Family Stories
Harry (Jr.) and Lucille
Harry Jr. (my grandfather) had it made by his mid 20's. He had an exciting and interesting job at the studio. He had successfully separated himself from his father. He had been able to establish himself as an adult on his own terms. It had been hard, but he had done it. All he needed now was a wife and children. And then he met Lucille.
The story is that Lucille was working in a drug store near the studio that Harry worked at. Quite possibly as a waitress, since back then drug stores often had ice cream counters that might also have a limited food menu. Lucille was cute, short (five foot tall), and vivacious. She and her girl friends liked to have a good time. It was the Roaring 20's after all...
I suspect that Harry was attracted to Lucile because of her love of life and willingness to do things. Their dates were full of adventures. They hiked up in the local mountains. They went for drives in his car. I know this because of the photos that Harry took. Sometimes they were alone, but often with friends.
Eventually Harry proposed and Lucille accepted. I don't have any information on what the wedding was like. I suspect that was about the time that Rando Lee (Jack), Lucille's father got sick again. It was probably a small and quiet wedding.
Harry moved Lucille to a small house he could afford, in North Hollywood. With today's transportation options, that means little. But North Hollywood is part of the San Fernando Valley. Lucille's family and friends lived either Downtown, or in the San Gabriel Valley. Harry had the car. Lucille had to quit her job. She didn't know anyone and started feeling isolated.
At first everything went well. Harry was well respected at work. In fact, he was known as an innovator, an inventor. When movies first changed to color from black and white new lighting systems were needed. Harry invented one of the first. His studio loaned him out for a while while other systems were being worked on. Harry was also involved in the first special effects, including the scenery going by in a moving vehicle. That particular one combined his prior career of projectionist with his new skills of lighting and photography. Of course, since Harry was a studio employee he didn't get the credit for all this. But they paid him well. Unfortunately that meant long, long hours at work.
Lucille's love of Hollywood glamor was getting shot down too. Quite often Harry was invited to Hollywood parties with famous personalities such as Bing, or Bob. He always turned them down. Lucille was amazed and upset. Finally Harry accepted an invitation and took her. What a thrill for Lucille! She was finally going to a Hollywood party like the ones she had read about in the magazines! When she got there she and Harry were ignored by the other party goers. Finally she realized that Harry had been invited because the host wanted Harry to run the projector so the guests could watch the latest film. He wasn't a real guest at all. She told Harry on the ride home that she really didn't care to go to another one of those parties again.
Nature took it's course and Lucille became pregnant. Her father was, by now, too sick to continue working, so he sold his barber shop in Downtown Los Angeles, and headed back to Arizone to seek a cure, his beloved wife Lildon with him. Harry and Lucille's child was a boy and they named him Jack (Rando Lee's nick name) Harry. A very cute kid. I've seen the pictures.
An incident occurred when young Jack was less than 3 years old. There was a casting call for cute kids to fill some roles in the ongoing "our Gang" film series. Without talking about it with Harry, Lucille took young Jack to the casting call. They liked Jack so much that Lucille went home with a contract. Harry was furious! There was no way in hell his son was going to be exposed to the eyesight destroying lights, the long hours, and the loose morals of the studios!
At about the same time, Lildon became a widow. Probable cancer had taken away her beloved. With the money still left, she settled down back in the San Gabriel Valley. She didn't stay a widow for long. She dated, and soon married a most unlikely man. I knew him as Daddy Knabb. His given name was John, and he was a divorcee, an unheard of thing in his generation. John came to CA from the midwest, where he had grown up as an orphan. He married a CA girl and had two daughters. The younger daughter, Elizabeth (known as Betty) unfortunately had epilepsy, a largely misunderstood disease at the time. I never heard why, but John and his first wife divorced. Having known him as a child, I suspect his first wife couldn't handle his personality. With the divorce the daughters were split, John keeping Betty. I know that John maintained a loose contact with his other daughter over the years, but they were never close. Frankly, I think the only person John was ever close to was Lildon.
For whatever reasons, John worshiped Lildon like Rando Lee had. She wasn't any better at raising Betty than she had been her own daughter, but luckily her new stepdaughter was almost an adult when she got her. The new couple joined their finances (I suspect Lildon had the lion's share of the money) and bought a small dairy farm in what's now known as South San Gabriel. Betty became, in effect, a hired hand. Lildon and John both worked hard and the farm prospered.
A third thing that happened about the same time is that Lucille's girl friends, most of which had gotten married about the same time she did, started getting divorced. That seems to have been the final straw for Lucille. While she loved Harry, she was done being stuck in a little house with a small child when her friends were out having fun. She announced she wanted a divorce.
I don't know what Harry's response was to all this. I suspect he had been unhappy in the marriage as well. For the times, the divorce happened quickly. Lucille got primary custody of Jack, and probably alimony. She promptly dumped then four year old Jack with her mom, Lildon, and went to have fun with her girlfriends.
