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Author Archives: gail chumbley
HC Lippiatt and Mr. King
In May, 1940, as British and French troops gathered on the beaches of Dunkirk waiting for a miracle, America remained lulled in complacency. Mont Chumbley, the primary figure in the memoir, “River of January: Figure Eight,” continued his sales flights for Waco Aircraft Company. The war came to the US a year and a half later.
This is Mont Chumbley’s logbook, recorded in early May, 1940. Two fellow pilots appear in this ledger, inscribed nearly 76 years ago. First, HC Lippiatt of Los Angeles, was best known as the largest aircraft distributor on the West Coast. Lippiatt specialized in Waco airplanes, and that fact frequently brought Waco sales representative, Chumbley to Lippiatt’s Bel Air “Ranch.” Another historic figure was Hollywood director, Henry King, best known for films such as “Twelve O’Clock High,” “The Sun Also Rises,” and “Carousel.” Chum explained that he sold King a Waco plane, and in the transaction the two men became fast friends.
For one week in May of 1940, Chum spent time with both airplane enthusiasts.
Henry King (with Tyrone Power & Patsy Kelly) The grand “ranch” of HC Lippiatt
The story behind this logbook entry appears in “River of January, The Figure Eight,” part two of the story, out this summer.
Gail Chumbley is the author of River of January, a memoir. Also available on Kindle. River of January: Figure Eight, part two of the story can be found at www.river-of-january.com
The Laundry Room
Almost finished with book two, River of January, “The Figure Eight.”
Initially this post was supposed to discuss what a slob I’ve become since I began writing. I planned on stressing how my story, told in River of January has consumed my days and has trumped any other daily concern–in particular bothering to cook meals or even getting dressed each morning. Then I happened to catch Tina Fey in an interview on Inside the Actors Studio. I like Tina Fey. She reveals her honest opinions with no airs or pretense, openly laughing at her own shortcomings. This particular episode was clearly a rerun, with James Lipton discussing and sharing a clip from her newest film “Admission,” released back in 2013.
This taped exchange between Lipton and Fey eventually transitioned from her many successes on the big and small screens to authoring her first book, Miss Bossy Pants. She confessed that the writing process was surprisingly more difficult and caused her…
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River of January Now On Kindle!
Join the journey across time and continents. Read River of January on Kindle. If you like leave a review on Amazon. Thanks, GC
From New York
To Rio de Janeiro
Journey by air, rail, and sea!
A Brussels Thanksgiving
Hand lettered menu from The Palace Hotel in Brussels, Belgium, celebrating an American Thanksgiving, 1932
The dance company all autographed the occasion on the back side.
Note Mistinguett’s signature in the lower left quadrant. Many of these figures appear in River of January
Gail Chumbley is the author of the memoir, River of January, also available on Kindle
The Flyover, 1933
Chum’s logbook for September 13, 1933. Note the comment CC for cross country, then the added notation, stunt.
Piloting his Waco C, Chum performed above President Roosevelt’s spectacular National Recovery Act Parade in New York City–the flagship agency of the President’s New Deal.
(Click below for a street level view of the 1933 parade)
Read River of January, a memoir by Gail Chumbley. Also available on Kindle.
River of January: Friday Excerpt
New York, 1931
Early for Helen’s Gambarelli audition at the Roxy, the girl and her mother crowded among throngs of other hopefuls. Mothers pulled distracted daughters through the bedlam, while their girls tried to catch words with each other. All the dancers were dressed in rehearsal skirts, tights, and leotards—toe shoes slung over shoulders, or around necks. A pianist, oblivious to the chaos, loudly played echoing chords from the stage. Reaching for her mother’s hand, Helen, shouldered her way to a pair of empty seats to the right of the center aisle.
For the next three hours the two women witnessed extraordinary dancing. Yet while watching her competition perform their hearts out, Helen remained tranquil. She knew her craft—she knew she could compete. She had continued to train with her dance instructor, Mr. Evans regardless of her other obligations.
“Helen Thompson,” a small male assistant, with a receding hairline, read from a clipboard.
Helen rose, glancing at Bertha with a small smile. A little jittery when she stepped onto the stage, the girl’s dedication and discipline overrode her nerves. She posed, arms up, gracefully curved, head back, chin raised to the right, and she struck her regal beginning position. The pianist struck the opening bars, and her talent, training, and passion combined into graceful execution. Helen presented Stravinsky’s Firebird—the tableau in which the Firebird rejoices over the destruction of the evil Kashchei. Her mastery of fluid motion and grace assured Helen’s selection for a spot as a Gambarelli “Beauty,” and she began rehearsals with a new troupe of ballerinas almost immediately after auditions.
Gail Chumbley is the author of the memoir, River of January, also available on Kindle
Living Life Forward
Still my strongest Birthday memory.
It was the night of February 9, 1964, a Sunday, when my older brother and I had to make a crucial decision. We were both over stimulated, frantic, not one of our four feet remaining long on the floor. The house vibrated with our excitement and the weight of our impossible dilemma. For starters our birthday was the following day–the 10th, (though we’re not twins–he’s a year older). Still, that pre-birthday fuse had already ignited and by the 9th the two of us were banking off the walls.
The quandary we faced that Sunday night was whether to watch “Davy Crockett at the Alamo,” starring Fess Parker on Disney (The Alamo!), or the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. This was that first historic Beatles broadcast, live on American television, and we agonized between the two choices.
In 1964 there were no video players, no DVD players, no home computers, or dvr’s…
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Fear Itself
Happy 134th Birthday to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt who, rather than exploit uncertainty in a time of crisis, reassured Depression-era Americans.
Read River of January by Gail Chumbley, a memoir. Also on Kindle
Amelia Earhart?
Source: Amelia Earhart?
Gail Chumbley 