R.I.P. Analog Broadcast Television

For all intents and purposes, analog broadcast television that we all grew up with is gone. The frequencies will be reallocated for other usage and the age of digital broadcast television begins.

Before the age of all night infomercials, television stations used to sign off for the broadcasting day. After a playing of the national anthem, you might see a test pattern like the one above or just some color bars and tone and the picture might just turn to static.

Every station seemed to have it's own distinctive national anthem film.

I absolutely love this KABC-7 sign off from 1982 that features the reading of the John Gillespie Magee, Jr. poem, High Flight, followed by a version of the national anthem played on synthesizers.

My dad's motorcycle

Here are a couple photos of my dad's old Triumph motorcycle. My uncle Leonard (Fritz) Stapf painted the exquisite pin striping on the gas tank. I think it's a rabbit. I can't remember. I believe my mom made my dad get rid of the bike after they were married. It sure was a beauty!

The Quality Inn - Anaheim, CA

Here is an old postcard from the 70s of the former Quality Inn in Anaheim. Located at 616 Convention Center Way, at Harbor Blvd, the hotel is now called the Clarion Hotel, Anaheim Resort. My father and I used to walk over to this place when I was a boy to go to coin shows that were held there. Check out the video for my song "WKs. There are parts of it that I filmed there in the early 1980s.

Classic TV Production Company IDs/Logos

When I was a kid I always, liked the short little IDs that ran at the end of TV shows and showed what production companies were involved with the creation of the show. I understood what these were from a very young age, but strangely enough, there were a lot of kids evidently, who found some of these logos frightening. I first found this out while checking out a webpage devoted to them. Now they are all over YouTube and it's amazing how many people thought the same thing.
The fist and foremost one is the famous 1966 Screen Gems logo. The folks who claim to have been traumatized by this logo call it the "S From Hell". I love this one and remember it fondly at the end of such shows as, The Monkees and Bewitched.



Another Screen Gems logo that fascinated me was the one that is know as the "Dancing Sticks" logo. This one is from 1964. There was also a black & white version. I liked the abstract nature of this one with it's colorful dots.


Next up, we have the logo for Rankin Bass Productions. This one was shown at the end of holiday specials like Frosty The Snowman and Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. This one always gave me a warm feeling after watching those childhood Christmas shows.



Nice huh? Now in all fairness, there were a few logos that had music with a bit more of a frightening tone to them. One such ID is this 1969, Paramount Television logo. It's shrieking sound seems like something from a horror movie. You may remember this one from the end of The Brady Bunch episodes.

This next one from Viacom is sometimes called the "V Of Doom". The crescendoing tympani roll really accentuates the zooming effect.



Viacom also used this logo in the early 70s. This one is sometimes called the "Pinball Logo".



One of the cool things I like about some of these old logos was the early usage of synthesizers in them. Who can forget this great PBS logo?



I will end this post with a great old TV Guide commercial from 1978 that has a cool synthesizer arpeggiation in it.

Vintage Public Service Announcements on TV.

After reading a comment by a visitor to this blog, I decided to post a few links to some great old PSAs (Public Service Announcements), that I remember seeing on TV as a kid.
The first is my all-time favorite, "Like Father, Like Son". Think about it.



Here are a couple 70s clips from our old friend, Smokey The Bear.





..and his pal, Woodsy Owl.

Since 1942, the Ad Council has been creating memorable PSAs like this haunting classic, featuring the late, Iron Eyes Cody.

The serious and often stern tone of the narration in these, really drove the point home and I wish they had more like this on television these days.

Matchbooks From Anaheim

I have just added a new section to the 'Photos of the Forgotten' website. It's 'Matchbooks From Anaheim' and features, you guessed it, images of old Anaheim businesses matchbook covers. I have tons of matchbooks, but decided to limit this section to my home town of Anaheim, CA. Many if not most of the businesses shown in these pages are no longer with us and it's fun to see the addresses of where they were located. I also like seeing the old phone number word prefixes that they stopped using about 40 years ago.


When my family first moved to Anaheim in '72, I went around to all the local motels and collected matches from many of them. Many of the desk clerks were not wanting me to take them as you can imagine these days if a young boy came in asking for matches, but most were obliging. I had them in a bag in my closet for a time, but were lost over the years. These are all images from items I acquired in recent years. You don't see matches used as commonly these days as a promotional item. Although there are a few that are rear strike packs from the 80s, these are mostly old front strike books from the 60s & 70s.



