12/1/05

Wes

Thank you for preserving the Farm House’s memory at your website. It was a major part of my childhood. I grew up just up the road (Beach Blvd.) from the Farm House in La Mirada. From the time I was a young boy until (I think) the late eighties, I used to go to the Farm House with my paternal grandparents and my parents. It was one of my grandfather’s favorites. To call it a cafeteria is not to do it justice. The carving station alone—with roast turkey, roast beef and ham—was a wonder to behold. There was a big board at the beginning that listed that day’s offerings and the choices were staggering. And the waitresses used to offer up a basket of homemade dinner rolls to each table that, as I recall, came with pats of butter (thin cardboard beneath, almost clear paper on top).

The food was always good, and the place was about as family friendly as you could get. It’s sad, and a bit painful, that these sorts of places one remembers from way-back-when are just in memories now.

Sincerely,
Kevin

11/28/05

I just found your site last night, and what a wonderful trip down memory lane it was! I'm about 10 years younger than you and spent my childhood over on Naomi Street, just above Olive Avenue and went to Burroughs. My husband grew up on Olive Ave (above Glenoaks) and Joaquin Street and went to Burbank. We left Burbank in 1994 and still miss parts of it.

Our house was a lot like yours - a 2 bedroom starter home with a decent-sized backyard (no pool though...). We also had an atrium in the center of the house that was home to tropical plants such as bird of paradise and split leafed philodendron as well as odd Asian-styled decor. The house was built in the mid 1940's by an old (superstitious) Chinese man. The walkway to the front door was curved (bad spirits can only follow straight lines), the door knob was in the center of the door and was surrounded by an ornate brass medallion about 2 feet wide with a dragon on it (to keep the bad spirits out). The corners of the eaves were curved upward in order to flip the bad spirits off the roof if they tried to come in that way.

We had every kind of fruit tree imaginable on our block. In our yard alone, there were 2 varieties of oranges, a tangerine tree, pomogranates, white grapefruit, and a bottlebrush tree. Our neighbors had apples, lemons, plums, and avocado trees. What a wonderful childhood. I miss it terribly at times and truly wish my parents had not sold that house (about 5 years after your mom sold hers).

Thanks for the memories. That made my day.

Lia

11/3/05

Hello Mr. Wes Clark,

I just have to tell you that you made my day. Here I am, sitting in our little surf shop, passing time trying to find a simple, home-made method of constructing a little thatched hut for my backyard, and I came across your website.

Now this is where all the odd stuff starts.

I live on Lincoln Avenue!

I graduated in June of 1974!

AND -- that's all I can think of right now, but it was sure fun cruising through your site and re-living the days of our youth. I especially enjoyed the toys pages, and all your witty observations throughout the site. You're very funny.

Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself and to thank you for sharing something of your life. I think you have contributed a very touching documentation of life "back in the day."

Aloha from Hawaii,
Ginny, Classic Surfboards

9/29/05

Dear Wes

Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your web site which I came across by accident. I am also amazed at just how much your life was like my own childhood and teenage years here in Queensland, Australia. I suppose some things are universal. Thanks again

Karen

Earth tones for everyone, everywhere! - Wes

9/21/05

Hi Wes, I stumbled onto your website by accident and I have to say that what you've done is great. I grew up in East LA in the 60's and 70's; what fond memories you brought back to me. How I wish I had taken photos of our home, inside and out. My dad is gone now and I have great memories of him and the things in our home. And as you did, I also was in the Marines. I joined in Sept of '78 and got out in Sept of '86. I was a grunt 0311. Unfortunately, in 8 yrs the only time I was close to home was my first year with 1st Bn/1st Marines at Camp Horno, then from there I was in Okinawa for 2 yrs which was the best! Then 2 yrs with the Second Mar Div at Camp Lejuene and then Parris island with 2nd Recruit training regt. Anyway, the way you told your story at times moved me to tears. You are very talented and I want to thank you for a wonderful story.

Semper Fi
Regards
Tony

P.S. Have you ever gone back to visit MCRD? It sure has changed.

Thanks, Tony!

Glad you got a kick out of what I wrote. Yes, I have been back to MCRD and, as you say, it has certainly changed. The grinder hasn't changed a bit, however! And the view of the headquarters building at the end of the grinder didn't change, either. Or the tension in the air. The barracks building where I was housed is still there, but the Quonset huts that were the homes of the first recruit battalion are long gone.

