Category Archives: Photography

How They Lit New York For Easter – 1956

25 Replies

Crosses On The Lower Manhattan Skyline

New York City skyscrapers lit with crosses for Easter March 29 1956

This lighting display in the financial district of Manhattan was a surefire way to attract  attention during the Easter celebrations of 1956.

3/29/1956 New York – Huge crosses, formed by lighted windows blaze above New York’s skyline as part of an Easter display in Manhattan’s financial district. This scene photographed from the roof of the Municipal Building features 150-foot-high crosses in the following buildings (L-R) the City Services Co.; City Bank – Farmers Trust Co.; and the Forty Wall Street Corp.  (United Press Telephoto)

Classic Hollywood #30 – Alec Guinness Predicted James Dean’s Death

11 Replies

The Strange Tale Of How Obi-Wan Kenobe (Sir Alec Guinness) Eerily And Accurately Told James Dean He Was Going To Die In His New Car

James Dean Ursula Andress 1955 8 29 ph Earl Leaf

James Dean and Ursula Andress attend a benefit, one month before Dean’s death in a auto crash

James Dean is seen here talking to one of his “girlfriends,” the 19-year-old Swiss actress Ursula Andress. This photograph was taken at a benefit for the “Thalian’s Ball” on August 29, 1955 at Ciro’s in Hollywood and shows them in a non-combative mood. The sexually ambiguous Dean may have been set up on dates with Andress by the studio publicity department. Regardless, press accounts at the time refer to Andress and Dean as dating one another.

Even though Andress spoke very little English, their relationship was considered very stormy.  At one time it was reported by a tabloid that Dean was said to be taking German language lessons so that they could “argue in another language.” Andress would go on to fame as Honey Ryder, the first “Bond Girl” in 1962’s Dr. No.

Dean, an avid auto racer, agreed to purchase a new sports car on September 21 1955, a silver Porsche 550 Spyder that he nicknamed “Little Bastard” which was then painted on the car.

Two days later on September 23, Dean was eating at the trendy Villa Capri Restaurant on McCadden Street in Hollywood and spotted actor Alec Guinness trying to get a table without any success. Guinness was exhausted having just arrived from London on a 16 hour flight for his first trip to Hollywood. As Guinness and his companion, screenwriter Thelma Moss exited the restaurant, Dean ran after them to intercede. Continue reading →

Orioles In Spring Training – 1972

5 Replies

Mark “Dutch” Weems, Ralph “Mickey” Scott and Wayne Garland

Mark Weems Ralph Scott Wayne Garland March 1972

They were supposed to be the Baltimore Orioles pitchers of the future. Of the three Orioles pitchers seen here at spring training in March 1972, only one would have success in the major leagues.

Mark “Dutch” Weems (left) never made it to the majors and was out of organized ball in 1973 at the age of 22 after posting a 24-19 record in five minor league seasons. Ralph “Mickey” Scott (center – throwing) bounced round the majors from 1972 -1977 appearing in 133 games and compiling a 8-7 record. He passed away at the age of 64 in 2011.

The star of this group was Wayne Garland (right), the Orioles the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 1969 (June secondary) amateur baseball draft.

The Orioles took a chance by drafting Garland who had declined previous chances to play. The Pittsburgh Pirates chose Garland in the fifth round of the 1968 amateur draft but he did not sign with them. The St. Louis Cardinals then made him the first overall pick in the (January secondary) 1969 draft, but once again Garland did not sign.

Wayne Garland had six nondescript seasons in the minors and majors until 1976 when he went 20-7 with a 2.67 ERA for the Orioles. He was paid $23,000 that season and became a free agent in the off season.

It was the beginning of the free agency era in baseball and Garland became one of the highest paid players in the majors when he signed with the Cleveland Indians for $2.3 million for 10 years.

At the time I thought it was bizarre to give any player a ten year contract. As Ira Berkow of New York Times pointed out, “Many baseball people wondered how the Indians could pay so much for a player with only one good major league season. They are still wondering.” Continue reading →

Dodgers In Spring Training – 1963

1 Reply

Podres, Koufax And Perranoski Get Ready For A Great Season – March 1963

Podres Koufax Perranoski 1963 March

Three of the anchors of the Dodger pitching staff, Johnny Podres, Sandy Koufax, and Ron Perranoski reach for the same ball at spring training in March 1963.

