Halloween Newspaper Ads from the Sixties

For much of the 20th Century, several dime stores department stores, and discount stores could be found in towns across the United States. Some of these stores belonged to national chains, such as Woolworth or McCrory, while others belonged to smaller regional chains or were locally owned. One thing that they all had in common is that they often took ads in the local newspapers. This was particularly true when a holiday was approaching, such as Halloween. Below are a few Halloween ads for stores in Missouri from the Sixties.

This is an ad for Kresge's from the October 18 1961 issue of The Sedalia Democrat. I don't remember Kresge's, as we never had a store in our county, but they were a fairly well-known, large national chain of variety stores. It was in 1962 that the S.S. Kresge Company opened the first Kmart, one of the first discount stores. Over time, like other dime stores, the Kresge's stores disappeared from the landscape. As to the S.S. Kresge Company, it became K Mart Corporation in 1977.

This is an ad for TG&Y from the October 28 1962 issue of the Moberly Monitor-Index. TG&Y was a large chain of variety stores in the United States. At its height it had over 900 stores in 29 states.

An ad for Woolworth from the October 23 1966 issue of the  Jefferson City's Sunday News and Tribune. Woolworth is still fairly well known, even if the last Woolworth store in the Untied States closed years ago. This ad being from 1966, quite naturally the ad features Superman, Batman (whose hit TV show was in its second season), and The Green Hornet (then appearing in his own TV show).

This is an ad for Ben Franklin from the October 25 1967 issue of the Moberly Monitor-Index. Unlike some of the other stores mentioned in this post, Ben Franklin is still in operation, even if it is not as big as it once was. The Ben Franklin chain was founded in 1927 by the mail-order company Butler Brothers. At its peak in 1959, there were over 2500 stores across the United States. Over time Ben Franklin would evolve from the old variety stores into craft shops, some of which survive to this day.

This ad for the Gibson's Discount Centre is from the October 23 1968 issue of the Chillicothe, Constitution-Tribune. Gibson's Discount Center was a large chain of stores that originated in Abilene, Texas. By 1968 there were 438 stores located in several states (including Missouri). Over time the chain would decline, and it would be closed by 2002. Apparently there are still some old Gibson's stores, now independents, that still use the name.

This is an ad for Mattingly's from the October 22 1970 issue of the Mexico Ledger. Chances are good that if you are not from Missouri you might never have heard of Mattingly's--there seems to be next to nothing online about the chain of dime stores online--but at one time there were several Mattingly's stores across the state. The very first Mattingly's store opened in Odessa, Missouri in April 1914. By 1937 it had already grown into a small chain. By the early Seventies there were 56 Mattingly stores across Missouri. It was at this time that Mattingly Brothers Stores Company began opening family variety centers under the name Mactco. Unfortunately, over time Mattingly's would go into decline. It was in 1986 that the remaining Mattingly and Matco stores were acquited by PM Place Stores, a chain based out of Bethany, Missouri. PM Place Stores itself would be acquired by  ShopKo Stores Inc. in 2000.

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Something Wicked This Way Comes could possibly be the most famous novel by Ray Bradbury, There are certainly many who consider Something Wicked This Way Comes to be a perfect novel to read around Halloween. While it does not deal with the holiday, Something Wicked This Way Comes takes place from October 23 to October 25, and features subject matter suited to Halloween.

Something Wicked This Way Comes centres upon two 13 year old boys, Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade. Not only are the two neighbours and best friends, but Will was born one minute before midnight on October 30 and Jim was born one minute after midnight on October 31. The two boys, with the help of Will's father Charles, find that they must defend their hometown of Green Town against the malevolent, supernatural carnival known as Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show. Headed by the menacing Mr. Dark, the Pandemonium Shadow Show featured such unusual attractions as the Dust Witch, The Skeleton, and a rather unusual carousel.

In writing Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury drew upon his childhood spent in the Midwest. It would be his second novel to be set in the fictional city of Green Town, Illinois, the first being Dandelion Wine (published in 1957). It is fairly obvious that Green Town was inspired by Ray Bradbury's hometown of Waukegan, Illinois. A portion of the inspiration for Something This Way Comes may well go back to 1932, when Ray Bradbury's uncle Lester Moberg was murdered and a young Ray Bradbury met a sideshow performer known as Mr. Electrico.

