Easter Memories

Today’s Easter memories are circa 1966. As a young tot in San Diego, you can see the jolly anticipation on my face of collecting Easter eggs. As the youngest of three, I was allowed to be front and center with my two older brothers.



In our house, Easter was almost as big as Christmas when it came to celebrating. There was the Easter egg hunt followed by a very hearty breakfast made from scratch by Mom. Although Easter is a religious holiday, I cannot ever remember being told the meaning behind the celebration or ever having that discussed in our household.



Sure, we went to church on Easter (one of the two times we went during the year), but Jesus and Christianity were saved for the minister, not discussed at home. The home celebration was completely secular. New outfits, bunnies (the toy kind), candy, coloring eggs, and chocolate…lots of chocolate.



I helped flip the pancakes for our Easter breakfast.



Meanwhile, over in the land of Shirley…for Easter, 1936, Shirley received this gigantic card from Kansas. From the accompanying publicity blurb:

Shirley Temple proudly displays a huge Easter Greeting Postal Card autographed by five hundred little girl friends of Hutchison, Kansas. The card is eight feet long and four feet high.



With postal rates today, you’d probably need to take a second loan out on your home to be able to send this gigantic card. Anybody recognize the names on here?


In 1940, Shirley posed with a gigantic stuffed bunny and colored eggs that spelled out the holiday. I wonder if Shirley placed them or if the prop man did it? Time is money, so most likely it was the prop man.



A color portrait from the same Easter session:



Shirley fandom aside, for Easter, it’s Judy and Fred all the way. You just can’t beat “Easter Parade” (1948) as the annual classic to watch. Below is a newly created caricature of Judy from the film’s finale.



While Gene Kelly (originally cast in the male lead until he injured his ankle) would have made a more age-appropriate pairing for Garland, you can’t help but root for Garland and Astaire to walk triumphantly together down Fifth Avenue at the end of the film in the title number.



For all who celebrate today (Christian AND secular versions!), I wish you a Happy Easter!

See more photos at my main website.

1950 Pictorial California, Pt. 2

Am finally getting back to the series from the 1950 Pictorial California publication. This group of pages showcases Beverly Hills. In the first image, we see Sunset Municipal Park. It opened in 1915 and was referred to simply as Sunset Park, located just off Sunset Boulevard. The park was renamed in 1952 in honor of entertainer Will Rogers, who was appointed the first “Honorary Mayor” of Beverly Hills in 1926. How the area looked when I photographed it in August 2013:



On April 7, 1998, this park was put on the map for all the wrong reasons when singer George Michael was arrested for inappropriately using the restroom shown below with undercover cop Marcelo Rodriguez. $810 and 80 hours of community service cleared that incident all up. The restroom has since been torn down. Is nothing sacred anymore?



Across the street is the swanky Beverly Hills Hotel:



The rated a two-page feature.



Probably because they purchased an. The Chateau didn’t, thus they didn’t even rate a photo caption. Money talks…



The Beverly Hills Hotel, circa 2018:



The Polo Lounge, as seen twenty years ago for Easter 2006. It was a delicious brunch, as I recall. Mary Ann Mobley and Gary Collins were dining there as well, just two years before his DUI conviction. Maybe the Easter Bunny drove him to it.



More Pictorial California to come!

See more photos at my main website.

Downtown Disney Car Show, circa 2008

In June 2008, Downtown Disney had a display of vintage autos, including this little Red Corvette (did it belong to Prince?).



Notice the Black Book in the windshield; perhaps it was the one used on the cover.



A yellow Pontiac GTO:



The GTO was the one that popularized muscle cars back in the 1960s.



This Chevy Camaro was the Official Pace Car for the 1969 Indianapolis 500:







How appropriate to have “Tigger” at Downtown Disney.



When I saw Tigger, he was at the Plaza Inn:



Back in June 1966, classic cars were parked right at the entrance:



See more Anaheim Downtown Disney photos at my main website.