The annual East Rome-West Rome football game generated more than the usual excitement in 1965, because this game would determine not merely Rome bragging rights, but also the sub-region championship. West Rome went into the game with a 2-1 record within the sub-region, while East Rome had a 1-1-1 record. West Rome could clinch the title by winning or tying the game, while East Rome had to secure a win to become a sub-region champ. Coach Paul Kennedy was cautiously optimistic. “East Rome’s always tough when the play us,” Coach Kennedy said. “Considering what’s at stake, I believe East Rome will give us all we can handle, but I think we're up to it.” The combination of a cross-town rivalry and a sub-region championship on the line led to increased ticket sales, with more than 6000 people buying tickets for the game, which was officially sold out by Thursday afternoon.
If Coach Kennedy was at all concerned about the game’s outcome, he shouldn’t have been: West Rome won 33-0, scoring three touchdowns on the ground and two through the air. It was the biggest winning point-spread in East-West history, and it secured the Region 3-AA South championship for the Chieftains.
West Rome’s Distributive Education program was spotlighted in the Rome News-Tribune. Nineteen Chieftains were enrolled in DE, a work-related program that allowed students to get class credit for on-the-job experience in a distributive business (which included retail sales). To stay in the program, students had to work between 15 and 35 hours a week. The average student enrolled in the program would earn $500 during the nine-month period, and many of them earned significantly more by continuing to work at the same job during the summer. (Distributive Education began as a “girls only” program in 1945 when Rome still had a Girls High; when Girls High and Boys High merged in 1951 the program was expanded to include boys and girls.)
The Rome Auto Show was held in the Central Plaza Shopping Center parking lot on Sunday, November 7th, with the newest models from Ford, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Chrysler, Valiant, Imperial, Rambler, Buck, Pontiac, Dodge, Lancer, Volkswagen, and Lincoln-Mercury all on display—and they were all available through Rome auto dealers, so you’d never have to leave Rome to buy the car of your dreams once you discovered it at the auto show! In fact, Volkswagen was promoting their show special: they offered a 1966 VW Beetle for $1722.72 including all taxes and fees—and it included a radio!
Barth’s Sport and Hobby Shop advertised its expansion this week in 1965. The store, located on North 5th Avenue, carried model kits, balsa planes, Tonka toys, Lincoln Logs, and sporting goods. Considering my obsession with airplane models, I’m not sure how I never knew about this store when I was a kid; I was a Revell and Monogram model addict, with a particular interest in WW2 airplanes, and regularly raided Murphy’s, Redford’s, and Super-Discount store looking for new kits. I suspect my parents were keeping this store a secret from me…
Piggly Wiggly had pork chops for 53¢ a pound, JFG instant coffee for 99¢, and Shurfine cream corn for 16¢ a can. Kroger had sirloin steak for 95¢ a pound, Maxwell House coffee for 59¢ a loud, and bananas for 12¢ a pound. Big Apple had whole fryers for a quarter a pound, yams for 12¢ a pound, and a 2-pound jar of Lennox Park peanut butter for 69¢. A&P had stew beef for a quarter a pound, a twenty-pound bag of potatoes for 95¢, and Merita bread for 19¢ a loaf. Couch’s had chuck roast for 37¢ a pound, large eggs for 49¢ a dozen, and grapefruit for a nickel each.
The cinematic week began with The Hallelujah Trail (with Burt Lancaster & Lee Remick) at the DeSoto Theater and Beach Ball (with Edd Byrnes) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Cincinnati Kid (with Steve McQueen & Ann-Margret) to the DeSoto and Darling (with Laurence Harvey & Julie Christie) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In offered a weekend double feature of Witchcraft (starring Lon Chaney Jr. in one of his final acting roles) and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (with Annette Funicello & Dwayne Hickman). Considering how incredibly different those two films are, you have to wonder who selected the lineup for these double features!…
The Rolling Stones held on to the number one slot for the second week in a row with “Get Off Of My Cloud.” Other top ten hits for the week included “A Lover’s Concerto” by the Toys (#2); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#3); “You’re the One” by the Vogues (#4); “I Hear a Symphony” by the Supremes (#5); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#6); “Everybody Loves a Clown” by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#7); “Let’s Hang On” by the Four Seasons (#8); “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#9); and “Ain’t That Peculiar?” by Marvin Gaye (#10).
And it was a great week for albums, too: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ Going to a Go-Go (the first album to include a separate credit line for Smokey Robinson) and The Temptations’ The Tempting Temptations were both released this week in 1965. This was also the week that the Who released their iconic single “My Generation,” although it wouldn’t chart for a while yet.
Everyone thinks of comics as being superhero adventures, but the comics rack was quite diverse this week in 1965: you could choose from Army War Heroes, Black Fury (a comic about a horse that roamed the West righting wrongs), Career Girl Romances, Cheyenne Kid, Fightin’ Marines, Fightin’ Navy, Gunmaster, Hot Rod Racers, Just Married, Old Yeller, Teen Confessions, Teenage Hotrodders, Tippy Teen, and Zorro, as well as at least a half-dozen different Archie titles—and that was just a sampling of the non-superhero books published this week in 1965!
Friday, October 30, 2015
Friday, October 23, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/25/1965 to 10/31/1965
Just imagine if all these planned interstates had come to fruition: the Rome-Floyd County Chamber of Commerce announced that talks were underway to construct an I-20 extension that would connect Atlanta, Rome, and Huntsville. Like every other direct interstate connection planned for Rome, this also got tabled before the first shovelful of dirt was turned…
The era of mandatory auto inspections was almost upon us this week in 1965: As of November 1st, all cars had to be inspected, and the government was warning people that there would be no extensions. Almost a half a million vehicles remained uninspected, according to Trooper FG Lankford, who said, “After October 31st, state troopers will make cases avians the operator of any vehicle that does not display the safety inspection sticker.” (They also estimated that there was no way the few Rome area inspection stations could possibly inspect all the area vehicles before the deadline…)
Mrs. Virginia Turpin of the Floyd County Selective Service office confirmed that changes to the draft law meant that married men without dependent children could now be drafted—a change from the prior status, which offered exemptions to all married men. Mrs. Turpin said that there were no plans to begin drafting married men from Rome or Floyd County yet, but she said that the draft board would begin calling married men to report for physicals in preparation for a potential escalation of the draft. There were probably a number of recent West Rome graduates who were getting a little be nervous with all this talk of draft escalation…
Rome announced that trick or treating would be scheduled for Saturday night, October 30th, to avoid any conflict with church activities. The Rome police department also reminded everyone that trick or treating was intended for children twelve years of age or less, and that no vandalism would be tolerated. (I didn’t remember any suggested age limits for trick or treating, although I’m pretty sure I gave it up in 1965, the year that I turned twelve… was that because I felt like I was too old for it, or because my parents saw the suggestion in the newspaper and steered me away from it? Of course, the upside was my taking over trick-or-treat candy distribution at my house, which meant that I made sure to save some of the best candy for myself!)
West Rome got its first taste of winter this week in 1965 when the temperature dropped to an unexpected 26 degrees on the morning of October 25th—but it wasn’t a record low, since October 25, 1962, also saw a 26 degree low.
The Chieftains football team had the week off to prepare for the next week’s big East Vs. West game.
Jo Anne Cook, a West Rome 9th Grader, was selected as a finalist in the Teen Magazine WAIFer of the Year Contest. The winner of the contest would meet actress Jane Russell, Princess Margaret, and the Earl of Snowdon, at a Hollywood ball sponsored by WAIF-ISS. (WAIF, a division of International Social Services, was a service group with clubs in all fifty states.) Jo Anne said she entered the contest after seeing the advertising in Teen Magazine; she hoped to get a WAIF club started in Rome.
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, a three-pound bag of red delicious apples for 33¢, and a one-pound can of Maxwell House coffee for 66¢. Big Apple had ground chuck for 59¢ a pound, Spam for 49¢ a can, and Irvindale ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had Swiss steak for 69¢ a pound, Starkist tuna for 29¢ a can, and a quart of Blue Plate mayonnaise for 59¢. A&P had rib steaks for 85¢ a pound, Florida oranges for a dime a pound, and a three-pound can of Fluffo shortening (I ain’t making this stuff up!) for 85¢. Couch’s had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, turnip greens for 8¢ a pound, and Green Giant creamed corn for 15¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with The Ipcress File (with Michael Caine) at the DeSoto and War Gods of the Deep (with Vincent Price) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Hallelujah Trail (with Burt Lancaster) to the DeSoto and Ship of Fools (with Vivien Leigh & Lee Marvin) to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In’s weekend offering included a double feature of The TAMI Show (a rock music anthology film) and Girls of the Beach (with Noreen Corcoran).
The Rolling Stones knocked the Beatles out of first place as “Get Off of My Cloud” climbed to number one this week in 1965. Other top ten hits included “A Lover’s Concerto” by the Toys (#2); “Yesterday” by the Beatles (#3); “Everybody Loves a Clown” by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#4); “Keep on Dancing” by the Gentrys (#5); “You’re the One” by the Vogues (#6); “Positively 4th Street” by Bob Dylan (#7); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#8); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#9); and “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#10).
The Beatles became the first popular musicians to be appointed Members of the British Empire this week in 1965.
The era of mandatory auto inspections was almost upon us this week in 1965: As of November 1st, all cars had to be inspected, and the government was warning people that there would be no extensions. Almost a half a million vehicles remained uninspected, according to Trooper FG Lankford, who said, “After October 31st, state troopers will make cases avians the operator of any vehicle that does not display the safety inspection sticker.” (They also estimated that there was no way the few Rome area inspection stations could possibly inspect all the area vehicles before the deadline…)
Mrs. Virginia Turpin of the Floyd County Selective Service office confirmed that changes to the draft law meant that married men without dependent children could now be drafted—a change from the prior status, which offered exemptions to all married men. Mrs. Turpin said that there were no plans to begin drafting married men from Rome or Floyd County yet, but she said that the draft board would begin calling married men to report for physicals in preparation for a potential escalation of the draft. There were probably a number of recent West Rome graduates who were getting a little be nervous with all this talk of draft escalation…
Rome announced that trick or treating would be scheduled for Saturday night, October 30th, to avoid any conflict with church activities. The Rome police department also reminded everyone that trick or treating was intended for children twelve years of age or less, and that no vandalism would be tolerated. (I didn’t remember any suggested age limits for trick or treating, although I’m pretty sure I gave it up in 1965, the year that I turned twelve… was that because I felt like I was too old for it, or because my parents saw the suggestion in the newspaper and steered me away from it? Of course, the upside was my taking over trick-or-treat candy distribution at my house, which meant that I made sure to save some of the best candy for myself!)
