old_Sharpstown

I can't think of anything in Houston that was "cool" in the 80's. I think that it pretty much sucked during that time.

Well, there was that All-you-can-eat Steak place out by Sharpstown Mall. What the hell was it called?

One of the all you can eat steak houses in Sharpstown was called "Billy Outlaw's" I sadly worked there for about 2 years while in High School.

other cool places in the 80's:

1) Rocksey (across from where Tootsies was in the Highland Village shopping area

2) driving south on US-59 and seeing nothing but fields past Sugar Creek. No developement at HWY6 and US59 at that time.

The high rise scenes were filmed at 2016 Main, you can see the Houston House in the background. As for the uptown nightclub, it was Elan back then, on St. James near Yorktown. It is now a restaurant called The Courtyard. My family used to be in the dry cleaning business here in town, during the filming some of the crew rented a house in Tanglewood and brought some clothes in to be done, I'm not sure if any wardrobe items were done, but the crew was driving around in the beat-up Mustang Debra Winger used in the film.<<Bmil128

You are exactly right. You can see the Houston House in the Background so it was definitely 2016 Main. I remember Elan on St. James, it was one of the hot places to go in the late 70's. The movie was previewed at the GayLynn Theater at Sharpstown and I heard that they resurfaced the entry with some kind of glitter infused concrete to make it sparkle for the local premier. Most of the movie was filmed in Pasadena and that trailer Wes lived in was out in Gilly's parking lot for quite a while. I recall seeing it at least a few years after the movie had been released.

The entry to the Gaylynn was always a black concrete surface with a sparkle in it. It may have been refinished prior to the premier. I am fairly sure for the "Urban Cowboy" premiere, they covered the entry with red carpet. My friends were the doormen/ticket takers for the event (they had to wear brown , western style tuxes the studio rented for them). I stood in front and watched Andy Warhol (with Jerry Hall?) walk in with her tight gold pants, Charlie Daniels standing around, etc.

I went in after everyone had left and we tripped over so many wine/champagne bottles people brought in and drank. I recall Debra Winger leaving the theater last with no crowd around (she was petite and no one knew her).

Farrell's was discussed a long time ago in another thread. but no time to hunt for that now

Houston had three locations. The Galleria, Almeda Mall, and Northwest Mall.

http://www.happyitis.biz/Locations/historiclocations.htm

I only went to the Galleria and Almeda locations. The Almeda Farrells was at the main east side mall entrance.

I think the last thing to be in that location was Marcos' Mexican Food.

I had one birthday at Farrells (almeda location). I remember many red light siren hats being worn by the staff when they came out to your table to acknowledge your birthday. I was very embarrassed by all the attention!

I had visited the last Farrell's in San Diego a few years ago. I just read that it just closed 45 days ago.

Does anybody here attend the church in reference? It is now United, but when I was baptised there it was pretty basic. I noticed a building in the area of the former playground where we played. I was baptised in 1970. Was in MYF and sang in the chior. I have so many memories connected to this church.

My only experience in this church is attending regular Boy Scout meetings in the Activity Building behind the church and also doing an over-night camp out on the lot behind the church with the Boy Scouts. All in the late 70's. A good friend of mine also was married in that church in the mid-80's. I had always attended the nearby Sharpstown Baptsit Church.

Have you seen the "large" mosque that is behind the Gethsemane church now? You can see maybe 50 to 100 or so men outside attending their daily prayers.

I don't believe it! You remember things exactly the same way that I do. Yes, that was indeed the tune for Chuck Davis Chevrolet. Is the car lot still there, but under a different name? No, it wasn't any ear infections on your part. I also remember the bass/baritone singing voices for Tommie Vaughn Ford. Yes, it did sound eerie. This was back when I lived in Houston from 1962-64. Tommie Vaughn passed away last year.

Thanks for looking up Uncle John's Pancakes. Now I think that I can safely say that it no longer exists (unless someone else on this forum says that he/she passed down O.S.T. and says that they saw it or remains of it).

All I could recall of the old Tommie Vaughn jingle is:

"..They got great service..they got good price, they got everything (missing words) that's nice......Tommie Vaughn...Tommie Vaughn Ford" All done in a deep baratone/"Texan sounding" voice.

Allthough no song comes to mind...I guess everyone recalls the "Rocket City" dealership on the Gulf Freeway near the Gulfgate mall. Was it Dan Boone's dealership? Lastly. was it Frizell (??) that had "A whale of a deal" with a whale cartoon as a logo?

As I understand it...the 2 letter prefix in an old phone number was the name of the exchange (or Central Office) that your phone service would connect through to reach the rest of the Bell system. If, for example, you had "PR" for Preston...your exchange was likely on Preston street. I am fairly sure the MO (Mohawk) is on Mohawk street in Bellaire. Most central offices are hard to spot as they are very plain buildings and they have few if any windows or signs.

As for 10 digit dialing....yes..it is a fact of the times. I believe it was 5 digits in the 50's, 6 digits in the 60's, and 7 digits in the 70's and beyond. The Bell system was constantly implimenting a "geographic" split of existing area codes to accomidate growth. This always meant that many existing...and many long established numbers, would have to change. As the 90's came, SBC decided to impliment an "overlay" pattern where multiple area codes would inhabit the same geographic territories.....your next door neighbor could be in a different area code.

