Another true found photograph. I had to walk to the store this morning, and there it was, in the middle of the sidewalk. It looks like it's been stepped on a few times. I'm beginning to think that my fascination with other people's snapshots is entering crazy town. Oh well, at least I'm not doing any harm to others.
I purchased this photo from the same antique store and at the same time as the previous post, and while I can't be sure, I'm going to go out on a limb and say it was taken by the same photographer. There's nothing on the back to confirm that, but from Aubrey Studio, La Puente, California. Does anyone out there know what those things are in the background. And once again, going by the hemlines and hairdos, probably from the sixties.
Why is the woman holding up a toilet bowl plunger to one of the models? Maybe she was Miss Plumbing Supplies. Anyway, I've been picking up a few photos, either taken by a professional photographer or an advanced amateur. In the case of this photo, a pro. Stamped on the back, "AUBREY STUDIO, 120 N. First St., La Puente, Calif., 91744" I went online and ran variations of Aubrey Studios, La Puente, and came up with nothing. Going by the hairdos and hem lines, I'm guessing the swinging 60s.
Written on the back, "Leona & Bob and the Magil family. San Mateo 1952." Fascinating. The Magil family appear to be Latino.
Musso & Frank is old Hollywood. It was opened in 1919 by French immigrant Firmin "Frank" Toulet. I guess Frank was easier for Americans than Firmin. In 1923, Toulet partnered with Joseph Musso, and Musso & Frank Grill was born. Over the years, ownership has changed and even expanded into a neighboring space, but it's still at the same address. Right from the beginning, it attracted the film community. Movie stars, studio executives, and talent agents would drop by the restaurant for a steak and martini, hash out deals, and gossip about who was sleeping with whom. Still in business, it still has a menu that leans towards steak, and alcohol. It also has a dress code. Suits and ties for gentlemen and dresses for ladies are no longer required, now it's business casual. I suspect I'd be turned away if I showed up in my usual blue jeans and tee shirt.
The caption on the back of the card, "Musso & Frank Grill. FINEST CUISINE. 6667 Hollywood Boulevard, Calif 11 A.M. to 11 P.M. HO 7-5123 or HO 7-7788." And the publisher, "PUB. BY "CUMMINGS" (213) 344-6560"
It always seems like Long Beach is looking for another tourist attraction. Right now, it's the Queen Mary and the Long Beach Aquarium, which I admit, is pretty impressive. So, in 1931 it was the Rainbow Pier. It was a rainbow-shaped fishing pier, 3800 feet long, with a roadway on the top that allowed cars to drive over the Pacific Ocean. Eventually, rotting pilings and storm damage made repairs prohibitively expensive so the Rainbow Pier became the Rainbow Lagoon after a hell of a lot of rock and dirt was dumped where the pier once was. This card was once pasted into a photo album, so most of the back is covered in black construction paper. I can't make out any of the written message, just a few letters that were exposed when it was removed from the album. I can make out part of the postmark, so it was mailed. Dated, 1937.
Written on the back, "Mission Inn-Riverside, Calif." Frank Miller opened The Mission Inn in 1876. It started out as an adobe boarding house that became a full-service hotel in 1900. In 1903, a series of expansions were begun that finished in 1931. Frank Miller died in 1935, after which his family ran the inn until the mid-fifties. It changed hands a number of times and was facing a possible demolition when Duane and Kelly Roberts bought the property in the late 1980s and began a restoration that was finished in 1992. The Mission Inn and Spa is still in business, and despite being in downtown Riverside, not exactly a tourist destination is doing quite well. And, by the way, it isn't a cheap stay.
Well, more than likely steaming to Catalina. Is that how it would have been said back when this picture was taken? Written on the back, "June 28 on way to Cataline Ile." I haven't been to Catalina in years, and the last time I went, there weren't any well-dressed people on the boat.
