The old year ended and the new year began with very little fanfare fifty years ago. Kids were out of school, the weather was seasonably cold but still pleasant, nothing major was happening in Rome… it was a quiet ending to a very good year.
The Rome City School System received a $167,000 grant for the purchase of material to develop “the most complete reading program in Georgia.” Superintendent McDonald said that there were “no strings attached” to the grant, which would enable the school system to purchase two mobile reading laboratories that could serve approximately twenty-five students; the labs would contain the latest in reading materials, electronic gear, special testing equipment, and more. In addition, the school system would have funds left over to purchase projectors, tape recorders, overhead projectors, and more for in-class reading programs, as well as extra funds for after-school study programs.
Rome merchants found a solution to the problem regarding pinball machines being seized as gambling equipment: they agreed to quit giving free games to high-scoring players. City police chief Nelson Camp said that as long as merchants let people “pay for play,” the police would have no problems with pinball machines.
GE announced plans for an $11 million expansion of the Rome plant, located just a mile away from West Rome High School on Redmond Circle. The new expansion would add 200 jobs to the Medium Transformer Department.
How great is this? Rome banks increased their interest rates on savings certificates to 4.5%, while the interest rates on regular savings accounts rose to 4%.
Piggly Wiggly had whole fryers for a quarter a pound, two pound bags of dried black-eyed peas for 29¢, and fresh collards for 19¢ a pound. Big Apple had Morrell bacon for 69¢ a pound, Irvindale ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and Maxwell House coffee for 79¢ a pound. Kroger had four-pound Wilson’s Corn King canned hams for $3.89, bananas for 9¢ a pound, and applesauce for a dime a can. A&P had sirloin tip roast for 99¢ a pound, tomatoes for a quarter a pound, and a one-pound can of Nestle’s Quik for 41¢. Couch’s had pork steak for 59¢ a pound, Nabisco saltines for 33¢ a box, and ten pounds of potatoes for 49¢.
Rome’s cinematic week began with Boeing Boeing (with Tony Curtis & Jerry Lewis) at the DeSoto Theater and Pinocchio in Outer Space at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Do Not Disturb (with Doris Day & Rod Taylor) to the DeSoto and the James Bond spoof The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World (with Tom Adams) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In offered a double feature of McLintock (with John Wayne) and Jason & The Argonauts (with Todd Armstrong and Honor Blackman, as well as special effects by Ray Harryhausen) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The number one song on New Years Day 1966 was Simon & Garfunkel’s “Sounds of Silence" (amazing what a difference it makes when some talented session musicians add an electric guitar and drums to a song originally released about a year earlier!). Other top ten hits included “We Can Work It Out” by the Beatles (#2); “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown (#3); “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds (#4); “Over and Over” by the Dave Clark Five (#5); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#6); “Fever” by the McCoys (#7); “Ebb Tide” by the Righteous Brothers (#8); “England Swings” by Roger Miller (#9); and “Make the World Go Away” by Eddy Arnold (#10).
The Dating Game debuted fifty years ago this week on ABC TV, allowing single people to embarrass themselves on national television as they engaged in a search for a suitable date.
This was also the week that ABC began running commercials for a new show that was destined to become a major television success in 1966—a show starring Adam West as a guy named Bruce Wayne…
Jim Warren’s Creepy magazine was so successful in recreating the vitality of EC’s horror comics that he launched his companion magazine, Eerie, this week in 1965. The magazine actually began with its second issue—the first was a 200-copy ashcan produced just to lock in the title when they heard that someone else was considering a competing magazine with the same name. Archie Goodwin, Frank Frazetta, Gene Colan, Jonny Craig, Reed Crandall, Gray Morrow, John Severin, Angelo Torres, and Alex Toth contributed to Eerie #2, making it one of Warren’s finest showpieces.
Friday, December 25, 2015
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 12/20/1965 to 12/26/1965
On December 21st, the school system announced that Jean Jackson (clarinet), Sue Pilgrim (French horn), and Matt Oldham (baritone horn) were chosen to perform in the University of Georgia Honor Band on January. The honor band consisted of 140 student representatives from 160 Georgia high schools (so the fact that West Rome had 3 students in the honor band was quite an honor indeed!).
The Chieftains defeated Model 65-46 on December 20th in the first round of the Rome News-Tribune Holiday Festival; Rusty Oxford, Stan Dawson, and Benny Padgett were the top scorers for West Rome, contributing 3/4 of West Rome’s point total.
West Rome went on to beat Fairmount 82-80 in the second round of play on December 21st, advancing to the semifinals. Rusty Oxford was responsible for 50% of those points by himself making him the star of the game.
Alas, West Rome’s winning streak ended on December 22nd with a 76-57 loss to Calhoun, taking them out of the running for the championship. Stan Dawson was the Chieftains’ high scorer with 22 points.
An armed gunman stole $1200.00 from the cash register of West Rome’s Super Discount Store on Shorter Avenue on December 23rd, holding up the store even though it was filled with almost 50 shoppers. The robber, driving a car with Rhode Island plates, brandished a pistol, but thankfully left without firing a shot once he got all the cash from the register. Police quickly identified the robber as Rome resident Horace Eugene Kell, issuing an all points bulletin for his arrest.
Parents looking for a last-minute gift could pick up a 20” sport bike at Firestone… but they’d better be prepared to pay a pretty penny for it, since the bike cost $39.99 (the equivalent of $300 today, adjusted for inflation). No wonder Firestone was offering a $5 per month payment plan! Or you could go for the educational gift and pick up a complete set of the Illustrated World Encyclopedia for $39.95 at the Fahy Store (a $70 discount off last price)—and it also included ten years of annual supplements. If that price was too high for you, the Fahy store also had troll dolls for $1 each. Sears took a different route, offering a Christmas special of Allstate Motor Oil for 22¢ a quart. Nothing says Christmas like an impromptu oil change…
Piggly Wiggly had turkeys for 39¢ a pound, pecans for 33¢ a pound, and five pounds of Dixie Crystals sugar for 9¢ with the purchase of a four-pack of Plymouth light bulbs. Kroger had Morton’s TV dinners for 33¢ each, Coca-Cola, Tab, or Sprite for 99¢ a case plus deposit, and Cornish hens for 69¢ each. A&P had turkey breast quarters for 59¢ a pound, apples for a dime a pound, and JFG coffee for 69¢ a pound. Big Apple had Sealtest ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, Southern Maid sausage for 75¢ a pound, and fresh coconuts for 19¢ each. Couch’s had a five-pound boneless Wilson’s Corn King ham for $4.79, Old Favorite band ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon, and a 10-ounce jar of Maxwell House instant coffee for $1.19.
The cinematic week began with When the Boys Meet the Girls (with Connie Francis & Harve Presell) at the Desoto Theater and the “shocksploitation” documentary Ecco at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Boing Boing (with Tony Curtis & Jerry Lewis) to the DeSoto and Pinocchio in Outer Space (with the choice of Arnold Stang) to the First Avenue. With school out for the holidays, the West Rome Drive-In expanded its schedule to add Wednesday and Thursday nights to its weekend schedule, offering a double feature of Straitjacket (with Joan Crawford) and Ride the Wild Surf (with Fabian and Shelley Fabares).
Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel scored their first number one hit with “Sounds of Silence” this week in 1965. Other Top Ten hits included “We Can Work It Out” by the Beatles (#2); “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown (#3); “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds (#4); “Over and Over” by the Dave Clark Five (#5); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#6); “Fever” by the McCoys (#7); “Ebb Tide” by the Righteous Brothers (#8); “England Swings” by Roger Miller (#9); and “Make the World Go Away” by Eddy Arnold (#10).
The number one album this week in 1965 was Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass’s Whipped Cream and Other Delights, an album that immediately attracted the attention of many of us with its sultry image of an unclothed woman strategically covered with whipped cream, leaving those “other delights” to our imagination. Turn out the music was pretty good, although I’m not sure how many copies actually got played; to this day, I still find this album in flea markets, thrift stores, and yard sales on a regular basis, and many of the albums are in remarkably good shape, although the covers are sometimes the worse for wear…
For me, Christmas of 1965 was memorable for the remarkable book The Great Comic Book Heroes by Jules Feiffer. This book, which went on my Christmas list as soon as I saw a copy at Wyatt’s, offered a paean to comics by Feiffer along with a heaping helping of classic Golden Age comic book reprints featuring Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel, Hawkman, The Spirit, Captain America, the Blackhawks, the Sub-Mariner, the Flash, Green Lantern, the Human Torch, and many others. I don’t think I ever re-read a book as many times as this one; I think I pretty much had every word balloon memorized after the first few months!
This was also the year that my parents gave me a complete set of James Bond paperbacks. They were going to a Christmas Eve party at a neighbor’s house for an hour or two, while I stayed at home to keep an eye on my sister Kim. As they were getting ready to leave, Dad gave me a hefty, carefully wrapped cube and told me to go ahead and open it early. As soon as I tore the corner of the paper away, I recognized the distinctive Signet paperback cover design of Live and Let Die; beneath it were the rest of the Signet editions of the James Bond novels in their matching cover designs. "We've decided that you're old enough to read these," Dad said. "And we thought you might want to start reading one of them tonight." I was doubly thrilled—not only because of all those novels I looked forward to reading, but also because Mom and Dad had enough faith in me to give me these books in spite of their concerns. I have subsequently upgraded my James Bond novels to hardcover editions, but I still have those Signet paperbacks, well worn and slightly yellowed with age. At Christmastime, I often take a look at those covers once again and smile, remembering how I was so excited and eager to read these books that, once my parents had come home and everyone had gone to bed, I turned on a small light and read for another hour or two that night. Thanks again, Mom & Dad…
The Chieftains defeated Model 65-46 on December 20th in the first round of the Rome News-Tribune Holiday Festival; Rusty Oxford, Stan Dawson, and Benny Padgett were the top scorers for West Rome, contributing 3/4 of West Rome’s point total.
West Rome went on to beat Fairmount 82-80 in the second round of play on December 21st, advancing to the semifinals. Rusty Oxford was responsible for 50% of those points by himself making him the star of the game.
Alas, West Rome’s winning streak ended on December 22nd with a 76-57 loss to Calhoun, taking them out of the running for the championship. Stan Dawson was the Chieftains’ high scorer with 22 points.
An armed gunman stole $1200.00 from the cash register of West Rome’s Super Discount Store on Shorter Avenue on December 23rd, holding up the store even though it was filled with almost 50 shoppers. The robber, driving a car with Rhode Island plates, brandished a pistol, but thankfully left without firing a shot once he got all the cash from the register. Police quickly identified the robber as Rome resident Horace Eugene Kell, issuing an all points bulletin for his arrest.
Parents looking for a last-minute gift could pick up a 20” sport bike at Firestone… but they’d better be prepared to pay a pretty penny for it, since the bike cost $39.99 (the equivalent of $300 today, adjusted for inflation). No wonder Firestone was offering a $5 per month payment plan! Or you could go for the educational gift and pick up a complete set of the Illustrated World Encyclopedia for $39.95 at the Fahy Store (a $70 discount off last price)—and it also included ten years of annual supplements. If that price was too high for you, the Fahy store also had troll dolls for $1 each. Sears took a different route, offering a Christmas special of Allstate Motor Oil for 22¢ a quart. Nothing says Christmas like an impromptu oil change…
Piggly Wiggly had turkeys for 39¢ a pound, pecans for 33¢ a pound, and five pounds of Dixie Crystals sugar for 9¢ with the purchase of a four-pack of Plymouth light bulbs. Kroger had Morton’s TV dinners for 33¢ each, Coca-Cola, Tab, or Sprite for 99¢ a case plus deposit, and Cornish hens for 69¢ each. A&P had turkey breast quarters for 59¢ a pound, apples for a dime a pound, and JFG coffee for 69¢ a pound. Big Apple had Sealtest ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, Southern Maid sausage for 75¢ a pound, and fresh coconuts for 19¢ each. Couch’s had a five-pound boneless Wilson’s Corn King ham for $4.79, Old Favorite band ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon, and a 10-ounce jar of Maxwell House instant coffee for $1.19.
The cinematic week began with When the Boys Meet the Girls (with Connie Francis & Harve Presell) at the Desoto Theater and the “shocksploitation” documentary Ecco at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Boing Boing (with Tony Curtis & Jerry Lewis) to the DeSoto and Pinocchio in Outer Space (with the choice of Arnold Stang) to the First Avenue. With school out for the holidays, the West Rome Drive-In expanded its schedule to add Wednesday and Thursday nights to its weekend schedule, offering a double feature of Straitjacket (with Joan Crawford) and Ride the Wild Surf (with Fabian and Shelley Fabares).
Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel scored their first number one hit with “Sounds of Silence” this week in 1965. Other Top Ten hits included “We Can Work It Out” by the Beatles (#2); “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown (#3); “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds (#4); “Over and Over” by the Dave Clark Five (#5); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#6); “Fever” by the McCoys (#7); “Ebb Tide” by the Righteous Brothers (#8); “England Swings” by Roger Miller (#9); and “Make the World Go Away” by Eddy Arnold (#10).
The number one album this week in 1965 was Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass’s Whipped Cream and Other Delights, an album that immediately attracted the attention of many of us with its sultry image of an unclothed woman strategically covered with whipped cream, leaving those “other delights” to our imagination. Turn out the music was pretty good, although I’m not sure how many copies actually got played; to this day, I still find this album in flea markets, thrift stores, and yard sales on a regular basis, and many of the albums are in remarkably good shape, although the covers are sometimes the worse for wear…
For me, Christmas of 1965 was memorable for the remarkable book The Great Comic Book Heroes by Jules Feiffer. This book, which went on my Christmas list as soon as I saw a copy at Wyatt’s, offered a paean to comics by Feiffer along with a heaping helping of classic Golden Age comic book reprints featuring Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel, Hawkman, The Spirit, Captain America, the Blackhawks, the Sub-Mariner, the Flash, Green Lantern, the Human Torch, and many others. I don’t think I ever re-read a book as many times as this one; I think I pretty much had every word balloon memorized after the first few months!
This was also the year that my parents gave me a complete set of James Bond paperbacks. They were going to a Christmas Eve party at a neighbor’s house for an hour or two, while I stayed at home to keep an eye on my sister Kim. As they were getting ready to leave, Dad gave me a hefty, carefully wrapped cube and told me to go ahead and open it early. As soon as I tore the corner of the paper away, I recognized the distinctive Signet paperback cover design of Live and Let Die; beneath it were the rest of the Signet editions of the James Bond novels in their matching cover designs. "We've decided that you're old enough to read these," Dad said. "And we thought you might want to start reading one of them tonight." I was doubly thrilled—not only because of all those novels I looked forward to reading, but also because Mom and Dad had enough faith in me to give me these books in spite of their concerns. I have subsequently upgraded my James Bond novels to hardcover editions, but I still have those Signet paperbacks, well worn and slightly yellowed with age. At Christmastime, I often take a look at those covers once again and smile, remembering how I was so excited and eager to read these books that, once my parents had come home and everyone had gone to bed, I turned on a small light and read for another hour or two that night. Thanks again, Mom & Dad…
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 12/13/1965 to 12/19/1965
The Rome Boys Club Choir—which included a number of Chieftains—held a concert at the Boys Club on the evening of December 13th to raise money for the Cheerful Givers, which used its funds to aid needy families at Christmas. The organization hoped to aid 950 families during the Christmas 1965 season.
West Rome’s basketball teams defeated Cave Spring in both games on Friday, December 17th. The girls won 34-32 in an upset, with Anne Peery scoring 20 points. The boys then posted a 59-35 romp over Cave Spring, with Stan Dawson scoring 15 of those points and Rusty Oxford scoring 11.
Friday, December 17th, marked the last day of school before the holiday break; students were scheduled to be off until January 3rd.
Did you know that any and all pinball machines were considered to be “gambling devices” in 1965? Well, the city and county police departments knew, because they embarked on a push to confiscate machines all over the county, based on a then-recent Georgia Supreme Court decision that the free games that players could win constituted “a thing of value,” and that made pinball machines illegal gambling devices. The city seized more than two dozen machines, while the county confiscated at least thirty more.
The proposal that wouldn’t die returned yet again: Rome and Floyd County Boards of Education announced plans to meet in order to discuss a merger of the city and county school systems. (This is the third time this proposal surfaced since I began doing these “Fifty Years Ago This Week” pieces in 1962, which makes you wonder just how much money was wasted on unnecessary studies, meetings, and negotiations that went nowhere and accomplished nothing.)
And while we’re talking about fruitless studies and proposals, here’s another one that made a return this week in 1965: a House study committee once again proposed that Rome be turned into an inland port with the construction of a system of locks and dams that would allow barge and boat traffic to move up from the Gulf of Mexico to Rome’s proposed docks. If you don’t remember Rome’s docks, it’s because this proposal was just as DOA as the school merger…
Coach Paul Kennedy had high hopes for West Rome’s wrestlers in the 1965-1966 season, but he was forced into rebuilding mode instead when some of the members of his squad didn’t return to the mat. “We have enough boys out, but they don’t have the necessary experience,” Coach Kennedy said. “Five or six boys decided not to participate this year, including three first-string boys.” Veteran wrestlers who did return included Mike Murphy, Bobby Kerce, Gary Fuller, Richard Marable, Greg Quinton, Jeff Anderson, Greg Gray, and Anthony Slafta. Coach Kennedy and the boys were struggling to prepare for their first match on January 7th at LaGrange.
Piggly Wiggly had a three-pound Merita fruitcake for $1.39, Fleetwood coffee for 69¢ a pound, and tom turkeys for 39¢ a pound. Big Apple had sirloin steaks for 87¢ a pound, Banquet cream pies for 41¢, and yams for 12¢ a pound. Kroger had round steak for 79¢ a pound, eggs for 53¢ a dozen, and Ocean Spray cranberry sauce (the jellied kind, of course) for 19¢ a can. A&P had shank portion hams for 53¢ a pound, oranges for 13¢ a pound, and a 12-ounce cans of mixed nuts (with no peanuts!) for 95¢ a pound. Couch’s had Swift’s premium bacon for 79¢ a pound, Nabisco Saltine crackers for 33¢ a box, and Angel Flake coconut for 27¢ a can (I tried on many occasions to convince Mom to just buy a can of coconut and let me eat it rather than using it on a cake or in a pie, but she wasn’t buying it… literally!)
The cinematic week began with Return from the Ashes (with Herbert Lom & Maximillian Schell) at the DeSoto Theater and Old Yeller (with Dorothy McGuire & Fess Parker) at the First Avenue (not what I’d consider an upbeat Christmas film!). The midweek switch out brought When the Boys Meet the Girls (with Connie Francis & Harve Presnell) to the Desoto and the “shocking” documentary Ecco (promoted with the slogan “an incredible orgy of sights and sounds”) to the First Avenue, with the warning that “If this film frightens you, it’s because the world is frightening!” The theaters obviously were pinning high hopes on the audience interest in Ecco, because they also showed the film over the weekend at the West Rome Drive-In. Apparently they thought a lot of people were willing to pay 75¢ each to see such noteworthy clips as “a tour of the Grand Guignol theater in Paris, a man who sticks long needles through his body, footage of reindeer being castrated, and film of lesbians and strippers,” according to IMDB. Boy, if those who considered this content shocking could only spend an hour or two looking at the internet today!…
The Dave Clark Five pushed the Byrds out of the number one slot this week in 1965 with “Over and Over.” The Byrds held on to the second-place position with “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Other top ten hits included “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown (#3); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#4); “Sounds of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel (#5); “Make the World Go Away” by Eddy Arnold (#6); “Fever” by the McCoys (#7); “England Swings” by Roger Miller (#8); “Ebb Tide” by the Righteous Brothers (#9); and “I Can Never Go Home Again Any More” by the Shangri-Las (#10).
And an oversight from last week: On December 9th, 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas made its television premiere. This was the first animated Charlie Brown feature, and it cemented the role of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip in American popular culture. It also made humble, spindly Christmas trees a bit more popular…
West Rome’s basketball teams defeated Cave Spring in both games on Friday, December 17th. The girls won 34-32 in an upset, with Anne Peery scoring 20 points. The boys then posted a 59-35 romp over Cave Spring, with Stan Dawson scoring 15 of those points and Rusty Oxford scoring 11.