One day...we may even have to go to a 15 digit numbering system...if growth continues. As seen on another website...Houston had 27,000 telephone customers in 1920. We have a few more than that now.

I am pretty sure there was Sage on Westhiemer and Stoney Brooke (just due West of Hillcroft). Today it is a Guitar Center. Since I grew up in the 70's in Briarmeadow I remember going there to get perscriptions with my mom. The toy aisle was pretty shoddy, but I always managed to find something to talk my mom into buying for me. We used to also shop at the Weingartens right next store.

That was actualy a "Sage Drugs" which was an off-shoot of the Sage stores. Sage was the orignal "big box" store/mass merchandiser. It was the precursor in Houston to K-Mart and Walmart. Sage Drugs were smaller stores and were more in-line like a Walgreens.

There was a "Globe" at Bellaire Blvd. and Hilcroft (it became a Fiesta store later). There was a Sage at 610 and Beechnut and a Builder's Square (now closed??) came to occupy that space later.

I have to say that the current hot dogs at James' Coney Island don't taste nearly as good as they used to taste at the original location, next to the Houston Shoe Hospital down town. I remember going there as a young boy in the '50's.

Der Weinerschitzel (??) I believe is based in San Diego. There are lots of those places there. It is also their "official" hot dog at Petco Park where the San Diego Padres play baseball.

How old is the Dot Diner at the old Gulfgate Mall location? It is next to the Pappas Bar-BQ place (formerly called Brisket House). Both are some of the oldest in the Pappas chain. They are probably from the 70's.

Although not Houston....how old is Gaido's in Galveston? Has it always been at that seewall location? I went there in the 60's at least.

Until it burned down maybe 5 years ago....how old was the "Sho 'Nuf" Bar-BQ place on I-10 east right past Mercury on the south side of the freeway? It looked old.........

How old is Bonnie's on the Gulfgate freeway near Woodridge and how old is Dante's also on Gulfgate (a little further south on the freeway feeder road).

Just some thoughts of old restraurant locations.....

Thanks Red... you are correct about the name. I did not take the time to look it up and was splelling it phonically (and not doing a great job at that).

I sort of remember Square Pan Pizza. But the best Pizza in Oak Forest (IMO) is Doyles...which is still in operation.

That place was called "Billy Outlaws". I worked there as a kid. They did very well. The owner sold out to the manager who mis-managed the place and it folded later. The original owner opened several Mr Gatti's later...but I believe those folded too. I do remember his daughter, Nadine...very attractive.

Spent many a night in the Chelsa St Pub---remember the One Man Band guy that played there?

It was sorta of a college hangout in the late 80's. I recall Mary Lou Retton coming over for drinks...and this before she was married. She had to sit on pillow in her Corvette to see over the dash. She had already won her Olympic medals.

What was their punch based drink called? They would only allow you 2 instead of their 3 for 1 deals. It was very potent.

Are you referring to the place on Hillcroft beween Richmond and Westpark? If so I was friends with Steve Yamin. His dad owned the joint. I can not remember the ethnicity of the Yamin's. Maybe Middle Eastern of some sort, not that it matters one bit. They lived in Briarmeadow (where I lived) and Mr Yamin had a fire red Ferrarri (just like Magnum PI's). I do not know what his other business interests were but he always seemed sorta weird/shaddy to me. That could have totally been the difference in backgrounds (I am white bread). We used to swim at their pool a lot. Good family from what I remember.

My cousin also worked as a dishwasher / busboy at Yamins and has some stories about the place not being the cleanest place around. Of course he was only 14-15 when he worked there.

I think that location became Chic Topless and then was Rita's Pool Hall. It might still be, don't know.

The location we frequented was one at the corner of Gessner and SW Freeway....in a shopping center that had a Bert Wheelers and a Pier One at one time. It is all hispanic businesses now. It was popular with Little League pizza parties and maybe with the local hippie/high school hip crowd.

I would not be suprised about the cleanliness of the places. They became "big" for several years, but then the "disco age" came in and their funkiness faded fast.

Anyone recall "Village Inn Pizza" at the corner of Bissonnet and Fondren? ALso another place Little League teams would eat pizza. They had live entertainment and lots of long tables.

I may have some pics my dad took in the early 80's when he took my kids to Hanna Barbera. I'll look this week & post them this weekend if I do.

I remember Kiddie Wonderland, but not where it was. Also remember Peppermint Park, but not where it was either. If anyone remembers, would like to know.

Peppermint Park was at the Gulfgate Mall in the 60's. It moved to near W Bellfort and US-50 South in the 70's. I think the building is still there. It was a body shop most recently. I may have photo of the one near Gulfgate.

Not sure if I saw these posted on this thread.....does anyone remember:

Kip's Big Boy on Bellare (now a bank building)

Herfee's (?) hamburgers - all of the locations became Whataburgers. I think these were here in the mid 70's

Yamin's Pizza (from the 70's)

Danver's - great Roast Beef sandwiches and good cookies

Gabby's (still one on Shepherd that I know of)

BTW - Farrell's Ice Cream is still in San Diego...where they are based. They still have that 99 scoop item.

and Last...Hoi Sai Gui...at Post Oak at San Felipe...my first Chinese restraurant experience as a kid