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Cowboys
... I'd say it's a photo from the mid to late 1940s. Cowboys The guy on the back left side looks like he has on a military ... Advises "Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys." Young man ... I think they are about to break into a chorus of ... 
 
Posted by tikirust - 11/08/2008 - 11:55pm -

I picked up this "instant relatives" pic at an antique shop in Southern California a number of years ago. Just couldn't pass up these handsome gents... for only 25 cents! Am guessing it was taken in the 1950's, but any info on the who, where & when for this photo would be greatly appreciated. View full size. Photo DateI'd say it's a photo from the mid to late 1940s. CowboysThe guy on the back left side looks like he has on a military uniform from the 1940s. I have photos of my father from WWII with a very similar looking uniform. But I guess you could say military uniforms didn't change that much back then. Just my thoughts. Thanks for this fantastic site. I visit pretty much everyday. Mike The Song Advises "Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys." Young man ...I think they are about to break into a chorus of "Y.M.C.A." Instant Relatives!I have several of these pictures--my favorite is a group of women (granny, mom and daughters) from the 1880s or 1890s, some of whom have books as props. Real Cowboys Wear BootsAll of these happy young guys are wearing street shoes, whereas cowboys or even moderately horsey suburban ranch types would be wearing boots with pointy toes and "working heels." My dad was raised as a cowboy on the Wyoming Hereford Ranch in the 1920s and 1930s, and would have instantly recognized these boys as townies from the angle of their hats alone (tilted back to show the face - pure Hollywood). Late 1940s seems more likely than later, and the locale could be almost anywhere in Southern California at that time. Even the San Fernando Valley was mostly small ranches until the late 1950s. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Montana Cowboys: 1939
... U in 1939. A few examples below. - Dave] Cowboys This photo is fantastic! Thanks, Dave! Cowboys It really does look like a movie still. Cowboy Guitar That ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/09/2018 - 11:24am -

June 1939. Big Horn County, Montana. "Cowhands singing after day's work. Quarter Circle U Ranch roundup." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Crew cutDid you notice how everybody just had his hair cut. Quite short. Lighting effectNote also that the photo staged the light cans to give the appearance of campfire. Between the haircuts and the phony set up, this smacks a bit of propaganda. [There's nothing phony about it. It's one of more than 300 photographs Arthur Rothstein took of cowhands at the Quarter Circle U in 1939. A few examples below. - Dave] CowboysThis photo is fantastic! Thanks, Dave! CowboysIt really does look like a movie still. Cowboy GuitarThat probably is a tenor guitar. These smaller guitars were popular because they're easy to pack along when out on the trail. Nowadays backpackers sometimes carry them. Martin makes a lot of these, and calls them "tenor size." (Elderly Instruments link.) Light in a canJust curious how these light cans were powered in 1931? Or are you suggesting it was shot in a studio? I guess the items that appear to be light cans couldn't be logs on the old campfire...or some other non-staged artifact? [These were shot outdoors at the Quarter Circle U. The lights were probably powered off a car battery. And the year is 1939, not 1931. - Dave] Marble Row CountrySmoke 'em if you got 'em. Can anybody tell if that's a tenor guitar? It looks like it has six strings, but the body's rather small. Parlor guitarIt's definitely a six-stringer, probably a "parlor guitar" --- a small-bodied instrument made for small venues. See here: http://tinyurl.com/39lunt and here: http://tinyurl.com/2gxxt4 WowNothing else to add, just wow! Home Sweet HomeBeing a native Montanan born on a large sheep spread, this looks very much like home. It really hasn't changed much either, thankfully. I'll certainly never live anywhere else. As my grandfather would have said: "Well, I'll be go to hell, savvy photo ya got there!" Thanks for the excellent photos, Dave. Boone H Roundup, Montana (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Camping, Music, Rural America)
Texas Roundup: 1901
... any proper teacups made of china, would you?" Real cowboys And not a six gun in sight. Early iron supplement You see, kids, back in the old days cowboys had to cook a horseshoe in their stew to get their daily requirement. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 1:38pm -

The Lone Star State circa 1901. "Camp wagon on a Texas roundup." Dry plate glass negative by William Henry Jackson, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Little Joe the WranglerIt was little Joe the wrangler He'll wrangle never more His days with the remuda, they are done It was long late in the evening When he rode up to the herd A ragged looking stray and all alone. He was looking kinda hungry, he was looking for some work But he didn't know straight up about no cow But the boss he kinda liked him So he cuts him out a mount Guess he sorta liked that little stray somehow. Taught him how to herd the horses And to know them all by name And to get them in by daybreak if he could. And to load the old chuck wagon And to always hitch the team And help old Cocinera gather wood. The fellow in the boater-- looks uncomfortably out of place. "I say, old chaps, you wouldn't happen to have any proper teacups made of china, would you?" Real cowboysAnd not a six gun in sight. Early iron supplementYou see, kids, back in the old days cowboys had to cook a horseshoe in their stew to get their daily requirement. DudeYou don't want to know how much we pay in 2010 for an experience like this! Many ranchers still move cattle a couple times a year by dogs and horseback. Chuck wagons are still sometimes still pulled by teams. And dudes from "back east" pay good money to go "out west" for a few days of pushing cattle, semi-primitive camping, and feasts by Cookie. Well equipped chuckwagonBut does it really take 11 buckets, pots, and pans to get a cup of coffee and a plate of beans? Question:Hey Dave - How many references to Blazing Saddles do you expect to get? All Hat, No CattleI think you're looking at an early dude ranch experience, or at the very best, a hunting party. Bowties? A white bowtie no less? White dress shirts? Those bundles by the wagon are obviously tents of some kids--hardly living rough. No, I think you're looking at three City Slickers and one real cowboy cooking the food. Clean Cut CowboysAll are wearing clean, freshly pressed white shirts with bow-ties. Clint and his buddies never looked that clean on Rawhide. Just saying. Blazing Saddles Any more beans, Mr. Taggart? Taggart: I think you boys have had enough! MooOther than one lonely horse, I don't see anything that needs rounding up. Sunday bestWith the exception of the one who is moist likely "Cookie" the rest are rather well dressed (and pressed) to be actually involved in a round-up. Not too many cowboys would be wearing cuff-links while herding. Either they're going in to town or they're just visiting. Also, that's rather a lot of pots set out to make one meal. Two-hour Tea"The coffee was strong enough to stand a spade in." Just the juxtaposition of the spade and the pot. I knew some wood cutters in Canada who would put a gallon of water on the fire when they got to the work site at 8, throw in six teabags, and let it boil until the 10 o'clock break. Nobody got sleepy. Sample MenuMmmm! Sourdough sheepherder's bread, coffee, bacon, stew or beans, reconstituted dried-apple pie & maybe some eggs if you weren't too far from a ranch. All liberally greased with lard. Wait, I'm not sure if that's making me hungry or not. Strong Coffee According to the Texas lore handed down by my dad a horseshoe was used to check the coffee's strength.If it floated in the coffee it was strong enough. Ding!Drawer on the right looks as if it has a timer on it. Suppose that's for a little microwave just in case the fire goes out. As for the buckets -- well, sometimes Cooky's cooking ain't so good, so ... Cast iron is the bestI have a large working collection of cast iron pots, pans and ovens just like these. My bucket collection numbers one, though. The Lodge Company in South Pittsburg, Tn, is the only foundry making cast iron cookware in the USA. Nothing cooks like cast iron. Thet Thar's What I CallTailgatin! (The Gallery, DPC, Frontier Life, W.H. Jackson)
Cocktail Cowboys: 1939
... The reason these guys look like dudes instead of real cowboys is because real cowboys would never wear these adult versions of the old Sears catalog Boys' ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2010 - 4:11pm -

June 1939. "Dudes in town. Billings, Montana." 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Too CostumeyThe reason these guys look like dudes instead of real cowboys is because real cowboys would never wear these adult versions of the old Sears catalog Boys' Playwear that emulated genuine western wear. Looks like their moms and aunts bought Simplicity Patterns and fashioned these get-ups on their Singer teadle sewing machines by buying a full bolt of fake leather material and concho decor. At least they were allowed to personalize them through their own scarf and belt choices but unfortunately, not their cheesey hats. These fellows might fit in to a performance at Branson, Mo. or some Disney-type venue, but the truth is they probably were not taken seriously by hard-working, clod-busting, cattle-driving Montana cowboys. Incidentally, when I was a kid growing up in industrial Connecticut, a friend of mine had a theory that Montana was a fictional place, like Atlantis or Brigadoon, since NONE of our many acquaintances had ever even known anyone from Montana, never went to Montana and never even saw a license plate from Montana. Whenever I hear anything regarding Montana, I think of him and hope he finally believed it does exist. Sorry I'm rambling again. [They look costumey because they're costumes. They're at (or in) a parade. - Dave] Cocktail PlayboysSo, was Bob Wills playing Billings that night? P.S.I bet they are wearing their pants tucked into their boots too, which is rarely actually done. All snazzed upPretty nice outfits, almost a complete match. Nicely ironed, all cleaned up. These gents are a far cry from some of the scraggly-looking Depression-era cowpokes we see sometimes. Of course, this is the tail end of the Depression. I haven't heard Bob Wills in years! Yeehaw!These fellows were taking part in the Go Western Day parade in Billings, maybe as part of a band. Or just spectating. Tom Mix had a lot to answer forPrior to the early 1920s, professional cowboys and other horse and cattle ranch workers regarded their gear -- the boots, chaps, wide brimmed hats and other accessories -- as specialized work clothes, not unlike the way an electrician regards the crawl suit that he wears to go under houses. Until Tom Mix and other Hollywood stars inspired a craze for "Western Wear" in the early 1920s, "real" cowboys who could afford them wore three-piece tailored suits and normal street shoes when they went into town to socialize or do business. My dad, born in 1909, was raised on Charles Hersig's Wyoming Hereford Ranch. He often mentioned that the older ranchers he knew in Wyoming in the 1920s were shocked and not a little disgusted when they started seeing "office workers and drugstore clerks" parading around on city streets and showing up at dances in silly and purely ornamental versions of the ranchers' battered work clothes. "Dudes" still in original useI go hiking in areas where there's a lot of guide/outfitters who use horses. They still use the word "dude" to refer to horse-riding newbies. An appropriate term may beLounge Lizards. Smothers Brothers Reminiscence"I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy. You see by my outfit that I'm a cowboy too. We see by our outfits that we are both cowboys. If you get an outfit you can be a cowboy too." My daughter loves to hear me sing this to the tune of "Streets of Laredo." Spot the slightly different costumeThe man on the left doesn't have any fancy lacing around the edges of his hat. I have no way of knowing for certain, but my instincts tell me that if this were in color, both that lacing, as well as the shirts, would probably all be bright fire-engine red. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein)
Urban Cowboys: 1942
January 1942. "Fort Worth, Texas. View of Main Street and Tarrant County Courthouse." Last glimpsed here . Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Office of War Information. View full size. The slow(cow)poke's way to town Quite a sig ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/28/2022 - 7:25pm -

January 1942. "Fort Worth, Texas. View of Main Street and Tarrant County Courthouse." Last glimpsed here. Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Office of War Information. View full size. The slow(cow)poke's way to townQuite a sightseeing trip from Dallas -- huh?? -- but looks like we've made it. Items of note: the brick paving and Monnig's on the right (it was one of Fort Worth's main department stores - and it's the only thing from the first eight blocks in this picture that's still extant - but this wasn't the main location.) There was a nifty Twin Coach™ bus in the earlier shot, but it isn't in this one. If you're like me, you spent much of your life thinking of Fort Worth as one of those cities that are appended to another -- Minneapolis-St Paul, Tampa-St Petersburg, or, most particularly, Dallas-Fort Worth -- but unlike the first, the the pairing doesn't match the map ... it should really be the Fort Worth-Dallas. Stoplight thoughtsEven in a black and white photo, we can clearly deduce the color of the crosses on those flags. It's 1942, after all. The question is, what is the driver of the 1937 Ford pickup thinking? He's evidently stopped at a light, and therefore has time to gather his thoughts. If he's thinking about getting a Richelieu whiskey, it's because he can read backwards in the rearview mirror (I can). Darting through traffic for a busFortunately, it appears to be Red Cross Week. A lower profile has its benefitsIn both 1942 photographs you're looking north on Main Street. Here is a Street View from Main and 9th Street, a block or two closer to the Tarrant County Courthouse than Arthur Rothstein was standing. Everything in the foreground of his photos has been replaced by the Fort Worth Convention Center (look behind you on Street View). The tall building on the left is still there, at Main and 7th Street. The building on the right with arched windows along the top floor is still at Main and 8th. Photographic illusionAlthough Doug Floor Plan’s street view is taken from a vantage point closer to the courthouse than in Rothstein’s photo, the courthouse appears larger in the photo taken farther away. Isn’t the magic of photography wonderful? (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
Two Cowboys, 1952
I am in the front and my brother behind me, on a long-suffering photo pony, in Gulfport, Mississippi, circa 1952. Actually, I have always been a Gene Autry fan. View full size. Hoppy Nice Hopalong Cassidy setup! This is a wonderful pict ... 
 
Posted by DoninVa - 09/21/2011 - 9:12pm -

I am in the front and my brother behind me, on a long-suffering photo pony, in Gulfport, Mississippi, circa 1952. Actually, I have always been a Gene Autry fan. View full size. HoppyNice Hopalong Cassidy setup! This is a wonderful picture. Thanks for sharing! Gene Autry fan here, too. I keep hoping one of these days Shorpy will come across some old photos of the cowboy stars of that era. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Kids)
King of the Cowboys
... Whew!! I wasn't a big Roy Rogers fan (no singing cowboys for me), but I did get a Christmas present of that very gun and holster ... gun mysteriously morphed into a broken Gene Autry model. Cowboys weren't a big deal when my son was little, so all those mementos have ... 
 
Posted by Photobay - 04/21/2009 - 2:45am -

Here is my collection of Post Cereal pins from the late 1940s and early '50s. They all say Post Grape Nuts Flakes on the back and some are dated as late as 1953. View full size. I can laugh now, but......as a boy I had a horrible secret. My middle name is Dale, after one of my uncles. So? Last name is Evans. And the last thing you wanted any of your classmates to know back in the mid-1950's was that you had the same as Roy's lovely wife. Luckily, no teacher ever threw in middle names during attendance roll calls. Whew!! I wasn't a big Roy Rogers fan (no singing cowboys for me), but I did get a Christmas present of that very gun and holster depicted on those buttons. What I really longed for was one those Fanner 50's. But I still have the Roy Rogers holster, all tattered and scuffed, but the gun mysteriously morphed into a broken Gene Autry model. Cowboys weren't a big deal when my son was little, so all those mementos have just whiled away the time nestled in the odds 'n ends drawer. Happy trails ... What?No Dale or Trigger buttons? Coooool!Great collection! You must take them on "Antiques Road Show" when it comes to your town! My Roy Rogers FillingAs a little kid I needed a cavity filled. The dentist bought out this board with a bunch of different lead pistol bullets attached -- each labeled with a name of a famous cowboy. I could pick the kind of "filling" I wanted from that selection. I picked the "Roy Rogers." Now, no one ever told me that was just a gimmick, so you can imagine... Funny how thoughts surface after decades. This would have to be in the early part of the 60s in Omaha before we moved South. Great collection Photobay! You were always on my mindRoy autographed my cowboy hat in the third grade. He and Dale were making an appearance at the Houston Rodeo. I got him to sign my hat. What a treasure, at least it would be now. At that time I was concerned only about being able to wear the hat to play in. Not sure what happened to it, but I do remember that Bullitt (his dog) was nearby and really barking a lot! SorrySorry, no Dale or Trigger buttons. I remember I was getting pretty sick of eating Grape Nuts Flakes. Oh!....and no Gabby Hayes either. Roy's dog BulletI was miffed when Roy named the dog Bullet. That was the name I (and probably 10,000 other kids) submitted as an entry in the "Name Trigger's Colt" contest before he got the dog. Trigger Jr. won. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Bill and Bobby Little Cowboys
Grand Island, Nebraska. 1951. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery) ... 
 
