Lorain Drive-In Halloween Triple Feature – October 31, 1959

Well, it's Halloween Night 2024. If you are handing out candy tonight to the trick-or-treaters, or perhaps are observing the holiday in some other manner, here's hoping a safe and good time is enjoyed by all.

Sixty-five years ago, you might have decided to celebrate Halloween by making a late season visit to the Lorain Drive-in on Lake Road. Above is the ad that ran in the Lorain Journal on October 31, 1959. As you can see, it was a special Halloween program consisting of three spooky features.

First up was Horrors of the Black Museum (1959), a British-American horror film. The gimmick here is that it was shown in Hypno-Vista, which "puts YOU in the picture."

Here's the creepy trailer, with a preview of Hypno-Vista. I was kind of grossed out with the needle demonstration. And I probably would stay away from binoculars for a while.

Next up was The Headless Ghost (1959). It's another British film, but this time a horror-comedy. The poster makes it look like a live-action Scooby-Doo episode.

Interestingly, its Wiki entry notes, "The film was made specifically as the second feature for an American double bill with Horrors of the Black Museum." So there was no chance it would be on the same bill with one of the Bowery Boys' haunted house flicks.

Here's the trailer. It actually looks pretty good!

Last up is The Giant Behemoth (1959) a British-American monster film. The 'giant behemoth' (is there any other kind?) is a dinosaur, created by way of the usual nuclear radiation. The live action scenes were all shot in Great Britain, but the stop-motion animation of the monster was done in Los Angeles.

Here's the trailer. Note how when the creature emits radiation, it is accompanied by a goofy sound.

Anyway, the triple-feature looks like it was a lot of fun. But with all those British flicks onscreen, I wonder if drive-in attendees were at the concession stand asking for fish and chips?

Halloween Coverage in the Lorain Journal – 1920s and 30s

1920s postcard

The way we celebrate Halloween has certainly evolved over the years. 

While these days, Halloween is big business – Americans are expected to send more than $11 billion this year on candy, costumes and decorations – there was a time when it was a much simpler celebration. Cities such as Lorain had costume parades, small private parties, and children went door to door asking for treats like they do now. But there was an element of mischief and fun consisting of harmless pranks that was an integral part of the observance. 

The Lorain Journal did its bit each year to call attention to Halloween with a small front page story. Sometimes it was just a gentle reminder to be on your toes for unusual occurrences in the neighborhood; other times, a brief history of the holiday was presented.

One hundred years ago on October 31, 1924, the Lorain Journal included this small front page article. 

As it notes, "Harbingers of the celebration stalked thru parts of the city last night, soaping windows, confiscating gates to adorn telephone poles and committing other acts of hoodlumism and petty vandalism to the annoyance of police and property owners.

"Police Chief Theodore Walker has warned that hoodlumism and vandalism destruction and damaging of property will not be tolerated. He will not interfere with innocent pranks, however, he said."

Three years later on October 31, 1927, the newspaper's front page had this small item.

"Tonight's the night that flaming youth, stepping out for a Hallowe'en celebration, is scheduled to cut up capers in observance of the occasion," the report noted. As Lorain had no city party, "Hundreds will journey to Elyria to witness the municipal celebration which is to be held in the public square" according to the story.

On Halloween Night 1929, Rhea Soper Eddy – the Journal employee who was responsible for the Mary Lee Tucker program for decades – contributed the front page story below. She provides a charming, detailed description of the fun and celebrations in store that night.

But a year later in an article that appeared on the front page of the Journal on October 31, 1930, the focus returned to Halloween tricks. And an article right below the story tells of a group of youthful Halloween pranksters who were in the act of overturning a shed when they were busted by the owner.

The Lorain Journal of October 31, 1931 included this article below distributed by the Associated Press. It reveals several strange customs associated with Halloween, including how a cabbage could help a woman meet her future husband.

On October 31, 1933 the front page of the Lorain Journal reported the story below. 

It's a little hard to read so I'll decipher some of it for you the best I can. "With the exception of private parties and celebrations tonight, Lorain expects to observe a quiet Hallowe'en.

"In Elyria, however, goblins will frolic as the city hosts its traditional Hallowe'en festival in downtown streets.

"There are no public observances planned in Lorain, and as far as the police are concerned, youngsters will be permitted to indulge in harmless pranks, but no [undecipherable] will be allowed.

"Extra police will be on hand to see, as far as possible, that [undecipherable] property damage are kept at a minimum.

"A motorcycle officer will be on duty at police station to respond to calls."

