Comments
Re: Safe and Sane
Your article on fireworks made me remember the cherry bombs and silver salutes. The silver salutes were a barrel about 3 in by 1/2" in diameter with a green fuse on a silver paper wrapped explosive. These things were nasty and known to remove fingers if they went off in the hand. We would go to fairs and place a fuse in a cigarette and "plant' the surprise along the fairway. We would then move off to a secure location and listen to the blast and screams. I guess we would have been considered punks by the parents who probably cursed the damn fools who did such a cowardly stunt.
The good ol days.
--- Nick Wilhelm, Burbank
Re: The Breathing Bush
Oh yes, Stan, this is my favorite yet!
I can't even remember how many unsuspecting victims we took to the breathing bush! In asking around my office, which has many native "Burbankians," unless you lived in the area around the breathing bush, you probably didn't know about it. It was especially fun to push the victim into the bushes right when they looked the most scared at the sounds they were hearing. Younger brothers and sisters were good victims, friends from North Hollywood, new kids that moved on your block. Even more fun to blindfold them and drive them around for awhile to improve the effect!
--- Connie Trimble, Burbank
Re: Burbank Trash
Shortly after 1957 when I began teaching at Luther Burbank Junior High, hypodermic syringes minus their needles began appearing on campus. Seems with good digital pressure you could direct a fine stream of water (sometimes laced with aftershave or mom's perfume) at an opponent, and accuracy was pretty good. These were coming out of medical clinic and hospital bins. Subsequent to the revelation that the kids were getting the syringes out of trash cans, the agencies responsible secured their trash and the kids could not obtain them any more.
---Rollin Bigbee, Morro Bay
I come from a long line of "trash pickers". While my folks were building Barrons Restaurant, we lived across the border in the Rancho Vega apartments on Clybourn. My mom was well known for interesting finds in their trash --- before it went to the incinerator!! But my most favorite dive was in the dumpster after the restaurant burned. I salvaged my brothers cook books (slightly singed but readable), my restaurant phone book (definitely burned on the edges), and all sorts of pans that were in the iceboxes (pretty stinky after being without power for months when they cleaned it out). There was even the slightly blackened cutting board that finally found it's way on to the barricade of the Les Miserables musical at Burroughs. A true diver has no shame...just hopefully a good pair of gloves and closed toed shoes.
---Connie Trimble, Burbank
Great article Stan. Trash digging was always a fun thing to do when we were young, mostly to look for pop bottles to cash in. We'd find outdated movie magazines, and lots of other good "STUFF".
I remember going up to Site's TV Store on Victory near Alameda. They would have huge boxes in the trash that the "big" TV's came in. We would drag them home, and because I lived accross the street from McKinley Elementary School, we would take them over to the front lawn. On the big front lawn there were small hills that rolled down to the sidewalks. We would get inside of the big box, sometimes 3 or 4 of us at once and we would roll down the hills. Sometimes we could get one of the bigger guys, like Bill Bewiener, to push us all over the grass inside the big box. Talk about laughing and fun! Eventually the box would break apart, but not before having many hours of all of us rolling around in it. Amazing to think that we could play for hours with just a big old box!!
We would also go behind Samuel's Florist on the corner of Victory & Olive and find "gently used" flowers that he could no longer sell. We'd take them home to Mom.
--- Linda Melton-Damarjian, West Hills, Ca.
Re: Mom & Pop Markets
We shopped mostly at Weboys because my 0-8 years of living were actually at our little cafe on Victory Blvd. right across from Weboys. We had 2 tables and 8 counter stools and lived behind it in a one bedroom apt. I went to Oxnard St. School before I hit Mingay Elementary. All the while my dad also worked a second job at the Smoke House. While they were building our place in Burbank, my mom also worked as the night manager at Yonan’s on Magnolia and Hollywood Way...I think it was one of the first 24 hour places around --- long before Denny's! She has some great stories.
---Connie Trimble, Burbank
Love it! My market memories include the Eight Sons Market on Victory
near Clybourn. . My Mom used to make me ride up to the store on my bike and get her a box of Kotex and a pack of Pall Mall. I hated that assignment unless it
included a Bazooka bubble gum roll or a few packs of Lik-a-Maid for me.
--- Creighton Hart, Oak Park, CA
Thanks for the website, a real fun look at the way it was. I remember being a small boy and going to the Thriftymart at Screenland and Burbank Blvd every Saturday with my mom. Of course bread (Webber’s) was only 17 cents a loaf!
--- Bill Sowders, Columbia, Maryland
Very good – I like your site – and, of course, this is one that truly interests me. We shopped at Johnny’s on Verdugo – but you left out the old poultry house on Main Street – Corradi Poultry where you could buy fresh chickens, turkeys, and rabbit.
---Pam Corradi, Burbank
You didn't mention Jim & Gil's Market on the corner of Hollywood Way and Verdugo. Do you remember that one? Living in Magnolia Park, you were right down the street from it. There was also a Rexall Drug store next door, with a real counter and fountain.
My first job I ever had was a box boy at Food Giant (the old Toluca Mart) on Alameda and Pass Ave. in late 1958 into 1959. It used to be the old Toluca Mart, the first "super market" in Burbank. Also, when it was Toluca Mart, at 8 or 9 years old, I used to spend many an afternoon sitting on the magazine rack reading comic books.
--- Bob Barry, Cedar City, Utah
Great memories.
---Bob Brode, Santa Clarita
What was the name of the market on Clark at Brighton? I recall
that the Gabor Sisters use to shop there. Another market was Lorry's, north east corner of Burbank Blvd and Reese Pl. I have fond memories of buying candy there. Let's not forget Sam Spector's open air Market across the street from Jim Jeffries home. It is now a 99 cent store. This land was were Jim field his cows. His wife was tragically killed there when struck by a car. My wife, Linda, has fond memories of Johnny's market at Verdugo and Victory. Two brothers owned it. They lived next door. Chuck the butcher took in stray cats. Linda recalls seeing at least 50 cats. We really enjoy your new web site.
---Doug Humphrey, Baldwin Lake, CA
Editor's note: You are thinking of Otto's Hungarian market. It's still there, but I haven't seen Zsa Zsa there.
Did you forget the King Cole Market on Verdugo and Reese?
--- George Berg, Burbank
Editor’s note: No George, we didn’t forget. We are saving King Cole for a separate article. Just trying to find some old pictures to go with it. If you have any let me know.
Re: Burbank's Movie Theaters
The California Theater is where I saw "Giant" and "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers" also, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” I don't know why, but I remember the admission price; it was 9 cents. Most of the times I went to the California because it was close to my house on Kenwood street near Columbia Ranch. I could ride my bike. The Cornell was a little too far for that.
--- Bob Barry, Cedar City, Utah
Questions or Comments email Stan at Burbank History.Com