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Christmas, Vilma style!

12/24/2015

By this time, you've probably noticed how my mother Vilma was a notorious flirt in her single days. As I've sifted through hundreds of her pictures, I came across this little jewel that I just couldn’t keep to myself!

Oh you may think this is an ordinary picture with Santa, but that wouldn’t be Vilma’s style! What’s so special about this picture? Turning the picture over, in her writing, was the line:

“Hi Jack, wish this was you impersonating Santa Claus. Love Vi”.

Oh boy, the fella who was the recipient of that picture probably felt like the luckiest guy in the world! But not so fast… I found two more of the same pictures, each with a slight variation on the back.

“Hi Larry, wish this was you impersonating Santa Claus. Love Vi”.

Well now, it seemed it was too much to have to write in each of her boyfriend’s names, there were so many you know! So a generic salutation would just have to make do:

“Hi Doll, wish this was you impersonating Santa Claus. Love Vi”.

I just about fell off my chair in a bout of delightful laughter. Who else would find it necessary to mass produce pictures for all of her boyfriends? Only Vilma of course.

A Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you ‘dolls’ out there!

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Vilma and The Long Beach Wolf

12/14/2015

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Friday May 9, 1952
There’s a new girl next door, but she is just a punk 16 year old and only a sophomore, so I reckon I won’t lower myself. She just doesn’t rate.

Jim is supposed to come over tomorrow and take me to the beach, I’m going to just lie there and bake to a deep brown.

Saturday May 10, 1952
Jim stood me up, the damn guy. Bonnie and Margaret, some girls I made friends with up at school, took me and Mary Alice to the Riverside Rancho tonight. In one word that place is real crazy. Bonnie brought our boyfriends (who we met there) home with us in her car. I met a fine, double fine Marine named Tommy, and I like him. Bonnie and our boyfriends just stayed outside and parked. He doesn’t French kiss, but he is a good looking guy, and man I do like him for sure, absolutely, positively. Made a date to take me to the beach tomorrow. Oh man, by the time I got in it was quarter after 4:00am.

Sunday May 11, 1952
Tommy the Jirene* didn’t show up today. Well, Jim came over at 1:15 today and said his grandfather got a heart attack yesterday, which was his reason for standing me up. I told him anybody can make up a good excuse, but it was accepted. So we went to the beach and by the time we got there it was 5:00pm, I was madder than you could imagine because it was so late. I went swimming and the water was real nice and warm. Then we went to The Pike after our swim and had a ball.

I don’t like Jim. I was mad to start with because of Tommy not showing up today and then Jim didn’t show up yesterday. I feel like not going out with Jim ever again. I wanted to get a tan this weekend, and that idea is sure wiped out. Well when I got home Mom told me Tommy came down with a bunch of kids, including Bonnie, at 3:30 mind you. So Mom told him I went to the beach with somebody else. He said he was sorry he was late, it couldn’t be helped, but he said he’d have to make it up to me.

I got Mom two pairs of real beautiful stockings for Mother’s Day. I also gave Jim his present for his birthday.

Tuesday May 13, 1952
Three guys in a blue shiny bomb dropped over tonight looking for me, but I wasn’t home so don’t know who they were. I was out picking up some guys and I got in their positively lush Ford with lowered back and terrific twin pipes. Oh man am I impressing that little 16 year old new neighbor, she just opens her eyes but wide when she sees me with all these guys and snazzy cars. Also, Mary Alice came down tonight.

Wednesday May 14, 1952
Oh boy, I got a letter from Tommy, my little Marine boyfriend. He wrote me a big fat excuse and he wants a date with me a week from this Saturday. He says we’ll really do the town Saturday, so I am in blue heaven.

Man, tomorrow is pay day at last, I live again!

Thursday May 15, 1952
I made friends with my little 16 year old neighbor, Caroline. Say, she is a pretty nice kid.

