crazy eddie!

Yeah, Cal Worthington. Was I the only kid that heard "go see Cal" as "pussy cow"?

Just checking. Hey, Southern California has another one: Crazy Gideon's. He'll stock them deep and sell them cheap.

No, you weren't the only one. In fact, I still thought so until now, you corrected me.
And that Crazy Gideon is crazy, but he's not stupid.

Yep. Pussy Cow Pussy Cow Pussy Cow.

I was going to name this entry Pussy Cow until I thought most people would not know what the heck I was saying.

I can still remember the dot jumping over the words:
"Pete Ellis Dodge Long Beach Freeway Firestone Exit Southgate"

We had Cal Worthington commercials in Houston too. But the real star from Houston was Mattress Mac from Gallery Furniture who would dress up in a hollowed out mattress with a head and arm holes cut out and he would yell "Gallery Furniture saves... you... money!" and then would pull out a big fan of money from behind his back. I still see, to this day, other furniture company commercials do this exact move stolen from Mattress Mac. He was compared to Cal Worthington a lot. His commercials were awful, not entertaining at all, but everyone remembers him. I read somewhere that he spends $8-10million on advertising every year. Also at Gallery Furniture there is a larger than life lazyboy recliner you can sit in. I also heard he had a collection of like England's royal family crown replicas or gowns or something along those lines on display at the store as well.

My favorite though was this Thunderbolt Auto Repair commercial that featured a cute cowgirl whose care broke down. The jingle rang in our ears for years:

"If your transmission's got you down and your motor falls apart, it's time to come to Thunderbolt. You don't need a brand new car! We still believe in value, and we pass it onto you. At Thunderbolt we'll fix it right and we guarantee it too. We put the Yeeeehaw! back in your motor or transmission."

I found a link to a updated/bastardized version of the commercial for a Thunderbolt here in Austin. This cowgirl isn't nearly as cute and has a HUGE pair of bubs.

Yup, good 'ol Cal used to be in the Seattle area too. My friend was famous for asking his mom what a 'pussy cow' was. It was never clear to us why he left the area, so we made up stories about a horrific crime that took place on the lot, or maybe it was a lawsuit.

I got an autographed picture of Cal and his Dog (tiger) Spot for my birthday one year.

Funny, I used to think it was "Pussy Cow" too. Bizarre.

I grew up in L.A. (born in 71) and remember thinking the lyrics were "pussy cow" as well. The most obscure commercials that I've yet to find anything about online were a series of great spots for Ames Home Loan that all featured the same quirky looking middle aged skinny guy in dire straits, either he'd be in a building that King Kong was scaling, or on a beach with a monster coming from the Ocean, and he'd call Ames Home Loan via an always present phone, which would cue the theme music ("Ames Home Loan To The Rescue"), and a battalion of planes or navy ships or what have you would sail in. Also, for whatever reason, this guy always had a chicken with him. A chicken, and a phone. Does ANYONE else remember this? Equally amusing, from the early 80s were the Federated Electronics group's Fred Rated spots with Shadow Stevens. Okay, I've rambled enough.

Also popular here:
Adee Plumbing and Heating (A-dee-do!)
Jack Stephen Plumbing (Jack Stephanowski? Jack Stephanovich?)
Larry Parker & Associates (Larry Parker got me 1.8 million)

Yeah, I remember the Shadow Stevens commercials. I remember the guy with the chicken from Ames Home Loan as well, but I can't connect them to actual memories of commercials.

i remember it as pussy cow pussy cow pussy cow as well.

i just recently wrote to one of my friends about this song and only THEN found out that it was "go see cal" not "pussy cow".

i was extremely disappointed.

Wow, it's fascinating that so many people heard that lyric the same way. I always thought it said, "Go see Cal."

And I loved the Fred Rated commercials. And how about Shorty and Cheap Chicken for National Lumber (were they a nationwide chain, or just local?).

I guess another member of the So. Cal Commercial Hall of Fame would be (gag me!) Larry H. Parker, Esq.

Down in San Diego, there was an area with a bunch of car dealerships. To this day, I still remember the commercial:

163 and 805, Balboa Claremont Mesa. The heart of San Diego County, Carland Kearny Mesa.

There were actually *two* Pete Ellis Dodge tunes -- Long Beach Fwy, Firestone Exit, Southgate being the classic one, and "1095 West El Camino Real Sunnyvale" being the heathen upstart version. Anyway, these are the things you argue about when you go to UCSB and you're 18 and drunk.

Yes, I too recall it as "Pussy Cow". It has been 12 years since I lived in southern Califronia (now in Arizona and the commercials are so boring here!). Brings back a lot of memories of me growing up, Fred Rated, Larry H Parker (I think he has affiliates out here), the Southgate dealership. I had forgoten all about the plumbers (Jack Steffan & A-dee-do).

Wow, I thought I was the only one who rememberd that stuff, that was a big piece of my childhood in southern california. I remeber all the animals? it makes me homesick

Who can forget the gensis for Cal Worthingtons' dog spot, the general sales manager for Ralph Williams Ford in Encino, Chick with his dog storm. Prior to infomercials, movies ran all night with commercials for Williams, Worthington, and the Yeakel brothers consuming 15 minutes per hour. In a time when dealers were happy to make 300. on a car, these carnies took in 600. to 1000. to pay for advertising, and support lavish lifestyles.

I lived in Houston for about 8 years in the 80's and thought it was "Go Seek Al"

Ahhhh... the good ol days... my daughter, when young, always sang-along with the Savon commercial... "save our drunk store"....

Ahhhh... the good ol days... my daughter, when young, always sang-along with the Savon commercial... "save our drunk store"....

I grew up in northern California then moved to southern. I was amazed by the number of companies who used slightly altered jingles in both markets. Pete Ellis was the one who came to mind first, but there was also "Me and Alhambra Water makin' friends!" turning to "Me and Sparkletts Water makin' friends!" and a few others. Another big one nationwide is radio station name jingles. And the fact that there's only 3 or 4 announcers who do all the spots for every radio station in the country.

I lived in both Seattle and Southern Cal during the Go Seek Al era. What I am seeking is the lyrics to the "Me and spakletts water makin friends" commercials. My sister and I loved them, but can only remember the words to one. We also like the SoSoSoda commercials for shasta

Yeah, Cal kicked. I grew up in the 60s and 70s in SoCal and he was like a part of my TV life. Does anybody have a link to the song that Cormier Chevrolet used to use for their commercials? That was such a peaceful, cool song. E-mail me if you know of such a link.

THX

Man...suddenly it is 1979 again and i am 5 yrs old watching Cal on tv. Memories!

What about the ol' Phil and Jims ads? Or the ones for that Toyota dealership "no you won't get a lemon.... at Toyota Orange"

or the matress commercials for Ortho..with the woman who would lie on the mattress as it moved around their wearhouse?

Someone has to remember these gems too!!

How can anyone forget the Zachary All ads during the Kings telecasts?

Wow, all those memories back in the day.

