Tag Archives: 1950s

The Year I Invented Skateboarding

Posted on September 22, 2026 by mitchteemley

Above: homemade skateboard, metal shoe-skates, crate scooters, sidewalk surfboard, “Chicago” skateboard My Real Memoir: The Year I Invented Skateboarding Actually, untold thousands of other Stone Age kids did too. The idea was in the zit-geist, which is to say that … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Entertainment and Popular Culture, Humor, Memoir, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

I Was a Daredevil Paperboy!

Posted on September 1, 2026 by mitchteemley

Left to right: Schwinn Wasp “Newsboy Special” bicycle; 1950s Japanese transistor radio; Los Angeles Herald Express; authentic(ish) illustration of my paper route My Real Memoir: I Was a Daredevil Paperboy! As a result of my reckless adventuring and frequent self-disfigurements, … Continue reading →

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Of Newspapers and Talking Birds

Posted on August 11, 2026 by mitchteemley

Left: ‘Welcome Dodgers’ headline, Los Angeles Evening Herald Express, 1958. Right: My 2nd Grade class photo My Real Memoir: Newspapers and Talking Birds Dad Was Ambitious to a Fault But he’d dropped out high school to shoot bad guys who … Continue reading →

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Confessions of an Eight-Year-Old Prankster

Posted on August 4, 2026 by mitchteemley

Photo credit: The Lady My Real Memoir: Confessions of an Eight-Year-Old Prankster One of the advantages of living on a busy street (ours was the main route through the neighborhood) is that there’s a never-ending supply of drivers in need … Continue reading →

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Even When My Father Wasn’t There…

Posted on May 26, 2026 by mitchteemley

Mommandad on their Wedding Day    –    The world’s oldest surviving McDonald’s My Real Memoir Even when my father wasn’t there, he was there. He was the gravity that kept us from flying off into oblivion. Which is to … Continue reading →

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The Day I Discovered Music

Posted on May 19, 2026 by mitchteemley

‘You Send Me‘ 1957 by Sam Cooke My Real Memoir It was the day I discovered music. But I wouldn’t realize it until years later. True, I liked music, thanks in large part to my Uncle Walt (Disney). I danced … Continue reading →

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My Super-Secret Operation!

Posted on April 21, 2026 by mitchteemley

Photo courtesy of Leicester Mercury My Real Memoir My Super-Secret Operation! I asked my wife whether I should publicly share this  confidential nugget from my childhood. Being pseudo-famous, I always find it wise to ask my very private wife when … Continue reading →

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Life With a Capital L

Posted on April 14, 2026 by mitchteemley

My Real Memoir Life With a Capital L: My first introduction to Life beyond my neighborhood came from a tiny black-and-white TV. And by “Life,” I mean storytelling–which virtually defines who I am–some subtly-inserted human values, and humor; if storytelling … Continue reading →

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My All-American Friend

Posted on April 7, 2026 by mitchteemley

TV taught me that Ovaltine was the perfect food. My Real Memoir My First “Normal” Friend I’ve never been normal in any rational sense of the word. But Stevie was. Heck, he had red hair and freckles. Which was as … Continue reading →

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Red Cars, Magical Forests, and Mom

Posted on May 11, 2021 by mitchteemley

My Real Memoir It was summer and school was out, so Mom would sometimes take me to “her L.A.” There were three components to these magical mystery tours: the Red Car, vintage Los Angeles, and a wondrous cafeteria called Clifton’s. … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments