Billy Mann's Postal and Regency-Hyatt Worlds

The other night while surfing the networks, on HBO I think, we came across the movie KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES. 

It was an funny entertaining spy movie, like a tongue-in-cheek James Bond or MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E type of movie.

After watching it just a few minutes we figured out a husband and wife spy team lived next door to the average nerdy yuppie family.  Suddenly the spy's family's house blew up.  Of course the fire trucks came.  On side of the fire trucks were ATLANTA FIRE DEPARTMENT.  Then we perked up.  Interesting.

The movie's climax scene took place in the Regency Hyatt Hotel in  downtown Atlanta.  We recognized it immediately.  On the top of the Regency is the big circular blue Polaris lounge that slowly rotates.

It brought back memories.  Whenever one of my ex-Navy friends would come through Marietta we would take them to the Polaris.  Then, many stories up  you could see miles in any direction.  Now, it is surrounded by even taller buildings, so I am not the long range view is still there.

It also reminded me of Billy Mann.  Billy Mann was a Postal mail handler through the night and in the evenings he was the bell captain at the Regency Omni Hotel.  He is a tall person.  He wore a maroon suit and a beige cloth top-hat.

In his evening working attire he reminded me of the voo-doo witch doctor in one of the James Bond movies.  He had style, had a youthful face,  and was making  his own visual statement constantly.

And he did so at work also, always smiling and laughing and  in control of his environment.  Good for Billy Mann.

Throwback Thursday, Hunter Family in Marietta c1944

Throwback Thursday.  The Hunter Family of Marietta c1944.  Of the big cluster of people in this picture I think only four of us are still living: Bobby Crain, Elizabeth, Frances, and me.  Then we were kids, now we are elderly and  older than anyone in this picture.  Time moves on. 

Emma Victoria "Vickie" Crain Smith (1943-2017)

Grandparents frontyard Manget Street: L to R: 1sr Row: Vickie Crain and Frances Hunter

2nd Row: Jerry Hunter, Bobby Crain, Eddie Hunter, (in front of Jimmy Crain)

Beatrice Hunter Crain with her children: Sue, Liz, and Vickie

Grandparents front yard on Manget Street: Liz Crain, Cass Hunter, Vickie Crain, Eddie Hunter, and back Frances Hunter

Hunter Reunion: Vickie Crain, Alice "Rusty", ?, and Jeanne Hunter

Sisters Vickie and Liz at Uncle Bus Hunter's birthday.

Varner Reunion: Old neighbors Homer and Vickie

Varner Reunion: Tim Hunt, Vickie Turner Hunt, and Vickie

Vickie at Bell Reunion

Vickie 

Vickie's Orbituary

  Ms. Emma Victoria Crain, age 73, of White, passed away on Wednesday, August 30, 2017, at Mt. Berry Hospice.

            Ms. Crain was born in Marietta, Georgia on December 31, 1943, daughter of the late Robert Spencer Crain and the late Beatrice Hunter Crain.  She was also preceded in death by a brother, Jimmy Crain.  Mrs. Crain was a member of the Church at Liberty Square and volunteered at the Tellus Science Museum and other places.

            Survivors include a son, Ricky Smith and his wife, Lorrie, Rome; two sisters, Elizabeth McMahen, Marietta, and Sue Crain, Marietta; a brother, Bobby Crain, Marietta; three grandchildren, Victoria Cooper, Kasey Champion and Tyler Smith; four great grandchildren, Braxton Cooper, Lily Mae Champion, December Champion and Anna Claire Champion; nieces & nephews.

            Funeral services will be held on Friday, September 1, 2017, at 12 noon in the Chapel at Henderson & Sons Funeral Home, South Chapel, with the Rev. James Abercrombie officiating.  Interment will follow in Kennesaw Memorial Park.

            The family will receive friends at Henderson & Sons Funeral Home, South Chapel, on Friday from 10am until the service time.

            Henderson & Sons Funeral Home, South Chapel, has charge of the funeral arrangements.

Jayne Mansfield in Marietta in 1962

This morning in THE MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL's Historic Photos of the Day is dated Aug 16, 1962, about Jayne Mansfield making a personal appearance at the grand opening  at Thrift City.

Click here

  Thrift City would become K-Mart then Sears Discount Store and so on.  Interesting, is less than 500 feet where Leo Frank was hung by a well organized lynch mob in 1913

I remember that night in August when Jayne came to town.  A bunch of us stood by her big shiny car waiting for her to come back out so we could get a closer look at her. 