The jazzy retro music is from an album called 'Music For TV Dinners: The Sixties' which I highly recommend.
Enjoy!

R.I.P. Bettie

1950s pinup Bettie Page dies at 85
Thursday, December 11, 2008



LOS ANGELES -- Bettie Page, a 1950s pinup model who helped set the stage for the 1960s sexual revolution, has died. She was 85.

Her agent Mark Roesler says Page died Thursday night at a Los Angeles hospital after suffering a heart attack nine days ago. He says she never regained consciousness.

Page attracted national attention with magazine photographs of her sensuous figure in bikinis and see-through lingerie that quickly were tacked up on walls across the country. Her photos included a centerfold in the January 1955 issue of then-fledgling Playboy magazine, as well as controversial sadomasochistic poses.

Roesler says Page had been hospitalized for three weeks with pneumonia and was about to be released when she had the heart attack on Dec. 2.

Classic Holiday TV Commercials

Season's greetings everyone. Here are some great old commercials from the good old days that many of you will remember from Christmas seasons past.

Just about every kid that grew up in the 70s remembers clinking their glasses together to this holiday classic.


The Norelco Santa commercials were a great example of stop-motion animation. I wish they would bring these back with a new CGI version for today's viewers. Here are two examples of this holiday favorite. The first one is from the 60s and the second one from the 70s.



Here is the Christmas version of Coca Cola's timeless "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" campaign from the 1970s.


I remember this 1975 McDonald's commercial well.


Miller Lite ran it's "Tastes Great-Less Filling" campaign featuring sports celebrities for many years. Here is a special holiday version they did back in the 70s. It features, Dick Butkus, John Madden & several other old sports stars, many of whom are no longer with us.


Alka Seltzer ran this holiday promotional spot back in 1977


Happy Holidays!

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

Recently, I posted about my trip to Coney Island while visiting New York City. In this post I want to share with you a little movie clip I shot of the derelict New York State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, located in the borough of Queens.
Being fascinated with modern ruins, I became obsessed with this incredible relic left over from the 1964-65 World's Fair after learning about it in the mid-90s. I even had a dream about being up on the top observation tower in it's ruined state some years ago and knew that one day I would have to visit it in person.
I finally made my first trip to New York City in September, 2008 and visited the site on my third day there. You can also see more photos I took of the Pavilion and the world famous Unisphere on the Photos Of The Forgotten website.

Postcards From Anaheim video now on YouTube.

I put together this little video for YouTube. It's a slideshow of Anaheim motel postcards with a few other cards thrown in of other Anaheim area landmarks like the Convention Center. The music in the clip is a song from my 4th album, The Blue Moon Room, called "Roundtrip". I hope you'll enjoy it.

Synthetrix Visits Coney Island

One week after Astroland's closure on September 7, 2008, I visited Coney Island, NYC. Here is a video I took while riding the world famous Wonder Wheel. You can see all the photos I took in the Coney Island feature on the POTF website.

Coney Island's Astroland closes for good it seems.

It would have to happen, just days before my first trip to New York City. Coney's Island's Astroland which opened in 1962 is closing down. I will still be visiting the place to take some pics and have a hot dog at Nathan's. Fortunately this does not effect the Wonder Wheel and Cyclone roller coaster, so I will ride both of those as well. I will do a Coney Island feature when I get back.

Aerial Time Machine

Greetings all. I thought I would take a moment to give a plug to an interesting website called Historic Aerials. They have a huge online database of aerial photographs that you can use to view a particular spot on the map in different times. Here is an example where I am viewing the intersection of Sepulveda and Vermont around Harbor City. The first image is from 1972, the second one is 1980 and the last one is from 2004. I am trying to find out what the circus tent-like building is that once occupied the space where a Carl's Jr. now sits. You can see it clearly in the lower right of the first and second images. It's an interesting window into the past and some locations have photos going back to the 1940s. Check it out. It's fun.

