Tag: Ascot

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See America First: Universal’s Transcontinental Production Unit

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.

Advertising the display of Universal’s transcontinental production unit in front of the Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto.

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.

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A Race Filled with Legends

This marvelous graphic from the November 23, 1924, Pomona Bulletin shows the favorites going into that year’s Thanksgiving Day race at Ascot:

On the left is legendary Erwin “Cannon Ball” Baker, the inspiration for the Cannonball Run. Baker set many records for cross-country rides in the early years of the 1900s including a 1914 sprint from San Diego to New York, made on Indian motorcycle in just eleven days. For the Ascot race, Baker was driving a stock Jewett. The man in the center, Cliff Bergere, had a side gig as a Hollywood stuntman and participated in 16 Indy 500 races including the 1941 race in which he went the distance without a single pit stop. He also served during World War II and was a major in the US Army upon discharge. Bergere was driving for Deusenberg, and so was the man on the right, Frank Lockhart. Dubbed “The Boy Wonder,” Lockhart was a talented and innovative racer and Indy winner who met a tragic end at Daytona Beach in 1928 while making a run at the land speed record in a Stutz Black Hawk Special. Incredibly, video of the crash, blamed on tire failure, can be found here on YouTube.

There was another familiar name there for that Thanksgiving Day race, and just look at this colorful write-up about him:

There were 43 starters in all that day, driving approximately 250 miles before a crowd of 50,000 that included celebrities like Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. The victory went to Lockhart who slid into first place on the 31st lap and drove a masterful race, finishing in 3 hours, 21 minutes and 40 seconds. He made only one stop with 25 miles to go, and that was to lighten his load by ditching his mechanic. This photo of the action appeared in the LA Times:

The caption above the photo reads, “Photo shows Frank Lockhart, driving his No. 27 Duesenberg, coming down one of the sharp turns with C. A. Chamberlain, at the wheel of the No. 25 Chrysler, close behind. Lockhart, whose speed on the turns won him the race, almost got ruined in this particular instance as Chamberlain was hot on his trail. Inset shows “The Boy Wonder” as he finished the race.”

Cannon Ball Baker had tire problems but managed to cross the finish line on a rim exactly four minutes after Lockhart to take second place. Bergere finished ninth. Unfortunately, there was no mention of what happened to Nebraska’s Noel Bullock, but you can read more about him here: Bullock, Garrett, and the Franklin Mile Speedway: The “Real Stuff” of Nebraska Racing History