A LOOK BACK -- Jerry Person

Oil is what Huntington Beach was best noted for, and with the coming of

oil came the oil promoter.

This week we’ll look at one of these flamboyant oil promoters whose life

of flashy cars, horses and dreams of quick wealth would lead Charlie

Black into murder and to the taking of his own life.

Charles F. Black was born in Belleview, Idaho in 1898, where his father

ran the 7-up ranch.

Black came to Huntington Beach with his wife and daughter Betty in the

early 1920s, seeking his pot of black gold.

He went to work in the oil fields as a pumper, but being just a worker

was not for him, so he sought out men of wealth to invest in his oil

drilling schemes.

Black drilled several wells in the Downtown lots, but fate was not kind

to him and they came in dry.

Black loved fancy sports cars. He used these to his advantage by taking

prospective investors out on the town.

He had that chutzpah that would attract people to invest in oil ventures

here in Surf City.

Black divorced his wife and later married a local girl, Phyllis Hudson.

They lived at 814 14th St., where their son Buzzy was born. Her parents

lived next door at 818.

Her brother was the superintendent of Shaw Development, a land

development company.

Through this association Black was able to talk the Shaw Co. into letting

him drill four wells.

Two of these wells were on Reservoir Hill. But like his other wells, they

came in dry.

Black then turned to Hollywood for capital and found Art Baker, who

hosted a TV show “You Asked For It.”

Black convinced Baker to invest in a well named for his show.

They had a movie camera ready to film the well spouting oil.

Again, it didn’t.

Not only was Baker was involved, but also local Huntington Beach car

dealer Otto Culbertson and Assembly Speaker Sam Collins.

Another of Black’s potential investors was the wife of movie actor Jerry

Colonna, who was interested in one of Black’s promotions to the tune of

$60,000.

Money and matrimonial problems began affecting his life.

On May 26, 1954, an argument began between Charlie and Phyllis over

whether Buzzy could have a bow and arrow set. As time went on that

evening the argument turned into a heated quarrel, but now it was about

liquor and money.

Black’s wife ran to their neighbors, the Dardens, for help, and she

returned home with Virginia Darden at 2:30 a.m.

As they walked through the door of Black’s home, Charlie Black pointed a

Colt revolver at them and fired, striking Phyllis in the head, killing

her.

Darden ran home to phone the police.

Black shot his wife a second time before turning the gun on himself.

He died in the hospital that morning at 7:28.

A few days after the murder, neighbors told the police they saw Black’s

sports car cruising slowly by his house, driven by a “mystery woman.”

The one good thing about all this was that their son Buzzy was unhurt. He

had been sleeping over at a neighbor’s house.

Jerry Person is a local historian and longtime Huntington Beach resident.

If you have ideas for future columns, write him at P.O. Box 7182,

Huntington Beach, CA 92615.