Pure Magic - the Shady Dell Attic: 100+ Years of History and Mystery!

          Having one of those days? Dampened spirits need a lift? You've come to the right place.

                          Spend a little time here at Shady's Place and feel better fast!

Thursday, April 30, 2026

 SAVED BY THE BELL  DELL  #19 


Salvaged and Restored -
The Shady Dell
Record Collection!
Vol. 19: Long Lost Dell Songs
of January & February, 1961

 BEWARE! NOTHING CAN 
 PREPARE YOU FOR... 


 JUKEBOX GIANTS 
 THAT TIME FORGOT! 


Hello, friends!  Dell Rat Tom
welcoming you to volume 19
of my exclusive 36-part
Shady's Place series

 SAVED 
 BY THE 
 BELL  
 DELL 





Today, you will
travel back to the
early weeks of
1961
and find yourself
standing before
the Dell jukebox.
Those dimes
and quarters
you brought
along are
 burning
a hole
in your
pocket...
so why not
feed them
to the record
machine and
play some
of the great
Dell songs
 of early
1961?


This series was made possible by Jim Sieling, my good friend
in York, and the husband of John Ettline's niece Nancy.  

Jim Sieling
(faithful friend of The Dell)

As you recall, Jim acquired the Dell's Seeburg jukebox (below)
and many of the records that played on it through the decades. 


Keep in mind that the Dell had two jukeboxes - one in Helen's
snack bar up at the house, the other down in "The Barn" -
the dance hall John had built onto the barn and garage. 

When Jim took possession of the Dell's record collection,
he discovered, to his dismay and ours, that many of
the discs had been improperly handled and stored.
Simply put - they were filthy. 


 Mice (Dell rats?) had made a home among the records, and at least
one snake (a Violet Hill viper?) had slithered in looking for a meal. 

Jim undertook the mammoth job of cleaning, organizing and cataloging
the records, then sent me the finished alphabetical list. There are 6,065
records on Jim's list including Christmas records, 12,130 songs in all!
 My series brings you the 180 best Dell jukebox songs from 1955
through 1963, a period long before I arrived on the scene.

This series is dedicated to
the memory of Nancy Sieling.

Nancy Sieling
(faithful friend of The Dell)

  Nancy, who was John Ettline's niece and Jim's wife, passed away in 2020.
Over the years, Nancy's generous contributions of pictures, information
and Shady Dell memorabilia greatly enhanced the quality of both of my
Dell-themed blogs. We have Nancy to thank for rescuing many of the
Dell's priceless platters when they were art risk of being thrown into
a trash dumpster and destroyed, hence the name of my series... 

 SAVED BY THE BELL  DELL  

Of course, we also have Jim to thank for tackling the enormous
task of cleaning, organizing and cataloging these 6,065 records!

Okay, it's time to use your imagination. Pretend that you are
at the Dell looking at the musical menu on the jukebox.
Scroll down and play the next 5 Dell songs. 

 BEWARE AND BEHOLD... 
  LISTEN AND LEARN... 
 AS WE EXPERIENCE... 

 JUKEBOX GIANTS 
 THAT TIME FORGOT! 

 The records and pictures are arranged in chronological
order, allowing you to trace the evolution of the
"Shady Dell Sound" and clothing styles
month by month through the years. 

You know the drill.


 ENJOY THE VINTAGE FASHION 
 PARADE AND FANZINES

 CLICK ON PICTURES OF 
 RECORDS TO PLAY SONGS. 


 JANUARY 1961 










 SAVED BY THE DELL 
 DELL SONG 91 



 JANUARY - FEBRUARY 1961 








 SAVED BY THE DELL 

 DELL SONG 92 
















 SAVED BY THE DELL 

 DELL SONG 93 











 SAVED BY THE DELL 
 DELL SONG 94 

















 SAVED BY THE DELL 

 DELL SONG 95 





Once again I thank our late, great friend of the Dell,
Nancy Sieling, and her husband Jim, for doing the
good work of preserving the Shady Dell legacy for
future generations. We owe you a debt of gratitude.  

Stick around. You'll hear more long lost songs
of the Shady Dell... the moldy oldies, dusty discs,
colossal fossils and rusty relics we like to call...


 JUKEBOX GIANTS 
 THAT TIME FORGOT! 

coming up on the next exciting edition of...


 SAVED BY THE BELL  DELL 

21 comments:

  1. Retilicus! Such an awful movie. Ate up those bad monster movies when I was a kid.
    Some pretty ladies in the ads today.

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    1. Hi, Alex!

      Thanks for reporting in as the Early Bird, good buddy!

      Like you, I watched every monster movie that came along when I was young, so many of them that I fail to recall exactly what happens in Reptilicus. It's a safe bet he smashes a city bus and an army tank or two. Glad you like the pretty ladies in this edition's fashion parade.

