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

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

Monday, August 10, 2026

 SAVED BY THE BELL  DELL  #21 


Salvaged and Restored -
The Shady Dell
Record Collection!
Vol. 21: Long Lost Dell Songs
from the Spring of 1961

 BEWARE! NOTHING CAN 
 PREPARE YOU FOR... 


 JUKEBOX GIANTS 
 THAT TIME FORGOT! 


Hello, friends!  Dell Rat Tom
welcoming you to volume 21
of my exclusive 36-part
Shady's Place series

 SAVED 
 BY THE 
 BELL  
 DELL 



Today, you will travel
back to the spring 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
 from the
spring of
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. 


 MAY 1961 








 SAVED BY THE DELL 

 DELL SONG 101 


















 SAVED BY THE DELL 
 DELL SONG 102 



 MAY - JUNE 1961 











 SAVED BY THE DELL 
 DELL SONG 103 













 SAVED BY THE DELL 
 DELL SONG 104 











 SAVED BY THE DELL 

 DELL SONG 105 







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 

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18 comments:

  1. Alex J. CavanaughAugust 10, 2026 at 6:06 AM

    Some cool old ads. The one with the couple playing putt-putt - that's me and my wife. She beats me every time. I carefully line up shots and she just whacks the ball and it goes right in.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shady Del KnightAugust 10, 2026 at 7:39 AM

      Hi, Alex!

      You're the Early Bird this time, good buddy! Thanks for coming right over to sample the sights and sounds of spring 1961. I remember the excitement when "miniature golf" first became a thing and a course was installed only a couple of miles from my house. I played there regularly. As another sign of the times and a hot fad in the early 60s, a trampoline court went in right next to it. Knowing your taste in film, you might want to check out Jules Verne's Master of the World starring horror king Vincent Price.

      Thanks again for hustling over and for your kind comment, good buddy Alex!

      Delete
  2. AnonymousAugust 10, 2026 at 7:52 AM

    I only knew 2 of the 5 songs. I did remember another song by Ernie K Doe that was big joke type song. I think my mother had most of the magazines but I was a fan of the Sears catalogs. Jerre

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shady Del KnightAugust 10, 2026 at 8:28 AM

      Hi, Jerre!

      Thanks for coming early, good buddy. You take home the silver!

      As you probably know, Marcy Rae Sockel, stage name Marcy Joe aka Marcy Jo, was a popular teen pop vocalist from the Pittsburgh area. I think it is very cool that one of her singles found its way into the Dell jukebox and was perhaps an often played slow dance "twofer," serving as a counterpoint to the male doo-wop vocal group records that were so very hot in the barn at the time.

      Following his hit double-sider, "Mother In Law" b/w "Wanted, 10,000.00 Reward," Ernie K. Doe returned to the charts and brushed the R&B top 20 with "Te-Ta-Te-Ta-Ta" (the B side of "Real Man") followed by another double-sider "I Cried My Last Tear" (#69) b/w "A Certain Girl" (#71). Ernie's last charting record on the Hot 100 was the 1962 release "Popeye Joe," the flip side of "Come On Home." "Popeye Joe" never rose above #99 on the pop survey. In 1967, Ernie returned with some success on the R&B chart, reaching #37 with another killer bee, "Later For Tomorrow" (B side of Dancin' Man") and #48 with "(It Will Have To Do) Until The Real Thing Comes Along." Ernie was only 68 when he died in the summer of 2001 from the long term effects of alcoholism.

      Thanks again for dropping in, good buddy Jerre. I'll be back with my next post Sept. 5, so stay tuned!

      Delete
  3. KellyAugust 10, 2026 at 8:09 AM

    Hi, Shady! Pat and I don't know ANY of your songs this time and I've never heard that Gladys Knight (and the pips) number.
    Snow White and the Three Stooges??? I'll have to ask my husband if he ever saw that. We still watch them occasionally.
    Great graphics as always!
    Stay cool, Shady.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shady Del KnightAugust 10, 2026 at 8:43 AM

      Hi, Kelly & Pat!

