James Melton Autorama, 1958

Not too long ago, I was sorting a box of slides and found two images that are part of today's post. The first image showed this interesting sign/tableau for a place called the James Melton Autorama (in beautiful Hypoluxo, Florida). Who is James Melton? Time to do some research!


Almost immediately I discovered a blog called "James Melton: Musical Career and Antique Cars", written by none other than his daughter Margo Melton Nutt. I contacted Margo and she was nice enough to let me share some of her great photos with you. But first, in Margo's own words, a little about her father:

“America’s Favorite Tenor.” That was what they called James Melton from the 1920s through the 1950s. He was perhaps the first multi-media performer—in a career that spanned concerts, recordings, movies, the Metropolitan Opera, radio and television. His fame as a singer was equaled by his renown as an antique car collector. In this hobby he was a pioneer in recognizing these vehicles not only as an important part of America’s history, but as works of art. His career and his hobby reflected the two great technologies that knit the country together in the 20th century—the airwaves and the automobile.

Here he is, behind the wheel of his 1910 Locomobile, with his wife Marjorie and Shirley Temple!


At first I thought that one of my slides featured the Locomobile, but now I realize that it is a different car. Still super neat though.


How about this great photo of James Melton aboard The MM&J Railroad? Rather than paraphrase Margo, here is a quote from her blog:

Among the playthings in our Weston, Connecticut backyard was a miniature steam locomotive attached to half a dozen open flatcars with seats for ten children (or five adults), which traveled on a quarter-mile of track meandering through the apple orchard. My father got the idea from Walt Disney, who had a similar setup at his Hollywood home. Both ours and his were large enough for the engineer to ride just behind the engine (on the tender) while taking passengers around the track.

Of course most readers of this blog know that Walt Disney had his own famous miniature Locomotive, the "Carolwood Pacific RR". Margo says "...my father and Walt Disney were friends. I remember visiting Disney Studios in 1954 (where I watched them film a segment of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) and where "Uncle Walt" showed us Disneyland still on the drawing board.". Wow, I'm jealous!


There's Mr. Melton and Margo herself in another wonderful photo. He sure looks like he was a nice fellow.


Now that's an automobile! A "Green Goddess" Daimler, to be exact - a real art deco beauty. Margo (that's her next to her mom and dad in a circa 1950 photo) says:

In the winter of 1951, Henry Ford II admired the James Melton Green Goddess when it was parked on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, chatted with my father, and ended up taking a cruise on our yacht. He and my father made a handshake deal for a television variety show to be sponsored by the Ford Motor Company and hosted by James Melton. The show (Ford Festival) debuted in April 1951 and went off the air in July 1952. So that car was instrumental in launching my father's TV career.

She also says that a similar Daimler recently sold for about a quarter of a million dollars!


And lastly, Margo generously sent me this scan of a rare postcard, with this description:

In addition to the cars, and all sorts of automobiliana, the museum had a cycloramic mural of American history...what the brochure called "the nation's largest three dimensional cycloramic mural portraying the history of our great country." He had commissioned the mural from Montana artist Bernard Thomas. Recorded narration was provided by my father's good friend, radio commentator and explorer Lowell Thomas, and musical accompaniment was supplied, of course, by James Melton.


MANY THANKS to Marjorie Melton Nutt for allowing me to share some of her wonderful pictures and personal recollections of her father. I really enjoyed learning about James Melton, his career, and of course the Autorama!

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PS... Just a note to let everyone know that the "Knott's Preserved" event on April 18th is now sold out!