt agree to take on a billiondollar estate. Thats next. Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it. Send me an email or go to our wed love to tell it. Schoosing my Car Insurance was the easiest decision ever. I switched to geico and saved hundreds. Thats a win. But its not the only reason i switched. Geicos a company i can trust, with over 75 years of great savings and service. Now thats a winwin. Switch to geico. Its a winwin. [voiceover] this is an urgent message from the International Fellowship of christians and jews. There is an emergency food crisis for elderly Holocaust Survivors in the former soviet union. This is a fight against time. What were dealing with is coming out, meeting someone whos 85, 90 years old, cant get around, has no food, has no water, and just wants to give up and die. And thats where we come in. We are called to comfort these people, to be a blessing to their lives. [voiceover] for just 25, well rush an emergency survival package to help one desperate elderly person for a month. Call right now. [eckstein] call the number on your screen. In ukraine, theres no supper network. They dont have food cards or neighbors that come in to help. Theyre turning to us because they have nowhere else to turn. [voiceover] your gift is a life line to help these elderly jewish Holocaust Survivors, help them to live out their final years with dignity and love. Call right now. [eckstein] call the number on your screen. What i pray is that you wont turn your eyes, but you will look at their suffering and your heart will be changed. [voiceover] with your gift of just 25, we can rush an emergency survival package to help one desperate elderly person for a month. Call right now. [eckstein] call the number on your screen. But some give their clients cookie cutter portfolios. Fisher investments tailors portfolios to your goals and needs. Some only call when they have something to sell. Fisher calls regularly so you stay informed. And while some advisors are happy to earn commissions whether you do well or not. Fisher investments fees are structured so we do better when you do better. Maybe thats why most of our clients come from other money managers. Fisher investments. Clearly better money management. Now back to strange inheritance. Yvonne eubanks loves her parrot, bogie, who may very well outlive her. Will bogie get the special care he needs when shes gone . She turns to ken kossoff, whos been creating trusts in los angeles for over 30 years. A lot of pet owners do not know that they could plan their estate to include their pets. Yvonne doesnt just want to make sure her pets always have a caring home. She wants to make sure they have her home. The trust provides, immediately, for a caregiver to come in, and this is someone who is familiar with my birds. They will live here in the house, basically rentfree, and theyd take care of the birds. I will take care of the utilities and all on the house. That could theoretically last for decades. You understand people will watch this and theyll say, okay, youre the bird lady. yeah. And youve left this beautiful home to birds. Yes. I dont care how whacky they think i am. I just want to protect these guys. Apparently, sam simon wasnt so clear or emphatic about columbo, and so the executors of simpsons codeveloper sam simons billiondollar trust reportedly have no intention of providing a penny for his care. Where does that leave animal trainer tyson kilmer, to whom sam bequeathed the 140pound mastiff . Ive never had much interest in anything outside of just seeing columbo cared for. I really dont want to be in court over the next five, six years. Id far rather raise funds for him and just move on with my life. Sam was his mentor and hero. And, sometimes, you dont write the script on how its gonna come out, but were doing the best we can and were gonna handle it. I wanted to put a call into you to see if i could rely on some support from you guys. Today, tyson hopes to raise enough funds through a network of friends and supporters to finance columbos care. You made a promise. Absolutely. Yeah. Thats a big promise. Im gonna keep that promise. You know, sam was one of he was a mentor to me. He was one of my best friends. Im gonna honor my word to my friend. Bogie or columbo can only dream of the fortune of the socalled worlds richest pet, a German Shepherd whos really rolling in the dough. Turns out that when a german countess named Carlotta Liebenstein died, in 1992, she left a 124 million trust for her trusty pooch, gunther iii. Well, when gunther iii met an untimely death, carlottas riches passed to gunthers son, gunther iv, and by then, the trust was worth 372 million and included a villa in the bahamas and a mansion once owned by madonna. And, at that rate, gunther v could be the first canine billionaire. Im jamie colby for strange inheritance. Thanks so much for watching. And remember, you cant take it with you. He was the man who had everything. This has about 750 to 800 horsepower. But never enough of these. He told me he was bringing in about one tank a week. I imagine a small country could win a war with these. Yeah, i hear that a lot. My dad started a tradition of getting an old, beatup car, and then he would crush it with a tank in the field out here. His death puts his heirs on a mission. Is this what your dad would want . You push up on that. Start. [ engine turns over ] just like that, she comes to life. And talk about stickershock and awe. Was the auction a nailbiter . You bet it was. 300,000. 