      Thanks so much for coming over on day one and capturing the bronze medal, dear friend! Yessum, this particular edition of my Saved series does include a greater percentage of little known songs than some of the others. I hope you found a new favorite earworm or two to bounce around in your noggin in the days to come. :) Yessum, Gladys Knight And The Pips, originally billed simply as The Pips, have been around longer than many people realize. The family group released their first single, "Ching Chong" b/w "Whistle My Love," in January, 1958, more than three years before "Every Beat Of My Heart."

      Thanks for noticing that Three Stooges movie poster. I don't think I ever saw that one. Hope you enjoyed the pics of "Dinah Shores" in this post. :) Thanks again for coming by and for bringing my buddy, your little rascal Pat with you. I realize I owe you a visit. I promise I will come to see you when you publish your next post, okay? Look for my return to Shady's Place on the 5th of September. Have a great week, dear friend Kelly!

      Delete
    2. KellyAugust 11, 2026 at 1:59 PM

      I know my book posts are not your thing, Shady, but I'm planning to have a music post on the 20th, unless something comes up to make me reschedule.

      Delete
    3. Shady Del KnightAugust 11, 2026 at 3:46 PM

      You know me well, friend Kelly! :) Yessum, I've been holding out for a jigsaw puzzle, an IG photo dump or a music post. I'm usually out of my depth when it comes to discussing books. :) I'll be looking for your post on the 20th. Thank you!

      Delete
  4. Mary KirklandAugust 10, 2026 at 9:16 AM

    I've played mini golf a few times, I didn't care for it. It's kinda boring. lol
    Not gonna lie, the dinosaurs in that first picture are looking a little durfy. 🤣🤣🤣
    I remember the coolers with glass bottles on Coke. You sure don't see that anymore.

    While I did watch The Three Stooges, I don't think I've seen that one.
    I've heard of Gladys Knight and the Pips but I didn't recognize that song. I didn't know the other songs this time.

    I used to buy Avon cosmetics. I sold it for a few years back in the 80's/90's too. I loved all the tiny samples they used to give us to pass out. There were so many huge boxes of samples they would give us. We did have to pay a fee for it but it wasn't much. Now everything is done online. My daughter did it for a while and she had an online store, no samples.

    I hope you are well. Falcor says, "woof".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shady Del KnightAugust 10, 2026 at 10:43 AM

      Hi, Mary!

      Welcome back to Shady's Place for the month of August, dear friend, and thanks for bringing my buddy Falcor with you!

      What? Are you suggesting that some of my dinosaur pictures might not be real, but are instead AI generated illustrations? :)

      Heck, yes, Mary. Soda came in glass bottles when I was young, and you had to risk injuring yourself to pull them from the steel clutches of the vending machines. Even worse, sometimes the bottles were at the bottom of large tanks filled with floating blocks of ice. Your hand and arm got so cold and numb fishing around for the kind of soda you wanted that you almost lost your grip by the time you lifted the bottle up out of the icy water.

      Like you, I am not familiar with that Three Stooges movie. However, I read that it won 50 Academy Awards. :) Believe it or not, the Atlanta-based family group The Pips got started in 1952, long before they were widely known to TV audiences and reaped Grammy Awards. Gladys is 82 this year.

      You and your daughter were Avon ladies? Thanks for sharing that tidbit. I remember our doorbell ringing and the Avon lady standing there. Those were the years when it was just as likely that a vacuum cleaner salesman, the Fuller Brush man or a cold-calling insurance salesman would be there to greet you when you opened your door.

      It is so much fun when you visit, dear friend Mary. Thank you! "WOOF!" to my buddy Falcor as well. Enjoy the rest of your month and I'll see you when I return with my next post September 5!

      Delete
    2. Mary KirklandAugust 10, 2026 at 11:13 AM

      AI dinosaurs? lol Who would have guessed.
      Yep, we were both Avon ladies. I did it for a few years and went door to door. I lived in a trailer park at the time and there were so many women who were repeat customers. My daughter did all her sales in her online store. Things have changed.

      You enjoy the rest of your month too.

      Delete
    3. Shady Del KnightAugust 10, 2026 at 12:10 PM

      Thanks again, Mary! And don't forget to take your taser along whenever you leave the apartment. "Better to have and don't need than to need and don't have." "See you in September," as the old song goes.

