Early in this thread, someone mentioned 'Scoop O'Brien.'
The guy who played him was a WKY announcer named Chris Daniels

I remember he'd be on before, during and after Superman and announce that
Crusader Rabbit was next.

I remember Montgomery Wards and the elevator operators! That was fun. Anna
Maude's was just west of it.

Walking downtown was remarkable. I remember this guy acting like he was
blind. I put a nickle in his cup and he chased me down to give me a pencil. I
was scared to death!

There were a lot of transients and derelicts on the streets at that time.

I vaguely remember going to the Gibsons store downtown as a kid.

I loved to go to Gibson's (7th and N. Hudson?). They had expensive toys...not that I ever got to have any of them.

I vaguely remember going to the Gibson's store
downtown as a kid.

That was on N. Hudson @ 4th. It was always a mess.

I'll never forget taking the elevator in John A. Brown's and coming out where
the hair salon was. Every time I smell a permanent solution I get a flash back.

I'll never forget taking the elevator in John A. Brown's and coming out where the hair salon was. Every time I smell a permanent solution I get a flash back.Was it John A. Brown's that had drive-in bank style vacuum tubes running from the cashier to each cash register?

Was it John A. Brown's that had drive-in bank style
vacuum tubes running from the cashier to each cash register?

That was C.R. Anthony's!

My grandmother worked for Hightower's downtown. She was the assistant to Mr. Hightower.

My grandfather worked at Gibson's, but not the one downtown. It was up on NW Highway if memory serves.

And, that Sound Warehouse that was on 39th and MacArthur started out on 10th and MacArthur. I helped move that store to the 39th location and then went to work at the corporate headquarters (Bromo Distributors)

The Gibsons north store was at 42nd & MacArthur where Victory Church is now.

I bought the Kiss Alive! and Van Halen I albums at the 10th Street location.....

I remember he'd [Scoop O'Brien] be on before, during and after Superman and announce that
Crusader Rabbit was next.

Was Crusader Rabbit hosted by Tom Paxton? Does anyone remember Tom Paxton? I know he hosted a kids' show after school in the '60's but not sure what it had - maybe the Three Stooges or Huckleberry Hound? What happened to him?

I have very found memories growing up a block away from the intersection of 63rd street and N.W. Highway. They had a TG&Y store that I spent a lot of time in, and there was a Kimberlings grocery store in that same center I think.
Kimberlings had the most killer-good thumbprint cookies, baked right there, and they were huge by today's standards and very reasonably priced.

Larsen Music was also completely to-die-for back then, and of course, we all made the trek to Driver Music in Bethany for some really big thrills. There was also, in later years, a Rock World music store a few miles away. I still have drum heads with their logo, which is very sad, since it means I haven't changed drum heads in about 25 years. (Drummers out there are now cringing in disbelief!)

That was C.R. Anthony's!


Was it John A. Brown's that had drive-in bank style vacuum tubes running from the cashier to each cash register?

I remember the Anthony's at NW 24th and May had the pneumatic tubes. Always thought those were cool.

Was Crusader Rabbit hosted by Tom Paxton?
Does anyone remember Tom Paxton? I know he hosted a kids' show after school
in the '60's but not sure what it had - maybe the Three Stooges or Huckleberry
Hound? What happened to him?

Huckleberry Hound started around 1959. I don't know if Tom Paxton was Scoop
O'Brien or not. I think somebody said who he was. Maybe that's what Tom Paxton
did, that is, host the Three Stooges, Crusader Rabbit and Huckleberry Hound.

The more I think of it the more I think you're right.

At any rate, Tom Paxton had a noon time show before Danny's Day. John Spivey
was the organist. I played a lot of gigs with John. Ken Wright was another
organist who would play while the tech crew was trying to figure out what
went wrong. Hilarious!

I don't know what else TP did.

OMG i forgot all about Molly Murphies. That place was the coolest. I found OKC talk looking for urban legends about Carey place and 20th and billon. I grew up in OKC and miss it dearly. Someone mention that Chi Chi's mexican restaurant is gone from the southside as well..SAD. I moved away sometime ago to TN. My family still oves there outside of OKC . I visit every chance i get. Does anyone remember the 20th an billon urban legend?

The Gibsons north store was at 42nd & MacArthur where Victory Church is now.

I bought the Kiss Alive! and Van Halen I albums at the 10th Street location.....

