More Photos From Jeff
Today I have another batch of scans from Jeff Zbornik, who graciously allowed me to share them with you! These are from his own family archives (all the photos were taken by Jeff's dad).
We'll start with this neat shot of Reno, Nevada. Jeff said that this is from 1960, and it was taken (from inside the car) at the State line. Harvey's Resort Hotel is to the left, and Harrah's is to the right - Jeff pointed out that Jack Benny, Wayne Newton, and Louis Prima were all on the marquee for Harrah's. A pretty nice lineup!
The next two are from a 1960 to Squaw Valley, California (now called Palisades, Tahoe). The Winter Olympics had been held in Squaw Valley in February of that year, and I've seen a few tourist slides from around that time, so Jeff's family was not alone in wanting to see this place. That's Jeff's mother next to the Ford Country Sedan (I love that car!).
Next is this photo of the Squaw Valley Chapel (aka the Olympic Valley Chapel), very modern, as if it had been built for a World's Fair. It's still there today, and can be used for an assortment of occasions. You can't tell in the photo, but the stained glass depicts the four seasons.
And finally, one of my favorites, this great photo the pier in Ventura, California, circa 1966. I spent many years living in Ventura County, and while I didn't make it up to the pier very often, I still have fun memories of visiting, and seeing the fishermen bring in stingrays or other weird fish. Jeff didn't ID the people in the photo, but (based on other photos), I can only assume that it shows his mother, himself, and his brother Russ.
I found this relatively recent photo; in 1995 the pier was partially destroyed by a storm, which sheared off 400 feet. Which explains why there is no longer an angle, as is visible in Jeff's picture. Pre-1995, the Ventura Pier was the longest in California, at 1,958 feet long.
MANY THANKS to Jeff Zbornik for sharing photos from his family collection!
32 comments:
It looks like Harvey's Resort Hotel has a glass elevator. Wheeee! And that is some kind of Ford Mustang in front of us, in the first pic. Maybe a 1964? Maybe a 1964 1/2? Maybe a Fastback something-or-other. I don't know. I'll leave the car identifying to Nanook! Sorry I brought it up!
Last time I checked, there was an Olympic museum up at Squaw Valley. I'm still surprised that Los Angeles doesn't have one, since there have been two Olympic Games held there. And didn't Disney have some sort of involvement in the Winter Olympic Games in Squaw Valley? I'm feeling too lazy right now to look that up.
Thank you Jeff, for sharing more of your family's photos! And thanks, Major!
Somebody we know is gonna have fun IDing the vintage cars in these photos. ;-) I like that little red and white sports car in the 2nd photo... or maybe it's a radio-controlled toy car?
In the first picture, I'm trying to figure out what that sign says with the yellow and red diamond shapes. Underneath, it says "haus", but the rest looks like a foreign alphabet.
The chapel looks like a futuristic house you'd see in Woody Allen's "Sleeper".
I've never been on a long pier before. The very concept seems strange; walking out over the ocean for a third of a mile!
Thanks again to Jeff Z. and Major P.
Okay, I felt bad for being lazy, so I looked it up. Walt Disney produced both the opening and closing ceremonies for the 1960 Winter Olympics, in Squaw Valley. According to Wikipedia, "One venue deemed impractical to build, was the bobsled run. Organizers felt the lack of entrants and the high cost of building the run were sufficient deterrents to leave the bobsled events off the 1960 Olympic program." It looks like that might be the only time that event was left off of a Winter Olympics program. What? Walt didn't suggest that they use his Matterhorn?
Major-
More fun photos from Jeff-! As there's a 1965 Thunderbird coming at us in the first image (following the 1962 Chevrolet; and the 1963 [possibly 1964] Corvair), this image can't be from 1960. Not to mention the 1965 [or possibly 1964½] Mustang fastback (possibly in Silver Blue) driving away from us, under the Hof Brau Haus.
Image 2 has a 1959 Chevrolet (possibly in Gothic Gold) just peeking-in. Behind it is a 1953 or 1954 Studebaker. Next to the Chevrolet is a 1960 or 1961 Ford Falcon. And then that great 1959 or 1960 Corvette (possibly in Roman Red and Ermine White). And finally, a 1955 Ford Country Sedan station wagon (possibly in Aquatone Blue).
