This past weekend, I came acorss a few old postcards for sale at Magpie Antiques & Collectibles.
They don’t follow any particular theme, but they were just something I thought I would share. Both cards date to the mid 1960’s.
NEW METROPOLE SUPPER CLUB
917 Walker Rd., Windor, Ont., CanadaFor a new adventure in dining try our FABULOUS SMORGASBORD served every day 5 to 8 p.m. Where you can have ALL YOU CAN EAT, a fine dinner menu of good food well prepared, featuring; Name entertainment and dancing nightly 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Air conditioned of course. Check with us for your next party or banquet.
Tel. WINDSOR CL 3-3591, DETROIT WO 5-4888
Member – Diners’ Club & Esquire Club
For most of the readers here, you might remeber the Metrolpole better as California’s.
CASA – DON MOTEL
Four miles east of Windsor on No. 2 Highway, near Walker Road stop light. R. R. No. 2, Oldcastle, Ont. Telephone
CL 3 5016. Rest at Canada’s best. always open, cool in summer, warm in winter. Each unit with tiled showers, T.V. and inner-spring mattresses.Approved by Duncan Hines.
Owner-Manager Lyle WoganYOUR HOST – BILL & MARY KOZAK
PHONE 969-0630
The card of the Casa-Don is postmarked 1967, but is obviously older, as judged by the striketrhoughs on the back.
What year did they drop the exchange letters from use in phone numbers?
According to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_exchange_names Bell Canada did the conversions in the first half of the 1960’s.
I remember the old exchanges being done away with, as a kid, but the older adults still used them when giving out phone numbers. So, phone numbers would always start with “Clearwater” or “Whitehall”, verbally, into the the late ”60s or so. And business cards of the day had the old exchanges written on them until at least then. It always takes some time for something new to be adopted 100%.
Next time you are driving by the Scottish Club on Tecumseh rd. east between Moy and Hall, look up at the read-a-board over the main entrance. Quite frequency I notice the phone number on the bottom row, far right: CL4-9671 – sometimes I think it gets replaced by a special message when there is an event or something going on, but other times I’ve noticed that old format phone number back up there.
I grew up in a family where entertainment and music was always in our home. The Metrolpole brought in some of the best in the business of that era. There was John Gary, Cid Ceasar, Joey Van, Marv Welsh, Patti Page and many others. It was a great part of Windsor’s history. Barry Gordie (founder of Motown) hung aroung the Metrolpole to check out alot of the entertainers that came in. He really liked the owners daughter Lepa who opened all of the shows with her beautiful voice. She really was a knock-out! Great Memories….and fun.
I’m a little confused !! how are the Metropole & the Casa Don related??
Regardless, the Casa Don is a beautiful establishment. Such a shame it’s gone now like so mant others in Windsor.
The Metropole…I was actually there quite a few times while it was under that name. Saw some good shows there. It too lost alot of it’s ambiance along the way even though it still stands.
Sad…Sad…Sad 🙁
Read the intro at the top of the page, that wil answer your question.
I was happy to see the Casa Don Motel postcard. Brought back a lot of memeories for me. My grandparents owned the Motel during the 1970’s and 1980’s Boza and Tony Tadejevic. I have very fond memeories of helping my Baka “clean” the rooms and even remember selling stuff to the truck drivers who made up the bulk of the clientele. Would love to buy this postcard if anyone knows its whereabouts.
Thanks for posting! You made my day!
Jennifer
The smorgasbord at the Metropole on Walker Road was fabulous! The place, owned, I believe, by Nick Drakich of the family noted for their supper clubs here in Windsor (also Mike Drakich’s Top Hat downtown), brought in top-name stars for entertainment also. I remember the great Frankie Laine being there often. When he belted out his famous ballads (e.g. High Noon, Jezebelle, I Believe, That Lucky Old Sun- see on You Tube) you would be spell-bound! And when he wound up with “Yippe Yy Yo, Yippe Yy Yay — the Ghost Riders in the Sky”, the hairs would stand up straight off your arms! We really had great entertainment in this city way back when.