Bob, the Large Boy (with Special Guest STU)
Sue B. has been so generous, sharing tons of photos taken by her dad, Lou Perry. But she's been scanning other stuff too, including a batch of slides and snapshots from her cousin Stu, who was a manager of a Bob's Big Boy restaurant. Who doesn't love the Big Boy, with his magnificent cowlick, his red and white checked overalls, and his cheerful smile? The fact that he's holding a hamburger the size of a car tire doesn't hurt either.
There's Stu, posing with Big Boy himself! Sue gave me a little background on Stu: Stu graduated from high school in June 1962 in Chicago, then moved to southern California with his family, shortly thereafter.
He started as a fountain man for Bob's in June 1963. After two years, he was drafted into the army, and then returned to Bob's in 1967. He worked for different Bob's Big Boy locations over the years, retiring in 2004 as a manager.
Some of you may recall this photo of Stu (on the left) with his brother Steve. I don't recognize the location, but I'm sure somebody out there will know where it is.
Why, YES, Mr. Big Boy, I will have a double-decker burger, with fries, a side salad (ice cold, with blue cheese dressing of course), and one of those thick milkshakes that I loved so much!
While Stu worked at several Big Boy restaurants, we know that at least one of them was in Glendale. I don't know if this photo shows that location, but it's possible.
Aha! A different Big Boy, holding on to his overalls and greeting us with his trademark smile. It looks like the location might be the same as the previous two photos? But why would they change out the Big Boy? WHY??
Here's Stu's wife, posing next to yet another Big Boy. By now the cloning procedure had been perfected, and you could see him everywhere! Bob's turquoise shoes are très chic.
And finally, one more photo of Stu posing with the biggest boy of all. Gosh, now I'm thinking of all the time I should have spent in a Bob's Big Boy restaurant, instead of playing video games and breakdancing!
Many thanks to Sue for sharing these fun photos. There are lots more pictures of Stu and his Big Boy restaurants, I will definitely be posting more of those at a future date.
31 comments:
Major-
And I thought my brown, houndstooth-pattern shorts didn't go well with one of my shirts with flames-! Clearly, if Big Boy can make red/white overalls work with turquoise shoes I have nothing to worry about.
Thanks to Sue for sharing everybody's pal (and Stu).
What a nice tribute to Sue's cousin, Stu.
Another iconic thing about Big Boy is the wedge-shaped highlights in his eyes. Old cartoon characters from the 1920s and '30s had that a lot, it seems.
I'm stumped on the location of the 2nd one. Downtown Oxnard, perhaps? ;-) Was this taken during Disneyland's first year? The clothing styles look like 1955, give or take.
"But why would they change out the Big Boy? WHY?? Maybe Big Boy was an animatronic figure and it's the same one, in different poses, in each photo... OK, maybe not. ;-) I think I like this 2-handed overalls gripping Big Boy slightly better than the tray-in-the-air version. But it's a close call.
Now I'm getting a craving for burgers, fries, and shakes.
I know that Stu isn't with us in person anymore. But he is immortalized in these photos and by the photos he took, that we've seen here on GDB. So thanks Stu, Sue, and Major.
Not 100% sure, but that second photo looks a lot like Fort Collins, Colorado.
Eating at Frisch’s Big Boy (same trademark but different company from the corporate entity that was Bob’s) is a fond childhood memory going back to visiting my grandparents in the small, Ohio college town where my parents both grew up. I ended up finishing college there myself and years later teaching at that same school, so trips to Frisch’s have managed to stay on the menu through the years. Even though both original locations in town have been replaced by a single location that lacks the mid-century charm of its predecessors, a friend of mine and I have maintained a tradition of eating there together every time I am in town.
When I was recently home as my mother was in the hospital and eventually passed, seeing the Big Boy statue still brought a smile and a flood of happy memories in the midst of a sad time. It also made me think of the GDB crew, knowing that many of you also have fond memories of those painted hunks of cast concrete and the cholesterol bombs served at the restaurants they adorn. Love you guys!
Thanks again, Lou & Sue & Stu (& you, too, gentle reader)!
P.S. - anyone else suddenly hungry for onion rings?
