That Soupy Sales topic was one of the best we ever had! So much fun…
I’ve never been able to find “As The Subway Goes Rolling Along” on YouTube or anywhere else. Since I’m sure everyone’s heard “Charlie On The MTA” here’s that 1964 New York World’s Fair subway ad.
That guy in the commercial sure looks like Colonel Hogan! I wonder though, did they have special trains to the 1939 fair? Paging Mr. Klepper…
My father always drove to the fair from our house on Long Island. He managed to get lost going home every single time. Once he drove over the median on one of the parkways and tore the muffler off our Pontiac. I knew he could curse, but wow, he sure put on a show that night!
Special trains to the '39 Fair? That’s a good question. My mother’s a New York City girl, grew up in Manhattan, and she and her family were regular fair-goers while it was open in '39-'40. She said you couldn’t see it all in one day, but since they were locals there was no need to try.
Mom also said it was easy to get to just using regular NYC transit and didn’t mention any special trains to the fair. Maybe there were but she just doesn’t remember? A '39 World’s Fair historian would have to answer that one.
Hint: have Mike look up streamlined DD1s.
There were all kinds of special trains and services to New York for the Fair; it’s just that the ‘last mile’ to Flushing involved a highly restrictive set of carriers and the demand for ‘run-through’ consists provided by other railroads would have been relatively low.
We had a rather sarcastic book on ‘how to handle freeloader relatives wanting to see the Fair’ in discussion a few months ago – as I recall, some of the Fair promotions on connecting railroads were discussed there. A search of contemporary railroad or ‘social’ advertising is likely to provide a good number of examples. But they’d mostly involve ferry rides or transfers in stations, with subsequent transfers from H&M either to LIRR or the subways, which would very likely just increase service frequency or at most provide a ‘train to the plane’ coordinated service. We certainly did see specially-painted new equipment for the later '64-'65 Fair, but that ran in general service as well as on the usual services or shuttle trains.
Well I knew we had something here on the 1939 New York World’s Fair, so I went deep into the archives of the “Fortress Flintlock,” and sure enough, I found it!
The “Official Guide Book Of The New York World’s Fair 1939,” which Lady Firestorm purchased at a flea market several years ago. Blew the dust off (Hack! Cough! Wheeze!) and went looking for transportation, and sure enough there it was on page 15, “How To Get To The Fair.” I’ll quote directly…
The Fair is conveniently accessible by the great elevated subway lines which cover the greater part of the metropolitan area. The I.R.T. and B.M.T. subways maintain a continuous express service from the center of the city to the new World’s Fair Station at Willets Point where an overpass leads directly into the Fair grounds and onto Bowling Green Plaza. The capacity of this station is 40,000 persons per hour. The run is made from Times Square in 24 minutes and the fare is five cents. The Independent Subway System, which brings you from points in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens, has a specially constructed station at the principal entrance to the Amusement Area; this station can also handle 40,000 passengers an hour. The travel time on both subways is approximately the same.
The slogan of the Pennsylvania Railroad, “From the World of Today to the World of Tomorrow in ten minutes for ten cents,” describes the service of the Long Island Railroad which brings you swiftly to the Fair from the Pennsylvania Terminal in Manhattan. Twelve-car shuttle trains operate on a two-minute headway. The Long Island’s World’s Fair Station has a capacity of 20,000 persons an hour.
In addition to the Flushing-Ridgewood trolley which crosses the site on World’s Fair Boulevard, buses are in operation from points in Manhatta
The Trolley Car Swing
How about this one-
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LOL In my humble opinion, this is one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard! No wonder no one today knows of Young & Grant! What can be said about a piece of sheet music where the illustration is the best thing?
Where on earth did you dredge this up, Miningman?
(But make no mistake: I’m glad you posted it!)
In his defense, he did have a somewhat lacking musical upbringing.
From Mike:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d3TDPE0K2c&t=45s
Sometimes on Sunday, for that is my fun day,
You’ll find me in the park
Watching the spooners and stargazing mooners
Skylarking after dark.
Ah, the classic!
“On a good old trolley ride” is a distinct improvement over “The Trolley car swing,” but it’s the definition of 1910 corny. This Edison cylinder is a perfect example of why it’s not a good idea to let a deaf man be be the person who selects which songs get recorded.
Now now, let’s be kind. “Trolley Ride” is typical of popular songs of the time. Not all composers of popular songs in the early 1900’s were of the caliber of George M. Cohan, which is why Cohan’s songs have lasted as long as they have.
Not however, Cohan’s musical comedies. Many revivals of the same have fallen flat, the humor of the time just doesn’t translate well to our own day and age.
I think George M. would be happy enough his music has lasted, if not the shows.
Where Do You Work-a-John
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1WB7uY2cRE
Thanks, Miningman- my old man used to sing that. Also, in 1973, my girlfriend had a friend who had an Edison cylinder phonograph. It worked but didn’t have much of a sound as the “speaker” was a small disc that followed along with the needle. That girl was from a wealthy family and her father had at least 50 antique rifles in a long display case, a full size pool table, a pinball machine and a refrigerator full of Guinness.
A refrigerator full of Guiness sounds really good. I assume that the pinball machine had first-rate artwork of a suitable sort.
From Mike:
Posted by NKP guy on Friday, September 13, 2019 8:18 AM
… this is one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard…
GROANNNNNN…
Oh yeah, that “I Told The Trolley…” is pretty lame all right.
But on the other hand, it looks like the boys who wrote “Where Do You Work-a John?” were a bit ahead of their time with “Delaware-Lackawanna!”
Check this out…
Miningman- that was nails on a blackboard! Worse than Hotel California! That was awful! That guy’s cookie duster looks like something out of a 1975 porn film! How do I know that? uhhh–just guessing. Yes, the fridge full of Guinness was pretty impressive, so were that chick’s “appendages.” She made Dolly look a bit undernourished. Impressive? I’ll say!
At least “I told it to the trolley” is a send-up, what in the 19-teens was called a novelty song. But is doesn’t hold a candle to “The trolley car swing” for “worst song.” 54light15 was right when he compared the first song to nails on a blackboard. I can’t be the only one here who thinks that it’s ironic to use footage of a cable car and refer to it as a trolley; another reason to dislike it!
Some time back I implied that “Wild thing,” by the Troggs was maybe the worst song ever. However, “Hey Jude” is right up there, along with “Old time rock and roll” and about 90% of 1950’s popular music.
Hey, I’m jus’ sayin’…
