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Loggerheads in Dallas

Really?  There was somebody in this world with the last name Loghead?  Google didn’t seem to think so.  

Nate Fine information had been easier to accumulate.  Nate died in 1988 but had passed his film and cinematic skills on to his son Paul and grandson Sean who has been nominated for an Oscar.  There was even a website with a contact link for Sean, but there was no reply to an e-mail sent to him.  The bottom line was that Nate Fine introduced the use of film to the Redskins organization and shot every kind of possible photo during his career, including many photos like the one of George Izo.  But there was no evidence that he took pictures of the number of teams required for the Post cereal set.  It was time to focus on Texas.

Who in Dallas do you go to that might know for whom you are searching when you know you don’t know yourself?  It may have been a search for “Dallas photographers” that led to a link to the Dallas Public Library and Carol Roark, Manager of the Texas/Dallas History & Archives Division. 

“I believe the photographer you are referring to was James F. “Jim” or “Jimmy” Laughead. He started work as an Associated Press photographer and, in the 1940s, opened a press photography business, Laughead Photographers, with his wife. They shot football games for Southern Methodist University and professional teams. Later, his son-in-law, James T. “Jim” or “Brad” Bradley, joined him in the business.”

No more loggerheads—or even Logheads.  Google could now find “Jim Laughead.”  One of the first links returned was to a truly classic piece written by Edwin “Bud” Shrake for the September 21, 1964 issue of Sports Illustrated titled “The Mad Hatter in Photoland.”  In it, Shrake divulged that Laughead’s work had graced the reverse side of cereal boxes:

Included in his files are color photographs of major league baseball and professional football players, shot to decorate bubble-gum cards and the backs of cereal boxes.”

Two black and white pictures of Bob Lilly that were definitely taken at the same time as his Post cereal snapshot had been sold on eBay a few years prior.  In keeping with the Dallas connection, searching for Lilly photos led to his website where he was offering various items for sale.  Filling out the “Contact us” box resulted in the surprise of a reply from Bob’s wife, Ann.  Unfortunately, she said Bob didn’t remember anything about the Post cereal card photos.  With her e-mail address now in hand, a link to Shrake’s Sports Illustrated Vault story and a scan of Bob’s Post cereal card and a photo of Jim Laughead made its way to her inbox.

“…Bob does say he remembers that photographer Jim Laughead, although Bob had no idea that he did the pictures for the cereal box…”

While searching for “Loghead Photography” the name of Gil Brandt of Dallas Cowboys front office fame kept showing up time and again.  A letter with examples of Cowboys photos from the Post cereal set was dispatched.  It was worth a shot.