I remember the following when I was 9-10 in the late 70s/early 80s. I remember the following when KTTV, KTLA, and KCOP still showed Bugs Bunny, Get Smart, and I Dream of Jeannie:

1. Ole's (Home improvement/lumber store: were they bought out by National Lumber, Wickes Lumber, or Builder's Emporium.)
2. RB Furniture.
3. Santa's Village.
4. Lake Dolores.
5. Alpha Beta
6. Carvell's Ice Cream
7. Farrow's (spelling? The birthday party ice cream parlor precursor to Chuck E. Cheese)
8. Marineland
9. Clifton's Cafeteria
10. Schick Center (clinic to quit smoking)
11. Truck Masters (was that the right name for the trucking school?)
12. Barbazon Model School
13. Command Performance (I believe they were bought out by Supercuts??)
15. Pup 'n Taco
16. Velvet Turtle restaurant

I remember all of those. What ever happend to The Velvet Turtle?

And to correct the spelling, it was was spelled Farrels ice cream parlor :) I remeber the one in Stonewood shopping center in Downey.:)

And anyone remeber the Pizza Man commercials?

"Call Pizza Man when its getting late,
Call Pizza Man when its time to take a break!
Pizza Man, Pizza Man, anywhere at all!
Check your Yellow Pages, give Pizza Man a call!......(A womans voice then says) "He Delivers!

I saw Ray (April 25, 2005 post) mention Truck Masters. Anyone remember the Dootson Driving School commercials (they trained truck drivers)? And the way just about every commercial ended: "Dootson Driving Schools are the best. Ask me--I'm Debbie Dootson"?

Fun memories. I also remember the old days when KTTV channel 11 in L.A. was owned by Metromedia, not Fox. And when KCOP channel 13 wasn't affiliated with UPN--back when it showed "Get Smart." And when KCAL channel 9 was KHJ-TV, home to the Lakers (KCAL still is).

I remember the Dootson commercials,Lake Dolores and Get Smart. I would never ever have remembered Lake Dolores in a million years untill I read it mentioned in Ray's post haha.

Channel 13 always had the westerns on all week, and so did 5. The good ol days, and way before they sold the stations to these no good morons that show Survivor and all these ignorant sitcoms they couldnt pay me to watch.

Poor PUP & Taco went the way of the dodo. I remember a friend of mine worked there, and used to steal us tacos and stuff lol. Thats when Taco Bell used to taste good too.

Remember Angels Harware?

Favorite commercial of all time: Santa's Village!

Visit the petting zoo!
See Santa's reindeer
There's food and treats from the Pixie Pantry, the Good Witch's Bakery and lots more
Santa's Village: fun, forest and fantasy all rolled into one.

I also thought it was "pussy cow"

Was it Dootson's or Truck Masters' trailers that were painted with patriotic Stars 'n Stripes in their commercials?

And Angel's hardware? Were their commericials the one's with an animation of Noah and his ark?

On a bitter-sweet level, I've become more nostalgic of my childhood ever since I had to clean out and sell my ailing parents' house less than a year ago. All the stuff I rummaged through (like my parents' old Gemco membership card and a Fedcharge card from Fedco) triggered all these memories of the late 1970s/early-1980s, when I as a child didn't have to worry about paying bills, terrorism, identity theft, and Sigalerts.

Those were the days:

1. When Taco Bells were actually shaped like miniature Spanish missions complete with a bell in the roof. Speaking of tacos, remember Senor Naugle's??

2. When we wondered when how far Lake Arrowhead (where Santa's Village was, no?) was from our house.

3. When KTTV (Ch. 11) would stop showing cartoons and rerun of "I Love Lucy" right around dinnertime.

4. If you saw Union 76 (NOT Unocal), Farmer John, and Datsun (NOT Nissan) commercials back-to-back-to-back on Ch. 11, you knew a Dodger game was on.

5. When you realized what an "adult movie" was after tuning into Selec-TV, ON-TV, or the Z-Channel.

6. When your parents would drag you to Howard's, Phil 'n Jims, AND Fedco to compare prices on a new washer/dryer. At least Fedco had a toy dept. :)

BTW, what part of So. Cal did everyone grow up in during childhood?

I lived in L.A. less than 2 miles from the old Fedco on La Cienega Blvd. (As you can tell, I REALLY miss Fedco! :P

As the old K-MET bumper sticker on my Trapper Keeper said, "Hoo-Yah!"

I get so lost in time reading the posts in this neat forum. =)

I do recall a commercial with Noah & his Ark, but I dont think it was Angels hardware store. Angels was a hardware store in the 70s and early 80s. It was bought out by I think was (Olies?), and then Builders Emporium.

I still have my parents Gemco card haha. That was the best store in the world. It was a mall within itself. Walmart doesnt even hold a candle to the long gone Gemco.

And Fedco was always a fun place too. I am from Norwalk CA., and lived there up untill 10 years ago. We had the Fedco in Cerritos, and Gemco was off of Florence Ave. in Downey.

And the real bell's in the old Taco Bell missions, what a shame they changed. Naugles I recall, but dont remember eating at them.

I really feel sorry for the kids today and what they have to grow up around and with. There are no more Saturday cartoons (nothing but junk on now), and the music today is a sick joke that I cant even understand its meaning.

the post about chick, general sales manager of ralph williams ford and his dog storm does bring back memories. does anyone remember the great south bay car dealership who used to sponsor "jalopy derby" from gardena, ca.? i'm sure it was "les bacon and sons ford" in hermosa beach. they were crazy. they would advertise cars for sale for 1 dollar! then they would lay rubber (live!) from their show lot directly onto p.c.hwy.! you could hear the laughter in the backround. speaking of taco-bell, why, oh why did they ever get rid of the bell-burger? they could bring it back today and make billions.

Dan, you asked "Ole's (Home improvement/
lumber store: were they bought out by National Lumber, Wickes Lumber, or Builder's Emporium?

Ole's was bought by WR Grace Company because the Angel's chain they owned was not doing well. They tried to give the impression that Ole's bought Angel's to boost sales. It didn't work since they ran Ole's just like Angels. All the Angels stores were renamed Ole's and then they sold the whole mess to Builder's Emporium. WR Grace filed chapter 11 in 2001 because of the asbestos claims against it.

How about Zody's and White Front?
Or the old commercial, "Don't cook tonight, call Chicken Delight".
I moved to Oregon in 1967 and could pick up KFI on my radio at night and they were still playing the Savon Drugstore jingle as late as 1980.
Anybody have a clue where I can find that?
Cal Worthington has his whole commercial and a 2:30 minute version of the song on his website.

It's funny. I was born in 81 and grew up in LA in the 80's thinking the song's lyrics were, "pussy cow". Another commercial I remember was a trip was the "milk, it does a body good; pass it on!" Where they would pass a small carton of milk around and each new person would sing it over again and pass over the milk carton. I wonder if anyone remember's that.

