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Swing Time: 1955
February 9, 1955. "PS 122 playground, Kingsbridge Road and Bailey Avenue, the Bronx, New ... However, you played at your own risk: playgrounds back in 1955, when I was seven years old were not designed to protect against spills ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/24/2013 - 5:05pm -

February 9, 1955. "PS 122 playground, Kingsbridge Road and Bailey Avenue, the Bronx, New York. Brown & Blauwelt, engineers." Subcontractors: Cheerless & Grimm. Large-format negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Play ...groundMy grade school had similar equipment, thankfully we had grass underneath us. Play At Your Own Risk!I grew up in Queens County, another borough of NYC. I played in a playground similar to this one, and remember them quite fondly. However, you played at your own risk: playgrounds back in 1955, when I was seven years old were not designed to protect against spills and falls. There was no padding: the ground was concrete or ashphalt. If you fell off the monkey bars, you got hurt. If you came down the slide too fast, you skinned your butt. The mother placing the child on the swing reminded me that the seats for young children were L-shaped, with a metal bar that slid up the chains to seat the child, then slid down in front to hold the child in place. That was it! No soft ground padding anywhere.... Vernacular design?I heard of some city that didn't want someone to tear down a chain link fence because that was "vernacular architecture". Ah yes! The Bronx.Now we're getting into my neck of the woods. Didn't quite expect to see this! It certainly looks grim. I just can't believe I survived this style of playground growing up. Those are NY Housing Authority apartments now. School trailers sit where this park was. Just to the north of this view sits Van Cortlandt Park, 1100+ acres of parkland which contains (possibly) the oldest house in the Borough, Van Cortlandt House, built in 1748. The Albany Post Road (aka Broadway aka The Great White Way), begins its trip at the tip of Manhattan and heads north; crosses that unnatural bend in the Harlem River, continues through Marble Hill, alongside Van Cortlandt Park and on through Riverdale (my town), eventually crossing into Westchester at the Yonkers line and losing its famous designation. It becomes just plain Route 9. I happened to grow up on a still existing portion of the Albany Post Road, just down from the other "oldest" house in the borough, Hadley House, which possibly predates Van Cortlandt House. So, while it looks grim here, it gets lovely, green and very historic quite soon. The SwingsetThe swingset appears to have survived. http://tinyurl.com/qg48e5n If you turn the image clockwise, you will see the view of the apartment buildings that is in the photo. My school had a playground like that, too.I went to PS 46 on Staten Island 1961-64. It had a playground that looked like the one at PS 122. Lots of swings and slides, and they all looked very well built. We were never allowed to play on them. The gates were always locked. LitigationIn my lifetime we have become so litigious. Playground bruises, scrapes, cuts, chipped teeth, black eyes, etc. were part of a kid's life. My childhood stomping ground was the Mount Penn (next to Reading) PA playground. Except for the ballfield and some elderly trees it was paved with asphalt. The 3D grid structure to the left was called the jungle gym. The term was also and later applied to various climbing structures and even swingsets. The monkey bars were a horizontal ladder structure 6-8 feet above the asphalt and accessed by a couple of vertical rungs and an upward stretch at each end. Besides traversing the length, it was fun to hang one-handed or by the upside down by the crooks of your legs. Our swings, maybe (beat me daddy!) six to the bar, I recall as having chain and later rubber or plastic seats. You could have a buddy twist you around for a spinning, dizzying descent. The sliding board was kind of tame but the more thrilling one was at nearby Pendora Park which was twice as long with a double dip and a use-pitted dirt landing. We also made bicycle pilgrimages to the Jacksonwald elementary school which featured a tubular steel fire escape from the second floor. A hazard on all of these was involuntary (from fright) or intentional (from spite?) urine puddles at the bottom lip of the slide. The merry-go-round was a heavy lumber and strap steel affair that developed a fearsome momentum when shoved by two or three kids. You were safe on the inside of the steel perimeter bars but would hang on for dear life on the outside. There were a couple of box hockey "arenas". You could play slow (like miniature golf) or fast (kid to kid), which featured stick-ball-stick slams or "frenches" i.e. back and forth sliding moves at each hole. You could also sail the ball over the center divider. I think we called one game "Cincinnati" for some obscure reason. We also had a circular exposed aggregate concrete wading pool with a raised center around the water fountain. Seesaws were very heavy duty. You had to avoid getting your ankles embossed by the bolts under the seats and also malevolent "friends" who might jump off and let you free fall. A basketball court and a pavilion rounded out the scene. Craft sessions were held in the latter and I once made a wallet there for my girlfriend. She visited Mount Penn for two summers and hailed from Orange NJ. Ahhh, sweet youth!!! RenumberedAt some point this school was renumbered P.S. 310. The P.S. 122 designation is now used for a school in Queens. Most NYC elementary schools have a name as well as a P.S. number. P.S. 310 is known as the Marble Hill School as it serves the Marble Hill neighborhood, though it is located just outside the neighborhood. Marble Hill is a geographic anomaly as it is legally part of Manhattan yet located on the Bronx mainland, the result of a 19th Century rechannelling of the Harlem River. Bleak?It looks okay to me. Bright colors were a conceit of the late 50s. We played fine with boxes, wrecked cars and asphalt. DeadlyThose monkeybars or Jungle Gyms could really be dangerous. I was stationed in the Navy with a guy that was only in his late teens or early 20's and he had a full set of dentures. I asked him what in the world happened to his teeth. He said that, when he was younger, he had been playing on the monkey bars and was hanging upside down. His legs slipped and he fell down through the middle of the bars. The last thing he remembered was smashing his mouth on one of the bars and hearing a loud "Chung". When he woke up he was in the hospital with all of his front teeth, upper and lower, smashed and broken off. I still cringe just thinking about it. Re: The SwingsetLilyPondLane's link does indeed take you to the swingset in a Google map image from September 2007. But as soon as you navigate right or left, you're taken to June 2011, and the swing set -- magically, sadly -- disapppears. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, Kids, NYC)
Our Lady of Lourdes: 1914
... There were about 10 of us cousins who graduated between 1955 and 1960. I remember Father Cline, Fr. Malloy, Monsignor Hart, Mother ... Grade 5, 1953-1954: Mother Mary Edwards Grade 6, 1954-1955: Mother Maria Del Amor Grade 7, 1955-1956: Mother Mary Euphrates Grade ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/13/2022 - 12:33pm -

