Date: May 18 2001 at 07:11:26
Name: Lowell Burch
Location: Mayfest
How did you find TTM? North end of the Main Mall
Comments:

I picked up three autographed copies of the Mayfest poster (two for gifts, one for my home). Gailard seemed like he was having fun meeting with the folks.

I also visited with my childhood friend, Huffy the Clown (Tom Hufford) at the Kidzone, saw a lot of folks, heard some good music and visited some interesting booths in the heart of my favorite city.


I saw Pam Van Dyke belly-dancing out there yesterday. Caught Robert Earl Keen (and some rain) at the main stage by the library where I talked with a couple of OSU students. They said that Keen was the mentor for all the bar bands at OSU. They were also deeply saddened by the fact that I didn't play basketball (I'm 6'7"). Keen's guitarist Rich Brotherton was amazing, with total command of that Albert Lee idiom, among many others.

Also saw Another Roadside Attraction, an energetic, eclectic rootsy outfit from Stillwater, and Wallstreet Band, a jazzy funk band, both very good.



Date: May 17 2001 at 17:54:12
Name: Charlene Tincher Sappington
Location: Tulsa
How did you find TTM? just looking
Comments:

I just viewed the tribute to my dad Gene Tincher. This made me so proud. I always knew he was a great man and to read about him from other people really touched me. It reminds me how much I miss his weird sense of humor. He could just crack me up. But it seems like his silly jokes had to come from him cause when I try to repeat them, I get some really strange looks. Thanks so much to everyone that wrote about Gene.


You're welcome, Charlene.



Date: May 17 2001 at 12:44:27
Name: Jim Ruddle
Location: Rye, New York
Comments:

And all the time I thought they just took Morrison off the Zeppelin beat.

Don Bell? Ah, yes. One of what was once a multitude of varying opinions one could hear on radio. Upton Close, Raymond Gram Swing, Clifton Utley, Elmer Davis, Fulton Lewis, Jr., Henry Baukage (or was there an "h" in there? I've forgotten...Mr. Hilmar Robert Baukage...webmaster) and, of course, Kaltenborn. There were others, of different persuasions, and broadcasting let you pick and choose, cheering on your favorite and cursing your enemy, but, perhaps, allowing you to change a point of view when the facts required.

And here's a name from pre-war broadcasting: Boake Carter. Anyone remember this mustachioed news-dandy? He sounded so cultured that he'd never be hired today, except by someone connected with public broadcasting.


Yes, opinion on radio today is within a narrow range...our loss.



Date: May 16 2001 at 23:19:00
Name: Lowell Burch
Location: Rolling in my sweet baby's arms.
How did you find TTM? I was reeling in the years.
Comments:

I understand that the Crosstown restaurant was open for so many years, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, that when it went out of business, no one could find the key to lock the front door.

Back in the sixties, my band went to play at our first battle of the bands at the Civic Center. We weren't very good, so while other bands were doing superior covers of top ten hits, we were planning to do the old three-chord chestnut "Gloria".

Being novices and not knowing the ropes, we missed our spot on the program. It was all for the best, anyway. The next band up was The Shadows of Knight. As you guessed, they featured their hit, "Gloria". Needless to say, we were saved from unspeakable humiliation.



Date: May 16 2001 at 12:17:29
Name: Mike Bruchas
Location: Our Nation's Capitol
Comments:

Matt Bunyan and Jack Hobson introduced me to Ray's.

Bunyan ALWAYS knows where the best little joints are. He was a big advocate of the Bell Cafe on 3rd by KOTV - which we thought was a wino joint - it wasn't. Had good food and a clean kitchen though often the clientele was often odiferous and cadging $$ to eat there.



Date: May 16 2001 at 10:58:20
Name: Don Norton
Location: Tulsa, Auto & Ozone Haven
Comments:

For Frank Morrow:

When I sprang the Herb Morrison article on Edward Dumit he was somewhat surprised by the lengthy broadcasting career Morrison had after the Hindenburg episode. Dumit said he had heard a story, which he now believes was made up, that Morrison spent some time in a rest home.

