Although ads for feminine hygiene were in magazines, they were not explicit, as in the ads that ended with "Modess........because." Any reference to jock itch was not allowed, or even the euphemistic term "athletic supporter." Any discussion of venereal disease was never heard. Even words like "syphilis" were verboten. Of course, mild swear words like "hell" could not be uttered. We all remember what happened when Clark Gable used the 'd' word. There was a national scandal when an engineer for the Mutual Broadcasting System was working on some equipment. He apparently made a mistake in his work, and uttered the expletive "Oh, horse shit!," not knowing that he inadvertently had put himself on the air

There also were limits to the amount of skin that could be displayed. No belly buttons were seen. Women's bathing suits were one-piece and had "modesty panels" in front so that all outlines of the female crotch were hidden. Those from our generation remember the huge uproar when Jane Russell had a little exposed cleavage in the movie, "The Outlaw." Tight clothing and big breasts were encouraged, but no outline of a nipple was allowed. The breasts had to be pointy and absolutely motionless. No wiggle was allowed above or below the equator. Marilyn Monroe later could swing her hips, but her bosom had to be like a rock. How different that was from what we have today. How long will it be until we have total nudity all the time? If this had happened at mid-century, think of the people who wouldn't have been seen: Marjorie Main, Chill Wills, Ethel Merman, Jackie Gleason, Kate Smith (ugh!), Burl Ives, and many more. So, maybe a little clothing is Ok. The people who like nipples, crotches and navels would still have their favorite items.

Pete hired me the summer between my junior and senior years at Rogers to be the office "runner." In between making runs to deliver dubs to stations and copy to clients (a million years before fax and e-mail) I could hang out in the creative department where the fun stuff happened.

The art director was a man called Tony (Dutch, I believe) who showed me how layouts were done. The copywriter gave me "test" assignments and one of my radio commercials actually made it on the air. It was for Marshall Shoes. I remembering pulling into Pennington's (Admiral) with my girlfriend and turning on my radio just as the spot was due to air. She hollered to some friends in their cars to "listen up." And I had my very first audience. Right there in the parking lot at Pennington's.

Pete was a character. A tough talking New York guy who managed to make a very sweet spot for himself in Tulsa.

Got to nail down one date that seems to keep popping up.

Der Wienerschnitzel Restaurants all went the way of so many decent places to eat in a hurry, about 1975.

I was working for the agency that handled their account when the guy that owned the franchise in Tulsa decided to close them all down, for financial reasons. It was a slow shutdown, one at at a time, rather than a quick mass panic, both at his operation and the agency, but in a year they were out of business.

Saw Steve Black's reference to Bob "Doc" Lacy, who got so many of us innocents from OSU started off in the biz in the right way.

Doc remarried in the early 70's, and then left OSU after having some health problems. After that, he ran, I believe the Carson-Barnes circus for a number of years, and dabbled in various area of broadcasting.

He passed on ca. 1975; I'll see if I can find the date in my records in the south wing of the library.

He made an impression on many of us wide-eyed, enthusiastic, GREEN wannabees, and his style of lecturing was really missed by those of us who had to finish our studies without his guidance and expertise.

There's a big differencein the level of knowledge and expertise when you have been out there and come back to train the next generation, as Doc did, and Jim Back was going to do at OSU before he passed on.

If anyone is wondering, the KILLER B has a very soft focus, and there's one scene where it is nearly impossible to tell what the people are saying. I haven't seen the Criterion copy yet, but I'm sure it's near perfect (it is...webmaster). I borrowed the Criterion version of M. HULOT'S HOLIDAY from the library yesterday and it's an amazing remasering job. After you've watched CARNIVAL, check out Vincent Price's LAST MAN ON EARTH for more footage that "inspired" George Romero; then you have to compare that to OMEGA MAN, which is based on the same novel, and come to terms with it as a part of Charleston "Out-of-my-cold-blue-hand" Heston's trilogy of Sci-Fi from the early 1970s (PLANET OF THE APES and SOYLENT GREEN being the other two parts). Heston is in about 20 seconds of BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, so we don't count that one.