        A newly restored version of a Shorpy favorite that has collected three pages of comments since it was first posted in 2007 -- The caption for this one just says "Post Office." Thanks to our commenters we now know that the building with the statue is the Our Lady of Lourdes School at 468 W. 143rd Street in New York circa 1914. 8x10 glass negative, Bain News Service. View full size | The school in 2007. Post office?Looks like a Catholic school, actually. This is just a wild-a**ed guess, but St. Jean Baptiste on East 75th? This would coincide with the warehouse cart on the left (sort of). Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic SchoolThis is Our Lady of Lourdes School in New York City on 143rd Street between Amsterdam Avenue and Convent Avenue. The school was built in 1913 in Washington Heights, an exclusively white, upper middle-class neighborhood. It was built and equipped at a total cost of one hundred and forty thousand dollars. Besides classrooms for five hundred pupils, the building contained an auditorium with a stage lavishly equipped for theatrical productions, a gymnasium, a roof-top playground, an assembly room for parish organizations, rooms for classes in cooking and sewing, and offices for the school officials. The associated church (Our Lady of Lourdes) is located directly behind the school on the next block, 142nd Street. Yes...Which is the Post Office? The large building in the center must be a Catholic School, what with a saint on the roof and all. As for the location, I have no clue. Post OfficeWhich building is the Post Office? post officeBuilding with street level entrance and flags would be my likely guess. Today...Google Street View. It's always interesting to see NYC in the early years, and how it's changed. Our Lady of LourdesI attended this school for eight years in the 1950s. The lower grades entered by one door and the higher grades used the other. City College frat houses faced the school. Recess was on the street out front. We didn't have any cooking or sewing classes, no classrooms equipped for that. There wasn't any gym. We weren't allowed to go up on the roof and there wasn't an assembly room. We did have a annual spring play using the stage and we had a Christmas concert. There was a way into the church from the back of the school. The nuns that taught there were called Society of the Holy Child. Father Kline was one of the priests and Mother Mary Edward taught there. A good school, good memories. Johnny PumpThat fire hydrant probably was installed in the late 1880s. Was born and bred in NYC and traversed all five boroughs many many times, but NEVER laid eyes on a johnny pump like that. Every boy who ever grew up in "The City" is instinctively drawn to hop over as many hydrants as possible. However that one is a KILLER. Our Lady of LourdesI attended OLL from 1933 to 1941. The lower grades kindergarten to fourth were taught by the Ursuline Order of Sisters. The upper grades fifth to eighth were taught by the Sisters of the Holy Child. The school was funded and guided by the priests of the adjoining OLL Church. We were there to learn,to pray: no play, no library, no lunch room, no outside activities. It was not an easy life for children of poor families during this Great Depression Era. I often cried and asked God to help me through the day, the year. I know I received a very good education but not a happy one. There were nuns I would have died for, however there were many that should not have been allowed to teach children. The Church and school were founded by Monsignor Thomas McMann. There is a bust of the good priest near the entrance to the upper church. In the 1930s we were allowed on the roof for various activities. The term "very stern " comes to mind. The statue is Our Lady of Lourdes, similar to the statue in the grotto in the lower church on 142nd Street. It was removed a few years ago as it decayed and was ready to fall off the roof. Convent AvenueThis photo faces east, and the townhouses in the background are along the east side of Convent Avenue. All of them still stand, most are in superb condition. This is the finest real estate in Harlem; a house across the street sold for $3.89 million about 18 months ago. Here is a listing for a house a few doors down from the ones seen here: http://tinyurl.com/2396kb Note the terraces on two of the buildings -- those are stunning and almost never seen in New York. Does anyone remember anDoes anyone remember an Irish nun by the name of Sister Gerard? She was one of the Ursula ? nuns at the Our Lady of Lourdes in Manhatten. She emigrated about 1910, so am not sure anyone would remember her... Is there a cemetery associated with Our Lady of Lourdes? Upper and Lower ChurchCan you tell me if the Upper and Grotto Church still exists and do they have mass on Saturdays and Sundays? I lived 2 streets away a long time ago and would like to see the old neighborshood. I have never forgotten the Grotto. It's so unique. Would like to share it with my spouse. Or maybe I can speak with someone in the convent. Are the nuns still there? Thank you. Diana Gosciniak Our Lady of LourdesI also went there in the 1950's. The nuns were very dedicated to teaching. Our religion was the major reason they and all of us were there. The grotto was under the main stairs and confession was held downstairs at 4 pm on Saturday. The children's Mass was at 9 am on Sunday, a High Mass in Latin. The doors of the main church came from old St. Patrick's downtown in Little Italy. The sisters made sure that the majority of 8th grade students got into Catholic high school. A lot of the girls went to Cathedral H.S. and the boys went to Cardinal Hayes. The church was around the corner with a connection to the back of the school. The convent was right next door to the church and the rectory was across the street. Once in a while we were invited to go to the convent on a Saturday to see the nuns. The neighborhood was pretty good, all kind of stores that tolerated all of us kids. It was nice going there for eight years. Fond memories. O.L.L. Upper and lower churchYes, the upper church is still active with most Masses in Spanish. The lower church {the Grotto) is not used. However the statue of the Blessed Mother is still on view. The sisters left about 10 years ago. I visited the school and was told the Church no longer had any say in its operation. When did you attend? I was there from 1933 to 1940. J Woods Theatrical productions?Oh, how I wish I had your recall. However, I did attend O.L.L. from 1933 through 1940. Yes, the stage was used - but with limited equipment. I never saw or played on a rooftop playground. There was no gymnasium. The seats in the auditorium were moved to the side for military drilling by boys from grades 5 to 8 once a week. The girls exercised in a nearby room. The children in the lower grades had no physical training. I don't remember an assembly room for any parish organizations. Family members were not encouraged to come to the school except on Graduation Day or if the student had a serious problem that required a meeting with the principal and/or a parish priest. I must say we all received a very good education and were farther ahead in our studies than the Public School kids. Yours truly and in friendship, Jackie Woods OLL NeighborhoodI lived on Amsterdam Ave for 16 years. Where did you live? When did you attend OLL School? The few friends I had from the old days have passed on. I answered your other message; The Nuns left about 15 years ago. You need to have someone open the lower church to visit there. The Blessed Mother's Statue is still located in the Grotto but masses are no longer read there. Regards and in friendship. Jackie Woods Our Lady of Lourdes, 2008I had a chance to stop by West 143rd street and take a snapshot today. The cornerstone is dated 1912. As you can see, every building shown in the "1914" photograph is extant and all are in excellent condition. There is even a fire hydrant in the same location as the fire hydrant shown in the photo. As for changes — there are trees on the block now, and the cornice has been removed from Our Lady of Lourdes, as has the statue of the saint. And, of course, as with all modern photos taken in New York, it is full of automobiles. (Click to enlarge) The reddish sign on the left side of the street, behind the motorcycle, identifies this block as part of the Hamilton Heights Historical District (Hamilton Grange is only a few blocks away). Today was garbage day, so a distracting pile of trash sits in the foreground, sorry about that. Our Lady of LourdesCentral Harlem, did you attend Our Lady of Lourdes? If so what years? Thanks for the picture Jackie Woods Our Lady of LourdesI attended an Episcopalian school. I contributed that photo because of my joy in Harlem history, not any tie to this school in particular. Last weekend, I found a photograph of this block dating to 1908! All the buildings looked the same except for OLL, which was then an empty lot. Perhaps Team Shorpy can enlighten me -- would it be compliant with copyright law for me to scan and post it? [Is there a copyright notice on it? If it was copyrighted before 1923, the copyright has expired. - Dave] Our Lady of LourdesThank you for your latest information, Central Harlem. Where was your school located? Did you live nearby? I'm 80 years old going on 81 and all I have are my memories (mostly fond). And my memory is outstanding. I was hoping to hear from anyone who attended OLL with me. By the way, the folks on Amsterdam Avenue always envied the folks on Convent Avenue, always a beautiful clean street. (Today we would say "upscale.") Three of my children were born in The Lutheran Hospital of Manhattan on 144th off Convent. I had moved to upper Washington Heights by then but my doctor was still working out of there. Thank you and in friendship, Jackie Woods Our Lady of Lourdes, 1909I had a chance to scan the old photo I found of this block. It dates to 1909, not 1908 as I had first said. Every building seen in this photo remains, though some of the lots on the right-hand side of 143rd street were empty in 1909, including the lot that would house Our Lady of Lourdes three years later. Anticipating the interest of Shorpy's crew of automotive experts, I provide a closeup of that car on Amsterdam Avenue, below. Also, a note to Jackie Woods: we're of different generations. It is good to exchange notes here, but I'm sure we've never met. Our Lady of Lourdes SchoolWhat wonderful memories of days past. I attended OLL from 1943 and graduated in 1951. One of five brothers to do so. You may have known my older brothers, Larry, Dick or Bill. We lived in that apartment building at the end of the street on the OLL side. That was the location of Alexander Hamilton's house, Hamilton Grange. When it was built, it forced the move to its present location behind the church. It will be moved again to the SE corner of Convent and 141st Street. You also mentioned Lutheran Hospital. It wasn't so great for our family. My brother Dick was taken there after being hit by a car. While recovering, he contracted rheumatic fever in the hospital and later died at New York Hospital. We also lived at 310 Convent Avenue because my mother's family, the Healys, lived on 141st Street. If you have any other questions, ask away. I'm still in contact with several classmates and between us, we should be able to answer. "Thanks for the Memories" Bob Phillips OLL graduatesHi, Yes, I do remember a Phillips family. The boys or boy were in a higher grade with one of my brothers. As you can see, I had already left OLL when you started there. I am pleased you have good memories of your early years. Unfortunately, mine are mixed. An incident: a bunch of us, about 12 years old at the time, were fooling around and one of the boys fell out of a tree and broke his arm. We carried him to Lutheran Hospital They wouldn't let us in the front door. Told us to take him to Knickerbocker Hospital near 131st Street, and so we did. Today, I ask why no first aid was administered or an ambulance called. However, I have nothing but good words about the hospital in later years. I was sorry to hear about brother RIP Regards and in friendship, Jackie Woods PS My oldest sister, Ellen, class of 1936 Won scholorship to Holy Child Academy My older brother William (Billy), Class of 1937, won a scholarship to Regis High. MemoriesI graduated from OLL in 1973 and it is so wonderful to see a website with the School and the information that it offers. I too wondered about the Masses in the lower church. The grotto was always so beautiful and special. I have lived in Florida since 1986 and hope to make a trip to NYC just to visit the old school. Thanks again for bringing a smile to my face today. God bless. OLL MemoriesHi. I attended OLL from grades K to 5. I have the most beautiful memories of my childhood there. I loved the nuns. I can't believe how time has gone so fast. If anyone remembers me or remembers Sister Mary Owen or Ms. Valentine or the gym instructor George Izquierdo. I am talking about late 1960's, early 70's. Please contact me. Are the sisters still there? I went to visit Sister Mary Owen a couple of years ago. She wasn't wearing her habit any more. Those were good old days. I was so mischievous, always getting into trouble. Oh my God. I had the best early education there, never will I forget. I love history and I love these pictures that were posted up above, everything looks the same. Thanks! My family still lives up in Washington Heights. Our Lady of Lourdes School and ChurchAnd a HI to you, The good sisters left about ten years ago. You can reach the school online, it has a Web site. The school is no longer under the supervision of the Church. If you look over the rest of this page you will see that I have answered a number of postings that may be of interest to you. "Memories are made of this." In friendship, Jackie Woods OLL AlumniHello OLL'ers Head over to the OLL website www.ourladyoflourdesschool.net There's an alumni page where you can send your information and be put on the mailing list. OLLCould not connect with your e-mail: kbarkley@ourladyoflourdesschool.net Would you please check it. When did you attend OLL? I gave my information previously on bottom of page. Look forward to hearing from you. In friendship, Jackie woods To Jackie WoodsI knew Dennis before the war, and graduated OLL in 1937. My sister Marie graduated in 1936 and received a scholarship to Holy Name. Finding your web site after all these years is a small miracle. I'm sorry to say Marie, such a special person, passed away in 1977. Andrew, a 1943 or 44 graduate, died in 2000. I did not marry till 1985, had a daughter in 86. My wife Alice and I celebrated our daughter Colleen's wedding Nov. 24, 2007. I hope this proves I was not as bad as the sisters believed. They wanted so to see me go that they created the first coed class and skipped me from 6th to 8th grade. Yes we marched on the roof, auditorium, basement and in far away competition. I believe we had a West Point officer, but not certain. I just hope that life was as rewarding to all OLL graduates as I. God bless. John Orlando Wideawake80@verizon.net OLL, late 1950s and early 60sDon't know how I found this website, but so glad that I did. I graduated OLL in June 1961. The nuns are my most vivid memories of the school. The spring and Christmas plays that were held each year. Recess outside during lunchtime. Walking to school each day and spending the few pennies we had to buy candy at the store on Amsterdam Avenue, and the bicycle store there where we rented bikes on Saturday afternoons. Going to confession every Saturday down in the grotto. Checking the Legion of Decency list for movie listings. Learning to sing the Mass in Latin for every Sunday High Mass and, most important, the foundation the nuns gave us for our religion that is still strong to this day. A few years ago, we drove from Jersey up to the old place and convent still looked pretty good. Can someone please explain about not being under the archdiocese any longer. Thanks again. Lutheran HospitalI found this link when looking for the Lutheran Hospital. Very interesting information. I am researching my family history and found out this hospital is where my great grandfather passed away. Thinking that there may be additional information on the records, I searched for the hospital but have not been able to find any recent reference to it. Has the Hospital been closed? Can anybody give me some background information? I will certainly appreciate it, Anne [You might try the Archives search box on the New York Times Web site. Lutheran Hospital of Manhattan, at 343 Convent Avenue, merged with Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess Hospital in 1956 to form Our Saviour's Lutheran Hospital at the Norwegian Hospital facility on 46th Street and Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn. It's now called Lutheran Medical Center. - Dave] Lutheran HospitalHello Anne, Yes, I know Lutheran Hospital. My three oldest boys were born there: 1951: 1952: 1954. My brother-in-law's father died there c. 1937. When I last passed by the neighborhood, three years ago, I saw that the hospital had been converted to an assisted living facility. The neighborhood is looking great - real upscale. The brownstones that one could buy in the 1930s for a song are now selling for well over a million dollars. In the 1930s they were empty, thanks to the banks that foreclosed during the Depression. As kids we ran through them and at one time had a clubhouse inside one. In friendship, Jackie Woods Lutheran HospitalThanks you both, Dave and Jackie, for your responses. I will follow the advice and hope to be able to pass soon by the neighborhood. Anne OLL MemoriesHi Henry, I too remember Sister Mary Owen, my brother David Mora had her and she was really strict. We keep in touch with George Izquierdo and he is doing great. Sister Rosemarie passed away. I try to stay in touch with O.L.L. It was really a happy time in my childhood and the happy memories will always be a part of my life. Maxine Mora Lutheran Hospital of ManhattanLooking for pictures of the Hospital. I was born in 1940 in the facility and would like to see what it looked like in that era--anyone have a picture? Dad Was an AlumnusHello Jackie, I am curious to see if you know my father, Frank Corrigan, who was born in 1926, which would make him 82 this August. I think he was in the Class of 1941. I am also curious to see if you have any contact or info on Alfred Pereira or his sister Clara Pereira Mercado. Any help would be appreciated. Stephen Corrigan Please email me when you get a chance, stephenjcorrigan@aol.com. Frank CorriganYes, I knew Frank Corrigan, Class of 1940, not 1941, he was closer to my brother Dennis than me, I was a year younger. Didn't Frank have a younger very pretty sister? I last saw Frank c. 1968 in the upper Washington Heights area where many of the families from OLL had moved to from the 140th streets. I knew Pancho Pereira (the name Alfred does not ring a bell) and Clara, his younger sister. His little brother JoJo was killed in Korea. Pancho had a birthmark: strands of very white hair in the front of his head of very black hair. They were wonderful good people. Pancho was good friends with Jackie Koster, whose sister Barbara married Burl Ives in Hollywood and lived happily everafter. In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods eandjwoods50@yahoo.com Vacant Houses in Hamilton HeightsI thought we were the only ones that got into those empty houses. Afternoons we'd go in through a back window to study and do our homework. We didn't break anything, and at our age we always wondered why the houses were vacant. The Depression angle we didn't figure out until later. Tom Calumet and Frank Howe went with me. I understand Frank has died and Tom Calumet left NYC around 1945 to go out west with his parents. I graduated from OLL in 1941, and now live in Hopkins, MN OLL MemoriesI graduated in 1960. There were about 10 of us cousins who graduated between 1955 and 1960. I remember Father Cline, Fr. Malloy, Monsignor Hart, Mother Bonaventure, Mother Dominica and others. Does anyone remember the day the frat boys across the street pushed the dummy out the window during our recess? I can almost taste the corn muffins and egg creams at the soda fountain around the corner on Amsterdam Avenue while "Barbara Ann" played on the jukebox. OLL PhotoI have a great a picture of my Confirmation Day. I'm in full OLL uniform dated c. May 1935. How can I send it to the OLL Shorpy site? Yours truly, Ed Woods [Click the links under "Become a member, contribute photos." - Dave] Frat boys 0, Mother Mary Edward 10I sure do remember that day. Mother Mary Edward marched over and blasted them. Also the candy store around the corner used to sell two-cent pumpkin seeds out of a little red box. Does anyone remember the rumor going around that the Grotto Chapel was haunted? I remember walking home with "Little Star" playing on the transistor radio. The OLL GrottoI remember serving at what was called the Workmen's Mass in the Grotto in the 1930s - 6 o'clock in the morning! I know the Grotto is not used any more (I visited there in December 2007). As to the candy store on the corner of 143rd and Amsterdam, it was a very busy place: candy, pen nibs (no fountain pens), book covers etc. One day the owner came to school and told Sister Casmere, the principal, that we were disorderly and she must tell the students to behave when shopping in his store. Her solution was to tell the entire student body that they were not allowed to shop there. In a day or so, the man was back begging forgiveness and asked to plaese allow the children to return to his store. The kids were his main business. HelloHi Maxine How are you? Thank you for responding to me. It was very nice to hear from you. Sorry to hear about Sister Rosemary, but I don't remember her was she the pricipal of the school. I do remember Mr. Izquierdo he was the gym instructor with another man don't recall his name I believe he became principal of the school later on. Oh! now I remember his name was Mr. White I believe. God trying to recall, it is getting a little difficult now a days but I like it. It brings me back in time. How time have changed it was so innocent back than not like now. Looking back in time, makes me feel like I grew up to fast. How is Mr. Izquierdo doing? How can I contact him? Please let me know. My e-mail address is Je_Ocejo@yahoo.com. I remember he got married back than to a girl name Rocio, I don't know if they are still together but that lady was my father's friend daughter. Who else do you remember. Please get back to me with pictures. I have pictures too. Let me know how can I e-mail them to you. Would you believe that we are talking about almost atleast 35 years ago but I don't forget. God Bless you. Henry OLLBob, Any recollections of my father, Frank Corrigan, Class of 1940? Maybe not yourself but some of your older brothers. Steve Corrigan More OLL MemoriesI graduated in 1937 and was probably a fellow graduate of a brother. I had skipped 7th grade and so did not get to know classmates well. It is possible that the Waters family lived across the alley on the second floor of the building on 142nd Street. We lived on the top floor of the next building on Hamilton Place. In the same building lived Buddy Sweeney and Sal Guizzardi, also a tall blond kid who graduated with me. I believe your mother and my mom, Agnes Orlando, were friends. I believe your mother visited mine in 1952-3 in our new home in Bergenfield, N.J. I remember a sister who must have graduated with me or my sister Marie Orlando in 1936. My brother Andrew graduated 1947. My mother, brother and sister have passed away. I remember Poncho, the Kosta family, the Madigans, Woodses, Rendeans, Glyforces, McCarvils, Walshes, Philipses, Flynns, Duggans, Hooks, Rodriquezes, Craigs, Hugheses, Conways etc. I am sure we had many things in common being OLL graduates at a very special interval of time. I wish you well in your very beautiful state which I have passed through on three occasions. Best wishes and fond memories. John and Alice Orlando OLLLot older than you. Attended OLL from late 1930s to early 40s. Baptized, first Holy Communion and Confirmation (Cardinal Spellman). Lived at 145 and the Drive. Remember principal when I was there, Mother Mary Margaret. First grade teacher was Mother Mary Andrews. Remember playing on roof and being shocked by Mother Mary Andrews jumping rope. Believe there was a Father Dolan around that that time. Only went to through the 3rd grade there and then moved to 75th St and the Blessed Sacrament -- a whole different world, and not as kind or caring. Memories of OldHi Henry. You may not remember me but I also taught gym with George and sometimes Ms. Ortiz. George is with the Department of Education on the East Side. I work for the Bloomberg Administration. Sister Mary Owen has moved to Rye and of course all the nuns are now gone. I left in 1996 but I still miss all of the good times shared during my years there. Memories Are GoodHello, You taught me gym and we also had alot of good times with the High School Club on Friday nights. I have most painful memories of O.L.L the day Msgr. Cahill passed away. I never knew how much a heart could have so much pain and yet go on. My dad died on 4-29-96, Max Mora and I felt the same pain all over again. Do you know where Mother John Fisher has gone ... her name had changed to Sister Maryanne. I would love to hear from you. Maxine Mora Hi HenryMy email address is mmorafredericks@aol.com. I have yours and I am so happy to be in contact with you I graduated in 1973. I went to Cathedral High School. Later moved to Florida. My brothers and sisters are still in NY and I miss so much of it. I look forward to catching up with you. I will write soon. God Bless. Maxine Fellow ClassmateHi Tony, It has been more than 48 years since I last saw you - at our graduation from OLL in 1960. Let me know what you have been up to in the past half century. My e-mail address is kmckenna@clarku.edu. Kevin LTNSMr. White! Not sure if you still come to this site, but on the off chance that you still visit i thought i would write. It's been so long since I've seen or heard from you, not since "Len Fong" closed. For all others that may still come by this site, I graduated in 1983 (possibly 82). Would love to hear from a blast from the past. Please email me at kellyw88@gmail.com John McKennaHi Kevin, Any chance you are related to the McKenna family? John McKenna, Class of 1941 Your name sure rings a bell, however there must be 20 years difference between us. Have a healthy and happy 2009 In friendship, Ed Woods John McKennaHi Ed, I'm afraid that I'm not related to John McKenna. My brothers, Donald and Desmond, graduated from Our Lady of Lourdes in the fifties. I wasn't aware of another McKenna family in the parish when I was at OLL. Happy and healthy 2009 to you as well, Ed. Cheers, Kevin McKenna FamilyThe John McKenna family I knew lived on the northeast corner of Hamilton Place and 141st street. I had other friends and schoolmates in that building. Thinking back, you probably had to be an Irish Catholic to live there. Whatever, I think you had to be an Irish Catholic to attend OLL. I never knew any others at that time, the 1930s. Most fathers worked for the subway and trolley systems or at the milk delivery companies along 125th Street near the river. Those were the days, my friend. Innocence prevailed! In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods The Mc KennasJim McKenna and his younger brother Tommy lived in that house above Grizzardi's grocery. Tom hung around with Marty the Hanger Phipher and the Warriors. Billy Vahey and his brother Eddie who retired as a Lieutenant in the NYPD lived there also. Their mother was still there in the early 80s. You probably knew the Schadack family, who I believe owned Schrafft's or Donald York. I think the building was 644 West 145 St. It was the first apartment house in the city to have a self-service elevator. When we lived there the neighborhood was known as Washington Heights. For some reason it's now referred to as Hamilton Heights. A couple of great web sites -- Forgotten NY and Bridge and Tunnel Club. You can spend hours & hours on Rockaway Beach alone. Lots of good memories! How about the movie theaters -- the Delmar, the RKO Hamilton, the Dorset, the Loews Rio, the Loews 175 (now the Rev. Ikes Church) and all the theaters along 180th Street? Hamilton HeightsNorm, Many thanks for your fine memories of our old neighborhood but there are a few minor corrections I have to make. The first is the name Shadack family. I believe the correct spelling is Shattuck and his address was 676 Riverside Drive on the corner of 145th Street. We lived there and my brother Bill was classmates with Gene Shattuck. No relation to the Schrafft's empire. Secondly, Hamilton Heights was always known as such. Outsiders didn't know where that was so we usually said Washington Heights for simplicity. Washington Heights doesn't really start until 157th Street and is separated from Hamilton Heights by the Audubon plot. The Old NeighborhoodAlex Hamilton lived nearby. There was a very pleasant young man (OLL Class of 1941) named Eugene Shattuck who lived near 145th Street and Riverside Drive. His father was a professor at Manhattan College and his family owned the Schrafft's Restaurants. I fondly recall Eugene having the wonderful hourglass-shaped bottles of hard Schrafft's candy brought to school and distributing one bottle to each of his classmates at Christmas time. Needless to say, the poor Amsterdam Avenue kids were in awe of one who could afford to do such a good deed. You mention the Warriors, I knew the (Gang) but not any of the names mentioned here on Shorpy. In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods P.S. My in-laws the Boyd family lived at 676 Riverside Drive. Les Sr. had a radio repair shop on 145th and Broadway. 676 Riverside DriveI lived at 676 as well. The family's name was Shattuck. In my day, many, many years ago, the elevator had an operator. A sweet man in full uniform. There was a doorman as well. Saw the building years later and was appalled at the change. Then went up to OLL and hardly recognized it. It was the best school I ever went to. Thank you for reminding me of the fun. And yes, of the education I got there. By the way, 676 on the Drive was called the Deerfield. OLL StudentsI am researching my family history and I came upon this great site. In 1930 my grandparents Michael and Marie Murphy were living at 1744 Amsterdam Avenue and later in the 1930s at 115 Hamilton Place. All of the Murphy children attended Our Lady of Lourdes School. They were: Maurice (born 1916) Rita (born 1917/ my Mother) John (born 1918) Theresa (born 1920) Vincent (born 1922) Veronica (born 1925) My mom had such fond memories of her time spent there. Rita Harmon Bianchetto Hi Neighbor!!Hi Rita, I'm a former resident of 676 Riverside. My family lived there from 1940 to 1960 in apartment 4A. Bobby Foy lived next door to us. I think you may have left just after we arrived since I remember the elevator operator. The change to automatic was somtime during or just after WWII. I remember they put up this 10 foot wall with a door to limit access to the building. Fat lot of good that did us as my mother was robbed in broad daylight in the service chamber of our apartment in 1960. That's when my Dad had us pack up and leave for a secure location in the Bronx. Anyway, the apartment was great. We had a balcony looking over 145th Street and the river. My brothers were Larry Jr., Bill and Nick. Bill was a good friend to Gene Shattuck and went to Xavier with him. Nick and I also went there. Larry had a scholarship to All Hallows. Judy, can you tell me your last name and if you knew me. Hope to hear from you. Bob Phillips at bobbyphilly@msn.com Your DadSorry Steve, I graduated in 1947 and my three brothers have died. But the name Corrigan does ring a bell. Probably from my brother Larry who knew just about everyone in OLL. Sorry I couldn't help out but it was great hearing from you. Bob Phillips Andrew.Yes, I remember your brother Andrew. We were in the same class and we used to kid him about his name - Andrew Orlando and how tall he was. What's he doing these days? Bob Phillips Those were the days, my friendsHello Rita, I remember the name Murphy but not the faces. We lived a block south of you at 1704 Amsterdam. My sister Ellen, Class of 1936, and brother Bill, Class of 1937, would have known your family. We had many friends on Hamilton Place, the Koster family for one: Anita, Class of 1936, her younger sister Barbara married Burl Ives, and her other sister Mary Lou married Eddie Byrne (1710 Amsterdam). Ed's sister married Chump Greeny -- killed at Anzio Beach. He must have lived near your family. My brother in law Les Boyd lived in the Deerfield and had an electric appliance store on the corner of 145th and B'way and a sporting goods store on the next block next to the Chinese restaurant. In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods Hello RitaHello Rita, I attended St. Catherine's Academy on 151st between B'way and Amsterdam (It cost my dear old dad $10 a month for what was considered a private school.) I graduated in 1943 in a class of only four girls. I then went to the Sacred Heart of Mary Academy in Inwood (I had to climb the long steps up from B'way every day for four years -- Class of 1947. Most of my relatives went to OLL as did my husband of 59 years, Ed Woods. We are still alive, kicking and fighting and making up every day. In my Class of 1943, one of the girls was Ann Murphy -- any relation? Also a Virginia O'Malley and my best friend, June McAvoy, who keeps in touch with me. June's grandfather was Judge McAvoy, who had died by that time. I loved when my folks took me to McGuire's Bar and Restaurant on B'way and 155th. Oh that Roast Lamb (Irish style) on a Sunday or a holiday. The girls used to go to Nuestra Senora de Esperanza (Our Lady of Hope) next to the museum complex. We were told not to go there for confession, but the Spanish priests were limited in English. Thinking back we had but little to confess at that time. Eddie and I had an apartment on 150th near the Drive for a few years until 1956, then it was off to Long Island to raise our six children. In friendship and love hearing from you, Ed and Jackie Woods The MurphysHi Ed and Jackie, Thanks so very much for your reply. I wish my mom was still with us but she died in 1998, the last of the Murphy kids. My grandfather Mike Murphy worked for the Post Office (a mail carrier working out of the General P.O. at 33rd and 8th). My grandmother Marie Murphy died in 1939 while living at Hamilton Place. Uncle Maurice went to Regis H.S. for several years before leaving to attend All Hallows; John and Vincent then attended All Hallows; my mom, Rita, attended Cathedral; Veronica, I believe, attended St. Vincent, and Theresa died at age 25 in 1944 (not sure of her high school). Mom worked at Woolworth's on 145th Street and Broadway, and after high school at New York Telephone, retiring about 1980. She got married in 1943 and moved to 152nd Street, and we attended St. Catherine of Genoa on W. 153rd. I graduated in 1958. So I know the neighborhood. Peace, Rita Hi Ed and JackieSo Jackie you are a St. Kate's gal like me! My tuition was a dollar a month, so your education was really a private school. You have listed the Academy at 151st Street but I think that it was on 152nd between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. I took my high school entrance exam at SHM so I am sort of familiar with the school -- fireworks were going off during our exam. The end result was I did fine and attended Blessed Sacrament on West 70th, Class of 1962. I last saw the "girls" at a reunion in 2002. My Spanish teacher just celebrated her 70th anniversary as a nun with the Sisters of Charity. I am not familiar with any of the girls names that you mentioned,including Ann Murphy. I do know McQuire's, where I had my first Shirley Temple, Mass at Our Lady of Esperanza, Trinity Cemetery & loved visiting the museums. Do either of you recall Eugenio Pacelli, before he became Pope Pius XII visiting at OLL ? Please tell me about your days on 150th Street near the Drive since I may have been the little skinny blond kid you both passed on the street. Peace, Rita in Northern New Jersy West 150th NYCHello Rita, Yes, we lived at 615 W. 150th from 1950 to 1956. Four of my children were born there (three at Lutheran Hospital and one at Jewish Memorial). We had many friends from school and the neighborhood living nearby. However, by 1956 it was time to move on; many changes in the neighborhood. One of my nearby friends was Juanita Poitier; Sidney was just getting started with his acting career. A real nice couple. Was Father Tracy (Pastor) still there when you attended school? How about Father Brady? He was always telling stories during Mass about his sea time with the Navy. Eddie remembers going to the Woolworths lunch counter (145th and B'way) in the early 1940s just to have an excuse to talk with the girls. He knew many of them from school and the neighborhood. In friendship, Jackie West 152ndHi Jackie and Ed, I lived at 620 West 152nd Street, just a stone's throw from you folks. My sister was born at Jewish Memorial Hospital in March 1952 -- Dr. Sandler from Broadway 150/151st St. delivered. Those were the days of Dave's deli on the corner of 151st & Broadway famous for pastrami on rye and a cold beer for the dads, Rafferty's Bar and Grill on the other side of B'way, Harry's or Pierre's homemade candy and ice cream parlor, Cora's beauty salon where my Nana would get a cold wave and blue tint. And not to be forgotten, Snow & Youman's drug store on B'Way and 151st. I recall the name Fr. Brady but it was Pastor Kane and Fr. Tracy (and his Irish Setter, Rusty) that I recall. I just sent a photo of Fr. Tracy to my classmates. Rita Japanese BazaarWho remembers the Japanese-American bazaar in the brownstones across from the OLL lower grades school during the war? They had the blue star & the gold star pennants hanging in the windows. They also had a store on Amsterdam Avenue near 144th Street and when they sold coffee the lines would go all around the block. How about the punchball games out side the school, or stoop ball? Anyone remember playing basketball and using the bottom rung on the fire escape ladder as a basket? The nearest basketball court was at 148th Street by the river. If you wanted to "take out" a ball from the park, you would leave a shirt as a deposit. I remember shoveling snow off the court in order to play. Unfortunately those days were the last time the country was almost 100% together. Twenty years from now, these will be the "good old days." Your brother AndrewI palled around with Andy & another kid named Eddie McGlynn. As a matter of fact I have a picture of Andy, Buddy Ayres & me at Rye Beach. Buddy went to Bishop Dubois with us. He was from Vinegar Hill. You didn't mention the Wittlingers. They lived on the first floor in your building. Brendan lives in Virginia. I'm still in touch with him, Matty Waters and Les Scantleberry. Pancho Pereria made a career of the Navy. He died several years ago. JoeJoe, one of my closest friends, was killed in Korea. Dave's DeliI haven't had a good hot corned beef sandwich since I last had one at Dave's. His son Milton was running the store in the 1950s after Dave retired to Florida. Dave's used to have a window in the summer that sold potato knishes (5 cents, with mustard) and of course kosher hot dogs. I heard a Clement Moore fan club still meets every Christmas Eve next to Trinity Church Cemetery and recites "The Night Before Christmas." I was born in 1928 at 853 Riverside Drive. When 90 Riverside was built in 1941 and blocked the view of the Hudson, we moved there. Warm regards, Jackie and Ed The old neighborhoodThe Wittlingers (the twins were the same age as my two younger brothers, also twins), Matty Waters, Les Scantleberry, JoJo: All those names I remember, especially Pancho and his family. For the life of me, I cannot understand why your name doesn't ring a bell. You mentioned the Warriors. Did you know Tommy or Willie Taylor, the Conroys, Drago, Jackie Hughes, etc. What years did you attend OLL? I looked up some old friends on the Internet over the past few years -- said hello and then goodbye when their families called to give me the news: Vinny McCarville, Bruce Boyd, Phil Marshall, Eddie O'Brien -- all gone to their maker. They were spread out all over the country. It was satisfying, however, just to say hello. I met Vinny in New Orleans and we had a beer for the first time in many years. We had gone to sea together during WWII and had a lot of memories. You must forgive my spelling etc. My eyesight is on its way out (along with everything else). I will be 82 in a few months but active and still traveling. I have been to six of the seven continents and my wish is to have breakfast at the South Pole. In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods ToppersWas Dave's on B'Way near 140th Street? I sold the Sunday News there for 25 cents during the news strike. It was normally a nickel. We had to go down to the News Building to buy them. Overhead! Who remembers the Sugar Bowl on the corner of 143rd and Broadway? A great hangout for different age groups. How about Toppers Ice Cream parlor on B'Way between 139 & 140th? In the 1940s and early '50s you could go to the Audubon Theater at 168th and B'Way on Sunday for 77 Cents and see three features, 23 cartoons, newsreels and an eight-act stage show with such luminaries as Billy Halop of the Dead End Kids or Lash LaRue or Ferdinand the Bull. Top shelf. They must get at lest a buck fifty for admission today! Tea and Nut StoreHi Norm, My mom (Rita Murphy) mentioned there was an Asian family owned Tea and Nut shop in OLL Parish when she was a child (born 1917). She said her brothers, Maurice and John Murphy, would sometimes play with the owners' son. I am wondering if this could be the same shop. Rita ToppersDave's was on the southwest corner of Broadway and 151st Street, a short trip from my home on 152nd near Riverside Drive. I do recall the Sugar Bowl and maybe was in it once or twice but never hung out there. Topper's is a name I never heard before, as far as ice cream parlors go. Thanks so much for mentioning the name and location. Perhaps before my time (1945 baby) or too far from my home. Many people have mentioned the Audubon Theater to me (165-166th Street) but I have no memory of it at all. I do recall the San Juan Theater that took over the space of the old Audubon. I love hearing about Mom's (Rita Murphy's) old neighborhood. Thanks for sharing. Rita Your Name?No, Dave's Deli was on 151st and Broadway. Yes, Toppers & the Sugar Bowl were popular hangouts, however the Piedmont, the Staghorn and the Chesterfield were more popular later on. I have pictures of the great snowfall of December 27, 1947 taken in front of the above mentioned restaurants with a bunch of the guys posing in the cold. The Audubon Theater became better known when Malcom X was murdered in its ballroom. I saw Milton Berle there in the early 1940s. Actually, the Bluebird and the Washington were also popular as they only cost 10 cents (no heat or air conditioning). Memories, memories, dreams of long ago. Ed and Jackie Woods The OLL ChoirI sang in the OLL choir for about 5 or 6 years and hated it.T he only advantage was that we skipped the last class for practice. The downside was that after attending 9 o'clock Mass we had to sing at the 11 o'clock High Mass, which interfered with our Sunday football game. I played with the Junior Cadets. We had a very good team coached by Joe Romo, who went on to be the trainer for the Oakland A's for many years. I saw him at Yankee Stadium whenever the team played the Yankees at home. Joe died several years ago. Mr. Skyler, the choirmaster, wore a wig that could easily be mistaken for road kill. I used to wonder if he was committing a sin by wearing something on his head in church. After all it was no different then wearing a hat during Mass. Mrs. Daly was a very lovely lady who played the organ and gave piano lessons. She lived down the street from us on 142nd between Broadway and Hamilton Place and had something like 10 kids. My sister Maureen was friends with Theresa and Billie. John was I believe the youngest son. Maureen graduated from Notre Dame de Lourdes on Convent Avenue. My sister Frances was close friends with Helen and Rita Nerney, who lived across the street. Fran died in 2002. ToppersI lived at 635 Riverside Drive. I recall Toppers being near the corner of 141st, next to a Jewish deli. In the summer my dad took my brother Tom and me for ice cream there every evening. Happy memories! Bishop DuboisI graduated 1953 from Bishop Dubois. I believe your brother Ernie was in my class at OLL. I hope he is doing well. Give him my regards. Bill Healy Names from the Old NeighborhoodBrendan & Bernie turned 76 on February 2. Don't ask how I remember things like this. I forgot what I had for breakfast this morning. I'll be 76 August 11, weather permitting. Everyone seems to forget Pinky (Michael) Pereria. You are closer to my late brother Jim's age. Jim hung out with Jimmy and John Bartlett, Donald LaGuardia, Tommy & Willie Taylor (born on the same day a year apart -- Irish twins). Again I don't know why I remember these things. Eddie O'Brien used to go by the name Drawde Neirbo, his name spelled backwards. He was a close friend of Big Jack Hughes. I recall a group of you guys joining the Merchant Marine during the war. The Dragos lived on 141st Street between Hamilton Place and Amsterdam Avenue. The youngest (Joseph?) was in my class. A couple of years ago I went down to the old neighborhood with my sons. Surprisingly, it looks great. Lots of renovations going on. My beautiful wife June is a BIC (Bronx Irish Catholic) from the South Bronx. It's not as great a neighborhood as it used to be, but lots of great people came out of there. I took her away from there, married her 50 plus years ago and got her a decent dental plan and raised five kids in New Jersey. I graduated in 1948. It should have been 1947 but Mother Mary Inez red-shirted me in the 6th grade. Will stay in touch. Norm Brown Norm Brown??Norm, I graduated in 1947 from OLL. I knew a kid (Norman Brown) who lived on 141st between Hamilton and Broadway. I think he had a younger brother. He went to OLL with me, but he did not graduate from OLL. Eddie McGlynn was in my class, and the Wittlingers. I lived at 510 W 140th. Are you that Norman? Bill H. The Summer of '66Hi Jackie and Ed, I never had one of Dave or Milton's corned beef sandwiches but I can say that the pastrami on rye was a thing that dreams are made of. I recall the knishes out the window in the summer and the hot dogs. Thanks so much for taking me back in time. Milton would take the pastrami out of that silver steamer box sharpening his knife, and the rest was heaven on rye. Milton was still behind the counter in the summer of 1966 but after that I can't say. I am sure that "The Night Before Christmas" is still recited next to Clement Moore's grave, in Trinity Cemetery. In my day the Girl Scout Troop that met at the Church of the Intercession would participate in the recitation of the Moore piece. I know that 853 Riverside Drive is on the Upper Drive, since I sat on "The Wall" on summer evenings as a teenager. You said you moved in 1941 to 90 RSD -- did you mean 90 or 890? I am not familiar with the numbering of the "lower" drive where the red house sits (so it was called). I am off in search of a good sandwich. Peace, Rita Stagershorn & ChesterfieldMalcom X was shot in the Audubon Ballroom at the back of the theater, which later became the Teatro San Juan. I saw Abbott and Costello there en Espanol. At 7 years old I was run over by a truck at 142 Street and Broadway, right outside the Staghorn, I managed to live! I would hang from the window outside the Chesterfield, watching football games on TV with Bobby Heller and Herby Gil and Buddy McCarthy. That was a hell of a snowstorm in '47. Remember digging tunnels through the snowbanks? You forgot to mention Larry's, just next to the Sugar Bowl. I would watch "Victory at Sea" there. A couple of years ago I took a walk through the OLL neighborhood and realized that when you are a kid everything you see is at eye level and taken for granted, but as you look up and around from a mature aspect it becomes a whole different world. It is really a beautiful area. 90 Riverside Drive WestHi Rita. I'm positive 853 was on the Lower Drive. When the new building went up next to it around 1941, the address was 90 Riverside Drive West. However, it caused so much confusion with 90 Riverside Drive (downtown) that the address was changed to 159-32 Riverside. The plot originally hosted a small golf course. I also went to the Church of the Intercession with the Girl Scouts. Small world. And the wall -- on a hot summer night, standing room only. Jackie West 140th NYCThe kids I hung around with were in the OLL classes of 1940 and 1941. I had a weekend job in 1941 with Ike's Bike Rental on 141st. He needed someone to identify the kids who rented there (bikes rented for 20 cents an hour -- and that's the truth). We started a Junior Air Raid Wardens group and had a store next to Ike's. Collected paper etc, for the war effort. And you are correct, within three years, when we turned 16, McCarvill, O'Brien, Drago and I joined the merchant marine. Did you know the Kieley family -- lived at 1628 Amsterdam before moving to the lower Bronx: Pauline, Rita, Josephine, Peggy and the two boys Nicky and Jimmy. I loved going to their upstairs apartment for tea, especially when Mrs Kiely made Irish Soda Bread. My wife (then girlfriend) Jackie sponsored Jim Kieley when he became a citizen around 1948. He was from County Waterford, the same as her family. We celebrated our 59th anniversary last week. Regards, Eddie Woods My Brother JimYou probably knew my brother Jim Brown. He too was born in 1928. He died three years ago today. He graduated from Cardinal Hayes, spent a couple of years in the Army and graduated from Fordham University. Jim lived in Wycoff, N.J. He was very successful in business. Amsterdam AvenueThe Denning family (10 kids) lived on Amsterdam Avenue between 141st and 142nd. Hughie had polio and wrote away to FDR for an autograph during the war. As it turned out he was the last person to get one. He was in an iron lung at the time. It was a big deal. Lots of press. One of the boys, Peter Schaefer Denning, was born on the back of a beer truck on the way to the hospital. Hence the name. The Connolly brothers, Eamon and Timmy, lived in the same building. Everyone in the family had red hair. Not unlike Bobby Foy's family. If I recall properly, the father looked like Arthur Godfrey, his mom like Lucille Ball, Bobby like Red Skelton, and they had a red cat plus an Irish setter. It took a lot of guts for a group of 16-year-old kids to join the merchant marine. A belated thanks for your service. My wife makes great Irish soda bread. Is there any other kind? You can give ten women the same ingredients for soda bread and you'll get ten different tasting breads. All great! Especially with a cup of Lynches Irish tea. The season is almost upon us once again. The only Kiely (different spelling) I knew was my NYPD partner Timmy, who was from the South Bronx, Hunts Point. Tim grew up with Colin Powell. Having worked in the South Bronx for 25 years and marrying June Margaret O'Brien, one of six girls from there, I pretty much connect with the people of SOBRO, as the area is now known. Sooner or later everything gets yuppified. How about this web site? Something else! Take care, Norm Mea CulpaHi Jackie, Of course you know 853 RSD is on the Lower Drive but Google Maps does not. "Looks like 800 Block of Upper Drive is even numbers and 800 Block on Lower Drive is odd numbers." I did not locate 159-32 but I did find a 159-34 and 159-00, seems to be the last structure (red brick) on the Lower Drive area that we are speaking of, now a co-op but the year of construction is not listed. I have very fond memories of the folks I spent time with on "our" wall. Peace, Rita Yes, it's Kiely I was in error. For whatever resaon, The Dublin House on 79th off the NE corner of Broadway became a meeting place for many of the kids from the OLL area up until the early 1970s: Eamon Connolly, Tommy Taylor etc. I worked with Tom for a short time before be went on the force and then as a T Man. I have not heard from him in too many years. One of great fellows from the old neighborhood. In friendship, Ed Woods My e-mail: eandjwoods50@Yahoo.com P.S. The Kiely family moved to Crimmons Ave in the Bronx West 159th Street NYCDear Rita, I do enjoy rehashing the old neighborhood and the wonderful memories we can recall. Yes, it is the last buillding on the street and I lived there until 1950, when I married Ed. My uncle George lived there until c. 1981 in a rent controlled apartment, and yes, it did become a co-op. When first opened, the building had four entrances. Later, in the 1980s, it was down to one main entrance on the via-dock for safety reasons. I loved our apartment there, which had a beautiful view of the Hudson and the George Washington Bridge. My friend June, nee McAvoy, lived at 3750 B'way. We were together in school for 12 years at St. Catherine's and Sacred Heart. June lives in Maryland. By the way, my e-mail is eandjwoods50@yahoo.com Jackie Woods The Red HouseDear Jackie & Ed, How lucky you were to have lived in the Red House, especially with the views of the bridge and the river. Growing up I never knew anyone who lived there, so never saw the interior, I'm sure it was lovely. I heard that David Dinkins lived there at some point before he became mayor. Many of my classmates lived in 790 Riverside Drive and I was always so impressed that their apartments had two doors. Our apartment was on the fourth floor of a walkup and across the street from a garage. Funny how I was not really impressed by a doorman but by the two doors. I seem to remember a gas station near your friend June's house...other side of Broadway from the museum, now college. One of my St. Catherine's classmates, last I heard, he was teaching at the college. Was Rexall Drug on the corner of 157th, with the newsstand outside the door, when you lived in the Red House? In my home we seemed to have all of the city newspapers -- morning, afternoon and evening, some selling for 4 cents. To this day I read two papers every day and still long to go out Saturday night to pick up the Sunday paper. Thanks for the email. Peace, Rita Class of 1959I attended O.L.L. from 5th to 8th grade. My 5th grade teacher was Mother Mary Edward, what a wonderful woman, 6th was Mother Mary St. Hugh, 7th Mother Mary Edward and 8th Mother Mary Bernadette. Graduated in 1959. Classes were mxed -- black, white and Latino. Memories are mostly good ones -- Father Kline, Father Malloy, Father Hart. The religious experience most memorable, especially during Lent, novenas on Wednesday afternoon and Stations on Friday after school. Liggets / RexallHello Rita, I loved the lunch/soda counter at Liggetts/Rexalls. for whatever reason, my family used the pharmacy across the street, on the east side of B'way, to have prescriptions filled. The family that owned and operated the newsstand helped us lease our first apartment at 600 W. 157th. Apartments were in short supply in 1950. We lived in the unit formerly rented by the Singer Midgets next to Peaches Browning of Daddy Browning fame. Of course they were long gone when we lived there. My father was very active in the Tioga Democratic Club with the Simonetti family. Do you remember Warner's Cafeteria between 157 & 158th? We visited St. Catherine's Church Christmas week 2007 with our niece who wanted to see where she was baptized in 1953. She is on Mayor Bloomberg's staff. Warm regards, Jackie Woods eandjwoods50@yahoo.com Oh, as the poet said, "To return to yesteryear and our salad days." My brother ErnieBilly, Ernie and I went to Bishop Dubois. Ernie for two years and I for three. We both were bounced in 1951 and transferred to Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J. We went there on a Schrafft's scholarship. Our mom waited on tables at Schrafft's in order to send us there. In those days it was pretty much a blue collar school. It wasn't that far removed from being a reform school. VERY STRICT. Today it's much more hoity toity. I'm still in close touch with my old classmates, most of whom have been successful in life. Ernie was a great basketball player, the first to score over 50 points in a game in Bergen County (three times), breaking Sherman White's record. White was an All American but messed up his career in the 1950-51 college season. Ernie went to Fordham on an athletic scholarship. Ernie died in 2002. He was a very special guy, extremely generous and giving. We miss him a lot. He lived a couple of blocks away from me as did most of my siblings. Sad to say, the circle grows smaller. 1959 OLL gradsAre you out there, does any one remember or know of any of the following graduates of O.L.L. -- Starr Martin, Carol Long or her sisters, Carlotta and Tony, Josephine Velez, Melvina (Kinky) Boyd, Chicky Aponte. I went of to Cathedral and the others to various Catholic high schools and lost touch. After finding this site, many memories have come back. Would like to know how old friends are doing. 600 W. 157thHi Jackie, You lived around the corner from the post office. I remember going there once to get a money order and losing Mom's gray umbrella. Your building was by the Grinnell, where a friend's father was the superintendent during the 60s. Liggett/Rexall -- we went to Snow & Youman's for drugs but to Rexall for film, flashbulbs and of course the soda fountain. The last time I was there was April 1965, just before my son was born. I do not recall a Warner's Cafeteria but do remember the famous, and oh so good, Imperial Deli, Lambos Flower Shop, Commander Bar & Grill, Full Moon & McGuire's. I visited St. Catherine's about 1994 and it was like being in a time warp, except for the piano near the altar. The church was just as I remembered when I got married in 1964, only smaller. The school is now public. I am in touch with some of my friends from the Class of 1958. It was nice that your niece was able to visit the church where she was baptized. I never heard of the Tioga Democratic Club or the Simonetti family (the only Simonettis I know are the family whose niece and son are engaged). Jackie, was the pharmacy on the east side of B'way United or perhaps that was a sign for United Cigar? So nice this walk down memory lane. Best to your Eddie. Peace, Rita Memories: dreams of long agoHi Rita, My close friend June's, nee McAvoy, family lived in the Grinnell for many years. Her grandfather was Judge McAvoy. Eddie claims to have an exceptionally good memory but he says he needs to yield to you. You do have a most wonderful recall. However, he is more familiar with the OLL school and church neighborhood. My brother-in-law (much older than Eddie and me) was in the vending machine business: Ace Distributing -- jukeboxes, cigarette machines etc. Eddie worked for him for a few years when we first married and the company had locations in almost every store in the neighborhood (including the Commander). That is a dead business today. How about Pigeon Park? You couldn't sit there. Warm regards, Jackie Woods GrinnellHi Jackie, Do you recall a Doctor James Farley living in the Grinnell? Doctor Farley must have taken care of half of Washington Heights over a period of many years (had an office on 178 St. between Broadway and Ft. Washington Ave.). Ah, Pigeon Park...I remember it well and always tried to circumvent it! All the best. Rita I remember it wellHi Rita, Our family physician was Dr. VanWorth, as an adult I visited Dr. Liebling, who had an office c. 156th. He later moved down to 72nd Street. A wonderful caring man (who made house calls). My son Ed Jr. was 58 years old this week, I have a picture of him when he was 1 sitting on a pony taken on the corner of 155th and B'way. John Orlando's brother married a St Catherine's girl. I don't know her age. Ain't we got fun? Jackie Woods Current resident of the neighborhood (Grinnell)I'd like to invite you to visit www.audubonparkny.com, which is a virtual walking tour of the neighorhood you're discussing. You can "take the walking tour" online or go to the Sitemap/ Index of Images to read about specific buildings and see pictures from many eras. I'm happy to post any pictures (and credit the owners) of the neighborhood that you'd like to share - focusing on the Audubon Park area (155th to 158th, Broadway to the river). www.audubonparkny.com Walking TourThanks so very much for posting the site for the Audubon Park area...I had a delightful walking tour. Down Memory Lane at OLLWhat happened, did we all run out of memories? Who remembers the stickball field comprised of Hamilton Place from 140 to 141st Street. A ball hit over the small roof on 141st was a double and over the roof at 95 Hamilton Place was a homer. After the war the street was so crowded with cars that the games were moved to Convent Avenue in front of CCNY. There was some heavy money bet on these games. Walking TourThanks, Rita, I'm glad you enjoyed the walk! Please come back and visit the site again. I post a Newsletter on the homepage (www.AudubonParkNY.com ) each month highlighting new pages, information, and research, as well as updates on the Historic District project. Matthew The Prairie StateDoes anyone have memories of the Prairie State? It was a WWI battleship moored in the Hudson River at about 135 Street and I believe used for Naval Reserve training. As kids we snuck on board and played basketball on it. The deck (court) had a bow on it which is partially responsible for the replacement parts in my ankle today. How about the "Dust Bowl" at 148 Street next to the river where we played football and baseball? Today it's state of the art, at least compared to what we played on. Now there is grass on the field. Progress! Under the Via DockFar from being a battleship, the Prairie State (also called the Illinois) was an old transport. However, as youngsters we would have been impressed by its size. Pancho and another neighborhood boy whose name I can't recall trained there before being sent to England as frogmen in preparation for the D-Day landing. It was decided that those boys with big chests (big lungs) could do the job best. I can recall Pancho telling me after the war that he had only a few days of Boot Camp. Sports -- we used the oval near City College. Stick ball -- 144th between Amsterdam and B'way. A ball hit to any roof was an out, never a homer. Spaldines was Spaldings were costly in the 1930s. One had to learn to hit as far up the street as possible, over the sewers. That is why the good hitters (one strike only) were called three-sewer hitters. The Prairie State was docked under the Via Dock c. 130th St. Like you, we visited it often. Nearby were the meatpacking/butcher plants. During the 1930s there were two "Hoovervilles" (hobo camps) under the dock. The overhead gave the men some some protection from the elements. I had an uncle who took me fishing off the piers. I felt sorry for the "lost souls." Then one day they were all gone. Hosed away! I used to wonder where they went. In friendship Ed Woods eandjwoods50@yahoo.com PanchoAs you recall, Pancho was short, about 5'8" and maybe 200 lbs. and a very good athlete -- basketball, baseball and could hold his own on a basketball court. I remember speaking to him about the UDT (Underwater Demolition Teams,the precursor to the Navy Seals) and asking him if they were relegated to swimming all the time. He told me they spent most of the time running, running, running to build endurance. As I remember, the Oval was near Convent Avenue. We never used the term two sewers in stickball. That was a Bronx expression. We bought our pink "Spaldeens" at Rutenbergs candy store on Amsterdam Avenue between 140 and 141 Streets for a nickel. He also sold kids twofers, two for a penny loosies, and Bugle Tobacco so you could roll your own or purchase a corncob pipe to puff away. Loosies were two cigarettes for a penny. I understand due to the cost of smokes they are doing that again. We played "swift pitching" in the park at Hamilton Place between 140 and 141 streets. It was comprised of drawing a box (a strike zone) on the the handball court wall and throwing balls and strikes as hard as you could. I'm a little younger then you but I remember the Swift Meat Plant down by the river and the time John Garfield filmed a scene from a movie, Force of Evil, running down the steps toward the river. Somehow he ended up at the red lighthouse under the GW Bridge and discovered his brother's body, played by Thomas Gomez, in the river. As kids during the war we would fish and crag off the docks right near the old Two Six Precinct. I'll never forget the time my younger brother came home with a catfish and an eel and damn near burned the house down trying to cook them. Boy, life was a lot simpler then. Even with a world war raging. Amsterdam AveRutenbergs, address 1628 Amsterdam, I lived in the upstairs bldg for five years. The Rutenbergs lived in an apt in the back of their store. Tommy Smith worked their paper route for many years. Tommy lived in 1626 next to McCarvill. The Conroys (Johnny the Bull) lived in 1630. Eddie O'Brien lived in 1634 over the Rothschild Deli where we could buy Old Dutch beer for 14 cents a quart plus a 5 cent deposit. "It's for my father." The playground around the corner was busy at night after it closed for the day. My recall of loosies is six for five cents in a small paper bag with six wooden matches. You refer to the station house as the "Two Six Precinct." Something tells me you were "on the job." A good family friend, Frank Lynch, became the Captain at 152nd and Amsterdam (The Three Two)? Your e-mail? In friendship, Ed Woods Three Oh PrecinctYes I worked in the South Bronx for 25 years which included 10 years at the Yankee Stadium,ten of the best years of my life. A ring side seat at the world. We played many games there-- Shae, West Point, etc. -- and traveled to Venezuela with the New York Press team. I worked out with players on the DL. Thurman Munson was a good friend as was Catfish Hunter. Lou Pinella and Graig Nettles. We guarded Pope Paul and Pope John Paul II. John Paul II gave off an aura that was indescribable. I was very close to him on three occasions and he made you weak in the knees and start to shake. Believe me it wasn't his celebrity status. Some of the people I knew were Cary Grant who used to look for me when he came to many games. Someday I'll tell you how he saved my marriage. A funny story! Jimmy Cagney came to a few games. Boy was that sad to see Rocky Sullivan, every Irish American kid's hero, all crippled up with arthritis. I finished up in the Bronx Detective Task Force and never looked back. It was a great career if you rolled with the punches. The six for five must have been filter tips.I forgot about the wooden matches. Do you remember the Hooten Bars they sold? One by two inch chocolate candy stuck on wax paper. Nobody seems to remember them. Rutenberg had the greatest malteds. They kept the milk frozen. God! Were they good! The Three Oh Precinct was at 152 Street & Amsterdam Avenue across from St. Catherines Grammar School where I went to kindergarten for a day. Later it became Bishop Dubois H.S., which I attended for three years before getting bounced along with my younger brother. There was a kid by the name of Neally Riorden who may have lived in your building and a kid by the name of Brian Neeson Hannon who died around 1945. I remember going to his wake on Vinegar Hill. Next we should take a trip down Vinegar Hill. My e mail is fuzz408@optonline.net God bless & HAPPY EASTER Rutenberg'sRutenberg's had the greatest milkshakes mainly because they kept the milk semi frozen. They also had Hooten bars, sheets of one by two inch chocolate that sold for a penny each. I've never met anyone from a different neighborhood who heard of them. Yes, I was on the job for 25 years in the South Bronx. Check your personal e mail. The Three Oh was at 152 Street and Amsterdam Avenue. It's now a landmark. The new precinct is on 151st Street of Amsterdam. How about Wings Cigarettes with the photos of WW II planes? The Shamrock Bar was on the corner of 140th Street and Amsterdam. On weekends guys would pick up containers of beer and carry them over to Convent Avenue for refreshments during the stickball games. Take care, Norm PanchoLooking for any info on Pancho Periera. He is my godfather and was best friends with my dad, Frank Corrigan. OLLumnaI went graduated from OLL in 1950. I came across this great site and I am wondering if anyone graduated the same year. I have been trying to get in contact with my fellow classmates and this looked like a great opportunity! The Old ShamrockI visted the 140th Street area a few years ago and took a few pictures. The Shamrock is gone with the wind -- history. I showed a picture of the building (1626 Amsterdam) to Vinnie McCarvill, who had lived there, when I met him for a beer in New Orleans a few years ago, and he almost wept. Some great memories of our Salad Days came to mind. "Oh the nights at the playground on Hamilton Place." It's the place where we came of age. In friendship, Eddie and Jackie ParishesOne thing folks from New Orleans and New York City have in common is that you identified your neighborhood by the parish in which you lived. Agnes GerrityMy mother, Agnes Gerrity, born 1916, and her brothers Thomas and Richard (born c. 1914 and 1920) attended Our Lady of Lourdes until high school. All three have passed away but I'd love to hear if anyone happens to remember them. Like your mother, my mom loved that school and spoke of it often. Anne Collins OLL Confirmation Day 1935I thought former students would enjoy seeing the uniform we wore in Our Lady of Lourdes School Primary Dept (1st to 4th Grade) during the 1930s. KnickersIt was humiliating having to wear knickers. Remember pulling them down to your ankles and thinking "maybe people will think they are pegged pants"? Boy did we ever fool the public! And how about the high starched collars -- I don't think they could have even gotten Freddie Barthomew to wear them. Didn't we replace them with waterboarding? However Ed, they look great on you. Do you still wear them? Old OLL picsDoes any one have some old OLL class photos or just some neighborhood pictures to post here in the comments? I'm sure a lot of Shorpy addicts would appreciate them. OLLi go to school at lourdes now im in the 8th grade and i think its really cool to see people talk about the memories they had about my school before i was even born and i would love to see some kind of picture of the inside of the school like a class picture so i can see what it used to look like [Just wait'll you get to Capitalization and Punctuation. - Dave] Class of 1964I too went to OLL from '57-'64. My parents and I moved to 3495 Broadway at 143rd St. in 1956. I started in the 4th grade with Mother Mary William. The school in those days was no longer a military academy. We wore navy blue uniforms, white shirts and the school tie and the girls wore navy blue jumpers with a white blouse and blue tie. It was very interesting reading about all the students who came before me and where they lived. I always was so curious to find out how this old neighborhood looked like years before we moved in. As you all know, the area changed at some point racially, although when I was at OLL the school was still predominantly white with a handful of Black children. I will always have wonderful memories of my time at OLL. My parents moved out of the area in 1969 and I since been back once to recapture some old memories of my childhood. NostalgiaThe picture that follows is the 1937 graduation class with the girls omitted. Monsignor McMahon built church and school(1901-1913); after 15 years as Curator at St Patrick's Cathedral, constructed 7 years earlier. See church of Our Lady of Lourdes for construction details. At the time of graduation, Fr's Mahoney, Dillon and Brennan resided across from the Church. The Poor Clares home was to right of the church, and secondary had Society of the Holy Name Jesus sisters. School and Church gave us faith and hope and discipline. Our world was the depression years followed by the wars. Our class of 1937 was just in time. The handsome lad below the sergeant stripes is the brother of contributor Ed Woods.Ed,and brothers Bill and Dennis served with distinction. Andy Saraga bottom right was a highly decorated Marines The others served as well. I hope Our Lady of Lourdes provides the inspiration our families sought for us. Nostalgia 1937The 1937 graduation photo is great. It's with both sadness and pride to think that most of these wonderful kids would be defending our country in a very short time in different uniforms.Believe it or not this military training was useful. How about more pictures like this and some candid neighborhood shots. OLL in the NYThttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/nyregion/16priest.htm So interesting: A more recent residentJust want to say that I've read every entry on this post. It is so interesting to read the memories shared by those that lived way before you in the same neighborhood. My mother and I live on 135th Street near Riverside between 66th and 77th, then moved to 138th between Hamilton and Amsterdam. I went to PS 161 and graduated from CCNY. I also have fond memories of my childhood. I used to play basketball in an after school center at Our Lady of Lourdes as a young kid, visited the area a couple of years ago and brought back great pics. Cheers to all Mauricio The Grinnell: Celebrating Its Centennial Those of you who remember The Grinnell (800 Riverside Drive) may be interested to know that the residents have just begun celebrating the building's centennial. We're having a year of events,so this is a great year to visit! Check the website: http://www.thegrinnellat100.com/ for photos, historical news articles, and residents' memories (and contribute your own). Click the calendar tab for a listing of the events between now and July 2011. Matthew Why Grinnel!The hundredth anniversary of a building? Forgotten is the fact that it's also the anniversary of the site building, and all the memories fast fading. I think Ed Woods of all the graduates, always hit the mark. Several others struggled to add something. If someone remembers the names of the sisters and preferably anecdotes please don't deny this information from this site. I personally remember sister Rose from 4th grade 1934. I believe Mother Michael provided my brother Andy's Confirmation name. Others with better memories speak up. Also it wasn't only our generation that owes recognition for all given freely. Christmas at Our Lady of LourdesAt Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, the statues in the creche would be replaced by live students. The scene would be repeated the following day at the 9 o'clock Children's Mass and the 11 o'clock High Mass. A live baby would be borrowed to lie in the manger. The girl who posed as the Blessed Mother and the boy who posed as Joseph were the envy of the entire student body. "Oh to return to yesteryear." Happy New YearThank you SHORPY for bringing back to us so many wonderful memories. It has been said pictures are worth a thousand words. Shorpy's pictures, however, are worth so much more -- just can't put a number on them. Thank you and a Happy New Year to the Shorpy Staff. Ed and Jackie Woods [And thank you, Ed and Jackie, for inspiring the hundreds of interesting comments in this thread. - Dave] The OLL neighborhoodIt's nice reading and re-reading your stories about OLL, Hamiliton Place,and seeing the names listed. Many years ago, in my past, I visited the old neighborhood only to find it somewhat depressing, old and in poor shape. One time in particular I had parked my new "rental car" near West 144th street, and was showing my young children some of the places I lived on Amsterdam Ave, Hamilton Place ( 95 and 115 buildings) when two older African Americans came up to us, and said you'd be better not park here." It wasn't said as a threat, but more it's unsafe here, now that the area has changed. I had told them that I used to live here many years ago. I am glad to hear from Norm, that the area has rebounded, and in looking at the prices of the real estate I wish we had stayed here. Keep up the good work. Matt Waters mattminn@aol.com Hi Anon Tipster 1959. I used to date Carlotta Long & visited her lovely home many times. 147 off Convent as I recall. I often wonder in my old age (69) whatever happened to her & how her life turned out. I did graduate from Dubois in 1960, so I'm very familiar w/the sights & places referenced here. So glad I found this site. Tis That Time of YearThank you SHORPY for another year of nostalgic pictures and comments. Brought to us in Black and White and Living Color. Such fond memories of long ago, especially the itchy bathing suits. In the 1920s and up to the early 1940s, when on or near the beach and boardwalk, boys had to wear the coarse wooolen suits with the tops on at all times. Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New York to Dave and staff. Ed and Jackie Woods Our Yearly PlaysI graduated in 1960 after 8 memorable years. I remember our yearly plays in the auditorium and all the hard work and practice we put into it. Father Hart was our pastor and I remember our farewell speech to him. My best friend was Lydia Marin and I remember Maria Santory, Joyce Brown, Maria Matos, Alma Mora, Maureen Quirk. If any of you from this class are around, give a shout. Jackie Erick Class of 1964Class of 1964 where are you guys? Write something here you remember. Do you remember me? OLL Class of 1957Here's the names of the boys' teachers from 1949 to 1957. I think I have then all correct. Grade 1, 1949-1950: Mother Mary Theodosia Grade 2, 1950-1951: Sister Mary Macrina Grade 3, 1951-1952: Mother Mary Eulalia Grade 4, 1952-1953: Mother Mary Declan Grade 5, 1953-1954: Mother Mary Edwards Grade 6, 1954-1955: Mother Maria Del Amor Grade 7, 1955-1956: Mother Mary Euphrates Grade 8, 1956-1957: Mother Mary Rosario Eighteen nuns lived in the convent adjacent to the church on 142nd Street: eight boys' teachers, eight girls' teachers, the school principal, known as the Reverend Mother, and the housekeeper. Six priests and the pastor lived in the rectory on the south side of 142nd Street. OLL was also known as Old Ladies' Laundry. I've written down the names of almost all the boys who, at one point or another, were part of the class of 1957. Only 27 graduated in 1957. Many were expelled in 1956 as part of a crackdown on gang membership. Mother Mary Rosario was brought in to preside over a difficult situation, but after the expulsions her job turned out to be not that complicated. I'll post the list of names another time. Our Lady of Lourdes Alumni ReunionHello out there. I am a current parent at Our Lady of Lourdes. As we enter a new decade, OLL would would like to start planning a few reunions. I am looking for some potential organizers to help us reach out and plan events in the new year. Please reach out if you are interested in planning or connect dots. There are many new happenings at the school. We will be launching a new website by the end of the month with an alumni portion. Thank you! Vanessa vdecarbo@ollnyc.org Class of 1971Hi! I graduated in 1971 and our teacher was Sister Patricia. I remember Marlene Taylor, Karen, Miriam, Dina, Elsie, Maria and Robin, Carla, Margaret and Giselle. Our class was an all girl class. I also remember Sister Rebecca, Sister Theresa, Sister Rosemarie (our history teacher). I continued to Cathedral High School but I miss all my dear classmates. Is there anyone out there who enters this site? My email is n.krelios@yahoo.com I would love to hear from someone. Marlene Taylor became a doctor (wonderful!!!). Shorpy Hall of FameIf there were a Shorpy Hall of Fame, this photo would definitely have to be in the inaugural class. I've enjoyed going through the many comments for this photo going back to 2007 even though I have absolutely no connection to the school other than being Catholic. What is equally as awesome is that a look at the location today via Google Maps indicates that, other than a few trees, fire hydrants, automobiles and removal of the statue, everything is basically the same today. Double DutchKllroy is correct about not much having changed, but it looks like even the foreground fire hydrant is in the same place (but a newer model). It looks like the circa 1914 photographer was set-up on the northeast corner of Amsterdam Avenue and 143rd Street. The Google Maps photo was taken travelling northbound on Amsterdam Avenue. So basically both photos are shot from almost the same location; it is interesting how the vintage image makes 143rd Street appear much shorter than in the Google image. I guess it's the result of different formats and lenses. By the way, the buildings at the far end of the T-intersection, on Convent Avenue (mostly blocked by the trees in the Google image), reflect NYC's Dutch heritage [ETA:] as does "Amsterdam" Avenue. (The Gallery, Education, Schools, G.G. Bain, Kids, NYC)
Juvenile Footwear: 1955
April 16, 1955. "Children's shoes, Lord & Taylor. Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. Raymond ... took me to shop there many, many times, though not in 1955. Remember getting dresses there with her. Don't remember if I ever got ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/13/2013 - 2:56pm -

