Holy smokes! This is a killer picture. If ever I was really rich, A P51 would be in my hanger. This is a great thread, I would like to thank all for posting, lots of fun to see this stuff. Hope everybody had a great weekend, John
Sweet! looks pretty much the same.. Phyllis: Mr. Neff, why don't you drop by tomorrow evening about eight-thirty. He'll be in then. Walter Neff: Who? Phyllis: My husband. You were anxious to talk to him weren't you? Walter Neff: Yeah, I was, but I'm sort of getting over the idea, if you know what I mean. Phyllis: There's a speed limit in this state, Mr. Neff. Forty-five miles an hour. Walter Neff: How fast was I going, officer? Phyllis: I'd say around ninety. Walter Neff: Suppose you get down off your motorcycle and give me a ticket. Phyllis: Suppose I let you off with a warning this time. Walter Neff: Suppose it doesn't take. Phyllis: Suppose I have to whack you over the knuckles. Walter Neff: Suppose I bust out crying and put my head on your shoulder. Phyllis: Suppose you try putting it on my husband's shoulder. Walter Neff: That tears it.
Part of Los Angeles County (but twenty-two miles away) separated by the blue Pacific Ocean is Santa Catalina Island. Once owned by the Wrigley family (chewing gum). The large round building is the "Casino" where all the big-bands played their music to dancing Los Angelinos back in the day. The town of Avalon is in the background. The harbor (you may remember) is where Natalie Wood drown. Many Hollywood movies were filmed here, and there is actually a herd of buffalo roaming the island, leftover from the making of cowboy movies...
And Santa Catalina Island as seen in the distance from a low perch in Los Angeles looking out over the ocean...
Catalina was serviced by water and air. For many years the famous Catalina seaplanes would crisscross between the mainland and the small concrete ramp just outside of Avalon. I the 1970's, I traveled by seaplane to Catalina many times for photography jobs. When the plane lands in the water, after it is touching water the pilot cuts power to the engines and the window next to your seat briefly goes underwater. Then the whole plane pops up like a cork, and the pilot idles up the concrete ramp. I wish someone would have told me that ahead of time. Yikes! Occasionally I would be the only passenger and the pilot would yell back to me how much my camera equipment weighed. I'd tell him, about 90 pounds, and then he'd move my equipment until he thought the weight was balanced better. Sheeesh. early mail delivery
Here's the chimes doing what chimes do...sure brings back memories of a lot of fun days for many Angeleno kids, like me, that vacationed there in summer. Go up to the first photo, above, of the seaplane and you can see the chime tower on the hill on the far left. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1AeWLliuQM
Beautiful ! Great stuff Ed, keep digging! Especially love the old color photos. So much from the 20's, 30's, 40's in B&W that it's easy to forget the world was in color then too!
One of the guys in the Santa Cruz Woodie club has the 41(?) Buick woodie that was at the Wrigley estate on Catalina. He even has a photo of Joe Dimaggio and Marilyn Monroe getting out of his car! (Before it was his of course...)
Known as the Hughes H-1. This was the airplane the Japanese modeled the A6M Zero fighter after. The H-1 is in the Smithsonian today.
This may well be the coolest thread on the 'net. I just want to thank everyone who has contributed Thanks For Sharing!
The Jalopy Journal