Ray Bradbury's uncle, Lester Moberg, was an attendant at the Veteran's Bureau hospital in North Chicago. Lester Moberg had been shot in a struggle with a mugger. While  surgery performed on him seemed successful, he died a week later. It was following the death of Ray Bradbury's uncle that he had his encounter with Mr. Electrico. While Ray Bradbury's account of his meeting with Mr. Electrico would vary, in nearly every account Mr. Electrico sat in an electric chair with a sword in his hand. Several volts of electricity would would be run through Mr. Electrico so that his hair would stand on end and sparks would leap from his fingers. He then stood and went for to the children, tapping each one of them with the sword. He tapped young Ray Bradbury with the sword so that electricity ran through the boy, and told him, "Love forever!"

Ray Bradbury usually portrayed the death of his uncle and his meeting with Mr Electrico has having occurred on Labour Day weekend in 1932. Relatives of  Ray Bradbury also believed that this was the date of Lester Mosberg's death. According to records, he died on October 24. The date of October 24 is significant, as it is also the date that Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show arrived in Green Town in Something Wicked This Way Comes. Given Ray Bradbury always said his uncle died in September, it seems very unlikely that Ray Bradbury intentionally chose October 24 for the date of the sinister, supernatural carnival's arrival, but it seems quite possible that his subconscious pulled that date from deep in his memory.

While Something Wicked This Way Comes owed much of its inspiration to Ray Bradbury's childhood, the novel also owed a good deal to film. Ray Bradbury and his wife Marguerite were invited to a showing of Invitation to the Dance (1956) by their friend, legendary actor, director, and dancer Gene Kelly. The carnival sequence in the movie struck a particular chord with Mr. Bradbury. He told his wife walking home from the film, "I'd give my right arm to write a screenplay for Gene Kelly." His wife told him she was certain that in his files he had something dealing with carnivals or circuses.

The two of them looked through his files and found a short story entitled "The Black Ferris" that had been published in Weird Tales (May 1948). ). Ray Bradbury wrote an 80 page screenplay and sent it to Gene Kelly. Gene Kelly loved the screenplay and wanted to both produce and direct it. Unfortunately, he had difficulty getting backing for the project. Gene Kelly sent the script back to Mr. Bradbury. Ray Bradbury then re-wrote the screenplay as the novel, Something Wicked This Way Comes.  It was published in 1962.

Something Wicked This Way Comes has received generally positive reviews from the beginning. In the June 15 1952 issue of Kirkus Reviews, it was observed of the novel, "The allusions (the October country, the autumn people, etc.) as well as the concerns of previous books will be familiar to Bradbury's readers as once more this conjurer limns a haunted landscape in an allegory of good and evil. Definitely for all admirers."  It would also have a lasting influence on various authors. Stephen King referenced Something Wicked This Way Comes in his novel The Dead Zone. Something Wicked This Way Comes also provides much of the inspiration for Stephen King's novel Needful Things. Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, R. L. Stine, and yet other authors have also been influenced a good deal by Something Wicked This Way Comes.

The influence of Something Wicked This Way Comes would go beyond literature. The title of Harry Nilsson's second album is Pandemonium Shadow Show, taken from the novel. The band Creature Feature's song "The Greatest Show Unearthed" references Something Wicked This Way Comes and their 2007 album The Greatest Show Unearthed takes inspiration from the book. Tessa Violet named her 2016 EP Halloway after Will Halloway. Yet other music artists have referenced the novel in songs and on albums.

Something Wicked This Way Comes would also have an impact on movies and television.  Don Coscarelli has credited Something Wicked This Way Comes with some of the inspiration for his movie Phantasm (1979). The 2003 HBO series Carnivàle would appear to owe Something Wicked This Way Comes.Such shows as South Park, The League of Gentlemen, and Rick and Morty have paid homage to the novel. Something Wicked This Way Comes has itself been adapted as a film twice.  Forest Hill Film Unit & Drama Troupe produced a 1972 low-budget adaptation of the novel directed by Colin Finbow. The second time was a big budget version produced by Walt Disney Productions and Bryna Productions.

