We've got exciting news to share here at Vintage Roadside - we'll be giving an official Modernism Week 2012 presentation on February 24th, 2012! We're debuting an all-new presentation called "Mid-Century Mermaids: A History" in which we share the stories and people behind a true 1960s phenomenon - the Live Mermaid show. Tickets are now available here!
Oh, did we mention that we'll have a live mermaid performing in the Ace Hotel pool? That's right, the world famous Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid will be joining us for our presentation with a one-of-a-kind performance in the hotel pool - a true Modernism Week first! So, for all of you who wished you could make it to Florida to see Marina we proudly present the opportunity to see her in the desert for the first time ever.
Some of what you'll see in our all-new presentation includes vintage home movies from defunct mermaid attractions, archival photos from numerous sources not seen in decades, first-hand accounts from several former mermaids & performers, a selection of vintage mermaid tails, swimsuits and costumes (many of which were assumed to have been lost), a selection of current mermaid tails, and much more!
We'll also take you back to the days of the assorted aquatic shows that paved the way for the mermaid attraction of the 1960s. We've got Aquacades, Aqua Spectaculars, Aqua Follies, Aqua Frolics, stories of a famous movie star swimming around without his suit, and more.
We'll cover the 1950s which saw the heyday of the Porthole Lounge in some of the swankiest hotels in the country. Places like the Wreck Lounge, the Mermaid Room, the Jules Verne Room, Davy Jones Locker & more.
The 1960s were the high point of the mermaid attraction. We'll highlight Weeki Wachee in Florida, Aquarama in Missouri, Aquarena Springs in Texas as well as places like Marineland and even Disneyland which featured mermaids to bring in the guests. And for those looking for a little adult history we'll let you in on the secret of which hotel featured topless midnight mermaid performances.
Before moving outside for our live mermaid performance we'll wrap things up with a list of places you can still catch a mermaid show such as a 1960s motor lodge in Montana.
We've been working for years to put all this together and can't wait to share what we've discovered...looking forward to seeing you in Palm Springs!
We recently caught up with someone we've long considered an honorary member of the Vintage Roadside family - the one and only Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid!
We've given presentations together on the history of mermaid and aquatic attractions at Tiki Oasis and The Hukilau and will be teaming up again for an all-new extravaganza for Modernism Week 2012. If you've ever wanted to see a comprehensive history of mermaid shows, along with vintage costumes used in those shows, vintage home movies, over 100 vintage images, followed by a finale that includes a live mermaid and fire eating performance, you'll want to be in Palm Springs on February 24th, 2012. Here's a link to tickets for this Palm Springs first.
Before we begin we would like to point out that this was the very first time we've interviewed someone wearing a bright pink gorilla costume.
Vintage Roadside: Howdy Marina! So, "Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid" - some people might not know it, but that's just one part of what you do. Can you share some of the other aspects of your professional life?
Marina: Hi Jeff & Kelly! Ah, at the risk of sounding Munchausien - here goes. I'm a licensed pilot, marine biology and physiology major, Polynesian dancer, Middle Eastern dancer, fire performer, Wadaiko (Taiko) drummer, juggler, a former yoga & kickboxing instructor, vet tech, firefighter, EMT, & zookeeper (specializing in reptiles, primates, and bats) all of which have helped in my performances in one aspect or another. My performances include: fire eating, knife juggling, laying on a bed of nails, balancing on a ladder of swords, dancing on broken plates...whew! I know I missed a few other things...I still continue to train in all sorts of different disciplines to help enhance my work. As Eartha Kitt once said: "I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma."
Vintage Roadside: Wow! We're ready for a 3-day weekend to rest up after thinking about all of that. That's amazing. We've really enjoyed teaming up with you for several presentation on the history of aquatic shows. Could you tell us a bit about your favorite aquatic acts from the past?
