ZAAT!

Courtesy of Marineland

Speaking of science fiction movies filmed in Florida, I stumbled upon Zaat the other day. What's Zaat you say? Zaat, based solely on the content of the movie trailer, is one of the hokiest looking sci-fi films ever made. Filmed at Marineland, Rainbow Springs and the town of Green Cove Springs, I'd love to get my hands on a copy of it someday to see if it is hideous as it appears. For more info see ZAAT.

Bathing beauty from the creature feature

State Archives of Florida

I recently had the honor of chatting with Ginger Stanley Hallowell, a lovely lady who had a front row seat for much of Florida's entertainment history in the 1950s and '60s. As a young beauty queen in Ocala, Ginger was recruited to be a mermaid by Newt Perry. Perry, the innovator of underwater entertainment and promotion at first Wakulla Springs and then Weeki Wachee, admired Ginger's "mermaid-like" blonde hair. It was at Weeki Wachee where Ginger met Ricou Browning, the man who would become a science fiction legend by playing the "Creature from the Black Lagoon". So when they need stunt double to do the swimming for actress Julie Adams, Ricou suggested Ginger.

Newt Perry's underwater bubble at Wakulla Springs
State Archives of Florida

Ricou Browning as the Creature

State Archives of Florida

Ginger told me about how the movie's producers asked her to dye her hair to match Adams' brunette locks and when they tried to dye it back to blonde after the movie's conclusion they could only accomplish an auburn tint. She mesmerized me with stories about how difficult it was for Browning to swim in the costume and how his signal for needing air was to simply "go limp" in the water.

Ginger also starred in the sequel, "Revenge of the Creature" filmed almost entirely at Marine Studios at Marineland. She remembers being placed in the large saltwater tanks with sharks and moray eels swimming about. To ensure her safety, the sharks were fed unusually large amounts of food prior to shooting with hopes they would be too full to notice Ginger! I asked her about an unknown actor in appearing making his first film appearance in "Revenge". "He was tall and good looking and very clean cut; his role was small as a scientist in a lab coat," she said of the then unknown Clint Eastwood.

She also posed for holiday pictures at Marineland with an underwater Christmas tree and dolphins trained to bring her ornaments to place on the tree.

Film production at Marine Studios (Marineland)
Courtesy of Marineland

Ginger also talked about appearing as the underwater weather girl with Dick Van Dyke in New York City. They built a tank in the studio with heavily chlorinated "city water" that ended up turning her hair green. Van Dyke would give the forecast and Ginger would draw on a glass map of the US with white make-up pencil to match the weather patterns.

Courtesy of Ginger Stanley Hallowell

The young beauty was also the "primary model" for Bruce Mozert's underwater images shot at Silver Springs, according to Gary Monroe in his book Silver Springs: the Underwater Photography of Bruce Mozart. One of the best stories she told us about her Silver Springs days, was when Howard Hughes premiered his film "Underwater" by showing the motion picture, underwater at Ocala attraction. Movie stars from Hollywood were flown in by Hughes for the promotion, but they were all upstaged by an unknown in a scandalous red bikini named Jayne Mansfield, (the Internet Movie Database reports that Mansfield was hired to perform in an underwater skit and intentionally "lost" her bikini top to attract attention.)

Ginger at Silver Springs

State Archives of Florida

More Mozert magic
Courtesy of Ginger Stanley Hallowell

It was a thrill for me to meet Ginger and she actually lives a short distance from Studio Hourglass. She was warm, witty and had a wonderful laugh. Her stories are amazing and colorful and I am eagerly anticipating hearing her again when she speaks at the Orange County Regional History Center in March.

Ginger did the underwater sequences for Esther Williams
in Jupiter's Darling
(Esther Williams top left, Ginger top right) Courtesy of Ginger Stanley Hallowell

Liz and Queenie (the Water Skiing Elephant of Ponce de Leon Springs)

Liz Green Dane somehow came across a past post about the water skiing elephant of Ponce de Leon Springs and notified me that I had incorrectly identified the elephant in the painting from the state park’s small museum. Liz ought to know, because it was she and her elephant Queenie that performed at De Leon Springs in the late ’50s! (The first water skiing elephant at the Springs was Sunshine Sally accompanied by Marj Rusing from the Marj and Jim Rusing water ski show.)

