PHOTOS, 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND IN THE HUDSON VALLEY

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

4th of July 2018 fell on a Wednesday this year--and despite steamy days and the occasional rainstorm, it's been a banner week....and....You can always count on some businesses and houses to deck out for the 4th of July! Check out the America-themed porch of Nancy Kennedy/Houlihan Lawrence--it's always decked out for the major holidays annually--click on the photo.

To see more July 4th Weekend across the Hudson Valley---a very quick album--click here.

Note: All content on this blog is Copyright (c) by Maria Cudequest and by the posters who have contributed specific content. All material is for your personal use only. No content or photos may be republished or sold, without prior written from your editor and the individual who contributed the content in question. For permissions or questions about this policy, please contact the editor. 

MORE RECENTLY UNEARTHED BITS AND PIECES ABOUT CROTON NOTABLES, FAY BAINTER, ALEXANDER CALDER, AND GLORIA SWANSON, MADAME SANS-GEN

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton -- our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools -- in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

SOME MORE RECENTLY UNEARTHED BITS & PIECES ABOUT CROTON NOTABLES, FAY BAINTER, ALEXANDER CALDER, & GLORIA SWANSON--click on the photos.

First up, Croton's Fay Bainter and Mickey Rooney, 1943/1944, reunited as mother and son in THE HUMAN COMEDY.  The film is the story of a teenaged Homer Macauley (Mickey Rooney) in high school, working part-time as a telegram delivery boy, in the fictional town of Ithaca, California, during World War II. 

 

The effects of the war on the "Home Front" over a year in Homer's life are depicted in sentimental scenarios involving himself, his family, friends, and neighbors, and acquaintances encountered.

Also appearing in the film are James Craig, Marsha Hunt, Van Johnson, Donna Reed and Jackie 'Butch' Jenkins among others.

Next up is a 1976 article, post Alexander Calder's death, from The Ogdensburg Journal: Calder's Creations Continue to Intrigue. For those who don't know, here's Calder's Croton connection at https://bit.ly/2MPcbN2

And finally, Croton's own Gloria Swanson in the 1925 film, MADAME SANS-GEN....A 1925 American silent romantic costume comedy-drama film directed by Léonce Perret and starring Gloria Swanson. Based on the play of the same name by Victorien Sardou and Émile Moreau, the film is now considered lost. 

The film was produced and filmed in France, as Swanson was on extended vacation there. She soon became involved with Henri de la Falaise, hired by Paramount to be her translator, and who later became her third husband.

See the last edition of MORE RECENTLY UNEARTHED BITS & PIECES ABOUT CROTON NOTABLES, GLORIA SWANSON (SUNSET BOULEVARD), ALLEN FUNT, VERA NEUMANN HERE

MORE FABULOUS VINTAGE WEBSITES, FINDS, ETC. FROM EVERYTHING CROTON

Now here's a rare find--courtesy of a previous auction @ Croton's own SeriousToyz.com--a "Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs" Dime Register Bank, 1938, 2.5 x 2.5"; it sold for $96. 

If you have serious stuff, SeriousToyz has serious bidders: www.serioustoyz.com for more info.

Every town has that one house that simply goes over the top when it comes to Christmas decorating--Croton is no exception--and we love it--here's a shot of Alice's porch in 2014 that shows just a small piece of her annual holiday eye-candy.

And finally, as some of you know, Jackie Gleason lived in nearby Cortlandt and was a frequent visitor to Croton's watering holes.  

His round, quintessential mid-century modern house is now on the market for twelve million per the New York Post. Click on the photos and enjoy!

For those of you lucky enough to have a porch to decorate for Christmas, 45 great decorating ideas; more here

Speaking of mid-century modern, here's the latest from RETRO RENOVATION. 

Want to see lots of vintage Christmas putz village photos? Go here for page after page! 
 
Vintage made in Japan putz house restorations by Tom H--1950's, from PapaTed's collection: http://bit.ly/1zxiADb AND a quick fix of a little hacienda putz; more here

THE CROTON ROTARY CLUB CARES ABOUT THE TROOPS!

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

THANK YOU CROTON ROTARY! Rotarians, Janeen Violante, Richard Zumbach and Patricia Foley helping pack up the care package of comics for our troops that are deployed. SEE THE PHOTO ALBUM HERE; the next care package goes out in August.

And stay tuned for news about the upcoming 2018 Rotary Car Show.

YOU MAY ALSO HAVE AN INTEREST IN....https://bit.ly/2z9m7ix

WEGMANS' RESPONSE TO PROPOSED PLASTIC BAG BAN IN NEW YORK STATE

THE BUFFALO NEWS: Wegmans has long championed sustainability, so why doesn't it support Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's recent proposal to ban single-use plastic bags? HERE'S WHY WEGMANS OPPOSES CUOMO'S plastic bag ban; more here

CONGRATULATIONS TO CROTON HARMON'S GREGORY CAVALIERI

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

Congratulations to Gregory Cavalieri, Croton-Harmon School District’s Technology/Communications Specialist, for winning an award from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) for a video he produced. Mr. Cavalieri, who has been with Croton-Harmon for seven years and is a 2007 alum....READ AND SEE MORE HERE.