Friday, December 17th, marked the last day of school before the holiday break; students were scheduled to be off until January 3rd.
Did you know that any and all pinball machines were considered to be “gambling devices” in 1965? Well, the city and county police departments knew, because they embarked on a push to confiscate machines all over the county, based on a then-recent Georgia Supreme Court decision that the free games that players could win constituted “a thing of value,” and that made pinball machines illegal gambling devices. The city seized more than two dozen machines, while the county confiscated at least thirty more.
The proposal that wouldn’t die returned yet again: Rome and Floyd County Boards of Education announced plans to meet in order to discuss a merger of the city and county school systems. (This is the third time this proposal surfaced since I began doing these “Fifty Years Ago This Week” pieces in 1962, which makes you wonder just how much money was wasted on unnecessary studies, meetings, and negotiations that went nowhere and accomplished nothing.)
And while we’re talking about fruitless studies and proposals, here’s another one that made a return this week in 1965: a House study committee once again proposed that Rome be turned into an inland port with the construction of a system of locks and dams that would allow barge and boat traffic to move up from the Gulf of Mexico to Rome’s proposed docks. If you don’t remember Rome’s docks, it’s because this proposal was just as DOA as the school merger…
Coach Paul Kennedy had high hopes for West Rome’s wrestlers in the 1965-1966 season, but he was forced into rebuilding mode instead when some of the members of his squad didn’t return to the mat. “We have enough boys out, but they don’t have the necessary experience,” Coach Kennedy said. “Five or six boys decided not to participate this year, including three first-string boys.” Veteran wrestlers who did return included Mike Murphy, Bobby Kerce, Gary Fuller, Richard Marable, Greg Quinton, Jeff Anderson, Greg Gray, and Anthony Slafta. Coach Kennedy and the boys were struggling to prepare for their first match on January 7th at LaGrange.
Piggly Wiggly had a three-pound Merita fruitcake for $1.39, Fleetwood coffee for 69¢ a pound, and tom turkeys for 39¢ a pound. Big Apple had sirloin steaks for 87¢ a pound, Banquet cream pies for 41¢, and yams for 12¢ a pound. Kroger had round steak for 79¢ a pound, eggs for 53¢ a dozen, and Ocean Spray cranberry sauce (the jellied kind, of course) for 19¢ a can. A&P had shank portion hams for 53¢ a pound, oranges for 13¢ a pound, and a 12-ounce cans of mixed nuts (with no peanuts!) for 95¢ a pound. Couch’s had Swift’s premium bacon for 79¢ a pound, Nabisco Saltine crackers for 33¢ a box, and Angel Flake coconut for 27¢ a can (I tried on many occasions to convince Mom to just buy a can of coconut and let me eat it rather than using it on a cake or in a pie, but she wasn’t buying it… literally!)
The cinematic week began with Return from the Ashes (with Herbert Lom & Maximillian Schell) at the DeSoto Theater and Old Yeller (with Dorothy McGuire & Fess Parker) at the First Avenue (not what I’d consider an upbeat Christmas film!). The midweek switch out brought When the Boys Meet the Girls (with Connie Francis & Harve Presnell) to the Desoto and the “shocking” documentary Ecco (promoted with the slogan “an incredible orgy of sights and sounds”) to the First Avenue, with the warning that “If this film frightens you, it’s because the world is frightening!” The theaters obviously were pinning high hopes on the audience interest in Ecco, because they also showed the film over the weekend at the West Rome Drive-In. Apparently they thought a lot of people were willing to pay 75¢ each to see such noteworthy clips as “a tour of the Grand Guignol theater in Paris, a man who sticks long needles through his body, footage of reindeer being castrated, and film of lesbians and strippers,” according to IMDB. Boy, if those who considered this content shocking could only spend an hour or two looking at the internet today!…
The Dave Clark Five pushed the Byrds out of the number one slot this week in 1965 with “Over and Over.” The Byrds held on to the second-place position with “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Other top ten hits included “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown (#3); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#4); “Sounds of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel (#5); “Make the World Go Away” by Eddy Arnold (#6); “Fever” by the McCoys (#7); “England Swings” by Roger Miller (#8); “Ebb Tide” by the Righteous Brothers (#9); and “I Can Never Go Home Again Any More” by the Shangri-Las (#10).
And an oversight from last week: On December 9th, 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas made its television premiere. This was the first animated Charlie Brown feature, and it cemented the role of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip in American popular culture. It also made humble, spindly Christmas trees a bit more popular…
Saturday, December 05, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 12/6/1965 to 12/12/1965
Before we go on to our coverage, I must remedy a major omission: Somehow, I failed to report on a a big Rome event that occurred back on November 8th, 1965 (due in part to the fact that the Rome News-Tribune didn’t run a story on the event at all, even though they did run ads for it beginning in the late summer). That was the day that Rome hosted a concert as a part of Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars…. and what an impressive concert lineup it was! The Byrds, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Bo Diddley, We Five, The Duchess, Dale Wright and the Wright Guys, Men of Action, and The Results all performed. Most of the groups came to Rome on one tour bus, but the Byrds insisted on driving their own RV to town, and they almost got lost on their way here from Nashville (where they played the night before). The concerts were more of a variety act than a concert as we think of it: the two lead bands (the Byrds and the Raiders) were given 15 or 20 minutes to perform, while all the other acts got 10 to 15 minutes each. None of the acts brought in their own sound equipment (although the Byrds did bring their own guitars), so the sound was less than perfect, to say the least—-but that didn’t matter to the sold-out crowd who loved a chance to hear nationally-known top ten acts perform in beautiful downtown Rome!
And now, back to our regularly scheduled fifty-years-ago retrospective.
The Chieftains took on the Gladiators on Friday, December 10th—and the crosstown rivalry was almost as heated on the basketball court as it was on the football field! Alas, it was not a good night for West Rome: even though the Chieftains were picked to win the game, East Rome’s boys posted a 48-35 victory, while East Rome’s girls won 35-33. The Chieftains found some consolation in a Saturday night 65-56 victory over Lafayette; Stan Dawson scored 28 points, while both Rusty Oxford and Mike Souder scored 10 points each. Alas, the girls lost 34-33 after missing a foul shot with 15 seconds left on the clock.
City revenues were so good that the Rome City Commission increased its budget by $195,000 for the last part of 1965, an increase of almost 10%. The biggest part of the increase was a 5% pay increase for all city employees that was implemented in July. City Manager Bruce Hamler credited “above normal tax collections” for the increase in revenues, but an $87,000 grant from the state as reimbursement for street improvements also helped a great deal. (When was the last time we heard talk of a city government having a 10% increase in tax revenues above expectations?)
Sales tax was also a big part of that, and great retail sales were responsible for higher sales taxes revenues. Rome and Floyd County saw a $3.7 million jump in retail sales in the third quarter of 1965 over the previous year. This reflected an 8% growth in retail spending in one year… a pretty amazing accomplishment!
Remember Christmas Club accounts? Those non-interest-bearing holiday savings accounts were quite popular in 1965: Rome banks disbursed almost a $1 million in Christmas Club funds to almost 5300 Romans in November, setting an all-time record. An unnamed Broad Street business owner enthused, “I think the people have got the money to spend and they’re going to spend it. This year is going to be the best ever, and I think next year will be even better.” Oh, for such fiscal optimism nowadays!…
The Elm Street PTA held their December 9th meeting at the West Rome Baptist Church. the West Rome Baptist Youth Choir, directed by Fred Barr, supplied the Christmas music for the meeting.
Work continued on the US 411-Hwy 27 interchange, with the first section (including the 12th street bridge) scheduled for completion by December 31st. The entire interchange was on schedule for a mid-1966 release, which was welcome news to any Romans who had to make the drive from Rome to Cartersville, Marietta, Atlanta, or Cedartown.
“Solid State” was the electronics phrase of the year for RCA, who was advertising both solid state stereo systems (a home console complete with two 15” woofers, two 7” midrange speakers, and four 3.5” tweeters… a pretty impressive array, even by today’s standards!). The 56-watt combination AM-FM radio and turntable also had jacks for an optional tape recorder. This impressive system was priced at $439.95, which would be the equivalent of $3200 adjusted for inflation—more than most people would ever pay for a stereo system today! Meanwhile, a solid state 23” console color TV could be yours for only $595—the equivalent of more than $4000 after adjusting for inflation.
Piggly Wiggly had whole fryers for 27¢ a pound, Mann’s Golden Harvest sausage for 59¢ a pound, and large tangerines for 49¢ a dozen. Kroger had pork steaks for 59¢ a pound, Kraft’s mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart, and Campbell’s tomato soup for a dime a can. Big Apple had a four-pound Cudahy Bar-S canned ham for $3.99, Happy Valley ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and Luzianne coffee for 59¢ a pound. A&P had chuck roast for 35¢ a pound,Super-Right chili for 29¢ a can, and an 8-ounce box of Cheez-It crackers for 23¢. Couch’s had Peach brand sliced bacon for 69¢ a pound, a one-pound bag of chocolate drops for 29¢, and Showboat pork & beans for 19¢ a can. (One of the fun parts of reviewing grocery store ads from fifty years ago is noting all the brands that we rarely or never hear about today. I can still find Cudahy Bar-S meats at a few stores, but I’ve never hear of Happy Valley, Super-Right, or Peach brand bacon nowadays.)
The cinematic week began with The War Lord (wth Charlton Heston & Richard Boone) at the DeSoto Theater and a double feature of Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster (with James Karen & Marilyn Harold) and Curse of the Voodoo (starring—if that’ the right word for a low-budget film like this— Bryant Haliday & Dennis Price) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Return from the Ashes (with Herbert Lom & Maximillian Schell) to the DeSoto and Old Yeller (with Dorothy McGuire & Fess Parker) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In’s weekend feature was The Hallelujah Trail (with Burt Lancaster & Lee Remick).
The Byrds held on to number one with “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Other top ten hits included “Over and Over” by the Dave Clark Five (#2); “I Got You (I Feel Good) by James Brown (#3); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#4); “I Hear a Symphony” by the Supremes (#5); “I Can Never go Home Again Any More” by the Shangri-las (#6); “Make the World Go Away” by Eddy Arnold (#7); “England Swings” by Roger Miller (#8); “Fever” by the McCoys (#9); and “I Will” by Dean Martin (#10).
And now, back to our regularly scheduled fifty-years-ago retrospective.
The Chieftains took on the Gladiators on Friday, December 10th—and the crosstown rivalry was almost as heated on the basketball court as it was on the football field! Alas, it was not a good night for West Rome: even though the Chieftains were picked to win the game, East Rome’s boys posted a 48-35 victory, while East Rome’s girls won 35-33. The Chieftains found some consolation in a Saturday night 65-56 victory over Lafayette; Stan Dawson scored 28 points, while both Rusty Oxford and Mike Souder scored 10 points each. Alas, the girls lost 34-33 after missing a foul shot with 15 seconds left on the clock.
City revenues were so good that the Rome City Commission increased its budget by $195,000 for the last part of 1965, an increase of almost 10%. The biggest part of the increase was a 5% pay increase for all city employees that was implemented in July. City Manager Bruce Hamler credited “above normal tax collections” for the increase in revenues, but an $87,000 grant from the state as reimbursement for street improvements also helped a great deal. (When was the last time we heard talk of a city government having a 10% increase in tax revenues above expectations?)
Sales tax was also a big part of that, and great retail sales were responsible for higher sales taxes revenues. Rome and Floyd County saw a $3.7 million jump in retail sales in the third quarter of 1965 over the previous year. This reflected an 8% growth in retail spending in one year… a pretty amazing accomplishment!
Remember Christmas Club accounts? Those non-interest-bearing holiday savings accounts were quite popular in 1965: Rome banks disbursed almost a $1 million in Christmas Club funds to almost 5300 Romans in November, setting an all-time record. An unnamed Broad Street business owner enthused, “I think the people have got the money to spend and they’re going to spend it. This year is going to be the best ever, and I think next year will be even better.” Oh, for such fiscal optimism nowadays!…
The Elm Street PTA held their December 9th meeting at the West Rome Baptist Church. the West Rome Baptist Youth Choir, directed by Fred Barr, supplied the Christmas music for the meeting.
Work continued on the US 411-Hwy 27 interchange, with the first section (including the 12th street bridge) scheduled for completion by December 31st. The entire interchange was on schedule for a mid-1966 release, which was welcome news to any Romans who had to make the drive from Rome to Cartersville, Marietta, Atlanta, or Cedartown.
“Solid State” was the electronics phrase of the year for RCA, who was advertising both solid state stereo systems (a home console complete with two 15” woofers, two 7” midrange speakers, and four 3.5” tweeters… a pretty impressive array, even by today’s standards!). The 56-watt combination AM-FM radio and turntable also had jacks for an optional tape recorder. This impressive system was priced at $439.95, which would be the equivalent of $3200 adjusted for inflation—more than most people would ever pay for a stereo system today! Meanwhile, a solid state 23” console color TV could be yours for only $595—the equivalent of more than $4000 after adjusting for inflation.
Piggly Wiggly had whole fryers for 27¢ a pound, Mann’s Golden Harvest sausage for 59¢ a pound, and large tangerines for 49¢ a dozen. Kroger had pork steaks for 59¢ a pound, Kraft’s mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart, and Campbell’s tomato soup for a dime a can. Big Apple had a four-pound Cudahy Bar-S canned ham for $3.99, Happy Valley ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and Luzianne coffee for 59¢ a pound. A&P had chuck roast for 35¢ a pound,Super-Right chili for 29¢ a can, and an 8-ounce box of Cheez-It crackers for 23¢. Couch’s had Peach brand sliced bacon for 69¢ a pound, a one-pound bag of chocolate drops for 29¢, and Showboat pork & beans for 19¢ a can. (One of the fun parts of reviewing grocery store ads from fifty years ago is noting all the brands that we rarely or never hear about today. I can still find Cudahy Bar-S meats at a few stores, but I’ve never hear of Happy Valley, Super-Right, or Peach brand bacon nowadays.)
The cinematic week began with The War Lord (wth Charlton Heston & Richard Boone) at the DeSoto Theater and a double feature of Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster (with James Karen & Marilyn Harold) and Curse of the Voodoo (starring—if that’ the right word for a low-budget film like this— Bryant Haliday & Dennis Price) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Return from the Ashes (with Herbert Lom & Maximillian Schell) to the DeSoto and Old Yeller (with Dorothy McGuire & Fess Parker) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In’s weekend feature was The Hallelujah Trail (with Burt Lancaster & Lee Remick).
The Byrds held on to number one with “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Other top ten hits included “Over and Over” by the Dave Clark Five (#2); “I Got You (I Feel Good) by James Brown (#3); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#4); “I Hear a Symphony” by the Supremes (#5); “I Can Never go Home Again Any More” by the Shangri-las (#6); “Make the World Go Away” by Eddy Arnold (#7); “England Swings” by Roger Miller (#8); “Fever” by the McCoys (#9); and “I Will” by Dean Martin (#10).
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 11/29/1965 to 12/5/1965
Interest was so high in the Georgia Class AA football championship game slated for Saturday night in Atlanta that West Rome officials announced that they were selling tickets for a bus for adults who wanted to see the game but weren’t keen on making the drive. (This was in the years before I-75 was opened, so the preferred route from Rome to Atlanta involved a long drive down US 41 through Marietta.)
Ultimately, almost 3500 Romans made the trek to Grady Stadium in Atlanta to watch the Chiefs defeat St. Pius 6-0. West Rome’s touchdown came in the second quarter when quarterback Mike Souder threw a 34-yard bomb to Arbie Lovell for the game's only scoring play.
Sandy McPhee of East Rome High School walked away with top honors in the baton competition at the National Baton Twirling Association meet in Columbus. So why am I reporting it here? Well, because Sandy’s dad was West Rome principal Dick McPhee, and as her father he was undoubtedly quite proud of her accomplishment, even if she did attend school on the other side of the river!
The Chieftains also launched their basketball season with a 56-43 victory over Chattooga in a Region 3-AA game. “We accomplished what we set out to do,” Coach Randall Kent said. “We played the game only to give our boys some experience before they meet East Rome next week, and we accomplished that aim. The fact that West Rome won was icing on the cake.”
The West Rome Seventh Grade Tri-Hi-Y sponsored a rummage sale on Saturday in front of the old depot building on Broad Street.
The city of Rome began discussion to annex the Old Airport Community near GE in West Rome in order to correct “unhealthy conditions” caused by old, improperly installed, overflowing septic tanks. The city hoped to complete annexation by the middle of 1966.
Governor Carl Sanders visited Rome on November 30th to announce major construction and development plans in the works involving Fox Manufacturing and Trend Mills. Trend confirmed plans to double the size of its carpet manufacturing facility, while Fox was expanding its furniture processing facility. “Since January of 1963, Rome and Floyd County have witnessed nine new planet developments,” Governor Sanders said, “in addition to nineteen major expansions of existing industries. By their decision to locate here, the officials of these firms have sown tangible confidence in the economy and in the people of Rome and Floyd County… In ten years’ time, the total payroll for Floyd County has doubled.” (It’s perfectly understandable why so many of us felt like we were living in the glory days of the Rome-Floyd County area back in the 1960s—because we were!)
Belk-Rhodes received a big shipment of go-go boots for $5.99 to $9.99 a pair… which may be official proof that the go-go craze was coming to an end.
Beginning December 1st, Sears extended its hours until 9pm every night until Christmas (except for Sunday, of course!). “Shop at your one-stop Christmas store,” Sears touted—and back in the 1960s, it pretty much seemed to be true!
Most sheriffs devote a lot of time to trying to keep the jail’s occupants safely locked away, but Sheriff Joe Adams spent two days trying to evict a dog who slipped into the jail to spend time with its owner. A lot of Romans were outspoken in their belief that the dog should be allowed to stay, but the sheriff ultimately took the dog to a kennel to be held until its owner was released.
The Floyd County Home Demonstration Club kicked off their annual three-day Christmas Show beginning Thursday, December 2nd. The show at the Civic Center drew almost 6000 attendees who came to see its displays showing how Christmas was celebrated around the world, with a holiday craft bazaar offering attendees a chance to buy handmade gifts, toys, decorations, and more.
Piggly Wiggly had JFG coffee for 69¢ a pound, sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, and pecans for 99¢ a pound. Kroger had ground beef for 43¢ a pound, Mel-O-Soft bread for 20¢ a loaf, and Scott bathroom tissue for a dime a roll. Big Apple had smoked picnic hams for 39¢ a pound, Bartlett pears for 19¢ a pound, and Sealtest ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. A&P had whole fryers for a quarter a pound, tangerines for 39¢ a dozen, and a five-pound bag of Irish potatoes for 33¢. Couch’s had Oscar Mayer bacon for 79¢ a pound, Van Camp’s chili for 29¢ a can, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with Harum Scarum (with Elvis Presley) at the DeSoto Theatre and Agent 8 3/4 (with Dirk Bogarde & Robert Morley) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The War Lord (with Charlton Heston & Richard Boone) to the DeSoto, while the First Avenue went for a low-budget horror film schlockfest with Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster (with an “I’ve-never-heard-of-them” cast that included James Karen & Marilyn Hanold) and Curse of the Voodoo (starring the equally-unknown Bryant Haliday & Dennis Price) at the First Avenue. Apparently The War Lord was a pretty big deal, because it also played on the big screen at the West Rome Drive-In over the weekend.
The Byrds took first place this week in 1965 with “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Other top ten hits included “I Hear a Sympony” by the Supremes (#2); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#3); “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown (#4); “Over and Over” by the Dave Clark Five (#5); “I Can Never Go Home Any More” by the Shangri-Las (#6); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#7); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#8); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#9); and “I Will” by Dean Martin (#10).
