Mystery Friday Foto #45 Solved: Peter Helck and James Melton go for a ride in Old 16
The Helck Family Collection challenged you again to identify a photo from its archives.
Answers to the Mystery Foto questions:
- Identify Peter Helck's friend, his occupation and his association with automobiles.
Singer and automobile collector James Melton "America's Favorite Tenor."
- The approximate date of the Mystery Foto. Provide a rationale
Approximately 1948-1950.
Comments (5)
Congrats to Dick Gorman, Walt Gosden, Steve Lucas and Margo Melton Nutt.
Kudos to James Melton's daughter Margo Nutt:
"I do believe that’s my father, tenor James Melton, at the wheel. He was a collector of antique cars. He was also a friend of Peter Helck. As for the date of the photo, I would say it’s from the 1940s or 50s, given my father’s age in the picture.
This is a photo I have never seen before. What fun!"
Margo, please email your address to [email protected] and I will send you the original photo.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
Close-Ups
Signed Photo to Peter Helck from James Melton
Comments
Mystery Foto # 45…The friend in the driver’s seat is James Melton. He had a career as a popular singer and later an Opera singer. On 7 December 1942, Melton debuted at the Metropolitan Opera as Tamino in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. He continued to perform at the Met through 1950. Melton spent the 1950s making records, singing in nightclubs, appearing on television, including Ford Festival (1951–1952) also known as The James Melton Show, and collecting rare automobiles. He founded the Melton Museum (1948-1953) in Norwalk, Connecticut to store and display his collection, which, at one point, grew to 110 automobiles. After that Melton put his collection on display in Hypoluxo, Florida, at the James Melton Autorama, a museum featuring nearly 100 antique automobiles in period sets, as well as an exhibit of toys, music boxes, baby carriages and a giant Cyclorama, “America the Beautiful,” illustrating great moments in American history.
Approximate date of photo… at Lowell Thomas’ private party on September 11, 1948???
My guess is the fellow behind the wheel is James Melton
That’s James Melton, a popular singer in the 1930’s and 1940’s. He also had some success on the stage, in film, on radio and in opera. He became a well-known antique car collector, opening his own museum in 1948 in Norwalk, CT with his collection numbering over 100 vehicles. Based on the attached photo taken in 1948, I think the mystery photo could have been taken around the same time, maybe a bit earlier.
I do believe that’s my father, tenor James Melton, at the wheel. He was a collector of antique cars. He was also a friend of Peter Helck. As for the date of the photo, I would say it’s from the 1940s or 50s, given my father’s age in the picture.
This is a photo I have never seen before. What fun!
Austie Clark 1965