April 16, 1955. "Children's shoes, Lord & Taylor. Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. Raymond Loewy Associates." Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size. Two months oldSo much says "1950s" about this department's design. As the store had opened just a couple of months prior to the photo date, we're clearly seeing what was then considered trendy modern style, and of course the store spared no expense if it hired Raymond Loewy's company. It's a very safe assumption that the department's been remodeled and possibly relocated over the years, so today it would bear little or no resemblance to what's pictured here. Clever TouchThe use of 'park benches' along the wall to make the space seem a bit more playful. Nice Lion. Missing in actionWhere is the X-ray machine whereby child, parent, and salesman can ensure a proper fit? And the winner isI predict that the two-tone jobs on the right will do well this year. PronunciationI can't believe no one has asked how to pronounce this name of the Philly suburb. That would be Bala Kinwood. How many nightmaresWas that impressive lion responsible for? Its eyes are burrowing into my soul. Re: Missing in actionAnd thankfully so! They didn't die out fully until the 1970's. We had one in a High School Honors Radiation Biology program the summer of 1964. After carefully checking it all out and deconstructing it to the essential power supply and X-Ray tube, we got the wave to go ahead and plug it in for a few seconds. 40 feet away, the radiation counter on the teacher's desk went wild and saturated. The teacher (formerly a Los Alamos scientist) turned white as a sheet and got the infernal device out of there STAT... Somehow, we all survived! That shoestore reminds me of...an old shoe store in Orlando, Florida called Baer's Shoes downtown on Church Street. They had this enormous shoe in the window under a sign that said "We Fit Any Human!" My mother would take me there for school shoes every year because I had such wide, hard to fit feet. One time old Mr. Baer came out with one of those metal foot measurement things and commented to Mama on how wide my feet were and I'll never forget her response..."When I was pregnant with her, I was scared by a duck." PhillyBala Cynwyd is an affluent Main Line community bordering City Avenue in Philadelphia. As a kid growing up in a little village, Woxall, about an hour or so from there I could only marvel at its wealth. However like most of my friends, I wore shoes purchased from a nearby Grants. Lord & Taylor and the Main LineThe Lord & Taylor is still there, and all the Welsh community names are too. I grew up in Haverford, which was easy to figure out how to spell and say. But we had the towns/places of Bryn Mawr (brin-more), Uwchlyn, Llanerch (two L's sound the same as one L), Gwynedd (two d's become a th),and Tredyffryn Township (tred-if-er-in). My mother took me to shop there many, many times, though not in 1955. Remember getting dresses there with her. Don't remember if I ever got shoes. BalanceI really miss steam engines; what glorious machines. The Welsh would probably cringeThese days I usually hear YOU-klin for Uwchlyn, LAN-erk for Llanerch, tra-DEF-rin for Tredyffryn, GWIN-id for Gwynedd, also BRIN-ath-in for Bryn Athyn. Nit-pickingI'm still here in Bryn Mawr...pronounced Brin-Marr. Bala Cynwyd is pronounced BAL-a KIN-wid. (not "wood") Bryn Mawr is Welsh for "High Hill"... Bala Cynwyd has a more complicated Welsh meaning... http://www.balacynwyd.org/Bala_Cynwyd/Wales.html (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, Stores & Markets)
Cabanarama: 1955
March 30, 1955. "Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach. Roof view of pool, cabanas and garden. ... to expand and was really only about half finished in 1955. Haven't been there in a while, hope much of the original flambounce has ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/31/2013 - 10:22pm -