Friday May 16, 1952
I think I have gotten rid of Jim at last, though I’m afraid I hurt his feelings. I made it very plain last Sunday that I would’ve had more fun staying at home and watching television. He still asked me to go out with him Friday night dancing, I said I’d consider it and call him up. I never did call him, so anyway he didn’t come down tonight.

*Authors Note: A Jirene is 1950's slang for "Marine"

The Pike

Long beach was another favorite hangout spot for Vilma. Not only did she love the beach, but she loved "The Pike". It was an essential part of Southern California living, you just did not know how to live until you saw and experienced The Pike.

Originating in 1902 as a Grand Bath House on the shoreline of Long beach, the resort style atmosphere attracted bathers, swimmers and sun worshippers alike. It even contained a giant indoor swimming pool with a large slide called “The Plunge.” In the decades following, The Pike eventually expanded and became one of the largest amusement fun zones in Southern California.

There was something for everyone!

A walk along the boardwalk greeted you with glimmering strings of electric bulbs hung high above your head to light your way. The salty sea air mingled with the intoxicating smell of fresh popcorn, as you heard the delighted squeals from children playing carnival games and riding the Carousel. Carnival barkers (or affectionately known as carnies) emerged to yell their sales pitch: “Step right up folks”, with the offer to pay only $0.25 cents for a visit to a side show, fortune teller or the ever popular girly show.

Hollywood on the Pike was one such “girly show”, it was a western themed venue offering cocktails, cowboys and beautiful gals. Believe it or not, this was a favorite stop for Vilma on her date nights. After her stint working at Clifton's Cafeteria, she continued her work as a Camera Girl at the numerous cabaret style clubs scattered along The Pike.

Parents also brought the kiddos to enjoy the beach along with all the carnival games, pony rides and especially the giant wooden roller coaster called the Cyclone Racer. To increase the thrill of it all, it was built on pylons extending out over the ocean. There was plenty of cheap eats too, such as salt water taffy, hot dogs, soda pop fountains and numerous Bar B Que joints.

Because Long Beach was a major Naval Base, the sight of Sailors were abundant. Who could miss these young men in their crisp white uniforms with black tie and flowing wide legged pants dotted within the throngs of people? Vilma sure couldn’t, after all they were her favorite “pick up”. Most of them usually had a short 24 hour leave from the ship and were looking to carouse the night away, and boy was The Pike the right place to do it. Many businesses catered to them and the locals who wanted to get drunk: seedy dive bars, open front liquor stores and tattoo parlors were plentiful.

Recognizing the rough "free-for-all" reputation it now had, the city cleaned it up and re-billed it as the Nu-Pike in the late 1950’s, advertising a more family oriented atmosphere.

Alas, the 1960’s and 1970’s were not kind decades to Nu-Pike, the seedy element once again graced its shores and the deterioration was evident. It was no longer able to attract tourists, as families preferred Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland rather than a depressed, decaying shell of its carnival glory days. It eventually became a cash cow for the city and was leveled in 1979.

You can find what is now called “The Pike at Rainbow Village” located directly across from the Rainbow Harbor/Shoreline Village. It is a mixture of big name retail shops and chain restaurants, the likes of which we can find in any city, at any given time. Don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful area with lots of fun things to see and do, but looking at it today you would never know that all of that concrete hides an incredible history.

There were such infinite options for entertainment in the 1950's weren’t there? So far we’ve seen The Legion Stadium, Country Western Swing, Roller Derby, Dancing, Drive In movies, Drive in Restaurants and now The Pike! And we’ve only just begun!

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Vilma, The Cat and The Mouse

12/7/2015

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Monday April 28, 1952
Lorea, Barbara and another girl with a bunch of guys came down tonight. I wanted to go out with them, but I couldn’t because I have to get up at 5:30 in the morning to brush up on my Comptometer practice.

I finally wrote back to Charles today, he is still serving in Korea.

Friday May 2, 1952
Kenny and Billy came down tonight. They said they hadn’t seen me up at The Stomp for quite a while and came down to see how I was.

