By Dick Mittman
indy500.com
Friday, December 26, 2003
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Historian Donald Davidson is well known as the memory wizard of Indianapolis 500 trivia.
Little known is that he also is a classic movies buff who can rattle off the names of stars, directors and producers of the past just like he can with drivers who have competed at Indy since 1911. Actually, the theater -- movie and live -- was a part of his young life in London until he gave it all up 40 years ago to come to America in search of a job in racing.
He wasn't a driver or a mechanic, so his only credential was that he had memorized the race record at Indianapolis of every driver who ever started the "500." It wasn't much, but more than enough.
A year after he mesmerized crowds at the Speedway in 1964 with his amazing statistical recall, he returned to Indy, was hired by the United States Auto Club and eventually worked his way into his current position with the Speedway.
At the 2004 Indianapolis 500, Davidson will be able to revert to his theatric roots as the Speedway and the 500 Festival will make the month of May a salute to the film industry with a theme entitled "Lights, Camera, Traction!"
Davidson's father, Derek, was in the film business. For about three years he was a newsreel cameraman "when you didn't have TV news." This was when news was shown in the movie houses as part of the fare. Derek Davidson worked for Gaumont Sound News, and the sound editor was David Lean, who later became a famous director of such films as "Lawrence of Arabia," "Great Expectations," "Doctor Zhivago," and "Bridge on the River Kwai."
Derek Davidson also worked at Elstree Studios in England and was a projectionist at some theaters and cinemas. It was only natural that his son would follow in his father's footsteps.
"I was a projectionist," Donald Davidson said about his life before coming to America.
"The place I ended up at was the Odeon at Leicester Square. Leicester Square is very close to Piccadilly. That's the West End of London. I mean, that's Broadway, where all the theaters and cinemas are.
"So as a teen-ager I plunked right into that. I actually had been backstage in a live theater for a short time through a friend of my father. And then, through another friend of my father, I went to the Odeon. That was a very exciting life because it was the top show in Europe. So everything they had there was a premiere, at least an European premiere."
But young Davidson harbored a special dream about becoming a part of the Indianapolis 500 from the time he was in his mid-teens.
"I had already decided I was going to come to America, to at least go to the track and at least visit," he said.
"I thought, 'I'm going to go.' I was still in school at the time. I really didn't know what I was going to do with my life. I thought, 'Wouldn't it be neat if you could get a job in racing?' not really believing that would be possible. I would daydream, but I really thought, 'Get real, you can't get a job in racing.'"
But Davidson made that dream reality. And when he speaks today at schools or youth organizations, he tells the boys and girls to never give up on their dreams, that there is a way to achieve them through persistence and determination.
Davidson worked about three years at the Odeon in London, all the time saving his money for that one big trip to the Indianapolis 500.
Still, he loved the movie life. Great American movies made their European debuts at the theater, and he was the one of those running the projection equipment that put them on the big screen. The stars would be there at times, and the royal family made several forays to the theater during the year. The Royal Film Performance took place every February, and the Queen would attend.
But the royalty Davidson wanted to see had names like Foyt, Clark, Jones and Ward. And their theater was outdoors and 2½ miles around.
Davidson made the trip to Indianapolis in 1964. He got a credential to visit the garages and soon his incredible ability to recite the drivers' Indy records got him access to track co-announcer Jim Phillippe.
The fans listening on the public address were blown away by his memory skills.
Foyt won the Indianapolis 500 that year, the last victory for a roadster, and then Davidson returned to his home. Shortly thereafter he was offered a job at the National Film Theater run by the British Film Institute.
"That was really neat, because it was a not-for-profit organization," he said.
Under Waterloo Bridge in London was a theater that ran classic films, and the program changed every day. There were regular themes, silent films or, for instance, a Greta Garbo or Laurence Olivier film festival.
"And because I was a film buff, it was really exciting," Davidson said. "You saw these marvelous classic films. Occasionally, there would be people who were connected with the film there as guests."
Once when he was a junior projectionist and Lean had become a famous director, Lean came to the Odeon with several studio bigwigs. But as an artist, he stood aloof from them and didn't engage in their business conversations. Young Davidson created a stir when he bravely walked up to Lean, whom he had met as a boy, and the two of them had an animated talk.
Another of Davidson's favorite memories was the midnight show Frank Sinatra gave. Sinatra sat atop a stool on a blackened stage and crooned away. Focusing the spotlight on Sinatra was Davidson.
But despite all of this, Davidson had only one goal in mind: Get back to Indy. So as he worked for the National Film Theater and February, March and April flew by in 1965, he kept reminding himself that he must tell them he was leaving.
"In one way it was hard to leave there, because I loved it so much," he said. "On the other hand, it was a no-brainer, because I was coming here. I've been in a very fortunate position my whole adult life, except for my first couple of jobs when I was trying to find myself. Basically, every job I've ever had has been a dream. It may not seem like it everyday, but basically it is."
So Davidson returned to Indy in spring 1965 with no real idea of what kind of job awaited him, if any. In a few days, USAC hired him, and, as they say, the rest is history.
The 2004 theme of "Lights, Camera, Traction!" brings Davidson full circle in life.
During his time as a projectionist he never ran a racing movie. The closest he came was a film called "Stolen Hours" with Susan Hayward. One of her boyfriends in the film was a grand prix driver and "very believable." English actor Edward Judd played the role.
"Most of the films you see that are about racing are hokey," he said. 'They've got an actor who doesn't quite get it. He (Judd) was marvelous."
During the years at USAC and the Speedway, Davidson was witness to the filming of "Winning" at the Speedway in 1968. His favorite racing movie is "Grand Prix."
Davidson has a collection of old racing movies dating back to Charlie Chaplin in the teens of the last century. He has seen or studied such racing films as "The Blond Comet," "Checkpoint," "The Crowd Roars," "The Racers," "Red Hot Wheels," "Speedway," "The Big Wheel" and "To Please a Lady."
He has met and interviewed a number of the stars such as Mickey Rooney ("The Big Wheel"). He noted that Clark Gable was a racing buff. Carol Landis, he said, owned the midget Danny Oakes drove in the late 1940s. Davidson still looks in the background for Marilyn Monroe, who supposedly was an extra in "The Big Wheel."
Davidson also points out that a number of drivers, like Cliff Bergere up to Bruce Walkup, were stunt drivers in films. Bergere, who once doubled for Katharine Hepburn, actually had a speaking role as a pith-hat-wearing Speedway safety patrolman in "To Please a Lady" due to his friendship with director Clarence Brown.
The most famous actors around the Speedway in recent years have been Paul Newman (co-car owner) and James Garner (Pace Car driver). Gene Hackman, who used to attend races at old Jungle Park and Winchester in Indiana, was part owner of Dennis Firestone's car in 1983.
Actors Anthony Edwards and Jim Caviezel drove the Indianapolis 500 Pace Car in 2000 and 2002, respectively.
Davidson said it is much tougher remembering all the movies a particular actor or actress appeared in than the Indianapolis 500 starts a driver made because the "500" has a list and rundown for every race which can be committed to memory. Often performers appeared in films and were not recorded in the credits, or they appeared in a film that never was released. ***
2004 tickets: Tickets are available for the 2004 Indianapolis 500. For information, log on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com, or call the IMS ticket office at (800) 822-INDY or (317) 492-6700.
Related Stories
| Indianapolis 500 Talkback | Post Comment |
|
|
|