RARE MOMENTS WITH THE KING - ELVIS BACKSTAGE, on Milton Berle

RARE MOMENTS WITH THE KING BACKSTAGE - Elvis on Milton Berle Show Elvis Helps Milton about Girls ELVIS Rare Moments with the king video 1

'55 FLEETWOOD CADILLAC REMINDS NEW OWNER OF MARILYN MONROE, 'WONDERFUL ERA'

-OR- TOP 10 REASONS TO BUY A 1955 CADILLAC FLEETWOOD

 

We saw Elvis' similar Fleetwood, perhaps car of the decade,  in previous posts...

Tony Lukaszewski of Walnut Creek shows his 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood four door sedan, which has been repainted the original color called Pacific Coral with a Cape Ivory top. (Photo by David Krumboltz) . Otherwise the rest of the car is original with only 55,000 miles, Kukaszewski is the fourth owner.    All of the big three auto manufacturers had spectacular models   but 'Cadillac firmly established itself as 'Standard of the World,' eclipsing Packard, in  1955.

 Foreign  luxury cars were not yet a major factory in this country, says David Krumboltlz , in his article  appearing int he Contra Costa Times newspaper.  

'Luke' as he's known bought the car for the color, mainly. The car /'reminds me of a wonderful era. It's funny how cars mirror women, and to me this car reminds  me of the MARILYN MONROE-era, especially the coral-and-ivory color.' The Fleetwood was synonomous with top-of-the-line  Cadillacs. To identify it as a 1955 Fleetwood, the car had 12 vertical chrome hash marks plus a Fleetwood script on the trunk lid. The car measures nearly 19 feet  as campared to 16 feet for similar models today. It weighs 4,545 pounds -almost   2  1/2 tons.

There were 18,000 of these Fleetwoods produced. This model sold for $4,728,

(SEE ELVIS' SIMILAR '55 FLEETWOOD BUT PINK, PICTURED IN PREVIOUS POST)

 

 The 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood four door sedan sports an air scoop. (Photo by David Krumboltz)

 

Air vents are visible inside the 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood four door sedan. (Photo by David Krumboltz)

1955 Cadillac Fleetwood four door sedan features an electronic eye headlight dimmer. (Photo by David Krumboltz)

 The gas cap is hidden behind a taillight on the 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood four door sedan. (Photo by David Krumboltz)

 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood four door sedan's spacious interior. (Photo by David Krumboltz)

 (sounds like a commercial, doesn't it)

The 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood four door sedan has a spacious interior. (Photo by David Krumboltz)

Four feet for your two legs, or something like that. Back seats were not an afterthought in these days.

The 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood four door sedan has been repainted the original color called Pacific Coral with a Cape Ivory top. (Photo by David Krumboltz) We see the use

of 'fender skirts' over the tires , here, mentioned in a previous article

 

 The radiator and the grille on the 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood four door sedan. (Photo by David Krumboltz)

ART LABOE - Last of the West Coast Original DJs, First to Play Rock and Roll and other Firsts

Rare interview , below, with the great ART LABOE, still going strong with his 'lowrider oldies' niche programming in LA @ http://youtu.be/YbIdmFrZCcw Didn't know he started at KSAN in SF with Jumpin George Oxford and then the first to play rock and roll on west coast at Scrivner's drivein. Talks about 'inventing' 'Oldies but Goodies' and his other 'firsts' . Now all the other LA originials are gone - Huggy Boy, Hunter Hancock, Wolfman, etc. Laboe recounts his colorful LA radio history. May he continue on long...

Laboe broadcast from Scrivner's Drivein, Los Angeles

DJs used to do a lot of remote broadcasts. Here Laboe did a regular gig at Scrivner's Drive In.

On a personal note I remember as a kid visiting Los Angeles at the Roosevelt Hotel(?) and hearing a DJ broadcast from Dophin's (?) across the street on Hollywood Blvd, I believe. Exciting stuff

The  recently passed, great CLEVE DUNCAN, second from leflt, and his PENGUINS (Earth Angel)
doing record shop promo in the 1950s.


The Penguins were the biggest thing to hit L.A., with Earth Angel as Rock and Roll and
rythm and blues intersected in 1955. Laboe was there to capture the Penguins and sign them to his Oldies but Goodies.
Another new piece of info for me, was that Laboe was the one to put out the great early '60s 'Memories of El Monte' single and album by the Penguins. The song paid tribute to a very popular stadium for early rock and roll shows, just outside of Los Angeles. The song was written by none other than 13 year old Frank Zappa. 

