King Norman's Kingdom of Toys

 Before the invention of the Toys R Us super-store, there were a lot, and I mean a lot, of smaller family owned local toy stores.  You could usually find them at the greatest of all1950s inventions, the local shopping mall.  My favorite was King Norman's Kingdom Of Toys at the Westlake Shopping Center in Daly City. 

Fun stuff I remember buying there include Adams Novelties (fake barf; 'disappearing' ink; the whoopie cushion; etc.), Beatles Cards, Hot Wheels Cars, my GI Joe and all his gear.  There were "Ugly Stickers"  that were the absolute rage for a while in the mid 60s -- Long before Garbage Pail Kids and PokeMon.  There were little green army men and all sorts of games like "Time Bomb," "Operation" and "Twister."  And one of my favorites was a Munsters-themed "Colorforms" toy.

King Norman's sponsored a Mattel Toys "Hot Wheels" demonstration one Saturday that I was determined to see.  Unfortunately, Like most 8 year-olds, the concept of time was still new to me.  I walked all the way down Southgate Avenue only to see the Mattel people putting the tracks and cars away in truck.  Although disappointed, I still got to spend some time in the toy store!

The King himself was actually Norman Rosenberg, a navy man who settled in San Francisco after World War II.  His first store was on Clement Street in San Francisco where he worked the counter with his wife and business partner, Doris.  By the 1970s, they had 21 stores. From 1954 to 1961 King Norman even had a Saurday morning kids show on KGO - TV, that I don't remember ever seeing.  But for me, the King Norman's toy store in Westlake was like a wonderland.

Most, if not all of the stores are gone now, but Mr. Rosenberg is still alive to the best of my knowledge, retired in his 80s and living in the South Bay.  His wife, Doris, a native San Franciscan and a big force behind their business enterprises, passed away in January 2008. 

"Santa Claus Conquers The Martians" - The BEST Christmas Movie Ever!

Yes, I know The holidays are months behind us now.  But, I just saw this item for sale and had to publish a picture of it since I mentioned it in my previous post.  I got this toy for Christmas around 1965 and loved the fact that the Air-Blaster was featured in one of the most idiotic Christmas movies ever made.  "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" will delight you with horrendous props, makeup, sets, and acting..............  And the most prominent prop was the awesome Whamo-Air blaster! 

And check out this must-read article for more on the movie,  by following this link to The New York Daily News:  "Fandango Crowns Worst X-Mas Movie Ever"

BTW, also found a picture of the great "Six Finger Spy Toy."  I love the "HELP!" projectile... Enjoy! 

What the hell happened to the Drive-In Movie Theater?

I'm lucky, I guess. While most of the younger generation is  fighting Angry Birds on their Smart phone, I reminisce for the days when you waited all week to hang with your friends, or that special person, at the Drive in Movie theater.  By the way, I've never once encountered a live angry bird in real life......  On the other hand ---

For me, I have great memories of the Drive-in - I used to buy beer and then spend the next four hours watching a double feature horor flick at either the Burlingame or Redwood drive-in here on the Peninsula.  Both are gone now, and I've had cause to remember, because in both of these specific theaters, they were torn down very long ago, but the public and the politicians are still fighting over the land they once occupied.  Still vacant land.  Remember the intermission advertisements?  I loved the eerie "Keep Building!" ad for the Winchester Mystery house at the Burlingame

 The photo above is the Bair Island Road, Marina Shores area in 1961 before there was anything there....  EXCEPT for the drive in movie theater!  In the late 60s, there were over 200 Drive-ins in California.  Today less than 20.  I guess we need more vacant land and empty office buildings!

Besides Burlingame and the Redwood, there was..... The Geneva in Daly City, The Capitol in San Jose, The Union City Drive-in, The Solono in Concord, & The Oakland Coliseum Drive-in. Were there others?

We could use a few more Drive-In's.  I don't know of a single Drive-in still operating in the Bay Area.  But let's think about it..... How many 30 year marrieges and friendships have been lost because of that?

If you have Pictures or memories of Bay Drive-Ins, please comment or email me at BayBoomerBlog@gmail.com. 

Good Life in Boom Times!

This blog is about memories of fun times in years past.... Specifically what it was like growing up in the Post-War hey-day of the Baby-boom Generation.  If you're looking for a place to rant and rave about The Summer of Love or the Occupy Movement - You're in the wrong place. 

The fun things I want to talk about are not controversial, and maybe aren't so common anymore. 1960s Toys; Things like Locally-produced Children's TV shows; Bowling Alleys right down the street; Riding your bike to school and playing in the street all day; Going to birthday parties with you friends in the neighborhood; Finding your dad's Stag Magazines; Visiting cheesy roadside attractions on the weekend because your parents didn't have the money for a real vacation; CB Radio......  It's a long list and I hope all of you readers out there will provide me with your ideas for future columns.

So, here we go!  And to be serious for just one moment, this blog is dedicated to our great friend  Roger J. McNamara 1959-1990.... The talented young man who always knew of somewhere we could buy beer despite the fact that we were only 16 year-old high school students.