I have no information on how long Morrison stayed with WLS after the dirigible disaster or why he left (nope, nothing in the article). Several "old time radio" books don't even mention him; others carry only "condensed" reports. I do have several sources confirming he "built" WTAE-TV's news department in Pittsburgh, so it seems unlikely he was fired at WLS (on the other hand, we both know people "mistreated" in Tulsa who went on to success elsewhere). It appears the author met Morrison only in later life, after he went to West Virginia.

As for the "objectivity" angle, I can only believe this is a "sour grapes story" (not unknown in broadcasting) made up by someone trying to judge Morrison by today's standards. After all, Herb was breaking new ground with this first such "in action" report, and the atrocities of the Second World War were still in the future. Have we, with Korea and Vietnam, reached the point that we must react "objectively" to people being burned to death in front of us?

I have enjoyed reading your occasional references to "old time radio"......but we both need to remember that the mind sometimes plays tricks. I confirmed Central graduation dates for Paul Harvey and Tony Randall (1936 and 1937 respectively) before I sent photo copies of their Tom Tom pictures to Mike Ransom. Then, in one book, idly musing on Randall's fatherhood at 77, I decided he must be older than Harvey--and transposed those dates! I corrected myself a few notes later, but I seem to have confused Mike in following references; I guess he didn't notice my correction!

A question for you: Do you remember Don Bell who did 10 p.m. news on KOME shortly after World War Two? I think he was in Manila with NBC's Bert Silen when the war broke out December 8 (Asia time) in 1941. His views were definitely right wing, though perhaps not as strong as Upton Close's, whom NBC eventually removed from a Sunday afternoon commentary sponsored by the W. A. Shaeffer Pen Company (anybody else remember fountain pens?).


On the Miss Ronan page featuring Paul Harvey and Tony Randall, I already had Mr. Harvey down for 1936, but just corrected Mr. Randall to 1937.



Date: May 16 2001 at 01:26:41
Name: Bob Shannon
Location: Lost Wages ( Las Vegas )
How did you find TTM? Lucky, I guess
Comments:

Remember the old Will Rogers Theatre. Last time I was in Tulsa it was a parking lot. Remember seeing..."The High And The Mighty" and "Giant" there, among others.

Remember the Plaza Theatre. Down the street was Byrne Hospital where I spent a couple of weeks with mono.

Across the street from the Plaza was Coleman's Grill. Remember the sesame buns.

Remember Bishop's with its hamburger steak with sauce Diablo for 75 cents and icebox pie for 25 cents.

Also remember filling up at a gas station at Admiral and Pittsburg for 13 cents a gallon. One of the first "do-it-yourselfers".

Sorry to hear about Mack Creager. When I was at 8, his father, Joe Creager, had a fishing show. We opened up with a shot of an aquarium with all these exotic fish. One of the crew went out to Keystone one day on a break and caught a couple of bass and came back and, to keep them fresh, put them in the aquarium. They ate all the fish. Creager, and the managenent, were furious.


Joe spelled his name "Krieger". Did Mack change his name? Here is a picture of Joe from the KVOO Photo Album. And here is the Mack Creager page.



Date: May 15 2001 at 23:18:02
Name: Webmaster
Comments:

Reminder: Gailard Sartain will appear on Karen Keith's "Oklahoma Living", Channel 2, Wednesday, 5/16 at 11:30 a.m...(later...) Funny piece! If you missed it today (Wednesday), set your VCR for 4 a.m. Thursday morning to catch the repeat.



Date: May 15 2001 at 21:00:31
Name: Mike Miller
Location: Vienna, VA
Comments:

When I was growing up, two blocks from 15th and Peoria, some of the best chicken fried steak in town could be found at Ray's Cafe nearby. Sadly, it is no longer there.

In fact, last time I was in Tulsa, I couldn't find much evidence of my house at 15th and Newport.

I had a high school job at the Plaza, and we cooked popcorn for an entire week on Saturdays. Were angry patrons suspected in the fire?



Date: May 15 2001 at 18:24:21
Name: Erick
Location: Tulsa
Comments:

15th & Peoria update for "old" Tulsans...