Wouldn't it have been cooler if instead of "Out of my cold blue hand Mr. President" Heston had said "Get your stinking paws off my Thompson, you damn dirty ape!"?

http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue90/classic.html

"Last Man on Earth" and "The Omega Man" were both based on the harrowing Richard Matheson novel, "I Am Legend". Matheson, Charles Beaumont, and Rod Serling wrote a large majority of the original "Twilight Zone" episodes.

Just added Ron's and kicked in a couple of votes for him.

Re: Dave Harmon's wonderful memory of 'Chick Don't Care.'

The adman responsible for that hallowed commercial, I heard several years ago, was the well-regarded and early Tulsa TV gadabout Pete DeFalice (sp?).

I hope he's in somebody's Hall of Fame somewhere.

I caught it too...I agree. I'd say the jury is still out as to what Gary is all about.

I borrowed the 1962 movie "Carnival of Souls" from the library (on DVD) and watched it last night. Incredible for its low budget ($30,000), and more interesting than most $30,000,000 movies. Part of the movie was shot in Lawrence in 1961. It so happens that Mr. Bagsby currently lives in the very house seen as the boarding house in this movie.

Chick don't care....(crash) Chick just don't care! (crash)

I think they had to take that commercial off TV because there were too many windshields being broken when OFF TV....haha...I always loved that one!!

Nope, not only am I not a Tulsa car czar, I don't currently own one--so I'm firing occasional volleys at city hall for starving Tulsa Transit almost to oblivion.

Harry's name game reminds me that Don's Restaurant and Norton's Luggage had side-by-side locations on Fourth Street's north side between Main and Boston (just west of the National Bank of Tulsa, now Bank of Oklahoma)--in the 1950s, I think, but my memory isn't perfect, either.. I wish I had taken a picture of that "for posterity"--they are both gone, now.

Don's was owned by Don Funston, I think the father of Beverly Funston of Will Rogers and TU fame, and Norton's Luggage was owned by some Norton unrelated to me.

Note I said prototype on that.

I loved Minnie Pearl's, too. The one on North Peoria. I agree Dickie's was excellent as was Sir Treacher's. I understand Arthur was the top box office draw in England at one time. Still, LJS is my favorite, if they will just change the grease once every six months.

Oh, why do the tasty ones close down so soon?

Here is a poll prototype. I could set it up for one of Mike Bruchas' suggestions below. Any preference? Maximum number of choices is ten.

Re: Black's TV suspicions at OSU and the similar experiences of others

I got the nuts and bolts of Radio-TV at USC, theory at Yale, and came away with mixed feelings about commercial broadcasting.

I was dizzy with idealism and pretty much convinced that Paley's and Sarnoff's money-grubbing in the late 20's and 30's had almost ruined radio's potential for the common good. As I saw it, in opposing the creation of a BBC-like net in the United States (which might have made a big cultural and educational difference in a perfect world, but only at the expense of CBS and NBC), they had advocated enfeebled regulation by an FCC that from 1934 on would allow Madison Avenue swashbucklers to pillage and plunder while minimizing the networks' obligations to the public interest, like NBC's having no news department to speak of until 1941 and CBS's having one a bit earlier only because of the saintly Murrow's being in Europe on a cultural assignment in the late 30's but thinking it might not be a bad idea to also cover the Anschluss.

After the war, along came television and history repeated: loose regulation, towering, unbelievable profits. Then things really got worse in 1982 with Reagan's changing the FCC board from seven members for seven years to five for three. It's been downhill ever since until what we have now looks and sounds like anarchy. Anything goes, no accountability, insane striving for ratings, semi-literate disc jockeys, monopolies, an ethos that too much in profit is never nearly enough.

Aside from the political voices which appear to have stabilized, Imus seems to symbolize radio's rebuke of good taste while television gives in to continuing realities and ever-declining public expectations.

