Ask Vance - December 2012

12/30/12

Look! Rare Photos of the "Polynesian" Interior of the Luau

Look what my pal Bonnie Daws Kourvelas has turned up — some rare interior shots of the Luau, the Polynesian-themed restaurant that stood on Poplar across from East High School. Bonnie, who attended Sheffield High School, has been poring over some old Sheffield scrapbooks she acquired from the mid-1970s, and turned up these (and several more) snapshots of a high-school organization — we're not sure which one — that was having a luncheon at the Luau, and she passed the photos on to me. Note the woven-grass-covered walls (did this place pass the fire codes?), the somewhat bizarre decorations, and the "authentic" Polynesian attire of the waitresses. In some of the shots, the walls are rather plain-looking paneling, but until somebody tells me...

Posted at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments: 1

12/20/12

Take a Look at Union and Cleveland in 1949

A few days ago I received an interesting query from reader Cynthia Raleigh: "During the process of scanning my family's old photographs, I came across a collection of my Dad's photos taken while he was attending the Woodard School of Photography in Memphis (he graduated from there in 1949). One of these is a street scene in which, on the left, is a sign saying Studebaker - Klyce Motors. Progressing down the streeet is a Toddle House, B.F. Goodrich - Swayne Latham, and across the street is a Kroger and a small flower shop. I'm wondering where in Memphis this might be located." Her father was Don L. Boatright, and he took the photo shown here. I'm proud to say that, based on the buildings and businesses in the photograph, and my photographic knowledge...

Posted at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments: 1

12/16/12

"Let's Do Some Kissing / Let's Do Some Loving" — Clarence Saunders' Crazy Advertising For His New Keedoozle Stores

Flipping through the pages of the Memphis Press-Scimitar on a Friday afternoon in 1939, readers were probably surprised at the headline they encountered here: "Let's Do Some Kissing, Let's Do Some Loving, Let's Go See Keedoozle." What they'd encountered was a full-page ad for the brand-new Keedoozle store that Clarence Saunders was opening at Third and Jefferson. Saunders, as I hope you know, gets credit for inventing America's first self-service grocery store, when he opened Piggly Wiggly in 1916. He eventually lost his shirt in that business (thanks to a complicated stock-market mess), but years later, he tried again with a high-tech venture: a fully automated store. Customers didn't push carts, or lug groceries around. They just wandered...

Posted at 08:02 PM | Permalink | Comments: 1

12/11/12

Hugo Dixon Wartime Diaries Now Archived on Shelby County Register Website

My regular readers already know how fond I am of the Shelby County Register of Deeds website. Oh, sure, it contains plenty of great information about deeds. But it also features an entirely separate historical collection that includes photos of old Shelby County Schools, city directories from the late 1800s, court transcripts and photos from the trial of James Earl Ray, and just tons of other materials. It's an amazing resource for historians, and I for one am grateful for all the hard work they have put into it. And now they've added something new — the wartime diaries of Hugo Dixon, founder (with this wife, Margaret, of The Dixon Gallery and Gardens). It's really an amazing treasure trove of materials. I could try to describe the new collection for you, and...

Posted at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments

12/05/12

Lost Memphis: El Capitan Club

Regular readers of this blog — mainly mental patients and state prisoners these days, judging from the letters I receive — know that I have a peculiar fascination with the old clubs and discos that dotted the Memphis landscape in the 1960s and 1970s. I've written before about the notorious Whirlaway Club, and El Morocco, and Club Caesar, and others like that. But while perusing a 1968 issue of KEY magazine, which served as a weekly visitors guide for tourists, I came across this eye-catching ad for El Capitan club, which was located at 1354 Poplar. One thing about it greatly amused me. Take a look: If you go here, you can drink and smoke and stuff yourself with a "fabulous steak." Six days a week, you can hang out here until 1 in the morning. If...

