Fullerton in the 1960s
by Steve
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Cindy writes to us about her memories of growing up in Fullerton in the 1960s, going to the Orangefair Mall, playing in the orange groves, going to the Fox Fullerton theater, the "tiki" garden craze, and listening to "The Happy Organ"...
I was raised in Fullerton until we moved to the Palm Springs area when I was 9. What a bunch of fond memories I have! Do kids today have these kind of memories???
I remember the big Saturday outing every week was going to the outdoor Orangefair Mall on Harbor & Orangethorpe. It was THE big shopping destination in town. We would have lunch sometimes at Grant's (they had the most awesome grilled open-bun hot dogs!), and if it was around Easter we could buy blue, green, or pink dyed chicks in the basement, or a duck or bunny. At Woolworth's there were 25 cent hot fudge sundaes (in the metal sundae dish), and we would spend the rest of the day paying on our layaways for school clothes (no credit cards back then), buying shoes at the shoe store where they actually had an xray machine you could put your foot in and see the bones in your foot, going to the toy store and drool over all the neat toys (you just didn't get everything bought for you the minute you wanted it) and finally, buying the week's groceries at Mayfair Market. There was a Helen Grace Candies where you could buy ice cream and I bought all my school Valentine's every February at the Long's Drugs across the breezeway from Helen Grace.
Across the street was an A&W Drive-In and behind that was a miniature golf course where my dad would teach me the proper way to swing a golf club. We usually went to A&W after for a root beer float. I never got to keep the little glass mug because it cost more and we were always on a budget.
After school the neighborhood kids would play in the orange groves that still surrounded our little tract, although when the apartment buildings started being built, we played there too! I still remember the smell of freshly plastered walls mingling with orange blossoms.
Our favorite game was "wagon train", where we used our Radio Flyer wagons until we upgraded to a big refrigerator box on skate wheels, pushing it into the orange grove and pretending we were in a wagon camp with wild Indians sure to show up at any second.
We were one of the first 2 families to have a swimming pool in our neighborhood, a kidney shaped one with a diving board, no slide. We still had plenty of room in our huge yard for a couple of orange trees and a wooden playhouse my dad built us. In the summer we would make our own ice cream in a circa 1960 aqua ice cream maker, turning the crank until our arms were tired. We had solid redwood patio furniture with a yellow flowered fringed umbrella and bamboo covering the redwood fence for that current "tiki" effect.
My dad would drive me around with him in his big coral & white Chevy station wagon and I would stand up with my hands on the dashboard-no seatbelts back then. I remember listening to Elvis sing "All Shook Up" and a song called "The Happy Organ" on the AM car radio.
Going to the movies at the Fox Fullerton one summer usually meant trying to drink down a big green bottle of Bubble-Up, because you could get in the theatre for 2 bottle caps for the matinee only. I made myself sick on it one day I tried to drink it down so fast!
All I remember doing as a kid is running around the neighborhood with my friends, walking everywhere, and the only time we stayed indoors was to watch Sheriff John, Lloyd Thaxton Hop and cartoons. Kids today don't know what fun really is...
Labels: Fullerton, Orangefair Mall
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Brookdale House of Fullerton
by Steve
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Last Spring, an OCThen reader named Sara McComis asked if anyone has information about a house she refers to as "Brookdale House", in Fullerton. Here's her e-mail to me...
Dear Steve
My name is Sara McComis. I was wondering if you had any information about a 1918 house that was transported from ford st up to Brookdale. 336 Brookdale house was moved around 1950 05 -60's. This house is my passed mother-in laws house. I was wondering whom Mr. Schatzman bought this house from and the back ground of this old wonderful house. I was told it was in the news paper of this large house being moved up the hill by the orange trees that were there long ago. I am trying to find information on line and I am having trouble finding the information.
Thank you for your time and I hope to be herring from you soon.
Sara McComis
Notice the e-mail does not mention Fullerton. I had responded back to her, asking what city this house is located in, and she replied back...
Hi steve
The house is there in fullerton. From Ford st moved to Brookdale. The person whom bought the house was George Schatzman. At the current owner is Lousie Schatzman. Would you know the owner befor Mr.Schatzman or the name Mr. Reed? I was looking at the street name Brookdale and came up with his name. Would I look for the hall of records of Fullerton to find the history of the old wonderful house?
You have a great day, and thank you for yur time.
Sara McComis
Otherwise, if you can add something to this, click on "Post a Comment" below, and chime in.
Labels: Fullerton
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The Old House in Fullerton
by Steve
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Ian R. Board, an OCThen reader, asks if anyone can offer information about a house he remembers seeing in Fullerton, during the years of 1983-1984...
I was wondering if maybe you could tell me a bit about a house I remember in fullerton from when I lived there in 1983-4.
It was on Yorba Linda blvd, a few blocks east of the 57 fwy. It was a big white, 2 story behind a high wall. It was surrounded by shopping centers. I thought it was pretty cool - it had a little remnant of an orange grove around it.
Anyway, I wondered what happened to it and looked on Google Earth. I didn't see it and figure it was torn down to build something utterly useless.Very sad if that is the case.
Do you know anything about this house?
Ian
If you can provide any information about this house, click on "Post a Comment" below.
Labels: Fullerton
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Jungle Palms Restaurant and Zoo
by Steve
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Last July, an OCThen reader named Cindy asked if anyone remembers a little zoo in Fullerton, featuring a gorilla with a head wound...
Does anyone else remember the little zoo in Fullerton on Raymond and Orangethorpe? I remember going there last around 1970. It was next to the old Laura Scudders plant and the Akua Lodge Motel. They had a chimp that sometimes the zookeeper would let me hold and a big, sad old gorilla. The last time I saw the gorilla he had a head wound that was bleeding. I guess it is just as well it's no longer there as I don't think they took such great care of the animals.
By Cindy
We received the following response from "Eve"...
Re: Old Zoo on Raymond and Orangethorpe
I believe that was the private zoo of the Palms restaurant. Next to the restaurant they had some sad primates stuck in small cages. I think one day the gorilla escaped and went into the restaurant and ate the patron's food. At least, that is what my mom told me when we ate there and I was always hoping to have an escaped gorilla eat my dinner.
By Eve,
The Jungle Palms Restaurant was the creation of Jack Dutton, who also owned a nursery called "Jungle Nursery" in Anaheim. There's an interesting story of how Dutton turned a chimpanzee into a pet, and "humanized" it. Then later, when he could no longer manage the chimp, he had it shot in the head.
Read the sad story about it here...
http://americanathebeautiful.com/the-jungle-anaheim-ca-1959/?PHPSESSID=363e8dfe27d9f27b1e33e3154f1c496aLabels: Fullerton, Jungle-Palms-Restaurant
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Fullerton in the 1950's and 60's
by Steve
Monday, July 02, 2007
An OCThen reader named "Tol Bert" submitted his memories of growing in Fullerton during the 1950's and 60's...
I moved to Fullerton with my parents in 1955 and still live in Orange County.
I remember going to Disneyland the first summer it was open on perhaps the hottest day of the year. The only place to escape the heat was in the movie theater on Main St. which I have forgotten the name of. I still have some of those 85 cent "E" tickets.
In the 60's cruising up and down Harbor Blvd was popular - from Hillside Drive in ( now a parking lot) to Taco Villa and back. Gas was 30 cents a gallon. You'd pass under the Welcome to Fullerton bridge where Berkeley street now intersects Harbor. I'd like to find a photo of that bridge. Sunny Hills High School would open soon.
Drag racing was popular both on and off the streets in the 60's . Lions Drag strip in Long Beach was great for Saturday night and then Pomona on Sunday. The eastern edge of the 91 freeway ended and began at Lemon street in Fullerton so it was a good place to start a short street race with no traffic behind you. I don't recall any accidents that occur ed from street racing. Perhaps that was because then everyone had to take drivers education in high school.
The Model Market was on the western side of Harbor Blvd off Valencia Mesa in Fullerton. It was an old wood floor place with hitching posts outside. Before Bastanchury road was built connecting Harbor and Euclid there were horse trails through the orange groves.
Going east on Yorba Linda Blvd you were out in the country by the time you got to the old Nixon House. Driving west on Artesia past Buena Park would take you through Dairy Valley and its aromatic cow pastures. To get to Newport Beach you had to snake along Newport Blvd and right by the old blimp hangars at the Tustin Marine base. Jamboree Road near the Santa Ana freeway could be a little slow at times when farmers were taking their sheep across the road.
Orange County was a nice semi-rural area then. Great to grow up in, but you knew it would change. Nothing that nice could avoid the inevitable urban growth.
Labels: Drag-Strips, Fullerton
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Wham-O Superball Disaster
by Steve
Sunday, July 02, 2006
An OCThen reader submitted the following comment to our About Us page, wondering if anyone had more information to provide...
hey, i was wondering if anyone in the fullerton area remembers something that DID wind up in the register around 1987 or 88.. apparently wham-o had stored maybe MILLIONS of superballs in a warehouse by the train tracks near commonwealth.. somehow they wound up all over the place.. there was like a lot 2-3 feet deep with them.. i still have a few left, but i used to have a few hundred.. for weeks you'd see guys with boxes full of them at the la mirada swapmeet.. man.. i sure wish someone else remembered that....
I never heard about this! But it intrigued me so much, that I posted it here for your consideration.
Labels: Fullerton, Wham-O-Superball
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