Awwww! These are wonderful! I loved Bob's Big Boy, and have many fond memories of dining there as a kid with my family, and then in later years with friends. The Big Boy Combo was a favorite, with the thick shake (that Major mentioned) which came in that frosty silver goblet. I also remember getting the "Hot Fudge Cake" sometimes, instead of the shake.
In recent years, I have stopped at the vintage Bob's in Toluca Lake...or is it North Hollywood? I think it is the oldest Bob's that is still standing, today. At least, it's the oldest one in the Los Angeles area. Today, I seem to always order the Pappy Parker's Fried Chicken. I think I had brought this up in an earlier GDB post. The commercial for the fried chicken featured a little "claymation" Pappy Parker character saying something like, "Try Pappy Parker's friiiiiiiiiiiiiied chicken!"
I wonder if the Bob statue at that one location could have been stolen, and then replaced with a different statue? I remember on several occasions, going to my local Bob's restaurant, and the statue would be missing. I also remember showing up to high school one morning, and one of the Bob's statues had been placed atop a fountain in the school's "quad" area. Those no good juvenile delinquents!
Oooops, I forgot to thank Lou, Sue, Stu, and the Major, too!
It is soooo weird that you did this post Major.. yesterday some friends and I were talking about Bob’s Big Boy. I mentioned I always wanted to try their Pappy Parker Fried Chicken ( or was it BROASTED?) but when it came time to order I’d always end up getting the hamburger combo .
I also liked how they always gave you the extra milkshake that didn’t fit in the main glass …. Kinda like a milkshake “sidecar” or sometimes I think they brought the whole silver mixing canister from the shake machine and you could pour the extra into your glass as you desired.
Chuck; I always assumed those Big Boy figures were fiberglass …. And didn’t think they would actually be concrete ,But I never got close enough to touch one and see. I guess they were like the Knott’s photo op characters … they too are concrete and I always thought they were fiberglass. About 25 years ago I had an opportunity to purchase the sculptor’s maquette of the Knott’s Roaring 20’s photo op figures of the flappers “Daisy & Flossie “ but I passed….. I wish I had though.
Thanks Major & Sue ….. and Stu!!!
Mike, I'm pretty sure that the Big Boy statues were fiberglass or something other than concrete.
Who was the sculptor for the Roaring 20s "Flappers" on the bench? Was it the same person who sculpted the Fiesta Village "Senoritas"? I know that it wasn't Claude Bell, but I have never heard who sculpted the "bench figures" that came after the original figures of the "Miners" and "Saloon Girls".
Guys, you are right - the Big Boy statues are obviously made of fiberglass. Not sure what I was thinking when I typed “concrete.” I hope the rest of my essay meets standards; I can’t afford to fail this class.
Thank You,! Lou, Sue, Stu, and the Major, too!
Bob’s had locations in the San Joaquin Valley also.
The one in Fresno was the classic 50’s-60’s Googie coffee shop, the one in Visalia was eventually replaced in the 70’s with a more Seventies theme with lots of dark wood and the semi-Spanish wrought iron lanterns with fake flame bulbs. Still had the same menu and the Bob statue out front. Both places are now long gone, but I can still buy Bob’s salad dressing in our local market.
Milk shakes in a silver goblet with extra on the side! Funny how a little detail like that makes an ordinary order seem extra special. I seem to remember ordering Pappy Parker fried chicken once.
My Dad loved these places (and coffee shops in general) and we were regular visitors, usually on Sundays after church. We would “go to town” to have lunch and go shopping. Those were the big towns close to my home and we would alternate visits since they were about the same distance for us.
Remember the little newsprint comic books, with Big Boy as some kind of hamburger super hero? Great times.
JG
@ TM!-
The 'frosty silver goblets' used for their shakes was one of the gags separating Bob's from run-of-the-mill chain restaurant/coffee shops. They were definitely channeling independent restaurants and soda fountains, where the tradition of 'bringing to the table' the S/S container with the remains of the shake from the Waring 'Triple Spindle' or Multimixer Milkshake Mixer, was a long-established staple.
Also - the Bob's location is in Toluca Lake.