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The Gibson's Stores in OKC area were own by the Love family...Their locations were as follows
N.W. 6th & Hudson:....now a parking Garage by the Murrah building area
S.E 29th and Eagle Drive in Del City:....Now part of the Midwest Trophy building
42nd and McArthur:...Now Victory Church....The Son of the family ran this store until it's demise.

The 10th Street comment was in reference to a Sound Warehouse post.

I know there were still two Gibsons store in Lawton until the one on Cache Road closed for the redevelopment there. The last time that I was in Lawton (a few years ago) it looked like the Gore Blvd. store was still open and there is one open in Kerrville, Texas.

Originally Posted by traxx View Post
BTW, when was Penn Square enclosed? Was it in the 70s sometime? I don't remember.
The early 80's, I saw a copy of the original construction drawings for that project in a vault drawer at Benham.

I think it was around 1985

Maybe someone can remember. Seems to me that Kerr Park used to be grass in the 70's and the Arts Festival was held there?

I remember the radio comercials for Exit Exito. There was some girl who would just say the name over and over again. It was kind of creepy. I was only 13 at the time, so I never got to go to the club.

I went there lots in 87 I think ?.. sorta cheesy but cool all the same. The commercial was annoying!

-------------

I think it was around 1985

Maybe someone can remember. Seems to me that Kerr Park used to be grass in
the 70's and the Arts Festival was held there?

Penn Square was enclosed in the early to mid 80's.

The Arts Festival used to be held at the park in front of the Civic Center. I was
there when it debuted in 1967. The Festival was there until the late 70's. That's
when it moved to Hudson and the Myriad Park area.

Penn Square was enclosed in the early to mid 80's.

The Arts Festival used to be held at the park in front of the Civic Center. I was
there when it debuted in 1967. The Festival was there until the late 70's. That's
when it moved to Hudson and the Myriad Park area.

Thank you!! I somehow thought that park was Kerr Park with grass. It doesnt look the same now? I remember more trees?

Hey, i have a friend that just found a newspaper ad for Springlake with Conway Twitty coming. I don't know how to put it on this thread, If someone will explain it I'll try to get out there. That was a deep childhood memory.

I remember going to see the movie The Mangler at the $1.50 movies over by 240 and santa fe i think. By the Ventures. Back in 1995. I was 8 and I cried so much at the movies we had to leave. LOL! That movie scared me.

I remember going to see the movie The Mangler at the $1.50 movies over by 240
and santa fe i think. By the Ventures. Back in 1995. I was 8 and I cried so much at
the movies we had to leave. LOL! That movie scared me.

That was probably the 77 Drive-in on Shields.

I remember going to see the movie The Mangler at the $1.50 movies over by 240 and santa fe i think. By the Ventures. Back in 1995. I was 8 and I cried so much at the movies we had to leave. LOL! That movie scared me.

Some more recent-ish memories:


Time Out! for Burgers. A decent hamburger restaurant with local flavor. Area schools would have sponsored nights, during which TO would donate 15% of that evening's take (was that before or after tax?).
The gray fleckstone-painted CRT monitors in the 4Warn Storm Center. I wonder who did that? I hope it was someone at the station.
The ever-changing logos for KOCO in the 1990s, while 4 and 9 stayed the course with their relatively unerring graphics.
When the dam(n) road at Lake Hefner was two ways with no shoulder. Actually, I understand that it used to be one way (like today) before this; when?
The Lake Hefner water tower with its FAA paint scheme. Lake Draper's retains this scheme, for those of you who wish to reminisce.
The television stations would sign off at night into the early 90s, even when overnight programming was offered by the big three networks.
Before the Thunder...we had the Cavalry! I have an old yearbook with a great ad of a TV production company touting their then-recent commercial featuring Eleanor Kamber and Al Eschbach.

Speaking of the dam road. Does anybody remember the 'ditch' where the
road took a sudden drop for about 50 yards and then went back up? It was on
the east side of the lake. I used to take my MG or the Renault at about 50 mph
and see if I could fly to the bottom without touching the dip. Never got more
than 10 feet.

Does anybody remember the KOCO billboard in the early 60's? It had a cup
of hot chocolate and said KOCO (coco get it?)

I slept through a Cavalry game once. I'm not a basketdull fan. I've tried
to like it but it doesn't compute. It's sooooo slow.

Speaking of the dam road. Does anybody remember the 'ditch' where the road took a sudden drop for about 50 yards and then went back up? It was on the east side of the lake. I used to take my MG or the Renault at about 50 mph and see if I could fly to the bottom without touching the dip. Never got more than 10 feet.I used to go over that section all the time. I kept jumping it faster and faster until...1956 Chevy...I don't remember the speed...smashed everything below the frame to a point level with the frame when it launched straight up and came down on all four wheels at the same time.

