Van Nuys Boomers

RKO Encino Movie Ranch

2012-01-03T01:43:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to a short article about behind the scene photos from "It's a Wonderful Life". Click on the photo link at the end of the article to go to the Life Magazine site.

http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2011/12/valley_of_its_a_wonderful.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LAObserved+%28LA+Observed%29#.TwKR9p0jqXk.facebook

Hollywood Places

2011-12-28T22:49:00.000-05:00

http://www.martinturnbull.com/?page_id=19

Valley Relics

2011-11-26T15:51:00.001-05:00

While we are on hiatus please check out the website of Valley Relics:

http://www.valleyrelics.net/

Valley Relics also has a wonderful page on Facebook full of pictures and memories. Be prepared to spend hours looking through the collection.

Van Nuys Boomers on Hiatus

2011-11-03T13:50:00.000-04:00

For the past five years I have been posting, albeit erratically, on Van Nuys Boomers. But for now I seem to have exhausted any really interesting items in our possession, which is clearly obvious in light of the last few posts. So for health and other reasons I am putting the blog on hiatus for the next few months. I do have a small back load of email to catch up on and I apologize for those and I will address them soon. Thank you to everyone for reading and contributing to our blog. Hopefully we will catch up again next year.

Fried Egg Noodles

2011-10-29T23:50:00.000-04:00

I'm not branching out into a cooking blog but the other day I made something I haven't had in quite a while, and it is very easy, fried egg noodles. You start with leftover noodles like the ones in the picture above. Melt some butter or in my case margarine is an appropriate size skillet. Then pour the noodles into the skillet, mixing enough to get all the noodles coated with butter or margarine. I add salt and a good amount of pepper to mine.

Heat the noodles over a medium high heat until they begin to get slightly crunchy. Mix them again one more time and then spread them out so they cover the bottom of the pan and continue to fry over a medium high heat with stirring them anymore. You want the one side to get brown and crunchy. You can vary this according to how you like them.

The amount of butter/margarine varies because the amount of noodles is never the same. I never measure them but I would guess you can start with about 2 tablespoons. You can add more if needed but too much butter/margarine is not good. When the noodles are done they usually stick together and almost lift out of the pan like a big pancake, if you cook them to the way I like them. You may want them a bit softer.

I slide them onto my plate and add a bit more salt since my doctor tells me not to use so much salt. I like the flavor of the noodles frying in the butter/margarine. You could add a bit of oil with them if you like. I never have for noodles so I can't say how they would come out.

Cords & Pipe Cleaners

2011-09-15T12:26:00.000-04:00

I hate out of control power cords, phone charger, iPod cords and all those necessary cords in our lives. I had been using the little wire ties that come with the cord to wrap them up so I can keep my desk drawer neat but those ties are often to short and not durable. To the rescue one day I tried a pipe cleaner. Much more durable and easy to use. They have the added attraction of providing a bored mind something to do. I can't recall how many pipe people I have created and scattered around the house to surprise, and annoy my wife. I will confess as most writers know, sometimes your characters have a mind of their own. So I take no blame when a certain pipe person might to decide to get a little...let's say frisky, that's all I'm saying.

Christmas Story House

2011-08-28T14:59:00.002-04:00

Radio Rat came to town the other day and we have been busy seeing the sights. Two days ago we went to the Rock Hall of Fame. While that was great the highlight for Radio Rat, a Christmas fanatic, was yesterdays visit to the house from the movie A Christmas Story. I've driven by it many times but this is the first time I had taken the tour. And of course I walked out of the house without my new camera so I had to use my cell phone camera which did okay. Below is a picture of Radio Rat at the front window with the infamous leg lamp.

Early this morning I took him to the airport and he is on his way home. He told me the first thing he is going to do is watch the movie. I wouldn't be surprised if he blew this picture up to poster size. The scenes where the leg lamp arrives were shot outside and inside the house, as were a couple other segments. Below are a few more shots.

For more information follow this link:
http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/
Happy Humbug

1970's Photos

2011-08-21T17:08:00.001-04:00

Me inside Hi-Lo Drugstore at Sherman way and Sepulveda circa 1972. I wish I had a clear picture and more pictures of the stuff inside the store.

My 1973 Ford Pinto (1600cc engine) on Lanark St. between Sepulveda Blvd and Langdon Ave.

Looking at the courtyard of Jane Russel's Taos West Apartments on Woodman Ave., 1975. The building is still there and I believe has the same name but it is now condo's.

With scanners I now wish we had printed the photos on glossy paper. I still have the negatives so I could fix that if I wasn't so lazy.

Rock Star

2011-08-13T22:57:00.000-04:00

Last night I dreamt Radio Rat and I were rock stars...wait...right

American Pie Flashback

2011-08-02T16:50:00.000-04:00

Phone Rat recently went on one of his L.A. excursions and came across this Don McLean concert poster for an upcoming concert. Don McLean's song American Pie was released in the fall of 1971. I was in a band at the time (Phone rat was our roadie) and the popularity of the song demanded we learn it and play it. It's an easy song to learn and play and everyone seemed to like it. I didn't have an acoustic guitar at the time so I muted the tone on my guitar and used a felt auto harp pick to further mute my electric guitar sound. Below is a picture (Me and Radio Rat) of our band, The Destinations from December 1971. The vest and tie uniform is still a bit embarrassing but that's okay. Unfortunately this photo doesn't show the throngs of girls at the bottom of the stage or the underwear they threw on the stage...yeah.

My Desk

2011-07-31T16:50:00.001-04:00

A friend just uploaded a picture of his very messy desk to his website. I told him it was disgraceful and indicative of his disorganized thought process. He's a liberal and I'm a conservative so we always rag on each other, but in a friendly way. So he dared me to post a picture of my desk as it is today. He hasn't seen my office or desk so he must figure it is filled with hand grenades, rifles and voodoo dolls of Al Gore and Harry Reid. So here is my very small desk (I miss my two large desks). Do scissors count as a weapon?

The only weapon in sight is a ceremonial Knight Templar Masonic sword on the wall to the left of my desk which belonged to my Grandfather. Above my desk is a James Bond poster of him holding a girl and pointing a gun our way. I'll leave the psychological implications of that for my friend to figure out. My wife bought it for me and had it framed. The desk is otherwise fairly organized and clean. I tend to be "Monk" like with regard to organization and cleanliness, which makes me the most frustrating member of our too large household. So I determine I win on neatness and cleanliness just as I am always right and win with our political argument :)

Larry Harnisch Reflects on Los Angeles History

2011-07-30T00:55:00.001-04:00

I just logged on to Larry Harnisch's LA Times blog only to find out it is being discontinued. Larry's blog is one of our links on the right side of this page. Larry says the LA Times blog will continue to be available online as a wonderful resource for all us Los Angeles history buffs. The good news is Larry will continue a blog on his own personal website:

http://ladailymirror.com/

Be sure to check it out. It's almost poetic that right before I logged onto his LA Times blog I was listening to the album Black Dahlia by Bob Belden. Larry as you may know is the preeminent authority on the Black Dahlia murder. Larry also has a page on Facebook you should check out.

L.A. Film Noir Music

2011-07-29T22:51:00.001-04:00

Tonight I got a bit homesick for L.A.. Not for the L.A. I remember but for the L.A. that predates me. For the L. A. of Raymond Chandler and those 1940's and 1950's film noir movies. The images and music is so powerful they create the sensation of nostalgia for a time and place you never lived in.

I was sitting at my desk working on a project which would not allow me to watch video. So I fired up iTunes and clicked on the two albums above by Charlie Haden & Quartet West. With these two albums Haden successfully evokes the music and feel of Los Angeles from those post war days. If you like Los Angeles film noir movies I think these albums will take you on an aural trip through those times. If you like more modern noir style movies such as L.A. Confidential and Chinatown I bet you will enjoy these.

I used to drive through the Hollywood Hills at night with these albums playing in my car. If it was late and beginning to rain I would throw on some clothes and drive the canyons to the top of Mulholland Drive. Some of us take our music and atmosphere seriously.

Before I left L.A. I visited Tower Records on Sunset. I bought two CD's, the first was Joe South's Greatest Hits and the other was another excellent film noir style album by Bob Belden called Black Dahlia. Granted it's a walk on the darker side of L.A. but the music is just as powerful as the Haden albums in evoking that post war period.

Lake Erie Sunset

2011-06-28T00:24:00.000-04:00

Tonight we travel to Rocky River Ohio for a nice sunset over Lake Erie. It may not be a west coast end iof the world looking sunset but I thought it was decent. We were driving home from dinner at a Chinese restaurant when we decide to pull into the park and walk on the pier. On our way out we caught this shot.

While on the pier I took this shot of some lake shore houses in Rocky River Ohio.

For you crime buffs here is a quick picture of what used to be a hospital in Bay Village Ohio. It is now condo units. In its past life it was the hospital started by the father of Dr. Sam Sheppard, who was convicted of murdering his wife Marilyn and then acquitted in 1966. The Dad lived in a house right across the parking lot from the hospital. Sam was arrested for the murder of his wife in this house. During the 1970's it became a doctors office where my Aunt Joanne Knight worked. I have been in the house but never ventured into the hospital.

Josuha Tree June 2011

2011-06-25T14:37:00.001-04:00

Last week Phone Rat and his camera took a trip out to the Joshua tree area. He sent me a DVD full of images, a few of which I thought I would share. Above is an old trailer which looks like the kind of housing I could afford if I was back in California. Below is an old car that could be right out of the Bonnie & Clyde movie.

Below is an old bus. Perhaps it's the Partridge family on the lam.

And finally some sage advice

Wally George My Pal

2011-06-25T01:22:00.001-04:00

Above is a picture of the infamous Los Angeles "Hot Seat" talk show host and former co-host to Mayor Sam Yorty, Wally George. Sometime back in the 1980's a friend sent in a request for a glossy picture of Wally addressed to me. It was quite a surprise when it arrived since I did not watch the show and was not a pal of Mr. George. But I recently came across the picture and was glad to have a small piece of Los Angeles history. I'm sure Mr. George now lives on through YouTube along with Sheriff John, Tom Hatten and Hobo Kelly.

Before Van Nuys There Was Detroit

2011-06-24T01:01:00.002-04:00

Before my family moved to Van Nuys California in 1960 we lived in a suburb of Detroit Michigan named Wayne. Above is picture taken about a year and a half ago when my friend Phone Rat and I traveled to Detroit. The house is a duplex and we lived on the right side at 2562 Ackley Ct. The house looks as it did back in the late fifties. Below is a picture of my Dad and I sitting on the front steps for Easter of 1957. Behind the screen door next to us is my friend Dawny. After we moved to Van Nuys I only saw Dawny one more time when we stopped in Detroit on our way to Cleveland to visit family sometime in the sixties.

By the way Elvis Presley's All Shook Up was the number one song in the nation on this Easter Day.

Mother's Day, A Curmudgeon's Perspective

2011-05-08T15:09:00.001-04:00

I always thought Mothers Day was a time to honor Mom, make her breakfast and let her lounge around the house and enjoy the quiet. Not where I am. Currently there are two lawn mowers and one edger cranking out the decibels. Inside is a 9 year old practicing every annoying sound and squeal one can imagine while his Mom finds relief inside her headphones. In another room is the shrill of a relentless alarm clock trying to wake up a 24 year old slacker at 2pm in the afternoon. I was downstairs with the front door and a window open, smoking a cigar and trying to watch a movie. I gave up on that one and came up to my office where I now have my headphones on cranking out Live Bullet by Bob Seger. If I am going to have loud noise at least it will be my own.

