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Knott's Berry Farm 1958
... got off work it was usually about 11 PM... Often all the cowboys from the stage line, the Indians and the girls from the Grill would ... I really liked Knott's Berry Farm. I was 5 years old, and cowboys were a big deal for kids my age. It really felt like I was back in the ... 
 
Posted by notycoon22 - 09/22/2011 - 11:29pm -

Was reading an article by Steve Martin the actor/comedian in the New Yorker the other day and he mentioned that he'd started his career in show business at Knott's Berry Farm in the 60s. Wandering through some old family slides and, lo and behold, here's a shot from 1958. Predates Martin a bit, but I'm guessing it looked pretty similar. Oh, and that's my family on the right. Photographer: Don Hall Sr. Don Hall Yreka, CA View full size. Thanks for posting thisAs a wee lad in the 1963-65 timeframe I went to both Knott's Berry Farm and Disneyland. Mouseville was much more entertaining, and all the photos and film clips set at Disneyland have reinforced my memories of that place. But . . . why so little media attention to the Berry Farm? About all I remember of visiting there was learning they made jams and jellies. Looks like a place I'd enjoy a lot more as an adult. Knott's Berry FarmSadly, I can't remember Knott's Berry Farm, but I know I went to it and Disneyland when I was about 2-3 when we lived in Redondo Beach, Ca. in the early to mid 60's. But my mom loved it and often talked about it. In GOD I trust, JOY Knott's Berry FarmIn the 1960's the hippies started hanging out and sleeping in the trees and such. Fences were put up and then admission became the way of things. Before that the place was wide open. Some of the employees refer to those days as BH, for before hippies. I grew up near there and most folks in the area had very fond memories of the place. It is owned by big business now and just not the same. Walter Knott's PlaceI went there during the 40's and 50's, when I lived in Manhattan Beach. There was no central admission point, you simply wandered from building to building. I believe the owners also owned Calico, a "ghost town" out in the desert. Steven Knotts Berry FarmI worked at Knotts on and off from 1956 thru 1960. It was all open when I worked there, but we had to move because my daughter, who was 2 years old, was allergic to the smog, and the doctors said she could lose her eyesight if we stayed there. I believe the fences went up and admission charged in the late 60's, because you could have picnics anywhere on the grounds, but no alcohol was allowed on the place when I worked there. People started drinking, leaving beer bottles on the lawns in the picnic areas, and abusing the Knotts family generosity. The Knott family treated their employees as family. I loved working there.. My whole family worked there. My dad Ed Kingsley was foreman of the stage line, my brother Eddie drove covered wagon, my mom Sibyl and sister Rita ran the burro ride. My brothers Dick and Treat robbed the stagecoach and covered wagons. What fun memories, summers, by the time we got off work it was usually about 11 PM... Often all the cowboys from the stage line, the Indians and the girls from the Grill would head for Huntington Beach and build a big bonfire, roast hot dogs and marshmallows and body surf by moonlight. What wonderful memories I have of those days.. Or all of us heading to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl parade. Dad and his boss Bill Higdon driving stage, all heading to my aunt's afterward for waffles. I remember Bill Hidgon had long white hair and beard and always wore a red long sleeved shirt. My little cousins thought he was Santa Claus. I would love to step back in those times once more. 50 Years of visiting Knott'sMy family moved to the area in 1958. We started visiting KBF on a regular basis. It was all free then and we enjoyed walking around the ghost town. My brother & I usually ended up chasing the chickens around in the parking lot. Years later I "donated" two roosters, Charlie & Oscar, to their collection as we couldn't keep them at home anymore. A girlfriend's father, Russ Wildey, was one of the piano players in the old saloon in the early & mid 60's. I had an older female cousin who was dating one of the train robbers at that time. KBF was a lot of fun for us kids then. Actually I liked it a lot more before they fenced it in, but understand why it was necessary. I now take my grandkids there and love seeing them having their own fun. Knott's Berry FarmIn the 1960s I would visit almost every day to listen to the Wagon Masters, the beginning of my love affair with folk music. I have been looking for their records (LP'S or any format). To my surprise on one of my visits back to KBF, the present employees of the park do not know The Wagon Masters. [You should look on eBay. The group's name is the Wagonmasters -- one word. Currently there are eight Wagonmasters albums for sale. Click here. - Dave] Married to a Wagonmaster!Hey email me...I'm married to Harvey Walker, back row, far right. I can tell you where you can get all the albums, now in CD form. Thanks for remembering them. Rachel has passed away, as well as Bobby (back row, far left. KC@KCDOUGLAS.COM Train robbers.My sister and I went on a road trip with our grandmother and her sister from S.F. Bay Area down to see Disneyland around 1958. That was one long trip in those days. Disneyland was great of course, but I really liked Knott's Berry Farm. I was 5 years old, and cowboys were a big deal for kids my age. It really felt like I was back in the frontier days. So we decide to take the train ride, and everything was really neat. The all of a sudden, these two guys in masks kick in the door to the train car we were on and shoot off their guns and yell out that this is a robbery. Well nobody told me that these guys weren't actual train robbers, and I was scared out of my mind. All could think off was, "Please don't kill my Nana." The panning for gold was also a big hit with me. I'm pretty sure I still have the little tube with gold in it stashed somewhere. Russ Wildey, my dad.Russ also played piano at Disneyland, Shakeys, and the Gaslite Lounge in the 1950s & 60s. Born in 1900, he was most famous in the 1920s. He and his partner Bill Sheehan were known as the Ray-O-Vac Twins. They worked for RKO Radio making appearances across the country and playing live broadcasts. Bill sang while Dad played the piano. Their sheet music is still sold online. It's fun to see his picture on the covers, looking so young. Dad passed away in 1964, I was 13. The Good Old DaysIn 1968 the fence went up around Knotts Berry Farm. I remember because I was ten but my best times there were when it was still an open park. It had been an open park dating back to when it was not much more than a berry farm and berry stand on the side of the road in the 1920's. They served boysenberry pie, that was the only berries they grew or sold. No one else grew or sold boysenberries so it was quite unique and soon the crowds came. By my time it had already grown into a successful theme park many years earlier. But I do remember the days in the 1960's when Steve Martin not only played at the Bird Cage Theater but would walk to the stunt man show and do their crowd warm-up. He would joke around while people came in to find seats in the covered wagons that surrounded the stage and then joke around a little with the stunt men at the beginning of the show. He wore a giant funny cowboy hat, like they do at football games now, and I remember him being the funniest guy I've ever seen. So I've literally been a fan of Mr. Martin from the beginning. As far as Knotts Berry Farm goes, there were nice tree covered parking lawns on three sides and you could enter the park from all sides. The front entrance was the most popular because that's where the restaurants and shops were (and still are). They also used to have a San Francisco style cable car (on a track) that ran to the front parking area and dropped you off right in the center of the park between the train depot and stage depot. You bought attraction tickets at various ticket booths just like you would at a neighborhood carnival and they were just a little smaller than a DO NOT DISTURB sign for a hotel, like train tickets, so the ride operator could punch it and it became a souvenir. They were used for the train, stage, calico coal mine ride, haunted shack, mule ride, and various old-style amusement park rides. There was also Old MacDonald's Farm with a petting zoo and a chicken that would play the piano if you dropped a nickel in a slot to release feed on the keys. There was an organ grinder with a monkey who would untie your shoes and take your dime, and a goat that always seemed to be standing on the peak of the barn roof. Free attractions included lots of historic structures including the original Knotts Berry stand, a real country church with steeple that held the only regular services within an amusement or theme park (also weddings), a small chapel created by a local artist that showed the transformation of Christ via a wall to ceiling stained glass and special effects lighting and music. Lots of little narrated shows like a 3D panorama showing Mrs. Knott's grandmother crossing the desert in a covered wagon and begging for water. It was only six minutes long but after the little girl cried "mommy, can I please have a drink of water" and her mother replying "I'm sorry we have to save it for the horses, try to get some sleep now" there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Models of all the missions in California were depicted in scenes along a covered walkway, I doubt any kid would stop to look at those today. There were shootouts to watch and you could get your picture taken with saloon girls or the Indian chief (who would lend you a feathered headress), you could watch the blacksmith make a horseshoe, pan for gold (you would get to keep the gold dust in a little bottle), watch a corpse rise from the undertakers carriage, walk around boot hill, and talk to Sad Eye Joe in his jail cell who despite being just a stuffed dummy, spoke to you and always knew your name and everything else about you (he's been there since 1940 but if your parents aren't there talking to his partner around the corner he might not remember your name). Some of that still exists, but basically its just Knotts in name only, quite a different park exists there now and much of what I described torn down or slated to be torn down. The jellies are now owned by Smuckers and the park by Cedar Fair who's opinion is if its not a fast ride, bulldoze it down, historical who cares. The old church which looks like a Thomas Kinkade painting is being destroyed because they don't want the expense to move it. The old chapel was torn down and the artwork (smashed?). Founder Walter Knott was such a lover of American history he built a replica of Independence Hall in the 1970's including the Liberty Bell and a tour that recreates the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Cedar Fair decided to keep it because it was so accurate Hollywood uses it for movies (National Treasure, for example) and it pays for itself that way. I remember learning a lot about history at Knotts Berry Farm and what it was like to live a hundred years in the past. I learned it was all about the various people who were each distinct characters in the town. Now its just about indistinct roller coasters with indistinct roller coaster operators and indistinct roller coaster riders having indistinct roller coaster experiences that will last as long as it takes to run to the next roller coaster. Old Church ChapelMy mother worked in the Chicken House around 1959-1960. I remember as a little girl going to a little Church Chapel with big doors that opened and you would go in and sit down and see and hear a story about Jesus. Does anyone know if that little church is still there? I also remember feeding the seals after Momma got off work. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Mint Bar: 1941
... to say anything bad about John Wayne at the Mint. Real cowboys hang out there." Old school cool Pretty fly for a cowboy guy. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/15/2015 - 1:26pm -

