Pickup Line

Next time you see Robert Redford eyeing your car, get ready to make a deal. Redford, currently directing and starring in The Horse Whisperer, was filming on location in Livingston, Mont., when he spotted — and fell in love with — a beat-up blue '77 Ford pickup. A crew member was dispatched to make the truck's owners what was apparently a decent proposal: Locals Debbie and Scott Nelson relinquished the vehicle, even though it was a wedding present they had bought themselves 20 years ago. ''It's got quite a history,'' says Debbie, who won't reveal the sale price, except to say that it was slightly less than the $7,000 the couple paid for it. ''It was tough to sell.'' Redford, insisting on using the truck in the film, gave the vehicle a $5,000-plus Hollywood makeover, including new tires and a coat of cherry red paint that was promptly treated to give it a weathered look. Not unlike the director himself.