Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Windows to the Past: The Smiling Irishman


We couldn't resist posting this particular Window to the Past as we fast approach this week's Saint Patrick's Day Holiday.  The photograph dates from 1946 and showcases a Los Angeles entrepreneur know as the Smiling Irishman.  The image is from the UCLA Library Digital collections.

1 comments:

Mike Newton said...

Jack Benny made several references to the Smiling Irishman on his radio show of the mid-Forties. Rochester would call Benny to tell him that his Maxwell car was so old that even the Smiling Irishman would give him an trade-in. "Are you serious," Benny asked. "Well, Boss, he wasn't smiling when he said it. The Smiling Irishman was probably the LA prototype of used car dealers. He proceeded Cal Worthington and Mad Man Muntz.