March 30, 1955. "Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach. Roof view of pool, cabanas and garden. Morris Lapidus, architect." The valet will be happy to park your Cadillac. Large-format acetate negative by Samuel H. Gottscho. View full size. Long time no seeLOVE.LOVE. the diving structure. Too bad they don't do many of these anymore due to liability. That would have been a ball! I am too old now probably but just the right age to remember them!!! Bellhop!The squids are in the garden again. Diving platformWow.....now THAT's a platform. As a kid we would have lived all day on that thing. Parents would have to drag us off it at the end of the day. Goldfinger slept here. Welcome to Miami Beach! One of the best sequences from the movie shows the Fontainebleau Hotel. Attention! -- you in the pool!the pool is for effect only ! Where were you when the fountain blew ?I never could figure it out. They built a fabulous hotel, gave it an elegant French name, then must have asked Jerry Lewis how to pronounce it. [Exactly right. "FON-tin blow" if you're from France; "fountain-blew" if you're Jerry. - Dave] I can just seeAuric Goldfinger cheating at Canasta poolside, and I can imagine James Bond thwarting it all... Goldfinger trickeryUnfortunately for Sean Connery and Gert Frobe, neither of them got Fontainebleau vacations; all their scenes were filmed at Pinewood Studios in England. Those in which they appear to be at the hotel were accomplished by means of matching studio sets, rear-projection or traveling matte effects shots and, in one case, a body double for Frobe. Speaking of Frobe - or rather speaking for Frobe - English actor Michael Collins dubbed all of his dialog, as Frobe's accent proved incomprehensible. Frobe is heard in the German-language version, however, having re-dubbed himself. That VideoI also shows that the original building, in the posted photo, was destined to expand and was really only about half finished in 1955. Haven't been there in a while, hope much of the original flambounce has remained. Lapidus always wanted his hotel designs to help you escape into a fantasy world, as far removed from your everyday life as possible. [flambounce (flam' bounce), n., a spectacular dive from a swimming pool platform at a resort hotel, esp. in Florida. Origin: Shorpy, 2013. -tterrace] HA! Fantasy worlds call for fantasy words. Planned before pop-ups, possiblyI see at least four hose sprinklers just like the couple I use in my lowly Baltimore yard. Either this joint was created before pop-up watering nozzles were invented or, judging by that puny, laughably underscale fountain, the budget had no room for such flambounciness. Say, what's with my "watering nozzles" becoming a hotlink to a commercial site? Same thing happens with my own photography site. [Your computer has picked up some malware; those links appear only to you. -tterrace] (tterrace, thank you for the note.) (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, Miami)
Hot Beans: 1955
July 1955. Horn & Hardart, New York. "Woman getting a dish of baked beans from ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/19/2017 - 11:15am -

