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Behind the Scenes in 1956: Hot Rods Are TV Stars on “The Life of Riley,” Corvettes Win First Championship, and Ernie McAfee’s Death Ends Pebble Beach Road Race

One face kept coming into view while researching 1956’s magazines, movies, television programs, and digitized black-and-white negatives in the Petersen Publishing Co. photo archive. Like a reverse Clark Kent who ducks into a phone booth and comes out wearing business attire, Wally Parks made it his mission to stand up for truth, justice, and the American way of recycling cast-off frames, bodies, and engines into loud, low, menacing contraptions that scared the crap out of decent citizens. “Early hot rodders were perceived as the gang bangers of their time,” he’d explain in later decades.

Mere months after Hollywood introduces John and Jane Q. Public to knife-wielding, suicidal hot rodders driving off cliffs, the real-life Jim Stark is really dead. What little is left of James Dean’s tin-foil Porsche-factory race car is being repurposed for the show circuit, accompanied by scary signage inaccurately blaming excessive speed (instead of Donald Turnupseed’s lane-crossing ’50 Ford mild custom). Hot on the heels of Rebel Without a Cause, Hollywood hurries teen-exploitation films such as Hot Rod Girl (“Teenage Terrorists Tearing up the Streets!”). Politicians worldwide are seizing on the previous September’s mass decapitation of France’s sports-car fans and a rash of U.S. stock-car deaths as a no-lose campaign issue, demonizing auto racing as an unnecessary evil threatening constituents’ safety. The International Association of Police Chiefs is lobbying local law enforcement and governments to shut down dragstrips, preaching that organized competition only encourages and increases racing in the streets. Californians’ outcry in the wake of Ernie McAfee’s fatal crash ends the Pebble Beach road race.

As if such intense opposition wasn’t challenge enough for anyone charged with running the National Hot Rod Association or HOT ROD magazine, Wally was both of those guys. There he is on network television, congratulating Chester A. Riley for helping clean-cut hot rodders get their own dragstrip (to be NHRA-sanctioned, naturally). Here’s another of his HRM editorials ripping shameless politicians, shortsighted cops, or unethical promoters for reinforcing unfair misconceptions. The Mobil Oil–financed Safety Safari is another brainstorm to be managed: Wally’s carload of Johnny Appleseeds, crisscrossing the country all summer on a shoestring budget. There’s also his National Drag Championships in Kansas City, now living up to its name by drawing entrants all the way from Hawaii Territory. One night later, the event’s founder and director is back inside of that conservative suit, on stage, amidst the classiest trophy presentation ever associated with America’s youngest form of auto racing.

Perhaps never before or since the mid-’50s has our hobby faced truly existential threats on so many fronts. Between crises, there was also a little publication called HOT ROD to put together each month. Parks must’ve been relieved to see this season end, but he’d soon be tested as never before by two political decisions: an industrywide agreement to end corporate racing sponsorship, and Wally’s own ban of fuels other than pump gasoline. The next round of archive images will bring us behind the scenes to places and people photographed in 1957, but seldom or never seen in print.

Contrary to the episode title “Juvenile Delinquent,” hot rods and young hot rodders were positively presented in a 1955 episode of The Life of Riley, the popular sitcom starring William Bendix and Wesley Morgan as father and son. To our knowledge, this image has previously appeared only as a postage-stamp-sized, closely cropped inset within HRM’s feature on Jim Griepsma’s cool coupe. Sixty-two years after loaning the car to the cause, Jim still owns the ’34. (See Dec. ’56 HRM.)

None of our L.A. sources was able to name this guy, but the search unexpectedly produced history worth mentioning about North Hollywood’s C-T Automotive (behind photographer), the crankshaft company’s sprint car, even the roller rink beyond. American Hot Rod Foundation curator Jim Miller enlisted the memory of Dave Sweeney, who joined C-T a few months after Al Paloczy stopped by in January to cover an Ardun buildup. (See July ’57 HRM.) Sweeney assured us that the mystery man is not driver Art Bisch, who went on to dominate the tough California Racing Association this season in Number 22 (10 wins in 27 meets—including six straight—and the ’56 CRA championship). Dave also described a private test track that C-T partners Clem TeBow and Don Clark carved out of the adjoining Department of Water and Power easement, utilizing two huge towers as inside turn markers. Longtime resident Kay Akers recognized the huge Quonset hut on the other side as a repurposed WWII warehouse built to store aircraft parts. Her brother in law skated there in the early ’50s. A remodel application dated April 1954 states that the rink accommodated 1387 folks. Unlike just about every other war-era structure in SoCal, this one still stands. Alas, we’re left to wonder who this young man was, and why Paloczy posed him for just this one frame. The race car got us wondering whether Tony Nancy, who lived in the area and almost surely patronized C-T, numbered his roadsters and dragsters “22 Jr.” in tribute.