Hi,
I remember most of the things here, rowing up in So Cal. Cal Wothington, White Front, KCOP,Pup'n'Taco,Farrel's Ice Cream parlor.
I have some old VHS tpes I had set to record old shows,and on them are the commercials too! FredRated, with his girlfriend Frieda Rated.. About 7 or 8 different ones. Shadoe Stevens was great in those. One had a group of Zombies following Fred Rated,. I'm going to have to copy those to disc one day. Wish those days were back again.
Take care,all!
Gary

SPARKLETTS WATER TUNE

I WAS DRIVIN ALONG IN MY BRIGHT GREEN TRUCK THINKIN ABOUT THE WATER AND WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT WHEN I SPYED THE FAMILY TRUCK STOP ON MY RUN. WITH A GIRL AND A BOY AND A MOM AND A DAD AND A DOG AND A CAT AND ALL THEIR JOY I DROVE MY BRIGHT GREEN TRUCK UP
THEIR DRIVE AND PARKED ON THE SHOULDER. THERE WASN'T A CUSTOMER IN THE PLACE A STRANGE SAD LOOK HANGIN ON THEIR FACE WHEN I TASTED THEIR COFFEE AND FOUND OUT THE REASON WHY I NEARLY DIED. WELL, I'M YOUR LOCAL SPARKLETTS MAN AND THAT BIG GREEN SIGN MEANS GOOD TASTE CAN BRING ALL KINDS OF GOOD IDEAS TO YOU I SURELY DO AND I TOLD THEM ABOUT SPARKLETTS WATER--UH HUH, UH HUH.
WELL, THE TRUCK STOP IS FULL NEARLY EVERY DAY BIG OL CHANGE FROM THAT LITTLE CAFE, ME AND SPARKLETTS WATER MAKIN FRIENDS.
SPARKLETTS BRINGS GOOD TASTING WATER TO A THRISTY WORLD.

ANY ONE REMEMBER ANY OF THE OTHER SPARKLETTS LYRICS?

[email protected]

Interesting note about Angels and Oles Hardware. Is Wicks still in business down there? I visited LA last month, and still seen the Cal commercial, although it is just like any other advertisement now (no dog spot anymore).

I guess I am not old enough to remember White Front,(age 35) although I heard my parents talk about them alot. Zodys I do remember. And I remember Frederated commercials. I like the one where he was advertising his own credit card " If you need to make payments,dont threat it, you've got Fredit!" And also the one where he imitated that black bald guy that did the 7-UP commericals in a white suit. Federated group was where I seen the first cd player for the car(when they first came out. It was like 700 or 800 dollars, and that was like in 84. That store was a joke though.

WHITE FRONT
THEY DID COMMERICALS WITH THE DODGERS

WATCH OUT COMIN YOUR WAY THE WHITE FRONT SCOREBOARD FOR TODAY,
IF THEY WON YOU ALWAYS WIN WITH WHITE FRONT CUZZ WHITE FRONT KNOWS THE SCORE!
IF THEY LOST-- YOU NEVER LOOSE AT WHITE FRONT CUZZ WHITE FRONT KNOWS THE SCORE

CORMIER CHEVROLET

IF YOU'D LIKE A HAND IN BUYING A CHEVY TODAY,
COM'ON DOWN TO DISCOUNTLAND
CORMIER CHEVROLET

SAV-ON JINGLE

SAV-ON, SAV-ON, JOIN THE SAV ON HIT PARADE YOU WILL GET SERVED AND ALWAYS SAVE AT SAV-ON DRUG STORES, SAV-ON DRUG STORES (BOOM BOOM) SAV-ON!

NOT EXACTLY SURE I HAVE THE WORDS RIGHT THERE.

"SAV-ON DRUG STORES, SAV-ON DRUG STORES (BOOM BOOM) SAV-ON!"

Lol I can only remember that much of the song. I always thought the giant Carpeteria Genie that held up the big Carpeteria carpet store sign was singing it lol.... (I was only 4, so what you expect from a little kid lol) :)

SAV-ON, SAV-ON, JOIN THE SAVE ON HIT PARADE IT'S FUN TO SERVE YOURSELF AND SAVE AT SAV-ON DRUG STORES, SAV-ON DRUG STORES (BOOM BOOM) SAV-ON!

I'm sure these are right

How about Sambos Restraunts? Any body remember those? It wouldn't fly in todays PC world. Local TV shows like Sheriff John, Hobo Kelly, Bozo, Giantor, Tobor the 8Man (tobor was robot spelled backwards), Winky Dink cartoons.Speedy Alka Seltzer How about all of those. Eeeeeeeesh this is depressing, I just realized how old I am, and what an inordinent amount of my childhood I pissed away watching TV. I couldn't pass algebra in high school but I can remember all the words to the Speed Racer theme song.

Take care all, RG

HAVE RIBBON: I MADE A PIG OF MY SELF AT FARREL'S (ATE A TROUGH) ALTHOUGH THE ZOO WAS THE BEST. VAN NUYS BLVD WAS OUR CLOSEST. WENT OUT OF BUSINESS SHORTLY AFTER THE PLANE CRASHED IN THE ONE ON RESEDA BLVD JUST SOUTH OF VENTURA BLVD.

SAMBOS USED TO BE 'LITTLE BLACK SAMBO'S ATE THERE OFTEN AS A KID

DID ANYONE BURP TO: "RALPH WILLIAMS FORD"? YOU WERE REALLY GOOD IF YOU COULD BURP RALPH WILLIAMS FOR IN ENCINO ALL IN ONE BURP-

P.O.P. AND THE PIKE WERE THE BEST STILL HAVE MY TIKI NECKLACE.

WE GOT STUCK IN THE BEES AT SANTA'S VILLAGE.

REMEMBER WHEN THERE WERE BURROS/MULES AT KNOTT'S BERRY FARM, DISNEYLAND AND CALICO?

TOOK HOURS TO GET TO CALICO-HAD TO TAKE FOOTHILL BLVD THEN GO EAST THERE WERE NO FREEWAYS.

With all due respect to Cal, Gideon, Fred Rated, the Millers Outpost guys, et al, my all-time favorite commercial pitchman was Tom Peterson in Portland, Oregon. At the time that I was listening to his commercials (1979-1983), he had two stores across the street from each other, one selling furniture, the other stereos. However, the classic part about Peterson was his corporate logo, which was basically a picture of his head, flat-top and all. When driving up 82nd Street in Portland, you could find Tom's store by looking for the sign with two arrows pointing to his head. Needless to say, Peterson was a major sponsor of pro wrestling on Portland TV.

<<<(quote)With all due respect to Cal, Gideon, Fred Rated, the Millers Outpost guys, et al, my all-time favorite commercial pitchman was Tom Peterson in Portland, Oregon. >>>

Being from California and growing up with all these commercials, it makes me wonder how many commercials there is in the all the states (like the ones in the LA area throughout the 70s-80s listed above). They are no doubt lost forever and still playing only in peoples memories. *sighs*

Anyone besides me remember one of my favorite 90s radio ads. I'm Jay Jay, I'm the owner...and I'm the King of Beepers....activation required.