The LJS is still on the NW corner. The Pizza Hut on the SW corner is now closed, but the bulding is still there. Of course, 15th on the east side of Peoria is the fabulous Cherry Street. Good eats and entertainment there. Also a great Sound Warehouse further down Cherry Street for that "hard to find" music.


Sound Warehouse used to be on the northeast corner of 15th & Peoria. I bought many a record there in the 70s. I talked today with Wilhelm Murg, author of the Infinity Press interview with Gailard Sartain. One topic that came up was used record stores in Tulsa. Starting in 1978, there was Wolfman, Wizzard's, then Discovery, and Dale Bishop's Record Alley in 1981...



Date: May 15 2001 at 18:07:58
Name: Mike Bruchas
Location: DuhCee
How did you find TTM? It came wid da chicken-fried....
Comments:

15th & Peoria -when I lived there - The CrossTown Diner was on the NW corner -then I think it burned down.

Was that where another long time chili joint used to be? Bishop's? Bundy's? I am forgetting "classic" Tulsey late night dining establishments...

They put up a Long John Silver's on the site.

The SW corner I think was a Pizza Hut - it was N. of that guy that did pet portraits for a gazillion years there.....



Date: May 15 2001 at 16:31:48
Name: Jim Ruddle
Location: Rye, New York
How did you find TTM?  
Comments:

For many, the best locator for the Plaza was that it was across the street from Coman's Restaurant--if you could call that a restaurant. Later, Coman's built a new place at Fifteenth and Boulder.



Date: May 15 2001 at 11:11:52
Name: Mike Miller
Location: Vienna, VA
Comments:

To Mike Bruchas: The Plaza was on Peoria very near 15th Street.



Date: May 15 2001 at 10:44:16
Name: Joe Robertson
Location: from inside the padded room
Comments:

Just to spread the word...G.ailard S.artain will be live at this year's Mayfest. I believe the hours are 4-6 p.m. both Thursday and Friday, where he will be signing the official posters.


Thanks, Joe...we'll try to keep the Bulletin Board up-to-date with Mayfest info.



Date: May 15 2001 at 10:21:20
Name: Mike Bruchas
How did you find TTM? Good with huevos rancheros!
Comments:

Anyone have any pictures of The Plaza Theatre?

Which corner was it on?



Date: May 14 2001 at 23:21:41
Name: Webmaster
Comments:

Reminder: Gailard Sartain will be on KMOD-FM, 97.5 sometime after 8:30 Tuesday morning...(later Tuesday a.m....) Indeed he was. A fast and furious hour and a half with Phil & Brent. We learned that the TV version of Steve Martin's "The Jerk" has GS' best comedy on film to date, but it was cut from the theatrical release...more later.



Date: May 14 2001 at 21:58:51
Name: Frank Morrow
Location: Austin. TX
Comments:

I was walking past 15th and Peoria where the Plaza Theater was in the process of burning down. Smoke and water were everywhere. Humphrey Bogart was featured in "The Maltese Falcon."

I had never heard of such a thing as a Maltese Falcon. To me, it sounded like some kind of scary disease.

But, I had an excuse for being so uninformed. This was the summer 1939, and I was only a six-year-old.



Date: May 14 2001 at 21:43:38
Name: Frank Morrow
Location: Austin, TX
Comments:

For Don Norton:

I have frequently heard that Morrison lost his job after he did the Hindenburg broacast, being accused of "losing his objectivity" by becoming emotionally involved in the event and letting this be reflected in his description." Is this really true? Did the article mention it?



Date: May 13 2001 at 20:31:01
Name: Mike Bruchas
Location: DuhCee
Comments:

When the late Mike Pacaud ran The Brook - saw That's Entertainment I & II there for free as a comp.

When he ran a re-released 2001(about 76 or 77) - Doug Dodd cut a v.o. for the intermission announcement - I think for a comp that he never got to use!

When I got in free - it was to sit in the front of the house and shill for Will Rogers Institute donations - they sent an usher/concessions-worker down the aisles and I dumped in a LOT of coins to make noise.