August 1941. "Main Street. Sheridan, Wyoming." An oasis of Western watering holes. Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size. Oscar of Dutch LunchOscar Thielen of the Dutch Lunch. Mint ConditionLove the bubbly-circles design on the dress of the woman with the white hat. They're a perfect match for the "sun goggles" worn by the trooper a bit to her left. Oldest bar in Sheridan (1907)From a postcard (below, circa. 1945): "Renowned for its unique beauty and western atmosphere. Visitors never tire of the unusual red cedar decor; the western pictures and photographs; cowboy paraphernalia and the North America game animal trophies. Wayne W. Elkin and Leon L. McVean, Proprietors." Musician Ben O’Connor on his visit in 2002: "The Mint Bar is the coolest thing about the great cowboy town of Sheridan, which is in a part of northern Wyoming that’s too cold and too remote for all the Californians to move there and ruin it. You wouldn’t want to say anything bad about John Wayne at the Mint. Real cowboys hang out there." Old school coolPretty fly for a cowboy guy. hoooo-EEEEEThe riding-heel boots on them two ol' cowpokes to the left ... they's wearin' more heels than the women are! Indiana Jones takes a vacationNo hat, no coat, no whip; just hanging out in front of The Mint chatting up a pretty lady. Still thereLocated at 151 Main Street (US 14). The buildings across the street are intact, but the shops on the right have been replaced by "storefront" school -- Sheridan College (in what appears to have been a former department store). Going DutchI wonder if "Dutch lunch" meant the same thing there as it did in the Detroit of my grandparents' era - a lunch taken with a beer (or two)? In fact, sometimes the "Dutch lunch" could be just the beer, no lunch. My grandfather, though Irish, was certainly not adverse to enjoying an occasional "Dutch lunch." Lady on the far rightI'm sure I brought the baby... Re: Old school coolIt's not quite contemporary, but I remember just such round-lensed heavy-framed sunglasses from around 1950 as having two polarized lenses over each eye so that one lens could be rotated to vary the amount of light getting through. The Cowboy Named "Doris"The straw-hatted cowpoke in profile, left of frame, with his hand resting on the letterbox looks a lot like an old cowboy I chanced to meet over a game of “8 Ball” in a little bar in New Mexico four decades to the month from this photo’s date. We played a couple games swapping dimes on the table while he smoked hand-rolled cigarettes hanging from the corner of his mouth just like the guy in this photo. After setting me up by letting me win one we bet a beer on the next game and as he was running the table on me, calling pockets by gesturing with the tip of his cue or a nod or his elbow when indicating a long-green, corner pocket shot banked off first the long then the short rail and all the way back down the baize to the corner at his right wing, I introduced myself and he said his name was “Doris”. I though I might have misheard and used his name when I bought him his Coors and he answered to “Doris,” thanking me for the beer with a touch of his hatbrim and squatted to retrieve the balls from the slot near the jukebox end of the table and put them in the triangle and returned it to the hook below the ball return. Doris took a couple long draws from his beer and wiped the can’s condensation from his hands onto his shirtfront and took out papers and tobacco from his left breast pocket (just like the photo cowboy) and rolled another smoke and I asked him how he got the name “Doris” and he said he was the seventh of nine children and his parents ran out of names at about number six. "After that they wrote some names on little slips of paper and drew them from a hat when babies were born," He said as he struck a big wood kitchen match on the coin slot of the pool table, “If you think 'Doris' is funny, you ought to meet my sister '6 7/8'". Goober Pea Well it ain't changed muchAnd that's the way we like it around here. The glassesThis image is plastered on a poster around town here in Montreal, advertising an exhibition at the McCord Museum of the photographs of Horst P. Horst (1906-1999). The photo is of Muriel Maxwell and was featured on the cover of American Vogue on July 1, 1939. Sheridan College nr Mint Sheridan College is in the old Woolworth's building, across the alley from the historic Mint Bar. About 1990, Queen Elizabeth II visited Sheridan for the horses. She shopped in a fishing-gear store, next door to the Mint. It was said that she visited the Mint, but I never believed it. Instead, she crossed Main and stopped in the King Ropes store for a visit to the renowned rope, tack and saddle emporium. Her host was WY Sen. Malcom Wallup. Them's Ridin' JeansNote the back pockets on the jeans on the cowboy all the way to the left, in the foreground (black hat). They are set way off to the sides, towards the hips, unlike today's jeans with pockets near the rear-end mid-line. Wouldn't want to be riding with your wallet between you and the saddle. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, M.P. Wolcott)
A Cowboy Named Sue: 1968
My cousins Sue and Dean playing cowboys during 1968 in the basement of their home in West Bend, Wisconsin. I ... looks like my sister at that age. She was so much into cowboys. Her doll buggy was a stagecoach and she used to run up and down the ... 
 
