__________________________________________________ PLEASE FORWARD THIS ISSUE TO OTHER INTERESTED 'DETROITERS'! Click here to subscribe. To unsubscribe, scroll to bottom of this page. mm
DETROIT 1950
WHERE WAS THIS PHOTO TAKEN? Winners* will be announced in the June Newsletter.
*Your prize? Why, the fame and notoriety you'll enjoy once your name appears on the Winners List!
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In last month's issue we asked you to identify the intersection shown in the photo below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NO MAY 2009 ISSUE Aww, I hear your collective groans of disappointment... but the reason is, I'll be in the Detroit area from May 1-11 and won't have time to put an issue together.
The good news: the June issue will be packed with a lot of fun stuff from my trip 'home,' including photos I plan to take of places like Detroit Historical Museum, Hitsville (Motown Museum), Pewabic Pottery, Sanders (eat your heart out), the Detroit Zoo (weather permitting), and more. The pics will be uploaded to Detroit Memories Webshots
So, cheer up...the June issue will definitely be worth the wait.
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FOLLOW ME AROUND DETROIT! Live vicariously as I galavant around the city. http://twitter.com/DetroitMemories Who knows, maybe I'll even put together a last-minute, informal get-together while I'm there for our Detroit Memories followers. Watch my Twitter page for updates.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SWINGIN' TIME EVENT! ***
FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2009 ~ 7:30-10:30 pm Macomb Community College Lorenzo Cultural Center ROBIN SEYMOUR will host a re-creation of Swingin' Time, complete with a short video clip from his TV show.
Adding to the atmosphere will be a dance floor and local band VANHAMMEL. Attendees are encouraged to dress in '60s style. Admission: $20.00 per person Food and a cash bar — and a fabulous time for everyone!
Robin would love to re-unite at this event with the 'teens' who danced on his show!
Detroit Memories (that'd be me, Eileen) will be there. Joining us will be Gordon Castelnero, author of TV Land - Detroit and Rick Stevers, drummer from the band Frijid Pink and maybe Art Cervi, co-producer of Swingin' Time, who we best remember as Detroit's Bozo the Clown
A HEARTFELT THANK YOU from ROBIN SEYMOUR to everyone who sent along their Happy Birthday wishes last month. He was very humbled that so many remembered him. He's hoping to see many of you at the MCCC event on May 1st. ~ ~ ~ Robin Seymour Guest Book
GEORGE KELL Detroit Tiger / Sportscaster August 23, 1922 - March 24, 2009
Detroit Tigers third baseman George Kell, Hall of Fame third baseman and longtime broadcaster died in Newport, Ark. on Tuesday, March 24, 2009. He was 86. Kell played 14 years in the AL with Philadelphia, Detroit, Boston, Chicago and Baltimore. He was selected to play in 10 All-Star games. After he retired, Kell broadcast Tigers games from 1959 to 1996 — every year except 1964.
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URIEL JONES Funk Brothers' Drummer 1963-72 June 13, 1934 - March 24, 2009
The Funk Brothers' drummer Uriel Jones, left, Duke Fakir of The Four Tops, center, and saxophonist Gil Bridges of Rare Earth, sat in the recording studio to greet the public at the Motown Museum on Monday, Jan. 12, 2009, in Detroit, the 50th anniversary date of Motown Records. Fortunate are those who had the opportunity to meet Uriel that day.
Motown drummer Uriel Jones, whose hard-driving funk propelled classic tunes by The Temptations and Marvin Gaye, died in a Michigan hospital on Tuesday after suffering complications from a heart attack. He was 74. Jones, the last surviving drummer in the Motown session band known as the Funk Brothers.
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ANOTHER BUILDING BITES THE DUST CHIN TIKI 1955-1980 Building razed March 2009
The oldest running jazz club in the world, its small stage has seen the likes of Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Cab Calloway, John Coltrane, and Ella Fitzgerald, to name a few. But just as the club is preparing to celebrate its 75th anniversary, owner John Colbert has made it known that its doors may soon be closing. Read more by clicking on their website link above.