Marina: I'm absolutely fascinated by Aquacades and the underwater shows that were put on during tourism's golden age. Back then, porthole underwater views were a lot more common and swim/dive shows would take place in many pools & even restaurants. Some shows even traveled. The idea of sitting and enjoying your dinner & cocktails while entertained by a beautiful swimmer as she dances underwater behind glass just floors me. I'm doing everything I can to make it possible for us to relive that experience.
Vintage Roadside: We love the old Aquacade shows too. Billy Rose, Sam Howard, etc. We also really enjoy talking with the people who performed at the old attractions. Have you been lucky enough to spend any time with the performers from the past?
Marina: Yes indeed! I sometimes have the honor of performing for them. They'll come up and tell me what they've done and I'll just flip to learn they were in an aquashow, or Weeki Wachee in the early years, performed underwater for an old television series, or at an attraction that no longer exists. Most seem surprised at my enthusiasm at meeting them! After so many years of it not being noticed here's a gal in a pool jumping up & down in a tail (or whatever I'm wearing at the moment) to hear more...gosh...I could listen to those stories for hours!
Vintage Roadside: We know exactly what you mean. We love hearing from them, and doing what we can to share some of their individual history. So, with that said, who are some of your inspirations?
Marina: Easy - Newt Perry, Ricou Browning, Esther Williams, Annette Kellerman, Eartha Kitt, Bruce Lee, Freddy Mercury, Ginger Stanley Hallowell, Iris Chacon, Dame Shirley Bassey, pioneer scuba diver & aqua performer, Zale Parry...just to name a few.
Vintage Roadside: Let's jump to the present and hear how that ties into a piece of history. You perform (along with your Pod) every Friday at a place with some amazing history - The Wreck Bar. Tell us a bit of the history behind The Wreck.
Marina: The Wreck Bar is a Porthole Bar located inside the Yankee Clipper Hotel which is located in Fort Lauderdale. The $1.5 million dollar hotel opened in 1956 and was built to resemble an ocean liner. The hotel was quite popular, not only due to the Wreck Bar, but also for their Polynesian Revue (pre-Mai-Kai) and became even more popular when NBC broadcast its noon and evening news from a studio on the 7th floor of the Yankee Clipper! The Wreck Bar, which was built to look like the inside of a sunken Spanish galleon, was quite large - sporting seven windows which surrounded the back of the bar. There were tables, too, as well as a stage and aquariums to enhance the underwater experience. Entertainment ranging from live music to comedy acts would take place inside along with the aquatic shows. The location has been used in television shows and films such as "Where the Boys Are", and more recently "Analyze This".
Here's a video we shot at one of Marina's Wreck Bar performances in June 2011
Vintage Roadside: We know The Wreck went several years without "Mermaid" shows. How were you able to convince them there was still an audience for them?
Marina: It was not easy. I had approached them five years ago and suggested the idea after noticing that the bar was practically forgotten by the locals and - GASP! - empty!!! They weren't too keen on the idea at first, though they humored me with an audition. Afterward when I wrote them and asked them how they liked it they mentioned not being interested...BUT they did say I could come and use the pool to practice anytime I wanted. Soooo...I did, every week...with full makeup and "fishtail". One month later the bar began to fill up...in two months the press started to take interest and the fan base began to develop...by month three I was "hired" by the hotel. MeduSirena Swim Shows have been going ever since.
Vintage Roadside: When you perform with your pod do you have choreographed routines?
Marina: There are very few traditionally choreographed movements. Since it's a bar I wanted to keep the shows organic - more like watching a fish in a tank rather than a "stage show". That way people who return will see something different each time. There are some set pieces, opening line-up for example, or the finale. There are skits that are rehearsed too. But, for the most part, I direct as it goes, kinda like an auctioneer deploying the MeduSirena Pod of "Aquaticats" (my title for my performers) at a steady clip. We don't have air hoses, and the pool is chlorinated (our eyes will burn out after an extended period underwater) so timing is definitely of great importance.
