Comments on "My Hero, My Friend" Jimmy Bryan & DVD

[Big G 94]

Changing directions a bit ... I see where Bob Gates, who wrote very good biographies of Jim Hurtubise and Bill Vukovich (really about Sr., Jr. and III) has a Troy Ruttman biography coming out May 1. Now THAT should be an interesting story to read.

[JThur1]

RE>Scalzo, have been thinking a few days about what to post. I offer this as a professional opinion, being that I used to be a professional writer and am now a professional editor.

Same here...well, at least the first part.

I need to go back and re-read earlier Scalzo books, but the more I've learned and discovered...the more I've noticed Scalzo playing fast, loose and sloppy with facts. To the point where I have to seriously wonder.

Also, I'm not talking about sitting down and taking notes over every tiny little detail. I don't do that either. I'm not talking typos, I'm talking blatant factual errors. The factual errors in the later Scalzo books are absolute howlers. I need to correct an error of my own, in American Dirt Track racer, he tells the tale of a jalopy flipping, losing its engine, which then settled back into the frame rails when the car righted itself and kept on running the entire time. In the past, I've identified that Scalzo wrote it was Scotty Cain's car, when Scalzo actually wrote it was Van Johnson's...but, still (BTW, my excuse, the first time I glanced at in at a bookstore, I had a 104 degree fever)

His fascination with Elisian probably stems from some earlier lies and exaggerations that reportedly led to threatened legal action. Elisian is in fact, a fascinating character, sadly much of it unecessarily so...due primarily to Mr. Scalzo's writings which range from exaggeration to possible downright fabrication. How does Scalzo right those wrongs? By speculating that Elisian was bi-polar. Wow! Poor soul is right. Elisian was far from a perfect human, but neither is he the thug or slug he is still portrayed as...primarily from people basing their opinions on "facts" written by Mr. Scalzo.

You mention "loco weeds", a good Scalzo-ism. Then there's his propensity for nicknames. This would be fine, except the way he portrays this. I've checked with people closely associated with people Scalzo has written about...and they never heard those nicknames at the time. One even went so far as to claim Scalzo "apparently made it up years later", and evidence suggests that is the case, more than once.

As to why Scalzo does this? I do not know. You'd have to check with him. Simply making stuff up doesn't strike me as something done to make sure someone isn't forgotten. Personally, I think "creating his own reality" is damning enough.

[JThur1]

You could have a point. I said at the start of this thread that I thought the Bryan book, that told his story through a kids eyes, IMO was more effective than a "scholarly," conventional, starting out with his birth and ending with his death, 600-page biography of Jimmy would be. Although certainly he's a significant enough person in American sports history to merit such a book. I don't know that you'd get the full flavor of the man with that kind of approach, it probably would come across as a clinical recitation of facts. And it's probably the same way with that era as a whole. IMO, Dick Wallen in "Fabulous Fifties" comes about as close to anyone as "getting it right," as in combining facts and flavor, as anything I've read.

That's always the problem, fact vs. flavor. There has to be, and can be, something falling between a clinical recitation of facts and the opposite end of the scale, which Scalzo surely falls on.

One last Scalzo tale, one that damns his "research". In his book "City of Speed", he tells a tale of black racer Willie Kimbrough. Willie raced Figure 8's at Ascot Park in the mid-60's. Willie raced out of Watts (according to Scalzo). In Scalzo's world, he attempted to call Willie after the 1965 Watts Riots, but only got a disconnect. Scalzo makes the jump that Willie might have been one of the people who died in the riots, but explains he never checked the records to see if Willie was among the dead.

Yet, a full year before "City of Speed", a book came out on the history of the California Jalopy Association (including the Figure 8's). The author of the book, Tom Luce, found Willie Kimbrough. In fact, Willie loaned him some photos for the book. Sadly, Kimbrough has since passed away.

It comes across that Scalzo came up with something of convenience to create his own more dramatic story and did no follow up simply to keep the ambiguity.

[oldmerc]

New kid on the block here and HUGE Jimmy Bryan fan. I have been fascinated by this discussion for years. Was wondering if there was any information out there or in the relatively new book about Jim Hurtubise and his possible involvment (by accident, of course), with Jimmy at Langhorne in 1960. I know that Clint said he had an "up close and personal" view of the accident and may have even possibly brushed tires with Jimmy? Just curious if there's anything to it?

Here it is just over 53 years since the accident and I remember it as if it were a few years ago...

We have a high school reunion coming up in September and I was going through my old pictures and movies to bring along. A number of my old racing buddies will be there.

After watching my film of the race that day at Langhorne I decided to search Jimmy Bryan and found this board. We were seated toward the first turn and I was filming the start of the race. What I saw was through the viewfinder of a early 1950's 8mm camera. I can't say I saw what happened but I have film of them returning the car to the infield. Nothing was said of his condition during the race or after. We heard of his death on the car radio on our drive back to NJ.

Eddie Sachs, in an interview, said it was bad driving... trying to go from ther top of the track to the bottom too quickly in the first turn and he got sideways and flipped. I have looked at the film a number of times over the years but can't see any details..

I was a great fan of Bryan's and he was the reason we made the trip that day...

If I am not mistaken A.J. Foyt was in the field that day. I remember he had a water bottle behind his helmet with a tube to his mouth so he could get a drink... we had a lot to say about a guy who needed water during a race...

Bryan is a real racing icon and I am glad folks remember him...

[Neshaminy]

Welcome aboard lad......Jimmy was a legend in these parts, meaning this forum and not far from where I live which is down the road a piece from Langhorne......here's a short piece about Jimmy



from the link to the clip "Sneak preview of the recently released DVD by Phil Sampaio giving a glimpse of the life of the legendary race car driver Jimmy Bryan. For the first time on DVD with rare footage never seen before.
The full length DVD is available at JimmyBryanBook.com
Enjoy"

Anything you can add will be greatly appreciated around these parts......most of the folks are real racing people, some even real racers, and some old bench racers.....glad to hear your story.....and I'll guarantee many would like to see your film no matter the quality, perhaps something could be learned