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WHERE IS THE JEAN HARLOW L-29?
- Duncan Fox
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While researching body styles in my friend Maurice Hendry?s extensive collection of material I asked about Phil Wrights L29 speedster design and we came up with an artist?s impression on page 23 in Dan Posts 1952 book The Classic Cord.
I scaled the wheelbase and it appears to be 156in, that?s a full 19 inches longer than the Le Grande speedster?s 137 inch as built.
My project will be constructed on the donor 1930 V16 Cadillac?s 148 inch w/base chassis. that extra 11 inches will give a similar look to the photo. I will have to relocate my steering gear and pedals rearward to achieve
"the long hood look".
Can any of you familiar with this book or photo enlighten me as to how this particular artist?s impression came about? I have never seen this one before and I have lusted over and read everything I could on this gorgeous automobile for years. Also what Cord chassis could this have been destined for?
It could only have been a Duesy with that wheel base surely?
When I figure out how to do it I will post the picture.
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- proscriptus
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David B Traver Adolphus
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- Steve Derus
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I just checked and the car is not now and has never been in my garage
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- Chris Summers
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If anyone else has anything else to add to the story, please do so. I know this car has been well-sought in the past.
Chris Summers
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- RandyEma
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- Justin Kerns
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I'd love to see the photos you reference Randy.
Thanks,
Justin
Justin
1932 Auburn 12-160A Sedan
1933 Auburn 12-161A Sedan
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- Chris Summers
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- Justin Kerns
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It appears that the car was always owned by Auburn Automobile Co. and not privately owned from its construction through the last known photos. Is it possible that, for whatever reason, the company dismantled the car and made no attempt to sell it as it was built? Is there any resource known for internal company records or correspondence that may discuss the intent or fate of the car in late 1931?
Does anyone know of an archive of photography from the New York Auto shows? I can't find anything online that goes that far back but surely it should have been photographed there.
Justin
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1933 Auburn 12-161A Sedan
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- mikespeed35
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CORDially Mike
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- Josh Malks
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Thanks to Justin, Chris and Mike for a job well done.
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- AceCollins
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I still wonder how the legend of Harlow and the Cord came about. I have gone through her will, the list of cars she owned during her life and photos of her with her cars (and as she was the most photographed person of her time there were a bunch of them), and except a series of photos of the star and an Auburn Boattail at an air show/race, Jean was never shown or mentioned with with an Auburn product.
1934 Auburn 652Y Four-Door Sedan
1936 Cord 810 Westchester
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- Chris Summers
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Bern had lusted for Harlow for some time. She finally agreed to marry him simply because she wanted to have kids. The license was applied for June 21, 1932, and they married July 2, 1932. No mention is made of a trip to Paris or a honeymoon of any kind. They apparently got married, went back to work, were miserable for two months, and Bern then shot himself September 5.
The important thing to notice is the dates. The Cord appeared in Paris with the apparently unmarried Mlme. Berne (with an "e") in June 1931, over a year before Bern (with no "e") married Jean Harlow. By the time Harlow and Bern married, the speedster had already been to New York, been to Paris, been to Toronto (where it was apparently in other hands), and seems to have been well on its way into history.
So:
> The woman with the car was Mlme Berne. Even if this was a misspelling, "Mlme" indicates unmarried, and comparing photos clearly shows that the woman isn't Harlow. (Some resemblance, but not the same person.) The woman with the car is not Harlow.
> Harlow and Bern married a year after the car's appearance in Paris and by which time it was already in Toronto and on its way "elsewhere."
> Bern owned an L-29 touring car. As Josh said, they knew the difference back then.
> Ace (who seems to know his Harlow) claims Harlow never left the US.
> They apparently never had a real honeymoon much less a jaunt to Europe. How would they have time? They married, worked for two months, and then Bern died.
I think this evidence would convince a jury. Harlow and Bern never owned the car.
Chris Summers
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- Justin Kerns
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www.ddclassic.com/l_29_cord.html
Justin
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1932 Auburn 12-160A Sedan
1933 Auburn 12-161A Sedan
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- Chris Summers
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- Justin Kerns
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1930 - Phil Wright presented the design to Roy Faulkner and Roy decided to have it produced as a show car for 1931 shows
1930, December? - Car extensively photographed in snowy field (Snow photos)
1931, January - The car was shown at the New York Auto Show (has anyone ever seen it photographed at that show?)
1931, June - Car shown and photographed at Paris Auto Show
1931, August - Car photographed in Toronto (Velasco photos)
1931, November - Car photographed in Auburn (Cutter photos)
Is that correct? Anyone have more specific dates?