West Rome got its first taste of winter this week in 1965 when the temperature dropped to an unexpected 26 degrees on the morning of October 25th—but it wasn’t a record low, since October 25, 1962, also saw a 26 degree low.
The Chieftains football team had the week off to prepare for the next week’s big East Vs. West game.
Jo Anne Cook, a West Rome 9th Grader, was selected as a finalist in the Teen Magazine WAIFer of the Year Contest. The winner of the contest would meet actress Jane Russell, Princess Margaret, and the Earl of Snowdon, at a Hollywood ball sponsored by WAIF-ISS. (WAIF, a division of International Social Services, was a service group with clubs in all fifty states.) Jo Anne said she entered the contest after seeing the advertising in Teen Magazine; she hoped to get a WAIF club started in Rome.
Piggly Wiggly had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, a three-pound bag of red delicious apples for 33¢, and a one-pound can of Maxwell House coffee for 66¢. Big Apple had ground chuck for 59¢ a pound, Spam for 49¢ a can, and Irvindale ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon. Kroger had Swiss steak for 69¢ a pound, Starkist tuna for 29¢ a can, and a quart of Blue Plate mayonnaise for 59¢. A&P had rib steaks for 85¢ a pound, Florida oranges for a dime a pound, and a three-pound can of Fluffo shortening (I ain’t making this stuff up!) for 85¢. Couch’s had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, turnip greens for 8¢ a pound, and Green Giant creamed corn for 15¢ a can.
The cinematic week began with The Ipcress File (with Michael Caine) at the DeSoto and War Gods of the Deep (with Vincent Price) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Hallelujah Trail (with Burt Lancaster) to the DeSoto and Ship of Fools (with Vivien Leigh & Lee Marvin) to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In’s weekend offering included a double feature of The TAMI Show (a rock music anthology film) and Girls of the Beach (with Noreen Corcoran).
The Rolling Stones knocked the Beatles out of first place as “Get Off of My Cloud” climbed to number one this week in 1965. Other top ten hits included “A Lover’s Concerto” by the Toys (#2); “Yesterday” by the Beatles (#3); “Everybody Loves a Clown” by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#4); “Keep on Dancing” by the Gentrys (#5); “You’re the One” by the Vogues (#6); “Positively 4th Street” by Bob Dylan (#7); “1-2-3” by Len Barry (#8); “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass (#9); and “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (#10).
The Beatles became the first popular musicians to be appointed Members of the British Empire this week in 1965.
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/18/1965 to 10/24/1965
West Rome took on the Rossville Bulldogs in an away game on Friday, October 22nd; the Chieftains lost 27-14--but considering how every prognosticator in Georgia had foreseen a total shutout for the Chiefs, they did pretty well. Coach Paul Kennedy described it as West Rome's "finest effort of the season against the finest team the Chieftains have ever played."
The West Rome Senior Hi-Y and the West Rome Senior Tri-Hi-Y won first place in the Rome-Floyd County Inter-Club Council competition
The sophomore class, under the guidance of sponsor Mrs. H.C. Brewer, elected its officers this week in 1965, including Mike Grass, president; April Garrison, vice-president; Layne Lucas, secretary; and Marie Edwards, treasurer.
The Future Teachers of America, sponsored by Mrs. Lucille Smiderski, elected officers for the 1965-1966 school year; the slate of officers included Ann Finley, President; Beth King, vice-president; Brenda Stover, secretary-treasurer; Mac Dewain Sandlin, historian.
The Library Club, sponsored by Miss Martha Hurst, elected its officers for 1965-1966, including Sandra Addington, president; April Garrison, vice-president; Layne Lucas, secretary; and Marie Edwards, treasurer.
The West Rome National Junior Honor Society presented the school library with 22 quality framed reproductions of famous masterpieces by Rembrandt, daVinci, and others; according to WRNJHS sponsor Lucille Smiderski, the program was created to develop art appreciation among the students.
West Rome yearbooks went on sale this week in 1965; the preorder price for a yearbook was $10 (a bargain now, but a pretty hefty sum in 1965!).
Spanish style furniture was all the rage in 1966, and Maxwell Brothers was fully stocked! You could have a bedroom suite (with a dresser, mirror, chest, and bed frame) for only $399, all featuring "grille moulding and intricate details that capture the look of distinction that's so definitely Spanish!" For only $29 more, you could add a matching framed matador print to hang over the bed!
Piggly Wiggly had a 16-ounce jar of Jif peanut butter for 39¢, Lady Alice ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon, and leg o' lamb for 69¢ a pound. Big Apple had a one-pound can of Maxwell House coffee for 69¢, baking hens for 33¢ a pound, and Libby pork & beans for a dime a can. Kroger had round steak for 79¢ a pound, cabbage for 15¢ a head and a quart of Kraft's mayonnaise for 47¢. A&P had yams for a nickel a pound, pork roast for 39¢ a pound, and a dozen oranges for 59¢. Couch's had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, grapefruit for 8¢ each, and a 24-ounce can of Castleberry's beef stew for 49¢.
The cinematic week began with A Rage to Live (with Suzanne Pleshette) at the DeSoto and The Reward (with Max Von Sydow) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Ipcress File (with Michael Caine) to the DeSoto, The Secret of My Success (with Stella Stevens) to the First Avenue, and a double feature of Desire Under the Elms (with Sophia Loren & Anthony Perkins) and Moll Flanders (with Kim Novak) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles continued to hold the number one slot with Paul McCartney's "Yesterday." Other top ten songs included "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#2); "Get Off of My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones (#3); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#4); "Everybody Loves a Clown" by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#5); "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#6); "You're the One" by the Vogues (#7); "Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan (#8); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#9); and "1-2-3" by Len Barry (#10).
It was a big week for new albums, too: among those album debuting this week in 1965 were Fairytale by Donovan; Going Places by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass; Mann Made by Manfred Mann; My Name is Barbra, Two by Barbra Streisand; the eponymous Paul Butterfield Blues Band; and Burl Ives' Christmas classic Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.
Two of DC Comics' most famous female superheroes, Supergirl and Wonder Woman, teamed up in Brave & Bold #63, on sale this week in 1965. Considering how few female superheroes there were in comics at this time, a team-up of this sort was noteworthy indeed; alas, it wasn't illustrated by Ross Andru & Mike Esposito (the Wonder Woman art team) or by Jim Mooney (the Supergirl artist), so it was a bit of a disappointment for fans of either character.
The West Rome Senior Hi-Y and the West Rome Senior Tri-Hi-Y won first place in the Rome-Floyd County Inter-Club Council competition
The sophomore class, under the guidance of sponsor Mrs. H.C. Brewer, elected its officers this week in 1965, including Mike Grass, president; April Garrison, vice-president; Layne Lucas, secretary; and Marie Edwards, treasurer.
The Future Teachers of America, sponsored by Mrs. Lucille Smiderski, elected officers for the 1965-1966 school year; the slate of officers included Ann Finley, President; Beth King, vice-president; Brenda Stover, secretary-treasurer; Mac Dewain Sandlin, historian.
The Library Club, sponsored by Miss Martha Hurst, elected its officers for 1965-1966, including Sandra Addington, president; April Garrison, vice-president; Layne Lucas, secretary; and Marie Edwards, treasurer.
The West Rome National Junior Honor Society presented the school library with 22 quality framed reproductions of famous masterpieces by Rembrandt, daVinci, and others; according to WRNJHS sponsor Lucille Smiderski, the program was created to develop art appreciation among the students.
West Rome yearbooks went on sale this week in 1965; the preorder price for a yearbook was $10 (a bargain now, but a pretty hefty sum in 1965!).
Spanish style furniture was all the rage in 1966, and Maxwell Brothers was fully stocked! You could have a bedroom suite (with a dresser, mirror, chest, and bed frame) for only $399, all featuring "grille moulding and intricate details that capture the look of distinction that's so definitely Spanish!" For only $29 more, you could add a matching framed matador print to hang over the bed!
Piggly Wiggly had a 16-ounce jar of Jif peanut butter for 39¢, Lady Alice ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon, and leg o' lamb for 69¢ a pound. Big Apple had a one-pound can of Maxwell House coffee for 69¢, baking hens for 33¢ a pound, and Libby pork & beans for a dime a can. Kroger had round steak for 79¢ a pound, cabbage for 15¢ a head and a quart of Kraft's mayonnaise for 47¢. A&P had yams for a nickel a pound, pork roast for 39¢ a pound, and a dozen oranges for 59¢. Couch's had chuck roast for 39¢ a pound, grapefruit for 8¢ each, and a 24-ounce can of Castleberry's beef stew for 49¢.
The cinematic week began with A Rage to Live (with Suzanne Pleshette) at the DeSoto and The Reward (with Max Von Sydow) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Ipcress File (with Michael Caine) to the DeSoto, The Secret of My Success (with Stella Stevens) to the First Avenue, and a double feature of Desire Under the Elms (with Sophia Loren & Anthony Perkins) and Moll Flanders (with Kim Novak) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles continued to hold the number one slot with Paul McCartney's "Yesterday." Other top ten songs included "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#2); "Get Off of My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones (#3); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#4); "Everybody Loves a Clown" by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#5); "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#6); "You're the One" by the Vogues (#7); "Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan (#8); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#9); and "1-2-3" by Len Barry (#10).
