selfie with you, taylor. i'm jamie colby for "strange inheritance." and remember, you can't take it with you. ♪ >> a mysterious death. >> the story of my strange inheritance occurred when they fished my cousin's body out of the gowanus canal. >> a flood of questions. >> you think it's something sinister? >> i do think there's something going on. >> are the answers locked in storage? >> i just shook my head and i go, "oh, my god, this is a nightmare." >> he was, one might say, an idiot savant. nobody has what he had. howie frank had the best. >> he was sitting on a photo collection potentially worth $10 million. >> they dubbed him the "million dollar beggar." is it worth a million dollars? >> don't change that channel. it's a made-for-tv "strange inheritance." >> dy-no-mite! [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ]

[ bird caws ] ♪ >> i'm jamie colby, and today i'm in brooklyn, new york, on my way to meet three brothers at a self-storage joint in historic coney island. that's where they found their strange inheritance, left to them by a homeless relative with a big surprise under lock and key. >> my name's seth lerner. our second cousin, howard frank, died mysteriously in 2012. that's when my brothers and i found out that we inherited the contents of his five storage units. we were shocked the first time we rolled up those doors. >> hi, guys. i'm jamie. >> i'm ian. >> good to meet you. >> hi. i'm seth. >> nice to meet you both. you wrote me about a wild story about a cousin and that he left all his belongings here? >> his whole life is here in this storage bin. >> howard rented five of these

10x15-foot units. >> when we opened up the lockers, we actually found a place where he might have been sleeping. >> wow. >> we didn't really know until we found this place. he never really told us. >> they did not need to be told back in the spring of 2012 that their 55-year-old cousin's life was unraveling. >> he always looked very disheveled. wore the same clothes over and over again, did not bathe. >> didn't bathe? >> did not bathe. was afraid of water. >> the lerner brothers do what they can to help. seth is a successful art director. todd and ian are dentists. >> i felt bad for him, and if there was something i could do, i would, whether it's doing dental work for him, giving him a little money to eat. >> but they don't know that howard, who once had a thriving business, is now begging for money on the streets -- a familiar figure outside several brooklyn synagogues. you seem to have sadness. >> it's sad.

you know, the whole thing is sad. the best way to describe howard is he was a lost soul. >> was he mentally ill? >> i would say there was a certain amount of mental illness, but not anything that was dangerous to other people. >> then seth gets a distressing call from cousin howard. >> it was an odd conversation. he wanted to remind me that he wanted to be buried near his parents, and i said, "howard, you're a young man. why worry about these things?" and he says, "well, i have to worry about them." >> on june 28th, howard frank's body is found floating in brooklyn's gowanus canal. police suspect it's a suicide. do you believe that he committed suicide, seth? >> no, i don't think so. >> you think it's something sinister? >> i can't put my finger on it, but i do think there was some type of cover-up or conspiracy. >> this much is true. it's, as they used to say on television, one of those 8 million stories in the naked

city that make great tabloid copy. i wanted to read you a section that i found curious. "the city medical examiner's office says the cause of death has yet to be determined but did not conduct an autopsy, at the family's request." is that true? >> no, that's not true. we were never contacted by the medical examiner's office. >> there was no autopsy. >> no. >> no. >> who said "no autopsy," then, if it wasn't you? >> somebody from the jewish community came down there and told the medical examiner that howard had no family, no living relatives, that there should be no autopsy. >> howard's death draws media attention -- not only for its mysterious circumstances, but also because of what his cousins find hidden away inside his five storage units in coney island. >> howard frank used to beg for money, even though he was sitting on a photo collection potentially worth $10 million.

>> he saved everything. >> what the hell is that? >> is howard really a millionaire beggar? i take the deep dive into this strange inheritance next. >> but first, our quiz question. the answer after the break.

dearthere's no other way to say this. it's over. i've found a permanent escape from monotony. together, we are perfectly balanced. our senses awake. our hearts racing as one. i know this is sudden, but they say...if you love something set it free. see you around, giulia

>> the answer is "b," fort lauderdale. while self-storage facilities date back to ancient china, the first u.s.-based operation, lauderdale storage, opened in 1958. >> todd, ian, and seth lerner inherit the contents of five storage lockers in coney island, new york, from their second cousin howard frank, who dies mysteriously in june 2012. what they find inside has some in the press speculating that howard had locked away a fortune worth anywhere from $1 million to $10 million. >> it's a mystery that's still unfolding -- a collection vast enough that howard frank needed storage space. >> you wrote me to come take a look at it. >> i did, yes.