Posted by Bobdog - 05/18/2022 - 8:11am -

Grand Island, Nebraska. 1951. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
The Singing Cowboys: 1939
June 1939. Big Horn County, Montana. "Cowhands singing after day's work. Quarter Circle U Ranch roundup." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Somebody tell me that's n ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/09/2018 - 11:24am -

June 1939. Big Horn County, Montana. "Cowhands singing after day's work. Quarter Circle U Ranch roundup." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Somebody tell methat's not Gary Cooper in the center. Well thenThat means that Harry Carey is sitting just to his left. Maybe it's a Ford Production. [Harry Carey Jr., maybe. -tterrace] Indeed, my error! Clever flash placementIt even appears to be further concealed with propped-up firewood. And I bet everyone but the harmonica player was vision impaired for the rest of the evening! And on guitarWalter Cronkite. [I see Preston Foster. -tterrace] Preston on tenorThat's an interesting guitar that Preston Cronkite is playing. It's a 12-fretter (the body join is at that fret rather than the 14th fret that is more often seen nowadays) tenor guitar. Doesn't look like a Martin to me, as the soundhole rosette is fancier than the top binding would dictate. Maybe a Harmony. No pickguard. I've owned a couple of old tenor guitars and never could decide how to tune the darned things. His is likely tuned as a regular guitar (EADG strings only), as he seems to be fingering a G chord. Most players tuned them like a tenor banjo (CGDA), I believe. The fellow on the left may be playing harp, so let's call him Harpo. SuddenlyI want a Marlboro. Quarter Circle UNice article with more photos and history of this and other Montana ranches. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Camping, Frontier Life)
Cowboys: c. 1918
On the right, my grandfather, Albert W. Perkins, b. 1890, a real working cowboy, taken we think in 1918. His friend to the right is unnamed. Taken in Nebraska. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery) ... 
 
Posted by October27 - 04/14/2010 - 9:42am -

On the right, my grandfather, Albert W. Perkins, b. 1890, a real working cowboy, taken we think in 1918. His friend to the right is unnamed. Taken in Nebraska. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
School Shooters: 1942
January 1942. "Cowboys and Indians" at the Farm Security Administration camp elementary school ... Tex. View full size. Photo by Arthur Rothstein. Cowboys & Indians Try that now and they'd be in jail and the school ... innocent ... Sides Can't figure out which are the cowboys and which are the Indians. Times Change Kids playing with toy ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/16/2007 - 10:12pm -

January 1942. "Cowboys and Indians" at the Farm Security Administration camp elementary school in Weslaco, Tex. View full size. Photo by Arthur Rothstein. Cowboys & IndiansTry that now and they'd be in jail and the school would be in lockdown! [Let's not forget the mandatory cultural-sensitivity training. - Dave] Weslaco, TexasI live about 20 miles from Weslaco. It made me smile to see a little bit of history from my own backyard. Hope to see more of this area soon! SchoolkidsWish it was still this innocent ... SidesCan't figure out which are the cowboys and which are the Indians. Times ChangeKids playing with toy guns at a school run by the FEDERAL Farm SECURITY Administration ! Did Pres. Roosevelt know about that?? That photo is priceless! School ShootersLet's not worry about kids playing with toy guns. Worry about a sulking, unhappy, rejected young person with access to real guns and ammo. Yikes!Cowboys oppressing Native Americans? PLAYING with toy firearms? Gasp! Just think of how poisoned the minds were of these children!!! Nowadays, we keep them safely inside on the couch munching potato chips, playing video games, and getting fat & lazy. WeslacoThis is my hometown, which i currently reside in. I wonder what now stands at the site of the school (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Kids)
Grub Rustler: 1939
... dispenser is a pretty neat idea. Hard-working REAL cowboys This reminds me of many days I have spent bringing visitors (who wanted to see real working cowboys) to visit the Okla. City Stockyards which I'm sure are similar to those ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/04/2018 - 1:10pm -

November 1939. "West Texan at eating house at auction. Stockyards, San Angelo, Texas." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Admin. View full size. Two Happy Truckers!Absolutely enjoying lunch/dinner, and not worried a bit if Hitler will invade Poland or not! $kinsThese two hard-working fellows would be amazed at what their "worn" jackets would bring on the vintage clothing market in just 79 years. I Love My SandwichOh sandwich you are the greatest sandwich I have ever had. I wish I could marry you and keep you around always. I want you to last forever but with every mouthwatering bite you keep getting smaller. I am in a quandary. To bite or not to bite? To just admire your beautiful lines and appealing aroma or to consume you with animal passion? Oh what to do? Oops there goes another bite and another and oh horrors you are gone. What am I to do? I know. I'll ask the waitress for another. Bing CrosbyIncognito. DaaaaaaaaaaangThat ol' boy's been rode hard and put up wet. No HopeJust Crosby. RepurposingI like the use of sundae glasses to hold spoons and napkins. And the hot sauce bottle reused as a toothpick dispenser is a pretty neat idea. Hard-working REAL cowboysThis reminds me of many days I have spent bringing visitors (who wanted to see real working cowboys) to visit the Okla. City Stockyards which I'm sure are similar to those everywhere. The workers who herd the cattle into the auction arenas must get very down and dirty and have to be exhausted after showing dozens of head of cattle on "auction day" and must ignore the, shall we say, sweet smell of success, particularly on hot summer days when the temp. is in the triple digits. These men work their butts off and it can't be easy. Our nearby cafe also has tables and a bar, but this old marble counter is a beauty and the display of depression glass utilitarian wares makes me nostalgic for days of yore. Aches and Pains I noticed an aspirin tin over by his coffee and the hot sauce. Hard working guy probably full of aches and pains. Cafe RorschachTook a minute to figure out that Royal Crown poster in the upper left was just a picture of knees. OMGIt's a BLT! EtiquetteWasn't it customary to remove your hat indoors? [Not in places like this. - Dave] Keeps you regular!The other two posters on the wall next to the "knees" are given away by their clock rounds denoting 10, 2 and 4. Dr. Pepper's sales gimmick at the time was to prevent periodic midday slumps by obtaining a sugar blast at 10 am, 2 pm and 4 pm. All HatThat hat and the others would be worth a small fortune here in Colorado. And the hot sauce toothpick holder will be instituted here on our table. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Russell Lee)
Kermy at Play: 1956
... a light bulb inside that let you bake a cake. -Dave] Cowboys and Indians Yes, this brings back memories for me too ... I distinctly remember my grandmother giving me a Cowboys and Indians plastic set complete with a fence like this one (although ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 12:42pm -

"Kermy, 1956." Cultural anthropologists and toy experts please annotate. Our third look at this batch of Kodachrome slides. View full size. Kermy's stuffProbably most others of my generation will recognize the Lincoln Logs, the molded-rubber little guys, the pre-Matchbox toy cars, the segmented plastic fence (mine was white, with machined planks rather than rustic), possibly even the radio setup - that one I never had. But he also has our woven wicker laundry hamper, at right, and even an army blanket, at left - ours usually rode around in the back seat of the Hudson, and later the Rambler, for traveling warmth and occasional picnic and camping use. This doesn't seem to be Kermy's room, though, or at least not his exclusively; the bed looks too fancy, and he sure wouldn't fit in those snazzy wingtips under it. Darn kid is even wearing glasses, like I did at the time. I never had quite the tan he does, though. Summer rugLooks like this is what my mother called a grass rug, put down in the summer, when the wool rug was sent to be cleaned and stored. The stuff on the floor is a fairly generic mixtureLincoln Logs, etc., but man do I want that radio set in the background! I'm also kinda keen on the singing cowboy figure - mine always had guns, but never a guitar! Marxist RadioForget the Lincoln Logs -- I'm all about that "W-Marx" radio toy. Google is somewhat failing me—there was a "Marx" toy company, with a lot of items on eBay and a museum site but I'm not sure this is the same Marx. [It's a Louis Marx Co. Electric Powered TV and Radio Station, apparently a rather rare item. This photo is from a recent toy collector convention. - tterrace] [I remember these! There was a light bulb inside that let you bake a cake. -Dave] Cowboys and IndiansYes, this brings back memories for me too ... I distinctly remember my grandmother giving me a Cowboys and Indians plastic set complete with a fence like this one (although not black) when I was very young for my birthday ... in later years I moved on to Army sets, but this one was first. The Enclosure Will Be TelevisedI like the way Kermy has mixed together cowboys, soldiers, Lincoln Logs, and vehicles, all of widely varying eras (and scales) within and around the (likely Marx) playset fence -- he was creatively hip to the surrealism lurking beneath those ostensibly gray flannel Fifties through which so many of us came up. The miniature orange and red semi trucks just outside the gate were Fords, which had been "prizes" in boxes of Post's Grape-Nuts Flakes, as I recall. I had several of those trucks myself, and sold them through the antique mall just a few years ago. [Kermy, like I did, probably watched western movies and TV show that were set in an intentionally ill-defined time period that included cattle rustling, bandits, six-gun shoot-outs, but also cars, radios and airplanes. - tterrace] Marx EPTVRSI spied one on eBay for $13,000 in an unopened box -- in case anyone is REALLY yearning for one of these. WMARXMy guess is that WMARX is a nod to the practice of a first letter W for radio and tv stations east of the Mississippi (or so). Kermy was a lucky kid. Marx familyIt's starting to look like Kermy's was a Marx family; his fences are from the company's Western Ranch playset (top). Mine must have come from Plasticville, because when I stumbled upon the lower photo in my searching my nostalgia glands exploded. Perennial favoritesI grew up in the late '70s-early '80s but still had a very similar toy set, with the plastic fence and cowboy-and-horse figures, though mine had three or four different colors of figurines and a yellow (fresh-cut pinewood) fence. Itchy & ScratchyI couldn't help noticing what looks like an itchy Army blanket in the corner. Every family had one for the bed or the beach. Either way it was scratchy. Army brat?I can smell that Army blanket right now. My dad was a career Army officer and we had a bunch of those in our house growing up. Kermy and I are about the same age. Wondering if he's an Army brat. The only thing that makes we think not is that big, expensive W-MARX radio console. Not many career Army dads would buy their kid a toy like that in 1956. Maybe he had grandparents who didn't mind spoiling him. [Where our Army blanket came from, I don't know; no one in our family was in the service. But it was always there when I was a kid, and thence forward. Very scratchy, like ilsa says. - tterrace] Marx memoriesWhen I was Kermy's age [in my case, early 70s], I think we had most of the Marx plastic playsets at some point, ranging from a dinosaur and caveman set to a WW2 military set which included US, German, and to a lesser extent, Japanese soldiers. I don't know how many battles we fought involving cowboys, Indians, cavemen, American, German, Japanese [oh, and a few Confederate and Union] soldiers on my bedroom floor, not to mention the tanks and other military vehicles versus dinosaurs. Obviously historical accuracy wasn't very important at the time. Regardless, the Marx sets made for hours of fun at the time and for great memories today. Army menHere are the nine army men I saved as a representative sample from a large bag of them from the sixties. I see Kermy has the sentry and the minesweeper. I'm missing my minesweeper. We had a set of Army men too.Once everything was in place, we'd attack them with Robot Commando, while our sister would play with her etch-a-sketch. From the words on the box, it looks like the name of the Army set was called "Battleground" play set. Christmas day, 1961. Army BlanketsWere readily available at the surplus stores where we got all kinds of camping and outdoor equipment. (Kermy Kodachromes, Kids)
A New Beginning: 1939
... Rockwellian. [Or Grant Woodian. - Dave] Urban Cowboys take note This is why NONE of you should wear your "cowboy" hats or ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 7:05pm -

October 1939. "Ex-Nebraska farmer now developing farm out of the stumps. Bonner County, Idaho." View full size. Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. If I Had a PonyLyle Lovett's grandpa, possibly? A perfect character study...Sheer timeless quality. Mr. FarmerThat's what you call your iconic American face. In a word...Rockwellian. [Or Grant Woodian. - Dave] Urban Cowboys take noteThis is why NONE of you should wear your "cowboy" hats or anything else that takes your fancy from J Peterman's. Do you see how this man looks, how right that hat fits him in every way? On you it has the exact opposite effect. I'm begging you, put the hat down and just walk away. The hatMy grandfather wore a similar style hat all the time. He was an Alabama cotton farmer (Jefferson County) who would still use mules to plow the fields. Hats served as a shade from the hot summer sun, a temporary water holder for giving the mules a drink, and when thoroughly soaked in water, the hat would keep your head cool as the water evaporated. Usually farm folks had two or three different hats...a work hat, a meeting hat when you went to town, and a dress hat for church. Same story with shoes too as I remember it. If hats were still popularWouldn't it be great if hats were worn for more than just style today? I'd wear a hat like this. With all the talk of skin cancer, I'd like to see them become more than a fashion statement. Of, course, I don't think I could ever look as great as this gentleman. I'd bet he was a pleasure to talk to. Many HatsMy grandfather wore a similar style hat all the time. He was an Alabama cotton farmer (Jefferson County) who would still use mules to plow the fields. Hats served as a shade from the hot summer sun, a temporary water holder for giving the mules a drink, and when thoroughly soaked in water, the hat would keep your head cool as the water evaporated. Usually farm folks had two or three different hats -- a work hat, a "meeting hat" for when you went to town, and a dress hat for church. Same story with shoes too as I remember it. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Portraits, Rural America)
A Little Fun: 1901
... kids!! Smile for Pete's sake! All the best cowboys The boy in front has cowboy eyes. Dreaming of mustangs and the Wild ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 12:54pm -

Circa 1901, back at the Jersey Shore. "Riding donkeys, Atlantic City." Note the roller coaster in the distance on Young's Pier. Detroit Publishing. View full size. C'mon kids!!Smile for Pete's sake! All the best cowboysThe boy in front has cowboy eyes. Dreaming of mustangs and the Wild West while sitting on a donkey in Jersey. Like peanut butter and jellyJackasses and the Jersey shore go together just as well in 2010 as they did in 1901. Predictable Copycat CommentThe donkey on the left is saying to the donkey on the right, "I bet these kids are gonna ride our asses all day!" Coppertone TanNothing worse than a sunburned ass. Lucky KidHow did you get to ride Topper? (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Horses, Kids)
Chicago Rodeo: 1941
... and four great-grandchildren. Complete with cowboys I knew someone with a real Chicago accent, who grew up on the South ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/02/2020 - 3:35pm -

June 1941. "Trucks at Union Stockyards. Chicago, Illinois." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Little pieces = big improvementI'm taken by the brickwork used as pavement. Chicago's fickle yet predictable weather could turn a dirt driveway into an unnavigable mud pit in a big hurry. The cost of brick pavers was likely recouped in a few months. FurthurI always giggle a little when I see a 1937-1940 International hauling anything other than tripping proto-hippies. F.E. Dean TruckingIt's a 3½-hour drive from Columbus Junction Iowa to the Chicago Stockyards. Who knows how many times Floyd E. Dean made the trip. Here's his obituary: COLUMBUS JUNCTION, IA. - Services for Floyd Dean, 82, (1901-1983), of Columbus Junction, who died Friday at a Washington hospital, will be at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Stacy-Lewis Funeral Home here. Mr. Dean served as a justice of the peace in Columbus Junction for several years and operated the F.E.D. Trucking Service. Survivors include a son, Floyd Jr. of Morning Sun; a daughter, Mona Oberhaus of Davenport; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Complete with cowboysI knew someone with a real Chicago accent, who grew up on the South Side. She mentioned one day her dad had been a cowboy. "When he was a kid? Did he grow up out west?" "No, in the stockyards. He rode a horse and herded cattle." (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, John Vachon)
Pie Town Rodeo: 1940
... sub-genres of Shorpy photos, On Vacation individual. Cowboys I like how this guy on the left seems so manly -- I like it really ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 10:11pm -

Sept. 1940. Pie Town, New Mexico. "Tying a ribbon on a calf's tail was one of the feature attractions at the Pie Town Fair rodeo." 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Cowboy StyleThe cowboy hats, the boots, the shirts and jeans--all the same--whether this picture was taken yesterday or 70 years ago from yesterday. Very nice and comforting. Is it chemistry or is it digital magic?Having just gone through a set of color photos I took in 1970, now dim and beige, I am again impressed with how terrific early Kodachrome looks on Shorpy. Is this Dave's digital magic, or was the process actually more stable early on? Or maybe the government took extraordinary care in storing these treasures - though I doubt that. [Kodachromes are rather famous for color stability. Ektachromes and Anscochromes, on the other hand, are noted for reddish or purplish color shifts over time. Prints, as opposed to transparencies, will also likely change color over time. - Dave] Dah dum dah dumCue the music from the "Marlboro Man" commercials. KodachromeThe color here blows my mind. It looks like something taken yesterday. Its sometimes hard to realize history was as colorful as it is today. Like YesterdayThis photo could have easily been taken yesterday or 70 years ago. Shorpy, I can't quit you.Every day is another surprise! An unchange of clothesI think the combination of color and the fact that "cowboy" attire has changed little over the last 80 years makes this photo seem like it was taken recently. The cowboy on the leftis hot! Are you on vacation?I've been with you since the very beginning and this is the first time I have to question what you were thinking...I mean really....who cares? The calf? Just imagineIf that calf is still alive today it would only be a few months over 70 years old. Calm calfIf I tried to tie a ribbon around my dog's tail there'd be hell to pay. That calf must have resigned itself to the fact that humans are crazy. Who cares? Well...[xx]-Years-Ago-But-Could-Have-Been-Taken-Today is one of my favorite sub-genres of Shorpy photos, On Vacation individual. CowboysI like how this guy on the left seems so manly -- I like it really anytime someone from the past lives up to our crazy expectations that we probably got from movies. I'm lovin' itI love Russell Lee's photos and especially from Pie Town. I'd like to visit this town if I had possibility. I know he had a lot of pictures from that place, please publish them! [Click the "Pie Town" tag above the photo. - Dave] (The Gallery, Animals, Pie Town, Russell Lee)
Rockaway Bungalows: 1910
... arcade. For a penny you could get great photos of famous cowboys and movie stars. Rockaway in 1958 My family spent the summer ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2012 - 3:56am -