Nubel Theater - Bellflower, CA

Here are a couple images of the former Nubel Theater in Bellfower, CA. Located at 16705-16711 Bellflower Boulevard, Bellflower, CA 90706 United States (map)
This classic deco-styled theatre opened in 1929 as the NuBell Theatre and was designed by architect, F.E. Woodruff. It had a full stage with fly gallery and an orchestra pit, dressing rooms for vaudeville which at the time was presented along with motion pictures. It was later renamed the Bellflower. Ownership changed several times during its venue as a movie theatre and ws closed in 1977 due to compitition from the Multiplexes. New seating was installed in 1960 on both the main floor and balcony. A new fire wall was installed to close the proscenium opening and a new wide screen was installed along with waterfall curtains.
The Calvary Church purchased the theatre in 1986. They cleaned the theatre up inside and out. They installed a new brick veneer on the exterior walls and changed the lettering on the vertical to HOSANA.

Odyssey Restaurant - Anaheim, CA

ODYSSEY RESTAURANT/COFFEE SHOP/COCKTAIL LOUNGE
Once located at 1490 So. Anaheim Blvd. This restaurant was closed and boarded up back in the mid 80s, but later reopened in different guises. I am not sure, but I think the building is no longer there. There used to be a Pacific Stereo/Federated Group store behind this restaurant back in the 70s.

Bel Air Inn, Restaurant, Lounge & Jade Center -Rawlins, Wyoming

At the height of it's popularity, Googie or Populuxe architecture could be found in motels throughout the U.S., even in remote locations like Rawlins, Wyoming. This postcard is of The Bel Air Inn. The arced, vaulted roofs of the restaurant and jade center are mimicked in the towering signage that stands in front of the inn. Maybe some reader can tell us if this place is still standing and in business.

The Princess Motel

The Princess Motel was located at 1769 West St. near Katella. One of many such places that touted that they were "Across The Street From Disneyland". Across the street from the back of Disneyland's old parking lot is more like it. There was a Shell gas station at the corner and the old Lamplighter Motel was just north of the Princess. This motel had a great neon sign before the Anaheim Resort makeover banished most Googie signage from the area around Disneyland. One of the things I remember most about the Princess Motel was the Gottlieb, MIBS, pinball machine that was back near the pool. A "wedge head" design machine from 1969. I love pinball and there were an abundance of machines at the motels around Disneyland back then. It was one of the cool things about growing up in this neighborhood.

The Ghost Signs of Wonderland Plaza

Wonderland Plaza is located on Katella Ave at Walnut in the city of Anaheim.

At one time the wall that these signs are painted on faced the westbound traffic of Katella and listed the various businesses that the plaza housed. They were probably painted in the early 60s. When Stovall later built their Space Age motel next to the plaza, it obscured the signs almost completely and they were never painted over although time has worn much of the paint away and some fool tagger hit it up recently.

Out of all the businesses that are listed only the liquor store and Marri's Pizza are still there and neither are the original owners. Many of these stores were already gone when we moved to Anaheim in 1972. Does anyone remember the Wood & Ink shop that was next to the laundromat?

I wanted to capture these before they disappeared forever. As of this date, they are still there, but are fading fast.

On to the pictures.

70's Toy Commercials

Here are some great 70s toy commercials that I came across on YouTube. Flashbacks a plenty!

Jet Inn Motel - Los Angeles, CA

This postcard shows the Jet Inn Motel, located at 4542 West Slauson Ave. in Los Angeles. The card depicts a fabulous mid-century modern motel building, it's pool and a shot of the lobby as it looked back when the place was shiny and new.
The photos that follow show the same place, some decades of decay later.
I originally took these pictures in the fall of 2002 while also photographing the former Wich Stand location turned Simply Wholesome next door.
Click on any of the photos for larger views.



Considering the age and location, this place does not look too bad. The vegetation around the building has grown considerably and now blocks the view of the lobby. I did not go around it to see what the lobby looked like. I doubt that it looks as cheerful as our postcard view.




One of the places that was the most need of repair at the time I took these, was the pool area. It had been drained and a chain-link fence with nylon mesh had been put up around it to keep out the curious skateboarder no doubt.




A rusty section of disused staircase leads to a high concrete-block wall that separates the motel from Simply Wholesome's parking lot.




The old sign still looks great in the twilight of the fading day.



