1950 Brownsville Music Company - Gilbert Pineda and Dan Alaniz

Gilbert Pineda and Dan Alaniz ~ Brownsville Music Company (BMC) sent by Gil Tatar Pineda last January.  The original appears at bottom of this post.  This is the colorized version with photos found online to help with the coloring process.  The Wurlitzer 1250 was introduced in 1950.

The photo appears to be taken at a trade show convention with a display the latest Wurlitzer music boxes on the market.  The BMC store was located in the San Fernando complex building facing Market Square from the side of 11th St.  Sorry, no photo of that.

Gilbert Pineda was a teenager when he started working for the Brownsville Music Company prior to World War II.  He enlisting in the army in 1943 and took part in the D-Day Invasion operating heavy artillery and returned home in December 1945.  He returned to work for his uncle Bernadino ("Tio Nino") who owned BMC.  After Tio Nino passed on Gilbert and Dan took over the business and leased jukeboxes, pool tables and pinball machines throughout Brownsville, Port Isabel and Los Fresnos areas well into the 1990s.

This is an early Robert Runyon photo of Frenchman John B. Viano (standing) and parade float.  He was the proprietor of the "Diamond Loop Brownsville Music Company" and displayed the United States of America and French flags on his flower decorated float for a parade popular with Brownsvillites who owned vehicles in the early 1900's.  Viano probably sold pianos and phonographs and other musical instruments popular at the time.

1911 Flower Parade in Brownsville, Texas (Brownsville Historical Association)

 July 28, 1938 obituary for John B. Viano

 May 4, 1952 Cinco de Mayo ad from Brownsville Music Company

 The Wurlitzer Model 1250 jukebox showcased a visible record changer and could play (both sides) of  24 -  10" or 7" records.  It weighed about 380 lbs and stood 59" high, 36" wide and 27" deep.  

 Wurlitzer Model 4007 oval wall-mount auxiliary speaker featured a silver grille cloth and mirrored rim which was the top-of-the-line.  The 12" speaker gave increased output.  The unit was about 30" high, 22 wide and 11" deep.  Another attractive feature was the "revolving colored light cylinder behind Musical Note."

The Wurlitzer 3020 wall box accepted 5¢ 10¢ & 25¢ to play up to 24 selections of music from the Wurlitzer 1250.  It was nickel-plated with red push buttons.

Thanks to Gil Tatar Pineda for allowing me the privilege to colorize this piece of Brownsville history.  This was a difficult photo to work with and I did not achieve the desired realistic colors I wanted but that's alright.

Colorized photo of JC Penny party in 1951 in Brownsville, Texas with 1941 Wurlitzer 750 jukebox. Photo loaned by Nora Vasquez at Junk -N- Treasure in Brownsville, Texas (my first experience colorizing a jukebox).
********************************************
(photo & comments added 3/2017

San Fernando building complex at Market Square early 1970s 

"Love these photos side, by side. My father, Alfredo Serna, Sr., owned The Victory Place until he passed away in August 1970. It was a beer joint and the address was 1108 East Adams. It was the only bar that opened to both Adams and Market Square St. (The beer trucks lined up there, made me smile.) Looking at this picture I can't tell if my dad's bar was in the building next to the park or was torndown for the park. This is a clipping from a Mother's Day advertisement in the '50's I believe. My mom, Maria Teresa Serna, was the switchboard operator at City Hall just across the street, for many, many years, retiring a few years after he passed away. So, this photo and the recent photo of City Hall you posted hold so many memories for me and my family."

~ Lali Serna Castillo (via Facebook page)

"My dad Benito F Garcia owned the bar at the corner " El Caballo Blanco " all his life. He had an ajointed door to the Jukebox company owned by my cousins the Pinedas that faced the market. These pictures bring me back to those days of my dads good old days. People knew my dad as El Venado."  

~  Nago Garcia

Remembering Joe Trevino ~ a KBRO Tribute

1947-48 Ticket-taker Joe Treviño in front of movie poster for Song of Scheherazade starring Yvonne De Carlo who we all remember as Lily on the Munsters.  Joe told me these were good times for him before the Majestic but added with a grin that "fun-time" was after work. 

 

The Brownsville Herald printed a special section for the opening of the Majestic Theater in 1949

Joe Treviño and daughter Sandra with character actor Don Stroud at Fort Brown Motor Hotel restaurant.  Movies:  Bloody Mama (1970), Joe Kidd (1971), The Buddy Holly Story (1978), Amityville Horror (1979), License to Kill (1989).  Ever the promotional man he enjoyed hosting guests for movie promotions.  Some of you might have caught Stroud recently in Quentin Tarantino's Django (2012).  He has a great cameo in the opening scene.

