In case you just tuned in, I’m doing a little fact-checking as I go through Scotty Bowers’ “Full Service.” This will be fairly tedious except to a research drudge.
Let’s recall that it was 1946 and Scotty Bowers was working at a Union Oil gas station somewhere on Wilshire Boulevard (of course that’s not much help since Wilshire runs from downtown to the ocean). I identified five Union stations in Part 7: Wilshire and Flower; Wilshire and Highland; Wilshire and Hobart; Wilshire and Virgil; and Wilshire and Wilton.
A couple of minutes later I found myself on the passenger’s side of the comfortable leather bench seat of Walter Pidgeon’s vehicle. With neither of us saying anything he pulled out of the station and headed west on Wilshire Boulevard….. About twenty minutes later we were driving up Benedict Canyon in Beverly Hills…..
He gestured toward the opposite driveway and told me that it was the home of Harold Lloyd, the famous silent movie actor.
Fact-Checking “Full Service”: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14
It should be fairly easy to determine the distance from the five Union stations to Greenacres, the Harold Lloyd estate at 1740 Green Acres Drive.
Wilshire and Highland to Greenacres: 5.8 miles, 18 minutes via Wilshire Boulevard, according to Google Maps.
Wilshire and Wilton to Greenacres: 7.2 miles, 21 minutes via Wilshire Boulevard, according to Google Maps.
Wilshire and Hobart to Greenacres: 7.7 miles, 23 minutes via Wilshire Boulevard, according to Google Maps.
Wilshire and Virgil to Greenacres, 8.8 miles, 25 minutes via Wilshire Boulevard, according to Google Maps.
Wilshire and Flower to Greenacres: 10.7 miles, 30 minutes via Wilshire Boulevard, according to Google Maps.
Uh-oh. What’s this?
ladailymirror.com 
2 questions: 1. are these google driving times in 2010 dollars or 1946 dollars considering traffic volumne etc. 2.Was our rent boy generally reputed to be a good judge of the actual duration of passing time? I am also aware that he was away in the service and so I wonder how good he was at identifying movie stars when seen on the street.
LikeLike
Keep at it Larry. I’m enjoying the heck out of this.
LikeLike
And who is manning the gas pumps while he is out joy-riding? I can’t imagine his boss or his coworkers were very happy about this.
LikeLike
Larry, this is great as a ‘how to’ for us fledgling researchers. Really enjoy the explanations of process and good detective work. Thanks so much!
LikeLike
“He gestured toward the opposite driveway and told me that it was the home of Harold Lloyd, the famous silent movie actor.”
I’m having difficulty imagining old Walter picking up young attendants in his sharp car, pointing out movie star homes and namedropping….. unless he was trying to impress his young little friend; as older gents are wont to do…nudge, nudge…wink, wink.
“With neither of us saying anything he pulled out of the station and headed west…”
Oh wait, that is the message of the book.
LikeLike
Perhaps they got a kickback.
LikeLike
How did Walter pick up Scotty “With neither of us saying anything “???
LikeLike