Thursday, April 02, 2009

Memories of Anaheim in the 1960s

OCThen reader Amber submits her memories of growing up in Anaheim, probably in the 1960s, based on the $4.95 it took to get into Disneyland...

I grew up in Anaheim.. I remember dad getting take pizza from Costello's, down around Walnut ? and Cerritos.. then it was changed to Mama Cozza's... I remember hearing they had cockroaches all over and they just baked them into the pizza.

I remember "..don't cook tonight, call Chicken Delight.. we deliver.." and White Front Pharmacy in Garden Grove.. I remember the Skate Rink off the 22/Haster, skating to the theme song from Grease.

Till I moved to Dana Point, I STILL drove up to Ball /Euclid to see my childhood and adulthood DDS, Dr. Cornelius.. he had a daughter and I never knew her, but she went to school at Ball and Loara HS.

I remember the OBON festival every Summer during my Birthday and I'm finally going to the one here in Denver...

Remember Disneyland on my BD every year with my friends.. I VIVIDLY remember us complaining it cost us $4.95 to get in! I remember hoarding E tickets and going home for dinner and coming back later on till they closed. I remember the GE Carosel of Progress.. my fav thing other than Pirates of the Carribean.. in 2006 we went to DisneyWorld and didn't like it.. way too big . BUT, the GE show was there and I videotapped the entire thing! Only one other person was in there with us.. they totally updated it and I HATED that.

21 comments:

  1. I was born in Anaheim Ca.1936 to 1959.
    http://www.ghphotography.org/george_links.html

    http://us-drifters.net/Anaheim_California.html

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  2. Mama Cozza's was owned by Frank Cozza, a former Anaheim Police Officer. The cockraoch story was really not true, but may have had some truth when connected to Chung Kings on Center Street nest to Ritz Cleaners and across the street from the Authur Murray Dance Studio owned by Bob Bond and Steve Howard.

    Someday, if we are very lucky, maybe we can get the king of Anaheim tivia, retired police detective Walt Hess to share some of his memories here.

    When we first started going to D-Land, the admision was $1.25 and it cost 25 cents to park. My wife worked there in 1958.

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  3. I thought Mama Cozza's was always on Ball just east of Brookhurst... I used to eat there regularly in the 70's.

    Doug

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  4. I too used to do to Dr. Cornelius. Do you know if he retired?

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  5. I loved the Carousel of Progress ride as well! I was heartbroken to hear that they "updated" it when they moved it to Florida. I was working there in 1978, when a new girl who had been hired when I was hired, made the fatal mistake of riding on the stage while it was turning and her costume got caught and she was crushed between the walls. Horrific! I don't think they ever re-opened it after that. Anyway, it was a classic!

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  6. Here's what actually happened in that accident:

    How the America Sings Accident Occurred

    In 1974 a ride called “Carousel of Progress” was revamped to become a new attraction, “America Sings”. The ride featured six stages in the central core of the building, containing animatronic songs and dances (with theatres 1 and 6 reserved for seating and exiting guests). Around the perimeter of the core were six theatres, which rotated around the theatres in order to allow each theatre audience to experience each song in sequence. Cast members known as hostesses stood at the left of each stage, welcoming and farewelling the guests during every turn.

    Read more at Suite101: Disneyland Cast Member Crushed Between Two Walls: Death of Debbie Stone During Disney’s America Sings Performance http://kid-friendly-travel-destinations.suite101.com/article.cfm/disneyland_cast_member_crushed_between_two_walls#ixzz0dyWSd7YZ

    1974

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  7. To Sandy, from 6/2/09 comment:

    Sandy,

    Jerome T. Cornelius, DDS STILL works in his office!! His phone is STILL THE SAME: 714-772-0561 !!!! He is in his 70's now, same great guy! My sis just told me he has been fighting w/a brain cancer............what a great guy!!!!

    amber in denver

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  8. Anaheim and GG in the 60's....the Bean Hut, the dry cleaners on Anaheim Blvd that was owned by one of the Ritcheous bros parents, Luigis Italian restaurant, a Disneyland when you didn't have to buy ticket books you could buy admission only for less than a dollar, Knotts when you could get in for free,the Bandbox on Cchapman near Haster for the tween crowd, the drive in church, first at the Orange drive in and then at the present day Chrystal Cathedral, the roller skate place on Haster and GG Blvd, Me n Eds Pizza right down the street from there, Burger Chef, Seven Eleven's when they were only open from 7 am to 11 pm.....McDonalds when you could get a burger and coke for 26 cents, ahhh, the memories....