Liz has been kind enough to answer some questions about what it was like growing up with an elephant and performing at a roadside attraction in Florida in the ’50s and ’60s. But first here is some background:

Liz was 9 years old when she took a train with her parents to New York City in 1953. Her folks had promised her a tip to the pet store in the Big Apple and when they arrived they were met by a camera crew from the Today Show, who were there to film her visit. Amidst the usual dogs, cats, birds and fish, one unique animal stood out, a 250 lb. baby elephant. Allowed to pick out the pet of her choice, Liz was soon on her way home to New Hampshire with a 6 month old baby elephant.

A year later her family moved to Vermont and opened Bill Green’s Rare Bird and Animal Farm, a roadside attraction where Liz and her elephant Queenie would eventually perform. Queenie’s fame grew from appearances on television shows from the Tonight Show to I’ve Got a Secret, and when she learned to water ski she was featured in a series of print advertisements for Mercury Outboard Motors. Liz and Queenie performed at Ponce de Leon Springs during the winters of 1959 and 1960 but after Liz went to college the Greens sold Queenie to another outfit who had other performing elephants. Liz was re-united with Queenie 38 years later in 2005, when she tracked down her pachyderm pal living at a theme park in Valdosta, Georgia. After almost 4 decades with no contact, the elephant Liz grew up with still remembered her. She now visits Queenie at least once a year.


When you visited the pet store in 1953, did your father know you would pick Queenie for your pet?

Yes. It was all prearranged by Henry Trefflich and my Dad but totally unknown to me. As you know, a film crew was there and my brother and a friend of his were waiting outside in our 1953 Mercury (with the back seat removed) to bring Queenie home. My Dad, Mom and I traveled to/from NY City on the train.

Have you ever seen the footage from the Today Show of your trip to the pet store?

Unfortunately, I have never been able to find any TV footage or newspaper accounts of the event. I’ve tried on several different occasions to “search” via the internet but – no luck. I’ve been told that the NY Daily newspaper would be the most likely one to carry such a story – but haven’t taken the time to completely research that.

I’m curious about Bill Green’s Rare Bird and Animal Farm. Was it a roadside attraction? How many animals did it have? How long was it open?

The “Farm” began in Orfordville, NH as a private collection of animals – at first simply comprised of animals my Dad had captured himself. Queenie was one of his first foreign and/or exotic mammal purchases. The private collection soon became a financial burden, so it became “open” to the public for a fee. The next challenge was finding sufficient space to house everything and to expand as my Dad had visions of doing. That was accomplished when my folks bought a large tract of land on State Route 5 in Fairlee, Vermont, in 1954. It was then that the Rare Bird and Animal Farm was “born” and went on to became a very popular “roadside attraction”. We had over 250 animals/bird and reptiles. It flourished through the mid 1960s – until the construction of Interstate 91 cut off a big chunk of our land. My Dad passed away in 1965 and my Mom, Betty Green, and of course lots of hired help, kept the attraction going until she sold everything in 1968. The folks that bought it kept it open to the public for a couple more years but weren’t able to make “a go of it”. Sadly, everything got auctioned off and the “Farm” became a treasured memory.

Tell me about your father. He seemed like quite the showman!

Yes, “quite the showman” is a perfect description of my Dad. I’m going to take the easy way out of this one by sending you a separate document – my notes and pictures of a presentation I made a couple of years ago to the Fairlee, Vermont Historical Society. You should be able to glean quite a bit of information about my Dad and events leading up to the “Farm”. Once you receive/read that – please let me know if you have more questions.

What was it like growing up with an elephant? Did Queenie require lots of attention? Was it your responsibility to feed and care for her?

When we first brought Queenie home she required A LOT of attention. She was housed in a special enclosure within a heated building and her every sound was monitored via a device similar to the “baby monitors” that parents use today. Mom and Dad could even hear Queenie breathing from a speaker in their bedroom. As she was too young to eat hay and grain, my Mom would cook up great amounts of an oatmeal and milk mixture that she would get several times a day supplemented with lots of bananas, bread and vitamins. Naturally, once she could begin eating hay and grain, her care wasn’t quite so demanding. However, we always had hired animal caretakers and for the first couple of years, a special one just for Queenie. So, no – it wasn’t my direct responsibility to feed and care for her – but rather, just to love her and share a tremendous bond that we had. You see, she was barely six-months old and I had just turned nine when we first got her. She was my “buddy” – a “shoulder” to cry on when sad, a playmate when happy!