This was a big week for album release, with The Beatles’ Rubber Soul, the Rolling Stones' December’s Children (And Everybody’s), and The Who’s debut release, My Generation, all reaching record shops this week in 1965. The Beatles also released their double A-sided single “Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out” to accompany the album’s release.
Marvel Comics became famous for their super-heroes, but Fantasy Masterpieces #1—released this week in 1965—celebrated their pre-hero science fiction, monster, and weird fiction comics from the 1950s and early 1960s, reprinting stories by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers, Steve Ditko, Don Heck, and Joe Sinnott. The oldest story in the comic was published in 1959, while the most recent was a scant three years old when this comic was published!
Ultimately, almost 3500 Romans made the trek to Grady Stadium in Atlanta to watch the Chiefs defeat St. Pius 6-0. West Rome’s touchdown came in the second quarter when quarterback Mike Souder threw a 34-yard bomb to Arbie Lovell for the game's only scoring play.
Sandy McPhee of East Rome High School walked away with top honors in the baton competition at the National Baton Twirling Association meet in Columbus. So why am I reporting it here? Well, because Sandy’s dad was West Rome principal Dick McPhee, and as her father he was undoubtedly quite proud of her accomplishment, even if she did attend school on the other side of the river!
The Chieftains also launched their basketball season with a 56-43 victory over Chattooga in a Region 3-AA game. “We accomplished what we set out to do,” Coach Randall Kent said. “We played the game only to give our boys some experience before they meet East Rome next week, and we accomplished that aim. The fact that West Rome won was icing on the cake.”
The West Rome Seventh Grade Tri-Hi-Y sponsored a rummage sale on Saturday in front of the old depot building on Broad Street.
The city of Rome began discussion to annex the Old Airport Community near GE in West Rome in order to correct “unhealthy conditions” caused by old, improperly installed, overflowing septic tanks. The city hoped to complete annexation by the middle of 1966.
Governor Carl Sanders visited Rome on November 30th to announce major construction and development plans in the works involving Fox Manufacturing and Trend Mills. Trend confirmed plans to double the size of its carpet manufacturing facility, while Fox was expanding its furniture processing facility. “Since January of 1963, Rome and Floyd County have witnessed nine new planet developments,” Governor Sanders said, “in addition to nineteen major expansions of existing industries. By their decision to locate here, the officials of these firms have sown tangible confidence in the economy and in the people of Rome and Floyd County… In ten years’ time, the total payroll for Floyd County has doubled.” (It’s perfectly understandable why so many of us felt like we were living in the glory days of the Rome-Floyd County area back in the 1960s—because we were!)
Belk-Rhodes received a big shipment of go-go boots for $5.99 to $9.99 a pair… which may be official proof that the go-go craze was coming to an end.
Beginning December 1st, Sears extended its hours until 9pm every night until Christmas (except for Sunday, of course!). “Shop at your one-stop Christmas store,” Sears touted—and back in the 1960s, it pretty much seemed to be true!
Most sheriffs devote a lot of time to trying to keep the jail’s occupants safely locked away, but Sheriff Joe Adams spent two days trying to evict a dog who slipped into the jail to spend time with its owner. A lot of Romans were outspoken in their belief that the dog should be allowed to stay, but the sheriff ultimately took the dog to a kennel to be held until its owner was released.
The Floyd County Home Demonstration Club kicked off their annual three-day Christmas Show beginning Thursday, December 2nd. The show at the Civic Center drew almost 6000 attendees who came to see its displays showing how Christmas was celebrated around the world, with a holiday craft bazaar offering attendees a chance to buy handmade gifts, toys, decorations, and more.
Piggly Wiggly had JFG coffee for 69¢ a pound, sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, and pecans for 99¢ a pound. Kroger had ground beef for 43¢ a pound, Mel-O-Soft bread for 20¢ a loaf, and Scott bathroom tissue for a dime a roll. Big Apple had smoked picnic hams for 39¢ a pound, Bartlett pears for 19¢ a pound, and Sealtest ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. A&P had whole fryers for a quarter a pound, tangerines for 39¢ a dozen, and a five-pound bag of Irish potatoes for 33¢. Couch’s had Oscar Mayer bacon for 79¢ a pound, Van Camp’s chili for 29¢ a can, and bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with Harum Scarum (with Elvis Presley) at the DeSoto Theatre and Agent 8 3/4 (with Dirk Bogarde & Robert Morley) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The War Lord (with Charlton Heston & Richard Boone) to the DeSoto, while the First Avenue went for a low-budget horror film schlockfest with Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster (with an “I’ve-never-heard-of-them” cast that included James Karen & Marilyn Hanold) and Curse of the Voodoo (starring the equally-unknown Bryant Haliday & Dennis Price) at the First Avenue. Apparently The War Lord was a pretty big deal, because it also played on the big screen at the West Rome Drive-In over the weekend.
The Byrds took first place this week in 1965 with “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Other top ten hits included “I Hear a Sympony” by the Supremes (#2); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#3); “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown (#4); “Over and Over” by the Dave Clark Five (#5); “I Can Never Go Home Any More” by the Shangri-Las (#6); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#7); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#8); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#9); and “I Will” by Dean Martin (#10).
This was a big week for album release, with The Beatles’ Rubber Soul, the Rolling Stones' December’s Children (And Everybody’s), and The Who’s debut release, My Generation, all reaching record shops this week in 1965. The Beatles also released their double A-sided single “Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out” to accompany the album’s release.
Marvel Comics became famous for their super-heroes, but Fantasy Masterpieces #1—released this week in 1965—celebrated their pre-hero science fiction, monster, and weird fiction comics from the 1950s and early 1960s, reprinting stories by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers, Steve Ditko, Don Heck, and Joe Sinnott. The oldest story in the comic was published in 1959, while the most recent was a scant three years old when this comic was published!
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 11/22/1965 to 11/28/1965
Preface
“Why do you spend so much time writing this every week?” The young woman asking me the question wasn’t being rude—just curious. It didn’t make sense to her, I guess. With all the time I spend at the keyboard writing Comic Shop News every week as well as writing fiction, why devote a few hours every week writing about unimportant things that happened a half-century ago in the west side of a small northwest Georgia town with city-sized ambitions?
Because we were different. Different, just like millions of other kids who grew up in the US in the 1960s. We lived in a time that we assumed was the most technologically advanced in history (and it was!). We never imagined that the children and grandchildren of our generation would spend every day surrounded by technological advancements that we’d never even heard of back then. We didn’t know that our lives would scatter us across the country and around the world… and that all too many of us wouldn’t be here a half-century later to reminisce with us.
And we took for granted the people in our lives back then, and the places, and the little things that amused us and entertained us and frustrated us. We didn’t really appreciate how much they shaped us, and how long they would stay with us.
Preparing this column every week makes me remember not only the events that I chronicle here, but also the dreams and hopes and sorrows and joys and disappointments and surprises that were a part of our lives in the 1960s. We’re not the people that we were then… but we couldn’t be the people that we are now without going through what we went through then. It helped us, it shaped us, it made us… for better or worse.
Every week, I find little shards of memories scattered in the events that I retell here. The retelling polishes them a little bit, preserves them, makes them sparkle again for a moment or two, at least. The glint of the past reminds me that this is the way we were fifty years ago, and this was the place where we lived, and these were the things that we did.
***
The Chieftains faced off against Chamblee on Friday night for the North Georgia championship…and the Chiefs walked away with a 13-7 victory. “You know, it’s the first time a Rome school has won the championship since 1948,” a very proud Coach Paul Kennedy said after the victory. David Garrett scored the first touchdown for West Rome, while Mike Souder threw a touchdown pass to David Garrett in a play that pushed West Rome to victory.
More than 800 officers, members, and advisors of 39 Y clubs from 11 area schools (including our own West Rome, of course!) participated in the Rome-Floyd county Hi-Y and Tri-Hi-Y induction service at the Berry College chapel. West Rome Principal Dick McPhee, chairman of the Adult Hi-Y Committee, presided over the event. West Rome’s Becky Wood was installed as first vice president, while Jane Cox was selected teen editor; other committee members from West Rome included Lee Willingham, Jamie Cook, Tom Williams, Henry Kennedy, Diane Smith, Cynthia Morgan, Linda Morgan, Lee Davenport, Diane Massey, and Becky Wood.
Moses Construction Company of Rome was the low bidder for four school construction projects, including four classrooms at West End Elementary School, a library at Elm Street Elementary School, and four classrooms at West Rome High School. (The fourth construction project was on the east side of town.) All of this was necessary because of the continued rapid growth of the West Rome area—growth that was running about 6% per year ahead of predictions made when West Rome High School and West End Elementary were constructed.
Oh, the times, they were a’changing: Floyd Hospital warned residents that anesthesia rates were likely to go up because all three staff anesthesiologists had resigned as of November 24th and were going into private practice. This meant that the hospital would no longer have a staff anesthesiologist whose fees were built into the cost of various hospital procedures; instead, the hospital administrators warned Romans that those without insurance could expect to pay as much as $50 per procedure more for anesthesia because of the change, since the private anesthesiologists would be setting their own rates.
The draft was calling more Romans: the Selective Service office announced that 75 young men from Rome and Floyd County would have to report for pre-induction examinations on December 15th. The notices went out this week so that those expected to report could make necessary plans to be there. Mrs.. Virginia Turpin of the Selective Service Office said that they expected that about 40% of those tested would be drafted within a month of their examinations. Suddenly, the draft and the war and Vietnam were becoming much more of a local worry for Rome teens…
Rome bank activity indicated that the community’s economy was growing at about a 5% annual rate—not quite as strong as the two years prior, but still enough to pump an extra $5 million a month into the local community.
Thanksgiving's aftermath included the post-Thanksgiving-Day Rome Days sales event. Almost every store in town was running special sales on Friday and Saturday, including $39.98 Murray bicycles at Sterchi’s; a $12.99 Electrovoice tape recorder at Enloe’s; an all-wool sport coast for $12.00 at Wheeler’s; a 6-piece French provincial maple living room suite for $399 at Rhodes Furniture; leather handbags for $7.95 at Esserman’s; an Admiral table radio for $15.88 at Buy-Wise; a 23” Zenith console color TV for $589 at Rome Radio Company; an electric Pro Football game (you remember, the thing with the buzzing, vibrating field and the little plastic players with felt bottoms that wobbled around, bumping into one another?) for $19.88 at Murphy’s. And then there was my personal favorite: The VacuForm for $16.88 at Sears! (After all, what better gift for a kid at Christmas than a toy that heated up metal plates to the pound that they melted plastic sheets so that you could shape them into crude toys using a vacuum pump? What possible harm could befall a child with a toy like that?! And yes, I really had one of these… and yes, I must have burned my fingers about fifty times while using it…)
Piggly Wiggly had sweet potatoes for a dime a pound, pecans for 33¢ a pound, and fresh hens for 39¢ a pound. Big Apple had Tom Turkeys for 33¢ a pound, fresh coconuts for 19¢ each, and celery for 19¢ a bunch. Kroger and turkeys for 31¢ a pound, fresh cranberries for a quarter a pound, and a case of Coca-Cola for 99¢ plus deposit. A&P had turkeys for 37¢ a pound, potatoes for a nickel a pound, and cranberry sauce for 22¢ a can. Couch’s had Puritan fully-cooked hams for 79¢ a pound, English peas for 19¢ a can, and roasting chickens for 29¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with Sands of Kalahari (with Stuart Whitman) at the DeSoto and The Outlaws Is Coming (with the Three Stooges) at the First Avenue. The midweek switchout brought Harum Scarum (with Elvis Presley) to the Desoto and Forty Acre Feud (with Ferlin Husky, Minnie Pearl, George Jones, & Loretta Lynn) at the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In took advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday week to add a special Wednesday night showing of Mary Poppins (with Julie Andrews & Dick Van Dyke) to its otherwise-weekends-only schedule.
The Byrds took number one this week with their biblical “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Other top ten hits included “I Hear a Symphony” by the Supremes (#2); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#3); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#4); “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown (#5); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#6); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#7); “Ain’t That Peculiar” by Marvin Gaye (#8); “I Can Never Go Home Any More” by the Shangri-Las (#9); and “Over and Over” by the Dave Clark Five (#10).
The big album release this week in 1965 was Do You Believe in Magic? by the Lovin’ Spoonful, which delivered not only the title song but also the destined-for-hit-status song “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?” Both songs were written by the group’s lead singer and autoharpist John Sebastian (were the Lovin’ Spoonful the only 1960s rock group to use the autoharp in their music?).
This was also the week when Arlo Guthrie was arrested on Thanksgiving Day in Massachusetts for littering; the resulting events would ultimately be preserved forever in Guthrie’s song “Alice’s Restaurant,” but it would be two more years before we would hear that little ditty.
The cosmic spirit of the DC Universe made his first Silver Age appearance in Showcase #60, on sale this week in 1965. The Spectre was resurrected in a tale by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson in an atypical tale that pitted a superhero against the demon Azmodus. Also on the stands this week: Teen Titans #1, featuring Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and Aqualad, fresh from their final trial-run appearance in September’s Showcase #59.
“Why do you spend so much time writing this every week?” The young woman asking me the question wasn’t being rude—just curious. It didn’t make sense to her, I guess. With all the time I spend at the keyboard writing Comic Shop News every week as well as writing fiction, why devote a few hours every week writing about unimportant things that happened a half-century ago in the west side of a small northwest Georgia town with city-sized ambitions?
Because we were different. Different, just like millions of other kids who grew up in the US in the 1960s. We lived in a time that we assumed was the most technologically advanced in history (and it was!). We never imagined that the children and grandchildren of our generation would spend every day surrounded by technological advancements that we’d never even heard of back then. We didn’t know that our lives would scatter us across the country and around the world… and that all too many of us wouldn’t be here a half-century later to reminisce with us.
And we took for granted the people in our lives back then, and the places, and the little things that amused us and entertained us and frustrated us. We didn’t really appreciate how much they shaped us, and how long they would stay with us.
Preparing this column every week makes me remember not only the events that I chronicle here, but also the dreams and hopes and sorrows and joys and disappointments and surprises that were a part of our lives in the 1960s. We’re not the people that we were then… but we couldn’t be the people that we are now without going through what we went through then. It helped us, it shaped us, it made us… for better or worse.
Every week, I find little shards of memories scattered in the events that I retell here. The retelling polishes them a little bit, preserves them, makes them sparkle again for a moment or two, at least. The glint of the past reminds me that this is the way we were fifty years ago, and this was the place where we lived, and these were the things that we did.
***
The Chieftains faced off against Chamblee on Friday night for the North Georgia championship…and the Chiefs walked away with a 13-7 victory. “You know, it’s the first time a Rome school has won the championship since 1948,” a very proud Coach Paul Kennedy said after the victory. David Garrett scored the first touchdown for West Rome, while Mike Souder threw a touchdown pass to David Garrett in a play that pushed West Rome to victory.
More than 800 officers, members, and advisors of 39 Y clubs from 11 area schools (including our own West Rome, of course!) participated in the Rome-Floyd county Hi-Y and Tri-Hi-Y induction service at the Berry College chapel. West Rome Principal Dick McPhee, chairman of the Adult Hi-Y Committee, presided over the event. West Rome’s Becky Wood was installed as first vice president, while Jane Cox was selected teen editor; other committee members from West Rome included Lee Willingham, Jamie Cook, Tom Williams, Henry Kennedy, Diane Smith, Cynthia Morgan, Linda Morgan, Lee Davenport, Diane Massey, and Becky Wood.
Moses Construction Company of Rome was the low bidder for four school construction projects, including four classrooms at West End Elementary School, a library at Elm Street Elementary School, and four classrooms at West Rome High School. (The fourth construction project was on the east side of town.) All of this was necessary because of the continued rapid growth of the West Rome area—growth that was running about 6% per year ahead of predictions made when West Rome High School and West End Elementary were constructed.
Oh, the times, they were a’changing: Floyd Hospital warned residents that anesthesia rates were likely to go up because all three staff anesthesiologists had resigned as of November 24th and were going into private practice. This meant that the hospital would no longer have a staff anesthesiologist whose fees were built into the cost of various hospital procedures; instead, the hospital administrators warned Romans that those without insurance could expect to pay as much as $50 per procedure more for anesthesia because of the change, since the private anesthesiologists would be setting their own rates.
The draft was calling more Romans: the Selective Service office announced that 75 young men from Rome and Floyd County would have to report for pre-induction examinations on December 15th. The notices went out this week so that those expected to report could make necessary plans to be there. Mrs.. Virginia Turpin of the Selective Service Office said that they expected that about 40% of those tested would be drafted within a month of their examinations. Suddenly, the draft and the war and Vietnam were becoming much more of a local worry for Rome teens…
Rome bank activity indicated that the community’s economy was growing at about a 5% annual rate—not quite as strong as the two years prior, but still enough to pump an extra $5 million a month into the local community.
Thanksgiving's aftermath included the post-Thanksgiving-Day Rome Days sales event. Almost every store in town was running special sales on Friday and Saturday, including $39.98 Murray bicycles at Sterchi’s; a $12.99 Electrovoice tape recorder at Enloe’s; an all-wool sport coast for $12.00 at Wheeler’s; a 6-piece French provincial maple living room suite for $399 at Rhodes Furniture; leather handbags for $7.95 at Esserman’s; an Admiral table radio for $15.88 at Buy-Wise; a 23” Zenith console color TV for $589 at Rome Radio Company; an electric Pro Football game (you remember, the thing with the buzzing, vibrating field and the little plastic players with felt bottoms that wobbled around, bumping into one another?) for $19.88 at Murphy’s. And then there was my personal favorite: The VacuForm for $16.88 at Sears! (After all, what better gift for a kid at Christmas than a toy that heated up metal plates to the pound that they melted plastic sheets so that you could shape them into crude toys using a vacuum pump? What possible harm could befall a child with a toy like that?! And yes, I really had one of these… and yes, I must have burned my fingers about fifty times while using it…)
Piggly Wiggly had sweet potatoes for a dime a pound, pecans for 33¢ a pound, and fresh hens for 39¢ a pound. Big Apple had Tom Turkeys for 33¢ a pound, fresh coconuts for 19¢ each, and celery for 19¢ a bunch. Kroger and turkeys for 31¢ a pound, fresh cranberries for a quarter a pound, and a case of Coca-Cola for 99¢ plus deposit. A&P had turkeys for 37¢ a pound, potatoes for a nickel a pound, and cranberry sauce for 22¢ a can. Couch’s had Puritan fully-cooked hams for 79¢ a pound, English peas for 19¢ a can, and roasting chickens for 29¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with Sands of Kalahari (with Stuart Whitman) at the DeSoto and The Outlaws Is Coming (with the Three Stooges) at the First Avenue. The midweek switchout brought Harum Scarum (with Elvis Presley) to the Desoto and Forty Acre Feud (with Ferlin Husky, Minnie Pearl, George Jones, & Loretta Lynn) at the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In took advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday week to add a special Wednesday night showing of Mary Poppins (with Julie Andrews & Dick Van Dyke) to its otherwise-weekends-only schedule.
The Byrds took number one this week with their biblical “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Other top ten hits included “I Hear a Symphony” by the Supremes (#2); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#3); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#4); “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown (#5); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#6); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#7); “Ain’t That Peculiar” by Marvin Gaye (#8); “I Can Never Go Home Any More” by the Shangri-Las (#9); and “Over and Over” by the Dave Clark Five (#10).
The big album release this week in 1965 was Do You Believe in Magic? by the Lovin’ Spoonful, which delivered not only the title song but also the destined-for-hit-status song “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?” Both songs were written by the group’s lead singer and autoharpist John Sebastian (were the Lovin’ Spoonful the only 1960s rock group to use the autoharp in their music?).
This was also the week when Arlo Guthrie was arrested on Thanksgiving Day in Massachusetts for littering; the resulting events would ultimately be preserved forever in Guthrie’s song “Alice’s Restaurant,” but it would be two more years before we would hear that little ditty.