It was a big week for new albums, too: among those album debuting this week in 1965 were Fairytale by Donovan; Going Places by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass; Mann Made by Manfred Mann; My Name is Barbra, Two by Barbra Streisand; the eponymous Paul Butterfield Blues Band; and Burl Ives' Christmas classic Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.
Two of DC Comics' most famous female superheroes, Supergirl and Wonder Woman, teamed up in Brave & Bold #63, on sale this week in 1965. Considering how few female superheroes there were in comics at this time, a team-up of this sort was noteworthy indeed; alas, it wasn't illustrated by Ross Andru & Mike Esposito (the Wonder Woman art team) or by Jim Mooney (the Supergirl artist), so it was a bit of a disappointment for fans of either character.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/11/1965 to 10/17/1965
One of the advantages of having multiple community-focused high schools rather than one high school located in the hinterlands: members of the West Rome Chieftains Club launched their membership drive this week in 1965—and the drive directors had mapped out the West Rome area to ensure that members of the Chieftains Club would be able to visit every single home in the West Rome district to try to encourage parent involvement! That's something that the folks at Rome High School wouldn't even attempt nowadays...
The Rome City School System joined in observing National School Lunch Week this week in 1965—and they really know how to make lunchrooms popular back then! To commemorate the week, they replaced Tuesday's hot dog lunch with a foot long hot dog lunch (and to a kid like me who loved hot dogs, there could be no better way to celebrate School Lunch Week than to get a chili dog that was twice as big as usual!).
Rome police solved a whole lot of burglary cases in two fell swoops when they cracked not one but two burglary rings. The first ring involved four Romans, while the second ring involved ten men. More than $20,000 in cash and merchandise was found at the sites of the two arrests. According to Sheriff's investigator Bill Hart, all evidence indicated that the two groups of burglars didn't know each other and had no connections.
West Rome celebrated its homecoming on Saturday, October 16th--and what better way to celebrate than with a football victory? The Chiefs defeated Cedartown 26-7, with Roger Weaver taking the spotlight. Weaver scored West Rome's first touchdown and gained 63 of set Rome's 172 yards. While he didn't score again, his running set up the second and third touchdowns, which were scored by Ronnie Parker and Arbie Lovell; the fourth touchdown was scored by David Garrett.
214 people attended the YMCA Program Planning Caravan on Saturday at West Rome High School. The event was designed to acquaint Tri-Hi-Y and Hi-Y officers with the responsibilities of their office; the West Rome Tri-Hi-Y acted as host for the caravan.
In a time when every soft drink manufacturer was using nothing but deposit bottles, Double Cola began touting their new no-deposit 12 ounce bottles this week in 1965. Even better, the bottle caps for these new bottles offered purchasers a chance to win prizes and gifts.
Friday was fish day in Rome, with Redford's promoting their Friday fish fillet dinner for 65¢, including pinto beans, creamed potatoes, cole slaw, hot rolls, and coffee or tea. Meanwhile, Kentucky Fried Chicken had their Friday fish dinner for only 79¢, including two flounder fillets, french fries, hot biscuits, and tartar sauce (I had no idea KFC even offered fish fillets!). And not to be left out, McDonald's was pushing their new Filet o' Fish sandwich with a three-for-69¢ special. And of course, the school lunch on Friday was--you guessed it--fish!
Piggly Wiggly had five pounds of Colonial sugar for 39¢, baking hens for 29¢ a pound, and cabbage for a nickel a pound. Big Apple had Porterhouse steak for $1.09 a pound, Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a pound, and red delicious apples for 12¢ a pound. Kroger had standing rib roast for 75¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 8¢ a pound, and Armour chili for 33¢ a can. A&P had pork loin for 65¢ a loud, tokay grapes for a dime a pound, and a 24-ounce jar of Ann Page jelly for 45¢. Couch's had pork roast for 59¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Castleberry's Brunswick stew for 49¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Third Day (with George Peppard & Elizabeth Ashley) at the DeSoto Theater and Mirage (with Gregory Peck & Diane Baker) at the First Avenue. The midweek switchout brought A Rage to Live (with Suzanne Pleshette) to the DeSoto and Young Dillinger (with Nick Adams) to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In's weekend screenings included a double feature of Sergeant Deadhead (with Frankie Avalon) and The Earth Dies Screaming (with Willard Parker).
The Beatles held on to the number one slot for another week with Paul McCartney's "Yesterday." Other top ten hits included "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#2); "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#3); "Get Off of My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones (#4); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#5); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#6); "Just a Little Bit Better" by Herman's Hermits (#7); "Everybody Loves a Clown" by Gary Lewis & The Playboys (#8); "Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan (#9); and "You're the One" by the Vogues (#10).
Cher released her first solo album, All I Really Want to Do, this week in 1965. The covers album was produced by Sonny Bono.
The Rome City School System joined in observing National School Lunch Week this week in 1965—and they really know how to make lunchrooms popular back then! To commemorate the week, they replaced Tuesday's hot dog lunch with a foot long hot dog lunch (and to a kid like me who loved hot dogs, there could be no better way to celebrate School Lunch Week than to get a chili dog that was twice as big as usual!).
Rome police solved a whole lot of burglary cases in two fell swoops when they cracked not one but two burglary rings. The first ring involved four Romans, while the second ring involved ten men. More than $20,000 in cash and merchandise was found at the sites of the two arrests. According to Sheriff's investigator Bill Hart, all evidence indicated that the two groups of burglars didn't know each other and had no connections.
West Rome celebrated its homecoming on Saturday, October 16th--and what better way to celebrate than with a football victory? The Chiefs defeated Cedartown 26-7, with Roger Weaver taking the spotlight. Weaver scored West Rome's first touchdown and gained 63 of set Rome's 172 yards. While he didn't score again, his running set up the second and third touchdowns, which were scored by Ronnie Parker and Arbie Lovell; the fourth touchdown was scored by David Garrett.
214 people attended the YMCA Program Planning Caravan on Saturday at West Rome High School. The event was designed to acquaint Tri-Hi-Y and Hi-Y officers with the responsibilities of their office; the West Rome Tri-Hi-Y acted as host for the caravan.
In a time when every soft drink manufacturer was using nothing but deposit bottles, Double Cola began touting their new no-deposit 12 ounce bottles this week in 1965. Even better, the bottle caps for these new bottles offered purchasers a chance to win prizes and gifts.
Friday was fish day in Rome, with Redford's promoting their Friday fish fillet dinner for 65¢, including pinto beans, creamed potatoes, cole slaw, hot rolls, and coffee or tea. Meanwhile, Kentucky Fried Chicken had their Friday fish dinner for only 79¢, including two flounder fillets, french fries, hot biscuits, and tartar sauce (I had no idea KFC even offered fish fillets!). And not to be left out, McDonald's was pushing their new Filet o' Fish sandwich with a three-for-69¢ special. And of course, the school lunch on Friday was--you guessed it--fish!
Piggly Wiggly had five pounds of Colonial sugar for 39¢, baking hens for 29¢ a pound, and cabbage for a nickel a pound. Big Apple had Porterhouse steak for $1.09 a pound, Irvindale ice milk for 39¢ a pound, and red delicious apples for 12¢ a pound. Kroger had standing rib roast for 75¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 8¢ a pound, and Armour chili for 33¢ a can. A&P had pork loin for 65¢ a loud, tokay grapes for a dime a pound, and a 24-ounce jar of Ann Page jelly for 45¢. Couch's had pork roast for 59¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Castleberry's Brunswick stew for 49¢ a pound.
The cinematic week began with The Third Day (with George Peppard & Elizabeth Ashley) at the DeSoto Theater and Mirage (with Gregory Peck & Diane Baker) at the First Avenue. The midweek switchout brought A Rage to Live (with Suzanne Pleshette) to the DeSoto and Young Dillinger (with Nick Adams) to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In's weekend screenings included a double feature of Sergeant Deadhead (with Frankie Avalon) and The Earth Dies Screaming (with Willard Parker).
The Beatles held on to the number one slot for another week with Paul McCartney's "Yesterday." Other top ten hits included "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#2); "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#3); "Get Off of My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones (#4); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#5); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#6); "Just a Little Bit Better" by Herman's Hermits (#7); "Everybody Loves a Clown" by Gary Lewis & The Playboys (#8); "Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan (#9); and "You're the One" by the Vogues (#10).
Cher released her first solo album, All I Really Want to Do, this week in 1965. The covers album was produced by Sonny Bono.
Saturday, October 03, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 10/4/1965 to 10/10/1965
The Chiefs fell 20-14 to the top-rated Kingsport team on October 8th in an away game played in Kingston, TN. "We were outmanned," Coach Paul Kennedy said, "but the boys played their hearts out and I'm proud of them. Kennedy went on to say that David Garrett played "the finest game of his career," and he also praised David Slaughter, Benny Padgett, and Richard Camp for their outstanding performance on the field.
Five shop courses were added to the West Rome curriculum: drafting, woodworking, electronics, metal working, and general shop. The classes were all offered in West Rome's new state-of-the-art shop, which was equipped with facilities to accommodate up to 18 classes a day.
Mac's Radio & Television Shop on Glen Milner Boulevard was hit by burglars in search of entertainment early in the morning on October 5th; the thieves took off with five television sets, a record player, and a portable stereo. The owner said that this was his fourth burglary this year--and the largest! Two nights later, thieves (most likely the same group) hit B&L Appliance & TV Center on E. Third Avenue, but they were scared off by a patrol car before they could steal anything.
The draft may be a part of history nowadays, but it was a very real concern in 1965. 111 Floyd County young men were called up for pre-induction draft physicals in October 1965, an increase of 73 (almost 200%!) over the prior month's numbers. The actual number of Romans slated to be drafted was 29, a increase of 24 over September's call-up of 5 (and almost a 500% increase). Today's teens have no idea how lucky they are to be able to make plans for their lives without worrying about an unplanned military draft call-up.
McDonald's began to downplay their short-lived hot dog offering, instead stressing their Filet o'Fish sandwich for only a quarter. Unlike the hot dog, the Filet O'Fish was destined to become a permanent part of McDonald's menu!
