John Charles Cannon Zellers about 2,500 words 700 Laurel Avenue 11C1 San Mateo, CA 94401 (650) 295-9471 [email protected]

“Old Vogue San Mateo”

by Chuck Cannon

The crazy fantasy came true when I was walking on B Street.

Suddenly, I found myself in the mid-20th century in downtown San Mateo, .

I could not believe what was happening - a spectacular transformation from the year 2020.

“Let's get this day started,” I said.

Going left on Third Avenue off B Street I found a breakfast joint called Eat with Charlie McCarthy.

No, not the dummy. This diner looked interesting, but I encountered sadness all around the inside of the restaurant when I entered.

“What is going on with the mourning”? I asked a waitress.

She answered: “A prominent local man had just been murdered several blocks away.” Waiting for my breakfast to arrive I noticed the short order cook, Estella, slinging hash with tears rolling down her cheeks. In the booth next to mine, Charlie McCarthy in an Irish accent was sharing his memories of the slain man with three customers. I nibbled on my scrambled eggs and hash brown potatoes listening closely as McCarthy spoke about the dead man, Thomas Keen.

McCarthy remembered Keen as being a “wealthy but caring and giving man.

“Keen was a true sportsman and was heavily involved with the San Mateo Elks Club.” McCarthy continued. “He was also part owner of the San Mateo Bowling Alley on Ellsworth Avenue, where Keen often let kids bowl for free. Why would anybody want to kill him”?

Thomas Keen came to San Mateo from Illinois in 1931 to build and operate a dog racing track in

Belmont. He later invented the Totalizator Board used at dog and horse race tracks around the world.

In the World War Two years Keen built electronic parts essential for the US Military during wartime.

The parts were produced on Ellsworth Avenue in the back of Darcy Sporting Goods.

Keen was killed when he tried to start his 1948 Cadillac. Dynamite sticks had been rigged to explode when he hit the starter button on his caddy. Most likely the Mob had been involved in the killing of Keen - probably due to his association with underworld figures who were involved with racetracks in America. Keen had refused to give gangsters a share of his Totalizator Board profits. As of 2020 the Keen murder case is still open and unsolved.

Later that morning I walked in downtown San Mateo. There was so much to see in the four major department stores that I visited. First, I went to the Tudor style Levy Brothers store on Third Avenue.

Their many departments even included a small grocery store. The Levy Brothers building still stands today at 55 Third Avenue.

By 1952 Levy Brothers had opened a new modern store on Fourth Avenue, demolished in 1996 for the new Draeger's Market. Next, I walked up Third Avenue to JC Penny on the southeast corner of

Third Avenue and Ellsworth. The Penny store was much larger than their previous location across the street on the first floor of the Medical Arts building. I went into JC Penny to shop and I purchased a black and white checkered reversible gabardine jacket with a pink Cadillac shade on the flip. To my

2020 brain it was a super deal for just five bucks, old vogue San Mateo at its finest.

I was now on my way to City of Paris at Second Avenue and San Mateo Drive. This was San

Mateo's new luxurious department store and one of just three City of Paris locations. Their flagship store in had been operating since 1850. City of Paris seemed very pricey to me. I noticed several women shopping while wearing fur coats, probably residents of nearby swankier Hillsborough.

However, I did go across the street to enjoy a delicious roasted chicken lunch at the City of Paris

Garden Rotisserie. After the meal, I ordered a Shirley Temple drink at the unique Serpentine Bar, built around an old oak bay tree. I met a young man at the bar, a local singer named Merv Griffin. Born and raised in San Mateo, he was currently living in the downtown area just blocks east of the railroad tracks. Griffin invited me to join him at one of the two downtown San Mateo radio station's, KVSM

(1050 AM). Merv, who looked to be in his mid-twenties, said he was going to sing his new song live in the KVSM studio.

I left the Garden Rotisserie restaurant and headed to 317 B Street. It was my final department store destination, Lowe and Zwierlein - value first always. When I found the Men's department, my eyes could not stop staring at a shirt that was on display. It was powder blue with maroon and yellow records on the front and the back of the shirt. In addition, the apparel featured scattered music notes and the names of Capital Records recording stars: Johnny Mercer (he started Capital Records in 1942), Peggy

Lee, Tex Ritter, Jo Stafford, Bob Hope and The King Cole Trio (Nat King Cole). This shirt was a must have for my wardrobe. It was priced so right at $1.99 daddy o.