Vacation bungalow colony at Rockaway, Queens, c. 1910. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection. Note "front yards" of sand decorated with seashells. Sand in QueensI wonder if any of the buildings are still standing. Since they are tract of small bungalows, I wonder what company supplied that lot for workers to live in. Sand in...Queens?! Wow. [Never heard of Rockaway Beach? - Dave] BungalowsWere these for living or vacation rentals? They sure are cute. Does anyone know how far from the water they were? Rockaway[Never heard of Rockaway Beach? - Dave] Well I've heard of Rockaway Beach here in Oregon. :) Re: BungalowsThe were seasonal at first. More info at the Beachside Bungalow Preservation Association: By the 1920s, Rockaway Beach was the poor man's Riviera. It had a six-mile long boardwalk lined with amusements, and thousands flocked to the beach every summer weekend. Many families rented tents for the entire season, while those a little more affluent rented small bungalows. The concept of the bungalow in America was well established by this time as they were built for summer communities on both coasts. The plans could be purchased from catalogues and were designed in numerous styles. This last remaining bungalow colony was built by Richard Bainbridge in the 1920s. The one and a half story houses all have front porches and pitched roofs. The design and style vary from street to street. Some of the bungalows are in a Spanish Revival style of stucco with wood trim and green the roofs, and others are in an English Tudor of brick. Lacking heat, they were closed for the winter months. The lanes leading to the beach have permanent easements for common access. As development pressures change the Rockaways, this small district has become endangered. But it would be appropriate to preserve and restore this remnant of past summer amusements. The yards are super.The yards are super. Send the kids down to the beach to bring back sea shells to decorate with! Talk about a family project. Rockaway BungalowsI'm pretty sure these are not there anymore. In fact Rockaway Beach today is quite run-down. If you take the A Train out there, these must have been between the tracks and the water, where there are now streets with no houses. Only weeds. Sadly, most of theseSadly, most of these bungalows are gone, as Doug points out above. There are only a few left, and they face demolition by developers who want to turn the Rockaways into yet another bland housing development. These were vacation homes for folks in Manhattan and the other boros, not company houses for factory workers. How close were they to the beach? How does less than a city block sound? In the Rockaways, as at Coney, Manhattan, Brighton, and other New York City beaches, the streets are set up perpendicular to the beach and are only a few blocks long. The last block actually ends at the boardwalk. Across the boardwalk is the beach. The Ramones were from the Rockaways. Beach 29th streetMy family rented a bungalow on Beach 29th street until I was around 12 years old. As soon as school was over, my parents would pack up a van and off we went until Labor Day. It was the most amazing summers of my life. No locks on doors, showers in the backyard, fireworks Wednesday nights. My parents belonged to a group called FROGS- Far Rockaway Ocean Goers. The Bungalow owners, Mr. and Mrs. Herman, would let my Dad come before the season to fish. The last time I was there was about 36 years ago. It was so sad to see the destruction of these amazing bungalows. Ours was white and green, and all the furniture inside was painted a sticky tacky gray. My Grandma and Nana lived a few blocks up in a rooming house. It was very sad to watch as these homes burned to the ground. Such a day-gone-by era. Beach 29th StreetHi! I am very curious exactly where on 29th Street the bungalow was. I lived on 29th just off Seagirt Blvd. It was a year 'round dwelling. The area was VERY crowded during the summer and VERY empty from after Labor Day until Memorial Day. Do you have any pictures from there? I would love to see them! Thanks, Marc Far Rockaway refugee now living in Bayside, NY Rockaway BungalowsThere was nothing better than spending the summer in Rockaway. Most of your family members rented bungalows in the court. Everyone was out every night. The beach was just a few steps away. Fathers came out only for the weekends, even if you lived in Queens... Beach 107 StreetMy aunts, grandmother and uncle would whisk us away to Rockaway the minute school closed for the summer. We would stop at Weiss's for fish and chips, then drive over the old Cross Bay Boulevard bridge and see the top of the roller coaster and the ocean beyond. In a few minutes we would be at our bungelow in Highland Court, the second one in. We thought we had arrived since we had a hot water heater. It was a great place for kids to grow up. Every day my sister and I would open the window with the sun shining down on us. We would get into our bathing suits and run to the beach, riding the waves until we were dragged out by our relatives. Beach 106 StreetBetween 1951 and 1958 or so I stayed with my good friend Donald Sullivan and his family in bungalows on Beach 106 Street. I don't remember the court name - if it had one. I do seem to remember Highland Court but this was centuries ago and memory may play tricks. Sand in QueensA similar group of bungalows still exists in the Breezy Point Coop and Roxbury in Queens. Many have been expanded and converted to year round use now, though some are still used only for the season. They refer to Breezy Point and Roxbury as the "Irish Riviera" due to the strong Irish presence. B. 29th bungalowsI know EXACTLY where you were. My grandmother too had a bungalow, about 5-6 before the boardwalk ramp. They were on the left side, because on the right side was a parking lot or a building (I can't remember it exactly). But up the block was two hotels - the Regency and another one. They were both owned by the same people - Mr. and Mrs. Hecht, german/lithuanian-jewish folks. If you remember, there was a wooden bridge that connected the two buildings, and the courtyard was shared by the two. The showers were both underneath the front of the buildings behind the, lattice and then common showers/bathrooms in the hallways. There was one public phone on each floor and a television on each floor. When my grandmother could no longer stay in the bungalow (either they were sold, torn down or condemned), she went into the Regency Hotel. She was in the basement which was very cool in the summer. They dodn't need air conditioning. The last party of the season was Mardi Gras. My grandmother, being on the heavy side, loved to wear blackface makeup and put her hair up with a tied kerchief - she was "Aunt Jemima." I only wish I had a place like 29th street to bring up my children in the summers. We ended up renting cabanas in Atlantic Beach from when they were little, then moved to Atlantic Beach, but retained memberships at the beach club. We can't get the sand out of our shoes! Belle Harbor's Bungalows I was searching for a picture of Weiss's Restaurant and stumbled across this site. I found one taken before the war, but was hoping to find one more recently, like late 1950s or early 60s. Looking at the group of bungalows, there were similar ones along the beach 2 rows deep at B129th Street in Belle Harbor, Rockaway. They looked very similar to the ones in the pics if memory serves. I was there last year and although they still occupy the same footprint, most have either been completely reconstructed or torn down and replaced with more modern ones. I recall every summer going to the beach and seeking out the "city" kids here for a few weeks. We made lots of new friends every summer. Then there were the bungalows out on RockyPoint/BreezyPoint. My mother spent her childhood summers, probably right there in that picture. Her parents owned their own bungalow. I have a picture of it from around 1941. Mom's 83 and I'll have to print this off and show it to her. Maple Court, Beach 28th st.I've been searching for info on Far Rockaway. I've been strolling down memory lane thinking about my wonderful summers there. My family rented, and we stayed for a total of five summers. The last two were in Maple Court, which, I believe, was on beach 26th or 28th Street. Before that we were in B Court and A Court on 28th. I agree with the posters who spoke of these summers as paradise! I felt truly free there. And yes, nothing was locked up. There was no schedule to keep. Just pure fun. My last summer there was in 1969. I remember this because of the moon landing. We returned home from the fireworks display on the beach and watched it on TV. My grandparents owned a fruit store on the main street, and they stayed at a wonderful hotel called the Manor. My happiest memories from my childhood are from Far Rockaway. Maple Court bungalowMy family purchased a bungalow at 29 Maple Court in 1969 when I was 9 years old. I too had the greatest memories there. We took so much for granted thinking everyone lived as we did. Now I realize how lucky we were back then. Being able to stroll down the street to the boardwalk, watching the fireworks Wednesday nights, and winning prizes at the arcade games are fond memories. Do you remember the pizza shop on the corner? Because the bungalows were so small and cozy, to this day I prefer smaller spaces. Thanks for letting me relive those memories for just a short time. The EmbassyWe stayed in the Embassy on 29th Street (right next to the ramp to the beach). Many of my friends were in the bungalow courts between 28th and 29th. We stopped going in 1967 but those were the best times -- those summers were magical. My husband and I went back in 1998. There is a school where the Embassy used to be and nothing much else. I went down to the beach and I cried. Who were your grandparents?Carolyn, my parents owned the Manor at 2400 Seagirt Blvd (beach 24st). My last summer on Rockaway Beach was 1967 just before I entered the Army. My parents and I moved to South Florida shortly there after. I was 6 miles from the DMZ in Vietnam when we landed on the moon. Fruit storeCarolyn, if memory serves (pretty fuzzy by now), your grandparents were the Lebowitzes. The fruit store was on Edgemere Avenue just off Beach 24 next to Willy's Market. If I am right, I am amazed. The EmbassyMy family had a bungalow on B29th Street on "the ramp" from the 1950s until around 1970. I got thrown out of the Embassy by the owner because we didn't live there. I bought ice cream at the candy store under the porch of the hotel. I saw the school, it was a bummer. I remember Lenny's, skee ball, Jerry's knishes, Sally & Larry's pizza, movies on the boardwalk, Dugan the baker, softball games, basketball in the parking lot. I used to sell lemonade to the ball players on hot days. Memories ... I remember a girl named Cherie or Sherry. She had a boyfriend, Arnie. I used to hang out with Arnie's brother Marvin. lmc2222@aol.com Far RockawayI also have childhood reminiscences of Far Rockaway. My family lived in a small bungalow rented for a group of Russians in 1970s (yep, I am Russian, living in Moscow now). I was 3 or 4 years old at that time, so I do not remember much. What I know is that these are one of the brightest memories of my early childhood. My pa said the house was really small. I do not know what street it was on, or if it still exists. What matters are the snapshots of my memory: me sitting on a porch on a rocking chair, and the arches of the porches, of the same form and shape, go all the way down to the ocean. Me playing in sand, building garages for toy trucks, with other children running from waves that seemed - wow - so really huge. And above all and around all, the salty smell of Atlantic, which is different from any other seaside smell. Great pity the place is devastated today. Hope that everyone who has ever had good times in Far Rock keeps his own memory snapshots of the place, where it looks as it really should. Fruit StorePeter, you have an incredible memory! My grandparents were the Leibowitzes. That's such a specific memory. Did you know them personally? I would love to hear about any memories you have of them or the store. Were you a child at the time? The EmbassyCheri, I can understand your crying. I went back many years ago and was also upset to see the area so demolished. At that time, it seemed the only bungalow left standing belonged to a lady we were all so afraid of on Maple court. She seemed to hate kids (probably we just annoyed her mercilessly!). But going back as an adult, I saw her situation quite differently. The bungalow was all she had, and so she stayed there while everything around her seemed to be destroyed. Maple Court BungalowLillian, we must have known each other since we were there at the same time, and we were around the same age. I was in the first bungalow on the right, facing the main street. You might remember the pile of junk in front of the house (left by the owner, which we were waiting for them to take away!) Where in the court were you? I remember a girl named Elena, and a boy everybody had a crush on named Eddie. The ManorWow... your parents owned the Manor! What an interesting and exciting experience that must have been. If I recall correctly, there were an eccentric bunch of characters staying there. Carolyn! What a great happening!Hi Carolyn, Glad you found me on Facebook. Your ability to put me together with my earlier Shorpy post was remarkable, so I am posting this for the benefit of "Shorpy page readers." Your recollections and mine from the 1960's certainly attest to how great having the internet and pages like Shorpy's are. (Shorpy..thank you!) The fact that I remembered your grandparents is somewhat unique cause I can't remember anyone else's grandparents from way back then, other then mine. I must have really liked them and was destined to cross your path again. I remember sitting and talking with them on porch of the Manor in one of those green rocking chairs. They were "grandparent" types, had a European accent like most grandparents back then, and easy to be comfortable with. Just to put things into focus, I am now 63. That was back when I was 16 or 17 and younger, but your grandparents returned to the Manor for quite a few summers in the 1960s. How could I have remembered your grandparents' name? I too am amazed and flabbergasted. Memories of Far RockawayYes, this website is truly wonderful for allowing us to stroll down memory lane and recall the sights, smells and feel of Far Rockaway... and what an extra treat for me to find someone who actually knew my grandparents. Thank you Shorpy's for allowing us this exchange of information and memories... and thank you Peter for your kindness and your very sharp memory! Far RockawayMy sister directed me to this site. We stayed in the Jefferson Hotel, right between Beach 29th and 30th, next to the Frontenac. My good friend Faye's grandparents, the Kratkas, owned the Embassy and both Faye and I worked the concession stand which her parents ran. The memories of the boardwalk are still strong. Not only did we have the luxury of a fantastic beach at our doorstep, we also had nighttime fun. Cruising up and down the boardwalk -- eating pizza at Sally & Larry's, or Takee Cup (originally called Tuckee Cup until the owners got disgusted of painting out the alternate name it always received over the winter months) and listening to Eddie, with his ever-present songbook, sing requests. All added up to good, clean fun. I left in 1968, went back from time to time, but haven't been back in years. Unfortunately, you can see enough from Google Earth. My two auntsMy father's two aunts had a bungalow in Rockaway Beach in the late 50's early 60's. It had flowered wallpaper and a musty smell, but it was the most interesting home I have ever been in. I was allowed to leave and explore without my mother's glare. I cannot tell you what food we ate there. I have no memory of meals which is odd. I do remember being bitten by my aunt's dog, which scared me for a long time. I think their names were Bernice and Ruth Cohan. If you have any thing to share please do. thanks, Mary Donaldson neversynvr@aol.com Twin HousesThe houses with the bridge were known as "the twin houses", possibly the Claremore & Edgewater, both owned by the Hechts. I spent the happiest summers of my life there! Like Cheri, I've wanted to return, but haven't as I know how sad it would be. Better to revisit in memory, sometimes in dreams. I probably know Cheri (from Arnie & the Joey days) and Les rings a bell, as does singing Eddie... Marcy Sand in my shoes on Beach 107thMy mother's family went to Beach 107th in the summers of 1917 through 1929. After the Depression hit they couldn't afford it. I still have photos of that period. In 1951 our family went down to the Rockaways and rented a bungalow for the season. The courts I remember were Almeida and Holmenhurst. My dad came only for the weekends, arriving Friday evening. The first thing he did was put on his trunks and head for the beach with me. When he hit the ocean you could see all his cares and worries leave. At night the parents would gather on the porches and play cards, drink a Tom Collins or have a beer and just have a good time. As a 10-year-old I wondered what was so much fun doing this every weekend. It occurred to me many years ago that boy, did they have it made. Sitting on a porch with a nice summer drink, a cool ocean breeze along with good friends to talk with and play cards with. Life was so laid-back and simple then. Does anyone remember the doughnut shop Brindle's or the bakery Dudie's? What about Nat's Ice cream shop, where you could get a walk-away sundae. Bill's Deli had the best salads and cold cuts. Wonderful summers that will always keep me warm in the winters of my aging mind. Beach 28th Street & A B and C CourtsI too remember the pizzaria on the corner of Beach 28th street. I remember my friends Randy, Shmealy, Risa, Brenda and Jody. I don't remember Shmealy's given name, but I remember he was hyperactive and a lot of fun. Made up a song from the commercials of the time for Halo Shampoo. "Halo Sham-poo poo, Ha-a-lo! Jodi's mom didn't want me hanging around Jody because I blinked my eyes too much. Oh well. HEY: Jody from Beach 29th street who wrote a post here on 11/12/2007 - I wonder if you're the Jody I remember!? I hung around with Risa a lot. I still have a photo of us and my dog Suzie on the porch of my Bungalow. I once disappeared into the Courts of Beach 28th street while walking my dog. I ended up talking to a boy for 2 hours, not knowing my parents had called the police and had an all-out search for me. My father finally found me. I was the talk of the town that day! I hope someone remembers these people or IS one of these people, or remembers the lost girl incident and would like to contact me at orangechickens2@aol.com. It would be wonderful to hear from you!! Anyone remember dogball?My dad wrote about playing dogball on the beach at 110th Street on his blog at willhoppe.com. I'm going to show him all of your comments later tonight. The BungalowsI was born in Far Rockaway in 1942. I lived there for 16 summers. My dad owned a small grocery on B 28th street. It was the best time of my life. Maple Court faced 28th. To me it was a very exotic place. The renters/owners vacationed there, my dad was a workman. We lived in roominghouses with a bath on the floor. One year I begged my dad to live in Maple Court and we got a small apartment in the back of a bungalow there. The bungalows were the BEST. Rockaway native from HammelsBorn in Rockaway in 1941 at Rockway Beach Hospital. Went to PS 44, JHS 198, Class of '59 from Far Rock. Worked as a locker boy at Roche's Beach Club in Far Rockaway. For two summers I worked in Rockaway Playland. I lived on 90th, where my parents rented out the bungalow in the back of our house every summer. My father at the end of his years as a waiter worked in Weiss's dining room, and the Breakers restaurant on 116th Street. I met my wife in 1965 at McNulty's on 108th Street. She was from Woodhaven and Breezy Point. We got married in '68. I am writing this on the back deck as we are still enjoying the summer weather here at Breezy. We both still have sand in our shoes. Our 1940s summersA group of Bronx families spent the summers of the early '40s in a few bungalows. Sundays the working fathers would appear for a community breakfast. We celebrated V-J Day with a parade on the boardwalk. Takee Cup was a part of our diet. A noodle cup to be eaten after the chow mein was devoured. The ultimate hand held food treat. Beach 25th StreetI grew up in Far Rockaway in the 1960s and 70s. We lived in the Bronx and rented every summer on Beach 32nd Street (now two big apartment buildings -- Seaview Towers). When I was 9 or 10, we moved to Beach 25th year-round. The summers were great -- we didn't wear shoes most of the time. Every Friday night, "Bingo Al" held a game in the court behind the bungalows, between 25th and 26th. One summmer he had a "Chinese auction" and dressed up in an oriental robe and Fu Manchu mustache and beard. Many of the residents got seltzer water delivered in bottles at their back porch. They would gather in the evenings out in front of the bungalows and talk and joke. I would lie in my bed, with my ear pressed against the window screen, trying to listen, and also trying to stay cool -- no air conditioning. Sol "The Cantor" Gerb would play his little electric organ as people sipped their drinks, chatted or played cards. It was like a different world from the rest of New York. I read where one commenter talked about the bungalows rented for the Russians. This was on Beach 24th Street. They worked at the United Nations and rented a block of bungalows. Every Monday morning passenger vans would show up to take them to work at the UN. We played with the Russian kids. They were a good bunch. I stayed over at one of their bungalows and we had crepes for breakfast. I had no idea what crepes were! I learned to play chess, as the Russians were crazy about it. I recall one time when members of the Jewish Defense League blew up a small BMW belonging to one of the Russians. The news came out and I was in the background, behind the reporter. A sad time for Far Rockaway. One of the amazing things was the backgrounds of the bungalow residents -- former concentration camp prisoners, Russians, Irish, Jews, some Italians and Greeks, but we all got along so well. A great place to grow up! At the FrontenacMy family spent summers at the Frontenac from the late 40s until 1957. When I describe it to my daughter, I have to confess it was really more like a boardinghouse. My mother, father and I shared a room that was also the kitchen. Bathroom on the floor, showers were out back for when you came back from the beach. It was great community. Juke box for dancing, card room for gin and mah jongg and the television on the porch. I loved Jerry's cherry cheese knishes. I remember the movie theater on the boardwalk in the 30's (it could barely be called indoors) I bought the News and Mirror off the delivery trucks for 2 or 3 cents and sold them for a nickel. My parents would pay the guy who ran the first aid station under the boardwalk to hold our beach chairs overnight so we wouldn't have to "schlep" them back and forth. We played softball on the blacktop parking lot on 29th street right off the boardwalk. My wife, who I did not know then, stayed with a friend's family in a bungalow on 29th street. I think her best memory was playing Fascination. Best summers everI used to stay at my grandmother's bungalow on B 28th st. in the mid to late 60s. Those were the very best summers ever! Walking just a few yards to the boardwalk and beach, pizza from the store on the corner, hanging with Howie and the crowd there. Playing Fascination for a dime, huge french fries in those cone cups. If anyone knows the whereabouts of Howie Young I'd love to get in touch with him. My email is belongtoyou@hotmail.com Hugh McNulty Hotel, Rockaway BeachI am trying to learn about Hugh McNulty's Hotel. I am not sure what street it was on, but there was also a bar in it. Hugh was my mum's uncle and her father came to stay with him and work for him. The time period may have been 1924-1930. I know the hotel was still in operation in 1953, as my grandmother visited him at that time. Any help is appreciated. libtech50@comcast.net Edgemere memoriesMy family lived many places in the Edgemere section of Far Rockaway (I don't know the exact boundaries of Edgemere, if there were any), but my memories centered on Beach 48th Way and Beach 48th Street. Fantastic place to spend the summers and escape the hell of the South Bronx. I had wonderful Jewish friends and I worried that they would go to hell because they weren't Catholic. Now I laugh as such perverted theology, but back then it was serious stuff. I loved the beach, the ocean, the starts, the jetties, playing every group game known to humans, going over the the "bay side" to play softball with the "project people" -- those who lived beyond the marshes and spent the winter there. No doubt about it, the best part of my childhood was Rockaway. Too bad it was taken away from us and to my knowledge, still is just a bunch of sand with no houses where we used to live, right near the boardwalk. Beach 48th Way, RockawayIn the early 1960s there were two brothers that were lifeguards when my family was there, Dennis and Tom Fulton. Anyone remember them? Also there was a man named Warren who would feed pigeons at the end of the block every day. My parents would rent a bungalow in the summer months to get us out of Brooklyn for awhile. Great memories. Rockaway, a kid's dreamI remember growing up in Rockaway. We had two boarding houses on Beach 114th Street. When my mom was a kid, Carroll O'Connor, his mom and brother Frank stayed with them. He returned to see my parents back in the mid-eighties and I received one of his last e-mails before he died. I worked my way bartending at Fitzgerald's on Beach 108th and Sullivan's on Beach 116th (1967-1970). You could leave the house at 7 years old, walk to the beach without crossing the street and never had to worry one bit. The neighbors looked out for everone's children. Great memories and thanks to Shorpy for an incredible site. Brilliant job! Cohen's CourtThe picture above is very much how I remember the bungalow court where my parents rented in the summers of the early 1950s. I think my mom said it was Cohen's Court. Ours was at the end of the court on the left. I don't remember too much, I was really little. But I think there was a center row of garden where parents hid treats for us to hunt. I remember a corner candy store we kids could walk to and my mom confiscating a tube of plastic bubbles I bought. I guess she thought the fumes would get me high or something. There was a little girl across the court who would stand on her porch in a towel and flash us once in a while. And I have a memory of being on the beach with my parents, I in the sand and my mom in a beach chair, and my dad taking me into the water. I went back with my parents in the early 60s because they were thinking about renting it again. But it was so musty and dirty and ramshackle that they decided against it. I had a girl friend with me and I have to say I was embarrassed about the way the place looked and smelled. Too bad, that bungalow was a great summer getaway for a working class family from Brooklyn. Elisa on B 29thWas your grandma named Bessie? I lived in the Claremar, one of the twin houses, and I remember her. Did you have a brother too? My sister, parents, grandmother and baby brother and I all lived in two rooms in the basement. I remember Crazy Eddie and his huge black book of songs. Tina and Elise ... Elliot ... Donna ... Jackie ... smiling in memory! Palace HotelThe last place my family stayed at for quite a few years was the Palace Hotel on Beach 30th Street right near the boardwalk. Those were the days my friend. All the arcades and food places on the boardwalk, Cinderella Playland for the little kiddies, the Good Humor man , Ralph was his name. Life was simple. No internet, cell phones or video games yet we had great times and wonderful memories. We played board games and cards and rode our bikes. The guys played baseball in the parking lot adjacent to the Palace Hotel. The team was a mix of every race and ethnicity and everyone managed to get along and looked forward to playing together the next Summer. The beach was the best. Dads could go to work and come back every day rather than only on weekends as they do in the Catskills. Such a shame that this no longer exists. The last summer I went there for a few weekends was in 1976. The JeffersonMy grandparents rented a place in the Jefferson for many years. I have great memories of the place, the back stair cases, the porch, and the beach just a short walk away. Does anyone have relatives who stayed there? Rockaway summersI spent virtually every summer till the age of 22 in Rockaway. We stayed on Beach 49th till they knocked them down, then kept moving to the 20's. Best time of my life. My family was unique -- Italians in the Jewish neighborhood and we came in from Jersey! My mom grew up in Brooklyn and her family started coming in the '40s! Wish I could connect with friends from back then. If I sound familiar please let me know. You would be in your mid to late 50s now. Rockaway Beach Bungalows on PBSI received a message, last night, from my girlfriend who stated that "The Bungalows of Rockaway" was on PBS @ 8PM. I started watching at 8:30 and to my surprise I could not stop watching. I was born at Rockaway Beach Hospital and I am a lifer. I never lived in a Bungalow but I have always wanted to purchase one. I was taken aback by the fact that there were at least 6,000 bungalows and now there are approximately 300 (big difference). I also found out in this documentary that there is hope that the bungalows can be landmarked and I hope that it happens. The bungalows are a unique attraction to this area and I hope that the 300 remaining can be preserved. Elisa on B. 29th Street - the hotelsTo Anonymous Tipster on Fri, 08/13/2010 - 3:15am - YES! My grandmother was Bessie. I do remember your family - your grandmother, parents and the little ones. Your mom wore glasses and had blonde hair. She always wore her hair pulled back and up on her head, curlers in the evening. Also, Harry and Dottie lived in a large room in the corner of the basement of the hotel. I have 3 brothers and one sister. My Aunt Rose and Uncle Leo used to come to the hotel as well to visit with Grandma Bessie. Please e-mail me @ medmalnursing@msn.com Sally's Pizza and the Lemon & Orange Ice StandI spent the best summers of my life on Beach 28th Street. Coming from a Bronx apartment, it felt like our own private house. Our own family doctor came out to Rockaway every summer and stayed on Beach 24th Street. I now wonder what happened to his patients during July and August. How come nobody has mentioned Sally's pizza, on the boardwalk around 32nd Street? You couldn't forget Sally-- with her bleached blond hair, tight pants, and backless highheels. Near Sally's was the fresh lemon and orange ice stand with the fruit stacked against the wall. The ices even contained pits. No artificial coloring or corn syrup in those ices. Grandmother's bungalowsMy grandmother owned 10 bungalows on the beach on 35th Street from the 1930s thru the 1950s. They were the ones nearest the water. I loved going to help her get them ready each spring and clean them up each fall. Playing on that wonderful empty beach at those times of year with no one else in sight. We lived in Far Rockaway at 856 Central Ave., so going to the bungalows was not a long trip. Great memories. Mom's RivieraMy mother loved Rockaway so much that we called it "Mother's Riviera." She couldn't have cared less about the beautiful beaches across the ocean in France or Italy, for Rockaway Beach was her greatest joy. We spent many summers in a bungalow court on 109th Street and my grandmother and her sisters also spent their youthful summer days in Rockaway Beach. So our family goes back generations loving Rockaway. Every Memorial Day the court always had a party to celebrate the beginning of summer and the courtyard inhabitants were usually Irish. The courtyard came alive with Irish songs and jigs and reels. Of course, the people of the courtyard always chipped in for a big keg of beer. It was repeated on Labor Day as we all said our goodbyes to our neighbors and to our beloved Rockaway Beach. Saturday nights in Rockaway were spent at the closest Irish bar and some nights the local boys slept under the boardwalk after having a wild time. They always managed to get themselves together for Sunday Mass or otherwise they would get holy hell from their families. Sands of TimeI spent every summer in the Rockaway bungalows from the fifties until the mid eighties when we were forced to leave because of the deteriorating situation. I was a child on Beach 49th and remember George's candy store where you could get a walkaway sundae for 50 cents. Sue, I remember the Fulton brothers, who were lifeguards. Handsome devils, had a crush on Tom when I was 14. Times were safe. There were a thousand kids to play with. We went from 49th, 40th 39th, 38th, 26th and finally 25th Street with my own kids trying to hold on to that wonderful way of life. Unfortunately it disappeared. Some of the best days of our liveswere spent on Beach 25th. When I was 12 (1936) until I was 17, we stayed every summer at my grandmother's at Beach 66th Street. Those were glorious days on the beach. The boardwalk at night was wonderful, too. We played pinball, and games of skill for 5 cents to collect prizes. Bottled soda and ice cream were 5 cents then, too. We used to run up to the boardwalk to eat the delicious knishes. My summers at Far Rockaway were the most unforgettable of my growing up. Tuna fish and bologna sandwiches on a roll never tasted as good as it did at the waterfront. In 1961, when I was married with children, we rented a bungalow on Beach 25th and loved it! It was a rainy summer and we spent a lot of time in Far Rockaway shopping, eating and going to the movies. Every sunny day, however, we quickly rushed to the beach to enjoy it with family and friends. The Jefferson, Beach 30thI stayed with Grandma and Grandpa every summer for years in a small room at ground level. Grandpa would take me to the beach in the morning, then off to the stores on 24th Street. The back patio was for dancing on Saturday night and the concession inside had bingo. The porch! As I grew up to teenager, I met Ronnie Schenkman and family on the second or third floor (used the back staircase). I don't remember where Eleanor stayed. Crazy Eddie and his songs. Hal and his girl of the night. Warm nights and days. Very sexy! As a working girl I still took the RR to Far Rockaway, then the bus to Edgemere. Took my children to visit Grandma when it was becoming sad looking. Then went to the area years later and found a burnt shell with a wicked fence surrounding it. Took pics and had a good cry. We are all lucky that we were able to experience the wonderful warm sun and sultry nights. Belle Harbor BungalowsI think the two rows of Belle Harbor bungalows on Beach 129th to which another person referred were probably the Ocean Promenade Apartments. I have very happy memories of living there in the mid-i950s in the winter. Beach at 37th streetWhat a trip to see all of the these comments. I grew up and lived year round on Beach 37th until 1950, when we moved to Bayside. Takee Cup was a treat as well as the movie theater on the boardwalk, Italian ices and of course the arcade. For a penny you could get great photos of famous cowboys and movie stars. Rockaway in 1958My family spent the summer in Rockaway in 1958. Most of our friends were in the court, but we were outside it on the main street. I don't remember the street, but I suspect it was around Beach 45th, as the El was right on the corner. We had a bungalow with a porch. I was climbing on the outside of it, fell when I saw a neighbor's dog that I wanted to play with, and broke my wrist on broken concrete. Today, one would sue the owner. Back then, we just made do. Later that same summer, I ran across the street to get Italian ices from the local candy store, but looked the wrong way crossing the one-way street and almost got hit by a car. I didn't think that much of it, but the woman driving was hysterical. I also remember a movie theatre on the Boardwalk. In those days, an 8-year-old (me) could feel safe walking the boardwalk without an adult present. The back of the theater opened up at night so you could sit outside. I saw "The Colossus of New York" there, an incredibly bad "monster" movie. Most of the bungalows in the Rockaways were destroyed by Hurricane Donna in 1960. So-called "urban renewal" took care of the rest. Now some sections of the Rockaways, especially those facing the ocean, are filled with expensive new condos. The Jefferson 1950s I stayed at the Jefferson in the 1950s. It was far far away from the Bronx. Our father worked two, sometimes three jobs, so my brother and I could escape the Bronx and spend each summer --the whole summer-- in Rockaway. Dad took the train to work every day. We turned brown by July 4th; skinny brown kids always running, scheming, cunningly evading the watchful eyes of Jewish mothers. We played softball in the parking lot by the beach in the early mornings before the cars showed up. We played kick the can in the street, ring-o-lerio (sp?), off the stoop. And then there were the long long days on the beach, hopping on hot sand from blanket to shore, waiting the magic 45 minutes to go in the water after eating lim and sandy salami sandwiches, early versions of body-surfing, acting like we couldn't hear our mothers calling that it was time to come in from the water. Crawling into the cool dark sand under the boardwalk. Some kid named Howie always had a piece of fruit in hand, juice dribbling down his chin. And then there was a kid whose own family called him "Fat Jackie" -- at least that's how I remember it. Once in a while we were treated to Takee cups or lemon Italian ices, and chocolate egg creams. Always sneaking off with so much watermelon that your belly ached, and sand -- always sand -- in your bed. Jumping off the wooden steps to the beach, higher and higher, until you dared to jump from the railings along the boardwalk. I think it was Friday nights we would go to the boardwalk to watch the fireworks display from Playland. Flying kites over the surf when the weather cooled, and sneaking out to the Boardwalk to watch, awestruck, huge summer storms -- was it hurricane Carol? Evenings with men playing pinochle, women playing mah jongg. Ping Pong, hide & seek around the Jefferson. Costume parties with fat hairy men wearing grass skirts and coconut shell brassieres, and mothers with painted mustaches and sideburns, wearing huge hipster hats, chewing cold cigars. Then, dreaded September, back to school and insanely diving under your desk to practice for the upcoming atomic war, or wondering whether you were one of the kids who got the fake Polio vaccine. But somehow, during those summers at the Jefferson, there was nothing to fear. Nothing at all. Beach 45thDoes anyone remember Scott Whitehill or Laird Whitehill? If so, please e-mail me at scott@scottwhitehill.com Moe's Grocery Store on Beach 28thBarbara posted a comment earlier about her dad owning a grocery store on Beach 28th Street. The name of the grocery store was Moe's, and they carried lots of things for a small store. I lived in bungalows on Beach 28th and Beach 29th Street. These were the most memorable times of my life. I only wish that I could go back and see and relive these wonderful times. Beach 49thMy family and many of my relatives owned bungalows on Beach 49th and Beach 48th Street. We spent every summer there until the city condemned the properties. My father brought one of the first surfboards there in the early 60s. I have many fond memories of the beach and the friends I made. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Travel & Vacation)
Playtime: 1943
... bought me a Daisy Red Ryder for my birthday. Played Cowboys and Indians and S.W.A.T. was never called. Grew up to be a productive ... team members. I hate guns now, but I played "Army" and cowboys and Indians with them all the time during the early 50's. Once, after ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/09/2018 - 7:43pm -