As I waddle through time I have discovered that true riches are not found in a fat bank account or a stack of gold bars. True riches for this old curmudgeon are, privacy and quiet. I find it ironic that when I lived in a small two bedroom downstairs apartment I had more room and more quiet. Live in a house with empty rooms and people come knocking on your door looking for a place to live. My wife and I dream of the day when it is just us. That time is now sooner than later. An exit strategy is in the works.

My wife is at work so it is not much of a Mothers Day for her. I'm 2400 miles away from my Mom, but my good friend Arnold put flowers on her grave. Our parents are buried a few feet apart. So with that I guess I will stop bitching and moaning. If things get louder I just might jump in my truck, drive out to the airport and park next to a runway and enjoy the quiet. Happy Mothers Day.

Mitchum Pot Bust House

2011-04-30T00:55:00.000-04:00

8443 Ridpath Drive in the Hollywood Hills. The house where actor Robert Mitchum was busted for posession of marijuana in 1948.

Webcam

2011-04-19T00:31:00.005-04:00

My Desktop computer finally lost its mind after about 7 years. It served me well so I can't complain. Being a neat freak I decided to get a laptop that would free up some desk space. Aside from getting used to a slightly smaller keyboard I like it. As is probably the norm now it came with a built in webcam. This was not a feature I needed or wanted but now I have it. Now all my friends want to Skype me. I hate cameras so naturally I'm not going to be fond of appearing on a camera. The other night I tested the webcam with my wife who was downstairs. It works as the snapshot above will attest. Next will be Phone Rat and Radio Rat and probably a bunch of my cousins who have webcams as well. I drive a truck so I am one of the first people someone calls when they have something large to move. Now I have a webcam and everyone wants to see me as they talk to me. I should be glad this is all I have to whine about, I'm done whining.

4-16-1981

2011-04-16T01:30:00.000-04:00

Bob's Back

2011-04-12T21:16:00.006-04:00

Sweet sixteens turned 65...and still rocking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POj1W7mOF7Q&feature=related

Cigars & Arnold Schwarzenegger

2011-03-02T21:56:00.001-05:00

One of my best friends just sent me a red leather travel humidor with 10 CAO brand cigars in it. All the cigars are rated very high with a couple being among the best of the year cigars. So the other night when my old Landlord Jane Russell passed away I decided to light up a CAO Cameroon in memory of her. I had one last Amstel Light in the refrigerator so I opened that and poured it in my special beer mug from Solvang California.

My Dad took up cigar smoking when the doctor made him give up cigarettes. Of course being a cigarette smoker for so long, he inhaled them. My Mom bought him a beautiful humidor for Christmas. After he died I kept the humidor but he was stolen from an apartment I was moving into. Over the years I had smoked a cigar now and then but never seriously until the mid nineties. Unfortunately I didn't have his humidor so my Mom bought me a nice small one which was more than adequate for my needs. It now sits on the mantle about the fireplace (which doesn't work).

Back in the late nineties my wife worked at a company called CBO in Hollywood. They were a post production company who designed ads, media artwork and so on. One of the 3 owners was best friends with Arnold Schwarzenegger. CBO did the artwork for his movies, print ads and tapes and DVD's. Many of the guys at CBO smoked cigars and Arnold had bought each of them a high end cigar humidor made by Daniel Marshall. As I recall they were the model above but a lighter colored wood.

So it took me and hour and a half to smoke the CAO Camaroon and it was excellent. The Amstel Light beer wasn't bad either. RIP Jane Russell.

Roberto Alvarez of Van Nuys CA

2011-01-17T14:38:00.001-05:00

My best friend back at Hazeltine Ave. Elementary School was Roberto Alvarez. Roberto lived in our apartment complex on Sherman Way. Whenever I think back on those days I always think of Roberto and wonder what happened to him after we lost touch. His family moved away from our apartment and we kept in touch for a little while but eventually we lost track of each other.

I'm wondering if any of my fellow Hazeltine Elementary classmates remember Roberto, or might still be in touch with him. I would love to hear from you if you are. That is Roberto and me in the photo above pointing out toys guns at the camera. In spite of my German helmet we were pretending we were soldiers from the TV show "Combat" and we were killing bad guys. I should add that Roberto was originally from Argentina.

Roberto Alvarez 1960's

The Model Shop, an L.A. Movie

2011-01-08T15:48:00.000-05:00

Late last night...well actually 4am, so early this morning I woke up in my living room chair and saw a movie playing on the Turner Classic Movie channel called "Model Shop" (1969). I have the movie before and always try to include it on my list of L.A. movies when someone asks for suggestions. The film covers 24 hours in the day of George Matthews, played by actor Gary Lockwood.

Matthews spots a beautiful woman dressed in white at a car lot. He is intrigued and follows her around until they eventually have a brief encounter. One film writer called the movie "a road movie that doesn't go anywhere." Consequently the star of the movie is really the Los Angeles of the late 1960's. For me that was the appeal of the movie. The story, script and performances are not compelling so you end up not caring about any of these people. Nevertheless it is an interesting depiction of our city and for that worth a bit of your time. Here is a link to the movie review on TCM:

http://www.tcm.com/thismonth/article.jsp?cid=212818&mainArticleId=212815

Goodbye 2010, Happy New Year

2010-12-30T01:33:00.001-05:00

Okay so this is not the baby new year, its me in April 1955 at 3 months old. Judging by the picture I either had gas or a future revelation about how lousy the year of 2010 would be. I am not sad to see it go. I am reminded of the old adage for pilots, any landing is a good landing. However some are bumpier than others and for me, and a few good friends this was a bumpy year, bring on 2011. Happy New Year 2011!

Christmas Movies with Ida "Pumpkin" Duncan

2010-12-23T22:03:00.003-05:00

This year I have seen move of the old traditional Christmas movies on TV then I recall seeing in a long time. From the numerous Scrooge versions to Christmas in Connecticut. AMC has been highlighting a few old perennials, Holiday Inn, White Christmas and A Miracle on 34th Street.

I remember the first time I saw Holiday Inn and White Christmas as a double bill on TV. It was back in the early 1960's. I was downstairs being babysat by our family friend and neighbor Ida Duncan. She had told me about the movies and invited me down to see them. The big thrill being she and her husband Duke had a color TV. I don't think I had ever seen anything on TV in color before. While I actually preferred the movie Holiday Inn, I was enthralled by the look and color of White Christmas. I think I also developed a slight crush on Rosemary Clooney. It was a great evening that I now relive everytime I see either of these movies.

I was very fond of Ida and even came up with the nickname "Pumpkin" Duncan for her. Granted it was silly but she and I enjoyed it. Eventually her and her husband moved to a small house which I seem to recall was off of Sepulveda near Roscoe. We kept in touch for a few years but as happens we eventually lost track of each other. The picture above is her next to her apartment below us at 13760 Sherman Way in Van Nuys.

Last time I looked on Google street view the apartment building was still there, looking much the same as it did back then. Merry Christmas to Ida wherever you are and the ghost of Christmas past.

Ida Duncan 1960 above

Ida and Duke Duncan above. Don't know who the child is.

Duke was a contractor. I once went with him to a job he had laying down a driveway. I was very young and probably not a lot of help. It may have been the first time I ever rode in a pickup truck, and now I own one

Merry Christmas

2010-12-21T16:00:00.001-05:00

Santa and I want to wish everyone who has visited our blog this past year a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Christmas 1961, our apartment on Sherman Way, Van Nuys CA.

Two Lane Blacktop

2010-12-10T02:03:00.003-05:00

Here is a link to an interesting article about the cult car classic movie from 1971, Two Lane Blacktop, starring James Taylor, Dennis Wilson and Warren Oates. Two Lane Blacktop and Vanishing Point make 1971 one of the better years for road pictures. The article is an interview with the director and has behind the scene photographs as well.

http://www.highperformancepontiac.com/features/hppp_0806_behind_the_camera_two_lane_blacktop/index.html

I saw both movies on the big screen. I recall seeing Vanishing Point with my Dad and we both liked the film, and I fell in love with the Dodge Challenger. I think I saw Two Lane Blacktop with a friend. Both movies are low budget classics worth hunting down.

RKO Encino Movie Ranch Link

2010-12-02T22:53:00.006-05:00

Tonight I stumbled across a wonderful website about the old RKO movie Ranch in Encino, which most of us know as Balboa Park, bordered by Oxnard Blvd. to the north, and Burbank Blvd. to the south. Balboa to the east and Louise to the west.

The site has photos of the lot locations and the productions that used the lot such as "It's a Wonderful Life", as seen in the photo above, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and many others.

Click on the photos and then click on the expand box in the lower right corner to see the photo in a larger size.

http://www.retroweb.com/rko_encino_ranch.html

I remember all those years we hung out in the park playing baseball, and other "wholesome activities" and I never knew the history of the park. You would think they would have a plaque or some form of commemoration for the old studio ranch.

While I'm at it, here is a link to the Culver Studios backlot and more:

http://www.retroweb.com/40acres.html

http://www.retroweb.com/studiobacklots.html

ASCII Art

2010-12-02T20:56:00.001-05:00

I bought my first computer in 1984. It was a small, cheesy thing, called a Sinclair. It was small with touch pad keys and was no fun to use. A few years later I upgraded to A Radio Shack portable. Again not the best, but it cost almost $2,000. After I got used to it I decided to experiment with a word processing program and create some ASCII art. One of my creations is above. It looks something like an Indian designed Thunderbird blanket. It is by no means a remarkable piece, but what I find remarkable is that at one time I had the patience to sit at my desk for hours and punch codes to create this. Back then I was still a bachelor, working long hours and somehow I found doing this in my spare time relaxing. It pains me to admit to having no life back then, but I guess I created something out of it and it was better than watching TV. Maybe I was listening to an Eagles record at the time. Yes it was still the age of vinyl LP's and cassette tapes.

These types of things are much easier to create now but somehow doing it longhand if you will makes it seem like more of an accomplishment. I think of this when ever I use Photoshop or when I record music digitally instead of using tape decks. Perhaps there is still a place for the old ways. The musician Eric Johnson on recently began recording his albums digitally. There is still a studio in New York City, the name of which escapes me at the moment, dedicated to analog recording. Steely Dan has used it to recorded the rhythm tracks for their records. Many of use still believe analog is better for many things, including the bottom end.

Captain K-Earth Decoder

2010-11-26T15:03:00.000-05:00

Here is my Captain K-Earth Decoder courtesy of The Wherehouse. I forget the exact date I got it but the date on the back says 1974 so safe to say it was the 70's. Decoders were popular when my Dad was a kid. He had a ring decoder and a pin decoder which you wore. I have them somewhere in a trunk. The cardboard Captain K-Earth decoder is a little less grand but it is still a neat memory.

The other memory is of course The Wherehouse Record store. In the old days after I got paid and covered the bills, I would head off to The Wherehouse and Tower Records to drop a few dollars into their lap. I still have some of my old record and tape collection but not the quantity I used to have. Moving it from place to place makes you thin it out over time.

There is only one used CD store near where I live now and it specializes in in genres I don't follow. I hate to sound like an old man but that's one more experience of youth that is lost. I imagine over time book stores will perish as well with things like the Kindle and iPad.

The End of the World

2010-11-10T15:28:00.000-05:00

Dear readers, I have just discovered scientific proof that the world will not end in December of 2012 as forecast by the numerous believers in the Mayan calender. As you can clearly see by this scan of my Popular Science Perpetual Calendar Bookmark the end has been postponed until 2059. Clearly this is good news for us Baby Boomers since it will allow the majority of us to live out our lives in full.