Still, walking down those shaded outdoor passages gives the impression that the place is exactly like it used to be in the 1940's. How I could possibly know that, I don't know.

Semper Fi!

Wes

9/1/05

Enjoyed browsing through several pages of "Burbankia". It's really amazing how the internet has created a form of communication not previously available in any previous society.

I happen to be one of the Burbank people mentioned in your excerpt from Debbie Reynolds' book. In fact I was her date on the evening she was named Miss Burbank. Then I read several letters about her attendance at BHS or Burroughs. The fact is she attended both schools, moving from BHS in the fall of '48 when Burroughs became a high school and graduated from Burroughs the next year.

One of my classmates is Gary Burcham ('48). His father was Milo Burcham, who was one of the first pilots to fly a jet airplane and is mentioned in the DC Air & Space museum. He would probably have considerable information of interest to your further Burbank studies.

Both my mother and father graduated from BHS in the class of 1918. I think I have a copy of the Ceralbus for that year somewhere in a box in my garage.

Enjoyed your website and thanks for all the work.

Jerry Odens
BHS '48

8/10/05

Hello Wes, I just wanted to let you know that your site is one of the very best that I have ever visited. It is as if I knew you and your family, in fact the illusion of that is so strong it's scary! I've had you on the favorites list for at least a year. I grew up a little later than you, but my childhood memories of friends, toys, t.v., etc., are extremely similar. My friend Eric and I would wait to see what monster movies would be on channels 5, 9, or 13 on Saturdays, and would "play" them afterwards, pretending to be the characters, and creating little environments in his backyard. His yard ran more to dirt, weeds, and overgrown shrubs, which lent itself to our activities much more than my own, where my Dad would kill us if we dug a hole. We drew our own comic books for years, as well as made Super-8 monster and sci-fi movies. We did a sequel to "Logan's Run" that had wardrobe, locations, and cheap special effects, such as scratching the film a frame at a time for ray-gun sequences, which actually looked pretty good! Lots of fun.

Thanks again Wes for the time and care taken in bringing us the photos and comments. Life was a little different a few decades ago, and those of us, like you, who have children now hopefully can bring them a little of the simplicity and sweet things we used to enjoy. Nostalgic, I know, but we live in such a cynical time-- my boys are some of the few they know who've seen the Three Stooges, Marx Bros., Our Gang, W.C. Fields, Universal horror classics, Bogart flicks, the great westerns, etc. you get my point. The part where you talk about watching movies with your Dad late on the weekends really mirrored some of our best times for me. Thanks again, and I hope you keep adding to it.

All the best,

Andy
Thousand Oaks, CA

Thanks for the nice comments! Your trick of creating special effects by scratching the film emulsion sounds ingenious for a kid. I think some of the early filmmakers did things like this, but I'm not sure.

I am happy to say that my three kids are well versed in the Our Gang shorts. Fortunately, the 1994 movie caused the original films to be reissued on VHS; I have all of these. (They are now out of print again.)

When my youngest daughter - I think she was about five at the time - learned that Darla Hood had died (as an adult), she cried herself to sleep!

Wes

8/2/05

I don't know exactly how I found your website (considering that I began my search looking for middle school librarian resources...lol) but I wanted to drop you a note to say how much I appreciate it. I found myself clicking through link after link on your page, laughing and wanting to know more. You have inspired me to create a similar page. You are right...you forget things over time. Your pages allow us to relive your memories with you.

Thanks for sharing,

Keisa

7/20/05

Hey Wes.

Stumbled across your website today on a search for the old Aurora monster models (I guess more people were into these than I thought!) I was born in '55 in Santa Monica, and have spent my life in So. California (including the S.F. valley.) Nicely done tribute to a by-gone era, kind of has a "wonder years" feel. I can relate to most everything you have here. Totally bought into the whole secret agent, super hero thing. My next door neighbor and I used to stalk the neighborhood nights in our black turtle necks and pea caps (Illya Kuryakin style!) I'm sure we looked pretty ridiculous, but we had fun. I too built most all the monster models. My Dad was a professional artist, and if I screwed up bad enough painting them, or begged hard enough, he'd come in and "salvage" them for me. (which was just about every time!) Really beautiful examples when finished, and I sure wish I had even 1 left to show you! Oh well.

