REMEBERING KERRS
 

The quintessential west coast playroom.... I have owned and sold some of Parkers finest from Mr. Alex.... Lets see some pics. Rich and friends? I have had over a dozen guns that were sold thru Kerr Sport Shop and all of them were something special.

A view from the inside

Hollywood reached its Golden Age from 1930-1960, when such luminescent stars as Clarke Gable, Cary Grant, Gary Cooper and Bing Crosby became icons. Many of these Golden Age cinema stars, including Gable , Grant and Cooper were noted shooters. But who did they buy their skeet and upland guns from?

KERRS
John Barrymore and Clarke shooting Skeet in West Hollywood.

Some famous movie stars frequented Abercrombie & Fitch, of course, but since A&F did not have a West Coast presence (at least not until later, when they opened a branch in San Francisco), and many stars more or less made their homes in Hollywood, there had to be some place for them to frequent that could sate their piscatorial and hunting desires.

This is where the Kerr Sport Shop of 9584 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills stepped in. A fixture among the Hollywood elite anglers and hunters for decades, it was truly the Gun and Tackle Shop to the Stars. Founded by transplanted Chicagoan Alexander H. Kerr (b. 1913) in the mid-1930s, this full service tackle shop sold a full line of firearms and fishing tackle as well as other sporting goods, including sporting clothes -- an important line in a city so image-conscience. By 1937 The Coast magazine was calling it that "super sporting establishment in Beverly Hills."

Alex Kerr was certainly a sport himself, best noted for his shooting skills. In 1941, he won his first World Championship, then spent the war years as a Navy gunnery instructor. In 1946 he won the Sports Afield trophy for All-Gauge skeet shooting champion. A year later he became one of the founders of the National Skeet Shooting Association. He was a 16-time world champion in this sport.

Although the shop was perhaps best known for its custom gunsmithing department, where the rich and famous could have their high-end double barrel shotguns tailored to their needs or purchase Remington-special Kerr Skeet Guns, it did also sell a lot of good fishing tackle, too. Studio executive and film director William R. Lasky recalled in his autobiography Go Tell it on the Mountain about one particular incident where "we drove to Kerr's Sport Shop in Beverly Hills, and he bought us the best of everything: hundred-dollar Canadian quilt-lined fishing jackets, Arctic goose-down sleeping bags, European trout creels, and so many trout flies…"

And there were stars. The Oakland Tribune for 15 January 1942 wrote that Alex Kerr was the "blond expert from Beverly Hills, and instructor to many of the men and women from Hollywood's motion picture colony…" Preview Magazine in 1958 declared that Oscar-winner Gary Cooper often "visits Alex Kerr's sports shop, browses in the gun department, always hefts a pair of matched Purdy's and murmurs, 'Wish I could afford these,' and has coffee with Alex in the coffee shop across the road." Robert Stack was a frequent patron, and an exceptionally good shot with a gun, too. He referred to Kerr often in his own autobiography Shooting Straight.

Kerr spent a lot of his free time collecting and documenting the history of skeet shooting. The Long Beach Press-Telegram could declare on 30 January 1972 that "Kerr has probably assembled probably what is one of the most complete collections of equipment used from the earliest days of shotgun competitions." He was also a conservationist who in 1963 was named by the California Outdoor Writers the "Sportsman of the Year."

The man himself on left with Ken Barnes on a California dove shoot in 1980

The finest Boss 28ga Skeet gun sold new at Kerrs in 1938 and remained as such. Self opener, factory single trigger, straight stock, beavertail forend and factory leather pad at a respectable 14 1/2 lop. PULL!

Thanks for a great thread Chuck. Excellent pics and information!





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Kerr
 

10 or 12 years ago his daughter had a San Francisco Glass Co. auctioned off his collection of Target balls. Was able to win some examples from Alex Kerr`s collection...

Trap3

this man surely was a friend of shotgunners...only to have lived in this mans shadow....charlie

The California Team at the 1936 Skeet Championships --

Attachment 94263

My 1953 vintage 12-gauge Model 21 Skeet Gun went to Kerr's according to the Cody letter. I have a 1950 vintage 20-gauge Superposed that went to Stanley Andrews Sporting Goods in San Diego, but must have passed through Kerr's at some point in time --

Attachment 94264

I first visited Kerr Sport Shop in Beverly Hills in the spring of 1969 when I was an E-3 in the Navy, stationed at San Diego. The thing I remember most about that visit was that they had an Ithaca NID Grade 7E 20-gauge for sale. Unfortunately that was a bit beyond an E-3's $137.70 a month at that time. After I came back to San Diego as an officer in 1971, I began shooting NSSA skeet and remembered Alex Kerr arriving at registered shoots at Winchester West at Long Beach and at El Monte, in his white Rolls Royce. At that time, bursitus (sp?) in his shoulder limited him to shooting only the .410-bore events with his Winchester Model 42.

From the USC Trojan, Spring 2000 --

ALEXANDER H. KERR ’36, of Toluca Lake, Calif.; March 25, 1999, at the age of 85. He owned and operated the Kerr Sport Shop in Beverly Hills, Calif., from 1936 until 1982. During World War II, he was a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy, serving as head of gunnery training at Alameda, Calif., naval base. He was called into the service because of his excellent reputation as a skeet shooter, holding several world records for consecutive hits in competition, as well as many individual and dual team meet championships, the latter with actor Robert Stack. Kerr was also a member of the California Fish and Game Commission for many years. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Carolyn, two children, and a brother.

