Theodore Herbert Tetzlaff (February 5, 1883 – December 8, 1929) was an American
racing driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...
active in the formative years of auto racing. He competed in the first four
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...
s, with a highest finish of second in
1912
This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15.
In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...
. He earned the nickname "Terrible Teddy" due to his rough treatment of his vehicles. His wide-open throttle racing style would variously win a race, blow up his engine or cause him to crash. As auto racing strategies evolved from the early "go as fast as you can and see if you can stay on the track," Tetzlaff's success in the sport waned.
Biography
Tetzlaff was born in
Orange, California
Orange is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. It is approximately north of the county seat, Santa Ana, California, Santa Ana. Orange is unusual in this region because many of the homes in its Old Town District ...
, on February 5, 1883.
Speed records
On March 19, 1911, as
Lozier ads claimed, a stock model piloted by Tetzlaff set a world record for at 1:14:29.
In 1914 the Moross Amusement Company of
Ernest Moross engaged Tetzlaff to campaign the Benz, naming it "
Blitzen Benz 2." He broke the world
land speed record
The land speed record (LSR) or absolute land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a person using a vehicle on land. By a 1964 agreement between the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and Fédération Internationale de M ...
mark by running on the
Bonneville Salt Flats
The Bonneville Salt Flats are a densely packed salt pan in Tooele County in northwestern Utah, United States. A remnant of the Pleistocene Lake Bonneville, it is the largest of many salt flats west of the Great Salt Lake. It is public land ma ...
at
Salduro, Utah, on August 12.
Motion pictures
Around 1912 Tetzlaff began appearing as himself in several
silent motion pictures produced by comedy pioneer
Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American producer, director, actor, and studio head who was known as the "King of Comedy" during his career.
Born in Danville, Quebec, he started acting i ...
. He even appeared in one Sennett film ''
The Speed Kings'' (1913) alongside fellow racing driver
Barney Oldfield
Berna Eli "Barney" Oldfield (January 29, 1878 – October 4, 1946) was a pioneer American racing driver. His name was "synonymous with speed in the first two decades of the 20th century". He was the winner of the inaugural List of American ope ...
. He later became an assistant to actor
Wallace Reid
William Wallace Halleck Reid (April 15, 1891 – January 18, 1923)
was an American actor in silent film, referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover".
He also had a brief career as a racing driver.
Early life
Reid was born in St. Lou ...
on Reid's car racing movies. His son
Ted Tetzlaff
Ted Dale Tetzlaff (born Dale Herbert Tetzlaff; June 3, 1903 – January 7, 1995) was an American Academy Award-nominated cinematographer active in the 1930s and 1940s.
Career
Tetzlaff was particularly favored by the actress Carole Lombard, whom ...
was a noted
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood ...
cinematographer.
Death
Tetzlaff died in an assisted living facility in
Artesia, California
Artesia ( Spanish for " artesian aquifer") is a city in southeast Los Angeles County, California. Artesia was incorporated on May 29, 1959, and is one of Los Angeles County's Gateway Cities. The city has a 2020 census population of 16,395. A ...
, on December 8, 1929, as a result of long-term effects of a spinal injury incurred during the 1911
Los Angeles to Phoenix race when his car hit a bump and overturned with Tetzlaff's head striking the ground. Having recovered quickly, he resumed his racing career and was later engaged in the auto service industry but had to retire as his health deteriorated.
Filmography
Actor:
*1913 ''
The Speed Kings''
*1919 ''
The Roaring Road''
*1920 ''
Double Speed
''Double Speed'' is a lost 1920 American silent comedy-drama film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was the debut directorial effort of Sam Wood and starred Wallace Reid in another of his racing car fil ...
''
*1921 ''
Too Much Speed
''Too Much Speed'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Frank Urson, written by Byron Morgan, and starring Wallace Reid, Agnes Ayres, Theodore Roberts, Jack Richardson, Lucien Littlefield, and Guy Oliver. It was released on June 5, ...
''
*1922 ''
''
*1929 ''
The Fall of Eve''
Legacy
Tetzlaff Peak
Tetzlaff Peak is a mountain summit located in Tooele County, Utah, Tooele County, Utah, United States.
Description
Tetzlaff Peak is situated in the Silver Island Range, Silver Island Mountains which are a subset of the Basin and Range Province ...
in Utah has borne his name since 1960. The mountain is located near Bonneville Salt Flats where he set the land speed record in 1914.
Motorsports career results
Indianapolis 500 results
References
External links
Pictures of Teddy Tetzlaff by James Walter Collinge 1. picture in a
Fiat
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...
, 3.,4.,9. in a
Lozier and last in a
Fiat S74.
Photo of Teddy Tetzlaff at devianartPhoto of Teddy Tetzlaff at oldracingcars*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tetzlaff, Teddy
1883 births
1929 deaths
Sportspeople from Orange, California
Racing drivers from Los Angeles
Indianapolis 500 drivers
AAA Championship Car drivers
20th-century American sportsmen