There is a progression of headlights. It appears to be as follows:
1930 - Snow photos - Woodlites
1931 - Paris Show and later - Marchal or Cord? headlights
I have also observed another change to the car that I have not seen previously mentioned. It relates to the finish of the grill louvers and is as follows:
1930 - Snow photos - grill louvers painted darker body color
1931 - Paris show and later - grill louvers chrome
I've gleaned this info from this thread, newsletter archive searches and my own photo archive. If we can agree on the basic timeline and progression then we will know exactly where the trail ended.
Justin
Justin
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1933 Auburn 12-161A Sedan
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- alsancle
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- Josh Malks
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You may have solved two mysteries simultaneously:
1. Who the unknown lady was.
2. How Harlow's name got attached to the Speedster. (Mlle Berne, not Mme Bern.)
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- Chris Summers
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Mike Huffman and I discovered the September 1931 issue of "The Accelerator," which includes a brief report on the speedster's appearance at a French concours with a picture of the Lady in Question with the car. She is identified as Mlle. Berne.
Editorial conventions of the 1930s would have identified a married Mrs. Berne as Mme. (Madame) Berne. Mlle. is "Mademoiselle," the French equivalent of "Miss." Mlle. Berne was likely unmarried and her name was her own.
I imagine that at some point Mlle. Berne was confused with Mrs. Bern (Jean Harlow, another attractive lady), and from that the rumors spread.
As for the misidentification as Suzy Vernon, Vernon is mentioned and pictured elsewhere in the article, but not with the speedster.
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- Chris Summers
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It should also be noted that the women who accompanied cars to those shows were not necessarily the cars' owners. (Girlfriends, actresses, models, friends of the owner, coachbuilder's wife or daughter, etc. etc.)
The identity of the lady is now one more mystery for you guys to tackle when trying to trace the car. (Me, I'm still trying to find that lost Duesenberg in Europe, and don't have time for lesser rabble. <!-- s:twisted: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_twisted.gif" alt=":twisted:" title="Twisted Evil" /><!-- s:twisted: --> )
Fellow auto lit packrats: The known history of the speedster is well-covered in the December 2004 issue of "Hemmings Classic Car," as part of the article on the Addison recreation.
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- Josh Malks
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In the early years of the ACD Club this photo was mis-identified as being Jean Harlow. That error keeps being cited and repeated. In fact, we really don't know who the woman is. She has been identified as model Suzy Vernon, but Chris Summers has provided a photo which contradicts this. (For sure it wasn't Harlow; she never left the USA.)
The photo also tells us, of course, that the Speedster did spend some time in France.
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- dryesandno
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by the way, how did harlow and berne get connected to the car in the first place? and the idea that it went from Toronto to Paris. where did that come from?
brent
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THE CANADIAN THEOSOPHIST
THE ORGAN OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
IN CANADA
Published on the 15th of every month.
seal here - "There is no Religion Higher than Truth"
- Editor - Albert E. S. Smythe.
- Entered at Toronto General Post-office as second-class matter.
- Subscription, One Dollar a Year.
OFFICERS OF THE T. S. IN CANADA.
GENERAL EXECUTIVE
- Roy Mitchell, 17 Munro Park Ave., Toronto.
- Mrs. Edith Fielding, 206 E. 27th St., N. Vancouver.
- H. R. Tallman, 71 Ellerbeck Ave., Toronto.
- J. Hunt Stanford, 17 Westmoreland Ave., Toronto.
- Felix A. Belcher, 250 North Lisgar St., Toronto.
- Laurance H. D. Roberts, Suite 5 Cornish Court, 19 Sherbrooke Street, Winnipeg.
- Miss Helena M. Hesson, 324 W. 18th Ave., S. Vancouver.
GENERAL SECRETARY
- Albert E. S. Smythe, 22 West Glen Grove Ave., Toronto 12.
the above appears to confirm the address for Harold Tallman and further confirms that his middle initial was "R".
sometimes Jim Brockman was not always correct in his information. he wrote an article for the ACD newletter that indicated my 1937 supercharged phaeton's first owner was E. P. Taylor, a bigger than life tycoon in our country. However i have since been able to trace every owner of the car and the original first owner was Gordon Taylor Jr. that won many important golf tournaments in our country in the early 30's and was no relation to E. P. Taylor. i spoke to the family of E. P. Taylor who confirmed that he had never owned such a car. The family of Gordon Taylor lived in a posh part of Toronto and had an investment firm in the heart of the business section in Toronto at King and Bay.
so we need to go back through Brockman's records and double check his theories to see if they are correct with respect to the Harlow Cord.