350,000. Sold. Im jamie colby, and, today, im driving up a long, steep hill in portola valley, california, near san francisco. Im here to visit the heirs of a man who made the record books with his incredibly strange collection. And if im lucky, i may even get to ditch this s. U. V. And take the controls of a serious offroad ride. My name is allison littlefield. These are my half brothers, david and scott. When our father died, in 2009, we inherited 240 armored military vehicles. Lots and lots of tanks. Hi, allison. Im jamie. Hi. Nice to meet you. Thanks for having me up. This is a magnificent ranch. The ranch is very nice, but im here to see something else. Come this way. These are real . These are real. This is one of several buildings on the littlefield ranch where they garage their strange inheritance. Some guys collect stamps and coins. Their dad, Jacques Littlefield, collected tanks. In fact, what you see here is part of the Worlds Largest private collection of Armored Vehicles. Allison tells me some of these tanks are incredibly rare, including this world war ii German Panzer iv. This 8ton half track. And this sherman tank. What a collection. It is a real preservation of history, and thats what im so excited about. So, how did all of this get started . Well, Jacques Littlefield is born in 1949, the son of edmund wattis littlefield, heir to a prosperous mining and landdevelopment Company Called utah construction. At an early age, jacques develops a strong interest in all things mechanical. This is him as a young boy, playing with his model train set. He looks almost like he could be in an ad for trains. I know. Its such a sweet picture. [ gunfire ] in the late 60s, the vietnam war is raging, but jacques is never drafted, due to hearing loss from a childhood bout with encephalitis. He attends stanford university. After majoring in economics, he goes to bschool, then takes a job at hewlettpackard. Thats where the 23year old littlefield meets his new boss, bill boller, who becomes a lifelong friend. He shares with bill his latest passion tanks. Where did it begin . He checked a book out of the library called american tanks and tank destroyers. And that book attracted his attention so much that he said it all started there. Jacques First Military purchase in 1976, for 3,500 is this m3a1 world war ii wheeled scout car, which saw combat both in north africa and the invasion of sicily. I find it ironic that he collected tanks even when people were antiwar. Would he have shown up at a protest . Jacques was conservative in his politics, so no. He would definitely not have shown up at a protest and probably would have pretty much ignored it. 1976 is also the year jacques father sells the Family Business empire to general electric, in what was then the biggest merger in u. S. History. His dads now a billionaire, and son jacques leaves hp to manage his personal fortune. He takes up residence here, at pony tracks ranch, gets married, and starts a family. Scott, what do you remember most about your dad . Building stuff. We used to go to the woodshop and make things there. Id have birthday parties, and wed get to go around on a sherman tank. One of my favorite events was our 4th of july party. [ all cheering ] my dad started a tradition of getting an old, beatup car, and then he would crush it with a tank in the field out here. [ laughs ] a truly Successful Army is one that will not be called upon to fight, for no one will dare to provoke it. The timing of jacques interest in tanks is perfect. With the u. S. Military expanding under president reagan, the pentagon is getting rid of a lot of outdated equipment. Jacques snatches up a few tanks and then a few more, including this m5a1 stuart tank, built by cadillac back in 1943, a model used in the invasion of normandy. Jacques buys it for 20,000. The end of the cold war and then the first gulf war lead to more tankbuying opportunities. Jacques pounces. Sherman tanks. This m1917 6ton tractor. A russian t72 used by saddam husseins forces. Even a scud missile launcher. Jacques builds these barns to house them all. This is him working at the tankrestoration shop here on property. He was very involved in the process. He really enjoyed it. So its a professional operation. Oh, yeah. I mean, he had a great team of people who would rebuild these things down to the nuts and bolts. I remember i was in ukraine and i saw a tv show starring my dad. This has about 750 to 800 horsepower. It was a strange experience. In 1999, at the age of 50, jacques is staggered by a coloncancer diagnosis and goes into treatment. I