As Visual Ephemera focuses on Florida, I’m very interested in what De Leon Springs was like when you performed there. Today it is a quiet state park, it is hard to imagine with ski shows and animal acts. What was it like?

Oh how I wish my folks (and I) would have been more “camera” savvy back then. I have very few pictures. When my Dad and Queenie were first at the Springs (Jan – May, 1959) I was enrolled in high school, up in Callahan, FL where we had a “winter” home. Mom and I would go down to the Springs on weekends. As I think I’m recollecting correctly, a family by the name of “Dunbar” lived in the house that was built on the “Indian Burial Mound”. I don’t know who owned the park at that time, but I don’t think it belonged to the Dunbar’s – but rather, he was the main caretaker. But I could be totally wrong, so please don’t quote me on that. I do remember that Mr. Dunbar and I had our picture taken admiring one of the huge Florida Live Oak trees on the property. The picture was made into a postcard which I will e-mail to you. Marj and Jim Rusing were there and put on daily water-ski shows. I do have some 8 mm movie footage but have only had a small portion transferred to DVD – as seen on the YouTube clip submitted by Ron Williamson – of the Daytona Newspaper.

I remember Jan – April, 1960 better as I spent all my time there. My Mom and I lived in the hotel. Again, if memory serves me correctly, the park was then owned by a Lee Norwood. He eventually lost the park as I believe he went to prison for “insider trading”. Lee had a couple of miniature gas powered antique car replicas that he would bring out every now and then. My Mom and I used to ride them around the park. I also remember that a Mr. Jonas (of the famous Jonas Brothers Taxidermy family) was using one of the buildings on the grounds to create fiberglass models of the dinosaurs that would eventually be built for the Sinclair Oil Company’s exhibit at the New York World’s Fair.

Ad showing Sinclair Dinosaur from World's Fair

I was not enrolled in a conventional high school then, but rather, kept up my studies via correspondence courses. I remember sitting on a blanket by the “Fountain of Youth” pool studying Biology and U.S. Geography. I also remember a guy by the name of “Art” and another couple that used to don scuba gear and dive down into the “boil”. Not sure how far down they would go, or if they ever found any artifacts.

Getting back to the hotel – in addition to rooms for quests to stay in, there was a dining room that offered dinner (and maybe lunches too). A lady by the name of Dolly worked there and for something to do, I would help her by making up the relish trays (consisting of celery and carrot sticks, and fancy “rosebud cut” radishes) and clearing off tables.

State Archives of Florida

Dolly’s husband, Jim, also worked at the Springs. They lived in a little house on the road that went from the Springs to Deland.

I can remember watching Marj and Jim Rusing perform their water-ski show. Jim always used to make a spectacular jump up over the ski ramp and through the air before landing back on the water. One time especially sticks out in my mind, as he landed on a huge gar fish that was swimming too close to the surface. I won’t go into details here – but just imagine what would happen when a gar fish, two water-skis and a big man collide. Not a pretty picture.

Did Queenie ski right over the spring itself or in the run leading from the spring- it is hard to tell in the film footage.

No, we did not ski on the spring itself as that area was used for swimming. A cement wall created a “pool” and two “spillways” allowed the millions of gallons of water to flow out into Spring Garden Lake, aka Mud Lake ~ which is where the water-ski shows were held.

How many people would be on hand to watch you perform at De Leon Springs?

I don’t recollect exactly how many, but a steady flow of tourists came to the Springs on a daily basis. The bleachers would be full for most of the performances.

Were there other animal acts when you were there? And were you and Queenie part of the water-skiing show or did you have your own show?

Yes, we had several other trained animal acts ~ six llamas that performed a Liberty Drill, a zebra that did a “pick-out” act ~ and a dog/monkey/miniature Sicilian donkey act.

Queenie and I water-skied as well performed in the ring.

Was Queenie full grown when you were performing at the spring?

