October 13th in Seal Beach History

On this date in 1980, presidential candidate Ronald Reagan made a speech at a closed-to-the-public campaign stop at Seal Beach Leisure World.

Ronald Reagan greets enthusiastic supporters at Leisure World

Speaking to a crowd of approximately 2,500, Reagan affirmed his support of the Social Security program, promised to tighten Medicare so the elderly could get more benefits from it, and received great applause when he criticized earnings limitations on people drawing Social Security.

This was not Reagan’s first visit to Leisure World. He gave a speech there in 1966 while campaigning for governor.

– Michael Dobkins

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October 12th in Seal Beach History

On this date in 1958, the Long Beach Independent Press Telegram ran a profile of Seal Beach resident Clark Pettingill of 205 Fifth Street and what he called “The Pettingill Apple Tree.”

Clark Pettingill and his famous front yard apple tree

Seal Beach is not famed for its fruit-producing trees, but this tree was special. The Pettingill Apple Tree produced such phenomenal apples, that the tree had been patented with grafts being distributed by Armstrong Nurseries.

Twenty-five to thirty years earlier, Clark separated two apple trees that had started growing in his front yard. Clark believed the two trees probably came from the same apple core. The second tree was replanted in the backyard, but only produced fair apples.

The Pettingill Apple Tree in the front yard, however, produced a large crop of big red apples, ranging from 10 to 12 ounces. Clark shared that he once picked a 22-ounce apple.

We close with a cautionary note for modern-day apple poachers. While a tree does grow today in the front yard at 205 Fifth Street, that tree is not The Pettingill Apple Tree. It, like Clark Pettingill (1884-1964), is gone, but continues to leave a legacy as this Google search will attest.

Birthplace of the Pettingill Apple

– Michael Dobkins

October 11 in Seal Beach History

On this date in 1948, the Long Beach Independent ran a human interest story under the attention-grabbing headline of “Free Blood Keeps Her Alive.”

Helen Black, Mrs. Arilla Phillips and Red Cross volunteer, Edna Lipman

The story was about 52 year-old Seal Beach widow Mrs. Arilla Phillips of 1305 Electric Avenue. In November 1947, she had been diagnosed as suffering from aplastic anemia –the first case of this rare condition in Long Beach and the vicinity, according to Dr. H.E. Bicknell of Seaside Hospital. Mrs. Phillips had a rare blood type only found in one out of 80 people, which made the blood transfusions she needed to stay alive too expensive.

Lucky for Mrs. Phillips,  blood donors for the Long Beach chapter of the Red Cross were able to provide what she needed free of charge. “As long as I can get free blood through the Red Cross I get along fine. I could never have purchased the blood I need at commercial rates totaling $1725 up to this time.” The previous week, she had received her 69th transfusion.

– Michael Dobkins

 

 

 

October 10th in Seal Beach History

On this date in 1942, The Danville Morning News ran chapter one of a prose adaptation of the MGM movie, “Maisie Gets Her Man,” starring Ann Southern and Red Skelton. It was once common practice for newspapers to run serialized novels in their pages over the course of a few days, and, if the novel was based on a popular movie, the added interest from movie fans would increase the newspaper’s circulation while also increasing the audience for the movie’s local release. Today we’d call it marketing synergy.

“Maisie Gets Her Man” chapter one runs in the 10/10/42 Danville Morning News…

… and the movie opens one week later at the Capitol Theater in Danville, PA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Maisie Gets Her Man” was the sixth in a series of ten films (plus a radio show spin-off) that starred Ann Southern as Mary Anastasia O’Connor, stage name Maisie Ravier, a plucky showgirl with a big heart who would get caught up in all sorts of shenanigans and hijinks while pursuing a show-biz career. This time out Maisie’s involved with a goofy comedian played by Red Skelton.

What does this have to do with Seal Beach history? The Seal Beach connection is tenuous and trivial, I’ll admit, but too fun to just slip by without noting it. In chapter one of the adaptation in The Danville Morning News, Maisie is once again seeking show biz work, but is having no luck at a theatrical office. On her way out, she bumps into the building’s manager, and the two of them have encountered each other before under unusual circumstances — in a place called Seal Beach.

I checked the scene in the actual film, and the dialogue is similar in the film, complete with the reference to an incident in Seal Beach. The scene isn’t available online, so I present the dialogue between Maisie and Pappy Goodring, played by veteran character actor, Allen Jenkins, below:

Screen actors and screenwriters from this era would know Seal Beach because the best route down to Newport Beach (where many Hollywood types kept their yachts) went through Seal Beach. Local legends say that Humphrey Bogart regularly stopped by Art’s Drive-In (the same spot on PCH where Subway now operates) on Fridays after the week’s filming ended.

It’s not a large leap of logic that the screenwriter had taken this trip to Newport Beach once or twice and maybe even popped into one of the revues that used to run in the restaurants on Pacific Coast Highway. When he needed the of a place for where Maisie would be doing a hula number, “Seal Beach” probably just popped into his head. Maybe in Sam’s Seafood’s new addition.

–  Michael Dobkins

 

October 9th in Seal Beach History

On this date on the 1936, Chief Sperry Knighton and the Seal Beach fire department used the city’s hook and ladder truck to rescue a cat from a palm tree in front of 124 11th Street.

124 11th Street – Over 80 years after the emergency. The address remains, but the perilous palm tree is long gone.

The reason why this event was significant enough to warrant a story in the Santa Ana Register is that, after 15 months without a fire call within the city, this emergency call from residents concerned by the mewling of the trapped cat finally broke the department’s dry spell of no emergencies. 

Not the actual rescued cat (or even a cat that actually needs rescuing.) Also, not an actual palm tree. The only thing actual here is our pandering to the internet by posting a cute cat pic.

This is exactly the sort of thing a cat leash law would prevent. 

– Michael Dobkins

October 8th in Seal Beach History

On this date in 1961, International Gifts ran an ad in the Long Beach Independent Press Telegram announcing their new location next to Brock’s Drugstore. That week’s specials were Swedish candlesticks, basketware, imported glassware sets, hats, and bags and international Christmas cards!

International Gifts was part of the Seal Beach Main Street for most of the sixties. Its first location was at 322 Main Street, and then it moved briefly next to Brock’s Drugstore before finally operating at 142 Main Street.

The wiser followers of this blog have already ignored these words and examined the ad to discover something fishy about the address 709 Electric Avenue. This address, if it actually existed, would be in a residential area.  The real 1961 address for International Gifts was 907 Electric Avenue, later home to Cape Cod Coiffures and Studio 907. Time travellers, please update (or backdate) your address books accordingly.

– Michael Dobkins

October 7th in Seal Beach History

On this date in 1941, the Long Beach Independent reported that Sam’s Seafood at 2501 Pacific Coast Highway had recently opened a new building in the back to handle its overflow crowds of weekend diners. The new 30 by 94 feet addition could accommodate 200 patrons and also featured an orchestra and a floor show.

Sam’s Seafood – Now with more room around the back (just half a block from the red car tracks) 

– Michael Dobkins