"The Quiet Man" Irish Jaunting Car

Above, the Irish jaunting car from The Quiet Man on display at the John Wayne Birthplace & Museum. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Before her passing in 2015, actress Maureen O'Hara was a collector of film memorabilia.

The largest item in her collection was the Irish jaunting or sidecar from the movie The Quiet Man (1952). It was seen throughout the movie.

Above, the jaunting car with a monitor showing it in The Quiet Man.

After her passing, her estate notified the John Wayne Birthplace Museum that it is available but they'd have to act fast and get it. After a professional appraisal, the Museum bought it for the appraised amount of $75,000. 

I saw the jaunting car when I visited the John Wayne Birthplace & Museum last month in Winterset, Iowa.

After it was acquired, the aging wood was restored and new seat cushions were made. 

Donations to the Museum towards the jaunting car are still being accepted. 

For more information on the John Wayne Birthplace & Museum, go here.

The Convention That Wasn't

Above, the front of Sammy C's Rockin' Sports Pub & Grill. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A little while ago, I returned home from Gallup.

I went there to attend the McKinley County Republican Pre-Primary convention at Sammy C's Rockin' Sports Pub & Grill. It is owned by Sammy Cioda, who is a radio announcer at KYAT-FM for Millennium Media. 

Above, the main hallway/lobby of Sammy C's. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I got there, there was nothing to indicate that there would be a convention or any kind of meeting at the announced time of 12:45 PM. So, I went to the bar and ordered a screwdriver (vodka and orange juice). I hadn't had one in years. It was good.

Above, the bar, where a women's breakaway rodeo was shown on the monitors. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I sat down at the bar, Sammy C came in and greeted everyone. He makes it a point to greet his customers. I met him three years ago. We were introduced by Nandoh. 

I wandered around the place to look over Sammy's collection of sports and entertainment memorabilia. It is quite a collection. 

Above, enjoying my screwdriver in the bar.

When 12:45 arrived, I and others asked about it. Sammy said the time was moved to 5:45 this evening. Apparently, the McKinley County GOP didn't tell anyone.

Since we are supposed to get a rain and/or snow shower storm coming in after 2:00, I decided to leave and do some grocery shopping before heading back to Jamestown.

Above, a standee of Sammy C near the main entrance. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Although disappointing, it wasn't a wasted trip as I got out of the house and enjoyed looking over Sammy C's memorabilia.

Latitude 20°

This week's Classic Rock Music Monday focused on the Mike Curb Congregation.

I once saw them perform at Latitude 20°, a Polynesian restaurant and nightclub in Torrance, California around 1975. The Congregation jogged a memory of Latitude 20°.

A group of us used to go there back in the 70s. It closed in 1980, to be replaced by a Country nightclub that was short-lived called Waco's (during the Urban Cowboy fad). I think the location is now a parking lot. They had good food and Mai Tai cocktails. 

According to Wikipedia:

The Mai Tai is a cocktail made of rum, Curaçao liqueur, orgeat syrup, and lime juice. It is one of the characteristic cocktails in Tiki culture.

Remembering Latitude 20°, I took a look through Google and found some vintage cups for sale on eBay. 

Above, the cup I bought today on eBay. Photo by seller.

I found this one for $40. There was another one offered for $50, but it had a chip at the the bottom of it. I bought the one offered for $40. I tried buying one years ago by a vendor, but the deal fell through and the vendor was non-responsive to my queries.

Looking further, I saw some photos of Latitude 20° along with menus, advertisements and other cups. It was known as The Polynesian under prior owners.

Here's a sampling:

Above, the restaurant when it was The Polynesian. An undated postcard.

Above, an advertisement for Latitude 20°.

Above, a Latitude 20° matchbook.

Above, Latitude 20° menu.

John Wayne’s Son Debuts Exhibit At The Fort Worth Stockyards

Above, this display includes John Wayne's eyepatch from True Grit (1969). Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back last January, Mitch Geriminsky and I took a trip to Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas to see some of the attractions there, such as the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Southfork Ranch, the Fort Worth Stockyards, Billy Bob's Texas and the John Wayne: An American Experience. I was in the area once before. It was when I was a part of the 1984 California Reagan Delegation to the Republican National Convention.

It was the Wayne exhibit that spurred me to want to go there this year.

CultureMap Fort Worth posted an article on the John Wayne: An American Experience. Along with details of the exhibit, he article also tells about how the exhibit came to be.

Here's some snippets:

[Ethan] Wayne says he never realized how much memorabilia his father had amassed until he accessed the collection after his oldest half-brother, who previously ran the family business, died in 2003.

“I thought, ‘My gosh, we have a lot of really significant memorabilia here,” he says. “I don’t think the rest of the family really knew. From that moment we started thinking about how we were going to find a home for it.”

An idea sparked when Wayne met Craig Cavileer, executive vice president of Majestic Realty Co. (which developed the Stockyards' Mule Alley complex and Hotel Drover) at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas two years ago. Ethan had set up a pop-up museum there with a small sampling of his father’s memorabilia — just to gauge interest, he says. 

Cavileer convinced Wayne to visit Fort Worth and consider the Stockyards as a permanent home for the John Wayne Experience. It wouldn't be the Wayne family's first connection to Fort Worth. Ethan Wayne's mother Pilar, the widow of John Wayne, owned a café called Pilar’s on Bryan Irvin Road back in 2006.

"Now that the Stockyards redevelopment is happening and coming to life, we’re really happy because it’s the perfect spot for John Wayne,” he says. 

 To read more, go here.

007: "No Time To Die" Item

A small package arrived today from the U.S. west coast office of "Q Branch" of MI6, more commonly known as the British Secret Service.