Posted by CheeseHead - 03/03/2012 - 7:42pm -

My cousins Sue and Dean playing cowboys during 1968 in the basement of their home in West Bend, Wisconsin. I get the impression that when this photo was snapped the subjects were having a discussion as to why Sue couldn’t be the one riding the horse. View full size. LOLThe cowpoke on the left is so dang funny. Good Lord I bet she could twist her Dad around her finger. My mom told me that I used to portray myself as a sheriff similiarly. She would ask me where had I hidden the loot? I would respond: "In the washinachine!" Ya know,It looks as if Norman Rockwell could have taken this photo. Wonderful. Fantastic PictureAnd I think she's "calling b. s." on his explanation! I have that same horse!I rode him for hours at a time. I wonder whatever happened to him? Gotta go and call my mom. I have some hard questions to ask. I'm takin you in RingoMa says it's time for lunch. Draw? I can't even lift the gun!What a gorgeous photo. The look on Sue's face, and the size of the six-shooter at her hip just make this image. Wonderful memories for her and her brother. I May be Getting Old You know you're getting up there when you see one of your very own childhood toys on Shorpy. I had completely forgotten about it but seeing the photos brought back a vivid memory of the unique noise the thing made when someone was on it and the pain of getting the fleshy part of my hand stuck in the springs. The toy was eventually relegated to the porch because it was very noisy. I remember sitting on it while listening to my Mickey Mouse shaped transistor radio (which I'm sure will be appearing on Shorpy any day now). The last time I saw it, it had been outside for many years and the plastic was bleached from the sun. It hurt a little to see it like that. I'll say it again... I really like these mid-century plus photos that appear here from time to time (even if they make me feel like an antique sometimes). I have that horse tooMine is in the basement. Somewhere along the line he spit out the bit and bridle, but is otherwise intact. A well made toy by any standards, although we did occasionally pinch our hands in the springs. Dead HorseI had a similar horse in the early '50s. I rode her so hard she had to be put down. I mourned the day she was shot. Rode hard and put away wetMy horse was in perfect shape until it met my step-brother (like most of my toys). Apart from having been thrown out my bedroom window (Geronimo!!!), it was jumped on from his dresser ("Diver McGee jumps again! Geronimo!", and dragged out into the rain. Poor thing's legs broke off, finally. Now, THERE'S a painful memoryWe had a horse very similar to that one. My bare leg got too close to the coiled spring and it gave me a bloody pinch I'll never forget. Wouldn't ride it after that. I liked my Beany and Cecil toys better - they wouldn't draw blood! Memories of My SisterI just wish I could find my old photos and show all of you how much that little girl looks like my sister at that age. She was so much into cowboys. Her doll buggy was a stagecoach and she used to run up and down the sidewalk with it yelling "YeeHaaaa". She had the pistol and holster set too. One time she and one of her neighborhood playmates "robbed" the local postoffice.They were about 4-5 years old, at the time. She has had horses most of her life and still lives in the country where she can enjoy life without living in a big city. I will keep looking for those pictures. I wear the scarAgh! So sorry I'm late posting on this. I (born 1966) had a toy horse much like that one and to this day have a quarter-inch scar below my lower lip from being thrown. Brings back fond memories. They must have made of BUNCH of those bucking horsesWhy yes sir, I had one of those horses as well. 1955 or so would be the date I was given mine. More than one or two injuries on mine as well, those springs could bite the snot out of a guy if you were not real careful, especially if you were trying to mark your horse out as it came out of the gate. I would guess there are WAY too many liability issues now days for a toy like that. A rambunctious kid goes flying off and cracks his head and wham bam thank you mam you got a hundred thousand dollar law suit on your hands. Such a shame. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Crossville Loafers: 1937
... town back then. In fact, out west they had a name for fake cowboys who never saw a cow but dressed the part: "Rexall Cowboys." They usually had a soda fountain in these stores, so the proprietor ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 11:22am -

1937. "Men loafing. Crossville, Tennessee." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Ben Shahn for the Farm Security Administration. LoafersThe Rexall drugstore was the hangout in every town back then. In fact, out west they had a name for fake cowboys who never saw a cow but dressed the part: "Rexall Cowboys." They usually had a soda fountain in these stores, so the proprietor wanted people hanging around. In a small town, everyone knew everyone else, so there was no fear entering the Rexall through the crowd. Vacation SpecialIt was a toothbrush and carrying case combo. Both only 50 cents! Ex-LaxI like the Ex-Lax clock (or thermometer?) on the left side. [It looks like a clock. So the sidewalk loafers had no excuse for not knowing when it was time to, um, go. - Dave] Window ShoppingKinda hard to do any window shopping at that drug store with a group of men sitting in front of the display windows. It's almost like running the gantlet to enter the store. Wonder why the architect/builder intentionally put those ledges in front of the show windows? Surely they must have known people would promptly sit down on them. Dr. West and his vaccination special I am guessing that Dr West went to medical school with Dr. Scholl and Dr Pepper, but what is the "Vaccination Special"? [It's what you get before going on vacation. - Dave]
Toy Story: 1949
... us became murderers or even animal hunters, just pretend cowboys who kept our loved ones and property safe from all those "bad guys". ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/26/2013 - 12:24pm -

October 1949. "Cowboy entertainer Gene Autry posing with children's clothing and toys which have his name and/or image on them." Kodachrome from photos by Frank Bauman and Stanley Kubrick for Look magazine. View full size. RoyRoy Rogers is always mentioned as the TV and movie cowboy with a plethora of marketing items for sale, but this photo proves that Gene was certainly no slouch. Kind of miss this wholesome children's entertainment. Simple stories with real morals included! Successful BrandingThe postwar prosperity + Baby Boom + TV seems to have been quite lucrative for him--and the "Repeating Cap Pistol" pictured recently brought an eBay seller $461 after spirited bidding. Sixty-four years laterThis picture of old familiar boy's toys and joys really takes me back to my youth when my little brother and our neighbor were both completely in awe of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers (who seemed to be featured at every weekend matinee in our small town). The neighbor was even named Gene and took his idol very seriously, owning just about all of the items pictured plus an entire bedroom suite of Autry furniture, bedspread, sheet, etc. Today, both the real Genes are gone. We all played with toy guns and none of us became murderers or even animal hunters, just pretend cowboys who kept our loved ones and property safe from all those "bad guys". Tried the cap guns ...but never wore the jeans. The second luckiest man in show businessGod bless Gene "Ornery". No actor, and not much of a singer, but a darn good businessman for a kid from Oklahoma! Flying A gas stations, KTLA TV, the Angels, and the Autry Museum of Western Art in LA, and I'm sure there was much more. (In my opinion, Ringo Starr still ranks #1 luckiest.) ViewmasterThat looks like a Viewmaster viewer at the upper right, behind a series of Viewmaster disks in their cardboard sleeves. [It's actually a "Hollywood Toy Television," which showed short film strips of still pictures. -tterrace] The historical star of this photo is...Eastman Kodachrome -- with due respect to Gene Autry. Sharp, rich colors combined with perfect skin tone. Trigger fingersI'm a big Gene Autry fan but I'm disappointed he had both fingers firmly on the triggers of those cap guns. That's no way to teach gun safety to impressionable youngsters. A quick eBay peekComics- $10-$45 Chaps- $150 Holster (w/o gun) $55 T-shirt (on left) $24.99 Spurs (w/o leather strap) $50 Scarf/bandanna-$10.50 Fan badge-$5.00 Cap gun (w/o grips) $10.00 Cap gun (w/grips) $80-$175 Watch- $30 or $175 White double holster (in red box)- $195 I found 6200 separate listings! A few highlights shown there but not in the image: A record player, many records, flashlights, alarm clock(NIB), dime novels, pennant, guitar, lunch boxes, LA Angels Autry autographed baseball, pen knife, Flying A horseshoe nail ring, and far too many more to list. Enough for a museum. Red "TV" viewerit seems to be styled after the Bakelite General Electric TV from the same year. TV collectors (ahem) refer to this model as "The Locomotive" because it resembles the streamlined locomotives of the time. Moppet Picture Projector Billboard, December 31, 1949. CHICAGO, Dec. 24. — Ray Marchbanks, regional chief for Capitol disks here, and Henry Saperstein, prexy of Hollywood Toy Television Corporation, new moppet picture projector, met last week to discuss the possibility of Cap taking over national distribution for the kid gimmick. Introduced to the market last June, the toy video set retailed at $9.95 for a red plastic case outfit that carried a four-by-three inch screen. By inserting foot-long strips of film, the child could see a six-minute show of animated cartoons. The cost of the original set included six such strips, which make a complete 30-minute movie. Saperstein has 17 story subjects, including Woody Woodpecker, Hopalong Cassidy and Gene Autry. These strips retailed for six for $1. More Picture for MORE DollarsAccording to my Inflation Calculator, that television would cost about $2,280 in 2012 dollars (the last year available). All that for what, two or three channels - and NO UHF stations unless you bought a separate converter. Hoppy, Gene and RoyThough I would watch Gene and Hoppy, Roy was the real deal, when I was a lad. I was Roy, my bike was Trigger. Our dog, a Cocker Spaniel had little interest in being Bullet. My cousin, who's real name is Dale would, of course, be Dale. I had RR cap pistols, but rarely had the nickle for a box of caps. No problem, "Pow Pow" sounds were almost as good. We must have killed a thousand bad guys. Ironically, one of my current "heroes" is, also, named Roy Rogers, the finest slide guitarist around today. His given name is RR, unlike the, late, Leonard Slye. BTW, if you visit Los Angeles, The Autry Museum is a must see Media Mogul1949 was also the year he sold 2.5 million copies of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and the year before he came out with "Here Comes Santa Claus." The man was clearly doing something right. (Kodachromes, LOOK, Stanley Kubrick)
Space Cadets: 1952
... by Charlotte Brooks for the Look magazine assignment "Cowboys and Meteors." View full size. The big blooper I don't want ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/18/2013 - 12:03pm -

