Sew What?! A Birthday Barn Dance Dress

Tiny & Mary
(not necessarily in that order)

Mary recently celebrated her birthday and to mark the occasion, I gave her the last thing in the world that she could possibly need - another Mr. Tiny original.  Always hankering to create something new and because our latest musical endeavor, Tiny & Mary, has a decidedly western/cowboy bent, I thought I'd make something thematically appropriate.  Too lazy to perform any actual research, I found emotional design inspiration in Town Hall Party (filmed in that well-known, country music capitol of the world, Compton, CA). 

"Loved and Lost Again" - Patsy Cline on Town Hall Party

I LOVE western wear but it doesn't always have to be all welted smiley pockets, rhinestones, and fringe, right?!  Sometimes (maybe most of the time) I just love those kooky, folky, farm-girl dresses that many of the women wore on Town Hall Party.

On the set of Town Hall Party (1955)
I think Mary could sneak right into this photo totally undetected.
(Source)

I try to convince myself that someday I would like to learn proper sewing technique, but who am I kidding?  You probably could teach this old dog new tricks but it would take a veritable mountain of food rewards to get me to roll over.  Nevertheless, I should mention that the strapless, fully-lined, bodice is boned using the unproven, Mr. Tiny method (read: complete disregard for any and all of the package's instructions).  Combined, the prairie-style skirt has about sixteen yards of length; I thought that cleverly reversing the direction of the stripe in the second tier was an inspiration but if I had it to do over again (and an unlimited amount of material), I would probably make the entire dress one-directional.

Jacquard? Brocade?  I am not a textile expert but I am coming to terms

with my predilection for yellow.  Lucky enough to live near many discount
 fabric outlets, I found something for my usual spending cap of $2 per yard
 that was reminiscent of that flocked, damask wallpaper (oh, shoot maybe
 it's damask?) used on saloon walls.  It is probably rude to post the cost of
 the material where Mary can see it, but she knows I am frugal...plus she
 got a new dress!  Gee whiz, Mary, quit complaining!!!

Mary hasn't quite cottoned on to the idea, but how awesome is it for her to
know that in the event of a downed airplane, a Titanic-style disaster, or a trip
 to the kiddy pool, she has her own flotation devices attached to her arms?

Seriously, let's address the giant water wings in the room.  How do we feel about the detached, puff sleeves?  I tried to convince Mary that sleeves like this are a real thing but every internet search returned photos of questionable, Halloween costumes in various themes.  In my mind, the reference point is that episode of I Love Lucy when Ricky and Lucy are handcuffed together; Ricky is appearing as a guest star on a television show and Lucy has to act as one of his hands until the handcuffs are removed.  It seems to me that the program's Mistress of Ceremonies had a dress with similar sleeves.

Okay, so I just found this.
I can neither confirm nor deny that her sleeves are
indeed independent articles of clothing, but this is
exactly the dress about which I was thinking.
(Source)  

Mary decided to inaugurate the dress by wearing it to a show that we played last week in San Diego.  Honored to be opening for Canada's finest, Petunia & The Vipers, we were given the opportunity to enact a little bit of my Town Hall Party fantasy.

Dig that fancy marquee!
See how casually, but with such clear intention, she covers my name...mm hmm...

"Cricket Song" - Petunia & The Vipers

These guys are awesome!  If they ever play in your neck of the woods, the word is "GO!"

My real heart's desire is to fulfill the notion of creating the most-perfect, old-timey barn dance that ever was or ever will be.  BR5-49 came pretty close with a short scene in their video for "Cherokee Boogie."

"Cherokee Boogie" - BR5-49

See 1:11-1:31

And if Town Hall Party was a stylistic nail, then Big Sandy hit it right on top of it's little, square head with "My Sinful Days are Over" - but I wasn't invited to that party.

"My Sinful Days are Over" - Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys

I guess I'll just be building my mid-century, western-themed utopia one dress at a time.  If and when that happens, "Y'all come!"

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

p.s. (it's becoming a habit) If you're so inclined, please feel free to visit our Tiny & Mary Facebook page and "LIKE" us.  Thanks!!!

Fruit-a-Face

After all of our Arizona adventures, I am left in a bit of a blogging lull.  Not to worry, I'll use the lull wisely by planning more adventure days, clothing designs, and kitsch-en kounter entries.  Until then, I leave you with a photo essay I will call "Fruit-a-Face" (a crowd-pleasing pastime that I certainly didn't invent but have tried to perfect over the years).  If ever I get the chance to create an awkward memorable moment in a restaurant, you can be sure that I'll take it!