FROM OUR FRIENDS AT EFSP: SISSI 1955, ROMY SCHNEIDER

For fans of the"Sissi" trilogy---a very thorough post from our friends at European Film Star Postcards:

Sissi (1955) - The Austrian film Sissi (Ernst Marischka, 1955), starring Romy Schneider and Karlheinz Böhm, is the first installment in the hugely popular trilogy of films about Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who was known to her family as 'Sissi'. (Click on the Dutch postcard by Int. Filmpers (I.F.P.), Amsterdam, no. 1535. Publicity still for Sissi – Schicksalsjahre einer Kaiserin/Sissi – Fateful Years of an Empress, Ernst Marischka, 1957, with Walter Reyer.)

Read and see much more about Sissi here.

JACKIE GLEASON'S ICONIC CIRCULAR HOUSE ON THE MARKET FOR $12M

Welcome to Everything Croton---a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools--in short, Everything Croton.

JACKIE GLEASON'S ICONIC CIRCULAR HOUSE IS ON THE MARKET FOR TWELVE MILLION--NY POST--The comedy legend’s iconic Round House, an architectural feat in Westchester County where everything inside and out is circular, is part of an estate being listed for $12 million. READ MORE AT https://nypost.com/2018/07/02/jackie-gleasons-iconic-circular-mansion-on-the-market-for-12m/

CLICK ON THE PHOTO OF THE LIVING ROOM COURTESY OF THE CROTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 

AND IF YOU LOVE ALL THINGS MID-CENTURY MODERN, SOME LINKS YOU MAY ENJOY:

--1950 KOHLER KITCHENS, BATHROOMS AND LIVING ROOMS; MORE HERE  
 
--MORE MID-CENTURY MODERN FUN. LIGHTING, 1960; MORE HERE 

--AND PART TWO MORE MID-CENTURY LIGHTING, 1960 http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2015/08/part-two-more-mid-century-modern.html   
 
--1954, THE ALL STEEL KITCHEN http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2015/07/more-mid-century-catalog-madness-all.html    
 
--MID CENTURY MODERN LIGHTING, MOTEL FURNITURE AND MUCH MORE--CLICK HERE

--RETRO RENOVATION!  https://retrorenovation.com/

JOSEPH HELLER AND CATCH-22, THE CROTON CONNECTION

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

Croton has produced many fine writers.  Perhaps one of the most well known is Joseph Heller, of Catch-22 fame. Click on the images, which include a 1967 article featuring Heller and promos from the 1970 movie, to learn more.

The film was directed by Mike Nichols, and screenwriter Buck Henry (also in the cast) worked on the film script for two years, converting Heller's complex novel to the medium of film.

And it was worth the effort.

The cast included Alan Arkin, Bob Balaban, Martin Balsam, Richard Benjamin, Italian actress Olimpia Carlisi, French comedian Marcel Dalio, Art Garfunkel (his acting debut), Jack Gilford, Charles Grodin, Bob Newhart, Anthony Perkins, Paula Prentiss, Martin Sheen, Jon Voight, and Orson Welles.   (YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT THE BOOK here)

YOU MAY ALSO HAVE AN INTEREST IN:

--1930, CROTON AUTHORS TO BE PRESENT AT BOOK EXHIBIT; more here

--A clip from Catch-22, considered the funniest, courtesy of YOUTUBE; click here 

Note: All content on this blog is Copyright (c) by Maria Cudequest and by the posters who have contributed specific content. All material is for your personal use only. No content or photos may be republished or sold, without prior written consent from your editor and the individual who contributed the content in question. For permissions or questions about this policy, please contact the editor   

1970, A LOOK BACK AT THE CROTON AIR PARK & MORE

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON. 

A former resident has fond memories of the Croton Air Park. Another, not so fond.

Click on the images from a 1970 article detailing what appears to have been assorted issues with the site, courtesy of the outstanding archives maintained by the volunteers of The Croton Historical Society.

See their new website here. 

And their FB page here.

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY THESE ADDITIONAL LINKS:

--MORE FROM CROTON'S CIVIL AIR PATROL/CROTON AIR PARK 1952 AND 1949 here.

--AND LOTS MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE AIR PARK,...

Some great photos from the 50's and more, here. 

And just for fun--

August 1920 was an exciting time at Croton Point Beach--where you could hitch a ride (for cash of course) on the...

AEROMARINE LIMOUSINE! 