The Majestic celebrated its 14th Anniversary 1963:  (left to right)  Leo Martinez, Jr., Raul Davila, Joe Treviño, Carmen Abete, Reynaldo Alaniz during release of Flipper (1963)

With BruceCabot of King Kong (1933) fame.  Photo by Luis Garcia, Jr.  “Photographer” McAllen 

Left to right: Manager of the Palace in McAllen (whose name may be Truman Riley or Chester J. Medley), Manager of the Arcadia in Harlingen ( Maurice Agnew).  Mr Treviño had a great memory and spoke well of Brownsville and the people he remembered but these names the best he could remember at the time he shared these.

Mexico’s most famous movie star was named “Mr. Amigo.”Cantinflas:  Mr. Amigo (Feb. 1965) “Cantinflas” [Mario Moreno Reyes] (1911-1993) with Joe and Irma Treviño with Manuel Moreno, with Joe Cruz and wife of Cruz Shoes of the Majestic Building, unknown, woman married to state representative etc etc

You can't really mention the Majestic Theater without thinking of Carmen Abete and this photo many fell in love with when her son Eddie shared it with George Lopez who created Brownsville1965.com back in 2000 or so and while the site no longer exists her memory lives on and will continue when Bronsbil Estacion is long gone too I hope.  Share the history. 

 (Sept. 1965) Joe Trevino and President of the Chamber of Commerce Glenn Herman with Emilio "El Indio" Fernandez (1904-1986), legendary Mexican actor.  Treviño was on the board of directors.

Enthronization of The Most Reverend Bishop Adolph Marx in the Immaculate Conception Cathedral  Brownsville businesses place ads in a 16-page Brownsville Herald welcoming the Bishop.  However, Joe Trevino placed letters on one side of the Majestic marquee to spell, “Welcome Bishop Marx.”  As the Bishop’s car passed the sign, the Bishop Marx looked back at the other side of the marquee which announced “What’s New, Pussycat?” as the movie showing that night.  The Bishop was a little flushed with the surprise and he included the anecdote in a following sermon.

This photo appeared as a promotional gimmick in the Brownsville Herald.  It supposed that movies were placed in vault immediately upon being received to maintain secrecy of coming attractions.  Manager of local bank Noel Ramon  and Joe Trevino. 

 Promotion of Shenandoah (1965) with Katherine Ross and Glenn Corbett

 Here was another photo Joe threw in the stack of photos he let me copy.  Unknown school performance – stage was new addition to theatre.

His Obituary

Quick endnote.  When I first met Joe he was still directing Trevino Funeral Home down the street where I lived.  He and my grandfather were also neighbors.  Anyway I use to take the bus every morning for classes at Texas Southmost College.  One day I forgot my wallet and started rushing back home when I saw Mr Treviño walking out of the funeral home and I asked him if he would loan me a dollar and I was nervous because I still might be able to run home and not miss bus but anyway he saved the day and I paid back the dollar and years later as I started researching theaters and drive-ins of Brownsville I met Joe again and this is a piece of that history.   He was a great man and will be well remembered by a great many.  

Brownsville Aerial Photos by Jose Cazares

Actually, Jose Cazares does take aerial photos but this time he sought some vintage ones for us to look at.

Joe has done us the favor of researching archives anywhere he thinks he'll find some good material on Brownsville, Texas while researching former East Levee St conglomerates Capitol Theatre, El Jardin, Missouri Pacific Railroad depot (MoPac) and the original Chamber fo Commerce building all built in that Spanish Colonial style of which we still have a few reminders left scattered throughout the historic district.

 This time Joe visited the University of Texas Libraries and searched their vast inventory of records in the L.L. Cook Company files in the Texas Highway Department Historical records. You all recognize the ol' Gateway Bridge there.

 Here's another photo of the Gateway Bridge which may look familiar because this was also produced as an old postcard. 

 This aerial photo shows both bridges to Mexico.

 The Old Bridge

 Port of Brownsville

Not sure what this section back beyond Fort Brown is

By the way these are "photo copies" being that Joe took these with his camera.  Some of them are behnd plastic and he managed to not get much glare at all in these photos.  He did a helluva job.  