I am nostalgic; perhaps sickeningly so...the static of the tv grows more noticeable, if not louder, as you approach the back room of the house.In the dark, a young man, all of 13, hunched behind all that swollen glass and fake wood paneling; violating the tv with a mutilated wire coat hanger. Juarez Canal 5 goes off the air, and somehow he is able to pick up KTLA. Oh he wanted cable so bad. There was never anything good on-the late, late movie,which tended to be some doofy 70s fare involving alligators, race cars, or you know, stuff...like that; Cal Worthington-and moreandmore...Cal Worthington. But oh he loved the commercials. They spoke of the California LifeStyle TM. Yes they tended to be for flooring of some kind or other, but sometimes he'd get lucky (sorry about the pun) and get a VONS, or a Knot's Magic Berry Mountain Farm spot. He wanted Southern California sooo bad. He actually went there, later on. It was a boozy,blurry, drug tinged slow dance, t'where, you couldn't tell if the gauze was wrapped around his head or hers, just looking at each other, through half-opened eyes, smiling that half smile...a dance that wouldn't be broken but by a bus ticket on that GD "Limosine".HA! To a dance that, though looked at in regret before, now really does seem fitting. Or maybe he's just making excuses for himself. And his dog "Spot".

I apologize if that post is too long. It's something I posted on another forum, and thought it appropriate. reading everything here gives me a funny feeling inside; I just wanna go back there so bad. Pathetic, huh?

remember Night Flight, on USA network?

YES!, I was another one of those weirdos who thought it was Pussy Cow, Pussy Cow. I am curious, along around 1979, there was a commercial that was on in the early morning hours, the jingle was (Dial Chevrolet) does anyone remember this one?

Wow! And I thought I had memories like this! I feel like I'm in a time machine trip back home. I remember ALL of these cool things! BTW, does anyone remember the Norton Simon Museum commercial with Candice Bergen? I LOVED seeing that when I was little!

AND I DO REMEMBER DIAL CHEVROLET'S JINGLE TOO!

One block off the Santa Ana Freeway
11980 East Firestone
DIAL CHEVROLET!!
:0D

OK, here's two I didn't see posted:

Dooley's

Dooleys family hardware store. There's more, there's more at Dooley's

(By the way, I actually dated one of the Dooley girls!)

ASCOT raceway:

Come enjoy the sweet smell of burning nitro. Were the 405, 91 and 110 meet...meet...meet!

HaHa...A Cal Worthington commercial just played. The guy just won't die!

Wow! The memories keep on coming! I have Yahoo group I just started and it's all about the old places and memories of Southern California! If you are a Yahoo member or etc, it's called RetroLand2-Southern California Places and here is the link:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RetroLand2-southern_ca_places

See you all there!

I remember getting our school clothes put on layaway at Zody's.
celebrating birthdays at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor in Torrance.
enjoying PupnTaco,and Taco Bell's Bell Beefer sandwich.
shopping with mom at The Treasury,
buying record albums from Big Ben Music.
collecting KLOS 95.5 rainbow bumper stickers with different rock bands on them.
I still have an assortment of Vans tennis shoes.
I wore OP corduroy shorts in various colors.
I would fall asleep to the roar of Ascot Speedway in the distance...I lived in Lawndale and could hear it from there.
We subscribed to SelectTV and watched the birth of MTV in August 1982(or 83?).
Remember the names of the MacDonald's characters? I could only think of 'Hamburglar'
How about Zips Ice Cream, Where you can top your own sundae?

Oh man - Here in San Jose I have been trying to remember the "something something ##-## El Camino Real, Sunny-vale" for ever. Apparently nobody I know watched as much TV as I did as a child.

Other SF Bay area faves:
"Coming to your house (woof!), TV-20! KOFY!"
-
"Now you have a friend in the diamond business, the Shane company"
-
"Mathews, 6400 Mission Street, top of the hill, Daly City"
-
And the pre-expansion Denevi camera, "Berkley, San Lorenzo, Cupertino, San Jose."

In Sacramento there was always Rober's Rugs with the woman riding the carpet roll, "Gidde-up Shag!"
-
Can't remember the furniture company that ended every spot with, "tell 'em Billy send ya not that other fella!"
-
Tom Labrie (sp?) Waterbed warehouse with, "All I want for Christmas is a waterbed!" and "What's this sheet? Satin!"

Of course when I moved to Boston to grad school I picked up, "I'm Jim Cook [...] with a head so thick you can float a bottle-cap (or Mark Parento if you were tuned to BCN) on it."

Feed him Dr. Ross Dog Food
do him a favor

It's got more meat
and it's got more flavor

It's got more meat
to make us feel the way we should

Dr. Ross Dog Food is dog gone good WOOF!

The memories are flooding back from my growing up years in 1970s-80s southern California. When I got sick, I didn't get taken to the doctor. I stayed home from school and watched lots of daytime TV (Get Smart, etc). For you Fred Rated fans, you can watch a bunch of the hilarious 80s TV spots at the following web page:

http://www.shadoe.com/BestOfFred.htm

Late to the party, but all's well that ends well! Found y'all searching for the Sav-On jingle (as I do every so often) & hope you don't mind my .02... I recall:

Sav-on, Sav-on
Join the Sav-on Hit Parade
It's fun to shop it's fun to save at
Sav-on Drug Store, Sav-on Drug Store
SAV-ON!

I would give an appendage for an mp3 of that...

Thanks for the other memory jogs listed here -- reading them dredged up the Ole's jingle ("With Ole's help, you can do anything") & "Builders Emporium, Builders Emporium, for folks who like to build things!"

So many people remember "pussy cow" -- all these years I thought I was the only one... SOMETHING SUBLIMINAL MUST BE GOING ON... That guy was waaay ahead of his time.

How about:

JACOBY AND MEYERS (IT'S ABOUT TIME)

FGS INSURANCE

hey - anyone remember JACK LA LANNE'S EUROPEAN HEALTH SPA?!!

I grew up on KHJ and worked for KTWV THE WAVE for awhile in the 80s... After the mighty met bit the dust.

more memories...

K-TEL RECORDS

BYYYYYYYY MENNEN!

may company

COLONEL SANDERS when he was still alive hawking his "ELEVEN HERBS AND SPICES" and wose yet - the awful ribs and barbeque chicken they tried for ahile "You've got a right - to chicken done right!!!"

"GALOOB" TOYS

REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE

STRAW HAT PIZZA

WHERE'S THE BEEF!!

H. SALT FISH & CHIPS

remember CROCKER BANK?

PIECE O' PIZZA (had a slice lately?)

PIC-N-SAV

AMERICAN BARTENDING SCHOOL

"THE MOTORCYCLE LAWYER" (whose name escapes me)

RONCO

ADRAY'S

PAUL - THE KING OF BIG SCREEN

MARTINI AND ROSSI ASTI SPUMANTE

PSA AIRLINES (with the smiling planes)

Does anyone remember the Ewoks movie.
Also, going to MacDonalds meant you got to sit in a leather saddle to eat, not like kids today who sit and play video games, that's too bad

Does anyone remember Zodys? I think that's how you spell it, or Mayfair market, I used to go there every friday night grocery shopping with my parents and be home in time to watch The Brady Bunch at 8:00 on channel 7!

