{"id":13327,"date":"2013-06-10T05:30:07","date_gmt":"2013-06-10T10:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/?p=13327"},"modified":"2022-07-06T08:05:21","modified_gmt":"2022-07-06T12:05:21","slug":"plus-our-regular-features","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2013\/06\/10\/plus-our-regular-features\/","title":{"rendered":"Plus Our Regular Features"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Budco-Midtown\"<\/a>Three features — a BARGAIN!<\/strong> I doubt if Windows<\/strong><\/em><\/a> had anything to do with operating systems on personal computers. I wonder if Wanda the Wicked Warden<\/em><\/strong><\/a> was as good as it’s alliterative title.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"DSCN0854\"<\/a>When I am rooting through my flat file cabinets looking for a sketch or a piece of bristol board or something else for a project, it often happens that I come across something that I forgot about. The original search is usually abandoned as I peruse the new-found treasure. Such is the case with this notorious copy of the Philadelphia Daily News<\/strong><\/em> that my brother purchased for 15\u00a2 back when the paper had reporters, a readership and advertising revenue. It’s the Saturday March 22nd, 1980 edition of the paper living up to the old adage of if it bleeds, it leads<\/em>. Our parents usually read the staid pages of The Philadelphia Bulletin<\/strong><\/em><\/a> and wouldn’t sully the house with a tabloid rag like the Daily News.<\/strong><\/em> With a cover like the one pictured, it’s no wonder as to why. My brother and I couldn’t believe that a newspaper would publish such a ghoulish and sensational photo particularly on it’s front page! We were young and unfamiliar with the fact that tabloid papers had a long history of chasing down gangland slaying photos. Characters such as Weegee<\/strong><\/em><\/a> and his legion of imitators and like-minded photographers made their daily bread with shots like these. Corpses sold and still sell papers. My brother bought it. I’ll bet the publisher was eating his heart out that the paper didn’t print color at the time.<\/p>\n

I guess I’ve hung onto it in case my brother ever asked for it back. It’s been 33 years. I wonder if he wants it back.<\/p>\n

As I mentioned, the paper had advertising revenue, and there were businesses that depended on patrons seeing those ads such as the many movie theaters that were concentrated in center city at the time. Such is the case with this ad for the Budco Midtown<\/strong> which was a sneak preview of what was sure to be the cinematic triumph of 1980.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"gongshow-movie\"<\/a>Late winter has always been a low point for film releases. It’s a dumping ground. I doubt if the studio had much faith in this. I can’t believe how crudely the word balloon is drawn. It looks like somebody did it freehand with graphic tape. Badly.<\/p>\n

