Yes, I remember Pete Richey. I think he lived on Fernfield or Gleason in Monterey Park. Sorry to hear about what happened to him though. He was dealing drugs in the late ‘60’s, so I am not surprised about what happened. There but for the grace of God… .
Did you know a guy named Mike Velasco? He lived on Fernfield, near Wilcox. He lives up here near Seattle and he graduated from MHS in ‘67 I think.
Yeah, the Garmar and Golden Gate were great theaters, especially the Golden Gate. They just aren’t built like that anymore.
As a kid, I used to go to the Saturday matinees and see the “Crazy Races” too. It was great fun, though I never won anything. I also went to a “sneak preview” of a movie, where they didn’t tell you which movie it was until it started. It was around 1960 and the movie was “The Great Imposter” with Tony Curtis. I also remember going to see “Ride the Wild Surf” and making out with my girlfriend during the movie. I must’ve been all of 14!
Garduno’s was a great “taco stand” type food establishment on the corner of Whittier and Wilcox. Lots of us went there during lunch at Montebello High. The owner’s son, Bob Garduno, was in my graduating class, ‘68.
Ther french restaurant was a classy place, but just sort of lapsed into disrepair.
JohnF,
I think I know where Luis Place is. When I was a kid, we would go either there or a street near there to buy illegal firecrackers from a woman whose living room was full of boxes of them! Funny you should mention Anthony Loya Studios. Juas last week I was visiting my mother in Palm Springs, along with my wife, daughters and their husbands. My mother gave each of my daughters a protrait of me and my sister taken at Anthony Loya’s in around 1954!
Yes, Yvonne is my sister. She graduated from Montebello in 1966 and wrote for the Derrick Diary. She died tragically in 1990 and we miss her terribly. I really appreciate your words about her. In her adult years she was a magazine editor and a writer. I still have some copies of the Derrick Diary with her articles. I’ll have to dig them up and see if I have the one with your review!
Wow, small world. What’s your full name? Male or female? I’m trying to remember you. I still have my 1968 yearbook. Give my gegards to Randy Donaldson, I’d like to reconnect with him. Also, say hi to Kauffman, I saw him at the 30-year reunion. Yeah, being in band was fun, and I thought Mr. Ulrich was a good guy. In fact, the current and long-time band director at Montebello is a guy from my class, Larry Covellone. When he and I were 16, we saw the Beatles at Dodger Stadium!!
I graduated Montebello class of ‘68, and yes, I do remember the “head shop” on Atlantic! I also vividly remember the bowling alleys mentioned, the one on Whittier and the one near Pomona. There was also an “Utter-McKinley” morturary kind of where Atlantic and Beverly intersected, near the car wash. For years we lived a couple of blocks away from Atlantic and Olympic, then later moved to Monterey Park, a few blocks away from Atlantic Square. Back then those neighborhoods seemed so far away from each other, but they really are relatively close. I remember when they were constructing the Pomona Freeway, my buddies and I would get big pieces of
cardboard and “surf” down the mounds of dirt.
But as for theaters, between the Golden Gate and the Garmar in Montebello, I don’t recall any others in that area.
Yes, I remember the Pontiac Dealer. I used to walk up from where I lived at 1234 ½ S. Clela to catch the bus at Whittier and Clela. I also remember Stan’s drive-in. Just down the stree fro the Golden Gate there was a barber shop where I’d go to get a haircut, where I had my first “hot foam” trimming of the sideburns. It was next to the bowling alley. I took my first swimming lessons at the “plunge” across from St. Alphonse’s Catholic church on Atlantic. Yeah, it is an area that I fondly remember, including the Christmas decorations each year on Whittier Blvd. Do you remember El Metate restaurant on Atlantic?
We also would take the bus and streetcar to downtown and eat at Cliftons. What a magical place for a kid!
Growing up, I lived near Atlantic and Olympic and have many wonderful memories of days at the Golden Gate. What a classic, beautiful theater!! I would often just go and watch whatever was playing. I remember one afternoon when my mother gave me some money for the movies and I went there by miself and, as a 10 year-old, watched “Psycho”!! I also loved the set-up, where you would purchase the ticket at the booth at the sidewalk on Whittier Blvd., then walk down the covered courtyard, past the shops before entering the theater. On hot summer afternoons, there was no better place to be. Too bad it has not been restored. I would also love to see other photos of the place in its glory days.
For a recent pic (11/21/06) go to www.lasnapshot.com
Dear Rich Wojcik,
Yes, I remember Pete Richey. I think he lived on Fernfield or Gleason in Monterey Park. Sorry to hear about what happened to him though. He was dealing drugs in the late ‘60’s, so I am not surprised about what happened. There but for the grace of God… .
