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E-MAIL MEMORIES, PAGE 34
BOB PROBST:
In the summer of 1958, either TIX or NOE had a contest, to find a key to
a new '58 Chevy Biscayne. The key was "hidden" in plain view on
a telephone pole, on the Elysian Fields neutral ground, lake side of Southline
Drive (now Leon C. Simon). I lived on Madrid St, off Elysian Fields and
Robert E. Lee, and walked to the beach nearly every day. I must have walked
right past that key 20 times. Man, was I sick when I heard the key was found,
and where it was hidden.
BOB:
I remember that promotion...I couldn't talk my parents into driving from
Carrollton to Elysian Fields to look for that key. I'm sure it was WTIX.
And I bet that car's radio was stuck on...WTIX. I don't recall WNOE really
being seriously in the rock & roll radio wars until around '60.
ALAN BORNE:
From '57 to '61 I attended St. Joseph Seminary in St. Benedict, La near
Covington. They had a high school and junior college program then. As a
Benedictine boarding school, you might expect the place was strict about
things such as radios, etc. So, I bought a crystal radio (shaped like a
rocket ship. The nose had a metal rod which could be used to tune in stations
by extending or retracting the rod) My bunk was near a large window, and
I was able to connect the antenna wire to the metal window screen. Of course,
the only station I could get was clear channel WWL but I could lie in bed
and listen to the Blue Room shows. While I was not a huge fan of Kelner's,
I really enjoyed that touch of home. I could also catch the late baseball
scores and (since we could only read the first page of the sports section...and
then one day late) I amazed my friends with my "predictions" of
the previous day's results. So, to this day, memories of Kelner are nostalgic
and sentimental.
BOB:
I had one of those little plastic red and white rocket ship radios too.
They didn't need batteries...they just transformed the strongest radio signals
into sound in your earpiece. Ironically, the only station I could pick up
with that variable metal tuning rod on the cone was WWL as well. So I threw
it away. But I did catch quite a few Leon Kelner Blue Room broadcasts as
well on other radios during that time and those are some of my fondest radio
memories of that era as well.
FRANKDO:
Robert E. Lee 1940-1946 Gonna miss the old school name
Mater Dolorosa 1947-1949 School and being Altar Boy
Alcee Fortier 1950-1954 - Boys only most of that time
Alcee Fortier Army R.O.T.C.and Wood Shop
Elevator at Canal Street Ferry. My grandmother operated
St. Claude Streetcars. My Dad was conductor for 17 years
Western Auto Store on Carrolloton Avenue
Corner Grocery on Birch and Dante Streets
Carrolloton Street Car Barn
Palmer Park
A&G Restaurant & Girls at Carrolloton and S. Claiborne
Best Ice Cream Store on Magazine at Jackson Avenue
Blackouts, Scrap Drives & Buying War Bonds during WWII
Buck's Famous Fried Chicken in Algiers
Colored fountain on Tulane Avenue in front of NOPSI Bldg.
Colored Water Fountain at West End during the 1940's
Manual's Hot Tamale Cart at Carrolloton & Canal Streets
Mardi Gras Parade Floats pulled by white blanketed mules
Mardi Gras Parade Floats lit by Flambeau bearers
Barts at the Lake...Brunnings at West End
French bread with every meal and between meals <G>
Crabbing at Bayou St. John at the Lake
High Schools dances at the Jung Hotel
Parking at College Inn, Lenfants and the Rockery
Listening to great Rock & Roll in my 1951 Chevrolet
Goin to Drive in Theaters & occasionally watching movie
Carrolloton Avenue drug stores and cherry cokes
Carrolloton neighborhood friends who have scattered
I am in the process of doing a scrapbook of all aspects of my life for
my daughter and I am missing a picture of the ole Robert E. Lee school on
Carrolloton & Birch. If anyone could post one I would really appreciate
it a bunch.
BOB:
I love those memories of Carrollton that we both shared...except the Mardi
Gras mules and the WWII stuff (whew) ! :-)
If I can scrounge up a picture of Robert E. Lee School I'll post it.
MITCH SAWYER:
Hello, Just finished browsing your website... it was great fun. Back in
the early 70's, I resided in Bay St Louis [shortly], working for Pete Fountain
(Pete owned property along Julia St/ Beach Blvd.; He was developing a weekend
Naw'ins get-away). I was young & rather new to the area. I once took
a young lady (trying to impress her) to Gus Steven's Supper Club. At that
time I did not know of the great reputation it had. I found it rather sad
to hear the place had been demolished. Do you have pictures avail of this
establishment?
BOB:
No, and there were so many opportunities over the years to take pictures.
I really wish I had, even in the later years when it was just a delapidated
and abandoned building. It was indeed demolished around 2002 and the memories
went with it. There is a beach souvenir shop on that spot now. But if someone
has a picture to offer us I will certainly post it.