Thanks to Jeff.
Ah, "Hof Brau Haus". Thanks, Nanook.
I guess you have to be inside the chapel to appreciate the stained glass. From this angle, I can’t make out Frankie Valli at all.
These are wonderful! I love them all. Thank you so much for sharing, Jeff!
There is so much drama and intrigue with Harrahs and Harry's you really must look it up. Right down to bombs (literally), tunnels between the two hotels, abductions (Frank Sinatra Jr.) Most fascinating for "sleepy" little South Lake Tahoe. Which is quite lovely. My dad must have done work for Mr. Harrah, as I remember him talking about him and pointing to this building saying "he owns that one." I guess we had met him, seen him...et al previously in the week or something. His house went up for sale and I checked out some photos of the kitchen- my dad could have done it..he was kind of popular with that set. As a kid, I was completely unimpressed and honestly, just wanted to see the Ponderosa Ranch. My parents wanted to drink, gamble and smoke on the Nevada side of the world up there. The Cal-Neva lodge (Frank Sr.'s hotel) was famous (or infamous) for being on the state line, where one side of casino was gambling, and the other was lounge. I could swear that I saw a slot machine on that state line that was half a slot machine. I have yet to find a photo. Perhaps I imagined it. We did go to Squaw Valley, which honestly at the time I thought we were in Norway...I was confused...there were ski lifts and things...we never got to Ponderosa Ranch. I never knew why I was so hell bent on going there...I didn't even WATCH Bonanza. I did like animals, horses, etc. Maybe that is why. The cars in those photos are epic. The chapel I don't remember seeing- probably because it didn't have a bar in it :) I looked it up, it's kind of amazingly Tomorrowlandia cool. 40 Pounds of Trouble was filmed at Harrahs apparently. I never saw the film, but this post has spurned some interest as it has 15 minutes of 1962 Disneyland in it. Even by the still shots, the movie looks kind of painful. It was Norman Jewison's first movie after Tony Curtis swayed him into directing after Judy Garland's comeback show. Only in Hollywood are there stories like these. I don't have any Ventura memories other than it was on the way to Solvang where we owned some kind of business, and we would stop at Strawberry fields enroute. Coastal CA. strawberries are delicious, there were many farms by Marineland as well which we frequented. Not sure if all those farms sold out, or not. Marineland is a resort now with not a flipper in sight. Thanks Jeff for sharing your memories and photos!
Jeff Thank You! These are fun views of fun places.
Major, as Bu says, the first pic is South Lake Tahoe. JB, the Diamond sign says “HOFBRAU”, a German themed restaurant with a roast meat buffet and beer, lots of beer. It was a popular restaurant theme at that time.
The tall hotel is still there too. I think this photo is taken just south of the state line which runs, I think, just south of the tall hotel. Our view is looking northerly.
We stayed at a hotel in Olympic Village years ago, and my company is now consulting on another one there that has leaks. It’s a beautiful spot. Something like 50 feet of snow this year. I love the building and cars in this pic, but nothing looks familiar.
Bu, the Cal-Neva site is in the news again, a new group backed by Larry Ellison have bought it and plan to re-open.
I love the pier photo, when I was that age I was scared of the Morro Bay pier for fear of falling through the cracks, I guess it was pier pressure. Nothing like a good pier review.
Thanks Jeff and Major, a fun change of pace today!
JG
JG, too bad your younger self didn’t understand that you are safe as long as you can still see those cracks in the pier. And then when you see no more slit cracks, you need to stop walking. It’s a simple rule - when you’re out of slits, you’re out of Pier.
I’m opening for Jack Benny at Harrah’s this week. Come see me!
The puns... again with the puns. They are pretty good today though. I'd walk a mile, on a pier, for a Slits. It'd be a pretty bored walk though. I'll be opening for Chuck, whose opening for Mr. Benny.
That tall building is Harvey's which is still in operation today there at Stateline NV. Hurrahs is a little larger than non-existent in the picture of the mid 60s (sign only) but a LOT has changed since then. But Harrah had the last laugh, eventually buying Harvey's.