The cosmic spirit of the DC Universe made his first Silver Age appearance in Showcase #60, on sale this week in 1965. The Spectre was resurrected in a tale by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson in an atypical tale that pitted a superhero against the demon Azmodus. Also on the stands this week: Teen Titans #1, featuring Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and Aqualad, fresh from their final trial-run appearance in September’s Showcase #59.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 11/15/1965 to 11/21/1965
The final equipment for West Rome’s new state-of-the-art industrial arts shop arrived and the program shifted into high gear this week in 1965. Thanks to a $90,000 investment by taxpayers and the Rome City School System, West Rome’s newly constructed brick industrial arts building had a modern drafting department at one end of the structure and an electronics lab, a metalworking shop, and a woodworking shop at the other end. Thomas Couey and R.L. Matthews shared instructional duties in the expanded industrial arts department, and both had a full roster of students for their expanded course offerings.
Dickie, Tommy, Johnny, and David Sapp were spotlighted in the Rome News-Tribune on November 17th. The article focused on the family’s football skills (Dickie was a halfback for the Darlington Tigers, Tommy was a junior halfback for the Chieftains, Johnny was a part of the Rome junior midgets team, and David was involved with the mite leaguers. “I’ve never pushed them to play football,” their father, Fred Sapp, said. “However, the fact that they were interested really pleased us. The game has meant a lot to them.”
With a Region 3-AA title game against Dalton on the schedule for Friday, November 19th, Coach Paul Kennedy was justifiably concerned when center Doug Meadows suffered an jury in the East Rome game that took him out of the Dalton game. Coach Kennedy moved Benny Padgett to center, while Lane Warner took Padgett’s offensive guard position. Jim Ryan was also out with a broken nose, Jerry Wiseman missed two days of practice with a shoulder injury, Richard Camp had an injured foot that impacted his kicking game, and Lane Brewer was playing with a knee injury that had slowed him down. “Our boys’ spirits are high and we’ve had really good practice sessions,” Coach Kennedy said, “but we’ve got to be ready to play our finest ball game against a tough club. In fact, I think we’ll have to play as good as, if not better than, we did against Kingsport and Rossville.”
In spite of all the injuries, though, the Chieftains managed to defeat Dalton in a 14-7 game, thanks to quarterback Mike Souder, who threw both of West Rome’s touchdown passes—one to Arbie Lovell and one to David Garrett. This advanced West Rome to the next level of the playoffs, setting them up to take on Chamblee.
Piggly Wiggly had baking hens for 35¢ a pound, bacon for 69¢ a pound, and lettuce for 15¢ a head. A&P had hen turkeys for 37¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and all butter pound cakes for 69¢ each. Kroger and five pounds of Colonial sugar for 38¢, large eggs for 49¢ a dozen, and Tom Turkeys for 31¢ a pound. Big Apple had hams for 59¢ a pound, celery for 19¢ a bunch, and yams for 12¢ a pound. Couch’s had fruit cake mix for 33¢ a pound, pork roast for 59¢ a pound, and ten pounds of potatoes for 45¢.
The cinematic week began with Casanova ’70 (with Marcelo Mastroianni & Virna Lisi) to the DeSotoTheater and Red Line 7000 (with James Caan) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Sands of the Kalahari (with Stuart Whitman & Susannah York) to the DeSoto and The Hill (with Sean Connery) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In had a weekend double feature of The Ballad of Cat Ballou (with Jane Fonda & Lee Marvin) and Fate Is the Hunter (with Gelnn Ford and Rod Taylor).
The Supremes held on to the number one slot this week in 1965 with “I Hear a Symphony.” Other top ten hits included “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds (#2); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#3); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#4); “Get Off My Cloud” by the Rolling Stones (#5); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#6); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#7); “Ain’t That Peculiar” by Marvin Gaye (#8); “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown (#9); and “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” by Silkie (#10).
The Yardbirds released their second album, Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds, this week in 1965. The album featured the guitar skills of both Eric Clapton (who performed on four songs) and Jeff Beck (who played on the remaining six songs).
This was also the week when NBC introduced the first full-color national news broadcast. The Huntley-Brinkley Report became the first newscast to use color for both the studio presentation and the news stories filed from locations around the world.
Dickie, Tommy, Johnny, and David Sapp were spotlighted in the Rome News-Tribune on November 17th. The article focused on the family’s football skills (Dickie was a halfback for the Darlington Tigers, Tommy was a junior halfback for the Chieftains, Johnny was a part of the Rome junior midgets team, and David was involved with the mite leaguers. “I’ve never pushed them to play football,” their father, Fred Sapp, said. “However, the fact that they were interested really pleased us. The game has meant a lot to them.”
With a Region 3-AA title game against Dalton on the schedule for Friday, November 19th, Coach Paul Kennedy was justifiably concerned when center Doug Meadows suffered an jury in the East Rome game that took him out of the Dalton game. Coach Kennedy moved Benny Padgett to center, while Lane Warner took Padgett’s offensive guard position. Jim Ryan was also out with a broken nose, Jerry Wiseman missed two days of practice with a shoulder injury, Richard Camp had an injured foot that impacted his kicking game, and Lane Brewer was playing with a knee injury that had slowed him down. “Our boys’ spirits are high and we’ve had really good practice sessions,” Coach Kennedy said, “but we’ve got to be ready to play our finest ball game against a tough club. In fact, I think we’ll have to play as good as, if not better than, we did against Kingsport and Rossville.”
In spite of all the injuries, though, the Chieftains managed to defeat Dalton in a 14-7 game, thanks to quarterback Mike Souder, who threw both of West Rome’s touchdown passes—one to Arbie Lovell and one to David Garrett. This advanced West Rome to the next level of the playoffs, setting them up to take on Chamblee.
Piggly Wiggly had baking hens for 35¢ a pound, bacon for 69¢ a pound, and lettuce for 15¢ a head. A&P had hen turkeys for 37¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and all butter pound cakes for 69¢ each. Kroger and five pounds of Colonial sugar for 38¢, large eggs for 49¢ a dozen, and Tom Turkeys for 31¢ a pound. Big Apple had hams for 59¢ a pound, celery for 19¢ a bunch, and yams for 12¢ a pound. Couch’s had fruit cake mix for 33¢ a pound, pork roast for 59¢ a pound, and ten pounds of potatoes for 45¢.
The cinematic week began with Casanova ’70 (with Marcelo Mastroianni & Virna Lisi) to the DeSotoTheater and Red Line 7000 (with James Caan) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Sands of the Kalahari (with Stuart Whitman & Susannah York) to the DeSoto and The Hill (with Sean Connery) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In had a weekend double feature of The Ballad of Cat Ballou (with Jane Fonda & Lee Marvin) and Fate Is the Hunter (with Gelnn Ford and Rod Taylor).
The Supremes held on to the number one slot this week in 1965 with “I Hear a Symphony.” Other top ten hits included “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds (#2); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#3); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#4); “Get Off My Cloud” by the Rolling Stones (#5); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#6); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#7); “Ain’t That Peculiar” by Marvin Gaye (#8); “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown (#9); and “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” by Silkie (#10).
The Yardbirds released their second album, Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds, this week in 1965. The album featured the guitar skills of both Eric Clapton (who performed on four songs) and Jeff Beck (who played on the remaining six songs).
This was also the week when NBC introduced the first full-color national news broadcast. The Huntley-Brinkley Report became the first newscast to use color for both the studio presentation and the news stories filed from locations around the world.
Saturday, November 07, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 11/8/1965 to 11/14/1965
Back in 1965, almost all phone calls between Rome and Atlanta were carried on a single phone cable—so when a construction company cut that cable on Monday afternoon, November the 8th, it also cut off all phone communication between Rome and Atlanta. Southern Bell was able to reroute some of the calls by late Monday evening, and the phone line was repaired by 5:30 am on Tuesday. (It’s hard to envision a scenario in which one cable cut could shut down all phone communication for more than twelve hours… But it could be worse. This was also the week that New York City had a total blackout after a power grid failure, so there’s that…)
West Rome growth was so strong that the city was looking to expand West End Elementary with four new classrooms, as well as a new library at Elm Street. The Rome School Board began taking bids for the construction this week in 1965, with construction set to take place over the summer.
The Rome News-Tribune named West Rome’s David Garrett as the Back of the Week because of his outstanding performance in the November 5th East Rome game. And it was no surprise that Paul Kennedy was named Coach of the Week after leading a team from two scoreless games at the beginning of the season to a Region 3-AA South Championship with their victory over East Rome.
West Rome’s Future Business Leaders of America selected its club officers this week in 1965. The roster included Pat Richardson, president; Ellen Sosbee, vice-president; Diane Wade, secretary; Jennie Pittman, treasurer; and Pat Hicks, reporter. The club was sponsored by Miss Charles McCarter and Mr. Bill Finley.
Piggly Wiggly had eggs for 45¢ a dozen, T-bone steak for 99¢ a pound, and fresh baked apple pies for 59¢ each. Kroger and the ever-popular streak-o-lean for 49¢ a pound (was it really that expensive?), Spam for 49¢ a can, and Country Club ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon. Big Apple had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, five pounds of Dixie Crystal sugar for 39¢, and a 32-ounce jar of Jif peanut butter for 95¢. A&P had ground beef for 38¢ a pound, Poss chili for 39¢ a can, and emperor grapes for 13¢ a pound. Couch’s had pork steak for 59¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Bama jelly (in an 18-ounce jar that could be used as a drinking glass) for 25¢ a jar.
The cinematic week began with The Cincinnati Kid (with Steve McQueen & Ann-Margret) at the DeSoto Theater and Love & Kisses (with Rick Nelson) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Casanova ’70 (with Marcelo Mastroianni & Virna Lisi) to the DeSoto and Red Line 7000 (with James Caan) at the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In had a weekend double feature of Red Line 7000 (yes, a second-rate racing movie was screening simultaneously at two Rome theaters!) and The Family Jewels (with Jerry Lewis).
The Supremes clinched the top spot this week in 1965 with “I Hear a Symphony.” Other top ten hits included “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#2); “Get Off of My Cloud” by the Rolling Stones (#3); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#4); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#5); “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds (#6); “A Lover’s Concerto” by the Toys (#7); “Ain’t That Peculiar” by Marvin Gaye (#8); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#9); and “You’re the One” by the Vogues (#10).
The week’s big album releases included Beach Boys’ Party! by the Beach Boys and Four Tops’ Second Album by the Four Tops. But the number one selling album this week was The Sound of Music, which bounced the Beatles Help! off the top of the LP charts.
The problems of Salem and its residents came to television for the first time on November 8th, 1965, with the premiere of Days of Our Lives. The soap opera originally began as a half-hour show; it wouldn’t expand to an hour long until 1975.
West Rome growth was so strong that the city was looking to expand West End Elementary with four new classrooms, as well as a new library at Elm Street. The Rome School Board began taking bids for the construction this week in 1965, with construction set to take place over the summer.
The Rome News-Tribune named West Rome’s David Garrett as the Back of the Week because of his outstanding performance in the November 5th East Rome game. And it was no surprise that Paul Kennedy was named Coach of the Week after leading a team from two scoreless games at the beginning of the season to a Region 3-AA South Championship with their victory over East Rome.
West Rome’s Future Business Leaders of America selected its club officers this week in 1965. The roster included Pat Richardson, president; Ellen Sosbee, vice-president; Diane Wade, secretary; Jennie Pittman, treasurer; and Pat Hicks, reporter. The club was sponsored by Miss Charles McCarter and Mr. Bill Finley.
Piggly Wiggly had eggs for 45¢ a dozen, T-bone steak for 99¢ a pound, and fresh baked apple pies for 59¢ each. Kroger and the ever-popular streak-o-lean for 49¢ a pound (was it really that expensive?), Spam for 49¢ a can, and Country Club ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon. Big Apple had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, five pounds of Dixie Crystal sugar for 39¢, and a 32-ounce jar of Jif peanut butter for 95¢. A&P had ground beef for 38¢ a pound, Poss chili for 39¢ a can, and emperor grapes for 13¢ a pound. Couch’s had pork steak for 59¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Bama jelly (in an 18-ounce jar that could be used as a drinking glass) for 25¢ a jar.
The cinematic week began with The Cincinnati Kid (with Steve McQueen & Ann-Margret) at the DeSoto Theater and Love & Kisses (with Rick Nelson) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Casanova ’70 (with Marcelo Mastroianni & Virna Lisi) to the DeSoto and Red Line 7000 (with James Caan) at the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In had a weekend double feature of Red Line 7000 (yes, a second-rate racing movie was screening simultaneously at two Rome theaters!) and The Family Jewels (with Jerry Lewis).
The Supremes clinched the top spot this week in 1965 with “I Hear a Symphony.” Other top ten hits included “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#2); “Get Off of My Cloud” by the Rolling Stones (#3); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#4); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#5); “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds (#6); “A Lover’s Concerto” by the Toys (#7); “Ain’t That Peculiar” by Marvin Gaye (#8); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#9); and “You’re the One” by the Vogues (#10).
The week’s big album releases included Beach Boys’ Party! by the Beach Boys and Four Tops’ Second Album by the Four Tops. But the number one selling album this week was The Sound of Music, which bounced the Beatles Help! off the top of the LP charts.
The problems of Salem and its residents came to television for the first time on November 8th, 1965, with the premiere of Days of Our Lives. The soap opera originally began as a half-hour show; it wouldn’t expand to an hour long until 1975.
Monday, November 02, 2015
The Passing of a Friend
I wasn't a close friend to Mark. Still, he was my friend, and he was a good man with a kind heart and a generous spirit, and he shouldn't be dead... but death doesn't pay much attention to shoulds and shouldn'ts.
Mark was a handyman, a repairman, and a contractor. And he was exceptional at what he did. So exceptional, in fact, that he did almost all of his work in our neighborhood, because so many people admired him and his work that they kept him as busy as he wanted to be. I first hired Mark about five years ago for a few little jobs; when we acquired our second house, we used him and his team for a number of repairs there.
In general, contractors will disappoint you... the questions are when and how. But not Mark. He did what he said--and if he couldn't do it, he said so up front, and pointed you to someone who could.
After the first few jobs, I quit asking Mark for an estimate, because I realized it was unnecessary. Mark's charges were always fair, and if he said the job needed to be done, then it needed to be done. He was absolutely trustworthy, and honorable to a degree unheard of among repairmen and contractors.
But I was glad to get to know Mark as more than a handyman and a contractor. He was in the neighborhood all the time, traveling from one job to another--and I walk a lot. Inevitably, our paths would cross--sometimes more than once a day, in fact. So we would talk. He would pull his Ford Explorer over to the side of the road, and we'd talk about all sorts of things. We talked about music and TV and books. Mark and I liked a lot of the same music, which led to numerous conversations. And sometimes we would just talk about nothing in particular.
Mark knew I had some health issues; so did he. You'd never know it from looking at him, though. But he and I had talked about them over the years, so I knew that he had problems with pains in his legs related to an auto accident a few years earlier. He had high blood pressure, and was trying to deal with it. Like me, he exercised a lot. We often talked about our exercise routines; his was much more demanding than mine, but his busy schedule made it impossible for him to exercise with the frequency that I did. He always wished that he could, he said. "Maybe next year."
Last week, Mark's days ran out. I don't know the details; they really don't matter, I guess. But it seems wrong that he's dead. He was always cognizant of his health, and he was trying to do what he could to improve it. He didn't live to excess, and he didn't take chances.
And he died. I saw him on Monday. Tuesday, I got the news that he had passed away a few hours after I saw him.
Mark was a good man. He deserved more than the 55 years that life gave him.
Mark was a handyman, a repairman, and a contractor. And he was exceptional at what he did. So exceptional, in fact, that he did almost all of his work in our neighborhood, because so many people admired him and his work that they kept him as busy as he wanted to be. I first hired Mark about five years ago for a few little jobs; when we acquired our second house, we used him and his team for a number of repairs there.
In general, contractors will disappoint you... the questions are when and how. But not Mark. He did what he said--and if he couldn't do it, he said so up front, and pointed you to someone who could.
After the first few jobs, I quit asking Mark for an estimate, because I realized it was unnecessary. Mark's charges were always fair, and if he said the job needed to be done, then it needed to be done. He was absolutely trustworthy, and honorable to a degree unheard of among repairmen and contractors.
But I was glad to get to know Mark as more than a handyman and a contractor. He was in the neighborhood all the time, traveling from one job to another--and I walk a lot. Inevitably, our paths would cross--sometimes more than once a day, in fact. So we would talk. He would pull his Ford Explorer over to the side of the road, and we'd talk about all sorts of things. We talked about music and TV and books. Mark and I liked a lot of the same music, which led to numerous conversations. And sometimes we would just talk about nothing in particular.
Mark knew I had some health issues; so did he. You'd never know it from looking at him, though. But he and I had talked about them over the years, so I knew that he had problems with pains in his legs related to an auto accident a few years earlier. He had high blood pressure, and was trying to deal with it. Like me, he exercised a lot. We often talked about our exercise routines; his was much more demanding than mine, but his busy schedule made it impossible for him to exercise with the frequency that I did. He always wished that he could, he said. "Maybe next year."
Last week, Mark's days ran out. I don't know the details; they really don't matter, I guess. But it seems wrong that he's dead. He was always cognizant of his health, and he was trying to do what he could to improve it. He didn't live to excess, and he didn't take chances.
And he died. I saw him on Monday. Tuesday, I got the news that he had passed away a few hours after I saw him.
Mark was a good man. He deserved more than the 55 years that life gave him.
Friday, October 30, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 11/1/1965 to 11/7/1965
The annual East Rome-West Rome football game generated more than the usual excitement in 1965, because this game would determine not merely Rome bragging rights, but also the sub-region championship. West Rome went into the game with a 2-1 record within the sub-region, while East Rome had a 1-1-1 record. West Rome could clinch the title by winning or tying the game, while East Rome had to secure a win to become a sub-region champ. Coach Paul Kennedy was cautiously optimistic. “East Rome’s always tough when the play us,” Coach Kennedy said. “Considering what’s at stake, I believe East Rome will give us all we can handle, but I think we're up to it.” The combination of a cross-town rivalry and a sub-region championship on the line led to increased ticket sales, with more than 6000 people buying tickets for the game, which was officially sold out by Thursday afternoon.
If Coach Kennedy was at all concerned about the game’s outcome, he shouldn’t have been: West Rome won 33-0, scoring three touchdowns on the ground and two through the air. It was the biggest winning point-spread in East-West history, and it secured the Region 3-AA South championship for the Chieftains.
West Rome’s Distributive Education program was spotlighted in the Rome News-Tribune. Nineteen Chieftains were enrolled in DE, a work-related program that allowed students to get class credit for on-the-job experience in a distributive business (which included retail sales). To stay in the program, students had to work between 15 and 35 hours a week. The average student enrolled in the program would earn $500 during the nine-month period, and many of them earned significantly more by continuing to work at the same job during the summer. (Distributive Education began as a “girls only” program in 1945 when Rome still had a Girls High; when Girls High and Boys High merged in 1951 the program was expanded to include boys and girls.)
The Rome Auto Show was held in the Central Plaza Shopping Center parking lot on Sunday, November 7th, with the newest models from Ford, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Chrysler, Valiant, Imperial, Rambler, Buck, Pontiac, Dodge, Lancer, Volkswagen, and Lincoln-Mercury all on display—and they were all available through Rome auto dealers, so you’d never have to leave Rome to buy the car of your dreams once you discovered it at the auto show! In fact, Volkswagen was promoting their show special: they offered a 1966 VW Beetle for $1722.72 including all taxes and fees—and it included a radio!
Barth’s Sport and Hobby Shop advertised its expansion this week in 1965. The store, located on North 5th Avenue, carried model kits, balsa planes, Tonka toys, Lincoln Logs, and sporting goods. Considering my obsession with airplane models, I’m not sure how I never knew about this store when I was a kid; I was a Revell and Monogram model addict, with a particular interest in WW2 airplanes, and regularly raided Murphy’s, Redford’s, and Super-Discount store looking for new kits. I suspect my parents were keeping this store a secret from me…
Piggly Wiggly had pork chops for 53¢ a pound, JFG instant coffee for 99¢, and Shurfine cream corn for 16¢ a can. Kroger had sirloin steak for 95¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 59¢ a loud, and bananas for 12¢ a pound. Big Apple had whole fryers for a quarter a pound, yams for 12¢ a pound, and a 2-pound jar of Lennox Park peanut butter for 69¢. A&P had stew beef for a quarter a pound, a twenty-pound bag of potatoes for 95¢, and Merita bread for 19¢ a loaf. Couch’s had chuck roast for 37¢ a pound, large eggs for 49¢ a dozen, and grapefruit for a nickel each.