From 1952 comes this conflation of two popular genres in the children's TV show "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet." Photo by Charlotte Brooks for the Look magazine assignment "Cowboys and Meteors." View full size. The big blooperI don't want to hog the comment board, but I remember seeing a TV show years ago full of bloopers from old, mostly live TV shows and I believe there was one scene from this show in which the blingy nailheads or metal studs from an astronaut's spacesuit lavish wrist cuffs somehow got tightly wedged in and entangled with the studs on his collar, locking his wrist to his throat. He was trying to use the communicator on the dashboard but could not release his arm off his neck area. It was hilarious but maybe you had to actually see it to understand, as it was definitely a sight gag type of thing. Ladder kidBetcha that kid fell off the ladder. Another meaningThere was a time in the 60's and beyond, when "space cadet" meant something totally different than an astrophysical occupation. Cleaning out my mom's home of 53 years, we found an old blue metal lunch box from my baby brother's school years which was a Tom Corbett depiction of this TV hero. There was a built-in ID card on one side which said "This lunch belongs to ---- " with my brother's name followed by the words "Space Cadet" permanently painted upon it. It cracked us all up because he was not one, he was very self-disciplined as he had attended a U.S. Military Academy instead. He will be 66 yrs. old in July and will be so happy that I shared this with ya'all, (but I will always be older than him). Future Frack CadetDid this same Tom Corbett eventually become the governor of Pennsylvania? It would explain a lot. Captain's log Star Date 1952"Scotty rigged up an old barber chair on a wooden dolly with caster wheels for me to sit in. I have to be careful when I sit down so I don't roll off the bridge." Commander ArkwrightThat must be Commander Arkwright with the mike, showing the kids how to work a drive-up window in the world of the future. Awful Awful TV ShowI was a kid and thought it was the worst show ever. A guy would be lost in space drifting in his space suit and you could see the floor he was standing on. NYC Channel 5, the Dumont Network, the low budget station. Channels 9 and 11 came later with reruns of bad shows, but even they avoided Tom Corbett. Channel 13 was wrestling. Mostly I played outside. Episodes can be foundOn YouTube. I do not remember this show as a young one! Not Space Patrol quality, but OKWatched this series in parallel with "Space Patrol" which was produced in a slightly more spacious studio in LA. Even as a kid I was struck by the difference in production values. Space Patrol was clearly the superior product in terms of set quality, which is not to say those sets were actually even good, they were just better by comparison. And the scripts on Space Patrol seemed much more forward looking, whereas Tom Corbet scripts generally quoted WWII era values. But the real bottom line for a healthy young lad was the preponderance of space-miniskirts on Space Patrol, often seen ascending and descending conveniently placed ladders. Tom Corbet couldn't hold up a candle to that. Yes, But ....My friends and I were big Tom Corbett fans, maybe because its production values, though ludicrous by most standards, far surpassed those of its main competitor, "Captain Video" (the walls of whose space ship shook every time somebody moved). Of course, it helped that the principal characters -- Tom himself (All-American Good Guy), Roger Manning (a bit arrogant and self-entitled, but in the end reliable), and Astro (a somewhat naïve Venutian) -- had a bit more depth than most juvenile protagonists. As to the three rug rats depicted ... must be the floor director's kids, because they bear no resemblance to the actors who played the actual Space Cadets. Back in my day...We didn't need no fancy universal translator, a science officer, or starfield viewer to go into space. All we needed was two dials of some kind, three knobs, and a switch. And let me tell you, there were days when we didn't even need the switch. Kids today...hah! Stylin'Zolatone - Used in automobile trunks, gas station restrooms, and spaceships. Must be a very advanced civilization...... with such simple controls on that rocket ship! What production values?Those of "Space Patrol" and "Space Cadet" were crude indeed, but they looked like Speilberg in comparison to Captain Video where just about all props were cardboard mock ups, guys walking on the hull of a space ship with their suits unzipped, some kind of weapon the good Captain had just invented to battle bad guys got knocked over, cardboard, the Video Ranger just up rights it and they are off to battle the evil doers. The Dumont Network was indeed a shoestring network with high hopes and no money, that's why they folded. I loved them all!In 1952 I was an avid watcher of ALL of the above! And I was totally undiscriminating. For film buffs, Tom Corbett was played by Frankie Thomas, who also played Nancy Drew's nerdy boyfriend Ted in the Nancy Drew films. There seems to be a refugee from the Hopalong Cassidy show in the midst. I was a total Hoppy fan, as well, of course. I had Hoppy pants, a Hoppy jacket, and I may have had a Hoppy hat at one time, but I don't think it lasted very long. I would love to own a complete Hoppy outfit right now. (The Gallery, Kids, LOOK, TV)
Hopalong Christmas: 1950
... past on the Shorpy time machine! My two favorite movie/TV cowboys Roy Rogers and Hopalong Cassidy in there with a pair of RR boots and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 9:01pm -

"Xmas 1950." 35mm Kodachrome yanked at random out of a box of slides bought on eBay. I call dibs on the dump truck. View full size. TractorI still have my tractor from perhaps a year or three later. Roughly the same size, it appears, though not as nicely detailed. Some paint not original. One owner though, of course. The Red vs Green Debate...tterrace...The tractor in the original photo looks to be a John Deere while yours must be a McCormick Farmall. Just last week I was at the Butler County Fair in Ohio and I saw this Tee shirt.... Thanks for some saddle-up memories ShorpyWow - this pic just whipped me back to the past on the Shorpy time machine! My two favorite movie/TV cowboys Roy Rogers and Hopalong Cassidy in there with a pair of RR boots and what looks like a book "Hoppy and Lucky" (Lucky being one of his side kicks). Liked the actors that played Lucky but Edgar Buchanon was just too comical as Red Connors. Other old timers on here will remember the original books by Clarence Mulford where Hoppy and the rest of the Bar-20 boys were rough and tough. William Boyd did a wonderful job civilizing Hoppy to make him a household name. Writer Louis L'Amour also continued with some outstanding Hoppy books. You can have itI want the streamlined Fire Chief car! I'll takethe creepy doll and teh speliing adn cownting borde. Fine, take the red one.Christmas of 1955 I was 6 and my brother was 4. Among many treasures like these under the tree were two cars identical to the Fire Chief car. One was red (mine) and the other was yellow(his). Of course little brother pitched a fit for the red one and my parents talked me in to trading with the brat. Two days later he left it out in the driveway and my Dad flattened it with the car when he came home from work. I call it poetic justice. And no, I didn't give him mine. Tough noogies. Tinkertoys in the back!Would have been perfect if there were Lincoln Logs too! Ther's an Erector Set in the backin the round container with the metal lid. I had the same set, but it was later in the 50's. Wish I knew where my spelling board was.I had one of these, and I loved it! Got it probably around 1959, and it wasn't red. Never used the number side except for playing "school" with Doreen, Gretchen, and Sandy in Santa Ana, CA. Good times. For What It's WorthI second the "tough noogies"!! Tinker Toys....It looks like the round container with the metal lid is a container of Tinker Toys. Wooden sticks, spools with holes in them to insert the sticks and an assortment of connectors and pulleys. All of this was made of wood. An erector set on the other hand is comprised of metal parts, wheels, pulleys, nuts, bolts and quite possibly an electric motor to make your contraption work. The end result is the same, just wood vs metal. I had both back in the 50s when I was a kid. DollThat's a Tiny Tears doll - the first year she came out when she only came with the rubber head and no 'real' saran hair yet - I got one just like it that year. (The Gallery, Christmas, Michigan Kodachromes)
Our Little Pony: 1938
... in Europe with marvelous posters showing western themes -- cowboys and, especially "Native Americans" riding bicycles. Here's an ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/27/2019 - 3:21pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1938. "Native American boys with bicycle." The original caption for this photo, which has been lost, probably did not use the phrase "Native American." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Macho ManSometime later one of their descendants would be discovered dancing on the bar at a nightclub in Greenwich Village. And the rest was disco history. Seems okay to meOne little, two little, three little Indians Four little, five little, six little Indians Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians Ten little Indian boys. Ten little, nine little, eight little Indians Seven little, six little, five little Indians Four little, three little, two little Indians One little Indian boy. Actual Note Accompanying These Lyrics: "This song is considered sensitive and may contain lyrics that cause offensive to some people. Please speak to a parent or guardian for further help. In BrooklandThe photo appears to have been taken on the grassy field in front of McMahon Hall at Catholic University. Math problem, 1 divided by 3Three boys and only one bike? I hope they're brothers, because otherwise, that's a problem. HandlebarsWhen I was a kid in the 60s, we would turn down the handlebars like these guys are. We thought it looked cool. Dangerous if the grips slid off, as they often did, but cool. Dances With BicyclesI thought they only stole horses. Deep thoughtsI can't help wondering if things had gone quite the other way, how I'd feel if a Native photographer dressed a little Caucasian boy up in his daddy's war medals and plunked him by a mockery of a cannon or gave him a pop-gun to hold, just for S&Gs. Then again, the Anglo population in the US is reportedly dwindling. I may yet get to find out something of the kind before old age has kicked me humpbacked. It's like a Cleveland Bicycles poster120 years, ago Cleveland Cycles (of Toledo Ohio, bizarrely. I guess "Cleveland" sounded better), advertised their bikes in Europe with marvelous posters showing western themes -- cowboys and, especially "Native Americans" riding bicycles. Here's an example. The silence is deafening.Has the ogre of political correctness become so fearsome that nobody is game to make even the most basic observation or comment? How sad; a similar social environment to that experienced by the average German citizen in the 1930s: Keep you mouth shut and your thoughts to yourself, just to be on the safe side. Basic observationThose outfits wold be worth a freakin' fortune today. Bicycle might bring pretty good money, too. (The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kids, Native Americans)
Icebox Buick: 1922
... collar workers and the wealthy wore hats. Except for cowboys, of course ;-) It's just like making ice cream Bobu, it may ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/08/2015 - 7:30pm -