It's a far cry from what I never got to try, deciding as I did at the last minute to switch to law, and even further from what I first imagined long ago, long before college, that radio and television would be---announcers in tuxedos, great voices (like those on KVOO who sounded perfect with so much resonance in reading that OTASCO tag, "Thank You, Here's Your Change. Remember, You Always Save at Your Friendly Oklahoma Tire and Supply Store"), respect for the audience, good manners and the NBC pronunciation guide.

I hear that Stern thought the same thing as a little boy.

Dick Schmitz was one of the "Thank You, Here's Your Change" OTASCO spokesmen.

Yes, I do remember it, esp. since the parking lot was rather crowded with people "hanging out" (and not eating hotdogs). ;-) I also remember Mary's restaurant downtown, where they had cheap and tasty steaks, before Sizzler's existed. Sometimes I'd cut class at TU, and go have a steak there.

Golly, just seeing Doctor Lacy's name brought back so many memories. Years later when I was working in Hollywood producing and writing TV, I often thought of one of the first things Lacy said to the class: "Remember, the purpose of a television show is to serve as a SPOT CARRIER." He went on to explain that Radio/TV were the only forms of show business in which the audience is the product. I found his reasoning difficult to swallow because I had dreams of someday programming exciting television on the network level. I wanted to think that the purpose of TV was to entertain and educate and said as much. Lacy, knowning my father was General Sales Manager of KTUL-TV admonished my stupidity.

He and his wife entertained the department at a Christmas party that year. They were closet country and western singers. Does anyone know what happened to the Lacys?

As for remarks about various old burger joints in Tulsa. I still stand behind my love of Brownie's on Lewis (don't know if it's still there or not). I also remember a true "joint" - a counter operation at Admiral and Harvard called Pat's Hamburgers back in 1955.

This site has elicited so many memories for me since my brother, Phil, tipped me off a few months ago to its existence. Thanks so much for providing such a wonderful forum.

You're more than welcome, sir. Brownie's is now at 21st & Harvard.

Best Chicken-Fried

Best Burgers

Best Drive-in

MOST MISSED JOINTS.

Will always remember everyone at TU talkin' about Bishop's Chili - which closed before my time. I still miss the Cross-Town and Ray's. In my travels have seen about 10-12 small town tiny restaurants named Ray's - maybe a chain we never knew that was a chain?????

Mr. Norton is right, of course.

The man's name was Gomer Jones. I wish I could say it was a typographical error, but I intentionally wrote Homer Jones, memory being what it is, non plus, aucun moins.

What I'm trying to figure out now is whether Don Norton is a Tulsa car czar and would fit somewhere between Don Carlton and Jim Norton?

I realize his position is about as profound as George Carlin's bit on blue food, but such memories are what keeps this site going.

Is $115 billion going up in smoke? Is the jig up? Or about to get better?

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2003-06-17-warning_x.htm

By the way, deep fry aficionados should know that Tator Tots are an Idaho creation, 1958.

Memories of a childhood with the Pure Food and Drug Act.

Mother knew best.

She was a snobby health nut and never allowed me to get even close to hot dogs and hamburgers. I wanted a party with Big Macs on my 12th birthday but she took us instead to the Summit Club where we had a good view but organic surprises which nobody liked.

"Someday you'll understand," she said, and it wasn't until my 27th birthday that I finally got out on Sheridan, gorged on burgers ala vulcanized and got to see my first Okies with dirty fingernails.

I remember doing the Sunday-morning shift, all-religious programming, at KAKC in the Tradewinds, putting on one of those 30-minute transcriptions, racing up Peoria to Claud's, ordering a burger, and racing back to the station in plenty of time to finish eating before the next program was to begin.

Info on Weird Al tickets is under your entry down the page. I'll add it to the "UHF" page this evening.

He's like most of us Aggies that learned to talk on the "eelectric raydio" under Doc Lacy; a lot of us went on to be cops and sell insurance, or things totally unrelated, but we all still worship at the Shrine of the Golden Transmitter.

There is one food page already: Nelson's Buffeteria.

