ROSE PARADE, PASADENA, CA, January 1,1957
Crowds line Colorado blvd for the most famous and most photographed parade in the world. The Grand Marshall proves wearing brown in a parade is quite fine if you don’t want to be noticed. Far more eye catching than he are the pointed lines of his chauffer driven, rosebud-studded 1957 Lincoln Première Convertible, the shimmering neon record album and black and white striped awning on the Don Kay Men’s wear shop next door.
In the late 1950s the mood was up, prosperity ruled and the standard of living was flying high. General Motors, Chrysler Corporation and, the granddaddy of them all, The Ford Motor Company, were the greatest automakers in the world.
Both factual and fantasy speedy, air and space travel vehicles inspired the legendary tailfins on the cars of the day. None were severely pointed as the fins on a “57 Lincoln.
Speaking of Grand Marshall’s I’m proud to tell you that I’ve been honored with the title of Grand Marshall for the DooDah Parade this January 18th, thru the streets of Pasadena beginning at 11am. Hope to see you there!!!
Here’s to the 1957 Lincoln fins, The Rose Parade, the DOODAH PARADE to a GREAT NEW YEAR and YOU!
You mean January 18th instead of July 18th, right?
I wish I could figure out where on Colorado that is. Of course, neither of those stores are there anymore. Happy New Year!
That 1957 Grand Marshall of the Rose Parade is “Fast Eddie”, Ed Rickenbacker, the first man to drive a mile a minute in an automobile!
While most famous for his WWI flying, us auto buffs like to remember him as an early Indianpolis 500 racer. Imagine racing 500 miles in 1912!!
Thanks, Charlie, for the rosey memories.
I would argue here that the most photographed parade would be the Thanksgiving Day parade in NYC. However being a former NYkr, I might be a bit biased
C’mon, Charles! How could you not tell us who the Grand Marshal was?!?!
Eddie Rickenbacker, Medal of Honor winner and the American fighter pilot ‘Ace’ of WWI, was the Grand Marshall that year. He was also a survivor of 24 days on life rafts in the Pacific in WWII.
Just checked online and the Grand Marshal that year was WWI pilot and later owner of his own car company AND Eastern Airlines, “Captain Eddie” Rickenbacker!
Happy New Year, Charles – hope to see you again soon!
Happy New Year.
And man, even though I was very very very young in the 50′s and early 60′s, do I EVER miss “the good ‘ol days”.
Congratulations on your grand marshal honor. I always thought the Doo-Dah parade was in early December. Now maybe I’ll have a chance to see it. Hope it will be televised, too.
Good day!
Excellent site, Charles! I have also enjoyed your books immensely (at least the 4 that I own)… the clarity of those Kodachromes is amazing. You blend nostalgia nicely with history for a very satisfying read. I am a big fan of roadside architecture and I am a member of the Society for Commercial Archeology (SCA), of which you may be familiar. In other words, keep up the roadside content with the slides and future publications! When can I look forward to the release of your next book, and do you ever visit Canada for slide shows?
Best regards,
Peter Glaser
Barrie, Ontario, CANADA
The record shop was at 463 E. Colorado, which is now home to the westernmost storefront of Linden Optometry. That KAY screen is hiding a green deco seashell facade that was restored in the ’90s.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3381/3171133211_88317be10b.jpg
As I reall, Duford Kaiser and Kay were on the block between Euclid and Los Robles, snuggled up against the Broadway department store on the north side of the street, of course.
Dear Sir:
Thanks for putting this picture of the Duford-Kaiser Record Shop in Pasadena, California. It was owned equally by Mr. Kaiser and my Aunt Connie and Uncle Frank Duford. I had the pleasure of visiting Duford-Kaiser Record Shop in 1958. It was the largest record shop I’d ever seen. Aunt Connie and Uncle Frank are gone now, but I know they’d be so happy to see this picture on the “Slide Of The Week”. Thank you so very much…It brings back wonderful memories! I live in Texas, but loved my visit to California. Sincerely, Judy Roberts