Tweet Puzzling Bebe Daniels photo

Published Oct 14, 1934, in many newspapers after Ben & Bebe made an emergency landing (supposedly!) on a flight from San Fran to NY. Assume photo was supplied by them or studio, & had nothing to do with the flight itself...which in any open-cockpit plane would have been a grueling ordeal that made a bus ride seem comfortable.

There exist many photos of both posed before aircraft, often with Ben in uniform (believe he was in Air Corps Reserve), but this is the only image of a uniformed Bebe I've seen. She had her license (having been taught to fly by Ben), but that doesn't earn one a natty Army uniform...nor had she made a picture calling for such attire. What could she be up to?

(Have already tried to find story in archives of both NY & LA Times, which formerly offered purchase of individual articles, but NOW require a subscription to the service of at least one month!)

This is in the Ogden Standard Examiner, 10/17/34, sans photo:

Movie Party Forced Down As Motor Dies

TAMAQUA, Pa. Oct 17 (UP)

Ben Lyon, Bebe Daniels, his wife, and Hal Roach, all of movie fame, were forced down in their airplane at Barnesville emergency airport.

The plane, owned by Roach and piloted by John Sampson, was not damaged. Matt O'Brien, executive of the Hal Roach studios, also was a passenger. None was injured.

The party left Los Angeles yesterday and became lost over Hazleton shortly after midnight. Pilot Sampson spotted the Barnesvllle field and landed just as his motor died, he said.

Lyon, his wife and Roach proceeded to New York by taxi.

Pa. to NY by taxi? Nice tip for the driver, presumably. With 5 passengers aboard, the plane couldn't have been the one in the photo (possibly the Stinson owned by Ben). Learning it was Roach's party makes the story more intriguing. Much obliged for this info!

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1 ... 89,4271572" target="_blank

From Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

TAMAQUA, PA, Oct. 17

Ben Lyon and his wife, Bebe Daniels, both of Hollywood’s motion picture colony, escaped uninjured as their airplane made a forced landing due to engine trouble at the Honestown emergency field today.

They were flying from San Francisco to New York with Lyon at the controls. They continued the trip by bus.

---------------

My guess is that the photo has nothing to do with the incident. Why is there apparently a grandstand of people behind them?

Just a thought - might Bebe be posing in uniform simply as a morale booster to "The Boys" (and the Great English Public)?

The heads look funny. Was this photshopped? Bebe looks older and Ben looks too young. She look very WW II here ... in 1934?

The heads look funny. Was this photshopped? Bebe looks older and Ben looks too young. She look very WW II here ... in 1934?

Better not be photoshopped! Bought this from the vultures selling off the Chicago Tribune's files & clippings, but haven't received it yet. By the time of WW II, I believe the service had scrapped those snappy Sam Brown belts & riding boots from official issue, but they were regulation through the '30s. Have also figured out that the plane is a Boeing P-12 fighter, units of which were stationed at an Army Air Corps base not far from LA, to which Ben may have been attached in his Reserve capacity. What Bebe is doing in a proper, tailored, Army uniform remains inexplicable.

I hope you're right but Bebe looks a good ten years older than Ben..... Nothing about the picture and story make much sense.... Why would they have flown out of San Francisco?

According to Film Daily, the Lyons checked into the Lombardy Hotel in NYC thereafter. Judging from the news pattern, they were on a personal appearance tour.

The plane downing seems well substantiated but the photo still makes little sense. They must have been doing a "whistle stop" type tour, but for what? Her last Warners film was released in April 34. She might have started work on Music Is Magic for Fox by fall of '34. Ben had an RKO film opening December '34 and his Crimson Romance for Mascot was just opening. Seems odd they'd be doing a personal appearance tour when their Hollywood careers were just about over and their studio contracts finished.

Personal appearances weren't always built around latest releases. There were entire agencies that would send personalities with either name or sex value out on the road... they'd do anything from a couple a songs as part of the show to shaking hands in the lobby and signing autographs for fans. You'll usually see them touring a particular chain.

Most interesting that they were flying with Hal Roach in his plane. No doubt Bebe remained friendly with Hal despite leaving his studio for greener pastures, because she was briefly involved as a producer for him after the war. I'd be more inclined to think they were doing something for or with Roach, rather than directly promoting their own pictures...though I guess there's no reason they couldn't do both.

The photo is not right. All that bright light coming from Ben's right but Bebe is lit from her left.

For comparison purposes, another photo of Lyon and Daniels next to an airplane in 1931. In this photo, both Lyon and Daniels look young. Guess Bebe Daniels should have asked for cameraman William Daniels to take the 1934 photo,
to correct any lighting problems.

The BEN LYON Page of the Davis-Monthan Airfield Register Website
http://www.dmairfield.com/people/lyon_be/index.html

Ben Lyon (L) and Bebe Daniels (R), April 23, 1931, Agua Caliente. Man at Center Unidentified

Photo Caption.Golf in Agua Caliente.jpg (55.29 KiB) Viewed 370 times

The photo is not right. All that bright light coming from Ben's right but Bebe is lit from her left.

Reflectors? This ain't no snap-shot, or press photog's Speed Graphic image, but something of studio publicity dept. quality. Check the polish on Bebe's boots...she hasn't walked far in them.

For comparison purposes, another photo of Lyon and Daniels next to an airplane in 1931. In this photo, both Lyon and Daniels look young. Guess Bebe Daniels should have asked for cameraman William Daniels to take the 1934 photo,
to correct any lighting problems.

Terrific photo and story. Jet-setters before there were jets.

The photo is not right. All that bright light coming from Ben's right but Bebe is lit from her left.

Reflectors? This ain't no snap-shot, or press photog's Speed Graphic image, but something of studio publicity dept. quality. Check the polish on Bebe's boots...she hasn't walked far in them.

Her chin's got a touch of the light on Ben's face, otherwise her face is blocked from the light. I expect a reflector was used, it certainly looks that way.

Hey, what's wrong with a Speed Graphic? It can take as good a picture as any other large format camera, providing you don't need much in the way of tilts or swings. Now if you'd say Graflex, I'd have less argument.

[Danny Burk]

The photo is not right. All that bright light coming from Ben's right but Bebe is lit from her left.

Reflectors? This ain't no snap-shot, or press photog's Speed Graphic image, but something of studio publicity dept. quality. Check the polish on Bebe's boots...she hasn't walked far in them.

I was looking at this too.....I agree, it looks like a reflector on Bebe.