Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall were starring in "Crashing Las Vegas" at the Ohio
Seventy years ago today – April 14, 1956 – was a Saturday. And since Lorain was a real Saturday night town back then, no doubt many of the residents were thinking about going out to see a movie. As usual, there were a lot of choices, and judging by the incredible selection on the Lorain Journal entertainment page below, there was something for everyone. Perhaps you'll recognize one of your favorite movies or stars.
The one that leaps out at me of course is Crashing Las Vegas – the last Bowery Boys movie featuring Leo Gorcey as Slip Mahoney, the leader of the gang. Gorcey would retire from the movies after this, as he was struggling with personal issues and still mourning the untimely death of his father (who had starred in the Bowery Boys films as Louie, the proprietor of the ice cream shop where they hang out).
I have this film on DVD, and it's a funny finale for Gorcey. It's somewhat appropriate that Leo Gorcey is in the back seat of the car driven by Huntz Hall in the movie poster. With Gorcey's exit, Hall became the star of the series, which would limp along for another six films with Stanley "Duke" Clements as the leader of the gang.
The big film of the Journal page is probably Pic-a-NicPicnic, starring William Holden and Kim Novak and showing at the Tivoli. I've seen it a couple times and enjoyed it. It's a nice look at how various lives in a small town are disrupted by the arrival of, well, a handsome bum played by William Holden.
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were starring in Artists and Models, which was about to begin a run at Tower Drive-in on Lake Avenue. Martin and Lewis would break up only a couple of months later.
I looked for a big Western on the page, and one of the few that I've seen is Destry (1955) with Audie Murphy, showing at Lorain Drive-in. It's a pretty good movie, a remake of Destry Rides Again with James Stewart. I liked Audie's version better.
Perhaps the most interesting thing on the page is not a movie; it's the Hot From Harlem Revue, featuring "Kings & Queens of Swing • Boogie • Bebop and Jazz" live on stage at the Palace.
Here's a great poster from a similar appearance in Oakville, Ontario that same year, providing a clearer look at the night's entertainment. It looks like it was quite a production, with exotic costumed dancers.
Seventy years ago, the concept of Presidents Day didn't exist yet. Thus Washington's Birthday was celebrated on the actual day: February 22nd. Above you see our old pal Reddy Kilowatt in an Ohio Edison ad that ran on Feb. 21, 1955 in the Lorain Journal, announcing that Ohio Edison would be closed that day.
Here are some more ads that ran in that same edition of the Journal.
It was a holiday, so there was no school. So what were mothers supposed to do with the kids? Why, take them shoe shopping, of course!
But what about the adults who were lucky enough to have the day off? Well, they could go shopping for a used car at Bob Beck Chevrolet. Remember the distinctive OK Used Car graphic shown in the ad?
Days off are always a good day to get some tasks crossed off the list. Perhaps your TV was on the fritz; you could get it repaired by Nelson and Fain Teleclinlic, located at 1755 Oberlin Avenue – the same location much later as the well-remembered, popular Biggy's Pub and Eatery.
Thinking of those poor kids that were forced to go shoe shopping on their day off from school; maybe their mothers felt guilty later, and treated them to the big cartoon marathon at either the Lorain Theatre on Pearl and the Ohio Theatre.
I'll bet the Disney bigwigs would not have been too happy to see Donald and Goofy sharing the bill with what they probably considered lowly cartoon riff-raff: Porky Pig, Woody Woodpecker and Popeye. What, no Tom & Jerry? (Hopefully the theaters didn't pull a bait-and-switch and subject the kids to Casper and/or Baby Huey.)
And for the average Lorainite who wished to celebrate the birthday of the Father of Our Country at the movie theater, there was the city's apparent favorites, the Bowery Boys, at the Dreamland starring in Bowery to Bagdad (as part of an odd double bill with The Caine Mutiny).
There's plenty of things of interest on this movie page from the Lorain Journal of April 3, 1954 – seventy years ago today.
