No Basement

In a classic scene from "Pee Wee's Big Adventure," the fraudulent fortune-teller, Madam Ruby (Erica Yohn), reveals that Pee Wee's bicycle has been hidden in the basement of the Alamo. After many comic twists and turns, Pee Wee finally makes it to San Antonio.



Here is the classic scene where a crestfallen Pee Wee learns the truth about The Alamo: THERE'S NO BASEMENT! Jan Hooks steals the scene as the all-too-real tour guide, Tina. NOTE: while the exterior was filmed at The Alamo in San Antonio, the interior tour shots were not. They were filmed north of Los Angeles at the Mission San Fernando Rey de España.

 

Before I visited San Antonio, everyone told me not to be disappointed by the size of the Mission Building. Up close, it looks imposing:



Take a few steps back, and not so much.



Nevertheless, the events that occurred here back in 1836 are monumental. The Battle of the Alamo was a 13-day siege where Mexican troops launched an assault on the Alamo Mission killing all of the Texian defenders. The battle inspired many Texans to join the Texan Army, which brought about the defeat of the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, thus ending the revolution.

An important line was drawn here, commemorated by this plaque.



A rare interior shot of the Alamo:



Unless you go early in the morning or late at night, the surrounding property is typically very crowded with tourists. It is still a beautiful area worth seeing.





There may not be a basement, but of course there's a gift shop.





Somehow this Cinderella Carriage just doesn't seem to fit here.



See more of the REAL Alamo at my main website.

Dinner at The Esquire

My very favorite dining experience in San Antonio was The Esquire Tavern. I was somewhat unimpressed by the plethora of touristy restaurants that dotted the downtown and Riverwalk area, so I was pleasantly surprised when this one lived up to the hype. The bright neon sign can be found at the Commerce Street entrance.

One level below, you can enter from the Riverwalk.





Touted as the oldest bar in San Antonio on the Riverwalk, this establishment also claims to have the "longest wooden bar top in Texas - over 100 feet of beer-soaked wood, rubbed smooth by the elbows of a zillion tipplers." The Esquire Tavern opened in 1933 to celebrate the end of Prohibition. Sounds like a lot of cool history to me!

The interior is an eclectic mix of the Wild West and the 1930's; as soon as I walked in I was hooked!



If taxidermy offends you, this might not be your place.



If you like velvety patterned wallpaper and interesting light fixtures, then you might feel at home.



Let's get to the good stuff: my dinner! I started off with a delicious Pimms Cup:



followed by a basket of fried pickles:



The heirloom tomato salad was unavailable, so I thoroughly enjoyed a cup of the tortilla soup instead.



Bring on the entree! I devoured the Frito Pie which was a hearty concoction of pork & bean chili, smoked gouda, onion dip, and scallions. The Frito bag under the bowl was genius.



The only misstep for me was the homemade fried apple pie; it was a little bland for my tastes.



Just as I was leaving, my waiter suggested that since I liked to take photos (apparently I wasn't as subtle as I thought), I should check out the "downstairs."



Basically, he pointed me to paradise.



Dark and full of nooks and crannies, this place was crazy incredible.





I will definitely return here on my next visit to San Antonio!

More savory shots of the Esquire Tavern at my main website.

Shirley's First Stand-In

Today's Temple Tuesday image shows Shirley with her first stand-in at Fox Studios, Marilyn Granas. From the vintage publicity blurb:

SCHOOL DAYS - Shirley Temple and her stand-in, Marilyn Granas, register pleasure in their session with their teacher in the between scenes lessons. Shirley is now busy in "Bright Eyes," her last picture for this year.

"Bright Eyes" is also famous for introducing Shirley's signature tune, "On The Good Ship Lollipop." This next image from 1938 shows Shirley's next stand-in, Mary Lou Isleib, who kept that position until Shirley retired from the silver screen in 1949.



More 1930's Shirley at my main website.

The Picture Spot

Two vintage images showing the Kodak Picture Spot. The younger generation most likely has very little knowledge of what Kodak is/was. Today, they get their photos shot by the new sponsor, Nikon (who just happens to make the camera I use!). First one up is from September 1959, followed by an Adventureland shot from August 1961. I'm guessing this girl wants to be a Disneyland Tour Guide when she grows up!



For more Kodak/Nikon picture spot photos visit my main website.

Where's My Tiki?

This September 1959 shot of a gent standing next to a Tiki statue got me wondering; what happened to it? This next shot from January 1959 looks like the same statue, but with a different paint job. Is it the same one but moved to a different location, or were there multiple versions of the same carving?



This dark June 1958 image would make one think that there were either three of these in the Park or else this guy really got moved around a lot!



This September 1962 shot is the most recent one in my collection; after that, it would seem that this poor guy got booted out of Disneyland. Anyone out there know his story?



More Adventureland fun at my main website.

San Antonio: The Saga

The San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, Texas, was designed by architect Francois P. Giraud. This amazing Gothic Revival structure looks as if it was imported from Paris. At night, it is even more impressive.



As if that weren't enough, three times a night on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, an incredible light show called "San Antonio The Saga" plays out on the facade of the Cathedral.



It was one of the most creative things I have seen; I actually had to put my camera down a few times so that I could enjoy it without my lens getting in the way.



For every show, the Plaza fills up with spectators who reverently watch the history of San Antonio play out before their eyes.











It's a difficult thing to capture what this show really is; what made it harder was the cracked out idiot who decided to walk up to the Cathedral during the show and then deposit himself on the front steps. I had to raise my camera a bit to keep him out of the lens. No way I was going to get that freak in my photos.



Like any good show, the ending rolled out the credits for everyone to see.



To finish off the post, here's a peak inside the Cathedral:



More Texas-sized photos at my main website.

Shirley On The Town

A few vintage shots of Shirley Temple "on the town," beginning with one of her attending the September 1948 premiere of "Johnny Belinda" with her first husband, John Agar. According to the publicity blurb, they went to Ciro's afterwards.



Here's a previously posted interior shot of Ciro's with Ava Gardner and Howard Duff:



Back to Shirley! This 1957 photo was taken by Darlene Hammond in Hollywood and shows Shirley out with husband #2, Charles Black. She was not shy about telling people that he was the "right" one. Looks like they are attending a show; just not sure which one.



More Shirley at my main website.

The Rose Window

Founded in 1720, The Mission San Jose in San Antonio, Texas, is known as the "Queen of Missions."



During a recent trip for the UCDA Conference, I took a detour so that I could see this amazing property in person.



One of my favorite movies, "Still Breathing," features a key scene shot at this Mission. The two main characters of this romantic piece, Fletcher (Brendan Fraser) and Roz (Joanna Goings), stroll through the grounds and stop at The Rose Window.



Fletcher proceeds to tell Roz the legend of this ornately detailed portal:

"A long time ago there was a craftsman who worked with stone, and he was commissioned by the church to build a window. And he fell in love with a girl who sang in the choir; her name was Rosa. But, before they could get married she became ill and she died. And all he was left with was this window, and he must have spent every waking hour...for years...carving it...for her. And that's why it's called The Rose Window."



When this scene was shot, it was over 100 degrees outside. The story Fletcher tells is identical to the "real legend" told for centuries about this window.



I highly recommend you see this movie, and even more...that you see this Mission in person.

More photos of San Antonio, Texas on my main website.