Last summer, I drove by what was once Cal-Neva and there wasn't much there behind the construction fencing. A few years earlier I went inside while it was operating with a tour group. The guide indicated that it wasn't long for this world, was very little changed from the 60s and that we had gone back in time...especially in the entertainment room and stage which once hosted all the top stars of the late 50s and 60s...perhaps the Rat Pack and even Marilyn Monroe. I swear I could feel ghosts in there. Glad I had the opportunity to visit. KS
TokyoMagic!, it is a great glass elevator, too! The Mustang is a rare Toyota Mustang. Yes, Disney was very involved in the opening (and closing?) ceremonies for the Squaw Valley Olympics, I wonder if there is footage of the ceremonies online?
JB, I won’t have fun IDing those cars, it will take me all day. I don’t know what you are talking about JB! Gosh, looking, I don’t even see the word “haus”. Perhaps I need to open my inner eye. The chapel is cool, but it’s a chapel, so… hard to get that excited about it for me. Piers are cool, there is something about them. They make you want to walk out to the end! And as you said, walking over the ocean is an interesting experience. Often there are fishermen on piers, pulling in weird fish, and sometimes even small sharks or rays.
TokyoMagic!, I’m glad that I am never lazy, and that I am a hero to hard workers everywhere. And now I know (thanks to you) that Walt Disney did have something to do with the closing ceremonies. “And now, Fred McMurray and Moochie will dance for you!”. That’s very weird about them not building the bobsled run, one of the more interesting sports to watch at the Winter Olympics, if you ask me.
Nanook, you did it! You IDed every car, and did it with a grace and elegance that many would envy. “Silver Blue”, that’s not very creative. How about “Venusian Blue”? There, fixed it. Oh, there’s Hof Brau House, I was zoomed in too far, so it was out of frame. I blame society.
JB, I like the funky lettering on that sign, but it isn’t super legible from long distances.
Chuck, the stained glass shows Frankie Valli yelling at the Four Seasons. “I’m the star here! You guys are replaceable! Bring me a bowl of green M&Ms!”. Yes, he came up with that before Van Halen.
I had no idea there was drama between Harrahs and Harry’s, sounds like quite a story. Did Mr. Harrah always walk around with a big cigar? That’s how I picture him. He ended every sentence with “See??”. You have pictures of Mr. Harrah’s kitchen?? How did that happen? I love drinking and smoking, and doing it in Reno would be heaven on Earth. Cal-Neva Lodge had a souvenir rubber figure, a now-inappropriate Indian… I always wanted one for my “advertising figure” collection, but they go for too much. Half a slot machine, I love it. I’ve mentioned it before, but my one time in Tahoe, I wanted to go to the Ponderosa Ranch (there were signs for it everywhere), but it had just closed. Bummer! I’ve only seen clips of “40 Pounds of Trouble”, and I feel like it’s all I can stand. Maybe it’s actually a wonderful movie. But watching Tony Curtis run around Disneyland is only moderately interesting, and not that entertaining. How did he talk Walt into letting him film there? I’d love to know.
JG, don’t forget the bratwursts. DON’T FORGET! And schnitzel. Yum. I used to love a German place near me, mostly because the waitresses all wore those dirndl tops that showed… stuff. Enough said. It should be illegal to take a photo from one State into another. Just my opinion. “Those photons are OUR photons!”. Maybe you can get the GDB crew a special rate at the Squaw Valley Olympic Village. You can sit at the head of the table, like the Godfather. “I expect each of you to kill someone for me when I ask you to do so”. “Si, JG!”. I guess I never saw the Morro Bay pier when it was so run down, it’s pretty solid now.
Chuck, I award you 10 golden pazoozas for that pun!
JB, it’s always something to think I’m done with the comments, only to find more. “I tried to get out but they PULLED ME BACK IN!”. Or something like that.
KS, yes, Harvey’s is mentioned in the text. I was going to do a “now” screen cap from Google Maps Street View, but it is so built up and different that it was pointless. It’s too bad that the Cal-Neva resort is gone, but those old casinos don’t have a long life, typically. It’s always time to tear the old one down and build a bigger, better version. History be damned!
