Today's picture was taken outside the El Capitan Theatre in the Mission, San Francisco . Famous for its beautiful Spanish Colonial Revival architecture with a splendid Mexican Baroque facade outside. The 1932 Essex Super Six gives us the date and the theatre's advert for Peggy O'Neill's 16 Sweethearts identifies the girls draped over the car.We even found a review for the show which started with Mel Hertz at the Wurlitzer and Joaquin Garay singing "I'm Waiting for Ships That Never Come In" and later... 'Peggy O'Neill's Sweet Sixteen Sweethearts went through an old-fashioned number.'
Two of the dancers are Winifred and Audrey Chettle - we guess that's them on the bonnet and behind the wheel - and this newspaper report tells us that Audrey fell under the spell of Mel Hertz and his organ and the couple were married.
The Essex Super Six was made by the Essex Car Co. which was wholly owned by the Hudson car Co. and the car's power had increased from 28bhp in 1924 to 60bhp in 1931. However, sales plummeted during 1931/2 and Chairman Roy Capin couldn’t afford to make a new eight cylinder motor to compete with the popular Ford V8, so he upgraded the faithful old ‘Six’, shortened the wheelbase and the ‘Terraplane’ was born. Capin and a few colleagues at Hudson were keen aviators so the car’s launch had an aviation theme… "On the sea that's aquaplaning, in the air that's aeroplaning, but on the land, in the traffic, on the hills, hot diggity dog, THAT'S TERRAPLANING".
The first car off the production line went to Orville Wright, and the world’s favourite aviatrix Amelia Earhart was chosen to launch the model and was given one to drive. Two thousand dealers drove their new cars home to 40 different states after a Police escort through the streets of Detroit amidst great fanfare. Earhart evidently enjoyed the occasion and later wrote this charming letter to Orville Wright.
We know Earhart's car still exists, and we know how that plucky pilot disappeared in 1937 during her attempt to fly around the world. We know that the famous old El Capitan Theatre is now a Hotel, but of what became of Audrey and Mel Hertz we know nothing - except a sincere hope they enjoyed a 'hot diggity dog' life together.
Text Robin Batchelor, picture courtesy SHORPY.