July 1955. Horn & Hardart, New York. "Woman getting a dish of baked beans from an automat." Medium format negative from photos by Arthur Rothstein for the Look magazine assignment "America's Favorite Foods." View full size. No TippingHorn & Hardart was my favorite restaurant visiting NYC as a kid because there was no necessity to tip and you could just immediately get what you want and sit down. PDQ Bach composed a comic piece, "Concerto for Horn and Hardart," where the players had to insert a coin to retrieve their instruments. Back in the 50'sAs a little kid in NYC, I still remember the very heavy cups and the great deserts behind those little glass windows. Please post more automat photos!This is a wonderful photo. I first learned of automats when I was 16 (back in 1978) and read the novel "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". Later in life, I saw them in movies, such as "Easy Living" and "That Touch of Mink". When I read the name "Horn and Hardart" in your description, those names kept ringing a bell in my head and finally after a day of thinking about it, it came to me. I heard this in another movie- Hitchcock's Marnie, where Mark Rutland's father (played by Alan Napier) says, "The meals in this house are shocking bad, but I do insist on good Horn and Hardart cake at tea." Automat in ParisWhen I first moved to Paris in 1964 there was an automat on the Champs Elysees up near L'Etoile. Until then I'd only seen them in movies set in Manhattan. In high school we'd get a cheap meal there before heading out to drink on Friday and Saturday nights. Went with grannyOne of the best days of the year as a kid in the early 60s was going with my grandmother for a deli lunch in Manhattan. Then we made a Radio City Music Hall Christmas show matinee followed by hot chocolate and dessert at Horn and Hardart before heading back to Brooklyn on the subway. To heck with the beans,I want that bracelet! "Always freshly placed by invisible human hands?"I'll say! What may not be apparent in that peaceful picture is the frantic pace of a Manhattan automat at lunchtime! My most lasting memory was the new York hustle of the many customers speeding through the line and the matching hustle on the other end of the boxes. I clearly remember yanking out a piece of pie and seeing a hand sliding a new slice at exactly the same moment and exactly the same speed as my hand! I think most of the food at the rush hours went from oven to someone's stomach in a very few minutes, far too quickly to get cold. I always thought the food good and the whole arrangement fascinating. Doughnut and CoffeeI made it from California to H&H in 1990, not long before it closed for good. The doughnut was so stale that I could only eat it by dunking in the nasty, bitter coffee that I could only drink by sucking it out of that stale doughnut. H&H symbiosis. Beans to GoHorn and Hardart also had "Less Work for Mother" retail shops that sold takeout meals. Getting hungry.I so very much wish I could go to an authentic Horn & Hardart Automat. I never had the opportunity. Much tastier than you might expectAs a teen spending summers in NYC in the late 1960s, I was pleasantly surprised by the food at the Automats. The meat loaf and the macaroni and cheese were top notch. How was it kept warm?As a mere 59-year-old, I never got to try an Automat. My innocent question: how did you get warm food? Always freshly placed by invisible human hands? Or heated cubicles? How Was It Kept Warm? Constant replenishment by human hands, two of which belonged to Audrey Meadows who played Connie the Automat worker in the 1962 film, That Touch of Mink. Doris Day regularly seeks Connie's advice about Cary Grant through the open door as Connie restocks the pies! The lady in the change boothShe always amazed me. You handed her a $1 bill and then she reached into a bucket of nickels and grabbed a handful. Without looking she sort of tossed them to you and there were always exactly 20 of them. Small ServingsThis was a small serving of beans by today's standards; served on the thick, American-made restaurant china that was made to take a beating. Photos like this remind us that that food expenses took up a larger share of people's incomes then and was served in portions that were about half the size of today's. And that's one of the reasons why people were slimmer then; the other reason is because they smoked constantly. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Eateries & Bars, LOOK, NYC)
The Fontainebleau: 1955
March 30, 1955. "Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach. General view. Morris Lapidus, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2013 - 2:46pm -

March 30, 1955. "Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach. General view. Morris Lapidus, architect." Photo by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Their clienteleThe two Cadillacs has to say something about them. This is what it looks like these days.View Larger Map GoldfingerThat's the hotel James Bond used the telescope to see Auric Goldfinger's cards from Goldfinger's penthouse suite, and where the woman covered in gold died. Also where Jerry Lewis' movie "The Bellboy" was filmed and where the Jackie Gleason variety show (with the June Taylor Dancers) was broadcast live. [Gleason's show was taped at the Miami Beach Auditorium, not the Fontainebleau. -tterrace] 1954 and two '53sThe middle one I believe is a convertible. True architecture!What could be more cool and appropriate for Miami Beach than a building that looks a lot like a backyard air conditioner evaporator! They could have built next door one that looks like an ice cream cone... ANGdoes anyone know what that means on the end of those logs on the beach? What is it?It's interesting to see the very first stage of construction on the site of the Fontainebleau, but you didn't identify the large building in the background. Firestone EstateThe Fontainebleau was built on the Firestone Estate, Harbel Villa, on Millionaire's Row. It was named for Harvey Firestone (think tires) & wife Idabelle. Architect Lapidus designed the curved hotel around the mansion, which was later torn down. [The hotel was most certainly not designed "around the mansion," which was razed in January 1954, before construction on the Fontainebleau began. - Dave] edit: My bad for trying to retell the story from memory. No doubt the plan never included the mansion, but, as a kid, I distinctly remember seeing the hotel being built around it, as seen in this photo from Miami Archives: http://miamiarchives.blogspot.com/2012/07/from-millionaires-row-to-hotel... Harvey Firestone spent his winters on the estate from 1924 until his death there in 1938. During that time, Firestone, who never lost his common man senses, went to "work" almost every day to the large Firestone Tire Store at Flagler Street and 12th Avenue in Miami where he sold tires to awestruck motorists. Can Someone Explain This To MeI am just an amature amateur photographer, but I have been waiting for someone else to pose this question, or make this comment. So, here goes. why did the professional leave all of that foreground trash in this great photo, and not crop it out? Thanks. [Because he knew that it would be cropped out when printed, either photographically or in printed materials, such as in a brochure, portfolio, etc. Even without the trash, that large empty area would not have been included. Keeping it off the negative would have required moving closer, cutting into either the building or the breathing room around it. -tterrace] Flying WoodHas anyone taken lumber inventory at the Palm Beach Air National Guard lately? Re: Can Someone Explain This To MeThank goodness for all of the extra area in these photographs. Some of the best discussions on Shorpy have come from spotting something in the fore/background. Eden Roc lawyers paying a visitMaybe that explains the Caddies. Fontainbleu won a landmark judicial decision in the 50s allowing it to block the neighboring hotel's sunlight. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, Miami)
Wate and Fate: 1955
Columbus, Georgia, circa 1955. "Don Wasson" is all it says here. In addition to "Meet me at Lee's." 4x5 ... editor when The Columbus Ledger won the Pulitzer Prize in 1955 for covering the Phenix City cleanup and the Albert Patterson ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2015 - 2:38pm -

Columbus, Georgia, circa 1955. "Don Wasson" is all it says here. In addition to "Meet me at Lee's." 4x5 acetate negative from the News Archive. View full size. How much is that panda in the window?I never knew what it cost, but I had one just like it that accompanied me through my childhood in the 1950s. Lee looks like he has a nice assortment of goods for a drug store. Our neighborhood drug store had a soda fountain and sold candy but not stuffed animals or pots and pans. I chiefly remember its smell: vanilla. The other four (or more)Wasson's pose with his hand lifted to his hat and his lovely brogues and all that talk about the scale made me take a while to notice the other two pairs of people: inside the store, a man and woman staring directly at the photographer, and the two on the street, whom I'd like to think are mother and daughter (note the cuffs and shoes of the shorter woman). And if I stare into the glass in front of the beautiful plywood grain above the panda, I imagine I see the reflections of possibly three dresses or skirts with legs attached. Wasson and the PulitzerDon Wasson was the city editor when The Columbus Ledger won the Pulitzer Prize in 1955 for covering the Phenix City cleanup and the Albert Patterson assassination. I knew him when I worked in the Alabama legislature while in grad school at Auburn and also when I was later press secretary to Gov. Fob James. He, like many Ledger reporters and editors, gravitated west to Montgomery over the years, including Ray Jenkins, who later worked in the Carter administration. He was a true old-school journalist and commentator. All for a pennyThere was one of these in my neighborhood. For a penny, the lightest one of us would get on it, note the weight, then the next biggest, and then subtract the first number and get two for the price of one. We never could get three on there without it locking up on us. The other thing on ours was someone had removed the "e" from "Fate". I don't remember if Weight was misspelled. Character readingsFrom an auction listing: NewspapermanDonald Forrest Wasson was born in 1918 in Birmingham, Alabama, the son of Oscar and Mabel Wasson. His wife was Aline (or Aliene depending on the city directory involved). He passed away in August of 1994 in Montgomery. According to the 1954 Columbus city directory, he was the news editor for the Columbus Ledger and his wife was a clerk at the First National Bank. In other words, someone took a photo of their boss. Lack of PrivacyAfter trying changing at drug store scales, Clark Kent found the ambiance and privacy sorely lacking. He then tried a phone booth which he found fit the bill. The rest is history. One size fits noneAs a young lad, close scrutiny revealed to me that all of the coin slots dumped into one plenum. My baloney detector thus triggered, I didn't cough up. (The Gallery, Columbus, Ga., News Photo Archive, Stores & Markets)
Dream Sink: 1955
May 3, 1955. "Model kitchen in Chicago showroom. Advertisement for Crane fixtures." ... it hard to believe this kitchen was state of the art in 1955, but I was only five then so what do I know. However it's still very ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/02/2014 - 12:15pm -