Inside the car, her young daughter,  alone sat and glared at us.

I remember seeing Jayne at a distance inside the store, or at least her white-blond hair, with a crowd of heads around her.  But I don't remember seeing her  closely as she returned to her car.  Her security must have shooed us away.

MAD # 4, Possessing

In the 7th Grade fellow student, Archie Richardson, introduced me to MAD #4. 

Archie lived next door to my grandmother and aunt.  As my parents visited my mother's family I visited Archie, sitting on the floor in his bedroom looking at his comic book collection.  I came across a comic book I never heard of:  MAD.  MAD was published by E.C. Publishing, the same that bought us TALES FROM THE CRYPT, and other horror comic books.

I instantly felt an  connection to MAD.  I was looking at MAD #4.   It did not take me long to figure out how to buy all the back issues from the publisher and subscribe.  Luckily, I was a young preteen with means (I  had a paper route).

There was a kid, about a year or two older, who lived on Alexander Circle, about three blocks away, that I heard we had a mutual admiration for MAD.  He heard it too, and visited me.  After going through my comicbook collection he said he wanted my MAD #4, that was the only MAD he did not have.  I turned him down.  He begged and offered several dollars for it.   I turned him down flatly.  

Although we had a mutual taste I decided I didn't care for this kid.  He thought he had more of a right to my comic book than I.  I think he felt he was better than me.  Which might be true, but being better did not give him more rights.

A day or two later my old time friend Jimmy Pat Presley visited me.  He wanted to look through my comics and swore he would not steal anything.  Did I mention Jimmy Pat was a notorious shoplifter?  And he lived only about 3 or 4 houses from the guy that wanted the MAD #4?

Needless to say after Jimmy Pat left I was no longer in possession of MAD #4.  As usual, I searched Jimmy Pat when he left and I thought he was clean, but somehow he out foxed me.

I went to visit the kid that wanted that comic so bad and suddenly he had it.  I told him that was mine.  He denied it.  He said he bought it from another collector.  It was my word against his.

Beware of Collectors when you own something they think they deserve more.

I have MAD#4 in two different forms now:  CD, and part of a hardbound volume.   I survived.

Beware of people.

This Date In History, Aug 28th...

1938:  Northwestern University awards honorary degree to dummy Charlie McCarthy.  That was before Trump University existed.

Sculpture in Downtown Decatur

Good Old Boys

Dale and brothers Ray and Melvyn outside at the Horace Orr Post American Legion in Marietta.   I do not know what they are talking about but it looks like Ray is the lookout.

Old Willie B. and Me

I  don't believe in tooting my own horn.... However!   since no one will toot it for me:  There is a possibility that some pictures of the late Willie B. pictures  I photographed years ago at the Atlanta Zoo will be published.  An agent got in touch and said an unknown publication is interested.   Should I try to selling  them swamp land also?

What Just Happened?

I arrived at the dog park about 9 this morning.  The usual people and dogs were already there.  BUT!  There was a new person, I don't remember seeing her before.  She looked about our age.  She just stood there looking at the other people but did not say anything.  She looked like she might have a leg or hip disorder, so kind of limped and walked at an angle.

She was standing.  I offered she could have my seat.  She smiled and should her head, like she was saying, "Thanks but no thanks."

Joe was trying to think who sung a certain song.  He repeated the song words and she interrupted him and told him sung it.

Five or ten minutes, a gray headed man who looked to be either her son or husband walked in from the parking lot and took her hand to lead her out.

They left.what 

Alaska 13, Potourri

Alaska 12, Anchorage

This is Laurel Downing Bill.  In her Aunt Phyllis Downing Carson's trunk she found a lot of writings about the History of Alaska and now is butting out in series form.

I think the owner of this Husky charges people o bet him.  He jerked the dog (rather hard) back info the tent.

The solar thing in the green is the air and energy connection.  The complete house is underground.

These trees leads to Anchorage's famous split in the Earth's crust which was an earthquake 

About the first half of our Alaskan trip was via ship.   We saw a lot of Alaskan water ways.   I was amazed from Vancouver until we the end of our ship cruise of how many piper cubs like planes with water skins or small pontoons parked in every place possible.  Each docking area had several docks for boats and at least one or two long docks for ice cream.  I was told by a tour guide that most teenagers learn how to fly in high school, and get their pilots license before they are old enough to get their drivers' license.