40 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK WKNR/KEENER 13 Survey for week ending Thursday, April 10, 1969
TITLE ~ ARTIST 1. Aquarius/Let The Sunshine ~ 5th Dimension 2. You've Made Me So Very Happy ~ Blood Sweat & Tears 3. Time of the Season ~ Zombies 4. Sweet Cherry Wine ~ Tommy James & The Shondells 5. More Today Then Yesterday ~ Spiral Staircase 6. Hawaii Five-O ~ Ventures 7. These Eyes ~ Guess Who 8. The Boxer ~ Simon & Garfunkel 9. Love ~ Mercy 10. Try a Little Tenderness ~ Three Dog Night
Occasionally I receive emails I feel would be of interest to our Detroit Memories Newsletter subscribers. With permission from the authors, I'll publish them.
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THE GLOW WORMS
Hi Eileen,
I’m a former Detroiter who went from a blue-collar background to a teen club band, to the most popular bar band in Detroit, to TV, and then to Hollywood as the first entertainment reporter for CNN. I’ve had a great ride. But it all started in Detroit, where I was born and raised.
The picture with Soupy Sales (I'm the one on the far left) was of The Glow-Worms. Amazingly, we were making money at the age of 12 playing Bar Mitzvahs and weddings, etc. We eventually became The Sunliners, playing teen clubs, then night clubs like the Club Cliché, Roostertail, Club Gay Haven, Deer Hunt Inn and the Peppermint Lounge in NYC. After two other originals and myself left the band, they morphed into Rare Earth and went on to sell millions of records.
When I was doing TV here in San Diego, Soupy came through and I did an interview with him which I still have on tape somewhere. He was great.
Congrats on your Detroit Memories site. Very nice!
I was a disc jockey in Detroit during the '60s (WXYZ, WABX, WJBK, WCAR) and wanted to let you know that I have negotiated some time on WPON 1460 AM to do four nights of shows over the Memorial Day weekend. I have collected lots of airchecks from Detroit DJs of the past (still looking for more), plus I hope to have a few guests on the show as well. It should be fun.
__________________ EILEEN'S NOTE: Check WPON's schedule page in May for dates and times.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** GOT QUESTIONS? DETROIT TV GUY ED GOLICK Webmaster of www.DetroitKidShow.com and a vintage Detroit TV show expert
QUESTION: What happened to Auntie Dee? I used to watch her on TV when I was a young girl.
Judy Hileman Monroe, MI
ED: Dee Parker sang with Jimmy Dorsey's band before she found fame in Detroit as TV kiddie show host Auntie Dee. Parker moved to Los Angeles in 1956, where she was a fixture at local supper clubs. She died in 2000.
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QUESTION: Does anyone remember watching Romper Room and lady with the Magic Mirror? I think it was broadcast from Windsor ONT. ED:Detroit had two Romper Room shows. The first one was on WWJ with Ardis Kenealy, who was also one of WJBK's "Miss Fairweather Girls." The second was on CKLW with Flora Paulin, who sadly was killed earlier this year in an automobile accident.
Romper, bomper, stomper, boo, tell me, tell me, tell me do. Magic mirror, tell me today, did all my friends have fun at play?
I still have a Romper Room balance basket. Here's the basket song:
See me walk so straight and tall. I won't let my basket fall. Eyes ahead, and don't look down. Keep that basket off the ground.
WERE YOU PART OF DETROIT TV HISTORY? Ed Golick wants to hear from you!