Listen closely to the lyrics of Memories of El Monte and , even if you weren't there at the time,  you can

get a feel for what it might have been like at County Legion Stadium, El Monte, CA

Bob Keane, who had his own record label, DelFi, in Los Angeles, where he was also a big part of the LA scene and no doubt a part of Laboe's circle. Keane discovered and recorded Richie Valens and Sam Cooke among others

Laboe's famous series that originated in the early '60s. This was Volume 1 of many.  Artists were
many of the aforementioned local artists.

Home of 'Oldies But Goodies'

L:aboe with another great local DJ  via Philadelphia, Dick Clark

Whereas Laboe had a more normal vocal syle, 'Jumpin' GEORGE OXFORD had a real unique 'jive'  broadcast, also of KSAN, where Laboe began. 
Oxford might argue  that HE was the first West Coast DJ to bring R and B together with Rock and Roll, though
he's not around to protest. He may have been as big or bigger in the San Francisco Oakland
area in the mid 1950s as Laboe was in Los Angeles. He would move to KDIA in Oakland  where he emphasized the R and B sound at one of the first black oriented stations.
Hear Oxford's 'black' sound, by clicking on his face, above

Laboe was the ALAN FREED of the West Coast with his oldies shows. San Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Little Richard, Richard Berry, Jesse Belvin,  the Shields, The Larks along with the Penguins  were among the popular West Coast artists who would perform on such bills

A Real Oldie but Goodie - ROAD TO SUCCESS Celebrating 100 Years - FOLLOW!

Wishing You  HAPPY DAYS

The Original ROAD TO SUCCESS Poster

Now Celebrating it's 100th Year!

Back for a limited engagement, our famous Road To Success print approx 26" x 17",

circa 1913, pointing the way to true success. Boy, does the world need this today! 

It can be yours for a mere $15 or two for $20 plus $5 shipping

- We're been selling them since 1982 and still have some remaining from 30 years

so send now.. Makes great gift for students , business or anyone seeking the true path

to success (You'll  love all anachronistic   expressions of the day.

GO TO http://RoadToSuccess.biz or http://RoadToSuccess.us

LIKE POLITICS BUT HATE WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS DOING?

 LIKE SPORTS BUT HATE PEDs IN BASEBALL? 

LIKE WORDS OF WISDOM IN PICTURES AND CARTOONS? 

Then follow the complete blog,

http://wwwyellowpagescouponsnet.blogspot.com/

and 

http://facebook.com/RoadToSuccess1
and
http://facebook.com/OldiesCountry
and
http://OldiesCountry.com

Pray More, Worry Less, Laugh More, Stress Less,

Hug More and Hurry Less

The World Needs More Mayberry and Less Honey Boo Boo

LIKE POLITICS BUT HATE WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS DOING?

 LIKE SPORTS BUT HATE PEDs IN BASEBALL? 

LIKE WORDS OF WISDOM IN PICTURES AND CARTOONS? 

Then follow the complete blog,

http://wwwyellowpagescouponsnet.blogspot.com/

and 

http://facebook.com/RoadToSuccess1
and
http://facebook.com/OldiesCountry
and
http://OldiesCountry.com

Fender Skirts and Supper -Words You Don't Hear Anymore

 

 

