  Rid0617 Member Username: Rid0617 Post Number: 403 Registered: 03-2008 |
http://www.archive.org/details /ThisIsYo1951 | ||
Eriedearie Member Username: Eriedearie Post Number: 3785 Registered: 08-2007 |
Bumped up for Ray! | ||
Terryh Member Username: Terryh Post Number: 1151 Registered: 11-2006 |
Housebreakers. Does anyone recognize any of the landmarks on the way to the payroll holdup on West Forest or the Mark Twain family trouble? Notice the all white male police force. They all had the conformist clean cut look. | ||
Gary Member Username: Gary Post Number: 283 Registered: 02-2004 |
Those old Jam Handy shorts are real treasures. The police station where "Joe" was assigned is the Woodward/Hancock station. I really liked all the footage of the police field day taken at the old, long gone U of D football stadium. I noticed the same thing, Terryh...not a black face anywhere, and the women officers looked more like the matrons at the old DeHoCo, as opposed to full fledged police officers. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3966 Registered: 01-2005 |
Well, I wasn't too far away. That documentary was filmed in 1951, and I came on the job as a police cadet in 1955. But some of those old '50 Fords were still around then. I remember the '51 Fords were black but had a gold roof, the only year they went with that combination. The shots of the 'academy class' in the old gym behind 1300 Beaubien brought back memories. It was not unlike any high school gym, with an indoor track on the second level. Part of completeing the Academy was 16 laps around the track in a certain time. I never was a runner, and worried about it up until it was time. Obviously, I made it, and remember well what a relief it was to have that behind me. The gym is still there attached to HQ; hasn't changed a bit. The Police Field Day was always quite a thing every year. It moved to Briggs/Tiger stadium around 1958, and a couple of years even in the Olympia Stadium. I guess they've done away with it, and the widows and orphans fund is now self-sustaining. Marge will get 7g when I kick off from it. Yes, it was a white police force back then, but Detroit was overwhelmingly white. And the female officers didn't do any patrol work. Basically they were detectives working juvenile and sex crimes. Didn't have much choice. And the administration used to spy on them. When the "Women's Division" first broke up and got it's first male commanding officer -- a great fellow named Ed Hay -- he discovered literally tons of paperwork detailing how the WD supervisors (women themselves) wrote up tons of gossip in each female officer's personnel file. He ordered them hauled to the city incinerator and burned in his presence. He was outraged at the chicken shit things that were brought up. (On May 3, this supervisor observed Officer Mary Smith bringing home six bottles of beer.....)etc. Anyway, yeah, that flick wasn't much before my time. Sure was a different world, though. | ||
Bobl Member Username: Bobl Post Number: 613 Registered: 07-2008 |
Ray, my uncle Bill was a Detroit police officer. I think he began his career shortly after WWII. Passed away 15 years ago. I was surprised a few months later when visiting a local bar with an elderly retired cop serving drinks. He immediately recognized my uncle's name when I brought it up. You guys are "thick as thieves"! No disrespect there.... | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3968 Registered: 01-2005 |
Yup, Bob, no doubt about it. Thanks to the internet, we keep pretty well in touch with each other, too, scattered about the country as we are. | ||
Eriedearie Member Username: Eriedearie Post Number: 3787 Registered: 08-2007 |
I remember the Police Field Days being advertised when I was a kid. Why they don't have them any more? Ray, some women supervisors can be so petty/catty regarding their female staff. I've had several of them and there was only one that treated her staff properly. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3970 Registered: 01-2005 |
I'm not sure when the Field Day became a thing of the past. I'll try to find out and will post the info. I've only worked for two female supervisors in my life, both in my second career in health care security after DPD retirement. One was a complete dingbat. The other was a saint. Don't know what that means, but it was a gut response, I suppose. | ||
Jleurck Member Username: Jleurck Post Number: 18 Registered: 04-2008 |
"...Housebreakers. Does anyone recognize any of the landmarks on the way to the payroll holdup on West Forest or the Mark Twain family trouble? Notice the all white male police force. They all had the conformist clean cut look...." After the call for Cars #84 and 88 to respond to the payroll holdup, I think Car #88 turns south onto Grand River from Warren or just north of it, because I'm pretty sure that is St. Leo's on the right of the screen as the squad car comes down G.R. St. Leo's is still there, but the twin spires were truncated back in the 70's (I think). | ||
Terryh Member Username: Terryh Post Number: 1152 Registered: 11-2006 |
thanks Jleurck fascinating to watch that footage.. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3971 Registered: 01-2005 |
Contact of mine tells me that the Field Day was terminated during the Chiefship of Jerry Oliver who said it wasn't needed. The present Chief, Barron, is hoping to bring it back, saying the department needs its traditions. | ||
Detroitbob48209 Member Username: Detroitbob48209 Post Number: 11 Registered: 02-2009 |
I recognized the intersection of Grand River and Warren, St. Leo's Church is about the only thing still still standing, although minus the upper towers which were removed in the 1980's as they were only wood clad in copper and needed extensive restoration. St. Leo's is still breathtaking inside...intact and in remarkable condition. The building they entered where the 'robbery' was taking place looks like the building on Forest just east of 12th St....still standing. I believe it was at one point a church with auditorium area on the second floor. I just drove that stretch of the city yesterday and the building on Forest is abandoned. If my memory serves me, the original Awrey Bakery was somewhere in the area. As a kid I remember there was a very small storefront A&P on Grand River, east of St. Leo's, opposite side of the street. I remember seeing it as we took the bus (electric trolley) downtown shopping or to the movies. This was circa 1958-1962. Across from the precinct at Woodward/Hancock is the Cathedral Church of St. Paul. When one views the video like this, it is amazing when you start remembering what is gone. I grew up on Elmhurst and moved to Tuxedo off Livernois and started grade school at St. Cecilia in 1957. Grand River and Oakman and Grand River and Joy were the shopping districts. I remember seeing Gypsy live with on stage at the Riviera and other broadway shows like the Music Man and Sound of Music before the Fisher opened as a legit theatre. My first job during high school was at Sears at Oakman Blvd... Great memories, albeit bittersweet. I travel to Chicago monthly and a neighborhood +\-5 miles from the loop like Woodbridge/Grand River Warren is vibrant...with Victorian houses restored and (prior to the recession) selling for 1.8 million and up. Of course, a major difference is the 'el' line---3 minutes to the loop! | ||
Eriedearie Member Username: Eriedearie Post Number: 3788 Registered: 08-2007 |
Thanks for the update on field days Ray. I hope the new chief does bring those days back. I agree, the department does need its traditions. I think that would help to bring a lot of the community spirit back into the city. Plus, I think the kids could stand to see what dedication it takes to become a police officer. I think during Canada Day and Independence Day celebrations there still is the tug of war going on - between the Windsor force, not Toronto as the film indicated. | ||
Rid0617 Member Username: Rid0617 Post Number: 405 Registered: 03-2008 |
I have spent hours looking at these old films. Glad I could find that for everyone. Any old film makes me think I was born too late. The entire world looked simpler back then,. |
