The Pittsburg Press published these photos in 1925 along with the following caption:
“Unless one has been started by another motion picture producer since the above pictures were taken a short time ago, these photographs show the only motorized motion picture making company in the world. It is the transcontinental production unit of the Universal Pictures corporation, which is now making pictures in representative cities of the United States. The unit consists of a luxurious motor pullman, weighing more than seven tons, and a specially built hauling unit of 112 horsepower. The pullman is comfortably equipped for four persons, with dining and sleeping accommodations, developing and printing rooms and a radio outfit. In the upper photograph is shown the unit and the company which is engaged in making the pictures, while below is shown an interior view of one end of the motor pullman.”
This transcontinental production unit was used to film footage of scenic and industrial locations in U.S. cities as part of a national production called “See America First.” Universal president Carl Laemmle conceived the idea of “See America First” in order to show America to Americans and the rest of the world through motion pictures. The custom truck pulling it looks beefy for the mid 1920s, and I would really like to know who made it. One story described it as a huge, specially built roadster with seven speeds that could attain a speed of 90 mph when not pulling the trailer. With the Pullman attached, it had gone as fast as 50 mph, but the usual cruising speed was 20-25 mph. It would definitely take some time to see America at that rate.
This was still the era of silent movies, and 1925 was the year Universal released some memorable ones like The Phantom of the Opera starring Lon Chaney. Universal released another movie that year called “Oh Doctor!” This comedy starred Reginald Denny and Mary Astor, and it also included some racing scenes. The title card that precedes the racing action says, “Ascot Speedway – where they “make ’em go,” and it does look like it was filmed at Ascot in the 1920s. Hit play below, and the video will start at the correct place.