Strangely enough, it is located in the San Fernando Valley on Woodley Ave. in Van Nuys, California. I'm not going to give out the address, since I've said too much already.

It is a souvenir key ring for No Time To Die, the purported last Daniel Craig James Bond movie. It was originally scheduled to premiere in April, but COVID-19 forced it to be premiered in November.

Here it is:

Movie Posters At G-FEST XXVI

Above, the one-sheet for the U.S. release of Godzilla vs. The
Smog Monster (Godzilla vs. Hedorah). Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Along with anything kaiju (toys, etc.), the G-FEST XXVI Dealers Room had movie memorabilia such as lobby cards, one-sheets and half-sheets posters.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, since I saved some cash), the only ATM in the Crowne Plaza was out of cash by Friday night and, so I heard, ATMs in surrounding hotels and businesses were also out of cash. Some dealers were able to make transactions with Visa and MasterCard.

Had the ATM in the hotel had cash in it, I would be very tempted in getting some of these.

Above, a vintage one-sheet poster for House of Dark Shadows (1970). Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, this poster was bought not long after I posted a picture of it on Facebook. It starred
Robert Shayne (Inspector Henderson of the Adventures of Superman). Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, I thought this one-sheet poster was interesting as the robot looked a lot
 like "Mr. McTavish" in the Adventures of Superman episode, "The Gentle
Monster" in 1957 with some modifications. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

1988 Dodgers World Series Beer Stein

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the National League Champions and they defeated the Milwaukee Brewers, so they are now going to the World Series. Game 1 is tomorrow evening.

30 years ago, the Dodgers were also in the World Series. They were against the American League Champions, the Oakland Athletics.

It just so happens that I have a commemorative beer stein from 1988. One one side is the 1988 World Series logo. On the reverse is the Los Angeles Dodgers logo. I saw one for sale (Etsy, I believe) for $35.00.

Elvis Presley Memorabilia Up For Auction

Above, a rocking chair that once sat here in the Jungle Room at
Graceland is one of the items to be auctioned. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For those who have some extra cash to spend, an auction of Elvis Presley memorabilia is headed to the auction block.

The New York Daily News reported:

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Items associated with Elvis Presley are on the auction block, including the rocker's rocking chair from the Jungle Room at Graceland. 

Graceland said in a news release the wood and maroon vinyl rocking chair is estimated to bring $10,000 to $15,000, with a minimum bid of $5,000. Bids can be entered on the auction's website .

The auction will be held January 6 at the theater of  the Guest House At Graceland. The items are from private collectors.

To read more, go here.

To access the auction page, go to the Graceland auction web page here.

Familiar George Reeves Busts

A couple of items in the Adventures of Superman section of the Super Museum in Metropolis, Illinois caught my attention as they are quite familiar to me.

The two ceramic busts of Reeves as Clark Kent and Superman were on a shelf. I have these in my collection. As far as I know, very few of these were made and outside of my own, these are the only other ones I've seen.

I don't know if this is accurate, but I was told that these were prototypes. The museum's Clark Kent bust seems to be in better shape. Mine has some minor chipping on the hat brim.

Above, the busts in the Super Museum. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the ceramic George Reeves busts in my collection. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

More Stuff At The Super Museum

Above, the Superman statue is just a short walk from the Super Museum. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

As mentioned in my earlier blog post on the the Super Museum in Metropolis, Illinois, there are many things on display on the Man of Steel that span the decades and incarnations. Every space in the museum utilized.

Here are some more things that are on display and to buy:

Above, some of the goodies one can buy in the museum's gift shop. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, just about every nook and cranny is filled with memorabilia. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, props used in the Adventures of Superman. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, memorabilia from the Adventures of Superman. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, inside the Supergirl Room. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a "break-away" shirt for those quick changes on the road
of George Reeves and his poker/canasta set. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Superman merchandise from over the years. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, original Superman artwork by Curt Swan and others. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, mural of Superman actors outside the museum. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the magnet I got for the motorhome. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Donald Trump Bobble-head

Above, Donald Trump bobble-heads at Greta's Guns in Simi Valley. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Today was spent shopping at gun stores in the San Fernando and Simi Valleys.

I was looking for a holster and ammo. After a couple of stops, I found what I wanted.

While at Greta's Guns (named for a dog, by the way) in Simi Valley, I spotted an item for sale on display: Donald Trump bobble-head figures.

They are about $20 each. I thought about getting one for my political memorabilia collection, but I already have enough clutter in my apartment. So I passed.

No, they don't have any Hillary bobble-heads (in case you were wondering).

Glenn "Pee Wee" Strange At Valley Relics Museum

Above, Glenn Strange as Sam the bartender on Gunsmoke. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Last month, I attended the Election Night party of Mark Reed, the Republican candidate for congress in the San Fernando Valley. It was held in the Valley Relics Museum.

The museum has loads of artifacts spanning years of history in the San Fernando Valley.

It also holds some memorabilia of different celebrities. One of them was actor Glenn Strange, best known as Sam the bartender on television's Gunsmoke and as the Frankenstein Monster in three of Universal's monster rallies of the 1940s. Strange was featured in many westerns during the course of his career.

Monster movie fans will want to visit the Valley Relics Museum just to see the Glenn Strange memorabilia. They have plenty of other items on display to satisfy history buffs.

Here's a few photos of them:

Above, a collection of Glenn Strange Frankenstein memorabilia. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a closer-in view of Glenn Strange Frankenstein memorabilia. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a collection of Glenn Strange's western memorabilia. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a photo of Strange singing with The Duke in Westward Ho. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For more information on the Valley Relics Museum, go here.