Next door to Lowe and Zwierlein was a gorgeous art deco movie theatre, The Baywood, and it was perfect timing for me to go catch a flick. The day's matinee, The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer, starred Cary Grant, Myrna Loy and Shirley Temple. I wondered if I could get another one of those

Shirley Temple drinks at Baywood's concession stand. The film was great, even though I fell asleep for a few minutes.

Excitement was building in my mind as I could not stop thinking about my invitation to see Merv

Griffin sing at KVSM Radio on Baldwin Avenue. I had about an hour and a half to kill, so I was off to see more downtown stores. Just a block away was a new spacious grocery store, Shop-Rite, so I walked inside for a quick look. The Gallo Wine display went up so high that it almost touched the ceiling. The store was jam-packed with people and no seats were available at the large lunch counter. I had thought about sitting down and ordering a vanilla ice cream soda. Purity on Ellsworth Avenue and Safeway on

B Street (formally Piggly Wiggly) were quickly losing customers due to the new Shop-Rite store.

Safeway would soon move to a larger location on Third Avenue near El Camino Real.

Downtown San Mateo was full of five and dime stores. The top three were Woolworth next to

Safeway on B Street, JJ Newberry and Ben Franklin, both located on Third Avenue. Woolworth would soon move to the newly constructed Fourth Avenue, while JJ Newberry fled downtown for the new outdoor Hillsdale Shopping Center. Ben Franklin remained at Third Avenue and Ellsworth on the southwest corner for many years.

Some very nice men's and women's clothing stores were downtown. The finest clothing stores:

Joesph Magnin (with a cool slide to the their basement), Schneiders, Robert Atkins and Roos Brothers.

In 1957, Roos Brothers and Robert Atkins merged to become Roos-Atkins.

I knew that I could find several other stores interesting enough to stop at on my way to KVSM

Radio. The large two story art deco, House of Merkel on B Street at Second Avenue was really something else. The Merkel store had a super selection of the latest magazines and folks could bet there on the horse races at Bay Meadows Race Track. Then there was Pope Drugs and Blue Bird Drug Store as well. I had to make a quick stop at Ross Radio to check out the latest radios and records. Just fifteen minutes left to take a fast dash through Darcy Sporting Goods - the super sports store at Second Avenue and Ellsworth Avenue. Man oh man, did Darcy's have it all. Guess what? I broke down and made another purchase, a Joe Dimaggio baseball glove, now I can patrol centerfield just like “Joltin' Joe.”

Yeah, sure. Off to the radio station.

As I arrived at 279 Baldwin Avenue I was greeted by the KVSM receptionist, Susie, who showed me the way to the production studio. From the production studio I could watch and listen to Merv

Griffin sing his new song. Merv was in the on-air control room where a wall with glass separated the two rooms. As Merv was about to be interviewed, I met several young fans from San Mateo High School. Diane and Kris were there to get extra credit for a music class that they were taking.

Kris Kristofferson came to San Mateo when he was in junior high school. His father was a major general in the US Air Force and the Kristofferson family moved frequently before settling in San

Mateo. Kris starred on both the varsity football and track teams here at the high school. He told me that he had a deep love for poetry and music and that he wrote a couple of songs, in his words “just fooling around.”

Diane Varsi was a pretty teenage girl interested in music, ballet, and acting. Diane said she would often cut class and go off to San Francisco alone. “I'm a rebel,” she insisted.

Kris snickered.

I felt a good vibration being surrounded by Kris and Diane, who were both filled with creative energy. The two teens would go on to have successful entertainment careers, the glamorous life came much faster for Diane. In 1957, Varsi starred as Allison McKenzie in the film Peyton Place and was nominated for an academy award. Diane dropped out of San Mateo High during her junior year.

Meanwhile, Kris went on to Pomona College and became a Rhodes Scholar at Merton College, Oxford.

Under pressure from his parents, Kris joined the US Army but left five years later as a captain against his father and mother's wishes. It wasn't until he was in his early thirties that Kris full filled his dreams by becoming a popular songwriter, singer, and soon after an actor.