It’s easy to see why Lee Woods, a Trend Inc.-Petersen Publishing Co. switchboard operator, often doubled as a model for photographic director Bob D’Olivo. She’d be in her mid-to-late eighties today.

National Roadster Show founder Al Slonaker’s spirited signs immediately identify the Oakland Exposition Building. Though the Petersen monthlies rarely devoted much space to the event itself, countless car features were shot before and after in the parking lot. HRM’s Eric Rickman took the annual opportunity for a working vacation in his hometown. This favorite view came through an office window. It was during the second Oakland show, six years earlier, that Tom Medley “discovered” the local freelance photographer and camera-store employee peddling circle-track prints in a booth. At Stroker’s urging, Bob Petersen offered a job setting up an in-house photo lab at then-Trend, Inc. Rick stuck around for 42 years, retiring in 1992.

Besides being HRM’s editor and NHRA’s president, the multitalented, tireless Wally Parks wasn’t above gettin’ down ’n’ dirty for a cool composition. At Daytona, he and the lens might’ve both needed baths after the unidentified roadster continued fishtailing this way during NASCAR’s straight-line acceleration trials. (See July ’56 HRM; May ’56 Motor Life.)

Before NASCAR’S speed trials officially opened, promoter Bill France Sr. made a pass in one of Zora Arkus-Duntov’s factory race cars. The Corvette fleet went head to head with T-birds in Production racing for the first time in the flying mile (after which the fastest of both breeds were disqualified in teardown for overboring). Chevy pilots John Fitch and Betty Skelton clocked two-way averages of 145 and 137 mph, respectively. Zora himself led the charge in a streamlined, 150-mph unlimited entry.

Alternative powerplants of the future grabbed readers from the beginnings of both Motor Trend (established 1949) and Motor Life (previously Hop Up and Motor Life, since 1952). Turbines seemed to have the edge in futuristic propulsion in the mid-’50s. Chrysler got a car running in 1954, followed the next year by both GM and Ford. Production prospects brightened after this ’56 Chrysler crossed the country in four days (including five hours spent R&Ring the engine at a Winslow, Arizona, dealership after an air-intake casting cracked). An engineer in the back seat monitored 45 different parts of the engine. Unleaded gasoline, which returned 13-14 mpg at a steady 50 mph, might’ve made its magazine debut here as fuel for a new car. (See June ’56 MT & ML.)

Go-karts were invented for full-sized people, as demonstrated by beefy contributor Ray Brock. The frame was found on a Rickman roll labeled “Pre-Indy,” suggesting that two of hot rodding’s most-famous photojournalists crossed paths during Rick’s annual springtime tour of Indy-car shops. Brock was not yet a PPC staffer, but his byline began appearing regularly in the magazines this year.

Corvette’s most-impressive outing to date was overshadowed by Ernie McAfee’s fatal crash on the same day near Monterey, California. This single frame among the three rolls that Paul Sorber exposed is the only frame we found of the tragedy that shut down the Pebble Beach Road Races after this final April 22, 1956, event (won by Carroll Shelby in a Ferrari). Skid marks reported to be as long as 125 feet suggested that McAfee, a Ferrari distributor and skilled driver, missed a downshift entering a turn at 100-plus mph, locked up his brakes, and slammed into one of many trees lining scenic 17 Mile Drive. The 4.4 Ferrari was owned by Union Oil Co. heir Bill Doheny, who always requested entry numbers containing “76” (e.g., 276 here). Incredibly, the wreck was rebuilt, raced, and reportedly survives in a private collection. Meanwhile, a factory Corvette’s finest outing on a road course saw Dr. Dick Thompson win C-Production and lead the favored Mercedes 300SLs and Jaguar XKs for several laps in the overall feature before fading along with the car’s drum brakes.

Refreshed with new blood, two new cars (which Wally Parks undoubtedly charmed out of Plymouth Division), and a trailer relettered “Safety” where it previously read “Drag,” NHRA’s third national tour got off to its smoothest start yet. Newcomers Don Doeckel, John Rucker, and Dick Scritchfield joined returning team leader Bud Coons for what proved to be the final Safari (details to come in our 1957 series installment). Ray Brock photographed the launch in the vast parking lot that served the world’s largest occupied indoor structure, L.A.’s Pan Pacific Auditorium (previously pictured in Part Two of this series, May ’18).

HRM and NHRA secretary Barbara Livingston, one of Bob Petersen’s earliest employees, came aboard to assist Wally Parks and never stopped. The future Barbara Parks often described typing up the first NHRA membership cards (possibly on the typewriter pictured).

