![[dan-truett-mcwhorter.jpg]](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_473nrD5vEv8/S5hAR2x0JVI/AAAAAAAACVo/caHZJMX-j9o/s400/dan-truett-mcwhorter.jpg)
Yesterday we saw the outside of the "Happy News" cafe, and today we see the inside. It looks like business is booming. The picture was taken in 1937, so I am surprised that by the "No Smoking" sign. I guess they were ahead of their time.
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The no smoking sign says "on account of the ladies"
ReplyDeleteIt also appears to be an African-American diner...maybe they had a little more common sense than their Anglo-American counterparts...
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking that it appeared to be integrated, which would have been *really* ahead of the times for that era.
ReplyDeleteCheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger!!!
ReplyDeleteSorry, Lady Anne - the only integration I can see in that picture is of the sexes (and so, no smoking please!).
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me all of the customers are dressed up in their Sunday best - maybe it's the Sunday brunch rush?
This photo is a gem!That must have been one popular place to eat. And just look at the way everyone is dressed--every lady wearing a hat, every man in a suit, and the servers in pristine white! Quite a contrast to the sweat pants, flip flops and ball caps we see today. And you've gotta love "Absolutely no smoking--on account of the ladies"!
ReplyDeleteMy dad was a 'connoisseur' of diners, and often took me to them when I was growing up. We frequented "The Mayflower", owned by an elderly Greek immigrant, who would sell you half a hot dog for ten cents, a whole one for fifteen cents! Or the Tastee Burger, where you sat at the formica counter on stools and ate twelve cent hamburgers that were very much like today's White Castle's. Sadly,these places are just memories now.
I'm a few days late, but PJM, your gardening efforts are phenomenal! Beautiful lettuces! They look just like green roses!
@Astrocrabpuff
ReplyDeleteMon observation est la meme que la votre.
El
Saying 'No smoking' and 'on account of the ladies' would probably have the proprietor in hot water from both sides of the equation these days.
ReplyDeleteHmmmmm. I never even noticed that they were all "colored" until it was mentioned and I had to go back and look. What I noticed was that PJM said this was the inside of the "Happy News Cafe" and yesterday there was much discussion about the ladies dining room being upstairs. If this is the "HNC", why aren't those ladies upstairs? And I checked, the address is 1727 on both establishments.
ReplyDeleteThe picture of the front of the Happy News Cafe, on the far right door, it says “Served at the Table”, whereas this appears to be cafeteria style. Maybe it’s a special function, which would explain the clothes.
ReplyDeleteThe sign over the front door says, “Donated by the Bernarr Macfadden Foundation”. Macfadden was a physical culture freak, publishing millionaire, and chums with politicians/movie stars.
ReplyDeleteHe also railed against the prescription drugs, promoting physical fitness and non-processed foods, which caused him to be vilified by the medical profession.
Here is an interesting post: "Righting civil wrongs in restaurants" by Jan Whitaker, dated February 26, 2010, on the blog "Restaurant-ing Through History".
ReplyDeleteAlso, the Happy News is no longer there at 1727, although there is a restaurant in the building.