Forty Years Ago
A fair amount of coverage has been given in this column to Otto’s Restaurant, and rightly so. It was a most satisfying dining experience at Washington just west of Harlem from 1890 until it closed in the 1980s. It’s often been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. And even though it takes words to utter that statement, here are not one, but two photos of the place in 1965.
Shopper’s wish-list as seen from 2005, from a 1965 White Way Food ad in the Review: Boneless Rib Eye, $1.59 lb. … Swift Premium Sugar Maple Sliced Bacon, 1 lb. pkg. 79 cents … Chunk Style Tuna, 91/4 oz. can, 3 for a dollar … Hills Bros. Coffee, 2 lb. can $1.29 with $5 purchase … Allsweet Margarine, 1 lb. pkg. 22 cents … Whole Chicken 25 cents lb., Cut Up, 29 cents.
From the Sept/Oct. 1965 issues of the Forest Park Review.
Thirty Years Ago
With the new village hall about to be dedicated on Oct. 19, Mayor Howard Mohr announced a last call for contributions of suitable items for the cornerstone. Following the cornerstone ceremonies US Senator Henry Hyde would present the village with an American flag that had flown over the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. Several tours of our new village hall would be offered and refreshments served.
“Dear Sally: My parents are objecting strongly to one of the habits of my boy friend. He drops in at our home one or two evenings a week to watch TV with me, and more often than not he does his TV watching from a prone position on our sofa. When I hinted at my own displeasure over this, he said he was tired after a hard day’s work. My parents say that if a young man is too tired to sit up like a gentleman while he’s visiting a lady, he should stay at home and go to bed. What do you say about this?”Cara”
“Dear Cara: “The same as your parents.”
From the Oct./Nov. 1975 issues of the Forest Park Review.
Twenty Years Ago
Publisher Bob Haeger spoke for us all: “Where is it written that it must rain on Oktoberfest? Our favorite festival had enjoyed very few good days in past years. Several people around town have suggested that Oktoberfest be moved up to the Labor Day weekend. After all, what’s in a name?” [How about pinpoint identification?]
“Call it Septemberfest or something. I will expect Oktoberfest officials to properly discard that suggestion, so I have a back-up idea: Throw a tent up over the entire grounds. Or would that be inviting a tornado?”
What was showing around town in 1985?
Kiss of the Spider Woman. A “saintly sweet” homosexual, William Hurt, shares a prison cell with a solemn Marxist, Raul Julia.
Compromising Positions. Susan Sarandon shows off her big gorgeous eyes as a reporter who tracks down her murdered dentist’s killer. Raul Julia is in this one too.
Year of the Dragon. Mickey Rourke develops a “hate crush” on the New York Chinatown Mafia.
And American Ninja, which explores the deadly art of the Orient in the hands of an American.
From the Sept/Oct. 1985 issues of the Forest Park Review.
Ten Years Ago
A Chicago man out on parole was being held on a $1 million bond after allegedly trying to shoot a Wall-Mart employee. If convicted, Peris Taylor, 28, would spend the rest of his life in jail under the Three-Strikes-You’re-Out legislation”a legal mandate that carries life sentences to third-time felons.
The victim, a 26 year-old woman, had just gotten out of her car when she was confronted by the suspect. She recognized him as the person who had been following her when he grabbed her and attempted to force her into his car. After a minute’s struggle, Taylor allegedly pulled a gun, aimed it her face and pulled the trigger. When the bullet failed to fire, he bolted for his car and the woman fled into the store where she called 911.
Within minutes, Oak Park police spotted his vehicle on the Eisenhower and gave chase. Exiting north on Austin, Taylor had almost eluded one Oak Park and two Forest Park squad cars when he struck a building on Austin near North, spun out and came to a stop in a yard.
From the Oct. 1995 issues of the Forest Park Review.