Reaffirming my observation that Lorain moviegoers loved the Bowery Boys, there's two of their movies on the big screen : Paris Playboys (1954) at the Ohio, and Loose in London (1953) at the Tower Drive-in.
I've mentioned before how our first exposure to the Bowery Boys movies was on Sunday mornings in the mid-1970s on Channel 43 (billed as the Dead End Kids). Soon my brothers and I were walking around with baseball caps with the brim turned up, trying to work up a good vocal imitation of Huntz Hall's "Sach" character. "Hey Chief!"
What really leaps out at me on the page is the article and photo of Judy Holliday, as well as the ad for her movie It Should Happen to You! at the Tivoli. She was such a pretty and appealing actress, with a natural flare for comedy and an irresistible vulnerability. It's so sad that she had such a short career, passing away in 1965.
It's odd to see future Rat Pack member Peter Lawford as the male lead in It Should Happen to You! The movie also is the first for actor Jack Lemmon.
Surprisingly, there aren't too many Westerns playing. There's Gun Fury with Rock Hudson and Donna Reed at the Avon Lake Theater.
Conquest of Cochise was at the Tower Drive-in, and The Great Sioux Uprising with Jeff Chandler (who's always good) at the Grove. GRIT-TV does a Jeff Chandler marathon once in a while.
Grandma Brady's favorite actor, Robert Taylor, was in Above and Beyond, also at the Tower Drive-in.
Elsewhere on the same page are ads for Castle-on-the-Lake, Vians, and Avon Isle Park.
We'll close out the week (and September as well) with a look at what was playing on local movie screens seventy years ago this month. Above is the movie page from the September 30, 1953 Lorain Journal.
Opening the next day at the Ohio Theatre were perennial Lorain favorites Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall and the Bowery Boys in Loose In London.
In this installment of the popular movie comedy series, the gang travels to London so that Sach (Huntz Hall) can claim his inheritance.
(I remember the first time I saw the Bowery Boys was in the early 1970s, when Channel 43 showed the old comedies on Sunday mornings, billing them as the Dead End Kids. My brothers and I were soon imitating Huntz Hall, wearing our baseball caps with the brim turned up as we shouted, "Hey, Chief!")
For theater goers who preferred more mature movie fare, there was Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at the Tivoli with Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell. (Contrary to the movie title, and I'm probably in the minority, but I prefer Jane Russell to Marilyn, especially since Miss Russell made a lot of appearances in Westerns.)
It's interesting that Howard Hawks was the movie's director. He was also the director of some of John Wayne's best films, including Red River, Rio Bravo and El Dorado, as well as Hatari and Rio Lobo.
Elsewhere on the movie page, we had Audie Murphy (another GRIT TV favorite of mine) in The Duel at Silver Creek (1952) playing at the Lorain Drive-in. It was a pretty good Don Siegel-directed movie – with Lee Marvin in it too! (BTW, during her last few years living at home, Mom was a real Audie Murphy fan too, watching all of his movies on GRIT.)
But what about the Duke?
Contrary to his normal Western roles, at that time John Wayne was starring as The Quiet Man at the Dreamland. It's one of my favorite John Wayne movies, and I watch it on DVD (or TV if it's on) every St. Patrick's Day like a true Irishman.
One of the funnier things I've discovered when looking at old Journal theater pages is that my tastes in cinema are pretty much aligned with the B movies of the 1950s: westerns and Bowery Boys comedies. You'll find both on this page, which ran in the Journal back on April 4, 1953.
Let's look at some of the features that were uh, featured on the page.
The Tivoli and the Warner Bros. Palace had the biggest ads. At the Tivoli was Seminole, with Rock Hudson, Barbara Hale and Anthony Quinn. If you're looking for a typical Indians-are-the-bad-guys flick, this isn't it; the Seminole people are presented in a sympathetic fashion, picked on by the mean U. S. fort commander who wants to wipe them out. The Palace had Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in The Stooge, (one of the few features with the word 'Stooge' in the title that doesn't star Larry, Curly Joe DeRita and Moe).