      Delete
  5. Linda's Relaxing LairAugust 10, 2026 at 2:01 PM

    Hi dear friend Shady! Wow, this post will take a few visits for me to absorb! As far as soft drinks go, I haven't had any for about 4 years now (by choice, as I am pre-diabetic). Even the "sugar free" ones contain some sort of sweetener! That having been said, I did love 7 Up! I never liked Dr. Pepper. I like a soft drink called Lime Rickey, it was a favourite during my young years. I did like Tab. I also like one called Teem. Pepsi and Coca Cola were two others. I always liked root beer as well.
    Saved by the Bell! Mario Lopez rocks! Although I did like most of the actors in this show, Mario was indeed a favourite.
    I was an Avon representative when I was in my 20s and 30s, and I did pretty well!
    Ahhh....my favourite actor, Sidney Poitier!
    I don't drink alcohol and have never smoked in my life.
    My memories of the Gidget TV series are very vague. I may look it up on YouTube.
    I have never been a fan of dinosaurs...although I loved Dino on The Flintstones! I have very fond memories of jukeboxes and old diners, dear Shady!
    As far as I recall, you could get 3 songs for 25 cents in 1973 on a jukebox!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shady Del KnightAugust 10, 2026 at 2:42 PM

      Hi, Linda!

      Thank you very much for dropping in, dear friend!

      i admire you for steering clear of soft drinks. I haven't consumed any for at least three or four decades. Like you, I drank 7Up and Dr. Pepper in my youth along with Grapette, Cream Soda, Canada Dry Ginger Ale, Squirt and Dad's Root Beer. Lime Rickey was on the snack bar menu for many years at my old hangout The Shady Dell.

      I'm happy to know that you were also an Avon lady, same as friend Mary (above) and her daughter. Yessum, I remember you telling me how much you loved Sidney Poitier as "Sir." I admire you for avoiding alcohol and smoking products. Your body thanks you for that, even if you aren't always aware of it.

      The poster on display in this episode of Saved is for the 1961 motion picture Gidget Goes Hawaiian starring Deborah Walley. The mid 1960s TV series starred Sally Field. The first Gidget film, released in 1959, starred Sandra Dee in the title role. A 1963 movie called Gidget Goes To Rome starred Cindy Carol. A 1969 made-for-TV movie entitled Gidget Grows Up starred Karen Valentine. A 1972 TV movie, Gidget Gets Married, had Monie Ellis in the title role. A 1985 TV movie, Gidget's Summer Reunion, starred Caryn Richman.

      I am excited to learn that you have fond memories of jukeboxes and old diners, same as me. With prices as high as they are nowadays, you would need to reserve a jukebox song using the layaway plan and listen to it at Christmas after you have paid all of your monthly installments. :)

      Thank you again, dear friend Linda, for coming over and spreading cheer. I hope you stay well and avoid the wildfire smoke until we meet again around the 5th of September. See you then!

      Delete
  6. Linda's Relaxing LairAugust 10, 2026 at 6:21 PM

    Hi Shady, yes, Sally Field! I always loved her and still do! Great actress. I remember her on The Flying Nun! I still want to see if I can find any old episodes of Gidget on YouTube to see if any memories are stirred up on that show!
    Ah, your mention of Karen Valentine brings back memories of the TV show Room 222!
    As far as jukeboxes go, even if there are still some in a few old fashioned diners today I wouldn't bother making any selections. The cost of everything has gone up tremendously and certainly this would not be on my list of priorities!
    I just read Mary's comment! I also played mini golf (called mini putt here) a few times. I kind of liked it...whereas a real golf game such as Bob Barker played and Donald Trump play...I find boring. LOL!
    Like Mary, I also remember the old Coca Cola coolers from back in the day! They held the glass bottles and you would put in your coin (or coins) in the slot and you could pull out your bottle from between two steel pieces, as I recall. As well, these machines had built-in bottle openers.
    And something I really miss a lot! F W Woolworth! Those stores were packed with many things at pretty good prices! And there was always a long, long brown counter with chairs where you could sit and have a breakfast or lunch, and their desserts were delicious and fresh! So you could walk in, have breakfast and do your shopping all in one place! (except for groceries)...although they did sell things like snacks.
    They also had a pet department where they sold little red-eared slider turtles, budgies and fish! And of course the food, cages and accessories as well.
    Too bad they all closed their doors here, Shady.
    The closest store we have here in Canada is Dollarama. However, there is no lunch counter or live pets. But Dollarama sells practically everything you need (except groceries), although you can buy bread and any canned or packaged items such as soup or beans or vegetables.
    It is one of my favourite stores here along with Giant Tiger and Canadian Tire. And interestingly, all these stores are Canadian! Don't get me wrong, this is not the only reason I like them! They have a great selection and their prices are very reasonable.
    I have never liked Walmart because of the way they treat their staff. :(

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    1. Shady Del KnightAugust 10, 2026 at 7:00 PM

      Hi again, dear Linda!

