Li'l Abner Comes to the Journal – June 1953

Cartoonist Al Capp's popular Li'l Abner comic strip has been the subject of numerous posts on my blog over the years. It was my favorite comic in the Lorain Journal, and for years I looked forward to reading it when the paper came late in the afternoon, especially when the continuity involved Li'l Abner's 'ideel,' Fearless Fosdick.

Since I spend a lot of time reading old Journals while prepping material for this blog, I've noticed that Li'l Abner wasn't in the paper all during the 1930s and 40s. So when did it finally show up?

The small ad above in the June 1, 1953 edition of the Journal provided the answer. It had been mixed in with a bunch of other ads on the movie page and I almost missed it.

Of course, I had to go back and review previous editions to see if there was a full-fledged teaser campaign. There wasn't (unlike what had been done for Dennis the Menace). I only found one front page ad from May 29, 1953, featuring Old Man Mose. He was the bearded, ill-tempered fortune teller who lived in a Dogpatch cave that Li'l Abner went to for advice. His predictions were always somewhat cryptic and told in rhyme, but they always came true.

The Journal did make one small mention of the addition of Li'l Abner (and Abbie an' Slats, another Capp creation) on May 26th.

Li'l Abner was still at the height of its popularity in 1953, so it was probably a pretty big deal that the Journal was going to run it. And it very likely wasn't cheap either. 

As for me, I became aware of Li'l Abner in the mid to late 1960s. Dad had an old 78 of Li'l Abner, Don't Marry that Girl in his record collection.

We had an old newspaper comic section from 1952 with Li'l Abner in it, down in our basement, lining a Christmas decoration box, I think. There was a one-shot TV show that appeared around 1967, and we were getting the Plain Dealer on Sundays, which included Li'l Abner, (but only on that day, not weekdays). So I was well aware of the strip.

I loved the humor of it, especially the hilariously violent "Fearless Fosdick" strip-within-a-strip. I eventually clipped it every day for several years, beginning with the adventure that started with this strip that ran on May 15, 1970.

In the story, a police informant wants to give Fosdick some evidence incriminating his gang. But the malnourished detective is more interested in the steak served up by his longtime fiancée, so he makes him wait.

May 20, 1970

May 25, 1970

As a result, the informer is gunned down by his old gang, who wants the evidence hidden in his suit. 

May 28, 1970

But Fosdick ends up with the suit because his old one is worn out and he can't afford a new one. 

May 29, 1970

May 30, 1970

The rest of the story concerns the efforts of the gang to get the suit back from Fosdick.

On Area Screens – June 19, 1975

Regular readers of this blog know that from time to time, I like to do posts showing what movies were being shown locally (especially when I don't have any other topic prepared).

Above you see the movie page from the Journal of June 19, 1975 – fifty years ago today.

There's not a whole lot to be nostalgic about. No Bowery Boys, no cartoons, no classic Westerns. After all, this is the mid-1970s.

Instead we get a real mixed bag. The biggest movie on the page is Jaws, which was about to start its original run at Midway Mall Cinema. I never saw it in the theater; it was decades later that I saw it on TV, and decades after that when I saw the uncut version with bloody, chomped-off limbs sinking into the briny deep. It's a great film, one of those that I watch wherever it pops up on TV.

Walt Disney Productions was still cranking out live-action comedies, in this case it's The Strongest Man in the World with Kurt Russell. By that time, my siblings and I were too old for typical Disney fare.

I do remember that the whole Brady Bunch went to see The Return of the Pink Panther at the Midway Mall Cinema. Dad was a fan of Peter Sellers, and my siblings and I liked the Pink Panther cartoons so it's not too surprising that we saw it as a family. 

Sandy's Grand Opening – June 18, 1965

Sixty years ago today, Sandy's Hamburgers celebrated the Grand Opening of the Meister Road restaurant that was part of the Lorain Plaza shopping center. Above is the large ad that ran in the Journal on June 17, 1965.

