Solved - MJW #525 - John Duff, 1924 Le Mans winner in a Bentley, featuring in 1939 film Beau Geste as a stand-in for Gary Cooper

[woodinsight]

Now for something different....

To earn a point focus on the man in white facing the camera in the middle of the picture.

What is his name and what car in particular was he connected with?
I also need the name of the picture, year and who played the leading role.

The point will only be awarded for a complete and correct answer.

[woodinsight]

Let's move this one up

[woodinsight]

The Pros might like to play with this one as it may take some time to solve (or not as the case may be!)

[woodinsight]

A hint is required to kick this one off.....
The man in white is actually a stand-in/stuntman for the leading man in this film.
The role that he became famous for was equally as exciting.

[Oguerrerob]

Tyrone Power?

[woodinsight]

Not Tyrone Power but another well-known American actor played the leading role

[Wendax]

Gary Cooper in "Morocco"?

[woodinsight]

Gary Cooper in "Morocco"?

Gary Cooper is correct but not the film Morocco...

[Wendax]

Is it the 1928 movie "Beau Sabreur" and is the car you have in mind his SWB Duesenberg SJ, called the SSJ?

[Wendax]

 

[woodinsight]

Is it the 1928 movie "Beau Sabreur" and is the car you have in mind his SWB Duesenberg SJ, called the SSJ?

Not that one but the movie has Beau in the title......

[Wendax]

Beau Geste from 1939

[woodinsight]

The 1939 film Beau Geste starring Gary Cooper is correct.
However there is no connection to any car that appears in this film.
The connection is to the man in white, an experienced swordsman, who is standing in for Gary Cooper.

[Otto Puzzell]

The Ox-Beau Incident?

Too late!

[Wendax]

Is Richard Talmadge the stuntman you are looking for?

One car connected to him could be a Jordan Playboy, on which he is somersaulting from an Indian motorcycle in the movie "Speed Madness".

[Ray B.]

Assuming this is Richard Talmadge as cleverly found by Wendax, ist it a kart in the karting sequence of What's new, pussycat?

[woodinsight]

It's not Richard Talmadge I'm afraid.

I should add that the man was not a stuntman but was used as a stand-in primarily because of his fencing/swordsmanship skills.
The solution to this puzzle lies back in the 1920s.

Our man hailed from the North American continent but the car we're looking for was European.

[Tom_I]

An actor called Jay "Slim" Talbot often stood in for Gary Cooper, as they looked very similar, but this is not him.

The man in white in the puzzle picture is John Duff, who is considered to be the first of the "Bentley Boys".

He was born in China of Canadian parents, but came to England and joined the army at the outbreak of WWI. He was injured at the Battle of Passchendaele, and after the war set up a car dealership, later selling Bentleys.

He raced Bentleys at Brooklands, and made a private entry in the 1923 Le Mans 24-hour race partnered by Frank Clement, who was a Bentley employee. Apparently W.O. Bentley was not keen on the idea, but eventually agreed to have the car prepared by the factory. The car finished fourth, but in the following year Duff and Clement won the race.

Below is the 1924 Le Mans winning 3-litre Bentley. Duff is on the right, with Clement (left) and Walter Bentley.

[woodinsight]

An actor called Jay "Slim" Talbot often stood in for Gary Cooper, as they looked very similar, but this is not him.

The man in white in the puzzle picture is John Duff, who is considered to be the first of the "Bentley Boys".

He was born in China of Canadian parents, but came to England and joined the army at the outbreak of WWI. He was injured at the Battle of Passchendaele, and after the war set up a car dealership, later selling Bentleys.

He raced Bentleys at Brooklands, and made a private entry in the 1923 Le Mans 24-hour race partnered by Frank Clement, who was a Bentley employee. Apparently W.O. Bentley was not keen on the idea, but eventually agreed to have the car prepared by the factory. The car finished fourth, but in the following year Duff and Clement won the race.

Below is the 1924 Le Mans winning 3-litre Bentley. Duff is on the right, with Clement (left) and Walter Bentley.

That is the perfect answer. Thank you Tom and further information on this extraordinary and versatile character can be found on a well-known online encyclopedia. I believe the information on John Duff is reliable as far as I can tell.