was in a bit of shock when i first found out. Did he tell you or did he hide it to himself . He was very good at hiding it. He always had a really positive attitude. And a lifestooshort outlook that, as his cancer goes into remission, sends his tankbuying into overdrive. He told me he was bringing in about one tank a week. Do you have any idea how much money he spent . [ laughs ] a lot. Yeah. I prefer not to think about it sometimes, but, yeah, definitely, it was his passion. Coming up, the tank and the challenge Jacques Littlefield was most passionate about. Plus, its my turn at the controls. Okay, im up. How do i get in . Any way you can get down in there is fair game. But, first, our strange inheritance quiz question. How did these Armored Vehicles become known as tanks . The answer in a moment. Chuggachugga, charles my man hilda, i like the new do. Got some layers in there, huh . The more, the merrier. Got to have this stuff in the morning. Oh, thats too hot. Act your age. Get your own Insurance Company. Carlo, why dont you start us with a little bit of cereal . You can spread it all around the table. And were gonna split the warm hot dog. And ill have a glass of grape juice to spill on the carpet. Oh, uh, do you want some to spill . Act your age. Get your own Insurance Company. What might seem like a small cough can be a big bad problem for your grandchildren. Babies too young to be vaccinated against whooping cough are the most at risk for severe illness. Help prevent this talk to your doctor or pharmacist today about getting vaccinated against whooping cough. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist today [ text notification now that you have] new dr. Scholls massaging gel advanced insoles with softer, bouncier gel waves, youll move over 10 more than before. Dr. Scholls. Born to move. The answer is c. During world war i, the british coined the term as a code name to keep their development a secret. I try not to have too many duplicates of what other collections would have lots of. In the early 2000s, Jacques Littlefield, the worlds foremost armoredvehicle collector, seems to be beating colon cancer. The fight lays him low, physically, but it only revs up his passion for tanks and more tanks. He asks his dear friend bill boller to help restore them. He told me he was bringing in about one tank a week, every week for the last several years. By 2007, jacques shopping spree gets him into the guinness book of World Records for the largest private collection of Armored Vehicles, with 229 of them. Only a year later, he has 240. But his cancer returns with a vengeance, and in january 2009, he tells bill hes just hoping to finish one thing before he dies the ongoing restoration of a superrare German Panzer v panther. Jacques considers it his greatest find. The story, as we understand it, was it had to retreat, and on its way through poland, it attempted to cross a frozen river. And the tank broke through the ice and fell to the bottom. It sat under this river for about 50 years. Its not in good condition. This particular restoration started off looking worse than this turret right here. It was remanufactured here in its entirety. Just in time for a fastfading Jacques Littlefield. We had a discussion about it, and although the turret had not been put on it, he smiled and he said, im satisfied. Look at it now. How long does this take . The total restoration took seven years. Its one of only two that are really restored to this degree. How much did he pay for it . This is a fairly valuable tank. There are multiple millions of dollars in it. On january 7, 2009, just days after he tells bill boller hes satisfied, Jacques Littlefield passes away at the age of 59. [ bagpipes playing ] there was a procession, and the coffin was carried on the back of a tank. The mechanics hed been working with thought that would be a fitting way to send him off. Jacques wills the entire tank collection to his children. It was really scary to lose him so young. I turned 20 a month before he passed away, and it kind of went from being in college to having to take on a lot of responsibility very quickly. So, what do you do when youve inherited a collection of 240 Armored Vehicles . In keeping with jacques wishes, theres a trust for the tanks, controlled by allison and her half brothers, but no instructions on what to do with them. He never left me with any sort of message regarding the tanks, specifically. So the siblings call jacques friend bill boller back to active duty. Hell lead the littlefield heirs through the quagmire ahead. The objective was to find a longterm solution. In the short term, im wondering what its like to drive one of these things. Why dont you climb up and get in the drivers seat . Right on cue. Bill says its an m551 sheridan, one of jacques favorites. Okay, im up. How do i get in . Any way you can get down in there is fair game. I can always get new knees, i suppose. [ laughs ] if you look on the floor, youll see theres a great, big single brake in the center. Got it brake. And