Category Archives: Photography

What Did The Rear Entrance To Ebbets Field Look Like?

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The Less Than Iconic Rear Facade Of Ebbets Field

The Dodgers left Brooklyn after the 1957 season, breaking many Dodgers fans hearts. The Dodgers home park Ebbets Field was razed in 1960. A housing project is now on its site.

But the memories of what the ballpark looked like is etched in anyone’s mind who ever visited Ebbets Field. If you do remember visiting you are at least 70 years-old. The reality is, few people are still around who actually saw the place.

It’s really photographs of the ballpark, especially the front entrance, that baseball fans are familiar with.

The main entrance was at the corner of Sullivan Place and McKeever Place. McKeever Place was originally Cedar Street, but renamed in 1932 after one of the contractors who built Ebbets Field.

This is what the front  looked like.

Ebbets Field 1940s

The exterior of the front of the New York Mets home Continue reading →

A Patriotic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Balloon – 1940

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Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – 1940

Annual Macy Parade For Thanksgiving
New York: Photo shows “Uncle Sam” as it passed through 34th Street, in front of Macy’s. photo: Acme 11/21/1940

As isolationists wanted the United States to stay out of World War II, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1940 had a patriotic balloon of Uncle Sam. The balloon was not a statement of being pro-war, Continue reading →

Old New York In Photos #188 – Broadway & 28th Street Hotel Victoria

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Looking Down Broadway & The Hotel Victoria c. 1908

This view from the southwest corner of 28th Street looking south along Broadway was taken by the Detroit Publishing Company circa 1908.

Let’s take a closer look at this photograph.

On the left is the eight story Hotel Victoria stretching from Broadway to Fifth Avenue along 27th Street. President Grover Cleveland would use the Victoria as his headquarters whenever he was visiting the city. The hotel began operations in 1872 and was razed in 1914.

You are not contemplating suicide when on the third floor, but there is a man standing on the hotel’s window ledge. He does not appear to be cleaning the windows.

In the background Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #186 – Joan Blondell & Bette Davis

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Joan Blondell & Bette Davis – Three On A Match 1932

Joan Blondell (left) plays Mary Keaton and Bette Davis is Ruth Westcott in the1932 film Three On A Match.

The story is about three women (Ann Dvorak completes the trio) who attend high school together and how their lives intertwine when they meet again years later. Three on a match is a superstition – don’t light three cigarettes from one match, otherwise you will have bad luck. As you might figure out from the movie’s title, bad luck does ensue.

This unusual production still taken at Santa Monica beach has the co-stars standing on a platform with a large microphone. Continue reading →

Ladies Testing An Inventor’s New Life Preserver – 1932

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Escalator Inventor, Jesse W. Reno’s New Life Preserver Gets A Test In New York

Buoys And Girls – In New War On Drowning
New York – These lucky buoys are embracing the quartet of pretty maidens who assisted at the tests of a new life preserver at the Park Central Hotel pool today (Tuesday.) The device is said to be of one third the weight and three times the buoyancy of the present cork life vests. The belts are the invention of Jesse W. Reno, well known engineer who also invented the modern escalator or moving stairway. The girls are, left to right: Dorothy Day, Pat Hughes, Prudence Edgar and Sherry Pelham. photo: International News Photos 5-3-1932

As this old news photo confirms, getting publicity for a product usually works when you have pretty women pose with it.

Jesse W. Reno

Engineer Jesse Wilford Reno has an extremely short biography on Wikipedia. Reno’s entry says he invented the escalator and claims it was first installed at the Iron Pier at Coney Island in 1891.

But when Reno died at the age of 85, his obituary Continue reading →

Christy Mathewson Memorial Tablet Unveiled 1926

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What Happened To A Bronze Memorial Plaque To Christy Mathewson?

It’s an historical artifact that seems quite self-explanatory.

Yet, when I first encountered this photograph there was no slug on the back explaining the setting or other identifiers.

A general internet search did not provide any clues. And proving once again that AI is worthless on millions of situations, Google was only able to transcribe words on the memorial which did not need transcribing as they are quite legible.

My assumption was that this bronze memorial plaque was once located at Christy Mathewson’s home field: The Polo Grounds of the New York Giants. If so what became of this memorial? Surely it would be preserved somewhere after the demolition of the Polo Grounds in 1964.

This is why you can never assume. I was completely wrong. Continue reading →

Bob Turley Pushes The 1957 World Series To Game 7

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Bob Turley Comes Through In The Clutch

Pitching Prowess
New York: Bullet Bob Turley limited the Milwaukee Braves to four hits in the sixth game of the World Series here, October 9, winning the tilt for the Yanks, 3-2, and thereby knotting the series at three games all. In this combo, Turley, without benefit of a windup, gets set to fire a pitch plateward. credit: United Press 10-9-1957

Turley pitched magnificently although he did give up solo homers to Frank Torre in the fifth and Henry Aaron in the seventh. But besides Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #185 – June Haver

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June Haver Promotes National Cat Week – 1949

The Cat And The Blonde
Hollywood: Film star June Haver is amazed at some of the facts connected with cats as she helps the American Feline Society get the 1949 National Cat Week rolling. For instance, did you know that cats were kept as pets in ancient Egypt? Kitty’s been chasing mice since before the pyramids were built. photo; Acme/ 20th Century Fox 10-31-1949

One of the sillier promotional stills we have come across, is this bathing suit cheesecake photo from 20th Century Fox which was repurposed by Acme news photos to promote Cat Week.

June Haver (1926-2005) appeared in only 18 films Continue reading →

Sexual Innuendo Postcards – Same Message With Different Risque Images

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The Risque Postcard 1906-1908

While both of these double entendre postcards would be considered risque around 1900, the photographs are quite different.

This first postcard of “Practice This Piece With Me” from 1907 implies making out during piano practice time.

The second postcard goes a bit further. Notice where his hand is. Continue reading →

Yankees Catcher Bill Dickey -1938

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Bill Dickey Is Ready For World Series

These two news press photographs of the Yankees star catcher Bill Dickey were released one day apart in late September 1938. The photos were almost certainly taken the same day.

The stadium appears to be Chicago’s Comiskey Park where the Yankees played the White Sox the previous week, September 20-22.

The first news Continue reading →