From the production studio speaker we all listened closely as Merv Griffin was being interviewed by KVSM disc jockey Cottonseed Clark. Merv talked about how he recently lost eighty pounds in just four months, due to his insecurity of being overweight, especially with a concert tour scheduled in the near future. Cottonseed, whose nickname was given to him by Babe Ruth, started to ask Merv about his new song.

Kris whispered in my ear, “Cottonseed is a good songwriter. He wrote a hit song 'Texarkana Baby' for Eddie Arnold, and he gets 2500 fan letters a month here in San Mateo.” Merv said that his latest release was getting airplay from radio stations all over America. Cottonseed played an instrumental DJ version of the song on a KVSM turntable as Merv Griffin sang along live. “I've Got a Lovely Bunch of

Coconuts” would go on to sell three million copies worldwide. Soon after actress Doris Day helped get

Merv a Hollywood screen test that would help launch his acting career. In the 1953 movie, So This Is

Love, Griffin shared an open mouth kiss with Kathryn Grayson. The kiss was a first in movies since the

Hollywood production code of 1934, which was to prevent a kiss like that from happening. Diane, Kris and I had a chance to talk with Merv and Cottonseed for several minutes following the interview. It was interesting to find out that Cottonseed had worked as a disc jockey for over 20 years. He actually left a top radio station to come and work at KVSM in San Mateo.

Merv was very patient and gracious to both Diane and Kris as he answered all of their questions for their assignments. I asked Merv, “What is your dream for the future”? He replied, “The wheel of fortune landing on a billion dollars for me.” Merv Griffin would go on to create and produce the television quiz shows' Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. Griffin also hosted his own talk show, The Merv

Griffin Show from 1965-1986. Through his many business ventures he became a billionaire. San

Mateo's Merv Griffin was a true media mogul.

I was so amazed by the four talented people that were a part of my afternoon, but the day was not over. Scooting across town I found myself in a hurry to catch a baseball game at Fitzgerald Field in San

Mateo's Central Park. The baseball field was built in 1922 and in 1960 officially named after the long- time manager of the San Mateo Blues, Justin Fitzgerald. A former major league outfielder for the New

York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, Fitzgerald, also played for the San Francisco Seals in the

Pacific Coast League. A San Mateo native, Fitzgerald, managed the semi-pro Blues from 1924-1935 and he led the team to several championships. Justin Fitzgerald died in 1945 at the age of 52, and shortly after most people begin referring to the baseball park as Fitzgerald Field.

As I arrived at Fitzgerald Field it was just in time for the first pitch between the San Mateo Blues and the San Francisco Police. The coppers had Johnny Cavalli on the mound to pitch and at age 40 he still threw pretty hard. Cavalli, a former Pacific Coast League star yielded just 3 runs in 8 innings to the Blues. I sat high in the stands by myself and did not have any interaction with Blues fans during the ballgame. It turned out to be a long game going extra innings. The Blues finally beat the Police 4-3 on

Don Michelson's RBI double in the bottom of the 14th inning.

Leaving Fitzgerald Field I felt tired and hungry. A small bag of peanuts at the game was not enough to hold me. It was time for a late night snack at the Owl Cafe, the home of good foods, on Third

Avenue. Walking inside the cafe I got a huge whiff of smoke from a non-filter Lucky Strike cigarette. A pretty dame with long blond hair was hitting that cigarette real hard, so I walked down to the other end of the long counter. I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich as the dame with the Lucky Strike walked over and sat down next to me. It was getting hard to breathe as she blew smoke and went on about how her boyfriend had just left her stranded in San Mateo. It seems they had a quarrel at the baseball game, oh yeah, he just happened to be a cop and the starting pitcher for the San Francisco Police. I wanted to get out of that joint fast, so I woofed down the grilled cheese. Just as I was paying the bill and about to leave, guess who came walking into the Owl Cafe? Johnny Cavalli. Man did he give me a dirty look.

Cavalli grabbed his blond bombshell and off they went into the misty moonlight. I headed down Third

Avenue and got a room on the seventh floor of the Benjamin Franklin Hotel. What a day, I fell asleep reflecting on the past fourteen hours of my life.

The next morning when I woke up, I was wearing my new shirt and jacket, pounding an old baseball into my Joe Dimaggio glove.

It was back to 2020. My mid-century San Mateo experience seemed like just a dream.