      Thanks again for dropping by, good buddy Alex, and have a merry month of May!

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  2. Dear friend Shady, wow!!! In January 1961 I was four years old! Some of the things here I am familiar with because I heard or saw them when I was a bit older, some I either don't remember or never heard of! What fun!
    Helene Curtis was quite popular, good products back then!
    Saved by the Bell....of course my favourite, Mario Lopez! All the characters in this show were very good.
    I think I recall seeing one or two monster and/or dinosaur movies and they scared me to death! LOL!
    Seeing the cigarette ad reminds me of the old TV gameshows....back in the 60s, cigarette companies sponsored them! And if you happened to be a lucky winning contestant, you took home a carton of cigarettes.

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    1. Hi, Linda!

      I'm thrilled to see you, dear friend! Thanks for joining the fun as I present Part 19 of my mammoth 36-part series Saved By The Dell.

      Yessum, I am aware that you are several years younger than Shady D.K. I'm glad you approach this series and my other content with an eagerness to learn something new rather than simply to review that which is familiar. Yessum, Helene Curtis was a familiar name in advertising when I was an 11-year-old. As for the monster and resurrected dinosaur movies of the period, I didn't find them nearly as frightening as the "human monsters" depicted in horror films about people transforming from good to evil or human to alien, such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Thing, the latter a "carrot man" from another planet that vaguely resembled a human (James Arness to be specific). You're right. TV game shows were often sponsored by specific brands of cigarettes, and cigs were given as prizes. During my boyhood, games of chance on the midway at the York Interstate Fair awarded packs or cartons of cigarettes to "lucky" winners. As a teenager, I remember playing a game of chance on the boardwalk at the seashore and winning 2 packs of "Luckies" (Lucky Strike brand cigs).

      (next)

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  3. Dear Shady, 1961 was the year I had my right kidney removed. It apparently was not working as it should, and the doctors told my parents that if it was not removed, I would surely die. However, if it WAS removed, I stood a 50% chance of surviving. My parents gave me the chance to live (they had already lost 5 children and I would be the only one they were able to have at this point).
    Anyway, getting back to your post, I do remember 101 Dalmatians! I also remember that many people, after having seen the movie, went out and bought a Dalmatian! However, many of those dogs sadly ended up at the SPCA, because what people didn't realize is that these dogs are not very good with people and other animals...unless, of course, they are trained. Sad that people did this without learning more about the breed before dashing out to get a dog.
    The Misfits...Marilyn Monroe, oh, yes. And I also remember Something's Got to Give, which if I am not mistaken was her last movie before her death.

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    1. Hi again, Linda!

      My word, yours is a shocking yet inspiring story of survival, dear friend. Thank you for sharing the medical crisis that was, by far, the most memorable thing that happened in your life in 1961. It's no wonder you experience joy in the simple pleasures of each new day and find the beauty that is all around us if we only bother to look for it. Good point about the 101 Dalmatians movie. I heard the same thing, that families who rushed out to adopt the breed soon had buyer's remorse and abandoned their pets because they couldn't be managed. I remember a neighbor's unruly Dalmation that ran loose in my neighborhood beginning when I was age 5. One winter day, the rowdy canine jumped up on me, bowled me over, then grabbed my scarf in his teeth and dragged me clear across the yard. I was terrified. Thanks for sharing your memories of MM. You are absolutely right. Co-starring Dean Martin, the film Something's Got To Give was a work in progress when Marilyn died in August 1962, making The Misfits the last movie she completed.

      (next)

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  4. Dear friend Shady, the Vogue magazine was very popular! And the new colour...mint green! My favourite colour is green! It reminds me of nature and as you know, I absolutely love nature! I find it very therapeutic and soothing.
    Glamour magazine I do recall as well.
    Although my parents never had a car and I never have had one either, I do remember Pontiac! My cousin, who was 12 years my senior, had a Pontiac Strato Chief (please correct me if I am wrong that this was a Pontiac car!)
    It was a nice car, spacious and comfortable.
    Thank you so much for sharing your amazing, fascinating and exciting post, dear friend Shady! I hope you have a wonderful month of May, dear friend, and I look forward to your next edition!
    Take good care of yourself and please give my best regards to Mrs. Shady.

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    1. Yessum Vogue, Life and Look were on every newsstand and nearly every coffee table around this time, including the one in my living room. Hey, you and I match on our favorite color being green. That's great! Green reminds me of springtime freshness and new growth, same as it does for you. How unusual that neither you nor your parents ever had a car! That's another fascinating tidbit, Linda. Yessum, you are correct in remembering the Pontiac Strato Chief, a model that I never heard of here in the states. My trusty AI has this to report: "The Pontiac Strato Chief was a full-size, base-trim automobile produced by General Motors of Canada from 1958 to 1970 for the Canadian market. As an affordable, entry-level option, it used Chevrolet chassis and drivetrains—similar to the Chevy Biscayne—but featured unique Canadian Pontiac styling and dashboards."