Did you know a guy named Mike Velasco? He lived on Fernfield, near Wilcox. He lives up here near Seattle and he graduated from MHS in ‘67 I think.
Yeah, the Garmar and Golden Gate were great theaters, especially the Golden Gate. They just aren’t built like that anymore.
As a kid, I used to go to the Saturday matinees and see the “Crazy Races” too. It was great fun, though I never won anything. I also went to a “sneak preview” of a movie, where they didn’t tell you which movie it was until it started. It was around 1960 and the movie was “The Great Imposter” with Tony Curtis. I also remember going to see “Ride the Wild Surf” and making out with my girlfriend during the movie. I must’ve been all of 14!
Garduno’s was a great “taco stand” type food establishment on the corner of Whittier and Wilcox. Lots of us went there during lunch at Montebello High. The owner’s son, Bob Garduno, was in my graduating class, ‘68.
Ther french restaurant was a classy place, but just sort of lapsed into disrepair.
JohnF,
I think I know where Luis Place is. When I was a kid, we would go either there or a street near there to buy illegal firecrackers from a woman whose living room was full of boxes of them! Funny you should mention Anthony Loya Studios. Juas last week I was visiting my mother in Palm Springs, along with my wife, daughters and their husbands. My mother gave each of my daughters a protrait of me and my sister taken at Anthony Loya’s in around 1954!
Yes, Yvonne is my sister. She graduated from Montebello in 1966 and wrote for the Derrick Diary. She died tragically in 1990 and we miss her terribly. I really appreciate your words about her. In her adult years she was a magazine editor and a writer. I still have some copies of the Derrick Diary with her articles. I’ll have to dig them up and see if I have the one with your review!
David Grisanti
JDuran,
Wow, small world. What’s your full name? Male or female? I’m trying to remember you. I still have my 1968 yearbook. Give my gegards to Randy Donaldson, I’d like to reconnect with him. Also, say hi to Kauffman, I saw him at the 30-year reunion. Yeah, being in band was fun, and I thought Mr. Ulrich was a good guy. In fact, the current and long-time band director at Montebello is a guy from my class, Larry Covellone. When he and I were 16, we saw the Beatles at Dodger Stadium!!
Born, and JDuran,
I graduated Montebello class of ‘68, and yes, I do remember the “head shop” on Atlantic! I also vividly remember the bowling alleys mentioned, the one on Whittier and the one near Pomona. There was also an “Utter-McKinley” morturary kind of where Atlantic and Beverly intersected, near the car wash. For years we lived a couple of blocks away from Atlantic and Olympic, then later moved to Monterey Park, a few blocks away from Atlantic Square. Back then those neighborhoods seemed so far away from each other, but they really are relatively close. I remember when they were constructing the Pomona Freeway, my buddies and I would get big pieces of
cardboard and “surf” down the mounds of dirt.
But as for theaters, between the Golden Gate and the Garmar in Montebello, I don’t recall any others in that area.
Anthony,
Yes, I remember the Pontiac Dealer. I used to walk up from where I lived at 1234 ½ S. Clela to catch the bus at Whittier and Clela. I also remember Stan’s drive-in. Just down the stree fro the Golden Gate there was a barber shop where I’d go to get a haircut, where I had my first “hot foam” trimming of the sideburns. It was next to the bowling alley. I took my first swimming lessons at the “plunge” across from St. Alphonse’s Catholic church on Atlantic. Yeah, it is an area that I fondly remember, including the Christmas decorations each year on Whittier Blvd. Do you remember El Metate restaurant on Atlantic?
We also would take the bus and streetcar to downtown and eat at Cliftons. What a magical place for a kid!
Anybody know the origin of the name “Garmar”?
DOes anyone remember, was it the Boulevard or the Center where the Beatles' “A Hard Day’s Night” was first shown in East LA?
Growing up, I lived near Atlantic and Olympic and have many wonderful memories of days at the Golden Gate. What a classic, beautiful theater!! I would often just go and watch whatever was playing. I remember one afternoon when my mother gave me some money for the movies and I went there by miself and, as a 10 year-old, watched “Psycho”!! I also loved the set-up, where you would purchase the ticket at the booth at the sidewalk on Whittier Blvd., then walk down the covered courtyard, past the shops before entering the theater. On hot summer afternoons, there was no better place to be. Too bad it has not been restored. I would also love to see other photos of the place in its glory days.