Two years later on October 31, 1935, the Lorain Journal featured the large article below. It offers a nice history of the holiday dating back to its roots in the celebrations of the ancient Druids – and throws in a little cheesecake (actress Nancy Carroll).

A year later on October 31, 1936, perhaps by popular demand, the Lorain Journal repeated the photo of Nancy Carroll and her pumpkin, albeit with different text. A slightly different photo of the same moppets working on their jack-o-lantern was also included. There's also a report of Lorain's Halloween parade.

Nancy seems to have posed for several Halloween cheesecake photos with that distinctive pumpkin.

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Mom provided her reminisces about what Halloween was like in Lorain back in the 1930s here.

Lawson's Halloween Ad – Oct. 28, 1964

The mention of Lawson's always conjures up pleasant memories for those of us that shopped there. So it's no surprise that the regional convenience store chain conveniently pops up on this blog regularly. Its ads were always well done and designed with a theme appropriate to the season.

Above is a particularly handsome ad that ran in the Journal on October 28, 1964. I like the various type fonts and the ad has great nostalgic appeal. It really puts you in the mood for cider and donuts. 

(I even had to go get a glass of cider out of the fridge while preparing this post. It's Honeycrisp Cider from Burnham Orchards on Route 113. Very tasty.)

It's funny how so many of us have fond memories of Lawson's, as well as Convenient Food Mart out of Elyria. Both chains maintained a high degree of quality, with clean, well-stocked stores. I really liked the Sunshine Farms milk sold at Convenient.

Open Pantry was another local chain, but it didn't have the same allure as the other two. 

Today, it's somewhat depressing going into most convenient stores, even 7-Elevens. You feel like you'd have to be nuts to buy anything to eat there. They seem to exist just to sell alcohol and lottery tickets. No chipped, chopped ham or Dutch Loaf there.

On the other hand, I have no problem getting a sub at a GetGo Café. In fact, I stopped at the Avon store recently and picked up my favorite sandwich – The Pilgrim. 

It's a great sandwich. I even tried to replicate it in the Brady Kitchen® but without success.

Lee Rand at the Aloha Lounge – October 18, 1963

Regular readers know I like posting vintage Entertainment pages from the Lorain Journal dating back to the 1950s and 60s. Lorain had such a vibrant nightclub scene back then, with something going on every night. 

Above is the page from the October 18, 1963, with the clubs, restaurants and other entertainment options.

There are the usual ads, for restaurants like Heilman's, Manners, Kenny King's, Vian's, Sherwood Inn, Golden Dragon, Tropicana, and McDonald's. New ads (to my eyes, anyway) include Pool Palace (at 710 Broadway).

It's always fun to take note of the entertainers appearing at the various venues and try to find out if they ever hit the big time or not (such as Woody Earnhart and Zsu Zsa). The ad for Colony Lounge above features Grecian Dancer Katina. I'm not sure if she was a local performer or on a tour.

But at least we know that Lee Rand, appearing at the Aloha Lounge at 651 Broadway in Lorain, enjoyed a fine career as a vocalist during the 1960s and 70s.

One of his early breaks occurred when he appeared on the Jackie Gleason show in October 1962. The story below from the Journal of October 18, 1962 tells the tale. (The article also reveals – Shhhhhh – his real name.)

And this article (below) from September 29, 1962 provides some additional information behind the Klak-Stik (which I first wrote about back here) and how having Lee Rand provide the vocals on the "Klak-Stik Kick" record led to his appearance on Jackie Gleason's show. 

Anyway, here a few of Lee Rand's recordings found on YouTube, including Stagger Lee (1963), You're a Song Within My Heart (1963), Today's Lament (1967) and Love & Her (1962).

Although I was unable to find out what became of Katina, a couple years after the 1963 ad, she was in very good company during an appearance at Benny's.

Feb. 10, 1965 Journal ad

Woolworth Halloween Ad – Oct. 24, 1974

Twenty years after the 1954 Kresge's ad I posted yesterday, the Halloween ad above for Woolworth appeared in the Journal on October 24, 1974.

Like the Kresge's ad, the Woolworth ad included a few generic costume selections, including a devil, a skeleton (with a knife jammed through his, er, skull) and a witch. But the ad is dominated by licensed characters: Scooby-Doo, a poorly-designed Spider-Man, Mickey Mouse (in his "Sorcerer's Apprentice" magician outfit), Batman, a masked Superman, and the Planet of the Apes simian gang.