Click here to see the ad and read more about luxury seaplane aviation.

1909, SPENCER TRASK, PHILANTHROPIST, FINANCIER, THE CROTON CONNECTION

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON. 

In 1909, Spencer Trask, an American financier, philanthropist, and venture capitalist, was killed in a train accident in Croton. 

For those who don't know: Beginning in the 1870s, Trask began investing and supporting entrepreneurs, including Thomas Edison's invention of the electric light bulb and his electricity network. In 1896 he reorganized The New York Times, becoming its majority shareholder and chairman.

Trask was committed to civic duty, public service, and philanthropy. At the time of his death, his wealth had been greatly diminished by his own generosity.

Along with his financial acumen, Trask was a generous philanthropist, a leading patron of the arts, a strong supporter of education, and a champion of humanitarian causes.

READ MORE ABOUT TRASK HERE. 

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO READ ABOUT THE CROTON TRAIN ACCIDENT.

REMEMBERING FRED GWYNNE

Who died this date in 1993...and perhaps best remembered for playing Herman on THE MUNSTERS...

To see his Croton connection to Bennett Conservatory of Music and the Croton Shakespeare Festival---read more here.

Click on the photo to see a vintage British postcard by Klasik Kards, London, no. 1314, courtesy of Truus, Bob & Jan too, our friends at EFSP. READ MORE ABOUT GWYNNE HERE.

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY THESE ADDITIONAL LINKS!

--YVONNE DE CARLO A.K.A. LILY MUNSTER, FROM OUR FRIENDS AT EUROPEAN FILMSTAR POSTCARDS; MORE HERE
--HALLOWEEN HOUSES--AND TRAINS--A PRIMER ; MORE HERE

WHAT THE OLD STARLIGHT DRIVE-IN SITE LOOKS LIKE TODAY AND MUCH MORE

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

At Everything Croton, your editor and the Elves try to answer any and all requests if possible.

Here's an oldie we finally got around to today....

Photos of the Shoprite Shopping Plaza POST the Starlight Drive-In, Starlight Lanes, etc. era---as the site actually exists today---it's home to numerous businesses and of course Shoprite, recently renovated, an active contributor to assorted community, school and veterans organizations, as well as one of the area's largest employers.  CLICK ON THE PHOTOS AND LINKS.

And here's the area, as it existed way back when:

--STARLIGHT DRIVE-IN; more here

--STARLIGHT LANES (BOWLING); more here and MORE HERE

--STARLIGHT DRIVING RANGE; more here

MORE RECENTLY UNEARTHED BITS & PIECES ABOUT CROTON NOTABLES, GLORIA SWANSON (SUNSET BOULEVARD), ALLEN FUNT, VERA NEUMANN

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton -- our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools -- in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

SOME MORE RECENTLY UNEARTHED BITS & PIECES ABOUT CROTON NOTABLES, GLORIA SWANSON (SUNSET BOULEVARD), ALLEN FUNT,  VERA NEUMANN--click on the photos.

First up, from the 1950 Screenland movie magazine, a mini blurb about Sunset Boulevard starring Croton's own Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond, a very young and handsome William Holden and the great Eric von Stroheim as faithful servant Max. Praised by many critics when first released, Sunset Boulevard was nominated for 11 Academy Awards (including nominations in all four acting categories) and won three. Deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the U.S. Library of Congress in 1989...read more here.

Also from 1950 and Screenland Magazine, a Sunset Boulevard" p.r. blurb with Swanson and her daugher Michelle at Romanoff's.  

For those who don't know, Romanoff's was a Beverly Hills restaurant popular with Hollywood stars in the 1940s and 1950s, now defunct.  The restaurant, which used an elegant monogram consisting of a crown sitting over two capital letter 'R's back to back, "was masculine and clubby with comfortable booths, the dance floor well waxed, the cigarette girls lovely, and the waiters well-trained and Jeeves-like".  Read more about the colorful character who owned Romanoff's here. 

And for fun, from 1925, Swanson chauffeur--Victor Englander--fined in Croton!

The charge? Excessive speeding in Gloria's "luxurious automobile".

Next up just a little blurb from a sort of media directory known as The Radio Annual and Television Year Book 1961--for Croton's Allen A. Funt Productions, showing a Croton home base...

And finally, for fans of Croton's Vera Neumann, an outstanding Flickr photo album of her iconic scarves, tableware offerings and more. Over a thousand examples from her prolific career.

This is the holy grail of Vera Neumann designs, a true mid-century modern time capsule; see it all here.  

TO SEE THE LAST EDITION OF... MORE RECENTLY UNEARTHED BITS & PIECES ABOUT CROTON NOTABLES...GLORIA SWANSON, RALPH WALDO TRINE, KATHLEEN BELLER AND HAROLD GRAY...CLICK HERE.