This trio of Los Angeles Dodgers hurlers would play a big part in helping propel the Dodgers to a World Championship in 1963. The 99-63 Dodgers would humble the 104-57 Yankees in a four game World Series sweep holding the Yankees to a measly four runs.

Johnny Podres hero of the Brooklyn Dodgers 1955 World Series Championship would go 14-12 in 1963 and win game two of the World Series against the Yankees pitching eight and a third innings and allowing just one run in a 4-1 Dodger victory at Yankee Stadium.

Sandy Koufax had his breakout year in 1963 going a magnificent 25-5 with a 1.88 ERA and chalked up 301 strikeouts in 311 innings pitched. He won the Cy Young Award and National League Most Valuable Player Award. In the World Series he won game one and game four allowing just three runs while striking out 23 batters!

Dodgers relief ace Ron Perranoski had his best season ever in the majors with a 16-3 record and 21 saves to go along with a miniscule 1.67 ERA. He received the save in Podres’ victory.

Don Drysdale pitched the third game in the World Series and shut out the Yankees 1-0.

Mets In Spring Training – 1970

3 Replies

Tom Seaver Instructs Duffy Dyer, Ken Boswell And Cleon Jones – March 1970

Dyer Boswell Seaver Jones March 1970

The World Champion Miracle Mets of 1969 were looking forward to 1970. During spring training in March 1970, Tom Seaver has some instructions for Duffy Dyer, Ken Boswell and Cleon Jones.

The Mets would have a disappointing season going just 83-79 and finishing in third place in the National League Eastern division.

Yankees In Spring Training -1954

1 Reply

Jerry Coleman & Billy Martin, Yankees Spring Training, St. Petersburg 1954

Billy Martin Jerry Coleman 3 2 1954

Two Men Holding The Bag

St. Petersburg, FL – March 2 – Jerry Coleman, left, and Billy Martin, hero of the New York Yankees’ 1953 World Series victory, indulge in some training camp antics as both squat on second base at today’s workout. Billy playfully plunks ball in Jerry’s mitt. Should Martin go into service Coleman is expected to take over Billy’s second base spot. (AP Wirephoto) 1954

Sure enough Billy Martin did indeed miss the entire 1954 season to serve in the military. Coleman had missed most of  the previous two seasons serving in the military, flying combat missions in Korea. In 1954 Coleman played in 107 games, 79 of them at second base, but the versatile Gil McDougald was the Yankees primary second baseman for the season. The Yankees unprecedented run of five consecutive world championships came to an end even though they won 103 games.  The Cleveland Indians won the 1954 American League championship with a record 111 victories.

Can you imagine today’s ballplayer’s having to interrupt their careers by having to perform military service?

Free Beer For Life – 1950

4 Replies

Drink Up, While It Lasts

Free Beer For Life 11 18 1950

Free Beer For Life

New York – Chief Petty Officer Kenneth Slamon, 33, of Portland, OR, samples first installment of a lifetime’s supply of beer, which a brewery President awarded him. The beer biggie was watching a television quiz show on which Slamon was co-winner of a $6,350 prize. The sailor said he’d spend his share on “an annuity for life — in beer.” This impressed the beer exec so much that he has arranged for Slamon to get free beer for life. Credit (ACME) 11-18-50

The beer company was the Jacob Ruppert Brewery famous not only for its Knickerbocker and Ruppert beer, but for its longtime owner Jacob Ruppert (1867-1939) who also owned the New York Yankees.

As the news caption notes, Fred Linder, president of the Jacob Ruppert Brewery happened to be watching the program Chief Slamon appeared on and said, “If Chief Slamon wants cold beer so much, then we don’t want his money. He’ll get free beer for the rest of his life.”

The brewery then began sending him a free case of beer every month no matter where he was stationed by the navy.

Unfortunately for Chief Petty Officer Slamon, the Ruppert Brewery closed its doors in 1965 shortchanging his lifetime supply of free beer.

Slamon, a Pearl Harbor survivor and veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam, lived another 32 years without his free beer, and passed away August 4, 1997.

Gas Price Wars – 1967 Style

9 Replies

Remember Paying 27 Cents A Gallon For Gas?