San Francisco, 1922. "Ice-packed Buick motor stunt." A demonstration of the "Heat Control Carburetor." 6½ x 8½ inch glass negative. View full size. Lotta cool hats thereNot a bare head to be seen, at least by me. I do like that handy oil can mounted in its own holder there on the firewall. I wonder when those went away. Probably long before all the hats. Nice stunt!That must have been a very impressive feat, considering how hard it was to start an engine when it got really cold. Assuming, of course, that the oil didn't get as thick as molasses, the spark plug cables didn't short, and the carburetor wasn't flooded with water from the melting ice ... Do we know if the car started after this automotive version of the ice-bucket challenge? It WorkedFrom page 8 of the Sunday, Feburary 26, 1922 issue of the San Francisco Chronicle, with the still in effect War Tax being extra: The Driverlooks a tad apprehensive. You can almost read his mind, "Come on, Baby, start!" Age of AcceptanceNote that with one or two exceptions that caps are worn by the boys and the fedoras by the older guys. How about bringing it down to 5 below?It's a nice stunt, but the engine won't get any colder than 32 degrees Fahrenheit. That's not so cold as most winter mornings. [Not a frequent problem in San Francisco, though. -tterrace] [Also, while ice can't get any warmer than 32 degrees, it can certainly be colder. The ice in my freezer is kept at zero degrees. - Dave] All in due timeFive below is when you brought the oil in at night and heated it on the stove the next morning, back in them days. Or just didn't bother with the car. This was a pretty good trick for 1922. Charles S. HowardI believe the fellow standing in front of the Buick is Charles S. Howard, owner of the Buick dealership in SF and later the owner of the legendary racehorse, Seabiscuit. [Not with that nose. -tterrace] I'm missing the logic...If the carb used exhaust heat to warm the fuel, what made it a good carb for cold starts? Did it have some kind of fancy automatic choke as well? Hats vs. CapsBack then, I believe, for men, the hats vs. caps divide was one of class. Blue collar workers, laborers, and such wore caps. White collar workers and the wealthy wore hats. Except for cowboys, of course ;-) It's just like making ice creamBobu, it may actually be colder than 32 degrees Fahrenheit, if salt is sprinkled on the ice. If you look closely at the gentleman directly in front of the radiator, his outstretched right hand is cupped and appears to have a whitish material in it. I'm betting he's sprinkling salt on the ice as it's being shoveled on the engine... A pretty common featureIt's basically a manifold heat riser which routes exhaust gases through a passage in the intake manifold, under the carb. It became a common feature on carbureted cars. It really wouldn't help starting though, since it only has an effect once the car is started. But, it does help driveability during warm up. The logicGasoline with moisture content can ice up the venturi during cold weather and stop a running engine. I had a 60's era Chevy which fed a bit of the exhaust gas through a 'crossover' that went under the carburetor for that reason. A bimetal-sprung thermostatic valve would work to close the crossover when the engine was hot. I still have a 70's era Datsun Z which does not have that feature. The latter stranded me on an interstate one subzero Christmas Eve in the early 80's due to icing. As the caption says, this was a stunt and as such would not truly prove their claim. Choke it!I cut my teeth on carburetors, chokes, accelerator pumps and floats. The passage under the carburetor was great, but the system required that it flow enough exhaust gas to produce the heat to open the choke. Older vehicles tended to burn oil, and this oil went out the exhaust. Some of this oil mixture exhaust was routed through this passage under the carburetor. Over time this oily exhaust would clog up the passage, so the choke wouldn't open as designed. This caused the engine to stall, and further attempts at starting were futile. The spark plugs would be soaked in gas, so they needed to be removed and cleaned or replaced and the passage cleaned out. This usually meant the intake manifold needed to be removed and the deposits chiseled out. With fuel injection, we take for granted that we can turn the key and the engine will start and run right away with no hesitation. Every now and then I have to work on a carbureted vehicle, and I forget to pump the gas pedal a few times before turning the key. ["Turning the key" -- how quaint! - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, San Francisco, W. Stanley)
The Fake: 1957
... early football program. For example, the Oklahoma State Cowboys were at one time the Tigers (thus leading to the long term Tiger Drug ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/24/2014 - 4:16pm -

"Athletes from various colleges demonstrating a variety of football moves." Who'll be the first to name that team? 35mm Kodachrome by Marvin E. Newman for the Look magazine assignment "1957 Football Forecast." View full size. rr3Syracuse ? I'll have a go The University of Illinois? Could It Be?Oklahoma State University? Unless It's a FakePrinceton. Rah! Rah! Sis boom bah!Syracuse it is. My GuessDear old UVa? Princeton -- Ivy League Champs in 1957Fred Tiley? Go Tigers!I agree, looks like Princeton to me. Rah! Rah!Princeton Tigers! More from PrincetonTiley in 1959--fullback Princeton Orange and BlackMany universities that use Orange and Black as their color scheme had a Princeton Grad running the early football program. For example, the Oklahoma State Cowboys were at one time the Tigers (thus leading to the long term Tiger Drug Store in Stillwater). Rah! Rah! IIOregon State Beavers! (Kodachromes, LOOK, Sports)
This Is Florida: 1955
... but I did. As a 10-year-old who loved anything cowboys and Indians, I bugged my parents repeatedly to stay in this motor court ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/27/2019 - 3:30pm -