The cinematic week began with The Hallelujah Trail (with Burt Lancaster & Lee Remick) at the DeSoto Theater and Beach Ball (with Edd Byrnes) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Cincinnati Kid (with Steve McQueen & Ann-Margret) to the DeSoto and Darling (with Laurence Harvey & Julie Christie) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In offered a weekend double feature of Witchcraft (starring Lon Chaney Jr. in one of his final acting roles) and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (with Annette Funicello & Dwayne Hickman). Considering how incredibly different those two films are, you have to wonder who selected the lineup for these double features!…
The Rolling Stones held on to the number one slot for the second week in a row with “Get Off Of My Cloud.” Other top ten hits for the week included “A Lover’s Concerto” by the Toys (#2); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#3); “You’re the One” by the Vogues (#4); “I Hear a Symphony” by the Supremes (#5); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#6); “Everybody Loves a Clown” by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#7); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#8); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#9); and “Ain’t That Peculiar?” by Marvin Gaye (#10).
And it was a great week for albums, too: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ Going to a Go-Go (the first album to include a separate credit line for Smokey Robinson) and The Temptations’ The Tempting Temptations were both released this week in 1965. This was also the week that the Who released their iconic single “My Generation,” although it wouldn’t chart for a while yet.
Everyone thinks of comics as being superhero adventures, but the comics rack was quite diverse this week in 1965: you could choose from Army War Heroes, Black Fury (a comic about a horse that roamed the West righting wrongs), Career Girl Romances, Cheyenne Kid, Fightin’ Marines, Fightin’ Navy, Gunmaster, Hot Rod Racers, Just Married, Old Yeller, Teen Confessions, Teenage Hotrodders, Tippy Teen, and Zorro, as well as at least a half-dozen different Archie titles—and that was just a sampling of the non-superhero books published this week in 1965!
If Coach Kennedy was at all concerned about the game’s outcome, he shouldn’t have been: West Rome won 33-0, scoring three touchdowns on the ground and two through the air. It was the biggest winning point-spread in East-West history, and it secured the Region 3-AA South championship for the Chieftains.
West Rome’s Distributive Education program was spotlighted in the Rome News-Tribune. Nineteen Chieftains were enrolled in DE, a work-related program that allowed students to get class credit for on-the-job experience in a distributive business (which included retail sales). To stay in the program, students had to work between 15 and 35 hours a week. The average student enrolled in the program would earn $500 during the nine-month period, and many of them earned significantly more by continuing to work at the same job during the summer. (Distributive Education began as a “girls only” program in 1945 when Rome still had a Girls High; when Girls High and Boys High merged in 1951 the program was expanded to include boys and girls.)
The Rome Auto Show was held in the Central Plaza Shopping Center parking lot on Sunday, November 7th, with the newest models from Ford, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Chrysler, Valiant, Imperial, Rambler, Buck, Pontiac, Dodge, Lancer, Volkswagen, and Lincoln-Mercury all on display—and they were all available through Rome auto dealers, so you’d never have to leave Rome to buy the car of your dreams once you discovered it at the auto show! In fact, Volkswagen was promoting their show special: they offered a 1966 VW Beetle for $1722.72 including all taxes and fees—and it included a radio!
Barth’s Sport and Hobby Shop advertised its expansion this week in 1965. The store, located on North 5th Avenue, carried model kits, balsa planes, Tonka toys, Lincoln Logs, and sporting goods. Considering my obsession with airplane models, I’m not sure how I never knew about this store when I was a kid; I was a Revell and Monogram model addict, with a particular interest in WW2 airplanes, and regularly raided Murphy’s, Redford’s, and Super-Discount store looking for new kits. I suspect my parents were keeping this store a secret from me…
Piggly Wiggly had pork chops for 53¢ a pound, JFG instant coffee for 99¢, and Shurfine cream corn for 16¢ a can. Kroger had sirloin steak for 95¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 59¢ a loud, and bananas for 12¢ a pound. Big Apple had whole fryers for a quarter a pound, yams for 12¢ a pound, and a 2-pound jar of Lennox Park peanut butter for 69¢. A&P had stew beef for a quarter a pound, a twenty-pound bag of potatoes for 95¢, and Merita bread for 19¢ a loaf. Couch’s had chuck roast for 37¢ a pound, large eggs for 49¢ a dozen, and grapefruit for a nickel each.
The cinematic week began with The Hallelujah Trail (with Burt Lancaster & Lee Remick) at the DeSoto Theater and Beach Ball (with Edd Byrnes) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Cincinnati Kid (with Steve McQueen & Ann-Margret) to the DeSoto and Darling (with Laurence Harvey & Julie Christie) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In offered a weekend double feature of Witchcraft (starring Lon Chaney Jr. in one of his final acting roles) and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (with Annette Funicello & Dwayne Hickman). Considering how incredibly different those two films are, you have to wonder who selected the lineup for these double features!…
The Rolling Stones held on to the number one slot for the second week in a row with “Get Off Of My Cloud.” Other top ten hits for the week included “A Lover’s Concerto” by the Toys (#2); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#3); “You’re the One” by the Vogues (#4); “I Hear a Symphony” by the Supremes (#5); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#6); “Everybody Loves a Clown” by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#7); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#8); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#9); and “Ain’t That Peculiar?” by Marvin Gaye (#10).
And it was a great week for albums, too: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ Going to a Go-Go (the first album to include a separate credit line for Smokey Robinson) and The Temptations’ The Tempting Temptations were both released this week in 1965. This was also the week that the Who released their iconic single “My Generation,” although it wouldn’t chart for a while yet.
Everyone thinks of comics as being superhero adventures, but the comics rack was quite diverse this week in 1965: you could choose from Army War Heroes, Black Fury (a comic about a horse that roamed the West righting wrongs), Career Girl Romances, Cheyenne Kid, Fightin’ Marines, Fightin’ Navy, Gunmaster, Hot Rod Racers, Just Married, Old Yeller, Teen Confessions, Teenage Hotrodders, Tippy Teen, and Zorro, as well as at least a half-dozen different Archie titles—and that was just a sampling of the non-superhero books published this week in 1965!
Friday, October 23, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/25/1965 to 10/31/1965
Just imagine if all these planned interstates had come to fruition: the Rome-Floyd County Chamber of Commerce announced that talks were underway to construct an I-20 extension that would connect Atlanta, Rome, and Huntsville. Like every other direct interstate connection planned for Rome, this also got tabled before the first shovelful of dirt was turned…
The era of mandatory auto inspections was almost upon us this week in 1965: As of November 1st, all cars had to be inspected, and the government was warning people that there would be no extensions. Almost a half a million vehicles remained uninspected, according to Trooper FG Lankford, who said, “After October 31st, state troopers will make cases avians the operator of any vehicle that does not display the safety inspection sticker.” (They also estimated that there was no way the few Rome area inspection stations could possibly inspect all the area vehicles before the deadline…)
Mrs. Virginia Turpin of the Floyd County Selective Service office confirmed that changes to the draft law meant that married men without dependent children could now be drafted—a change from the prior status, which offered exemptions to all married men. Mrs. Turpin said that there were no plans to begin drafting married men from Rome or Floyd County yet, but she said that the draft board would begin calling married men to report for physicals in preparation for a potential escalation of the draft. There were probably a number of recent West Rome graduates who were getting a little be nervous with all this talk of draft escalation…
Rome announced that trick or treating would be scheduled for Saturday night, October 30th, to avoid any conflict with church activities. The Rome police department also reminded everyone that trick or treating was intended for children twelve years of age or less, and that no vandalism would be tolerated. (I didn’t remember any suggested age limits for trick or treating, although I’m pretty sure I gave it up in 1965, the year that I turned twelve… was that because I felt like I was too old for it, or because my parents saw the suggestion in the newspaper and steered me away from it? Of course, the upside was my taking over trick-or-treat candy distribution at my house, which meant that I made sure to save some of the best candy for myself!)
West Rome got its first taste of winter this week in 1965 when the temperature dropped to an unexpected 26 degrees on the morning of October 25th—but it wasn’t a record low, since October 25, 1962, also saw a 26 degree low.
The Chieftains football team had the week off to prepare for the next week’s big East Vs. West game.
Jo Anne Cook, a West Rome 9th Grader, was selected as a finalist in the Teen Magazine WAIFer of the Year Contest. The winner of the contest would meet actress Jane Russell, Princess Margaret, and the Earl of Snowdon, at a Hollywood ball sponsored by WAIF-ISS. (WAIF, a division of International Social Services, was a service group with clubs in all fifty states.) Jo Anne said she entered the contest after seeing the advertising in Teen Magazine; she hoped to get a WAIF club started in Rome.
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, a three-pound bag of red delicious apples for 33¢, and a one-pound can of Maxwell House coffee for 66¢. Big Apple had ground chuck for 59¢ a pound, Spam for 49¢ a can, and Irvindale ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had Swiss steak for 69¢ a pound, Starkist tuna for 29¢ a can, and a quart of Blue Plate mayonnaise for 59¢. A&P had rib steaks for 85¢ a pound, Florida oranges for a dime a pound, and a three-pound can of Fluffo shortening (I ain’t making this stuff up!) for 85¢. Couch’s had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, turnip greens for 8¢ a pound, and Green Giant creamed corn for 15¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with The Ipcress File (with Michael Caine) at the DeSoto and War Gods of the Deep (with Vincent Price) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Hallelujah Trail (with Burt Lancaster) to the DeSoto and Ship of Fools (with Vivien Leigh & Lee Marvin) to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In’s weekend offering included a double feature of The TAMI Show (a rock music anthology film) and Girls of the Beach (with Noreen Corcoran).
The Rolling Stones knocked the Beatles out of first place as “Get Off of My Cloud” climbed to number one this week in 1965. Other top ten hits included “A Lover’s Concerto” by the Toys (#2); “Yesterday” by the Beatles (#3); “Everybody Loves a Clown” by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#4); “Keep on Dancing” by the Gentrys (#5); “You’re the One” by the Vogues (#6); “Positively 4th Street” by Bob Dylan (#7); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#8); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#9); and “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#10).
The Beatles became the first popular musicians to be appointed Members of the British Empire this week in 1965.
The era of mandatory auto inspections was almost upon us this week in 1965: As of November 1st, all cars had to be inspected, and the government was warning people that there would be no extensions. Almost a half a million vehicles remained uninspected, according to Trooper FG Lankford, who said, “After October 31st, state troopers will make cases avians the operator of any vehicle that does not display the safety inspection sticker.” (They also estimated that there was no way the few Rome area inspection stations could possibly inspect all the area vehicles before the deadline…)
Mrs. Virginia Turpin of the Floyd County Selective Service office confirmed that changes to the draft law meant that married men without dependent children could now be drafted—a change from the prior status, which offered exemptions to all married men. Mrs. Turpin said that there were no plans to begin drafting married men from Rome or Floyd County yet, but she said that the draft board would begin calling married men to report for physicals in preparation for a potential escalation of the draft. There were probably a number of recent West Rome graduates who were getting a little be nervous with all this talk of draft escalation…
Rome announced that trick or treating would be scheduled for Saturday night, October 30th, to avoid any conflict with church activities. The Rome police department also reminded everyone that trick or treating was intended for children twelve years of age or less, and that no vandalism would be tolerated. (I didn’t remember any suggested age limits for trick or treating, although I’m pretty sure I gave it up in 1965, the year that I turned twelve… was that because I felt like I was too old for it, or because my parents saw the suggestion in the newspaper and steered me away from it? Of course, the upside was my taking over trick-or-treat candy distribution at my house, which meant that I made sure to save some of the best candy for myself!)
West Rome got its first taste of winter this week in 1965 when the temperature dropped to an unexpected 26 degrees on the morning of October 25th—but it wasn’t a record low, since October 25, 1962, also saw a 26 degree low.
The Chieftains football team had the week off to prepare for the next week’s big East Vs. West game.
Jo Anne Cook, a West Rome 9th Grader, was selected as a finalist in the Teen Magazine WAIFer of the Year Contest. The winner of the contest would meet actress Jane Russell, Princess Margaret, and the Earl of Snowdon, at a Hollywood ball sponsored by WAIF-ISS. (WAIF, a division of International Social Services, was a service group with clubs in all fifty states.) Jo Anne said she entered the contest after seeing the advertising in Teen Magazine; she hoped to get a WAIF club started in Rome.
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, a three-pound bag of red delicious apples for 33¢, and a one-pound can of Maxwell House coffee for 66¢. Big Apple had ground chuck for 59¢ a pound, Spam for 49¢ a can, and Irvindale ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had Swiss steak for 69¢ a pound, Starkist tuna for 29¢ a can, and a quart of Blue Plate mayonnaise for 59¢. A&P had rib steaks for 85¢ a pound, Florida oranges for a dime a pound, and a three-pound can of Fluffo shortening (I ain’t making this stuff up!) for 85¢. Couch’s had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, turnip greens for 8¢ a pound, and Green Giant creamed corn for 15¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with The Ipcress File (with Michael Caine) at the DeSoto and War Gods of the Deep (with Vincent Price) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Hallelujah Trail (with Burt Lancaster) to the DeSoto and Ship of Fools (with Vivien Leigh & Lee Marvin) to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In’s weekend offering included a double feature of The TAMI Show (a rock music anthology film) and Girls of the Beach (with Noreen Corcoran).
The Rolling Stones knocked the Beatles out of first place as “Get Off of My Cloud” climbed to number one this week in 1965. Other top ten hits included “A Lover’s Concerto” by the Toys (#2); “Yesterday” by the Beatles (#3); “Everybody Loves a Clown” by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#4); “Keep on Dancing” by the Gentrys (#5); “You’re the One” by the Vogues (#6); “Positively 4th Street” by Bob Dylan (#7); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#8); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#9); and “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#10).
The Beatles became the first popular musicians to be appointed Members of the British Empire this week in 1965.
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/18/1965 to 10/24/1965
West Rome took on the Rossville Bulldogs in an away game on Friday, October 22nd; the Chieftains lost 27-14--but considering how every prognosticator in Georgia had foreseen a total shutout for the Chiefs, they did pretty well. Coach Paul Kennedy described it as West Rome's "finest effort of the season against the finest team the Chieftains have ever played."
The West Rome Senior Hi-Y and the West Rome Senior Tri-Hi-Y won first place in the Rome-Floyd County Inter-Club Council competition
The sophomore class, under the guidance of sponsor Mrs. H.C. Brewer, elected its officers this week in 1965, including Mike Grass, president; April Garrison, vice-president; Layne Lucas, secretary; and Marie Edwards, treasurer.
The Future Teachers of America, sponsored by Mrs. Lucille Smiderski, elected officers for the 1965-1966 school year; the slate of officers included Ann Finley, President; Beth King, vice-president; Brenda Stover, secretary-treasurer; Mac Dewain Sandlin, historian.
The Library Club, sponsored by Miss Martha Hurst, elected its officers for 1965-1966, including Sandra Addington, president; April Garrison, vice-president; Layne Lucas, secretary; and Marie Edwards, treasurer.
The West Rome National Junior Honor Society presented the school library with 22 quality framed reproductions of famous masterpieces by Rembrandt, daVinci, and others; according to WRNJHS sponsor Lucille Smiderski, the program was created to develop art appreciation among the students.
West Rome yearbooks went on sale this week in 1965; the preorder price for a yearbook was $10 (a bargain now, but a pretty hefty sum in 1965!).
Spanish style furniture was all the rage in 1966, and Maxwell Brothers was fully stocked! You could have a bedroom suite (with a dresser, mirror, chest, and bed frame) for only $399, all featuring "grille moulding and intricate details that capture the look of distinction that's so definitely Spanish!" For only $29 more, you could add a matching framed matador print to hang over the bed!
Piggly Wiggly had a 16-ounce jar of Jif peanut butter for 39¢, Lady Alice ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon, and leg o' lamb for 69¢ a pound. Big Apple had a one-pound can of Maxwell House coffee for 69¢, baking hens for 33¢ a pound, and Libby pork & beans for a dime a can. Kroger had round steak for 79¢ a pound, cabbage for 15¢ a head and a quart of Kraft's mayonnaise for 47¢. A&P had yams for a nickel a pound, pork roast for 39¢ a pound, and a dozen oranges for 59¢. Couch's had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, grapefruit for 8¢ each, and a 24-ounce can of Castleberry's beef stew for 49¢.
The cinematic week began with A Rage to Live (with Suzanne Pleshette) at the DeSoto and The Reward (with Max Von Sydow) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Ipcress File (with Michael Caine) to the DeSoto, The Secret of My Success (with Stella Stevens) to the First Avenue, and a double feature of Desire Under the Elms (with Sophia Loren & Anthony Perkins) and Moll Flanders (with Kim Novak) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles continued to hold the number one slot with Paul McCartney's "Yesterday." Other top ten songs included "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#2); "Get Off of My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones (#3); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#4); "Everybody Loves a Clown" by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#5); "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#6); "You're the One" by the Vogues (#7); "Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan (#8); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#9); and "1-2-3" by Len Barry (#10).
It was a big week for new albums, too: among those album debuting this week in 1965 were Fairytale by Donovan; Going Places by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass; Mann Made by Manfred Mann; My Name is Barbra, Two by Barbra Streisand; the eponymous Paul Butterfield Blues Band; and Burl Ives' Christmas classic Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.
Two of DC Comics' most famous female superheroes, Supergirl and Wonder Woman, teamed up in Brave & Bold #63, on sale this week in 1965. Considering how few female superheroes there were in comics at this time, a team-up of this sort was noteworthy indeed; alas, it wasn't illustrated by Ross Andru & Mike Esposito (the Wonder Woman art team) or by Jim Mooney (the Supergirl artist), so it was a bit of a disappointment for fans of either character.
The West Rome Senior Hi-Y and the West Rome Senior Tri-Hi-Y won first place in the Rome-Floyd County Inter-Club Council competition
The sophomore class, under the guidance of sponsor Mrs. H.C. Brewer, elected its officers this week in 1965, including Mike Grass, president; April Garrison, vice-president; Layne Lucas, secretary; and Marie Edwards, treasurer.
The Future Teachers of America, sponsored by Mrs. Lucille Smiderski, elected officers for the 1965-1966 school year; the slate of officers included Ann Finley, President; Beth King, vice-president; Brenda Stover, secretary-treasurer; Mac Dewain Sandlin, historian.
The Library Club, sponsored by Miss Martha Hurst, elected its officers for 1965-1966, including Sandra Addington, president; April Garrison, vice-president; Layne Lucas, secretary; and Marie Edwards, treasurer.
The West Rome National Junior Honor Society presented the school library with 22 quality framed reproductions of famous masterpieces by Rembrandt, daVinci, and others; according to WRNJHS sponsor Lucille Smiderski, the program was created to develop art appreciation among the students.
West Rome yearbooks went on sale this week in 1965; the preorder price for a yearbook was $10 (a bargain now, but a pretty hefty sum in 1965!).
Spanish style furniture was all the rage in 1966, and Maxwell Brothers was fully stocked! You could have a bedroom suite (with a dresser, mirror, chest, and bed frame) for only $399, all featuring "grille moulding and intricate details that capture the look of distinction that's so definitely Spanish!" For only $29 more, you could add a matching framed matador print to hang over the bed!