@ JG-
"...with lots of dark wood and the semi-Spanish wrought iron lanterns with fake flame bulbs." A friend of mine described the one, or two, very-large chandeliers seen in the restaurants as part of the new design scheme as "Cleopatra's Barge Chandeliers"-! (He also once described a rather obnoxious example of a 'typical San Fernando Valley apartment building "design" ' - which I think is [was] on Laurel Canyon - as Casa Sayonara, since the "architect" was attempting a 'mash-up' of two design styles that had no business holding hands - unless, of course, you're an apartment building in the San Fernando Valley - where all bets are off...)
I just wonder how many free Bob's burgers did Lou and Sue enjoy while Stu was in the Bob's corporate structure. The restaurant business is a tough one and obviously Stu enjoyed it so much to make it a career.
UI have vague memories of an occasional Bob's mascot disappearing in the middle of the night and reappearing at some high school or university now and then. ;)
Chuck, my condolences. I think we have all expressed similar experiences. KS
Nanook, houndstooth pattern goes with everything, and it also makes you virtually invisible if you happen to be dropped of on the African veldt (which has happened to be four times).
JB, I think that I once read that a Disney artist redesigned the Bob character from the early, more crude version, it wouldn’t surprised me if true. Downtown Oxnard is a good guess, that city is full of amazing architecture. I haven’t seen an animatronic Big Boy, but I have seen a walk-around character, they never make the head large enough. It’s-a gotta be BIG! I’m glad you guys are enjoying “meeting” Stu!
Chuck, yes, it is definitely Fort Collins, I checked and everything is just right. I’m aware of Frisch’s Big Boy, in fact I have a fiberglass tray from a Frisch’s. In Pennsylvania they were “Elby’s”, and I know in the Wisconsin area there were “Marc’s” Big Boys. How many others? I do love those Big Boy statues, and wish I had the room and funds to own one. Now people on eBay sell repros, some of them are pretty awful. Still expensive though.
Chuck, ALWAYS.
TokyoMagic!, years ago I took my niece and nephew on the Warner Bros. Studio tour, and we ate lunch at the Toluca Lake Bob’s beforehand, it was fun to share that experience with them. I got a fantastic photo of the two of them with the Bob statue, too. I never had the fudge cake, I think that by the time I had eaten my burger and shake, I was too full. I’m not that far from the Toluca Lake restaurant, but I have snooty friends who never want to eat there. I hope those juvenile delinquents that stole the Bob statue went to prison for life!
TokyoMagic!, you are welcome.
Mike Cozart, I’ve been listening in on your conversations! I have “ears” everywhere. EVERYWHERE! Man, fried chicken sounds so good. The tradition with the extra milkshake in the frosty metal tumbler is genius, my gosh I’m getting so hungry now! Yes, I am quite sure that the statues are fiberglass, I was friends with someone who owned an early statue, you could move it without too much bother. Aw, I’m sorry you didn’t get the maquette for Daisy & Flossie.
TokyoMagic!, the sculptor was Claude Bell’s brother, “Babalu” Bell.
Chuck, you had concrete on the brain! Just like I do every day.
JG, I’m always surprised that so many Bob’s restaurants have closed. They seemed so popular. There was one in San Luis Obispo when my sister first moved there, but it is long-gone now. Wish we’d eaten there, but my sister never wanted to go. Man, I want a milkshake with the extra portion in the silver tumbler SO MUCH. Sambo’s seemed to be the coffee shop that we went to the most (that and Coco’s), I still remember having fried shrimp for the first time at Sambo’s, and enjoying A1 steak sauce on my fries. I do remember those comic books! They were pretty bad, but hey, as a kid, who didn’t love getting a free comic book?
Nanook, the more spindles a shake blender has, the thicker and richer it will be! Einstein proved it with his theory of relativity. Care must be taken, or a milkshake can be too thick, causing a rift in the time-space continuum. I hate to admit it, but I kind of love the old SF Valley apartments that attempt a theme, be it ancient Sparta, Polynesia, or a cheerful Mexican village. I used to live at an apartment called “Windward Isle”, the ugliest, grayest apartment, the name was a joke! I was happy to leave it.
