Plus, meet the man behind an astonishing World's Fair collection; a gorgeous Route 66 sign will get restored; a vanished California drive-in will be rebuilt; and more headlines from the American road.
Talk about Retro! Here are some comments I just made at the "Marginal Revolution" blog:
Mark Bahner
2023-04-25 12:40:30
When I was maybe 8 years old, McDonald's were all strictly "drive-in" places. There were no tables for eating inside any McDonald's and people would typically eat in cars in the parking lot.
One time, my dad was ordering, and my mom and us kids and our dog were in our station wagon. Then, someone in a car right next to ours opened the driver's side window and just threw a bag filled with cups and wrappers onto the sidewalk. This was even though, as I remember it, a trash can was in plain view of this car, less than 30 feet away.
So I got out of our station wagon, walked over and picked up the bag, and knocked on the window. The driver rolled down the window, and cigarette smoke poured out as he and his girlfriend sat there. I remember he had facial hair...a mustache and perhaps a two-day growth on his chin. I said, "You dropped this."
He said, in a very surly voice, "So?"
I'm not sure I said anything about the trash can right next to his car. I think I may have. Or I may have just shrugged. But either way, I ended up putting the bag in the trash can myself. I definitely remember thinking something to the effect of, "You're eight, and do you really want to get assaulted in this parking lot over this?"
I'm virtually certain that McDonald's littering confrontation occurred in the summer of '67, at the McDonald's on 439 Bridgeport Ave., in Milford, CT. And now that I realize it was probably '67, I realize I would have been 9 years old, rather than 8 years old. I'd love to see a photo of the *original* place...the one without eat-in dining. It would be very interesting to see if my memory of it is correct. I remember as absolutely no grass....just a parking lot with a curbed walkway in the middle. Those were the days! ;-)
Thank you Mark for this wonderful comment! I have not found a photo of this location pre-mansard but surely it was like so many of that era! I’ll respond here if one turns up.
Yes, your description is basically what I remember:
"The original structure, likely a slanted red-and-white building flanked by arches,..."
The yellow arches were on each side, and I remember the building as being red-and-white small, shiny, ceramic tiles. The could have been a small as 1.5 inches on a side...or maybe they were as large as approximately 4 inches on a side.
If my memory is correct, the building was essentially at the back of the lot, as far from the street as possible. It had a parking lot with a curbed sidewalk in the middle, where the trash can(s) were. Absolutely no grass! (That would have been too "primitive." ;-))
It would be *very* interesting to me to see photos of the actual structure and parking lot. There was a movie starring Robin Williams ("The Final Cut") wherein I think every person has a first-person camera that records their whole life. I would be very interested to have one of those! It would be very interesting in particular to see that guy again. I remember the facial hair, and I think he had long hair in general. But maybe my memory is way off. I do remember my emotion, which continues to this day: I was angry and disgusted, because it would have been so easy to just get out of the car and put the trash in the can. It was like that famous commercial of the Indian (Native American!) parodied in Wayne's World. Here's the actual original:
That Crying Indian commercial is actually narrated by William Conrad. William Conrad starred as the fat man in the TV series, "Jake and the Fatman," and Cannon TV series of the same name.
But the way *my* family remembers and loves him best as Marshall Matt Dillon in the *radio* show, "Gunsmoke." (He was too heavy to star in the TV series, so they got James Arness instead...and "the rest is history," as they say.) Anyway, William Conrad was absolutely sensational as the voice of Matt Dillon. I think every show started with William Conrad's voice, saying something like:
"I'm Matt Dillon, United States Marshall. The first man they look for, and the last they want to meet. It's a chancy job, and it makes a man watchful. And a little lonely."
As I recall, he had a beautiful pause before that last line.
Best wishes,
Mark
P.S. Oh, oh, oh! I see from Wikipedia that William Conrad narrated the Rocky and Bullwinkle series from 1959 to 1964. As kids, my brother, sister and me probably saw only re-runs....but that was a classic show. The "Fractured Fairy Tales" was sensational...in which they told the standard fairy tales with clever and funny twists. And then the main show starred the wonderful character (presumably Soviet) Boris Badenov, and his love interest (wife?) Natasha Fatale:
Note: In that narration, Robert Conrad's voice is *much* higher than when he was Marshal Matt Dillon! When he was Matt Dillon, his voice was wonderfully deep and gravelly.:
Hi,
Talk about Retro! Here are some comments I just made at the "Marginal Revolution" blog:
Mark Bahner
2023-04-25 12:40:30
When I was maybe 8 years old, McDonald's were all strictly "drive-in" places. There were no tables for eating inside any McDonald's and people would typically eat in cars in the parking lot.