Dave,
was that before you were tallying serial numbers or do you perhaps have the serial # of Ithaca 7E 20 gauge?
That shop must have been an awesome place to see.
Stan Hoover

What a great thread.

Long before I went completely crazy.

A fellow from my unit in San Diego was moving to Port Hueneme and he dropped me off early in the morning at a coffee shop near Pachmayr's at 1220 S. Grand in downtown L.A. on his way, where I waited for Pachmayr's to open. Saw my first Fox SBT at Pachmayr's. Then walked up to 1 Wilshire and took a bus out Wilshire Blvd., stopping at the La Brae Tar Pits, on the way west to Kerr's. After Kerr's I got an anniversary present for my folks at a nearby shop and then took a bus to the airport and caught a hop back to San Diego. Probably a much better way to spend a day off than drinking two bit PBRs at the base bowling alley!!

I'd LOVE to have that Boss 28ga. I honestly think the grouse would just surrender.

The Hollywood Gun from Kerr's. An embellished GHE 16ga with all the options and a two bbl set with two BTF forearms. Once set is SKT/SKT the other M/F and both 28 inches.

another try at the pics:whistle:

the floor plate

Rich, any idea who (engraver) did the relieved the game scenes and the gold inlays?





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Chuck, was Kenny Barnes really an actor as seen in your picture? I know him as a California skeet shooter and waterfowler. Let me know.

http://zone7skeet.org/?page_id=251

https://northhighathleticshof.com/kenny-barnes

Just incredible! :clap:





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you are correct Murph...My apologies. Ken was a friend of Kerr and a skeet shooter from California that shot occasionally with Kerr's son in law Russ Long. They were both friends with Robert Stack who shot with Kerr on the All American Team.

Rich's gun was a factory cased 2 barrel set with vent ribs and built and ordered for trap and skeet.... Only set built with all options and fantastic.

I wish I had recorded the serial number of the 12 gauge CHE Trap/Skeet combination gun that sold on Gunbroker more than ten years ago but all I took from the ad was a 3-in-1 picture of it.

Judging by the quality of the photos, it could have been from Ivory Beads.


No Wait.... I just found more pics!!


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Dave;

Does PBR = Pabst Blue Ribbon beer?

Yes.

In Kerr's Sporting Goods Store in Beverly Hills sometime in 1974

ELVIS. Elvis Presley. "The King." A great narrative about him came from Jerry Knight, who was Alex's head man in the gun department at Kerr Sport Shop. He said that a few days before Christmas one year, Elvis was in the store buying guns for some of his friends as gifts.

There was a customer off to the side looking at a display case that held nothing but expensive Browning over-under shotguns. Presley went up to the gentleman and commented on how nice the guns were.

The man agreed, but said they were way out of his price range, since they were all probably in the thousand dollar plus area. Elvis asked the guy which one he would buy if he was purchasing, and the fellow said probably the Diana grade with the gold inlay. Elvis then went back to the counter where Jerry was, and as he left said to Jerry, " When that guy gets ready to leave, take that Diana grade shotgun out and put it on the counter and give it to him. Tell him Elvis said Merry Christmas."

Jerry said he did just that, and he thought the guy was going to faint when he received the gift. Awesome story about "The King."

Dean I have no idea who did the engraving on that gun. None of it is std for a GHE grade. It's my go to sporting clays gun for the last 15+ years.

Chuck while you are here, I don't suppose you made it to Grand Junction this year due to the Championship being closed to visitors due to Covid? Your report last year (I think it was last year?) was great!

When Kerrs went out of business,my friend and mentor,Don Criswell bought 5 Winchester model 21 20gauge barreled actions from them. Kerr would order the guns without stocks or forends and custom stock them for his customers. It must have been quite a shop.

Hey Reggie
We did not get to Ames this year. I had a dog running with Mike Tracy at Union Springs AL at the Shooting Dog Nat. and they cross over..... The Rona B.S. shut down most of it.... Hope you are well!!!! Girls win!!!!!
Year of the female at Ames with Coldwater Thunder

BTW
John Allen, My friend, is spot on! Rich's gun was originally fitted with a very different stock pattern from a "G" Parker.... Kerrs was the place to buy guns.. pre-communist California. John also lives within a close spin over to Ames and hunts the hallowed grounds of Mr. Nash..

Chuck, you are the man. Your experience with your pointers is what I want to have in my next life. The guns are great, but the dogs are what it's all about. By the way, I believe Kenny Barnes shot the first four by four in NSSA skeet. He is the only person to have shot a 4X4 with pump guns, three Model 12s and a Model 42. A great bird hunter also. By the way, I have moved four miles to the east and can't see your spread from my upper deck any more. I hope to see you at the Southern.

I used to shoot with Don occasionally. Bought a nice BHE from him. I haven't heard anything about Don for some time. Any updates?

Looking forward to seeing you guys Murph... Southern? We have had 3 litters this year... 7 pups with professional handlers in both circuits. We are blessed to have great friends in gun and dog world. Tell Linda hey!

a lifetime of love

The tri-fecta pic is 3 dogs 2 litters American field and 1st, 2nd and 3rd.... Miss Traci raises them right.

Murph's right....without our dogs the sport is nothing that's why they forever memorialized the sides of a D with dogs .... Pics!