This is the flip side of an album page that I've already posted. (Click on The Los Angeles Indiana Collection in labels to bring everything else up.) Every time I put up an album page, whether it's been cut out of an album the way this one has or if it's from a full album, I always like to put up the whole page at least once to show position. More than likely it doesn't really matter, but it's always possible that the person who made the album had a reason other than available space for the choices they made. Perhaps it's the order they were taken or the same location. Unless a photo is labeled there's no way to tell, but just in case. So, just to repeat myself, why Los Angeles Indiana? Well, I purchased this album page from an eBay seller in Indiana and there's a decorative border on a couple of the prints from L.A. Right at the top is the peristyle of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It's true that the photographer could have sent his film out to be processed and he could have sent his film through the mail, but I doubt someone living in Indiana would have mailed film all the way to Los Angeles for processing. So, did this Hoosier family make a trip to the west coast? If they did, they might have gone to the 1932 Olympics. Or perhaps, they were living in L.A. and eventually moved to Indiana. Who knows, and I doubt I ever will.
Every so often I'll write about how unhappy I am that antique sellers cut up photo albums and sell individual pages or prints which, of course, doesn't stop me from buying them. There are two sides to this album page, both with photos. I'll be breaking things up, though I'm not quite sure how, and it's also possible I may go online and buy a few more pages that are being sold by an eBay seller located in Indiana. And that's why I'm calling this The Los Angeles Indiana Collection and clicking on that in labels will be the best way to see other parts. So why the title? Take a look at the border on the print in the upper left. Apart from L.A., there's also a drawing of the Los Angeles Coliseum. Perhaps it's from 1932 and the Olympics.
Whenever possible I try and do some research on my posts, and I found a lot of interesting stuff about these three photos. It starts with the top photo on the column. Written on the back, "Johnny Bond, Jay Stewart (Let's Make a Deal), Skeets McDonald." Those names gave me a starting point, and the first one I looked up was Jay Stewart, who, from 1952 to 1961 worked as the announcer for Town Hall Party, a live country western show, broadcast from Compton California, both on radio and television, so while I can't be 100% sure, I'd say it is highly likely that these three photos are backstage shots from the show.
Johnny Bond was a country singer and guitarist who appeared on Town Hall Party, as did Skeets McDonald, another singer, and guitarist, who was born Enos William McDonald. After all, who would name their kid, Skeets?
The middle photo is labeled "Jimmy Pruitt, Singer" another Town Hall Party regular. It also has a printer's mark in the front margin dating it "JUL 55" Again, we can't be sure, but it's at least somewhat likely that all three photos were taken around the same time.
The bottom photo in the column only has one name written on the back, "Eddie Kirk." Kirk was born in Greeley, Colorado and actually grew up on a ranch, and learned a lot of the songs he'd go on to perform from the ranch hands he knew growing up. He was a national yodeling champ. I didn't know such a thing existed. He was a boxer, served in the navy during World War 2, and was even in one movie, Prairie Raiders, made in 1947, starring B movie star, Charles Starrett, who pretty much did nothing but poverty row westerns. Kirk was uncredited, though he may have been part of Ozie Waters and his Colorado Rangers.
The other three people in the photo are not identified, but I think I've figured it out. Kirk is wearing the cowboy hat. The brunette standing next to him is, at least I think so, lap steel guitarist Beryl Harrell. Harrell was another Town Hall Party regular, but she didn't start out as a country artist. Born in Vancouver, Washington, she started out doing Hawiian music, and she was in a lot of different groups. including Sweethearts of the Air, The Hula Bluettes, Eva Harpster and her Four Coeds, The Saddle Dusters, Coby Jones and her All Girl Western Band, and Carl Cody and His Country Boys. Besides playing the guitar, she was also a featured vocalist, as well as being a solo artist in her own right.