As you can also see the world apparently started in 1753 which differs with traditional science and of course the old Testament. I am unable to explain this contradiction, but as is becoming more prevalent in the world today, I choose to ignore the things I do not like or cannot explain. I call this state of mind the Algorean Conflict.

Gangster Mickey Cohen in Van Nuys

2010-10-25T14:24:00.000-04:00

Twice in this blog I have mentioned that when we moved to Sherman Way, near Woodman Ave. in Van Nuys in 1960, that the gangster Mickey Cohen lived two streets north of us. I learned this a few years ago while researching San Fernando Valley mob history. Today I logged onto the Facebook page of "Valley Relics" and someone posted a picture of Mickey Cohen in front of his Van Nuys Home. I included a Goggle map to show the location.

Celebrity High School Photos

2010-10-19T23:50:00.000-04:00

The following San Fernando Valley celebrity high school photos come from our "Bob on the Blog", Bob Walance. Thanks again Bob. Lisa Kudrow is the first, from Taft HS 1981.

Next is Don Drysdale from Van Nuys HS 1954, as are Natalie Wood & Robert Redford. Tom Selleck is from Grant HS 1962.

Rainy Day Music

2010-09-28T16:59:00.000-04:00

While my friends back in Los Angeles are suffering through the hottest temperature ever recorded in L.A., I am sitting upstairs in my office with the window and door open enjoying the 60 degree weather and the light rain that has filled the day. While typing this I have switched on iTunes and am listening to my rainy day music.

I began having specific rain music back in the 1970's when I lived on Chandler Blvd. I would play music while doing a variety of things in my room. I also liked to look out the window down at the street (See the picture above) and watch the rain. Over time I put on specific music for the mood and it became my rain music. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. Now when ever I hear a raindrop I go to my office and fire up the music.

The first album I put on is, Astral Weeks by Van Morrison. The combination of a jazz accompaniment under Morrison's mystical lyrics makes for the perfect music for a rainy day. It helps that he mentions rain in a couple of the songs.

Another album is, Tales of Mystery and Imagination by the Alan Parsons Project. Here the lyrics, inspired by the works of Poe, and the Atmospheric music fit the rain, and the night.

For some reason I go through a Beatles period every winter and every time it rains. Any Beatles album will do but I always go back to The White Album for those rainy nights. I remember when the album came out KRLA played the album with interview comments by George Harrison's about each track. It was night and it probably was raining when I heard the program.

Another obvious rain and in this case night song is, Riders on the Storm by The Doors. I always have this vision of the one armed man from the TV show The Fugitive roaming Mulholland drive at night in a driving rain, looking for someone to kill. The one armed man figures in another one of my stupid fantasies. When I was a kid we would come back to Ohio to visit my Grandmother. In her basement was a pool table I liked to play with. Well one night while there I watched an episode of The Fugitive. The next day I was going to go down to the basement when I got this crazy notion that the one armed man was down in the basement ready to jump out at me. I didn't play pool the rest of that visit unless someone went down with me. I now have a basement of my own and the Grandson is afraid to go down there. I wonder what vision he has?

WW2 Photos From Japan

2010-09-02T13:50:00.000-04:00

The other day I was scanning photos from a WW2 scrapbook my Grandmother kept for my Dad while he was in the Army. He was stationed in Ota Japan during the occupation period. He was assigned to what was the Nakajima Aircraft Plant. He found these photos of the plant while there. The photo above shows Japanese officials entering what s called the CP Building. This was the headquarters building. The photo below is from the actual airplane factory on the premises. You may notice the equipment appears to be American made

I can only think of one connection between these photos and Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. Both share the Pacific Ocean.

My online research finds that the former airplane factory is now part of Fuji Heavy Equipment. They now build Subaru's at the sight.

Jane Russell & Bugsy Siegel

2010-08-26T22:56:00.000-04:00

Tonight I was going through my Dad's old papers when I came across the bit of a newsletter from the time we lived in the apartment owned by Jane Russell. The newsletter mentions a play Mrs. Russell will be staring in called, "Catch If You Can".

In my Dad's file were some other papers relating to our time at "Taos West". Before we moved Jane Russell sold the apartment complex to a couple who lived in Beverly Hills. When we moved they tried to retain a pet deposit I had put down for my dog. We filed a claim in small claims court to get the deposit back. Eventually the couple settled and returned the deposit and appears to have covered the court costs as well.

While looking through the court papers, the address of this couple in Beverly Hills jumped out at me, and I proceeded to see if my hunch was right. It was. It turns out the couple lived next door to the house where Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, the infamous Los Angeles gangster was killed.

My connection to old time Los Angeles organized crime continues to grow. In an earlier post I mentioned that when my family moved to Van Nuys, and settled near the corner of Sherman Way and Woodman, we were about two streets away from where the other notorious gangster, Mickey Cohen lived before he went to jail.

Kester Ave. Elementary School 1960

2010-08-15T23:10:00.004-04:00

I just found this class picture from 196o on the Vannuys66.com website. I noticed that on the far left there are two older women, one of whom, in the back, is my old downstairs neighbor Lucille Flanders. I knew she was a teacher but had forgotten at what school. She was a great friend to our family. I would go downstairs and visit with her from time to time. Unfortunately for her she lived right below our apartment on Haskell Ave. in Van Nuys. This was about the time I was getting heavy into music and liked to blare my small stereo.

One day she gave me a complete set of a World Book Encyclopedia from 1959. I loved that set and used to read from it all the time. I had it until a few years when I moved and had to get rid of a lot of stuff. I wish I still had it. I especially loved the smell of the old binding.

Thank you Lucille for being a good friend and neighbor.

Flying Tiger Lines, LAX, Summer Picnic

2010-08-14T21:12:00.004-04:00

Guitar Rat and his Mom at the FTL terminal in Detroit Michigan

Old Man Needs Help Remembering:
Phone Rat and I were talking today and got on the subject of our Dad's and the summer picnics their companies used to have. My Dad worked for Flying Tiger Line in Burbank and than at LAX. I remember driving the Golden State Freeway (I5) to the place north of the San Fernando Valley where the picnic was held. I want to say it was held at a place called Sunset Farms, but I'm not sure that is right. I recall driving north and passing the aqueduct on the right side of the freeway. I also remember parking on the dirt and having to walk a long path to the right of the green area which had a baseball diamond and probably more.

As you walked in the picnic are there were some small buildings on the right where I remember seeing the teenagers dance to Elvis and whatever else was popular in the early sixties. Further into the place there was a mostly dry creek that ran along side the picnic site. I remember my Mom seemed to win a prize every year. I recall her winning an intercom system and a mixer.

Are there any former FTL employees, or family members who remember the name and exact location of where these picnics were held? Or if you have memories please feel free to share them.

Magnolia Blvd.

2010-08-12T23:17:00.009-04:00

Photo credit to Phone Rat

Today I reflect on the years I lived on Magnolia Blvd. in Valley Village. I moved there in the mid 90's. The apartment building was a small, well kept older building with the virtue of a decent rent and quiet neighbors. I had wanted a place near this part of town and was lucky to find it. I was in walking distance of a major drug store, a great pizza place, a market, a bank, a liquor store and Dutton's bookstore, which was ideal. When I moved in the owner of the building told me my apartment had been previously occupied by an actor who played a "Ferengi" on the TV show Star Trek The Next Generation. That was mildly interesting to know.

Also living in the building at the time was an older man named Herbert Wiere. Herbie as he was called was a member of the Vaudeville act, The Wiere Brothers. They once appeared in an Elvis Presley movie and for a brief time had their own variety show on television. Herbie was a nice but quiet man who parked his Karmann Ghia next to us. The building owner told me Burt Lancaster used to come and visit Herbie.

Two doors west of us was a house that used to belong to Merv Griffin. When I moved in it had become a rehab house and to my knowledge still is.

In January of 1997 Bill Cosby's son Ennis Cosby was murdered by a man named Mikail Markhasev. When he was finally captured I learned that he lived in an apartment building across the street from me and a little west from our location. He had worked at a second hand shop down near Laurel Canyon called Manly Seconds.

I lived a short walk from the corner of Magnolia and Whitsett. Those familiar with the area probably have seen the castle like structure on the south side of the street just before Whitsett which house a US Postal Office. A few more doors west, just across Whitsett, across from the Rite-Aid, is a small neighborhood bar called The Fire Fox Room. This bar was used in the 1999 movie, Magnolia, starring Tom Cruise. I'm not really a bar person but I have been there a few times. It is a little too dark and small for me, but it seems to be popular in the neighborhood.

Going east on Magnolia you come to a spot just a short distance before Lankershim, on the south side of the street where Julia Roberts, starring as Erin Brockovich pulled away from the curb and was hit by another car at the intersection of Lankershim Blvd. I forget if it was there then but right on the North West corner of Magnolia and Lankershim is, or was, a restaurant called The Pitfire. I used to eat there from time to time and the food was very good. Sitting outside during the good weather made it a great experience.

Across the street from The Pitfire is the Academy of Television Arts. While technically on Lankershim, it spreads back along Magnolia. You may be aware of the life size statues in front of the building of famous TV personalities.

Heading east from the Academy you come to the corner of Magnolia and Colfax Street. Here is North Hollywood High School. It has its fair share of celebrity alumni including, Scott Baio, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alan Ladd and many more.

Now let’s head back west until we come to 14277 Magnolia Blvd which is now an apartment complex, but it used to be the home of Oliver Hardy of Laurel and Hardy fame. It is right next to the Horace Heidt Estates. The estates were once part of the Hardy property. Next to his home Hard built a small comedy club called The Fun Factory at 14155 Magnolia Blvd. The Fun Factory was torn down in 1962 to make room for Horace Heidt Estates. TV actor Dick Van Patten once lived in the estates. Last I heard he no longer is there, but had another home on Magnolia Blvd.

Author Nathaniel West who wrote one of the great books about Los Angeles called The Day of the Locust, once lived at 12706 Magnolia Blvd. with his wife Eileen. The house was situated on two acres of walnut and pear trees. On December 22, 1940 West and his wife were killed in an auto accident in El Centro California. They were returning home to attend the funeral of their friend F. Scott Fitzgerald, the writer of The Great Gatsby.

Buck Jones, a famous cowboy actor of early Hollywood built a house on the southeast corner of Magnolia and Hazeltine Ave. Jones died in an infamous fire in Boston in 1942 at the Coconut Grove. The house later became a school called, Mar-Ken.

Finally we drive east again, past all the beautiful Magnolia trees which I truly miss. We drive across Whitsett and park in front of my favorite pizza place, Joe Peep's. I used to get their Blue Collar thin crust pizza and their great steak sandwich. They deliver, but not to Iraq.

So now that I feel totally homesick I will go downstairs and make my wife miserable whining, again, about how much I miss home. Thank God for the internet and Google Earth!

Cold War Babies

2010-08-11T14:44:00.004-04:00

This morning we turned on Turner Classics Movies and they were playing the movie, Fail Safe, starring Henry Fonda. Fail Safe is a cold war drama about a computer failure in the Fail Safe system of the United States during a normal response to a UFO sighting and how the tensions between the Soviets and Americans come to a tragic conclusion. If you haven't seen it I won't spoil it for you.

Of course being a Baby Boomer and therefore a Cold War baby it brought back some disturbing memories of my early childhood. I entered Kindergarten in 1960 at the age of 5. Before that I had no real awareness of events beyond my small world. I do recall watching the Nixon Kennedy debates on TV in the fall of 1960. I have a vague awareness of the Cuban Missile crisis, but my main memory of October 1962 was the New York Yankees beating the Giants in the world series.

