The Return of Gene Patrick and "The Passing Scene" – 1974

Regular readers of this blog know that I'm a big fan of Gene Patrick and his "Passing Scene" cartoons that appeared in the Lorain Journal in the 1960s and 70s.

The talented cartoonist and his creations have been the subject of more than 45 blog posts.

Gene started his tenure at the Journal around the spring of 1965, with some of his earliest "Passing Scene" strips showing up in the paper at that time. He also was a staff photographer at the paper and his photos continued to appear even when "The Passing Scene" stopped in July of 1969. He did contribute the occasional comic illustration to accompany a story right into the 1970s.

Gene left the Journal eventually and opened his Hobby Hub business next to Yala's Pizza in April of 1972. 

Unfortunately, the business endeavor didn't last. But Gene didn't immediately go back to his old job at the paper.

So when did he return to the Journal and  revive "The Passing Scene" comic strip?

Apparently the young man went West. This small item in Jim Mahoney's "Mahoney's Memos" column of Feb. 26, 1973 revealed he was out in California.

Then, a little more than a year later, "The Passing Scene" was back in the Journal on March 16, 1974. It would continue to appear about twice a month on Saturday, from that point on.

March 16, 1974

March 23, 1974

March 30, 1974

Readers of the Journal were understandably pleased with the strip's comeback, judging by these two letters to the Editor.

March 20, 1974

May 30, 1974

Gene even enjoyed some international success with his cartooning. This item from the "Mahoney's Memos" of July 31, 1974 explains.

So here are the "Passing Scenes" that appeared from late August through September.

August 24, 1974

Sept. 7, 1974

Sept. 28, 1974

Gene apparently ruffled some feathers with the last panel of the September 7th strip. Check out this Letter to the Editor from Sept. 25, 1974!

Vanilla Koogle Peanut Spread Ad – Sept. 11, 1974

Do you remember Koogle Peanut Butter?

Well, it wasn't technically peanut butter. Its official description was 'peanut spread.' Nevertheless, it was one of the products that came out when I was a kid that we enjoyed – only to see it disappear.

Above is the ad for the vanilla flavor version of the product. The ad ran in the Journal on Sept. 11, 1974.

Vanilla Koogle was really sweet, if I recall – which is why I liked it so much. Plus, vanilla is one of my favorite flavors. There was a chocolate version too that we liked, as well as banana, and cinnamon.

I'm sure you have memories of a product that you liked, only to see it taken off the market due to lack of sales or some other reason.

Another product I loved was Vanilly Crunch, part of Quaker Oats' flanker strategy for the Cap'n Crunch brand. Unlike regular Cap'n Crunch, which is butterscotch flavor and small, square shaped pillows (that are rough on the roof of your mouth), Vanilly Crunch was round, vanilla-flavored puffs. I loved it. And I'm not the only one, because many people besides me have left comments on the Cap'n Crunch Facebook page asking them to bring it back.

In our house, we loved just about anything that the good Cap'n introduced, including Cap'n Crunch's Ship Shake. It was more or less a knock-off of Carnation Instant Breakfast (which I also liked). The initial rollout of Ship Shake included a free shaker mug to mix it up in. I have a few of these mugs today, although the product was scuttled long ago.

I've blogged about other products that people fondly remember, including Kellogg's Danish Go-Rounds and Yes-Yes Cookies.

Be sure to leave a comment about a product that you liked that unfortunately came and went without a trace.

Most Outstanding House in Lorain – Aug. 29, 1964

What's your favorite style of house?

Hopefully it's the kind that you're living in right now. Or maybe you have pleasant thoughts about the style of the house you grew up in.

My parents built two new homes – both ranches – on the west side of Lorain, one in the late 1950s, one in the mid-1960s. Consequently, that was the style I was used to. Our last ranch with three bedrooms on E. Skyline Drive was a little cramped, but it was perfect for my parents when they eventually became empty nesters.

Most of my friends in the 1960s and 70s lived in ranches as well. A couple of them lived in colonials, and I remember thinking that they must be sort of rich. They even had their own bedrooms – a foreign concept to someone like me who shared his bedroom with two brothers. (Ironically, I now look back and get sentimental about those days.) 

During my adulthood, I've lived in two colonials – one on the east side of Lorain and one in Sheffield Lake. During those years, I was no longer awestruck about colonials. And I certainly knew I wasn't rich.

Anyway, what I'm taking my time getting around to is the observation that everyone has their own concept of what is the perfect house. 

