Houston In The 1970s

[houstonmacbro]

Not sure this is all relevant but I remember the hill at the Hermann Park Theater (where they have the outdoor musicals and plays and bands now) being referred to as Hippie Hill.

[isuredid]

Not sure this is all relevant but I remember the hill at the Hermann Park Theater (where they have the outdoor musicals and plays and bands now) being referred to as Hippie Hill.

Well, it's certainly relevant to the 70s in Houston, which is the topic. I was only 15 at that time, but I used to ride my bike from home in the East-end along Brays Bayou to Herman Park just to hang out on the hill on week-ends. It was probably as close as Houston came (not very) to the Golden Gate Park scene in SF. I remember that people would climb to the top of the roof over the theater to smoke their joints or pipes so they woudn't get busted. It was groovy,man.

That scene didn't last very long.

[houstonmacbro]

Well, it's certainly relevant to the 70s in Houston, which is the topic. I was only 15 at that time, but I used to ride my bike from home in the East-end along Brays Bayou to Herman Park just to hang out on the hill on week-ends. It was probably as close as Houston came (not very) to the Golden Gate Park scene in SF. I remember that people would climb to the top of the roof over the theater to smoke their joints or pipes so they woudn't get busted. It was groovy,man.

That scene didn't last very long.

Gosh I wish I had been of age then. All the free love, weed, and groovy music.

Instead I got Boy George, President Ronald Reagan, and the 'Cold War'.

Ick.

[Fringe]

Well, it's certainly relevant to the 70s in Houston, which is the topic. I was only 15 at that time, but I used to ride my bike from home in the East-end along Brays Bayou to Herman Park just to hang out on the hill on week-ends. It was probably as close as Houston came (not very) to the Golden Gate Park scene in SF. I remember that people would climb to the top of the roof over the theater to smoke their joints or pipes so they woudn't get busted. It was groovy,man.

That scene didn't last very long.

Ahh. Those were the good times.

[crunchtastic]

Gosh I wish I had been of age then. All the free love, weed, and groovy music.

Instead I got Boy George, President Ronald Reagan, and the 'Cold War'.

Ick.

Oh, Macbro, let me tell ya!

I was lucky enough to get the best of both worlds. Jr high was mid-late 70s (the movie Dazed and Confused was, for me, absolutely 100% accurate, it looked just like my own life, if I were one of the incoming freshmen in the movie..... Of course due to a filmaker the same age and who also grew up in suburban Texas....) I was too young for the free love, but not for the weed Anyway, go to high school, it turns into the 80s, and all of a sudden I discover the Clash, etc, the punk clubs in Houston became my second home. The 70s died a swift and merciless death, at least for me. Out in bitchin' camaro land of Katy, not so much. And I was able to transition into something way more interesting than Boy George and preppies. (Not that I begrudge my senior class being at the ass-end of a long line of tradition, with ' Freebird ' as class song ) Of course as a young, Reagan-hating, punkette debate nerd, it took a stomach for ridicule (and getting the hell away from Katy TX at every opportunity). I wouldn't trade the late 70s and 80s for the world.

[Don Julio]

Does anyone here have a copy that I scan, or know where I can find a copy? Please PM me if you do.

[marmer]

There is or used to be one in the Rice library. But, and this is a big but, as I remember it had addresses and tiny photos only, not the nice little descriptions that the 1990 and 1999 editions did. It is also much less complete.

[Dan the Man]

It's really more like a picture book, and it mainly concentrates on the high profile buildings of the time (lots of brutalist stuff). Definitely not as comprehensive as the Steven Fox guide...

[Subdude]

I recall it has a map of the tunnel system as it was back then, which was interesting.

[sevfiv]

Rice has several copies...I have a copy, but I have yet to recover it from the last move

[sassi_britches]

Remembering the Houston I grew up in the early 70's thru the late 80's.

I live in East TN now but I grew up in SW Houston in Windsor Village in the early 70's. I remember going to Peppermint Park off the 610 Loop. Kiddie Park off 610 and Main. The original Astrodome where I watched Roy Rogers and Dale Evans perform and Dale lost her wig. I am telling my age now. The Roy Rogers restaurant near Joske's in the Galleria. OH my this is so sweet.

I remember on Sundays my daddy would take us to the Sage Department Store it was huge. I remember going to Fed Mart in Pasadena with my grandmother. I remember Astroworld when everything was orange. The main attraction was a huge boot that you could slide down.

The drive-in on South Main McClendon Drive In wow.

Weingartens and we rode the horses for a dime. Games People Play we went every Wednesday after school to play Pac Man and Asteroids. ha ha

Showbiz Pizza Swenson's Ice Cream Parlor. Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor in the Galleria.

Oh my goodness memories.

Downtown Houston Foley's department store windows decorated with the animated figures and fake snow. I use to love it when my parents would take us down there to see the christmas lights.

Oh the days before playstations internet and cable tv.

Share some more stories it is fun going back in time

[JLWM8609]

As I was watching this, I could imagine Tom Servo and Crow making wisecracks.

http://blogs.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/20...vernment_1.html

[Original Timmy Chan's]

There are two Lynchburg Ferries, and I own them both. (Bob Eckels told me so.)

Tomorrow, I want all of you to get off my ferries!

