Harry Shankman: Chicago to Los Angeles road trip 1930

This recount of Harry Shankman's road trip was provided by Phil Skolnik, Harry's step-brother, as recounted by Phil's wife Rhona in a letter to Ron Miller in 2002.

There was a car trip from Chicago to L.A. some years ago that Phil took with Big Harry and his wife Ruth and their son Arthur. (Note: Big Harry = Harry Shankman: He had a younger step-brother named Harry Skolnik called "Little Harry.")

Phil was about 15 at the time and that being 1930 you can imagine the condition of the roads at that time. Phil did the driving. Harry was in bad health at that time.

There were two lanes roads - - - - where there were roads. Detours all over the place. Being as it was so long ago, Phil can't remember too much of the details but I can remember driving in cars when I was a kid and it was a series of stopping and changing tires since there was always a blow out and that's the reason there was a garage like every block. They were truly needed. Tire tires were thin jobs and the streets and roads were not very good.

Phil remembers changing tires OFTEN. Harry couldn't. He was sick and that was the reason for his going west. The climate was supposed to help him, being that he was gassed during the war (WWI).

As far as Phil can remember the trip took maybe 10 days or more. No doubt they stopped often enough and spent the night, I like to think, in a decent motel along the way. Could be motels; they didn't really make their presence known very much that early. They came into being during the latter part of the thirties or maybe after WWII.