Piggly Wiggly had a 16-ounce jar of Jif peanut butter for 39¢, Lady Alice ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon, and leg o' lamb for 69¢ a pound. Big Apple had a one-pound can of Maxwell House coffee for 69¢, baking hens for 33¢ a pound, and Libby pork & beans for a dime a can. Kroger had round steak for 79¢ a pound, cabbage for 15¢ a head and a quart of Kraft's mayonnaise for 47¢. A&P had yams for a nickel a pound, pork roast for 39¢ a pound, and a dozen oranges for 59¢. Couch's had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, grapefruit for 8¢ each, and a 24-ounce can of Castleberry's beef stew for 49¢.
The cinematic week began with A Rage to Live (with Suzanne Pleshette) at the DeSoto and The Reward (with Max Von Sydow) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Ipcress File (with Michael Caine) to the DeSoto, The Secret of My Success (with Stella Stevens) to the First Avenue, and a double feature of Desire Under the Elms (with Sophia Loren & Anthony Perkins) and Moll Flanders (with Kim Novak) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles continued to hold the number one slot with Paul McCartney's "Yesterday." Other top ten songs included "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#2); "Get Off of My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones (#3); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#4); "Everybody Loves a Clown" by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#5); "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#6); "You're the One" by the Vogues (#7); "Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan (#8); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#9); and "1-2-3" by Len Barry (#10).
It was a big week for new albums, too: among those album debuting this week in 1965 were Fairytale by Donovan; Going Places by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass; Mann Made by Manfred Mann; My Name is Barbra, Two by Barbra Streisand; the eponymous Paul Butterfield Blues Band; and Burl Ives' Christmas classic Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.
Two of DC Comics' most famous female superheroes, Supergirl and Wonder Woman, teamed up in Brave & Bold #63, on sale this week in 1965. Considering how few female superheroes there were in comics at this time, a team-up of this sort was noteworthy indeed; alas, it wasn't illustrated by Ross Andru & Mike Esposito (the Wonder Woman art team) or by Jim Mooney (the Supergirl artist), so it was a bit of a disappointment for fans of either character.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/11/1965 to 10/17/1965
One of the advantages of having multiple community-focused high schools rather than one high school located in the hinterlands: members of the West Rome Chieftains Club launched their membership drive this week in 1965—and the drive directors had mapped out the West Rome area to ensure that members of the Chieftains Club would be able to visit every single home in the West Rome district to try to encourage parent involvement! That's something that the folks at Rome High School wouldn't even attempt nowadays...
The Rome City School System joined in observing National School Lunch Week this week in 1965—and they really know how to make lunchrooms popular back then! To commemorate the week, they replaced Tuesday's hot dog lunch with a foot long hot dog lunch (and to a kid like me who loved hot dogs, there could be no better way to celebrate School Lunch Week than to get a chili dog that was twice as big as usual!).
Rome police solved a whole lot of burglary cases in two fell swoops when they cracked not one but two burglary rings. The first ring involved four Romans, while the second ring involved ten men. More than $20,000 in cash and merchandise was found at the sites of the two arrests. According to Sheriff's investigator Bill Hart, all evidence indicated that the two groups of burglars didn't know each other and had no connections.
West Rome celebrated its homecoming on Saturday, October 16th--and what better way to celebrate than with a football victory? The Chiefs defeated Cedartown 26-7, with Roger Weaver taking the spotlight. Weaver scored West Rome's first touchdown and gained 63 of set Rome's 172 yards. While he didn't score again, his running set up the second and third touchdowns, which were scored by Ronnie Parker and Arbie Lovell; the fourth touchdown was scored by David Garrett.
214 people attended the YMCA Program Planning Caravan on Saturday at West Rome High School. The event was designed to acquaint Tri-Hi-Y and Hi-Y officers with the responsibilities of their office; the West Rome Tri-Hi-Y acted as host for the caravan.
In a time when every soft drink manufacturer was using nothing but deposit bottles, Double Cola began touting their new no-deposit 12 ounce bottles this week in 1965. Even better, the bottle caps for these new bottles offered purchasers a chance to win prizes and gifts.
Friday was fish day in Rome, with Redford's promoting their Friday fish fillet dinner for 65¢, including pinto beans, creamed potatoes, cole slaw, hot rolls, and coffee or tea. Meanwhile, Kentucky Fried Chicken had their Friday fish dinner for only 79¢, including two flounder fillets, french fries, hot biscuits, and tartar sauce (I had no idea KFC even offered fish fillets!). And not to be left out, McDonald's was pushing their new Filet o' Fish sandwich with a three-for-69¢ special. And of course, the school lunch on Friday was--you guessed it--fish!
Piggly Wiggly had five pounds of Colonial sugar for 39¢, baking hens for 29¢ a pound, and cabbage for a nickel a pound. Big Apple had Porterhouse steak for $1.09 a pound, Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a pound, and red delicious apples for 12¢ a pound. Kroger had standing rib roast for 75¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 8¢ a pound, and Armour chili for 33¢ a can. A&P had pork loin for 65¢ a loud, tokay grapes for a dime a pound, and a 24-ounce jar of Ann Page jelly for 45¢. Couch's had pork roast for 59¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Castleberry's Brunswick stew for 49¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Third Day (with George Peppard & Elizabeth Ashley) at the DeSoto Theater and Mirage (with Gregory Peck & Diane Baker) at the First Avenue. The midweek switchout brought A Rage to Live (with Suzanne Pleshette) to the DeSoto and Young Dillinger (with Nick Adams) to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In's weekend screenings included a double feature of Sergeant Deadhead (with Frankie Avalon) and The Earth Dies Screaming (with Willard Parker).
The Beatles held on to the number one slot for another week with Paul McCartney's "Yesterday." Other top ten hits included "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#2); "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#3); "Get Off of My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones (#4); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#5); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#6); "Just a Little Bit Better" by Herman's Hermits (#7); "Everybody Loves a Clown" by Gary Lewis & The Playboys (#8); "Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan (#9); and "You're the One" by the Vogues (#10).
Cher released her first solo album, All I Really Want to Do, this week in 1965. The covers album was produced by Sonny Bono.
The Rome City School System joined in observing National School Lunch Week this week in 1965—and they really know how to make lunchrooms popular back then! To commemorate the week, they replaced Tuesday's hot dog lunch with a foot long hot dog lunch (and to a kid like me who loved hot dogs, there could be no better way to celebrate School Lunch Week than to get a chili dog that was twice as big as usual!).
Rome police solved a whole lot of burglary cases in two fell swoops when they cracked not one but two burglary rings. The first ring involved four Romans, while the second ring involved ten men. More than $20,000 in cash and merchandise was found at the sites of the two arrests. According to Sheriff's investigator Bill Hart, all evidence indicated that the two groups of burglars didn't know each other and had no connections.
West Rome celebrated its homecoming on Saturday, October 16th--and what better way to celebrate than with a football victory? The Chiefs defeated Cedartown 26-7, with Roger Weaver taking the spotlight. Weaver scored West Rome's first touchdown and gained 63 of set Rome's 172 yards. While he didn't score again, his running set up the second and third touchdowns, which were scored by Ronnie Parker and Arbie Lovell; the fourth touchdown was scored by David Garrett.
214 people attended the YMCA Program Planning Caravan on Saturday at West Rome High School. The event was designed to acquaint Tri-Hi-Y and Hi-Y officers with the responsibilities of their office; the West Rome Tri-Hi-Y acted as host for the caravan.
In a time when every soft drink manufacturer was using nothing but deposit bottles, Double Cola began touting their new no-deposit 12 ounce bottles this week in 1965. Even better, the bottle caps for these new bottles offered purchasers a chance to win prizes and gifts.
Friday was fish day in Rome, with Redford's promoting their Friday fish fillet dinner for 65¢, including pinto beans, creamed potatoes, cole slaw, hot rolls, and coffee or tea. Meanwhile, Kentucky Fried Chicken had their Friday fish dinner for only 79¢, including two flounder fillets, french fries, hot biscuits, and tartar sauce (I had no idea KFC even offered fish fillets!). And not to be left out, McDonald's was pushing their new Filet o' Fish sandwich with a three-for-69¢ special. And of course, the school lunch on Friday was--you guessed it--fish!
Piggly Wiggly had five pounds of Colonial sugar for 39¢, baking hens for 29¢ a pound, and cabbage for a nickel a pound. Big Apple had Porterhouse steak for $1.09 a pound, Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a pound, and red delicious apples for 12¢ a pound. Kroger had standing rib roast for 75¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 8¢ a pound, and Armour chili for 33¢ a can. A&P had pork loin for 65¢ a loud, tokay grapes for a dime a pound, and a 24-ounce jar of Ann Page jelly for 45¢. Couch's had pork roast for 59¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Castleberry's Brunswick stew for 49¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Third Day (with George Peppard & Elizabeth Ashley) at the DeSoto Theater and Mirage (with Gregory Peck & Diane Baker) at the First Avenue. The midweek switchout brought A Rage to Live (with Suzanne Pleshette) to the DeSoto and Young Dillinger (with Nick Adams) to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In's weekend screenings included a double feature of Sergeant Deadhead (with Frankie Avalon) and The Earth Dies Screaming (with Willard Parker).
The Beatles held on to the number one slot for another week with Paul McCartney's "Yesterday." Other top ten hits included "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#2); "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#3); "Get Off of My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones (#4); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#5); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#6); "Just a Little Bit Better" by Herman's Hermits (#7); "Everybody Loves a Clown" by Gary Lewis & The Playboys (#8); "Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan (#9); and "You're the One" by the Vogues (#10).
Cher released her first solo album, All I Really Want to Do, this week in 1965. The covers album was produced by Sonny Bono.
Saturday, October 03, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/4/1965 to 10/10/1965
The Chiefs fell 20-14 to the top-rated Kingsport team on October 8th in an away game played in Kingston, TN. "We were outmanned," Coach Paul Kennedy said, "but the boys played their hearts out and I'm proud of them. Kennedy went on to say that David Garrett played "the finest game of his career," and he also praised David Slaughter, Benny Padgett, and Richard Camp for their outstanding performance on the field.
Five shop courses were added to the West Rome curriculum: drafting, woodworking, electronics, metal working, and general shop. The classes were all offered in West Rome's new state-of-the-art shop, which was equipped with facilities to accommodate up to 18 classes a day.
Mac's Radio & Television Shop on Glen Milner Boulevard was hit by burglars in search of entertainment early in the morning on October 5th; the thieves took off with five television sets, a record player, and a portable stereo. The owner said that this was his fourth burglary this year--and the largest! Two nights later, thieves (most likely the same group) hit B&L Appliance & TV Center on E. Third Avenue, but they were scared off by a patrol car before they could steal anything.
The draft may be a part of history nowadays, but it was a very real concern in 1965. 111 Floyd County young men were called up for pre-induction draft physicals in October 1965, an increase of 73 (almost 200%!) over the prior month's numbers. The actual number of Romans slated to be drafted was 29, a increase of 24 over September's call-up of 5 (and almost a 500% increase). Today's teens have no idea how lucky they are to be able to make plans for their lives without worrying about an unplanned military draft call-up.
McDonald's began to downplay their short-lived hot dog offering, instead stressing their Filet o'Fish sandwich for only a quarter. Unlike the hot dog, the Filet O'Fish was destined to become a permanent part of McDonald's menu!
Piggly Wiggly had round steak for 79¢ a pound, eggs for 39¢ a dozen, and Chicken of the Sea tuna for 33¢ a can. Big Apple had pork loin for 59¢ a pound, Libby pork & beans for a dime a can, and a ten-pound bag of White Lily flour for 97¢. Kroger had cubed steak for $1.09 a pound, Mel-o-Soft white bread for a dime a loaf, and a ten-pound bag of apples for 89¢. A&P had whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock coffee for 65¢ a pound, and red grapes for a dime a pound. Couch's had beef liver for 23¢ a pound, Campbell's tomato soup for a dime a can, and Aristocraft ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon.
The cinematic week began with Marriage on the Rocks (with Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, & Dean Martin) at the DeSoto and A Zebra in the Kitchen (with Jay North & Andy Devine) at the First Avenue Theater. The midweek switch out brought The Third Day (with George Peppard & Elizabeth Ashley) to the Desoto Theater and The Skull (with Peter Cushing) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In's weekend offering was a double feature of Circus World (with John Wayne) and A Very Special Favor (with Rock Hudson & Leslie Caron).
The Beatles held on to number one for a second week with Paul McCartney's earnest "Yesterday." Other top ten hits included "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#2); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#3); "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#4); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#5); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#6); "Just a Little Bit Better" by Herman's Hermits (#7); "Baby Don't Go" by Sonny & Cher (#8); "Do You Believe in Magic?" by the Lovin' Spoonful (#9); and "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#10).
Marvel Comics made it easy for readers to catch up on their four-year-old Marvel Universe in the pages of Marvel Collector's Item Classics #1, which offered complete reprints of early issues of Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, Tales to Astonish featuring Ant-Man, and Journey Into Mystery featuring Tales of Asgard. It's hard to believe that only four years after Marvel kicked off its Silver Age superhero line, there was so much readership growth that Marvel could justify complete reprints--but for fans like me who had a few holes in their collection, this new reprint collection was just the thing!
Five shop courses were added to the West Rome curriculum: drafting, woodworking, electronics, metal working, and general shop. The classes were all offered in West Rome's new state-of-the-art shop, which was equipped with facilities to accommodate up to 18 classes a day.
Mac's Radio & Television Shop on Glen Milner Boulevard was hit by burglars in search of entertainment early in the morning on October 5th; the thieves took off with five television sets, a record player, and a portable stereo. The owner said that this was his fourth burglary this year--and the largest! Two nights later, thieves (most likely the same group) hit B&L Appliance & TV Center on E. Third Avenue, but they were scared off by a patrol car before they could steal anything.
The draft may be a part of history nowadays, but it was a very real concern in 1965. 111 Floyd County young men were called up for pre-induction draft physicals in October 1965, an increase of 73 (almost 200%!) over the prior month's numbers. The actual number of Romans slated to be drafted was 29, a increase of 24 over September's call-up of 5 (and almost a 500% increase). Today's teens have no idea how lucky they are to be able to make plans for their lives without worrying about an unplanned military draft call-up.
McDonald's began to downplay their short-lived hot dog offering, instead stressing their Filet o'Fish sandwich for only a quarter. Unlike the hot dog, the Filet O'Fish was destined to become a permanent part of McDonald's menu!
Piggly Wiggly had round steak for 79¢ a pound, eggs for 39¢ a dozen, and Chicken of the Sea tuna for 33¢ a can. Big Apple had pork loin for 59¢ a pound, Libby pork & beans for a dime a can, and a ten-pound bag of White Lily flour for 97¢. Kroger had cubed steak for $1.09 a pound, Mel-o-Soft white bread for a dime a loaf, and a ten-pound bag of apples for 89¢. A&P had whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock coffee for 65¢ a pound, and red grapes for a dime a pound. Couch's had beef liver for 23¢ a pound, Campbell's tomato soup for a dime a can, and Aristocraft ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon.
The cinematic week began with Marriage on the Rocks (with Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, & Dean Martin) at the DeSoto and A Zebra in the Kitchen (with Jay North & Andy Devine) at the First Avenue Theater. The midweek switch out brought The Third Day (with George Peppard & Elizabeth Ashley) to the Desoto Theater and The Skull (with Peter Cushing) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In's weekend offering was a double feature of Circus World (with John Wayne) and A Very Special Favor (with Rock Hudson & Leslie Caron).
The Beatles held on to number one for a second week with Paul McCartney's earnest "Yesterday." Other top ten hits included "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#2); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#3); "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#4); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#5); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#6); "Just a Little Bit Better" by Herman's Hermits (#7); "Baby Don't Go" by Sonny & Cher (#8); "Do You Believe in Magic?" by the Lovin' Spoonful (#9); and "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#10).
Marvel Comics made it easy for readers to catch up on their four-year-old Marvel Universe in the pages of Marvel Collector's Item Classics #1, which offered complete reprints of early issues of Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, Tales to Astonish featuring Ant-Man, and Journey Into Mystery featuring Tales of Asgard. It's hard to believe that only four years after Marvel kicked off its Silver Age superhero line, there was so much readership growth that Marvel could justify complete reprints--but for fans like me who had a few holes in their collection, this new reprint collection was just the thing!
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 9/27/1965 to 10/3/1965
West Rome ventured to Calhoun on Friday, October 1st, to take on the Jackets in a region game. Once again, Richard Camp had a great game, scoring one touchdown and two extra points. The real star player of the evening, however, was David Garrett, who scored three touchdowns. The end result was a 38-0 victory for West Rome, their second sub-region win. While the season started off with losses, those were not sub-region games, so West Rome's chances of advancing to a championship still remained strong.
And speaking of Richard Camp: he was chosen lineman of the week by the Rome News-Tribune in recognition of his outstanding performance in the West Rome-Lafayette game, in which he scored three touchdowns and five extra points.
Twelve new members were inducted into the West Rome Honor Society. The new inductees included Linda Camp, Carol Culp, Patty Dobbins, Elaine Freeman, David Garrett, Wanda Grantham, Jean Jackson, Dianne Massey, Joey McGee, Ann Peery, Dennis Souder, and Regina Swinford.
Senior magazine sales wrapped up this week in 1965; the top five salespeople were Rusty Oxford, Donita Womack, Regina Swinford, Ann Finley, and Ann Peery.
The junior class elected its officers, choosing Benny Padgett as president, Susan Sprayberry as vice-president, Dianne Massey as secretary, and Tommy Sapp as treasurer.
The new officers of the West Rome FHA included Carol Culp, president; Pat Hicks, vice-president; Dianne Chambers, secretary; Linda Hilley, treasurer; Linda Camp, chaplain; and Mary Ann White and Layne Lucas, projects chairs.
Ah, gender stereotyping! A half-century ago, the YMCA chose to offer a course called "The Feminine Mechanic," intended to teach ladies on "the mysteries of the auto," including such mysterious rituals as changing a tire, filling a gas tank, or checking the oil. The course was taught by Jack Hudson, district manager for Northwest Georgia Chevrolet. The course was open to any female with a driver's license, so it's possible that a few Chieftains signed up!
The YMCA also enlisted West Rome teacher Ronald Midkiff to offer a linguistics mini-course to inform parents on current educational techniques. "Linguistics emphasizes how words actually generate in the brain and form a complete sentence," Midkiff explained. "Previously, the older method of diagramming sentences placed the emphasis on each separate word, and no thought was given as to how words or sentences first originated." The course also offered an overview of phonetics, which was being taught in elementary schools.
Piggly Wiggly had five pounds of Domino Sugar for 37¢, Castleberry's chili for 33¢ a can, and chuck roast for 69¢ a pound. Big Apple had Diet-Rite or RC Cola for 29¢ a six-pack plus deposit, sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, and red grapes for 15¢ a pound. Kroger had whole chicken breasts for 45¢ a pound, sliced pineapple for 14¢ a can, and Star-Kist tuna for a quarter a can. A&P had smoked picnic ham for 38¢ a pound, Miracle Whip for 49¢ a jar, and sweet potatoes for a dime a pound. Couch's had ground beef for 33¢ a pound, lettuce for 15¢ a head, and Betty Crocker cake mix for 33¢ a box.
The cinematic week began with The Great Spy Mission (with Sophia Loren & George Peppard) at the DeSoto Theater and the Beatles' Help! at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Marriage on the Rocks (with Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, & Dean Martin) to the DeSoto, while the First Avenue got a real oddity: The Legend of Blood Mountain (with Erin Fleming & Glenda Brunson). it's not the film that was the oddity, however: it was the fact that the film was show in the theater complete with bonus material starring Bestoink Dooley, the horror-host of WAGA-Channel 5's Big Movie Shocker every Friday Night. Dooley (played by Atlantan George Ellis) filmed his clever monologues and segues, which were inserted into the film at the appropriate places. So in effect, we were paying to go to the theater and watch a late-night horror TV program! Help! didn't go away entirely, however: it just moved from the First Avenue to the West Rome Drive-In, where it was part of a double feature with Ferry Cross the Mersey (starring Gerry & the Pacemakers).