[TheNiche]

There are two Lynchburg Ferries, and I own them both. (Bob Eckels told me so.)

Tomorrow, I want all of you to get off my ferries!

But Robert Eckels told ME that I own the roads leading up to and going away from the ferries.

I'm gonna charge you a toll to get to your ferries.

[Chamo]

I own a Jackass. Please get off of it.

[kylejack]

The "hanging tree" shown in the video still exists right next to Bayou Place. There's a historical marker there.

[JLWM8609]

There are two Lynchburg Ferries, and I own them both. (Bob Eckels told me so.)

Tomorrow, I want all of you to get the F*CK off my ferries!

Well, since you're kicking everyone off of your ferries, they'd better not take the Washburn Tunnel as a detour because Bob Eckels told ME that I own that tunnel! I sit in a rocking chair at one end with a shotgun and shoot at whoever tries to come in, doesn't work too well when someone drives in on the other side. I mainly use it as a place to hide from TheNiche because I owe him some toll road fees.

Edited February 5, 2009 by JLWM8609

[cosmic08]

Awesome downtown shots...even caught the old Sheraton

[FilioScotia]

Awesome downtown shots...even caught the old Sheraton

Did you catch those names of the people who put the film together? Lynn Ashby was a columnist-reporter for the old Houston Post when he wrote this thing. Have no idea what he's doing now.

Producer-director Judd McIlvain was KHOU's lead investigative reporter. He's now doing the same thing for a TV station in Los Angeles.

Film editor John Shaw is still working at KHOU. He's one of their best and most experienced video photographers, and he still goes out and covers stories every day.

[kylejack]

Is the narrator commissioner the father of County Judge Robert Eckels who went on to become a partner at Fulbright & Jaworski?

[cosmic08]

Did you catch those names of the people who put the film together? Lynn Ashby was a columnist-reporter for the old Houston Post when he wrote this thing. Have no idea what he's doing now.

Producer-director Judd McIlvain was KHOU's lead investigative reporter. He's now doing the same thing for a TV station in Los Angeles.

Film editor John Shaw is still working at KHOU. He's one of their best and most experienced video photographers, and he still goes out and covers stories every day.

Lynn Ashby writes for H Magazine here in Houston

http://www.htexas.com/feature.cfm?Story=279

[rsb320]

Is the narrator commissioner the father of County Judge Robert Eckels who went on to become a partner at Fulbright & Jaworski?

Yes

[toadfroggy]

It cracked me up that they showed all those bare, tagged feet at the morgue, and the naked guy being treated at Ben Taub. I wonder how much of the footage was staged. I really liked seeing all those forgotten faces and hearing those old Houston accents. What a time capsule.

[kylejack]

It cracked me up that they showed all those bare, tagged feet at the morgue, and the naked guy being treated at Ben Taub. I wonder how much of the footage was staged. I really liked seeing all those forgotten faces and hearing those old Houston accents. What a time capsule.

I like when he said Houston used to be known for bad air and water, but we're working on it.

...seems like its taking us a long time!

[FilioScotia]

I like when he said Houston used to be known for bad air and water, but we're working on it....seems like its taking us a long time!

That's really funny, because I just finished reading a great biography of Sam Houston by historian James Haley. It provides a lot of detail about what life was like in Houston in the 1830s and 1840s. You won't be surprised to know that even then, Houston was known for its bad air and water. Many called it completely unliveable.

[Captain Impossible]

Many called it completely unlivable.

Some things don't change.

[artistpro]

I used to hang out at Damian's a lot. It was right behind the River Oaks Theater. It's where I mastered the game of Pong!

Trying to get my own memories of Houston in the 60's and 70's up on my web site, especially the music scene:

http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~tannahil/index.html

I hung around all of those places... During that time, I shot about 400' of color footage at The Hill. There's several short subjects that could be produced; the Hill, Liberty Hall, downtown festivals...skyline timelapse (1972) ...but I'm just a sprockethead. Anyone know of an hip nostalgia buff who is into digital video today? I need some help posting this film (late 60s early 70s) online.

[EastEnd Susan]

Well, it's certainly relevant to the 70s in Houston, which is the topic. I was only 15 at that time, but I used to ride my bike from home in the East-end along Brays Bayou to Herman Park just to hang out on the hill on week-ends. It was probably as close as Houston came (not very) to the Golden Gate Park scene in SF. I remember that people would climb to the top of the roof over the theater to smoke their joints or pipes so they woudn't get busted. It was groovy,man.

That scene didn't last very long.

We used to slide down Hippie Hill on blocks of ice. We would get huge ice blocks from the ice house on Harrisburg and put them in coolers and drag them to the top of the hill and away we went. This was at night of course. We were the cause of all the ruts in the hill. Sorry.

[Subdude]

I hung around all of those places... During that time, I shot about 400' of color footage at The Hill. There's several short subjects that could be produced; the Hill, Liberty Hall, downtown festivals...skyline timelapse (1972) ...but I'm just a sprockethead. Anyone know of an hip nostalgia buff who is into digital video today? I need some help posting this film (late 60s early 70s) online.

Those would be cool to see.

[tmariar]

Those would be cool to see.

Absolutely. Is it Super 8?

If you don't get any responses to your post, I suggest emailing the non-profit Houston Arts and Media for advice and possible assistance.