I did come across a pretty nice box of original G.I.Joe stuff while cleaning out my folks attic some time back. Fetched close to $800 on ebay! Had the good luck to save some of my old Marvels and MADs which always sell when I feel like ebaying.

I'm not sure how really different things were back then, but attitudes have definately changed. I remember as a kid during the summer we'd head out on our bikes (usually for some ridiculously far off destination), mess around all day long, and as long as we were back around sundown, for dinner, no worries. If my kids did that today, I'm sure my wife would put out some kind of all points bulletin! Anyways, thanks for the reminder of a by-gone era and a nice walk down memory lane. I wish I had the time and energy to do something like this.

Best regards, John.

6/30/05

Hi Wes! :)

I found your site when I was doing a search about Captain America! Your old comics are sooooo cute! ^_^

Did you ever have Captain Russian or another character actually fight or run into Hitler?

Thanks!

Amy Rose

Uhhh... yeah, I think so. I recall drawing Hitler a lot in one issue. (The mustache was kind of fun to draw.) As I recall it had to do with Captain Russian, a teddy bear and a chase across the world. Not sure about that. Next time I'm up in my attic - where my comics are stored - I'll take a look.

Wes

6/27/05

I found your web site this morning when I was doing a Google search on Paul Winchell. I just heard this morning that he had died a few weeks ago, and I was heartbroken. I was looking for the lyrics to Winchell-Mahoney Time, because I've got the same few lines rolling around in my head over and over: "hooray, hoorah, it's Winchell-Mahoney Time, it's Winchell-Mahoney Time, it's time for fun. Hooray, hoorah we're glad everybody's here, come on let us give a cheer for everyone." And then something about putting on your shining faces. Anyway, I adored Paul Winchell when I was a little girl living in Los Angeles. And all the other local guys you mentioned on http://wesclark.com/am/local_tv.html. I was four and watching Sheriff John in 1961 when the Bel Air fire jumped the freeway and headed for Brentwood (where we lived). I remember mom running into the family room of our house and turning the channel to the news. I had totally forgotten about Chuck Jones the Magic Man. I loved him! I didn't see him mentioned on your page, but do you remember Beachcomber Bill? His theme song was the "Baby Elephant Walk." And Billy Barty had a kid's show too.

Thanks for such a loving tribute to Paul Winchell.

Kathy Hansen
Fort Worth, TX

Thanks for the comments!

No, I don't recall Beachcomer Bill.

I loved Winchell-Mahoney Time; as I recall it was the first thing I'd tune to after arriving home from school.

Update, 6/30/05:

From Andrew Bendel:

Hooray! Hurrah!
It's Winchell-Mahoney Time,
And Winchell-Mahoney means it's time for fun!
Hooray! Hurrah!
We're glad everybody's here,
Come on! Let us hear a cheer from everyone!
So ready in your places, light up those happy faces,
You gotta yell and tell 'em who you are!
Hip! Hip! Hooray, hurrah!
Sis-boom-bah!
Scotty, waddy, doo-dah!
Scotty, waddy, doo-dah!
Scotty, waddy, doo-doo-dah!

Wes

6/20/05

Hi Wes,

I stumbled on to your website. You've got some great stuff there! I am three years older than you; I was 13 in 1966. Man, what a year. I remember it well. I grew up in the small town of Casper, Wyoming. My parents bought a house there in 1959, and my mom still lives in that same house (my dad passed away in 2002). I still get up there several times a year and sleep in one of my old rooms when I'm there (I was in three different rooms as I grew up, with my sisters sharing a room and my parents in the other one).

I had eight of the Aurora monster models. Somewhere there's a picture of all eight of them that I took in the late '60s. Unfortunately my models haven't survived. I'm not sure what ever happened to them; my parents probably threw them out sometime after I left home. I also had a bunch of car models. Most of the cars I put together from around 1961-1964, then I went to the monsters from about '64 to '66 or '67.

I love the section about noir films. Those are my favorites. There's something about them that draws me. I guess I love the "tough guys" and their attitudes, and the "dames" are all hotties! I also love the dialogue in those films. I heard a great line awhile back. I was watching a noir film on the Encore Mystery channel about six months ago called "Johnny O'Clock" with Dick Powell. Powell was a private eye and was talking to this dame. The dame goes, "I guess I'm telling ya I like ya, Johnny O'Clock." Powell (playing the character Johnny O'Clock) says in that typical tough-guy noir-type talk "Put it in writing and I'll paste it my scrapbook". I love that line!!

