Holiday Inn - Joplin, Missouri - 1962
This is not just any old Holiday Inn, this is the Mickey Mantle Holiday Inn. The baseball hero to millions was part owner. “See the Dugout and Mickey’s Trophies” is what it says on the marquee. The Dugout was the name of the cocktail lounge. Besides lending his name to the monumental motel sign, and receiving a share of the profits, Mantle also contributed to the business by coming up with the slogan for the fried chicken served there in the restaurant: “To get a better piece of chicken, you’d have to be a rooster.” Hard to believe but they actually used that slogan.
Besides Elvis, the Holiday Inn is the most famous name to ever come out of Memphis, Tennessee. The now world-wide chain began there in 1952. The movie, Holiday Inn, starring Bing Crosby inspired the name. It has a nice ring to it and sounds much better than Holiday Motel.
GOD BLESS AMERICANA and the Holiday Inn!
I found your site while searching for information about the Mickey Mantle Restaurant in Joplin, MO. My high school graduating class (7 members) of 1960 stopped and had lunch at the Mickey Mantle Restaurant in May of 1960. I remember the restaurant people let us look inside The Dugout Bar and I still have a menu they gave me from the restaurant that day. I was wondering what might be the value, if any, of this menu. Thanks for any help you might give me.
Sincerely,
Joyce Bedford
400 S. Lexington
Holden, MO. 64040
secjkb2001@yahoo.com
I love old signs, especially the Holiday Inn sign. It’s so much better than the sign they use nowadays.
I have a picture of Micky Mantle and Roger Maris at the Holiday Inn at 2600 Range Lane Joplin,Missouri.Is this worth anything?
my grandmother was part owner in a dog&suds across the street from his holiday inn my brother use to go take all the complimentry post cards out of the lobby i can still remember looking out the window to see when mickey was coming home i thought he lived there 1 was 10 at the time