"TV" Tommy Ivo's 80th Birthday Bash
By
Story by Richard Parks
Photographs by Roger Rohrdanz
He’s called TV Tommy Ivo by his fans, but his friends just call him Ivo. It seems like he has been around drag racing forever and the stories about him would fill an encyclopedia. Ivo is a known prankster with a sense of humor that knows no limits. I’ve never seen him angry and the one sure talent that he cannot suppress is the desire to enjoy every minute of his life. Ivo never wastes a moment to tell everyone what a wonderful life he has led, though I am sure that he has had times when he suffered loss and tragedy. He wouldn’t be human if he hadn’t had his setbacks. His legion of fans never hesitate to go up to him and shake his hand and remind him of stories they know and he laughs and there is that twinkle in his eye that tells us that he remembers too. TV Tommy Ivo can just as easily be remembered as Drag Race Tommy, Movie Star Tommy, just Tom, Tommy or Ivo. He’s one of the most easy going and pleasant person that you are apt to find in any profession; that he is this way as a movie actor and drag racer is unique.
Ivo was honored in Pomona on his 80th birthday. Greg Sharp, along with Larry Fisher and other members of the staff worked with Ivo on promoting this event which drew 300 people to Ivo’s birthday, which was celebrated two days early on April 16, 2016. It wasn’t easy to organize the event according to Greg Sharp. He showed the audience a printout of hundreds of emails between Ivo and himself concerning every detail to be ironed out. Ivo is a man of details and he never overlooks the slightest problem to be resolved. He is also a man who is known as a night-owl and sleeps in late; very, very late. The crowd began arriving very early and the buzz among us concerned when Ivo would show up. Outside in the Redwood Grove the Habit Burger truck was ready to serve the guests lunch. In the parking lot the drag cars on display that Ivo once drove on drag strips all over America. Inside the building were drag racing and motorsports history. But it was the people who came to honor Ivo that made this day special.
Thomas Ivo was born in Denver, Colorado on April 18, 1936. He took tap dancing lessons at the age of three, and his parents felt he had a future in stage and screen acting. His family relocated to California and he became a child movie actor in Hollywood during the mid-1940’s. He was the blond boy with the tousled hair, blue eyes and a smile that endeared him to mothers but hid a very mischievous and prankish personality. He played in a number of roles, showing a wide range of acting skills and as he grew older he became the romantic love of many starlets in movies and television. He was too old to play “Dennis the Menace” when that show came out in the 1960’s, but that role was meant for him to play. His first movie was “A Fig Leaf for Eve” (1944) as a young boy. That led to roles in “Earl Carrol Vanities” (1945), “Song of Arizona” (1946), “Carnival in Rio” (1947), “Stepchild” (1947), and his breakout role as Cousin Arne in the 1948 movie “I Remember Mama.” Ivo also had taken voice and singing lessons along with dancing and Republic Studios felt they could promote him as the male child version of Shirley Temple. He also performed on the stage in the play “On Borrowed Time,” in 1946 with Beulah Bondi and Boris Karloff. 1948 was a very successful year for Ivo. Not only was “I Remember Mama” a hit, but it propelled him into roles for the following movies; “Song of Idaho,” “Secret Service Investigator,” “The Babe Ruth Story,” where he played the unforgettable role of Danny, the crippled boy who asked Babe Ruth to “hit a homer for me.” He also had roles in “Fighting Back,” “Trail to Laredo,” “Moonrise,” and Smoky Mountain Melody.”
More success followed in 1949 in the movie “Laramie” and his role as young Denny Dennison. That led to roles in “Outcasts of the Trail,” “Take One False Step,” “Prejudice,” “Feudin’ Rhythm,” and “Horsemen of the Sierras” as Robin Grant. It seemed like there was no end to the roles Ivo could get and no ceiling to his acting future, and the 1950’s proved this to be true. Besides his school work he was also able to land roles in the following movies in 1950; “Trail of the Rustlers,” Father Is A Bachelor,” “Kill the Umpire,” “Operation Haylift,” “The Lost Volcano,” “The Doodle Bug,” “The Killer That Stalked New York,” and his first attempt at television as Edgar Wilkins, in “The Gene Autry Show.” He was just as active in 1951 with roles in “The Secret Lode,” “Retreat & Decision,” “Al Jennings of Oklahoma,” “The Lemon Drop Kid,” “Whirlwind,” “Snake River Desperadoes” as Billy Haverly, “The Hills of Utah,” and three more television shows, “The Range Rider,” and “The Living Christ Series,” which was a TV mini-series. In 1951 he was also in two episodes of the TV series “Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok,” as Timmy in “Johnny Deuce,” and as Jim in “The Dog Collar Story.” In 1952 he was young David in “The Treasure of Lost Canyon,” and in roles in “Belles on Their Toes,” “The Rough, Tough West,” “Marked Cards,” “Hans Christian Andersen,” and as William Button in “Plymouth Adventure,” showing a wide range of acting skills. He was also in an episode of “Hopalong Cassidy,” a television show that was wildly popular.