Something Wicked This Way Comes would not be Ray Bradbury's last novel set in Green Town, Illinois. In 2007 Farewell Summer, the sequel to Dandelion Wine, was published. A collection of short stories and vignettes set in Green Town, Summer Morning, Summer Night, was published in 2008.

Something Wicked This Way Comes is still counted among the greatest novels ever written. It is certainly one of the most influential. And given its subject matter and the time in which it is set, it remains one of the best books to read around Halloween.

Godspeed Ron Ely

Ron Ely, who played Tarzan on television and Doc Savage on film, died on September 29 2024 at the age of 86.

Ron Ely was born on June 21 1938 in Hereford, Texas. He graduated from Amarillo High School in 1956. He attended the University of Texas in Austin for a year before he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting. He made his film debut in a bit part in South Pacific (1958) as a navigator. In the late Fifties he also appeared in the films The Fiend Who Walked the West (1958) and The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1959). On television he guest starred on Father Knows Best, Steve Canyon, Playhouse 90, How to Marry a Millionaire, The Millionaire, and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. He played Dobie's older brother in the unaired pilot for The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, a part played on the series by Dwayne Hickman's real life older brother Darryl Hickman.

In the Sixties, Ron Ely was a regular on the TV series The Aquanauts. After former NFL player Mike Henry, who had played Tarzan in film, quit, Ron Ely was approached about playing Tarzan on a television series. He was reluctant to take the part, but his agent convinced him to do so. The series ran for two seasons and 57 episodes. He also guest starred on the TV shows Thriller and The Courtship of Eddie's Father. He appeared in the movies The Night of the Grizzly (1966) and Once Before I Die (1966).

In the Seventies, Ron Ely played his second best known role, that of Clark "Doc" Savage in the cult film Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975). He also appeared in the movies The Cry of the Black Wolves (1972), Alleluja & Sartana are Sons... Sons of God (1972), MitGift (1976), and Slavers (1977). He guest starred on television on Ironside; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Wonder Woman, Fantasy Island, and The Love Boat. He was the host of the game show Face the Music. He hosted the Miss America pageant in 1980 and 1981.

In the Eighties, Ron Ely starred in the 1987, syndicated revival of the TV show Sea Hunt. He guest starred on the Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Matt Houston, and Hotel. In the Nineties, he guest starred on the TV shows Superboy, the Nineties series Tarzan, The Hat Squad, L,A. Law, Renegade, and Hawkeye. He guest starred on the syndicated TV series Sheena in 2001 and he appeared in the TV movie Expecting Amish in 2014.

Ron Ely published two novels, Night Shadows in 1994 and East Beach in 1995.

I think it is safe to say that Ron Ely will always be best remembered as Tarzan and Doc Savage. While Tarzan only ran for two seasons, it proved to be successful in syndication, so that Ron Ely was the first Tarzan for many people. While Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze bombed at the box office, it developed a cult following after repeated showings on television, despite departing a bit form the original pulp novels. While Ron Ely was best known for playing heroes, he could play other sorts of roles as well. In an episode of the Nineties, syndicated series Tarzan, Mr. Ely even played a villain, a hunter who hunts Tarzan. He also played a villain in an episode of the TV series Hawkeye. Ron Ely played a variety of other sorts of roles on TV shows and in movies, from military officers to police officers to athletes. He won't be forgotten.

The Los Angeles Times' 2024 Digital Día de Muertos Ofrenda

During the COVID-19 pandemic many Day of the Dead festivities were cancelled around the country. It was then in 2021 that The Los Angeles Times created a digital ofrenda to which individuals could submit photos and memories of their loved ones who have died. And while the COVID-19 pandemic would end, The Los Angeles Times has brought its virtual Día de Muertos altar back every year ever since. Indeed, each year I have submitted a memory and a photo of Vanessa to the altar.

The Los Angeles Times set up this year's digital ofrenda today, and you can submit any photos of your loved ones' (including pets) to it here. The Los Angeles Times will accept submissions until November 1. A selection of the virtual ofrendasw will be included on their community altar at Hollywood Forever Cemetery and in a special print edition to be published on November 3 2024. You can make your submissions here.

