"Fat Mammies"
Page 2.
In 1947 we moved from the Rhule place to the house across Main Street from the Old
Bank Building. The move was a grand total of about five blocks. Our new neighbors
were Sister Louise, above us, and Herman and Lucille King below us. Across Main Street
was Kevil's General Mercantile and Hemon Johnson's Restaurant. What a nice set-up. A
place to eat and a place to purchase groceries was just across the street. As a young
lad of ten, this arrangement did not mean much. As long as we could roam over Rockport,
play "Fox and Hound" and many other games and to fish and swim in the Green River, we
were happy. Hemon and Nellie had been in the restaurant business for about two or
three years when we moved. They would continue their operation for about four more
years. In 1952 we moved to the big house near the high school. Our new neighbors were
Mr. and Mrs. Lee Curtis, Mrs. Rose Maddox and below us was Mr. and Mrs. Heltsley. In
this same time frame, Adral and Irene Shaw moved into the old bank building and started
their turn as restaurants operators. Mr. and Mrs. Hemon Johnson had quit the business
and Adral and Irene saw their chance. The Shaw's would continue for a little more than
ten years.
The above picture was taken in 1947 and the photographer was standing in our yard. The
photographer was probably my mother. In that time frame Mr. and Mrs. Hemon Johnson were
operating the restaurant. It would be several more years before the Shaw's replaced
them as restaurant operators.
In the fifties, I don't guess that a lot of changes were made from one restaurant owner
to a new owner. There just was not a lot of money to make big changes or to do much
remodeling. When Adral and Irene began their quest to serve the people of Rockport
with a place to hang out and a place to grab a coke and a burger, they started out
with the basic set up that the Johnson's were using. It was not long before Irene
(Fat Mammy) opened the restaurant up, so that the customers inside could have a better
view of the outside and especially Main Street. Where the Johnson's had painted most
of the picture window and the glass part of the doors, Irene removed the paint and
now the customers could see the events playing outside. A part of the customers
entertainment, and especially those sitting in a booth, could be to keep track of the
events on Main Street. They would know the people and the cars that were coming and
going and would know who was riding with whom. Other entertainment means were "Juke
Boxes" and "Pinball Machines".
I think that the song on the Juke Box would cost a nickel to play and that one could
play six songs for a quarter. Most of the time, in late afternoon until nine o'clock
or so, the juke box was kept busy. In the early years of the "Fat Mammy" operation, a
central juke box was located next to the wall. It was moved around some, but for the
most part, it was positioned on the wall nearest to the Holiness Church. Those juke
boxes were almost as cool as the early fifty automobiles. Some of these Juke Boxes
were called "Bubble Juke Boxes". There were clear plastic tubes on the edges of the
Juke Boxes and they were filled with a bright colored liquid. Air bubbles were left
inside the tubing and the liquid was heated just enough to cause the liquid to move
through the tubes producing what appeared to be bubbles circling the juke box. Cool,
I reckon. Like automobiles, juke boxes changed over the years and a new model would
replace the old model. The records that the Juke Boxes played were 45's and there
was always a nice selection to pick from. The new hit songs were not out long before
they were loaded into the jute box. There just always seemed to be a variety of songs
from gospel to country and from current hits to the oldies. With all of the music
being played, very seldom was there any dancing. It was just not done much in restaurants.
The regular pinball machines cost a nickel to play and the player usually got 5 balls
per game. The object of the game was to see how high a score that the player could
make. A steel ball was "Shot" from a holding area by a spring loaded plunger. Once
shot, the ball would roll back toward the collecting area of the machine. While rolling
down to this area, the ball would hit knobs, bumpers, etc. and roll over wires and springs
on the way to the bottom. A flipper on each side was controlled by a button that the
player would operate and the longer that the ball could be contained in the upper area,
the higher the score. I just loved playing those machines. For several years, "High
Scores" were kept on a weekly basis and the person with the highest score would win a
small prize. The list was pasted to the pinball machine so that everyone could view
the scores and that would encourage those that were behind to put more nickels into
the machine. A nice, early form of merchandising. The regular pinball machines produced
good revenue for the company that owned the machines and for the restaurant owner. It
was not long before the pinball operators learned that a pinball machine could be made
and designed as a gambling machine. With this new machine, the player got one ball
and he could just keep dropping nickels into the machine to better his odds. After
dropping in a few dollars worth of nickels, the player would shoot the one ball and
try to get the ball to roll into a certain hole. There was always some type of series
to try to complete. If the score was high enough, a game would be won and listed on
a counter. If the odds were high enough several games could be won on the play of the
one ball. The player could also loose. Well, the process continued over and over with
the player trying to win games and in the meantime, the player could have dropped ten
dollars or more of nickels into the machine. When through playing, the player could
"Turn In" his games that he had won. They would be listed on the counter and the
restaurant owner would give the player a nickel for each game listed on the counter.
It was never any "Las Vegas" type winnings, but a player could lose thirty or forty
dollars in an hour or two. They could also win, but the players soon learned that
the odds were stacked in favor of the owners and not the player. This fact never
kept some people from playing. I just never cared for this type pinball machine, but
others certainly enjoyed the gambling.
The old bank building is now gone. It stood empty for many years
and the elements of nature took its' toil. The structural timbers decayed over a
period of time and eventually fell in, leaving the outside brick structure. This
structure soon fell and only a pile of bricks was left. A few of the bricks, free
to anyone that wanted a memento of the bank and of Rockport, were saved by some of
the citizens or past citizens. Most of the rubble though, was hauled off and a lot
of it was used as "Fill In" material. Sad, but like people, there is a time for being
and a time for no longer being.
I certainly want to give thanks to the readers that are still here and reading this
part of the web page. I hope that your time was not wasted.
See you......
jrd
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Picture below, taken in 1954. Photographer unknown.
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