I used to go over that section all the time. I kept jumping
it faster and faster until...1956 Chevy...I don't remember the speed...smashed
everything below the frame to a point level with the frame when it launched
straight up and came down on all four wheels at the same time.

OUCH! You were probably going 60mph or better.

I say I would go 50mph. It was more like 35 but like you I'd go faster every
time.

I wonder why I'm still alive?

That '56 looked a lot like the 1955 Chevy used in the movies "American Graffiti" and "Two Lane Blacktop". I remember unintentionally leaving it parked directly in front of the doors of the movie theater where American Graffiti had its first showing in OKC. When I came out of the theater there was a crowd of people standing around my car discussing whether or not it was a movie prop. I was running open headers at that time and when I started the car the loud exhaust noise and flames really frightened a bunch of the people looking at it.

I wonder what happened to that car. Sometimes I wish I had another “shoebox” to play with, even though the new cars (like the Corvette ZR1) are much, much better.

Start Talking about cars....how many guys your age or mine had the exhaust done at V&H Muffler on South robinson?...Then you had to go to Massey's for the incidental things like hub caps or other parts for the car....I had Chrome Reversed wheels on my '63 Impala and they were done at Ramos Chrome plating on S. Walker.....They would take wheels for trade when they were doing wheels for you...they gave like 50 cents per wheel trade-in towards your wheels...I scoured the country side to try and pay on mine being done......What a kid will do to look cool......stil don't know if it worked but I'm still (43 years later) married to the one I was wanting to look cool for.....

Start Talking about cars... how many guys your age
or mine had the exhaust done at V&H Muffler on South Robinson?

Never did because they didn't do bicycles. I really wanted dual exhaust on my
Cutlass but the guy with the money, dad, wouldn't hear of it. I bought a Cherry
Bomb from J.C. Whitney and he had a FIT!

I had a '59 Peugeot. Put about 3,000 holes with a Phillips screwdriver into the
resonator. You could hear it a mile away.

Speaking of the dam road. Does anybody remember the 'ditch' where the road took a sudden drop for about 50 yards and then went back up? It was on the east side of the lake. I used to take my MG or the Renault at about 50 mph and see if I could fly to the bottom without touching the dip. Never got more than 10 feet.
Yep, my aunt (from Lawton) found out about it one night coming back from a wrestling tournament in Cashion on 74. Needless to say we thought it was fun.

I had a 71 Ranchero GT in high school, it had glass packs from the Discount Muffler at 23rd & MacArthur. They had a good, mellow sound.

Yep, my aunt (from Lawton) found out about it one
night coming back from a wrestling tournament in Cashion on 74. Needless to say
we thought it was fun.

I had a 71 Ranchero GT in high school, it had glass packs from the Discount Muffler
at 23rd & MacArthur. They had a good, mellow sound.

Did your Ranchero have a 350cu engine? 4 speed or automatic?

It had a 351(C)-HO with a C6 automatic. In the owners manual the minimum recommended octane was 103 for the H.O., the 351 Boss had a 106 octane rating. I used to use premium leaded from the Fill-Ups station at 39th & Meridian (where the Shell station is now) when premium was around $1.25 a gallon, regular was around 0.75 at the time. It would still ping with a pint of Moroso Octane Booster, it loved it when I would put a quart in there. I spent most of my pay on gas, at 8mpg it didn't go very far while making 3.35 an hour and going to school....but it was fast :evilsmile

Does anyone out there remember going to the downtown bus station just to have your shoes shine? I remember when I was 16-17 years old that was a Saturday night ritual for me and quite a few other guys. I'll never forget the first time...The shoe shiner put on the thick Cordovan and Black wax then poured alcohol on my shoes and struck a match to them. I thought he was "Crazy" and I started yelling . He very calmly had the quick fire out and said "Do you want them to Shine or NOT"? he said all he was doing was melting the wax evenly....Never did I question him again......Boy, those were the days...Starched wheat jeans, Madras Shirt "Shiny" shoes.....Couldn't afford a date after that though...All my money was gone....

Hey everyone, what was the name of the movie theater across from the municipal auditorium (civic center)????

The Centre?

And what was the name of the basement room in the Civic Center? What was the name of the room on the second floor?

Does anyone remember the car shows in the Civic Center? They had the original Batmobile one year.