One time, my dad was ordering, and my mom and us kids and our dog were in our station wagon. Then, someone in a car right next to ours opened the driver's side window and just threw a bag filled with cups and wrappers onto the sidewalk. This was even though, as I remember it, a trash can was in plain view of this car, less than 30 feet away.
So I got out of our station wagon, walked over and picked up the bag, and knocked on the window. The driver rolled down the window, and cigarette smoke poured out as he and his girlfriend sat there. I remember he had facial hair...a mustache and perhaps a two-day growth on his chin. I said, "You dropped this."
He said, in a very surly voice, "So?"
I'm not sure I said anything about the trash can right next to his car. I think I may have. Or I may have just shrugged. But either way, I ended up putting the bag in the trash can myself. I definitely remember thinking something to the effect of, "You're eight, and do you really want to get assaulted in this parking lot over this?"
https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2023/04/a-few-random-tucker-carlson-thoughts.html
I'm virtually certain that McDonald's littering confrontation occurred in the summer of '67, at the McDonald's on 439 Bridgeport Ave., in Milford, CT. And now that I realize it was probably '67, I realize I would have been 9 years old, rather than 8 years old. I'd love to see a photo of the *original* place...the one without eat-in dining. It would be very interesting to see if my memory of it is correct. I remember as absolutely no grass....just a parking lot with a curbed walkway in the middle. Those were the days! ;-)
Best wishes,
Mark Bahner
Thank you Mark for this wonderful comment! I have not found a photo of this location pre-mansard but surely it was like so many of that era! I’ll respond here if one turns up.
Hi Rolando,
Yes, your description is basically what I remember:
"The original structure, likely a slanted red-and-white building flanked by arches,..."
The yellow arches were on each side, and I remember the building as being red-and-white small, shiny, ceramic tiles. The could have been a small as 1.5 inches on a side...or maybe they were as large as approximately 4 inches on a side.
If my memory is correct, the building was essentially at the back of the lot, as far from the street as possible. It had a parking lot with a curbed sidewalk in the middle, where the trash can(s) were. Absolutely no grass! (That would have been too "primitive." ;-))
It would be *very* interesting to me to see photos of the actual structure and parking lot. There was a movie starring Robin Williams ("The Final Cut") wherein I think every person has a first-person camera that records their whole life. I would be very interested to have one of those! It would be very interesting in particular to see that guy again. I remember the facial hair, and I think he had long hair in general. But maybe my memory is way off. I do remember my emotion, which continues to this day: I was angry and disgusted, because it would have been so easy to just get out of the car and put the trash in the can. It was like that famous commercial of the Indian (Native American!) parodied in Wayne's World. Here's the actual original:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7OHG7tHrNM
In the Young White Boy version of the commercial that I star in, the boy shakes his fist at the car.
Hi Rolando,
Stop me if I'm boring you. ;-)
That Crying Indian commercial is actually narrated by William Conrad. William Conrad starred as the fat man in the TV series, "Jake and the Fatman," and Cannon TV series of the same name.
But the way *my* family remembers and loves him best as Marshall Matt Dillon in the *radio* show, "Gunsmoke." (He was too heavy to star in the TV series, so they got James Arness instead...and "the rest is history," as they say.) Anyway, William Conrad was absolutely sensational as the voice of Matt Dillon. I think every show started with William Conrad's voice, saying something like:
"I'm Matt Dillon, United States Marshall. The first man they look for, and the last they want to meet. It's a chancy job, and it makes a man watchful. And a little lonely."
As I recall, he had a beautiful pause before that last line.
Best wishes,
Mark
P.S. Oh, oh, oh! I see from Wikipedia that William Conrad narrated the Rocky and Bullwinkle series from 1959 to 1964. As kids, my brother, sister and me probably saw only re-runs....but that was a classic show. The "Fractured Fairy Tales" was sensational...in which they told the standard fairy tales with clever and funny twists. And then the main show starred the wonderful character (presumably Soviet) Boris Badenov, and his love interest (wife?) Natasha Fatale:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4txmBNCAXg8
Note: In that narration, Robert Conrad's voice is *much* higher than when he was Marshal Matt Dillon! When he was Matt Dillon, his voice was wonderfully deep and gravelly.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYVp7MNHizQ&list=PLvu2oOrWFl_NuIqDgQQoIHzcx_jPlZUUy&index=459