      Wow, Linda, thank you very much for your awesome three-part comment and for your generous compliments as well. What an excellent friend you are! Please take good care of yourself and let's meet-up again when I return to blogging with my next post which is scheduled to be published May 25. See you then, dear friend!

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  5. These years were some of my favorites for music. It's almost heaven listening to Rosie. All of these records are in my dusty stack of 45s except for Brenda Lee. I also enjoyed all the monster movies of the time and the games of no chance at the Fair and on the boardwalks. Do they still sell magazines with all the good adds anymore? I guess you would need to drop your cell phone to read them. Have a good weekend. Jerre

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    1. Hi, Jerre!

      Thanks for popping in to take the bronze medal, good buddy!

      Yes, with the timeline moving into 1961, the Dell songs are becoming more familiar and they are also getting better and better. I'm glad you mentioned "Angel Baby." That 2025 remix of the rock & roll/do-wop oldie by Rosie And The Originals has the dusty/musty classic sounding better than I ever heard it before. What a pleasure it is listening to it! "It's just like heaven." Truth be told, I checked all five songs in this post a few weeks ago and everything was fine, but when I got up at 5 am today and checked them again right after the post was published, I discovered, to my dismay, that three of the five songs were gone and needed replacing! That shows you how iffy YouTube has become. Anyway, one of the replacements I plugged in is that brilliantly remastered version of "Angel Baby," and so that situation worked out well.

      Glad you enjoyed the monster movies of the period and remember playing games of "no chance" on the York Fair midway. I always laughed at the shill, the guy who stood all day long at one of those games and pretended to be a very lucky customer. He had huge stacks of prizes in front of him - cartons of cigarettes, teddy bears, you name it! :) He was there every year. Shucks, I haven't read a magazine in ages, probably not since the glory years of Playboy, Penthouse and Hustler. Boy, how I loved those interesting articles! :)

      Thanks for dropping in, good buddy Jerre. I'll be back with my next post around May 25 and will send you an email alert when the time comes. Take care!

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  6. Hello my friend! In 1961 I was 6 years old and I don't remember any of these songs but I really like looking at the magazine photos. Seeing the 101 Dalmations poster reminds me of going into SF to the movies with my mom. It was a big deal!
    I made it through my A to Z and only had 2 negative commenters. Next year I'll do something a little lighter I think. Hope you have a good month. We leave on Sunday for a 7 day cruise to Alaska, our first cruise ever!

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    1. Hi, Janet!

      Thank you very much for coming, dear friend!

      Like friend Linda (above), you are several years younger than Shady aka Grandfather Time. :) I'm glad you remember some of the magazine ads if not the vintage Dell songs in this post. I'm happy that these movie posters of early 1961 reminded you of going to the theaters in SF with your mother back then.

      I have not forgotten about your epic A to Z Challenge for 2026, completing the mission you began in 2025 before it was cut short by your MIL's hospitalization and death. I promise to get over to your site today and help cheer you across the finish line. I'm happy to know that there were only two negative commenters during the entire month. I applaud your courage in choosing the theme and for seeing it through after last year's false start.

      Wow, an Alaskan cruise! I hope you and Bill have the time of your lives and display pictures on your blog upon your return. I assume that your daughter has agreed to keep Benny while you are away. Have fun. I'll be thinking about you.

      Thanks again for coming to the party at Shady's Place. Have a wonderful trip and a great month of May, dear friend Janet!

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  7. Hi Shady! Pat and I enjoyed looking at all your advertisements, movie posters, and dinosaurs today! He said he'd hate to run into Reptilicus in a dark alley!

    I'm not sure I knew any of the songs, though the Brenda Lee number did sound familiar. I laughed at the Budweiser advertisement. It's not a beer than I think of serving in a glass. 😂

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    1. Hi, Kelly & Pat!

      Thanks for taking a peek at the post, dear friend! It's my 19th volume of Saved complete with colorful dinosaur illustrations for your viewing pleasure. I hope you showed my buddy Pat the lovable sausage hound on the covers of Calling All Girls. As frisky and spirited as Pat is, I'd place my wager on him in a battle against Reptilicus. :) "Emotions" was a top 10 hit for country crooner Brenda Lee. I am a bit surprised that a country-oriented ballad wound up in the Dell dance hall jukebox, but it is undeniably a great slow-dance opportunity, a factor that was important to generations of Dell rats. Yessum, I consumed mass quantities of Budweiser, usually directly from the can or bottle but sometimes poured into a glass. Thankfully, those lost weekends will be 34+ years behind me as of this coming June.