TOM CALKINS:
Lawyers learned a long time ago that reality varies between people for many
reasons. Five people will hear the same thing 5 different ways. Case in
point, I remember hearing "Coming to you from the beautiful Blue Room
high atop the Roosevelt Hotel in downtown New Orleans" many Saturday
nights from my room in South Arkansas. Could I be mistaken also? I never
saw the place so I would not have know that "...high atop..."
was not right.
BOB:
Nope, the Blue Room was/is located on the first floor, just inside the entrance
on University Place (the hotel lobby extends a full block with the other
entrance on Baronne St.). The highest the Blue Room has ever been is up
the 7 or 8 stairs from the sidewalk to the revolving lobby entrance door.
And the studios of WWL Radio were located at that time on the mezzanine
floor of the Roosevelt, which is roughly a 10-story hotel. Many people get
it amusingly confused because of that 1968 novelty song "Loving You
Has Made Me Bananas" by Guy Marks, whose intro on the song is a direct
humorous poke at Don Lewis, the announcer, and the Roosevelt Blue Room show
broadcast.
CHERYL ANDRUS FALGOUST:
Hi Bob - I lived on Zimple St., near Carrollton. My parents owned Oak Electric
for many, many years. I "lived" on Oak Street as a child. I went
to Mater Dolorosa and Dominican (class of 1965). My sister and I still have
the house on Zimple and own the building that the barber, shoe repair, beauty
shop, and sno-ball stand occupy now. (The sno-ball stand was originally
"created" by my father as a way of keeping me busy during the
summers and earning my own money, instead of hitting the cash register at
Oak Electric.)
I remember all the things you listed as well as:
Sister Clare using a "cricket" at recess
Stopping everything in the schoolyard at noon to pray the Angelus
Eschete's Garage on Oak St.
K&B cherry cokes (the best)
Courgerols (spelling?) Hardware Store on Oak St.
Punch's Grocery Store
Adolf's Restaurant (the BEST fried chicken and roast beef sandwiches anywhere.
Still haven't found any as good). Now I think it's Jacques-Imo's.
Paper sales at good old Mater Dolorosa.
There was a general store on a corner of Oak St. at Cambronne where I used
to buy kites.
Junker's
A furniture store next to Junkers on Oak.
Poplar Theater on Friday night. Also Saturday matinees with the Duncan yo-yo
contests.
Brother Fidelis (7th grade boys teacher at MDS about 1960) All the girls
had a crush on him.
Devil's Den on Canal @ Carrollton
F & M Patio- Neville Bros. before famous
The Beacon Lounge (or was it the Beaconette)
The Sands on Jeff Hwy
The Baby Grand on River Road
WTIX and WNOE
Poppa Stoppa
Dominican High School on St. Charles
Going to the Beatles concert at City Park right after school and having
the principal get upset when she saw us on TV in our UNIFORMS.
The Krystle hamburger shops. I think they were a nickel each.
Riding the St. Charles Streetcar after school-standing room only.
Audubon Park Swan Boat and Sunday afternoon entertainment on the stage.
Pontchartrain Beach and the Miss N.O. pageants
Getting dressed up to go to Canal St.
Maison Blanche and DH Holmes restaurants.
The grand old "Steamer President" My dad (Dutch Andrus) played
on the boat for many years. When I was little, I used to go so often and
visit with Capt Strekfus, I thought it was our boat.
The great movie theaters downtown-especially the Saenger.
Martha Jane's Melody Lane on Carrollton near Tulane Ave. It was a record
store with rooms with record layers. You could listen before you bought.
My aunt used to take me there when I was little. That was where she and
her friends used to smoke.
Baby Huey, Katy Keene "funny books"
At parades, the call of "Peanuts. Get your peanuts. Nickel a bag."
Peanuts tasted the best at Mardi Gras.
It's been fun. Thanks.
BOB:
Wow, how nice to hear from another Carrollton/MDS writer. Being from Carrollton
I remember every one of those great recollections and it's an honor to hear
from the daughter of the legendary New Orleans bandleader Dutch Andrus.
Your dad was as much of a neighborhood celebrity at his electric appliance
repair shop in the first block of Oak Street as Al Hirt was when he lived
two blocks away on Freret Street in the early 60's. Back in those days when
broken appliances were repaired instead of thrown away, I can't begin to
tell you how many times my parents brought me along to get something fixed
by Dutch. Everybody knew everybody from the neighborhood on a first name
basis back then. I would look at your dad in his store and think that it
must be nice to be a music celebrity like him. I was already well aware
of him and his high profile band by the late 50's.
I still remember Sr. Clare's "cricket" to this day from
the 6th grade at MDS. If you didn't heed that cricket and stop what you
were doing she'd whack you with the blackboard pointer. And there were always
two Christian Brothers who taught 7th and 8th grades at MDS. The young girls
all had a crush also on Brother Gabriel, my 8th grade teacher in '59.
Don't forget, too, Max's Bar on Oak & Cambronne, where my dad
liked to "visit" often to ... uh ... make sure sales were good
for the Jax Beer he helped bottle at the brewery. And at the other end of
Oak Street at 8739, my aunt and uncle's landmark Compagno's Grocery.