How do you remember Phoenix? Stories from long time residents... (Fountain Hills: used car, retired)

[howdytwo]

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

Let's see if some of you remember this scene from the movie The Gauntlet. It starts out in downtown Phoenix on Washington. The small cluster of buildings Eastwood walks out of, which were replaced by the Bank of America Building.

Here's one of the scenes on 2nd Street and Adams, with Eastwood and Pat Hingle infront of Symphony Hall, which now looks completely different with the new Civic Plaza.

In May of 1977, just across the street from the then new Hyatt Regency hotel.


And 30 years later in 2007, taken from the approximate same location, just a few feet south, with the Hyatt Regency to the left.

When Gauntlet was filming, I was working at KOOL (5th Av and Adams). The equipment, the food wagon and trailers were parked on 5th between Adams and Washington, since they were shooting interiors in the Police Department on Washington. Eastwood's trailer was parked next to our parking lot (same side of the street) and many mornings a bunch of us females would stand in our parking lot before work, and wait for him to come out of his trailer. The first time we saw him, we couldn't believe how skinny he was! LOL! I also got a bang out of seeing Pat Hingle, as he was one of my favorite character actors. There were only two of us who knew who he was. They also used the exterior of the Civic Plaza for the exterior of the PD. Thanks for the memory, MM.

[howdytwo]

Originally Posted by GT350

I remember when west Phoenix was a nice part of town...

Me, toooooo! I lived at 81st Av and Indian School. My children could walk to school (Starlight Park elementary) in absolute safety. When we moved there, the entire neighborhood was surrounded by farmed fields. The neighborhood was from 75th Av to 83rd, and from Indian School to Thomas. I boarded a horse on 83rd, and rode all over the place, especially down Thomas from 83rd. Almost no traffic!This was between '70 and the early '80's.

[roosevelt]

The Splaghetti Company on Central ran a big promotion, can't remember the date; there was a bag of money or something that they hid in Phoenix and would give out treasure hunt instructions to find it. People went nuts looking for it; turned out it was in the buckboard above the entrance door. Here is a shot of it taken back about 1974; the buckboard is long gone.

Attachment 47025

[MileHighMadman]

OK -- an attempt to contact the mods here has got me a bounced-back undeliverable e-mail, so I'll ask out in the open about the radio show I've been hinting at:

This material was BLATANTLY racist, sexist, anti-gay and even speciesist, and generally so offensive it makes Howard Stern look like Lawrence Welk on quaaludes and thorazine. If posting mere links to it is deemed morally on a par with quoting the material itself, I'll respect the anti-offensive policy here and not post the links ...

[desertskies]

Originally Posted by howdytwo

When Gauntlet was filming, I was working at KOOL (5th Av and Adams). The equipment, the food wagon and trailers were parked on 5th between Adams and Washington, since they were shooting interiors in the Police Department on Washington. Eastwood's trailer was parked next to our parking lot (same side of the street) and many mornings a bunch of us females would stand in our parking lot before work, and wait for him to come out of his trailer. The first time we saw him, we couldn't believe how skinny he was! LOL! I also got a bang out of seeing Pat Hingle, as he was one of my favorite character actors. There were only two of us who knew who he was. They also used the exterior of the Civic Plaza for the exterior of the PD. Thanks for the memory, MM.

I remember that bus, parked on the steps to the then Phoenix Civic Plaza.
After doing business in DT Phoenix, I was walking by to visit my mom who lived in the area, I asked a Phoenix PD "What happened?", he replied "Arizona drivers".
I bought it..."Really?". I was 19 yo at the time. Ok?
His partner explained that a movie was being filmed.

A day or two later, I was walking along the Conference Center portion of the Plaza (Loggins and Messina did a concert there...great show).
I turned around and saw an individual in a white tee shirt (from a distance).
Could've been Clint or a stand in checking cam or lighting angles.

Really, Gauntlet early scenes showed DT Phoenix as it was during the mid 70's.
Flophouses and plasma bank.
In the area of filming is now Chase Field (formally Bank One Ballpark).

[Arizona Mike]

I too remember watching them film that. To make the bullet impacts on the windshield of the bus, they had an air-powered machine that resembled a Gatling Gun that fired clear plastic balls full of vaseline. When they hit the windshield, the balls shattered and the vaseline looked like bullet impacts in the glass. Pretty cool.

[Westside Willie]

Originally Posted by howdytwo

When Gauntlet was filming... MM.

Here's a pic of the Hyatt Regency construction under construction in 1974.