Piggly Wiggly had round steak for 79¢ a pound, eggs for 39¢ a dozen, and Chicken of the Sea tuna for 33¢ a can. Big Apple had pork loin for 59¢ a pound, Libby pork & beans for a dime a can, and a ten-pound bag of White Lily flour for 97¢. Kroger had cubed steak for $1.09 a pound, Mel-o-Soft white bread for a dime a loaf, and a ten-pound bag of apples for 89¢. A&P had whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock coffee for 65¢ a pound, and red grapes for a dime a pound. Couch's had beef liver for 23¢ a pound, Campbell's tomato soup for a dime a can, and Aristocraft ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon.
The cinematic week began with Marriage on the Rocks (with Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, & Dean Martin) at the DeSoto and A Zebra in the Kitchen (with Jay North & Andy Devine) at the First Avenue Theater. The midweek switch out brought The Third Day (with George Peppard & Elizabeth Ashley) to the Desoto Theater and The Skull (with Peter Cushing) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In's weekend offering was a double feature of Circus World (with John Wayne) and A Very Special Favor (with Rock Hudson & Leslie Caron).
The Beatles held on to number one for a second week with Paul McCartney's earnest "Yesterday." Other top ten hits included "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#2); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#3); "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#4); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#5); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#6); "Just a Little Bit Better" by Herman's Hermits (#7); "Baby Don't Go" by Sonny & Cher (#8); "Do You Believe in Magic?" by the Lovin' Spoonful (#9); and "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#10).
Marvel Comics made it easy for readers to catch up on their four-year-old Marvel Universe in the pages of Marvel Collector's Item Classics #1, which offered complete reprints of early issues of Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, Tales to Astonish featuring Ant-Man, and Journey Into Mystery featuring Tales of Asgard. It's hard to believe that only four years after Marvel kicked off its Silver Age superhero line, there was so much readership growth that Marvel could justify complete reprints--but for fans like me who had a few holes in their collection, this new reprint collection was just the thing!
Five shop courses were added to the West Rome curriculum: drafting, woodworking, electronics, metal working, and general shop. The classes were all offered in West Rome's new state-of-the-art shop, which was equipped with facilities to accommodate up to 18 classes a day.
Mac's Radio & Television Shop on Glen Milner Boulevard was hit by burglars in search of entertainment early in the morning on October 5th; the thieves took off with five television sets, a record player, and a portable stereo. The owner said that this was his fourth burglary this year--and the largest! Two nights later, thieves (most likely the same group) hit B&L Appliance & TV Center on E. Third Avenue, but they were scared off by a patrol car before they could steal anything.
The draft may be a part of history nowadays, but it was a very real concern in 1965. 111 Floyd County young men were called up for pre-induction draft physicals in October 1965, an increase of 73 (almost 200%!) over the prior month's numbers. The actual number of Romans slated to be drafted was 29, a increase of 24 over September's call-up of 5 (and almost a 500% increase). Today's teens have no idea how lucky they are to be able to make plans for their lives without worrying about an unplanned military draft call-up.
McDonald's began to downplay their short-lived hot dog offering, instead stressing their Filet o'Fish sandwich for only a quarter. Unlike the hot dog, the Filet O'Fish was destined to become a permanent part of McDonald's menu!
Piggly Wiggly had round steak for 79¢ a pound, eggs for 39¢ a dozen, and Chicken of the Sea tuna for 33¢ a can. Big Apple had pork loin for 59¢ a pound, Libby pork & beans for a dime a can, and a ten-pound bag of White Lily flour for 97¢. Kroger had cubed steak for $1.09 a pound, Mel-o-Soft white bread for a dime a loaf, and a ten-pound bag of apples for 89¢. A&P had whole fryers for 25¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock coffee for 65¢ a pound, and red grapes for a dime a pound. Couch's had beef liver for 23¢ a pound, Campbell's tomato soup for a dime a can, and Aristocraft ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon.
The cinematic week began with Marriage on the Rocks (with Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, & Dean Martin) at the DeSoto and A Zebra in the Kitchen (with Jay North & Andy Devine) at the First Avenue Theater. The midweek switch out brought The Third Day (with George Peppard & Elizabeth Ashley) to the Desoto Theater and The Skull (with Peter Cushing) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In's weekend offering was a double feature of Circus World (with John Wayne) and A Very Special Favor (with Rock Hudson & Leslie Caron).
The Beatles held on to number one for a second week with Paul McCartney's earnest "Yesterday." Other top ten hits included "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#2); "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#3); "A Lover's Concerto" by the Toys (#4); "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys (#5); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#6); "Just a Little Bit Better" by Herman's Hermits (#7); "Baby Don't Go" by Sonny & Cher (#8); "Do You Believe in Magic?" by the Lovin' Spoonful (#9); and "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#10).
Marvel Comics made it easy for readers to catch up on their four-year-old Marvel Universe in the pages of Marvel Collector's Item Classics #1, which offered complete reprints of early issues of Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, Tales to Astonish featuring Ant-Man, and Journey Into Mystery featuring Tales of Asgard. It's hard to believe that only four years after Marvel kicked off its Silver Age superhero line, there was so much readership growth that Marvel could justify complete reprints--but for fans like me who had a few holes in their collection, this new reprint collection was just the thing!
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 9/27/1965 to 10/3/1965
West Rome ventured to Calhoun on Friday, October 1st, to take on the Jackets in a region game. Once again, Richard Camp had a great game, scoring one touchdown and two extra points. The real star player of the evening, however, was David Garrett, who scored three touchdowns. The end result was a 38-0 victory for West Rome, their second sub-region win. While the season started off with losses, those were not sub-region games, so West Rome's chances of advancing to a championship still remained strong.
And speaking of Richard Camp: he was chosen lineman of the week by the Rome News-Tribune in recognition of his outstanding performance in the West Rome-Lafayette game, in which he scored three touchdowns and five extra points.
Twelve new members were inducted into the West Rome Honor Society. The new inductees included Linda Camp, Carol Culp, Patty Dobbins, Elaine Freeman, David Garrett, Wanda Grantham, Jean Jackson, Dianne Massey, Joey McGee, Ann Peery, Dennis Souder, and Regina Swinford.
Senior magazine sales wrapped up this week in 1965; the top five salespeople were Rusty Oxford, Donita Womack, Regina Swinford, Ann Finley, and Ann Peery.
The junior class elected its officers, choosing Benny Padgett as president, Susan Sprayberry as vice-president, Dianne Massey as secretary, and Tommy Sapp as treasurer.
The new officers of the West Rome FHA included Carol Culp, president; Pat Hicks, vice-president; Dianne Chambers, secretary; Linda Hilley, treasurer; Linda Camp, chaplain; and Mary Ann White and Layne Lucas, projects chairs.
Ah, gender stereotyping! A half-century ago, the YMCA chose to offer a course called "The Feminine Mechanic," intended to teach ladies on "the mysteries of the auto," including such mysterious rituals as changing a tire, filling a gas tank, or checking the oil. The course was taught by Jack Hudson, district manager for Northwest Georgia Chevrolet. The course was open to any female with a driver's license, so it's possible that a few Chieftains signed up!
The YMCA also enlisted West Rome teacher Ronald Midkiff to offer a linguistics mini-course to inform parents on current educational techniques. "Linguistics emphasizes how words actually generate in the brain and form a complete sentence," Midkiff explained. "Previously, the older method of diagramming sentences placed the emphasis on each separate word, and no thought was given as to how words or sentences first originated." The course also offered an overview of phonetics, which was being taught in elementary schools.
Piggly Wiggly had five pounds of Domino Sugar for 37¢, Castleberry's chili for 33¢ a can, and chuck roast for 69¢ a pound. Big Apple had Diet-Rite or RC Cola for 29¢ a six-pack plus deposit, sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, and red grapes for 15¢ a pound. Kroger had whole chicken breasts for 45¢ a pound, sliced pineapple for 14¢ a can, and Star-Kist tuna for a quarter a can. A&P had smoked picnic ham for 38¢ a pound, Miracle Whip for 49¢ a jar, and sweet potatoes for a dime a pound. Couch's had ground beef for 33¢ a pound, lettuce for 15¢ a head, and Betty Crocker cake mix for 33¢ a box.
The cinematic week began with The Great Spy Mission (with Sophia Loren & George Peppard) at the DeSoto Theater and the Beatles' Help! at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Marriage on the Rocks (with Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, & Dean Martin) to the DeSoto, while the First Avenue got a real oddity: The Legend of Blood Mountain (with Erin Fleming & Glenda Brunson). it's not the film that was the oddity, however: it was the fact that the film was show in the theater complete with bonus material starring Bestoink Dooley, the horror-host of WAGA-Channel 5's Big Movie Shocker every Friday Night. Dooley (played by Atlantan George Ellis) filmed his clever monologues and segues, which were inserted into the film at the appropriate places. So in effect, we were paying to go to the theater and watch a late-night horror TV program! Help! didn't go away entirely, however: it just moved from the First Avenue to the West Rome Drive-In, where it was part of a double feature with Ferry Cross the Mersey (starring Gerry & the Pacemakers).
Paul McCartney's acoustic ballad "Yesterday" took the Beatles back to the number one position on the charts this week in 1965. Other top ten hits included "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#2); "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#3); "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#4); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#5); "Catch Us If You Can" by the Dave Clark Five (#6); "You've Got Your Troubles" by the Fortunes (#7); "Baby Don't Go" by Sonny & Cher (#8); "You Were On My Mind" by We Five (#9); and "Do You Believe in Magic?" by the Lovin' Spoonful (#10).
Meanwhile, British folk musician Donovan Leitch, best known simply as Donovan, made his American premiere on Shindig on Thursday night, performing his version of Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Universal Soldier." Donovan's folk music never caught on here in the US, but his move into pop with a psychedelic edge would eventually make him a superstar.
And speaking of Richard Camp: he was chosen lineman of the week by the Rome News-Tribune in recognition of his outstanding performance in the West Rome-Lafayette game, in which he scored three touchdowns and five extra points.
