1950s Snowball Sequence

This slide from the winter of 1956 - 1957 was marked "neighbor's kids" and shows the terraced backyards of the two-family homes on Hoyt Avenue in Staten Island.

Here, my mother (at left) and Uncle Kevin look sweet as pie, but it wouldn't last long, folks... 

Something tells me a stray snowball from the neighbor's kids intervened and inspired the following...

I can just hear my grandfather saying, "OK now, Kevin... Kevin!  KEVIN!!! STOP THAT!!!"

OOF!  That had to hurt, Mom.  Someone looks like they could use a Nestle's cocoa.

Let the record show that my grandfather stayed back with camera at the ready and recorded this snowball assault for posterity.  I must say I'm a bit amused that he kept shooting and didn't intervene.

 Note To Mom:  It's OK... You were a total cutie pie here.

Kevin and Kathleen get the last laugh... "HA! Take THAT, Dad!"

Take Your Toys & Run!

Another season of timeless (and priceless) holiday fun, as seen by my grandparents' camera.

1957 Times Square: The Sweet Smell Of Success

Several stills from another NYC film great: Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis' dual-star vehicle called "The Sweet Smell Of Success".  The Times Square we see here (1956 - 1957) is decidedly less grimy than the one depicted in later film fare, but the latter-day film noir touches used here create a moody foreshadowing of the dark times this district would see a decade later.

1957 LP Cover: Lancaster & Curtis

A recent addition to my collection: The beautifully illustrated LP cover for the soundtrack to the film "The Sweet Smell Of Success".