Eventually I became more aware of world events through TV and my parents discussions. I remember thinking Khrushchev seemed like a scary figure. I remember hearing about Communist China and having the same feelings about Mao. But the thing that really sticks in my mind, as I think it does to many kids back then, are the drop drills we used to experience in school. The sound of my teacher yelling "drop!" still rings in my ears. I guess I was a little too young to really have a sense of the destruction a nuclear bomb could impose on my tiny school desk. That sense slowly dawned on me as I saw nuclear test films on TV, and listened to the rhetoric on both sides.

Many of us remember the sound of the air raid sirens which were set off at the end of the month. I realized later that unlike our parents who lived through WW2 and experienced an actual attack on U.S. Forces, my generation grew up with drills and sirens and the specter of all life ending for me and all those I knew at the time.

It all became more real as the Viet Nam war escalated and found its way to the front pages of the newspaper. As well the assassination of our President and the age of Sputnik came to influence us in ways perhaps still not realized. Perhaps it is understandable on some level that many found escape in music, drugs and protest. Perhaps it instilled a sense in many of us that growing up was a dangerous thing because these problems we felt were created by our parents generation or at least not seriously addressed by them. It was an inaccurate perception but it existed.

While I'm not seriously scarred by any of this but it does make me wonder what the Cold War Age, the age of Sputnik, the assassination of our President, and the well intentioned spoiling of my generation by our parents has brought.

10 Ways the Computer Has Affected My Life

2010-08-10T22:14:00.004-04:00

1. While this is an old picture it still shows that I now require two desks instead of one. One for the computer and all the hardware, software, and electronicware it requires, and the second desk to actually read, write and look out the window from.

2. My posture has become even more slumped since I tend to lean in and rest my chin on my hands while reading on the computer. I used to be 6'2". I think I am now an even 6 feet.

3. Being an old man in his 50's I have to fiddle more with my glasses in order to see the screen clearly. I often lift them up to use the bifocal to see the screen. Especially when a long legged brunette finds her way to my screen.

4. I no longer have a butt. It's flat. I am sure all those years of watching TV on the couch has no impact on my posterior.

5. Writing is much easier as I can cut and paste, and correct things in an instance. The problem is I tend to write most of my stuff by hand, often with a fountain pen, and than have to transfer it to the computer.

6. My big stereo is downstairs and my computer is upstairs. I now use the computer almost exclusively to listen to music. Granted I have a decent speaker system and sub woofer and recording and editing music is a snap, but it doesn't sound as good as my 1,000 watt system downstairs.

7. I can now get all the news I want or don't want online. I no longer get a paper, though that has to do more with the aim of the paperboy than anything else. I have never depended on TV news for my news since it is so bad and skewed, and now the internet gives me more than I can ever absorb.

8. My legs swell, my hand cramps, my eyes ache and I continue to sit at the computer a good part of the day. My last job required me to be in my office and work on the computer all day answering e-mails, writing and creating ad work and so on, so you would think I would have had enough.

9. The computer is one floor above the refrigerator so it makes snacking more difficult. However I do stash snacks and drinks up stairs but I have to descend into the bosom of the family, scary in itself, to raid the ice cream.

10. The computer allows me to rant and rave in this blog which I hope helps a few to bring back a few happy memories. No blog rants allowed here.

Matchbook Collection

2010-08-10T18:00:00.005-04:00

Here is a rather poor photo of some of my very small matchbook collection. I'm sure many of them you know and they probably bring back some pleasant memories. Some are from L.A., some are from Las Vegas and a few other places. At the top left is a matchbook from a private club called Tiffanys which my Dad belong to back in the 1970's. As I recall they were located on Ventura Blvd. They had a few celebrities and sports figures on their letterhead but I don't recall much more.

I am sure many remember the restaurant Bob Burn's which used to be on Laurel Canyon Blvd. Where the Lamplighter was until a few years ago. Rustler used to be a steak house located on Van Nuys Blvd. Somewhere in a box I have one of their knives. Which was probably lifted by my Mom, who was otherwise an upstanding citizen.

Alphy's was a small coffee house type of restaurant which has a few locations around the valley. We used to go to the one on Sepulveda at Sherman Way. It was sandwiched between Hi Lo Drug and a market which was first Food Giant, then Food King and was a Lucky's at one time.

The Playboy Club matches are from the Century City club. My Dad was a member and was otherwise an upstanding citizen. We went there a few times, yeah a few.

Pea Soup Andersen's was always a stop on our yearly trip up to San Francisco. I once went to the Odyssey with my girl friend Patty. I don't remember much but I have a cool matchbook.

Don Drysdale's Father at Van Nuys High School 1929

2010-08-07T00:02:00.006-04:00

Our friend Bob Walance just sent me these scans of a 1929 Van Nuys High School class yearbook which contains class photos of Scott Drysdale, the father of L.A. Dodger pitching great, Don Drysdale.

I remember going to my first baseball game back in the early 60's and seeing Sandy Koufax pitch against the Milwaukee Braves, who featured Hank Aaron and Warren Spahn. I saw Aaron and for some reason remember Sphan pitching that game but I could be wrong. Perhaps with the internet now I can do a little research. Anyway in 1963 Mr. Koufax and Mr. Drysdale lead the Dodgers to a four game sweep in the World Series of my beloved Mickey Mantle and the New York Yankees. Time has healed the wound, but at the time I was devastated.

We also remember Don Drysdale's restaurant on Oxnard in Van Nuys. I never ate there but I recall going by it many times. Thanks again to Bob for the great yearbook photos and Van Nuys memory.

Hazeltine Ave. Elementary School 2010 Pictures

2010-08-01T14:43:00.005-04:00

Our intrepid Van Nuys corespondent Bob Walance stopped by Hazeltine Elementary School this past weekend and took quite a few pictures of our old school. With the exception of a portion of the playground now being filled with storage units and new classrooms the old school looks much the same. They are in the process of painting the exterior of the school. I may be wrong but I don't think the color of the school has changed much since we were there back in the 1960's. Bob also took a few shots of the surrounding area. Some has changed and some remains. Pinecrest School is still across the street. Thanks Bob for the trip down memory lane. Google street view is great but nothing beats Bob and his camera. Bob asked if he could enter the school to take more shots but he was told no. Still what he got is fantastic. Here is the link:

http://s403.photobucket.com/home/BobW_2000/recentuploads

Van Nuys Drive-In

2010-07-06T21:04:00.006-04:00

The other night Radio Rat called me and we got to talking about the old days, as old men are wont to do, and the topic naturally turned to old girlfriends. Specifically a girl he used to date back in the early 1980's. While the memories were fairly clear I was a little vague on the dates. So tonight I dug out my briefcase full of datebook/journals I have kept since about 1980. In going through the books I found what I was looking for but also happened across one item I had forgotten about.

Back in 1981 I went to Van Nuys Drive-in on Roscoe Blvd. (The one is the Blog heading) with my girlfriend. That night we saw two pictures I have no recollection of what so ever. "Graduation Day" and "Cheerleader Beach Party". Why we went to see those two pictures is a puzzle. My choice of movies was as stupid as I was back then. Now that I think about it, that was the last time I went to a movie at Van Nuys Drive-in. Sad that it was such an awful double bill. After that I recall going to the Winnetka drive-in complex in Northridge, and my last visit to a drive-in was to the Sepulveda drive-in back in 1994 where we saw "Stargate" and a Sly Stallone movie called "The Specialist". I do recall a bit of those movies, but again, one did not always go to a drive-in for the movie...it was the food, yeah that's it.

The first movie I ever recall seeing was "The Crowded Sky" which my parents took me to see at a drive-in in the Valley, but I don't recall which one. I think I'll switch on my iPod and go back in time for a little bit.

Dr. Sam Sheppard

2010-07-03T21:19:00.006-04:00

This is not a L.A. story but it does have an L.A. connection. Today is July 3rd and it is 9:45 PM. 56 years ago in the early hours of July 4, 1954 Marilyn Sheppard was brutally murdered in her Bay Village Ohio bedroom. Before there was O.J. and any number of other notorious murder cases, the Sheppard murder case was one of the biggest murder cases of the last half of the 20th century. In December of 1954 her husband Dr. Sam Sheppard was convicted of her murder and spent the next 10 years in jail. F. Lee Baily, then an aspiring lawyer took over his case and got Dr. Sheppard's initial conviction thrown out do to numerous violations to his constitutional rights at the trial. The State of Ohio decided to retry Sheppard and this time Baily represent Dr. Sheppard and got him acquitted of the charges. The murder of Marilyn Sheppard is still unsolved and opinions are so vast and numerous I won't even begin to cover them here.

Before Sam Sheppard and Marilyn Sheppard were married, Sam graduated from the Los Angeles Osteopathic School of Physicians in 1945. After graduation the couple were married and moved into an apartment on Sichel Street in Los Angeles. Sam went to work in Los Angeles at the County Hospital and for a doctor in private practice. Sheppard work in Los Angeles until 1951 when he moved back to Bay Village to join the medical practice of his father and two older brothers.

The murder happened 6 months before I was born. However, I remember hearing my parents and family members talk about the case throughout the 1960's. The Sheppard family had a hospital on Lake Road in Bay Village. Sam's parents lived in a house on the other side of the lot to the east of the home. It is here where Sam was arrested in 1954 for the murder of his wife. It is here where my Aunt later went to work for a doctor who years later had his practice in the old house. I still remember walking through the house with all those youthful memories swirling in my mind.

Dr. Sam's surviving son Sam Reese Sheppard and his cousin Janice have a new website devoted to the case and their cause to finally find who they believe the murderer to be, and to further clear the stain on Dr. Sheppard's name. The website is not free and does have a cost. here is the link:

http://www.drsamsheppard.org/

There are numerous website with articles and histories of the case that are free and can give you a good overview of the case. So here I sit in my office on this July 3rd night when every year, like it or not my mind wanders back to that house on Lake Road in Bay Village, just a few miles from here, and the aftermath that affected so many lives.

Postscripts:

I just found the old photo above of the Los Angeles Osteopath College on Facebook at Los Angeles Relics. I believe this might be the college where Sheppard attended. If not, it's still a great old picture.

After writing this post I came upon a very interesting analysis of Dr. Sheppard's statements to the police. Follow this link to read his statement and the running analysis:

http://www.spyingforlying.com/2009/07/dr-sam-sheppard-mystery-solved-through.html

Jane Russel High School Pictures

2010-06-26T23:54:00.004-04:00

Our good friend Bob "Mr. Yearbook" Walance has been at it again. This time he snagged a Van Nuys High School Yearbook from 1938 which includes pictures of the actress Jane Russell in her junior year. Two pages from the yearbook are posted here. One shows Jane Russell with her classmates. She is on row 5, third from the right. The other page has a stand alone picture of her and another picture of two fellow students.

Much thanks to Bob for scanning and sharing these images. Be sure to check out our link to Bob's Photobucket page with other scans of San Fernando Valley High School yearbooks.

Art Linkletter

2010-06-02T23:28:00.003-04:00

When Art Linkletter passed away last week at the age of 97 I like I suspect many baby boomers had a flood of memories. My Mom told me that when my Dad was transferred to Los Angeles from Detroit they had a hard time convincing me to go. I was an avid fan of westerns at the time and thought the west was full of Indians, and well, I didn't want to be attacked and die. Then my Mom told me that it was really safe, that Art Linkletter lived and worked out there and he wouldn't live in a dangerous place. So I agreed to give it a try and we moved to L.A. in April of 1960 with very little trouble or drama from me.