Sixty years ago, the ad for Robert Masley, Builder above from the August 29, 1964 Journal made the case that the home mentioned in the ad was 'the most outstanding and most accepted home in Lorain.'

It's hyperbole to be sure, but it was a different time. Constructing a house in Lorain meant either building in a new subdivision, or buying a vacant lot in an established neighborhood and working with a builder on your own. The concept of gated communities was still years off. Rock Creek Run was probably the closest thing.) 

And what did the house profiled in the ad look like? Here it is, sixty years later, still looking great.

AAUW Tour of Homes Featuring the Burrell Homestead – Sept. 1964

Burrell Homestead on E. River Road, Sheffield Village
(Photo courtesy of Dr. Charles E. Herdendorf)

Back in the 1950s, 1960s and 70s (and possibly longer), the American Association of University Women (AAUW) sponsored a series of fall home tours in Lorain County that usually featured a unique home of historic interest. 

I've written about a few of these tours. The highlight of the 1968 edition (which was also the 10th anniversary) was the Watts Granary on State Route 113. The 1971 tour featured Budmar Farm on North Ridge Road.

And here's a full page article about the AAUW Seventh Annual Tour of Homes, scheduled for October 2, 1965. The article appeared in the Journal on Sept. 25, 1965.

As the article notes, the featured house that year was the Burrell Homestead on E. River Road in Sheffield Village. The report by well-known Journal Staff Writer Lou Kepler provides a nice history of the house, as well as the lineage of the members of the Burrell family who lived there over the years.

The article mentions how the Burrell home was the center of the Sheffield community in the early pioneer days, and that "the first school house also stood nearby and the brick building which replaced the original structure burned in 1940." I wrote about that school house here and here. The second post includes an aerial view of the Burrell homestead and the school, located across from the house on E. River Road, circa late 1920s.

I photographed the Burrell Homestead in winter back here in 2014.

Grand Opening of Sugar 'N Spice – Sept. 3, 1964

It wasn't all that long ago when if you wanted to buy a card and perhaps a small present to go with it, you would visit one of the many local Mom and Pop gift shops. Lorain had a lot of these small stores over the years. They were usually affiliated with a major brand of greeting cards such as Hallmark, and carried a wide variety of unique merchandise. I'm sure you had your favorite (such as Margie's Hallmark at the Lorain Plaza).

Sadly, there doesn't seem to be many of these stores anymore. People just don't send as many cards as they used to, preferring instead to offer greetings online.

But sixty years ago, these small gift shops were very popular and a new one opening in Downtown Lorain was big news. Above you see the Grand Opening full-page ad for one of them: Sugar 'N Spice, at 524 Broadway. It ran in the Lorain Journal back on September 2, 1964.

It's a nice-looking ad (although the stencil typeface for the store name gives it a cargo crate feeling). According to the ad, the store carried Barton Candies – something different from the usual Whitman's, etc. Many of the Barton selections came in uniquely designed tins.

Sugar 'N Spice was successful enough to stay open right into the 1970s. Here's one of those business page articles from the October 26, 1970 Journal. It includes a photo of Marjorie Shame, a clerk at the store.

And here's another article, from the December 21, 1970 edition.

On July 10, 1976 a tornado struck Lorain and parts of Lorain as far south as Oberlin. Sugar 'N Spice is one of the stores that was mentioned in the article (from the Journal the same day) below as suffering damage. (Note how the photo of pretty flag-draped Colleen Conley of Wellington is conveniently in the middle of the article!)

I'm not sure if the storm had anything to do with it, but by late 1976, Sugar 'N Spice was closing down. Here's a classified ad from January 3, 1977 announcing the sale of the cash register, mimeograph (remember those?), and other office items.

It's kind of sad to see these stores, as well as the independent pharmacies that often had their own card/gift sections, go away.

Kroger Ad – Sept. 2, 1964

Let's start off the week with something non-controversial. How about a Kroger ad featuring the beloved Walt Disney menagerie? The double-spread ad above ran in the Journal back on September 2, 1964.

It's kind of an odd ad. The infamous, much-feared Disney legal machine apparently wasn't firing on all pistons yet in the early 1960s, because I can't seem to find any sort of reason for the lovable cartoon characters to even be there. Mickey is ringing the school bell, so perhaps there's supposed to be some 'Back to School' ad copy and it was cropped out. But there's no trademarks anywhere.