Keepin' it classy on Catalina Island

Orange you glad you're not with me?

The By-Ways Cafe in Portland, OR.

A kosher dill at Canter's Delicatessen in Los Angeles, CA.

Time for some teeth whitening.
The Busy Apron in Anaheim, CA

I'm not a proud man

Orange slice at Joe's in Santa Barbara, CA.

Apple-slice dentures in the car on the way to Oakland, CA.

The old standby - an orange at Harbor House in Dana Point, CA.

Cantaloupe at Bob's Big Boy Broiler in Downey, CA

It all comes full circle - an orange at Jack's in Avalaon, CA

See, everybody thinks it's hilarious!

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

p.s. We just created a Tiny & Mary Facebook page for our little, Western-harmony act.  Don't get a hitch in your giddy-up, go on over there and "LIKE" it, please.

Signs of the Times: Starlite Motel

When Mr. Tiny was young, I was quite the water baby.  Joyfully swimming at every opportunity, the deep end of any pool still seemed menacing and probably would have remained so if my mother hadn't believed in the full-immersion approach to shallow-end aversion therapy.  One sunny, summer day in my fourth year, my mom carried me down the street to our well-populated community pool and, filled with the strength that it would take to remove a wailing, flailing, crying child that is trying his darnedest to claw his way to the top of her head, she heaved me into the deep end and told me that I would have to swim to the edge.  Needless to to say, I did make it to the edge but I never swam again...  Okay, only the first part of the story is true; I actually continued to swim and became a contender in backstroke and freestyle - thanks, Mom.  Not only did I overcome my fear of water more than three-and-a-half feet deep, I also learned to love the diving opportunities that only the deep end could afford.  Who knew that the desert of Mesa, AZ would offer the most exciting diving I've ever seen?

Starlite Motel - Mesa, AZ

If there was a star attraction of our recent Arizona adventure, it would have to be the Starlite Motel.  We didn't even end up staying at this 1960 roadside landmark, but the wacky tacky impact of Starlite's beautiful sign was still paramount to us and the residents of Mesa.  The marquee, extending a welcome to visitors and the availability of a jacuzzi room, was pretty nice and definitely worthy of inclusion in our previous post about Main Street's amazing signs, but the sign for which the Starlite Motel is most praiseworthy is its famous diving girl.  

The diving girl is the story of a comeback kid; nearly obliterated by a powerful windstorm in 2010, the sign was blown down and left to the elements when the funds to restore her could not be raised.  The gods of wacky tacky were smiling on her when community leaders and Americana enthusiasts rallied to raise the $120,000 that was necessary for her rehabilitation.  This year, just a few short days before our visit, the reinforced sign's restoration (using the original plans) was complete and we were able to visit the surprisingly-fit, 53-year-old, 78-foot-tall diving phenomenon.

Awe struck by the majesty of it all.
Ostensibly, the sign was erected to advertise the motel's sparkling pool.
Ironically, the sign has been restored, but the pool is long gone.

As per usual, we found the sign in the glaring light of the noonday sun.  However beautiful she was, it was the least optimal hour to view the animated neon sign.  Although time was short and the Starlite's Mesa address was quite a distance from our hotel and any of our mandatory itinerary items, I vowed to return after dark to witness the diving lady in all of her neon glory.

Not just a dive, but a jackknife!

I have a strong bias towards animated neon; nevertheless, I give her a perfect 10!

It is a loosely-guarded secret that a dream of mine (one of many) is to own an historic motel and restore it with an awesome pool, a delicious coffee shop/diner, and a venue for hosting special events.  Having been bit by the same bug as Bing Crosby in Holiday Inn, it sounds like I would be treading in some pretty deep and treacherous water.  I guess I won't know until I dive in.  Speaking of diving, here is the Starlite Motel sign in action; I somehow managed to add sound effects and music to the video (far beyond my normal skill level) but, believe it or not, it wouldn't upload onto YouTube with them!  I guess once you're flagged, you're flogged!

Thus, in the beautiful hum and glow of neon, we end our Phoenix adventures; we always like to go out with a SPLASH!!!

Starlite Motel
2710 E Main St
Mesa, AZ
(480)964-2201


Cheers,

Mr. Tiny

p.s.  As a reminder, we are creeping up on 200 followers.  Lest you forget, we are marking the occasion with an unprecedented GIVEAWAY!!!  Please join in the fun!

