Bocky and the Visions at George May Ford – August 23, 1965

For a local, standalone Lorain Ford Dealership, George May Ford had some pretty creative promotions in the 1960s to draw in potential customers. They included "a gun-toting' cowboy" and a cowgirl hostess; a twist party; pony rides; a champagne weekend; and the Back to School Dance being advertised above. It appeared in the Journal back on August 23, 1965.

The featured band was Bocky and the Visions. Buddy Maver, a former member, has a nice webpage devoted to his former group that features great photos and about eight tunes. Maver writes, "Bocky and the Visions were the first Cleveland group to make records that got played on the radio. They started in Cleveland’s Little Italy in the late 50s. They were a doo-wop singing group with four singers … kind of like Dion and the Belmonts or the Four Seasons. The group consisted of lead singer, Bocky DiPasquale AKA “Bocky Boo” and background singers Sonny Peters, Jimmy Randazzo, and Arnie Immerman. They made some great records that came out on national labels like Big Top, Decca and Phillips initially recording in New York and later at Cleveland Recording."

Courtesy BuckeyeBeat.com

The George May ad notes that the group's latest hit recording was "Listen to the Beat of My Heart."

The years 1964 and 1965 were big ones for Bocky and the Visions. They performed at The Note, the teenage nightclub in Ruggles Beach, back in October 1964.

Oct. 2, 1964 ad

The group had performed at Admiral King High School in February 1965 for a Booster Club fundraiser.

And the group made regular appearances on local TV, including the Big 5 Show on WEWS.

March 20, 1965 TV listing

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The Cleveland Scene website recounts the tragic, unsolved murder of Robert J. "Bocky" DiPasquale in 1988.

Ford Mustang Goes on Sale to the Public – April 17, 1964

Courtesy Motorcities.org

On this day back in 1964, the production Ford Mustang went on sale to the public. Henry Ford II himself unveiled the car at the 1964 New York World's Fair on April 17, 1964. (Click here for a great article with photos about that event.)

Maybe that's why the ad above for George May Ford, which ran in the Journal on April 16, 1964, doesn't even show a photo of one. Instead, we have a cowboy on a wild mustang.

"The mustang is at the George May Showroom. Not a wild horse, but wild horsepower from Ford," reads the ad copy. "But George May isn't making a production out of it; he's just letting you see for yourself the wild styling... and he is serving refreshments.

"You're all invited... you'll see... in person, a gun-toting cowboy and his horse... plus our model cowgirl hostess."

It all sounds like a lot of fun on a special day.

As a member of an Olds family, I've never been a Ford fan – but it's impossible not to love the look of the Mustang.

George May Ford "Back to School" Ad – August 1963

Lorain City Schools had their first day back in session on Monday, so this vintage ad with a "Back to School" theme is somewhat timely. It's for George May Ford on Kansas Avenue in Lorain, and ran in the Journal back on August 15, 1963.

Ads for George May Ford have been featured on this blog before, because they usually have some interesting angle or design. This one's no exception. There's a lot going on, with bold clip art and lettering, stock photography and a listing of the area high schools and their team names, which is nice touch. (I almost missed the giant pencil going down the left hand side of the ad.)

George May ads sometimes had a gimmick to generate some traffic to the dealership and this one does as well. A 'Twist' party was promoted for the upcoming Friday night, with music by The Wanderers. (This was not the Wanderers out of Michigan; instead, it was a local group who had a regular "Twist Nite" gig at Lincoln Park, as well as performing at St. Mary's dances and Lorain Rainbow Girls events.)

And as usual, vintage car ads are always interesting. I like the line art illustrations of the various models, and I'm not even a Ford guy.

Don't you miss the days when cars had a distinctive look? I can't tell a car's manufacturer or model these days nohow. To my eye, they're interchangeable. Worst of all are the SUVs, especially the Cadillac or Mercedes (with its way-too-big logo.) I guess that's why I'm not too emotionally involved with my cars any more. The last ones I really liked were my Olds Achieva and my Olds Cutlass. After that, they've been largely forgettable (but cheap).

George May Ford Ad – May 2, 1963

The process of buying a used car sure has changed over the years.

For many people looking to buy, the newspaper was always the first stop – checking out the listings in dealer ads, as well as combing the classified ads. And then, just as now, you could go over to a used car lot and look around, knowing that you were going to get swarmed by the sales staff. And for those who preferred the serendipitous approach, there were always the cars parked in driveways with a sign taped to the window with a phone number.

And all that's changed. People are very willing to buy cars on the internet – without even driving them! I guess the convenience of Carvana.com has revolutionized the industry. Plus Carvana bought up all the used cars!

Anyway, sixty years ago, car dealers still took out huge ads in the newspaper with eye-catching graphics – like this one for George May Ford (an occasional topic on this blog over the years). It ran in the Journal back on May 2, 1963.

I like the fun Western theme. Isn't it funny how it's been used by so many Lorain County businesses, like Heilman's Ranch House, Johnny's Country & Western Bar, as well as the Saddle Inn in Avon Lake? There was also the Westgate Shopping Center, which took the same marketing approach. And don't forget Wild West Sarsaparilla, Pardner!

George May even provided free pony rides for the little buckaroos with a souvenir photo to (cowboy) boot.

Surprisingly, there's quite a selection of non-Ford vehicles in the ad: Chevies, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs, Volkswagen, etc. And each is 'branded' with a special price.