Contrasting “rail” styles illustrate why the super-light slingshot of Louie Aubrey (later known as Bill Crossley) was consistently among California’s quickest and fastest dragsters. Wayne King, a fellow Smokers of Bakersfield member, identified the far-lane car at Madera (California) and also in the famous club’s logo. None of our expert sources could ID the brave soul atop the Swiss-cheesy rails. (Enjoy Smokers and March Meet history at smokersdragracing.wordpress.com. Annual membership, with full club benefits, is now open to anyone sending $60 to the Smokers, P.O. Box 22288, Bakersfield, CA 93390-2288.)

Bob D’Olivo, PPC’s longtime photographic director, is a regular and invaluable source of company history. He can’t identify the buttocks, but instantly recognized the other guy: “Colin Creitz was one of my staff photographers, using the copy stand that I built [for shooting “copy negs” of a print or artwork —Ed.]. They’re also using my own Kodak view camera. Pete’s photo lab had next to nothing to use when I went to work there [in 1952].”

In their off hours, PPC photographer Bob D’Olivo and HRM tech editor Racer Brown (pictured) teamed up to campaign what is probably the winningest project car in company history, and maybe the most significant. Bill Pollack went nearly undefeated in California Sports Car Club meets, but SCCA driver Dick Thompson made history by giving Corvette its first national championship this season. Thompson needed two ’56 Corvettes to accumulate the necessary C-Production points, alternating between this factory-prepped car in western events and a Detroit-based fraternal twin back east. After Pollack subsequently crashed out of a Cal Club meet, smashing up one fender, a grateful Chevrolet Engineering offered D’Olivo the Corvette and all spares—for $1,400! However, a wounded race car was the last thing needed by a young family man with his first child and mortgage. Instead, Chevy transported the operation to an independent racer who would crash and burn the roadster in 1957. Body-shop-owner Chuck Porter later told D’Olivo that he’d scrapped everything but its rollbar. (See Oct. ’56, Jan. ’11, July ’16 HRM.)

Backstage access doesn’t get much better than the playing field during an NFL game, presumably at halftime. Staff shooter Al Paloczy returned from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with action shots of various Rams and Washington Redskins, plus three frames of these overdressed ticket pullers. Sorry, we can identify neither the gent nor a young woman whom uncouth football fans of that unenlightened era might’ve referred to as a “blonde bombshell.” Company archivist Thomas Voehringer wild-guesses that she may be Diana Dors, “the British Marilyn Monroe.” (If you know the story and e-mail editor Hardin promptly, maybe Mr. Ed. will publish one of her other angles, along with your letter.)

Rather than challenge the severely chopped, super-swoopy Studebakers in a brutal Competition Coupe class, Lou Bingham temporarily and nicely restored the stock profile required of a legal Class-C Coupe/Sedan at Bonneville. A flathead Merc pulled him to 111.24 mph, fifth in class.

Streamlining is where you find it. Some druggist between Lee Christian’s hometown of Lubbock, Texas, and Kansas City couldn’t have imagined that his missing poster (promoting mucus-melting Super Anahist with Thonzidel) was traveling 108.56 mph at the second NHRA National Championship Drags. After cleaning up the nose, Christian’s Olds-powered Deuce trophied in B/Altered. Constructed just in time for the previous year’s Drag Safari stop, the host track might’ve been the first purpose-built, commercial, paved operation east of California. (See Nov. ’56 HRM, R&C; Jan. ’18 HRD.)

Since NHRA’s 1951 beginnings as a car-club organization, cofounder-president Wally Parks consistently exceeded public and corporate expectations. This September, he reserved Kansas City’s classy Municipal Auditorium Music Hall for the post-Nationals trophy presentation, hired an orchestra, and booked well-known entertainer-TV host Walter O’Keefe (center, with cards in jacket pocket) as emcee. Another area in which NHRA outshone all rivals was servicing sponsors, as evidenced by Safari supporter Socony Mobil’s prominent backdrop signage. The oil giant dispatched an executive to assist “starlet Barbara Huffman” with presenting the Top Eliminator and National Champion awards to Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Heath (behind engine). The Oklahoma rail’s mid-10-second consistency prevailed in the last Nationals allowing fuels other than gasoline until 1964.

His boss’s decision to launch a periodical titled Water World meant that Petersen’s lead photographer would be getting wet. Bob D’Olivo remembers this day well: “That’s the beak and tail of the 88- pound sailfish I caught in La Paz with 20-pound line, using spin tackle—a world record, but I didn’t know it! A record could only be verified with the entire catch, and the rest was long gone when I found out. I saved the remains to be mounted.”

Wally Parks had a face—and a speech—for every occasion. Photographer D’Olivo, a PPC colleague from 1952 until Wally quit to run NHRA fulltime in 1963, never ceased to be amazed at the man’s ability to deliver convincing, entertaining speeches with little-to-no notice. The suit and tie were standard equipment for the man most responsible for polishing public perceptions of hot rodders and straight-line racers.