December 1955. "Motel Wigwam Village, Orlando." Featuring Tile Baths and All the Fish. 35mm Kodachrome from the Look magazine assignment "What Is Florida?" View full size. Conical ConstancyApparently these were all over the place. I wonder if you could collect Wigwam Weward points. Demolished February 14, 1973. You just don't see those anymoreThe free-standing enclosed phone booth, that is. Dad believed in AAA wholeheartedlyAll our family car trips in the 1950s kept us kids with our eyes peeled for the AAA sign on tourist cabins and motels. I wish I was there with you now. It was a sweet simpler time with us turning the pages of our AAA TripTik, Mom navigating and Dad driving our 1953 Plymouth. This postcard looks exactly like one of our stops on the way to Williamsburg, Va. It was our family out in the world -- strange foods, strange soap, coin-operated radios in the motels. George Washington Slept HereWell maybe George Washington didn't, but I did. As a 10-year-old who loved anything cowboys and Indians, I bugged my parents repeatedly to stay in this motor court when we visited my granddad every year in Orlando. My folks finally relented and we stayed there. After a few days of slanted walls, bad wood paneling, and antique crappy hotel furniture, my parents said "Never again," and moved us on to a "name" hotel. Ceci n'est pas un wigwamThose are teepees, not wigwams. The walls are closing inThe Wigwam Motel on Route 66 in Holbrook, Arizona is very much alive and well. I stayed in unit number one several years ago. I just wish I had brought my Roy Rogers pajamas to complete the time machine illusion. Long gone -- but the Internet remembersOther cool pictures of this motel (including pictures of it being built) are here. http://orlandomemory.info/places/wigwam-village-motel/ It's interesting Look thought these emblematic of Florida, since the guy who came up with this lived in Kentucky, and franchised the concept. C'mon Carl --at least they're fireproof. Open at the Top"Air Conditioned" Wigwams, or so the sign says! What'll they think of next? InspirationFor the Cozy Cone Motel in Pixar's film "Cars" Cabins and MotelsWhen I was about ten (66 years ago!), when we traveled we never stayed at a motel until my mother went into it to see how clean it was, and if she decided we could stay she always Lysoled the toilet before we used it. (Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Florida, LOOK, Native Americans)
Langley Field: 1942
... this photo. Car headlights? It brings to mind the Montana cowboys photo seen previously on Shorpy. [Below, a glimpse of Alfred ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 3:28pm -

May 1942. "Here's our mission." A combat crew receives final instructions just before taking off in a mighty YB-17 bomber from the bombardment squadron base at Langley Field, Virginia, nation's oldest air base. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. ShoesIs the second man from the right wearing wing-tip shoes? Looks like it to me. I know officers had to buy their own uniforms, so their uniforms weren't necessarily G.I., but wing-tips? Weren't there rules beyond the color specification of brown? Langley CrewI'm curious about how these fliers were illuminated for this photo. Car headlights? It brings to mind the Montana cowboys photo seen previously on Shorpy. [Below, a glimpse of Alfred Palmer's floodlight. - Dave] Stunning imageThe composition and lighting in this photo are beautiful. Pinks and brown shoesI agree, although I've heard that old school pilots (pre WW-II) would buy a pair of cowboy boots upon graduation from UPT. Seems like the flight engineer, or whoever has the greasy overalls, is wearing boots with undershot heels. FYI pinks is a term used for the tan twills used up to the 60's. They seemed to take on a pinkish cast in some light. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)
Dude Girl: 1941
August 1941. "Dude girl with two cowboys at a Saturday night dance in Birney, Montana." Medium format acetate ... rage as noted by the number of movies featuring singing cowboys and wives waiting to undo the knot. Birney seems an unlikely choice. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/12/2019 - 6:51pm -

August 1941. "Dude girl with two cowboys at a Saturday night dance in Birney, Montana." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size. What a smile!I wonder what happened to that pretty girl with the pretty smile, and if she ended up married to a Cowboy. Like Cooke's CookieThe next year, young English journalist Alistair Cooke was driving through Montana on the cross-country journey that would eventually become the subject of his book "The American Home Front, 1941-1942." In describing his journey through this part of the state, he wrote, "in the first year of the American war, and at harvest time thereafter, across many different landscapes, the American woman became a peasant - a peasant I noticed elsewhere with a tan and a high hairdo, and often with scarlet nails, ready for an evening of jitterbugging with the resident soldiery." Dude looks like a ladyWow! To use the parlance of those days, what a tomato! However, if she were my daughter I sure wouldn´t like the way that fellow toking on the smoke is looking at her. Romance on the horizonBe careful. I think the guy on your right is the man your mother warned you about. Dude ranches were the rage as noted by the number of movies featuring singing cowboys and wives waiting to undo the knot. Birney seems an unlikely choice. Located 65 miles East of Crow Agency, Birney and the Quarter Circle U (according to Rand McNally directions), is reached by a series of unnamed and partially unpaved roads. Here is Birney in its heyday with additional photos (from the same photo shoot) and a good write-up of the problems that forced many of them out of business. http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/birney.html AMATEUR NIGHT OUT - All dressed upThese young fellows seem to be awkwardly concentrating on looking "manly," studiously handling their Lucky Strikes to impress the gal who has been more likely charmed by one of our favorite photographers. The fellow on the right has probably just had a fine haircut for the occasion with the other seeming to be sporting a hairpiece? Where is the SMOKING MANDITORY sign? [Next to the SPELLCHECK MANDATORY sign. - Dave] (The Gallery, M.P. Wolcott, Pretty Girls)
Vince Jr.: 1933
... zoning requirements! Children start out wanting to be cowboys (or girls), firefighters or veterinarians, but most of us end up doing ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 11:18am -

Washington, D.C., 1933. "Vincent P. Ahearn Jr., portrait." Our third glimpse of little Vince. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. A portrait of me next?I was marched down to H & E about 1937 for a portrait. How much should I contribute to avoid it appearing on Shorpy? This is whyI want to be a grandfather someday. But let me finish raising my eight year-old daughter first. The Gerber babywas actually Humphrey Bogart. No lie. DoFGreat depth of field on this one, it really draws you into little Vinnie's face. Pureed PrunesWas Vincent the original Gerber Baby? Not looking at you, kidWell, no, the Gerber baby wasn't Bogart. That makes a better story, though! And little Vince was a doll, in any case. Future authorVincent grew up to write a 1959 book called "The Zoning Problem and its Significance to the Sand and Gravel Producer." Such a cutie!I love the idea that this sweet adorable baby would one day be writing about how sand and gravel dealers are impacted by zoning requirements! Children start out wanting to be cowboys (or girls), firefighters or veterinarians, but most of us end up doing such random things. Who knew young Vince Jr. would one day be writing about paving issues? (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Portraits)
Bovey Blasters: 1941
... of the Robert Woolsey fan club! Grouchos These cowboys look like they know how to joke and take a joke. I wouldn't be ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/22/2020 - 4:54pm -

August 1941. "Blasting crew in the Danube iron mine. Bovey, Minnesota." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Light 'em up if you got 'emOh wait -- maybe that's why they're all using chewing tobacco. SnooseSnus or snoose would be the local name for what's in those cans; a very common Scandanavian habit here back in the day. RequirementWanted: Blast crew members. Must wear glasses. All others need not apply. [The identical safety specs they're wearing are indeed mandatory. - Dave] Snuff cansor hockey pucks in their shirts. I'm betting on "Red Man". Or TapeAs a longtime snuff chewer, I would agree that those are most likely smokeless tobacco cans, but there's a good possibility that those are rolls of electrical or friction tape, used to splice wire. Safety glassesAnd I thought they were a gathering of the Robert Woolsey fan club! GrouchosThese cowboys look like they know how to joke and take a joke. I wouldn't be surprised if they had all put Groucho mustaches under their safety glasses for this picture. Safety SpecsI have a very similar pair that belonged to my grandfather. He was a machinist during the run-up to WW2. If memory serves me the lenses are ground from quartz. My grandfather's pair has a deep scratch that was caused by something in a metal lathe shattering and the pieces flying everywhere. Better a scratched lens than a missing eye. Happy BunchA really happy bunch. They get to blow things up! Those aren't tobacco cansThey are the tins that held the blasting caps that fired the dynamite. I remember my dad had his shot papers to shoot underground dynamite. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Mining)
R.P. Bean Ranch: c. 1910
The R.P. Bean Ranch, with four cowboys and three horses, near Van Horn, Texas, c. 1910. View full size ... 
 