The Planet of the Apes TV series had just debuted on CBS the week of September 13th.

Perhaps the most well-remembered Halloween item in the ad is the "Chilling Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House" record produced by Disney. What trick or treater from the 1960s or 70s didn't encounter it in their neighborhood on at least one darkened front porch with a hidden speaker?

There's also a record version of the classic Donald Duck short "Trick or Treat."

It's a great, cute short, although poor Donald gets the worst of it, thanks to his insufferable nephews (who are just as hard to understand as him) who enlist the aid of a witch to make him cough up some treats. Yes, there's nothing like seeing some Disney ducklings dabble in the occult.

Hey, why not watch the short? Pour yourself a glass of Donald Duck Great Value Orange Juice and enjoy!

I tried to find some of the costumes online. Here's Scooby-Doo. Who would have guessed that the not-so-Great Dane would become one of the most popular and beloved Hanna-Barbara characters? The dopey dog is still going strong after 50+ years (and that's human years).

And here's Mickey. I guess they put him in his "Sorcerer's Apprentice" outfit to give the rodent some personality, as well as a spooky Halloween angle.

And here's Dr. Zaius from the Planet of the Apes collection.

I wonder if the descendants of "Jocko" the organ-grinder's monkey (from the Kresge ad) similarly (or simianly) evolved into one of the inhabitants of the Planet of the Apes?

Kresge's Halloween Ad – October 20, 1954

I've posted many store ads from the 1950s and 60s with a Halloween theme, featuring the latest in costumes for trick or treating. It's always interesting to see what the popular store-bought costumes were for that year.

Above is the Kresge's department store ad that ran in the Lorain Journal on October 20, 1954.

Apparently, it's pretty early in the mass-produced Halloween costume era – or at least Kresge's wasn't carrying any licensed characters that year. There's no Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, etc. Instead we get some generic costumes: clown, devil, skeleton, panda, rabbit, witch, monkey, pirate, red fox (not the comedian), gypsy, frog, dragon, kangaroo, and lion.

What – no cowboy?

There are two fairy tale types: Cinderella, and Red Riding Hood. Walt Disney's Cinderella had come out in 1950, so it might have been a licensed costume – but I doubt it.

I've tried to figure out who or what 'Jocko' was. I think he's supposed to be an organ grinder's monkey.

Since children's TV shows at that time consisted largely of outer space adventure series, there is one spaceman costume: Planet Patrol. There wasn't a childrens TV show with that name (at that time, anyway) so I'm guessing it's a knockoff of Space Patrol, a show that ran from 1950 to 1955.

Here's what the costume looked like, courtesy of the Halloween Museum website. It's pretty close to what is depicted in the ad.

The name brand Halloween candy selection in the ad is pretty bare bones (appropriately enough) including Baby Ruth Bars, Butterfingers, Tootsie Pops, Hershey Miniature Bars (ugh - miniatures back then too?), Tootsie Rolls, and Chiclets. I'm guessing that most of these would not make the Top Ten list of any candy-munching moppet these day.

I was never a big fan of any of these candies as a kid either, except for Hershey bars. I do remember getting an incredible variety of candies while trick or treating in the early to mid-1960s, and doing the trade thing with my siblings the next day. My favorite was/is Mallo Cups, but I liked Clark Bars, Nestles Crunch bars, Three Musketeers, et. I remember getting odd ones in my bag like Chunky and Turkish Taffy.

Remember this nautical themed Chunky commercial? 

Lorain Journal Front Page – October 23, 1934

Pretty Boy Floyd
Mug Shot

Ninety years ago today, Pretty Boy Floyd, the notorious bank robber, made the front page of the Lorain Journal having been cut down by federal agents in a blaze of gunfire the day before.

Above is the front page of the October 23, 1934 Lorain Journal with the story, and the inside page with the continuation. 

And it all went down in Ohio near East Liverpool.

"Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd, the terror of the Oklahoma badlands, lay on an undertaker's slab here today in expiation of his ten years of crime," the story notes.

"Meanwhile, it was assured that Floyd's pal, Adam Richetti, would be retuned to Kansas City on murder charges in connection with the Union station massacre there.

"His black, patent-leather hair slicked down meticulously even in death, to accentuate the palor of his face, the braggart sought for the infamous Kansas City union station massacre a year ago last June bore the marks of four bullets, fired at his back.

"For the law finally caught up with the desperado, listed as public enemy no. 1, since John Dillinger fell under a rain of lead in Chicago three months ago, on an isolated farm, seven miles north of here, late yesterday.