The sportswear-fashion company that designed the ceremonial American uniforms for this Winter Olympics eventually developed the leisure suit ….. but before that they created the American high end ski lounge and sport wear that was becoming popular in Europe with sking wealthy. The company also creating the TOMORROWLAND 1967 costumes including the PeopleMover jumpsuits , , jacket and central shoulder zipper shirt , the jumpsuits and jacket for Rocket Jets and Flight to the Moon and the stirrup stretch pants for the make Inner Space costume. They also did the 1968/69 Monorail costume. Imagine those 1967 New Tomorrowland castmembers in the hot summer California sun wearing SKIWEAR!!!
To my knowledge the only actual public road worthy 1964 ( as opposed to the 1964 1/2) Mustangs were the 8 from the FORD MAGIC SKYWAY …. After the fair the cars from the WEDWAY/MAGIC SKYWAY were reconditioned and sold to Ford employees at a big discount. 12 1964 Mustangs were in use on the Disney Magic Skyway … but for whatever reason only 8 of the 12 were reconditioned. A BIG Ford Mustang collector had been hunting these Disney 1964 Mustangs and I think had 5 or 6 of them . These at one time were not well respected amongst Mustang collectors then about 20 years ago Ford confirmed they were indeed tagged as 1964’s and suddenly they became Holly grails!! Unfortunately ( yeah you saw this coming ….) a storage facility with some of the 1964 Disney mustang convertibles … with other rare cars were destroyed in a fire. I know at least one Disney 1964 Mustang ( a black convertible) survives … I’m not sure if the other remaining two have been located and saved .
Shoulder shirt zipper . MALE Inner Space costume.
Major-
"You IDed every car, and did it with a grace and elegance that many would envy".
That's so kind of you. I didn't get every car. Fer instance - the truck in the gas station is a Fourth Generation (1961-1966) F-Series, Ford truck - I'm pretty certain. I think the other car in the gas station is a 1961 Buick Special - but certain things, at this resolution, don't pencil-out.
And if you look thru the window on that Mustang fastback, you can see a 1964 (or maybe 1963) Plymouth Fury station wagon. And near The El Dorado Motel, that looks like a 1961 Chrysler Imperial. "We're the ones with the Imperial, and we're running last-?" Guess the film, and who said it.
I'm afraid for this viewer, 40 Pounds of Trouble is only worth watching for all the location footage in Tahoe - of which there's a LOT - including [some pretty wonderful] images from that "other" spot - The Happiest Place On Earth...
Nanook, the film (a guess): It's a Mad, Mad,..World? The "who" is even tougher... Mickey Rooney? Probably both are wrong.
Back in the early 60s my folks went in with a few other families to buy a cabin in what was then Squaw Valley. It was on Tiger Tail Road, where non-conformist cabins were spaced out a bit and there were no fences delineating yards. It was roomy, so a trip might include two sets of parents and eight or more kids. No TV, but a lot of snow in winter and big rocks to climb on in summer. I remember big rocks as being a major attraction of woodsy areas.
A lot of what was built for Olympics was still standing: The dorms became a hotel/hostel, the rink was open daily, and the big "snow sculptures" were scattered about. We drove past the chapel frequently but never had occasion to visit it. Fondly recall the Smokey Bear Trading Post, a souvenir shop devoted entirely to Smokey merchandise. We had a Smokey cigarette snuffer on the dashboard of the station wagon. They've become rare and pricey, and I still covet them despite not smoking.
Being the lousiest skier -- I often took a tumble just getting off a chairlift, and actually rode one all the way down and up again because I missed the ski-off point -- my more cheerful memories center on things like switching from ski boots to loose after-ski boots, Monopoly games, and re-reading "Never Trust a Naked Bus Driver" by Jack Douglas. There would be a few noisy evenings when the parents crossed the state line for dinner and keno, and grocery runs to Truckee.
There was a small movie theater, in a suitably ski-resorty A-frame building. Our trusting parents took us to see Matt Helm movies. Somehow I remember a very early trip when we saw "Have Rocket, Will Travel" in a rec hall with a 16mm projector.
There were day trips to Reno, the Biggest Little City in the World, or to Harrah's South Tahoe. Harrah's had a day care center. My older siblings got to go to the teen area with TV, pool tables, music, a snack bar and other cool stuff. The preteen area, where my younger brother and I got parked, offered a low-tech arcade and another room where you could sit and color after running out of coins. There was a movie theater all kids had access to, where they showed a meh Popeye cartoon and "The Mating Game" with Debbie Reynolds and Tony Randall. There was a similar deal at one of the Reno casinos, where the movie theater served up a Mario Lanza feature and a B&W western.