October 1943. Washington, D.C. "Boys watching the Woodrow Wilson high school cadets." Photo by Esther Bubley, Office of War Information. View full size. Saturday Morning SpecialEven before the war, this was the Junior G-Man generation. The pistol packing boy might be aiming a realistic cast metal cap pistol, not all of which looked like western six-guns. Here's a 1940s magazine ad for a similar toy pistol, the popular "G-Boy" model. Cap gunI had a hand-me-down cap gun in the 60s that was a baby .45. Wasn't as cool as the cowboy guns, so I am sure than it ended up in the bottom of a toy box and was "recycled" at a garage sale. Cocktail HourPersonally, I prefer my Bubbly with a dash of Alibet. Cap GunThe pistol the boy appears to be holding resembles a 1940 Kilgore Cap pistol, made of iron. Likely it was one of the police or police chief versions. Reminds me of my childhoodDespite my mom's anti-toy gun stance (peace, love, against the Vietnam war, etc.), my brother and I had an arsenal of cap guns as kids. We blasted away whenever she was not around. Despite all this simulated childhood violence, we both grew up to be fairly normal adults who do not own any real guns. Cap gunsMy parents were non-militaristic types; my father (reluctantly) got involved in WW2 as a RAF pilot, but his Quaker father had been jailed as a conchie in WW1 and he was never keen on guns. Nonetheless, we kids were cheerfully allowed to have and play with toy guns in the 60s - mostly games based on High Chaparral and Lost in Space and suchlike rather than war and soldiering, as it happens (well, there was The Rat Patrol). And pointing a toy gun at my brother (see pic, if it uploads OK) didn't seem to cause anyone to get worried (neither of us has ever had anything to do with real guns). Some British schools have cadet forces, as per the film If... and also the Doctor Who story set in 1913 (Human Nature). Is it really that different?When I was a kid, toy guns were my favorite. And yet my Dad would have tanned my hide had he caught me actually pointing a toy gun at another person. I was taught you just didn't point guns at people. And I realize that the kid in this photo is not pointing his gun at the other boy. But my kids grew up in a society where it was completely proper to point guns at other people and pull the trigger -- but they called it laser tag or paintball. You can also get into the whole video game mindset as well. Of course, you can't do it on your own, but at an arcade, or in the case of paint-balls, with expensive gear. The difference I see is that by the time I was 12 or so, such games were not so interesting. The current generation is still involved in these games into their 20s and 30s. ContextYeah, this might be disturbing to some people, but let's not forget the international context at the time. 1943 saw the height of World War II, and all the kids were immerese in the ambience of a "nation at war": bombarded with all those news reels in the movies, watching the cartels, and seeing mom worry about the absent parent / brother / uncle who was serving overseas. Many a kid witnessed the arrival of the dreaded letter to his / her parents; "Dear Mrs... I am terribly sorry to inform you..." So, with old photos as with history, one can't merely judge them by comparing them with our own prejudices and standars. We must take in account the circumstances and the particular period where they were created. I'm sure that, back then, a scene like this was not as disturbing as we might find it today. Guess it is what OTY said, that children were accountable for being good citizens at all times. That is really disturbingIt looks too much like that very famous Vietnam-era photo of a man being executed on the street. InterestingThere are a couple of interesting things in this photograph... Most obviously, it looks like the little boy on the left is aiming the gun at the other boy's head...but once you really look at it, the boy on the right is a few feet further away. (WHEW!) His stance though, makes it look like they are playing a very creepy "game". The other interesting thing is...High School Cadet Team?? Forming up and shouldering rifles??? Can you even imagine that in 2009? Ah, the good ol' days... Deja NamReminds me of the famous Vietnam era photo of an execution. As Jack Nicholson Would Say...Hey, kid? You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight? Hm.There's an unfortunate juxtaposition. Imagine this scene todayThe boy pointing (what I assume is a) toy gun would be under arrest facing years of psychoanalysis. The parents of his "target" would already be on the telephone to their attorney looking to sue the boy as well as Woodrow Wilson HS, its principal and head of its cadet program not to mention the young man leaning on the soccer post for not intervening in what clearly is an act of bullying. The school spokesperson, since he hadn't seen the paperwork, would not be able to comment other than to reiterate that WWHS has a zero tolerance policy toward weaponry and that, once the truth comes out, they will be completely exonerated. Not what it seemsAt first glance it looks like the boy in the middle is pointing that gun straight at the forehead of the other boy - but he's not, is he? He's nearer the camera by a yard or so, and pointing directly to the right. Whatever, great photo. Nothing much changes hereI live several blocks away from Wilson HS, and aside from the fact that they obviously no longer drill there in military uniforms, there is the occasional gunplay every so often. It seems that about every three years there is a shootout ... and this is the public HS in the city's safest and most affluent area! Notable alums of Wilson HS include Warren Buffett, Frank Rich, and Lewis Black. Armchair Psychologist's Field DayTo call this photo provocative is an understatement. The curious fact though is that this generation, currently referred to as "the silent generation" seems to have been the most peaceful, law-abiding, responsible, conscientious, peaceful and congenial group of decent and agreeable adults in recent memory. Yes, I am one. Yes, as kids we all had toy guns and we played "jack-knife" wherein we threw our pocket knives into targets drawn in the dirt. Yes, we used dagger-sharp geometric compasses in grade school without hurting anyone, and walked miles to school, often alone. Yes, we were just before the "Rebels without a cause" gangs, loved our families, enjoyed our cars, had fun dates, served our country, sewed our wild oats and then settled down to work hard, support loved ones and try to raise healthy, happy families. I do not have crime statistics to back this up, but from personal experience all the "playing" we did for the first 15 years of our lives with potential toy weapons did NOT make us violent or eager to hurt anyone. On the contrary, we are a bunch of very helpful, charitable, POLITE, simple, proper seniors now who walk at the mall daily in friendly groups and still love America. The preceding is strictly my personal opinion but I know hundreds of us from this era and there is not a bad apple in the bunch. Although this picture is reminiscent of the horrible famous photo from Viet Nam, I have no acquaintances who became violent criminals from playing with TOY guns. The difference is, I believe, that we had sensible,selfless, caring and sometimes strict parents and we ALWAYS had to be accountable for not behaving as the civilized people they expected us to be. Sorry to be preachy but I really fear that society is "de-evolving" and returning to savagery and barbaric behavior. The little guy in the chin strap hat who is resignedly acceptiing his fate like a man looks exactly like a neighbor I grew up with who became a soldier. DrilledIn response to the "High School Cadet Team" comment: Ever heard of ROTC? I went to a college in the South (graduated 2003) and it was common to see ROTC members performing drills in the quad. High School Cadet TeamDon't you know there's a war on? In 1943 there was and most of the boys in that group would be in it soon after they graduated from high school. A little early drill couldn't hurt, even if they did have to unlearn just about everything they picked up here. Cadet RiflesHigh Schools still have rifle teams today, if they have JROTC unit. Official Site https://www.usarmyjrotc.com/jrotc/dt Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junior_Reserve_Officers'_Training_Corps - Proud Former JROTC Cadet, who shouldered his own (demilitarized) M1903 Springfield for drill... 15 count manual.. Arms! Soccer '43??I doubt that there were any soccer goals at WWHS in '43, I think those are monkey bars. Boys learning 2nd Amendment rightsThis photo could only come out of the USA. The only country on the planet that enshrines guns in their national Constitution. Johnny Has His GunHeh, funny, Exercising his 2nd Amendment. Can anyone tell if that's a real pistol or just an extremely realistic toy? It sure looks heavy and solid from here. I have a cap pistol from the '40s or '50s, and it's nowhere nearly as detailed as that (although it's a revolver, not an automatic). Re: Boys learning 2nd Amendment rightsAnd yet we've got people from all over the world that still strive to become American now don't we? In defense of my generation...I think it's a bit extreme to say that "the silent generation" was composed of better or more decent people than gens x, y, whatever, or that people in the past loved their families more, worked harder, or were better Americans than my peers and I. Actually, it's straight up offensive. A lot of criminals were born in the 30's and 40's, too. As were a lot of rude people, some of whom now apparently consider themselves "POLITE, simple, proper seniors." This is a really neat picture, though. I love the kid leaning on the monkey bars. Small ArmsThe gun is a toy .45 caliber semi-automatic. You can tell because it not only lacks the hammer and sight, but a real .45 is over 6 inches long. The one in the picture looks much smaller. And a real .45 very heavy. My Dad taught me to shoot a .45 when I was about ten years old and it took both hands to hold it up straight! Esther Bubbly FansFor those of us that are fans of Esther Bubbly and all the other wonderful photographers being shown on Shorpy, you can find many other photographs at the National Archives. Alibet, these photographs have not been edited as those shown here, they are still outstanding. The URL below will take you to an index of photographers. Don't overlook the 'Search' link also on the page. A wonderful place to visit. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml/fsaauthindex1.html [Nothing like a little Bubbly to start the day, I say. - Dave] Reply to "In Defense of..."I believe you failed to comprehend my message because I NEVER said anything about being "better than..." or "working harder" or "loving more". My point was only to state that playing with guns, knives and potentially deadly weapons did not make us violent misfits as some people claim it does. Why would I offend my own children and descendants by claiming "we were better" but I believe that is your personal interpretation of what was written, NOT what was actually written. I am very sorry if anyone was offended. Boys and gunsLet's see. I grew up watching Gunsmoke and the Lone Ranger. Parents bought me a Daisy Red Ryder for my birthday. Played Cowboys and Indians and S.W.A.T. was never called. Grew up to be a productive law abiding citizen despite the "evil" toys. Imagine that. YikesWell, that gave me chills. The Way I See ItThe kid with the gun is aiming at some "enemy" in the distance. The smaller kid is imitating the drill team members. I hate guns now, but I played "Army" and cowboys and Indians with them all the time during the early 50's. Once, after watching Gene Autry on TV, I conked a kid over the head with a piece of wood and was amazed when he didn't fall over unconscious. Shortly thereafter I was amazed when I couldn't watch TV for a week. Grateful for the opportunityDespite years of studying (and producing) photography and film, I only learned of Esther Bubley after I became a regular visitor to Shorpy (perhaps Shorpy addict is more accurate). I'm a big fan of historic, journalistic, and modern photography -- even worked in an archive -- but I didn't know of Esther Bubley, and I think her work is wonderful. Her work fascinates me -- composition, subjects, content, emotional impact -- I thank you for posting her photos. You people are S-L-O-WHe is not pointing the cap gun at the other child's head. The other child is standing behind him. Look where the feet of the children are. Come on now, think for yourselves. [Talk about slow -- read the other comments. Carefully. - Dave] Re: You people are S-L-O-WI really hate to appear to be S-L-O-W, but what is the significance of the quarter? [It's a gift bestowed upon especially clueless commenters. So that they can go get a clue. - Dave] Target practiceWhenever I see a scene of soldiers practicing their marching in formation, I wonder "how many battles ever got won because they were good at marching in formation?" Has there ever been an enemy overcome by straight lines and precision steps? In movies, the guys in formation are always the ones getting mowed down by cannons or snipers. I'm reminded of a comment by one of the Kaiser's generals complaining that he seemed to think marching practice was all there was to war preparation. Just some thoughts on OTY's comment...>> Sorry to be preachy but I really fear that society is "de-evolving" and returning to savagery and barbaric behavior. Hey now OTY, the kids are OK. I don't know if you'll read this comment but I had to weigh in. As one of the early Millennials (aka Cold-Y or Boomerang Generation) let me reassure you. My parents were in the Silent Generation. I walked to school and used a sharp compass. Additionally, I knew my neighbors and was allowed to bike all over the town. Now I live in an urban center where I still walk to work. I still know my neighbors and make casseroles when people find themselves in a tough spot. The Millennials also manage to have fun even though the recession is weighing heavily on us. The Boomers won't retire and Millennials can't find work. We also give back to our community, are hard-working, and increasingly thrifty having learned from our grandparents the importance of putting away for a rainy day. Taking your anecdotal example, I know hundreds of Millennials who, to a person, are not "bad apples." Even though the kids born today can seem alien, ("O rly? LOL, que! Srsly, wtf is w/n00bs. We pwnd them. 1337.") The Atlantic recently suggested otherwise. I tend to agree. You raised us right, stop worrying, we'll take our place and save the world when you let us. And our kids and grandkids will be awesome too. So... The kids are alright. Neither demons nor angelsThe kids in the pictured generation weren't horrible animals because they played with guns, but come on, let's not pretend they were perfect and everything was wonderful back then and everyone today is inferior. For example, look at the trash scattered on the parade ground. My GenerationInteresting photo... posted no doubt for its shock value. As a member of that generation, I played cowboys, space explorer, knight, soldier, etc. All the boys did (well, except for the odd ones who played with dolls ;-) Know what? We never once confused play with real life. Of course, physical violence wasn't graphic back then, nor was it performed with mind-numbing repetition, as in the slash movies or video games, for example. We also didn't take drugs or do a lot of other things kids do today. Was it a better time to grow up? Damn straight it was. Bubley whimsyDon't you think the photographer was intentionally having fun messing with the viewer's perspective to create that illusion? I do. (The Gallery, Bizarre, D.C., Esther Bubley, Kids, WW2)
Cover Girl: 1950
... New Trier East's teams were the Indians, West's were the Cowboys, and the teams for the reconstituted school are the Trevians. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/24/2008 - 4:12pm -