It took a bit of digging, but I'm fairly certain that the other man and the blond are Wes and Marilyn Tuttle. Wesley Tuttle had a fairly long and successful career. He lost all but his thumb and one finger on his left hand in an accident and had to relearn to play the guitar and ukulele. If you look closely at Marilyn's left shoulder, you can see just a thumb and single finger. Anyway, Wes Tuttle acted in a dozen westerns, yodeled for Dopey in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and was the director for the Town Hall Party television broadcasts. He was also elected to The Western Music Hall of Fame. His wife Marilyn, born Marilyn Myers, was in one movie, Down Home Missouri as a member of the Tailor Maid Trio. She was a singer, and while I couldn't find any record of it, I'd say it's fairly logical to assume she sang on the show.
Compton is one of the oldest cities in Los Angeles County, having been incorporated in 1888. In the twenties and thirties, it had a large Japanese American population that were forced from their homes during World War 2. During the war it was home to many of the war workers employed in the south bay aircraft plants. It wasn't until the mid-fifties that black families began moving into the city. Today the population are mostly Hispanic and black, and Compton itself is known as the home of west coast rap scene. Think N.W.A. and Snoop Dogg.
Written on the back, "Palm Springs 1946." The man looks like he's about the right age to have been a World War 2 veteran, and Palm Springs would have been a nice place for a romantic reunion after being released from service. Before blowing up the print, I actually thought he was wearing a military uniform, but now I don't think so.
This postcard was never sent, so I don't have an exact date that I can reference in this post. Just going by the cars, I'm thinking sometime in the 1950s to the early sixties. I have one clue, the identity of the publisher. "X.45 WESTERN PUBL. & NOV. CO., 259 SO. LOS ANGELES ST., L.A. CALIF." The hint is that there is no zip code, which were first used in 1963. Pierpoint Landing was a sport fishing venue with some kiddie rides and exhibits that was in business from 1948 to 1972. And the caption on the back, "PIERPOINT LANDING LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA. The landing at the tip of Pier A draws nearly as many spectators as fishermen. There are many shops and cafes here as well as live fish and seal exhibits." The Long Beach inner harbor is far different now.
Time to finish up with a couple of dogs trying to climb a ladder. I suspect it leads to a rickety wooden bridge crossing the river. It looks like the bottom dog needs some help. Click on The Crystal Gloss Collection in labels to see the now completed collection.
We're getting near the end of this collection. Only two more images and then it's done. I tried blowing the top print up, and while I can't be 100% sure, I think that dark spot in the middle of the river is a raft. And, of course, there had to be one picture of a woman washing clothes. It's not that men are lazy, it's just that we don't mind being dirty. Click on The Krystal Gloss Collection in labels to see everything.
Just enough of the license plate holder is readable to see that this Rambler station wagon was purchased from a dealership in North Hollywood, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley, and not really all that close to Hollywood itself. I wonder if she's off to dance class for the aspiring child stars of the 1950s.
As a rule, I don't post lab stamps, but I rather like the Bear Photo Service logo. So, is it a river, or is it a lake? I'm about 99% certain it's a river. Look close and you can see what looks like rapids. As usual click on The Crystal Gloss Collection to see more.
Of the pictures in this small booklet, it's the second one in this column that interested me the most. It looks like a river ferry. The top photo looks like a man tending a field, which points to private land. As usual, click on The Krystal Gloss Collection in labels to see other images from this small photo album.
There are only a few photos in this collection that I would have wanted if they hadn't been in this little photo booklet, and the second one in the column is one of them. Since Bear Photo Service was headquartered in California, I'm guessing these photos must have been taken somewhere in the state. But where? The footbridge should give a clue. Is it on the upper Kern River? The Truckee? So far, my research hasn't come up with an answer. Click on The Krystal Gloss Collection in labels to see the rest.
If you're old enough, and I am, you'll have memories of taking a roll of black and white film to the local drug store and coming back a week later for a little booklet of pictures. The cover usually had the name of the service, the lab's name, and sometimes the name of the local store that took in your film. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to put up the twelve prints in this booklet, and I'm more interested in the booklet itself than in the prints, which seem to be from a camping trip of some kind. Click on The Krystal Gloss Collection to bring up the rest of the prints.