>> well, i'm ready to take a look. >> great. >> really? open sesame! is this howard frank's version of aladdin's cave? piled to the ceiling -- photographs of classic tv stars, boxes and file cabinets full of them, going back to the 1950s. captain's log! there are hundreds of "star trek" photos. and from "the flying nun," more than 10,000. and "a horse, of course." it's "mr. ed." lucy? >> yeah. he had a fondness for lucy. >> who doesn't? look at these pictures. oh, my goodness. this is iconic stuff. >> yeah. >> "batman"? >> mm-hmm. >> "happy days." >> "happy days." >> these are some of the greatest shows. look how young they are! and now that you've been in the storage lockers, how many are in there? >> it's probably close to 2 million. it's just an incredible amount

of media. >> so how, and why, did their cousin get it all? that's a real brooklyn tale. it begins in 1956, when howard frank is born in bensonhurst, the second of two sons. >> i know there was a lot of family problems. >> what kind of problems? >> i think there's some type of mental instability. it was a very difficult family to be raised in. >> many of us have been there. thank goodness for tv. howard's a fan of hit shows of the era, like "leave it to beaver" and reruns of one of his favorites, the popular western "the lone ranger." in his teens, howard begins writing to tv studios, requesting photos of his favorite stars. his early collection includes these "i love lucy" photos, behind-the-scenes shots from "batman," and autographed pictures of his hero, clayton moore. >> howie lived and breathed

photos. >> fred westbrook, now a hollywood talent agent, met howard frank when they were both teenagers, prowling around photo shows in manhattan in the 1970s. >> he was, one might say, an idiot savant. he was a walking encyclopedia on the history of television. >> the two become fast friends, despite howard's quirks. >> as much as howie loved photos, he hated water. he didn't go swimming -- deathly afraid of water. so that means he didn't shower that much. >> howard is especially close to his father, alex, a disabled accountant confined to a wheelchair who works from home. >> howie and his father were very, very close. and they supported each other. >> with that support, howard takes his photo hobby to the next level. he drops out of middle school and begins selling his prints at flea markets. then, in 1974, howard's dad

injects the capital to expand his son's enterprise. >> he uses $12,000 from an inheritance to buy out a well-known celebrity photo shop in manhattan. why do you think his dad put him into this business? >> from alex's point of view, he probably knew somewhere down the line that he wasn't gonna be around forever, and he wanted to give him a chance. >> i also think it was something that alex and he could do together. >> in the buyout, howard snaps up photos from game shows, including "family feud" and "the dating game" -- also, sitcoms like "the munsters" and "laverne and shirley." >> there was about 200,000 photos and books in that collection, and suddenly, howard was in business. >> at just 18, howard officially launches his own company, called personality photos, and sets up shop inside the family home. >> the pictures were

everywhere -- on the bed, under the bed, turn the oven off, put them in the oven. but, boy, what a treasure trove. >> after howard's mother dies in 1978, father and son become inseparable. who was taking care of who? >> i think it was mutual. howard was basically alex's legs, and alex was the business guy. >> in the days before the internet, newspapers, magazines, and tv stations rely on independent dealers like howard to provide them with photos. and howard builds an impressive client list. >> howie would physically walk to the major publications and meet the editors and say, "hey, i have all these archives." 'cause nobody had what he had. >> picture an editor on deadline who needs a shot of fred gwynne or one of adam west without his batman cowl. fastest way to get it -- call howard, who locates the physical photo in a cabinet, box, that oven, or even in this messy stack next to the sink, then

mails the print, with an invoice of 75 bucks an image. >> we found loads of tv guides that he sold photos to, and we found evidence that he supplied photos for the franklin mint for their plates and things like that, for john wayne, lucille ball, elvis presley. >> did he own them? >> no, he didn't own them, but studios sent out press photos for years and years, and they were handed out for promotion. so he had just as much right to them as anyone else. >> by the early 1990s, howard and his dad are raking in more than $200,000 a year. things are looking good. howard next surprises both friends and family with some big news. >> i get a call from howie, and he says he's gonna get married. i was the best man. i was happy for him and shocked. >> but the honeymoon is short-lived. howard gets divorced less than a year later. then, in 2001, another loss --