Winnetka, Illinois. June 1950. "Student Rue Lawrence wearing frilly summer dress and bright lipstick in classroom at New Trier High School." Rue was on the cover of the October 16, 1950, issue of Life. Color transparency by Alfred Eisenstaedt, Life magazine photo archive. View full size. Green DayI like how everyone is color-coordinated with Rue's eyes. A Model StudentOn first glance it looks obvious why a teacher would want a stunner like Rue in the front row. But behind her are more stunning girls. This was no high school, it's a model school. Yes Yes Hubba HubbaEssie always had a good eye for the ladies. He sure knew how to pick 'em. Green & GrayAt that time the school colors were green and gray. High school eyesNew Trier H.S. had some other interesting sets of eyes enrolled... Charlton Heston, Rock Hudson, Ann-Margret. Another PossibilityPerhaps it was Saint Patrick's Day. [In June? - Dave] Holy Toledo!Please! No smoking in class... Cheer, Cheer"Cheer, Cheer, Beat New Trier!" That was an unofficial part of my (Evanston Township) high school fight song. [So what rhymes with "Evanston"? - Dave] Pen of ChoiceIs that a Parker pen? Also green. Not as greenTricky ol' Dave did some additional color correction since this was first posted. In looking through the New Trier High School color photos there, it's interesting trying to figure out what films Eisenstaedt used. The purplish-red fading on most of the large- and medium-format is a dead giveaway that it was Ektachrome, but a number of shots (like that of our Cover Girl here) can be seen in various states of correction. I did spot a couple 4x5 Kodachromes, which you can tell from the color as well as the fact that it said so right on the edge. The 35mm shots are almost all pretty good, indicating either Kodachrome or perhaps Anscochrome/color. On a related note, anybody know how to get more than 200 results in searching the LIFE archive? Re: Pen of ChoiceLooks more like a Sheaffer pen - they made several similar models in that era. Green?Am I totally insane, because to me everything is blue not green... [After a bit of tweaking, what once was green now is blue. - Dave] Beautiful picture, beautifulBeautiful picture, beautiful girl, but that bra strap sticking out drives me nuts! More New Trier TriviaThey split the New Trier district into East and West in the late 1960's. The original, called New Trier East, used the green and gray colors, while the little brother New Trier West used blue and gray. The two schools were reunited a few years ago and now use green, blue and gray as their colors. New Trier East's teams were the Indians, West's were the Cowboys, and the teams for the reconstituted school are the Trevians. Christie Hefner is a graduate (1970 or 1971) of New Trier West. John Holton, New Trier West Class of 1974 So ... Whatever became of Rue?Anybody know? Eyes V.2... and Bill Murray and Frankie B. Rhodes, who claims to have been Murray's straight man through high school! Steve Miller Someplace near the crossroads of America Those eyesHer eyes are looking into my soul. I can't stop looking at those eyes. Nice outfit.My mother had a square dance dress just like that, with the full skirt and many petticoats underneath. But I never saw one at high school in the 60s! (Tamalpais '67 here). Now to go LOOK for the LIFE archives.. Here is another photo of Rue:http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=b9490b70b8c71f4c&q=new+tri... RueI couldn't find anything about Rue we didn't already know. She looks so perfect, she probably became the quintessential 50's wife and mother. But I never knew about Eisenstaedt's work or that he was the one who took that photograph (V-J Day). Rue-more mongeringDonald Rumsfeld might know how to find her. Not only was he the ultimate spybiz insider, but he was a member of the New Trier Class of '50, and thus graduated about the time this picture was taken. An Alum's thoughts:An incredible picture from the days of Americana embodied. As a recent alum of New Trier, I can say that in most ways not much has changed from this picture. My mother not only attended New Trier, too, but the same junior high school as well. Needless to say, there have been countless conversations comparing and contrasting the ages. NTHS has garnered much attention in the press for its famous alumni, high academic standards, liberal social policies, and social practices of students. Not to be swept under the rug is an article in Time about the rampant recreational drug use of NTHS students. True as it may be, and debatable as these aforementioned issues certainly are, the education provided to the students is of an unparalleled caliber, certainly attested to by the consistent achievements of its alumni. As one who has chosen a path in the arts, not politics, law, or business (and certainly receives much less attention from the press), I found the school's image to be paradoxically inspiring. What an iconic institution, delightfully distant from the usual East coast boarding school (or even the heartwarming economically disadvantaged school overcoming adversity) to be profiled. Most important, it's a timeless picture. Rue: Cover GirlThis is Joe Manning. I found Rue, and I talked to her briefly today. She was not interested in submitting to an interview or having an article written about her. However, she was very gracious and shared a few thoughts and stories about the photo and its aftermath, but I have promised not to repeat them. She married, has five children, and seems to be living a full and interesting life. OhhhOh to find an American woman today with as much class, elegance, and beauty. And this girl probably didn't curse every other word or drink like a sailor. Wow this woman is stunning!I would so love to see her now. (Alfred Eisenstaedt, Education, Schools, LIFE, Pretty Girls)
Buck in a Truck: 1940
... origin, originally a male goat or deer. It got attached to cowboys, which may be a reason why its popularity as a baby name rose around ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/17/2023 - 12:22pm -

