The Old Motor
Bandleader Paul Whiteman (apparently retouched) poses with his Cord L29 sporting elaborate Vogue tires. I assumed that this was Los Angeles and that the address was on down on Figueroa, Flower, or Hope. After a bit of digging, I found that the MacDonald-Dodson Tire Co. was at 1317 S. Hope. The building still stands, although its façade has been ruined (see below). (Can those be simulated tire tracks up the corner?)
Here's a bit of background from
Modern Tire Dealer:
"While vacationing in Chicago, 24-year-old Loyd Dodson saw the whitewalls on the fancy chauffeur-driven cars cruising around town. He and his brother-in-law, Jack McDonald, had each borrowed $3,000 to start a Los Angeles tire business in 1925, and Dodson saw great potential in marketing Vogue tires to the movie moguls and stars in 'La-La-Land.' By 1928, Dodson had signed a deal to acquire West Coast distribution rights to the tires. He concentrated on sales to owners of Duesenbergs, a top luxury car of the time. Before long, the distinctive white sidewall tires showed up on cars owned by film stars such as Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Marion Davies—and other people of means wanted them. People like Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Frank Robinson and Lyndon Johnson have been pictured with Vogue-shod vehicles."
Dodson's obituary in the
Times of April 6, 1996, tells more: "Loyd Dodson, 94, owner of Vogue Tyre and Rubber Co. Brought up in Pasadena, Dodson went into the tire business in 1923 and within a few years became the exclusive distributor of Vogue Tyres for the western United States. He bought the Chicago-based company during World War II and remained active in the business until his death. He had been chairman of the board of directors for the last 10 years. Dodson was active in the Masons for more than 50 years and had served as president of the Wilshire Country Club. On Monday in Pasadena."
LAT
It looks like MacDonald-Dodson tampered with its own façade...
GoogleSV
1317 S. Hope today; there are two cute little vintage apartment buildings to its south.