I know nothing about this photo. For all I know, it's a picture of three people at a church conference. Still, it, at least to me, has a 1970s cocaine fueled party feel to it. The sort of past people hide from their children. Why, when I was your age, I stayed home and read the Bible. I didn't drink or use drugs.
Sometime in the last few days, I went over one million individual page views. And no, considering how long The New Found Photography has been up and running, I have no idea if that's impressive or not. Anyway, an older couple sharing a couch with three younger women. Daughters? That's my guess.
It looks like someone threw a party and they broke out the record player. 45s, I'd bet.
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.
Judging by the way some of the people are facing, someone interesting, or more probably in a position of authority is at the head of the table. A company dinner, perhaps. Anyway, there's a lab stamp on the back of the print, but it's mostly unreadable. I can make out "PRO-JEC-TED" and a word just below that that I think is either enlarged or enlarging. The top part, however, is just too faded to make out, and that's probably where the lab's name, and perhaps, its location, was.
I don't know why these people are in a party mood, but whatever the reason, it clearly involves lots of alcohol. There are bottles everywhere. There's' a processor's stamp on the back, "PIXIE SNAP JUNE 1952"
"Burch" Well, that's what's written on the back of the print, and I'm assuming it's a name. Interesting bunch of people. The two women in the back look like they have hairdos from the forties or fifties. The other people look more fifties or sixties. Throw in the wine-bottle candle holders, the potato chip bag, and the striped shirt, derby-wearing guy looking into the camera lens, and it must have been an interesting gathering.
Written on the back, "Sylvester, 1955/56" I don't know if Sylvester is the name of the photographer or the last name of the woman in the photo. Whoever Sylvester was, we can be sure he or she didn't know on which side of midnight this photo was taken. Rather dressy for a home party. Printed on Agfa Brovira paper, so far more likely this was taken in Europe than the U.S.