I think Susan Faludi really hit the nail on the head when talking about the fedoras. There was a definite distinction between adults and kids back then. Today, I'm a so-called adult, but dress about the same way I did as a kid. Weekends will find me in jeans and a t-shirt with a baseball cap on, same as when I was a kid. I even have the same hobbies I did as a kid. I ride my bike, play sports, collect baseball cards, etc.

About the only thing you don't talk about, or maybe I just haven't gotten to it yet, is card collecting. I mentioned the baseball cards. The kids in my neighborhood all collected sports cards. I got back into the hobby in the 1980s, and collect to this day. I had a lot of my original cards from when I was a kid, and have since gone on and finished a lot of sets from the '60s in both baseball and football.

Anyway, great stuff. I'm enjoying looking over your site.

Mike Roberts
Aurora, CO

Thanks, Mike!

I never collected baseball cards - or any others, for that matter. I had some of the 1966 Batman series, but at the time I just didn't have enough organizational ability to collect them all. As for sports cards, not being interested in sports I wasn't interested in the cards, either.

Those films noir are great! William Powell was a favorite; I liked him a lot in "Murder, My Sweet." I like his dialog with Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki). Every now and then a new one will get released on DVD and I'll check it out and reawaken my interest in the genre...

Wes

5/16/05

Hi Wes,

I too, just spent a little over an hour looking at the memories of your past and recalling my own as well.

I graduated in 1977, so I remember the 60's and the 70's very well also. I grew up in a small town in Minnesota. Sounds like you had a close relationship with your Dad, same as I did. I was the youngest son and was closest to Dad, watching late TV shows like: Sherlock Holmes & Charlie Chan, The Bowery Boys, Mannix, Rockford Files, Cannon, and when I was able to stay up and watch Johnny Carson in the living room and not just sneaking a look from around the corner wall, well I KNEW I had made it to "the big leagues."

My Dad grew up in the telephone industry, his father had owned the telephone company and when his Dad died he took over. My older 2 brothers & I also worked at the telephone company, doing mostly everything there was to be done at a family owned telephone company, but that is another and much longer story!

I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed looking back at the memories you had, which in reality, we all (hopefully) were able to have. It was a different time then, at least it seemed so, I ask myself "was the grass really that much greener and the sky that much bluer?" The models! Ah yes! Star Trek, Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea! I remember in 1966? at Christmas when my Mom & Dad got me the yellow model of the 'Seaview,' That was awesome! In 3rd grade, which was around 1967? I remember my Mom would not let me watch Lost in Space until I had finished with my multiplication Flash Cards for that evening! I always give her credit for my knowing to this day my time tables!

Since we didn't have X-Box and the other computer stuff back in the 60's, we used to play a lot of out side games, remember "kick-the-can"? and "Star Light Moon Light"? playing baseball up the road in the vacant lots, going down to the creek where we would build our "forts" and try to sneak a cigarette from one of the older boys that had brought them! We built a raft one time and needed someone in a boat to rescue us!

Did you ever read the book: "The Mad Scientists Club"? THAT book I must have read a hundred times over as a young teen. Life seemed simpler then, well it might have been for a while anyway. Remember where you were when Apollo 11 landed on the moon? When Armstrong was going down the ladder that Sunday late afternoon, I remember my Dad looking out the Living Room window, up at the mostly full moon, he mentioned how unbelievable it was that here he was looking up at the Moon and at the same time on the TV a man from Earth was walking on it. Then after that, all the models of the Lunar Module and Command Modules we bought and put together. One cereal box had a plastic 45 record on the back of it that had Neil Armstrong's first words said on the Moon. You took if off of the back of the Cereal box and could play it on the phonograph. I am looking at what I have typed here and I think I got caught up in the nostalgia myself! Thanks for that, Wes!

Those memories will never die, as long as we keep remembering them.

Mark in Minnesota

5/11/05

Dear Wes,

I happened upon your site while researching '70s decor for a play our local community theater guild will present in July. Born in 1960, I too am a child of the '70s. I only wish I had documented our house as you did. What a great time I've had looking at the pictures and remembering our house decorated by Sears. My mother had her avocado appliances, stove, refrigerator and washer and dryer. My dad worked for Union Carbide all his life and he too was handy around the house, but I don't think his tastes were as exotic as your dad's.