About that "Cormier Chevrolet" commercial, has anyone found it yet? I can just hear the song in my head.

"If you think you'd like a hand in buying a chevy today....
Come on down to discount land....
Cormier chevrolet...."

You also might want to add and remember The Federated Group! does anyone recall that one? or how about Alpha Beta...Tell a Friend. I have that comercial on VHS somewhere, If I find it and can figure out how to put it up on the net, I will.

I hereby declare this a great blog...or message board...or...whatever it is. But generally speaking, this is a seasonal post, seeing as it is near Halloween. I recall many, most, or possibly even all of the places listed here!, the jingles and slogans, the stores that closed and said goodbye long ago; the Fedco, the Gemco, the OLES hardware store...and quite a few other things. Movie theatres in Rosemead that used to show cool cheesy 70's and 80's flicks (Young Frankenstein! The Boogens!), now gone. Gone, gone, gone.

Oh, the memories. I remember OLES in Rosemead was incredibly cool, the main store of the floor was elevated a foot up for some reason...and they had every kind of plumbing fixture in the world in there, as well as fake fireplaces with the plastic glowing fires inside, and strange puffy green mints for sale near the checkouts, the mints with the gooey transparent centers. Remember those? I'm sure someone still makes them.

Gemco and Fedco both were particularly interesting around Halloween...Fedco had all manner of cool Halloween records on display, and Gemco had millions of masks and lots of skulls on sticks and devil heads on sticks.

Toys R Us was the best around Halloween, but the one I used to go to got closed, and the Halloween stuff isn't nearly the same any more...well, it used to be LPs people would put on, and the monster makeup kits were much more complicated and interesting...anyone remember all that great crap??

Today, I heard a commercial for Worthington Dodge - heard Cal Worthington's name. So I started thinking of the jingle. "Pussy Cow". Wait a minute - there's no way they said Pussy Cow - OHMYGOD, it's GO SEE CAL! So I had the epiphany and told my husband. Looked up the cal worthington website, and sure enough - he didn't grow up in Cali, and then he said, it DOES sound like PUSSY COW! Why didn't my parents correct me?

I grew up in Woodland Hills and I can remember going to the Fedco in Van Nuys with my parents when I was a kid. I still remember going there to buy Super Mario Bros 2. I remember we'd go to breakfast every saturday at the Don Ricardo's in the Northridge mall, then head off to Fedco. We would spend hours there! That place had it all - the toys, the electronics, and best of all...the food!!! I hear that became a Target now, too bad. I will always miss that place. I also remember the Gemco on Ventura Bl. It became a Target as well. And yes, I too thought the lyrics to the Cal Worthington songs was Pussy Cow. Unbelievable!!!

What a trip down memory lane.
How about - Never borrow money, needlessly just when you must - borrow confidently from HFC.
And...don't cook tonight...call Chicken Delight
Hello, this is Eli Wallach..."It's Music City"
Troy, Troy what a joy...for upholstery call T-R-O-Y
That's life on the Riviera...convertible sofa that is (they now run radio spots for reupholstered furniture)
For Boys markets..."Boys love girls"
(Back in less PC times when women did most of the shopping)
and one more...Denny Bracken and ...you'll like the total better..at Alpha Beta...
More to come...thanks

Read all the comments and it brought a tear to my eye. No one mentioned Dick Lane, "Whoa, Nellie!" who in addition to doing bit parts in movies, announced wrestling and sold cars on late nite TV but beating on fenders. Better steel in those days.

ok heres some things to add, hope they werent added already.

"its a surprisor, new energizor, oi." that big aussie from the energizer commercial.

and in so cal we had the family film festival, classic mad monster party and popeye with a dash of pippi longstocking and charlie brown cartoons.

and the finale,,,,,,,
that made for t.v. horror movie about the sister who gets her shoes tied together in the car and it explodes, she dies and comes back to haunt the other sister and make her kill her family. the one thing we all remember is her comming down the stairs rolling the pizza cutter on the stairway handle. That image is one that everyone remembers,,,they brainwashed us. born 1976

was I the only one that went to santas village and the freakin place was closed?

I can't believe it! I thought for the longest time that the words were "pussy cow" too!

I love the mydogspot site, we've been playing the song for two days now.

What a trip down memory lane.

Anyone remember Sambo's coffee shops? Also some Denny's restaurants actually had cocktail lounges in a separate room.

I went to Laurel Hall school with Cal Worthington's grandkids! Also went out to watch old Cal fly in some air races in the Mojave in the 70s. Ah memories. Hey, does anyone remember a great store called Super Fair which was at Victory and Vineland on the same lot that is now a Target and was once a Gemco? It was built on a landfill that used to be swimming hole called Lake Leilani in the 40s. Anyone know what I'm talking about? Best big box all in one store I've ever been in. I think it was a White Front in the 60s before becoming Super Fair. It was definitely Super Fair by 1969.

That Levitz jingle..."You'll love it at Lehhh-vitz!!" I don't even remember what they sold...furniture I think? Pretty sure it was furniture. And ZODYS yes, I remember ZODYS, we had one down the street from here, they were the people that had the Aurora model kits and I remember they also used to sell a rubber ball-making kit...you mixed some water and powder together and poured it into some kind of mold and shook it until the thing set up, and voila, you have your own rubber ball you made yourself! SOMEONE must remember that!

AT LEAST ONCE, I remember getting hot dogs at Pup 'n' Taco, we didn't have 'em near here but once we ran into one and I remember they threw a handful of tiny plastic toys into the bag for the kiddies, little plastic hot dog characters. Pup 'n' Taco should've been more popular...it was a real 70's thing!

I HAVE READ YOUR WEB BOARD... BOOOOOHOOO.... TO THE OLD DAYS....
ONLY ONE PERSON MENTIONED DOOLEYS.... I LIVED IN NORTHERN LONG BEACH.... SOME OF MY FIRST MEMORIES OF LONG BEACH IS RIDING THE BUS.... VONS.... MISS PINKS BAKERY... MC KOYS MARKET.... AND SHADY ACRES.... BUT MY FONDEST MEMORIES IS OF DOOLEYS.... DEPT STORE... OFF OF ATLANTIC AND DEL ALMO.... CHRISTMAS TIME... TO BUY A TREE... AND ON SAT YOU COULD GET A BOWL OF CHILI AND AND DOOLEY DOG FOR A DOLLOR... AND CERRITOS MALL.... DOES ANYBODY REMBER THESE THINGS.... WHAT IS A PUSSY COW...

I heard "Pussy Cow" too! I always sang that when I was a kid, and my mom would laugh at me.

I live in the Vancouver BC area, but we got a lot of Seattle TV.

I remember Dooley's as a matter of fact. But it's a pretty freakin' dim memory because that was thirty years and probably more ago! You've got a great memory.

This thread is fantastic. Some things I haven't read so far:

Does anyone remember this ad for Hughes supermarkets (circa 83)?

"We are the buyers from Hughes; we pick pick pick and then we choose; we pick the best, it has to pass our test; we are the buyers from Hughes."

