“Memories of El Monte”
So, I’ve been re-listening to a lot of my old Zappa albums recently. I think I have 40 of the canonical 62, plus some of the posthumous compilations, so it’s a lot. For the most part, I’ve spared the more normal amongst you from my deep love for his weirdness, but his song “Memories of El Monte” has now been stuck in my head for days, so I’ve put together a collection of historic shots of El Monte (and South El Monte) to pair it with.
Frank was just 22 when he co-wrote the song with Ray Collins for The Penguins in 1963, and it was a favorite of Art Laboe, who would frequently play it on his show, but I’m using the more recently-released version of Frank performing it at The Whisky with The Mothers in 1968.
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Photos:
1. The El Monte Drive-In, taken by Elisa Leonelli 1978
2. El Monte’s famous Legion Stadium, open from 1927 to 1974, when it was torn down.
3. Simon’s Drive-In, El Monte location, 1940s
4. A young woman at Gay’s Lion Farm, late 1920s
5. El Monte Theatre on Main, 1948
6. Main Street near Center,, ca. 1952
7. Clyde Beatty’s circus comes to town, 1950
8. “Moooo!!!” ca. 1952
9. Tumbleweed Theatre, 1939 - was at 11918 Garvey
10. El Monte Union High School, 1910
11. Unspecified neighborhood in El Monte, 1952
12. Postcard view of Crawford’s Village Store, 1950s
13. Flooding on Foothill near Valley, 1952
14. Starlite Drive-In, taken by Leonelli in 1978
15. Microtech Plant, taken by Julius Shulman in 1960. Was at 1201 N. Arden Dr. - address no longer exists.
16. Pitkin Bros. Richfield Station, 1936, taken by Shulman
17. El Monte Airport (now San Gabriel Airport), 1971
18. 700 tons of scrap tire stock at the Pacific R&H Chemical Corporation, looks 1920s.
19. P&J Motors on Garvey, taken 1977 by John Margolies
20. An RTD bus cruises past rush hour on the 10
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Claremont Colleges - 1,14
Pasadena Star News - 2
Huntington - 3
LAPL - 4,7,17
LA Theatres Blog - 5
USC - 6,8,11,13,19
UCLA - 9,20
CA State Library - 10
Crawford’s Blog - 12
Getty - 15,16
Library of Congress - 18
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