Anyway, thanks for the avocado memories. I have your page bookmarked so I can show my kids. However, I am so jealous of your white aluminum tree. It would have been perfect while I watched "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer".

A new fan,
Carol

5/6/05

Hi Wes

Just tripped over your site.

Funnily enough, there was an interview with a guy on UK radio recently (no, sorry, don't remember the details) and he was suggesting people write their autobiographies NOW so their grandkids have a real record of what life was like in the prehistoric 2000s.

I thought this a great idea, as we know historical texts will record one view!

Thanks for a glimpse into your creative meanderings!

Norman

Thanks for the kind words. Maybe I'm ahead of my time! Anyway, it's far easier to record now while my memory is fresh than it will be twenty years hence...

Wes

4/11/05

Hi Wes

I think your Web site 'Avocado Memories' is pure bliss. Nothing thrills me more than nostalgia. Thank you for taking the time to create and maintain such a wonderful Web site. I found myself laughing (and sometimes crying) alongside all the memories you have shared with us.

No, I have never met you or your family, but I can tell how wonderful you all were. Your Mom seems like she was a wonderful woman. Reading about her made me smile. I love the picture of her and your Dad in the pool room. She has such a nice, big smile. She must have had a wonderful laugh. Had her lovingly crafted airplane photos not been "destroyed by the elements," I would probably be bugging you to send me one / sell me one so I could hang it up in my den in her honour. She seems like she was such an awesome Mom.

I think this is probably one of the best Web sites I have ever visited, and trust me, I've seen 'em all.. I don't even remember how I tripped on it, but I'm sooooo glad I did.

Either way, it's PERFECT. Keep it up, and THANK YOU again for sharing it all with us.

You rock, you roll...avocado rules.... It's inspired me to the point that I may paint my bedroom avocado now... Well, my husband did say he agreed to painting it "green" - I can trick him... Although the only way to get "the" right shade would be to dump leftover cans and try and achieve what you guys managed to come up with.

From: A 30-year old who missed out on growing up during the better years... Growing up in the 80's sucked...and does not warrant a Web site ha ha ha ha

Jennifer A. Kistemaker-Morin

3/7/05

Hello Wes,

I never write to people I do not know on the web about sites I have viewed. Today I feel compelled to write to you and say thank you for posting your site. I happened upon it and have spent well over two hours going through it. Its a blast from the past, and I sat here thinking about my childhood. I am a bit weepy.. my parents are gone now..I miss them very much. Parenting six children..my parents were very busy and not much into cameras..you are very lucky you have your memories captured on film.

Its also kind of weird how much I am like your mother..*GRIN* I plan on showing my three sons your site..I am sure they will be writing you to say its true..*S* Anyway...I think its great you put your childhood memories online to share with others. It made me smile remembering all the avacados in my past too. Oh yes.. the avocado theme lived in Ohio also..*L*

Thanks again and I bid you and your family many blessings in life.. and all the avocados you can.. eat..*S*

Best Regards,
Jennifer

3/6/05

Hey Wes,

Thanks for “letting me into your living room” And kitchen, back yard, etc. I wish I had more time to spend but it’s been an hour and I have to move on to some work, but not before telling you how much I appreciate your effort.

You are about ten years older than me and I had some cousins your age who grew up in a working class neighborhood in San Antonio. That’s a town that (believe it or not) is more like L.A. than about 90% of the rest of the country, and your site brought back nostalgic memories of the visits I made in the late 60s and 70s, and of those eras in general.

Amazing how random things go when you’re surfing the Internet. I’m reading a book by Paul Fussell, (who grew up in Pasadena, by the way). I searched his name on Google and your site was the 17th ranked.

Something tells me you could probably get a book out of what you’re doing. Not one that focuses on your house, per se, but rather on the shared memories of people within five or so years of your age—all the cultural touchstones: the toys you played with growing up, the TV shows, etc. Your boy-next-door style would deliver the perfect tone. Even the title “Avocado Memories” would work. You are a great writer.

Good luck,
David
Austin, Texas

2/17/05

Wes,

I don't know where to start. I discovered your site tonight and like someone in your guest book wrote "And six hours later.....". Well, maybe not six, but I have been browsing your site for well over an hour now and have to make myself stop.

What makes your site special is the location - suburb of Los Angeles similar to where I grew up. I have three friends at work who all grew up in the Valley and I can't wait to tell them about your site.

