Speedboat Rodeo

[palethorpe]

Does anyone have pics or info from Speedboat Rodeo-a live show on KTLA 5 in the late 50's?

[Tomtall]

Kathie - Ron Hills father used to help with this Rodeo and his brother Russ raced in it. He posted several pictures in "The Hill Family" thread a few years back. I have brought some of Ron's pictures and comments to your thread to save you from searching high and low for them.


Speedboat Rodeo

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This was live TV, my brother had just won the "TROPHY DASH" with his C-6 Swift....Upset win for Russ, as Howard Thompson, 2-C usually won D Stock Hydro.

Second picture, again live TV, Dick Lane from KTTV announces as Russ Hill, Jr. gets his trophy for WINNING D Stock Hydro...

White T Shirt is Bobby Willlard, from Oildale, who, along with his dad, raced for 39 straight weeks...Gene Bettis is next to Bobby...

ADD: The kid holding C-6 is ME...Bill DeSilva is walking toward me with the hip boots on..Howard Thompson is standing behind his KG-9 holding the flywheel...That KG-9 of Howards, was once on the cover of Speed and Spray or Boat Sport where they had two D Hydros, side by side...Jack Maypole was driving one of the boats, as I recall!!!! (Found the Link Boat Sport ...Hmm, it was June 1953).

[Ron Hill]

Seems, I remember Jim Palethorpe from the "PUDDLE" as we call the place where we raced for 39 straight weeks...

Being an 11 year old kid, I kind learned stuff from here and there and sometimes go confused....But seems when Bill Welch from KTLA-TV was coving Speedboat Rodeo (Which US RACERS never liked being called "Speedboats", we were OUTBOARDERS DAMN IT!!!!! But we learned to live with the name)... I just recall Jim Palethrope running around making sure MERCURY MOTORS werre always getting covered in interviews and commercials...

My dad explained to me that Jim was NOT related to Jim Thorpe, the AMerican Indian that had done well in the Olympics...

Thanks for posting the picture of Seeboard Equipment Company...I could tell a story or two about almost everyone.......

I just makes me remember HOW LUCKY I was as a KID....My father loved those Mercury Motors, and I loved to drive them.....what could have better??????

ADD: Hank Sta-Lube would be running around with Sta-Lube signs. When Speedboat Rodeo ended, we must have had 100 gallons of Sta -Lube Oil.....In fact, it might have been 200 gallons...as ever race, Hank Sta_Lube...or Mr. Sta-Lube as we called him sometimes, always gave the left over oil to my dad...anywhere from 5 to 15 gallons a week...Add that up....comes to a lot of oil!!!!

[Tomtall]

I like this kids responce to the trophy queen kiss.:D

[palethorpe]

Yes, that sounds like my dad. His given name was William James Palethorpe, but he got called Bill, Billy Jim, or sometimes just Jim. He was always everywhere at once, making sure things were happening. Hopefully someone will post a picture with him in it that I don't have. He went on to work for
H. Werner Buck at The Sportman's Show for years, then a stint as manager of the Anaheim Convention Center. Then we moved to AZ where he ran the AZ State Fair and helped to open Firebird Lake just south of Phoenix. I'll see if my mom has pictures of that too.

Seems, I remember Jim Palethorpe from the "PUDDLE" as we call the place where we raced for 26 straight weeks...

Being an 11 year old kid, I kind learned stuff from here and there and sometimes go confused....But seems when Dick Lane from KTLA-TV was coving Speedboat Rodeo (Which US RACERS never liked being called "Speedboats", we were OUTBOARDERS DAMN IT!!!!! But we learned to live with the name)... I just recall Jim Palethrope running around making sure MERCURY MOTORS were always getting covered in interviews and commercials...

My dad explained to me that Jim was NOT related to Jim Thorpe, the American Indian that had done well in the Olympics...
I just makes me remember HOW LUCKY I was as a KID....My father loved those Mercury Motors, and I loved to drive them.....what could have better??????