      Thanks again for taking a look and a listen, dear friend Kelly. I wish you and your canine clan a happy month of May and I'll see you when I return the week of the 25th!

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  8. Well, Hello Shady. I hope you are well.
    The girl and her Weiner dog. I love it.
    Reptilicus? LOL That's hilarious. I love a good monster movie but I think I missed this. Now Godzilla, I might have seen all of those.

    I didn't recognize the songs.

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    1. Hi, Mary & Falcor!

      Thanks for swinging by, dear friend, and welcome to Vol. 19 of my series Saved by the Dell featuring the Dell songs, clothing styles, print ads, movies and stars of early 1961.

      Yessum, the girl and her wiener dog are still with us in 1961. Please show my buddy Falcor. Some of those monster films were nicely done, but others suffered from low budget special effects that were laughable. Yessum, Godzilla is the grandpappy of films about prehistoric monsters awakened from slumber. There have been 38 Godzilla films. Remember Perry Mason Meets Godzilla? :) Actually, actor Raymond Burr appeared in two Godzilla films.

      Wiki explains:

      << Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956) — the American re‑edited version of the original 1954 Gojira, where Burr plays reporter Steve Martin, whose narration and scenes were inserted to frame the story for U.S. audiences.

      Godzilla 1985 (also known as The Return of Godzilla in Japan) — Burr reprises his role as Steve Martin, again added for the American cut to provide continuity and a Western point of view. >>

      Recently, I watched an unusual 2016 Anne Hathaway sci-fi movie called Colossal. Wiki sez: << The film was an international co-production between producers in Canada, Spain, the United States, and South Korea. Anne Hathaway signed on to the project in May 2015, which was described as "Godzilla meets Lost in Translation." The film follows an unemployed writer (Anne H.) who unwittingly manifests a giant reptilian creature in Seoul while struggling with alcoholism and a misanthropic colleague. >> It was a fun movie to watch!

      Thanks again for your visit and comment, dear friend Mary. I wish you and your daughter better health in the month of May. See you around the 25th!

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  9. Hi Shady! I knew you were posting on Thursday but I had a health issue that landed me in the hospital until this afternoon. I had stroke symptoms and was put through tons of tests and such. Its a long story but alls good and im happy to be home. So I really hope May serves up better things than March and April did! Take care friend!

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    1. Dear YaYa, I don't know what to say. Healthwise, it's been one thing after another for you to deal with. I am terribly sorry, but relieved to know that you were given the green light to leave the hospital and return home. Yessum, let us hope that May will be kinder and gentler. You deserve a break. Thank you for making it over here. Please take good care of yourself, dear friend. I will check-in with you again when I return around the 25th.

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  10. It’s Birgit..I’m finally here. This past week, I have been in so much pain that it hurt when I typed. I was doing ll I could to be at work and came home exhausted. I listened to your music and so enjoyed it. Actually, when I listened to a couple of them, they went to YouTube and the music kept going and going. I enjoyed it very much while working. Thank you for making my day, on that bad Thursday, enjoyable. I love the many outfits but never one for the crinoline. The one hat, on the yellow dress, looks like whipping cream on her head. I could choose many of these dresses and would love own some.
    Right now, my Harley is on my right arm, licking my fingers. I must pet him or he puts his paw on my arm to be petted. He is such a sweet boy who is go8ng for a walk very soon with daddy. He is saying hello to you and very happy even though he needs to lose weight..he is a chunky-chunk.

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    1. Hi, Birgit!

      Thank you very much for rising above your pain and fatigue to pay a visit, dear friend! I wish it weren't so. I wish you didn't have so much pain along with a tough, challenging, exhausting job that saps your energy. You are a trouper.

      With the format used in this series, you might need to click and stop some of the songs when you are finished listening to them. What I do is simply close the pop-up window containing the Y/T video. That way, no other songs can start to play.

      I am not an expert on fabrics or fashions. Is the last picture in the post, the one before the dinosaurs reappear, an example of crinoline, a petticoat that extends that green dress into a voluminous shape?

      Say hello to my buddy Harley for me, and please show him the noodle dog on the covers of Calling All Girls. Yessum, I remember all the dogs I knew over the years. When it comes to petting and scratching, they won't leave you alone. They will keep licking, pawing and head-butting your hand until you put it to good use. :) I hope you will bring Harley's weight under control because it will help him avoid a variety of health issues as he ages.

      Thank you again for your kind and courageous visit, dear friend BB. Please rest and have fun whenever you can. I hope to find you feeling better when I return on the 25th. See you then!

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  11. It's always so fun looking at the pop culture of the past here, Shady. As always, I appreciate the fashion of yesteryears!

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I wanna know
What you're thinking
There are some things you can't hide
I wanna know
What you're feeling
Tell me what's on your mind