"For Floyd, who, like his kind, boasted he never would be taken alive, it was an ignominious end.

"An autopsy revealed only four bullets had found their mark. Two tore thru him, back to front, sapping the desperado's life within 15 minutes after he was struck down.

"So lacking in drama, so quick, was the death of the desperado that it shocked the peaceful countryside only after the full import of the slaying became known."

An article on that same page reveals that Pretty Boy Floyd's mother had expected her son to come to a bad end. "For more than a year Mrs. W. F. Floyd has tended a vacant plot in the little Akins graveyard near here, seemingly sure that she would live to bury there her errant son, Charles Arthur Floyd, known to the nation as "Pretty Boy."

""My boy was not bad at heart," Mrs. Floyd sighed yesterday when informed the southwestern desperado had been slain in Ohio.

""He has reaped his reward."

The second headline of the newspaper reported the sighting in Ohio of the stratosphere balloon of the Jean Piccards, which had just passed over Lorain County towards Cleveland. You can read more about this historic aviation event here on the University of Chicago Magazine website.

October Fun with Reddy

As part of my obsessive effort to post every single Ohio Edison advertisement starring our favorite electrical sprite, Reddy Kilowatt, here's an ample sample of some of his October ads from through the years.

Above you see a handsome Lorain Journal ad from October 2, 1950 featuring a great illustration of Reddy coming out of an outlet. Could this ad have been the inspiration for my Great-grandfather Esterle telling my mother (in a thick German accent) something about seeing a little man come out of the electrical outlet? Mom thought he was talking about a leprechaun but we know better.

A few years later, multiple Reddys appeared in a full-page ad for a special promotional event: a four-day cooking school at the Palace Theater sponsored by the Journal and Westinghouse. It may have been a not-very-subtle effort to sell Westinghouse appliances, but it was popular and well-attended, with daily reports in the Journal. This ad ran on October 19, 1953.

As the 1950s were drawing to close, Reddy was still hard at work pushing electric dryers. By this time, he was no longer in bed (with an electric blanket no doubt) with Westinghouse, as other brands were included. This ad ran in the Journal on October 27, 1959. 

Going into the early 1960s, Reddy was still pushing electric clothes dryers. In a campaign that ran in October 1962, the focus seemed to be on showing how electric dryers could guarantee marital bliss. Oh, if it was only that easy. This ad ran in the Journal on October 2, 1962.

A week later, this follow-up ad appeared on October 9, 1962. 

That's a lot of sheets. Is the 'family' referred to in the ad actually an Army platoon?

Finally, here's an ad from the Journal's October 11, 1965 edition. 

As you can see, it's the beginning of the end for our pal Reddy. Although he was still hawking electric dryers (as he had been for the last 15 years), he was possibly seen as no longer 'current' – and was being reduced to a mere cameo in some ads.

That's okay, Reddy. You did your job well. I've had both gas and electric dryers over the years, and you were right – the electric one is far superior.

Fall Foliage 2024 – Mohican State Forest

It was a glorious Fall day on Sunday, so I headed down to Mohican State Park and Forest. It had been several years since I made it down there to check out the foliage, so I was looking forward to some great colors.

Unfortunately, hundreds, if not thousands, of other Ohioans had the same idea. 

Consequently, most parking areas adjacent to a scenic vista were choked with cars. There were no parking spaces anywhere. Even the Amish (who apparently all decided to picnic at Mohican today) were stashing their buggies and horses wherever they could. To make matters even worse, a wedding party decided to appropriate just about the entire Gorge lookout area for their festivities, with music blaring away. (I should have crashed the party and swiped some goodies as payment for having to park 1/4 mile away.)

Anyway, it still was the perfect autumn day and I managed to get photos of some of the park's landmarks. I even attempted a few Then & Nows.

One of my first stops was at the Memorial Forest Shrine. It originally honored the men and women of Ohio who lost their lives during World War II, before later expanding its scope to include Ohioans who died in all wars.

Admiral Ernest J. King was at the 1947 dedication ceremony. He wasn't identified in the photo on display, but I knew who he was.

I also made it over to the Fire Tower. I only went up about a third of the way before feeling like James Stewart in Vertigo.

I stopped at the Lodge, where I have stayed many times. It's barely recognizable from when it was new. By the way, it's celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. (Here's its website.)

I found the best color along Ohio State Route 97.

I've devoted several blog posts to Mohican over the years, and covered some of its landmarks (like the Memorial Shrine) before.