Art Linkletter had the rare gift of being able to bring out the best and funniest things in people. He did not fight for the spotlight when he interviewed adults and children. Like Johnny Carson he was not from Hollywood and had a genuine air about himself. Both were masters at bringing out the humor in people.

When I was younger I used to worship talent and intelligence. As I have gotten older I realize those traits are common and usually not used to their best end. What impresses me now are good people. People who try to be happy and make the world a better place in small and large ways. Art Linkletter was one of those people.

If baby Boomers have a Mount Rushmore it might include Art Linkletter, along with Walt Disney, John F. Kennedy and who else I can't think of at the moment. When good public people die their lives should be celebrated a little more than they are.

1965 San Fernando Valley East Elementary Schools Christmas Record

2010-04-17T18:10:00.007-04:00

Here is a sample of three songs from a San Fernando Valley East Christmas LP from December 1965. It features three schools including Kester Ave., Erwin St., and Monlux Ave., Elementary Schools.

Digital transfer made from original LP's provided by Larry Hoffing, Kester Ave. Alumni.

Van Nuys Blvd. Song

2010-04-08T19:09:00.004-04:00

Here is a song called "Van Nuys Blvd." by The Drivers, with a few images of Van Nuys Blvd. Video by Phone Rat & Guitar Rat.

For some reason there is no image above until you click on the start button and then it appears. Most likely I forgot to do something.

Bachelor in Paradise Film Locations

2010-03-26T15:50:00.004-04:00

Bachelor in Paradise was a Bob Hope vehicle from 1961 in which he played an author doing research for a book on the love life's of American's in suburbia. It's a typical Bob Hope movie full of gags and off hand remarks. Lana Turner co-stars as his love interest.

What is of interest to me are the film locations. The movie was shot around the San Fernando Valley. In the movie Hope is set up in a new housing development which is actually in Woodland Hills. I believe it is just west of Topanga Blvd. in the foothills. I used to have the address but can't find it now. Locations also included the Corbin Bowl on Ventura Blvd. and a Hughes Market at 8231 Woodman Ave. in Panorama City. For those familiar with that area it is across the street from Kaiser. It is no longer a Hughes market but the building is still there. The scenes shot inside the store are a trip down memory lane for those of us who grew up in the 60's.

Frank Sinatra Jr. Kidnapping, a Valley Connection

2010-03-23T21:05:00.007-04:00

The Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Saturday December 14, 1962 reports two big news stories. The first about the Baldwin Hills Dam break and the other reporting details of the kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr. The latter is our concern for this post.

December 8, 1963 Frank Sinatra Sr. received a call at the Harrah's Club Motel in Stateline Nevada that his son, 19 year old Frank Sinatra Jr. had been kidnapped from Harrah's Lake Tahoe by 2 men and being held for $240,000 in ransom. Sinatra Sr. returned home to his ex-wife's house in Los Angeles where negotiations were arranged between the FBI and the kidnappers. During negotiations Sinatra Jr. was being held at a house in Canoga Park California at 8143 Mason Ave. (The house pictured above is as it appears today with Google Street view). It was decided a courier would be sent to Los Angeles International Airport. The courier chosen was an FBI agent. At the airport telephone booth the agent was instructed to proceed to a service station about 8 miles from the airport. The FBI agent left the ransom money at the service station and the kidnappers were captured two days later.

For more details on the story follow this link: http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/outlaws/frank_sinatra_jr/1_index.html

1962 North Hollywood Plane Crash

2010-03-22T18:21:00.002-04:00

December 14, 1962, North Hollywood CA. A plane belonging to the freight airline Flying Tiger Line crashes in North Hollywood, East of Laurel Canyon between Vose Street on the north and Hart Street on the south. The investigation found that the pilot had a heart attack and slumped over onto the controls on the final approach to Burbank airport.

My Dad worked for Flying Tiger Line and that night he was playing cards with a co-worker. I remember them hearing the news and going out to the crash site. Years later I went to work for a company on Vose Street just a few feet from the crash site. Vose is right under the landing path to Burbank airport. The first few weeks I was there I would flash back to that night every time I saw or heard a jet on final approach.

One day I was talking to a co-worker and we started talking about the airplanes overhead and I related my story of the crash to him. He told me his father had also driven out to the crash sight. That night when his Dad returned home from the crash sight he died of a heart attack.

Brady, Blake and North

2010-03-16T16:43:00.005-04:00

Friends and relatives who came to visit were always surprised by the location of famous TV and movies sites. Everyone thought the Brady Bunch house was in the hills when in actuality it is north of the Hollywood Hills which are north of it. If you head west on the same street about 7 1/2 blocks you arrive at the infamous Mata Hari Ranch, the former home of actor Robert Blake. The house is now gone but I used to drive by it on the way to visit a friend who lived a few doors down from it. And next door to my friend lived the mother of actor Jay North of Dennis the Menace fame.

Builders Emporium

2010-03-15T17:14:00.002-04:00

Radio Rat just sent me a group of pictures of Lancaster Ca in the past. This picture caught our attention as it shows a Builders Emporium Hardware store in Lancaster. Radio Rat and I worked at Builders over the years. There are not a lot of images online of any of the old stores. Radio Rat has shared his Builders experiences in an older post on this blog. His Mom worked there for many years. We have joined a Facebook group for former Builders employees. We hope to see you there.

Hazeltine Ave. School September 1960

2010-02-23T21:55:00.006-05:00

Here are two pictures from my first day of school in September 1960. One is a picture of the outside of my elementary classroom and the other is me as the letter T and a friend. On the back of the photo is written the name Kathleen and a question mark. So I am unsure if it is the woman or the child. I assume they live in our small complex.

I recall my mom was upset because my Grandfather was in town from Dayton Ohio and he walked me to school. My mom wrote in a school scrapbook that I only spent half a year in kindergarten. I peaked early it seems.

According to my Billboard Top 40 Hits book, "It's Now or Never" by Elvis was the number one song that day. Soon to be followed by a reentry of "The Twist". Holy cow!

Eddie Brandt's Saturday Matinee Video Store

2010-01-18T23:42:00.003-05:00

On Vineland Ave. in North Hollywood is the best video store I have ever been to. I first went to Eddie Brandt's when it was on Colfax Ave. in North Hollywood, just south of Victory and behind the McDonald's Restaurant. Actors, industry people and movie fans created an eclectic gathering down every aisle. Ask a question and some patron probably knows the answer. Follow this link to a video that appeared on Turner Classic Movies of the store and its manager Donovan Brandt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnNRAgnBdiI

Here is a link to a Daily News article on the store:

http://www.dailynews.com/ci_13254853?source=most_emailed

Laptop Lessons

2010-01-14T00:31:00.003-05:00

A few months ago the monitor on my laptop went black and would not come back to life in spite of my fevered attempts at computer CPR. At the time it seemed catastrophic. I used it for writing, photos and music. I checked e-mails and occasionally surfed just to kill time. Mostly it served as my jukebox while I worked on other things at my desk. All my files were backed up and the important things were easily transferred to an 8GB flash key that Phone Rat gave me.

I found myself reduced to borrowing my wife's laptop to check e-mails and other things. The laptop of course can be used with the AC adapter or with the battery. I used the battery since it was a project to dig the plug out of the wall behind things. So I could sit in my chair and be comfortable and check on things. However the most I could get was about 2 hours of life which was initially irritating. But over time I realized I really did not use the computer, on line for very many things. I took care of business and logged off. the battery life became unimportant and an important lesson was learned.

When we are plugged in and have unlimited time we tend to waste most of that time on frivolous things. I am not against the frivolous but as with television, too much is bad for us. But when we are aware of the passage of time and how little we have, as when the computer runs off the battery, we make much better use of our time and distill our session down to what is really important. The lesson obviously applies to life but many of us, including myself don't learn it until we get older.

My battery is actually running low now so it is time for me to end this overly long post and to get on to something a little deeper.

Box Memories

2010-01-09T01:38:00.004-05:00

I started collecting boxes when my Dad gave me a wooden cigar box. At the time I didn't realize I would become a collector. As time passed my Dad gave me more cigar boxes which I used to store some of my better pens in. Dad also gave me some English Leather cologne boxes made of wood. After a while they stopped making them out of wood and made them out of heavy cardboard, and I have some of those. I started putting all sorts or small items in these small boxes. Boxes went inside other boxes and they all began to take over my closet. The other day I went through my closet and came across many of these boxes which mostly contained items from my parents. i took pictures and thought I would share some of the contents here.

In the top left hand corner is a money clip my Grandfather received for a work anniversary. Next to it is a money clip from The Mint Hotel in Las Vegas that my parents bought me. Next to it is an old Illinois brand pocket watch that belonged to my grandfather.

The "C" hood ornament belonged to my Dad's last car, a 1978 Chevy Nova Concours model. The ring belonged to my dad and used to have a black onyx and diamond. I still have the broken onyx and the diamond went into my Dad's masonic ring which I still have. Theitem below the ring is a decoder of some sort from 1936. It has numbers around it and the disk that moves under it contains letters. Next to that is a key chain like item from Ralston "Straight Shooters" that spells "good luck" when you spin the disk. Below that is a Lakewood Ohio Bicycle license that belonged to my Dad, probably from the late 30's or early 40's. Lastly to the right is an Ohio State Chauffeurs pin from 1944. It was in with my Dad's stuff but I am not sure if it was his.

Mrs. Perlmuter of Hazeltine

2010-01-05T22:38:00.004-05:00

We finally have a picture of Mrs. Perlmuter, the most famous teacher at Hazeltine Avenue Elementary School, thanks to Julie (Rosenthal) Meshchaninov, Hazeltine class of 1969. Julie left a comment on a previous post "Looking For Mrs. Perlmuter" that she had a picture and here it is.

I never had Mrs. Perlmuter as a teacher so I will leave those who did to share their memories. Thanks again Julie and thanks to our friend Bob Walance who came through again.

2010 New Years Updates

2010-01-02T11:17:00.005-05:00

A quick reminder for all San Fernando Valley Demolay, Job's Daughters and Rainbow members that the 2010 reunion is at the end of this month in Laughlin Nevada. For details contact me at this site and I will forward you to the event organizers.

We now have a group page on Facebook called San Fernando Valley Demolay's, Jobs & Rainbows for those of you who use Facebook. It is a closed group, for members only so you have to request an invite to join. Just go to the page anc click on the ask to join button. It is helpful if you leave a note with your request and let us know what group you belonged to.

Phone Rat informed me that Valley Ranch BBQ on Sherman Way closed last month. I remember going there as a teenager back in the 70's. As I recall it was ok but not a favorite. Anymore I try not to get too nostalgic when something closes because that is the normal cycle of things, but still its a little sad.

Oh and by the way, Happy New Year!

Phone Rat & the Cemetery

2009-10-31T11:54:00.003-04:00

Phone Rat was back here in Ohio a few weeks ago for his bi-yearly visit. We covered a lot of ground in 10 days. We visited 6 states and drove about 2,200 miles. One of the great things you see here in the Midwest are old cemeteries with old fashioned headstones. Phone Rat and I drove to Michigan to see the grave of his cousin who passed away last year. We drove north on M19 to a small cemetery called the Memphis Cemetery, which out in the country just before the town of Memphis Michigan.

The cemetery is across from a large open field surrounded by large trees which were just starting to show fall colors. Phone Rat took pictures of many of the old grave markers. I wish I could post them all. To get a feel for the area you can view the cemetery from Google Street View.

Driving through all these Midwest states you get an authentic feel for the country, its people and its land. I witnessed that when we drove back to Ohio in 2006 but it is good to get a refresher course. Even though I am here in Ohio I still have a California, Los Angeles attitude that sometimes forgets there is more to our country. If you have never driven through the Midwest you would not believe the amount of corn you drive by. It seems a crime to use it to fuel cars and not feed people, but that is the conservative in me.