Later folks felt movies were too expensive (then!) and felt this was an unwanted intrusion on picture viewing and often theatres just ran an annual trailer for it. The Will Rogers Institute DID care for a lot of washed up and broke actors in their less than stellar later years....



Date: May 13 2001 at 13:50:52
Name: Webmaster
Comments:

Visited the Admiral Twin once again last night and saw "The Mummy Returns". Roger Ebert said of the first "Mummy" (appropriating Pauline Kael's terms), "Look, art this isn't. Great trash, it isn't. Good trash, it is." The new one might be a notch down from that; it's one of those movies where an entire arsenal is fired, but no one gets hit.

Still, it was a good excuse to spend a evening at the Twin. It was the biggest crowd I've seen there in years. Tip: go in the Memorial side on busy nights.

Here are some items for your "DRIVE-IN KIT":

FM RADIO - either built-in or portable, because the movie sound comes in on 88.3 and 88.7 (try tuning it in from I-244 next time you pass by).
DUCT TAPE - Cover up annoyingly bright digital displays in the car. Also block any unwanted light coming from the I-244 area by using it to stick an old...
WINDBREAKER up on the window, after having used it on the way in to cover your illicit...
COOLER/BAG OF SNACKS - We don't want to divert any of the Admiral Twin's revenue stream, but let's face it, this is a big attraction, bringing your own snacks and drinks. Hot dogs are best bought at the concession stand unless your car has a microwave.
BOTTLE OPENER or Swiss Army knife.
DISPOSABLE TOWELETTES
PAPER TOWELS
PENLIGHT - for low profile food searches.
FLIP-FLOPS - for easy egress after getting comfortable.
BLANKET (and possibly PILLOW) - in case it gets cool, or someone finds the movie less than riveting and wants to catch a little shut-eye.

Follow-up on the Cinemark IMAX Theatre visit last week: saw "Cyberworld". 3-D has improved a lot since "The Stewardesses". No headaches, everything in perfect register. You can read about the movie in the paper, but it's well worth seeing.

Mayfest starts this week, and it will be a special one. See details on the Bulletin Board.



Date: May 13 2001 at 06:17:19
Name: Robert Walker
Comments:

Back in '64 or so, Tommy Crook taught guitar at a music store somewhere on the east side of town. Anybody remember the name of the shop? (He taught every Saturday, and had I known with whom I was dealing, I'd have been more diligent.)


Bet it was The Guitar House on Admiral. It seems to me they started business when surf music was big the first time around.

A fantasy writer from Tulsa who made it big, Mercedes Lackey, wrote a book, Jinx High, set in the Tulsa area. One scene has possessed instruments flying around in The Guitar House, and there is a big old plug for the owner.



Date: May 12 2001 at 12:28:57
Name: D. Bagsby
Location: Lawrence KS
How did you find TTM? left of center
Comments:

The Kiddie Camp Saturday movies had those coupons in the paper. I remember seeing Yog (or Zog?)- Monster from Space and Reptillicus. At one time there was a Sat. afternoon TV show that ran B monster movies like "The Manster" and many John Agar type affairs. After watching cartoons from about 6 am it was a nice way to cap off the morning.


That was "Yog: Monster from Space" (aka "The Space Amoeba" and "Kessen! Nankai no daikaijû"), a Japanese epic.



Date: May 12 2001 at 08:48:13
Name: David Bagsby
Location: Planet Kansas
How did you find TTM? left turn at Crab Nebulae
Comments:

Will Rogers Theater: saw Finian's Rainbow when it premiered and some other Dean Jones Disney flick where he was a winter resort owner (can't recall the name). Also saw Blackbeard's Ghost there. Last movie viewed there was Stanley...low budget horror about killer rattlesnake tamer.

Circle: Saw all the Dr. Phibes movies on release and Frogs.

Delman: Jungle Book

Never got to see anything at the Mid-Town Art Theatre however (across from channel 6 downtown)

Fox: Planet of the Apes, loads of midnight movies.

Bowman Twin: First Men in the Moon, Earthquake, Animal House, last film viewed before Laser Tag was either Top Gun or Star Trek 2


"2001:A Space Odyssey" debuted at the Fox in Cinerama.

