Earl C. Anthony is perhaps best known as the Packard distributor for the state California from 1915 to 1958.
First shot is an interesting one of Johnnie Parsons. Is there any info on this one, Rootie? Could this have been taken during one of his Eastern swings when he ran tracks like Reading and Allentown? The second shot is singer Marty Robbins with what I think is a micro midget. I've seen stories where Robbins was always interested in racing and had gotten to know midget drivers like Jimmy Bryan and Bobby Ball when he was working in the Phoenix area in the late 1940s. This must be Bessie Lee Paoli in the last shot (possibly with her husband?) and her Kurtis Championship car around 1955. Chuck Stevenson's son told me that she agreed to marry her husband only on the condition that he buy her a race car. As I understand it the Springfield Welding company is still in business today and still owned by family members.
The 29 car is the Ted Nyquist car that J.P. raced on the east coast and I believe he then bought it and then raced it all over the U.S. Robbins started out racing micro midgets around the Nashville area in the late 5os.
The tall guy sitting in the middle (I don’t know his name) was a member of the “Hollywood Stars” baseball team, a minor league team in the long forgotten Pacific Coast League. The team played at Gilmore Stadium in the Fairfax district of Hollywood, between 1938 and 1957. The primary owner of the team was Robert H. Cobb, who owned the Brown Derby restaurants ( think he also invented the Cobb Salad). He enlisted some financial support and enthusiasm from celebrities who became stockholders and part-owners of the team included Gary Cooper, William Powell, Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Taylor, George Raft, Gene Autry (who later became owner of his own major league franchise), George Burns and Gracie Allen, Bing Crosby, Cecil B. DeMille, and Harry Warner (Warner Brothers Pictures). I used to go to some of the games. The Hollywood celebs knew how to drink and have a good time. Sometimes they were more fun to watch than the games. In 1955, (I was 16) actress Jane Mansfield was named “Miss Hollywood Star”. But even those big cans couldn’t save the team. It was over by 1957, the Dodgers said goodbye to Brooklyn and came to L.A….
In 1955, (I was 16) actress Jane Mansfield was named “Miss Hollywood Star”. But even those big cans couldn’t save the team. As i remember Jane M dated a pitcher for the Hollywood Stars named Bo Belinsky.. Could be wrong..It was along time ago
The Jalopy Journal
