Forgive me, for I have sinned: Although I was always an infrequent poster here, I have been remiss in following the board for a while. As part of my penance, I shall post something hopefully interesting (as well as catch-up on the recent posts). I apologize in advance for any formatting errors.
First things first: It was gratifying to see myself recognized by Alfaro Legido as a "Smart Contributor" in
post # 29037. I would have settled for "Enthusiastic Follower".
Second, I saw my name invoked last year by one of the regulars, in response to
this post in which I mentioned that Lafayette Park Place used to be named "Sunset Place". My source for that was a historic street map identifying the street as Sunset Place, but of course I am now unable to find both the map and the post that referred to mine.
With that out of the way...I would like to introduce Miss
Anita King.
Anita King, known as "The Paramount Girl" for a time, was a unique and remarkable woman who was an actress, automobile racer, and stunt driver. These days she is best remembered not for her fame as an early Hollywood cinema actress, but as the first woman to drive across the United States, and the first
person to do it solo (as far as I've been able to find).
Anita King (
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped.../AnitaKing.jpg)
Ms King was under contract with Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, later known as Paramount, after their merger with Adolph Zukor's production company. She appears on the Lasky promotional flyer that E_R has posted here before (in relation to the Lasky Ranch):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famous...yers_Lasky.jpg
Anita King was born Anita Keppen to German-American parents in Michigan City, Indiana. Both parents had died by the time she was 14 (her father by suicide), and she later lost a beloved sister to illness.
Having found work as a model and stage actress in Chicago, she moved to Los Angeles around 1908, where she developed a fascination with autos and driving, eventually becoming a competitive race driver. Following an accident in 1910, she decided to slow down, and returned to her previous profession of acting -- eventually landing at FP-L/Paramount.
Legend has it that in 1915, she overheard Jesse Lasky assert that the Lincoln Highway would not in sufficient shape for a woman to drive it for another 10 years. Ms King challenged the notion, and Mr. Lasky recognized an outstanding promotional opportunity...
Thus, on August 25, 1915, Ms King set out from Los Angeles to San Francisco, the first leg of an epic journey to New York that was sponsored in part by Firestone and KisselKar. KisselKar marketed itself as the rugged and reliable choice -- sort of the Subaru of its day.
TheOldMotor.com
http://theoldmotor.com/?attachment_id=135445
She accomplished the feat in 49 days, with her most valuable tools being a shovel and a rifle. She was greeted in New York City by a delegation that included the Treasurer of the Lasky Coropration, one Samuel Goldfish. He would later achieve fame (and a higher station) after changing his name to Samuel Goldwyn.
Back in Los Angeles, King would star in a fictionalized feature film account of her own endeavor, titled "The Race", co-starring fellow Lasky player Victor Moore. For this film, King would famously perform a stunt that involved driving off a burning bridge at 65 mph, making a 70 ft jump, and wrecking the car (I did say it was a "fictionalized" account).
TheOldMotor.com
http://theoldmotor.com/?p=135438
I've been an admirer of Anita King's since I first learned about her a few years ago. Therefore, I thought it was only fitting to honor her on this, the
100th Anniversary of her history-making journey. I suspect that she did it not for glory, but because she was grieving for her sister, and this challenge was sort of a reconciliation of her own life.
You can learn more about Anita King at various historic websites, including
TheOldMotor.com and the
Lincoln Highway Museum.
Most intriguingly, her great-great-grandnieces have set up an excellent
Facebook page with many more photos, clippings, Paramount posters, and other effluvia. The nieces are planning a cross-country trip this summer to retrace the steps of their amazing aunt. To them I say: Excelsior!