Thanks to two old friends, both fellow St. Thomas High School Alumni from different eras, and also independent thinkers, to boot, I received separate day links this past week to some very interesting and nostalgic U Tube videos of Houston as it was a half century ago, when some of us were still growing up or just starting out in this wonderful city of ours.
Vito Schlabra is our first contributor, with some help from Roy Bonario, the long-time Houston historian and collector who first sent it to Vito, who then sent it to me so that I could then pass it on to all of you. “Houston at Night 1960” plays as an in-motion pictorial on restaurants and night spots that used to be. As I viewed it, here are the places I was able to recognize and note in the order of their appearance in the film: (1) Prince’s Drive In, appearing to me as the Fannin Street location in the area of the city we now call Mid-Town; (2) La Louisiane Restaurant & Court; (3) The Red Lion, a wonderful old English style steak house on South Main; (4) a Polynesian restaurant whose lights glared out the name. I recognized the place, but could not jump-start the identity of the fancy eatery into consciousness; perhaps, you may be able to do so; (5) Ye Old College Inn, on Main, near Rice University and for decades, a Houston tradition; (6) Maxim’s swanky downtown restaurant; (7) Martini’s Lunch & Dinner, but I don’t recall its location; (8) Ding How Fancy Chinese, with KC Steaks in neon to make sure they didn’t miss the real Texan diners, on South Main, near the Prince’s-Stuart Drive Ins burger war field; (9) Leo’s Mexican Restaurant on Shepherd, north of Fairview; (10) Alfred’s Delicatessen on Rice Boulevard in the Village; (11) C Kelley’s Restaurant, Steaks & Seafood, on Main, just south of downtown; (12) Valian’s Italian & Pizza Restaurant on Main at Holcombe, our lamented lost shrine to the greatest pizza of all time, even though they also served up delicious shish-ka-bob, barbecue, and steaks too; (13) a little burger joint known as “Someburger,” but I forget it’s exact location in the OST, South Main, Kirby Drive triangle; (14) Gaido’s Steak & Seafood, on South Main; (15) Toddle House, the first one was also located on the popular South Main street site, I think; (16) Lott’s Grill (I forgot its location); (17) Paul’s Sidewalk Cafe (ditto on the failed memory page); (18) Cokin’s (blank screen on the location again; I didn’t have a lot of memory-making money back in the day); (19) Kaphan’s Seafood on SOuth Main; we all knew this one; it was both good food and affordable; (20) two guys buying tickets for a movie at the Loew’s State, downtown on Main Street; (21) several other movie theatre marquees; (22) Carrousel Motor Hotel, next to Gulfgate Mall on the Gulf Freeway; (23) Tidelands Motor Hotel & Floor Show, on South Main, next to Rice U; (24) Cruising on Main Street, with a quick stop at Bill Bennett’s Grill on Main for some sobering late night/early morning coffee. – The whole short film uses an instrumental version of “Caravan” to take us on a tour of old Houston. Someone did s nice job here – and, speaking of here – here’s the link that is your first movie ticket:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OxoiRz6SgA
We have Larry Joe Miggins to thank for this next one, but, as Mike Vance so aptly points out in his supplemental critique of the facts in the comment section, we need to give credit to KTRK-TV for the original production and to the availability of it that has been made possible by the UH Special Collections program via JR Gonzales’ Bayou City History blog from the Chronicle. That little mouthful now being said for purposes of clarity, I would also add by first name amendment that this little clip features Rodney (not Roger) Crowell singing his “nailed it” song about Telephone Road and how things were in the East End back in the day. The only thing Rodney gets wrong here, which is far better than I can allow for my own first draft errors and omissions, is the inclusion of the Astrodome in his lamentations about the wrath of Carla. Carla came in 1961; the Astrodome wasn’t finished and open until 1965. We simply have to cut him some slack for poetic license here. He may have just been talking about the storms of life – of which there once were many – along a street named Telephone Road.
Here’s the link to film clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSU145Cr9So&feature=youtu.be
Now, to enjoy it even more, here’s a link to the lyrics of “Telephone Road” that Rodney Crowell wrote and now sings as the soundtrack to this show of life along Telephone Road. If you care to print these out, it may help you follow the narrative even better on your second listening to the song.
http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/r/rodney_crowell/telephone_road.html
Have a nice weekend, everybody!