Last year's digital ofrenda for Vanessa

The Dodgers on 1960s Television

Leo Durocher, Mister
Ed, and Alan Young

As a kid growing up in Missouri, the first professional baseball team of which I was aware was the St. Louis Cardinals. As to the second professional baseball team of which I was aware, I am guessing that it was either the Dodgers or the New York Yankees. I am inclined to think it was the Dodgers. It would not be surprising if they were, as they had a fairly high profile in the Sixties and Seventies. Indeed, the Dodgers had a fairly high profile for much of their history. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, the Brooklyn Dodgers had been referenced in such movies as Once Upon a Honeymoon (1942), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), It Happened in Brooklyn (1947), and yet others. Probably the Brooklyn Dodgers movie was The Jackie Robinson Story, the biopic in which Jackie Robinson himself starred. The Dodgers hardly disappeared from the media after moving to Los Angeles in 1958. If anything, they appeared with regularity on television.

I am not sure when the Dodgers were first referenced in a scripted television show. It might well have been when they were still in Brooklyn. One of the earliest was the 1960 Michael Shayne episode "Strike Out." In "Strike Out" detective Michael Shayne investigated the death of a former baseball star. Los Angles Dodgers Sandy Koufax, Ed Roebuck, Larry Sherry, and Stan Williams appeared as themselves, as well as legendary Dodgers announcer Vin Scully.

The Michael Shayne episode "Strike-Out" would be followed by yet other, more famous appearances of the Dodgers on television shows in the Sixties. Among the most famous is the 1963 Mister Ed episode "Leo Durocher Meets Mister Ed." In the episode, the famous Mister Ed becomes frustrated with the Dodgers' poor playing of late and goes to the length of calling their coach Leo Durocher with advice on batting. Leo Durocher appeared as himself, as did Sandy Koufax, John Roseboro, Moose Skowron, and announcer Vin Scully.

Of course, the fame of "Leo Durocher Meets Mister Ed" may be matched or even surpassed by two other sitcom episodes in which the Dodgers are referenced. In the 1963 episode of The Beverly Hillbillies "The Clampetts and the Dodgers," Jed and Jethro go golfing, only to encounter Leo Durocher, who wants to hire Jethro as a pitcher. Leo Durocher also tries recruiting someone in the 1965 episode of The Munsters "Herman the Rookie," In the episode, when Herman Munster knocks a baseball out of a park and knocks out Leo Durocher eight blocks away, Mr. Durocher seeks out Herman to sign him to the Big League.

Before being referenced on The Beverly Hillbillies and The Munsters, the Dodgers had been referenced on other sitcoms. In fact, the all-time champion among sitcoms when it comes to the Los Angeles Dodgers may well be The Donna Reed Show. Don Drysdale appeared in no less than four episodes of the show. In the 1962 episode "The Man in the Mask," Donna's son Jeff got an interview with Don Drysdale. Don Drysdale also appeared in the 1963 episode "All Those Dreams," in which Jeff travels with his father to Chicago to see the Dodgers play there. The following year Don Drysdale appeared in the episode "My Son the Catcher," in which Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants also appeared. The 1964 episode "Play Ball," in which  Donna's husband Alex organizes a charity game to benefit his hospital," not only featured Don Drysdale and Willie Mays again but also Leo Durocher.

Don Drysdale not only appeared on The Donna Reed Show in 1962 but also in the Leave It to Beaver episode "Long Distance Call," in which Beaver makes a long-distance call to the pitcher. Don Drysdale also appeared as himself on the short-lived show Our Man Higgins and later The Brady Bunch (by which time he had retired). In addition to Mister Ed, Sandy Koufax also appeared in the 1962 Dennis the Menace episode " Dennis and the Dodger," in which Mr. Quigley gets the Los Angeles Dodgers to play an exhibition game. Don Drysdale, Tommy Davis, Frank Howard, Willie Daivs, Moose Skowron, and Ron Perranoski all appeared on The Joey Bishop Show, with the voice of Vin Scully announcing a Dodgers-Mets game as well.