More to come later

1955 March 12 ~ Rocket Service Station - West Side Brownsville Junk -N- Treasure Anniversary Photo

Back in early 2014 local antiques dealer Nora Vasquez asked if I could look at some various sized negative photos she had saved and of course I was interested.  The bulk of these were over a hundred in a cardboard box, average sized about 4" x 6" and stored in bunches of wax paper the way they would have been if you ordered photos back in the late 1940s or early mid '50's which is what we estimate the collection to be from.  No one has fully studied the collection but we've seen several posted on the Facebook page and here.

One envelope found in the box was Kodak manufactured printed for Alex Studio which was at 1107 S E Washington St., Brownsville, Texas but others might be from Rogers Studio on E Levee or some other photo studio.  

My apologies to the Cisneros relative who supplied us with the above information which I embedded on the photo so people can keep the most accurate info about it.  I hadn't planned on making this post. Otherwise I would have written up a nice history but if you're resourceful enough you'll find more Cisneros Gas Station photos and info posted on this blog elsewhere.  Some of them are colorized by yours truly.

Anyway, it's been a long but good day.  God is great.

1955 ~ Stillman Portraits by Adrian Lamb and First Stillman Museum Photos

On Sunday March 6, 1955 a crowd gathered at the Jacob Brown Civic Center as the City of Brownsville accepted a gift of portraits of Charles and Elizabeth Stillman painted by Adrian Lamb.

Alexander (Sandy) Stillman with his hand held by his father, Dr. James "Bud" Stillman appeared on the front page.

Chauncey D. Stillman presented the portraits to Mayor H.L. Stokely who accepted them on behalf of the City of Brownsville.  City officials and Brownsville Historical Association board officers were there to make it official.  

Adrian Lamb created the portraits by drawing from two daguerreotypes taken around the time the two were engaged in 1849.  Charles would have been about 39 years old and Elizabeth, 21 years old.  This is one of only two photos known to exist of Charles Stillman.

Lamb is well-known for portrait paintings which can also be found in the White House, Smithsonian Institution, Harvard Law School, the Pentagon and United States Naval Academy.

Mrs. Elizabeth Stillman Williams, her husband Langbourne and Chauncey Stillman pose with Mayor H.L. Stokely and his wife in front of Elizabeth Stillman's portrait.  

The Charles and Elizabeth Pamela Stillman paintings are now on display at the Historic Brownsville Museum on E Madison St.

 Great-grandsons of Charles Stillman, Godfrey Rockefeller and Timothy Stillman

 Margaret Garcia and Timothy Stillman behind Jacob Brown Center where dedication took place.

Stillman & Rockefeller family members pose on the steps of the Stillman/Trevino ancestral home. Front row left to right:  Mrs. Godfrey S. Rockefeller; Mr. Abelardo Trevino; Alexander Stillman, Mrs. Calvin Stillman and Mrs Timothy Stillman.  Second row, left to right:  Mrs. Dean Model, Mrs. Lanbourne Meade Williams, Calvin Stillman.  Back row, left to right:  Dr. James Stillman, Godfrey S. Rockefeller, Chauncey Stillman and Langbourne M. Williams.

The Stillman House at 1325 E Washington St. was built by Henry Miller who also owned the Miller Hotel a block away on E Elizabeth and 13th St.  The Stillman's first two of six children, James and Isabella (Elizabeth) were born in Brownsville, Texas.  Their other children were born in New York or Connecticut.

Mrs. Elizabeth Stillman Williams and her brother Chauncey D. Stillman standing in front of the Charles Stillman marker.  Chauncey Stillman purchased the home from the Trevino family and donated the Stillman House house to the Brownsville Historical Association for use as a museum.

Early photos of the house after it was turned into a museum.

Photos courtesy of the Brownsville Historical Association.  Original March 6th, 1955 Brownsville Herald photo of 6 year-old Alexander "Sandy" Stillman colorized by Javier R. Garcia.  

1963 Rams Cheerleaders at Central Middle School (Junior High)

Front LtoR:  Linda Hockaday, Juliet Villrreal & Laura Tobin.

Back, LtoR:  Carlotta Lynch, Susan Mc Clain & Yvonne Sharp.

 1961 Juliet Villarreal Central Junior High ~ 7th Grade

1963 Juliet Villarreal ~ 9th Grade

Thanks to an "anonymous" Bronsbil Estacioner who sent us this wonderful look back at a future leader who needs no introduction, Dr. Juliet Garcia.