I grew up in La Mirada, Calif from 1955-1971 (my parents moved out there from Inglewood where I was born in 1951). Although not the Valley, the area has a similar genesis, a bedroom community for middle class families. I am not sure what middle class is now, but I knew it then.

Let's see, quick before I get in the shower.

Muzak. Me too. I have always loved it. I used to listen to all those 101 Strings I could find (in between my Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits, Bee Gees etc). My dad was the same, he liked "pretty music". He and my mom (both turned 80 this year) still have the original stereo console and it is in mint condition, still plays. We listened to KPOL - similar to KOST.

Rimsky-Korsakov --Le Coq d'Or - that was from the first volume of "The Worlds Greatest Music" a black with gold trim record cover. Inside there was a page by page description of all the classical pieces. I was enthralled with several of the pieces, including Carmen. I would lay on the living room floor and imagine various scenarios while listening. My mom also bought it at the grocery store - Market Basket. If memory serves, the first volume was 89 cents. I managed to hang on to a couple of those colonial lamps from our living room.

Have to go. Looking forward to browsing some more and thanks for the inspiration to do a little "archiving" of my own.

Debbie

2/7/05

Hi, Wes: I've enjoyed your Burbankia web page, full of memories for me since I lived in Burbank from 1942 to 1950. I was editor of the Burbank Review in the early 60s and I well remember the snowfall in 1949. One minor correction, though: I think you'll find that Debbie Reynolds ("Frannie") attended Burbank High and not John Burroughs. She was in the class of 1949, I believe. I remember well because I double dated her one night (my class was Burbank High 1948.)

Great page. Keep it up. - Joe Brown, Rockport, Maine

p.s. Funny story connected with Debbie: a friend of mine, Dan Sites, in my BHS class of 1948, loved country-western music and had a favorite bar in Glendale that played it. Dan was nursing a beer there, listening to the music, when the bartender asked if he would please leave if he didn't want to drink faster; other customers were waiting. Dan left. The next Saturday he re-entered the bar with Debbie Reynolds as his date (she was at the peak of her career then). Dan said "They never asked me to leave again."

Thanks!

You're about the third person telling me that Debbie Reynolds went to Burbank and not Burroughs - but her autobiography has her in Burroughs. Perhaps she went to both for a time. I do know that there was a big photo of her graduating from Burroughs on a sort of montage outside the Burroughs Auditorium for many years...

I guess one of the things I ought to do in my copious spare time is write her and ask! (And then post the result here.)

Wes

2/2/05

Wes -

Love your site!

The pictures are incredibly 60s & 70s. I grew up in the Midwest - Ohio - and while we never had avocado or harvest gold anything, I always thought those were the coolest appliance colors there were. (I hate boring white anything - walls, carpet, ceilings, appliances!) Well, I got my wish when we moved into our home 16 1/2 years ago. The range (which is still here) is avocado, the dishwasher (which died a horrible death about 11 years ago) was avocado, and the used fridge we bought was harvest gold. The dishwasher died when a mouse got into the wiring resulting from suicide through electrocution and caused enough wire damage to not be fixable. The fridge died within the first year. I finally bought a new dishwasher three years ago when it became necessary for me to do all the dishes by hand. (Before that my three oldest kids took turns as the two legged dishwasher!)

We bought another used fridge - this time an industrial-sized side by side which took up a lot of necessary kitchen space - that finally died a few years ago and was replaced by a brand new fridge with a freezer on top (we have deep freeze as well) - both d/w & fridge is white. The splash guard above the range is also avocado. And not real easy to keep clean. I tried to clean the range hood (also avocado) & splash guard once with industrial cleaner and realized I was taking the paint off - I had huge smeary amounts of avocado everywhere - my hands, the sponge, etc. Maybe the color was supposed to hide all the gooey, grease and stains that accumulate on the splash guard & range hood!

Anyway - thanks so much for your walk down memory lane.

Wendy in North Texas

1/25/05

Dear Wes,

I've written to you before. Just wanted to check in and tell you that your site brightens my day without fail. Whenever I visit, I not only take trip back to the time of my youth, but I find more things to remember because you are always adding content. Great work. Your site means a lot to me!! Wooden gliders .. who would have remembered?