Hmmm, wonder why such a super-light, well-ventilated racing seat never caught on—or appeared in magazine coverage? All we found was a handwritten November 6th entry into the PPC photo lab’s film log attributing the roll to Dean Batchelor and the Palm Springs road race.

Freelancer and lakes-racer Dean Batchelor (right) was among the very few well-known writers never affiliated with PPC. Here, Dean traded exposures with D’Olivo during an after-hours shindig at Petersen’s Hollywood Blvd. headquarters. (“He got the raised eyebrow when he flipped the So-Cal streamliner at El Mirage in 1950,” advised historian Greg Sharp.) That expansive forehead on the left is instantly identifiable as Ray Brock’s, but none of our surviving sources recognized the guy in the tie.

The same, 12-shot roll that contained D’Olivo’s party pictures gave us this handy accessory, complete with burning L&M cigarette. A magnet evidently secured it to the Tri-Five dash.

Early tracks were often situated on active municipal airports. To keep the peace with well-connected local pilots, strip officials stopped the show for landings and take-offs. NHRA’s rules committee chose this late-season meet at Morrow Field in Colton, California, to introduce a class for Detroit’s new “super stock” (HRM’s quotes) cars. None showed up here, ironically, but the revised A/Stock (14.99 or fewer pounds per advertised horsepower) would be adopted nationally in 1957, then further evolve into the first Super Stock class in 1958 (at 12.59 lbs./hp). (See Feb. ’57 HRM.)

Few feature vehicles in history have commanded more than one PPC feature session. Jim Griepsma’s coupe is probably the only one photographed thrice in the same year, counting HRM’s coverage during The Life of Riley filming. Still owned by Griepsma, the chopped, channeled coupe rides on a ’34 sedan frame dropped 9 inches in front and 7 in back. While the assembled customs suggest some outdoor show, the absence of spectators and a November 26th log entry reading “Car Features-Car Craft” might indicate an exclusive gathering arranged for the magazine.

This TV version of Norm Grabowski’s revolutionary T-bucket sold countless scale-model kits for Revell (“Kookie’s Hot Rod”) and fullsize kits by Speedway Motors (“Kookie Kar”). The roadster pickup’s movie appearances date to 1955, when Norm and brother Donald were building Hollywood sets. By 1957, it had graced the covers of both HRM and Car Craft, and appeared in a famous Life magazine photo from Bob’s Big Boy. In the 1958-1959 television seasons, Warner Brothers’ 77 Sunset Strip series and teen-idol Edd “Kookie” Byrnes made this final version the world’s most-famous hot rod. (See Oct. ’55 HRM; Apr. ’57 CC.)

Yes, you old-timers have seen the shot before, albeit cropped to drop out scenery that looks like El Mirage dry lake. HRM tech editor Racer Brown was at the wheel. His subsequent cover story stated that this stock, McCulloch-supercharged Golden Hawk “outperforms almost all production cars … without resorting to a long list of sometimes-unobtainable powerplant options.” During a series of Lions Drag Strip passes, the 275hp, 3,700-pounder averaged 16.72 seconds and 82.3 mph. (See Mar. ’57 HRM)

In what’s believed to be the first formal photo shoot for the Rod & Custom Dream Truck, owner-editor Spence Murray’s chopped, channeled, sectioned ’54 Chevy was still in primer and lacking horizontal rear wings this December. Freelancer James E. Potter (aka James Richards) was behind the camera; model Nancy Palmer, in front. Four images from this December session showed up first in Motor Trend, followed by others in a Petersen “one-shot”—but none in R&C, for some reason. (See Mar. ’57 MT; Custom Cars 1958 Annual; Fawcett’s Best Hot Rods No. 3.)

None of these still-camera setups actually made The Life of Riley episode except the last scene depicted, in which a stiff, expressionless Wally Parks has a four-word speaking part (“How do you do?”). Jim Griepsma’s ’34 Ford made just one, fleeting appearance onscreen—peeling out of a driveway, to the certain dismay of NHRA’s image-conscious president—but scored the HOT ROD cover, plus an inside feature dated by the coupe’s previous powerplant, a flathead Ford. The pictured Deuce of Don Hudson, destined to evolve into the famous Tom McMullen roadster, is one of four hot rods shown on TV. (See Dec. ’56 HRM; watch youtube.com/watch?v=xq8n0x3-RMs.)

The post Behind the Scenes in 1956: Hot Rods Are TV Stars on “The Life of Riley,” Corvettes Win First Championship, and Ernie McAfee’s Death Ends Pebble Beach Road Race appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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