Color TV, by RCA no less, is still being touted as the greatest thing since sliced bread in this classic signage seen at motels around the U.S.

Coca Cola Building - Los Angeles, CA

I took this photograph of the famous L.A. Coca Cola Building, back in 1984.

Strongly reminiscent of an early 20th century ocean liner, this was indeed the intended effect of architect Robert V. Derrah. Consolidating five ordinary-looking industrial buildings, Derrah created a single structure with soothing streamlined forms, complete with hatch covers and portholes, and crowned by a flying bridge. There are also two giant replicas of Coke bottles flanking the building, which was once the company's headquarters. The interior of the building is not open to the public, but the exterior certainly warrants a visit.
(wcities.com)

Tiki Apartments - Anaheim, CA

I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I was to find and acquire this particular postcard. It was one of those things where you see the image and it is immediately familiar and alien at the same time.
What I was seeing was an apartment building that was near the neighborhood I grew up in. I have been collecting postcards of Googie architecture and particularly Anaheim motel subjects for a little over 5 years now and I have seen most of what's out there, but every once in a while there is something that is rare and special in a personal way. There are a lot of old motel cards out there as there were large runs on these cards that were given away at the front desk of the establishment. I doubt that there was more than one small run of these done in the early 60s, judging from the car and other details. The lot to the left is empty in the postcard, but another apartment building went up there shortly after. The Space Age does not seem to be there, but the back of the Anaheim Travelodge is clearly visible. The original Disneyland Hotel can be seen on the right side of the horizon.



Tthe most awesome thing about this card is the view of the Wonder Bowl's original multicolor schemed ball sign, before they went to an all aqua/blue color on the sign in the early 70s. You can see both the large sign and the smaller one that was at the back entrance of the bowling alley. Also visible, are some yellow ball globes with "Wonder Bowl" lettering.



As soon as I got this I knew I would have to go and do a "now" shot for the blog. Everyone loves then and nows. Anyway, I was unfortunately unable to get the exact same angle of the shot because it would require me to be on the roof of the apartments directly across the street. I got up as high as I could on the stairs to the second floor. The two-toned paint scheme is no longer, but the building is unchanged for the most part. Block wall screens adorn many of the apartments on this street and this one is still intact.




What has changed is that there are no longer any happy days by the poolside since it was filled in some years ago.
There is also the addition of the hideous black wrought iron that there is far too much of in Southern California these days.

The Moongate Motel

Now this is some Googie wackiness! This image of the Moongate Motel in Hallandale, Florida is from a promotional postcard touting the Curteichcolor® color postcard company's work. That is about all I know as there was no address for the motel on the card. Anyone know anything about this place?

"Anaheim Vacationland" book

Greetings all!
I want to take a few moments to tell you about an amazing new book, put together by David Oneal.

Anaheim Vacationland website

David has spent over 20 years researching Disney
history, and has produced over 100 DVD
documentaries on theme parks, with an emphasis
on Disneyland. If you are a Disney geek, then you
have probably been to the Extinct Attractions Club
website, which he also founded.

David took hundreds of hours of video and still
images from 1984 to today and has worked with
the Anaheim historical society to secure earlier
images of the Anaheim area, in addition he has
collected interviews with Disney legends, to create
this unique book about Anaheim and Disneyland.
I was glad to be a part of it by contributing images
from my postcard collection.

The book also features the work of famed artist
MATEO, who has created numerous original paintings
as a tribute to Vacationland.


David lived in many of the motels that are covered
in the book, and his personal story is insightful
and inspiring. His work with the Anaheim Community
Services Department is commendable.

A lot of time and effort went into this colorful
and fascinating book. 244 pages of history,
memories, and images. The book is a large format
(8.5in x 11.5in) and is printed in full color.
Check it out.

The Gay 90's Saloon

The Gay 90's "A Saloon Created For The Carriage Trade". So reads the copy on the back of this postcard for the famous Gay 90's Saloon that was once at 157 North La Cienega on Restaurant Row in Beverly Hills.
"Professors of the Piano • Beauteous Genteel Feminine Cupbearers • Gleaming Fire Pole • Amazing Hanging Oil Paintings • Luxurious, Salubrious, Pulchritudinous. Home of the Biggest Drink in the West." the card goes on to say. I love the fancy doorman/valet that would await you as you pulled up in your '59 Cadillac.
This establishment was created by Paul Cummins of Huddle Restaurant fame. A big thanks to Heather David, who sent me this card. Be sure to check out her Silicon Valley Modern website. It's really well done.