There was a series of cheap kiddie movies (including "First Men in the Moon") on Saturday back in the 60s. Several theatres were in on the deal. They also showed a couple of installments of an old serial along with the feature.



Date: May 12 2001 at 03:13:24
Name: Ricardo
Comments:

Oops......sorry, Barney....didn't mean to diss ya.....the third member of Great Guitars was Charlie Byrd......Herb Ellis took credit from onstage for having written the Flintstones theme when they played the Brook Theatre in the mid 80's....so don't blame me for the misinformation......The Will Rogers was indeed home to a church for a while....Sandusky Ave Christian Church, I believe....while they were in a construction phase.....they had bought the property.....alas, it is now a parking lot.......the theatre in Barnsdall has been restored, and is in use as a community theatre venue....I played there with Tulsa Opera a few years back we did a production of Amahl and the Night Visitors...it is a neat little theatre.



Date: May 12 2001 at 00:08:59
Name: Jim Reid
Location: Dallas
Comments:

My earliest memory of going to the Will Rogers was seeing John Wayne's "The Alamo" in 1960.



Date: May 11 2001 at 17:41:37
Name: Mike Bruchas
Location: Far off 11th Street
Comments:

Did the Will Rogers Theatre become a church or sumthin'?

I saw one or 2 pix there the whole time I was at TU - it showed bigger pix than The Circle did but other than some stupid Italian "fantasy" about North Pole explorers in the early part of the last Century (hey, it's 2001 stupid..)- maybe "The Red Tent" - that had the then young Sean Connery playing a 60-ish Norwegian explorer in it - I canna remember any other major movie there.

Maybe American Graffiti????



Date: May 11 2001 at 14:38:06
Name: Mike Bruchas
How did you find TTM? Somewhere in Osage County where old small-town Drive-In Theatres go to die with the buffalo herds.....
Comments:

Still wish Matt Bunyan would have bought the theatre in downtown Barnsdall 20 years ago.

I can't remember if Jack Hobson and I saw it 5-6 years ago as a theatre or a church - when "touring" Osage County.

Can anyone tell us if it still exists? There were about 3 Ma and Pa joints in B'dall renting VHS movies at that time....



Date: May 11 2001 at 14:34:14
Name: Mike "Sniffles" Bruchas
How did you find TTM? Spray-painted on the back door of The Circle Theatre.....
Comments:

Famous Tulsey Landmarks - not theatres...Watch for new national cable-run "Cancer Treatment Centers of America" TV spots - they show that famous golden skyline of "The City of Faith" but don't mention that it is in Tulsey to viewers...



Date: May 10 2001 at 22:01:14
Name: Lowell Burch
Location: Hometown of Monarchos
How did you find TTM? Second star to the left and straight on til morning...
Comments:

Let me you a bit of Tulsa-related trivia that may be of some interest to someone.

Back in the early sixties, we had some new neighbors move in next door to us in North Tulsa. They had a German Shepherd tied up in back. It looked pathetic, with one ear lying limp.

So we asked our new neighbors if the dog was OK, if they needed us to feed it or anything. They just laughed and said, "We pamper that dog to death! It stays in the house all day and night. We just tie him up in the evenings so he can be outside for a while."

They could tell we were doubtful so they added. "This dog is in the movies. He is The Littlest Hobo. His ear lies over because we had it clipped for his character."

After that we noticed that he was, in fact, quite pampered but we still wondered if it was true about him being in the movies. A few weeks later we went downtown to the Saturday morning movies and, sho'nuff, there he was up on the screen!

Recently, I looked on the net for The Littlest Hobo and discovered this dog has a phenomenal following in Canada! The original dog is no longer alive but his film launched a successful TV series and prompted additional movies.

Just another animal celebrity from T-town. Thought you needed to know.


We did, for sure...here is a link Lowell provided for The Littlest Hobo.