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- dryesandno
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there are over 30 listings for R. Velasco in the Toronto and surrounding area phone book. it seems that Velasco is a pretty common name around here......
where did Raphael Velasco live? do we know anything about the guy?
brent
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- dryesandno
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mr cutter, he is driving the car after it was in toronto according to your timelines. so he was an auburn service manager in auburn indiana or in toronto, ontario or elsewhere?
brent
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- mikespeed35
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1. The photo of the people in the car on the farm was taken Nov. 1931. The man driving the car is Mr. Cutter and family. He was the Auburn service manager.
2. The picture with the young girl in the car was taken Aug. 1931. At the time the car was in the possion of Raphael Velasco. The photo was taken at the home of Harold Tallman, 71 East Ellerbeck Ave. Toronto Canada. The photo was taken by Dr. Ken Campbell with his girl friend Freda Thompson behind the wheel.
3. The back ground of the third photo is Knox College, 23 Kings College Circle, University of Toronto.
As you can see Jim did much research.
CORDially Mike
Mike Huffman
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And correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly certain that at least 3 replicas have been built.
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I think I got TWO different cars confused here. I now see that the "Auburn Speedster she posed in at the National Air Races." is meant to be a different car than the exotic car in opening photos on this thread. And Also agreed that there are probably lots of old auto photos with Harlow, that are simply of the actress posing with interesting cars, at special events (Like the National Air Races) of cars that were owned by others.
So STILL interested in seeing the NAR/Harlow/Speedster photo that was referenced, above, with possibility of finding other Auburn & Cord photos of her and those cars. I have a whole SLEW of NAR photos of Mary Pickford in Auburns and other cars at NAR, maybe some L-29s too. Some good ones of L-29s with some of the most famous and winning female air racers. (The press sometimes referred to Henderson as "The Master of Ballyhoo.") Some with unidentified VIPS (probably politicians). And I must admit, I sometimes get confused between the large open Auburns, and the Cord L-29s, when just in side views <!-- s:oops: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_redface.gif" alt=":oops:" title="Embarassed" /><!-- s:oops: -->
There a a number of L-29 photos with so many VIPS posed in front, or along side, that one can barely see the cars. Will try to find a few oddities to post.
Joe G.
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- Josh Malks
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As others have noted Paul Bern did own an L-29. When his estate was probated it was listed as a "touring car". In that era everyone knew the difference between a "touring car" and a "roadster". There is almost zero likelihood of the body styles being confused with each other.
I would enjoy discussion on this, especially if there is contradicting evidence. We can all keep learning. But what all of us would most enjoy is the phone call that says -- "Hey, I got this funny-looking car in a barn with front wheel drive and a pointy tail. I'm gonna tear the barn down so gimme a hundred bucks and tow it outa there."
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- memaerobilia
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I have a couple of thousand original photos from The National Air Races that were the personal archives of the Managing Director, Cliff Henderson. There are lots of photos of many different models of (mostly open cars)Cords and Auburns, including numerous photos with many starlets and actresses. A good amount from the 1933 National Air Races in L.A., with lots of movie stars. Henderson was quite the playboy and dated and hosted more movie stars/actresses, than one could count. If you or Josh could provide me with even a small thumbnail photo of the photo of Harlow/Speester/NAR, It might help me to turn up something, fresh. There are so many blond actresses in those L.A. photos that they all start to look alike, after a while. I am most interested in seeing what Harlow might have been wearing that day, and that could narrow thing down a bit, or confirm an ID.AceCollins wrote: I have gone through everything concerning Harlow's car ownership, and she loved to drives. But as Josh note, a 1934 Packard V-12 and a Caddy V-12 where probably her finest automobiles. In my collection of photos of Harlow with cars there are Studebakers, Packards, Caddys and a Dodge (she did print ads for them), but the only ACD car is a Auburn Speedster she posed in at the National Air Races. I would love to know what happened to that Auburn as well.
Joe G.
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somewhere in Jim Brockman's stuff i thought there was a picture of the "harlow" cord.....parked in front of the University of Toronto.
can you take a look?
brent
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- dryesandno
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i now see that some of the Brockman collection pictures are being posted on this site.
so it looks like again....the board is listening to its members and things are beginning to happen.
jim took copious notes and while the pictures are nice, its the notes identifying the cars, the places and the people that are most important to enable us to match up the old pictures with todays cars.
i do appreciate this material finally coming to the members.
i hope one day that you the members will have acces to the collection in the not too distant future.
thanks at least for letting bill post some of the pictures.
brent
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CORDially Mike
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They're still out there. It's just a question of whether or not "they're" includes this car.
Chris Summers
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1934 Auburn 652Y Four-Door Sedan
1936 Cord 810 Westchester
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