The place turned into Donnie's Hamburgers, and still does a decent job of "Old Fashioned Hamburgers" and fresh cut fries. Now what intrigues me is the owner is the son of the owner of Norman Angel's the drive-in that was where the McDonalds is now on the northeast corner of Admiral & Memorial. I remember it being a cool hangout in the 50s!

One of the more profound questions Mackey had during his stay had to do with fast food places serving biscuits. He said that he never saw a town where pictures of "biscuits and gravy" were pictured on signs. I think that was back when KFC was giving their over-priced biscuits a big push, and Grandy's also seemed to be getting in on the action. As far as I can remember, KFC has always had biscuits and gravy, and I would hardly call that fine dining.

By the way, I love WAKING LIFE, but it's not for everyone. Here's the link to the official site:

http://www.wakinglifemovie.com

I've got to rent the DVD on that one; I really liked his two movies you mentioned, and especially his "Before Sunrise".

Tulsa briefly had a Big Ed's in the strip center on the southwest corner of Admiral and Memorial in the mid-1980s. It got a little publicity when it first opened for its huge burgers, but apparently didn't last long. I ate there a couple of times (ate only their smaller burgers), but the burgers didn't seem to be as good as the FreddieBurger in Bixby, which was my favorite at the time.

Does anyone still remember the joint called "The Hole"?

It was out the back exit of Central and down the street to the east. Was that 5th? Don't remember for sure.

Anyway, they didn't call it The Hole for nothing. As I remember, you had to walk down some steps from street level to get in there and there was a small patio. Gimme a break...that's doing pretty good considering it's been 45 years ago!!

Anyone remember this place? I used to go there almost every day to be with my hoody girlfriend instead of hanging out at Chris's. (that place was for breakfast with my other girlfriend that had no tattoos, knives or brothers in jail for murder...later executed!!)

You said a muzzleful, Mr. dog.

We need a Tulsa TV Memories television show, hosted by Mike Ransom. Show old video, interview guests, take phone calls and discuss old Tulsa landmarks and eating establishments. Sonny could lead the band and maybe Sam Jones could be the co-host and laugh at Mike's jokes.

...Luby's? The Cherry Street Farmers' Market? Hooters?

(Haw, haw, haw!)

But seriously, folks...

He may view it differently, of course, but evanescent topics like fast foods and ideology won't survive or perish because of cranky, middle brow meditations.

He will be performing at the RiverPark Amphitheater on August 1st.

I need tickets!

Here's some info:

Tickets on sale for $29.50 each plus service charge for general admission or $39.50 each plus service charge for reserved seating at Albertson's Stores, by phone through Star Tickets at 1-888-597-7827, or online at www.startickets.com; gates open at 6 p.m.; no pets, chairs, coolers, cameras, outside food or beverages allowed; blankets are encouraged. Contact River Parks Authority at 596-2001 for more details.

Luby's? The Cherry Street Farmers' Market? Hooters?

Legislative Resolutions aside, prior to 1988, Oklahoma was well known for popular Democratic politicians, including David Boren, David Hall, Ed and J. Howard Edmondson, Fred Harris, Carl Albert, Robert S. Kerr and Mike Monroney, and legislators too numerous to list.

The problem with Mr. Lime’s latest theory is that barbecued pork, chicken-fried steak and sausage with biscuits and gravy are not fast food. Please let us know where we can grab these Oklahoma delicacies in a drive through pick up window?

I don't think Mr. Lime is obsessed with the question, he just tossed it out for consideration. I wasn't sure if fast food fiends were supporting the politics of fast food chains, or being victimized by them, or none of the above. That's about where we left it.

Hungry, down-to-earth, fast-food junkie Republicans could probably get all of this anywhere, even at the Celebrity Club---but after dark at the back door.

We saw a recent photo of some underground DJs of the 70s to start it off. The notion of a correlation between a city's fast food outlet density and its political bent was explored, followed by a feeding frenzy.

That's Guestbook 136, get it while it's hot!