Arizona Googie

I added a couple new postcards to the collection this week.
Like California, Arizona had it's share of great old Googie and mid-century modern architecture.

Here we have a postcard that advertised Helsing's Restaurant in Phoenix. The card says that it was located on the famous Central Avenue, in the heart of Phoenix. I checked the
View Larger Map">Google Map and they had a street view which lead me to believe that it's no longer there. In any case this was classic coffee shop modern, possibly designed by Armet & Davis from the look of it.

Before there was a Stovall's Space Age in Anaheim, there was Stovall's Space Age Lodge in Gila Bend, AZ

Elements of design such as the geodesic dome by the pool, use of aluminum for rails and fences and the epoxy resin ornament-trimmed exteriors and room interiors would later be echoed at the fantastic motels that Al Stovall built in Anaheim surrounding Disneyland during the 1960s - 1970s. You have got to love that flying saucer sign.


The plate folded rooflines are great, especially on the old restaurant building.

The good news is that this place is still in business and although the rooms have changed, there seems to be much of the old Space Age theme still intact.

Paul Masson Champagne Cellars, Saratoga, CA

"Good Wine Makes Good Friends" Paul Masson. That's what the tagline says on the back of this unique postcard from the 1960s.
The image of this fabulous Googie-esque building caught my attention while searching for new postcards. "What could this building be?", I wondered. The card states that this is the Paul Masson Champagne Cellars, located in Saratoga, CA, which is near San Jose and Cupertino, the home of Apple Computers in California's "Silicon Valley".
In the foreground you'll see their "champagne" fountain, reflecting pool, Reception Rotunda and spiral ramp leading into the winery. I would be interested to know if this building still stands and if so, it's condition.
I had an additional, pleasant surprise when I looked at the publishing credit and saw that the photographer was none other than Ansel Adams.

2 new (old) postcards added to the site.

I have added a couple postcards to the Postcards Of The Past section of my website. They are of the Dunes Motel in Anaheim in the 1960s and a Hody's Restaurant/North Hollywood card that is from the late 1950s.
See these and all the other great old postcards at
http://207.45.186.130/~vstapf/apc/potp.html

Hong Kong and The Year of the Rat.

I recently returned from a trip to Hong Kong. I have been there several times and I always find interesting things to photograph while I am there.



Hong Kong is an amazing place. It's a modern city that is steeped in centuries old traditions. It is a place where east meets west and everywhere in between. Hong Kong was a British crown colony for almost 100 years, so it's not unusual to see streets and parks named after former British royalty. They also drive on the left side of the road there, like they do in England and Japan. All legit taxis in Hong Kong are these red and silver Toyota Crown Comfort sedans. There are also green and blue in some districts, but are not seen as often.



The Hong Kong skyline is in my opinion the most spectacular in the world, especially at night.



The building on the left in the next photo changes colors dramatically every several seconds and is very beautiful at night. I also like the blue and green hues of the Standard Chartered Bank building. The creative use of lighting on these large buildings is really something to see.



There is not exactly a lot of what I would call mid-century modern architecture in Hong Kong, but every once in a while you'll see an interesting building like this one built in the 1940s.



This block of 10 apartment buildings in Aberdeen on the south side of Hong Kong Island stands deserted. It's former residents long gone as the site awaits demolition and redevelopment of the land. These brooding hulks which were built in the 1960s are empty, silent and a bit spooky.



How about this scary looking industrial building?



While it's hard to say if anyone will miss these sad structures when they are gone, there has been an effort to preserve some of the old historic colonial structures, like The Star Ferry Terminal.

To learn more about Hong Kong, check out the Wikipedia entry.

The Glass House Restaurant

Although I have never been to Oklahoma, I would like to some day. My trip would have to include a visit to The Glass House Restaurant in Vinita. Originally built in 1957 by Conoco Oil, the restaurant is now the world's largest McDonalds. The building also has an Oklahoma welcome center and a gift shop.