Gas Price Wars 1967 photo by Fred Victorin

War Over? No, Not Quite.

Too late, sir, the gasoline price war is over. Or is it? This sign leaves consumer Don Lambert wondering. Yesterday the price had risen three cents a gallon. But that’s still four cents a gallon cheaper than the pre-gas war price. But you better fill up soon, the price may jump any time now. The latest gasoline war started in early April. Presently regular sells at anywhere from 22.9 cents a gallon (at Webb’s City) to 29.9 cents for the major brands. The major oil companies blame the independents; the independents charge the major distributors are trying to drive them out of business. – St. Petersburg Times; May 5, 1967 photo: Fred Victorin

For almost three quarters of the twentieth century gasoline prices hovered around 30 cents per gallon.

I filled up the car the other day at a Hess Station in New Jersey. I paid $3.27 per gallon.

The average national price of gasoline in 1919 was 25 cents per gallon. Of course if you adjust for inflation, it was just as expensive to fill up your vehicle in 1919 as it is today.

Until 1973 the price of gasoline never rose above 50 cents per gallon. Then the Arab oil embargo occurred causing gasoline shortages and steep price increases. We will never again see gas at 27 cents per gallon. You can debate if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

Old New York In Photos #36 – Grand Central 1909

1 Reply

Grand Central Station – 1909

Grand Central Terminal 1909 Acme

We are looking north on Park Avenue from 41st Street towards Grand Central Station. Grand Central became a “terminal” (end of the line) in 1913 with the completion of the current facility. When passengers disembarked they could hop on the elevated line shuttle which connected Grand Central at 42nd Street with the Third Avenue elevated or go on any one of the many trolley lines as seen in the photograph.

The caption for this 1960 AP News Features photograph showing Grand Central in 1909 says:

Once She Was A Lady

Grand Central Station in 1909 plainly was a bustling rail center – but nothing like what it is today. A $100 million skyscraper is going up on the venerable Park Avenue matron’s back, and the problem of building it reach deep under the terminal’s 48 acres. The new building will be finished in 1962.  Credit-  AP Newsfeatures 11-17-1960

The building the caption is referring to is the Pan Am Building (now known as the MetLife Building) at 200 Park Avenue designed by architects Emery Roth & Sons, Walter Gropius and Pietro Belluschi. Completed in 1962 and opened in 1963, the 59 story building remains an ugly boxy behemoth marring the New York City skyline.

The Little Girl Harpo Marx Was “Crazy About”

1 Reply

Harpo Marx Loved A Little Visitor To The Set So Much, He Seriously Wanted To Buy Her

Harpo Marx with Shirley Temple in the studio commissary during the filming of Duck Soup 1933

Harpo Marx with Shirley Temple in the studio commissary during the filming of Duck Soup 1933

Maybe today this would be considered kind of creepy, but anyone who knew Harpo Marx would have said it was not, because it was “so Harpo-like.”

The story sounds apocryphal, but according to Groucho Marx as told to Richard Anobile in The Marx Brothers Scrapbook it is true.

In the midst of the Great Depression during the production of the Marx Brothers film Horse Feathers in 1932, Harpo Marx would see this adorable girl who was about four-years-old along with her parents watching the Marx’s work on the set. During breaks in the filming, Harpo starting talking to the child and her parents. Groucho says, “Harpo was crazy about this girl.” He became so enchanted with this little girl, that he offered to adopt her and give her parents $50,000 as compensation.  They of course refused.

Shirley Temple with Shirley Temple doll 1934

Shirley Temple with Shirley Temple doll 1934

This all happened before the little girl was in a single film and would go on to become the biggest child movie star of all-time – Shirley Temple.

The photograph at the top of this article was taken a year after Harpo’s offer. By that time, Shirley Temple had still not made a feature film, but appeared in many ten minute shorts. Shirley was just beginning to become known to the public when she revisited Harpo while in the studio commissary.

Shirley Temple died in Woodside, CA, Monday February 10, 2014 of natural causes. She retired from motion pictures at the age of 21 in 1949. Shirley was happily married for 55 years to Charles Black. She became a United States ambassador and by all accounts had a very happy and fulfilling life.

Because Harpo’s wife Susan Fleming was unable to have children, Harpo did eventually adopt four children who all say he was the most wonderful father in the world.