Saturday May 3, 1952
Went on double date tonight in L.A. with Jim and saw “Steel Town” and “A Girl in Every Port”. As we were coming home he was feigning me and telling me how much he liked me, and how lucky a guy he would be to get me. Also, I am supposed to sleep on it, considering going steady with him. I’m supposed to give him my answer tomorrow. Also, I wouldn’t let him kiss me as usual.

Sunday May 4, 1952
Virginia, Floyd, Jim and I had supper over Floyd’s sister’s home and had chicken dinner. I told Jim NO and he was broken hearted. He said he prayed I’d go steady and say YES, for his day would’ve been complete if only I’d said the right thing. I wonder if he had a lump in his throat. Tsk, Tsk, I am a beast! Got in at 1:00 am in the morning.

Monday May 5, 1952
Went over and got interviewed this morning. Only got 3 ½ hours of sleep last night, although I’m not tired. I have to go get a physical check-up tomorrow and then start to work at Western Electric on Wednesday. Oh brother what gripes my rear end is I have to go and get a work permit for not being 18 until August! Well I’ve been lying about my age ever since I’ve been working and I decided to tell the truth this time since my birthday will be so near, so I have to go up to school tomorrow to see about the permit.

Tuesday May 6, 1952
My sister June is 14 years old today, big girl now. I got her three pure silk scarves.

Wednesday May 7, 1952
It is Virginia’s 24th birthday today. I got her a nylon blouse and a silk scarf.

Thursday May 8, 1952
I work on the payroll over at work, making out checks and so forth. I get to see how much everyone makes. Not bad, but I am sworn to secrecy. I make $1.33 an hour myself. I guess the job is alright, it’s a lot of variety and that is good… but I don’t like any form of work. I’ll clue you: If I ever get married it will be to a millionaire, and I’ll settle down and really live right. You know it is just as easy to marry a rich man as it is a poor man, so what the hell for goodness sakes!

The Tale of the Cat and Mouse

After graduating El Monte High School when she was just 16 years old, we find Vilma still struggling to find her way as a young lady in the working world of the 1950’s. Like most girls her age she is marriage minded, however, Vilma is no ordinary girl who will be satisfied with settling down with the first man to ask her to marry her (poor Jim). Nor is she satisfied with the dreariness of being at a job that bores her to death. But, if she has to work towards the goal of buying her own car, which would give her more freedom and independence, she’ll have to hunker down and accept the tedium of it all.

Typical Vilma, the sassy go getter, was also not going to let the technicality of her age hold her back from earning some dough. In her mind, she was practically 18 anyhow!

It’s unique to have an account of a young girl’s work life in the 1950’s, as we've seen here there weren't many career choices: Comptometer Operator, File Clerk, Payroll Clerk.

And let’s just remind ourselves of that salary situation:

Payroll Clerk: $1.33 an hour
Comptometer Operator: $200 per month

Well, it's no wonder Vilma muses about marrying a millionaire!

What about that poor Jim? He's certainly no millionaire, just a good Marine trying his best to woo the girl. But the saying “He/She is just not that into you” holds true in any generation. Vilma gets it, but Jim sure doesn’t. The poor guy is still on the opposite end of that one. As she says: “If I were him, I would have given up a long time ago.”

Oh the poor lovelorn sucker, what keeps him coming back for more torture at Vilma’s hands?

When it comes to the nature of dating, I liken it to a cat and mouse game. Now as a man, Jim thinks he is the pursuer. But Vilma is the classic cat. Jim is only her play thing. He is the mouse caught in the complex trap of a young woman experimenting with her female charms and persuasions. And since he’s there, she toys with his heart and emotions: sending mixed messages like accepting dates, meeting his family, then avoiding the good night kiss. Like most kitties she quickly grows bored of her play thing, for a while at least. But Jim, the little mouse, just keeps showing up again and again...Vilma just can’t help herself!

How much longer will she string him along? And will someone more enticing show up soon? Hmmm, we shall soon see…

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Christmas, Vilma style!

Vilma and The Long Beach Wolf

Vilma, The Cat and The Mouse

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