I've seen many movie 'bombs' at the Aut-O-Rama Drive-in Theater out in North Ridgeview by the Ohio Turnpike over the years. (Spaceballs and Walk Like a Man are two that come to mind. They might even have been a double feature.)
But how about finding a bomb at the Aut-O-Rama?
That's what happened back in August 1967. Below is the story that ran in the Journal on August 16, 1967.
The article written by Staff Writer Charles Gray notes, "It's a dud – they think.
"The bomb, two-feet long with four fins in the back end and the fuse and firing pin intact in the front, is painted Army olive-drab.
"It was found in the middle of the parking lot directly in front of the movie screen at 1 a.m. today by stagehand Charles Perozek of Elyria.
"Explosive disposal detachment officers Lt. Charles Carson and Sgt. L. C. Lowell Barnes viewed the bomb this morning. Their preliminary opinion contained these points:
"The Bomb is either a World War 1 American bomb souvenir or a World War II French or Italian bomb.
"It definitely was not dropped from an airplane or it would have been more extensively damaged.
"The large dent in the side of the bomb was probably caused by a car running over it.
"It probably came from someone's attic and was placed in the parking lot as a crank gag.
"If it had gone off while there were cars in the lot those in the cars immediately around it would have been killed, the shock wave would have broken the windows and the next surrounding area and in the concession stand 250 feet away. Anyone walking in the area would "have become part of the landscape."
"Theater owner and manager Thomas J. Sherman of Cleveland was notified of the bomb last night. He went to the theater and watched the bomb until 3 a.m. He was joined by a number of law officers.
****
It kind of looks like this WWI Mark III Aerial Bomb that was listed on the Heritage Auctions website.
Amazingly, they seem to be pretty common. There have been several of them sold at auction.
Maybe it was a 'practice/dummy bomb' manufactured by the New Jersey Terra Cotta Company.
Visit the interesting International Ammunition Associate Inc. online forum for more information about these practice bombs.
2 comments:
Pretty light-hearted article that sort of leaves you hanging...
I looked over in the Chronicle. Page 29 (out of 59, by the way), August 16, 1967. Equally off-the-cuff and full of very D.Brady-like puns, their reporting assured readers that it was "too light to be armed," per Sgt. Lowell Barnes of the Ravenna Armory.
"D. Brady-like puns" indeed! Harrumph! They have served me well on this blog, with readership 'booming' (heh-heh).
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