Date: May 10 2001 at 14:31:20
Name: Steve Dallas
Location: Former home of Boeing HQ
How did you find TTM? I left a trail of cyber-crumbs.
Comments:

Did someone say drive-ins? Here's one of my favorite sites:

http://www.driveintheater.com

It lists all drive-ins still operating, plus all "dead" ones (sadly, a much longer list) and much more.

Once you get your fill of this site, hit "Drive-in Related Links" for another huge selection of images, facts and stories. Here's another good one:

http://www.drive-ins.com/extpintr.htm

Incredibly, there are still a few of them holding on up here, even though the first movie of a double feature can't start until after 10 pm during the summer due to the late sunset. The only one near me has a big swap meet on the weekend to help justify its existance, but everyone knows it's only a matter of time before the wrecking ball gets it. I had many pleasant nights in the seventies and early eighties watching flicks at the little "51" Drive-In, west of Broken Arrow on 71st St. A storm took the screen out shortly after I left the area, closing it forever, but the fence and marquee were still there the last time I visited in '99. Y'all take good care of the Admiral Twin and patronize it often, okay? I had a lot of fun there, too. I loved watching those animated snack-bar ads between features, with dancing hot dogs and popcorn, always mixed with reminders like "3 minutes 'til showtime!" Americana at its finest.


We'll definitely try to keep it going. That first link is featured on the Links page and the Drive-in page.



Date: May 10 2001 at 13:34:30
Name: Don Norton
Location: Tulsa, Auto & Ozone Haven
How did you find TTM?  
Comments:

Some interesting details about Herb Morrison's pioneering recorded broadcast of the 1937 Hindenburg dirigible disaster have appeared in, of all places, the April issue of "American Philatelist" Magazine (for you clods out there, a "philatelist" is a stamp collector--and "I are one"). With the kind permission of the American Philatelic Society's editorial staff, I excerpt the following:

"Morrison was only 22 years old when he began working as a reporter for radio station WLS in Chicago. At that time, radio stations viewed their mission as providing live broadcasts, and even though recording technology was well established, stations would not use it. This severely handicapped the initiative of reporters. Live coverage of news events could only be accomplished through specially strung telephone lines, which required as much as two weeks lead time for the arrangements. The only other acceptable technique was for a reporter to cover the event personally, take notes, return to the station, write up the story, and read it before the microphone.

"Morrison had a better idea. He would cover the event using portable recording equipment and take the recording back to the station for later broadcast. He proposed that he travel to Lakehurst, New Jersey, and record the landing of the Hindenburg on its first anniversary flight. He would interview some of the prominent Chicagoans on board and return with the rcording for later airing.

"The proposal was initially rejected by Lenox Lord, then president and station manager. However, (it was reconsideed; time was critical and preparations hastily made). Morrison and his sound engineer, Charlie Nehlson, gathered up the portable equipment (weighing 87 pounds) and took off.

"The Hindenburg was due to arrive at dawn on May 6 but a storm forced a delay until 7 o'clock in the evening. The airship had already made nine crossings of the Atlantic, so this flight was not considered an important event and onlookers at the airfield consisted mostly of relatives and friends of the passengers. Morrison and Nehlson were accommodated in a small office inside a hangar, where they set up the sound equipment. The office had an exterior door and Herb could, by extending the microphone cable, stand outside and have a clear view of the landing.

"As he was describing how the crew was securing the Hindenburg an explosion took place, and Morrison's surprise and horror were caught perfectly by the recorder. The explosion shook the hangar and the equipment, leaving a gouge in the record. Nehlson found that he had to guide the stylus by hand, and since dirt and dust were falling from the ceiling, he also had to shield the platter with his body, preventing him from witnessing the disaster.

"A crowd had gathered as Morrison continued with his account and when an elderly lady near him fainted, he caught her around the waist. Another spectator relieved him of his burden and Morrison's 'I'm sorry, lady," can be heard on the recording. Since recordings can be stopped and started, Morrison took a pause long enough to rush out to the scene and rescue a man who had been severely burned. The man he saved was to live another twenty years. Of the ninety-seven passengers and crew aboard the flight, sixty-five survived. Morrison continued his recording and was able to interview many of the survivors, one of whom was a ship's steward who had just been dispatched by a passenger to collect his laundry when the Hindenburg exploded. The steward survived by jumping from the flaming wreckage and, during the interview, he still clung to the package of laundry.

