Shirlie Montgomery Girl Photographer: April 2019

Shirlie Alice Montgomery June 9, 1918 – November 5, 2012

Shirlie Alice Montgomery was born on Chapman Street in San Jose on June 9, 1918. She was an only child. To her friends and neighbors she was a treasure trove of history. Shirlie remembered it all. She remembered the Great Depression as a child, the Second World War as a young woman, and eventually the transformation of the Santa Clara Valley from a moderately sized agricultural town to the hustle and bustle of modern Silicon Valley. The majority of her memories were supported by the thousands of photographs in her collection.

She was the surviving grandniece of San Jose’s forefather T.S. Montgomery. Shirlie lived a colorful life but professionally she photographed it with a 4X5 Speed Graphic in B&W. She was a celebrated photographer that shot Hollywood stars, U.S. Presidents and pro wrestlers. Although Shirlie did work for the S. F. Examiner and the San Jose Mercury, her works remain some of the best representations of pro wrestling from the 40’s thru the 60’s. When asked about her penchant for shooting professional wrestlers she would answer “I always liked the big boys.” Such stories Shirlie had!

She will never be forgotten. God rest her soul. (Obituary by Joe Holt, neighbor and friend.)

Sunday, April 7, 2019

George Lanning and the "Three Sensational Royals"

July 4th 1937 ... Shirlie was at Santa Cruz Beach as usual. She just loved the beach ... more than her precious "Valley of Hearts' Delight." Shirlie had just turned 19 years old, two years out of San Jose High School. Still finding her way and enjoying every minute of it.

Happenstance, the Santa Cruz Boardwalk had booked "the greatest aerial act of all time," the "Three Sensational Royals." Headed by an equally young George Lanning, this act did acrobatic and trapeze stunts atop a 100 to 150 foot tall rotating and swaying pole. Gads!

The two met and must have had a great time, as George wrote Shirlie a week later saying the group would be in "Frisco a couple more weeks" and wanted to see her again.

What happened to their relationship ... I do not know. Shirlie never mentioned it to me, but George wrote again (at least once) in February to let Shirlie know they were back in San Francisco. He re-introduced himself as "the crazy guy that you met at 4th of July at Santa Cruz 1937."

Well George became pretty successful with his aerial trapeze act, traveling all over America at fairs and carnivals. He was written up in local and national newspapers and such publications as Billboard.

The_Enterprise_Ledger_Fri__Nov_6__1942

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Billboard Mar 28, 1942

Alas, he who lives on the edge, .... George Wesley Lanning perished in a horrific accident in front of a crowd of 1,200 spectators when his trapeze bar broke during a performance. That was on the evening of May 12th 1949, at the "World of Pleasures Show" in Battle Creek Michigan. George was only 31 years old, married with two young sons. Shirlie had a beat up old clipping of his death notice among her mementos.

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Shirlie always seemed to attract men with stories to tell and adventures to live. George Lanning (1918 - 1949), "The Sensational Royal," was another one of those.