howard's father passes away. >> he was the rock that i think kept howard together in terms of having a connection to somebody, and i think it was kind of devastating for him. >> he started to spiral, he started to lose focus. >> at the same time, howard's business becomes one of the many wiped out by the internet. when you need that picture of gary coleman or david hasselhoff fast, why call howie from brooklyn when you can instantly download your choice of shots from an online catalog? for the next several years, howard lives off his savings, but eventually lands on the street, moving his trove of pictures to those five storage units in coney island. >> he loved the pictures so much, he would go without eating. it was his life and made him who he was. >> then in the spring of 2012, howard tells his cousins he

fears for his life. he even makes a fatalistic request, in connection with his favorite show, "the lone ranger." >> somehow, he identified with that character. he told me at the time we make his tombstone, he wanted the word "lone ranger" somehow brought onto that. >> howard's cousins just don't know what to make of his ramblings about an overdue loan, money he says he borrowed from a business associate to cover the rent on his storage lockers. was he paranoid or did he have a legitimate reason to be concerned? >> i think he had a legitimate reason to be concerned. he may have pushed the wrong people. >> whether murder, suicide, or accident, on june 28, 2012, the body of howard frank is found floating in the gowanus canal. >> howard frank was last seen alive the night of june 27th, begging for assistance at one of his usual spots. >> no one in howard's family, including his estranged older

brother, is contacted to approve an autopsy. the d.a. opens an investigation, but with a lack of evidence, soon closes the case. and for years, that's where everything sits, until the heirs call in "strange inheritance." we can tell their story, but can we help? well, turns out i know a guy. what are some of the valuable things that you did stumble across? >> here's another quiz question for you. the answer when we return.

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>> so, which actress was originally offered elizabeth montgomery's role of samantha stephens in "bewitched"? it's tammy grimes. the two-time tony award winner didn't like the premise of the show and wanted to know why samantha wouldn't use her magical powers to stop wars or untangle l.a. traffic jams. >> after their second cousin howard frank dies a mysterious death in 2012, brothers todd, ian, and seth lerner are the sole heirs to howard's nearly 2 million entertainment photos. media reports speculate the inventory of howard's defunct business could still be worth a fortune. could that be true? auction house executive bobby livingston volunteers to help sort things out. so, this is just one of the lockers you looked at. >> that's right. >> so, did howard know what he was doing? >> i think howard knew what he was doing for his time. he's got every television show.

he was obsessed with getting one of everything. >> so, rummaging through the unit is like a flashback to our childhoods. "good times"! >> these were publicity photos. you would have to get someone like howard to find you a picture of "good times." if people magazine, for instance, was doing an article on "good times," they would call howard. >> and then he would give it to them for a fee. >> that's right. but those days are long gone, and so, unfortunately, the value of these prints have gone down considerably. >> well, one thing that is never gonna be gone -- "dy-no-mite!" i love this guy. oh, my god -- j.j. bobby tells me you could sell these prints on ebay for a few dollars apiece -- and the signed ones, more like 10 bucks. >> it's fantastic, right? neat. >> but bobby does find, among the dime-a-dozen don johnsons, alfs, and mr. t's, some real gems. what do you have? >> well, you know, one of the coolest things i found, which is

an original elizabeth montgomery "bewitched" photo. >> i love elizabeth montgomery. >> well, these are original "bewitched" test shots, and you can see she went through herself and put "kill" on them -- she didn't like it -- and she put a question mark on that one, which was kind of neat. >> "i look like i should be sitting in the dentist chair. kill." well, for elizabeth montgomery, someone that's a big fan of hers, this has value? >> yeah, absolutely. probably these are worth $100, $200 each. >> what if there are more like these filed away in these cabinets? here's my bottom-line question about all this. is it worth a million dollars? that's next. what's your "strange inheritance" story? we'd love to tell it. send me an e-mail or go to our website, strangeinheritance.com. liberty mutual stood with me when this guy got a flat tire in the middle of the night, so he got home safe. yeah, my dad says our insurance doesn't have that. what?! you can leave worry behind when liberty stands with you™.