We hope you're enjoying our visit with Marina. We'll be back mid-week with Part 2. If you can't wait you can visit Marina's website here or her Facebook page here.
A recent addition to Modernism Week is the Vintage Travel Trailer Show. In only its second year the show has more than doubled and the quality of the trailers on display is truly amazing. The setting for this year's show was the Riviera Resort.
Whenever the guys from Funky Junk Farms show up you're guaranteed to see something cool.
Stove inside the 1948 Spartan Manor
1960 Airstream Caravel
Interior of the 1950 Airfloat Landyacht
Exterior of the 1950 Airfloat Landyacht
We had a great time at the show and wanted to say thanks again to the organizers, the trailer owners, and everyone that stopped by the Vintage Roadside booth!
We're looking forward to being a part of the Vintage Travel Trailer Show again this year at Modernism Week in Palm Springs. In addition to our Vintage Roadside t-shirts, we'll be releasing six new fine art prints in both 11x14 and 8x10 sizes. We'll also have six of our most popular images available in both sizes.
The six new images are:
The Kaufmann House - Palm Springs, California The CP Trailer Court - near Stockton, California The Rancho Super Car Wash - Rancho Mirage, California The Shirleen Trailer Park - Medford, Oregon Horseshoe Camp Modern Cottages - Bowling Green, Kentucky 1952 Chevrolet Bel Air
The other six images are:
The Fresno Motel - Fresno, California The Luau - Fresno, California Stinky on the Road - Our mascot along SR 120 in the Sierra Mountains The Painted Desert Indian Center - Holbrook, Arizona The Ranch Motel - Rice Hill, Oregon Joe's Liquor - Rock Springs, Wyoming
Our Chromira prints are produced by a professional lab here in Portland, Oregon and are printed on Fuji Crystal Archive paper. We'll be offering our 11x14 prints matted and our 8x10 prints both matted and unmatted.
We hope to see you at the Riviera February 25th-27th!
We were excited to be asked to be a part of Modernism Week's first-ever Vintage Airstream and Trailer show held at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. And while we were there as vendors, we did manage to sneak out of our booth for a few photos. Here's a little of what we saw out there.
The shot of the Ace Hotel below is intended to be used as photographic proof that there are places where the sun is actually visible to the naked eye in the month of February. We also wanted to say thank you to the staff of the Ace - we had a wonderful stay and everyone we worked with went above and beyond. Thanks again for everything!
We were pleased to have the opportunity to spend some time over the weekend talking with John and Steven from Funky Junk Farms. They have an amazing collection of just about everything we love (old signs, vintage cars, vintage appliances, etc.) and one of the finest collections of vintage travel trailers out there. Below is John's 1948 Westcraft.
A perfect 1952 Silver Streak owned by Better Shelter.
The Ace provided a great setting for this vintage Airstream.
One of the highlights of the weekend was meeting John from Scoot Palm Springs. We had noticed people zipping around town on scooters and thought that seemed like the perfect way to see the area. John's company rents scooters for half days, full days, and weekends. You can pick your scooter up at the Ace Hotel or for an additional charge they'll even bring them to you.
In addition to friendly scooter rentals, John possesses mad modeling skills. Below you'll see John in our Chi Chi t-shirt. (Thanks, John!)
A detail shot of Steven of Funky Junk Farm's 1954 Spartan Royal Manor.
Here's the Spartan Royal Manor in all its glory.
We had a fantastic time and want to say thank you to everyone that stopped by our booth to pick up t-shirts, say hello, and offer tips on things to see in the area. We're already counting the days until Modernism Week 2011!
It's February in Oregon. While we've had a mild winter we've still had our share of rain, gray skies, and temperatures that won't have us grabbing the scissors and making that first pair of cut-offs for 2010 anytime soon.
So...let's load up the car and head someplace warm!
