November 2012
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11/27/12A Newspaper Ad for Memphis' First Drive-In Movie Theater?In our November issue, I tell the story of the old, and original, Summer Drive-In, which opened in 1948 at the corner of Summer and White Station. I'd tell you more, but I certainly expect you to buy the magazine and read the article, dang it all. Anyway, I implied that this might have been our city's first drive-in movie theater, though I had always suspected that the Lamar Drive-In actually preceded the one on Summer. But where was the proof? Well, I finally found it when, alone in the Lauderdale Mansion Library one night this week, I was looking over a July 3, 1940, edition of the Memphis Press-Scimitar (it's true!) and noticed the tiny ad you see here. Back then, the newspapers would devote an entire page to their movie listings, so this two-inch notice... Posted at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments: 7 |
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11/26/12One of Those "Hey, What a Minute" Tombstones — This One in Calvary CemeteryIn my ramblings through local graveyards, I often come across tombstones with carvings or family names that make me stop and think, "Hey, wait a minute." And so it was with this marker in Calvary Cemetery. Just one question: Shouldn't it be carved in the past tense — DIED? Posted at 01:09 PM | Permalink | Comments: 2 |
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11/20/12Another Maysie Dimond Mural Mystery: What Happened to the Dyess Colony Mural Given to Eleanor Roosevelt?Just a few days ago, I wrote about the wonderful murals that local artist Maysie Dimond had painted across the walls of Ellis Auditorium. I'm sure you remember that charming story, and told it to your children as you tucked them into their beds at night. At the time, I didn't have any photos of the actual Ellis Auditorium murals, but ran a photo of Maysie standing in front of a nice mural (above) she had painted of the historic Dyess Colony in Arkansas, which — so the newspapers reported — she planned to present to Eleanor Roosevelt. This was back in the 1930s, you understand. Well, we know the Ellis Auditorium murals bit the dust. And now it seems the Dyess Colony mural (above) has gone missing, too. Good grief. Has nothing by Maysie Dimond been... |
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11/18/12Rare Photo: Gladys Presley's Original Gravesite at Forest Hill Cemetery — Mother of Elvis PresleyDigging through a box of dusty 35mm slides purchased at a Memphis estate sale, I found the usual stuff — family photos, shots of Christmas trees, lots of living rooms and kitchens, and lots and lots and LOTS of pictures of flowers in somebody's garden. And then I found this — a rare photo of Gladys Presley's original gravesite in Forest Hill Cemetery, taken in 1958, judging from the date scribbled on the slide mount. Most people vaguely familiar with the life of the King of Rock-and-Roll know that his beloved mother died while Elvis was stationed in Germany Texas after being drafted into the Army. But after that, they're not so sure about things. Here's what happened. Gladys, in poor health for years, died of heart failure on August 14, 1958.... Posted at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments: 8 |
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11/11/12Found: Two of the Maysie Dimond Murals from Ellis Auditorium. Well, Not the Murals Themselves ...Last week, I told you — yes, I'm talking to YOU — about the remarkable murals that Memphis artist Maysie Dimond had painted across 150 feet of the walls of Ellis Auditorium. When that building was demolished to make way for the gleaming new Cannon Center, the murals came tumbling down too. Well, my pal Wayne Dowdy, the manager of the History Department for the Memphis and Shelby County Public Library, turned up two nice photos showing two of the original panels, so here you go. I suppose I could take a lot of time explaining just who everybody is in these panels, and what some of the other images and symbols represent, but gosh-a-mighty that seems like an awful lot of trouble, not to mention a lot of typing, so I'd rather you just do that for yourself. It... |
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11/09/12Found! An Actual Menu for Davis' White Spot RestaurantRegular readers of this blog — you know who you are, because I send you Christmas cards every year — know that I have embarked on a personal crusade to find a verified, authentic, CLEAR photograph of the long-lost Davis' White Spot restaurant. By all accounts, this was an extremely popular establishment, located on Poplar Avenue near present-day Estate, which was well beyond the city limits when it first opened (more about that later), but I've never found a decent image of it. But my pal Gene Gill, a talented historian who runs the very informative and entertaining website "Historic Memphis," recently turned up an actual menu from this establishment, with the date October 1945 scribbled on the front in pencil, and he's given me permission to... |
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11/07/12Lost Memphis: Maysie Dimond's Murals at Ellis AuditoriumA few years ago, I wrote a wonderful, amazing, thrilling article that I called "Pieces of the Past" — about all sorts of architectural artifacts that had been saved when landmarks were demolished, but managed to find new homes in new buildings. Surely you remember it? It was all the rage at the Pulitzers that year. In that story, I mentioned some of the medallions and even chairs that had been rescued from Ellis Auditorium. But I didn't discuss the remarkable murals that had painted by Memphis artist Maysie Dimond, so you get to read about those — and her — right here. I might as well tell you that over the years, this woman's name has been spelled Maysie, Mayze, Mayzie and Diamond, Diament, and Dimond, but I'm going with the spelling... Posted at 02:57 PM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