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i hawhen i think about beingght trelated to thomas jefferson,. it certainly makes me feel a sense of pride the tenacity of not only that he showed in his life but was given to me through the slaves that i'm birthed through as well. it makes me think that there's really no excuse for me in any area of my life to not be able to conquer anything. ♪ >> now back to "strange inheritance." >> after inheriting their cousin's trove of nearly 2 million entertainment photos, the lerner brothers are trying to figure out what to do with

it. do you have a plan? >> we pretty much don't know what we're gonna do with it. it's too big for us to do anything with. >> to help them weigh their options, i've invited auction house executive bobby livingston to meet us here at the storage lockers, where he's taken a deep dive into the photo hoard. what kind of condition is it in? >> it's in all kinds of condition. your cousin just didn't really care too much about condition. he cared about quantity. >> so, based on your analysis, do you have good news or not-so-good news? >> well, it's a very difficult thing to be able to give you a value, 'cause i didn't get to go through everything. but i think you could probably look at maybe a couple hundred thousand dollars. [ cash register dings ] >> so, call him the "quarter million dollar beggar." maybe. because, as bobby livingston explains, his estimate can only be realized by scanning, listing, and selling the photos individually. >> well, you have to inventory it because there are some really great things in there, and then

there's a lot of things that aren't so cool. but if you really want to understand its value, that's something you're gonna have to do. >> but think about that. if you spent just two minutes on each image, it would take nearly eight years working around the clock to get through howard's 2 million pictures. so, do you have the time to do these individually? >> no, we don't. >> because you guys have day jobs. >> yes, real jobs. >> and it's costing you a pretty penny to keep them stored up. >> we've probably spent, in storage fees, about $6,000 a year. >> so, what do you think you'll do? >> i think if a person came along and said, "we'll give you a couple hundred thousand dollars for it," i would say, "here. take the whole thing. bye. see ya." >> would it be a relief? >> it would be a big relief. >> what would really ease their minds would be to finally answer the questions they continue to have about howard's death. did it somehow stem from a dispute over those 2 million pictures? they still think so but have

found no proof. and listening to cousin todd talk about his strange inheritance, i can't help but think this is just not the way a made-for-tv story is supposed to end. >> you know, i think when people leave you something, you hope that there's some legacy to it, but in this case, when you have to go through somebody's life and clean it up, it's like somebody leaving you something that you really don't want. >> so, unlike the tv shows that howard frank cherished, where all plot points get resolved before the credits roll, he mostly left his cousins nagging questions, still locked up among 2 million pictures. the lerner brothers recall their cousin's request that when he died, he wanted the name of his favorite tv show, "the lone ranger," inscribed on his gravestone. the brothers plan to honor his wish with a stone that quotes from the show -- "ride on, lone ranger. ride on forever."

i'm jamie colby. thanks for watching "strange inheritance." and remember -- you can't take it with you. >> a booze-born idea... >> he said, "i'm thinking i might buy myself a b-17 and put it over a gas station." >> ...to sell burgers and fuel. >> people were lined up for blocks to get in. 30,000 gallons a day. >> decades later, a dad's dying wish. >> art wanted us to restore it to flying condition. >> a family's flight of fancy... >> they're foolish to be trying this. >> ...that's totally the bomb. [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] >> i'm jamie colby, today

driving through salem, oregon, one of the final destinations of settlers on the oregon trail. i'm here to piece together an inheritance story that revolves around a wild bar bet, a crazy roadside attraction, and a sky-high tale of guts and gumption. >> my name is punky scott. when my father passed away, he left me a massive, corroding world war ii bomber that he acquired in a most bizarre adventure. >> i meet punky at this airplane hangar. hi, i'm jamie. >> hi, jamie. thanks for coming today. >> inside isn't a plane, but rusted-out hunks of metal, disheveled stacks of doors and flaps, damaged pieces strewn about. what is all this? >> these are all b-17 parts. >> the b-17 bomber? >> b-17 bomber known as a flying fortress. >> this is an inheritance? >> this is my inheritance.

>> i have got to learn more about who would've left you this. that would be art lacey, punky's father and a character for the ages. during world war ii, the amateur pilot joins the army corps of engineers and worked stateside on military fortifications along the pacific. >> they were looking for someone who was knowledgeable about the coast range, and my dad was very, very helpful. >> in 1944, art opens up a gas station outside portland, oregon, and when the war's over, he wants to rev it up. >> he was very ambitious and intuitive about what customers would really like to have. >> what he thinks they really want to have is not just gas, but an experience. the eureka moment comes when art learns that altus army airfield in oklahoma is selling surplus war planes -- b-17 bombers, to be precise.

