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Rex Booth

For any non- believers... "The Origin of Rock 'n' Roll - David and Goliath"

Patrick Riley

Rex, interesting topic ...

Where did Rock 'n' Roll come from? Who was the first Rock 'n' Roll artist? What was the first Rock 'n' Roll song?

These are hotly debated questions which will never have definative answers.

If you're interested, here's a very well-done 15-minute YouTube documentary on the subject:

Patrick Riley

FYI on Ann's post on the "KSWS-TV tower fell during an ice storm in Dec. 1960 during a Perry Mason episode."

It's worth noting that this 1,610-foot tower was the world's tallest man-made structure at the time.

John Doyal

My uncles and my dad and I all watched the tower being built.  They had all worked in the oil fields and said when ice formed on the guy wires, it had to be knocked loose to prevent the derreck being pulled down.  Due to the length of the guy wires on the tower, they all predicted it would be pulled down the first time an ice storm hit.  It would have been impossible to tell if ice weighted it down or if the ice made the wires a  big enough wind barrier to get it blown down.

John Landess

All I remember was that the great kid shows were off for a while, and that made my "baby" brother unhappy.

Does anyone remember the earlier afternoon shows in the first days of Roswell TV?? My Mom said that the were old Saturday matinee shorts. 'Tailspin Tommy', 'Radio Patrol', 'Buck Rogers', etc...

Of course later, we had Sky King, Cisco, and the Lone Ranger...... and THEN Annette and the Mousketeers!

Fred Miller

Saturday mornings at the Chief theater.  Anybody remember Rocky Lane and his horse Black Jack...

Rex Booth

I remember "Belle Starr" at the Chief Theatre one Saturday afternoon. You could watch serveral movies all day for two bits!

Randolph Scott was one of my heros. And Gene Tierney had the prettiest blue eyes.

John Doyal

John L. When my family moved to town in 1952 neighbor kids told me they watched Roy Rogers and Wild Bill Hickock on TV.  I had never heard of tv so was invited over to watch.  Saw Gene Autry, Cisco Kid, Lone Ranger, and Superman also after that  Remember going to Chief, Yucca and Plains on Saturdays where admission varied from 10-25 cents and cokes,candy, and popcorn were 10 cents and every show had a cartoon first with news also.  One of the shows I remember was Francis the talking mule.

Fred Miller

Another Sat. morning favorite.  Lash LaRue.  To me, the way he wore his hat, it always looked like it was about to fall off...

Rex Booth

Fred, 

Well I'll be...!  Looks like we had another western star in common!

Lash LaRue with his whip could 'out draw' any man. His whip was so fast it yanked the gun from a bad man's hand!!

A. A. 'Andy' Robles

Fred Miller

Want to relive those Saturday matinees of your childhood?

The majority of the old westerns we were talking about above are on YouTube.  I just saw over 60 Rocky Lane movies.  And about 30 or more of Lash LaRue.  And of course Roy Roger's and Gene Autrey are in the mix.  

And the sidekicks...Gabby Hayes...Smiley Burnette...Andy Devine...Fuzzy St. John...etc.

Rex Booth

Andy,

That must have been quite a thrill seeing Lash LaRue perform his bullwhip tricks on stage at the Yucca!! 

One of my all-time western fav's was William Boyd aka 'Hopalong Cassidy'. Hopalong rode a beautiful white horse named 'Topper'! 

Patrick Riley

I too saw Lash LaRue on stage at the Yucca Theatre.

My most vivid memory was Lash LaRue asking for an audience volunteer to have an unlit cigarette bullwhipped from his lips. Unfortunately, Lash was a little off his game that afternoon and his whip hit the volunteer on his cheek ... the cigarette did, as promised, quickly leave the audience participant's lips!

FYI ... I understand bullwhips "crack" because their leather tip breaks the sound barrier (exceeds the speed of sound).

As I recall, KSWS TV came on the air at about 4:00 pm (shortly after we got home from grade school). I remember watching the old serials originally made for movie theatres. Two I particularly recall were "Flash Gordon" (and Ming the Merciless) and "Don Winslow of the Navy", a World War II era creation. Don's adversaries were the Japanese (evil Japs in those days). Most of the villain roles seemed to have been portrayed by Hispanics ... because all the Japanese were in internment camps maybe ... I'm not sure?

Rex Booth

Yes Pat, 

Don Winslow of the Navy had a good following. Another comic strip which began during the same period in 1935 was called "Terry & The Pirates". Terry's most formidable villan enemy was the "Dragon Lady"! The movie was made in 1940 and the series continued through to the early 1980's.  As a kid, I recall seeing the comic strip "Terry & The Pirates" in the Sunday morning edition of the Roswell Daily Record. 

Couldn't wait to open the paper!!

Bill Leggett

Rex Booth

Ladies!

We Gents would like to hear from you about your childhood favorite... movie star, and/or comic strip heroine!!

A. A. 'Andy' Robles

Sherry Hester (Trasp)

I loved the Lone Ranger and Tonto!! 
Gone with the Wind, Dumbo
the flying Elephant and Jungle Book!!



 

John Doyal

How many thought they would be talking on a phone stuck in their ear?  The Dick Tracy wrist radio was not even in my wildest dream a possibility, but now officers can talk and also take pictures on equipment of that size.  I liked Beetle Bailey growing up but after serving in the army I found many of the cartoons were even funnier because they referred to inside jokes only someone who had been there would recognize.

Rex Booth

John D.

How’s the Dick Tracy “two-way wrist radio” working out for you?  Believe it's called an Apple watch now...  

Bill Leggett

REX JUST A LITT HUMOR

Rex Booth

Andy,

Some interesting trivia about "Little Beaver". Remember Robert Blake who starred as Beretta?  Robert Blake was also a child actor playing a Native American boy, "Little Beaver" in the Red Ryder western series from 1944 -1947.

Robert Blake also starred as Mickey in "Our Gang (The Little Rascals)"  He appeared in the series from 1939 - 1944. 

Sherry Hester (Trasp)

I'm just sitting here laughing  to myself! How funny and
fun it is reading all these messages reminiscing on the
past from us either 80 or soon to be 80 years old. 
Now I know what the old people of today do. 
What did they do before we had these fangdangled gadgets!!

Love It!!

"Thank's for the Memories"
Sherry

Rex Booth

Sherry,  you are spot on!

Was there life before: Mobile phones, email, pagers, fax machines, MTV, etcetera... ?

How many of us today write a letter and mail to someone?