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DIG THOSE CRAZY COVERS
(...also known as "What Were They Thinking?)
How bad is this album cover? It is so evocative of those cheesy album covers from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. And...oh, poor Dad! With bat, glove, Lionel trains etc. in his arms, he is going to be soooo disappointed when the nurse says, "Mr. Fontanna...congratulations. Its a girl!" By the way there is NO record of this guy and his orchestra. There is a reference that "Fontanna" was actually a band leader named John Clayton. Maybe he wanted to "hide" his real name when he saw this ridiculous album cover!
"A heartbreaking tale from the 1964 NY World's Fair"
I was 15-years old when my parents took the whole family down to New York City to the World's Fair. It really was amazing. One pavilion I remember clearly was the great New York State Pavilion...
It was a gigantic playground for us kids! The most amazing thing of all was that Texaco Oil Company sponsored the floor of the pavilion..and what a floor it was! It was a huge replica of Texaco's Road Map for the State of New York! We loved to "run all over the state" while our parents looked at the exhibits. We could even find and then "stand on" our hometown of Sidney, NY!
 
It cost Texaco a whopping ONE MILLION DOLLARS to replicate the map of the state to this size. It was 9,000-square feet in size, and consisted of 567 panels, each weighing 400-pounds!
Alas, almost ALL of the structures of the 1964 World's Fair have been lost to time..BUT THE NYS PAVILION IS STILL THERE! The city always talks about refurbishing it and inviting new generations to come and take a look at one of the last vestiges of this incredible world event. And guess what...the Texaco road map is still there! It is damaged, ignored, overrun with weeds and neglected but it is STILL THERE! I hope it gets a second chance soon. It really was a lot of fun! Here are some heartbreaking photos of what this amazing map looks like today....
 
BIG CHUCK'S TOP 25 MOVIES OF ALL TIME!
In the more than 20 years that I have been on the air at WDOS in Oneonta, one of the most repeated questions to me, both privately and on the air, is "What is your favorite movie, Big Chuck?" Well, I thought after all these years it would be a great time to go ahead and tell you my Top 25 movies of all time (one man's opinion, of course!). And I will try and count them down, one a week all the way to my top movie (you longtime listeners will already know my favorite film!). And so in this day of NetFlix, Pay Per View, movies on demand and cable shows, go ahead and order up my favorite movies, give them a looksee for yourself, and let me know what you think. Your emails about my movie choices are greatly appreciated, and you may even see them here on the website! Movies already "inducted" include #25 ("American Graffitti", 1973), #24 ("Planet of the Apes," 1968), #23 ("White Heat," 1949). So, lights down, popcorn in hand and here we go again with....
#22
"THE GRAPES OF WRATH" 1940
One of the best "book to film" translations ever! This sad, grim and fiercely proud flick stars Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, just out of prison and leading his fragile family to the "golden land of California." We all know now that California turned out to be a Dickensian nightmare for the Joads' who lived in a migrant camp with barely nothing to eat or wear and only their pride to keep them going. Dear Jane Darwell shines as Ma Joad and John Carradine positively leaps off the screen as the messianic Jim Casey, the doomed ex-preacher. Steinbeck's best work, for sure. Recognize Charley Grapewin, as Grandpa Joad? Yup..he also starred the year before as Uncle Henry in The Wizard of Oz! This movie is certain to be on any Top-list, and I am proud to include it on mine.
You'll find this clip very interesting:
(click below)
www.youtube.com/watch
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"Do you remember eating here....in 1960?"
This is a classic 1960 post card of the Olde Jericho Tavern in Bainbridge, NY. Do you remember eating here? For me, it was a "celebration place" where my family went to enjoy Mothers Day, Easter and other celebration occasions. I love this old postcard, because it shows the Jericho just as I remember it. I have heard it is now called The Olive Branch restaurant under new management. Did you know that the original name for the town was Jericho, N.Y., and that the building on Main Street that houses this inn and tavern is more than 200-years old!
"NOW THAT IS AMAAAAZING!"
MEET GEORGE, THE WORLD'S LARGEST DOG.....
"George" is a Blue Great Dane and he lives in Tuscon, Arizona. He is 7-feet long, weighs in at 245-pounds, and stands 43"-tall. He eats a whopping 110-pounds of dog food every month. Oh, and he sleeps in his OWN full Queen size bed! Take a look at this gentle giant....
 