"The recording session lasted for one and a half hours, with 42 minutes of Morrison's commentary and filled two records.....Back in Chicago, a short period of frustration ensued while the management debated whether they should break with tradition and air the recording instead of a live report. (Finally) the entire recording was aired three different times (by NBC).

"Morrison worked for the broadcast media in Chicago, Milwaukee, and New York City, and later directed radio shows, including the Arthur Godfrey Show. He built Pittsburgh statioin WTAE-TV's news section and then joined West Virginia University's staff as a radio-television specialist. He was technical advisor for the filming of the movie "Hindenburg." Morrison died in Morgantown, West Virginia, in 1989.

NOTE: I have omitted the author's report that Morrison and Nehlson were chased back to Chicago by agents sent by the German consular staff stationed at Lakehurst, fearful of an embarrassment for the Third Reich. If anyone's interested, I'll put that in later.



Date: May 10 2001 at 08:11:45
Name: David Bagsby
Location: Lawrence, KS USA Milkyway Galaxy (or is it Millaway?)
How did you find TTM? wrong turn at Albuquerque
Comments:

Roy Clark once mentioned a guitarist named Tommy Crook on the Tonight Show and supposedly said something to the effect of "he's down in Tulsa and as long as he stays there, we'll get along just fine." No disrespect to Roy but that's a pretty astute statement considering Tommy Crook is like Les Paul times Chet Atkins. Kind of hard to get excited about a guy breaking strings of his guitar during Maleguena when you've got someone who can play at least 3 parts concurrently on the same instrument.

Tommy Crook once told me the story of how someone had bet him that he couldn't play bass and guitar at the same time so he set about learning to play bass guitar with his feet. When the debut performance of this new technique arrived, he got barefooted and perched up on his stool, but when his feet touched the bass strings and his hands touched the guitar strings, the polarity of the amplifiers were off and he shocked the living piss out of himself and that was the farewell performance of this now lost art form. My brother Steve drew a cartoon of this; maybe he'll post it here sometime.



Date: May 10 2001 at 07:50:05
Name: Jim Ruddle
Location: Rye, New York
Comments:

Once upon the long ago, there was another theater in downtown Tulsa--when there was a downtown Tulsa--and it was just shy of Fifth and Main. It was the "Gem." For years, the theater had stumbled along with a B-list menu, but after WWII it began running foreign, or "art" films and had some limited success. It was there that I saw such things as "Bicycle Thief," "Open City," "Rififi," and maybe "The Red Shoes." I don't recall when it folded, but it probably antedated the collapse of the rest of the area. Oh, by the way, there was another theater at Ninth and Denver, the "Tower," I believe, and it flourished during and immediately after the war. There were others, including one down near Second Street--was it the "Liberty"?--but I think I only went there once for some cowboy thing when I was a kid. You shared your popcorn with rats.



Date: May 10 2001 at 01:08:12
Name: Richard Wilson
Location: Tussa, on South Cincinnati
How did you find TTM? a bit chewy
Comments:

Eric Clapton was quoted in an interview at one time as saying that the greatest guitar player he ever saw was playing at the Holiday Inn in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and his name was Tommy Crook. Also, the legendary Herb Ellis (from Muskogee, I believe) is the author (composer?) of the theme to the Flintstones......

"Flintstones, meet the Flintstones,
They're a Montessori family."

You may be thinking of Barney Kessel, a jazz guitar master of similar stature from Muskogee. Both Kessel and Ellis were part of the group, "Great Guitars". A composer named Hoyt Curtin penned the themes to both "The Flintstones" and "The Jetsons". Chet Atkins once mentioned Tommy Crook on the Tonight Show as being a great guitar player.



Date: May 09 2001 at 11:47:49
Name: Mike Miller
Location: Vienna, VA
How did you find TTM? Extremely entertaining!
Comments:

Oh, those great old downtown movie houses! The Ritz had an organist (Milton Slosser sp?) as I recall and a ceiling of clouds and stars that blinked. The Orpheum at one time had vaudeville acts, both were on Fourth Street. The Rialto was on Third Street, and The Majestic was on Main near Fourth. The Majestic eventually went to Adult movies.