No, she was only six - seven years old. Elephants don’t normally attain their full height until around age 16 and they continue to fill-out for another few years.

Image from ad for Mercury Outboards

Have you ever visited De Leon Springs State Park? If so does it bring back memories or does it seem completely different from when you were there?

Yes, several times and as recently as this October (2009). Of course, many memories come flooding back each time I visit. The hotel is gone. I think it burned many years ago?? A building is there now – but certainly not the original structure. The “sugar mill” and water-wheel has been beautifully renovated – it is now a “cook ‘em yourself” pancake restaurant. The water-ski jump that was in Mud Lake is gone. The island that Jim Rusing used to jump his boat over is now covered and not really even distinguishable as an island due to lots of brush and grass growing on it, plus vegetation in the water between the island and where the bleachers used to be.

Overall, I remember the area open to the public as being much more expansive than it is now. I’ve got a real neat sketch of the entire area as it looked back then.

The statue of Ponce de Leon and a bathing beauty at the main entrance is gone. Here again, I’ve got a postcard depicting it.

How hard was it to say goodbye to Queenie in 1967?

It was a sad yet happy time. Sad as I thought I would probably never see her again, but happy that she would be joining other elephants that would become her new family.

When you first saw Queenie in 2005 after not seeing her for 38 years, did you recognize her immediately? Is there any way to put into words the bond you two have?

Of course, I recognized her immediately. Every elephant has unique features ~ the shape of their heads, ears, etc.

Well, I guess the answer to your second question is simply, “No”. But there is definitely a life-long bond and the saying, “An elephant never forgets”, is absolutely true – at least as far as Queenie is concerned. Her caregivers told me they felt that my visiting Queenie was great therapy for her.

Wow – I feel as if I just wrote a book!!!

Images courtesy of Liz Dane

Ponce De Lake County

I went to the Extravaganza at Renningers Antique Market in Lake County this past weekend and one of my favorite purchases was a vintage brochure from the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine. My best guess is that its from the 1940s or 5os; the design and illustrations are wonderful.


The inside back cover has a great map of the "Colorful Florida's Most Colorful Spots." In addition to having familiar favorites like Cypress Gardens and Bok Tower, it has some that are new to me like St. Anne's Shrine in Hesperides, FL and the Cactus Garden in Avon Park, FL. St. Anne's has been added to my list for future exploration, while I'll have to do more research on the Cactus Garden. Also on the map is the Japanese Gardens in Clearwater. Fellow blogger Electrospark did a couple wonderful posts on that roadside attraction, also called Eagle's Nest Gardens, here and here.

(Click on map to enlarge)

Beauty and the Ponce

PONCE DE LEON STATUE

"This unusual statue of Ponce de Leon and a bathing beauty might as well be symbolic of all Florida in addition to being a theme of Ponce de Leon Springs, a major tourist attraction near DeLand, Florida. The discoverer of Florida represents the historic background and the girl is symbolic 0f Florida today and its glamour."

-From back of vintage postcard purchased on Ebay.

Overgrown in Old Volusia

On my recent visit to De Leon Springs, I returned to the Strawn Citrus Packing House to show my friends and see how it was holding up. This collection of buildings in West Volusia County, on the National Register of Historic Places, is also on the most threatened list of historic structures in Florida. As you can see by the photos, it's falling into increasingly worse shape: more broken windows and it looks like more trespassing has occurred. The property still appears to be for sale and is obviously not being maintained.

I found vintage photographs of the packinghouse in the State Archives that show the buildings in their prime. Shots on Flickr of the interior show it littered with wooden crates like the ones stacked in the bottom picture. It would have been nice to preserve some of these artifacts of Central Florida's agricultural past, but I'm sure they've all been stolen or vandalized.

The Volusia County website says this about the property:
"The 12 contributing buildings and three contributing structures that comprise the packinghouse complex retain their original architectural integrity to a high degree and represent the largest citrus-related historic district documented in Florida. The sawmill is one of few examples left in Florida of an early 20th century timber processing operation. All the buildings and structures associated with this listing are in an advanced state of deterioration." The question is does anyone care enough to stop the deterioration?

Early Florida: On the Water

I received this as a Powerpoint presentation recently, showing wonderful archival images of watercraft throughout the state.