'Savitar' Comes Home

It looked like a cross between a gigantic Greyhound bus and the Vista Cruiser railroad passenger car, complete with a streamlined observation dome.

In tow was a Land Rover with a small motorboat strapped to its top.

Inside was a Hollywood mogul few people in Bay City would recognize and his well-known actress wife. They were more than familiar with some of the movie industry's top names, including several Academy Award winners.

The unusual procession wheeled its way onto the grounds of the Defoe Shipbuilding Co. on Woodside Avenue, near the foot of Washington Avenue, in June 1955. It was a moment in time captured by The Times photographs.

The vehicle, a custom-made General Motors rig identified as a "land yacht," had just traveled across the country from California to New York and was headed back when it stopped here, and the occupants welcomed old friend and shipbuilder Harry Defoe aboard.

The land yacht was named the "Savitar," after a sun deity of Hindu mythology.

It was a name familiar to Bay Cityans because it was the same name of a very fancy and expensive yacht constructed by the Defoe company in 1947. The style was used in the construction of six yachts at Defoe, one of which became a presidential yacht.

Owners of both Savitars were Phil Berg and his wife Leila Hyams. They had visited Bay City in 1947 to take possession of their new ocean-going yacht — a luxury craft that cost $200,000, a very handsome price tag for the time.

Having enjoyed the luxurious 118-foot yacht with its ultra-modern conveniences and richly appointed cabin, Berg and his wife decided they'd like something equally as comfortable to get them around the nation's highways. Berg, an amateur archaeologist, wanted to be able to reach his favorite spots at his own pace and in comfort.

So, in 1955, he had General Motors' Pontiac Division in California design his "land yacht," using some of the interior design of the ocean yacht's cabin.

The result was the 52-foot vehicle we would now call a motor home.

The vehicle sported a 4.5-ton air-conditioning unit with a 10-kilowatt generator and another 1,500-watt generator. A water-supply system held 200 gallons. Couches could be turned into extra beds, and a specially installed television set provided entertainment. The land Savitar had a stainless-steel galley, a master bedroom, and a freezer unit.

The rig even included "crew quarters" behind the driver's seat, complete with toilet and shower.

Berg planned to take his land yacht with him on a trip to Iraq to dig among the ruins of ancient Mesopotamia.

The wealthy Berg was identified only as an actors' business manager.

His wife was more well-known than Berg. Leila Hyams, who was 51 when she visited Bay City for the second time, was known as a good character actress in a number of movies in the 1920s and 1930s. She was remembered as the "wise-cracking, kind-hearted circus performer" in Freaks (1932), according to her Wikipedia biography. She also played the heroine in the 1933 film Island of Lost Souls.

In The Big Broadcast (1932), she appeared with Bing Crosby, George Burns, and Gracie Allen, the Internet biography noted.

She retired from the screen in 1936 and devoted her time to her husband and his business.

Berg was a partner in the Phil Berg–Bert Allenberg Inc. firm of theatrical agents.

He represented some of Hollywood's top stars — many with Academy Award credits — including director Frank Capra, Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Joan Crawford, and Peter Lawford. He also represented playwright Clifford Odets and British author Richard Llewellyn.

He represented Crawford early in her career, negotiating her first major contract with MGM in 1931, winning for her an astounding $3,000 per week — which rose to $5,000 per week by 1936. She went on to win the Oscar for Best Actress in 1946 for Mildred Pierce.

In true Mommy Dearest form, Crawford paid Berg back by dumping him prior to a new contract in 1938.

He went on to represent Capra, who won Oscars for Best Director in 1934 (It Happened One Night), 1936 (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town), and 1938 (You Can't Take It With You). He was nominated again for Best Director for the 1946 classic It's a Wonderful Life.

Gable won the Best Actor award for It Happened One Night and had been nominated for several of his memorable roles in later films.

Garland won a juvenile Oscar for her role in The Wizard of Oz, which even today is replayed for millions of wide-eyed kids.

Their second and final visit to Bay City might have gone unrecognized except that some of the Defoe Shipbuilding people wanted their boss to get recognition and tipped off the newspaper. The result was a feature story about the "land yacht," with a photo of Defoe with Berg and Hyams lounging in the land-bound cabin.

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