Twelve new members were inducted into the West Rome Honor Society. The new inductees included Linda Camp, Carol Culp, Patty Dobbins, Elaine Freeman, David Garrett, Wanda Grantham, Jean Jackson, Dianne Massey, Joey McGee, Ann Peery, Dennis Souder, and Regina Swinford.
Senior magazine sales wrapped up this week in 1965; the top five salespeople were Rusty Oxford, Donita Womack, Regina Swinford, Ann Finley, and Ann Peery.
The junior class elected its officers, choosing Benny Padgett as president, Susan Sprayberry as vice-president, Dianne Massey as secretary, and Tommy Sapp as treasurer.
The new officers of the West Rome FHA included Carol Culp, president; Pat Hicks, vice-president; Dianne Chambers, secretary; Linda Hilley, treasurer; Linda Camp, chaplain; and Mary Ann White and Layne Lucas, projects chairs.
Ah, gender stereotyping! A half-century ago, the YMCA chose to offer a course called "The Feminine Mechanic," intended to teach ladies on "the mysteries of the auto," including such mysterious rituals as changing a tire, filling a gas tank, or checking the oil. The course was taught by Jack Hudson, district manager for Northwest Georgia Chevrolet. The course was open to any female with a driver's license, so it's possible that a few Chieftains signed up!
The YMCA also enlisted West Rome teacher Ronald Midkiff to offer a linguistics mini-course to inform parents on current educational techniques. "Linguistics emphasizes how words actually generate in the brain and form a complete sentence," Midkiff explained. "Previously, the older method of diagramming sentences placed the emphasis on each separate word, and no thought was given as to how words or sentences first originated." The course also offered an overview of phonetics, which was being taught in elementary schools.
Piggly Wiggly had five pounds of Domino Sugar for 37¢, Castleberry's chili for 33¢ a can, and chuck roast for 69¢ a pound. Big Apple had Diet-Rite or RC Cola for 29¢ a six-pack plus deposit, sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, and red grapes for 15¢ a pound. Kroger had whole chicken breasts for 45¢ a pound, sliced pineapple for 14¢ a can, and Star-Kist tuna for a quarter a can. A&P had smoked picnic ham for 38¢ a pound, Miracle Whip for 49¢ a jar, and sweet potatoes for a dime a pound. Couch's had ground beef for 33¢ a pound, lettuce for 15¢ a head, and Betty Crocker cake mix for 33¢ a box.
The cinematic week began with The Great Spy Mission (with Sophia Loren & George Peppard) at the DeSoto Theater and the Beatles' Help! at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Marriage on the Rocks (with Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, & Dean Martin) to the DeSoto, while the First Avenue got a real oddity: The Legend of Blood Mountain (with Erin Fleming & Glenda Brunson). it's not the film that was the oddity, however: it was the fact that the film was show in the theater complete with bonus material starring Bestoink Dooley, the horror-host of WAGA-Channel 5's Big Movie Shocker every Friday Night. Dooley (played by Atlantan George Ellis) filmed his clever monologues and segues, which were inserted into the film at the appropriate places. So in effect, we were paying to go to the theater and watch a late-night horror TV program! Help! didn't go away entirely, however: it just moved from the First Avenue to the West Rome Drive-In, where it was part of a double feature with Ferry Cross the Mersey (starring Gerry & the Pacemakers).
Paul McCartney's acoustic ballad "Yesterday" took the Beatles back to the number one position on the charts this week in 1965. Other top ten hits included "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys (#2); "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#3); "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#4); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#5); "Catch Us If You Can" by the Dave Clark Five (#6); "You've Got Your Troubles" by the Fortunes (#7); "Baby Don't Go" by Sonny & Cher (#8); "You Were On My Mind" by We Five (#9); and "Do You Believe in Magic?" by the Lovin' Spoonful (#10).
Meanwhile, British folk musician Donovan Leitch, best known simply as Donovan, made his American premiere on Shindig on Thursday night, performing his version of Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Universal Soldier." Donovan's folk music never caught on here in the US, but his move into pop with a psychedelic edge would eventually make him a superstar.
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 9/20/1965 to 9/26/1965
Five games into the season, the Chieftains finally got a victory—and what a victory it was! West Rome trampled the Lafayette Ramblers 35-0 in a Friday night home game. "It was a real fine team effort, and I can't say enough about my boys after that performance," Coach Paul Kennedy said. "We fumbled a couple of times, but other than that the boys played a near perfect ball game. We knew that it was going to happen sooner or later... we'd been expecting it." The Chiefs scored four touchdowns in the first quarter, then scored their fifth TD in the fourth quarter. Richard Camp scored three of the touchdowns and kicked all five extra points, accounting for 23 of West Rome's 35 points.
The Coosa Valley Fair kicked off on Monday, September 20th, offering a mix of amusement park rides, arcade activities, contests, displays, and much more. In the 1960s, the fair was such a Big Thing that the school system dismissed students early on Tuesday of Fair Week so that they could enjoy Kids Day at the fair, taking advantage of the reduced prices. The West Rome Band performed at the fair in the special events arena on Tuesday afternoon at 6:30. By the time the fair was over, attendance had topped 100,000! In the days before Six Flags and other regional amusement parks, the fair was a major event.
Apparently the fair filled everyone's schedule, because there was nothing else going on in Rome this week. No school events (other than the football game), no big sales... apparently everyone was too busy on the Tilt-a-Whirl and the Ferris Wheel to do anything else!
Piggly Wiggly had Swift's Premium bacon for 59¢ a pound, Tokay grapes for 15¢ a pound, and Coke or Sprite or Tab for 99¢ a case (plus deposit). Big Apple had round steak for 69¢ a pound, Irvindale ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and five pounds of Gold Medal flour for 49¢. Kroger and sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Kroger mayonnaise for 39¢ a quart, and a four-pound bag of red delicious apples for 33¢. A&P had fryer breasts for 49¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock Coffee for 69¢ a pound, and bananas for 15¢ a pound. Couch's had cabbage for a nickel a pound, JFG coffee for 69¢ a pound, and eggs for 33¢ a dozen.
The cinematic week began with I Saw What You Did (with Joan Crawford) at the DeSoto Theater and Walt Disney's Cinderella at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Great Spy Mission (with Sophia Loren & George Peppard) to the DeSoto, the Beatles' Help! to the First Avenue, and a weekend double feature of The Seventh Dawn (with William Holden & Susannah York) and Walt Disney's The Monkey's Uncle at the West Rome Drive-In.
The McCoys took number one this week in 1965 with "Hang on Sloopy." Other top ten hits included "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#2); "Yesterday" by the Beatles (#3); "Catch Us If You Can" by the Dave Clark Five (#4); "You Were On My Mind" by We Five (#6); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#6); "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#7); "You've Got Your Troubles" by the Fortunes (#8); "Baby Don't Go" by Sonny & Cher (#9); and "Laugh at Me" by Sonny (#10). And would you ever have thought that Sonny Bono would have two songs in the top ten the same week... and one of them would be a solo hit?
War comics weren't generally as popular as super-hero comics, but DC tried to bring a little action-hero attitude to their war line with the introduction of Lt. Steve Savage, the Balloon Buster, in All-American Men of War #112, on sale this week in 1965. Robert Kanigher & Russ Heath presented the story of a young United States Air Corpsman whose specialty was taking out German attack balloons in WWI.
The Coosa Valley Fair kicked off on Monday, September 20th, offering a mix of amusement park rides, arcade activities, contests, displays, and much more. In the 1960s, the fair was such a Big Thing that the school system dismissed students early on Tuesday of Fair Week so that they could enjoy Kids Day at the fair, taking advantage of the reduced prices. The West Rome Band performed at the fair in the special events arena on Tuesday afternoon at 6:30. By the time the fair was over, attendance had topped 100,000! In the days before Six Flags and other regional amusement parks, the fair was a major event.
Apparently the fair filled everyone's schedule, because there was nothing else going on in Rome this week. No school events (other than the football game), no big sales... apparently everyone was too busy on the Tilt-a-Whirl and the Ferris Wheel to do anything else!
Piggly Wiggly had Swift's Premium bacon for 59¢ a pound, Tokay grapes for 15¢ a pound, and Coke or Sprite or Tab for 99¢ a case (plus deposit). Big Apple had round steak for 69¢ a pound, Irvindale ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon, and five pounds of Gold Medal flour for 49¢. Kroger and sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Kroger mayonnaise for 39¢ a quart, and a four-pound bag of red delicious apples for 33¢. A&P had fryer breasts for 49¢ a pound, Eight O'Clock Coffee for 69¢ a pound, and bananas for 15¢ a pound. Couch's had cabbage for a nickel a pound, JFG coffee for 69¢ a pound, and eggs for 33¢ a dozen.
The cinematic week began with I Saw What You Did (with Joan Crawford) at the DeSoto Theater and Walt Disney's Cinderella at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Great Spy Mission (with Sophia Loren & George Peppard) to the DeSoto, the Beatles' Help! to the First Avenue, and a weekend double feature of The Seventh Dawn (with William Holden & Susannah York) and Walt Disney's The Monkey's Uncle at the West Rome Drive-In.
The McCoys took number one this week in 1965 with "Hang on Sloopy." Other top ten hits included "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#2); "Yesterday" by the Beatles (#3); "Catch Us If You Can" by the Dave Clark Five (#4); "You Were On My Mind" by We Five (#6); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#6); "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head (#7); "You've Got Your Troubles" by the Fortunes (#8); "Baby Don't Go" by Sonny & Cher (#9); and "Laugh at Me" by Sonny (#10). And would you ever have thought that Sonny Bono would have two songs in the top ten the same week... and one of them would be a solo hit?