ADD: Hank Sta-Lube would be running around with Sta-Lube signs. When Speedboat Rodeo ended, we must have had 100 gallons of Sta -Lube Oil.....In fact, it might have been 200 gallons...as ever race, Hank Sta_Lube...or Mr. Sta-Lube as we called him sometimes, always gave the left over oil to my dad...anywhere from 5 to 15 gallons a week...Add that up....comes to a lot of oil.

[palethorpe]

Thanks for digging them out for me!


Kathie - Ron Hills father used to help with this Rodeo and his brother Russ raced in it. He posted several pictures in "The Hill Family" thread a few years back. I have brought some of Ron's pictures and comments to your thread to save you from searching high and low for them.


Speedboat Rodeo

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

This was live TV, my brother had just won the "TROPHY DASH" with his C-6 Swift....Upset win for Russ, as Howard Thompson, 2-C usually won D Stock Hydro.

Second picture, again live TV, Dick Lane from KTTV announces as Russ Hill, Jr. gets his trophy for WINNING D Stock Hydro...

White T Shirt is Bobby Willlard, from Oildale, who, along with his dad, raced for 39 straight weeks...Gene Bettis is next to Bobby...

ADD: The kid holding C-6 is ME...Bill DeSilva is walking toward me with the hip boots on..Howard Thompson is standing behind his KG-9 holding the flywheel...That KG-9 of Howards, was once on the cover of Speed and Spray or Boat Sport where they had two D Hydros, side by side...Jack Maypole was driving one of the boats, as I recall!!!! (Found the Link Boat Sport ...Hmm, it was June 1953).

[russhill]

Yes, Kathie, I remember BILL Palethorpe. Don't remember him ever being called Jim. He was (maybe IS if still alive) a good guy. Very dedicated to his job of pimping Mercury Outboards. He was always at the Speedboat Rodeo and he'd get shoved out of the way by people who would say, "We're trying to run a boat race here. Get out of the way. " He'd say, "well we're paying for the dam thing, and we want Mercury Motors in every scene."

My closest personal relations with Bill was when we were setting up an outboard trip to Hawaii. Bill had the local Mercury guys stoked on it and was working with Carl for final approval and sponsorship. We were going to run three 15 foot boats, each with two guys and two engines.

I was to be the head guy in the deal and my boat was to pull a fuel "trailer". It never happen, I don't remember why, and I forget many of the details, which we had worked out and tested.

Back to the Speedboat Rodeo, It was the MID fifties, not late 50s. i. e., late 55 and early 56.

Ron, It wasn't Bill Welch of KTLA, it was "Old Leather Britches" Dick Lane. For years he had been the voice of KTLA, covering Wednesday night Wrestling. At that time, the late 40s that was the only thing on TV. Before Milton Berle, even. I could go on about him for pages.

[Ron Hill]

Seems somewhere, I posted a picture of Bill Welch...He was writing about Speedboat Rodeo in TV Guide...

[palethorpe]

Here's some of the pics my mom found. The first is Dick Lane on the left, Bill Palethorpe on the right and the back of the pic notes the man in the middle only as Breen. The next pic is Bill Palethorpe on the right and she's not sure but thinks the man on the left is Sy Green (maybe Breen? from the other pic).


Maybe someone will recognize the people in the background.

[Bonnet]

Gosh, these are amazing pictures all round. I love looking at history and capturing stories!

[Ron Hill]

With Christmas coming, my mind drifted back to 1955, I did a Google search for Speedboat Rodeo and this is what I found...Santa Clause at the boat races....

I was there too, racing AU, I won, my dad was the motor inspector. My mom wrote on the back of the picture...Live TV in those days!

[Ron Hill]

Seems 393-C was Ron Loomis, his dad, Cecil driving. 448-C was Ward Rogers driving, his son's boat (Jerry Rodgers), 19-C was Russ Hill, Sr. driving Ronnie Hill's boat. Bob Willard raced this race too, but his dad Roy isn't in the picture. Seems Jimmy Gordon and his dad Mr. Gordon also ran. Lake Los Angeles, Speedboat Rodeo, 1955-56.