the Cake BoxPosted on 10/20/2012 8:09:54 PM PDT by djone
Photograps of Memphis Tennesse in 1944. See whats playing at the Palace Theater or the New Daisy. Or get some chop suey....
the Cake Box
As a lover of old monster movies, it’s great to see the Lugosi movie “The Return of the Vampire” playing at one of the movie theaters. I’m excited because Fathom Events is showing the original Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935) this coming Wednesday at select theaters!
Well, I will not argue with you, as the photos are somewhat before my time.
The pics of sailors in white is the only thing that looks authentic to me.
One of the center pics, trolly and long view down the street has no resemblance at all to Memphis.
Prior to the 70s, Beale was strictly a black/negro street, not to be visited after dark.
On Saturday (daytime), however, it was very popular for pawn shop shopping.
It is where we went to buy camping/outdoor goods, army surplus items, for summer camp.
Beale is now an entertainment hub for downtown..pretty much a tourist trap, but BB King’s is great, if he is there.
I took a French girl there to see him, and she was quite excited, as she was not more then 10 feet from him as he played.
Memphis did have electric trolleys, and maybe a few tracked
trolleys, as I seem to remember some old tracks still embedded in a few downtown streets.
The old electric buses were sent to an old farm, east of town, where they rusted away for many years.
My father’s store was at 20 South Main.
The basement in the back ally, and next to his store, is The Rendezvous, one of the most famous of rib restaurants, and a main Memphis attraction.
On many occasions, I used to go to the library and look through the microfilm of old local newspapers, and make a list of the the various movies being run at my (long-gone) local neighborhood theater... the films, the serials, the b-westerns and whatnot. A nice mix of familiar monster-movies, Jungle Jim, Roy Rogers, Blondie, Tarzan, Abbott and Costello, Tim Holt, Charlie Chan films and so on. Too young to experience that kind of fare at the theater, although I grew up with it all on television.
Anyway, it fascinated me to realize what specific films were playing just down the street from my neighborhood, ten to twenty years before I was around. Added a certain historical context. Makes me a bit envious of those who were kids at the time, heading out to the Saturday matinee showing of “Rocketship X-M” or “House of Frankenstein.”
Great thread! Thanks for starting it.
I went to AD school in Memphis (Millington) and it was a lot of fun. Had a great time there...lots of alcohol down the hatch!
Worst drunk, worst hangover there. My best friend and I went in under the buddy system, and when we were in “A” School, he got orders to the West Coast shore duty (Training squadron) and I got orders to an attack squadron on the East Coast.
I was pretty depressed about that. And by God, I was going to do something about it.
I drank an entire bottle of 4-Roses whiskey. The 750 ml size. I got so sick it was a nightmare. I woke up butt-naked in a fetal position on top of a dryer with my clothes thumping in it right below me. Thank God my best friend took care of me. If anyone ever did that stuff, writing on my face with a marker or anything like that, they would spend the rest of their lives looking over their shoulder.
The next morning I was AWOL, I woke up around 10 and my buddy walked in and told me he got things fixed for me. My petty officer gave me a break. I was squared away, but...not that morning. He let me take the day off. What a great thing to do. But, like I said, I was not someone who made his life harder, and that was how he let me know I was doing okay. Lucky to have someone like that right above you in the chain of command.
I also remember all the Iranian jet mechanics training there. That was where the Shah sent his mechanics to learn. I liked the Iranian guys a lot. They were boisterous, and seemed to always be laughing and grab-assing. I had one punch a hole in my tie with those automated paper punchers at the front of the class. I was getting ready to punch my completed learning stage, and this Iranian guy grabbed my tie and stuck it in the machine. Punched a ragged hole in it. Before I could even say anything, the guy hands me a ten dollar bill, and just turns around and walks away with a big grin on his face.
That’s why I hate so much of Islam. Those guys were nearly making their way into the 20th century, and that damned Khomeni just dropped in out of the sky. I hated what happened to them. They had to go back to that, and pretend it was what they wanted to do. It was that, or their ass. From what I heard, for at least a number of them, it WAS their ass anyway.
Anyway, those are the memories of Memphis I have from early to mid 1976. It was fun.
While the photos are 22 years older than me, I am certain that he “chop suey” pic is not of Memphis either.
It’s interesting to see the sailors on Beale Street though. It’s a nice reminder that the world’s largest inland naval base was about 15 miles up the road in Millington, TN.
Iranians and the 1970s I knew a lot of them in Houston and San Diego during that period, I liked many of them also.
The pick of Nathans does look real, as it was one of the more well known pawn shops on Beale.
They were all run by Jewish people.
My mom thought Memphis back in the 1950’s was the best city ever. I’m sure it’s a lot different now.
Although I was just a toddler then, I do remember growing up and taking lots of trip to the Cake Box with my mom. There was still one around in the 70’s in KC - unfortunately right next door to my office. They really had yummy stuff.
And NO pants on the women. They all wore dresses.”
Let me assure you we ALL wore pants. We didn’t wear slacks to work, however, until in the 80’s and only then if they fit the dress code. Had to have a jacket which matched and it had to be left on all day long. We had a management staff meeting on Monday and we women who attended all wore dresses, stockings, heels, the whole garb that day. No pants suits allowed in the Board room.
The funniest thing I remember occurred when hot pants came in style. One of our young keypunch operators wore a pair to work. Boss told her she had to go home and change so she took some scissors, went in the bathroom and cut the crotch out of them. A skirt was fine, but no hot pants.
Times have really changed.
“What a difference a generation makes.”
I think it is three generations.
Thank you very much! I love those photos.
Not for me, I’m one, my children are two. I’m old, lol
and nothing better to do than roam American blogs?
Looks like Robert Goulet next to E. He shot out the tv when ole Bob popped onscreen.
*ping*
“.more muzzies, more violence”
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Well, your the first dog in a manger that I have heard from in almost two years now, as America seems to be in its sunset days, and most emails are from FReepers asking me how they can do the same.
As for Muzies, I have been here almost four years now, and have yet to see one.
Neither have I witnessed any violence.
I am as happy as a clam on my beach with my wife and our baby boy. If I want some mountain life, I have it within a few miles, up to 3000 ft.
I bicycle to the market every day. I have no need or desire for a car, and I want for nothing.
If I need a big city mall, I can be there in two hours.
On top of that, I can do all of this on less then $1000 per MONTH.
FR is the only American blog for me.
You enjoy life as you wish...I will do the same.
Have a nice day.
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