\"Letraset<\/a><\/p>\n

Video tape transferred to 35mm film and projected onto a big screen looks like crap. The print of Wanda the Wicked Warden<\/strong><\/em><\/a> probably looked like Lawrence of Arabia<\/strong><\/em> when compared to The Gong Show Movie.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Strangely enough, The Budco Midtown<\/strong><\/em> still operates as a theater unlike most all of the other theaters that were in the immediate neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\"Prince-music-theater\"<\/a>It’s now The Prince Music Theater<\/strong><\/em><\/a> and has been since 1999. It has been completely refurbished and puts on live shows as well as showing films. It’s certainly upscale now since the days of projecting grindhouse double bills in the 1980s. I remember seeing The Howling<\/strong><\/em> and Wolfen<\/strong><\/em> on the same program back in 1981 which were high art compared to Windows,<\/strong><\/em> Wanda The Wicked Warden<\/strong><\/em> and The Gong Show Movie.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Chuck-B-closeup\"<\/a>Today’s post is dedicated to and blamed on Ken Morgan<\/strong><\/a> who was having a sort of Gong Show<\/strong><\/em><\/a> mania recently on Facebook.<\/em> He was the first person I thought of when I was flipping through this ancient pile of newsprint and saw the ad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three features — a BARGAIN! I doubt if Windows had anything to do with operating systems on personal computers. I wonder if Wanda the Wicked Warden was as good as it’s alliterative title.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[31,104],"tags":[366,33,2629,2625,2624,2627,196,354,3669,118,2628,2626,336,2630],"class_list":["post-13327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blast-from-the-past","category-philadelphia","tag-366","tag-1980s","tag-budco-midtown","tag-chuck-barris","tag-gangland-slaying","tag-grindhouse","tag-movie","tag-pennsylvania","tag-philadelphia","tag-photography","tag-prince-music-theater","tag-the-gong-show","tag-vintage","tag-wanda-the-wicked-warden"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1ed1x-3sX","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":17237,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2014\/09\/09\/pca-the-class-of-68-photography\/","url_meta":{"origin":13327,"position":0},"title":"PCA \u2013 The Class of \u201968 – Photography","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"September 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"As I said last week, Tony Visco handed me a blast from our Alma mater's past -- The Philadelphia College of Art's yearbook from 1968! They didn't call it a yearbook. It was a battered slipcase containing two books and titled The Philadelphia College of Art Annual 1968. It features\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blast from the Past"","block_context":{"text":"Blast from the Past","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/blast-from-the-past\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Photog.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Photog.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Photog.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45681,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2025\/08\/26\/reading-terminal-headhouse\/","url_meta":{"origin":13327,"position":1},"title":"Reading Terminal Headhouse","author":"Joe","date":"August 26, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"12th and Market Streets in Philadelphia, PA Construction began in 1891 and was completed in 1893, with the headhouse officially opening as part of the Reading Terminal in 1893. Designed by Francis H. Kimball, a prominent New York-based architect known for his work in the Italian Renaissance style. The headhouse\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adventures in Commuting"","block_context":{"text":"Adventures in Commuting","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/adventures-in-commuting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/reading-terminal-headhouse.jpg?fit=600%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/reading-terminal-headhouse.jpg?fit=600%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/reading-terminal-headhouse.jpg?fit=600%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6867,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2012\/02\/28\/greens-hotel-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":13327,"position":2},"title":"Green’s Hotel – 8th and Chestnut","author":"Tina Garceau","date":"February 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's an advertisement for Green's Hotel from the program\/souvenir booklet for the play L'Aiglon starring Maude Adams which played in Philadelphia at The Broad Street Theater back in 1901. Electric lights and modern conveniences! Tom Green created quite a stir a few years later by fitting up, at Green's Hotel,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blast from the Past"","block_context":{"text":"Blast from the Past","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/blast-from-the-past\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/green-hotel.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15380,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2014\/01\/17\/a-neoclassical-mystery-solved\/","url_meta":{"origin":13327,"position":3},"title":"A Neoclassical Mystery SOLVED!","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"January 17, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I posted this monument\/fountain not knowing what or where it was or is, hoping that one of my faithful readers would come through, and my readers came through! A couple people suggested that this was in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park, but it was Bill M\u00a0at The Capewell Glass Negative Collection page\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Capewell Glass Negative Collection"","block_context":{"text":"The Capewell Glass Negative Collection","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/the-capewell-glass-negative-collection\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Leonidas-Spring.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Leonidas-Spring.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Leonidas-Spring.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Leonidas-Spring.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40591,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2023\/05\/14\/south-philadelphia-in-the-40s\/","url_meta":{"origin":13327,"position":4},"title":"South Philadelphia in the ’40s.","author":"Joe","date":"May 14, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Family friend Aunt Francis with my Mom in South Philadelphia back in the '40s.","rel":"","context":"In "Blast from the Past"","block_context":{"text":"Blast from the Past","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/blast-from-the-past\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Aunt Francis and Mom","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/2222\/2419062087_d6562f4c38_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/2222\/2419062087_d6562f4c38_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/2222\/2419062087_d6562f4c38_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45302,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2025\/07\/06\/sunflowers-in-south-philadelphia\/","url_meta":{"origin":13327,"position":5},"title":"Sunflowers in South Philadelphia","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"July 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Springing up along a utility pole outside of the Italian Market","rel":"","context":"In "Italian Market"","block_context":{"text":"Italian Market","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/italian-market\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sunflowers in South Philadelphia","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54637063153_55daf592a9_c.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54637063153_55daf592a9_c.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54637063153_55daf592a9_c.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54637063153_55daf592a9_c.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13327\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}