Paul McCartney's acoustic ballad "Yesterday" took the Beatles back to the number one position on the charts this week in 1965. Other top ten hits included "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#2); "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#3); "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#4); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#5); "Catch Us If You Can" by the Dave Clark Five (#6); "You've Got Your Troubles" by the Fortunes (#7); "Baby Don't Go" by Sonny & Cher (#8); "You Were On My Mind" by We Five (#9); and "Do You Believe in Magic?" by the Lovin' Spoonful (#10).
Meanwhile, British folk musician Donovan Leitch, best known simply as Donovan, made his American premiere on Shindig on Thursday night, performing his version of Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Universal Soldier." Donovan's folk music never caught on here in the US, but his move into pop with a psychedelic edge would eventually make him a superstar.
And speaking of Richard Camp: he was chosen lineman of the week by the Rome News-Tribune in recognition of his outstanding performance in the West Rome-Lafayette game, in which he scored three touchdowns and five extra points.
Twelve new members were inducted into the West Rome Honor Society. The new inductees included Linda Camp, Carol Culp, Patty Dobbins, Elaine Freeman, David Garrett, Wanda Grantham, Jean Jackson, Dianne Massey, Joey McGee, Ann Peery, Dennis Souder, and Regina Swinford.
Senior magazine sales wrapped up this week in 1965; the top five salespeople were Rusty Oxford, Donita Womack, Regina Swinford, Ann Finley, and Ann Peery.
The junior class elected its officers, choosing Benny Padgett as president, Susan Sprayberry as vice-president, Dianne Massey as secretary, and Tommy Sapp as treasurer.
The new officers of the West Rome FHA included Carol Culp, president; Pat Hicks, vice-president; Dianne Chambers, secretary; Linda Hilley, treasurer; Linda Camp, chaplain; and Mary Ann White and Layne Lucas, projects chairs.
Ah, gender stereotyping! A half-century ago, the YMCA chose to offer a course called "The Feminine Mechanic," intended to teach ladies on "the mysteries of the auto," including such mysterious rituals as changing a tire, filling a gas tank, or checking the oil. The course was taught by Jack Hudson, district manager for Northwest Georgia Chevrolet. The course was open to any female with a driver's license, so it's possible that a few Chieftains signed up!
The YMCA also enlisted West Rome teacher Ronald Midkiff to offer a linguistics mini-course to inform parents on current educational techniques. "Linguistics emphasizes how words actually generate in the brain and form a complete sentence," Midkiff explained. "Previously, the older method of diagramming sentences placed the emphasis on each separate word, and no thought was given as to how words or sentences first originated." The course also offered an overview of phonetics, which was being taught in elementary schools.
Piggly Wiggly had five pounds of Domino Sugar for 37¢, Castleberry's chili for 33¢ a can, and chuck roast for 69¢ a pound. Big Apple had Diet-Rite or RC Cola for 29¢ a six-pack plus deposit, sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, and red grapes for 15¢ a pound. Kroger had whole chicken breasts for 45¢ a pound, sliced pineapple for 14¢ a can, and Star-Kist tuna for a quarter a can. A&P had smoked picnic ham for 38¢ a pound, Miracle Whip for 49¢ a jar, and sweet potatoes for a dime a pound. Couch's had ground beef for 33¢ a pound, lettuce for 15¢ a head, and Betty Crocker cake mix for 33¢ a box.
The cinematic week began with The Great Spy Mission (with Sophia Loren & George Peppard) at the DeSoto Theater and the Beatles' Help! at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Marriage on the Rocks (with Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, & Dean Martin) to the DeSoto, while the First Avenue got a real oddity: The Legend of Blood Mountain (with Erin Fleming & Glenda Brunson). it's not the film that was the oddity, however: it was the fact that the film was show in the theater complete with bonus material starring Bestoink Dooley, the horror-host of WAGA-Channel 5's Big Movie Shocker every Friday Night. Dooley (played by Atlantan George Ellis) filmed his clever monologues and segues, which were inserted into the film at the appropriate places. So in effect, we were paying to go to the theater and watch a late-night horror TV program! Help! didn't go away entirely, however: it just moved from the First Avenue to the West Rome Drive-In, where it was part of a double feature with Ferry Cross the Mersey (starring Gerry & the Pacemakers).
Paul McCartney's acoustic ballad "Yesterday" took the Beatles back to the number one position on the charts this week in 1965. Other top ten hits included "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#2); "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#3); "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#4); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#5); "Catch Us If You Can" by the Dave Clark Five (#6); "You've Got Your Troubles" by the Fortunes (#7); "Baby Don't Go" by Sonny & Cher (#8); "You Were On My Mind" by We Five (#9); and "Do You Believe in Magic?" by the Lovin' Spoonful (#10).
Meanwhile, British folk musician Donovan Leitch, best known simply as Donovan, made his American premiere on Shindig on Thursday night, performing his version of Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Universal Soldier." Donovan's folk music never caught on here in the US, but his move into pop with a psychedelic edge would eventually make him a superstar.
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 9/20/1965 to 9/26/1965
Five games into the season, the Chieftains finally got a victory—and what a victory it was! West Rome trampled the Lafayette Ramblers 35-0 in a Friday night home game. "It was a real fine team effort, and I can't say enough about my boys after that performance," Coach Paul Kennedy said. "We fumbled a couple of times, but other than that the boys played a near perfect ball game. We knew that it was going to happen sooner or later... we'd been expecting it." The Chiefs scored four touchdowns in the first quarter, then scored their fifth TD in the fourth quarter. Richard Camp scored three of the touchdowns and kicked all five extra points, accounting for 23 of West Rome's 35 points.
The Coosa Valley Fair kicked off on Monday, September 20th, offering a mix of amusement park rides, arcade activities, contests, displays, and much more. In the 1960s, the fair was such a Big Thing that the school system dismissed students early on Tuesday of Fair Week so that they could enjoy Kids Day at the fair, taking advantage of the reduced prices. The West Rome Band performed at the fair in the special events arena on Tuesday afternoon at 6:30. By the time the fair was over, attendance had topped 100,000! In the days before Six Flags and other regional amusement parks, the fair was a major event.
Apparently the fair filled everyone's schedule, because there was nothing else going on in Rome this week. No school events (other than the football game), no big sales... apparently everyone was too busy on the Tilt-a-Whirl and the Ferris Wheel to do anything else!
Piggly Wiggly had Swift's Premium bacon for 59¢ a pound, Tokay grapes for 15¢ a pound, and Coke or Sprite or Tab for 99¢ a case (plus deposit). Big Apple had round steak for 69¢ a pound, Irvindale ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and five pounds of Gold Medal flour for 49¢. Kroger and sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Kroger mayonnaise for 39¢ a quart, and a four-pound bag of red delicious apples for 33¢. A&P had fryer breasts for 49¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock Coffee for 69¢ a pound, and bananas for 15¢ a pound. Couch's had cabbage for a nickel a pound, JFG coffee for 69¢ a pound, and eggs for 33¢ a dozen.
The cinematic week began with I Saw What You Did (with Joan Crawford) at the DeSoto Theater and Walt Disney's Cinderella at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Great Spy Mission (with Sophia Loren & George Peppard) to the DeSoto, the Beatles' Help! to the First Avenue, and a weekend double feature of The Seventh Dawn (with William Holden & Susannah York) and Walt Disney's The Monkey's Uncle at the West Rome Drive-In.
The McCoys took number one this week in 1965 with "Hang on Sloopy." Other top ten hits included "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#2); "Yesterday" by the Beatles (#3); "Catch Us If You Can" by the Dave Clark Five (#4); "You Were On My Mind" by We Five (#6); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#6); "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#7); "You've Got Your Troubles" by the Fortunes (#8); "Baby Don't Go" by Sonny & Cher (#9); and "Laugh at Me" by Sonny (#10). And would you ever have thought that Sonny Bono would have two songs in the top ten the same week... and one of them would be a solo hit?
War comics weren't generally as popular as super-hero comics, but DC tried to bring a little action-hero attitude to their war line with the introduction of Lt. Steve Savage, the Balloon Buster, in All-American Men of War #112, on sale this week in 1965. Robert Kanigher & Russ Heath presented the story of a young United States Air Corpsman whose specialty was taking out German attack balloons in WWI.
The Coosa Valley Fair kicked off on Monday, September 20th, offering a mix of amusement park rides, arcade activities, contests, displays, and much more. In the 1960s, the fair was such a Big Thing that the school system dismissed students early on Tuesday of Fair Week so that they could enjoy Kids Day at the fair, taking advantage of the reduced prices. The West Rome Band performed at the fair in the special events arena on Tuesday afternoon at 6:30. By the time the fair was over, attendance had topped 100,000! In the days before Six Flags and other regional amusement parks, the fair was a major event.
Apparently the fair filled everyone's schedule, because there was nothing else going on in Rome this week. No school events (other than the football game), no big sales... apparently everyone was too busy on the Tilt-a-Whirl and the Ferris Wheel to do anything else!
Piggly Wiggly had Swift's Premium bacon for 59¢ a pound, Tokay grapes for 15¢ a pound, and Coke or Sprite or Tab for 99¢ a case (plus deposit). Big Apple had round steak for 69¢ a pound, Irvindale ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and five pounds of Gold Medal flour for 49¢. Kroger and sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Kroger mayonnaise for 39¢ a quart, and a four-pound bag of red delicious apples for 33¢. A&P had fryer breasts for 49¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock Coffee for 69¢ a pound, and bananas for 15¢ a pound. Couch's had cabbage for a nickel a pound, JFG coffee for 69¢ a pound, and eggs for 33¢ a dozen.
The cinematic week began with I Saw What You Did (with Joan Crawford) at the DeSoto Theater and Walt Disney's Cinderella at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Great Spy Mission (with Sophia Loren & George Peppard) to the DeSoto, the Beatles' Help! to the First Avenue, and a weekend double feature of The Seventh Dawn (with William Holden & Susannah York) and Walt Disney's The Monkey's Uncle at the West Rome Drive-In.
The McCoys took number one this week in 1965 with "Hang on Sloopy." Other top ten hits included "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#2); "Yesterday" by the Beatles (#3); "Catch Us If You Can" by the Dave Clark Five (#4); "You Were On My Mind" by We Five (#6); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#6); "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#7); "You've Got Your Troubles" by the Fortunes (#8); "Baby Don't Go" by Sonny & Cher (#9); and "Laugh at Me" by Sonny (#10). And would you ever have thought that Sonny Bono would have two songs in the top ten the same week... and one of them would be a solo hit?
War comics weren't generally as popular as super-hero comics, but DC tried to bring a little action-hero attitude to their war line with the introduction of Lt. Steve Savage, the Balloon Buster, in All-American Men of War #112, on sale this week in 1965. Robert Kanigher & Russ Heath presented the story of a young United States Air Corpsman whose specialty was taking out German attack balloons in WWI.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 9/13/1965 to 9/19/1965
After a summer of back-and-forth negotiations, the Department of Health,
Education, and Welfare finally signed off on Rome City Schools'
desegregation plans on September 15th. This marked the formal end of
segregation in Rome City Schools, although it would be another year
before all grades were desegregated.
Chieftain Charlene Lamb represented West Rome in the Miss Floyd Contest, slated to be held at the Coosa Valley Fair during the week of 9/20 through 9/25.
West Rome's football team continued to struggle as they suffered their third defeat in a row, falling to the McCallie Tornadoes of Chattanooga in a 21-6 game. West Rome's only touchdown was scored in the first quarter; from that point on, it was McCallie's game all the way.
Back in 1965, Romans could choose from two daily flights between Rome in Atlanta. Eastern Airlines added a flight leaving Rome at 1:29 each day, arriving in Atlanta at 2pm. Romans hoping to return could depart Atlanta at 6:15pm and arrive in Rome at 6:50 pm; the plane would then continue on to Chattanooga. Talk of turning Russell Field into a regional airport never materialized, though, so the talk of flights to Jacksonville, New Orleans, and Memphis never went any further than talk. Still, the idea that Rome had any commercial flights in the 1960s is still pretty surprising!
Would-be skateboarders could save money at Murphy's: the bargain department store had a 24" anodized aluminum skateboard for only $1.75, a 22" oak board with a lacquered surface for only $1.17, and a 23" anodized aluminum board for only 88¢. Today's skateboarders would undoubtedly laugh at the heavy, clunky-looking boards of 1965, but these store-bought boards were certainly better than the homemade boards (pieces of plywood with skate wheels on the bottom) that some of us used!
Now here's the special that no one I knew ever wanted: Kentucky Fried Chicken was running a special on their gizzard dinner—six fried gizzards, mashed potatoes, gravy, and a biscuit, for only 49¢. (That's about 50¢ more than I'd pay for chicken gizzards!)
Piggly Wiggly had ground chuck for 69¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Oreos for 45¢ a box. Big Apple had five pounds of Dixie Crystal sugar for 39¢, lamb shoulder roast for 49¢ a pound, and cabbage for 6¢ a pound. Kroger had pork chops for 69¢ a pound, Maxwell House Coffee for 59¢ a pound, and a quart of Miracle Whip for 49¢. A&P had red grapes for 15¢ a pound, baking hens for 39¢ a pound, and Ann Page tomato rice soup for 13¢ a can. Couch's had stew beef for 29¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 7¢ a pound, and Campbell's tomato soup for a dime a can.
The cinematic week began with Sergeant Deadhead (with Frankie Avalon) at the DeSoto and Island of the Blue Dolphins (with Celia Milius) at the First Avenue. With school back in session, the West Rome Drive-In returned to its weekends-only schedule. The midweek switch out brought I Saw What You Did (with Joan Crawford) to the DeSoto and Walt Disney's Cinderella to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In went wild over the weekend with Elvis Presley's Wild in the Country, along with Wild on the Beach (with Frankie Randall).
All three television networks began rolling out their new shows this week in 1965. The series that premiered in the fall of '65 included:
Monday, September 13th:
•A Man Called Shenandoah (ABC)
•The John Forsythe Show (NBC, Color)
•The Legend of Jesse James (ABC)
•Run for Your Life (NBC, Color)
•The Steve Lawrence Show (CBS)
Tuesday, September 14th
•F Troop (ABC)
•My Mother, The Car (NBC, Color)
•Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (NBC, Color)
Wednesday, September 15th
•The Big Valley (ABC, Color)
•Gidget (ABC, Color)
•Green Acres (CBS, Color)
•I Spy (NBC, Color)
•Lost in Space (CBS)
Thursday, September 16th
•The CBS Thursday Night Movies (CBS, Mostly Color)
•The Dean Martin Show (NBC, Color)
•Laredo (NBC,, Color)
•The Long, Hot Summer (ABC)
•Mona McCluskey (NBC, Color)
•O.K. Crackerby! (ABC, Color)
Friday, September 17th
•Camp Runamuck (NBC, Color)
•Convoy (NBC)
•Hank (NBC, Color)
•Hogan’s Heroes (CBS, Color)
•Honey West (ABC)
•Mr. Roberts (NBC, Color)
•The Smothers Brothers Show (CBS)
•Tammy (ABC, Color)
•The Wild, Wild West (CBS)
Saturday, September 18th
•Get Smart! (NBC Color)
•I Dream of Jeannie (NBC)
•The Loner (CBS)
•Trials of O’Brien (CBS)
Sunday, September 19th
•The FBI (ABC, Color)
•The Wackiest Ship in the Army (NBC, Color)
Several interesting observations: first, it's surprising how many new shows were still offered only in black and white, even though the networks were majority color broadcast at this time. Secondly, it's interesting to see how many syndicated-show mainstays of the late 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s (Green Acres, Get Smart!, I Dream of Jeannie, Hogan's Heroes, The Wild Wild West, F Troop, I Spy, Lost in Space) premiered this week fifty years ago; and third, it's informative to see that the networks have pretty much always had more misses than hits (look at that list of shows—how many of them do you not remember at all, or how many of them lasted only one season?).
And finally, I still remember getting the special Fall Preview issue of TV Guide in the mail on Wednesday or Thursday before the new week began, and going through the listing and schedules, marking shows I wanted to watch in pencil to make sure that I didn't miss them. Since we had no DVRs or VCRs or any other means of saving or time-delaying programming in 1965, advance planning was crucial. That's the main reason I don't recognize so many of these shows, I'm sure: they were up against shows that I considered must-see, so my channel selections were pre-determined!
Barry McGuire's apocalyptic "Eve of Destruction" rocketed to the number one slot this week in 1965. Other top ten hits included "Hang On Sloopy" by the McCoys (#2); "You Were on My Mind" by We Five (#3); "Catch Us If You Can" by the Dave Clark Five (#4); "Help!" by the Beatles (#5); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#6); "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan (#7); "It Ain't Me Babe" by the Turtles (#8); "Heart Full of Soul" by the Yardbirds (#9); and "Laugh at Me" by Sonny (#10--Sonny Bono's only top ten solo hit).
The week's big album release was Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul by... well, the name says it all, doesn't it?
Chieftain Charlene Lamb represented West Rome in the Miss Floyd Contest, slated to be held at the Coosa Valley Fair during the week of 9/20 through 9/25.
West Rome's football team continued to struggle as they suffered their third defeat in a row, falling to the McCallie Tornadoes of Chattanooga in a 21-6 game. West Rome's only touchdown was scored in the first quarter; from that point on, it was McCallie's game all the way.
Back in 1965, Romans could choose from two daily flights between Rome in Atlanta. Eastern Airlines added a flight leaving Rome at 1:29 each day, arriving in Atlanta at 2pm. Romans hoping to return could depart Atlanta at 6:15pm and arrive in Rome at 6:50 pm; the plane would then continue on to Chattanooga. Talk of turning Russell Field into a regional airport never materialized, though, so the talk of flights to Jacksonville, New Orleans, and Memphis never went any further than talk. Still, the idea that Rome had any commercial flights in the 1960s is still pretty surprising!
Would-be skateboarders could save money at Murphy's: the bargain department store had a 24" anodized aluminum skateboard for only $1.75, a 22" oak board with a lacquered surface for only $1.17, and a 23" anodized aluminum board for only 88¢. Today's skateboarders would undoubtedly laugh at the heavy, clunky-looking boards of 1965, but these store-bought boards were certainly better than the homemade boards (pieces of plywood with skate wheels on the bottom) that some of us used!
Now here's the special that no one I knew ever wanted: Kentucky Fried Chicken was running a special on their gizzard dinner—six fried gizzards, mashed potatoes, gravy, and a biscuit, for only 49¢. (That's about 50¢ more than I'd pay for chicken gizzards!)
Piggly Wiggly had ground chuck for 69¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Oreos for 45¢ a box. Big Apple had five pounds of Dixie Crystal sugar for 39¢, lamb shoulder roast for 49¢ a pound, and cabbage for 6¢ a pound. Kroger had pork chops for 69¢ a pound, Maxwell House Coffee for 59¢ a pound, and a quart of Miracle Whip for 49¢. A&P had red grapes for 15¢ a pound, baking hens for 39¢ a pound, and Ann Page tomato rice soup for 13¢ a can. Couch's had stew beef for 29¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 7¢ a pound, and Campbell's tomato soup for a dime a can.
The cinematic week began with Sergeant Deadhead (with Frankie Avalon) at the DeSoto and Island of the Blue Dolphins (with Celia Milius) at the First Avenue. With school back in session, the West Rome Drive-In returned to its weekends-only schedule. The midweek switch out brought I Saw What You Did (with Joan Crawford) to the DeSoto and Walt Disney's Cinderella to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In went wild over the weekend with Elvis Presley's Wild in the Country, along with Wild on the Beach (with Frankie Randall).