JG... I fondly remember the giveaway comic books (pamphlets?) at BBB. One of my earliest memories is going to the one on Van Nuys Blvd, looking forward to getting the comic because it featured Bob's dog(!), and eating in the car with a tray attached to the door. I believe I remember the option to have a different style tray attached to the steering wheel, but no one else remembers that.
Nice photos, Major. "Steaks, Shakes, Pancakes". It rhymes!
Major-
'Ancient Sparta'-! Boy, there's one I missed-! 'Windward Isle' - I can feel the cool, ocean breezes, now. (Too bad they didn't name that apartment the Windward Aisle just for yucks). It looks 'lovely' HERE, sorta - especially all the spalling of the cinder block due to the water leeching through it from the planters-!
"10¢ -- Free to our guests!"
I recall the comic books, with their non-slick covers and even non-er-slick content. Looked them up on Pinterest and found that the covers were about what I remember:
https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=%22adventures%20of%20big%20boy%20comic%22&rs=typed
I'm guessing they farmed these out to very young and cheap freelancers. Seem to remember once in a while spotting a better-drawn story or page. These rarities tended to have a 50s buzz, suggesting they were recycled. As for the food, it now blurs in memory with all the other coffee shops. Thick burgers and thick fries, iceberg lettuce salads and tall sundaes. The middle ground between fast food and "real" restaurants.
TOKYO : off hand I cannot think of the sculptors name who did “Flossie & Daisy” for Knott’s Roaring 20’s. It was NOT Claude Bell however. There had been concepts for some other Roaring 20’s bench figures including two “college” guys ( one who was sitting on the bench backrest !” and two air pilots - for whatever reason these were not produced. For Knott’s 100th they did a post about the Knott’s bench figures and credited Claude Bell as having done the “flappers” just before he retired in 1986. 11 years “just before he retired??” Im pretty sure this is incorrect… but maybe Bell came up with the concepts but clearly you can tell “Daisy & Flossie “ are NOT the same sculpting styles as are the other bench figures. I think it was the Senorita figures that were the last Claude Bell sculpted. I had done research for a Knott’s Roaring 20’s feature for the defunct ( and greatly missed) E TICKET MAGAZINE and was able to locate “Flossie & Daisy’s” sculptor then …. And I don’t recall Claude Bell’s name ever even being associated with the Roaring 20’s. The same sculptor had also created large faux stone sculpted wall panels for SEA WORLD’s high end restaurant POSEIDON’S at the opposite station of their SKYWAY.
So thanks to Stu for fun photos and being a big part of Bob’s. We still enjoy!
I try to get to Toluca at least once a month, but rarely get past that perfect breakfast for all the other good stuff to eat.
The brownie is incredible though. Chili spaghetti. Etc, yum.
Spectacular design bonus here too. No silly ding-bat names*, but pure authentic MCM structure and details.
Thanks to you too Sue for such stories.
Sorry to hear Chuck.
Best-MS
*yeah, get a laugh from those fancy signs saying “The Versailles” or “Valencia Gardens” on oversized shoeboxes parked on asphalt, without a tree in sight. The very incarnation of Aspirational.
LTL, I sure wish there was still a Bob’s on Van Nuys Blvd… so close to me! Gosh, I don’t remember the trays that attached to the steering wheel, but it’s a good idea.
Nanook, there IS an apartment building somewhere in the Valley that has some sort of sculptural frieze depicting ancient warriors. Not sure if it’s really “Sparta” or not, but I appreciate that they tried to do something interesting. And yes, there’s awful old Windward Isle, with a jerk of a manager. “I’m a company man!” he loved to tell me over and over.
DBenson, I occasionally look at vintage Bob’s Big Boy items on eBay, and have seen those comic books (lots of them!), your guess about the cheap freelancers sounds plausible.
I know that the food at Bob’s was never fancy or gourmet, but it sure hit the spot! I’d happily eat there today if I could.
Mike Cozart, so I guess the sculptor wasn’t Babalu Bell? I had no idea that Claude Bell worked at Knott’s for that long. Somehow I thought he was done by the 1960s. I’m sure Chris Merritt’s book had the correct info, but I don’t have that one handy. And YES, The E-Ticket Magazine is GREATLY MISSED!
