Redartz: Okay, you may be wondering: "the attractions of gas stations"? And in today's world of ubiquitous convenience stores and self-service gas pumps, you could have a point. Gas stations today are almost indistinguishable from each other, and are fairly sterile in design and function. But in the past, gas stations had more variety, more appeals to gain your business, and more service (hence the name 'service stations'; you don't hear that tossed around anymore).
A few examples:
Anyone recall the "Shell Coin Game" promotions that were periodically held in the 60's and 70's? With each stop for gas, the driver (in my case, me- Dad would hand the coins back to us to collect) would receive a coin or two , designed to fit into a holder available at those same gas stations. You would try to collect a given group of coins in order to win a prize. There were Presidential coins, State coins, and my favorite- Mattel "Hot Wheels" coins. Even as late as the mid 90's, such a coin game was still found at Shell...
Other stations would sell toys featuring their logos and corporate designs. Toy fuel trucks, stuffed animals, etc. I always wanted a Citgo Fuel Truck, but never got one (not that many Citgo stations where I grew up).
And they used to give away road maps. Yes, free. My brother and I would pick up a road map on family trips for each state we visited. But those went out even before the last full-service pumps shut down.
So do you have any memories about gas stations, their designs, their promotions, even their commercials? Do they even still have gas commercials anymore? Put a gallon in the tank, pop the hood, and give us your thoughts. I'll get the windshield...
11 comments:
Great column today.., I remember all the Hot Wheels you used to get when your Dad filled up at Shell or whatever gas station it was in the early 70s. There was no need for 'boys toys' and 'girls toys' back then, like McDonalds had to kowtow to in the '80s..
Please forgive me, not to hijack, but it was a huge hit yesterday was the passing of Martin Landau. It was SOOOO ODD that I'm heading down to Jersey in two weeks for some of the 1999 cast and I was texting one of the organizers just yesterday morning. Barbara Bain won't be attending after all, so he casually mentioned that Landau wanted $5k to attend.. I'm not rich my any stretch, but I immediately responded that I could front the cash just to get him there (our childhood heroes aren't getting any younger...), I just wanted to meet him, perhaps throw a lunch in there. So surreal to hear just 6hrs later that he died. Sheesh.
Again, all my love to long ago..
Dutch Shell Oil always was, and still is, the most expensive. Hence us poor folks got gas at Venezuela CITGO which only had a Match Box Car giveaway around 1970,lol! I remember being less than thrilled with what I think was Ford Maverick or Chevy Nova Match Box car... Scarred for life!
When I was 5 years old, my parents surprised me with a DX Getaway Chase Game for Christmas. This was a cops and robbers car chase game that you received for free with a number of fill-ups at DX gas stations. This still stands out as a magical Christmas morning.
In the '60s & '70s, we drove from mid-Missouri to LA to visit relatives for a few weeks of the summer. We looked forward to the kitschy gas station stops along Rte 66, from visits to Mountain Lion cages (free with a fill-up) to free Disney news magazines from Gulf stations. Of course, seeing the large Sinclair dinosaurs were a treat, too. There were always treats to keep us loyal to various gas stations.
I'm straining my brain to remember much about gas stations as I don't recall much of what you describe. Although I think my parents had favorite stations. I recall that we got a significant amount of glassware from the Purple Martin station. I think most of our dinnerware particularly the goblets and tall glasses were from Purple Martin.
David - regarding Martin Landau, my first exposure to him was on a Columbo episode in which he played murderous twins. He was quite good. And he of course excelled in Mission Impossible as a master of disguise. Did you know at a young age he was a comic strip artist on a series called The Gumps? And he also voiced Max Gargan/ Scorpion in a Spider-Man cartoon. From Space 1999 to "North by Northeest" to his acting as Bella Lugosi, he had a storied career.
One thing I remember about gas stations, or rather service stations, was just how many of them there were, and how many people they employed - a testament to how cheap gasoline used to be in the U.S. One thing I specifically recall was that until sometime in the early to mid-1980s, any large 4-way intersection in a city or larger town often had service stations on all four corners, and usually they all had repair shops attached to them, employing at least one full-time mechanic (but usually two).
Otherwise, though, I don't really have any specific memories attached to gas stations, except for one: the Bomber Station in Milwaukie, Oregon. It had an actual B-17 bomber mounted as the awning over the pumps. Here's some sites with more information and some really cool pictures. Sometimes when driving the family to or from Portland (visiting relatives usually), our dad would stop and fill up there, because he knew my sister, brother and me used to think it was really cool. Sadly, it's since been taken down, apparently.
As a city kid in a family that did not have a car most of my life and took few long car trips, I have no memories of gas stations, though I have worked in two different ones in my life, in New Paltz, NY and Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard. The former was your typical Sunoco A+ Minimart, but the latter was an old Texaco that included bicycle and scooter rental, VHS movie rental, and a very poorly stocked convenience store. As the season ended I often found myself manning the pump, the counter in the store, and the shack from where we rented the bikes all at once!
My dad worked at a local gas station in the late 60s, a BA (British American). The only two stations I remember as a kid were Gulf and Esso. Gulf was bought out by PetroCanada in the 80s, but Esso is still around up here, even though Standard Oil disappeared in the States a long time ago.
Anyone remember the old "Put a Tiger in Your Tank" print ads that Esso used to run?
I remember "put a tiger in your tank!" Eventually my little brother and I started bugging the service station dudes for stickers like STP and Cherry Bomb and A/C Spark Plugs. Once I could read I started buying them out of the back of Boys Life!
Thank you for commenting today, everyone!
david_b- yes, Shell seemed to be the gold standard for promotions back then. The Hot Wheels were cool, and immensely popular with us kids.
Disneymarvel- Hey, I remember those Disney magazines from Gulf! Those made great reading on road trips. And you're right about all those touristy gimmicks gas stations used to attract business. It's gratifying to know that they are often still around; I saw many such on my recent cross-country road trip. Especially in the southwest US...
Edo- thanks for posting the links to that Bomber station. Very cool; it would have been a memorable stop for fuel anytime. And the story of it's construction is fascinating; that fellow had quite a task getting it in place.
Mike W. and Charlie- ah yes, "Put a Tiger in Your Tank". Some of those slogans really stuck. Another good one: "Marathon, Best in the Long Run". Used to hear that frequently while listening to the Cincinnati Reds on WLW...
I think my favorite gas station to visit was a Union 76 near the house . That giant orange ball high in the sky was so impressive to my young eyes.
I also recall the first chain gas station in my area that had snacks and such was a Clark.
Those full service stations were starting disappear by the mid seventies but I vividly remember those change belts with the metal tubes full of coin the attendants wore.
They fascinated me.
Good Times!
Just stumbled onto this post, which is quite relevant to the topic at hand: 'Vernacular Gas Stations.' It includes another photo of the bomber station I mentioned. (Flashbak is otherwise quite a fascinating site - I highly recommend occasional visits, although it can be a bit of a rabbit-hole as you end up scrolling down and perusing all of the posts...)
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