[roosevelt]

I came across some photos I took of a 1959 Rodeo Parade, most of no interest except for these photos below. Wallace and Ladmo holding 'Hi Mom' sign, Ray Odom, a famous radio and TV country star, Coulter's used car lot.
Attachment 47503

Attachment 47504

Attachment 47505

[1AZkid]

Remember the Krux Bomp Club in the 60's? I still have mine. I got it when I was 13. You could use it to get discounts into different events. Of course I never go to use it because we lived just outside of Phoenix and I was too young but just the thought of having it was enough. You're right. In those days the radio stations played all genres of music. Today, people often ask why I like all types of music? (British Invasion, The Shirelles, The Temptations, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, Chris Montez, The Four Seasons etc.) I tell them because that's what I grew up listening to. The stations played whatever was popular on the charts. I'm glad too, because I'm not locked into 1 genre. I like everything.

Originally Posted by BluesGal1

Hassayampa,

I don't remember the radio bit at Bill Johnson's Big Apple but remember the sawdust floors?) so cool! Yes, deep dish apple pies baked in brown bowls. (oh wait, did they have a radio room at the front of the restaurant enclosed in glass?)
KNIX was country music, KPHO was talk (and old people music) and KRIZ and KRUX was rock n' roll (in the 50's all genre's of music was on the charts) KUPD was what my Mom & Dad listened to. (?)
Do you remember Pete's Fish and Chips in the 50's? (the original one on Van Buren?) The BEST! Carnation's Ice Cream on Central? Woolworth's downtown with REAL Pima Indian women sitting on the sidewalk in squaw dresses all day selling little beaded things for 50 cents? Of course, Bob's Big Boy on Central and Thomas after crusing central. We rarely saw any cops! Maybe because we got picked up so fast!!
~
Unfortunately, Phoenix and Scottsdale lost their 'easy livability' once they let home construction run amok and overbuild cheap track housing and those damn freeways went in! An abomination of uglyness. The huge concrete structures were built on Pima in the 80's and sat forever until they pushed the Freeway bill through.
That was the END of Scottsdale as we knew it. Overcrowding, immigration, scam artists, drugs, etc. Same miseries as any big city.
P.V. is still nice because they are their own township, they don't run on Greed like the city (non-manager's) in Phoenix and Scottsdale who see these cities as nothing more than potential high PROFIT areas! They are NOT true Arizonans and are the cause of pollution, tax HIKES and bogged down freeway hell.
Mayor Drinkwater was the last Arizonan to CARE and he passed ten years ago. He wouldn't have let this happen.
Anyone who complains about Arizona drivers might as well move back from where you came! Next time, take a close look at who is passing you and endangering everybody on the road. They aren't original Zonies.
We're the ones driving the SPEED LIMIT or we missed our turn off and people are flipping us off.
I better stop I've gone on too long and have not said nice things. I'm sorry, I feel it's true.
For potential buyers:
There are well maintained homes in ALL sections of Phoenix, Scottsdale and Glendale, Fountain Hills and McCormick Ranch (my fav). You will know by driving through the neighborhoods, which ones appeal to you. Check out the school districts and find out the boudaries so you'll have an idea of who your children will be classmates with. Plenty of private & special need schools are out here, too.
And most of all, don't buy those newer houses built with outter walls of chicken wire and blown on cheap-ish stucco to partical board 1/4th inch thick!
The best homes are the older block and stucco homes built mostly in McCormick Ranch and in neighborhoods in Scottsdale (Shea /Cactus & Scottsdale Rd and all around the Valley. They're strudy and don't let anyone tell you they're not able to cool off and heat up properly. (It's a lie!) Dix and Golden Heritage residential areas were good back in the 70's and they STILL look good.
Oh, watch out for speed radar! and radar as you leave the freeway. Yes, you have to pay them or they will suspend your license but not tell you.
~ Good Luck!

[desertskies]

Originally Posted by Arizona Mike

I too remember watching them film that. To make the bullet impacts on the windshield of the bus, they had an air-powered machine that resembled a Gatling Gun that fired clear plastic balls full of vaseline. When they hit the windshield, the balls shattered and the vaseline looked like bullet impacts in the glass. Pretty cool.

Speaking of movies filmed in the Phoenix area, there was a scene in Auto Focus, a motion picture that concerned the Bob Crane murder.
Crane (Greg Kinnear) was being interviewed by Mel Rosen (Ed Begley Jr) about the then upcoming CBS season. The dialog between the two has no bearing on my question.

The background looked a lot like the old Safari Resort (poolside), where incidentally, Crane would stop by the Brown Derby restaurant after his performance in Beginners Luck, at the Windmill Dinner Theater.

IMDb is very vague.
Filming locations include Arizona, but no specific locale.

Anyone?