      Yessum, I have always admired Sally Field, having seen her in Gidget, The Flying Nun, Norma Rae, Steel Magnolias and in her Emmy winning role as Abby Lockhart's bipolar mom on ER. Sally will turn 80 a few months from now, can you believe it? I am also pleased that you know the cute and perky Karen Valentine. I enjoyed Karen's appearances in episodes of Love, American Style and on Room 222. She even starred in her own series Karen in 1975. Karen Valentine will turn 80 in May of next year. Time marches on, doesn't it? I always enjoyed "miniature golf," as we called it in my neck of the woods. I never heard it called anything else.

      We had a Woolworth store in my hometown - York, PA. At a very early age, I tagged along with my mother whenever she went shopping downtown and Woolworth was always one of our stops, especially when we were tired and wanted to sit in air conditioned comfort and enjoy a fountain drink and some ice cream. I don't remember ours having a pet department but it certainly might have. Thanks for telling me about your favorite stores there in Montreal. Their names are all new to me.

      i very much enjoy our chats, dear friend Linda. Thanks again for your support and enjoy the rest of your month. I'll see you in early September!

      Delete
  7. yayaAugust 13, 2026 at 5:52 PM

    Hi Shady! Here I am 2 days late and a dollar short again! First I always have to check out the cool ads and fashion. So fun! Even the smoking one had me shaking my head. How could we have been so dumb to make smoking cool? Oh well, I'm glad I never had that habit! Love the Pepsi ad since that's my vice of choice and the knitted dress reminded me of Mom. No, knitting wasn't her jam but crochet was and my sister asked her to crochet her wedding dress. Mom did it and wow what a beauty it was. She made my wedding dress too but in the usual sewing fashion with her and I making the design. Yep, 2 one of a kind wedding dresses for her only girls. Good memories. The Ingenue mag that asked about when teens should marry had me saying, NEVER! I'm sure there are teens who married and all was good but I sure haven't met any. Some of those fashions could be worn today but women sure were dressed up more back then even for the grocery store. No jammies and slippers like I see at Walmart! Ha! Here at the Pines we're are up to our arms in newborn babies and loving it. I got a text from my brother Jim in Georgia and my niece, Athena had her first baby, a girl! This is the summer of cousins I guess! Have a good rest of the week Shady and thanks for the memories! BTW, I didn't know any of the songs but for some trivia, Gladys Knight joined the LDS church which I think you know I'm a card carrying member of! Oh, and I loved the Gidget movies but not so much Debbie Walley's Gidget. That's all my commentary for today! Hugs from Ohio!

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  8. BirgitAugust 16, 2026 at 11:28 AM

    Hello Dear Shady!' Your post escaped my view until today. I don't know if I heard any of these songs but I enjoyed them and your theme. Yes, how old should a teen be before they marry? Yikes!! He'll, the teens were more mature then and look how well they would dress as compared to now! A dirty oversized t-shirt and pajama bottoms with crocs. The gals today have no idea how to do m7ch and neither do the guys! I love a lot of the fashion and could wear a nice pencil skirt, but not now. I l9ve the sporty look of the tops and give me blue or purple any day. I also love your movie picks and I need to see that film with Vincent Price again. I think Peter Lorre is in that? It's been a long time. I also enjoyed the Astaire flick with the beautiful Lili Palmer. The Ads are so much for their day since we don't buy stuff to tan any more and forget Cigarette ads. At least I don't see the ad where the man spanks his wife/girlfriend with the hairbrush. Mind you, I l9ved it when Wayne did that to O'Hara in Mclintock. Wishing you a grand day, week and month

    ReplyDelete

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