For Westerns, we had Randolph Scott and Donna Reed in Hangman's Knot at the Tower Drive-in. It's a good one (I've seen it on GRIT TV) and it also has Lee Marvin – one of the greats – in it.
The aforementioned Bowery Boys (Lorain favorites) were starring in their latest feature, No Holds Barred, at the Lorain Theatre as well as the Elvira Theatre. This time, Sach has mysteriously acquired superhuman powers that Slip hopes to exploit in the pro wrestling arena. Unfortunately, the power seems to randomly travel to different parts of his body and they don't always know where it's concentrated.
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One thing that caught my eye on the Journal page is the photo of comedian Eddie Peddie at the top left, announcing his appearance at the Showboat in Downtown Lorain. The photo caption notes that he is named with Billy Kozak.
Peddie appeared on this blog before (here). By 1956, he was teamed with musician Danny Stanton; the team of Stanton and Peddie appeared at the Auto Show at the Lorain Arena.
Policeman Joe McDoakes (George O'Hanlon) attempts to give Joi a ticket in So You Want to Be a Policeman
Almost exactly ten years after the August 4, 1962 death of Marilyn Monroe, another blonde sex symbol of the big screen sadly passed away on August 7, 1972: Joi Lansing. Unlike Marilyn, who died of a drug overdose after a troubled life, Joi succumbed to cancer at the age of 43.
Above is her obituary, which appeared in the Journal on August 9, 1972 – 50 years ago today.
Joi Lansing appeared in many major films but, unlike Marilyn Monroe, did not star in them. Joi did, however, carve out a long and successful career in B-movies, movie shorts and television series. According to her Wikipedia entry, she had appeared in nearly 200 television series episodes by 1956. That's quite an achievement and a testament to her talent, which was based on much more than her intimidating beauty.
I'm a fan of Joi Lansing because she appeared in the kind of movies thatI like – comedies – and was pretty funny. She made appearances in about a half-dozen of the "Joe McDoakes" comedies, including So You Want to Be a Policeman (1955) and So You Think the Grass is Greener (1956). She also turned up in a "Bowery Boys" comedy, Hot Shots (1956).
She'll always be remembered by her fans.
Satch (Huntz Hall) meets his new secretary (Joi), in the Bowery Boys comedy Hot Shots
At the Tower Drive-in on Lake Avenue– the Best Show Bargain in Town – there were three big pictures in the line-up.
Perennial Lorain favorites the Bowery Boys were starring in Jail Busters(1955).In this one, Slip (Leo Gorcey), Satch (Huntz Hall) and the rest of the Boys (in this case, that means Butch) get themselves arrested and sent to prison as part of some undercover work for a newspaper story on prison corruption. Wacky hijinks ensue when they get double-crossed, and as a result become real convicts temporarily.
The third movie in the triple feature was an oater called The Silver Star (1955), which starred Edgar Buchanan (Uncle Joe from Petticoat Junction) and Lon Chaney Jr. Jimmy Wakely sang the movie's theme song.
Courtesy www.movieposter.com
Over at the Lorain Drive-in on Lake Road, Commanche! (1956) with Dana Andrews was just wrapping up. The film also introduced Linda Cristal.
Also on the bill that night Gentlemen Marry Brunettes(1955), starring Jane Russell and Jeanne Crain. The film was a sequel of sorts to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (which also starred Jane Russell). Gentlemen Marry Brunettes also featured Alan Young (Wilbur on Mr. Ed) – who, happily, is still with us.
The third feature that night was another Bowery Boys classic, Master Minds (1949). It was one of their best. In this one, Sach has the ability to predict the future, which attracts the attention of a mad scientist. The mad scientist actually succeeds in temporarily swapping Sach's brain with that of a vicious hairy monster!
The attractions for Sunday night sounded pretty good too.
First up was a Cartoon Carnival consisting of 6 color cartoons. That drawing of Donald Duck in the ad, though, is one of the worst I've ever seen, with his gargantuan duck head and tiny hands. Definitely not the work of Carl Barks!