>> he said, "you know, i've been kicking around the idea of getting a world war ii bomber and using it as a centerpiece for a gas station." >> jayson scott is art's grandson. >> he thought, "i can end up with a canopy, but i'll also have a roadside attraction that'll draw people to the facility." >> art sets his sights on the right plane, says rob collings, who runs a foundation that organizes living-history events featuring war planes like the b-17. >> it's got a 104-foot wing span, it's 75 feet long, and it has nearly 5,000 horsepower. when this thing was first produced, it was one of the biggest airplanes ever to take to the skies. >> was it very valuable in combat missions? >> yes. heavy bombers, strategic bombers were the most valuable asset that we had. >> so, america builds more than 12,000 b-17s, which drop more than half a million tons of bombs over enemy territory. each plane costs about 200 grand, but the government

heavily discounts them in a post-war garage sale. >> once the war was over, these were just obsolete, so they were basically cutting these things up as scrap. >> so anyone, you give them your cash and you walk off with a plane? >> we didn't need them. there was gonna be no more war. world war ii ended it all, right? >> it's at his 34th birthday party in 1947 when art blurts out his cockamamie scheme to buy one of those b-17s. >> he was with all his cronies and they were having a few adult beverages. one of the guys said, "well, art, there's no way in heck you can do that. that's just not gonna happen." >> well, that was definitely the wrong thing to ever tell him, because he was gonna prove you wrong until the day he died, and he said, "i'll bet you $5 i can do it." >> when the alcohol wears off, he doesn't say to himself, "oh, my god, what was i thinking?" >> never. never in his whole career. >> he sounds like he was a little eccentric. >> he was a wild child, yes.

>> the wild child scrapes up 15 grand and hops the first flight to oklahoma. >> my grandmother never actually admitted whether she thought he was nuts or [laughs] had lost it. >> the flight back would not go so smoothly. >> he slid it across the runway... [ crashing ] ...and he crashed it into another parked b-17. >> but first, our "strange inheritance" quiz question. which hollywood star filmed the crew of a b-17 through 24 missions during world war ii? the answer after the break. ♪ ♪ ♪

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but with truecar, i get real pricing on actual cars in my area. i see what others paid for them, and they show me the ones that match the car i want, so i know i can go to a truecar-certified dealer and it'll be right there waiting for me... today, right now. this is truecar. >> so, which hollywood star filmed the crew of a b-17 bomber through 24 missions during world war ii? it's "a" -- clark gable. >> well, how was it? >> you know, cap, i don't think those germans like us. >> he flew with the 351st bombardment, making a documentary called "combat america." >> in march 1947, gas station owner art lacey shows up at altus army airfield in oklahoma, cash in hand, to purchase a surplus world war ii bomber and fly it back to portland, oregon.

>> he said, "i'm thinking i might buy myself a b-17 and put it over a gas station. >> so, what happened when he said, "hey, i'm here to buy a b-17"? >> it was all controlled by the war assets administration officer, and he was able to strike a deal on a plane. it was $13,750. >> but there's a hitch. >> he didn't know how to fly any aircraft that had more than one engine, and a b-17 has four. he also needed to have a co-pilot, and he didn't have one. >> so in art's telling, he just wings it. >> he said it looked like it was about a mile off where the tower was, and nobody could tell what was going on. >> he slid it across the runway. [ crashing ] and he crashed it into another parked b-17. >> art slumps back to the airfield commander, who art

discovers really wants to get rid of these planes. >> he said, "worst case of wind damage i've ever seen," and wrote that plane and the one he crashed into off as wind damage. >> and then the fellow that was in charge said, "can you come up with any more money?" and he said, "i have $1,500 left to my name in the world. that's it." >> deal. a new bill of sale is typed up, and art's given the title and keys to another flying fortress, number 44-85790. this time, art calls in some pilot buddies to help get the thing home. it must've been some trip, says rob collings. turns out the collings foundation owns a b-17, too. rattling around in the noisy aluminum cockpit, i see that

