Gone but not forgotten- Old Corpus Christi (San Antonio, Austin: brokers, movie theaters)

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by Rust Never Sleeps

In 1963 the referenced location, South Alameda St. & Everhart Rd., across Everhart from Mt. Carmel, was the site of Jitney-Jungle grocery store #2.

Here's a photograph: The Corpus Christi Caller-Times from Corpus Christi, Texas · Page 31

I remember some convenience stores called "Jitney Jr". Were those related to this "Jitney Jungle" store?

[Rust Never Sleeps]

Originally Posted by wehotex

I remember some convenience stores called "Jitney Jr". Were those related to this "Jitney Jungle" store?

I don't know about that. As usual, after posting, I recalled Harper Lee mentions the local (fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama) Jitney Jungle store several times in "To Kill a Mockingbird."

Another interesting bit about CC most don't know. When Edna Ferbers' novel "Giant" came out in the early 50s it caused an uproar in Texas, particularly among Lamar Park residents. CC is mentioned by name and fictionalized as "Ventecito" (Wind City). In 1956 George Stevens movie "Giant" was released. Although three hours long it lacks the depth of the book. The then 23 year old Elizabeth Taylor plays "Leslie" the Virginia raised wife of "Bick Benedict" (Rock Hudson) - we see the harsh realities of South Texas life and social consequences through her critical eyes. You need to know who "Glenn McCarthy, Houston oil tycoon" was when reading "Giant." It was also the last movie with James Dean.

[fourj]

Why an uproar with Lamar Park residents in particular?

[fourj]

Why were the residents of Lamar Park in particular upset?

[Marlow]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

I just caught the tailend of a Texas Bucket List show for a hamburger joint in Corpus called "Snapkiss."(?)

The food looked SO good--but it doesn't appear on any lists. Did I get the name wrong?

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

Yep. Got it wrong--per the Facebook page, it's Snapka's.......

The food at Snapka's is good, but nothing to get too excited about. Pretty typical greasy burgers, fries, tacos, etc. But it's fun to go there because they still have carhops who come out to take your order and bring the food to your car.

[Rust Never Sleeps]

Originally Posted by fourj

Why were the residents of Lamar Park in particular upset?

Bear in mind, this was in the 1950's when most of the "Capital" lived in Lamar Park, Louisiana Parkway, Santa Fe and Ocean Dr. Everything else (broadly speaking) - was "Labor" - Cheap labor.

"Giant" describes the housing, health conditions, schools, poverty, and casual denigration of small town and rural Mexicans. In writing the novel, Ms. Ferber traveled with Dr. Hector Garcia, the civil rights activist, fictionalized as "Dr. Guerra" in the book. Ms. Ferber had livid detractors in Lamar Park - and then came the movie! There is a lot of truth in Giant.

[fourj]

In the 50's there was a drive inn, ( beer joint) over by Memorial Hospital on Morgan that my parents used to frequent. They always referred to it as " Gene Dowdy's" because he obviously owned it. I guess that it was torn down later to build medical offices. I was about 4 at the time when they would take me there but I remember specifically that it was one of those ice house type places with the garage doors down both sides that could be opened in hot weather. Does anyone know of that place and what was the real name of it?

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by Rust Never Sleeps

Bear in mind, this was in the 1950's when most of the "Capital" lived in Lamar Park, Louisiana Parkway, Santa Fe and Ocean Dr. Everything else (broadly speaking) - was "Labor" - Cheap labor.

"Giant" describes the housing, health conditions, schools, poverty, and casual denigration of small town and rural Mexicans. In writing the novel, Ms. Ferber traveled with Dr. Hector Garcia, the civil rights activist, fictionalized as "Dr. Guerra" in the book. Ms. Ferber had livid detractors in Lamar Park - and then came the movie! There is a lot of truth in Giant.

When I first saw the movie back in the 80s, it was shocking to me. My grandparents/parents really didn't talk too much about the discrimination that went on here. Every now and then, my grandmother would mention something like her experience at CC High School back in the 1930s, when she was like one of 6 Mexican-Americans in the whole class. She graduated in 1935. I kind of got the feeling that maybe CC wasn't "as prejudiced" as some of the smaller towns, My grandmother said once that Ingleside was really bad. I wondered if the scene at the end where the mexicanos were denied service could have happened in CC or did it mainly happen in smaller towns? When I look at High School annuals from the 1950-60s, it looks like total apartheid. Mexican and Anglo looked like total separate worlds where there was no intermingling judging by the pictures. Was it that bad? Were restaurants segregated in CC or the smaller surrounding towns?
Even in the 80s, I could still see lots of prejudice among some. I just can't imagine that it would have been 10 times worse.

[Rust Never Sleeps]

Originally Posted by wehotex

When I first saw the movie back in the 80s, it was shocking to me. My grandparents/parents really didn't talk too much about the discrimination that went on here. Every now and then, my grandmother would mention something like her experience at CC High School back in the 1930s, when she was like one of 6 Mexican-Americans in the whole class. She graduated in 1935. I kind of got the feeling that maybe CC wasn't "as prejudiced" as some of the smaller towns, My grandmother said once that Ingleside was really bad. I wondered if the scene at the end where the mexicanos were denied service could have happened in CC or did it mainly happen in smaller towns? When I look at High School annuals from the 1950-60s, it looks like total apartheid. Mexican and Anglo looked like total separate worlds where there was no intermingling judging by the pictures. Was it that bad? Were restaurants segregated in CC or the smaller surrounding towns?
Even in the 80s, I could still see lots of prejudice among some. I just can't imagine that it would have been 10 times worse.

Read the book! It has always been the elephant in the room. I surmise you were born about 62-63 so you missed the For Real Times and grew up in the Let's Pretend Era. Google "La Huelga." for events when you were two years old.

Your grandmother was right. Ingleside (the Cove) is located on the southeast end of San Patricio County.
Google what happened in 1863 to Josefa "Chipita" Rodriguez . . .by a judge and mayor of Corpus Christi.

[Rust Never Sleeps]

Originally Posted by fourj

In the 50's there was a drive inn, ( beer joint) over by Memorial Hospital on Morgan that my parents used to frequent. They always referred to it as " Gene Dowdy's" because he obviously owned it. I guess that it was torn down later to build medical offices. I was about 4 at the time when they would take me there but I remember specifically that it was one of those ice house type places with the garage doors down both sides that could be opened in hot weather. Does anyone know of that place and what was the real name of it?

https://www.google.com/maps/@27.7780...pKl_V3vjLA!2e0

Located 10 years at 2603 Morgan. Dowdy's Sandwiches 2603 Morgan Corpus Christi TX before July, 1956.

Renovated in July,1956, enlarged and air conditioned, same address, becomes: Dowdy's Steak House.

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times from Corpus Christi, Texas · Page 17

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times from Corpus Christi, Texas · Page 10