Frank Elliott, Sidney Smith 1927

Celebrities have always been a part of the scene in auto racing, even more so in earlier days when the races captured the imagination of virtually everyone in America and many offshore. Here, in this 1927 photo from the Paul Sheedy collection, we see veteran car owner and driver Frank Elliott (left) acquainting cartoonist Sydney Smith with the workings of his  Miller racer. 
 
As for Smith, make no mistake that the guy was a major American celebrity with his enormously popular cartoon strip, "The Gumps." These were the days of the telegraph, primitive landline telephones, nascent radio, phonograph turntables, stage plays, and silent movies. Newspapers and, to a lesser extent magazines, were the definitive sources of news, information, and in-home entertainment - along with books and musical instruments, of course.
 
Note that Smith is chomping on a cigar with another tucked in his coat pocket like a pen. Cigar smoking was very popular among men to project manliness and affluence.
 
Notes from Johnnie Kacsala: Sydney could be considered to have led "The Gumps" into the stage as the first modern newspaper comic strip. It was among the first to be syndicated nationally, to have a continuous storyline, to have a main character pass away, and to branch out into areas as animated cartoon and live action films, licensed items as books and toys, a weekly radio show and even food products.

Sydney also liked his autos - which led to his sudden death in 1935. Having signed a contract in the Chicago Tribune (the comic strip's flagship home) for $150,000 per year, Smith would pass away in a crash in his Rolls-Royce.

 
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