Related, the only Sparkletts commercial that sticks with me started:

"This little lady was Loretta O'Day, who didn't care what her friends would say when she gave up her card club and started running races. [Disapproving faces.]"

Can't remember the rest.

By the way, if anyone's interested, I'm doing a series of features on these commercials over at losanjealous.com. So far I've got Cal Worthington, Larry Parker, and Jack Stephan. The next one I'm thinking about is the LAPD puppet that said "Nope to dope and ugh to drugs."

Here's for the people who wanted Sparklett's water jingles.
"About 5:00 am I left the middle of the city, Look at that sunrise, ain't she a pretty one, me and sparkletts water and brand new day. In a bright green truck and a shimmering sign that says Sparkletts, friend, way out yonder around the bend, lived a little old lady and her dog named Leon Jones, yeah Leon. The lady is friendly, seems real nice, Leon don't..tried to bite me twice, so now I bring water and two big juicy bones, lamb shoulder. Fresh clean water is what its all about, I put fresh ones in and take empties out, and the way she smiles reminds me of my old Aunt Flo, don't you, South Dakota...treats me like a hreal hero. Well, she said thanks, I think, Leon grinned, I put her in gear and hit the road again. Me and Sparketts water making friends."
Everyone thinks I'm crazy because I can remember that and also the old Weinerschnitzel one, "come come come come to Der Weinerschnitzel, run to Der weinerschnitzel....etc. I have lived in Riverside all my life and had my name announced on Sheriff John when it was my birthday, watched Romper Room before I went to Kindergarden, and later Hobo Kelly and something called, "Kids are people, too" on the weekends. Anyone remember when they'd show the same movie on Cfhannel 5 or 9 all week long at 8:00? Or how about the "late show" theme on Channel 2..."The late show. Relax, enjoy a snack and watch the late show. Channel 2 is proud to bring the greatest of stars, here on the late, late show." How about Grants? J.J. Newberry's? (The only place to get romper room stuff) I never thought I'd be this old and saying like all older people..."Those were the days!"

Supposedly there are still J. J. Newberry stores around somewhere. There was one here in Los Angeles, they got rid of it and built something else there in the 80's...but they used to have these COOL COOL vending machines...the vending machines that ruled all other vending machines. Does anyone remember these things? They were huge, and generally sold things for a quarter in the early 70's...and each machine had rows and rows of things...joke drivers licenses, rubber balls, squirt rings, pads of paper with insult notes printed on them, and little plastic smoking monkeys. I bought one of the smoking monkeys once. It was a small toy monkey that came with six or seven small paper cigarettes with some waxy material on the inside...very small. And you would put the cigarette in the monkey's mouth and light it. And the monkey would appear to SMOKE the cigarette, and smoke rings would come out of the end, one after another. The monkey was about two inches tall made of thin polyethylene. All this amazing fun for a quarter!!!!

Around Halloween time, Newberrys would set up a big area downstairs with bins of rubber masks and shelves full of costumes, and the famous Vincent Price "Shrunken Apple Head" kits that now sell for outrageous amounts on Ebay.

Hey I remember Newberry stores. One was in Norwalk next to Crocker bank. I used to buy the "Planet of the Apes candy" when I used to go there with my mom. We would go to crocker bank first, and I would by a gumball from the machine for 1 penny. Then go to newberrys. :`(

Oh man I remember that sparkletts commercial and song like it was yesterday. Although I would never have known the words untill I read it just now. I can still see the sparkletts guy throwing the 2 juicy bones to that bloodhound (I think it was a hound).

And I remember all to well that horrible show. "Kids are People too". Was on every sunday. Only Saturday had the carttons, and sunday had crap like that on. I hated it. Although I liked the Fmaily film festival on KTLA 5. Showed Popeye, and Pippi Longstocking.

Grants stores I never been too, but my mom always mentioned that store, and Whitefronts. I sure remember Newberrys, and Woolworths & Woolco.

Does anyone from LA remember The Hub Furniture Store? How about Troy upholstery? Their TV jingle was "Troy, Troy, What a joy/ Have your upholstery done at Troy/For carpets, drapery and upholstering, too/Troy's three great services are waiting for you." The pitchman played ten seconds of Chopin on the piano and said that his career as a concert pianist was cut short because of an accident so now he runs Troy. After a few years, he introduced his son (don't remember their names-but I think the old man's first name was Ben; the family's last name wasn't Troy). The son would sing the Troy jingle and accompany himself on the guitar like a folk singer. This was the early '60's.

I'm 58 and I lived in LA from 1959 to 1993. I remember just about all this stuff and more (including LA TV and radio personalities and some obscure restaurants and stores in the Valley that are no longer there). I now live in the Bay Area and have to contend here with Giants fans. Also up here they think there's no culture in LA, which of course I chalk up to their lack of imagination here. They smugly buy into the standard rap about LA here. What they don't understand is that LA definitely has its own soul, which I miss up here.

Great board!

There was another Sparklett's jingle that started something like "This here is Harvey Hood, who's drinking water never tasted good. He had to sneak up on his glass to get him a drink."

Another favorite was the Ole's commercial where Noah builds the ark."With Ole's help, you can do anything."

I also remember Clete Roberts,George Putnam (whether I agreed with his politics is another story), Ralph Story and Gil Stratton ("Hi, there, sportsfans. Time to call 'em as we see 'em"), all LA TV news personalities. I remember Emperor Hudson, the Real Don Steele ("Tina Delgado is alive, alive!") and Dave Diamond on LA A.M. radio. Speaking of radio, I remember when you didn't have to be PC to enjoy KPFK, and I remember KFAC.

A lot of the things mentioned here bring back fond memories.

By the way, if you want to read about the history of Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor, go to http://www.farrellsusa.com

I have just acquired some tapes and DVDs of some cool classic ads form the early 80s and such to add to my huge collection. You will not believe what I found:two ads for Koby's Shoes (they had sold UGLY UGLY brown leather shoes for kids), Zodys, Carpeteria, several ads for Dial Chevrolet (the jingle is not complete :(), station IDs for KTLA, KCOP, and KTTV (1984 and before), National Lumber, Miller's Outpost with Homer and JR the cowboys, three Sparkletts Water ads and other classics! These ads blew my mind as I watched them. I have compiled most of them on VHS. What was alos cool in the old days was the news coverage of the day and people like Jerry Dunphy, Christine Lund, Susan Shaw, Larry McCormick (RIP), Dr. George Fischbeck, Connie Chung, Tritia Toyota, Charlie O'Donnell, Wendy Rutledge, Tin Malloy and many others. Remember when TV stations signed off? Well, I remember KCOP and KABC had showned thie cool National Anthem film produced by the US Air Force with the Star Spangled Banner played on a Moog Synthesizer while they showed a montage of planes, people and concluded with Buzz Aldrin on the Moon with the US flag. I was lucky enough to find this gem on a VHS tape that had some cool 1980s stuff from KABC shown on late nights. KCOP also had this but later showed a National Anthem film at a Naval station. KTTV had the L.A. Police Band playing the Star Spangled Banner at the old Metromedia Square. KHJ had a film set to Ray Charles' soulful version of America the Beautiful. Those were fun to wake up to. On Saturday mornings KTTV showed this series called MedSAT and had these medical related shows shown every week with classical pieces. Boy, today's TV shows can't hold a candle to the great shows of the past! I miss the days of Indepedent TV stations,too! Well, thank God we have these wonderful memories to talk about!