From around 1940 comes this snapshot of a young man in a truck with West Virginia plates -- one of thousands of 35mm negatives in the FSA/OWI archive at the Library of Congress with no caption or photographer information. Why so glum, chum? View full size. I know his name isn't MargaretBut his sorrowful expression and some of the comments remind of the poem 'Spring and Fall' by Gerard Manley Hopkins. Márgarét, áre you gríeving Over Goldengrove unleaving? Leáves like the things of man, you With your fresh thoughts care for, can you? Ah! ás the heart grows older It will come to such sights colder By and by, nor spare a sigh Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie; And yet you wíll weep and know why. Now no matter, child, the name: Sórrow’s spríngs áre the same. Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed What heart heard of, ghost guessed: It ís the blight man was born for, It is Margaret you mourn for. Passing the BuckDave's suggestion of a glum Buck is something of an oxymoron, since the name is said to refer to a "robust or spirited young man." "Buck" is of Old English origin, originally a male goat or deer. It got attached to cowboys, which may be a reason why its popularity as a baby name rose around the turn of the 20th century. It declined through the century, despite Buck Rogers and Buck Owens (or Buck Barrow, Clyde's brother), but seems to be making a modest comeback. (N.B. Manager of the Year Buck Showalter was born William Nathaniel Showalter III.) FordoorPerhaps of more interest than the man -- they've changed little in the past century -- is the (Model A?) door, which almost looks like it has been disassembled for display purposes (though it probably was delivered that way): - The centered door handle, linked by tie-rod to a - very tentative!- latch - The window crank (sans actual crank) - The sound deadening material sprayed inside the panel. All very familiar to anyone who's ever seen one. Wake up, Buck!Sure does look like he's napping. [He's looking at a picture in his wallet -- on his lap in the main photo. - Dave] How many turns?He's wiped out from hand cranking that dump body all day. How many turns on the big wheel? How many loads today? The large diameter is supposed to provide leverage to make it easier for a big guy to crank, but maybe tough for a kid. Been ThereI recognize the look and the mood. It is a malady I suffered a few times when I was that age, caused by a pretty young lady. A hard working FordIt looks to be a 1930 Ford AA dump truck. Here's OneA restoration group I belong to has one of these hand cranked dump bodies on a White chassis. We tried it out last night. It isn't hard to crank with no load in the bed, but don't know how it would be when loaded. Keeping it well greased would be key. Next to the truck is the next step, a very primitive hydraulic dump, using cables to lift the bed. Here are 2 photos. The overhead view was shot by a friend. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
Tomorrowland: 1965
... day at Knott's Berry Farm and its scary rides, gun totin' cowboys, pink or green cotton candy and their preserves. Yummy. I took five ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/11/2019 - 12:53am -

Disneyland, back when Tomorrowland was all about rocket ships. Two years later, the Moon Ride was still there, but the rocket was gone. My Kodachrome slide, taken from the late lamented Skyway gondola ride, itself dismantled in 1994. Douglas AircraftPerhaps the rocket vanished as a side effect of Douglas merging with McDonnell Aircraft that same year, forming McDonnell Douglas. RocketlandI think the rocket, which had been there since the park's 1955 opening (and then TWA-branded) was by 1965 starting to look rather Yesterday-landish compared to the real things people were by then familiar with after years of live TV coverage of Cape Canaveral space launchings. When tomorrow becomes todayI was thinking about attractions being removed and replaced. Yes, I suppose they had to stay ahead of tomorrow. IdentityTterrace: who were the fellows in 'Navy' uniforms, in the lower left corner of the picture? They appear to be playing musical instruments? Rocket ship goes eastI believe the Rocketship was reused in the Florida Disney World in the entrance to Tomorrowland Space Mountain ride in the 1990s. I remember seeing it there, or a very reasonable replica. Disney stores many of the older displays in a large warehouse there. Rocketland #2That's the trouble with the future. We keeping catching up to it. Sailors' Band?Looks like four Navy officers in choker whites performing a song (Anchors Aweigh?) on that bandstand in the lower left of the photo. Tomorrowland bandThat's the Yachtsmen Quartet, Disneyland regulars at the time, performing on the platform at the bottom of the tower. Model rocketI built a model of this rocket from a kit. I still remember its delicate legs and nose cone, and the thrill of applying the decals. Bud & ScottyI think those were the names of another favorite college-aged vocal & piano group who performed at Disneyland in the mid 1960s nearby on Main Street. I'd forgotten The Yachtsmen Quartet; thanks for including their information with the Tomorrowland picture. Walt must have loved the YachtsmenListening to their live music was probably better than listening to a continuous recording of "It's a Small World," after that attraction made its way to Disneyland from the New York World's Fair. Stovall's Inn of TomorrowDuring one of our family trips to Disneyland, we stayed at the above named motel. What a groovy, space-age place it was when it was brand new (around 1965 I believe). In addition to the 100% futuristic outer-space theme and astronomy inspired decor throughout the complex, there was an unbelievable landscaping of all topiary shrubs and trees, sculpted into fantastic shapes. The outdoor restrooms around the pool were round and were called "moon domes" and the stair railings were embellished with attention-getting melon size green glass spheres that looked like planets. What a wonderful dreamy mood it created, enjoyed by the entire family. Unfortunately, the glass spheres didn't last long as people broke them off and stole them and after several renovations in the name of "updating", it bore no resemblance to the original architecture. Like everything else though, it was fun while it lasted; my kids never forgot it, though now it is merely a memory of long lost surroundings. Bye, bye, sky bucketsIn these 1960s photos I am always looking for myself as a kid. In the 1990s, as an adult, my family had annual passes since we lived so close to Disneyland. My young daughter and I would go to the park at least 30 times each year. We would stand just behind tourist groups being photographed at the Main Street flag pole. All over Asia are photos which include a redhaired guy and his daughter. We rode on the sky buckets on the last day they were operating. May All Your Tomorrows Be Sans-SerifI mean obviously it's the wave of the typographical future. Love it!Once again tterrance hits my nostalgia nerve. We were at Disneyland monthly in the early 60's. It was inexpensive all day fun. I remember how proud we all were to see Daddy's ride. He was proudly employed by Douglas, then McDonnell Douglas and ultimately retired from Boeing. I was terrified to go to the moon because I didn't want to get stuck there without a robot. Tomorrowland"It feels like you'll never get there." The Yachtsmen on Video and Record 1961 album on Disney's Buena Vista label (BV-3310): "High and Dry with The Yachtsmen" The Nostalgia TripThanks for the trip back in time. I still recall our first trip to Disney World in Orlando back in December 1971, two months after it had opened. The place was brand spanking new and to this 11 year old, quite magical. I missed the Wow! of D'landBecause when I last visited the area as a 10-year-old in 1952, it didn't exist. So I knew nothing better than a full day at Knott's Berry Farm and its scary rides, gun totin' cowboys, pink or green cotton candy and their preserves. Yummy. I took five jars home to my family when I flew back across the country in a Constellation. I love the restaurant and airline jams and jellies, the only place I see KBF products anymore. I went on to spend way too much time watching Darlene and Annette be talented and pretty. Thanks for sharing, tterrace! Note alsoThe Mecca Motel MelodylandI grew up in Anaheim, went to Anaheim High School, and worked at Disneyland from 1965 to 1969. I love the old Disneyland photos! I notice, just above the TOMORROWLAND sign, you can see the cone shaped building that was Melodyland Theatre. I saw Liza Minnelli perform there in the late '60s. Thanks for the Wave of Nostalgia, tterraceI went to Disneyland when I was 9 or 10 with my family in '57 or '58. It seemed they were still building so many new rides, but as a young girl from Minneapolis, this was Heaven. Then we got to go to Knotts. Tomorrowland and the teacups were among my favs! Thanks again for the memories. Disney Family MuseumIf any of you ever get to SF I highly recommend the Disney Family Museum in the Presidio. Walt was a real pack rat and he had the money to store stuff. From his WW1 ambulance driver's license to the architectural model of Disney World, it's all there. Walt loved technology and this museum mixes modern tech with wonderful items from the past. The museum isn't really for kids (though an older one might enjoy it), it's for "us": The Disney Generation, the ones who grew up Disneyland, the MM Club, and the Wonderful World of Color every Sunday evening. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
They Got Me: 1955
... one right before mine, played and lived. We played Army, cowboys and Indians and other games, but Davy Crockett was no longer a "thing" ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 5:05pm -

1955 was the height of Davy Crockett mania, and while I never got a coonskin cap, I was as wrapped up in it as most kids of the time, hence the "Dying at the Alamo" concept of this shot. Didn't have any arrows, so I had to improvise with that twig. My eye patch, which I was forced to wear in an unsuccessful attempt to deal with my "lazy eye" condition, sort of adds to the effect. (It was unsuccessful because I kept cheating by peeling it up so I could read my comic books.) I think that was an official Boy Scout canteen, but I don't know where we got it, since neither of us were in the Scouts. Sharp-eyed camera bugs will notice my brother used fill flash with this Kodachrome; he'd borrowed or rented a fancy electronic flash unit. Mortally WoundedReminds of an image of American photographer Ralph Eugene Meatyard, who lived in Lexington, Kentucky and famous for his enigmatic and surrealistic photographs. Davy's CanteenThe canteen is German WW2 issue. Looks to be in great shape..do you still have it? A Slippery SlopeHow did two such red-blooded American boys manage to grow up without being Boy Scouts? Which brings me to something I hesitate to even mention. (Yet here I am mentioning it!) Did your brother turn into ... a beatnik? And you. Were you ... a hippie? Hmmm...Interesting image. From the description, I'm still working on the mix of Davy Crockett, Alamo (good so far), arrows, Indians, eye patch, pirates (?), Boy Scout canteen and, via AT, a German WWII canteen. Hey, that's what childhood is for: imagination! Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska March 16, 1966"With nothing more than a simple eye patch, we have brought amblyopia to its knees!" -- Sally Brown Fellow amblyopicAh, the eye patch! Despite my mother's custom-made creations...despite Sally Brown's excellent example...When you're 5, nobody wants to be the kid with an eye patch. My right eye is about 50% to this day! I hear they treat it now with dilation drops to the good eye so it doesn't focus as well... Eye PatchI had to wear one of those eye patches when I was a kid, too. And I, too, cheated over and over again because the damn thing was so annoying. Oh, the late 1980's... Remember the AlamoYou post the most awesome pictures. I really enjoy looking at how the generation my husband came from, and the one right before mine, played and lived. We played Army, cowboys and Indians and other games, but Davy Crockett was no longer a "thing" when I was a kid. DUMB PICTURESI gotta tell you; I am not into family pictures. Want me to send you some of my baby pics? See what I mean? These pics are worthless. [Baby pics of you? No thanks. Photos posted here need to be at least three years old. - Dave] "Dumb Pictures"Y'know, it always amazes me when someone says something like, "I am not into family pictures..." and just assumes that if he (or, possibly she) is of that opinion, then everyone must be. Forcryinoutloud... if you don't like a certain kind of picture, skip over it. But at least grow up! Arrrrrh!My grandson had amblyopia and had to wear an eye patch for a whole school year when he was in 1st Grade. Thanks to Jack Sparrow, he was the hit of the year and all the girls and boys thought it was really neat. Dumb Pictures?!These family photos are, in their own way, as much a documentation of their time as photos of a Washington swimming beach from the 1920s. Photos which I'm sure someone at the time called "dumb pictures" because they weren't of the Battle of Antietam. I'm sure Anonymous Tipster's baby pictures will eventually fill that niche - hopefully when the youngest of us has died of old age. Dumb picturesIn defense of anon tipster, the tterrace photos are becoming similar to sitting through a neighbors slide show of their vacation in who care's where. Since I lived in this time period, I can look at my own photos for "blast from that past". Brandicoot doesn't speak for us all and it she doesn't like some comments, she can skip them. HaHa. [I think the majority opinion here would be that tterrace's photographs are quite good. And exceptionally so. The read counter speaks louder than words. - Dave] "Dumb" picturesThe number of views clearly shows the minority opinion. The mood here is usually warm and inclusive. Not clicking something that does not interest you takes no effort at all. Foy Las Vegas Oh Oh Oh DaveRe: Baby pics of you? No thanks. Photos posted here need to be at least three years old. Oh, Dave - I just love you. Big time. Really. Seriously. I love you. Hehehhee [Aw shucks. - Dave] Me! It's about me!!!>> Not clicking something that does not interest you takes no effort at all. But the site is for me! If I don't like something, the site has failed! Me me me! Un-ChucksNot Chuck Taylor All-Stars shoes. I was a PF Flyers or Keds kid. Still have my "Karl the Karrot Keds Klub" button to prove it. (Fireman Frank Show, KRON-TV San Francisco, c.1955). Another shoe shot here. Peeling Kedstterrace and all - my 60s era high top Keds label always peeled off. Maybe I pulled at it too much. Anyone else had that issue? Maybe we can file a retroactive class action lawsuit. ChucksHey, are those Chuck Taylor All-Stars? Fireman FrankGlad to see that someone else recalls that cartoon show on Channel 4 with the zany "puppet" carrot with its long "hair" flailing about! There was a short daily show right around the evening news with a longer one on Saturday afternoons. (I entered the drawing contest a time or two, not winning anything.) I've a few TV Guides from the era. We got our first TV in May 1955 (GE lemon), which was replaced by an RCA in early 1957 when we moved from Hayward to Novato (for less than 6 months). Now there was Deputy Dave on weekdays and Captain Fortune on Saturday mornings on KPIX-5. KGO-7 had the Mickey Mouse Club. Great picsBut not so smart commenter! I love all the pics shown on Shorpy!! Keep it up. Majority rules. Add St. Sebastian to the mix...for a thoroughly intriguing iconographic mashup! CanteenYeah, that's a Wehrmacht canteen for sure. After the War, it probably came over as army surplus/salvage for $1.99! Urg, stupid eye patchesI had to wear one too in kindergarten, my teacher would give me stickers to put on it. And even though I was in class I would still lift it up to draw all the time. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Kids, tterrapix)
Ashwood: 1939
... Conquistadors for a play on that subject? Or as white cowboys or Native Americans? Or wear wooden shoes and pigtails for a nice ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 9:52pm -