Posted at 01:01 PM | Permalink | Comments: 5

	12/30/12 Look! Rare Photos of the "Polynesian" Interior of the Luau Look what my pal Bonnie Daws Kourvelas has turned up — some rare interior shots of the Luau, the Polynesian-themed restaurant that stood on Poplar across from East High School. Bonnie, who attended Sheffield High School, has been poring over some old Sheffield scrapbooks she acquired from the mid-1970s, and turned up these (and several more) snapshots of a high-school organization — we're not sure which one — that was having a luncheon at the Luau, and she passed the photos on to me. Note the woven-grass-covered walls (did this place pass the fire codes?), the somewhat bizarre decorations, and the "authentic" Polynesian attire of the waitresses. In some of the shots, the walls are rather plain-looking paneling, but until somebody tells me... Posted at 11:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments: 1
	12/20/12 Take a Look at Union and Cleveland in 1949 A few days ago I received an interesting query from reader Cynthia Raleigh: "During the process of scanning my family's old photographs, I came across a collection of my Dad's photos taken while he was attending the Woodard School of Photography in Memphis (he graduated from there in 1949). One of these is a street scene in which, on the left, is a sign saying Studebaker - Klyce Motors. Progressing down the streeet is a Toddle House, B.F. Goodrich - Swayne Latham, and across the street is a Kroger and a small flower shop. I'm wondering where in Memphis this might be located." Her father was Don L. Boatright, and he took the photo shown here. I'm proud to say that, based on the buildings and businesses in the photograph, and my photographic knowledge... Posted at 11:14 AM \| Permalink \| Comments: 1
	12/16/12 "Let's Do Some Kissing / Let's Do Some Loving" — Clarence Saunders' Crazy Advertising For His New Keedoozle Stores Flipping through the pages of the Memphis Press-Scimitar on a Friday afternoon in 1939, readers were probably surprised at the headline they encountered here: "Let's Do Some Kissing, Let's Do Some Loving, Let's Go See Keedoozle." What they'd encountered was a full-page ad for the brand-new Keedoozle store that Clarence Saunders was opening at Third and Jefferson. Saunders, as I hope you know, gets credit for inventing America's first self-service grocery store, when he opened Piggly Wiggly in 1916. He eventually lost his shirt in that business (thanks to a complicated stock-market mess), but years later, he tried again with a high-tech venture: a fully automated store. Customers didn't push carts, or lug groceries around. They just wandered... Posted at 08:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments: 1
	12/11/12 Hugo Dixon Wartime Diaries Now Archived on Shelby County Register Website My regular readers already know how fond I am of the Shelby County Register of Deeds website. Oh, sure, it contains plenty of great information about deeds. But it also features an entirely separate historical collection that includes photos of old Shelby County Schools, city directories from the late 1800s, court transcripts and photos from the trial of James Earl Ray, and just tons of other materials. It's an amazing resource for historians, and I for one am grateful for all the hard work they have put into it. And now they've added something new — the wartime diaries of Hugo Dixon, founder (with this wife, Margaret, of The Dixon Gallery and Gardens). It's really an amazing treasure trove of materials. I could try to describe the new collection for you, and... Posted at 12:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	12/05/12 Lost Memphis: El Capitan Club Regular readers of this blog — mainly mental patients and state prisoners these days, judging from the letters I receive — know that I have a peculiar fascination with the old clubs and discos that dotted the Memphis landscape in the 1960s and 1970s. I've written before about the notorious Whirlaway Club, and El Morocco, and Club Caesar, and others like that. But while perusing a 1968 issue of KEY magazine, which served as a weekly visitors guide for tourists, I came across this eye-catching ad for El Capitan club, which was located at 1354 Poplar. One thing about it greatly amused me. Take a look: If you go here, you can drink and smoke and stuff yourself with a "fabulous steak." Six days a week, you can hang out here until 1 in the morning. If... Posted at 01:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments: 5

December 2012