War comics weren't generally as popular as super-hero comics, but DC tried to bring a little action-hero attitude to their war line with the introduction of Lt. Steve Savage, the Balloon Buster, in All-American Men of War #112, on sale this week in 1965. Robert Kanigher & Russ Heath presented the story of a young United States Air Corpsman whose specialty was taking out German attack balloons in WWI.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 9/13/1965 to 9/19/1965
After a summer of back-and-forth negotiations, the Department of Health,
Education, and Welfare finally signed off on Rome City Schools'
desegregation plans on September 15th. This marked the formal end of
segregation in Rome City Schools, although it would be another year
before all grades were desegregated.
Chieftain Charlene Lamb represented West Rome in the Miss Floyd Contest, slated to be held at the Coosa Valley Fair during the week of 9/20 through 9/25.
West Rome's football team continued to struggle as they suffered their third defeat in a row, falling to the McCallie Tornadoes of Chattanooga in a 21-6 game. West Rome's only touchdown was scored in the first quarter; from that point on, it was McCallie's game all the way.
Back in 1965, Romans could choose from two daily flights between Rome in Atlanta. Eastern Airlines added a flight leaving Rome at 1:29 each day, arriving in Atlanta at 2pm. Romans hoping to return could depart Atlanta at 6:15pm and arrive in Rome at 6:50 pm; the plane would then continue on to Chattanooga. Talk of turning Russell Field into a regional airport never materialized, though, so the talk of flights to Jacksonville, New Orleans, and Memphis never went any further than talk. Still, the idea that Rome had any commercial flights in the 1960s is still pretty surprising!
Would-be skateboarders could save money at Murphy's: the bargain department store had a 24" anodized aluminum skateboard for only $1.75, a 22" oak board with a lacquered surface for only $1.17, and a 23" anodized aluminum board for only 88¢. Today's skateboarders would undoubtedly laugh at the heavy, clunky-looking boards of 1965, but these store-bought boards were certainly better than the homemade boards (pieces of plywood with skate wheels on the bottom) that some of us used!
Now here's the special that no one I knew ever wanted: Kentucky Fried Chicken was running a special on their gizzard dinner—six fried gizzards, mashed potatoes, gravy, and a biscuit, for only 49¢. (That's about 50¢ more than I'd pay for chicken gizzards!)
Piggly Wiggly had ground chuck for 69¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Oreos for 45¢ a box. Big Apple had five pounds of Dixie Crystal sugar for 39¢, lamb shoulder roast for 49¢ a pound, and cabbage for 6¢ a pound. Kroger had pork chops for 69¢ a pound, Maxwell House Coffee for 59¢ a pound, and a quart of Miracle Whip for 49¢. A&P had red grapes for 15¢ a pound, baking hens for 39¢ a pound, and Ann Page tomato rice soup for 13¢ a can. Couch's had stew beef for 29¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 7¢ a pound, and Campbell's tomato soup for a dime a can.
The cinematic week began with Sergeant Deadhead (with Frankie Avalon) at the DeSoto and Island of the Blue Dolphins (with Celia Milius) at the First Avenue. With school back in session, the West Rome Drive-In returned to its weekends-only schedule. The midweek switch out brought I Saw What You Did (with Joan Crawford) to the DeSoto and Walt Disney's Cinderella to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In went wild over the weekend with Elvis Presley's Wild in the Country, along with Wild on the Beach (with Frankie Randall).
All three television networks began rolling out their new shows this week in 1965. The series that premiered in the fall of '65 included:
Monday, September 13th:
•A Man Called Shenandoah (ABC)
•The John Forsythe Show (NBC, Color)
•The Legend of Jesse James (ABC)
•Run for Your Life (NBC, Color)
•The Steve Lawrence Show (CBS)
Tuesday, September 14th
•F Troop (ABC)
•My Mother, The Car (NBC, Color)
•Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (NBC, Color)
Wednesday, September 15th
•The Big Valley (ABC, Color)
•Gidget (ABC, Color)
•Green Acres (CBS, Color)
•I Spy (NBC, Color)
•Lost in Space (CBS)
Thursday, September 16th
•The CBS Thursday Night Movies (CBS, Mostly Color)
•The Dean Martin Show (NBC, Color)
•Laredo (NBC,, Color)
•The Long, Hot Summer (ABC)
•Mona McCluskey (NBC, Color)
•O.K. Crackerby! (ABC, Color)
Friday, September 17th
•Camp Runamuck (NBC, Color)
•Convoy (NBC)
•Hank (NBC, Color)
•Hogan’s Heroes (CBS, Color)
•Honey West (ABC)
•Mr. Roberts (NBC, Color)
•The Smothers Brothers Show (CBS)
•Tammy (ABC, Color)
•The Wild, Wild West (CBS)
Saturday, September 18th
•Get Smart! (NBC Color)
•I Dream of Jeannie (NBC)
•The Loner (CBS)
•Trials of O’Brien (CBS)
Sunday, September 19th
•The FBI (ABC, Color)
•The Wackiest Ship in the Army (NBC, Color)
Several interesting observations: first, it's surprising how many new shows were still offered only in black and white, even though the networks were majority color broadcast at this time. Secondly, it's interesting to see how many syndicated-show mainstays of the late 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s (Green Acres, Get Smart!, I Dream of Jeannie, Hogan's Heroes, The Wild Wild West, F Troop, I Spy, Lost in Space) premiered this week fifty years ago; and third, it's informative to see that the networks have pretty much always had more misses than hits (look at that list of shows—how many of them do you not remember at all, or how many of them lasted only one season?).
And finally, I still remember getting the special Fall Preview issue of TV Guide in the mail on Wednesday or Thursday before the new week began, and going through the listing and schedules, marking shows I wanted to watch in pencil to make sure that I didn't miss them. Since we had no DVRs or VCRs or any other means of saving or time-delaying programming in 1965, advance planning was crucial. That's the main reason I don't recognize so many of these shows, I'm sure: they were up against shows that I considered must-see, so my channel selections were pre-determined!
Barry McGuire's apocalyptic "Eve of Destruction" rocketed to the number one slot this week in 1965. Other top ten hits included "Hang On Sloopy" by the McCoys (#2); "You Were on My Mind" by We Five (#3); "Catch Us If You Can" by the Dave Clark Five (#4); "Help!" by the Beatles (#5); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#6); "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan (#7); "It Ain't Me Babe" by the Turtles (#8); "Heart Full of Soul" by the Yardbirds (#9); and "Laugh at Me" by Sonny (#10--Sonny Bono's only top ten solo hit).
The week's big album release was Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul by... well, the name says it all, doesn't it?
Chieftain Charlene Lamb represented West Rome in the Miss Floyd Contest, slated to be held at the Coosa Valley Fair during the week of 9/20 through 9/25.
West Rome's football team continued to struggle as they suffered their third defeat in a row, falling to the McCallie Tornadoes of Chattanooga in a 21-6 game. West Rome's only touchdown was scored in the first quarter; from that point on, it was McCallie's game all the way.
Back in 1965, Romans could choose from two daily flights between Rome in Atlanta. Eastern Airlines added a flight leaving Rome at 1:29 each day, arriving in Atlanta at 2pm. Romans hoping to return could depart Atlanta at 6:15pm and arrive in Rome at 6:50 pm; the plane would then continue on to Chattanooga. Talk of turning Russell Field into a regional airport never materialized, though, so the talk of flights to Jacksonville, New Orleans, and Memphis never went any further than talk. Still, the idea that Rome had any commercial flights in the 1960s is still pretty surprising!
Would-be skateboarders could save money at Murphy's: the bargain department store had a 24" anodized aluminum skateboard for only $1.75, a 22" oak board with a lacquered surface for only $1.17, and a 23" anodized aluminum board for only 88¢. Today's skateboarders would undoubtedly laugh at the heavy, clunky-looking boards of 1965, but these store-bought boards were certainly better than the homemade boards (pieces of plywood with skate wheels on the bottom) that some of us used!
Now here's the special that no one I knew ever wanted: Kentucky Fried Chicken was running a special on their gizzard dinner—six fried gizzards, mashed potatoes, gravy, and a biscuit, for only 49¢. (That's about 50¢ more than I'd pay for chicken gizzards!)
Piggly Wiggly had ground chuck for 69¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Oreos for 45¢ a box. Big Apple had five pounds of Dixie Crystal sugar for 39¢, lamb shoulder roast for 49¢ a pound, and cabbage for 6¢ a pound. Kroger had pork chops for 69¢ a pound, Maxwell House Coffee for 59¢ a pound, and a quart of Miracle Whip for 49¢. A&P had red grapes for 15¢ a pound, baking hens for 39¢ a pound, and Ann Page tomato rice soup for 13¢ a can. Couch's had stew beef for 29¢ a pound, sweet potatoes for 7¢ a pound, and Campbell's tomato soup for a dime a can.
The cinematic week began with Sergeant Deadhead (with Frankie Avalon) at the DeSoto and Island of the Blue Dolphins (with Celia Milius) at the First Avenue. With school back in session, the West Rome Drive-In returned to its weekends-only schedule. The midweek switch out brought I Saw What You Did (with Joan Crawford) to the DeSoto and Walt Disney's Cinderella to the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In went wild over the weekend with Elvis Presley's Wild in the Country, along with Wild on the Beach (with Frankie Randall).