As to the legendary announcer Vin Scully, he not only appeared on Michael Shayne, Mister Ed, and The Joey Bishop Show, but he also appeared on the short-lived sitcom Karen and was the voice of various baseball announcers on yet other shows. Of course, he was also the narrator of the short-lived, cult show Occasional Wife.

As to why the Dodgers and Leo Durocher appeared so much on television shows in the Sixties, I suspect part of it was because Hollywood always had a soft spot for the Dodgers, even when they were in Brooklyn. When the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, one can perhaps not blame Hollywood if they fell even more in love with the Dodgers. On top of this, when they were still the Brooklyn Dodgers, they won the World Series in 1955. They won the series again in 1959, 1963, and 1965.

As to why the Dodgers began appearing less frequently on TV shows in the Sixties, that is more difficult to say. Perhaps part of it was that the team stopped doing as well as they did in the late Fifties and early Sixties. The 1965 World Series would be the last one they would win until 1981. Their last National League Pennant won in the Sixties was in 1966. No longer the champions they once were, the Los Angeles Dodgers were no longer a hot commodity in the late Sixties. Of course, it is also possible that the novelty of Los Angeles having its own team simply wore off where Hollywood was concerned. Regardless, for a time in the Sixties, a year did not go by that some Dodger or Leo Durocher or Vin Scully didn't appear in some television show. And the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to appear in television shows to this day.

Christmas Commercials Already?

Last night I was watching The NBC Nightly News only to be confronted by a Christmas-themed commercial for Wayfair. While I was slightly annoyed, at the time I did not think too much about it. After all, there have been past years where a lone Christmas commercial has aired this early. As it turned out, this Wayfair commercial would hardly be a lone commercial. Last night I watched shows on Hulu and Tubi. I saw Christmas-themed commercials for both Hobby Lobby and Old Navy.

Now I don't want anyone to think that I hate Christmas. In fact, it is my favourite time of year. After Thanksgiving, I will start watching Christmas movies and listening to Christmas songs. Around December 1 I will have the house decorated and my Christmas tree trimmed. I have even accepted that the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Mystery start showing Christmas movies this time of year and will continue to do so until New Year's. While I don't like missing The Golden Girls and Murder, She Wrote, I can always avoid the Hallmark channels until December 1 Unfortunately, there is not much way I can avoid Christmas-themed commercials, especially when they are airing during the national news and old shows on streaming services.

The simple fact is that it is two weeks before Halloween. Right now the leaves on most of the trees have not changed and the temperature is in the seventies (if one uses Fahrenheit). It is very much autumn and it feels very much like the weeks leading up to Allhallowtide. At the moment my mind on Halloween and  Día de Muertos. I have Halloween decorations up. Come October 27 I will set up my ofrenda for my dearest Vanessa. I am not thinking about putting up my Christmas decorations any time soon, nor am I thinking about what Christmas presents I will get my loved ones this year. I am certainly not thinking of snow (which rarely happens here on Christmas anyway), Christmas music, Santa Claus, or anything else associated with the holiday. Quite simply, right now I just want to enjoy the Halloween and Day of the Dead vibe of this time of year, not a holiday whose time won't come around for well over a month.

I can only think that many in the retail industry are convinced that by trotting out Christmas imagery and Christmas music well before Halloween, it will encourage people to do their Christmas shopping early. I do not believe this for a moment. First, it seems to me that most people will not do their Christmas shopping until Black Friday at the earliest, and many of them will wait until December. According to the survey known as the Shopify-Gallup Holiday Shopper Pulse from last year, only 8% of all shoppers said their Christmas shopping would be finished before December. I doubt Christmas-themed commercials will convince many to start their Christmas shopping in October, before Halloween has even passed. Second, there are probably many like me who are annoyed by Christmas-themed commercials airing before Halloween. And many like me will probably block out such commercials and make sure not to shop at those retailers advertised in those commercials.

Christmas is my favourite holiday, but I want to celebrate it in its own time. I don't want to see commercials with Christmas themes during what is the season of Halloween. Of course, sadly I am also aware that complaining about such commercials does little good. It seems like a few retailers out there will continue to roll out Christmas advertisements early, regardless of what anyone thinks.