All three television networks began rolling out their new shows this week in 1965. The series that premiered in the fall of '65 included:
Monday, September 13th:
•A Man Called Shenandoah (ABC)
•The John Forsythe Show (NBC, Color)
•The Legend of Jesse James (ABC)
•Run for Your Life (NBC, Color)
•The Steve Lawrence Show (CBS)
Tuesday, September 14th
•F Troop (ABC)
•My Mother, The Car (NBC, Color)
•Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (NBC, Color)
Wednesday, September 15th
•The Big Valley (ABC, Color)
•Gidget (ABC, Color)
•Green Acres (CBS, Color)
•I Spy (NBC, Color)
•Lost in Space (CBS)
Thursday, September 16th
•The CBS Thursday Night Movies (CBS, Mostly Color)
•The Dean Martin Show (NBC, Color)
•Laredo (NBC,, Color)
•The Long, Hot Summer (ABC)
•Mona McCluskey (NBC, Color)
•O.K. Crackerby! (ABC, Color)
Friday, September 17th
•Camp Runamuck (NBC, Color)
•Convoy (NBC)
•Hank (NBC, Color)
•Hogan’s Heroes (CBS, Color)
•Honey West (ABC)
•Mr. Roberts (NBC, Color)
•The Smothers Brothers Show (CBS)
•Tammy (ABC, Color)
•The Wild, Wild West (CBS)
Saturday, September 18th
•Get Smart! (NBC Color)
•I Dream of Jeannie (NBC)
•The Loner (CBS)
•Trials of O’Brien (CBS)
Sunday, September 19th
•The FBI (ABC, Color)
•The Wackiest Ship in the Army (NBC, Color)
Several interesting observations: first, it's surprising how many new shows were still offered only in black and white, even though the networks were majority color broadcast at this time. Secondly, it's interesting to see how many syndicated-show mainstays of the late 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s (Green Acres, Get Smart!, I Dream of Jeannie, Hogan's Heroes, The Wild Wild West, F Troop, I Spy, Lost in Space) premiered this week fifty years ago; and third, it's informative to see that the networks have pretty much always had more misses than hits (look at that list of shows—how many of them do you not remember at all, or how many of them lasted only one season?).
And finally, I still remember getting the special Fall Preview issue of TV Guide in the mail on Wednesday or Thursday before the new week began, and going through the listing and schedules, marking shows I wanted to watch in pencil to make sure that I didn't miss them. Since we had no DVRs or VCRs or any other means of saving or time-delaying programming in 1965, advance planning was crucial. That's the main reason I don't recognize so many of these shows, I'm sure: they were up against shows that I considered must-see, so my channel selections were pre-determined!
Barry McGuire's apocalyptic "Eve of Destruction" rocketed to the number one slot this week in 1965. Other top ten hits included "Hang On Sloopy" by the McCoys (#2); "You Were on My Mind" by We Five (#3); "Catch Us If You Can" by the Dave Clark Five (#4); "Help!" by the Beatles (#5); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#6); "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan (#7); "It Ain't Me Babe" by the Turtles (#8); "Heart Full of Soul" by the Yardbirds (#9); and "Laugh at Me" by Sonny (#10--Sonny Bono's only top ten solo hit).
The week's big album release was Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul by... well, the name says it all, doesn't it?
Friday, September 04, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 9/6/1965 to 9/12/1965
West Rome began the school year without an industrial arts building, but the folks in charge of Rome City Schools construction were doing everything they could to get the building open in September. Building construction wrapped up this week in 1965, but Superintendent M.S. McDonald said that it would take a week or two to move the industrial arts equipment into the new shop and get it set up.
The Rome City School system also announced the development of a kindergarten program for students who were gauged to be unprepared to enter the first grade. Plans called for the program to be developed during the 1965-1966 school year and actually launched in the 1966-1967 school year. The kindergarten program was not for all students; instead, it was only for those who were not ready to go into the first grade. The program would be coordinated with Operation Head Start, but it would not be free to participating parents; instead, they would have to bear some of the cost of kindergarten for their children unless their incomes were so low that they qualified for local assistance.
West Rome's first home game of the season pitted the Chiefs against the Chattooga Indians—but the home advantage apparently wasn't enough, as Chattooga won 13-12.
As the Coosa Valley Fair opening day neared, fair officials announced a major improvement: pavement! In years past, the fairgrounds were packed dirt with straw and/or gravel in some of the more heavily travelled areas, and CVF president Dean Morgan said that they had dealt with many complaints over the years regarding the dust and (when it rained) mud. To alleviate the problem, fair officials paved the paths near the concession booths, the exhibits building, the offices, and many of the rides. (I guess we take things like paved walkways for granted; I had forgotten that the fairground were unpaved dirt during much of my childhood! I guess I was too busy looking at the Tilt-A-Whirl and other rides to notice the ground I was walking on.)
And speaking of the fair, officials also announced an actual Mercury spacecraft would be on display at the fair. The hatch would be removed and the opening enlarged slightly to make it easier for Romans to get into the capsule and experience first-hand the not-so-luxurious accommodations that John Glenn, Wally Schirra, Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, and others enjoyed as they orbited the Earth.
McDonald's rolled out its new McDouble Cheeseburger this week in 1965. For only 38¢, you could get the burger by itself—or for 69¢, you could get it with an order of fries and a shake.
Nowadays, gyms and exercise facilities are ubiquitous, but they were far less common in 1965, which is why it was such big news that Rome Health Studios was opening a facility at 623 Shorter Avenue. For only $7 a month, members could use their exercise equipment, steam baths, and sun lamps.
Color television prices began to drop a bit in 1965 as stronger sales led to higher volume. Sears was offering a 21" Silvertone tabletop unit for only $326, while a 21" color console TV in a maple cabinet could be had for only $396. Rome Radio & TV had a 23" GE color television for only $399 or a 21" RCA for only $349; those with bigger budgets could spring for a "giant-sized 25" RCA color console TV with Mediterranean styling for only $750. With a new television season set to begin in a couple of weeks, viewers were undoubtedly looking into color televisions, since more than 80% of the networks' offerings would be in full color. (Yes, there were still a few shows produced in black and white in 1965!)
Piggly Wiggly had Fig Newtons for 33¢ a box, Maxwell House Instant Coffee for 79¢ a jar, and white grapes for 15¢ a pound. Kroger had rib roast for 79¢ a pound, honeydew melons for 45¢ each, and a five-pound bag of Colonial sugar for 39¢. Big Apple had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Bailey's Supreme Coffee for 59¢ a pound, and Showboat pork & beans for a dime a can. A&P had cubed steak for 89¢ a pound, Bartlett pears for 25¢ a pound, and a one-pound bag of Jane Parker potato chips for 49¢. Couch's had smoked cured picnic hams for 35¢ a pound, white corn for a nickel an ear, and Blue Plate mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart.
The cinematic week began with The Sons of Katie Elder (with John Wayne & Dean Martin) at the DeSoto, Lord Jim (with Peter O'Toole) at the First Avenue, and a double feature of Mister Hobbs (with Robert Mitchum & Carroll Baker) and The Satan Bug (with George Maharis, Richard Basehart, & Anne Francis) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Sergeant Deadhead (with Frankie Avalon) to the DeSoto, Genghis Khan (with Omar Sharif, Stephen Boyd, & James Mason) to the First Avenue, and a double feature of Red River (with John Wayne) and The Glory Guys (with Tom Tryon & Senta Berger) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles held on to the number one slot for a third week with "Help!" Other top ten hits included "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#2); "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan (#3); "You Were On My Mind" by We Five (#4); "Catch Us If You Can" by the Dave Clark Five (#6); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#6); "Hang On Sloopy" by the McCoys (#7); "It Ain't Me Babe" by the Turtles (#8); "I Got You, Babe" by Sonny & Cher (#9); and "Heart Full of Soul" by the Yardbirds (#10).
One of the best Spider-Man two-part stories in history began this week with the release of Amazing Spider-Man #31. The story, "If This Be My Destiny," kicked off the two part Master Planner/Doctor Octopus story arc that features one of Spidey's most iconic scenes as he struggles to free himself from beneath tons of destroyed machinery.
The Rome City School system also announced the development of a kindergarten program for students who were gauged to be unprepared to enter the first grade. Plans called for the program to be developed during the 1965-1966 school year and actually launched in the 1966-1967 school year. The kindergarten program was not for all students; instead, it was only for those who were not ready to go into the first grade. The program would be coordinated with Operation Head Start, but it would not be free to participating parents; instead, they would have to bear some of the cost of kindergarten for their children unless their incomes were so low that they qualified for local assistance.
West Rome's first home game of the season pitted the Chiefs against the Chattooga Indians—but the home advantage apparently wasn't enough, as Chattooga won 13-12.
As the Coosa Valley Fair opening day neared, fair officials announced a major improvement: pavement! In years past, the fairgrounds were packed dirt with straw and/or gravel in some of the more heavily travelled areas, and CVF president Dean Morgan said that they had dealt with many complaints over the years regarding the dust and (when it rained) mud. To alleviate the problem, fair officials paved the paths near the concession booths, the exhibits building, the offices, and many of the rides. (I guess we take things like paved walkways for granted; I had forgotten that the fairground were unpaved dirt during much of my childhood! I guess I was too busy looking at the Tilt-A-Whirl and other rides to notice the ground I was walking on.)
And speaking of the fair, officials also announced an actual Mercury spacecraft would be on display at the fair. The hatch would be removed and the opening enlarged slightly to make it easier for Romans to get into the capsule and experience first-hand the not-so-luxurious accommodations that John Glenn, Wally Schirra, Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, and others enjoyed as they orbited the Earth.
McDonald's rolled out its new McDouble Cheeseburger this week in 1965. For only 38¢, you could get the burger by itself—or for 69¢, you could get it with an order of fries and a shake.
Nowadays, gyms and exercise facilities are ubiquitous, but they were far less common in 1965, which is why it was such big news that Rome Health Studios was opening a facility at 623 Shorter Avenue. For only $7 a month, members could use their exercise equipment, steam baths, and sun lamps.
Color television prices began to drop a bit in 1965 as stronger sales led to higher volume. Sears was offering a 21" Silvertone tabletop unit for only $326, while a 21" color console TV in a maple cabinet could be had for only $396. Rome Radio & TV had a 23" GE color television for only $399 or a 21" RCA for only $349; those with bigger budgets could spring for a "giant-sized 25" RCA color console TV with Mediterranean styling for only $750. With a new television season set to begin in a couple of weeks, viewers were undoubtedly looking into color televisions, since more than 80% of the networks' offerings would be in full color. (Yes, there were still a few shows produced in black and white in 1965!)
Piggly Wiggly had Fig Newtons for 33¢ a box, Maxwell House Instant Coffee for 79¢ a jar, and white grapes for 15¢ a pound. Kroger had rib roast for 79¢ a pound, honeydew melons for 45¢ each, and a five-pound bag of Colonial sugar for 39¢. Big Apple had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Bailey's Supreme Coffee for 59¢ a pound, and Showboat pork & beans for a dime a can. A&P had cubed steak for 89¢ a pound, Bartlett pears for 25¢ a pound, and a one-pound bag of Jane Parker potato chips for 49¢. Couch's had smoked cured picnic hams for 35¢ a pound, white corn for a nickel an ear, and Blue Plate mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart.
The cinematic week began with The Sons of Katie Elder (with John Wayne & Dean Martin) at the DeSoto, Lord Jim (with Peter O'Toole) at the First Avenue, and a double feature of Mister Hobbs (with Robert Mitchum & Carroll Baker) and The Satan Bug (with George Maharis, Richard Basehart, & Anne Francis) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Sergeant Deadhead (with Frankie Avalon) to the DeSoto, Genghis Khan (with Omar Sharif, Stephen Boyd, & James Mason) to the First Avenue, and a double feature of Red River (with John Wayne) and The Glory Guys (with Tom Tryon & Senta Berger) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles held on to the number one slot for a third week with "Help!" Other top ten hits included "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#2); "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan (#3); "You Were On My Mind" by We Five (#4); "Catch Us If You Can" by the Dave Clark Five (#6); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#6); "Hang On Sloopy" by the McCoys (#7); "It Ain't Me Babe" by the Turtles (#8); "I Got You, Babe" by Sonny & Cher (#9); and "Heart Full of Soul" by the Yardbirds (#10).
One of the best Spider-Man two-part stories in history began this week with the release of Amazing Spider-Man #31. The story, "If This Be My Destiny," kicked off the two part Master Planner/Doctor Octopus story arc that features one of Spidey's most iconic scenes as he struggles to free himself from beneath tons of destroyed machinery.
Friday, August 28, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 8/30/1965 to 9/5/1965
The school year started without a hitch on Monday, August 30th, and there were no problems with the first day of integrated schools. A total of 59 black students enrolled in Rome City Schools, including seven at West Rome High and two at Elm Street Elementary. Superintendent M.S. McDonald said that late enrollment was continuing throughout the week, and it was likely that more students would be integrated into city schools as the week progressed. Rome's total enrollment at all schools was approximately 7500 students, an increase of more than 200 students over the previous school year.
Chieftain Benny Padgett was named the Rome News-Tribune's Lineman of the Week for his outstanding performance in the season opener against Coosa. Padgett was credited with 11 individual tackles and recovered a key fumble to stop Coosa from scoring.
This week's football game pitted the Chieftains against the Dalton Catamounts. West Rome Coach Paul Kennedy downplayed West Rome's chances, saying that "Dalton will undoubtedly win the region championship again this year," while Dalton Coach Bill Chappel said that "West Rome was the most likely contender to win the title." This is one time when we wish the other team's coach had been correct: unfortunately, West Rome lost to the Catamounts 21-0.
Nowadays we're accustomed to see blue lights on police cars, but red flashing lights were the norm until this week in 1965. This is the week that Floyd County began switching over to blue flashing lights to distinguish police cars from ambulances and other emergency vehicles. The Rome City Police Department confirmed plans to switch to blue lights as well, but they weren't sure when the transition would occur.
The Coosa Valley Fair began their pre-fair publicity push this week in 1965 with the announcement that a new Sky-Liner ride would join the list of Coosa Valley Fair attractions this year. The Sky-Liner was really nothing more than a chair life that ran on a five-hundred-foot-long steel cable above the fairgrounds.
The numbers were finally tallied, and it turned out the retail sales in Rome and Floyd County jumped more than $2 million in the second quarter of 1965 compared to the same quarter in 1964. Total retail sales were more than $32,697,000, putting Rome and Floyd County near the top of Georgia's retail growth curve.
We talk about Christmas season kicking off too early nowadays, but apparently the problem has existed for quite a while: The Discount House at 7 North Division Street in West Rome announced that Santa would be at the store on Labor Day, and parents could have their kids' photos taken with Santa. They were also kicking off a major toy sale over the weekend leading up to Labor Day.
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, baking potatoes for 6¢ a pound, and Snax brand potato chips for 39¢ a bag. Kroger had Wilson's four-pound canned hams for $2.99, fresh eggs for 37¢ a dozen, and Country Club ice cream for 45¢ a half-gallon. Big Apple had round steak for 79¢ a pound, Van Camp's potted meat for 16¢ a can, and a carton of Pepsi-Cola for 29¢ plus deposit. A&P had hen turkeys for 39¢ a pound, tomatoes for 19¢ a pound, and Chef Boy-Ar-Dee ravioli for 39¢ a can. Couch's had pork chops for 59¢ a pound, Showboat pork & beans for 19¢ a can, and Double Cola for 69¢ a case plus deposit,.
The cinematic week began with A Very Special Favor (with Rock Hudson & Leslie Caron) at the DeSoto Theater; H. Rider Haggard's She (with Ursula Andress) at the First Avenue; and a double feature of The Thrill of It All (with Doris Day & James Garner) and Art of Love (with Dick Van Dyke & Elke Sommer) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought The Sons of Katie Elder (with John Wayne & Dean Martin) to the DeSoto; Lord Jim (with Peter O'Toole) to the First Avenue; and Shenandoah (with James Stewart) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles held on to first place in the Billboard charts with "Help." Other top ten hits included "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan (#2); "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#3); "You Were On My Mind" by We Five (#4); "California Girls" by the Beach Boys (#5); "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers (#6); "I Got You, Babe" by Sonny & Cher (#7); "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" by James Brown (#8); "It Ain't Me Babe" by the Turtles (#9); and "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#10).
The Beatles also reclaimed the number one album slot with Help! this week in 1965. knocking the Rolling Stones' Out of Our Heads off its three-week stint in first place. (The Stones, in turn, had knocked off the prior Beatles album, Beatles VI, which held the number one slot for six weeks.)
Superhero fans had a new comic book choice this week in 1965: THUNDER Agents #1, the premiere offering from Tower comics. A striking Wally Wood cover graced the first issue of this 64-page 25¢ comic that introduce Dynamo, No-Man, and Menthor to the comic-book-reading world.
Chieftain Benny Padgett was named the Rome News-Tribune's Lineman of the Week for his outstanding performance in the season opener against Coosa. Padgett was credited with 11 individual tackles and recovered a key fumble to stop Coosa from scoring.
This week's football game pitted the Chieftains against the Dalton Catamounts. West Rome Coach Paul Kennedy downplayed West Rome's chances, saying that "Dalton will undoubtedly win the region championship again this year," while Dalton Coach Bill Chappel said that "West Rome was the most likely contender to win the title." This is one time when we wish the other team's coach had been correct: unfortunately, West Rome lost to the Catamounts 21-0.
Nowadays we're accustomed to see blue lights on police cars, but red flashing lights were the norm until this week in 1965. This is the week that Floyd County began switching over to blue flashing lights to distinguish police cars from ambulances and other emergency vehicles. The Rome City Police Department confirmed plans to switch to blue lights as well, but they weren't sure when the transition would occur.
The Coosa Valley Fair began their pre-fair publicity push this week in 1965 with the announcement that a new Sky-Liner ride would join the list of Coosa Valley Fair attractions this year. The Sky-Liner was really nothing more than a chair life that ran on a five-hundred-foot-long steel cable above the fairgrounds.
The numbers were finally tallied, and it turned out the retail sales in Rome and Floyd County jumped more than $2 million in the second quarter of 1965 compared to the same quarter in 1964. Total retail sales were more than $32,697,000, putting Rome and Floyd County near the top of Georgia's retail growth curve.
We talk about Christmas season kicking off too early nowadays, but apparently the problem has existed for quite a while: The Discount House at 7 North Division Street in West Rome announced that Santa would be at the store on Labor Day, and parents could have their kids' photos taken with Santa. They were also kicking off a major toy sale over the weekend leading up to Labor Day.
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, baking potatoes for 6¢ a pound, and Snax brand potato chips for 39¢ a bag. Kroger had Wilson's four-pound canned hams for $2.99, fresh eggs for 37¢ a dozen, and Country Club ice cream for 45¢ a half-gallon. Big Apple had round steak for 79¢ a pound, Van Camp's potted meat for 16¢ a can, and a carton of Pepsi-Cola for 29¢ plus deposit. A&P had hen turkeys for 39¢ a pound, tomatoes for 19¢ a pound, and Chef Boy-Ar-Dee ravioli for 39¢ a can. Couch's had pork chops for 59¢ a pound, Showboat pork & beans for 19¢ a can, and Double Cola for 69¢ a case plus deposit,.
The cinematic week began with A Very Special Favor (with Rock Hudson & Leslie Caron) at the DeSoto Theater; H. Rider Haggard's She (with Ursula Andress) at the First Avenue; and a double feature of The Thrill of It All (with Doris Day & James Garner) and Art of Love (with Dick Van Dyke & Elke Sommer) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought The Sons of Katie Elder (with John Wayne & Dean Martin) to the DeSoto; Lord Jim (with Peter O'Toole) to the First Avenue; and Shenandoah (with James Stewart) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles held on to first place in the Billboard charts with "Help." Other top ten hits included "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan (#2); "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#3); "You Were On My Mind" by We Five (#4); "California Girls" by the Beach Boys (#5); "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers (#6); "I Got You, Babe" by Sonny & Cher (#7); "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" by James Brown (#8); "It Ain't Me Babe" by the Turtles (#9); and "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#10).
The Beatles also reclaimed the number one album slot with Help! this week in 1965. knocking the Rolling Stones' Out of Our Heads off its three-week stint in first place. (The Stones, in turn, had knocked off the prior Beatles album, Beatles VI, which held the number one slot for six weeks.)
Superhero fans had a new comic book choice this week in 1965: THUNDER Agents #1, the premiere offering from Tower comics. A striking Wally Wood cover graced the first issue of this 64-page 25¢ comic that introduce Dynamo, No-Man, and Menthor to the comic-book-reading world.
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