And what was the name of the basement room in the
Civic Center? What was the name of the room on the second floor?

Does anyone remember the car shows in the Civic Center? They had the original
Batmobile one year.

The car shows were in the Zebra Room. Yeah, they were great. The room on the
second floor is the Hall of Mirrors. I've played many a gig in that room. It's
directly over the doors at the main entrance.

Does anybody remember the basketdull championships, the Harlem Globetrotters
and the circus at the "Municipal Auditorium"? You name it and it happened there.

Does everybody remember the Chevrolet Citation in the Made in Oklahoma
building on the Fairgrounds? There's a plaque that says it's the first car
manufactured in Oklahoma.

What's wrong with that picture? The first one to answer 60 seconds ago wins
the keys to a 2008 Corvette.

Well, the Fred Jones plant kinda beat the Citation by a long shot.

Well, the Fred Jones plant kinda beat the Citation by a long shot.

That's right! The Model T was manufactured. There were some other cars, small
companies, that manufactured cars, too. Cord replicas were manufactured in
Tulsa in the 60's.

The Citation on display on the west wall of the Made In Oklahoma building was the first car built at the (at that time) new GM plant, not the first in Oklahoma.

Not only was the Shrine Circus there in the Municipal Auditorium but don't you remember the cheapest date in town was to take your girlfriend the MDA telethon. Got to see the celebrities and everything for the price of a Coke and a bag of Popcorn........Those were the days. Then the girls also thought you were so sweet to be interested in something like that.......

Does ANYONE out there know or remember who the "GREAT BOLO" was? He was a Saturday night wrestler (Danny Williams WKY-TV). But, who was he really?

Does ANYONE out there know or remember who the "GREAT BOLO" was? He was
a Saturday night wrestler (Danny Williams WKY-TV). But, who was he really?

The Great Bolo was played by two people at different time. Al Lovelady or
something like that, and his partner Mighty Bolo. Mighty became Great after Al
left for More in another wrestling thing.

What were the names of the wrestling factions? Like the WWE?

The Great Bolo was played by two people at different time. Al Lovelady or
something like that, and his partner Mighty Bolo. Mighty became Great after Al
left for More in another wrestling thing.

What were the names of the wrestling factions? Like the WWE?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I remember WWF that Leroy McGuirk was involved in. I just never did get into the wrestling thing other than Saturday night wrestling with Danny Williams. The Great Bolo and Danny Hodge were always on there. Was the Great Bolo from OKC? or where?

Was the Great Bolo from OKC? or where?

Hey! I just found this!

Online World of Wrestling (http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/b/bolos.html)

Hey! I just found this!

Online World of Wrestling (http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/b/bolos.html)
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Yep, you're right....The Great and the mighty Bolo...........

Yep, you're right... The Great and the mighty Bolo...

Were those ski mask they used to wear? Several wrasslers wore them. I think
they were ski masks.

It seems like Bolo had a weapon in his shots. During the match he would take it out and slip it into his mask and then head-butt the other guy to win the match.

Pune picker....i think those were painted up panty hose tops....

I posted a challenge to other southsiders about their most memorable christmas growing up in okc....if you are just reading this thread the challenge is extended to others also....what was your most memorable christmas....include thanksgiving...those are stories that should be shared.....how about the time my mom's dog got on the table and began eating the turkey?????yuk, dog almost died......

We drive by where the Carnation Ice Cream shop used to be on our way home from Church. Loved that spistachio.

I used to walk through the TG&Y just about everyday on my way home from Jefferson Jr High.

I remember the Han's BBQ on NW 10th. I never cared for it...

Hey, the Sears at 23rd and Penn ! The candy counter was on the west side and the aroma of popcorn and chocolate drove us kids crazy, while we would drive our mom crazy. What a great smell :-)

Does anybody know the name of the Ice Cream shop in SE 29th and near the Capitol Hill district ? A date and I found it one night in 1969.

Prunepicker
Wasn't it call Capitol Hill Ice Cream? Was next door to Van's auto supply.

I just discovered this site today and....WOW.

While born in Lawton back in '63, I grew up in OKC and reading these posts really brought back some memories. Attended Lafayette Elementary and lived just off 44th & Western before we moved just a few blocks behind Mayfair while in the first grade. From the 2d grade (Fairview and Highland West) on we lived near 89th & Penn (71-77) and then 119th & Penn (77-82). I joined the Air Force after graduating from Moore High and except for a few trips through the city to visit relatives I've been away ever since.