May 3, 1955. "Model kitchen in Chicago showroom. Advertisement for Crane fixtures." Presenting, if not the Kitchen of Tomorrow, at least the Breakfast Nook of Next Wednesday. Photo by Bill Hedrich, Hedrich-Blessing Studio. New York World-Telegram and Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection. View full size. Modern kitchens aren't as modern as I thoughtThere's very little in this kitchen that gives away its age, mainly the seating and the flooring, and of course the black and whiteness of the photo. Even big free standing fridges are still popular in these days of integrated appliances (in the UK at least). The inset cupboards below the sinks (there's another at the left) look a little strange, but are practical for getting you close to the sink. Is that a washing machine to the left of the sink? [It's a dishwasher. - Dave] Accurate enoughOther than the style of the fixtures, this looks a lot like a modern kitchen. Oh, and I guess a modern kitchen would have an island. [Esthetically speaking, this was near the end of the line for the antiseptic, laboratory-like kitchens popular in the 1930s and '40s. The enameled steel cabinets seen here were also on the way out. - Dave] Clever!Love the enameled radiator grate to cover the pesky gap behind the old frigidaire. That WindowShows a feature I like to use: the 'sill' is down to the top of the back splash. Or, I make the sill at the same level as the counter top. Either way, you get a wonderful view while working at the sink. DurableAn apartment I rented in college had these exact cabinets - down to the winged circle emblem on the dishwasher to the left of the sink. They were in surprisingly good shape in the 80's, and I wouldn't be surprised if they're still there today. I need this nookIn fact, I like this whole kitchen, in particular, the arrangement of the shelf over the double-drainboard sink. I wish they noted the colors. WowI find it hard to believe this kitchen was state of the art in 1955, but I was only five then so what do I know. However it's still very classic in its design and my current kitchen cabinets look very similar to these, right down to the draw pulls. I love it!Except for the metal cabinets. Yuck. You can see there is already a dent on the end of the ones on the right. Other than that I would love to have this exact set-up right now. I'm going to end up needing to use a wheelchair due to a birth defect and this would be fantastic for someone in one. I can see me rolling right up to the nook with my family. I'd even take the old style fridge. (The Gallery, Kitchens etc.)
Nash Wash: 1955
In the spring of 1955, Bert and Iva's son George brought his new wife, Arax, and their 1948 Nash ... background might be a 1950 Plymouth. There is also a nice 1955 Ford Fairlane across the street. Made in Wisconsin Two beauties ... 
 
Posted by AAAndrew - 10/05/2014 - 4:53pm -

In the spring of 1955, Bert and Iva's son George brought his new wife, Arax, and their 1948 Nash Ambassador home to 1022 S. 8th Street in Wausau, Wisconsin. Wonder if she also washed Bert's Hudson in the background? Kodachrome slide. Part of the Bert's Slides Collection. (Bert loved cars.) View full size. Bert's CarBert's car (behind the Nash) is actually a 1950 Plymouth, and it must be really late spring in Wausau for it to be warm enough to stand barefoot on wet concrete and smile about it. Car lineupThe car in the background might be a 1950 Plymouth. There is also a nice 1955 Ford Fairlane across the street. Made in WisconsinTwo beauties from a beautiful state! Thanks for the memoriesMy dad had one just like this, same color and all. He bought it brand new to drive us from Milwaukee to New Jersey, where we moved. There were no license plates, because in Wisconsin in those days you could paste your title in the back window until the plates arrived. This caused us to get stopped numerous times along the way, which took several days back then. The cars are goneBut the house still looks the same. View Larger Map Wausau, WII've been following this site since the beginning and was happy to see photos from Wausau, WI where I live. Can't wait to see more for the Bert's Slides Collection. Wonder whose Plymouth it was?Bert had a Hudson (another photo I'll upload soon). Don't know who's Plymouth it might be. Yeah, the house was exactly the same until they sold it just a few years ago. It hadn't been changed for more than 50 years. It still had the knob and tube wiring, push button light switches and no shower. It does look more like summer with the full leaves on the trees. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Market Day: 1955
Back we go to my home town of Larkspur, California for another view of the Rainbow Market , where my father worked for several years in the mid-1950s. The linked photos and their comments give plenty of background, so here I'll just mention ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 01/12/2013 - 2:35pm -

Back we go to my home town of Larkspur, California for another view of the Rainbow Market, where my father worked for several years in the mid-1950s. The linked photos and their comments give plenty of background, so here I'll just mention a couple childhood memories this one dredges up (I was 9 at the time my brother took this Anscochrome slide). The hulking 1930s black sedan belonged to my mother's friend Mrs. Skala, who a year later bought a 1956 Plymouth from Hil Probert, whose DeSoto-Plymouth dealership was across the street from our house a couple blocks away. My mother was incensed that Probert allegedly talked the 60ish lady into a model with the push-button automatic transmission. "Imagine the poor woman trying to learn how to use something like that at her age. The idea." Well, that's a paraphrase, but I never did hear if Mrs. Skala had any problems. Mr. Gilardi, the butcher who's billed on the market's window, had a portion of one finger missing from some slicing or chopping mishap, so naturally that's what I always stared at while my mother talked pot roast or ground chuck with him. Or maybe that was Charlie Young, the butcher at Fred Schefer's Food Center next door to the right. We switched our trade to the Food Center after my father left the Epidendios' employ. Final period note: on the telephone pole, a poster for the United Crusade, a charity forerunner of the United Way. That and the March of Dimes were annual Larkspur events I recall, although I was probably more interested in fantasizing about the dimes being potential fodder for my coin collection. View full size. Typewriter Drive....My uncle had a Plymouth of about the same vintage, I don't remember the exact year. The push buttons were arranged in a square pattern vs the linear pattern shown in the attached photo. One day while I was washing it for him I noticed something interesting... The name Plymouth was spelled out on the front edge of the hood with individual letters. Whoever installed the individual letters at the factory must have been slightly dyslexic because it was spelled "Plymouht". I wonder how many of those escaped the quality control department at the factory. Blue hueThat's a 1939-40 or so Dodge and there were five blues offered. One of them, Shocking Blue (a 60s name for a pre-war hue), is very close to this one. Tipping the scaleWhat a great pleasure to have the background information of a photo. Many thanks to tterrace for sharing his memories. I can hear Mrs. Skala saying "Mr. Gilardi, one of those beef tips was rather small last time". IlluminationAre those Christmas lights strung on the wire over the street? The woman on the sidewalk doesn't look as if she's dressed for December weather, even in a not-very-cold place like Larkspur. [The colored lights were lit up in the summer for Larkspur's Rose Bowl dances, which since 1913 had been run annually by the Volunteer Fire Department at an outdoor pavilion in a redwood grove a couple blocks away. Proceeds funded the fire department, which was fully owned and operated by the volunteers until 1956, when they turned it, and the fire house, over to the city. The lights were also lit up when the Christmas street decorations were put up. -tterrace] Black & BlueUnless the Anscochrome film changed colors after all these years, that black sedan sure looks blue to me. [In my memory the car was always black, but it could really have been a very dark blue or else this is some artifact of Anscochrome color rendition or aging. - tterrace] Chilly MagnoliaHere's a contemporary view of the same stretch of Magnolia Avenue and the former Rainbow Market in Larkspur. Don't let the neon sign fool you; the market left long ago and the interior has been converted to an art gallery. As a preservationist I'm dismayed by the removal of the original cornices and bay windows visible in the 1950s photo. There were lots of misguided attempts to 'modernize' aging Victorian and Edwardian buildings around that time, and Larkspur obviously wasn't spared. [Those bland stucco facades date to the unfortunate reconstruction done after a 1959 fire heavily damaged the upper floors of those buildings. -tterrace] Memories It is always good to see a posting by tterrace! Larkspur LightsThe strings of colored lights were there year-round. They were lit on weekends when dances were held at the Rose Bowl, a large outdoor dance pavilion in a redwood grove two blocks from downtown. Operated to fund the Larkspur Volunteer Fire Department, the dances were the town's main claim to fame, featuring name bands and attracting crowds from all over the San Francisco Bay area. The lights also formed part of the Christmas decorations here along Magnolia Ave., the town's main street. This photo was taken in either spring or early summer. The blanidfication of the facades dates to a 1959 fire that nearly destroyed the upper floors of the three buildings. I also enjoy tterrace's pictures.Now how about some more of the sister-in-law? Pushbutton transmissionsI learned to drive on a 1956 Plymouth with pushbutton transmission, and on my first solo trip, one of the buttons fell in when I went to put it in Drive. I eventually got it out, and hope Mrs. Skala didn't have the same problem. Black and BlueGiven the reflection on the window above that 1930's car appears blue, and the shadow of the utility pole is too, and we know shadows are not aqua-blue, I agree that the photographic process is creating a black and blue shift. [The shadow on the road is the color of the asphalt with x amount of light hitting it. Areas of total shadow (under the car, for example) are black. - Dave] Re: Black and BlueJust to throw in my two cents worth, note that the California plate (yellow on black in those days) has a distinctly black background, while the trunk lid around it is dark blue in the same light. ChangesIt looks like they took the top part of the old "Rainbow Market" sign, and glued the "Liquors" part of the liquor market sign to make one combined sign. Push Button ProblemMrs. Skala, 60ish, may have had some problems with that newfangled push button shifter. I sure did when I was 16. My after school job was delivering dry cleaning for Mr. Kravitz and I drove his '63 Plymouth with those buttons. Being a teenager I was, of course, FAST about everything! So fast that every once in awhile I'd hit the wrong button. Sure enough one day I jumped back in the car and hit REVERSE instead of DRIVE and lurched back into some poor schlub's parked Ford; I had to pay for a crunched taillight. The Ford may have had some damage, too, but I didn't hang around long enough to survey it. Pushbutton transmissionShe had to go from the three-on-the-tree manual to a pushbutton automatic. My Dad had a '64 Dodge 880 with one. Now people who buy a Ram pickup now have to learn how to drive with a transmission that shifts by turning a knob. My best friend's parents They had a grey, black, and pinkish 1956 Dodge (I think) with a push button transmission. I thought it was fascinating and just SO cool! Our 1956 Chevy had a boring automatic shift one. More PushbuttonsWhile poking around in a junk yard back in the '60's I came across the remains of a car with the pushbutton transmission partly pulled out of the dash. What looked elegant and simple on the surface was actually a confusing mass of levers, springs and cables. A forerunner of Windows. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
This Is Florida: 1955
December 1955. "Motel Wigwam Village, Orlando." Featuring Tile Baths and All the Fish. ... 
 
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)
Stacking Up: 1955
... guys are still piling it on. Columbus, Georgia, circa 1955. 4x5 inch acetate negative from the News Photo Archive. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/26/2022 - 4:06pm -

Meanwhile, back in the cement-sack warehouse, these guys are still piling it on. Columbus, Georgia, circa 1955. 4x5 inch acetate negative from the News Photo Archive. View full size. Two tonsAbout a month ago I helped a friend pour a concrete pathway to his front door. He was the on-his-knees guy, I was the wheelbarrow guy, and my 25-year-old son was the mixing guy. Over the course of the afternoon, my son heaved 67 bags (lifted and poured into mixer), each one 66 pounds (30 kg), so that’s 4,422 pounds = over two tons. Thank goodness for youth. 94 poundsWhy was 94 pounds the standard weight for a bag of cement? Because that's the weight of one cubic foot of dry cement. That makes it easy to state concrete "recipes" in terms of volume because sand and rock were more easily measured by volume than by weight. The water/cement ratio is the critical factor but there, again, a gallon is easier to measure on a jobsite by volume than by weight. Concrete workers... are "mixed up and set in their ways." (The Gallery, Columbus, Ga., News Photo Archive)
Porsche-BMW: 1955
New York circa 1955. The Max Hoffman car showroom, with its motorized turntable, at 430 Park ... he could find a market for their 'Gullwing' 300SL coupe in 1955 for about $9,995 a copy! It was the Lamborghini of its day! Sold from '55 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/25/2013 - 7:12pm -

New York circa 1955. The Max Hoffman car showroom, with its motorized turntable, at 430 Park Avenue and 56th Street. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and recently demolished. Photo by Ezra Stoller. View full size. Rolling InvestmentsThe four beauties sitting on that wonderful turntable are probably worth in the neighborhood of $400,000 today. Nice neighborhood. Outer PorscheErwin Komenda, a Porsche employee, is generally credited with designing the early 356 exteriors, while the mechanicals were essentially VW. The pictured coupe is a 356A 1500, and the ragtop a 356 Speedster. The Speedster came to be (late 1954) as a result of Hoffman persuading Porsche brass that a "low cost" convertible would sell well in the American market. Just a few blocks west of Hoffman's store, Luigi Chinetti was selling imported Ferraris on West 55th Street. Import ManiaMax Hoffman started the whole import craze. He was the first to import most of the European marques including Volkswagen and all of the British cars. He brought in the first Japanese cars (Toyota) as well. Eventually they all became independent from his company, but he laid the groundwork. Another unique space lost.This was a rare Wright interior that should have been saved. [Seriously? It's private property, a commercial space that was there for almost 50 years and suited only for displaying cars. - Dave] Dave - Granted saving interior spaces is rare and difficult, I merely suggest that this one was worthy of at least consideration by the owner. And who's to say it wouldn't be suited for something else? It could have been the most unique TD Bank in the city (lord knows there's enough of them). They could at least have given people a chance to see the space, document it, etc, before demolition. The Rest of the StoryGreat NYT article on Max Hoffman. Moved To JaguarI remember visiting this showroom after I got hired by IBM across the street at 425 Park Avenue in 1967. At that time,the showroom was full of Jaguars although not sure if being sold by the same owner. Here I was, at 18 years old, making $105 a week and looking at brand new XKE's. At least it didn't cost anything to look. HoffmanWas also, I believe, able to convince Mercedes-Benz that he could find a market for their 'Gullwing' 300SL coupe in 1955 for about $9,995 a copy! It was the Lamborghini of its day! Sold from '55 to '57, they only made about 1900 or so. It's still an exciting car to own and drive. (Cars, Trucks, Buses, NYC)
Double Duty: 1955
Los Angeles circa 1955. "New Chiffon -- bathroom tissue that is facial tissue." No. 3 in a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/13/2021 - 11:56am -

Los Angeles circa 1955. "New Chiffon -- bathroom tissue that is facial tissue." No. 3 in a series of billboard photos from the files of Pacific Outdoor Advertising. View full size. CautionIf you're the thrifty type who likes the idea of double duty toilet tissue, the order in which you use this tissue is kinda important. [Also: Say the title of this post out loud. Three times. - Dave] A Totally Different WorldI've lived most of my life in Los Angeles. If these billboards were on ground level in today's L.A. they'll be covered from top to bottom with cryptic gang graffiti overnight. Two-packI’ve never understood the deuce of toilet paper. If you’re going to buy two, why not buy twelve? It’s not like you’re not going to use it any time soon. Works for both products?"If you think it's butter, but it's not, it's Chiffon" Re: Two-packAs facial tissue, one sheet per cheek is all you need and a two-pack will last quite a spell. On the other hand ... Public TransportationSomething tells me in the mid 50s not everyone had the family truckster filled to the brim with the weekly baby boomer groceries destined for the suburban house. Many people may have used public transport to get around, buses, streetcars or even hoofing it. It would be difficult to carry more than a day or two of groceries and household products back to the upstairs flat or their home. Just a guess for two roll packaging. I remember feeling loaded up when we had a six bottle carton of 12oz Cokes or Pepsis in the house so packaging stuff by the bale may not have been as prevalent as today. Kleenex disagreesA lot of comedy has been written about hemorrhoid cream being used to shrink bags under eyes and I have certainly blown my nose into toilet paper many times. But there are some crossover uses you just probably shouldn't advertise. This would be an example. Proto-TammyAt first glance I thought that was Debbie Reynolds. It looks likeThat using bathroom tissue for facial tissue is giving our Anacin girl a headache. Bathroom HumourDave's reply to bobdog won't work when I say it because, having been born in the UK, I still pronounce duty as "dyoo-tty". To this day I never pronounce t's as d's. I had to look the joke over quite a few times until I got it. (Billboards, Kids, Los Angeles)
Mr. Hi-Fi of 1955
April 1955. "Duke Ellington and band members playing baseball in front of their ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/24/2014 - 1:59pm -

April 1955. "Duke Ellington and band members playing baseball in front of their segregated motel while touring in Florida." Who'll be first to locate the Astor? From photos by Charlotte Brooks (who died this month at age 95) for the Look magazine assignment "A Living Legend Swings On." View full size. The Duke and The PresidentIt seems Mr. Ellington had a childhood love of the game. From Wikipedia:, "Though Ellington took piano lessons, he was more interested in baseball. "President Roosevelt (Teddy) would come by on his horse sometimes, and stop and watch us play", he recalled. Ellington went to Armstrong Technical High School in Washington, D.C. He got his first job selling peanuts at Washington Senators baseball games. Colorful signI'm now suddenly struck with the thought that many old motel signs I've seen that seem to advertise COLOR TV excessively prominently ( though no doubt that was a nice amenity when it first appeared) may have been advertising color of a different sort a few years previously and were simply saving money on the cost of sign alterations. Hep CatOn the left in the blazer is William "Cat" Anderson, the Ellington band's trumpet player renowned for being able to hit the high notes. Jacksonville!This is an ad for the Astor from the 1956 The Negro Travelers' Green Book. 1111 ClevelandThe hotel's ad in the 1956 Green Book puts it at "US 1 and US 23 North" in Jacksonville. The street address appears to have been 1111 Cleveland. 1954 PontiacTo me,that looks to be a 54 Pontiac rear fender/bumper. If it is not a '54, it will be a '53. [The answer is neither. It's a 1951 or 1952 Pontiac. - Dave] It don't mean a thingif it ain't got that swing. Church visible in top right corner.View Larger Map The BusI believe this is a model PD3751 General Motors "Silversides" highway bus, or a close relative to it. These were built in the post World War II era, and more information can be found here. (Cars, Trucks, Buses, Florida, LOOK, Music, Travel & Vacation)
It's Curtains: 1955
Here's my mother's drapes and curtains again, not to mention my mother, along with me and my father. I didn't get decked out like that for an ordinary Sunday, so this has to be some special occasion. Mother's all dolled up, but the fancy apron and ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 02/10/2018 - 9:38pm -