At the Majestic, when I worked at KOTV, I recall interviewing one of the actresses in town for a promotion. This was very early X-rated stuff and I recall she complained about male actors who were old, fat and left their shoes on.

Other popular theaters were the old Plaza (double features and Saturday serials, but later foreign films,) at 15th and Peoria and the Brook on South Peoria in Brookside.

In addition to the previously mentioned Circle, don’t forget the Will Rogers on 11th Street.

Drive-ins have been discussed at length, but I seem to recall the Admiral Twin, Skyline (North Cincinnati) The Sheridan, Riverside and Airview in East Pine. Where was the Apache?


Gailard Sartain painted the Will Rogers for a Christmas card. The Brook now serves as a restaurant...



Date: May 09 2001 at 09:26:27
Name: Kirby Chaney
Location: The (once) greatest city, Alexandria, Egypt
How did you find TTM? A guy on a donkey pointed me in this direction
Comments:

I told ya Pam Van Dyke had a belly-dancing show!

If the Robert Earl Keen slated for Mayfest is the one from the Austin area, give him a listen. He has a great following in Austin. His CD even gets some play here in Alexandria at Don Carlos' (formerly the Portuguese Club).

Speaking of the Delman, what were the other downtown movie houses? I remember the Rialto, but there was another one nearby. And I think the Circle went to adult movies for a time before disappearing. All of them had lots of red velvet, columns, gold tassles.



Date: May 09 2001 at 08:59:50
Name: Steve Bagsby
Location: Out in the fraidy hole
How did you find TTM? sitting next to my Civil Defense booklet
Comments:

Well, if the Chinese are hacking our computer systems, perhaps we can jam their TV signals. Perhaps back-to-back episodes of Hee Haw.

So, with this in mind, what kind of programming would the TTM crowd suggest as good torture?


You've seen the infomercials with people on exercise machines constantly sliding back and forth? (people who work on their physiques at least 6 hours per day) Let's beam those over, 24/7.

The dial of my Zenith Royal 40 transistor radio set for Civil Defense reception Re Civil Defense...remember "Conelrad", supplanted in 1963 by the Emergency Broadcasting System? This site's theory that such shows as "I Dream of Jeannie" and "Bewitched" express nuclear fears is a bit specious (a stronger theme in them and in other 60s sitcoms is the increasing empowerment of women), but it has some interesting comments about the Cold War era.

The best movie I have seen on this subject (other than Dr. Strangelove) is "The Atomic Cafe". I saw it (and bought the soundtrack for $1.00) at the Williams Theatre in its art house phase in the 80s. One of the filmmakers, Jayne Loader, has her own site: Public Shelter.



Date: May 08 2001 at 19:12:03
Name: Erick
Location: Tulsa
Comments:

Hey, has anyone heard about KTUL's website being hacked by some big-time Chinese hackers? They must've really done a number, because ktul.com is STILL down!


I also discovered on Sunday that the Oklahoma Tourism site (a good one) was similarly hacked while updating the links on Gaye Brown's site. It had a couple of profanities on a red background. I passed the word to a friend of mine who works for Oklahoma, and it was fixed by Sunday night. This cyberwar is apparently retaliation for the spy plane business a few weeks ago.



Date: May 08 2001 at 19:00:42
Name: Webmaster
Comments:

Archived Guestbook 78.

We were talking about movie theatres, the Delman in particular, and its neighbor business, Massad's, the ladies' lingerie store. Tommy Crook, a world-class Tulsa guitarist, was a topic, as were Pam Van Dyke's belly-dancing program and Mike Flynn's "Easy Country". We saw graphics from the Mayo Hotel's better days. The NAB Code came up in a discussion about the excessive quantity of commercials on TV/radio. Comments about KAKC's Scooter Segraves and KLIF-Dallas' Gordon MacLendon started it off.

We're already off and running with Chinese hackers!



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