The ad is amusing none the less. The cartoon characters have no relation to the sales product they're next to! Granted, Happy the Dwarf Person of Short Stature is kinda chunky, so it makes sense to plunk him down next to Star-Kist Chunk Tuna. But Jiminy Cricket next to Smoked Ham? Pluto Pup next to Potatoes?

And then there's Chip – or is it Dale? – next to Nylons. He looks a little too happy to be pushing women's stockings. By the way, I don't like either of the mischievous chipmunks. They were always making life a living hell for Donald Duck: stealing his pancakes, borrowing his toy sail boat, blowing up his house, etc. 

And speaking of the irascible duck, why isn't he in this ad? Perhaps he was still tied up promoting his same-named orange juice.

Well, he's available now. Unfortunately, nobody is going to be Krogering in Lorain County anytime soon.

Lorain National Bank North Ridge Branch – Then & Now

Although I never banked at this branch of Lorain National Bank, located at the intersection of North Ridge Road (State Route 254) and Lake Avenue, I passed it many times on my way to Midway Oh Boy and Dog 'N Suds. I admired its architectural design.

Above is the ad announcing the impending Grand Opening of the branch. The ad ran in the Journal back on August 29, 1964.

Like many people, I felt somewhat wistful when Lorain National Bank was sold to Northwest Bank, and the 'Lorain' in its name disappeared forever. (I blogged about it here).

At least the branch was converted to a Northwest Bank branch. Here's a Google Maps view from 2019.

The branch's location, and modern consumer banking practices in general, probably led to its closing. With Midway Mall no longer a major destination, North Ridge Road not as heavily traveled as in the old days, and the convenience of online banking, there just weren't enough customers to keep it open. Eventually the building was for sale. Here's a 2021 shot from Google Maps.

And here's a 2023 view.

Happily, today the building is being used for its original purpose (rather than becoming a tattoo parlor or payday loan outlet) by Buckeye Community Bank, who did a magnificent renovation of the property.

By the way, I don't bank there – but I'm really impressed that Buckeye made the commitment to the community by having their own building, and beautifying that intersection by relocating from the shopping center.

Here's the story from earlier this year in the Chronicle-Telegram. (I would link to the Morning Journal more often, but every time I try to access a story online, I'm told I reached my limit - which is apparently 0 articles per year.)

Cleveland Browns vs Packers Ad – 1954

The Cleveland Browns open their 2024 regular season this Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. The team has already met the Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks in preseason games.

Seventy years ago (!) the Browns also met the Packers in the first preseason game. Above you see the ad that appeared in the Lorain Journal on August 20, 1954 promoting the game.

It's interesting seeing that the game was going to be broadcast on WGAR. It seems that the Browns games were on 1100 WWWE for so many years that I thought it was always their home. But the radio home changed many times over the decades. Even now, I seem to forget that the games are on 850 The Fan.

Radio announcers for the 1954 season were Bill McColgan (who called Browns games from 1954 - 1960) and play-by-play man Ken Coleman (father of Emmy Award-winning sports anchor Casey Coleman).

Note the sponsor of the games: Carling's Black Label Beer, a favorite topic on this blog and – when I can find it – a favorite beer in my fridge.

Reddy for a Controlled Tornado? – Sept. 1952

Back in September 1952, our old pal Reddy Kilowatt was doing his part for Production for Freedom Week by encouraging us to visit Ohio Edison's Edgewater Power Plant to see his 'Controlled Tornado.' Above is an ad that ran in the Lorain Journal on September 10, 1952.

So what was Production for Freedom Week anyway?

It was a national campaign that was the brainchild of the electric companies. As described in the South Amboy Citizen in an article on August 22, 1952, "The genesis of this idea is interesting. It was conceived within the electric industry and the original plan was for a "Power for Production Week." But the more the electric industry worked on it, the more evident it became that the scope of the observance should be greatly broadened, in order to help tell the story of all industry, rather than just one.

"Contact was made with organizations which represent industry in general and they welcomed the plan enthusiastically. Thus, the final idea of "Production for Freedom Week" came into being.

"The Week has two primary aims – first, to foster a better understanding of industry and the way our economic system operates; second, to show graphically what our system means to every American worker, and to emphasize its advantage over any other system. The Week will be in the nature of a vigorous, positive defense against those forces which would weaken, undermine and finally destroy the way of doing things that has made our country great and given it its living standards, and which would then lead us down the dismal road that could end only in socialism, communism and tyranny.