Happy New Year,
Matt Faccenda

1/19/05

Hi,

I am searching for gold-veined mirror tiles and ran across the pics of yours while seaching.

WHERE DID YOU FIND THEM? I am having no luck. All I can find is the clear mirrors at Home Depot and the like. Too boring.

We have an eclectic home and they would go great. But we need a lot of them for the ceiling of one room that is quite large. If you can help in any way with references, plese write back.

Your wall looks great, by the way.

Thanks,
Bradford Fountaine

1/13/05

I usually don't write to anyone, but I wanted you to know ...
I am GLAD to have found your site, again... just now.
I remember seeing this about 8 years ago. I think it was on geocities, back then.

I lost your web site, back then, but I have kept your stories and photos in my (non computer) memory. I think I save a lot of your pictures, somewhere but I lost you site address. I gave up trying to find it. I just happend to bump into your site while looking at sites about th LA River (http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/1916/burbank.html)

When I watch "That 70's Show" I am reminded of your photos and stories.

My name is Jerry. I grew up in Glendale, graduated from Glendale High in '74. Your site brought back many memories. I relate to your stories about your neighborhood, friends, family...batman (yeah, me too. Thank God we don't have any photos). When I got my drivers license, I would drive from Glendale to Burbank, via Kenneth Road, to the Starlight Bowl park and back.

I haven't finished reading you new site, yet, but I remember that Ronnie Howard was into basket ball at the time. I don't remember if he went to Burroughs or Burbank. I was big on photography at the time, I would attend most of the sporting events when Glendale High played "away". We might have crossed paths a few times. I remember going to a slot car track on Van Owen, a few times. I can go on and on.

I was afraid that you may have lost interest in your web site and took it down. I'm glad that you didn't. I have learned a lot from your stories that I overlooked as a child. Like avocado decor. I noticed it, but I didn't understand it, now I do!

BTW I have moved to Las Vegas, last year. Last month my daughter (16) and I went to Chile John's, in Burbank, on Thanksgiving week, they were closed. (I would often visit Papoos and Bob's Big Boy in the '80's) I could go on and on...

I just wanted you to know that I REALLY appreciate your web site. For me, it is like walking into a time machine, or something. I have bookmarked it and I will continue to visit it.

Jerry

1/12/05

Hi there,

Just found your Aurora monster model page; great stuff and lots of memories for me, too.

Bit puzzled by the Bride of Frankenstein model though? It was never released in Scotland - which is where I'm from.

Only 12 made it to this side of the Atlantic: The Wolfman, Dracula Frankenstein's Monster , The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Mummy, The Hunchback of Notre Dam, King Kong, Godzilla, The Phantom of the Opera, The Salem Witch, The Forgotten Prisoner, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hide.

I had what I always thought was a full set and have read articles stating that only 12 were manufactured.

Like a lot of childhood possessions, my models seemed to disappear as I got older and no doubt my mother binned them as I lest home, deeming them unwanted I suppose?

Over the years I wondered where they'd gotten to and was reading a horror mag - UK published - titled The Dark Side in the early 1990s when I spotted an ad for original boxed Aurora monster models. These were for sale in a shop less than 20 miles from my home town. I called te guy and told him not to sell them and that I was on my way. He only had three - The Wolfman, The Mummy and Frankenstein's Monster. I bought them there and then - for quite a price and spent the next few nights bathing myself in nostalgia. Armed with paints and glue I then built the three models and my son now has them on a shelf in his bedroom.

My favourite was and still is The Wolf Man - the little guy loves them too

Anyway, thanks for nostalgic article.

Regards
Colin Purvis

1/11/05

Dear Wes,

I have been wandering through your pictures, and although what I have seen did not match my idea of an ideal house or garden, I liked the love that comes from your words toward the place that used to be your home. Thank you for the time spent at your website!

Franci, a mother of two and a wife from Hungary, Europe.

1/11/05

Hi Wes,

I enjoyed your LA memories from the 60s & 70s.

FYI: The Sherlock Holmes movies were indeed on Sunday afternoons. They were on KHJ-9 (now KCAL-9) and the narrator with the "veddy English" accent was none other than hugely popular KHJ-AM radio DJ Sam Riddle, who also hosted the 9th St. West teen dance show on KHJ-9 every afternoon.

And, if I'm not mistaken, Moona Lisa replaced Seymour (Larry Vincent), after Vincent contracted cancer and had to stop (he died shortly afterward, within a year or two, I believe).