Here's my mother's drapes and curtains again, not to mention my mother, along with me and my father. I didn't get decked out like that for an ordinary Sunday, so this has to be some special occasion. Mother's all dolled up, but the fancy apron and the condensation on the window point to a major cooking operation going on in the kitchen. All the relatives are probably coming over. Her African violets are cooperating by not only being alive, but blooming. Appropriately enough, there's a Saturday Evening Post in the magazine rack, and, good California family that we are, a Sunset. The only mystery is the yardstick on the floor under the chair. An Ansco Color slide by my brother. Phantom images from the desk lamp must mean he had a couple misfires before the flash went off. View full size. What, no cocktails? The sun is over the yardarm!Can you recall what brand your mother smoked? By '55, my parents had made the healthy switch from Camels to Pall Malls. I take it your bow-tie was a clip-on. All of mine were. Look at your French cuffs.....spiffy! Let the good times roll!Do you realize "tterrace" how lucky you were to have such a nurturing family and a welcoming home? ("'Twas so good to be young then") I sure would have liked to be invited to a dinner at your home where it is quite obvious all preparations have been made and a special home-made meal will be served. Perhaps 70% of today's families will never experience this type of united togetherness and planned celebration. In your photos you have captured the idyllic 50's "everyone's family" in that relatively peaceful era of prosperity, decency, civilized society, modernistic changes, sleeker cars, better jobs and emphasis on the importance of education. It seems like a simpler time, too good to last. Where and when did we all go wrong? Thank you for sharing your Camelot to share with Shorpy readers. I love your "slice of life" photos, they are ALL keepers. tterrace, I am glad you were bornI smile after the first words of commentary because I know it will be a tterrace. I was a child at the same time and my life was nothing like yours--you were indeed blessed. Surely I'm projecting my own home life, but looks like Mom is giving someone the stink-eye, probably Dad. When do we eat?Perhaps your mom found a dead mouse under a piece of heavy furniture and used the yardstick to drag it out? It seems like good ol' wooden yardsticks have always been used as reachers more often than as measurers. And I think I'd disagree with Older than Yoda on his "better jobs" point. As someone who barely studied in school, barely went to college, and makes a very comfortable living at his dream job working from his home office, I'm not so sure I'd say this is worse than most jobs available in the '50s or '60s. Well, OK, it might've been more fun to work in a "Mad Men" type place, smoking, drinking, and pinching the office girls. Yuppie dreamsAs someone who knows what sjmills is all about, "I thought going to college WAS your job!" More family secretsMy mother mostly smoked Philip Morris, interspersed with mentholated Kools when her throat got too raw. The one in her fingers is cork-tipped, which my memory, such as it is, associates with Kools. Family lore is inconsistent on the timing depending on who you talk to, but my recollection is that she quit just a few years after this. She'd gotten a scare by accidentally dropping either an ember or a lighted match into her apron pocket where she carried her matches and only later, upon finding the scorched fabric, realized how close she'd come to burning herself up. Regarding the look on her face, it's more likely just her putting-up-with-getting-her-picture-taken expression. That is indeed a clip-on bow tie, and I still remember those cufflinks; they had large blue glass stones about the size of marbles. I assure you I wasn't responsible for the color styling, tie, pants, cufflinks down to blue socks. I just now noticed my father and I both have tortoise-shell eyeglass frames. The yardstick is more likely there having been used to determine the focus for this shot. I'm happy to say I now have possession of it, and indeed the last time I used it was to retrieve a spoon that had fallen down the crack between the counter and the refrigerator. I also have the floor lamp, and right now I'm sitting at the desk behind the brown chair (not in this house, regrettably). Mother's brown TV-watching chair is now the treasured possession of her granddaughter. Thanks for all the positive comments, people. Happy Hour with tterraceI missed responding to the title of the first comment. We were never big alcohol drinkers. Father always had a small glass of Burgie (that's an old beer brand) with dinner, poured from a brown quart bottle, and we'd have wine for Sunday dinners. At around this time, I'd be having a diluted one, wine, water and sugar. We had before-dinner drinks only on Sundays as part of the cheese-and-crackers ritual. Eventually, I was able to have a very weak highball (aka bourbon-and-Seven) or wine cooler on these occasions. For big deal, dining room dinners with guests, the after-dinner liqueurs would be hauled out - Cointreau, creme de menthe, creme de cacao (with a layer of cream or half-and-half floating on top), Forbidden Fruit. In any event, the supplies in our small liquor cabinet lasted forever. I myself never took up regular alcohol consumption. E-DayMy favorite tterrace pics are the ones with cars. Where were you and your camera 9-4-57? The Edsel and MeGiven my interest at the time, I have surprisingly few photos specifically of cars, and none of the Edsel. I know didn't think much of the design; the front end reminded me of a silly-looking cartoon fish or something. A year or so earlier, though, I trotted down the hill and across the street to Hil Probert's DeSoto-Plymouth and snapped off this shot of the business end of a 1956 Plymouth. Funny, I just now noticed the trunk lid is popped. [Ooh. Flat duo jets. I still have my 1956 Plymouth. It's blue rubber with yellow wheels. - Dave] Happy HourRegarding tterrace's Sunday dinners with wine, when we had dinner with my grandparents, my grandfather would give us wine diluted with 7-Up. The older we got, the less 7-Up. None of us turned into alcoholics. By the way, great tie and thanks for all of the great pictures you post. Red Ryder BB GunIt's Ralphie from "A Christmas Story"! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Police Woman: 1955
May 1955. "Los Angeles Policewoman of the Year Fransis Sumner questioning suspected ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/31/2022 - 1:41pm -

May 1955. "Los Angeles Policewoman of the Year Fransis Sumner questioning suspected drug user. Photographs show Officer Sumner working and training; questioning people; with children and infants; at jail with women prisoners; at firing range with other policewomen; in hand-to-hand combat class; in judo class; on obstacle course. Also photographs of Sumner receiving award; with husband at restaurant; at home knitting and cooking." 35mm negative by Earl Theisen from the Look magazine assignment "Police Woman." View full size. Renaissance LadyChecking for needle marks during the day, "at home cooking and knitting" by night. Looks like a scene from a fifties film noir. Suspect regrets sending his long sleeve shirt to the laundry just this morning! Total packageI like this dame. Shiny hair, lovely manicured nails, dainty wristwatch, and no nonsense whatsoever. You got the wrong guy, copper!"Get these bracelets off me, copper! I don't know who that wise-guy Lenny Bruce is and I ain't no rat fink!" (LOOK, Los Angeles)
Fireside Cats: 1955
Columbus, Georgia, circa 1955, and the youngsters last seen here . The Buick is out of the picture, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/25/2017 - 2:34pm -

Columbus, Georgia, circa 1955, and the youngsters last seen here. The Buick is out of the picture, replaced by a battleship and a cat; clothes and hair have been upgraded. 4x5 negative from the Shorpy News Photo Archive. View full size. Pennies In Your Penny Loafers.In my peer group in North Baltimore in the mid 50s the coins in your loafers meant something. The exact meanings are lost in the cobwebs of my senior moments but it went something like this. .00 meant no girlfriend and not looking. .01 meant looking but not too hard. .05 meant seriously looking. .10 meant going steady. If I had gone to New York at the time subway tokens would have confused me to no end and probably would have put a scar on my permanent record. BattleshipsI probably built that same battleship a few years later. And a year or so after that either blew it up with firecrackers or shot it up with BB guns. Then torched it for good measure. Our family had the same shovel, poker, broom fireplace kit. Iowa Class BattleshipThe model is of an Iowa-class battleship (USS IOWA, USS NEW JERSEY, USS MISSOURI, or USS WISCONSIN) All of the above are still afloat as museums. The plastic model kits for these ships are perennially popular with American boys because they were the last and best true battleships built by the US Navy. Everything about them is superlative. As you look at the ship model in the photo, note that, like most boys his age, he wasn't quite able to get all the joints glued correctly: there's a gap between the afterdeck and the topsides. Oh, and Nice Cat, too! WonderingSylvania TV? Could it beSears Silvertone TV Rich kidsI'm about the same age as these two, probably more the sister's age, and I lived in Georgia (Augusta) at this time, too. As the son of an Army officer, we felt we were pretty middle class, and we thought of kids like this as "rich" kids. The giveaways to us back then are 1) they lived in a house with a fireplace, 2) and they had wall-to-wall carpet. It's amazing how things that were luxuries only 60 years ago are commonplace now. Good-natured kitty with that stranglehold. A penny for your thoughtsbut no pennies in his loafers. And while the cat looks like it's asleep, the little girl's dimples look really sweet. Revenge is felineI know that look. The cat may look asleep, be he's actually plotting mayhem, once she releases him. [The cat is squinting from the photographer's flash. -Dave] Better Homes and Gardens CookbookOver on the bottom shelf - as a bookseller I still this one very often. What's interesting is that several of the books were newly published at that time, and they still look older and worn. (I have this complaint with time period movies- they show full bookcases of "old" books, and they look old. But they would have been published recently at that time, so shouldn't they look new?) Fireplace toolsWe bought our house in 1987, bought our fireplace tools - identical to the ones in this picture - at that time. No reason for any change.... (Cats, Columbus, Ga., Kids, News Photo Archive)
Florida Football: 1955
December 1955. "Football game in Florida." Kodachrome transparency by Phillip Harrington ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/25/2017 - 11:56am -

December 1955. "Football game in Florida." Kodachrome transparency by Phillip Harrington for the Look magazine assignments "How It Looks From the South," "Florida's Prophets of Boom" and "What Is Florida?" View full size. CompositionI recall a photojournalism prof using this photo to demonstrate the possible impact of frame composition. He also taught us great techniques like "The Ol' Switcheroo": how to palm "the good stuff" and give a "placebo roll" to the cop who's demanding the film's surrender. Grim reminderThis photo reminds me of the first time I went down to Florida, Jacksonville, in 1967. As a 17 year old from New York, I remember the separate bathrooms and water fountains, the images of which burned into my mind. It was a side of humanity that I had not seen before. Separate but EqualGrowing up overseas (Asia) I was pretty ignorant of jim crow. Later in life, learned what it was about from a friend that was sent in 1965 to Georgia Tech for a year. He and some buddies went bowling one night. When he went to get a burger, he was told to "go over there" where non-whites were served. His buddies came over, forced the person to serve them all. They sat in the whites section. They also never went back there. I asked him how he could tolerate working for an American firm after he was treated that way in the US. His comment was really pretty simple and telling: Not everyone is that way. And he is right. The same all over?I remember seeing the duplicate facilities in the Winter Park, Fla. train station, and thinking that it was the same as where we came from up North in Pennsylvania, except we had them labeled "Men" and "Women"! Jim CrowI was born and raised in Kansas and had very little exposure to Jim Crow laws until about 1954. We had black students in our school and we never thought a thing about it. They were just other students trying to get through high school like the rest of us. In about 1954 my family took a trip down through Tennessee and one Sunday we stopped at a drive-in to get something to eat. Whites were given the priviledge of curb service but Blacks had to go around to the side to pick up their orders. Being a Sunday, all the Blacks were dressed up just coming from church and were very well dressed. A car pulled up next to us loaded up with what I can only say were "white trash". They got curb service, since they were white, and proceeded to throw trash all over the parking lot and were a very disgusting bunch. That was my first exposure to discrimination and I just could not imagine it. Transparently OpaqueKodachrome, but black and white. Used the Wrong Water FountainDuplicate facilities were the norm in Oklahoma when I was a boy (1950s). Once in a big grocery I drank from a fountain that said "Colored," and caught holy H from my grandmother. I am white. Where's Waldo? There are a few African Americans sitting in the 'whites' section with seemingly no problem. For example: Is this really a football game?This seems to be something other than a regular football game - I can count four different marching band groups in the stands. Perhaps a band competition of some kind? (The one seemingly black person among the whites that J.W. Wright pointed out looks like he's part of one of the bands - perhaps from an integrated high school.) It looks like a very hot day - many of the women are wearing identical looking paper hats to get some relief from the sun, perhaps for sale at the stadium. On a personal note, I grew up in Central Florida, and the high school I attended, which was built in 1969, had two side-by-side cafeterias. The public schools in my city were integrated by then but I'm quite sure that the cafeterias were built the way they were to make sure there was still de facto segregation at lunch. (Kodachromes, Florida, LOOK, Phillip Harrington, Sports)
Lobster Feast: 1955
Circa 1955 somewhere in New England comes this unlabeled slide from the Linda ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/29/2013 - 1:52am -

Circa 1955 somewhere in New England comes this unlabeled slide from the Linda Kodachromes and its table of boiled lobster and smoking people. View full size. Lobster StockObviously the end of the meal and it looks like it's just shells and carcasses left in pot. Plenty there for a nice lobster stock. Hoity toityIn my memory of such dinners in Connecticut and Rhode Island, boiled lobster (and other shellfish) was always enjoyed on a table covered with several thicknesses of newspaper, nutcrackers, picks and Pyrex cups of melted butter. Filtered CigarettesThe increasing popularity of filtered cigarettes at this time was often attributed to a desire for a healthier (perceived) cigarette, but actually the lady in the foreground shows the real reason. Unfiltered cigarette smokers, mostly of the female variety, were getting sick of picking flecks of tobacco from their tongues! Also, who's going to eat all that lobster still in the pot? I volunteer. Blue and White, times threeSomeone really liked blue and white dishes, enough to buy three different patterns. One of them I don't recognize, but in the foreground we see the then fairly new Blue Danube pattern on the dessert plates; first imported in 1951, it was discontinued in 2010. A bunch of the coffee cups are in the perennial Blue Willow pattern which at least three manufacturers still make. It all harmonizes nicely with the lobster pot, not so nicely with the Chesterfields being snuffed out in the little dish in the foreground. So round, so firm, so fully packedIn that quick, reflexive motion familiar to anyone born before filtered cigarettes, the woman in the foreground is picking tobacco off her tongue. My father smoked three packs of Lucky Strikes a day, so I witnessed a good deal of tongue-picking. Lobster at Tiffany'sI have that exact same lamp. I bought it at a flea market in Armada, MI in the early 90's. I wonder if that group sold it for cigarette money? The Maine TrekMom emigrated to Ohio in the early 1950s, but we would make the trek back to Maine and Vermont every year or two. My grandparents lived in Poland Corners, and my aunts and cousins lived in Portland. This picture is extremely familiar. The lady in plaid could be Aunt Laura, and the lady in the foreground could be Aunt Jeanette. Today, I love lobster, but back then, as a Midwestern boy, it totally grossed me out. That pot of lobstertoday would probably run about $600, very large lobsters too. The family must be from Maine, no melted butter on the table. Another stickerThis reminds me so much of my Mom. She smoked unfiltered Pall Mall for many years, I finally talked her into filters which she called "core tips". She would pick the paper and tobacco off of her lipstick. It acted like a glue to the ciggs. Didn't break her stride a bit. Looks familiar That exact lamp is still hanging in my parents kitchen. (Linda Kodachromes)
81 and Still Mowing: 1955
... might have been viewable there as well as SF's. Our 1955-57 TVs there only had VHF so 4, 5, 7, 9 and 13 (they moved it from Mt. ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/29/2011 - 6:06pm -

My father (53) and my grandmother (73) watch my grandfather (81) mowing his lawn at his "new" house in Calpella, California; at left with trunk agape, our trusty Hudson (7). A couple years before, grandpa sold his large grape vineyard (off screen immediately to the left) that he'd ranched since about 1915. I still have a lot of memories of this house, like this, but geekily enough, also of watching TV, courtesy the gigantic TV antenna that picked up the nearest stations over 100 miles away in San Francisco. For some reason, I have a very detailed recollection of being 15 and watching the 1951 Cary Grant film People Will Talk on NBC's Saturday Night at the Movies and being utterly mesmerized by Finlay Currie's characterization of the mysterious Mr. Shunderson. Thanks to the fact that every bit of information ever is now on the Internet, I can actually pin down this memory to one of two exact dates in 1962, depending on whether it was a rerun or not. Zowie. My brother's Ektachrome slide. View full size. Modern HistoryIt amazes me, how fairly modern this photo appears, and to think, your grandfather whom you knew personally was born in 1874. I am now 40. In our family, six generations span back to 1796. I loved hearing my great grandmother talk of her childhood. She was 10 in 1905 and passed at 95. It is difficult to imagine someone's life spanning from before cars to landing on the moon and/or playing video games, etc. I think, many times, we do not truly appreciate the great wealth of knowledge present around us as children (by way of our grandparents) until long after they are gone. In any case, this is a great photo. I can just picture myself going in, when the lawn is done, cooling off with a cold beer with your dad and grand-dad and listening to a game the radio.. or arguing about those darned Communists down in Cuba. The antenna is great.However, I'd like to see your grandmother's kitchen. Marching Steadily BackwardsToday, with the so-called advancements of digital television, the over-the-air reception of television broadcasts from 100 miles away is no longer possible. PushmowersWow! Does this picture ever bring back the memories. My grandparents had one of those old push mowers, and by the time I was twelve, it was my job to push it up and down the backyard. I was so excited when my dad finally bought a power mower. TV MarketsDepending on any terrain obstructions, and if the antenna had a rotator, the stations from the closer Sacramento market might have been viewable there as well as SF's. Our 1955-57 TVs there only had VHF so 4, 5, 7, 9 and 13 (they moved it from Mt. Diablo shortly after we left) were it. Consistent DTV (mostly UHF now) reception over those ranges presents a formidable challenge, though some short-lived favorable conditions do occur. 81 and Mowingthat's amazing!!!! Are we there yet?tterrace, does the house still exist? Can you pinpoint it on Google Maps? That Mediterranean DietSomething in their lifestyle obviously kept your grandparents in really healthy condition well into their old age and I bet they took very few pharmaceuticals, if any. More likely it was PLENTY of good wine, fruits, vegetables, seafood and sociability along with not shirking hard work. (The "use it or lose it" theory.) I notice there are NO handrails on either set of entryway stairs, no ramps, no grab bars. To be 81 in 1954 and still self-sufficient bodes well for you and your siblings since good genes are also a major factor in longevity. Your photos are priceless and nostalgic and they all strike a chord in most of us. Live long and prosper "T". Good old antenna technologyLuckily we had a motorized antenna rotator back in the pre-cable days. Usually pointed south to catch the Fresno stations but at night reception improved enough we could get KTVU Channel 2 out of Oakland and sometimes other channels. Your grandfather reminds me of my neighbor across the street. 79 and active, just now going to be fully retired from his job. Grandpa's lawn today Rising to the topFirst post here. long time reader. As always an interesting glimpse into the memory files of TTerrace. The bits of childhood and teenage memory that stand out from a remove in time of 35 to 45 years is always interesting. So much goes by and is lost or submerged in the daily blur of life. Then there are those bits that rise up to the surface after many many years. Thanks TT, keep em coming. LessonsKeeping active is the best way to health. Your grandfather shows that. My grandmother was taking aquasize classes when she was in her 80's, walked a half hour every night until she was 95 until she went into a home and died at 99. She taught me that sitting around moping about thing does do something. It makes you lazy, fat and unhappy. The old " don't complain about it unless you try to do something about it." Photos like this a prove that people like this existed. Fave!Ahhh, "People Will Talk," one of my favorite movies! Tterrace, we seem to have more and more in common. My last surviving grandparent died last year. Ironically, he was mowing his lawn and fell off his riding lawn more and broke his hip. It is amazing to think how much life changed while he was alive. Northern CalI really enjoy all the wonderful photos that you share tterrace. I've especially enjoyed the old Marin Co. pics i.e. Larkspur, Greenbrae, Corte Madera, etc. Thanks for sharing. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Senior Prom: 1955
... Catholic High School classmates all decked out for their 1955 Senior Prom. He took this Ektachrome slide in the Larkspur, California, ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 11/25/2016 - 8:06pm -