theres a foot throttle on the right. Probably no texting at this time. Probably not a good idea. Okay. Were not gonna turn on anything else other than, now, the starter, which is the next lever over. You push up on that. Start. [ engine turns over ] just like that, she comes to life. Oh, my gosh. Okay. So. Are you belted in . Ive got a great, big handle i can hang on to here, and if i get in trouble, ill just jump. Put your other foot on the accelerator and let the brake off, and were out of here. Go for it. Pull hard as you can. Pull real hard. Give it lots of gas. [ tracks screech ] right there is just fine. I think thats good. [ engine shuts off ] oh. Enjoyed it so much. I cant wait to do it again. [ laughs ] can i come back tomorrow . Well, weve got 80 more that youve got to try. Theyre all different. I should testdrive them before i make a decision. [ laughing ] yeah. After their fathers death, the littlefield heirs retain a Skeleton Crew of mechanics, just to keep all those tanks in good shape. Did you ever say to yourselves, lets just sell it . No. I was hoping that we could maybe keep the collection somewhere locally, but after all those options were explored, there wasnt any way we could keep the collection together here. Then, in 2013, a visitor from the east drops in. Rob collings represents a welltodo family in massachusetts thats devoted to military history. Lets go for a flight. He tours the country with world war ii planes, like this b17 flying fortress. Collings is looking to maybe buy a tank or two, when bill boller takes the conversation to a whole new level. Bill said, you know, i dont want to sell you a tank. I thought to myself, what did i say . He goes, i want you to have the whole collection. In short order, the two men draw up a plan to create a Jacques Littlefield tank exhibit in massachusetts. We would grant all the assets to them, and they would take the responsibility to provide the plans for a building, the land for a building. But just because youre willing to give away a fleet of tanks doesnt mean you can just hand over the keys and be done with it. Is a family that inherits something this vast responsible for also raising the finances to do it . I dont know of any museum, even those that are wellfunded, that would volunteer and come in and take on this type of a responsibility. For this entire scheme to work, the littlefields must accept an arrangement to raise a certain amount of money. Did you know what that number was . Yes. And its a big chunk of change. Can they do it . Sold. Thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. This german personnel carrier from Jacques Littlefields collection was driven by lee marvin in the world war ii classic film the dirty dozen. Whats this model of halftrack called . Is it a. The answer when we return. All right brad, once again i have revolutionized the songwriting process. Oh, here we go. I know i cant play an instrument, but this. This is my forte. Obviously, for auto insurance, weve got the wheel route. Obviously. Retirement, were going with a longterm play. Makes sense. Pet insurance, wait, let me guess. Flea flicker. Yes howd you know . Studying my playbook . Yeah, actually. Award winning interface. Award winning design. Award winning engine. The volvo xc90. The most awarded luxury suv of the century. So, whats this 12ton vehicle used in the world war ii classic the dirty dozen called . Its a, a prime mover. Lee marvin drives it, playing an insubordinate officer on a Top Secret Mission to assassinate a group of nazi generals. Its july of 2014, and the littlefield family is nervous. Theyve agreed to donate their strange inheritance the largest private collection of Armored Vehicles in the world for a new museum to be built by the collings foundation, in massachusetts. The foundation cannot house all 240 tanks in the museum, just the cream of the crop. We had a methodology going into this of what vehicles we wanted to present, and that boiled down to 85 tanks. Theyre Jacques Littlefields greatest treasures. They include the personnel carrier used in the dirty dozen and the German Panzer v panther tank that Jacques Littlefield finished restoring right before he died. Littlefields kids wish collings didnt have to split up their dads collection but know some must be sacrificed to fund a permanent home for the rest. And museums cost a lot of money. So, along with bill boller, they gear up for a barnburner of an auction on their ranch outside san francisco. Its not easy to put a collection together and have the funds to open up a museum. Did you know what that number was going into the auction . Yes around 10 million. 