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  9. To Amber and Sandy,
    Jerome T. Cornelius passed away on 3/31/2010. Thanks for your kind words about him.
    Sincerely,
    Lynn Cornelius

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  10. Walt Hess passed away 02/20/10

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  11. Gilmore's Frosty Freeze on Lincoln, Leo's Restaurant on the corner of Lincoln and Anaheim, McCoy Drugstore, the Stables bar (I was too young to even know what a bar was). Sav-on Drugstore, Kaiser's market, Chung King, Carl's Jr Drive in on Harbor...... Places I will never forget. I loved growing up in Anaheim in the 60's. We lived off of Broadway and State College. I remember in the summer time we knew it was time to come in the house when the fireworks from Disneyland were over. I live far away now in another State, but I still dream about going back home.

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    1. Don't forget TG&Y where we would get all sorts of candy...

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  12. I went to a Dr Cornelius when I was a kid too but I thought his name was Arthur. Guess I'm getting old. I remember riding our bikes or walking everywhere...Clara Barton elementary school, Trident JH and Loara HS, class of '66. McDonalds on Brookhurst, burgers were 19 cents. My parents purchased our home in 1956 for 16k, it had 4 bedrooms and 2 baths. We later added a pool and a room above the garage. I used to love driving by that house in later years and marveling at how wide the streets were. Things sure have changed. I remember stoping at Currys on the way home from Loara. It was located at Ball & Euclid and had the best fries. I remember a chicken farm at the end of our street on Nutwood. When we first lived in Anaheim, I remember that there was nothing but orange groves on the other side of Clara Barton ES...there were tumbleweed fields at the other end of our street and I remember making forts there and I also remember corn fields behing our house. One of my favorite memories was the "Hardy Boys Hideout" we made in the rafters of my cousins garage rafters. Carol

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  13. Jerome and Arthur Cornelius were brothers and both dentists. I was often asked if I was related to one of them. Irritated then, proud now.

    Picked up Cozza's to go a few weeks back. YUM!

    Lynn Cornelius

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  14. You know, ALL THOSE DECADES seeing Dr. C and I heard about his brother, but I never met him.

    How are you doing these days Lynn? I remember you from Ball JHS, but we didn't hang around in the same crowd. I didn't know till I was an adult that HE was YOUR DAD, lol. .

    Ah, those little blue pills he had me take. . . lol
    You dad rocked!! He had the best toy chest and he was always honest and sincere. Ironically, my husband has a friend - I must get a pic - spitting image of your dad out here in Denver!

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  15. I grew up in Anaheim in the 60's and 70's and graduated from Ball Jr. High in June 1965 and graduated from Loara in June 1968. I moved to Anaheim in Nov 1963 just before JKF was assassinated. I don't remember Mama Cozza's being on Walnut and Cerritos. I alway's remember it being on the Corner of Ball and Brookhust. In fact it's still there today. The only pizza parlor I remember close to Walnut and Cerritos was Marri's(SP) which was in a shopping center on Katella and I believe Walnut or West, across the street from the old Wonder Bowl Bowling Alley. I believe Marri's is still there today.

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  16. Does anyone remember an amusement park in the Santa Ana Canyon? There was a trout farm out there as well...

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  17. I remember Chicken Delight in Anaheim on Lincoln Ave. near East St. It was next to a laundramat where we did our clothes...hated not having a washer/dryer back then. How about Manny's restaurant on St. College at La Palma? Best burgers in town. In the same shopping center was Shaw's Ice Cream....with their awesome Sundae's. The park on St. College we called "Airplane Park" because of the giant metal airplane us kids played on. We would go to Irvine park in the mid 60s to ride bikes. There was almost nothing in between Anaheim, where I grew up, and the park back then. So much open land back then. Lots of orange groves. My parents bought their first new home on Romneya near St. College in 1955 because it was surrounded by orange groves and was extremely quiet, great place to raise kids. Ha! that area is a pit now! Also, no 91 freeway back then.

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  18. Anybody remember Mrs. Yamafuji at Mel Gower ?

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  19. Me 'n' Ed's on Brookhurst, best pizza ever!

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  20. Does anyone remember the public pool on Lincoln, near Beach Blvd., which might actually be in Buena Park (La Palma?). It was the pool where I learned to swim. Tryin' to recall the name and when it closed down. I believe there might have also been a go-kart track nearby at the time. Thanks.

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