Posted by Ken - 12/10/2007 - 6:56pm -

The R.P. Bean Ranch, with four cowboys and three horses, near Van Horn, Texas, c. 1910. View full size (Courtesy Portal to Texas History). R.P. Bean Ranch near Van HornGlad to see the spectacular scenery. Until I visited the area the first time, I didn't know there were mountains in Texas. todayI would like to see this same view today Thank youBeth, thank you very much it's a great shot, I am from Philadelphia and we would call that God's country because of its beauty. Ron R.P. Bean Ranch todayRon, the land is untouched, though I'm told there are no remnants of the ranch buildings remaining. I drove out there today, unfortunately we've got an uncharacteristically hazy day, and I was unable to get some good shots. Will try again and hopefully can post them here. To tide you over, here's one: The c.1910 shot was taken atop a small mountain, approximately 10 miles north of Van Horn on Hwy 54 on the way to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, and about a mile west of the road. From Hwy 54, you can see a dirt road which I suspect is the one in the photo. The ranch is on private land, and not available for view from the 1910 photograph's vantage point. The smaller mountain to the right in the original shot is still there, and hopefully when the sky clears, I can get a better view of that. The prickly pear are blooming now, as you can see! Come see it for yourself! --Beth Nobles, Regional Coordinator, Texas Mountain Trail www.texasmountaintrail.com HorsesThe fourth horse is behind the cowboy on the left. Remarkable picture. (Horses, Rural America, Texas Mountain Trail)
Law for Tombstone: 1939
... competed with Roy Rogers and Tex Ritter as "singing cowboys." In the early 1950s, my great-uncle, a Montana rancher, took a ... The star was too drunk to get on his horse. A couple of cowboys threw him into the saddle and he made the grand entry, but a few young ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/06/2012 - 12:13pm -

October 1939. Memphis, Tennessee. "Entrance to a movie house on Beale Street." The double feature: "Rhythm of the Saddle" and Buck Jones in "Law for Tombstone." 35mm nitrate negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size. Stay away.More than fifty years ago my late grand mother, a belle of the South from a different era, once told me, "Boy, if you ever go to Memphis stay away from Beale Street." Too much blues music I guess! I hear it is the place to go to in 2012. Cowboy HeroBuck Jones, was wounded, in 1907, while serving in the US Army during the Moro Rebellion in the Phillipines. He died, at age 51, in November 1942, during a tragic nightclub fire in Boston. He was one of 492 patrons of the Cocoanut Grove when he was trapped as guests tried to flee, many of them were there at a party honoring him. Attached is a better view of the movie poster. Pastime TheaterI think this is the Pastime Theatre at 324 Beale St. Also SeenAbove the big poster for "Law Of Tombstone" is a poster for "Rhythm Of The Saddle" which starred Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette and Pert Kelton. Burnette was famous for being Gene's comedy relief sidekick and when Gene went into the Army Air Force he worked with other on screen partners at Republic Studios including nine movies with Roy Rogers. A later generation knew him as Charley Pratt, the engineer of the Hooterville Cannonball on "Petticoat Junction" until his death in 1967. Pert Kelton is probably most famous for being the original Alice Kramden in the Honeymooners sketches opposite Jackie Gleason of the "Cavalcade Of Stars." The nightly feature, seen in the postere in the background is "St. Louis Blues" with Dorothy Lamour and Lloyd Nolan. Lower down on the cast list was William Frawley, probably best known to us today as Fred Mertz from "I Love Lucy," or Grandpa Bub from the episodes of "My Three Sons" that are never syndicated anymore because they're in Black & White. Gene AutryRhythm of the Saddle is a 1938 American Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and Pert Kelton. Gene Autry, of course, competed with Roy Rogers and Tex Ritter as "singing cowboys." In the early 1950s, my great-uncle, a Montana rancher, took a number of us, his grand-nieces and nephews, to see Gene Autry at the Big Timber rodeo. The star was too drunk to get on his horse. A couple of cowboys threw him into the saddle and he made the grand entry, but a few young cowboy hearts were broken that day. Segregated theaters could be strangeWhen I was a kid in the fifties and sixties, I frequently spent long stretches of my summer vacation in Mississippi visiting my grandparents and various other relatives. An older cousin went to college at Mississippi State in the fifties, long before the school was desegregated. He and his roomates were on good terms with an African engineering student who lived in their (segregated, of course) dorm, and one night they all went downtown to see a Movie; dialog is approximate! Ticket clerk: "I am sorry, sir, we do not admit Negroes." College kids: "He's not a Negro, he's from Ghana." Ticket clerk: "Oh, OK." This was a smooth and familiar situation, and there was no issue at all! (The Gallery, M.P. Wolcott, Memphis, Movies)
Linda-Susie's Puppies: 1961
... of Janis included sports analyst and former Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson, and actor G.W. Bailey [famous for his roles as ... 
 
Posted by Jim Page - 10/13/2012 - 8:17pm -

The driveway of our house on Griffing Drive in Port Arthur, Texas in 1961. I'm in the blue shirt and my brother Jeffrey is wearing shorts and a toy gun holster. The two other boys were obviously brothers, but I can't remember their names. I can still remember this day, though; how much fun we had with those wiggling puppies. I can't remember why the broken block and brick are there, though! We nicknamed the dark-brown puppy Columbus because he was always venturing as far as he could before his mom would catch him and bring him back to the puppy box she had in the garage. Note the old King-Size Coca-Cola carton in the background! It Finally HappenedA picture on Shorpy taken not only in my home town, but on the very street that I lived. I was 4 when this was taken. There is not enough context to know exactly where on the street this was taken but the street was only about 10 blocks long. Unfortunately I do not recognize any of the kids here, perhaps my brother would. The BestThere's nothing like a puppy when you're a kid. I sure wish I could do it over again, don't you? No reason neededThere are 4 young boys in the picture which is reason enough for a broken block and brick to be nearby. My dog had pups when I was about the same age. It was one of the best experiences I ha as a boy. Griffing Drive, Then And NowHey, stevendm-- Our house was 4533 Griffing Drive. Attached is a comparison grouping of the house when we lived there and a Google street view from last year. We have quite a few images of that great house and I mailed the current residents that I had buried a time capsule by the driveway; they were welcome to whatever was in it if it was still there. I offered to send them photos of the house from the early 1960s if they wanted them. Never received a reply! --Jim CrazyJim, This is crazy. We only lived a block away from each other. I lived a 4420 Griffing Drive. Did you know my brother Buddy or my sister Sue? Steven Griffing Drive Days!Hi, Steven-- I've always been terrible with names; sorry! Here's another kid, standing very straight, in our back yard with my brother and me. Maybe you can identify him. Linda-Susie is also in the photo! I remember going to the third grade at Tyrrell Elementary and learning to play the melody flute, which was great fun! I have some other photos of a Cub Scout trip from those days that have a bunch of kids in them. If your brother was a Cub Scout then we probably were in the same pack! Best regards-- --Jim Did any of you know Janis Joplin?She was a Port Arthur girl.Her hometown address is listed as 4330 32nd Street. How was it growing up on the Gulf Coast? From these pictures, there was unstructured play going on; like I enjoyed several hundred miles west of you. Kids could have fun without play dates and such. Thanks for posting! Mvsman The JoplinsHey, Mvsman-- The Joplins lived in the same neighborhood, but about a mile away, as I remember when I looked it up once. Janis was nine years older than I was and her sister Laura was a couple of years older. I may have known Laura from school but, if so, she made no impression on me at the time. The Gulf Coast was a fun place to grow up except for the snakes. I have a morbid fear of snakes and they are just everywhere on the Gulf Coast. The people are fun to be around, there are a lot of different styles of food and the music was just amazing. That's what made the biggest impression on me and it resonates to this day. Folks had fun with music. Many folks down there, at least back then, had little in the way of money so they made their own kind of fun. Plus there was swimming and fishing; we were always playing barefoot outdoors. --Jim Compromise Through AggregationOne kid wants to name the dog Linda, the other Susie. Why not both? The dog will still love you and everybody's happy. Who Knew?Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Janis Joplin and Jimmy Page grew up a mile from each other! Oh, wait--wrong Jimmy Page, huh? Wrong Jimmy PageWell, we both play guitar, but at very different levels!!! --Jim Janis Joplin's schoolmatesOther notable schoolmates of Janis included sports analyst and former Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson, and actor G.W. Bailey [famous for his roles as Rizzo in "M*A*S*H" and Harris in the "Police Academy" movies]. I have several aunts that attended Thomas Jefferson High School at the time and remember all the personalities well. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Crystal Palace: 1940
... the exploits of the Earp Brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Cowboys. Today's Palace If the photo is the same Crystal Palace as ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/30/2020 - 12:14pm -