art's 1,800-mile trip from altus to oregon is no easy flight. of course i have perfect flying weather, unlike art's crew. >> they got caught in a terrible snowstorm, and all of a sudden, they see a mountain right in front of them. fortunately, didn't crash. >> sounds like a movie of the week. >> it does. >> did you ever doubt the story your dad told? >> no. he would embellish, but he always was a pretty truthful man. >> this much is indisputable. art does fly the b-17 all the way to oregon. there he faces another hurdle --

how in the world to get the 100-foot-wide plane the last 20 miles from the airport to his property. can't just drive the beast down the road. or can you? >> he told the trucking company, "no matter what happens, you just keep on going." >> here's another quiz question for you. the answer in a moment.

>> so, which 1960s sitcom was set in a nazi prisoner of war camp? it's "b" -- "hogan's heroes."

the tv classic followed the exploits of a group of allied pows led by colonel robert hogan, played by bob crane. >> in 1947, art lacey lands this recently purchased b-17 bomber in portland, oregon, planning on using the war plane as a canopy over a new set of gas pumps. but first, he has to figure out how to get the massive aircraft to his property. >> he had to take it apart and put it on trucks, but they wouldn't give him any permits 'cause it was still too big. and so he decided he was going to do it anyway. >> in the middle of the night, art sneaks his partially dismantled b-17 out onto the highway. >> he told the trucking company that was moving it, "no matter what happens, you just keep on going, and i'll pay any tickets that you get." made it all the way out there with no problem at all. >> local officials are not amused. >> he was in trouble, but of

course the sentiment right after the war was very patriotic. a woman justice of the peace took sympathy on what was going on, and so she fined him $10. >> four months later, art opens his new bomber gas station with his shiny b-17 canopy. word soon spreads about the unusual attraction. >> his business boomed, and people were lined up for blocks to get in, and in order to keep people in line, we would give them free coke floats and we would wash every windshield, and we pumped a lot of gasoline. >> then art opens a second b-17-themed business right across the lot, the bomber restaurant. he decorates its walls with world war ii photos and memorabilia. >> i was very popular with all my friends. i had an airplane out in front and a cool place to fix meals. >> did he ever get an offer to sell the plane?

>> oh, all the time. >> big numbers? >> million dollars. >> rumors spread that paraguayan rebels and rich collectors are making the seven-figure offers. art says it's not for sale. >> that's a lot more than he paid. >> but it was his sign of his business. >> a business that's making money hand over fist. >> at one time, he was the largest volume single-unit gasoline station in the world -- 30,000 gallons a day. >> for all his nuttiness, he was a smart businessman. >> he very much was so. >> but by the late 1980s, the business of owning an independent gas station is getting tougher. art's mom-and-pop pumps can't compete with the big corporate chains, even with a b-17 overhead. so in 1991, art, now 78 closes down the bomber gas station after 44 years of operation. >> it broke his heart, but that was part of a business that just

had to happen. >> art keeps his bomber up as a symbol of the restaurant, but after four and a half decades exposed to the elements, the war plane is starting to look like she just came out of battle. corroded fuselage, busted parts, even graffiti. maybe it's finally time to send old number 44-85790 to the scrap heap. as he tries to figure out what to do, art learns something that really troubles him. of all those b-17s built to win world war ii -- 12,000 of them -- fewer than 50 have survived. >> we're literally down to a handful of these planes remaining in the world. >> so, battle plans are drawn up to restore the bomber to full flight-worthy condition. >> over the years, i really think it got to his heart. he loved that aircraft.

and he always talked about the veterans and how they valiantly served our nation, and that aircraft stood for that. >> the collings foundation has restored several world war ii bombers. rob collings knows firsthand what art is up against. is it realistic, and what's involved? >> it's monumental. i would say, to a degree, they're foolish to be trying this. >> what are we talking about in terms of time and money? >> i would say about 97,000 man hours. you equate that into one person working, that would be about 54 years of work to do and tens of millions of dollars. >> but art is once again ready to wing it, intent on taking the controls of his flying fortress before he pulls into that big filling station in the sky. to officially kick off the restoration, art finally gives his plane a name, christening her the lacey lady.