Point B on this road trip will be Palm Springs, California. We're headed down to Modernism Week to host a Charles Phoenix book signing and to be a part of the first Vintage Airstream & Travel Trailer Show at the Ace Hotel.
And away we go.
One of our favorite stops along the way was an antique store and collection located in Kramer Junction, California. The shop features an amazing collection of gas, highway and other random signs along with several vintage vehicles. The shop is located east of Boron at the junction of Highways 58 & 395.
Before we settled in we wanted to see a couple things in Rancho Mirage. First up was the amazing Rancho Super Car Wash. Once part of the Elephant Car Wash chain that stretched throughout Washington, Oregon and California the elephant is one of the few remaining vintage neon signs in the area.
Our next stop was the former Chart House Restaurant. Built in 1978, this was one of several Chart House buildings designed by Kendrick Bangs Kellogg who also designed the Doolittle residence in Joshua Tree.
The restaurant is currently closed but there are signs stating that a new establishment will be "opening soon".
We were able to get down to the area a day early and had the pleasure of spending an afternoon and evening with friends.
Below you'll see both Stinky and Mini Jake enjoying the late afternoon sun on our day off.
Fast forward a day and here we are all set up for the Charles Phoenix book signing on Friday night. We'd like to thank Jorg and the rest of the engineering staff at the Ace Hotel for setting us up with the great lighting.
Charles had a packed house for his slide show and we'd like to thank everyone who stopped by after the show to pick up t-shirts, books and to say hello. We had a great time!
We'll have our day at the vintage travel trailer show in our next entry.
We're thrilled to announce we'll be spending the evening of February 19th at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs as part of Modernism Week. What's going on at the Ace you may ask? An evening with the one-and-only Charles Phoenix! "But wait there's more!", as they say on TV. You'll also be the first to see two brand-new Vintage Roadside t-shirts we're launching as part of Modernism Week. We'll be offering a selection of Charles' books at the Vintage Roadside booth and hosting a book signing by Charles after his performance. We've seen a number of Charles' performances and can guarantee you'll not want to miss this!
Where: The Ace Hotel. 701 E Palm Canyon Dr. Palm Springs, CA
When: February 19th - 6:30 pm
How Much: $20.00
We hope to see you there - it should be a great evening!
We're back from attending the California Preservation Foundation annual conference in Palm Springs and wanted to share a sample of the things we saw while we were in town. After a few days without internet access let's get right to it!
Here's a shot of the beautifully reconstructed El Mirador Hotel Tower. The original tower was built in 1928 and stood over the hotel until its closing in 1973. The tower was lost to fire in 1989 but was rebuilt from the original plans in 1991.
We had heard good things about the Caliente Tropics, designed in 1964, and chose that as our home base for the conference. What a great choice it was!
The Caliente Tropics is regarded as one of the finest surviving Polynesian/tiki themed motels in the country. From the tropical plantings to the onsite bbq's we couldn't have asked for more relaxing lodging. Plus it gets bonus points for having been visited by Elvis Presley and Nancy Sinatra.
The awning over the entry is a great example of 1960s tiki architecture.
Our mascot posing with one of the many tiki statues surrounding the motel.
Our mascot gets into an Apocalypse Now state of mind.
Another look at the entry and the former Reef Bar restaurant on the left. We've read a few websites that covered the demise of the restaurant, along with concern that the building may be remodeled into a diiferent architectural theme. We were thrilled when we were told by the motel that they expect a new tiki themed restaurant to open in the coming months.
Here's a wonderful roof line on one of the Alexander built steel houses - one of seven unique homes constructed in 1961. Designed by Donald Wexler, the original plans called for 38 homes to be built. Thanks to preservation efforts all seven still remain.
Here's a shot of the Kaufmann Desert House designed by Richard Neutra in 1946. The home became well known in 1947 with the publication of photos by photographer Julius Shulman. Considered by many architectural critics as being one of the five most important houses of the 20th century. The home has undergone painstaking restoration and is currently for sale.