"One great thought underlies "Production for Freedom Week" – it is that freedom must be earned, nurtured and everlastingly guarded. In other words, we don't get it for nothing, and we won't continue to have it if we do nothing. And it is the millions of working people of America, with whom the Week is primarily concerned, who have the most to gain in preserving freedom under a representative form of government."

There are a lot of good points in that article.

Now, about Reddy's "Controlled Tornado."According to the ad, it was referring to the huge fans blasting a "man made tornado" through the boilers, along with turbo generators spinning their blades "as fast as 1,000 miles an hour." 

I like the illustration of Reddy actually piloting a twister. It's interesting that if you Google "controlled tornado," you'll see that the idea of controlling (or shutting down) a tornado has been around for a long time in the world of weather wonks.

Anyway, I don't know how many Lorainites took advantage of Reddy's offer to tour the Edgewater plant in 1952. Little did they know it would be gone – demolished – sixty years later. (I did a few plant demolition photo updates, including one in October 2010 and one in November 2010. 

School Safety Ads – 1954 & 1964

School's been back in session in Lorain County, for a week or two. For those of us that drive to work each day, that means remembering to think about the school kids and driving safely.

I don't think too many kids actually walk to school these days, compared to when we were growing up in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. The days of neighborhood schools seems to have ended a long time ago, in favor of large school campuses. 

But there's still buses to contend with. It's always shocking watching footage on Cleveland news stations of thoughtless (and reckless) drivers simply going around stopped school buses illegally, sometimes driving right on the sidewalk! I haven't seen that, that goodness, during my rural commute to Oberlin. 

One thing that's kind of interesting for me is that last year, I used to catch up with the bus on Quarry Road at the same time each morning, stopped in front of the same house. I would notice the mother (accompanied by the family cat) sitting on the front porch, swilling coffee in her robe, making sure that her child got safely on the bus. It was all kind of nice, a reassuring vision of small-town America.

Once in a while the mother (or the cat) wasn't there, and I almost felt a little anxious.

Anyway, it's a good time for me to post two full-page school-themed 'drive safely' ads. The first is from August 18, 1954.

It's a pretty effective ad, with great type too. The slogans are pretty good too: "Give the Kids a Brake" and "Safety is No Accident."

The next ad is from August 12, 1964. It's a two-page spread this time.

It's kind of an odd ad. Are the kids hollering in terror, or just insanely happy?

I'm not sure about the clip art of the motorcycle cop either. With those dark glasses, he reminds me too much of the intimidating Highway Patrol officer in the movie Psycho.

(By the way, the officer was played by the great Mort Mills, who shows up in a lot of Western TV shows and movies on GRIT and OUTLAW TV networks.

Labor Day Ad – 1972

Here's another nearly-full page ad with a Labor Day theme that ran in the Journal. As I've mentioned before, the appearance of the full-page sponsored ads in the Journal really began to peter out by the time the 1970s rolled around. So this large ad that ran in the paper on Sept. 4, 1972, sponsored by Ohio Outdoor, was the solution.

The Labor Day ad is a salute to policemen in general, which is certainly an appropriate message since they're always working – for the public's safety and welfare in general.

Who could have guessed that more than 50 years later, supporting the police financially would become a somewhat controversial concept?

Anyway, the illustration of the policeman in the ad unfortunately would be seen as dated today. Over the years, the appearance of policemen in general often seems to have gone away from the full head of hair towards the shaven look, sometimes accompanied by a goatee.

It's a long way from the clean-cut look of Officers Reed and Malloy of TV's Adam-12.

Labor Day Ad – 1958

Here's wishing all of you a safe and Happy Labor Day!

As usual, I spent part of yesterday laboring over what to post today. Over the years, the Lorain Journal didn't always feature one of those typical full-page ads with lists of sponsors at the bottom every year. Plus, I already used up a lot of the ones from the late 50s and early 60s. 

But I did manage to find one from the August 30, 1958 Lorain Journal. Sorry, no Grim Reaper in this one. But we do get an illustration of working men in a generic industrial environment that would have accurately reflected Lorain in its heyday.

What would the same kind of Labor Day ad in the Journal look like today? I'm not sure. 

As usual, it's interesting to see the listing of the 1958 ad sponsors. A few businesses are still around, including Amherst Memorial Studio and National Waste Paper (now doing business as National Material Recycling). Predictably, the other survivors are successor companies, consisting mostly of insurance companies, funeral homes and banks.