I really have no excuse as to not going to the Toluca Lake Bob’s more often. Well, other than the fact that not many people I know want to go with me (they either don’t want to go “all the way” to Toluca Lake, or they just want something else. You’d think that Windward Isle would at least have some palm trees and bird-of-paradise plants in copious amounts, but it feels more like a WWII bunker. Not in the Pacific, either.
Yeah — I’m pretty sure that Claude Bell was done with Knott’s as well in the 60’s . I hade a feeling that the Knott’s 100th Anniversary post about the bench figures mixed up Claude’s retirement with his retirement from Knott’s ….. I can’t find no info about Claude Bell working at Knott’s till 1986 ..
And again we know he wasn’t sculpting the Knott’s Roaring 20’s bench figures. I feel bad I cannot remember the actual sculptors name but I know he had gone to school at Chapman University . He had a line of wildlife sculptures a distributor sold at Virginia’s Gift Shop in the 70’s …. And I recall that was his connection to Knott’s at the time. He later did tv and movie set direction and created puppets for tv …. Including Barney I recall. I’m in San Diego this weekend but I’ll look up the details in my Roaring 20’s research file when I get home.
MAJOR: Babalu Bell was the sculptor famous for the fullzise inverted Mt. Rushmore …. Where the presidents look like they are following you…..
But I can easily understand the mix up.
Major-
I can't argue with any sort of "design" attempt when building these 'cookie-cutter' structures. And I do believe I've driven-by the apartment with the frieze of the 'ancient warriors'.
But for me it will always be the Valley Ambassador, with its quiet, elegant mid-century charm. As all structures these days need to have some sort of 'security entrance', the Ambassador has lost a bit of its luster with its new wrought iron fence/gate. Originally, the entrance consisted of commercial glass doors, set in anodized aluminum frames, buttressed on either side with large glass panes, allowing one to see within, where a crystal chandelier was hanging. All this AND a 'tony' Valley Village address THIS VIEW merely hints at its once formal greatness; although the original name [in script] and the twin, domed wall sconces remain as a fond reminder of simpler times.
BABALU BELL was also famous for the “Rubber Crutch” ……
…..”make hospital visits ENTERTAINING with the Babalu Bell “Rubber Crutch”
“…a medical claim visit to the hospital turned into a Laurel & Hardy film thanks to “Rubber Crutch” - Meridian Heath Insurance Agent .
“I survived a serious case of lead poisoning , but I’ll dying with laughter thanks to “Rubber Crutch”!! - Mercy Hospital Patient
“There wasn’t a dry eye in the house with “Rubber Crutch”! - director of St. Agnes Retirement Estates.
Mike, what are you drinking??
;oP
^ That was me, Sue. Stupid cell phone.
@Nanook, that pseudo-Spanish style was very popular up in the SJ Valley, usually heavily accented with orange tile walls and the clay tile floors. Lots of wrought iron too.
Thanks for that link, There are a couple of apartments of that vintage here, all with names. Wonder why that’s a thing?
Years later, designing home remodels in West LA / Santa Monica, we coined our private term “Spudor” for those houses that wavered somewhere between Spanish and Tudor. Those were often difficult to design additions since you couldn’t decide which way to push the detailing.
LTL, Yes, I remember the one with Bobs dog! Not sure if it was the same comic, but close.
DBenson, thanks for the link, the very thing!
Thanks everyone!
JG
This Stu was a Big Boy Burger lover for many years!
Unfortunantely, Big Boy is no more around here in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area. By the way, here Big Boy was Kip's. We never had Bob's, but they were the same menue.
Oh, and give me a hot tin roof sundae too...
Nanook, I would pay big money to see a picture of you in houndstooth-pattern shorts, with a flaming shirt.
JB, if I remember correctly, that 2nd photo was from June 1956. And Stu's carrying a camera that my dad gave him, I believe. Up until his later years, he (Stu) would call my dad to talk photography.
"It also made me think of the GDB crew, knowing that many of you also have fond memories of those painted hunks of cast concrete and the cholesterol bombs served at the restaurants they adorn. Love you guys!"
