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Party Store Rentals,
Van Nuys, California, 1960
Clotheslines and power lines pattern an overcast sky. A trio of gents poses with a ferocious lion, fortune teller, blue-eyed clown and barefoot monkey. They are in the backyard of a classic Van Nuys track home. One of the men, I don’t know which one, owns a party store on Van Nuys Blvd. He rents these standees out. Each is a precious one-of-a-kind work of art as you can see.
Monday night I had a friend’s birthday party to go to. So I went to the local mom-and-pop hardware store. Hardware stores are full of useful things just waiting to be given as gifts. I grabbed an empty paint bucket to be the “gift box” then went right to the aisle where all the colored light bulbs are. Perfect! Six colored light bulbs seal up in the gallon can perfectly. But I still needed a big bow or something dramatic to finish it off.
For the first time ever I went to Party City. I never go to party stores.
Among the staggering selection of party goods and favors I found something that inspired my imagination- the balloon bar.
Not four minutes later my feet were barely touching the ground as I sauntered to the cash register with a dozen old-fashioned helium filled balloons in hand -each one a different color. My spirit soared! I felt like a happy clown or a balloon vendor at a carnival, or both.
Cleverly I tied the balloons to the handle of the silver paint bucket and my gift was ready to be given. I included a card on which I wrote – “You light up my life – Happy Birthday!” The colored light bulbs in the paint bucket finished with balloons were a big hit!
Since then I’ve been back to the party store several times for more. I’m bringing balloon bouquets to everyone no matter what the occasion is. And I suggest you do to! They make people happy. And they’re such a deal too! -they cost a measly $5.89 a dozen – about the same price as a dozen do-nuts or half the price of a box of candy! And balloons have no calories!
Posted Thursday, April 6th, 2006 under Slide of the Week.
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These guys would scare the be-jesus out of little kids! They look like they just escaped from prison. And check out the face on the lion, he’s either a demon possesed or has some major constipation! Love the balloon idea Charles. You can’t get much more festive than that ! Now if we can get the cost of white doves down that low. That might be an idea for the party store! Doves – R- us !
It’s TRACT house, Darling….not TRACK. The dictionary definition is: One of many houses of similar design constructed together on a tract of land. Sorry to be so picky, but that’s my job!
Hi Charles,
So what if you said track instead of tract, big deal–we know the difference and I just want to thank you for the memories you are providing. I agree with Red, those guys look scary but my bet is that they were wanting to get back to their coffee and cigars!
Thanks for the pic!
Partytime Charles!
I do agree that these men fall somewhere between “good times” and “slightly menancing” but they might just be cranky from too many hours planning out the festivities. Now don’t get me wrong, I would never suppose that this motely lot have been mixing punch or shaking up the Chex mix, but they might have been put in charge of the fun ‘n’ games, no? A late night at the card table with some scotch and _The Complete Book of Games and Stunts_ by Darwin A. Hindman (1956) seems to me a distinct possibility.
It is quite a book! 415 pages of ideas for games and stunts! Now that’s a helpful guide. There are an incredible amount of suggestions in here — from Dodgeball Games to Combat Games and everything in between — but many of them are quite strange and seem to be incredibly inappropriate for a situation that might call for “fun” or “good times.” I will leave the homoerotics of “Bear-in-the-Pit,” “Storming the Fort,” and “Rooster Fight” (Uh, this one is subtitled “Free-for-all Cock Fight” and requires men to “begin pushing and bucking each other” — not for kids, I’m guessing) to instead look at the chapter entitled, “Snares.” These games come from “Section I: Physical punishment or discomfort.”
Would anyone like to play: Pinchy Winchy, The Black Saucer, Who Hit Me?, Drying the Floor (requires player to sit in a puddle of water and swat at people with a flyswatter!), Knight of the Blanket, or Kiss The Mystic Book?
The goal of these games is to cause the “victim” to suffer “physical punishment or inconvenience” or to leave him “simply embarrassed or left in an awkward position.”
C’mon! You know the big guy behind the genie would love to play a game in which a player is smacked or paddled or swatted by the group, right? Or maybe the diabolical “How Do You Like Your Neighbors?” Have fun kids!
xoxo!
Miss Sharon
Any minute now these guys are going to glance over at the monkey and say, “Hey! Where’s Bob??”
Hello Charles, I never knew “Slingblade” had brothers! (I see a script Idea??) Sling’s early years…That would be a great deal of Mustard with a ton of Potatoes! Keep em’ coming. Thanks
The guy on the left looks like Allen Sherman, the guy in the middle Curly Joe, and the guy on the end President Eisenhower.
the guy with the glasses is my granpa