Once we went to the Donner Pass museum. There was a lecture by a ranger detailing the tragedy, and he sounded like he was personally enraged by the decisions and actions of various participants. I half expected him to demand guilty verdicts from us, the jury.
Of course the drive from Santa Clara County and back was an adventure. If we were lucky we'd stop at the Nut Tree, an upscale roadside attraction featuring fancy restaurant, Cost Plus type shopping, a toy store and a little train running to a nearby airstrip. Our parents would offer a choice between a fancy sit-down lunch with them or a whole dollar to squander. We usually opted for the dollar, perfectly happy with drive-through burgers once we were on the road again. At some point we took to stopping at the Coffee Tree instead, a huge coffee shop with paintings for sale, and we all ate at a table and tried to be civilized. During the drive a big deal was catching a brief glimpse of the mothball fleet or getting Wolfman Jack on the radio.
Growing up a non-skier and non-gambler, I haven't been back since we sold our interest in the cabin. The Nut Tree is long gone, although a sign lingered for a few decades as a landmark.
@ JB-
You were half right: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World; but Ethel Merman.
DBenson, thanks for that comment!
Dad flew us up to the Nut Tree for dinner once, and years later, it was a regular stop on our way to the Bay Area. My kids loved the big toy rocking horses.
It was replaced by an outlet mall.
Major, those were the St. Pauli girls, eh? Vast tracts of land.
JG
This is how the state line view looks today.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/1JQcEXbGLcqhWhNA7?g_st=ic
JG
Mike Cozart, I want to bring jumpsuits to every day fashion. Who wants a track suit? Not me! I assume that Disney’s connection with the Olympics might have had an influence on the choice of costume designer? I know that others such as Tommy Walker were involved in planning the ceremonies as well. How cool would it be to own a Mustang that had been in the Magic Skyway?? I mean, even if it wasn’t used there, it would be a cool car, but the World’s Fair connection would be incredible.
Mike Cozart, gotcha.
Nanook, I realize that any cars that are obscured or too far away are not “fair game”! I have no idea who said that quote. I’ll have to wait for somebody else to answer (because somebody will know!). Yeah, “40 Pounds of Trouble”, once I found out it wasn’t about a cocaine score gone wrong, I lost interest. I love drugs.
JB, oh gosh, I haven’t actually seen “Mad Mad…” since I was about 13 years old. It’s all a blur of celebrities, crashing vehicles, and technicolor.
DBenson, ha ha, I’ve only gone skiing one time, and I went with a bunch of people who already knew how. I assumed they would patiently wait while I learned the ropes, but instead they abandoned me. Needless to say, it was not fun. The Smokey Bear Trading Post? I could spend an hour there! If you go back to possibly my first “Stuff From the Box” post, I show one of those cigarette snuffers. I love that Harrah’s had a place where parents could dump their kids for a few hours! Hopefully there was at least somebody to make sure the kids were safe and looked after (sort of a dry land “lifeguard”). So funny that the ranger at the Donner Pass museum was so angry. I wonder how he would react if he was starving and had only “certain stuff” to eat? “No! I cannot!”. Meanwhile everyone else is looking at him and seeing a giant turkey leg. I have at least one slide (a bad one, if I recall) from the Nut Tree, I worked with a guy who loved that place. Sounds like a fun experience. I mean, a little train, what’s not to love? Thanks for the fun comment!
Nanook, Ethel! My love.
JG, did your dad own a small airplane?? You guys actually flew up to the Nut Tree for dinner?? And yes, in my memory those “St. Pauli girls” were a real eyeful.
JG, thank you for the link.
Major, Dad and Hal bought a little two seater plane for about ten years and flew all around the valley just for fun. He would rent a four seater for birthday trips. There were lots of places with runways beside muni airports. I was never clear where Nut Tree was because I had only flown to it. Happy to find it on our route from the far north to the Bay Area so many years later.