May 1939. "Second and third grade children being made up for their Negro song and dance at May Day-Health Day festivities." Ashwood Plantations, South Carolina. View full size. Photograph by Marion Post Wolcott for the FSA. My father, my uncle, our neighborsand for that matter the whole mining camp looked like they were dressed in black face when they came out of the mines after a hard day shoveling coal...where they worked side by side with african-americans...and nobody ever gave it a second thought about racial differences. Everybody was just trying to survive (1940s Alabama). Ashwood: 1940May 1940: Third and fourth grade children rehearsing for radio comedy, "Amos 'N' Andy: The Early Years." No way the above picture could happen today without some major controversy. No way could it happen todayNo way could it happen today at all. That's because most peopleThat's because most people nowadays know this is ridiculously wrong. Amazing how far we've comeThis must have been a "fun" time at the school...They were probably in their mid-twenties by the mid-fifties when the many of the race riots, sit-downs, boycotts etc. began in Alabama. [Not to mention sit-ins. - Dave] If you think this isn't offensive......then I want you to consider what would have happened had a group of black children dressed up in whiteface in 1939, then sang some traditional "white" songs in mock-patrician accents while lighting cigars with $20 bills. If it resulted in only their school being burned down, they would have been lucky. Perfectly acceptable?someone clearly thought this was perfectly acceptable at the time, but the little girl with the mirror? what might SHE be thinking? the blonde, blonde hair and peter pan collar! and that kid in the double breasted suit! i'm not even sure what they're not sure about Why is it wrong?Is it wrong to dress as an Eskimo to do an Eskimo song and dance? Or dress as Spanish Conquistadors for a play on that subject? Or as white cowboys or Native Americans? Or wear wooden shoes and pigtails for a nice Holland number? [There's a big difference, these days, between blackface and dressing up as a conquistador. I'll bet most people know what it is. - Dave] I never really understoodI never really understood why dressing in blackface is supposed to be so hurtful either. Where is the insult? [Really. Where is the insult? Aside from being mocked by your former owners as shuffling, dimwitted buffoons who speak in moronic dialect, I mean. - Dave] Portland, Oregon: 1992When I was in college, a friend mentioned that her church had organized mock Passover ceders [seders?] in which each member of the congregation was assigned a role, with lines to memorize, etc. She was surprised to discover that somebody she knew sincerely celebrated the holiday, and was worried that she had committed a faux pas along the lines of dressing in blackface. In practice, I just found it funny. Dressing as a member of another culture, even in a stereotyped manner, is not inherently offensive, though it can become offensive if it derives from a history of degrading depictions. Those who have never seen footage of old blackface performances may not be aware of what they entailed. I suggest renting the Al Jolson film "Wonder Bar," which ends with a jaw-dropping blackface routine set in Negro heaven. The movie also includes memorable pre-Hays-Code material about homosexuality and suicide. Junior HighI remember acting in the 7th grade play in Jr. High School in Ohio in 1966 as the only black character in the play. I portrayed the character in blackface and stole the show. Of course in 1966, 2 years after the Civil Rights Act, the correct term was Negro. MinstrelsyIn 1948 my high school had a minstrel show. Today I marvel at the Chicago Public Schools' insensitivity in allowing this. To top it off, our school didn't have an auditorium, so we had the show in a heavily black school. We were a bit uneasy. Amos & Andy"I never understood why, in a a radio broadcast,, the performers had to be in blackface make-up." If you're talking about Amos & Andy they didn't. Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, didn't wear blackface for their broadcasts although they did "black up" (as was the common term for applying blackface) for publicity photos - wear they were frequently seen at the microphone - and for their rather infamous feature movie "Check and Double Check" which was the highest grossing RKO picture until "King Kong." When "Amos & Andy" moved to TV, the entire cast was made up of African-Americans. Alternate activity suggestionsFor the people who imagine that dressing up in blackface is just imitating an ethnic group, consider that the whole blackface minstrel thing was invented by white people as a representation that they wished were true, because it made black people easy to dismiss. If these people were genuinely interested in imitating black people where's their "Fredrick Douglas oratory contest" or their "Duke Ellington piano recital"? Well, I guess that wouldn't be as educational as smearing black paint on your their faces would it? Ashwood 1939I never understood why, in a a radio broadcast,, the performers had to be in blackface make-up. Ashwood KidsMuch to these kids' credit, none of them appears to be having a very good time. The way many of the girls are holding their arms out would indicate that they are desperately trying to avoid getting any of whatever that stuff is all over their dresses. This sort of thing was by no means relegated to the south. Click here to view a still of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in a scene from the 1941 film "Babes On Broadway." Some temporal perspective, please. Many of the commentaries concerning the photograph are no more than guilt swathed in politically correct speech. What is the point of such nonsense? The photograph stands for itself. A fraction-of-a-second glimpse of America, in that time and that place. No other. Any attempt to impute guilt, shame or right-or-wrong is doomed to failure. It amounts to nothing more than whining and sniveling by first-world people with electricity, computers and full bellies. Knock it off. I propose we work to identify the, "sense," of this and other photographs that this glorious Shorpy venue offers. The subjects. THEIR thoughts and actions. What was the photographer trying to show show and say? And look toward the technical details of structure, identity, light, health, dress, and many thousands of details that are lost when the, "I'm Politically Correct," lot start in on a subject. They belong on Craigslist Rants and Raves with those other such people who have reduced their lives to bumper-sticker philosophies. I am very grateful that this photograph exists. Without it, we would all be a poorer people. These are our ancestors, and like us, they are found in a place and time like no other. This photograph was taken 69 years ago. I am fairly certain that 69 years in the future, many of OUR activities will be viewed as those of barbarians. Thank you, John D. Rockhill Tempe, Arizona Late to the game..I know I'm late to the game with my comment, but...little children are not prejudiced, but this is a prefect example of young learning from their elders! Very sad! Shame on John for not believing this can be hurtful! I also love the pictures and take the offensive with the beautiful, but I believe it was wrong. History, RevisitedThe greatest thing about photography is that the perspective of viewers keeps changing as the years pass. (The Gallery, Education, Schools, Kids, M.P. Wolcott)
Dude on the Tracks: 1926
... they are replaced. An old cowboy trick It's a trick cowboys used in the old west. He put his ear on the track so he could listen to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/25/2020 - 3:52pm -

June or July 1926. Washington, D.C., or vicinity. "NO CAPTION [Man lying in front of train on tracks]." Perhaps some diligent Shorpysleuth can figure out what's going on here. 4x5 inch glass negative, Harris & Ewing Collection. View full size. Safety demoI suspect that the guy lying down is demonstrating that the signal voltage is not enough to electrocute him. Putting signals on this backwater railroad may have been an experimental or demonstration installation to sell the design, without tying up a main line. Of course, this disregards the fact that his shoes are something of an insulator. Chesapeake Beach RailwayWe are looking at one of two ex-Pennsylvania Railroad locomotives that were numbered CB no.3 (not at the same time, of course). The fluted steam dome with the pair of safety valves visible directly behind the head light is unique to PRR, and helps verify its identity. Disposition of the former PRR engines is unknown. Chesapeake Beach Railway was opened from Chesapeake Junction on the east side of the District, to the new resort of Chesapeake Beach, Md., 32 miles, in the late 1890's. It was cut back to Seat Pleasant, 3 miles, and renamed the East Washington Railroad in 1935. As an aside, I was working the B&O local through Chesapeake Junction in Feb., 1978 when we were ordered to enter the EWRR to pull an empty boxcar out of a warehouse on their tracks. We thought that was very unusual, until the next morning we saw the EW connection switch was spiked and that railroad was out of service. I made the last common carrier move on this railroad. Oh, and as for what is going on here in the photo, it looks like railroader horseplay. Modern day safety officials would have a collective cow. Interested in learning more on the CBRy? "The Chesapeake Beach Railway", self published by Ames W. Williams in 1975 is a good start. Mr. Williams' nice book has been out of print for many years, but can often be found amongst the booksellers at a reasonable price. I'm using Ockham's razorPerhaps nothing is really "going on here" other than someone simply deciding to pose humorously while someone else was simply in the process of taking a photo of a train. [Note the equipment next to the track and the conduit leading to the rails. Also, the guy with the razor was named Occam. - Dave] ShortedIn coronavirus lockdown in New Zealand; is this a method of alerting train drivers to a person touching the track? Re: I'm using Ockham's razorThe "guy" was actually William of Ockham and the eponymous razor is also acceptably spelled in his honor according to multiple sources. I just like to give the guy his due credit wherever possible. Also, the other spelling is attributed to a British mathematician named William Hamilton, who was either better at math than at spelling, or who contrived his spelling to help dullards with pronunciation; either way gives me another reason to avoid it. [I sit corrected. - Dave] Oh, the train. Yeah, I wonder what the other equipment is for, too. Maybe something akin to those table saws that immediately brake when your finger flesh completes a circuit? Shorting the track, maybeIf he isn't shorting the track to set off a block signal, he might be trying to listen for something, like another train. "Here, hold my hat".I hope he doesn't forget his straw boater that he or his buddy left on top of the pole. Where's The Black Hat And Mustauche?Also, where is the damsel in distress? "Sleepers"This is how they are replaced. An old cowboy trickIt's a trick cowboys used in the old west. He put his ear on the track so he could listen to see if a train is coming. Town CrierActually, he is the town crier. His main job is to put ear to track to listen for when the train is coming. He then warns the townsfolks. Unfortunately, he used his deaf ear, was unable to hear the train. However, lucky him, the train folks saw him and stopped in time to prevent a tragedy. Hmm.My first thought was: horseplay. But then I realized it was actually ironhorseplay. Track circuit?It is possible that the man is standing next to the circuitry for a track circuit. These are used to detect and transmit the presence of a train on a section of track so that dispatchers and controllers can monitor traffic and prevent collisions, or it could be a control for a signal at a road crossing ahead of the train. Why the man is laying on the tracks is unknown, though klnes's suggestion could be mostly right on. Perhaps the men are on a maintenance run and someone with a camera came along. General Comment1926 was the release of Buster Keaton's The General. This is not the same engine, but by pleasant coincidence is also designated # 3 as was Buster's 4-4-0 wood burning engine. Perhaps Ockham is muttering "poor poor pitiful me." Team Building ExerciseInstilling trust, before the 'fall backwards and I'll catch you' method was developed. SupermanThe train is huffing and puffing, but it cannot move while Superman holds it back with one hand. When he puts his hat back on (on top of the post) he will once again assume his identity as Clark Kent. Somebody FUBARed the signals.And now he's listening for opposing traffic? Interesting ContrastI find it interesting that the dirty and disheveled man on the tracks is wearing a very nice pair of spit-shined shoes and some nice socks to boot. I don't know what it means, but normally a man who's been through enough that his clothes and hygiene are in such a condition, his shoes will show some evidence of those circumstances, too. What a BeachThat appears to be the Chesapeake Beach Railway that once linked DC with the Bay. The railroad operated several steam locomotives with single-digit numbers and the lightweight track construction (no metal tie plates between the bottom of the rails and the ties) suggests this is not a heavy haul railroad. The conduit under the rails appears to be linked to an insulated rail joint suggesting it is part of a crossing warning device. Presumably Ockham left his Boater hat on top of the equipment post which may house a trackside telephone. Perhaps he didn't want to subject it to the grease and grime of the track. Don't block me in!My guess is that the conduit contains the wiring for a traffic-control signaling system. The conduit runs over to where two rails are joined. I think there's an insulator between the rails, and two wires from the conduit are connected to them. The insulator separates two "blocks" of track. I think each of the wires are for the "hot" rail of each block circuit (the rail on the opposite end of the ties is grounded). When an engine or car is sitting on the rails in a block, the steel wheels and axles connect the "hot" and grounded rails together. That causes the trackside signal to illuminate, signaling approaching traffic not to enter the block. When all wheels have rolled into the next block current no longer flows between the rails, and the signal extinguishes. Snidely WhiplashCouldn’t resist this: from the Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties segment of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Generally --Something leads me to suspect that Buster Keaton is just out of frame. Block boundary?I take the commuter rail to work (when I'm not working at home) and they're installing "positive train control", which involves adding a lot of electrics to the rails. I suspect that the splice in the right foreground is a block boundary (it's an electrical break in the rails). And that the equipment has to do with detecting whether a block is occupied by sensing the short circuit created by the train connecting the two rails. But, I could also be full of it. Oh, and that's some bad hat, Harry. Time travel?It's an impressionistic tableau of humanity tied up by its own idiotic assumptions and the train is the Corona Special! Overzealous Revenuers?Well they won't let us use that water torture thing so we had to get a little more creative to find out where they are hiding their stills. HaircutAnd pedicure, please. Signal MenThe door to the wood cabinet on the posts is open, so I do suspect that these characters have something to do with its innards. There's another insulated joint in the left rail just under the locomotive's cow catcher, and more conduit going to it, making the location look just like a block boundary. (The Gallery, Bizarre, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Railroads)
REO Heroes: 1906
... car. View full size. Shades of the Old West The cowboys of the 19th century had a rifle in a scabbard secured under their ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/31/2021 - 1:05pm -

June 1906. "REO Mountaineer, New York to San Francisco and back." Percy Megargel and David Fassett at Huber's Hotel on 162nd Street in the Bronx at the end of their 10-month, 11,000-mile trip in a 16-horsepower REO (Ransom E. Olds) touring car. View full size. Shades of the Old WestThe cowboys of the 19th century had a rifle in a scabbard secured under their saddle. Percy and David had the rifle in a scabbard secured under the fender. I wonder what its purpose was, hunting for food, defense or both? ToolsThe Winchester rifle was only drawn once, for a bear: http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-reo-mountaineer-endurance-ru... Not a very smooth tripNew York Tribune Thursday Jan 11, 1906 Modern AutomobileThis REO seems to have more basic systems in common with a 1980 car that the 1980 car has with a 2021 car (or crossover/SUV/Truck, since they hardly make cars anymore). 162nd and Jerome AveAcross the street from the (future) House That Ruth Built! Long and winding roadThis was aptly described at the time as an 'endurance run'. Percy and David originally estimated the round trip would take 112 days. One reason it took three times that: they routed through Detroit, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Portland, Los Angeles, Flagstaff, Gallup, Denver, and Omaha. They reported that the car was once stuck in quicksand for three weeks until a snow-melt flood washed it loose. They were in San Francisco in November 1905, so they missed the earthquake by five months. The photo below was captioned: "Lost between Williams and Flagstaff, Ariz." (They are less than 34 miles apart--but Arizona was still a territory.) Clearly, a time-traveller.The passenger is checking his cellphone. The Bronx?! The heck you say."How can this be the Bronx?" I asked myself. "It's not even paved." Then the light bulb went on. Curious as to what might be there today, I did a quick Google and found the approximate location. Suffice it to say, as a native New Englander, I wouldn't be caught dead there now outside of the AL East wild card playoffs... Bowlers and boatersThere is a bit of a mix of hats there, though I would suppose that June was well into straw hat season. Wearing the wrong hat when the season changes could cause a riot, especially in NYC. Unreadable scriptThe REO on the left has three letters on the front of the radiator. These are someone's initials. These could be bought from aftermarket vendors who sold dusters etc. to personalize one's car. Ransom E. OldsHad given his name to the Oldsmobile brand back in 1897, but left the company in 1905. He tried to continue under the name Olds, but legal action from Oldsmobile kept him from doing that so he settled on Reo. Had one of the most descriptive and interesting names for its cars in the 20's, specifically the Reo Flying Cloud. After the Depression settled into making large trucks and was absorbed by Volvo after bankruptcy in 1975. Bottom sideI'm curious as to the purpose of the shroud of fabric underneath the vehicle. Is it to catch those falling parts along the way? Riding ShotgunSo you wouldn't get relegated to the back seat. Unless a couple honeys come along then Riding Shotgun wasn't important. REO in the UKMany motor buses in Britain were REO. The story was 'Ruins Every Operator'... You may say that - I could not possibly comment! Timing is everythingI figure they were somewhere in Ohio when the Big One hit San Francisco. Re: Timing is everything (from the SF fire to the band in IL)To make it to San Francisco in time for "the big one", they might have used a REO Speed Wagon (the truck, not the band); but that vehicle wasn't to appear on the scene until 1915; and the band wasn't on the scene until 1966. On an interesting note, the band got its name (R.E.O. Speedwagon) from the vehicle, as founder and keyboardist Neal Doughty saw it written on the blackboard of his "History of Transportation" class at the University of Illinois (Champaign) in 1967. And if all of that wasn't enough coincidence, on his first keyboard, one of the first songs Neal Doughty learned was "Light My Fire" by The Doors. I can just hear those famous words by Robert L. Ripley ringing out, "Believe It or Not!" It would have been 9 monthsIf they did not have to lace up those boots every morning. Almost HomeCurrently, just west of third base at the (new) Yankee Stadium. Not a speedy wagonIf I did the math right, that averages out to just over 1.5 mph. If they drove just 8 hours a day, it averages out to about 4.6 mph. They didn't try for a direct route, but seemed to try to drive through as many states as they could. Today, with a direct route from NY to SF of 2906 miles, Google says you can make the round trip in 86 hours. Much more info here. Eye of the beholderIMO the tall, dark man standing behind the three gents on the far right, with his eyes cast downward, is also pretty handsome. The triple threat, as it were. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, NYC)
Cowpokes: 1901
Circa 1901. "A group of Texas cowboys." Including the nattily attired gent from the chuck wagon scene. Photo ... a month and a half, there will be a whole slew of Texas Cowboys decending upon my beloved Houston for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It wouldn't be surprising if there will be a few cowboys and cowgirls akin to these Cowpokes in this lovely photo attending the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 1:38pm -