~ ~ ~ Sagebrush Shorty's School of Dance, Music and Affiliated Arts Looking for people who attended this Sagebrush Shorty School on Van Dyke and 11 Mile in the mid 1960s. Sagebrush Shorty, played by ventriloquist Ted Lloyd, hosted a children's TV show on WJBK and WXYZ from 1955 to the mid 60s. If you have any stories about the school, email them to me at detroittvguy@hotmail.com
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Quiz 'Em Looking for people who were on "Quiz-Em," a current events TV quiz show for teens, hosted by Carl Cederberg. It aired on WWJ thru the 50s and 60s. Email me at detroittvguy@hotmail.com
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Auntie Dee Show If you performed on WXYZ-TV's Auntie Dee Show, I'd love to talk to you for an article I'm writing for my website. Email me at detroittvguy@hotmail.com
Keith Wunderlich, author of the book Vernor's Ginger Ale, will be presenting the history of Vernor's at various Detroit area locations. Keith's presentations include over 100 photos of Vernor's advertising, soda fountains and Vernor family history. He also brings many pieces of Vernor's advertising with him for you to see. Come join him for a walk down memory lane!
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR April 13, 2009 ~ 7:00 p.m. ~ Grosse Isle Historical Society April 30, 2009 ~ 7:00 p.m. ~ Rochester Hills Public Library May 4, 2009 ~ 7:00 p.m. ~ Livonia Public Library May 13, 2009 ~ 7:00 p.m. ~ Northville Public Library May 19, 2009 ~ 7:00 p.m. ~ West Bloomfield Public Library May 20, 2009 ~ 7:00 p.m. ~ Wayne (City of) Public Library May 21, 2009 ~ 7:00 p.m. ~ Livonia Historical Society ~ ~ ~
For more information on the presentations go to the Vernor's Club website www.wowway.com/~vernors or email Keith at vernorsclub@yahoo.com. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Something nostalgic for yourself or someone you know. ~ ~ ~ WHERE YOU’LL FIND DETROIT MEMORIES T-SHIRTS * DETROITER AT HEART APPAREL BOOKS * DVDs * POSTERS * MUSIC * FAYGO * BETTER MADE ~ ~ ~
LOOK WHAT'S COMING!
Detroit Remember When I and II on one DVD! $19.98 Releases on June 2nd Be one of the first to own one. INFO & PREORDER DVD ~ ~ ~
The Detroit Historical Society is honoring John Kelly and Marilyn Turner, along with Detroit TV broadcasters Soupy Sales, Bill Bonds, Bill Kennedy, Emery King and Amyre Makupson with an exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum thru August 2009.
Sign up now to receive information on all of the exciting exhibits and events offered by the Detroit Historical Society, your complete history resource!
Detroit St. Thomas Apostle HS ~ All Classes St. Ambrose HS ~ All Classes
Detroit Redford HS ~ Class of '59 Walled Lake Central ~ Class of '59 Mother Of Our Savior ~ '60s Grade School Reunion Highland Park HS ~ Class of '64 Waterford Kettering HS ~ Classes of '64 & '65 East Catholic HS ~ Class of '69 Lakeview HS ~ Class of '69 Livonia Franklin HS ~ Class of '69 Southfield HS ~ Class of '69 St. Mary HS (Mt. Clemens) ~ Class of '69 Waterford Kettering HS ~ Class of '69 Wyandotte Roosevelt HS ~ Class of '69
Madison HS ~ Class of '74 Clintondale HS ~ Class of '77 Lincoln Park HS ~ Class Of '78 Airport HS (Carleton, MI) ~ Class of '79 St. Clement HS ~ Class of '79
SHOP www.EverythingDetroitStore.com and purchase something to wear, read or view! Revenue generated from the store (including Amazon.com purchases) helps to offset the website and newsletter expenses.
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BECOME A SPONSOR* For only $20 per issue, individuals or companies can sponsor one issue of the Detroit Memories Newsletter which, as of today, reaches over 1,500 subscribers and is growing at a rate of new 60 sign-ups per month.
Your sponsor name will appear in the main banner: THIS MONTH'S ISSUE SPONSORED BY: YOUR COMPANY NAME HERE and at the end of the Newsletter along with your logo or other text you submit (both are optional).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CURRENT SUBSCRIBERS Are you receiving this Newsletter as text instead of HTML? Do we have your city and state information? Have you joined a 'Detroiters' group? Do we have the name of the Detroit area high school you attended?