A few years later, George May aimed for an older crowd, with his 'Champagne Weekend' promotion featuring Jackie Rancourt of WEWS TV.

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The Bradys bought a lot of used cars over the years. Dad had an arrangement with Joe over at Milad's in Amherst to give him a call whenever a really good used Cutlass showed up. We bought a few that way. There was also one bought from a high school kid (the Cutlass with mag wheels, and a driver's door filled with broken glass that leaked out a hole at the bottom) and one bought from one of Mom's U. S. Steel co-workers. We had quite a fleet of them in the driveway at one time (which I wrote about here). 

George May Ford Ad – June 23, 1965

Here's an interesting ad for George May Ford, which I mentioned here on the blog a few times this year. The ad for the Kansas Avenue dealership – which ran in the Lorain Journal on June 23, 1965 – reveals a pretty creative (and adult) approach to lure customers into the new car showroom.

A "Champagne Weekend" was the theme, with sparkling champagne offered to adult shoppers. Music was provided by Barney Freeman and the Jetones, and Jackie Rancourt was the pretty hostess for the event.

The Cleveland Memory Project had a photo of Bill "Smoochie" Gordon and a woman identified as Jackie Rancourt on the "One O'Clock Club" on WEWS Channel 5 back in 1959. I'm not sure if she was a guest or regular co-host. (I'm not even sure if it was the same Jackie Rancourt!)

As for Barney Freeman and the Jetones, it appears that they enjoyed regional success in Northeast Ohio in the 1960s, and that the whole Freeman family was talented musically. Barney Freeman passed away in 2013.

Anyway, it's interesting to see such a sophisticated gimmick employed locally back in the 1960s. I wonder if the sales effort was successful?

Nowadays, it seems like too many car commercials are designed to annoy potential customers with their loud, unfunny banter – making the whole process unappealing. The idea of enjoying an adult beverage while car shopping, as well as some entertainment, sounds like it would be a welcome relief.

Atkinson Williams New Showroom – March 1956

Ford has long been a popular automobile brand for Lorainites, even before the plant was built on Baumhart Road in the late 1950s.

And here’s an ad for a Lorain Ford dealership of yesteryear, announcing its new home at 1530 Kansas Avenue. The dealership: Atkinson Williams. The very stylized ad shown above ran in the Lorain Journal on March 5, 1956.

Previously, the dealership had called 1735 Broadway home since the mid-1940s. (It had started out briefly at 1803 Broadway in the early 1940s.)

Atkinson Williams lasted until around 1963 when the Ford dealership took a new name: George May Ford. ( I mentioned its car wash a few days ago here on the blog.)

By the 1970s, the dealership was Buckeye Ford. A change in automobile brands took place at 1530 Kansas Avenue in the early 1980s, when O’Malley Dodge moved into the vacant business.

The former dealership building was eventually demolished and is now part of the Emerson Network Power Energy property at 1510 Kansas Avenue.

Nowadays, Lorain doesn’t even have a new car dealership in its city limits. You have to head to Amherst, Vermilion, Sheffield Village, Avon or Avon Lake.

However, a forlorn image of the former Kansas Avenue automobile dealership remains on Bing Maps – for now.

Grand Opening of Ace Car Wash – March 1957

Back in the 1950s, when a new local business was launched, the owners inevitably took out either a full-page or half-page Grand Opening ad in the Journal. It was a festive occasion, with plenty of prizes to win if you stopped by, and local radio remote broadcasts that added to the festivities. The ads also included the names of the bank, contractors and suppliers involved, along with congratulatory messages.

And that’s what’s going on in the above ad for Ace Car Wash, which ran in the Lorain Journal on March 14, 1957 – 60 years ago today. The ad also reveals the people behind the business: owners T. Dulio and T. Burke, as well as the manager, Phil Soto.

Ace Car Wash had previously been located on the other side of the street at 1376 Colorado. (That stretch of Colorado is a real car wash haven, considering that Robo-Wash was located just a little down the street at 922 Colorado.)

Anyway, Ace Car Wash became the car wash for George May Ford around 1967. Then the car wash went vacant around 1970 before being revived as Mitey Kleen Car Wash. It was briefly Ace Car Wash again a year later before going vacant for the last time.

Its car wash days over, the property became Ohio Auto Body in the mid-1970s.

Today, the building sits on Colorado Avenue, waiting for its next useful period.

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UPDATE (March 16, 2017)
I received a nice email from Todd Burke a few days ago. Todd lives in Nashville, TN but grew up in Lorain in the 60's – with a family connection to the car wash.

Todd wrote, “My family owned Ace Car Wash and I worked there as a kid around 1970.

“My uncle was Tom Dulio and my father was Todd Burke.”

I asked Todd if his uncle was related to well-known local musician and band leader Jimmy Dulio.

“My uncle and Jimmy were brothers. My uncle also worked at the coal and ore docks and my father was a newscaster at WEOL.”

I also asked Todd about the building, with its two smaller bays and one large one. Were there always three bays, and did the building require a lot of modification to be used as an auto body shop?

“The third bay was added later to make room for detailing work such as waxing, buffing and steam cleaning engines,” wrote Todd. “For the body shop, I don't think there was a lot of retrofitting. They just used the available space to make up what they needed.”

Todd remembers how the car wash was a busy place in its heyday.

“I can remember on Saturday's the line would wrap around the building and down to the A&P,” noted Todd. “Sunny cold days were the busiest. Back then, McDonalds was right across the street – handy for lunch!”