In last week’s column I took a look back on the various types of advertising that has appeared on Toronto public transit vehicles over the years.
While there has never been a problem promoting brands of gasoline (such as Joy, Lion or Cities Service) can you remember a time when, unlike today, it was also perfectly okay to feature ads on TTC streetcars and buses that promoted the use of such cigarette brands as Buckingham, Winchester, Turrets and Sweet Caporal? And for years even liquor and beer ads were perfectly acceptable with ads for O’Keefe, Brading’s and Old Vienna.
During the Second World War, ads seeking the public’s attention to the purchase of Victory Bonds to help finance the war were frequently seen on TTC vehicles. With the return of peacetime ads began appearing that promoted all kinds of public shows and events being held around town.
Some examples, the Home Show at the now demolished Mutual Arena on (where else?) Mutual Street in the heart of the city, the appearance of high-priced American talent featured each year at the CNE Grandstand and the annual show of new cars and trucks inside the CNE’s massive Automotive Building.
And while we’re on the subject of the CNE’s Automotive Building, which has recently been beautifully reborn as the Allstream Conference Centre, a close examination of the photo accompanying this column reveals another type of event that was held in the building.
New Year’s Eve, 1954 was not far away when this eastbound Queen streetcar crossed the Victoria St. intersection. Close inspection of one of its advertising cards reveals that a special attraction at the Auto Building that New Year’s Eve would be Toronto’s pop singing group, the Crew Cuts.
The boys were back in their hometown performing at the old Casino Theatre on Queen St. W. after a very successful stint at various clubs south of the border. Admission to the New Year’s Eve show was $5 per couple. And with the interest shown from out-of-towners a quantity of tickets was made available at the door to anyone who took the time to drive all the way to Toronto.
Nice touch.
The group got its start in the early 1950s at St. Michael’s Boys Choir School on Bond St. where the Four Lads, another famous Toronto singing group, had its beginnings. (A third successful pop group known as The Diamonds began its career singing in the basement of the Church of St. Thomas Aquinas in the Eglinton and Dufferin neighbourhood.)
One of the Crew Cuts earliest boosters was Barry Nesbitt who initially knew the group as the Canadaires and gave the boys their first radio exposure on his CKFH radio show. As time passed and the boys got more exposure, their career began to blossom. It was following an appearance on an American radio show that the host, observing that all four boys sported similar hair cuts, selected the name the boys would become known by.
Anyone that grew up in the mid-1950s will recognize the Crew Cuts most famous recording, Sh-Boom, that made it to No. 1 on the North American Hit Parade in 1954.
Remember, the Toronto Port Authority is holding a contest to select names for the present and the new, soon-to-arrive Toronto Island Airport passenger ferries. Ten finalist names have been short-listed, all of which have some sort of association with the airport and/or Toronto’s waterfront history.
To be sure a couple of the names have a more than passing relationship and frequent readers of this column will know which two I have selected.
However, make your own selection by visiting torontoport.com and clicking on VOTE NOW.