The first feature for Sunday night was the creepy science fiction B-movie World Without End (1956) which takes place in the futuristic year of 2508. It features Rod Taylor and a race of violent (and hairy) one-eyed mutants, not to mention some space-babes.
Lastly was – what else? – another Bowery Boys hit: Dig that Uranium (1956)!
Here's a preview clip (sorry, no trailer available for this one).
Dig that Uranium was actually quite topical, with the Bowery Boys trying to strike it rich by prospecting for uranium. (It was a very lucrative enterprise back in the 1950s; click here to find out more.)
Here's an interesting double-feature that was playing at the Ohio Theater back on September 4, 1954 – 59 years ago last week – Jungle Gents (with the Bowery Boys) and Fireman, Save My Child!The double feature even came with a guarantee: if you didn't "split your sides laughing" (sounds kinda gruesome) then the theater manager would give you a free pass to any future engagement.
As I've mentioned here before, the Bowery Boys were popular in Lorain, as their movies seemed to be constantly playing on area screens in the 1950s. (In fact, Jungle Gents opened the Lorain Drive-In's 1955 season.) But it's the other film on that Ohio Theater bill that was most likely to make one of the theatergoers ask for that free pass.
Fireman, Save My Child! was originally conceived as a vehicle for Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. The behind-the-scenes story is that Costello fell ill before shooting began, and Buddy Hackett and Hugh O'Brian took their places. And what makes the movie even stranger is that Spike Jones and His City Slickers received top billing.
In the movie, Spike and his band are all firemen working out of Firehouse No. 12. Predictably, they spend more time making music than putting out fires.
Buddy Hackett, Spike Jones (with guns)
and the City Slickers in Fireman, Save My Child!
Now, Spike Jones was always big in the Brady household when I was growing up. My father had a collection of 1940s Spike Jones 78s (Holiday For Strings, Cocktails For Two, Chloe, etc.) which my siblings and I thought were hilarious. But I watched some of Fireman, Save My Child! on Turner Classics recently and it was kind of a stinkeroo.
Anyway, it's too bad theaters aren't confident enough of what they're showing these days to offer a guarantee like the Ohio Theater did. Here's hoping that Slip and Satch (Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall) kept the manager from handing out too many passes that week.
After the special appearance of the Three Stooges at the Palace Theater on July 31, 1960, it was back to business as usual for the Lorain movie house.
And what was playing on August 1? None other than the Bowery Boys in Spook Chasers.
In a way it was kind of appropriate for the Bowery Boys to follow the Stooges, as they were both popular comedy teams that had somehow lasted longer than anyone could have imagined.
Much like the Three Stooges, who were forced to hire a new 'third stooge' to keep the act going, the Bowery Boys had to replace Leo Gorcey, who had retired from the movies. The Boys made seven more movies with Stanley Clements as "Duke Coveleske," the leader of the gang, but it was Huntz Hall who had become the star of the series by then.
Here's the trailer for Spook Chasers.
I like the way all of the Bowery Boys films used the "Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here" theme song in their movie credits and trailers. It's a nice way to tie them all together through the years despite all the cast changes.
Also on the Palace bill with the Bowery Boys was a Ma and Pa Kettle comedy, Ma and Paul Kettle at Waikiki (1955). Hawaii would become a state on August 21, 1959 so the movie was actually fairly topical.
Here's the trailer from the movie, featuring Marjorie Main as Ma.
Hearing Marjorie Main's voice reminds me that it was her that June Foray was imitating on all of those Fractured Fairy Tales cartoons on Rocky and Bullwinkle.
I wonder if the popular Ma and Pa Kettle comedies paved the way for the success of The Beverly Hillbillies on TV?
Here's another one of those Lorain Palace Theater ads promoting the pairing of a live stage show with some scary movies to create a memorable evening of entertainment for teenagers in the late 1950s.
This ad appeared in the Lorain Journal on Feb. 8, 1957 – fifty-six years ago this month.
