Vanderbilt Cup Races
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Nov 19 2011
The 50th Anniversary of the First Vanderbilt Cup Race on October 9, 1954
The Vanderbilt Cup Races have been celebrated by vintage car clubs and historical organizations for over 75 years. The grandest and most memorable celebration was held on Long Island on October 9, 1954, marking the 50th anniversary of the first Vanderbilt Cup Race.
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Nov 16 2011
Preserving the Maine Maid Inn and the Vanderbilt Cup Races
Yesterday I was pleased to speak at the Town of Oyster Bay Town Board Meeting supporting the landmark designation for the historic Maine Maid Inn in Jericho. Highlights of the meeting were published in FarmingdalePatch and Newsday:
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Oct 20 2011
Anatomy of a Photo: Harry Grant Winning the 1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race
One of my favorite photographs in the book Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island captured the moment Harry Grant and Frank Lee won the 1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race. A closer look of the photo is revealing:
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Sep 26 2011
Film “Back Street” (1941) and the Vanderbilt Cup Race
No greater evidence of the success and fame of the Vanderbilt Cup Races emerged than when popular culture embraced it. In 1906, the races inspired a Broadway musical the "Vanderbilt Cup". Charlie Chaplin and Mabel Normand starred in a Mack Sennett film "Mabel at the Wheel" with the actual 1914 Vanderbilt Cup Race in the background. And yesterday, as noted by viewers Al Velocci and Joseph DeBono, the Turner Classic Movie network aired a 1941 movie "Back Street" starring Charles Boyer, Margaret…
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Aug 27 2011
A Tribute to the Mechanicians of the Vanderbilt Cup Races
Every race car that participated in the Vanderbilt Cup Races of 1904 to 1910 carried two men, the driver and a riding mechanic called a mechanician. The mechanician assisted with repairs, helped navigate the course, and, when needed, worked a hand pump to maintain fuel pressure. The mechanician was the most dangerous position on the course. Of the four deaths associated with the Long Island Vanderbilt Cup Races, three were mechanicians (one in 1904 and two in 1910) and one was a spectator…
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Jun 29 2011
Favorite Images of the Vanderbilt Cup Races and the Long Island Motor Parkway
Eric M: "Can you provide a sampling of your favorite Vanderbilt Cup Race and Long Island Motor Parkway images?":
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Jun 01 2011
Archives: Then & Now: Vanderbilt Cup Races
Links to related posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com (Updated: January1, 2012):
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May 19 2011
VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Krug’s Hotel in Mineola During the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race
Krug's East Williston Hotel was on the Vanderbilt Cup Courses for the 1904, 1905 and 1906 races. Oddly enough, a photo of the hotel on the northwest corner of the intersection of Jericho Turnpike and Willis Avenue in Mineola during the 1904 race had never been published.... until now:
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May 10 2011
Elsie Janis and The Broadway Show “The Vanderbilt Cup”
Tyler: "I was wondering what info you had about Elsie Janis in The Vanderbilt Cup (1906). She was from Columbus, Ohio and I am too and I am interested in automotive history and Columbus history. Any info would be great! Thank you so much!"
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Apr 30 2011
The D.W. Griffith Vanderbilt Cup Race Film That Almost Was
In 1910, D.W. Griffith, the pioneering American director, proposed to create an innovative racing film for American Biograph & Mutoscope . Using the Vanderbilt Cup Race as the backdrop, Griifth wanted the film narrative to highlight "triumph over adversity and competitve rivalry". Andrew Gray has documented Griffith's proposal in this Screened.com post (supplemented by my films and images):