I couldn’t find any roles for Ivo in 1953, when he was 17 years old and this may have been due to a lack of acceptable roles or his interest in drag racing and finishing his high school education. But in 1954 he is active once again with roles in three television series; in the episode “The Pearl Street Incident” on Schlitz Playhouse, in “Murder by Radiation” as Jimmy Roberts on Captain Midnight, and as Billy Sartoris in “An Error in Chemistry” on Climax, a popular television series of the time. It seems that the new medium of television attracted Ivo at this time. Movies were still the highlight of any actor’s career objectives, but more and more actors were trying out the “small screen.” On the big screen Ivo was in “Blackboard Jungle,” a movie that set Marilyn Monroe towards stardom. He was also in “You’re Never Too Young.” He was in five television shows in 1955, a year in which Da Bums from Brooklyn finally won a World Series in Baseball by beating the hated New York Yankees. In the episode “Reunion” in the show Adventures of the Falcon, he played Eric Andrews. He was Shelby Haskell in the episode “Heart of a Cheater,” on the Lone Ranger Show. In the episode of “How to Raise a Boy,” he was in the TV show Cavalcade of America. He reprised his role of Billy Sartoris in the episode “The Unimportant Man” on Climax. Ivo also returned as Jimmy Blake in the episode “Blake’s Kid,” in the Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok.
Ivo was twenty years old in 1956 and it wouldn’t be long before he would have to transition to mature roles or fade from acting as so many other child actors had to do. But Ivo was always slight and boyish and 1956 found him acting in serious roles in television shows, but absent from movies. He was on one episode of “The 20th Century-Fox Hour, in “Front Row Center,” on “Father Knows Best,” as Sandy Bramer, on “Telephone Time,” on the “Ethel Barrymore Theater,” on “The Adventures of Dr Fu Manchu, and on two episodes of “The Adventures of Jim Bowie,” as Matt Wilkins. Ivo did one television show in 1957, as Josh on “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin.” He was also in two movies, “Spring Reunion,” and “Dragstrip Girl,” as Rick Camden. “Dragstrip Girl” is an iconic teen movie that is one of my favorites in the genre of car racing movies. He was in two movies during 1958; “Life Begins at 17,” and “The Beast of Budapest.” In television he was on four shows. Ivo was in two episodes of “Make Room for Daddy,” as Donald Cooper. He was Jim Whitney on one episode of “26 Men.” He played Bill Archer on “Mike Hammer.” He was also in “Men of Annapolis.” He landed no movie roles for 1959, but was in four television series that year. Ivo played the role of Paul Cartwright on “Rescue 8,” Jed Wilkes on “Sugarfoot,” Duke Hathaway on “Leave It to Beaver,” and Herbie Bailey on “The Donna Reed Show.”
Tommy Ivo had been drag racing for nearly seven years by 1960 and the movie and television executives had been concerned about his safety. After all they had invested a lot of time and money in his characters and it wouldn’t be easy to write him out of the scripts if something happened to him. Still, these were lucrative roles and he continued to act, but at the same time he was anxious to go drag racing and live the thrilling life of a racer. In 1960 he had no movie roles, but was on four television series; “The DuPont Show with June Allyson,” “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,” as Eldon, “Leave It to Beaver,” as Duke Hathaway, and “The Donna Reed Show,” as Herbie Bailey. In 1961 Ivo hit it big with a leading role in “Margie.” He played Heywood Botts opposite Cynthia Pepper and it was a hit for two short seasons. He also had roles on “The Donna Reed Show,” “The Tall Man,” and “Lock Up.” He also was in one Hollywood movie as Willie Prattle in “The Cat Burglar.” In 1962 Ivo was again in “Margie” and as Johnny Sexton in an episode of “Lassie.” When Margie was cancelled the cast and crew were devastated, but not Ivo, for now he was free to pursue his interest in drag racing full time. He still found time to act in episodes on the television shows “The Joey Bishop Show,” and “Petticoat Junction” in 1963, on “My Three Sons” in 1964, as himself on “The Tycoon” in 1965, and as Jimmy on “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies” in 1967. But at last he was free from the studios heavy hand and could concentrate on the second love of his life; drag racing.