MY FAVORITE DINER
Last week on our show, Brett and I were talking about our favorite old diners from the past (hence the little side article on your left about the jukeboxes in the booths). Mine was always the old Unadilla Diner. What a treat to go there, both as a kid and as an adult later on. It was a classic old railroad car diner that was shiny, spiffy, comfortable and oh soooo tasty (especially on Sunday mornings). Larry and Harriet Henchey owned the Unadilla Diner for many of those years and they were friendly hosts. Alas the diner has sat empty and closed (and for sale) for more than a decade now. But, back then...well, it just didnt get any better than the Unadilla Diner! Internationally famed realist painter Ralph Goings was so taken by it that he once did an interior painting of the diner. You can almost smell the hash browns cooking up on the grill! Here it is....heck, maybe you are one of the people in this painting. Are you the waitress in the yellow dress? The truck driver staring off into space? The grill cook? The family of four in the booth?
THIS JUST IN! TWO PEOPLE IN THIS PAINTING HAVE NOW BEEN IDENTIFIED! THE MAN AT THE COUNTER IS CHARLIE BISHOP (OF BISHOP FARMS) AND THE WAITRESS IN THE YELLOW DRESS IS SUE PATTERSON! THANKS LISTENER GREG FROM SIDNEY FOR ID'ing THESE TWO FOR US! NOW....WHO IS THE COOK?)
NEW! "CARTOON OF THE WEEK...FOOD FOR THOUGHT"
We honor all who served in World War II
For the past several weeks we have been sharing stories of both the servicemen and women who served in World War II and those who pitched in right here on the Home Front (remember the story of the women who worked in Oneonta at the mica factory?). And of course the Oneonta Historical Society has had a wonderful month long tribute to the "Greatest Generation" with their excellent exhibit and events at the History Center. Now, I'd like to share another "find" with you. Apparantly a man was scrounging through a flea market a couple of years ago in Reading, Pennsylvania. The guy stumbled upon a treasure trove of Oneonta-area history! It was a box full of World War II clippings from the local Oneonta newspaper. And the information is unbelievable! Virtually everybody who served got a mention over time. For some it was news of them returning home, some news of their capture by the Japanese or Germans, some news, sadly, was of the military deaths and injuries. To read these, one after another after another, is a compelling and riveting look at what the news must have been like on a daily level throughout the war years. Here is just a sample entry:
Pfc. John Powers Wins Bronze Star For Heroic Action
With the Fifth Army, Italy - Pfc. John A. Powers, 25, of Oneonta, N.Y., recently was awarded the Bronze Star medal for meritorious service in combat on the Fifth Army front in the Italian campaign. He serves with the 87th Mountain Infrantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain division. Powers many times braved enemy shelling to repair breaks in communication wires between elements of the company and higher headquarters. Once, when a terrific barrage destroyed communication lines between his unit and a forward observation post, he left his foxhole four times at the height of the shelling to put the line back into operation. His prompt action allowed the forward observer to relay information about enemy guns which soon resulted in their destruction by counterbattery. "Throughout the entire period, Powers performed his duties bravely and efficiently, gaining the praise and commendation of all," the citation stated. He entered military service Feb. 12, 1941. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Powers, live at 6 Lawn Ave., Oneonta.
Each story is its own tribute to the honor, heroism, courage and patriotism displayed by the legions of local men and boys (and women) from Otsego, Delaware and Chenango counties who served in World War II.
Reading the list will give you goosebumps.
Congratulations to the Delaware County Historical Society for gathering up these precious news clippings.
To read them, click on their website here.
www.dcnyhistory.org/scrapbook2.html
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