Notes from down under, the drive-in and Trump's brain

This week’s Mailbag is as farflung as it gets, both in terms of distance and subject.

Our inordinately ardent following in New South Wales, Australia, coughed up an interesting item from Phil Ross, who lives on the east coast of NSW: a copy of a lease from the Jergins Trust Building.

“My late father John Ross, although bo and raised in Detroit, spent a lot of time living and working in Long Beach before and after World War II before moving to Australia with his Australian war bride where he lived and worked for the rest of his life,” wrote Phil.

While going through some of his dad’s papers, Phil found a lease document dated December 1945 for the use of a little space in the Jergins Trust’s arcade, where local crafters and other vendors sold food and souvenirs to tourists who were visiting the beach. John Ross was in the silhouette-cutting business in those years, and throughout his life. Phil sent along a copy of the lease, which showed that John was to pay $20 per month for a space “between the columns north of Booth 7, for conducting therein the business of cutting silhouettes.”

Phil saw our story on the Jergins building on the inteet and sent us the photo of the lease. It is, as Phil wrote, “a little piece of history from a bygone era.”

We noted another bygone era last week in a column about the 20th aiversary of the closing of the Los Altos Drive-In (and our outing there a few decades back when we took a date there in a borrowed Wiebago). We got several email memories of the cherished cinema experience, including one from Greg Moon, who wrote, “Great stuff about the drive-in. Many good times there, though never in a motorhome. I had a VW squareback. More tricky.”

Also, Wes Edwards writes: “I am one who believes that today’s kids are missing a lot by not plugging the speaker into their window and getting back from the snack bar on time. And what about that drive-in employee guy who used to ride around on his bike tapping on your windows? Never liked him.”

Our column written on location from inside Donald Trump’s head brought an awful lot of email from pro- and anti-Donaldians.

First, the good, kind-hearted, thoughtful, intelligent and beautiful people: Rich Mansfield writes, “You nailed it! Both a likely reason behind (Trump’s candidacy) and the reason it has worked so far. Perfect. And, from a woman caller, “I now concur with your thoughts on Trump. You’ve got it down to a T as to what he’s thinking. I believe he’s scared he might win.”

Advertisement

And, from the other camp (disheveled, bellicose, unpleasant to be around), we get, from the occasionally not-bothersome correspondent Don Venitsky, “Your humor, political understanding and take on Trump is disappointing. What level of education do you have?” Um, a fancy and handsomely mounted honorary degree from Long Beach City College? Boom! And a phone message from an uamed but nevertheless effervescent woman caller who chirped, “Your column stinks. I’m surprised the Press-Telegram pays you money for your column. Go away. Retire.”

Sorry, ma’am. Can’t afford to. Not with what we get paid.

Contact Tim Grobaty at 562-714-2116,

- - , .
.