May 1940. "Famous old bar in Tombstone, Arizona." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Still ThereThe Tombstone Chamber of Commerce has more info than the place's webpage. Signs!I love these snapshots of life. Keep up the great work! Fertile Ground for FilmSources disagree about the exact number, but Hollywood has produced approximately twenty films set in Tombstone and dealing with the exploits of the Earp Brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Cowboys. Today's PalaceIf the photo is the same Crystal Palace as seen in Street View, they have done a significant overhaul. Those SwastikasI'm pretty sure the Navajo symbol for good luck disappeared from the face of the bar in a year or so, never to return. Traveling signpainter's dreamTwo ladders on the roof, some supplies and his kit in the trunk, one could spend a week or two here and live like a king. FylfotThe fylfot cross came to suggest flying feet or speed of travel. About 400 miles from Tombstone, a most welcome sign upon reaching Peach Springs was the promise of “Ladies Rest Rooms” and the good luck/flying feet swastika. Read more here about “Arizona's Secret History.” (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Frontier Life, Russell Lee)
Our Man in Montana: 1941
... and TV series created I consider myself an expert on real cowboys. The facts are as follows: No Stetson (sorry, straw hats won't cut it). ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/20/2017 - 10:56am -

August 1941. "Cowboy on a ranch horse in the corral at Quarter Circle U, Brewster-Arnold Ranch Company. Birney, Montana." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Where's the bling?I'm a little disappointed he's not wearing a rhinestone suit. He'll never cut it in Nashville. Not a CowboyGrowing up in the 50's and watching every western movie and TV series created I consider myself an expert on real cowboys. The facts are as follows: No Stetson (sorry, straw hats won't cut it). No six-gun, no Winchester in scabbard, no vest, no chaps and really, a sweater? I'm embarrassed for him. I can't see his feet but I bet he's wearing penny loafers instead of boots. I could go on but I think I've made my case. I just hope Hoppy and Roy never saw this pic. Previously on ShorpyHave we seen him before? I seem to recall the incongruous cardigan sweater and straw hat. In any case, he seems perfectly at ease. [He's also here and here. - Dave] A Ward Cleaver-ish CowboyIf Beaver's dad had been a cowboy, he might have worn a cardigan. This guy should have gone to HollywoodBut he probably enlisted in the Marines instead. Farmer vs CowboyIt's all about the hat. (The Gallery, Horses, M.P. Wolcott)
Withers Elementary: 1972
... it was off to Withers Elementary in Dallas. How 'BOUT 'dem Cowboys! I'm dead center in the second row, with Lori Roberts and Kim McCastle ... 
 
Posted by brinke - 08/21/2015 - 12:35pm -

And so after OJ Stivers Elementary, it was off to Withers Elementary in Dallas. How 'BOUT 'dem Cowboys! I'm dead center in the second row, with Lori Roberts and Kim McCastle front row from left. BFFs James Gehling and Todd Pickle in the row above me from left, in the navy blue and green shirts. Mrs. Cochran is your teacher today, grade 6A. Sadly, only one year here, then off to Cincinnati where we remained thru the end of grade school/middle school/high school/college. Scanned from a print. View full size. Oh Ouch!We didn't even consider it at the time but looking back through photos, the '70s were the worst fashion decade ever. ShortsThis was the year I graduated from high school. I don't know if most people are aware, but it had only recently become acceptable for girls to wear anything but dresses to school. There were many schools that allowed girls to wear long pants to school, during the coldest part of the year, but dresses or skirts, the rest of the time. During the second half of the 60s, the rebellion of the youth in our country resulted in a refusal to respect that dress code, among other things. It swept the country in a very short period of time. Filled With WonderI never look at these old pictures but what one individual doesn't make me want to know more about that person and the life they've led. Perhaps it is the perceived innocence of their age and knowing what they may be facing just as I did so many years ago. In this picture it is the little blonde girl, front row left, that attracted me. She is just so naturally pretty and has that Mona Lisa smile. Time FliesWait a minute brinke. You are in fifth grade in the 1969-70 school year, and the next (6th grade? Not sure what a 6a is) in 1972, which is presumably 1971-2 since the sign board says spring 1972. So, what were you doing in the 1970-71 year? (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Counting Steers: 1940
... Angelo Fat Stock Show. At nearby stock shows the working cowboys bring along their camp beds and sleep in the barns." The tag on our ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/28/2018 - 10:26am -

March 1940. "Cowboy asleep in cattle show barn at San Angelo Fat Stock Show. At nearby stock shows the working cowboys bring along their camp beds and sleep in the barns." The tag on our buckaroo's suitcase reads "R.R. Walston." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. A Whiff of Cowboy CultureOne of my favorite Shorpy pastimes is an an olfactory exploration of photos. I don't know why my mind goes there immediately with some photos - I guess they trigger memories, which are tied to the brain's Limbic System, which I've discussed on this platform previously. My list of odors associated with this photo: Stale hay (different from fresh hay - dustier) Graham Crackers Slightly mildewed sleeping bag Horses, and the apples thereof Oats Leather Hair Oil (bet he's a Dapper Dan man) A boy-foot miasma from socks, boots, and sneakers A smouldering campfire outside (or possibly a fire in an oil drum to contain sparks) Addendum: Don't know if s'mores were a "thing" in 1940, but the makings are all there: Graham Crackers: CHECK (whole carton of them) Chocolate Bar: CHECK (wrapper near young Mr. Walston's left shoulder Marshmallows: CHECK (presuming the paper bag to the right of his grip is full of them) Goober Pea There's nothing more to say.That post transformed 50 pages of cultural anthropology to a handful of indelible scents! (The Gallery, Agriculture, Camping, Russell Lee)
Saddle Up Pardner ...
... year. View full size. Li'l Cowpoke Those cowboys are getting shorter and shorter! Seriously, cute photo! Great ... 
 
Posted by AM Wood - 09/16/2011 - 12:53pm -

Labor Day visit from my Grandma Witzell. She always brought me a new gun. This time she brought me the complete outfit. 1950 was a great year. View full size. Li'l CowpokeThose cowboys are getting shorter and shorter! Seriously, cute photo! Great shot of a little cowboyVery nice. I sort of had a partial Hoppy outfit a few years later. Tried to dress like him. Did not get the hat. Loved those cowboy shows. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Kids)
Raise Your Bottles High
... to the time Butch, Robert, Carl, Leo and I played either cowboys & Indians or cops and robbers or three musketeers on that cliff ... 
 
Posted by EvenSteven - 12/13/2011 - 11:44am -

My first crush, Liz, on the left and my mother in her obligatory apron and I strumming the guitar in a poor imitation of the Singing Brakeman, Jimmy Rogers. The beer is American (a local Baltimore brand) and the RR cap a gift from an uncle who worked as a conductor on the B&O. He had no children and at the end of each run he would check the passenger cars for forgotten comic books for me, which led to the largest collection in my part of the world. And yes in 1959 while I was away in the Navy that sweet lady on the right dumped it. Picture taken in the rear of the 3300 block of Elmora Ave in Northeast Baltimore, circa 1948. View full size. American BreweryAh, American Beer; I remember it well. They had a silo on the B&O near Gay Street where they'd truck their grain down to the plant. The brewery building is still standing at 1701 N. Gay Street in Baltimore. Check it out on Google...magnificent! A tumble-down ruin since American closed in the early 70's, it since has been restored and is used by Humanim. And what is it about moms and comic books? Our mother trashed my brother's comics while he was also in the Navy... American Brewery & Esskay HamI remember that grain silo very well. I lived up on the hill opposite it and on a good day you could smell the mash from the brewery and the aroma of Esskay smoking hams just down the block. I now live near the Budweiser plant in Los Angeles and that mash smell drifts over me and I am transported back to the time Butch, Robert, Carl, Leo and I played either cowboys & Indians or cops and robbers or three musketeers on that cliff behind Ravenwood. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Cowpunchers
My sister, little cousin and I play cowboys in the yard on Washington Street, Freeport, Illinois, circa 1951. The ... 
 
Posted by burmashave - 11/09/2009 - 9:08am -

My sister, little cousin and I play cowboys in the yard on Washington Street, Freeport, Illinois, circa 1951. The house and trees are gone now. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
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