Circa 1901. "A group of Texas cowboys." Including the nattily attired gent from the chuck wagon scene. Photo by William Henry Jackson. View full size. A lot of cows to pokePhotographs out in the wild like this were not undertaken as casual snapshots. Possibly Mr. William Henry Jackson arrived on the scene with his developing tent, crew of helpers, large tripod-mounted view camera, and a reputation. I can imagine him directing the "actors" in an event that lasted a fair amount of time. Almost nobody smiles in these old photographs, because having one's likeness preserved for eternity (here we are looking at the image 109 years after it was made) was a serious matter and no one wanted to look silly or insubstantial. This might be the only photograph some of these men would have taken in their entire lives, so it was a sober occasion, hence the crisp white shirts, starched collars, and even a bow tie. It's a wonderful picture - I'm going out to buy a new hat. [W.H.J. did not just travel with a tent. He had a train. - Dave] PerfectionSweet mercy Dave! How perfect is your timing? Completely, as always. In less than a month and a half, there will be a whole slew of Texas Cowboys decending upon my beloved Houston for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It wouldn't be surprising if there will be a few cowboys and cowgirls akin to these Cowpokes in this lovely photo attending the world's largest Livestock Show and Rodeo. Who knows? Mayhaps this cattle line still exists. I absolutely adore this picture! Cattle driveLooks like over a thousand head of cattle behind those cowboys. I'm curious why you can't see any guns. They would have to have some Winchester rifles and a few handguns on a long drive it seems. Unless, could it be about no firearms while on their horses so that no shots could be fired while acually driving the cattle. Maybe shots fired could cause a stampede and scatter the whole herd. Surely ChisholmI'd bet these wranglers are styling their Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes. The shirts and (most) pants are clean, and there are no sweat stains about their headbands. The Texas range radiates like an oven, and it appears the steers are hogging the shade. Nattily A. TiredThe ranch owner or maybe the foreman. Bony CrittersSome of those cattle are very thin. Their hip bones and ribs are terribly visible. I am not sure why this would be -- perhaps because of the stress of heat or drought or because of a lack of nutrition in the grass. Texas cattle, taken north, got fat on the nutritious prairie grasses of the Great Plains. Many an enterprising rancher made money on this knowledge, including my own grandfather during the 1930s. (The Gallery, DPC, Frontier Life, Horses, W.H. Jackson)
Lanier Hotel: 1921
... or simply like this stuff. In the southwestern states, cowboys eat lamb testicles which the menu calls "lamb fries" which are battered ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/09/2013 - 1:40am -

New York, July 5, 1921. "Lanier Hotel restaurant." Fried kidney only 20 cents. Note sleeping mousers. 5x7 glass negative, Bain News Service. View full size. Not so badYes, this is a picture of despairing people in a grimy environment and surely not the restaurant of choice for these poor souls, but I have had kidney stew and British steak and kidney pie, and if they are properly prepared, they are edible, even without the fava beans and a nice Chianti. When one is hungry and broke, something to eat is better than nothing to eat. People eat liver, heart, tongue, gizzards, brains, headcheese, many animal parts that might not be our favorites, but are still sustenance for those who have nothing or simply like this stuff. In the southwestern states, cowboys eat lamb testicles which the menu calls "lamb fries" which are battered and deep fried and some patrons do not even know what they are ordering. Some also call them "mountain oysters." Before he became the Drummer for R.E.M.Bill Berry slung Hash at a Dive Restaurant. Sleeping MousetrapsI just jumped when I saw the two sleeping cats. Too funny. Liver of choiceLiver is inexpensive and, if cooked well, very good. Liver and onions was on every menu of most restaurants, good and bad. Liver is also good for you. Lots of iron, which was important to people who generally ate very few green vegetables and when salted meats formed a substantial part of the diet. We may balk at eating in a place like this but for the poor working man, many who lived in shared room where they had to sleep in shifts and had no way to cook a meal, it would have been the height of luxury. Grim FareI find this a grim eatery as well. The apron on the waiter was the deal killer for me. Although that one fellow on table two on the left seems pleased with his meal, he is a bit too pleased; perhaps manic is a better description. I spent some time trying to read the bills of fare on either side of the room, but, as much as I love the font, it isn't easy to read. I saw salt port and pork chops offered, and some meals that included eggs, but that's about it. No, thanksThere are many photos on Shorpy that make me eager to spend some time walking around in them. What with the unhinged-looking patrons and staff, the filthy aprons, the chairs that look as uncomfortable as they are ugly, and the sawdust on the floor, this is definitely NOT one of those photos. MeowAre there any Shorpy food historians who might lend insight on the array of condiments set out on the unoccupied tables? I'm guessing the bottles are oil and vinegar. Are the small bowls salt and pepper? Whatever was in the center bowl appears hardly touched by the men dining on the other side of the room. Cuisine HelpersI'd guess that the pairs of saucers hold prepared horseradish and hellfire mustard sauce, both popular and sometimes essential condiments in cheaper eateries for those meat dishes that should have been shown the back door earlier in the week. Big bowlI don't have a real answer for what's in the big condiment bowls, but I thought I'd list the available evidence: there's a serving utensil in each one; the contents are dark, and either chunky or, if liquid, viscous enough for slops to adhere to the inner surface. Ketsup? Big Bowlthe big bowl may have been sauerkraut or cole slaw, essential foods at...budget eateries of the time. Thanks, Marchbanks!I hadn't looked at the full-sized photo of the outside of that fine establishment. Now that I've scanned the menu, I couldn't find pizza, nachos buffalo wings or calamari, so I am taking my business elsewhere. Chairs??I remember a bunch of diners, taverns and dives from when I was a kid that had those wire-backed chairs. They aren't as uncomfortable as they looks becaise the back will "give" a bit and the seat was generally wood, so it wasn't too bad. This section closedDon't seat anyone in section two. Staff Meeting. Barista's not back there.She must be on a break. So I guess you boys will have to go pour your own pumpkin latte. Car FaceFor some reason the young waiter's forehead reminds me of the back of a '59 Chevy. Those are interesting eyebrows. This may put to bedthe old "five second rule" yikes ! Order up@Jim Page, don't strain yerself trying to make out the bill of fare. Just look at the previous picture, and there's the whole thing painted quite legibly on the window of Fuerst Brothers Restaurant. Re: Car FaceFanhead's perfect description of that waiter's eyebrows was the funniest thing I've heard in ages; thank you for the health-giving laughter. It also brought to my attention the one very happy diner (sitting near the waiter holding the dirty dishes). He has a "Broadway musical" smile and seems like a cockeyed optimist who is making the best out of a bad situation. LightingI'm curious about the three non-illuminated globe light fixtures. The cylindrical porcelain part of the apparatus reminds me of old arc lights. Might these be arc lights (or some sort of gas light) that was abandoned in place when supplanted by those new-fangled incandescent bulbs? You can smell this picture.It's July. In New York. Everybody's a grimy sweaty Joe No-Lunch-Bucket dressed in layers of wool. The joint smells of liver and onions and knockwurst and kraut and whatever fried kidney smells like. And the wall fans are OFF. (The Gallery, Cats, Eateries & Bars, G.G. Bain, NYC)
The Alamo: 1937
... had his movie career ended with the arrival of singing cowboys like Gene Autry. He basically stopped working in film by 1940 and acted ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 10:51am -

December 1937. The Alamo movie theater in Washington, D.C. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. For RentI wonder how much that room was for rent. [That might be office space. - Dave] The movies"Law of the Ranger" was one of a series of low budget "B" pictures done for Columbia, starring Robert Allen as "Bob Allen." Allen, who was a Dartmouth graduate, basically had his movie career ended with the arrival of singing cowboys like Gene Autry. He basically stopped working in film by 1940 and acted on Broadway. He made his last movie - the totally awful "Raiders of the Living Dead" in 1986 at age 80. He died in 1998 at age 92. While "The Outer Gate" is an entirely forgettable second feature crime movie with a paper thin plot, the three main actors are an interesting group. Ralph Morgan, who is first billed, was the first president of the Screen Actors Guild, as well as the brother of Frank Morgan, who played the Wizard in "The Wizard of Oz." Ben Alexander, in the lead role, spent much of the 1950s as Joe Friday's partner in the TV series "Dragnet." Kay Linaker, who was the female lead in this movie was born in 1913, and is not only still alive but was at one time the oldest College instructor in New England (at Keene State College in New Hampshire). "Shadow of Chinatown" was a 15 chapter serial starring Bela Lugosi acting in "yellow face" which was indicative of how far his career had fallen by this time. It also starred Herman Brix, the 1928 Olympic Silver medalist in the Shot Put, who had just finished playing Tarzan in a serial. Brix would later change his name to Bruce Bennett and became a major star at Warner Brothers. He died in February, 2007 at age 100 of "complications from a broken hip." Re: RentI don't know about the rent, but if you had all those posters today in that condition, you would be able to put a nice down payment on a house. Parallel ParkingIn the days before power steering, that was real good parallel parking by drivers of cars in front of theater. Spacing even good. That is, if they didn't pull to curb one after another! Alamo TheaterThe Alamo was located at 1223 Seventh street N.W. Remembering the Alamo The Alamo Theater was renamed before it was demolished. Do you know what was the name of the theater that was here when the building was demolished? Thank you for your attention to this query. REM StudebakeryWhen I saw this car I felt a little tug because it reminded me so much of my folks' first car, a 1935 Studebaker. Am I correct? The way we wereThe Alamo became the Mid City Theatre before falling to the wrecking ball. http://www.cinematour.com/theatres/us/DC/2.html Research on the Alamo and the Mid City TheatersThis photograph prompted us to do further research on the Alamo Theater by featuring it in our weekly photo quiz on www.forensicgenealogy.info for the week of Nov 16, 2008. Our readers' outstanding research uncovered contradictory information about the address and history of this theater. While the comment above indicates that the address was 1223 7th St, Washington DC, we also found two other addresses: 1293 7th Ave on www.cinematour.com (with the Mid City located at the 1223 address), and 1223 on 9th Ave on the Shaw District site at www.culturaltourismdc.org (The latter might be a misprint.) Whichever is correct, the Alamo and The Mid City were two separate theatres, not the same theatre with different names at different times. I've posted the results of our research on the Alamo at www.forensicgenealogy.info/contest_184_results.html. Colleen Fitzpatrick www.forensicgenealogy.info [1223 Seventh Street would seem to be correct. Washington doesn't have numbered avenues -- there is no Seventh or Ninth avenue. And there is reason to believe there was a Mid-City Theatre at the same address. See the Washington Post clippings below. - Dave] Dave gives me GoosebumpsOh, how I flush! It causes a shiver up my spine and goosebumps on my flesh to witness how Dave stands up for my honor (or at least the honor of my research). Forensic genealogy is a curious new website to me and I am intrigued by their postings. While the researchers at this website do highlight some contradictory information available on the web, it does appear, as Dave documents, that the Alamo was indeed located at 1223 Seventh street N.W. Following up on one of the comments from the aforementioned website, the New Yorker magazine featured a brief humorous observation regarding the Alamo in the Talk of the Town section on Oct 17, 1959. Following up on the address...Following up on Colleen's comment, I looked a little more into the address of the Alamo Theatre. Found this interesting website and picture: http://www.historydc.org/Do_Research/research.asp?ID=128909&IMAGE_NUMBER... Descriptive text lists the photo as... "Commercial buildings on the east side of the 1200 block of 7th Street NW. View to north. Including the Alamo Theatre." As the Alamo is the second building from the near end (and the numbers ascend to the North), 1203 seems reasonable. It also looks like the MidCity Theatre is visible part way down the block (counting by twos) it would be 1223 7th ... Another Photo of the Alamo Showing the CornerHi, Dave's comments appear to be correct. There is a second photo on the historydc.com website that shows the Alamo second from the corner, but with a shorter building on the corner next to it. See http://www.historydc.org/Do_Research/research.asp?ID=128909&IMAGE_NUMBER... So I think we are converging on the address being 1203 7th St. NW. I believe too that the address given on the www.cinematour.com site (1293) was probably a typo, and was meant as 1203. I appreciate everyone's help in clearing up this asterisk in cinema history. I've posted a summary of the discussion on my blog at www.forensicgenealogy.info/blog. Colleen Alamo ReduxOK, I'm convinced that the early quoted Washington Post article referencing 1223 Seventh was a typo and the true address is 1203. Building Permits Charles J. Bedell, owner, to remodel theater, 1203 Seventh street northwest, $200 Washington Post, Jan 18, 1914 Fire Record. 12:22 p.m. - 1203 Seventh Street northwest, film in booth. Washington Post, Dec 23, 1939 A Listing of Washington Movie Theaters - 1984. Alamo, 1203 7th St. NW Washington Post, Nov 15, 1984 Parked CarsNone of these cars is a Studebaker. Although the body style resembles a 1936 (not 1935) Studebaker President, to some degree, the '36 Stude' has only one piece of side trim, does not have chrome headlight buckets, and it has a different radiator mascot. The car on the left looks like a 1935 - 1936 Dodge, but the gas filler is in a different location than I see in other pictures (on the fender instead of on the trunk). The car in the center is a 1936 Chevrolet. The way the car is parked it almost looks like one of the "Outer Gate" movie poster characters behind the car is actually in the back seat. The car on the right is a 1935 Ford. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., John Vachon, Movies)
West Side Cowboy: 1911
... horses comprising the famous 'cowboy troop' [or 'West Side Cowboys'] whose function it has been for years to ride ahead of the puffing ... streets. - Dave] About that cowboy Calling them "cowboys" was the railroad's attempt at being polite. The locals called them ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 7:26pm -

Equestrian signalman on the New York Central's Eleventh Avenue freight line circa 1911. In a 1930 article on the West Side tracks' demise, the New York Times wrote of the "eight men and twenty-four horses comprising the famous 'cowboy troop' [or 'West Side Cowboys'] whose function it has been for years to ride ahead of the puffing locomotives as they wheeled along Death Avenue." The dangerous street-level tracks were eventually replaced by a 1½-mile viaduct, the High Line, that after decades of abandonment is being turned into a long, thin elevated park. View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. Pegleg?Does the man in the right-hand background have a peg instead of a foot? [Could be. - Dave] Actually...Peg was his wife; his name was Ben; Ben Cobble. No, really. Peg leg?I think he does have a pegleg. 11th Avenue LineI have been looking into the locations of the "11th Avenue" photos and think that this one is also on 10th Avenue, though much lower than the other two. This one is at 13th Street, looking south (see "13th Street Market" wording on awning). Eleventh avenue doesn't even exist this far south. The map showing these buildings, 32 and 34 10th Avenue, is Plate 10 of the 1911 Atlas. This building faces the marginal street by the Hudson River piers which had just been renovated in the decade-long "Chelsea Improvement" that enabled very large ships to dock. In 1912, Cunard's Pier 54 across the street from this building would welcome the ship Carpathia after she disembarked Titanic lifeboats and survivors at White Star Pier 59. In May of 1915 the Lusitania departed from Pier 54 on her final voyage. This location is now the west side of the luxury Standard Hotel. This photo of the arrival of Lusitania on her maiden voyage in 1907 (before the completion of proper pier sheds) appears to have been taken from the roof of this building or one nearby. [I'd say the labels on the negatives reflect the fact that the line was called the 11th Avenue Railroad because that's where most of it was, or at least the most dangerous part was, even if stretches of it were on other streets. - Dave] About that cowboyCalling them "cowboys" was the railroad's attempt at being polite. The locals called them "dummy boys" as they led the shrouded steam locomotives, called "steam dummies" so as not to spook the local horses. Grandfather and cousin told me a few stories about those guys. ObservationsStarting at bottom right and moving up through the picture, before ending apparently under the boxcars, we have the remnants of a former trolley line. Since much of NYC disallowed the use of overhead wires and instead used the "slot" system, we can tell this line is somewhat recently abandoned. The rails have been removed, with them and the "slot" filled in by bricks. Looking at the path of the former streetcar line, we can see that at some point it would have passed up by the Strauch brothers building, probably connecting with another line at the far end of the triangle shaped area. The Swift company used overhead loading tracks to move goods from the cars and into the shop or vice versa. You can barely make out this system under the awning. Whereas most steam dummies were Shay-type geared locomotives, this one predates that and is a squat Tank type. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Horses, NYC, Railroads)
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