Saturday, September 26, 2015

Bowling Alley, Delaware 1950

Part of the fun of digging through boxes of old slides is that you never know what you're going to find. For instance, I got a kick out of a group of images that were labeled "Delaware, 1950", taken during a night at the bowling alley. I still love to go the lanes once in a while; it's a fun thing to do with my niece and nephew when they are in town.

Apparently it was "League Night", back when bowling was a very popular pastime among folks from all walks of life. I have fond memories of watching my dad bowl when he was in a Navy league; sometimes we would even do a little duckpin bowling when we lived in Virginia. 

These gentlemen sport a "Chrysler" patch on their shirts... they're going to murdalize those Studebaker twerps! The guy who is second from the left doesn't have a patch - he's probably a ringer. This game is serious business.


Look at that form! This guy is good - a regular Dick Hoover. Meanwhile, I have never mastered the art of putting any kind of controllable spin on my bowling ball - I throw it dead straight, and hard. Which means I get a lot of splits. But I've done OK!

The last time I went bowling, they turned off the regular lights, turned on the black lights, and pumped up the dance music. And then my game really turned to garbage; there's something about the black lights that ruined my aim. Who do I sue?


Something tells me that this couple is not very interested in bowling! I wonder if they eventually got married and had kids? I like the details in this photo, such as the old-fashioned hard rubber bowling balls with the "marbleized" swirls. And the snack counter in the background... there's nothing like a plate of hot bowling alley french fries! 


I hope you have enjoyed today's visit to the bowling alley.

5 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

That 'adoring' look the young gentleman is flashing is in reality his attempt to hypnotize the 'girlfriend' to improve her game. "Look... Look into the eyes of Dr. Diablo..."

Thanks, Major.

K. Martinez said...

These images are from 65 years ago? On the subject of "where are they now", all the bowlers are probably dead and the couple whether they stayed together or not are most likely in a care facility or dead too. It's the same way with the 1950's/60's Disneyland photos. You just know most of the adults in those photos are already gone. Some lived a good full life, while others met early doom. Nice view of now long ago Americana. Thanks, Major.

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, somehow I think bowling was the last thing on his mind!

K. Martinez, whoa, that went kind of dark! But I admit that I do think about that sometimes... you'll see vintage photos of pretty girls, or even small children, or proud dads and moms, and you realize that after 50 or 60 years, they could very well be gone by now.

Nanook said...

Major-

I didn't define "game".

K. Martinez said...

Major, I don't think of it as dark. Just the reality of life. Both my parents, my uncle and grandmother who used to take me to Disneyland all the time in the 1960's are gone now. I figured it must be the same for many others of our generation. When I look at old family photos, I realize that my siblings, my cousins and I are now the oldest living generation within our families.