Tags: Houston History, You Tube Links
The Pecan Park Eagle 
August 6, 2011 at 3:39 pm |
My father, who will be 91 in October, was friends with George Crowder, proprietor of the Red Lion Inn for many years. They worked out together at the downtown Presidents Health Club and played a lot of ping-pong together. My fellow post-doc fellows at Houston Child Guidance Center often went there for happy hour.
I vividly picture that Polynesian restaurant, I think it was on S. Main. The name is on the tip of my tongue but I just can’t pull it up.
August 6, 2011 at 4:03 pm |
Guy Clark has a line in his song, “Black Diamond Strings: (from his “Dublin Blues” album) in which he pays a tribute to Crowell:
“J.W. Crowell was a hell of a man
He played two nights a week in a hillbilly band
He played at the Ice House on Telephone Road
He played in the yard just to lighten his load”
And thanks Steve Earle:
My brother Jimmy, my other brother Jack
Went off down to Houston and they never come back
Mama wasn’t gonna let her baby go yet
But there ain’t nobody hirin’ back in Lafayette
I’m workin’ all week for the Texaco check
Sun beatin’ down on the back of my neck
Tried to save my money but Jimmy says no
Says he’s got a little honey on Telephone Road
Chorus:
Come on come on come on let’s go
This ain’t Louisianna
Your Mama won’t know
Come on come on come on let’s go
Everybody’s rockin’ out on Telephone Road
Telephone Road is ten miles long
Fifty car lots and a hundred honky-tonks
Jukebox blastin’ and the beer bottles ring
Jimmy banging on a pinball machine
Chorus
Mama never told me about nothin’ like this
I guess Houston’s ’bout a big as a city can get
Sometimes I get lonesome for Lafayette
Someday I’m goin’ home but I ain’t ready yet
Also, it seems like I remember that James McMurtry references Telephone Road in one of his songs.
August 6, 2011 at 6:42 pm |
Dr. Bill:
Vito did a great job – here are some more:
One’s – A – Meal (Old River Oaks Shopping Center – W. Gray)
Leslie’s Fried Chicken (way out on Bissonett Blvd)
Bill Williams – Fried Chicken “Savage Style”
George Dentler’s “Pier 21”
The Shamrock Hotel’s “Pine Grill”
Weldon’s Cafeteria
I think Kelly’s was not fronting on Main St. but on the side street across from the Rice Hotel – which had a great place for lunch = “The Flag Room”
many more – but seem to be drawing a blank
regards,
Callahan
August 6, 2011 at 7:02 pm |
Bill, Just a couple of comments. The 1960 film of Houston was done by KTRK TV and was made avaialble courtesy of UH Special Collections via JR Gonzales’ Bayou City History blog from the Chronicle. Just wanted to give credit where it is due. You can still find the film posted there.
Leo’s btw was on Shepherd just north of Fairview. The location you describe was Felix Mexican Restaurant. Leo’s was much better food in the later years. Yum.
The Alfred’s shown in the film was, I think, the original location on Rice Blvd in the Village.
And Rodney Crowell, as opposed to Roger. Very good song.
Thanks much!
August 6, 2011 at 7:31 pm |
Mike
Thank you much too, my friend. In my “get it right above all else” commitment, I have made the additions and corrections you have pointed out within the text of the column. If you promise to be my editorial net at some future point, I may one day attempt the writing equivalent of a triple back flip from a literary high wire. 🙂 Just kidding. I wouldn’t wish that burden upon you or anyone else.
August 6, 2011 at 7:46 pm |
Wonderful clips, even for someone like me who did not grow up in Houston. But I visited often. On one memorable family trip in the ’50s, we stayed at the Shamrock and dined at Valian’s and the Red Lion Inn. Years later, I went to Leo’s with a college girlfriend who was from Houston. And I recall a very nice evening at Maxim’s when I worked for a big Houston law firm the summer before my last year in law school. Fortunately, the firm picked up the tab.
August 7, 2011 at 4:05 pm |
I think the Polynesian place was Trader Vic’s.
August 29, 2011 at 1:49 am |
Maybe the polynesian place was POLYASIAN. I think Trader Vics was in the Shamrock Hotel complex