Ivo never won a major National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) event, but he dominated the sport. He was too busy accepting appearance money and winning races all over the country to spend time going after national event wins. He finally was awarded a “Wally,” the trophy given to national event winners as recognition of his value to drag racing. He toured the country relentlessly and his cars were not only fast and powerful, but they were the epitome of beauty and showmanship. It wasn’t easy beating Ivo in a drag race; he was a ferocious competitor. He wowed the crowds with his charm, fast cars, boyishly good looks and enthusiasm. He was also a bonafide Hollywood star and he was accessible. Other drag racers might be aloof and loners, preferring the garage and solitude to the adoring crowds; but not Ivo. He was meant for the crowds of fans and he readily signed autographs and spoke to people. He was by far one of the greatest assets that drag racing has ever had; he and John Force. He not only spoke to fans but he basked in the glory that drag racing during the Golden Era brought to the sport. He made people feel important and he loved the spotlight too. He worked on his cars, drove them, hired others to drive for him and employed the best and brightest car builders and mechanics. His cars are shown at car shows, and in museums and his four-engined beast is one of the most well-recognized and remembered drag car ever built and raced. Ivo raced in twelve different drag classes and he owned and raced thirty-six drag cars. He continued to race until the age of fortysix and was inducted into many drag racing Hall of Fames in his lifetime. He’s also in the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. Ivo was part of the American “Invasion” of the British Isles in 1964 that introduced American style dragsters to Great Britain. He was also recognized as the 25th all-time greatest drag racing drivers by the NHRA. He remains to this day one of the most recognizable drag racers of all-time.
At his 80th Birthday Bash he was roasted and toasted by a panel of his peers; Greg Sharp (historian), Steve Gibbs (long-time NHRA Competition Director and vice-president), John “Tarzan” Austin (Ivo’s Crew Chief), Bob Muravez (fellow Road Kings club member and famed drag racer), Tom “Mongoose” McEwen (funny car drag racer), and Don Rackemann (drag strip promoter and NHRA official). “Ivo worried about every little detail,” said Sharp as he showed the crowd a long list of emails Ivo sent him. “Ivo has raced drag cars since 1957, but he never won any trophies. We had to create a special category at the California Hot Rod Reunion in order to give Ivo his first ‘Wally’ trophy. We called it the ‘Greatest Racer to Never get a Wally’ award,” said a smiling Gibbs. “By the way, Ivo stands for ‘I’m Very Odd,’” Gibbs laughed. John “Tarzan” Austin told the crowd, “I’m not sure I can put up with three hours of people saying good things about Ivo,” and TV Tommy laughed heartily at the comment. “I’m not easy to get along with,” retorted the affable Ivo. Bob Muravez told the crowd, “Ivo and I were called the Bomb Squad by other members of the Road Kings car club. After we pulled that stunt on Skip Torgerson I thought we were going to be in real trouble. We created the biggest cherry bomb you ever saw and lit it, but when it didn’t go off we went back to investigate. It went off before we got to it or we wouldn’t be here today. It blew out the windows and turned night into day. I think we lost our hearing for awhile.” Ivo added, “Skip called me and said, ‘I know it was you, Ivo, and you’re going to pay for the damages.’ I thought I was in real trouble there.”
Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen said, “Ivo told me I couldn’t tell you about the time I dangled him over the rail on the 13th floor of the hotel by his ankles. He was a real prankster all right.” Don Rackemann added, “I took tap dancing as a kid with the hope of getting into the movies and auditioned for a role opposite Shirley Temple. I didn’t get the part. I think Ivo got it. I was an official at Saugus drag strip and this young kid was beating everyone by 5 car lengths and I was sure that he was cheating. It was Ivo of course. How could anyone be that good. In the finals he beat the other drag racer by six car lengths and when he came for his trophy I told him I wasn’t going to give it to a cheater.” Rackemann then looked at Ivo and said, “Tommy, I was wrong, you deserved that trophy.” Bob Frey, the well-liked and funny emcee and drag racing announcer was the narrator. “I want all of you to see this shirt I’m wearing. Ivo gave it to me and it’s about as garish as you can get and there are only two like it. Mike Goyda offered me $1,500 dollars for it and Tommy, I’m not going to give it back to you,” said Frey to a laughing audience. Ivo blurted out, “If I knew it was that valuable I would have given you a model of my car instead.” Frey added, “That reminds me, Ivo is also in the Die Cast Model Hall of Fame. His model cars really sell.” Ivo retorted, “Bob Frey is such a skinny guy that he can still get that shirt on.” Frey answered back, “With these colors you can tell that Ivo is a good prankster.” Ivo told Frey, “I didn’t think we’d get 20 people to show up for this event anyway.”
