Courtship of Eddies’s… wrong child actor

Butch Patrick as Eddie Munster. Now I have to search out a DVD of the Munsters to look for a skateboarding episode. Sounds like a job for Scott Starr. Enlarge-o-rama.

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Sears. Still my favorite skateshop

I keep looking for this Sears catalog from 1965, but they always go for upwards of $40 when I’m watching. Too much for me, but i’d never actually seen the page before, but I knew it existed. This one showed up as an ancillary illustration to another Sears Hot Dog board on eBay. The same board they used on an episode of Green Acres. It’s at this point in the interview that I mention for the umpteenth time that I got my first skateboard at a Sears. Enlarge-o-rama.

- Thanks to Dave P. for the tip.

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Skateable Architecture of yesteryear

There are a few architectural relics left standing from the 1964-65 World’s Fair in New York, but unfortunately the Kodak Pavilion isn’t one of them. This would have been at or near the height of the skateboard craze in the 60′s, so it;s possible a few pioneering street skaters may have gotten away with hitting the tranny.

- Thanks to Bill Helene for the tip.

There’s more…

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Suicide – A way of life

And Ed Roth cartoon, as found on 4Q Conditioning. So this guy must be a mountain boarder? Ooooh. Burn!

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R.I.P. Art Clokey, creator of Gumby

Art Clokey passed away on Friday. His early work was pretty surreal at times. What good hearted person doesn’t love Gumby? There were at least two Gumby episodes that revolved around skateboarding. The first one was a 1967 episode of the Gumby Show, titled Dog Catchers. I believe that is the first skateboarding dog, unless you count this one. The second was a 1988 creation titled Skateboard Rally, in which the Blockheads rip his stick. There’s a dramatic car chase, Skate Rock on a half pipe – performed while skating, no less, a contest with loop action and some heavy eigties guitar riffs. I think David Dink got ripped off by the judges though. Check em out after the jump.

- Thanks to ehdubya for the tip.

There’s more…

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Ice Skateboards from Woman’s Day to 1967

Yeah, that’s right. I read Woman’s Day all the time. I like to brush up on my jello recipes, kick-knacks and diets. You know, keeping it real. Imagine my joy and delight when I perused 8 Incredible Ice Sculptures, which included this photograph from Eugenio Franchi. There are skateboards made out of ice, and then there are skateboards made for riding on the ice. Almost a year ago I did a little digging around on the history of ice-boards. The daughter of Willard Gebien, one of the inventors wrote in to let us know she first ice-boarded in 1964. Debra Fischler had this to say:

The winter of 1964 I was iceskate boarding. It was fun! My father is Willard Gebien… I only have one still picture on hand -1966 my dog riding the skate board, however my cousins may have home movies and pictures in their attic. Also, I remember the Ice Capades in Chicago used the board in their clown act.

Catch the picture after the jump.

There’s more…

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Student sidewalk surfers

From the Duke University archives, as found on Flickr under the headline Cowabunga! It’s not dated, but I’d place it around 1965.

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Clay wheels and hubcaps

Here’s an interesting piece of history. Aside from looking really sharp, this vintage Nash skateboard features clay/composite wheels and something I’ve never seen on a board from this time period, wheel covers, although some people would have you believe these are a recent invention. Check out the auction while it lasts for some larger versions of the pics. A really nice board here.

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Danny Bearer

I know this is not exactly current, but I let it go without an official post. Danny was what I’d like to call a “friend of the site.” Some friends are more difficult than others, but they are friends. We’ve had a few difficult friends here. Some of them disappeared, like Dick Cancer, and some of them got the boot like Daddy Yo. Colinwalshrules has even become somewhat productive around here on occasion. It was pretty obvious to me that Danny had some problems, but he was involved in one of the pinnacle times in skateboarding history, and did call me “Mr. Kilwag” when he was trying to get into my good graces. Apparently, Danny touched a lot of people. Here’s what Curt from Poweredge had to say:

He rode for my father MAKAHA in the 60′s and we became friends even though he’d been injured badly as a kid. He was never the same…. But always friendly…. and in the new movie about makaha and the history of skateboarding… He was my neighbor and he lived to be 59 so I don’t know… He was mis-understood because of the meds and the accident he had it fucked him up… …He was a legend for sure. Him Bruce Logan, George Trafton, Torger Johnson, Joey Saenz the first real skaters of the day…. 60′s

This shot of Danny is circa 1972. Rest in peace.

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