Update or change your information by clicking on the preferences link at the bottom of this email. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GOT COMMENTS, COMPLIMENTS, QUESTIONS or SUGGESTIONS about this Newsletter? I want to hear from you! Email: eileen@detroitmemories.com
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Submit items for the Detroit Memories "You Know You're From Detroit If..." list to: info@detroitmemories.com
__________________________________________________ PLEASE FORWARD THIS ISSUE TO OTHER INTERESTED 'DETROITERS'! Click here to subscribe. To unsubscribe, scroll to bottom of this page. mm
DETROIT 1956
What Intersection Is This? Send your guess to info@detroitmemories.com Winners* will be announced in next month's Newsletter.
*Your prize? Why, the fame and notoriety you'll enjoy once your name appears on the Winners List!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In last month's issue we asked you to identify the intersection closest to the bus stop shown in the photo below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OOPS! The link to the Hudson's Recipes in last month's issue was broken. Sorry 'bout that. Try this: HUDSON'S RECIPES Includes their famous Maurice Salad!
Occasionally I receive emails I feel would be of interest to our Detroit Memories Newsletter subscribers. With permission from the authors, I'll publish them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GRATIOT DRIVE-IN
Eileen,
I'm putting together a new website devoted to the Gratiot Drive-In.
I reserved the domain name and I'm working with a friend on the structure. If we can figure out the mechanics, the Gratiot Drive-In waterfall will flow again! The website will have a message board, photos, history, and I'm planning to put a music video together that will showcase the photos in an elegant slide show. I've had this idea in my head for a long time and now it's time to give it life. I'm looking for ANYTHING related to the Gratiot Drive-In. I believe that someone must have photos or video of the Gratiot Drive-In, especially when from when it was demolished. Such a shame. It was billed "America's Most Beautiful Drive-In." Meanwhile, I've uploaded some photos at MichiganDrive-Ins.com in the Ozoner Forum section.
I'm just writing to thank you for featuring my website in the latest edition of the Detroit Memories Newsletter. It's obvious your web-site attracts a lot of traffic as I noticed the number of visits to my site increased dramatically on the day the Newsletter was released and for a few days there after.
Keep on sharing those Detroit memories and keep up the good work!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** GOT QUESTIONS? R DETROIT TV GUY ED GOLICK Webmaster of www.DetroitKidShow.com and a vintage Detroit TV show expert
QUESTION: I've been trying to get more info on the WXYZ's Radio Schoolhouse show that was on every Sunday about 12 noon. It ran through the 40's and part of the 50's. Johnny Desmond started on that show. When it disbanded, I know some of the talent went to WJR's Make Way For Youth. Ron Harrington
ED: Dick Osgood, host of Radio Schoolhouse, wrote about the show in his book "WYXIE WONDERLAND: An Unauthorized 50-Year Diary of WXYZ Detroit." Here's the excerpt: "There were forty juvenile regulars on it (Radio Schoolhouse). Each week, ten children had solo spots and the other thirty did choral harmony behind them, and arm movements, and sometimes dancing. The groups of ten rotated so that every youngster had a solo spot once a month. The children were auditioned very carefully. Once accepted, they stayed on the show until they were sixteen when they automatically "graduated." Graduation Sunday came to be an annual event that jammed the theater. It was not unusual for people to line up around the block to get in. The audience paid admission and stayed to see the movie. Fred Rivard, ex-vaudevillian who ran a dancing school, was choreographer; Eve Gladstone, staff pianist, trained the singers; and Benny Kyte and several musicians accompanied in the orchestra pit with special arrangements made by Harry Stafford. A week's work went into every broadcast of Radio Schoolhouse."
Note: WYXIE Wonderland has been out of print for 20 years; it sells for hundreds on the internet.
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QUESTION: I grew up in Detroit (1942-1960) and our family watched George Pierrot every Sunday. My father owned a restaurant/bar that Mr. Pierrot frequented with his guests from the show. My question is, when did Mr. Pierrot pass away and where is he buried? Thank you.