My brother's Marin Catholic High School classmates all decked out for their 1955 Senior Prom. He took this Ektachrome slide in the Larkspur, California, home of the girl on the right. 1950s accouterments include a table model TV set, spectacular lamp shade and those interesting light bulbs, a variety we also had in our own home a couple blocks away. View full size. Women's 1950s HairstylesExcept for ponytails and "pixies," women's hairstyles of that decade made them look older. These girls look older than high school or even college seniors. A shame because, as I recall, getting a "Toni" was a long process for the ladies. Philco 52-T1808The TV is a 1952 Philco with a 17-inch picture tube, probably a Model 52-T1808 as seen in this brochure http://www.tvhistory.tv/1952-Philco-Brochure1.jpg I used to own one just like it until a few years ago. The Light BulbGeneral Electric 50 watt bulb. Gives a nice pleasing soft light. [Thanks! It's a GE 50-GA. Click ad to embiggen. -tterrace] The greensEspecially second from the left. Mint? Seafoam? Honeydew? Aqua? Anyway, who knew it was big 60 years ago. A white sport coatand a pink carnation would be popular in 1957, the second year of these young people's college days. Green was popular those yearsEspecially for proms and special occasions. My dress was mint green. Death and TuxesThose guys look way more comfortable in their white dinner jackets than I felt at my prom. Of course, I was wearing a light blue tux with a white ruffled shirt. Let me assure you, that was the height of fashion in small towns in 1980. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Working Father: 1955
Chicago circa 1955, and Dad is off to the office, or wherever Daddy goes in the morning. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/19/2016 - 6:14am -

Chicago circa 1955, and Dad is off to the office, or wherever Daddy goes in the morning. Happy Father's Day from Shorpy! 4x5 acetate negative. View full size. Hats off to All Fathers!It takes a Man to be a Dad! If I were a gamblerI'd bet it all that they are on their way to church. [They are not. Daddy suits up and leaves; the kids stay. - Dave] Dang. I'm glad I'm not a gambler. Boys CoatsA Suit/Sport Coat with no Collar or Lapels, What is the name for this garment, Shorpyites? Eton suitThe young gentlemen are wearing Eton suits, with no lapels and short pants, showing a lot of linen around the collar. My Mom dressed me up in one of these back when I was too little to fight it. It also came with a matching jockey cap. I Have To Ask?What is that thing just to the right of the little girl's head? It looks like a vent, but there is a knob that looks like it can turn something on. Is it a heater? Speaking of suitsLook closely at the patterning in Dad's. I've never seen anything like it. To be honest, don't care if I ever do again. Eton SuitIn 1959 when I was 4 years old my parents dressed me in an Eton suit to attended my aunts wedding. I still have the suit stored high-up in a closet. I really don't know why I still have it, other than it being a curiosity from the past. BTW, I caught the garter. Suit patternThe suit fabric pattern appears to be 'broken diamond twill'. A google search mostly turned up sites for hand weaving and Viking reenacters. Pay DayIt looks like Daddy had a great paying job! (Chicago, Kids, News Photo Archive)
Drinking Buddies: 1955
From the mid-1950s, somewhere in the U.S. of A., come these two boys arguing about who's hotter. Feel free to improvise your own caption in the Comments. 4x5 negative from the holdings of various newspaper morgues. View full size. Bromance ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/01/2015 - 10:16pm -

From the mid-1950s, somewhere in the U.S. of A., come these two boys arguing about who's hotter. Feel free to improvise your own caption in the Comments. 4x5 negative from the holdings of various newspaper morgues. View full size. BromanceBefore the term was invented or someone decided it was cool. Abercrombie meets Fitch"See you at the mall in about 50 years." Oh, they're hot alrightMilitary? Daddy!Those two REALLY look like father and son to me. RE: MilitaryI think acetboy has it right. The building behind them is a classic WWII wood structure that was typical on military installations right into the 80's. Throw in the haircuts and the military web belt the guy on the right is wearing, and I'd say they gotta be GIs. Probably on detail too, since they are stripped down for hot outside work. Sometimes peeling potatoes in the mess hall ain't so bad! Tres hombresAs a heterosexual man, I mostly just notice the interesting quartersawn oak water barrel with two options for dispensing (ladle and spigot), and that there are THREE guys in the photo. It's a goldmine, I tell ya!"Oh come on now. That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard. Nobody is gonna buy water in a bottle." Pvt. DenimWhen were Levi's jeans official issue? The evidence reveals it's NOT militaryThere is no US military base where the viewer would see bottle caps and other trash thrown on the ground and ignored by any First Sergeant looking to keep the Snuffies busy. This is strictly civilian. The one on the right is hotterHis eyes are the dead giveaway to me. Hawt!I'm a straight guy, but I would have to say they are both pretty hot! The guy on the right wins by a jaw line. (The Gallery, Handsome Rakes, News Photo Archive)
Alley Kittens: 1955
May 7, 1955. "Beales bowling banquet party." Cocktails with the three amigas. Make ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/07/2013 - 4:47pm -

May 7, 1955. "Beales bowling banquet party." Cocktails with the three amigas. Make mine a triple. 35mm Kodachrome from the "Linda" slides. View full size. Good old GertIf that doesn't look like my mom on the far right with two of her bowling buddies from the 60's, I don't know who does. The "ladies who bowled" lived for that banquet at the end of the season so they could get all dressed up, go out, tip a few drinks and get their prize money awarded so they had a little extra for a new ball or shoes. Thanks for the memories. Put the Blame on MameAs a young boy in the early 50's I well remember this hairstyle on the ladies left and center. It was highly popular on women of a certain age as styled similar to that of First Lady, Mamie Eisenhower. I just thought it was ugly then and now. FlashedThis picture is like many color pictures I've taken with a flash. A flash can take an attractive person and make her look like those in the photo. Bees' KneesWow, those cocktail dresses are lovely! It's nice to see similar styles on gals at the hip lounges downtown today. Cheers vintage and retro! Not so much like MamieThese ladies' hair looks stiff as bristles, probably from hairspray or some of the other products available back then (remember "Dippity-Do"?) but to my eyes (I was also a young boy in the early 1950s) they don't look much like Mamie. She wore bangs for one thing (nothing new under the sun Michelle!). And agreed about how the flash makes these women look: the one on the left looks postively predatory. MemoriesI was 3 years old when this was taken, this brings back memories of what my mom looked like then -- red lipstick with no other makeup, the hair and clothing styles. Even the clip-on earrings that seemed so popular then (other than maybe the lady on the right?). I guess not as many women pierced their ears back in the day. Flashed or Flushed?It could be those rosy cheeks are more the result of 10 frames of bowling alley cocktails rather then the measly flash of a camera. Window treatmentThat makes me want to go out and find curtains like that. That whole Mid Century Hawaiian Tiki thing is going on! I remember whenI remember how every event was an occasion for a corsage. Couldn't wait to grow up and get my flowers. Sadly, it was completely out of fashion by the time I was old enough to wear them. (Linda Kodachromes)
That Was Close: 1955
Oakland circa 1955, and yet another Buick come a cropper. We promise to call an ambulance ... license plate with the black background was used up until 1955. The Buick is a 1951 or 1952 Super. That hood was made to open from either ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/07/2016 - 1:05am -

Oakland circa 1955, and yet another Buick come a cropper. We promise to call an ambulance just as soon as you finish filling out these photo releases! 4x5 inch acetate negative from the Shorpy News Photo Archive. View full size. Hood before the car(t)That license plate with the black background was used up until 1955. The Buick is a 1951 or 1952 Super. That hood was made to open from either side. It appears that the latches broke and the hood slid forward. Lady in the DarkThere appears to be a woman behind him, not sure what's keeping them from getting out unless there's a steering wheel jammed in there somewhere. A valuable aid for future Buick restorersIs that "745" (or "145") on the right side of the firewall, likely written with a china marker. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, News Photo Archive, Signal 30)
Now That's Italian: 1955
1955. "Opera singer Ezio Pinza and his wife Doris at home cooking a family meal ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/07/2013 - 4:48pm -

1955. "Opera singer Ezio Pinza and his wife Doris at home cooking a family meal with their children; the family enjoying a candlelit meal in their dining room. Includes the family making pasta." Photos by Kenneth Eide for the Look magazine article "Ezio Pinza's Old-Country Food Goes American." View full size. Some Enchanted EveningBut Family Style, no strangers in sight. Wonderful voice. Pinza namesSuch a nice picture of a remarkable artist and his family. Curious, I researched their given names. Clockwise, they are: Ezio Pinza, Doris (nee Leak), Clelia, Gloria, and Pietro. Pasta machine - oh yeahI have the same rig. Instructions (istruzione) came in Italian - ha! I'm Italian and can't speak a word of it. Good thing my parents can because I would have accidentally made drywall plaster or shingles had I winged it. Inquiring minds want to knowNever used a pasta maker so excuse me if I'm missing something obvious: is there a reason (other than the what looks like the sheer fun of it) to 'output' such a long ribbon of pasta at once? Seems like it would be easier to handle if shorter lengths were used; looks like it has to be cut into at least three or four pieces just to fit on the table. Chefs? Not much has changedIt may be true that Technology Marches On in most forms of human endeavor, yet the pasta machine the Pinzas are using looks identical to the ones being sold today. Now, if someone could invent a pasta machine that isn't an absolute nightmare to clean, well that would be a big development! Ezio Pinza was born in 1892 and was 62 or 63 in this photo, within a couple of years he would be dead. Doris was 26 years younger than her husband, making her only 36 or 37 in the picture, though she looks quite a bit older than that. She lived until 2003. Still the same machine!I just recently purchased (from a restaurant supply house) a pasta maker that is almost identical to the one in this picture. The hand-operated device is secured with a suction clamp to the edge of a counter or table to keep it from moving during the procedure (hence the position on the Pinza table). After flattening the dough to the proper thickness, they have cut it into squares, filled it with ricotta cheese, folded them into little triangles, and placed them on a tray ready to be dropped into a pot of boiling water, and cooked. BTW - it was NOT considered "unmanly" at that time for men to wear an apron in the kitchen. My dad always did when he helped mom. Hey! I've got that machine too!I thought from the shape of the pasta, they were making cappelletti. But cappelletti has meat in it. Doris must have not been Italian. My grandma wouldn't have used a machine to roll out the past'. That's why she had arms and shoulders like a wrestler. And Peter, if your machine is messy, your pasta dough is too wet. The only thing you should have to do is shake or brush out the flour. Try running a piece of bread through it. The bowlThe green bowl is Fire King jadeite, very collectible. You could purchase them separately or in a set of three, graduated sizes. (Kitchens etc., LOOK)
American Splendor: 1955
March 30, 1955. "Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach. General view of lobby. Morris Lapidus, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/22/2014 - 10:05am -

March 30, 1955. "Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach. General view of lobby. Morris Lapidus, architect." Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size. The Streets of MiamiI'm guessing this is the same place that Allan Sherman mentioned in his song "The Streets of Miami". "I'm going to the Fontainebleau / Pardner, it's mod'ner." Opulent ExtravaganzaIf you thinks the lobby was something, take a gander at the building itself. A midcentury postcard is attached. Tres classyAll those Roman statues and busts make me want to drink tea with my pinky sticking straight out. And the title of the architect's autobiography is"Too Much Is Never Enough," by Morris Lapidus (1996). This is a sly reference to the motto attributed to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, "Less is more" (even though he never actually said that, in English or in German). GoalLapidus always tried to make ordinary visitors feel extraordinary. He wanted the guests to feel like a Cary Grant or a Grace Kelly while they were in this hotel. To transport them to someplace 'special' and well removed from their normal lives. Clearly a Staged PhotoNo ashtrays. (Well, maybe one -- see if you can find it). Best of both worldsThis lobby manages to be elegant and sophisticated yet tacky and cheesy. I like it and I don't. (The Gallery, Florida, Gottscho-Schleisner, Miami)
Watch the Birdie: 1955
One of my brother's high school classmates. With his Rolleicord, cable release, tripod, light meter and box of Sylvania Superflash flashbulbs, he's obvioulsly the school's go-to guy for photography. The white thing hanging on the tripod is a progr ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/22/2011 - 5:25pm -

One of my brother's high school classmates. With his Rolleicord, cable release, tripod, light meter and box of Sylvania Superflash flashbulbs, he's obvioulsly the school's go-to guy for photography. The white thing hanging on the tripod is a program for the senior play, "George Washington Slept Here," and he's here in the gym/auditorium to shoot a dress rehearsal. So's my brother, unofficially, with a roll of Ektachrome in his camera. This is a double-exposure, first shot without flash, explaining the phantom images around the bulbs and on the flash unit mount. Doesn't explain why there's a roll of Life Savers in the flash unit, though. Does add a little color interest to it, however. Oh, and I love his clothes, seriously. View full size. Ya! White Bucks!I can hear a very young Pat Boone singing now! Speed or Crown Graphic cameras were the standard for news photographers when I was a kid; big and bulky forerunners to the smaller 35mm cameras that eventually replaced them. As kids we would collect the flashbulbs we'd find all over the ground wherever the photogs went -- at the scene of an overturned streetcar, a sad collision between a car and a horse wagon or a fire in our neighborhood. Another one of the many no-cost pastimes we had as kids. His clothes are awesome!His clothes are awesome! White bucks and argyle socks - this guy was a sharp cat! Another great pictureI love the photos you post -- so full of life! Did either you or your brother pursue a career in photography? Argylesand white bucks. incredible. Care to explain?What are "argyle socks" and "white bucks"? For the clueless person born in the late 1980s. [Too bad there's no easy way to look that up. - Dave] Not only argyles......but argyles that match his shirt! This guy put some thought into it! Classic Clothes of the '50s...There was something of a comeback for this look in the late '70s / early '80s in NYC. I recall wearing white bucks with the requisite red soles and argyles, chinos and a button down collared shirt topped off by a denim single breasted blazer. I remember a lot of guys wearing this around that time. Or was it just me? Wish I had a pic of myself in that outfit. White BucksWho remembers the bag of white chalk you used to keep them white? Wite-OutWhite chalk, no. But I remember those bottles that had white shoe polish liquid with a brush applicator attached to the cap. And like the guy in the photo, some guys weren't all that good at keeping the white polish stuff off the edges of the soles. Still remember the smell of that stuff. Kind of like that white-out liquid for the old time rotten typists like me who would be typing like crazy, then look up and realize your fingers were shifted over to the left or right, and what your saw on the last line was something similar to ghpdtj''kytyu...and you reached for the Wite-out with the crusted up brush to save the day. White BucksI wore Cole Haan white bucks (along with tan ones) well into the 80's, and you'd keep them white with that bag of chalk, never with "liquid polish." which would have been a crime. Dingy white bucksI moved midway through the white bucks period. At the first school they were supposed to be clean (we, too, used the white liquid shoe polish) but at the second school the fashion was for them to be dirty and scuffed, so I carefully wire brushed the white off, to my mother's dismay. Ah, the complexities and problems of teenhood! J.T.He looks a little bit like John Travolta. Real cool photo. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Sibling Sandwich: 1955
Arlington, Virginia, in 1955. Squeezed between my sisters. 35mm Kodachrome slide. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by JohnZ14 - 06/10/2012 - 4:00pm -

Arlington, Virginia, in 1955. Squeezed between my sisters. 35mm Kodachrome slide. View full size. Pop CoutureGreat photo, John! Your sister on the left is wearing Pop-It beads! Haven't seen those for years. Awww Look at brother squirmI can tell by your look that it isn't your favorite pose. :) So good in several waysLovely kids. Sweet pose. And photographer who, obviously, knew how to get a good exposure. But let's also give kudos to Kodachrome. What magical stuff that was. Here (to my eyes, anyway), the reds and yellows gently roll slightly toward orange. Or maybe I should say gold. Thanks JohnZ for sharing such a gem. GET OFF ME!It is apparent the love and camaraderie from young man toward the sisters. Any man who has sisters knows what this feeling is. If we could bottle this and share with the world -- touching. EwwwGirl cooties! Too Close for ComfortYes, I definitely felt it was torture being squeezed between two sisters. Now, I am happy to have this memory. My sister, Jane, loved Pop-It beads, Bride Dolls and dolls that wet their pants. The photo was taken by my grandfather. This is such a sweet pictureWonderful photo...the clarity and amazing Kodachrome detail makes it look like it was taken yesterday. I'm thinking of my two young daughters, about this age right now, growing up way too fast. Thank you. A picture like this is timeless.It could have been taken today, or ten years from now. YesThis is a 'keeper'! Hope all are still well and ready to replicate the shot soon. OutnumberedConsider yourself lucky; I have 7 sisters, which would have made for a very crowded photo. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
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