By Ken Brafman, Image from Ken Brafman Collection
TITLE: THE CAVALRY CAME TO LAKE ARROWHEAD: Tony Burke was an early promoter of Lake Arrowhead Village. He was British, and was a member of the Dragoons Cavalry Unit in World War I serving under Lawrence of Arabia. After 1918 he had a chance meeting with the actor Donald Crisp, which led to a few bit parts in local productions. The more he heard about America, the surer he was that his future lie ‘across the pond.’ He arrived in California in 1923, and with Christmas coming up landed a job selling clothing in a department store. He later took a job selling and installing sophisticated, high end cabinet radios that required expert installation. A wealthy customer wanted to install the radios in his homes in Los Angeles and Lake Arrowhead, and Tony was assigned to the task. It was spring, and the brisk air and sweeping mountain vistas that greeted him captured his heart and imagination. When the installation job was completed, the customer offered to take Tony around the lake in his speedboat. They ended up at the old Village and Tony knew that he would be returning someday. Back in Hollywood, he struggled to get into the film business. Despite some success he longed to return to the mountains. He called the developer of the Village, and his praise and enthusiasm landed him a real estate sales position. This week’s image shows Tony posing in front of the old Village. He became a major cheerleader for Lake Arrowhead, and his flair and enthusiasm come across today in early Village photos. He promoted Lake Arrowhead for filming locations, and as mountain film production took off in the 1920s some familiar faces arrived from Hollywood. One social encounter involved a party at the Arlington Lodge. Tony was surprised to find, after being led up through a trap door above the billiard room, a complete gambling operation. But the party was crashed by the sheriff’s department after a rival hotel tipped them off, after their own gambling revenue had taken a hit.