Doug McLeroy
ED:George Pierrot passed away on February 16, 1980. He is buried in the historic Elmwood Cemetery. On the day of his passing, George's wife Helen was having chest pains, so George called EMS. While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, George had a heart attack. When the ambulance finally arrived at their Indian Village home, Helen told them that the call was for her, but "please take my husband. He is worse off than I am." George's last words were to the EMS technicians: "One of you boys better drive. I don't feel up to it."
Keith Wunderlich, author of the book Vernor’s Ginger Ale, will be presenting the history of Vernor’s at various Detroit area locations. Keith’s presentations include over 100 photos of Vernor’s advertising, soda fountains and Vernor family history. He also brings many pieces of Vernor’s advertising with him for you to see. Come join him for a walk down memory lane!
For more information on the presentations go to the Vernor’s Club website
April 13, 2009 ~ 7:00 p.m. ~ Grosse Isle Historical Society April 30, 2009 ~ 7:00 p.m. ~ Rochester Hills Public Library May 4, 2009 ~ 7:00 p.m. ~ Livonia Public Library May 13, 2009 ~ 7:00 p.m. ~ Northville Public Library May 19, 2009 ~ 7:00 p.m. ~ West Bloomfield Public Library May 20, 2009 ~ 7:00 p.m. ~ Wayne (City of) Public Library May 21, 2009 ~ 7:00 p.m. ~ Livonia Historical Society
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SWINGIN' TIME EVENT! *** FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2009 7:30-10:30 pm Macomb Community College Lorenzo Cultural Center ROBIN SEYMOUR will host a re-creation of Swingin' Time, complete with a short video clip from his TV show.
Adding to the atmosphere will be a dance floor and local band VANHAMMEL. Attendees are encouraged to dress in '60s style. Admission: $20.00 per person Food and a cash bar — and a fabulous time for everyone!
Detroit Memories (that'd be me, Eileen) will be there. Robin would love to reunite at this event with the 'teens' who danced on his show!
Joining us will be Gordon Castelnero, author of TV Land - Detroit and Rick Stevers of the band Frijid Pink Watch for more names in the April issue.
W I S H ROBIN SEYMOUR A Happy (March 9th) Birthday! ~ ~ ~ Robin Seymour Guest Book Click on the link above, then scroll to the bottom of the page to sign his Guest Book
1960s: THE FOCUS OF NEW SERIES AT LORENZO CULTURAL CENTER Remember the 1960s? If not (for whatever reason), the Lorenzo Cultural Center at Macomb Community College is shining a spotlight on that pivotal decade in American history with a new series of events and exhibits.
The Sixties: A Decade that Defined a Generation will explore the politics, music and societal events that impacted America and the Detroit region during that tumultuous time. The program series opened Feb. 28 and continues through May 16.
The Detroit Historical Society is honoring John Kelly and Marilyn Turner, along with Detroit TV broadcasters Soupy Sales, Bill Bonds, Bill Kennedy, Emery King and Amyre Makupson with an exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum from March 14 thru August 2009.
Sign up now to receive information on all of the exciting exhibits and events offered by the Detroit Historical Society, your complete history resource!
SHOP www.EverythingDetroitStore.com and purchase something to wear, read or view! Revenue generated from the store (including Amazon.com purchases) helps keep the lights on.
- OR -
If you enjoy visiting the Detroit Memories website or receiving this Newsletter, consider making a donation. The amount doesn't matter.
DETROIT MEMORIES NEWSLETTERS P A ST I S S U E S Available soon: PDFs of Past Issues
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CURRENT SUBSCRIBERS Do we have your city and state information? Have you joined a 'Detroiters' group? Do we have the name of the Detroit area high school you attended?
Update your information by clicking on the preferences link at the bottom of this email. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GOT COMMENTS, COMPLIMENTS, QUESTIONS or SUGGESTIONS about this Newsletter? I want to hear from you! Email: eileen@detroitmemories.com
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Submit items for the Detroit Memories "You Know You're From Detroit If..." list to: info@detroitmemories.com
