Alright, alright, let’s talk about this Leo Beebe fella, the one from that Ford v Ferrari movie. Was he really as bad as they say? Folks got all riled up, callin’ him this and that, but hold your horses, let’s figure it out.
Now, I ain’t no fancy movie critic or nothin’, but I heard folks jabberin’ ’bout this Beebe guy. They say in the movie he’s a real piece of work, makin’ all sorts of trouble. But is that the whole story? I reckon not. Movies, they like to spice things up, ya know? Make it more excitin’ and all that.
See, this Beebe, he was a big shot at Ford back in the day. A real executive, they say. He wasn’t just some nobody. He knew his stuff, ‘specially when it come to sellin’ cars and gettin’ folks all fired up to buy ’em. Marketing and motivatin’, that’s what they called it.
- He was the director of racing at Ford. That’s a big deal, you know.
- He was in charge of the whole darn racing team.
- He had to make some tough choices, that’s for sure.
Now, the movie, it shows Beebe doin’ some pretty mean things. Like that whole mess at the Le Mans race, tellin’ Ken Miles to slow down so they could get a fancy picture. That didn’t sit right with folks, no sir. They say Beebe wanted three Ford cars to cross the finish line together, for the publicity. But was it really all his fault? I ain’t so sure.
See, from what I hear, nobody really knows who made that decision. Maybe it was Beebe, maybe it was someone else. But the movie, it blames Beebe. Makes him look like the bad guy. And people, they love to have a bad guy to point their fingers at.
But let’s back up a bit. Before all this racing stuff, Ford wanted to buy Ferrari. Yeah, that fancy Italian car company. They were talkin’ and talkin’, almost had a deal done. But then, Enzo Ferrari, that old fella who started it all, he changed his mind. Backed out at the last minute. Said he didn’t want to lose control of his racin’ team. And then, to add insult to injury, he went and sold a bunch of Ferrari stock to Fiat. That got Ford all riled up, you can bet on that.
So Ford, they decided they’d build their own racin’ car and beat Ferrari. That’s where this whole Ford v Ferrari thing comes from. And Beebe, he was right in the middle of it all. He had a job to do, get Ford to win. And winnin’ ain’t always easy or pretty.
Now, back to that Le Mans race. The movie makes it seem like Beebe was just tryin’ to be a jerk, messin’ with Ken Miles. But maybe, just maybe, he was doin’ what he thought was best for Ford. Maybe he was under pressure from higher-ups. We don’t know the whole story, do we?
I heard tell that the real Beebe was a pretty respected fella at Ford. He wasn’t some kind of evil monster. He was just doin’ his job, tryin’ to make Ford look good. And sometimes, doin’ your job means makin’ tough choices. Choices that ain’t always popular.
Some folks say the movie took some liberties with the truth, you know, made things up a bit. Made Beebe look worse than he really was. That’s what movies do sometimes. They ain’t always tellin’ the whole truth.
So, was Leo Beebe really that bad? I don’t reckon so. He was a businessman, a company man. He had a job to do, and he did it. Maybe he wasn’t perfect, maybe he made some mistakes. But who doesn’t? We all make mistakes, that’s just life.
And let’s not forget, Ford v Ferrari, that’s just a movie. It’s entertainment. It ain’t a history lesson. So, don’t go believin’ everything you see on the screen. Take it with a grain of salt, as they say.
So there you have it, my two cents on this whole Leo Beebe business. He wasn’t no angel, that’s for sure. But he wasn’t the devil neither. He was just a fella doin’ his job, tryin’ to win a race for Ford. And that’s all there is to it, as far as I’m concerned.
Anyways, that’s how I see it. Now, you can make up your own mind about this Leo Beebe fella. Don’t let no movie tell you what to think. Use your own noodle, that’s what it’s there for.
