Praise From Texas

[Bob Boze Bell]

February 15, 2013

Sometimes I get really creative mail here at the True West World Headquarters.

 

Here's part of the letter inside:

 

"In 1957 my mother sent me to Sanderson, Texas for the summer. There was absolutely nothing to do. The theatre opened at two and that was my home. So before the theatre I'd hang at the local drug store and it was there I discovered True West! It was printed on newsprint and headquartered out of Austin! You sir, have maintained the quality of TW with your marvelous illustrations and fantastic stories. May the good lord continue to give you a full imagination and take care of your hands!"

—Your amigo in Texas, Rudolph Gonzalez, San Antonio, Texas

 

[Jim Holden]

Getting the new True West magazine at the Rexall Drug in Edmond OK in the 50's was often the highlight of my month. Along with all the comics, also printed on newsprint those mags molded my young life, along with full days at the Broncho Theater at the other end of the 4 square block business district. (Yes it was spelled Broncho.). The Edmond Hospital was located over the theater. My sister always comments on giving birth to her first child while listening to the movie play below. Small towns.....

[Bob Boze Bell]

There is a movie scene waiting to happen! Your sis giving birth over a sound track from a movie underneath. Shades of Martin Scorcese! I may have to poach that, with your permission Jim. Too rich.

[Jim Holden]

You are welcome to it Bob. My brother-in-law was one of a number of Korean Vets who came to then Central State Teachers College in Edmond on their GI Bill. My Dad, a WW2 Vet would often feed them on credit at the end of the month, at our family restaurant, until their next check. He & my Sis didn't have the $ to go to OK City for the birth - not that small town folks would do that. That movie/hospital combo still tickles me. Of course there were not a lot of 2nd story hospitals around. Today we would call that a rural clinic.

[Sue Cauhape]

I LOVE THIS FORUM. You people never cease to amaze me with your stories, jokes, paintings, and general creativity. I love it. You all make my day.

[Sue Cauhape]

By the way, BBB, can I use the envelope image for my Raves page? I have an old watercolorist friend who painted his envelopes and Christmas cards. And I think there was a movement back in the 60s called Mail Art or something like that. People would send postcards or letters with painted envelopes. Good to see some people are keeping up the tradition.

[Bob Boze Bell]

Yes Sue, of course you can use it. Thanks for asking.

[Margaret-Anne Moore]

Hey Bob, even when I was in high school and college in the 1950s and 1960s there were movie theaters that were located in what could be considered apartment buildings.  Even in downtown Los Angeles and San Francisco--and probably many other cities as well--there were movie theaters that were located  on the ground floor of multi-storied buildings; these probably housed offices rather than apartments and hotel rooms.

[Sue Cauhape]

A theatre group I was in performed a play in an old movie theatre on State Street in Salt Lake city. This theatre had an apartment on the second floor. The girls who lived there allowed us in to see it and showed us the window in their bedroom that opened to the auditorium so they could watch the movies. In later years, my mom and I would go to that theatre to watch the old 30s-40s movies they started showing there. I always looked up to see if the apartment tenants were also watching.