2nd Annual Demolay, Jobs & Rainbow Reunion

2009-09-27T23:28:00.006-04:00

Word has come down that the 2010 Demolay reunion will be in Laughlin Nevada in either January or February of 2010. One of our distant past members will be working in Laughlin at that time. I'm not spilling names but he plays bass guitar and used to throw a wicked softball pitch. As details become available I will post them here. if anyone has questions or suggestions please e-mail at this blog account and I will steer you in the proper direction.

If anyone is a member of Facebook you should know we have a group page called, San Fernando Valley Demolay, Jobs & Rainbow. The page is new and it will become a clearing house for information. Just click the add a friend button and I will let you into the group.

The picture above is from Google and is a satellite view of Harrah's in Laughlin. I used it because this is where we used to stay and it is where we honeymooned.

Cohasset Street Elementary School

2009-09-26T23:22:00.006-04:00

I realized today I have neglected my other grammar school, Cohasset Street Elementary School, which I attended for the 6th grade and maybe the 5th. You'd think I would remember. I could verify it but that would require a trip into the closet to dig out my report cards. But it's 11:30 pm and I don't feel so inclined.

As usual I am poor on names but recognize faces. Many went on to attend Fulton Jr. High with me. My best friend at the time was Paul Bjork, however he is not in this class picture. His family had a house on the land that is now the U.S. Post Office at the corner of Haskell Ave. and Sherman Way. I recall playing in that large lot which ran west up to Gloria.

I remember Tommy who lived on Dempsey just south of Cohasset Street. Tommy had two fake teeth in the front which for some reason really impressed me. I forget why he had them but I wouldn't be surprised if a fist was involved.

I also recall Debbie who I think lived near me. I have a graduation day picture of her, Paul and me in front of our apartment door. I would post it but I look so damn pudgy, and even after all these years it gives me the creeps.

If anyone remembers names from the picture I would appreciate it. The coolest thing was my teacher in the picture, Mrs. Tremonti lived in our apartment building. She was a very nice lady.

Looking for Mrs. Perlmuter

2009-09-19T21:21:00.007-04:00

Last Saturday a few Hazeltine Avenue Elementary alumni from the 1960's had a small reunion. I participated for a few minutes via a speakerphone on a cell phone. It was great to talk to my fellow classmates and my new friend Bob who I had not yet spoken to. The group had a wonderful time and swapped stories, and anytime stories of Hazeltine are shared the topic of the legend that was Mrs. Perlmuter comes us and looms large in our psyche. I was never in one of her classes but I saw her around the school and like many kids ran the other way whenever I saw he in the hall. From what I heard later she was a disciplinarian but not as bad as all of us imagined.

Bob reports that Mrs. Louise Perlmuter had a full life of 95 years and passed away in April of 2005.

With all the memories flowing and recently posted pictures we discovered that no one had a picture of Mrs. Perlmuter. If anyone out there has a class picture with Mrs. Perlmuter or any other photograph we all would love to see it. It is as Bob put it the Holy Grail of Hazeltine in the 1960's. Please let us know if you have a picture and can scan it and share it with all of us. I have left a picture off this post in hope of adding one in the future.

Bulletin Board Service, Chat Rooms of the 90's

2009-09-12T22:15:00.002-04:00

I was talking with an old friend and the subject of the BBS came up. After I got my first real online ready computer, a Tandy 1400HD like the one in the picture with a 2400 baud modem, this same friend introduced me to the online world. I checked out a few bulletin boards at first but did not really get heavy into it for a year or so. When I did I checked out a number of local boards and finally settled on a couple.

The first board I became an active member of was the After Hours BBS. As you may recall your time online was based on you paying for the service. Sometimes I paid and could chat all I wanted and other times I did not pay and chatted very little. I only ever met one person from the BBS in real life. I did strike up a few virtual friendships that would meet up again a year or so later on the other board i became an active member of, Beeline BBS. This BBS operated out of North Hollywood and compared to many was very friendly and well run. I attended a few events but for the most part just chatted online at night after work or when I had nothing else to do.

Looking back it was an interesting period. I never was one to hang out at the normal social sites such as bars, clubs and so on. For a brief period I had some fun and never had to get dressed up. I finally signed off around 1998 and have never been back to any online chat rooms. I guess I got it out of my system. I had just met my future wife so I had other things to keep me occupied.

1966 Hollywood High School Ring

2009-09-01T15:42:00.004-04:00

While rummaging through some family heirlooms I came across this Hollywood High School class of 1966 ring. As I recall my Mom found it in a parking lot in the Valley many years ago. I came across it again while going through her jewelry after she died. I put it in a fire safe with the rest of the important family jewelry and forgot about it. It resurfaced today while I was looking for something else.

Now that we have this blog I thought I would share the mystery of the Hollywood High School ring and see if it might be reunited with it's original owner. The ring is very small, it only slides up to the knuckle on my pinky finger. The sexist conclusion is it was a girls ring. The inside of the ring is engraved with three initials which shall remain secret for identification purposes. Understandably this is a real long shot but crazier things have happened. If anyone has a clue as to the possible owner please e-mail me at this blog.

Van Nuys Blvd. on Wednesday Nights is Back!

2009-08-29T00:17:00.007-04:00

This last June Cruise Night returned to Van Nuys Blvd. on Wednesday Nights. To be specific the second Wednesday of every month. The Van Nuys Cruising Association meets every second Wednesday in the parking lot of Rydell Chevorlet at 6001 Van Nuys Blvd.

Wednesday night cruising was shut down 28 years ago in 1981. Generations have grown up unaware of that special night in the middle of the San Fernando Valley. In those final days of the late 70's and early 80's I used to roll away from the curb of my apartment on Chandler Blvd. just around the curve and merge right into the traffic jam that was cruising night. As I mentioned in a previous post I remember driving down Van Nuys Blvd. when KHJ Boss Radio switched from Rock and Pop to Country music. Looking back on it now it seems as if the decline of Van Nuys Began then. Of course that isn't true but it is the sense I have these many years after.

September 9th at 6:00pm is the next event. Please check out the Van Nuys Cruising Associations website for more information and pictures from past events:

http://www.vannuyscruisingassociation.com/

Don't forget the Friday Night classic car event at Bob's Big Boy restaurant on Riverside Drive in Toluca Lake. Celebrity sightings are not unheard of at Bob's. Anyone who has spent time there has seen Jay Leno there. When I worked on San Fernando Road in Burbank we used to see Jay Leno drive by on his way to the Tonight Show. Every day it was some new, old car.

Tina Delgado is alive, alive!

New Class Photos from Hazeltine in the 1960's

2009-08-21T21:42:00.006-04:00

Our friend Bob has posted some new class photos he received from a Hazeltine Alumni. Follow this link:

http://s403.photobucket.com/albums/pp118/BobW_2000/Hazeltine%20Elementary/

The new class photos are:

April 1960 – Mrs. Flanagan

Nov. 1961 – Mrs. Williams

Oct. 1964 – Mrs. Chapnick

Oct. 1965 – Mrs. Fletcher

Oct. 1966 – Mrs. McGauley

Lido Pizza Afternoon in Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks?

2009-08-12T21:36:00.007-04:00

Attention Members of Demolay, Jobs Daughters and Rainbow, word has just come down that an afternoon of Pizza and fun is planned for Sunday September 13th at 2:00pm at Lido Pizza. I am sure everyone remembers where it is, but just in case Lido's is at 15232 Victory Blvd. in Van Nuys or Sherman Oaks, wherever the hell it is now, blame Phone Rat for that confusion. It is on the south side of Victory just east of Sepulveda. Renee is planning this so please e-mail her if you know it. For those who see it here please e-mail me at this blog account: vannuysboomers@gmail.com and I will forward you to her.

The Drive-In

2009-08-09T23:02:00.002-04:00

Follow this link to a wonderful website with pictures, information and recollections of old theaters including our own valley hangouts:

http://cinematreasures.org/

August 1969

2009-08-08T21:47:00.004-04:00

I just saw online that today, August 8th is the 40th anniversary of the Beatles photo shoot for cover of their Abbey Road Album. Surely some of you remember albums. The record was released in September 1969 about the same time I started Birmingham High School. I have distinct memories of hearing Come Together and other songs being played at the schools cafeteria.

Last night I was watching part of a Fox news special about the Manson family and their murder rampage. Curiously the murders at the Sharon Tate house took place on August 9, 1969, only a relative few hours after the Beatles photo shoot. Another curious connection between Manson and the Beatles.

My family was in Las Vegas at the time of the crime but after we got back I remember the fear that hung over the city until the murderers were found. I read later that the Manson family drove on the 405 to get to Benedict Canyon. Our apartment on Haskell was just across the street from the freeway.

Memory is a funny thing sometimes. Those memories Of Birmingham and the Beatle songs seem like only yesterday, but the Manson family, the murders and the things surrounding them actually feel like 40 year ago.

Voyeurism & Confessions

2009-07-29T12:23:00.005-04:00

Last night while in my office I was wrestling with a small bout of boredom. Idle hands being the devils workplace I gave in to one of my baser proclivities. I logged onto Flickr and typed in the words, "office desk". In a split second up came thousands of pictures of home offices, work offices, desks, some neat and tidy and others with papers stacked to the ceiling. I confess, I have always had an interest in where people work and create.

It first started when I saw photos of Picasso in his studio. Being an art major at the time I found it fascinating to look around the creative space. The seed was planted. Years later I picked up a book called, The Writer's Desk by Jill Krementz. Her book is a collection of photos of famous writers at their desk and in their creative spaces. I was hooked and shortly thereafter started searching for more pictures online. Famous or not famous, it did not matter. Soon the addiction took on new forms and I started to Google and Flickr Ham radio shacks.

So as a form of confession I am presenting my home office, the headquarters if you will of Van Nuys Boomers. This is where it all comes together, or sometimes falls apart. It is a nice corner room in the back of our house. I have a door and patio as well as a window. When we moved back here I gave up my wonderful Roll Top desk and well as about four good sized bookcases, and books.

I now have a small desk I bought on clearance at Staples, with a matching file cabinet. The bookcase was bought and assembled by my Dad sometime back in the 1950's. I have a few books out but the rest are in a cubbyhole at the landing for the stairs. So the office is functional but not how I would ideally have it. Since I am too lazy to tie up all the wires I have it facing the wall.

This all has nothing to do with Van Nuys, but it was in Van Nuys that I had my first desk, all my own. It was made of metal and served many purposes. It was for school work, for writing music and for playing on with my Matchbox and Hot Wheel cars. As I still have a few of those cars my current desk has served as a race track when I play with my grandson. And here is another confession, I still like playing with the toy cars!

Jerry Dunphy and the Ram's Horn

2009-07-28T16:53:00.008-04:00

When my family lived on Haskell Ave. in Van Nuys our downstairs neighbor was a wonderful lady and school teacher named Lucille Flanders. She was exceptionally nice to me which puzzles me considering how loud I used to blast my stereo, a behavior I have not really modified over the years. In spite of my behavior she helped me with school work and even gave me an old World Book Encyclopedia from about 1959. I loved that set of books and only parted with it when I moved back to Ohio. I wish I still had it. It may sound crazy but I can still smell those dusty old volumes.