>> we were cheering and we were taking pictures and we're playing loud music. it was a lot of fun. >> but this time, art won't see his wild scheme through. in april 2000, he dies of heart failure at age 87, and his family inherits the daunting challenge of restoring the b-17. >> i mean, we are restaurateurs and caterers, not airplane manufacturers. you can't just go down to the store and buy the parts. >> what's your "strange inheritance" story? we'd love to tell it. send me an e-mail or go to our website, strangeinheritance.com.

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[woman] so beautiful. [man] beautiful just like you. [woman] oh, why thank you. [burke] and we covered it, november sixth, two-thousand-nine. talk to farmers. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ >> now back to "strange inheritance." >> the family of art lacey is determined to restore the broken-down world war ii b-17 bomber they've inherited and get her back in the air. >> there were probably a few people who wondered, you know, maybe we're crazy.

but it represents a great era for our country and we need to take care of it. >> did he leave money to do that? >> well, yes and no. at the time, we had to remove all our underground storage tanks from the old gas station, and we had to put almost $600,000 into that. >> the environmental regulations take a big chunk of the money art left behind. the family quickly burns through another 400 grand on costly restorations. at some point, did you realize this was going to cost more than you actually had in your pocket? >> yes, i was somewhat naive. the money that our family had to put into it was just going to not go all that far. >> it was more than we could take on by ourselves. i mean, we are restaurateurs and caterers, not airplane manufacturers. >> so the family creates a nonprofit foundation called the b-17 alliance.

to their amazement, interest in the bomber quickly takes off. >> our volunteers went from 10 volunteers to over 100 volunteers. >> people out of the blue show up and say, "hey, this is a great project and i want to be a part of it. >> those 97,000 man hours suddenly seem possible. donors show up in force, too. >> we just finished a campaign to raise $50,000 in two months, and we were successful. that's really exciting. >> to date, they've raised nearly half a million dollars, enough to move the lacey lady to a restoration facility. but they'll need much more than that to get the plane back in the skies. >> it's a lot of money to restore a b-17 bomber. you can't just go down to the store and buy the parts. >> then another really big break. >> just recently, we had an aerospace manufacturing company that approached us. they said, "we are prepared to donate materials and to build parts free of charge for the

duration of the project." >> a gift potentially worth millions. so what kind of condition is the lacey lady in today? i get a sneak peek at the progress art's heirs have made. >> this is the first section that was restored, and this is the navigator bombardier's compartment. >> how long did this take? >> this took us about three and a half years and about $350,000. >> this ball turret, one of the dozen machine-gun stations, has also been restored. >> this one cost about $25,000, and it's taken a couple of years. >> the current focus -- the bomber's 100-foot wingspan. are these ever gonna be fly-worthy? >> absolutely. they will definitely be flight worthy and reassembled to the fuselage. >> it's a great start, but the family still has a long journey ahead. how many years do you think this will take? >> it's at least a 10-year project. >> how much money is this gonna

cost? >> we estimate the project to be about $6 million on the aircraft itself, and then in order to build a permanent home and museum for the aircraft, about $3 million. >> that's right. the family plans on using the lacey lady as the centerpiece of a museum dedicated to the legacy of world war ii heroes. in fact, they've already created a temporary one here on site. >> we're still a little bit grassroots, but last year we had over 15,000 visitors. >> what is your hope for the restoration? >> i fully expect to see it flying around our country, telling the story of our country and the sacrifices of our veterans. hopefully i'm still around when that is completed. >> a legendary war plane helps preserve freedom, becomes the icon for a small-town business,

and is now inspiring americans once again. what's dad thinking? >> i talk to my dad every day, and it's so important to him and to our whole family that this happen. it was a dream of his, and we've carried it on, and it's coming along beautifully. >> since it may be a while before punky and her family get their b-17 airworthy, we thought we'd leave you with a look at another one of the dozen or so b-17s still flying. in june 2016, a dozen world war ii b-17 veterans, all in their 90s, met at the boeing airfield in seattle to take to the skies. the vets recalled the beating the planes took on combat missions over europe. one vet said, "we brought some back so badly butchered up they never flew again, but they got us home." i'm jamie colby.

thanks for watching "strange inheritance." and remember -- you can't take it with you. right here on fox business. lou: president trump and russian president putin making history and making nice in their first ever face to face meeting at the g20 summit in hamburg. high drama and expectations surrounding their much-anticipated meeting which was scheduled to run a half-hour. instead they talked for more than two hours. two thundershower2 hours 16 min.