Chuck, If your "Love you guys!" is directed to us Jr. Gorillas - then my response is: We love you, too!
But, if "Love you guys" is referring to "cholesterol bombs served at the restaurants," then never mind.
TM! That's funny about the statues 'gone missing.' Pranksters. I wonder how many ended up in people's backyards permanently. (I can't believe that Mike C. doesn't have one.)
JG, I have photos of some of the Bob's Big Boy restaurant interiors - where Stu worked. Some are dark, as you mentioned. The one I recall eating in, where Stu worked in the early 70s, was more white and bright. Lots of windows. I have no idea what town it was in, but it was in the Anaheim or Glendale area.
KS, now you got me wondering about free food. Since I was younger when I ate at Stu's restaurants, I wasn't paying attention to the bill, or if Stu was generously feeding us at no charge. Knowing Stu, the food was probably freely given to us...he was a fantastic person - everyone loved him.
Major, we had a Marc's Big Boy by us - up until maybe 20 years ago. But that was the only one I knew of, in the Chicagoland area.
LTL, we had "Dog 'n' Suds" in our area - where they'd attach the tray to your car window. Many moons ago.
DBenson, I didn't know Big Boy had a comic book, but I do recall getting a nice ceramic Big Boy bank, around 1970. I wish I still had it...and I've never seen one for sale on eBay. Just the plastic ones show up on eBay.
MS, you're lucky to still eat at a Big Boy. It's been many years for me. I have more photos to share, though...
Stu, I think the Major may eventually be scanning a menu or two for us. It'll be interesting to see what else you recognize from the menu.
Mike? Are you there??
Thanks, Major.
"Steaks, Shakes, Pancakes, and Tummy Aches"
Mike Cozart, I am sure you are right about Claude Bell, as you said before, those sculptures don’t seem to be the same style as Whiskey Bill and Handsome Brady. Not that they’re bad, not at all! Sounds like Claude Bell was an interesting and talented man, thank you for that bit of info about him!
Mike Cozart, OH YEAH!
Nanook, I used to drive by that apartment building, but now I can’t recall where it was. You know how it is, so many neighborhoods in the Valley are kind of alike. I guess I’m weird because I have a fondness for those older neighborhoods. The new stuff, not so much. Oh boy, that Valley Ambassador is pretty sweet! Looks like it should be in Miami. Wonderful!
Mike Cozart, I would like to see a dramatized movie about Babalu Bell’s life, starring Leonardo De Caprio. The drama! The pathos! The rubber crutches! Is Martin Scorsese busy?
Sue, mike is drinking a healthful coconut water.
JG, ever since I went to a beautiful Spanish-style home when I was a kid, I’ve loved the “adobe” look, the dark tiles on the floors (with occasional tasteful rugs), low amber lighting… seems like a pleasant way to live. Oh, and don’t forget lots of steer horns! The more the better. “Spudor”, hmmm. Sounds like a tropical disease. I remember Bob’s girlfriend was named Dolly, but I don’t remember his dog’s name.
Stu29573, they should bring back Big Boy restaurants, only he will have to lose weight, and of course he has to wear a backwards baseball cap and carry a skateboard. I joke because when I worked in animation those two traits were always lame shorthand for “the cool guy” (see: Poochie the dog). The character might play an electric guitar too. Gnarly!
Lou and Sue, thank you for sharing Stu’s photos! And YES, I’m sure there was a Marc’s Big Boy near you. I think I have an upcoming post showing one in Milwaukee. I’m already working on another post featuring Stu’s early pictures of his days at Bob’s, likely from before he went into the Army.
Major-
The Valley Ambassador is located at the NW corner of Corteen Pl. & Magnolia Bl.
I never made it to a Big Boy, and I don't think there are any in New York anymore. Cousin Stu had such a friendly smile; I bet the customers loved him. The Big Boy statue got too old and tired to hold his burger plate anymore. He got the rheumatiz in his shoulder.
I spy two, count'em, TWO sets of identically-dressed little boys in the crowd at the information booth behind Stu and Steve, and the one set has a sister in a dress that seems to be made from the same fabric as their matching shirts. Stu and Steve must have worn their matching jackets for Twins Day.
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