Pulling Out All the Stops: Organ Stop Pizza

Giddiness is probably the least attractive posture a fully-grown man could take.  When faced with the world's-largest Wurlitzer theater organ, however, there really is no other posture to assume.  Southern California is a veritable hotbed of wacky tacky - thriving in spite of a culture of looking "cool" at all costs;  never having been cool, I am blissfully free of the burden of maintaing a "cool" reputation.  That, combined with the fact that we were in Arizona, left me free to be a giddy as a schoolgirl over the thundering sound of the world's largest Wurlitzer theater organ (insert world's largest organ joke).

Capital G-i-double d-y!

The only place to get this excited over the world's largest Wurlitzer theater organ is at its home, Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa, AZ.  Organ Stop Pizza began its life in Phoenix in 1972.  The brainchild of  William P. Brown, who was intent on combining his love of pizza with his love of theater organ, Organ Stop Pizza quickly outgrew its first two locations.  Proving that wacky tacky can be found in any era, OSP broke ground and opened the doors to its current location in 1995.  The facade of its permanent residence is nothing to write home about.  In fact, it is decidedly un-wacky tacky, but once inside the Mesa eatery/organ spectacular, the building itself is reduced to inconsequential background noise.

This is it!  The glowing void in the middle of the picture is the place where the organ console and organist are hydraulically lifted from the ground to perform everything from cinematic masterpieces to polkas to national anthems.  I had to pause a moment when I recognized one of the tunes as "Oh, Canada," the Canadian national
anthem.  I quickly remembered that much of Arizona's seasonal populace is made up of Canadian "snowbirds."

The afternoon's feature organist
OSP has multiple organists on a rotating schedule;
I kind of wanted to stay and hear them all.

I tried to upload my videos so I could share them with you, but apparently, YouTube has incredibly sensitive filters and muted all of my videos, citing copyright infringement.  Really?!?!?!  How does everyone else on YouTube upload EVERY SINGLE SONG in the entire world with no problem?  I am really bad at computers, so after a few tries, I gave up in frustration.  Let me tell you, the descent from overwhelming giddiness to bitter frustration is not nearly as long a fall as one might imagine.  Nevertheless, there exist some videos of the OSP organ in action (although how they managed to get by the YouTube censor bureau, I will never know).

"Chattanooga Choo Choo"

Maybe "Chattanooga Choo Choo" is in the public domain???

The sound quality isn't spectacular but you can definitely

 get a sense of the organ's instrumental capabilities.

Petty, internet-related frustrations aside, I can't quite fully explain the level of elation one is capable of achieving when two of the world's most perfect offerings come together - organ music and pizza (plus a fully-loaded salad bar)!  It is wacky tacky nirvana.  Much credit is due the sensational musicians that lend their talents to the Organ Stop Pizza.  But how can we overlook the real star of the show here - the organ!

Look at that beautiful console!
Designed and built in the 1920's for the world-famous
Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, OSP's organ
is a total show-stopper before the first stop is even pulled out! 

Compartments loaded with thousands of pipes and clear,
 hinged dampers are controlled entirely by the organist.

Castanets, horns, tambourine, and the wacky tackiest of all instruments - the accordion!

A player piano, bongos, a conga drum, and just about
everything else for which one could wish.

A fanfare is imminent when a fan of horns is always poised at the ready.

"Stars and Stripes Forever"

Take that "Oh, Canada"....only joking, Canadians...

Oh yeah, did I mention that the organ console rotates

during the performance - IT ROTATES!!!

As is evidenced by the above video, dramatic points or particularly-
patriotic moments in a song change the room from relative darkness
 to a glittering spectacle of electric light.
Could an organ concert get any more incredible?  Well, maybe it can...

Once every set, the organist played a rousing, little ditty entitled "The Alleycat."

"The Alleycat" - Bent Fabric

Imagine this being played by the world's largest Wurlitzer theater organ.

Then imagine the thrill of the curtain rising to
reveal a chorus line of feline marionettes!!!

Organ Stop Pizza is more than theater in its most rarefied form; it is an interactive experience.  At the base of the organ platform, there are cards on which the audience members can fill in requests for tunes and notate special occasions that they are celebrating at the restaurant.  While the organist did not play our request (how awesome would it have been to hear The Munsters theme song played on the world's largest Wurlitzer organ), he did honor Mary's request to wish me a happy birthday.