I was on Tom Hatten's Popeye show with the old tugboat set at KTLA-5 in 1959. It was something I've never forgotten. My three pals and I actually arrived at the taping early enough to also appear on Bozo's Big Top as well, which was on just prior to Popeye and which was filmed inside the same big soundstage. On Popeye, an Australian whip champion popped a balloon out of my hand, and then for his big trick, he popped one out of my mouth. It went off without a hitch because Tom said it would and I had complete faith and trust in good old Tom Hatten.

One last thing, you wrote about Chiller, which was on KTTV-11 on Saturday afternoons (they used to play House On Haunted Hill a lot, which was great). Do you remember KHJ's counter to Chiller? It was "Strange Tales," and they also ran some totally "bitchin" films, such as The Crawling Eye, the Hypnotic Eye, the Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake, etc. Classic stuff!

Anyway, take care.

Steve Smith
Temple City

I don't recall "Strange Tales" at all - which is odd, because at that age I was naturally plugged into TV shows showing monster films. It must not have had the striking opening sequence that Chiller had - the pendulum.

"The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake": They seemed to air that one too frequently - I guessed they owned the broadcast rights to it and wanted to maximize their investment, or something like that. I also recall that in the same way, "Operation Mad Ball," with Mickey Rooney, was a frequent feature of one of the Saturday evening movies ("The Late Show?" "The Fabulous 52?" I forget which one...) I recall sitting up one Saturday night with Dad, watching television and listening to him grouse about yet another broadcast of Operation Mad Ball. I think he liked the film the first fifty times he saw it.

I haven't seen either film in at least thirty-five years or so and wouldn't mind renting them...

Watching late night TV with Dad on Saturday nights was always fun. I learned about a favorite film that way: Powell and Pressburger's "Black Narcissus." When I rented it and finally saw it again after twenty plus years, I was pleased to note that watching it as an adult was as fun as watching it as a kid, and the film was as good as I remembered it was. Also, the film noir/Western "Pursued," with Robert Mitchum, made a big impression on me. Once again, renting it as an adult, I was pleased to learn that it was a good film, despite my disappointment with the payoff related to Mitchum's reoccurring dream involving flashes of light and moving feet as seen from under a bed. And I well recall being freaked out at the mouse and the bat sequence in "The Lost Weekend," a film about alcoholism... for years I wondered what film that scene was in, and only stumbled across it when I was renting everything even remotely film noirish at the local Blockbuster. (Ray Milland is suffering from alcohol-induced hallucinations. He sits in a chair and sees a hole in the wall opposite him; a little mouse sticks his head out of the hole. Just then a bat flies in and attacks the mouse, and a small stream of black blood - it's a black and white film - is shown running down the wall. He screams and closes his eyes, and when he opens then again the hole and the stream are gone. Creepy!)

Anyway, one of the little preoccupations of middle age is doing sleuthing about the stuff that made an impression on me as a kid, and finding out what films they were in and seeing them again. When I managed to catch the name of the film it's relatively easy; if I just know the name of one of the actors then I need to resort to the Internet Movie Database. The Internet makes such research a snap!

Wes

1/7/05

I just happened upon your site because I heard for the first time tonight the Carroll County Accident and wanted to read the lyrics. Interesting insight that you have regarding your three country ballads, but I'm surprised you didn't mention that the person who is telling the story is actually the son of Walter Browning..."’Cause the county ordered dad a marble monument, I lost him in the Carroll County accident." That was really the twister for me.

Anyway, keep writing and I'll keep reading......

kuffkitten

1/3/05

Wes

Stumbled across your website as I was browsing for some of my old toys.

Congrats. You have a very nice and interesting site. Looks as though you didn't suffer from lack of something to play with. I, too, seemed to be blessed with plenty. I had all of the spy toys too, and oooh, how I wished I still had my Multiple 007 Secret Seven gun set. It was essentially the Luger and all of the attachments including bullets and an ID badge. One sold on ebay last year from the UK for 1000 pounds. Big bucks!

The dumbest thing I ever did as a kid was with my next door neighbor, Jim Spurling. We put all of our Aurora monster models together (22 in all) on the workbench in my garage; and then systematically blasted each one with our brand new slingshots from Woolworths. Oh, the humanity.

Happy new year. Really enjoyed it.

Scot Ennis
Shelbyville IN

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