One night Lucille was talking about a restaurant bar she sometimes goes to called The Ram's Horn at 16705 Ventura Blvd. in Encino. She then mentioned that Jerry Dunphy and some of the KNXT newscasters frequented the restaurant. Lucille knew the Big News anchor Jerry Dunphy. Well soon after this Lucille and my parents went to the Ram's Horn for cocktails and dinner. That night that got to meet Jerry Dunphy along with Bill Keane the weatherman. If you grew up in Los Angeles in the 1960's The Big News was the news, followed by Walter Cronkite, who sadly just passed away.

Eventually we moved from Haskell Ave. and lost track of Lucille however my parents would often go to the Ram's horn for a drink and to listen to the piano player whose name I now forget. I went a couple times with my parents and it was nice but at the time a little to sedate for me. Now it sounds like just my speed.

In my photo box I have a picture of Lucille in our apartment for one of my birthday parties. I will have to scan it and post it here. But until then thank you Lucille for putting up with a kind of nice, but loud teenager.

Mid-Summer Updates

2009-07-24T00:06:00.005-04:00

A few quick updates and news:

I hear rumblings of a Demolay/Jobs/Rainbow reunion for some time this fall. I sent out a mass mailing asking for ideas and suggestions for the reunion. If you were not on the list or just found us here please e-mail me at this blog.

We are hearing from more Hazeltine Ave. School alumni. A few might even get together in the coming months. I also posted a link to the Photobucket page with a lot of old school pictures and much more. The link is to the left of this page.

Below the Photobucket link is one to a Reseda High School class page. Many of you might have gone there or know friends who went there. Be sure to check it out. The photo for this post is one I copied from their website. Check out the movie playing at the theater.

SF Valley School Yearbooks & Pictures

2009-07-20T20:27:00.008-04:00

Follow the link below to the Photobucket page of our friend Bob Walance who has scanned yearbooks from the following schools: Van Nuys High School 1972, 1973, 1975 as well as Birmingham High School from 1973. He also scanned the complete yearbook from Taft high School from 1973 as well as quite a few class pictures from Hazeltine Ave. Elementary School. If anyone out there has any additional scanned yearbooks or Hazeltine Class pictures, or any San Fernando Valley School pictures please let us know.

http://s403.photobucket.com/albums/pp118/BobW_2000/

I just had a request for a Grant High School yearbook from 1972 - 1973. If anyone has one or has a scan of one please contact us, a fellow classmate from Hazeltine is looking for one.

As well Bob is looking for Hazeltine school pictures from 1965/4th grade, 1966/5th grade and 1967/6th grade.

I personally have my yearbook for 1969 from Fulton Jr. High School to scan and I hope to get to that soon.

Radio Rat Rocks

2009-07-08T22:11:00.005-04:00

This past July 3rd Radio Rat had a chance to sit in on drums with the band playing for the capacity crowd at Jethawks Stadium in Lancaster CA. Radio Rat played drums on the Georgia Satellites song "Keep Your Hands to Yourself." A montage of his performance is available on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvvu3w2JHDY

Radio Rat looked back at home behind the drums, shades and all. If I can one day make my way back Radio Rat and I are going to meet up with our old lead guitarist Karl Inman and what damage we can still do.

Builders Emporium Reseda Store #618

2009-06-20T00:17:00.006-04:00

My collection of Builders Emporium pictures is thin so I think this is the last photo I have. Of course it was Halloween 1977 which accounts for my fellow paint department employee (Sam) being dressed up as some sort of elf. Thankfully I had left Builders the previous August so I didn't have to dress up at work. I did dress up that night when we all got together. I wore my oriental pajama bottoms and a black vinyl jacket. I wanted to be comfortable. Whenever we had parties I would dress up as Hawkeye from M*A*S*H in a bathrobe and a cowboy hat.

I was just talking to Radio Rat about his previous BE post. It has received quite a few comments which we are grateful for. So far we have only heard from one fellow employee (Jeff)from our Reseda store #618. Radio rat reminded about the Thriftymart that was across the parking lot and how he used to go get a coffee cake for the 10:15 am break. I had forgotten about the Thriftymart stores. He also mention a place called Zig's that had a great bullet sandwich. Does anyone remember it. He said it is still there.

When I read the last comment on the previous BE post I wrote back wondering if anyone had started a BE group on Facebook. I know we just started one for our Demolay days. We look forward to hearing from anyone who worked in the BE organization.

Farmers Market Free Live Music

2009-06-06T10:23:00.003-04:00

Every Thursday and Friday night this summer at Farmers Market you can experience live music on the Market's west patio. Not to mention food from the vendors in that section of the market. For years my wife and I used to go on Friday night eat drink, smoke and listen to the music. I'm guessing the PC people don't allow smoking anymore but its still a great time. Most of the bands that play were Jazz oriented but yo also had the Blues, Swing music and a bit of rock. Our favorite back then was a group called Red & the Red Hots. Red Young led the group and they played Jazz, Swing and Boogie for the most part.

My wife worked in Hollywood at the time at a post production company so after the concert we would go back to her work for awhile. The company did all the artwork for Arnold Schwarzenegger's movies. I used to kill time by playing a pinball machine in the lobby for one of Arnold's movies.

Here is a link to the website where you can view the concert schedule:

http://www.farmersmarketla.com/newsandevents/index.asp

Thankfully the market still retains most of its original flavor. I have been to the Grove only once and it seemed well done. The changes were inevitable but they seem to have done as good a job as possible. They did remove one section of the market that had rows of independent shops. I remember going to the market as a kid with my parents. We always had to have a corned beef sandwich. At the end of this row of shops was a place that had little plastic models of sports figures. I would always go to check out the new figures. Only once was I able to buy one, it was the great Chicago White Sox shortstop Luis Aparicio. I no longer have the figure. At the time I also had models of all the Universal Studio Monsters. Naturally being a boy Mr. Aparicio had many battles with the Wolfman and Frankenstein. Once GI Joe came along no one stood a chance in a fight. All the figures are now gone but I still have my original GI Joe foot locker, though I painted it black and it now holds some small stereo equipment such as microphones, jacks and 45 inserts.

The Summer of 1970

2009-05-25T01:10:00.005-04:00

In the summer of 1970 I drove to Dayton Ohio with my Grandfather. While there I fell in love with a faraway girl with long blond hair and a white dress. Everyday I would watch her walk through a nearby field. I was 15 years old, away from my parents and full of summer thoughts and impulses. I remember going into a store and purchasing my first Playboy magazine. It was almost as much fun as being a kid in a Las Vegas casino sneaking coins into a slot machine. Being a reader I then went to a store and purchased the latest Harold Robbins novel. Those of you old enough to remember his novels were not very good but they were full of sex.

Every week or so I would accompany my Grandfather on his weekly trip to a donut shop where he picked up cardboard barrels of old stale donuts. He would bring them back to his apartment complex and scatter them in the back yard. The feeding frenzy was like something out of the movie The Birds.

During my time there we went to the Wright Patterson Museum, and a magazine plant, the name of which now escapes me. On a trip downtown I picked up a Marine Band Harmonica in the key of "C". I now had an acoustic guitar and harmonica, I was on my way.

Finally came the time I had to return home and I deadheaded on a Flying Tiger Line Stretch DC-8 back to Los Angeles. When I arrived home I went to my bedroom to unpack and there I found a brand new sunburst hollow body electric guitar on my bed. I was ecstatic. After I thanked my parents my first question was where is the amplifier. They hadn't thought about that. The next day we went out and picked up a small amplifier, probably at Sight and Sound in Van Nuys. That is me in the picture above right after we bought the amp.

My Mom had been saving up blue Chip stamps so she could get the guitar. I still have the guitar. It is the only one that has survived my childhood. The action is still way too high and the pickups aren't very good but I still love it. I was online tonight and I could only find one website that had a picture of the same model. I have no clue who made it or where. It had been a rough spring as the Beatles had broken up and I was not too fond of high School. But the summer of 1970 was pretty damn good. And I still think about that blond once in a while.

Hazeltine 1962

2009-05-07T20:39:00.005-04:00

Elsewhere in this blog is class photo of Miss Zober's 2nd grade class from October 1962. Some alumni have been swapping memories of our days at Hazeltine. What someone else remembers will trigger a memory for another. I remember the handball courts and dodge ball back in the dark ages when it was allowed. Another remembered tether ball which I had forgotten about, which is odd because I was pretty good at it since I was tall.

One year later we would hear of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. As I recall I was in a class when a teacher dame in to tell us what had happened. I recall it was the teacher who played Santa Claus. The name Mr. Lane comes to mind but I may be mistaken.

Some of the popular songs in October 1962 were: The Monster Mash, Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, Surfin' Safari, He's a Rebel and many more. Elvis was still popular that year with Return to Sender.

Right now my Grandson is the same age as I was then and it is fascinating to view it from the other side. Hopefully he will have fond memories to look back on one day. Though I can't say the music now is as good. Though some nights I crank up Smoke on the Water and he dances like crazy as I play along with the song. he says it is his favorite song so maybe there is some hope.

I woke last night to the sound of thunder
How far off I sat and wondered
Started humming a song from 1962
Ain't it funny how the night moves
When you just don't seem to have as much to lose
Strange how the night moves
With Autumn closing in....

From "Night Moves" by Bob Seger

Hazeltine Ave. Elementary School

2009-05-07T15:04:00.004-04:00

Here are three views of Hazeltine. The Hazeltine side looks pretty much the same. The other two pictures are from the back of the school which appears as I remember it. The Costello Street side is taken up with storage units.

I still remember the fairs that took place in the playground areas, and all those ping pong balls I tossed to try and win a goldfish. I also remember the Lunch tables, ones for greasers, surfers, Beatles fans and even Dave Clark 5 fans.

These pictures are from Google Street view which I encourage everyone to check out. Be sure to click on the full screen view button and then navigate your way around.

1973 Van Nuys High School Yearbook Wanted

2009-05-06T01:42:00.006-04:00

Google Street view has yielded a few more photos. The house is my current home here in Ohio. My truck is in our driveway. I was on the porch when they drove by but the Awning makes me hard to see which is a good thing. I never liked cameras. The other photo is North Hollywood Masonic Temple.

I also want to thank my friend Bob Walance who bought a copy of the 1973 Birmingham High School yearbook, The Tomahawk. I never had a copy of it, even though my senior picture was in it. Bob scanned the entire senior class and e-mailed it to me. Bob collects yearbooks and is still looking for a copy of the 1973 Van Nuys High yearbook. He would love to buy, borrow, rent or scan the book for his collection. If anyone knows of a copy please let me know. Thanks again Bob.

Google Street View

2009-05-03T19:07:00.005-04:00

The other day Phone Rat called me while he was driving past Robert Fulton Junior High School, now middle school, and he told me they were changing some of the buildings. Being the nostalgic type I went to Google Street View afterward to look at the school. It still appeared much as it had when I went there back in the 1960's. It took some time but I finally figured out how to grab an image off Google street view and here are two. One is of Fulton JHS at the corner of Saticoy and Kester and the other is Van Nuys Masonic Temple on Sherman Way just eats of Kester.

I spent the next few hours saving images of places I lived, visited and hung out at. I got snapshots of places I wanted to see before I left the Valley but never got to. I told Radio Rat about it and he said he was going to check it out this weekend. This is what happens when you give an old coot a computer.

Last year I was sitting on my porch when a small compact car with a camera on top and the Google logo on the side door drove by. And a few weeks ago I found that I am now on Google Street view. And it caught me doing what I do best. So thank you Google for the photos. Just click on the image to make it larger.

Jay Leno & Phone Rat

2009-04-03T20:58:00.005-04:00

The night President Obama appeared on the Tonight Show Phone Rat drove down to NBC in Burbank to try and catch a picture of him or his motorcade. He arrived too late to catch Obama but he did catch Jay Leno as he was leaving the NBC lot. It is a bit hard to see Jay but he is in the car waving to Phone Rat who called out to him.