"Happy Birthday Mr. Tiny"

Can you see how crestfallen he is when he realizes 

he's wishing the fat guy in the front row a happy birthday? 

Well, the joke's on you OSP, it wasn't really my birthday!!!

Citing the "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all" rule, I can't say anything about Organ Stop Pizza's pizza.  Well, I guess I could...but I won't.  It really wouldn't matter what they served there - Organ Stop Hot Dogs, Organ Stop Sushi, Organ Stop Hamster - a rose by any other name would certainly sound as sweet.  We've been to the Spreckel's Organ in San Diego, CA.  We've heard the Avalon Theater's beautiful Page Organ accompany some of the finest films of the silent era.  Now we've been to Organ Stop pizza's mighty Wurlitzer.  The hunt is on for the world's best organs...just don't be surprised if you wake up tomorrow in a bathtub full of ice!

We loved it so much that we couldn't leave without a souvenir.
Organ Stop Pizza rigorously maintains the organ and often
 has to swap out spent pipes; we got a "D."

I truly can't recommend a visit to Organ Stop Pizza enough.  If you have even an ounce of wacky tacky spirit in the recesses of your doubtful mind and cold, cold heart, you will definitely get a thrill out of the mighty Wurlitzer and those crazy, dancing cats!

Organ Stop Pizza

1149 E Southern Ave

Mesa, AZ

(480)813-5700

www.organstoppizza.com

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Chow Time: MacAlpine's Soda Fountain

What do you call a happy picketer?  Is there a title for the exact opposite for protestor?  A contestor, maybe?  Whatever his job description, this guy refused to be ignored as he took the concept of a sandwich board to new heights.  It was a good thing that we were already on the side of this proud ensign bearer; in fact, the very first thing we did when we pulled into the city limits, was visit one of Phoenix's most-beloved watering holes (and the reason for his masterfully hand-painted sign), MacAlpine's Restaurant & Soda Fountain.

A tad premature (and immature), Mr. Tiny arrived before the neon "Open" sign was illuminated.  PHOTO OP!

Opened in 1929, MacAlpine's isn't just a static relic of its more-than-eighty-year history.  Instead of being a period-perfect museum, it is the genuine article - a living document of depressions, recessions, wars, and advancements of society and technology.  The restaurant is filled with memorabilia reflecting every one of the ten decades through which it has operated.  Heck, they even have a Facebook page! 

Pardon me, do you have Prince Albert in a can?*

It was still early in the day, but after having driven
for five hours, we were ready to get our grub on.

It being a soda fountain, we opted for counter service right where the mix magic happens. 

But the booth seating offered some pretty stiff competition.  Beautiful!!!

The mirrored bar back was the resting place for the myriad flavors of MacAlpine's
famous fountain specialties, not the least of which is the old-fashioned ice cream soda.

Not content with the extensive menu, Mary invented

 a new one - pistachio ice cream and rum-flavored soda.

She said that it was delicious...

The cheeseburger and homemade coleslaw.
The secret to MacAlpine's signature slaw is pineapple!

As seasoned road trippers and inveterate junk-food junkies, we can say that we have definitely enjoyed a tastier burger (it looked much better than it tasted).  However, we've never done so with such superior service in a facility that has been operating since the dawn of the Great Depression that also happens to be a VINTAGE STORE!!!

That's right, combining two of my most abiding passions, MacAlpine's is both a hash house and a rich repository of vintage clothing, accessories, housewares, and furniture.  A combination of road trip weariness and an overexcitement at the prospect of stuffing my face AND shopping for used goods all under the same roof left me too frazzled to take many pictures!

I wish I could've afforded to bring
this guy and his sister lamp home!

I am always swept away by the romance of vintage kitchen tools but can
never get past the idea that they're old and rusty and probably not
particularly sanitary...or maybe I'm just Howard Hughes-ing.

If you're ever in Phoenix, then hop in the old jalop' and head to the malted shop!  Make sure that you stop at MacAlpine's to get yourself a treat - of the frosty or fabric variety - or both!

"All the Cats Join In" - Benny Goodman

MacAlpine's Restaurant & Soda Fountain

2303 N 7th St

Phoenix, AZ

(602)262-5545

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

*Then you'd better let him out.  I couldn't let the joke go unfinished.  

Remember, we are dangerously close to 200 official followers.  When we reach that pinnacle of success, we will be hosting a major giveaway!  Spread the wacky tacky word, won't you please?  THANKS!!!