Needless to say, every time I travel up there (I live in Addison, TX...N. Dallas) it's like a different place.

I remember.........
People: Foreman Scotty, Ho-Ho, Danny Williams, Allen Merrill, Ken(?) Schwartz(SW Ford, was killed in an airliner crash here in DFW, 1985), Linda Soundtrack, Gov. David Hall (met him once), Bill Hare (met him once while touring Channel 9), Count Gregore.

Places: Shotgun Sam's, Crystal's Pizza (worked there for three days, just not my line...we have one over in Irving, TX but it's starting to look pretty ratty), Stars and Stripes Park, Firefighter's Hall of Fame, the OKC zoo, The Natural History Museum, 14 Flags Drive-in, The Winchester Drive-In, TG&Y (worked at the stores at 44th & Western and then 59th & May before going into the military), Crossroads Mall (75-82...before it went down-hill), Shepard Mall (saw King-Kong there in '76), Sears (44th and Western...can still smell the pop corn), Arlen's (right across the street from Sears, I think it's a Target or something now), Shepler's, Camp Kickapoo (Scout Camp), Shakey's Pizza (59th & Western) lunch there and then over to the Park Terrace Theater for a Godzilla flick), the Continental Theater (saw the original "Rocky" there), Kip's Big Boy (59th & Western), Otasco (had a "Flying-O" bike, wore out the Christmas catalog every year, never did get that lime green transistor radio), the YMCA over by US Grant (noticed the campus was being re-built and the cannon was missing), and a lot more....

Last time I was there I found that the old 7-Eleven was a cleaners or something. Back in the 70's I could look down the street from the upstairs TV room and see the red-green-white neon lights of the "old-school" sign, now it's gone.

Anyway, sorry for the dis-jointed rant but it was just too cool to see that so many people remember so much of what was the OKC I remember (ie. the mummy at the Fairgrounds, the National Finals Rodeo, Molly Murphy's (I live just down the street from the Magic Time Machine, always make sure to go before I get there). Just had to vent...Thanks and Best Wishes to all.

If I remember right it was 1987. I worked at San Francisco Music Box for 12 yrs. It was put in when they enclosed the mall. The store closed in May 2003 and had been open for 16 yrs. My manager was there the whole 16 yrs. She took a job at Eskimo Joe's Clothes for 3 yrs and now is teaching Family Consumer Science.

Does anyone out there remember the real snows that we had in the 50's and 60's. I can remember in childhood days some of the most intense snowball fights ever. then someone would pput a rock in one and then the reall fights occured......No one knew how those rocks ended up in the snowballs. I remember building big snowmen...so big we couldn't pick the head up for the top snowball. We recruited everyone moms, dads, brothers...people we didn't even know to help us finish the snowmen. Does anyone else remember that or am I slipping?

Does anyone out there remember the real snows that we had in the 50's and 60's. I can remember in childhood days some of the most intense snowball fights ever. then someone would pput a rock in one and then the reall fights occured......No one knew how those rocks ended up in the snowballs. I remember building big snowmen...so big we couldn't pick the head up for the top snowball. We recruited everyone moms, dads, brothers...people we didn't even know to help us finish the snowmen. Does anyone else remember that or am I slipping? I do, the winter of 67-68. Sw 59 was completely closed down.:053:

I do, the winter of 67-68. Sw 59 was completely closed down.:053:
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Other than white outs in the Rockies, that was undoubtedly one of the worst snow storms I have been in in my life. My father-in-law went looking for my sister-in-law during that storm (dumb) and we ended up spending the night in the Unit Parts Warehouse on S.E. 59th st.......She slept in the TG&Y at 44th/Bryant but, she didn't feel like she shouldcall anyone until the next morning...."Grounded" for one month....that wasn't enough...

Christmas day and NO Snow in sight....remember when you actually got what you dreamed of getting from Santa Claus?...Cub Scout shirt (all the badges weremiraculously sewn on) a Dick Tracy .38 snub nose with holster and writs walkie-Talkie (Never could get that to work).....Asked fora Camera one year, accidentally found it in the closet.....That was cool until Christmas morning and I already knew what I got......Now, I think about my parents (both deceased) and how they struggled financially to make SURE my sister and I got what we asked for.....Love to see them again but....get to see my own children.....Memories are so cool....What did Santa bring you this Year?

I still have what's left of a Dick Tracey snub nose. My daughter threw it at a spider, and broke the cylinder.:kicking: I carried that thing to kindergarten in the shoulder holster. Imagine doing that now. Mattel made good stuff back then.