Dog N Suds Carhops on Roller Skates – July 1967

Did you know that from time to time, Ilene's Dog N Suds drive-in out on North Ridge Road put their carhops on roller skates? 

Above is the ad from the Journal of July 25, 1967 announcing this only-on-Wednesdays promotional gimmick. It's a cute idea, right out of TV's Happy Days.

I'll have to ask Heather, the manager (who I interviewed for Leisure Living) if the drive-in had ever revived that particular idea in recent years. I don't recall ever seeing it.

But it's just as well. I would be cringing watching a carhop with a full tray of root beers and coney dogs rolling out to a car, anticipating a comical crash. 

Now, the promotion advertised below in a Journal ad from that same year is more my speed: a free Dog N Suds coloring book. The ad, which ran in the Journal on April 22, 1967, notes that "the book is full of pictures of Rover, that famous Dog "n ' Suds dog.

And here's the book that was very likely being given away that day.

I always thought Rover looked like Walt Disney's Goofy. Or perhaps Mickey Mouse's pet canine – Pluto Pup.

Anyway, this summer Ilene's Dog N Suds has had a limited number of root beer mugs for sale, bearing the current version of the Rover mascot. I picked up my mug last Sunday, when I stopped there to treat myself to a root beer float. It's a nice little souvenir of my many visits there this summer.

Demolition Derby Ads – July 1965

Are you a demolition derby fan?

I've only been to a few in my lifetime. For a little while in the 1980s, it was fun to go out to Lorain County Speedway (now Lorain Raceway Park) and see one. But I plan on seeing at least one this summer, because a co-worker (also named Dan) is a demolition derby driver and a great guy. He's told me some hilarious stories about some of the various rivalries that exist between his team of drivers and others. 

He also shows me a lot of photos of his cars before and after the derbies. So I really want to catch one of the derbies he's competing in.

So with demo derbies on the brain, naturally, I had to post the above ads. The Sandusky Speedway ad is from the July 10, 1965 Journal. The Lorain County Speedway demolition derby ad ran in the paper a few weeks later, on July 30, 1965

Both ads are great. The Sandusky ad has some cool typography, playing up the word, "DEATH." But I like the simple design and graphics of the Lorain County Speedway ad.

So how do you find 100 drivers willing to participate? With a recruitment ad, what else? Here's the ad that the Sandusky Speedway ran on July 8th in the Journal.

It turns out that the ad was a template, because the Lorain County Speedway ran its version of it in the Journal on August 12 to entice drivers.

Summer of Davy Crockett – 1955 – Part 2

 

Jim Bowie (with his famous knife) is greeted by Davy Crockett at the Alamo

For a limited edition comic strip, In the Days of Davy Crockett does a nice job of condensing the stories of  Jim Bowie, Sam Houston, William Barret "Buck" Travis and Andrew Jackson to make them easy to understand for young readers. The stories are generally accurate and portray each man as an American hero. The artwork is excellent, with appealing composition and masterful use of shadows. Writer William Ritt and artist Alfred J. Buescher did a great job.

While I was unable to collect the entire set of strips (some were missing in the available papers), there are enough presented here to give you a good idea of what the youngsters were reading. The story of Jim Bowie and his famous knife kicked off the four-week long series. I like how the narrator gives the young reader credit for knowing "all about Davy Crockett," and notes that "Now I'd like to tell you about some of Davy's friends, like Jim Bowie."

June 6

June 7

June 8

June 9

June 10

June 11

I thought the imminent death of Jim Bowie in the strip was depicted pretty tastefully. 

Next up: Sam Houston. The first strip apparently ran on a Sunday, so the Journal (which didn't publish on Sunday back then) didn't carry it. The June 14th strip handles the fall of the Alamo and the death of all its defenders very quietly.

June 13

June 14

June 17

June 18

The story of William Barret "Buck" Travis began with the June 20th strip. The inclusion of Travis is understandable, as he died at the Alamo with Crockett and Bowie. 

June 20

June 23

June 24

On June 27, the Journal printed two strips, one atop the other (below). The top comic includes Travis' famous drawing of a line on the ground for volunteers to cross, as well as his death at the Alamo. 