Other speakers took the microphone to roast Ivo. “Ivo was a major prankster, but so were the other Road Kings,” said Skip Torgerson. “We ran a car off into the Los Angeles River near Warner Brothers and watched as the cops went back and forth looking for the guys that did it. Someone set off a cherry bomb that broke all the windows in our house. Ivo did it. I just knew it was Ivo. One time he got some chicken shit (manure) and poured it all over our driveway,” Torgerson laughed. Terry Howland told us about the Road Kings. Fast Jack Beckman, a Top Fuel Funny Car champion congratulated Ivo on his career. Beckman is also a fan favorite and every bit as humble as Ivo. Ben Curtis, the current Road Kings of Burbank car club president presented an award to Ivo. Bob Frey read a letter from Tom Chastain that proffered a new award to Ivo called the Wall-E Award in place of the real McCoy. Frey pointed to the movie screen and some of the roles that Ivo played in movies and on TV with other actors like Danny Thomas, Jerry Lewis, William Powell and Cynthia Pepper, the original “Margie.” Then a special guest, Cynthia Pepper herself rose to speak. “Tommy was the only one who was happy when our show was cancelled. He was ecstatic and was jumping up and down telling everyone that he was now free,” Pepper beamed. Ivo added, “Did you know that Cynthia co-starred with Elvis Presley in the movie Kissing Cousins.”
It was finally Ivo’s time to speak. “I get the last laugh now. I had fun in the movies and I got to play roles that fit my personality; all those tricks that I played, like putting ants on that actor’s neck. But I found my life’s goal in drag racing. I also made friends. McEwen and Beebe were going on tour to Hawaii but Beebe was involved in a bad accident and had to drop out so I took his place. McEwen was so serious and I had to play a prank on him. I rigged the alarm in his room to go off at 2AM with the loudest music possible and he knew it was me. The second night I played the same trick on him and he got rid of all the alarm clocks in his room. But I put my alarm in a grate in his room and set it for 2AM. He told me that if it happened a third time it would be the last prank I would ever play on him. Sure enough on the third night it went off and you could hear the alarm all over the hotel through the air conditioning system. He finally found it and shut it off and he was steaming. I heard a knock on my door and that was my first mistake. He grabbed me and held me by my ankles upside down over the balcony railing some 13 floors above the ground and told me, ‘The next time an alarm goes off I’m going to drop you.’ I’m so happy you all came to my 80th birthday bash and I’m going to remember this day for as long as I live,” Ivo told the applauding crowd of fans.
Another memorable story told to me by Don Edwards concerned the time that Ivo had gone over to Dave Zeuschel to have an engine rebuilt. Zeuschel was one of the greatest engine builders ever, but he was a quiet genius who lived in a world of metal while Ivo was at home with ideas and people. The loquacious Ivo kept badgering the taciturn Zeuschel with questions until Dave could take it no longer. Zeuschel grabbed Ivo and put a hook on Ivo’s belt and hoisted the talkative drag racer up to the rafters some twenty-five feet above the garage floor and then tied off the rope, turned off the shop lights, closed and locked the doors and left. Ivo was dangling high above the floor wondering if Zeuschel was ever going to return. There are several versions of the story as to how long Dave left Ivo dangling, but eventually he returned and let Ivo back down. It didn’t cure Ivo of his out-going and prankish ways, but it did add another story in the life of TV Tommy Ivo. Tommy does have a book out on his life and also a website that details his biography. Some of the people who attended the birthday bash included; Edmund and Korey Janke, “Honda” Doug Woiwod, Jim “Dudley” Rickart, Heidi Howard, Ron Johnson (who owns Ivo’s dragster), Ray Lake (who owns the Cook & Bedwell dragster and was the vice-president of the San Diego Timing Association), Hank Ahlers, Jerry Jones, Sherri Watson, Ron Main, Ed Iskenderian, Gloria Gibbs, David Steele, Dave McClelland, Ken Freund, Al and Jane Teague, Jim Miller, Doug Kruse, Dick and Beverly Martin, Bud & Lynne Rasmus, Richard Parks, Elana Scherr, Roger Rohrdanz, Dennis Lank, Bob Bammes, Jim White, Larry Fisher, Art Chrisman, Orah Mae and Robin Millar, Ed Drogmund, Tom Jandt, Diane Voorhees and many former and present members of the Road Kings of Burbank car club which TV Tommy Ivo is an honorary and lifetime member.
Gone Racin’ is at [email protected].
See photos from the event here.