It's kind of similar to the Dr. Silkini show that I wrote about in October last year, but this one has an unusual twist: instead of the Frankenstein monster being revived "in person," this show advertised "the materialization of James Dean." The iconic American film actor had died about a year and a half earlier in an automobile accident.
A few other websites and blogs (here and here) mention similar scary shows with the James Dean gimmick. Apparently, the materialization consisted of an illuminated photograph of the actor's face during a blackout!
Note that perennial Lorain favorites The Bowery Boys were also on the bill, featured in the film Ghost Chasers. (Hey! That was playing at the Palace back here too!)
Here's the movie section from the Lorain Journal showing what was playing on the local screens right after New Year's Day 1958. It's kind of an interesting look at a Hollywood in transition from the Golden Age to the modern era. (Give it a click and peruse it.)
It's a real mixed bag with something for everyone, young and old.
At the Ohio Theater, we find the Bowery Boys in Up in Smoke (their next-to-last movie). Jerry Lewis is the star of The Sad Sack (an early solo effort after the split with Dean Martin) at the Palace Theater, and Elvis Presley is featured in Jailhouse Rock (his third movie) at the Avon Lake Theater.
At the Dreamland, perennial box office favorite John Wayne stars in Jet Pilot, and Gary Cooper heads the cast of Friendly Persuasion being shown at the Lorain Theater. At the Grove Theater, Frank Sinatra and Mitzi Gaynor star in The Joker is Wild, and Mitzi was also one of Les Girls, which was showing at the Ohio Theater.
I love the strong typography used in these movie ads. It really makes each theater instantly recognizable.
It's kind of sad knowing that the current Lorain Palace Theatre is now the only place in town to see a movie. I used to patronize the Avon Lake Theater in the 1970s and 80s, and that's gone too.
I'm puzzled by a few things, though. Where was the listing for the Tivoli? And why was the Tower Drive-in open in frigid January? I'm guessing they provided some kind of heaters; does anyone remember?
What was playing at the Palace sixty years ago this week?
Here's the answer: a great double feature of Ghost Chasersfeaturing the Bowery Boys and Tarzan's Peril, the latest in the ape-man's adventure series. (You might remember that I'm a big Bowery Boys fan, which I first mentioned back here.)
As opposed to the usual comedy plot in which a ghost is revealed to be a villain in disguise who is attempting to scare off the protagonists, Ghost Chasers featured a real ghost that only Sach (Huntz Hall) can see.
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Whenever I'm looking at old Lorain Journals on microfilm, I'm always amazed at the number of Bowery Boys features in the Lorain movie listings of the 1940's and 1950's. The Boys must have been pretty popular in working-class Lorain.
I remember as a kid watching them on Sunday mornings on one of the local UHF channels. Consequently my brothers and I would imitate Sach by turning up the brim of our baseball caps and running around saying, "Hey, Chief!"
Anyway, to visit the website of the Lorain Palace Theatre, click here.
I just can't seem to finish up with this topic – I keep finding more stuff that I want to put up here!
Here's a newspaper ad for the Lorain Drive-in that ran on August 3, 1957. I like it because of the classic ad art. The Lorain Drive-in logo used here is nice in its simplicity, and I really like the old style movie ads, with the bold typography and good use of figure-ground relationship.
It's quite a smorgasbord of movies making up the triple feature: Walt Disney's The Great Locomotive Chase, The Doolins of Oklahoma and Boy on a Dolphin. So you have a western, a civil war story and Sophia Loren – something for everybody!
The next pair of movies are strange bedfellows: the epic Giant, with Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean, and Spook Chasers, with the Bowery Boys (a favorite of mine). I have to chuckle at the Spook Chasers ad, because by that time, Leo Gorcey had left the movie series, leaving Huntz Hall to carry on without him for a few more movies.
Believe it or not, Boy on a Dolphin and Spook Chasers were the only current movies. The others were either a year old or older (the Doolins being the oldest – from 1949.)