All three television networks began rolling out their new shows this week in 1965. The series that premiered in the fall of '65 included:
Monday, September 13th:
•A Man Called Shenandoah (ABC)
•The John Forsythe Show (NBC, Color)
•The Legend of Jesse James (ABC)
•Run for Your Life (NBC, Color)
•The Steve Lawrence Show (CBS)
Tuesday, September 14th
•F Troop (ABC)
•My Mother, The Car (NBC, Color)
•Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (NBC, Color)
Wednesday, September 15th
•The Big Valley (ABC, Color)
•Gidget (ABC, Color)
•Green Acres (CBS, Color)
•I Spy (NBC, Color)
•Lost in Space (CBS)
Thursday, September 16th
•The CBS Thursday Night Movies (CBS, Mostly Color)
•The Dean Martin Show (NBC, Color)
•Laredo (NBC,, Color)
•The Long, Hot Summer (ABC)
•Mona McCluskey (NBC, Color)
•O.K. Crackerby! (ABC, Color)
Friday, September 17th
•Camp Runamuck (NBC, Color)
•Convoy (NBC)
•Hank (NBC, Color)
•Hogan’s Heroes (CBS, Color)
•Honey West (ABC)
•Mr. Roberts (NBC, Color)
•The Smothers Brothers Show (CBS)
•Tammy (ABC, Color)
•The Wild, Wild West (CBS)
Saturday, September 18th
•Get Smart! (NBC Color)
•I Dream of Jeannie (NBC)
•The Loner (CBS)
•Trials of O’Brien (CBS)
Sunday, September 19th
•The FBI (ABC, Color)
•The Wackiest Ship in the Army (NBC, Color)
Several interesting observations: first, it's surprising how many new shows were still offered only in black and white, even though the networks were majority color broadcast at this time. Secondly, it's interesting to see how many syndicated-show mainstays of the late 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s (Green Acres, Get Smart!, I Dream of Jeannie, Hogan's Heroes, The Wild Wild West, F Troop, I Spy, Lost in Space) premiered this week fifty years ago; and third, it's informative to see that the networks have pretty much always had more misses than hits (look at that list of shows—how many of them do you not remember at all, or how many of them lasted only one season?).
And finally, I still remember getting the special Fall Preview issue of TV Guide in the mail on Wednesday or Thursday before the new week began, and going through the listing and schedules, marking shows I wanted to watch in pencil to make sure that I didn't miss them. Since we had no DVRs or VCRs or any other means of saving or time-delaying programming in 1965, advance planning was crucial. That's the main reason I don't recognize so many of these shows, I'm sure: they were up against shows that I considered must-see, so my channel selections were pre-determined!
Barry McGuire's apocalyptic "Eve of Destruction" rocketed to the number one slot this week in 1965. Other top ten hits included "Hang On Sloopy" by the McCoys (#2); "You Were on My Mind" by We Five (#3); "Catch Us If You Can" by the Dave Clark Five (#4); "Help!" by the Beatles (#5); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#6); "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan (#7); "It Ain't Me Babe" by the Turtles (#8); "Heart Full of Soul" by the Yardbirds (#9); and "Laugh at Me" by Sonny (#10--Sonny Bono's only top ten solo hit).
The week's big album release was Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul by... well, the name says it all, doesn't it?
Friday, September 04, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 9/6/1965 to 9/12/1965
West Rome began the school year without an industrial arts building, but the folks in charge of Rome City Schools construction were doing everything they could to get the building open in September. Building construction wrapped up this week in 1965, but Superintendent M.S. McDonald said that it would take a week or two to move the industrial arts equipment into the new shop and get it set up.
The Rome City School system also announced the development of a kindergarten program for students who were gauged to be unprepared to enter the first grade. Plans called for the program to be developed during the 1965-1966 school year and actually launched in the 1966-1967 school year. The kindergarten program was not for all students; instead, it was only for those who were not ready to go into the first grade. The program would be coordinated with Operation Head Start, but it would not be free to participating parents; instead, they would have to bear some of the cost of kindergarten for their children unless their incomes were so low that they qualified for local assistance.
West Rome's first home game of the season pitted the Chiefs against the Chattooga Indians—but the home advantage apparently wasn't enough, as Chattooga won 13-12.
As the Coosa Valley Fair opening day neared, fair officials announced a major improvement: pavement! In years past, the fairgrounds were packed dirt with straw and/or gravel in some of the more heavily travelled areas, and CVF president Dean Morgan said that they had dealt with many complaints over the years regarding the dust and (when it rained) mud. To alleviate the problem, fair officials paved the paths near the concession booths, the exhibits building, the offices, and many of the rides. (I guess we take things like paved walkways for granted; I had forgotten that the fairground were unpaved dirt during much of my childhood! I guess I was too busy looking at the Tilt-A-Whirl and other rides to notice the ground I was walking on.)
And speaking of the fair, officials also announced an actual Mercury spacecraft would be on display at the fair. The hatch would be removed and the opening enlarged slightly to make it easier for Romans to get into the capsule and experience first-hand the not-so-luxurious accommodations that John Glenn, Wally Schirra, Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, and others enjoyed as they orbited the Earth.
McDonald's rolled out its new McDouble Cheeseburger this week in 1965. For only 38¢, you could get the burger by itself—or for 69¢, you could get it with an order of fries and a shake.
Nowadays, gyms and exercise facilities are ubiquitous, but they were far less common in 1965, which is why it was such big news that Rome Health Studios was opening a facility at 623 Shorter Avenue. For only $7 a month, members could use their exercise equipment, steam baths, and sun lamps.
Color television prices began to drop a bit in 1965 as stronger sales led to higher volume. Sears was offering a 21" Silvertone tabletop unit for only $326, while a 21" color console TV in a maple cabinet could be had for only $396. Rome Radio & TV had a 23" GE color television for only $399 or a 21" RCA for only $349; those with bigger budgets could spring for a "giant-sized 25" RCA color console TV with Mediterranean styling for only $750. With a new television season set to begin in a couple of weeks, viewers were undoubtedly looking into color televisions, since more than 80% of the networks' offerings would be in full color. (Yes, there were still a few shows produced in black and white in 1965!)
Piggly Wiggly had Fig Newtons for 33¢ a box, Maxwell House Instant Coffee for 79¢ a jar, and white grapes for 15¢ a pound. Kroger had rib roast for 79¢ a pound, honeydew melons for 45¢ each, and a five-pound bag of Colonial sugar for 39¢. Big Apple had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Bailey's Supreme Coffee for 59¢ a pound, and Showboat pork & beans for a dime a can. A&P had cubed steak for 89¢ a pound, Bartlett pears for 25¢ a pound, and a one-pound bag of Jane Parker potato chips for 49¢. Couch's had smoked cured picnic hams for 35¢ a pound, white corn for a nickel an ear, and Blue Plate mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart.
The cinematic week began with The Sons of Katie Elder (with John Wayne & Dean Martin) at the DeSoto, Lord Jim (with Peter O'Toole) at the First Avenue, and a double feature of Mister Hobbs (with Robert Mitchum & Carroll Baker) and The Satan Bug (with George Maharis, Richard Basehart, & Anne Francis) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Sergeant Deadhead (with Frankie Avalon) to the DeSoto, Genghis Khan (with Omar Sharif, Stephen Boyd, & James Mason) to the First Avenue, and a double feature of Red River (with John Wayne) and The Glory Guys (with Tom Tryon & Senta Berger) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles held on to the number one slot for a third week with "Help!" Other top ten hits included "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#2); "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan (#3); "You Were On My Mind" by We Five (#4); "Catch Us If You Can" by the Dave Clark Five (#6); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#6); "Hang On Sloopy" by the McCoys (#7); "It Ain't Me Babe" by the Turtles (#8); "I Got You, Babe" by Sonny & Cher (#9); and "Heart Full of Soul" by the Yardbirds (#10).
One of the best Spider-Man two-part stories in history began this week with the release of Amazing Spider-Man #31. The story, "If This Be My Destiny," kicked off the two part Master Planner/Doctor Octopus story arc that features one of Spidey's most iconic scenes as he struggles to free himself from beneath tons of destroyed machinery.
The Rome City School system also announced the development of a kindergarten program for students who were gauged to be unprepared to enter the first grade. Plans called for the program to be developed during the 1965-1966 school year and actually launched in the 1966-1967 school year. The kindergarten program was not for all students; instead, it was only for those who were not ready to go into the first grade. The program would be coordinated with Operation Head Start, but it would not be free to participating parents; instead, they would have to bear some of the cost of kindergarten for their children unless their incomes were so low that they qualified for local assistance.
West Rome's first home game of the season pitted the Chiefs against the Chattooga Indians—but the home advantage apparently wasn't enough, as Chattooga won 13-12.
As the Coosa Valley Fair opening day neared, fair officials announced a major improvement: pavement! In years past, the fairgrounds were packed dirt with straw and/or gravel in some of the more heavily travelled areas, and CVF president Dean Morgan said that they had dealt with many complaints over the years regarding the dust and (when it rained) mud. To alleviate the problem, fair officials paved the paths near the concession booths, the exhibits building, the offices, and many of the rides. (I guess we take things like paved walkways for granted; I had forgotten that the fairground were unpaved dirt during much of my childhood! I guess I was too busy looking at the Tilt-A-Whirl and other rides to notice the ground I was walking on.)
And speaking of the fair, officials also announced an actual Mercury spacecraft would be on display at the fair. The hatch would be removed and the opening enlarged slightly to make it easier for Romans to get into the capsule and experience first-hand the not-so-luxurious accommodations that John Glenn, Wally Schirra, Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, and others enjoyed as they orbited the Earth.
McDonald's rolled out its new McDouble Cheeseburger this week in 1965. For only 38¢, you could get the burger by itself—or for 69¢, you could get it with an order of fries and a shake.
Nowadays, gyms and exercise facilities are ubiquitous, but they were far less common in 1965, which is why it was such big news that Rome Health Studios was opening a facility at 623 Shorter Avenue. For only $7 a month, members could use their exercise equipment, steam baths, and sun lamps.
Color television prices began to drop a bit in 1965 as stronger sales led to higher volume. Sears was offering a 21" Silvertone tabletop unit for only $326, while a 21" color console TV in a maple cabinet could be had for only $396. Rome Radio & TV had a 23" GE color television for only $399 or a 21" RCA for only $349; those with bigger budgets could spring for a "giant-sized 25" RCA color console TV with Mediterranean styling for only $750. With a new television season set to begin in a couple of weeks, viewers were undoubtedly looking into color televisions, since more than 80% of the networks' offerings would be in full color. (Yes, there were still a few shows produced in black and white in 1965!)
Piggly Wiggly had Fig Newtons for 33¢ a box, Maxwell House Instant Coffee for 79¢ a jar, and white grapes for 15¢ a pound. Kroger had rib roast for 79¢ a pound, honeydew melons for 45¢ each, and a five-pound bag of Colonial sugar for 39¢. Big Apple had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, Bailey's Supreme Coffee for 59¢ a pound, and Showboat pork & beans for a dime a can. A&P had cubed steak for 89¢ a pound, Bartlett pears for 25¢ a pound, and a one-pound bag of Jane Parker potato chips for 49¢. Couch's had smoked cured picnic hams for 35¢ a pound, white corn for a nickel an ear, and Blue Plate mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart.