JG
Historians can take the past personally. Also recall a visit to Ford's Theater in the 70s. Samuel Mudd, a friend of Booth's who bandaged his leg and was later accused of being party to the assassination of Lincoln, was back in the news because President Carter expressed the opinion Mudd was innocent. One of the guides in the theater's museum told some inquiring visitors that, in his view, Mudd was guilty as heck and proceeded to made a case. He spoke as if Mudd was a live criminal whose buddies were trying to finagle early release.
Oh yeah ... Harrah's did have some mature schoolteacher-type ladies about, one patrolling the arcade room wearing a change-making thing. Even at that tender age, I thought there was something unfair about us not getting pretty girls in costumes like the ones in the casino proper. Now remember the folks gave us little Harrah's pen knives, inexplicably shaped like baseball bats. They played keno while dining, and I think those were the low-end prizes.
Further family road trip memories: Boxes and bags instead of proper luggage, because going to the cabin or a relative's home wasn't the same as a hotel ... On cross-country treks to Minnesota billboards for Wall Drug, and weird "teasers" with the message "WALL I'LL BE DRUGGED" ... Waking up in a motel and turning on the TV to find cartoons we didn't have at home ... Gift shops with "adult novelties", like ashtrays with imitation Playboy cartoons ... Auto Bingo, and arguments about whether you actually saw a cow ... Hundred-mile bladders ... And in those pre-mandatory-seat-belt days the best spot was in the back of the station wagon, stretched out between the boxes and bags, while siblings had to sit upright on the bench-style back seat.
DBenson, your comments bring back a flood of memories. Between my second and eighth birthdays, we lived 15 minutes from the Nut Tree and Coffee Tree, both owned by the same family and located across I-80 from each other. Loved that place, for all the reasons you mentioned above, plus details you didn’t. The rocking giraffe, taller than the rocking horses on the verandah and tall enough that it needed an attendant to lift you into it. The bamboo huts - three of them - as you came in from the south parking lot. The remnant section of the original Nut Tree RR track, a smaller gauge than was then-currently in use embedded in the walkway from the parking lot. The outdoor puppet theater. The bamboo forest with chickens running wild. The “peek-a-boo” wall, with animal caricatures and little doors you could open and sick your head out of a la Laugh-In. And so on and so on.
I have since learned that the train that took you out to the airport was a Bud Hurlbut product. Compare with the Calico Mine Train locomotives.
We went to Tahoe once in ‘76, and my sister and I were dumped in the child care centers at Harrah’s while my parents and grandparents went to dinner and saw Englebert Humperdinck perform. As a 7-year-old alone with no friends, it wasn’t the most fun place to be stuck with a bunch of older kids (up into the teens). I remember a couple of games, a moon lander that only cost 10 and another game called Desert Fox that I always seemed to be able to get bonus time on. Was a bit jealous of my younger sister because she got to play Duck, Duck, Goose and play with toys where she was.
The back of the station wagon was indeed the best place to be. When we moved out of California in 1976, the entire left side of the wagon behind the driver’s seat was packed with stuff - clothes hanging behind the driver and boxes in the back. My dad made sure there was space in the “way back” for a kid, and he kept the boxes to one-high for an unobstructed view back there. Great place to be as a kid - you could color, play with toys, or just watch the scenery go by. I remember sitting in the back seat with a map and navigating through LA for my dad while my mom and sister followed with the other car.
Thanks for those memories! Glad to see I see I’m not the only one who can relate.
DBenson - I'm sold. Can I book a 2-week vacation there?
Glad to see the puns are still flowing freely.
Also, I was reading "The Progress City Primer" a collection of short essays related to the development of EPCOT, and learned that in addition to the ceremonies, Walt and his crew had some influence over other developments at Squaw Valley, which was not-at-all developed when it was awarded the Games. They implemented some very EPCOT-like features, like using waste heat from the ice rinks to heat the athlete dorms. It's worth a read if you can get a copy.
Jeff, thank you for sharing your family photos! I've enjoyed seeing them and reading everyone's comments.
As usual Major...I'm running so fast I barely have time to actually read each word of the post. At some point I will slow down, but so far I refuse to act retired! My Bad. LOL KS
I am glad people here enjoy these photos. I will dig up some more for you some time. Thanks, Nanook, for the car IDs. It is surprising to me that this must be 1965+ since that means I would have been along in that old Ford wagon. There do not seem to be any photos of me or my brother on the trip, which is odd.
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