The bottom panel kicks off the story of President Andrew Jackson. Jackson was somewhat of an odd choice to be part of this series. Jackson was hardly a 'friend' of Crockett, since during the time the frontiersman was serving in Congress, he vehemently opposed many of President Jackson's policies.

June 27

June 30

July 1

The series concluded with this strip on July 2.

July 2

But the Lorain Journal was not quite done with Crockett that summer. A brand new series, this time focused directly on the man, not his friends, began on July 25, 1955. Here's the short promo that appeared on the front page on July 22nd.

And here is a small selection of the Davy Crockett strips, beginning with the first. Unlike the brisk pace of the other comic strip series, unfortunately this one plodded along like a turtle. 

July 25

July 29

Aug. 1

Aug. 15

Aug. 8

Aug. 9

Aug. 14

Oct. 3

Nov. 1

Apparently the recovering Crockett staggered away and right out of the Journal pages in the Nov. 3, 1955 strip. It was the last to appear in the paper that I could find.

Maybe it was just a case of frontier fatigue.

Summer of Davy Crockett – 1955 – Part 1

By the summer of 1955, the Davy Crockett craze was taking off in a big way.

Portion of an O'Neil ad from May 13, 1955

Portion of a Fisher's ad from May 27, 1955

June 29, 1955 ad from Lorain Journal

The famous frontiersman had been featured in a series of episodes on Walt Disney's Disneyland TV show beginning back in early December 1954. Soon, the legendary coonskin-capped character who died at the Alamo became the idol of millions of boys. Eventually in 1955, you could buy just about anything with a Davy Crockett theme, from toys to clothes to peanut butter to wrist watches.

Portion of a June 16, 1955 Kroger's ad

July 1, 1955 ad

Nov. 17, 1955 ad from Lorain Journal

With all of the newspaper advertisements promoting Davy Crockett merchandise for sale, the newspapers couldn't help but notice – and want to get in on the act and make a buckskin buck. So in June 1955, a Davy Crockett strip began its limited run in the pages of the Lorain Journal.

But the comic – In the Days of Davy Crockett – wasn't quite what you would have expected. Rather than focus on Davy Crockett, the strip featured the story of four of Davy Crockett's famous 'friends': Jim Bowie, Sam Houston, William "Buck" Travis, and Andrew Jackson. Each interacted with Davy in their lives, so he would figure prominently in their tales. With three of the men involved with the Alamo, the story of the Texas fight for independence figures prominently in the run of the strip.

Perhaps the creative team behind the strip, writer William Ritt and artist Alfred J. Buescher, just wanted to do something unique. Both Ritt and Buescher were affiliated with the Cleveland-based King Features Syndicate, so it's not too surprising that the Lorain Journal (which utilized many of the syndicate's cartoons and other features in its pages) ran the strip.

Here are the promotional pieces that appeared before the strip began its run. Most ran on the front page of the Journal.

June 1, 1955

June 3, 1955

June 3, 1955

June 4, 1955

Tomorrow: an ample sample of In the Days of Davy Crockett strips.

More Cedar Point Vintage Postcards

It's summertime, so for a lot of people in Northern Ohio that means it's time for a trip to Cedar Point. 

Actually, I know a few people that don't just go once a year, like my family did when I was a kid. The trend now is to get a season pass.

It's a pretty good reflection of how times change. 

A day at Cedar Point was a big deal when I was growing up. We went once a year; going there twice would have been unthinkable. Some years we didn't even make it there at all, because we were doing a lot of camping. So when we did go to Cedar Point, the night before our visit was like Christmas Eve.

The park is so different now. In the 1960s, Cedar Point was in the process of adding a lot of new rides and family attractions in an attempt to be a 'Disneyland of the Midwest.' There was a sense of nostalgia about the place, with calliope music playing and a lot of old-time atmosphere. 

Nowadays, Cedar Point is strictly about thrills and excitement. It evolves with each generation. It has to, if it wants to stay in business. 

But many of my readers enjoy rekindling old memories of the park, so when I find some vintage postcards that are new to me, I post them. Here's the latest collection.