New Van Nuys Demolay Mascot?

2009-02-02T16:56:00.005-05:00

I was looking at the reunion pictures, again, when it struck me that we did not have the Van Nuys Demolay Bulldog at the party. So, why not adopt a new mascot. He's not a Bulldog but he's a great looking boxer. Whadya think?

We have been hearing from more long time friends the past week. If this keeps up we will need a park for a summer reunion just to hold everyone. Thanks again to Bruce and Dorrie for keeping the food, drink, memories and smiles flowing.

Demolay Reunion Party a Big Success

2009-01-27T21:06:00.004-05:00

The Demolay, Rainbow, Job's reunion party was a great success. Approximately 40 old friends got together and shared old and new stories. Many pictures were taken and are in the process of making the rounds. If anyone is interested in copies please email this blog: vannuysboomers@gmail.com, and we will put you in the loop.

Another get together is being talked about for this summer. This will be an outdoor event at a park, so there will be more room for booze, barbecues and Ben Gay.

If you are out of town and think you might want to come to the next get together please let us know so we can decide on good date for all.

As you can see from this picture of Radio Rat, one can always make new friends.

DEMOLAY, RAINBOW, JOB'S DAUGHTERS REUNION DATE

2009-01-12T16:55:00.003-05:00

THE DEMOLAY REUNION DATE HAS BEEN SET FOR
SATURDAY JANUARY 24, 2009 AT 5PM

IN THE GREATER LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA AREA

PLEASE RSVP TO THIS SITES E-MAIL ADDRESS:
VANNUYSBOOMERS@GMAIL.COM

THE EVENT WILL BE HELD AT A PRIVATE RESIDENCE JUST NORTH OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

HAPPY HOUR STARTS AT 5PM FOLLOWED BY DINNER, SO AN RSVP WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED

IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND THIS REUNION EVENT WE WOULD STILL LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU AS THIS IS ONLY THE FIRST OF MANY FUTURE GATHERINGS

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE

Night Driving in L.A.

2008-10-19T22:07:00.006-04:00

It has been over 2 years since I last drove through the San Fernando Valley and L.A.. I miss grabbing my keys and music to disappear for a few hours into the hills and canyons. I must have spent half of the 1970's just driving and playing music. Sometimes I would drop off my date and drive for an hour or so afterward. Usually I started on Victory Blvd. coming back from the West Valley, through the Sepulveda basin into the hills and sometimes L.A.

I had my music with me so there was no rush to get home. I remember driving through the basin to the sounds of Jeff Beck playing "Diamond Dust" as I watched the lights glitter on the Hollywood Hills. Other times the mood was somber and I would go in search of Springsteen's "Darkness on the Edge of Town". Seger's "Night Moves" was a constant companion as was "Katmandu" which played whenever I wanted to just get out of town. Other times "Free Bird" would propel me faster than I should be going, even at that late hour.

Here in Cleveland there are really no places you can just stretch out on the road unless you go to the countryside. It's an odd thing to miss given the traffic situation in L.A. You'll notice I didn't say I miss day time driving.

This picture is from the LP "Late For the Sky" by Jackson Browne. I have passed many places like this in L.A.. Curiously enough the picture is a composite of 2 pictures. The sky in the picture was taken in Ohio. I can imagine driving around all night in that car blasting tunes and just getting lost.

"I swear I'll drive all night just to buy you some shoes - And to taste your tender charms - And I just wanna sleep tonight again in your arms"- Drive All Night by Bruce Springsteen.

Hazeltine Ave. Elementary School & The Cuban Missile Crisis

2008-09-25T14:27:00.006-04:00

Here is another class picture from October 1962. You might remember October 1962 being the month of the Cuban Missile Crisis. I do remember those days of the early 1960's full of drop drills and air raid sirens. You would not suspect the cold war tensions in the air by looking at these young innocent faces. I do look a little disheveled in my picture. Perhaps I partied too hard over the New York Yankees beating the Giants in the World Series.

My Hazeltine friend Bob Walance have been swapping e-mails of certain school memories. One thing I recalled was the fairs we used to have at school. My days were filled with trying to toss a ping pong ball into a glass which held a goldfish. I know other things went on at the fair but neither Bob or I can recall anything else. If anyone remembers we would love to hear your memories.

Robert Fulton Jr. High School 1969

2008-09-07T16:51:00.006-04:00

The collage above is from the June 1969 A-9 Graduating Class yearbook.

1969 Class Officers and Council

The Behind the Scene Crews

More Behind the Scene Helpers

Last but not least our faculty. I should have taken a picture of Mr. TeMaat, the Boy's VP since he was so...memorable. I remember years ago watching a BBC documentary on Marilyn Monroe in which Pete Dye's name was mentioned. As I recall he was married to someone with money. If anyone remembers that documentary or if the information is right I would love to know. I also remember one of our teachers had a Dune Buggie but I forget who it was. That was pretty cool at the time.

Before I posted this I check out classmates.com to see if any of my fellow "Elysians" were on there. A few were but I only found one picture of someone I knew. The photo's above are taken with my camera and not my scanner so the quality is poor, but good enough to spark a few good memories. Going through the book I spotted many girls who I had crushes on at the time. One in particular but she can remain a mystery.

P.S. I just received an e-mail from my friend Bob Walance and he sent some scans of the 1986 Fulton yearbook. In it was a picture of someone special who I forgot. Tammy Francis was one of my teachers at Fulton. Her husband was also a member of my Dad's Masonic Lodge. She was friends with my Mom and I used to run into Tammy when I went to Lodge events with my Mom. Truth be told when she was my teacher I had a crush on her. I'm sure I was not alone.

Sahara Hotel Las Vegas

2008-09-06T23:58:00.003-04:00

Here is a flyer from the Sahara Hotel. I'm not sure of the year but the buffet prices were great.

I saw one show at the Sahara Hotel. It was Nancy Wilson with The DoodleTown Pipers. I ticked my parents off by ordering a bowl of spaghetti. But it was a huge bowl and I was as happy as could be.

Here is a map of the Hotel which probably dates from the 1960's. I believe the two towers are still there but the old two story rooms on the perimeter have been removed.

Here is a listing of the popular shows around town. It appears to be from around 1966 or 1967. It was a few years past the original Rat Pack Days but still in their era.

Here is a cloth shoe cleaner from one of their rooms. Somewhere I still have some note paper, a pen and postcards from the Sahara Hotel. And the prize of my collection (Which is not much to start with) a Sahara Hotel ash tray. Ash trays are still legal to own right?

Rainbow & Demolay

2008-09-06T16:02:00.006-04:00

Here is a Van Nuys Rainbow Assembly button from 1979. From the collection of Al Wilson.

Here is a newspaper article by Agnes Viola Dow of the Van Nuys Daily News about a Demolay Installation. Over the years Mrs. Dow wrote up almost all the articles about local Masonic related events.

Hy-Lo Drug

2008-09-05T16:08:00.005-04:00

I found this partial newspaper ad on the back of something my Dad had cut out of the paper. Hy-Lo Drug was located in the shopping center at the southeast corner of Sherman Way and Sepulveda Blvd. Hy-Lo Drug became our destination of choice when we moved to Haskell Ave. in 1965.

As I recall the shopping center included a Food Giant Market, a Thom McAnn shoe store, an Oscar's Restaurant and Alfie's (Spelling?), a small coffee shop in between Hy-Lo and Food Giant. You could walk into Alfie's from Hy-Lo Drug. I probably ate the majority of my life time intake of French Fries there, as well as chocolate Coke's.

When we wanted a change we went to Oscar's where my Dad almost always ordered their Chili Size. Years later Oscar's went out of business and was taken over by a restaurant that featured red hamburger buns. I wish I could recall the name. It didn't last very long.

Over the years I remember a barber shop where my Dad got his haircut, as well as a Bank of America, and I think there was a bar at the end of the back section. Later Food Giant turned into Food King and a Wherehouse Record Store was built where Thom McAnn and Oscar's used to be. As far as I know the small ice cream stand is still out front near the sidewalk, and again I forget the name.

We moved away from the area in 1973 but I would still drive by and watch the changes over the years. My Dad would still drive to the Mobil Station on the Northwest corner to buy his gas from the station owner he knew. Van Nuys Demolay once had a car wash at the Shell Station at that corner, a newspaper photo which is on the Van Nuys Boomers Flickr Photo Site.

Radio Rat is Now a Jethawk

2008-09-02T01:11:00.006-04:00

This past week the Lancaster JetHawks, the local class A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox named our Radio Rat as their new General Manager. Congratulations Radio Rat.

In addition to his illustrious radio career in the High Desert, Radio Rat was the JetHawks stadium play by play announcer for many years. This career move from radio to baseball will allow Radio Rat to indulge his baseball passion. He was a star with our Van Nuys Demolay team in the Southern California Jurisdiction during the early 1970's as well as being a member of the Monroe High School Team.

When Radio Rat was with Clear Channel radio he was instrumental in raising his stations profile by getting Clear Channel to sponsor the JetHawks stadium. His marketing experience will help expand the teams exposure in the High Desert and beyond.

A few summers ago my wife and I and some friends attended a JetHawks game and it was a total blast. If you are anywhere in the greater Los Angeles area you should make it a point to attend a few games next season. The minor league experience at Clear Channel Stadium is great fun and a wonderful place to take your family. Check out their website for more information and keep an eye out for the 2009 season schedule.

As Radio Rat said when he sent me the e-mail telling me he had the job, "Play Ball"

Debra Winger at Monroe High School

2008-08-31T22:50:00.006-04:00

My Hazeltine Ave. School friend Bob Walance just sent me this page from the 1972 Monroe High School yearbook he found online. Debra Winger is in the second row. This was news to me. I sent Radio Rat an e-mail because he went to Monroe. We never talked about it so I'm not sure he knew. The only Celebrity I recall from Radio Rats class was the former NFL quarterback Guy Benjamin. Benjamin went to Stanford after Monroe and than was drafted by the Miami Dolphins.

Thanks again Bob for the update. I wonder who we will find next?

Builders Emporium Reseda 1977

2008-08-18T18:06:00.008-04:00

In 1977 Radio Rat and I made an audio tape for a farewell party he was having, in Van Nuys, for a fellow employee who was moving on to a new job. We did a few comedy bits and then spent the afternoon calling people on the telephone for comments to include in the tape. We let them know they were being recorded and that is where it all fell apart. We decided to include the failed attempts on the tape as it happened and in the end it provided more laughs.

The audio file is now available at the Van Nuys Boomers Audio site. As I recall the music at the end of the clip is called "Cruising with the Fonz" from the TV show Happy Days.

Radio Rat Air Check

2008-08-18T01:49:00.007-04:00

In the process of transferring my old cassette tapes to digital CD's I discovered quite a few old nuggets, embarrassing and otherwise. I will upload the good ones to the Van Nuys Boomers Audio site over the next few weeks.

Tonight I uploaded a radio station air check from 1983 of Radio Rat at the beginning of his career. Due to the poor condition of the tape I could only salvage a few parts. This particular air check begins with the stations (KMOR-FM 89.9) newscast followed by a commercial and Radiorat.

That is me behind the microphone at Radio Rat's station KAVL/KAVS in 1985. I would have put a picture of him up here by I didn't have one of him at the microphone. I have one of Phone Rat at the mic, but he hates the picture, even though he looks like a natural. I apparently was having a Johnny Fever (WKRP in Cincinnati) moment.