FENDER SKIRTS AND SUPPER   I know some of you will not understand this message, but I bet you know someone who might. I came across this phrase yesterday. 'FENDER SKIRTS '     A term I haven't heard in a long time, and thinking about 'fender skirts ' started me thinking about other words that quietly disappear from our language with hardly a notice like 'curb feelers '   And ' steering knobs. ' (AKA) 'suicide knob, ' 'neckers knobs. '   Since I'd been thinking of cars, my mind naturally went that direction first.   Any kids will probably have to find some older person over 50 to explain some of these terms to you.   Remember ' Continental kits? ' They were rear bumper extenders and spare tire covers that were supposed to make any car as cool as a Lincoln Continental.       When did we quit calling them ' emergency brakes? At some point ' parking brake ' became the proper term. But I miss the hint of drama that went with ' emergency brake. ' I ' m sad, too, that almost all the old folks are gone who would call the accelerator the ' foot feed. ' Many today do not even know what a clutch is or that the dimmer switch used to be on the floor. For that matter, the starter was down there too.     Didn't you ever wait at the street for your daddy to come home, so you could ride the 'running board ' up to the house?     Here's a phrase I heard all the time in my youth but never anymore - ' store-bought. ' Of course, just about everything is store-bought these days.   But once it was bragging material to have a store-bought dress or a store-bought bag of candy.   'Coast to coast ' is a phrase that once held all sorts of excitement and now means almost nothing. Now we take the term ' worldwide ' for granted. This floors me.     On a smaller scale, ' wall-to-wall ' was once a magical term in our homes. In the '50s, everyone covered his or her hardwood floors with, wow, wall-to-wall carpeting!   Today, everyone replaces their wall-to-wall carpeting with hardwood floors. Go figure.       When was the last time you heard the quaint phrase 'in a family way? ' It's hard to imagine that the word ' pregnant ' was once considered a little too graphic, a little too clinical for use in polite company, so we had all that talk about stork visits and 'being in a family way ' or simply ' expecting. '   Apparently ' brassiere ' is a word no longer in usage. I said it the other day and my daughter cracked up. I guess it's just ' bra ' now. 'Unmentionables ' probably wouldn't be understood at all.   I always loved going to the ' picture show, ' but I considered ' movie ' an affectation.     Most of these words go back to the ' 50s, but here's a pure ' 60s word I came across the other day ' rat fink. ' Ooh, what a nasty put-down!   Here's a word I miss - ' percolator. ' That was just a fun word to say. And what was it replaced with ' Coffee maker. ' How dull... Mr. Coffee, I blame you for this.       I miss those made-up marketing words that were meant to sound so modern and now sound so retro. Words like ' Dyna Flow ' and ' Electrolux ' and ' Frigidaire ' . Introducing the 1963 Admiral TV, now with ' Spectra Vision! '       Food for thought. Was there a telethon that wiped out lumbago? Nobody complains of that anymore.   Maybe that's what Castor oil cured, because I never hear mothers threatening kids with Castor Oil anymore.       Some words aren't gone, but are definitely on the endangered list. The one that grieves me most is ' supper. ' Now everybody says ' dinner. ' Save a great word. Invite someone to supper. Discuss fender skirts.       Someone forwarded this to me. I thought some of us of a ' certain age ' would remember most of these.         Just for fun, pass it along to others of ' a certain age. '                         IF YOU AREN'T OF A CERTAIN AGE, YOU MUST KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS.

 

 

 

 

DION (DiMucci) Celebrates Birthday, New Book- Excellent Interview Covers An Extroardinary Life

But for a coin flip, this interview could have been with Richie Valens and not Dion DiMucci. You see, Dion LOST the coin flip in February 1959 for a seat in the ill-fated plane that cost the lives of Valens, Buddy Holly and Big Bopper. Actually, Dion WON the coin flip, he relates, along with Big Bopper, but didn't want to spend the $36 and deferred to   Valens.

Dion is one of the true pioneers of rock and roll, maybe not from the VERY beginning, but definitely the first wave of the Fifties. Over 50 years later Dion has been to hell and back - and he talks in detail about this all this including stories about 'old soul' Buddy Holly and his friends as if it were yesterday - and his many career phases, from the social comment song of 'Abraham , Martin and John' to religious songs.


Today, Dion has found answers to many of his and life's questions - 'We're all wanderers' he says - as he relates in his book 'The Wanderer Talks Truth'.  He talks about his relationship with fellow New Yorker, John Lennon and others. SEE   Dion Store  - scroll down to bottom for book

Dion, with many seminal songs in rock and roll , including 'I Wonder Why,' ' Runaround Sue' and 'The Wanderer' , has to be considered among the Top 10 true rock and rollers and certainly one of the top doowop acts.  He was one of the few early artists to write and record many of his own songs and he talks about the real life inspiratons for these.

Though he's in the rock Hall of Fame, Dion has sometimes been left out  of rock's historical perspective  as he's never quite fit one category and spanned them all, so this is a important interview - and book that will, hopefully,  bring him more cred- if that even matters to Dion. We look forward to viewing both. Enjoy!

PS One story we love about Dion, certainly covered in the book, is where he, a Christian, talks of walking by the Jewish Synagogue in New York and loving the minor, meloncholy melodies of the Cantor, which would inspire much of his sound and songs, such as 'Diane.'

Elvis Surprise July 4 Appearance in CA

Elvis made a rare appearance in San Pablo Ca and shared his patriotism.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVbef1O6phQ&sns=em