One of the most awe-inspiring buildings we saw was the House of Tomorrow, designed in 1962 by William Krisel for Robert and Helene Alexander. One of many Krisel homes in the area. This home also served as a honeymoon retreat for Elvis and Priscilla Presley.
The 1965 Tramway Gas Station building designed by Albert Frey now serves as the Palm Springs Visitor Center. Inside you'll find a large selection of Palm Springs literature along with the invaluable "Map of Modern Palm Springs" produced by the Palm Springs Modern Committee. The map provides locations for 75 of the best examples of mid-century architecture, both residential and commercial, in Palm Springs.
Driving through one of the neighborhoods on the map we were stopped in our tracks by this colorful cluster of metal statues. We later learned that we had gotten our first look at the amazing creations of artist Kenny Irwin Jr. which cover his four-acre property.
We would like to finish up our Palm Springs post with heartfelt thanks to everyone who made this such a fantastic road trip for us.
For everyone who followed along with us on the blog, we hope you enjoyed the trip as much as we did! We loved your comments and look forward to our next road trip together.
And to just some of the special people we met at the conference:
Michele Gates, Judy Chen, and Cindy Heitzman of the California Preservation Foundation. We couldn't have felt more welcome as first time exhibitors. A special thanks to Michele for encouraging our idea for a preservation-themed road trip to Palm Springs.
Mr. & Mrs. William (Bill) Krisel for spending 45 minutes talking with us about everything from video games to front porches.
Gary Johns and Kip Serafin of the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation. Thanks to them, we are currently researching ideas for a fun Palm Springs Vintage Roadside t-shirt.
Stephen Schafer of Schaf Photo, an incredible photographer.
Marci & Austin of Sputnik Housewares for making the trip down from Portland...now if we could only convince you to come along on every road trip!
Bob Bogard of the Palm Springs Art Museum for sharing his enthusiasm for the museum's architecture...and for looking so great in our Pixieland t-shirt.
Nickie McLaughlin of the Palm Springs Modern Committee - we hope to see you next year during Modernism Week.
Sheila McElroy of the California Preservation Foundation for running one of the most exciting silent auctions we've ever seen.
Gloria Scott of Caltrans for sharing her encyclopedic knowledge of roadside architecture.
Kristin Leuschner of the Society for Commercial Archeology. Great to see you again after Tulsa. Looking forward to seeing you in Nashville!
And to everyone who stopped by the Vintage Roadside booth. It was wonderful to see friends we had met in Tulsa last year at the National Trust for Historic Preservation conference and to all the new people we met over the conference - you really made the trip special!
We wanted to let you know we've been beaten by technology the past two evenings as far as internet connection go - but it appears to have been remedied late tonight so we'll be back tomorrow evening with an update.
We've moved on from Bakersfield out to Palm Springs and have wrapped up day one of the California Preservation Foundation conference. It was a great first day and the weather here in Palm Springs is perfect!
We're wrapping up the final details for the road trip down to Palm Springs and wanted to let everyone know the first post of the trip will be waiting for you as you begin your Monday.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts and hope you enjoy what we discover along Highway 99!
"Did we turn off the stove?" "Did you see if the coffee pot was turned off?" "I think I forgot socks." "Do I really need my wallet?" Those questions and numerous other variants can only mean one thing - Roadtrip!
In 2 weeks we'll be driving from Portland, Oregon down to Palm Springs, California for the 2009 California Preservation Conference. We'll be writing a nightly blog covering historic preservation projects, roadside architecture, preservation people, neon sign survivors, and possibly a malt or two. We'll also be sharing numerous photos along the way. The plan is to travel mainly along historic Highway 99.
The blog will be similar to the one we wrote last October as we meandered across Route 66. We hope you'll join us again! If you have any favorite places or things along Highway 99 we'd love to hear about them.