I've written about 20 posts devoted to Sandy's.

The problem is, these days, it seems that very few people remember Sandy's. That's because it wasn't around very long in our area. By May of 1973, it had been taken over by Hardee's and the restaurants were going through a makeover. 

Hardee's isn't all that well remembered either, even though it is still around (and the subject of two blog posts of its own).

Anyway, a few weeks after the Grand Opening, this short article appeared in the Journal on July 2, 1965.

Sandy's kept the excitement going the following month when it celebrated the 7th anniversary of the burger chain's opening with a special promotion. Below is the ad that ran in the Journal on August 26, 1965.

I really miss those early days of fast food in the 1960s. The unique architecture of the restaurants, the memorable mascots (like Miss Sandy) and the regular scheduling of special events made fast food fun. Today there is much more variety and heathier choices across the fast food spectrum, but the food is not cheap. The restaurant buildings are designed to be generic as well (and easily re-purposed), and there is no longer any fun in the restaurant experience. But fast food chains like McDonald's are doing better than ever, even without balloons and visible mascots.

Otto Graham at Cedar Point – June 17, 1955

Remember when famous professional athletes from your favorite local team used to make personal appearances at shopping centers and fast food drive-ins? You actually had a chance to meet them and get an autographed photo.

I've written about a few of these events, including this promotion for Casey's Drive-in that featured several Cleveland Indian ballplayers, and this one at Sears that featured several Cleveland Browns players.

Otto Graham and Cleveland Browns
Head Coach Paul Brown

Well, at the top of this post is an ad that appeared in the Lorain Journal seventy years ago today on June 17, 1955. It was announcing an appearance the next day at Cedar Point by Cleveland Browns quarterback Otto Graham, sponsored by Esmond Dairy. As the ad notes, you could shake hands with him and get an "ottograph" from Otto.

As his Wiki entry notes, "Otto Everett Graham Jr. (December 6, 1921 – December 17, 2003) was an American professional football quarterback who played for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. 

"Graham is regarded by critics as one of the most dominant players of his era and one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, having taken the Browns to league championship games every year between 1946 and 1955, making ten championship appearances, and winning seven of them. With Graham at quarterback, the Browns posted a record of 105 wins, 17 losses, and 4 ties, including a 9–3 win–loss record in the AAFC and NFL playoffs. He holds the NFL record for career average yards gained per pass attempt, with 8.63. He also holds the record for the highest career winning percentage for an NFL starting quarterback, at 81.0%."

Also on the bill that day at Cedar Point was Casey, the Homer Hitting Hen. Here's a promotional ad for the the plucky pullet from the March 7, 1955 issue of the Food Field Reporter.

So how did it work? According to another article in the same issue, there were four trained Caseys. "The birds are taught to peck at a rubber loop which operates an electric switch. The switch swings a small baseball bat that backs a small rubber ball through what looks like a pinball machine. If the ball bounces around the rubber baseballl figures and hits the fence at the back of the field, it creates another electrical contact. This causes lights to go on, a buzzer to sound, and a few grains of chicken feed to drop in a cup at the end of a runway.

"As soon as the ball hits the homerun contact, the chicken knows it will receive food and rushes down the runway to get it. If then comes back to pluck at the rubber loop again. If the ball does not reach the back fence, the chicken knows it. If the lights do not go on and the buzzer does not sound, the chicken knows there will be no food, and so pulls on the loop again to try for a homer.

Casey's owner, Keller Breland Associates, distributed a list of rental rates for their various attractions. One found online and dated 10/1/55 noted that to rent Casey for a week cost $400, with a 20% discount for each additional week.

That ain't chicken feed.

Blue Hole in the News Over the Years

Did your family ever make the drive out to Castalia to see the Blue Hole? I'm guessing every Baby Boomer and their family saw it at least once in their lives, before it closed in 1990. Since then, a couple generations have grown up who never saw it, much less heard of it. It was just a nice, peaceful place to visit on a Sunday afternoon.