The Late Great Mitzi Gaynor

Mitzi Gaynor, the singer, dancer, and actress known for such musicals as Les Girls (1957) and South Pacific (1958) and a number TV specials, died today, October 17 2024, at the age of 93.

Mitzi Gaynor was born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber on September 4 1931 in Chicago. Her father was a violinist and cellist. Her mother was a dancer. She was enrolled in her first dance class when she was only eight years old. Her family moved from Chicago to Elgin, Illinois and then to Detroit and finally to Los Angeles. She trained as a ballerina while still young.  At 13 she convinced Edwin Lester, general director of the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera that she was 16 and as a result she got a part in the musical Song without Words. Afterwards in a West Coast production of Jerome Kerns' Roberta she danced a comedy bit. She then appeared in productions of The Fortune Teller, Song of Norway, Naughty Marietta, and The Great Waltz.

It was while she was in The Great Waltz that she was noticed by a Fox producer and she was signed to 20th Century Fox. Having gone by "Mitzi Gerber," 20th Century Fox gave her the stage name "Mitzi Gaynor." She made her feature film debut in My Blue Heaven in 1950. Mitzi Gaynor's film career unfolded mostly during the Fifties. It was in that decade that she appeared in the movies Take Care of My Little Girl (1951), Golden Girl (1951), We're Not Married! (1952), Bloodhounds of Broadway (1952), The I Don't Care Girl (1953), Down Among the Sheltering Palms (1953), Three Young Texans (1954), There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), Anything Goes (1956), The Birds and the Bees (1956), The Joker is Wild (1957), Les Girls (1957), South Pacific (1958), Happy Anniversary (1959), and Surprise Package (1960). Mitzi Gaynor appeared on television on The George Jessel Show, The Frank Sinatra Show, The Dick Clark Show, This Is Your Life, The Donald O' Connor Show, and The Ed Sullivan Show.

In the Sixties Mitzi Gaynor appeared in the movie For Love or Money (1963).  She appeared on television on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Jack Paar Program, The Kraft Music Hall,. Laugh In, and The Merv Griffin Show. Her first television special, Mitzi, aired in 1968. It was followed in the Sixties by the special Mitzi's 2nd Special. It was in 1961 that Mitzi Gaynor began performing in Las Vegas. By 1968 she reportedly earned $45,000  a week in Las Vegas. She would also perform at various nightclubs in the United States and Canada.

In the Seventies Mitzi Gaynor appeared almost annually on TV specials on CBS, including Mitzi...the First Time, Mitzi...A Tribute to the American Housewife, Mitzi...and a Hundred Guys, Mitzi...Roarin' in the 20's., Mitzi...Zings into Spring, and Mitzi...What's Hot What's Not.

Mitzi Gaynor also recorded the albums Mitzi (1959) and Mitzi Sings the Lyrics of Ira Gershwin (1959). She also appeared on the soundtrack albums for the movies There's No Business Like Show Business, Anything Goes, Les Girls, and South Pacific. In the 1990s she was a columnist for The Hollywood Reporter.

It is a mark of how big a star Mitzi Gaynor was that she was the headliner on the February 16 1964 edition of The Ed Sullivan Show rather than The Beatles, who were making their second appearance on the show. The Beatles were apparently fans of Mitzi Gaynor, as they asked her for her autograph. Of course, there should be little wonder that Mitzi Gaynor would be a star. She was an incredible singer and dancer who seemed to be filled with energy. When one saw Mitzi Gaynor on screen, one could not help but notice her. She remained vibrant well into her later years, so much so that it seems hard to believe she is gone. She was active on social media and she maintained close ties with Turner Classic Movies. She had attended the TCM Classic Film Festival and went on the TCM Cruise. Mitzi Gaynor certainly loved her fans, something she made clear in her posts to various social media. She referred to her audiences as "the sunshine of my life." Mitzi Gaynor's fans certainly loved her back, to the point that many of us feel as if we have lost a friend. Few performers were ever as dazzling, as talented, or as loved as Mitzi Gaynor.