Enjoyed reading about all those
TV ads...does anyone remember Lou's Garage. He advertised on the Wed. wrestling shows. Don't remember the fellow's name, but he could sure rattle-off what Lou would do..align the rods...grind the valves...reface the valve seat...set the timing...there were a 100 things they would do. I remember also a Leon Ames dealership...Frank Taylor Ford, the home of no Sunday selling(they leased their property from a church which wouldn't let them sell on Sunday)...Tuesdays at Taco Lita, 5 tacos for a $1...Sheriff John's sandwiches always had lettuce sticking out of them, I never did(peanut butter)...Skipper Frank from ktla, channel 5 I saw in person in Chino, CA at a Shop-Rite grocery store ( he had to set up the stage by hand from his station wagon)...Engineer Bill and his red light-green light way of drinking milk...Clifton's Cafeteria of course...Ralph Williams and his, Hi friends, Ralph Williams, Ralph Williams Ford...Yeakel Brothers and their advertising, I seem to recall they were hit with false advertising suits...Cormier Chevrolet, wasn't that Dennis Morgan pitching for them?...Felix Chevrolet I remember, don't recall his name though...Ben Hunter Matinee Movie with the Craftmatic beds being advertised, still are I think...A&W Rootbeer stands, where for a nickel you got this thick, frosty glass mug full of root beer, ice cold...that's all for now.

Speaking of Ralph Williams, here's the classic late night commercial with Chick Lambert swearing up a storm:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_soEN5I7EA

Did it air? There's afew frames of an old Abbot & costello movie ahead of it....

Felix Chevrolet. One of the oldest Car dealers in LA had the advantage of having a various famous cartoon cat as it's namesake. I remember their commercials because they were one of the first to have a portion of their commerical "translated for our Spanish Speaking friends." I think this was in the early 70s.

There was also a car dealer who ran an ad that featured an Asian actor who was supposedly named Wong who told the audience "Don't buy cars the Wong Way, buy them the "White Way." The dealership was named White, but I don't remember anything else.

Dooley's was a fabulous place. It stretched for blocks you could get lost there.

Anyone remember Al Greenspan, the bedspread king in Long Beach?

National Lumber was a Southern California chain. The owner lived in Palm Springs. Forget his name at the moment. They tried to expand too fast, if I remember right. Their original store was in Bellflower or Lakewood, if I remember right.

Used to love the print catalogs they sent out. lots of cheap chicken jokes mixed with the ads.

What are the lyrics of the commercial "go see cal"?

I probably go back a little farther than most--but not all--of you. I lived in North SD County, so got both LA and SD TV. In the 60s, Dial Chevrolet was Stanley Chevrolet. Pretty much the same jingle.

Also, back then there was the ubiquitous Bob Spreen: "A Beautiful Place to Lease or Buy a Beuatiful Car. Bob Spreen Cadillac, where the freeways meet in Downey."

Also:

"Two Guys is worth going out of your way for, you get more than you bargained for, beep-beep-a-beep-beep."

Not to mention the Pep Boys, Manny, Moe, and Jack.

KCOP, Channel 13, a Criss Craft Station.

More if I think of it, but the rest of you have covered the ground really well.

lol. As a kid I thought it was "pussy cow, pussy cow, pussy cow..." too. How weird is that?

Going to Uncle Tom’s KiddieLand every Sunday next to McDonald’s on Sepulveda Blvd in Mission Hills. Going to the Bob’s Big Boy Drive In down the street from there (before it was destroyed and a new Bob’s was built).

Does anyone remember the Saturday morning show called Wonderama? Bob McAllister hosted that one.

I remember there were wooden bridges that crossed the storm washes before they were replaced by concrete ones.

In the 60’s there were traveling merry go rounds that would drive in your neighborhood and stop, all the kids would HAVE to have a ride on one. I even remember a traveling pony ride gig that came through one day. How about the old fashioned ice cream trucks that came by that had the huge latches on the doors. What about the Hellman’s donut trucks that stopped and the driver would open the rear doors to huge drawers of freshly baked goods.

In the 60’s, my father would take my brother and I to the Builders Emporium on the corner Oxnard & Sepulveda. Back then you’d have to park on Oxnard in an angle in the dirt. I still remember the entrance to that store.

Anyone spend their summers at the Griffith Park Boys/Girls Camp? Hiking to Mt Hollywood at sunrise or trekking to the LA Zoo on foot? Roller skating on steel wheels in the tennis courts next to the Merry Go Round in Griffith Park.

Dodger Stadium when the O’Malley’s owned when you could buy Dodger Dogs at your seat.

In the 60’s, air raid sirens would blare on the last Friday of the month.

Anyone enjoy Busch Gardens on Roscoe just west of the 405 freeway? Pink flamingoes and beer. What a combination! Those tram rides were the best!

Thrifty drug store sold single scoops of ice cream for 5 cents, doubles for 10 cents and triples for 15 cents. Going to the Van de Kamp’s restaurant for ice cream after seeing a double feature at the Americana Theater. Stanley Livingston owned the Americana (corner of Parthenia & Van Nuys) then he bought the one at Reseda & Devonshire. There was a muli-level discoteque next to the theater in the same strip mall. I forget the name of it. Speaking of the Americana, across ths street was a (I think Hughes) market where one Christmas in the 60’s someone brought reindeer in circus cages for people to look at. Speaking of Hughes market, there was one on the corner of Devonshire & Balboa where I remember my father taking my brother and I for a boy scout sponsored pancake breakfast. Caddycorner from there was the Family Fun Arcade where I would love to play pinball.

In the 70’s Jack in the Box’s Jumbo Jack had much thinner and larger hamburger patty that was far superior to what it has today. Frequenting the Jack in the Box’s at the corner of San Fernando Mission Blvd & Balboa in Granada Hills for lunch while attending Kennedy High (graduation 1978) and another Jack in the Box at Hubbard & Foothill in Sylmar after smoking bongloads of commercial in Orcas Park near Hansen Dam.

Going on pony rides in the 60’s near Chatsworth Park, riding BMX bikes in South Chatsworth Park over the chards of skeet in the early to mid 70’s, then later partying in Chatsworth Park in the late 70’s before the parking lot was closed. People would park their car in the lot, pull out gigantic speakers and the place would rock while we lounged on the grass and boulders smoking grass. Me and my friends had a favorite viewing spot along the trail to the tunnel where we could see the train approaching from the south. By the time it crossed Chatsworth Street, we knew we had enough time to scramble up the trail to the tunnel, walk almost half-way in, sit on the ledge, light another joint and wait for the train to come through. Walking along the tracks between the two tunnels trying to balance on the rail without falling.