But while the Blue Hole will always seem linked to the 1960s to me, since that's when my family first visited it, it's easy to forget that it was popular for a long, long time. Here's a sample of clippings and ads from over the years, culled from the pages of the Lorain Journal. I've inserted a few vintage postcards here and there too where appropriate.

Here's a mention in the society column of a visit by a Lorain couple and their out-of-state guests from the Sept. 9, 1924 edition.

This article from the June 11, 1925  includes an interview with Andrew Englert, angler and forester, "the only man in Castalia who really knows the true history of the hole." His version of the story of the Blue Hole dates from 1875. The article notes that it is a "two-hour ride by motor car or trolley from Lorain to quiet little village of Castalia."

Circa 1926

Here are a few clippings from 1930.

Feb. 8, 1930

July 2, 1930

This two-part article from July 13, 1932 provides a nice history of the Blue Hole, and claims that it was discovered in 1760 by a man named Robert Rogers.

This article from May 21, 1934 notes that the Blue Hole was being illuminated at night, and that a new entrance had been constructed.

This clipping from April 4, 1940 reminds us that kids liked to toss pennies into the Blue Hole.

In the 1950s, advertisements for the Blue Hole began to appear in the Lorain Journal.

July 29, 1953

Aug. 12, 1959

Father's Day Ads – 1955

Happy Father's Day to all of you dads out there! 

As I usually point out, it's the one day a year that I'm jealous of my two brothers, who both have nice families and great kids. But then again, they had a great role model to learn from.

Anyway, here's a less-than-ample sample of Father's Day ads circa 1955. It's funny how advertisers back then decided that all dads should resemble middle-aged captains of industry. And that they should be referred to as "Pop."

June 9, 1955

June 16, 1955

June 16, 1955

May 27, 1955

June 16, 1955

Reddy for Air Conditioning?

We'll wrap up the week here on the blog with a nice, calming, non-controversial visit from our old pal Reddy Kilowatt singing the praises of air conditioning. 

Maybe our favorite electrical sprite can lower the temperature on the current controversies that have appeared on the blog this week. By the way, this is the 62nd post (out of a total of 4,184) boasting an appearance by Reddy.

The Ohio Edison ad above ran in the Journal on June 18, 1963 and a few other times that summer. I like the highly effective illustration of the overheated crowd of people. It kind of reminds me of the street scene at the beginning of Guys and Dolls.

I don't know about you, but I love air conditioning. I've already had mine on a few times and I just hope I don't have to run it for weeks on end this summer.

While my siblings and I were growing up, we didn't have air conditioning. My parents didn't get it until late in the 1970s. So we kept cool in other ways. 

This 2009 post looks back at some of them.

Grand Opening of Smedley's Sohio – June 1954

For many years, it seems like there was a service station associated with one of the major oil companies on the corner of every busy major intersection in Lorain and the surrounding areas. You could always count on seeing a well-known, easily recognized national brand.

Sohio (part of the Standard Oil Company) seems to have launched its expansion beginning in the 1930s, buying out smaller stations affiliated with lesser brands and replacing them with their own. A few examples would be stations located at E. 30th and Pearl; Colorado Ave. and Root Road; Oberlin Ave. and Meister Road; and W. 21st and Leavitt Road.

And here's another one: Smedley's Sohio Service, located at E. 31st and Grove Ave. The station held its Grand Opening back on June 19, 1954 as noted in the Lorain Journal ad that ran that day. The Sohio station replace one of unknown branding operated by Louis Czapp and Alex Vangeloff.

Note that a set of six Libbey 'Safedge' glasses were given away with the purchase of six gallons or more. (Wondering what a Libbey Safedge is? Click here.)

Today a BP station is at that location (BP acquired Standard Oil back in 1987).