My dad talked about his time on the farm. It mostly wasn't good. His grandparents made him do chores that were mostly beyond his ability. It was Betty who was his friend and mother substitute.
Lucille's wild days as a divorcee didn't last long. For one thing, Harry wasn't willing to pay her alimony if she wasn't taking care of Jack. Harry himself had remarried. His new wife, Emma, was a coworker from the studio. Emma was tall (around 5'8"), serious, and intelligent. Not as fun as Lucille, but far easier to live with. I suspect Emma had liked Harry for quite a while.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, Harry refused to have any more children. Not allowing Emma to have his child was a bad thing. Harry brought Jack to live with him and Emma from Lildon, but it didn't work out. Emma took out her frustration on Jack. Once Harry realized that Jack could not safely live with Emma, he sadly sent Jack back to Lucile. He did insist on weekend and vacation visitation though, and that had interesting side effects.
Lucille, for all her faults, was a practical woman. I suspect she grew tired of the wild life pretty quickly. She remarried a man named Waylon, known as Bill. Bill came to CA from the back hills of West Virginia, looking for a better way of life. I suspect Lucille met Bill via her parents, who she had probably moved back in with briefly. I think Bill, despite his lack of education, was the right man for Lucille. He loved her deeply and treated her the way her father had treated her mother. They stayed loyal to each other for many years.
Next week: The Depression and my dad's family
An incident occurred when young Jack was less than 3 years old. There was a casting call for cute kids to fill some roles in the ongoing "our Gang" film series. Without talking about it with Harry, Lucille took young Jack to the casting call. They liked Jack so much that Lucille went home with a contract. Harry was furious! There was no way in hell his son was going to be exposed to the eyesight destroying lights, the long hours, and the loose morals of the studios!
At about the same time, Lildon became a widow. Probable cancer had taken away her beloved. With the money still left, she settled down back in the San Gabriel Valley. She didn't stay a widow for long. She dated, and soon married a most unlikely man. I knew him as Daddy Knabb. His given name was John, and he was a divorcee, an unheard of thing in his generation. John came to CA from the midwest, where he had grown up as an orphan. He married a CA girl and had two daughters. The younger daughter, Elizabeth (known as Betty) unfortunately had epilepsy, a largely misunderstood disease at the time. I never heard why, but John and his first wife divorced. Having known him as a child, I suspect his first wife couldn't handle his personality. With the divorce the daughters were split, John keeping Betty. I know that John maintained a loose contact with his other daughter over the years, but they were never close. Frankly, I think the only person John was ever close to was Lildon.
For whatever reasons, John worshiped Lildon like Rando Lee had. She wasn't any better at raising Betty than she had been her own daughter, but luckily her new stepdaughter was almost an adult when she got her. The new couple joined their finances (I suspect Lildon had the lion's share of the money) and bought a small dairy farm in what's now known as South San Gabriel. Betty became, in effect, a hired hand. Lildon and John both worked hard and the farm prospered.
A third thing that happened about the same time is that Lucille's girl friends, most of which had gotten married about the same time she did, started getting divorced. That seems to have been the final straw for Lucille. While she loved Harry, she was done being stuck in a little house with a small child when her friends were out having fun. She announced she wanted a divorce.
I don't know what Harry's response was to all this. I suspect he had been unhappy in the marriage as well. For the times, the divorce happened quickly. Lucille got primary custody of Jack, and probably alimony. She promptly dumped then four year old Jack with her mom, Lildon, and went to have fun with her girlfriends.
My dad talked about his time on the farm. It mostly wasn't good. His grandparents made him do chores that were mostly beyond his ability. It was Betty who was his friend and mother substitute.
Lucille's wild days as a divorcee didn't last long. For one thing, Harry wasn't willing to pay her alimony if she wasn't taking care of Jack. Harry himself had remarried. His new wife, Emma, was a coworker from the studio. Emma was tall (around 5'8"), serious, and intelligent. Not as fun as Lucille, but far easier to live with. I suspect Emma had liked Harry for quite a while.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, Harry refused to have any more children. Not allowing Emma to have his child was a bad thing. Harry brought Jack to live with him and Emma from Lildon, but it didn't work out. Emma took out her frustration on Jack. Once Harry realized that Jack could not safely live with Emma, he sadly sent Jack back to Lucile. He did insist on weekend and vacation visitation though, and that had interesting side effects.
Lucille, for all her faults, was a practical woman. I suspect she grew tired of the wild life pretty quickly. She remarried a man named Waylon, known as Bill. Bill came to CA from the back hills of West Virginia, looking for a better way of life. I suspect Lucille met Bill via her parents, who she had probably moved back in with briefly. I think Bill, despite his lack of education, was the right man for Lucille. He loved her deeply and treated her the way her father had treated her mother. They stayed loyal to each other for many years.
Next week: The Depression and my dad's family
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