Remember when there was no 118 (Ronald Reagan) or 210 (Foothill) freeways? When the 118 was being built, my friend and I would climb the wrought iron that wrapped around the freeway supports to the top and smoke the cigarettes he stole from his parents. This was at the corner of Gothic and San Fernando Mission. Remember when there was no Great Western Bank Complex at the corner of Nordhoff & Tampa? When going to the Kmart near there was where I got my photographs developed. Anyone remember a big steel slide at the corner of Laurel Canyon and Rinaldi near the other Kmart (where my parents bought my younger brother and I identical clothes)?

I remember getting my drivers permit at the DMV on Maclay in San Fernando the day I turned fifteen and a half, then getting my drivers license the day I turned sixteen at the same DMV. When I was 15 or so, I took my mom’s car and drove it from Sepulveda to Walter Reed Junior High in North Hollywood to pick up my girlfriend from school and take her home…I got majorly busted by my parents for that one.

My mom would take me to the Robinson’s at the Panorama City Mall where I remember having a tostada at the restaurant there that I knew I was not able to finish. I remember the waitress there teasing me about it. I remember making deposits in my first savings account at Great Western Bank down the street from there on Van Nuys Blvd south of Roscoe. My first dentist was in an office building right next to it. I’ll never forget that first filling. One of my first CETA jobs was working at the Panorama City Library on Roscoe Blvd where I would lunch on hot dogs purchased across the street at Carls Jr for 29 or 39 cents each.

Anyone remember the Granada Theater at the corner of San Fernando Mission and Woodley. I once spent a whole Saturday there watching five Beatles movies in a row. How about the head shop next to the theater call Inflections that was run by a long haired, bearded throw back from the 60’s who was more than happy to sell you rolling papers, pipes or bongs. That was also were a WC Grant store used to be, where also in the 60’s my mother worked at the little cafeteria there and she would serve me the best éclairs in the world. After she picked me up from Porter Junior High she would let me drive our 1970 Catalina wagon in the back of the parking lot there. The Pick ‘N Save there was where we did all of our holiday shopping. Cheap, cheap, cheap gifts for all!

How about Standard Brands Paints? I used to work at the one on Balboa south of Devonshire. I used to also work at Ole’s at Vanowen and Reseda.

What about cruising on Van Nuys Blvd on Wednesday nights. That got shut down and we all migrated to Reseda Blvd.

In the 60’s, my elementary school (Mayall) had a pig and chickens. Remember when driver’s ed and drivers training was free?
Anyone remember the Texaco station on Lassen & Balboa before it became an In N’ Out? Someone mentioned Jack La Lanne, my mother would sell memberships for them at home-based parties. I drove her to them.

Does Tune Up Master still exist?

Anyone hang out at Petit Park in the 70’s? We would buy small cases of Lucky beer at the dairy on Chatsworth & Balboa, take them to the park, break into the auditorium and drink. What about that small amphitheater on the north side of the park. I remember a forest of trees that existed prior to the pool being built. My fave rave at the park was a kiddie elephant slide next to the Flintstone homes.

Who didn’t drive up PCH to the Ventura county line and party next to a fire till the sun rose. Anyone remember when McDonald’s opened up outlets in the Zuma Beach parking lot? When I was a kid I got scared and ran out of the house of mirrors on the Palisades Pier south of the Santa Monica Pier.

The Universal Studios Amphitheater didn’t have a roof in the 70’s.

That’s all for now.

I'm an L.A. kid from the 1950s -- born downtown in the old Methodist Hospital on Hope St. Early memories include Sheriff John, Skipper Frank, Engineer Bill, Chucko the Birthday Clown and, of course, Bozo. Tom Hatten and Popeye. Corriganville, where Westerns were made. Curry's Ice Cream with the giant cone outside. Helm's bakery trucks -- awesome stuff -- even potato chips. Speaking of which, Bell Brand potato chips. 101 Beer (brewed right off the 101 in downtown L.A.). The real Pike in Long Beach, with sailors, hookers and an assortment of colorful derelicts. Les Bacon and Sons Ford -- Manhattan Beach, I think. Auction City -- with elephant rides. Vic Tanny's gyms. Wallach's Music City. That's enough -- don't want to bore you 30 and 40-year-olds. Thanks...

I'm an L.A. kid from the 1950s -- born downtown in the old Methodist Hospital on Hope St. Early memories include Sheriff John, Skipper Frank, Engineer Bill, Chucko the Birthday Clown and, of course, Bozo. Tom Hatten and Popeye. Corriganville, where Westerns were made. Curry's Ice Cream with the giant cone outside. Helm's bakery trucks -- awesome stuff -- even potato chips. Speaking of which, Bell Brand potato chips. 101 Beer (brewed right off the 101 in downtown L.A.). The real Pike in Long Beach, with sailors, hookers and an assortment of colorful derelicts. Les Bacon and Sons Ford -- Manhattan Beach, I think. Auction City -- with elephant rides. Vic Tanny's gyms. Wallach's Music City. That's enough -- don't want to bore you 30 and 40-year-olds. Thanks...

Don Bates' comments bring back memories; but it was Brew 102, not Brerw 101, even though the plant was off the 101. I also remember lots of Valley restaurants: Otto's Pink Pig on Van Nuys, Jean's Blue Room on Ventura in Sherman Oaks, along with Robaire's, Hungry Tiger and Tail O'the Cock there, Mike's Pizza on Ventura in Encino (among other locations), Carolina Pines on Ventura in Encino (near the Encino Theater-- which reminds me of the La Reina in Studio City on Ventura), Dino's Pizza Villa on Victory in North Hollywood (I doubt if anybody remembers that place), Matt 'n' Tony's Sandwiches on Victory in Van Nuys (across from Victory Drive-In), Taco Tio across the street from Valley College--and plenty more.

rember partying at chatsworth park in the 70s and early 80s ?.every night . up n the rocks . riding bikes up at our track in chatsworth south park. do you rember the garden of the gods? partying the guys up at the bench in the north park.sittin up on the rocks.partying at shell rock or summer nights were the park was rocken .i f you do thanks i lived acrost the street you kept me awake many nights. no lol. i was there to matt

also....

1. pup & taco in van nuys
2. name of taco stand near van nuys high?
3. chick lambert and his dog storm
3.1 cal worthington knocked the above off w/other animals for years
4. bob yeakel slamming the doors and kicking the tires
5. bob yeakel drowning while surfing in a storm in malabu
6. dial Richmond 9 77550!
7. getting stoned in chatsworth park, up in the rocks
8. getting stoned in balboa park
9. the san val drive-in in burbank
10. woodies shmorgus burger
11. zoodies
12. pier 1 imports at burbank and white oak
13. the village: getting stoned on the corner
14. pandora’s box on the strip - acid
15. acid on the strip $1 a hit
16. a lid
17. a lid for $10 - acapulco gold, man!
18. driving up and down van nuys blvd. all night
19. june ellan’s donuts
20. walach’s music city, sunset and vine
21 “it’s music