[Allemano]

That's what I call a complete answer and a complete title, also..

[John Duff]

Hi All,

I just came across this site and post and the man in question is actually my Great Uncle. His parents were Scottish (transiting Canada somewhat on their way to China as missionaries) and he and my Grandfather were the Black Sheep of the family. Great Uncle John F. Duff was quite the marksman, fencer, racing driver and horseman. Prior to World War One he was a mercenary with the Cossacks (Imperial Russia at the time) and then quit. There is a very interesting story of how he was almost shot as a deserter (he was in uniform) on his way back to China.

He headed to America and had a precision rifle built for him to be delivered to England where he was commissioned as a Captain in the Royal Berkshire Regiment. Alas, the rifle never reached him in time. This actually went to my father who used it in competition through the 1960's, passing it on to a Marine sniper on his way out to Vietnam.

John was wounded and ended up marrying the nurse that tended to him. He got into motor sports (as mentioned in previous posts) and there is a lot of information out there on his exploits. He suffered a severe accident and promised his wife that should he have another one, he would stop racing. After a second accident, he was true to his word and quit altogether. His fencing career went very well and he established a fencing school for the stars in Hollywood. He later returned to England where he died in a riding accident near Newbury in Berkshire in 1958 (if memory serves).

His brother (my Grandfather) was in the OSS and had an even more colorful life. For myself, I drive a turbo-charged Ferrari and am an eight time Grand Master in Pistol Shooting. Last year I won three gold medals and a bronze in major competitions in Switzerland.

I hold a record in the UK which will never be broken unless they allow pistol shooting there in the future and someone posts a better score.

Must be something in the genes...

Best to all,

John Duff.

[woodinsight]

Hello John, welcome to the site.

It was indeed a pleasant surprise to hear from you.
Your reply makes interesting reading and fills in many details of your Great Uncle's extraordinary life.
Surely there must be a book waiting to be written about him? There is certainly enough material to do so.

It sounds as though you also lead a full and interesting life too and as you say "it must be something in the genes".

Many thanks once again for your contribution - I'm sure many of our members will be interested in reading about your Great Uncle's exploits.

[Allan L]

Yes I agree with all that!
Thanks for joining in.

[John Duff]

[img]Thank you for your kind words...

Indeed, there is enough for a book (or film) on the lives of John F. and James A. Duff. In point of fact, something like "Second Hand Lions" or similar would be close to the mark. There are many volumes (what has been declassified to date that is) in the Hoover Institution Archives at Stanford University on the many adventures. It is truly a case of truth being stranger than fiction.

As this site appears dedicated to motor vehicles, it may be of interest that a gentleman by the name of Bob Norwood has produced some very highly modified Ferrari's... One of his surreal 288 GTOs managed ~266 mph at Bonneville Salt Flats a few years back. Unfortunately the wind picked up so they could not complete a return run (which you have to do there for the record books). Many believe that Bob's work is sacrilege, but I believe that Enzo would have approved. In any event, I have one of his creations and words cannot express the exhilaration being at the controls.

I thought to append another photograph of John Duff in the Bentley that won Le Mans in 1924.

With best regards,

John Duff.

[RayTheRat]

Bob Norwood, huh?  I know that name.  I've shot the Black Horse Racing Ferrari on the salt numerous times.  Nice people, very well prepared car and team.  It was too bad about the wind thing, but it happens and then it coulda been last October at World Finals when we ended up trying to do deep sea salvage operations of Lake Bonneville.  Well, it was only 8-12 inches of water on the salt, but it happened in about 18 hours...from dry and sunny to underwater.  My Suburban ate its distributor while I was heading back to dry land.  It was a coincidence, but it was sure inconvenient.  There are photos of the whole thing on the website listed in my profile...just select "Land Speed Racing", 2011 and then "World Finals" to see 'em.

Here are some shots of the Ferrari from 2010:

There are also couple of shots of Richard Losee's Ferrari Enzo that was pretty much totaled during an event called the "Utah Fast Pass" (thanks to Deseret News for that photo) and then rebuilt for the salt.  Richard found out that it was a little harder to get the record than it might appear on the drawing board.  But he DID get it at the last moment.

RtR