Category: videos

Ode to the “Jolly Mon”: A Lost Philly Mini-Golf Course

Miniature golf was the first huge  recreational fad of the Great Depression.  The “Jolly Mon”,  which opened in 1934 as the “South Seas”,  was part of the “wave” which allowed the struggling masses to live out their country club fantasies. Jolly Mon was a prominent Roosevelt Boulevard landmark. Its appeal continued for decades.

 

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Philadelphia’s Vanishing Jewish Restaurants: Bernie Uhr’s Story.

 

 

Bernie Uhr shared the story of “Uhr’s”, Philadelphia’s most revered Jewish restaurant and catering establishment. Beloved institutions like Uhr’s have nearly disappeared from Philly’s cultural landscape.
Uhr’s was opened by Bernie’s father “Jack” in 1919 in South Philadelphia as “Uhr’s Original Roumanian Restaurant”. Trolleys brought patrons to Uhr’s from many Philly neighborhoods including Strawberry Mansion, Logan and South Philly. Local crime and Jewish resettlement forced Uhr’s to relocate to an old theater in Philly’s Wynnefield section. “Uhr’s” is long gone; its historic Wynnefield home is now a senior apartment building.

Want to learn more about Philadelphia Jewish History?

Visit:   http://www.phillyjewishhistory.com/

 

David Raksin: Philly Film Composer: He Wrote “Laura”

Philadelphian David Raksin (1912-2004) was an outstanding film composer, with over four hundred movie and television scores to his credit. He is most noted for arranging the music for Charlie Chaplin’s “Modern Times” and for writing the haunting score for the film “Laura”. Among his many honors, Mr. Raksin was elected to the Central High School Hall of Fame in 1979.