10 million dollars, and failures not an option. If the numbers fall short, some of their fathers most prized vehicles that they dearly want in his namesake exhibit must go. We picked out five very, very rare vehicles and we put a high premium on those. Valued at several hundred thousand dollars each, the five include this sherman tank, the last of its kind. A german 8ton halftrack, just as coveted as the 12ton used in the dirty dozen. An American Amphibious assault vehicle. A German Panzer iv. And this jumbo sherman, one of just eight in the world. What was that day like . I dont even know how to describe it. It was a little bit nerveracking, like, oh, are we gonna raise the amount of money that we need . [ auctioneer calling ] the auction seems to get off to a strong start. This 2s7 selfpropelled gun fetches 92,000. This humber armored car 97,000. Amphibious tank 172,500. Grant tank 276k. Stuart tank 310k. And that scud missile launcher goes for 345,000. Theyre north of a million, heading toward 2, but still a long way from 10. Will they have to sell any of those rare tanks to reach their objective . That was the milliondollar question. The answer next. Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it. Send me an email or go to our wed love to tell it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. Hey, who are you . Oh, hey jeff, im a car thief. What . im here to steal your car because, well, thats my job. What . What . . What . laughing what . . What . what . [crash] what . haha, it happens. And if youve got cutrate Car Insurance, paying for this could feel like getting robbed twice. So get allstate. And be better protected from mayhem. Like me. [voiceover] this is an urgent message from the International Fellowship of christians and jews. There is an emergency food crisis for elderly Holocaust Survivors in the former soviet union. This is a fight against time. What were dealing with is coming out, meeting someone whos 85, 90 years old, cant get around, has no food, has no water, and just wants to give up and die. And thats where we come in. We are called to comfort these people, to be a blessing to their lives. [voiceover] for just 25, well rush an emergency survival package to help one desperate elderly person for a month. Call right now. [eckstein] call the number on your screen. In ukraine, theres no supper network. They dont have food cards or neighbors that come in to help. Theyre turning to us because they have nowhere else to turn. [voiceover] your gift is a life line to help these elderly jewish Holocaust Survivors, help them to live out their final years with dignity and love. Call right now. [eckstein] call the number on your screen. What i pray is that you wont turn your eyes, but you will look at their suffering and your heart will be changed. [voiceover] with your gift of just 25, we can rush an emergency survival package to help one desperate elderly person for a month. Call right now. [eckstein] call the number on your screen. Now the conclusion of strange inheritance. For all their lives, the children of Jacques Littlefield watch their dad collect tanks, tinker with them, and deploy them in the coolest birthdayparty entertainment ever. After he dies, they decide to share their strange inheritance with the world. Whats it gonna be like to go into the structure and not see tanks anymore . I dont know if its so much as seeing tanks as its the smell of the diesel and the grease that i really love. 200,000 to start the bidding. 200,000. Having agreed to donate the collection to the collings foundation, allison and her half brothers must watch some of their dads tanks be auctioned off in order to raise 10 million to erect a museum in his honor. [ auctioneer calling ] but as the auction nears the end, it appears receipts are still short of that target. At least one of five superrare tanks the littlefields fervently hoped to see in the museum may have to be sold, but which one . Sold. The bidders get to choose. Only one of the five tanks attracts a bid above the confidential reserve. Its the 8ton german halftrack, a hot ticket from world war ii. And it goes for 1. 2 million. The auction passes the 10 million mark. For the littlefields, its mission accomplished. Is this what your dad would want . Are you convinced . I think this is definitely the best option that we have available to keep the core collection together and have his name attached to it. When we are through with the collings museum, this will arguably be the finest collection of its sort anywhere. And itll be the littlefield collection. Itll be the littlefield collection. Remember how we told you about Jacques Littlefields july 4th tradition, when he would haul out an m60 patton tank and stage a fight between the tank and a civilian car . Its so much fun, we thought you might like to see another of jacques confrontations. [ all cheering ] [ laughs ] all right in your own backyard. What a dad. Im jamie colby for strange inheritance. Thanks so much for watching. And remember, you cant take it with you. The following is a paid advertisement for time lifes music collection. Chances are cause i wear a silly grin there are artists well always remember. Mona lisa, mona lisa men have named you there are beautiful songs, words and memories that will always touch our hearts. Its impossible to tell the sun to leave the sky its just impossible this is the music of your life
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