The cinematic week began with The Sons of Katie Elder (with John Wayne & Dean Martin) at the DeSoto, Lord Jim (with Peter O'Toole) at the First Avenue, and a double feature of Mister Hobbs (with Robert Mitchum & Carroll Baker) and The Satan Bug (with George Maharis, Richard Basehart, & Anne Francis) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Sergeant Deadhead (with Frankie Avalon) to the DeSoto, Genghis Khan (with Omar Sharif, Stephen Boyd, & James Mason) to the First Avenue, and a double feature of Red River (with John Wayne) and The Glory Guys (with Tom Tryon & Senta Berger) at the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles held on to the number one slot for a third week with "Help!" Other top ten hits included "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#2); "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan (#3); "You Were On My Mind" by We Five (#4); "Catch Us If You Can" by the Dave Clark Five (#6); "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#6); "Hang On Sloopy" by the McCoys (#7); "It Ain't Me Babe" by the Turtles (#8); "I Got You, Babe" by Sonny & Cher (#9); and "Heart Full of Soul" by the Yardbirds (#10).
One of the best Spider-Man two-part stories in history began this week with the release of Amazing Spider-Man #31. The story, "If This Be My Destiny," kicked off the two part Master Planner/Doctor Octopus story arc that features one of Spidey's most iconic scenes as he struggles to free himself from beneath tons of destroyed machinery.
Friday, August 28, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 8/30/1965 to 9/5/1965
The school year started without a hitch on Monday, August 30th, and there were no problems with the first day of integrated schools. A total of 59 black students enrolled in Rome City Schools, including seven at West Rome High and two at Elm Street Elementary. Superintendent M.S. McDonald said that late enrollment was continuing throughout the week, and it was likely that more students would be integrated into city schools as the week progressed. Rome's total enrollment at all schools was approximately 7500 students, an increase of more than 200 students over the previous school year.
Chieftain Benny Padgett was named the Rome News-Tribune's Lineman of the Week for his outstanding performance in the season opener against Coosa. Padgett was credited with 11 individual tackles and recovered a key fumble to stop Coosa from scoring.
This week's football game pitted the Chieftains against the Dalton Catamounts. West Rome Coach Paul Kennedy downplayed West Rome's chances, saying that "Dalton will undoubtedly win the region championship again this year," while Dalton Coach Bill Chappel said that "West Rome was the most likely contender to win the title." This is one time when we wish the other team's coach had been correct: unfortunately, West Rome lost to the Catamounts 21-0.
Nowadays we're accustomed to see blue lights on police cars, but red flashing lights were the norm until this week in 1965. This is the week that Floyd County began switching over to blue flashing lights to distinguish police cars from ambulances and other emergency vehicles. The Rome City Police Department confirmed plans to switch to blue lights as well, but they weren't sure when the transition would occur.
The Coosa Valley Fair began their pre-fair publicity push this week in 1965 with the announcement that a new Sky-Liner ride would join the list of Coosa Valley Fair attractions this year. The Sky-Liner was really nothing more than a chair life that ran on a five-hundred-foot-long steel cable above the fairgrounds.
The numbers were finally tallied, and it turned out the retail sales in Rome and Floyd County jumped more than $2 million in the second quarter of 1965 compared to the same quarter in 1964. Total retail sales were more than $32,697,000, putting Rome and Floyd County near the top of Georgia's retail growth curve.
We talk about Christmas season kicking off too early nowadays, but apparently the problem has existed for quite a while: The Discount House at 7 North Division Street in West Rome announced that Santa would be at the store on Labor Day, and parents could have their kids' photos taken with Santa. They were also kicking off a major toy sale over the weekend leading up to Labor Day.
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, baking potatoes for 6¢ a pound, and Snax brand potato chips for 39¢ a bag. Kroger had Wilson's four-pound canned hams for $2.99, fresh eggs for 37¢ a dozen, and Country Club ice cream for 45¢ a half-gallon. Big Apple had round steak for 79¢ a pound, Van Camp's potted meat for 16¢ a can, and a carton of Pepsi-Cola for 29¢ plus deposit. A&P had hen turkeys for 39¢ a pound, tomatoes for 19¢ a pound, and Chef Boy-Ar-Dee ravioli for 39¢ a can. Couch's had pork chops for 59¢ a pound, Showboat pork & beans for 19¢ a can, and Double Cola for 69¢ a case plus deposit,.
The cinematic week began with A Very Special Favor (with Rock Hudson & Leslie Caron) at the DeSoto Theater; H. Rider Haggard's She (with Ursula Andress) at the First Avenue; and a double feature of The Thrill of It All (with Doris Day & James Garner) and Art of Love (with Dick Van Dyke & Elke Sommer) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought The Sons of Katie Elder (with John Wayne & Dean Martin) to the DeSoto; Lord Jim (with Peter O'Toole) to the First Avenue; and Shenandoah (with James Stewart) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles held on to first place in the Billboard charts with "Help." Other top ten hits included "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan (#2); "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#3); "You Were On My Mind" by We Five (#4); "California Girls" by the Beach Boys (#5); "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers (#6); "I Got You, Babe" by Sonny & Cher (#7); "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" by James Brown (#8); "It Ain't Me Babe" by the Turtles (#9); and "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#10).
The Beatles also reclaimed the number one album slot with Help! this week in 1965. knocking the Rolling Stones' Out of Our Heads off its three-week stint in first place. (The Stones, in turn, had knocked off the prior Beatles album, Beatles VI, which held the number one slot for six weeks.)
Superhero fans had a new comic book choice this week in 1965: THUNDER Agents #1, the premiere offering from Tower comics. A striking Wally Wood cover graced the first issue of this 64-page 25¢ comic that introduce Dynamo, No-Man, and Menthor to the comic-book-reading world.
Chieftain Benny Padgett was named the Rome News-Tribune's Lineman of the Week for his outstanding performance in the season opener against Coosa. Padgett was credited with 11 individual tackles and recovered a key fumble to stop Coosa from scoring.
This week's football game pitted the Chieftains against the Dalton Catamounts. West Rome Coach Paul Kennedy downplayed West Rome's chances, saying that "Dalton will undoubtedly win the region championship again this year," while Dalton Coach Bill Chappel said that "West Rome was the most likely contender to win the title." This is one time when we wish the other team's coach had been correct: unfortunately, West Rome lost to the Catamounts 21-0.
Nowadays we're accustomed to see blue lights on police cars, but red flashing lights were the norm until this week in 1965. This is the week that Floyd County began switching over to blue flashing lights to distinguish police cars from ambulances and other emergency vehicles. The Rome City Police Department confirmed plans to switch to blue lights as well, but they weren't sure when the transition would occur.
The Coosa Valley Fair began their pre-fair publicity push this week in 1965 with the announcement that a new Sky-Liner ride would join the list of Coosa Valley Fair attractions this year. The Sky-Liner was really nothing more than a chair life that ran on a five-hundred-foot-long steel cable above the fairgrounds.
The numbers were finally tallied, and it turned out the retail sales in Rome and Floyd County jumped more than $2 million in the second quarter of 1965 compared to the same quarter in 1964. Total retail sales were more than $32,697,000, putting Rome and Floyd County near the top of Georgia's retail growth curve.
We talk about Christmas season kicking off too early nowadays, but apparently the problem has existed for quite a while: The Discount House at 7 North Division Street in West Rome announced that Santa would be at the store on Labor Day, and parents could have their kids' photos taken with Santa. They were also kicking off a major toy sale over the weekend leading up to Labor Day.
Piggly Wiggly had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, baking potatoes for 6¢ a pound, and Snax brand potato chips for 39¢ a bag. Kroger had Wilson's four-pound canned hams for $2.99, fresh eggs for 37¢ a dozen, and Country Club ice cream for 45¢ a half-gallon. Big Apple had round steak for 79¢ a pound, Van Camp's potted meat for 16¢ a can, and a carton of Pepsi-Cola for 29¢ plus deposit. A&P had hen turkeys for 39¢ a pound, tomatoes for 19¢ a pound, and Chef Boy-Ar-Dee ravioli for 39¢ a can. Couch's had pork chops for 59¢ a pound, Showboat pork & beans for 19¢ a can, and Double Cola for 69¢ a case plus deposit,.
The cinematic week began with A Very Special Favor (with Rock Hudson & Leslie Caron) at the DeSoto Theater; H. Rider Haggard's She (with Ursula Andress) at the First Avenue; and a double feature of The Thrill of It All (with Doris Day & James Garner) and Art of Love (with Dick Van Dyke & Elke Sommer) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switch out brought The Sons of Katie Elder (with John Wayne & Dean Martin) to the DeSoto; Lord Jim (with Peter O'Toole) to the First Avenue; and Shenandoah (with James Stewart) to the West Rome Drive-In.
The Beatles held on to first place in the Billboard charts with "Help." Other top ten hits included "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan (#2); "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (#3); "You Were On My Mind" by We Five (#4); "California Girls" by the Beach Boys (#5); "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers (#6); "I Got You, Babe" by Sonny & Cher (#7); "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" by James Brown (#8); "It Ain't Me Babe" by the Turtles (#9); and "The 'In' Crowd" by the Ramsey Lewis Trio (#10).
The Beatles also reclaimed the number one album slot with Help! this week in 1965. knocking the Rolling Stones' Out of Our Heads off its three-week stint in first place. (The Stones, in turn, had knocked off the prior Beatles album, Beatles VI, which held the number one slot for six weeks.)
Superhero fans had a new comic book choice this week in 1965: THUNDER Agents #1, the premiere offering from Tower comics. A striking Wally Wood cover graced the first issue of this 64-page 25¢ comic that introduce Dynamo, No-Man, and Menthor to the comic-book-reading world.
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