Anyway, I like to post vintage Grand Opening ads of any kind, and I've had this in my files for a while. But I must confess, part of my interest in this ad is the last name of the proprietor – Smedley – as it is the same name as Cap'n Crunch's pet elephant.

The Bridge on the River Black – June 1925

Remember the great movie The Bridge on the River Kwai? Quite simply, it was all about a mission to blow up an important bridge. In the end, the bridge was destroyed.

Well, Lorain almost had its own version of the film, one hundred years ago in June 1925. The bridge in question: the 'new' B&O Railroad bridge at the mouth of the Black River that replaced the one destroyed by the 1924 Lorain Tornado. That's it in the vintage postcard above.

It had just been completed and ready for use in May 1925.

But then a few weeks later, an attempt was made to blow it up. Here's the front page of the June 10, 1925 Lorain Journal with the story.

As the lead article notes, "Buildings and homes within a radius of a mile were rocked at 10:45 p.m. Tuesday when an attempt was made to blow up the new half-million dollar B. and O. ore bridge at the foot of North Broadway.

"Many Lorainites who heard the blast became panic-stricken and rushed from their homes. Windows in the buildings in the immediate vicinity were broken. There were no casualties.

"Police Chief Theodore Walker said today that his investigation of the blast disclosed that the attempt to wreck the machine is the result of labor troubles which followed the rebuilding of the tornado-damaged ore bridge.

"Had the dynamite been placed in the proper position the entire structure would undoubtedly have been destroyed, Walker said. The charge was put under the support at the west end of the bridge. 

"A woman living at the north end of Washington-av told Police Capt. Hugh Reilly last night that she saw two men get out of a small car a few minutes before the blast. They carried a box a foot square and walked toward the ore dock. They were gone about 10 minutes when they returned in a hurry and speeded off, she said.

The next day, the June 11, 1925 front page announced that a man was being questioned about the dynamiting of the bridge.

As the article notes, the man being questioned was "formerly employed by the Keyl and Patterson Co., of Pittsburgh, the firm which rebuilt the tornado-wrecked ore bridge.

"He was fired shortly before it was completed three weeks ago."

Subsequent news coverage of the story in the Journal reported that a police search centering in Cleveland and Erie, Pa., took place in an attempt to arrest the two men suspected of dynamiting the bridge. It doesn't appear that they were ever located. And the one suspect that was being questioned in Lorain was never charged either.

The bridge, however, did get blown up eventually, in Dec. 1946.

Holiday Inn Elyria Opens – March 1964

I saw this postcard for the Holiday Inn in Elyria on eBay the other day. It's a nice architectural rendering of the now-shuttered motel. It sure looks a lot like Lorain City Hall. And I had forgotten that it originally had one of the "Great Signs" as they were known.

I really don't think the chain was ever the same after the signs were phased out in the 1980s. Talk about wrecking your brand!

Anyway, when did the Holiday Inn Elyria open?

Well, remember, there already was a Holiday Inn in our area dating back to around 1950 that was located on US 6 just a little east of Baumhart Road in Vermilion. Only it wasn't part of the national chain; it was an independent motel (which I wrote about in a multi-part series and other posts). 

So first, the national Holiday Inn people had to persuade the local Holiday Inn Motel owner (and the adjoining same-named steakhouse) to change their names – or at least shorten them to 'Holiday,' which they did.

Work on the new Holiday Inn took place in the later part of 1963 and early 1964. It seemed to have opened in late March, as that is when events begin to be announced as taking place there.

Sept. 25, 1963 Journal article

Feb. 17, 1964

Sept. 10, 1964

While the motel and its lounge and restaurant boomed for many years, it eventually changed hands (and names) a few times until it became part of the Days Inn chain. I seem to recall attending job fairs there, and even performing there with one of the bands I was with.

It's been in the news many times in the last 15 years or so before finally becoming a nuisance – and then being nailed shut. In recent months, the city of Elyria has taken steps with the owners to fix the building, so maybe things are looking up.

A 2023 view