Cliff Grass

When I was still a kid it was tradition with my mother to watch Guy Lambardo's band, the Royal Canadians (see the Wikipedia article on Guy Lombardo for more information, as well as another article at the Canadian Encyclopedia site) , play on New Year's Eve at the Waldorf Astoria, which they did until 1976. The interest, of course, came from the fact that her cousin, Cliff Grass, was a vocalist and sax player in the band which he joined in 1946 and later retired from in 1975. He passed away in 1993. Guy Lambardo died in 1977.

The pictures to the right are from my mother's collection and were found in a menu from The Cocoanut Grove nightclub in LA at the famous Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard. He signed the menu in 1958 "to my favorite cousin." Sadly the Ambassador closed to the general public in 1989 after a decline in the 1970's. The assassination of Robert F. Kennedy occurred at this hotel in 1968 which may have contributed to the eventual decline. It was demolished in 2005-2006, with parts of the Cocoanut Grove nightclub retained for future inclusion in a school.

The second photo is captioned as "Cliff Grass Featured With Gray Gordon And His Orchestra." Gray Gordan formed his first band in 1936. At a site featuring information on the historic "Big Bands," it is mentioned that:
"Cliff Grass, who was the primary vocalist, also played lead alto-sax. He was vocalist on the bands biggest sellling record 'Blue In The Black of Night' (Bluebird 7838)."

From the Canadian Encyclopedia referenced above, this section illustrates the work and scope of the band during Cliff's era:
"The Royal Canadians also took residencies in Los Angeles in the 1930s and long engagements in other New York nightclubs after leaving the Roosevelt Grill in 1962. The orchestra toured extensively in the USA and Canada, performing both for dances in small communities and in the nightclubs of major cities. Though heard most often on the CBS network, it also had radio shows on NBC and MBS and was seen in a series telecast on WNBT, New York, in the mid-1950s from the Roosevelt Grill. The Royal Canadians appeared in the movies Many Happy Returns (1934), Stage Door Canteen (1943), and No Leave, No Love (1946), performed at the inaugural balls for every US president from F.D. Roosevelt to Dwight Eisenhower, and again in 1985 for Ronald Reagan, and played for several World Series at Yankee Stadium, New York."

Side note: The first picture shows Cliff at a microphone with the call letters "WIBC." This was a radio station in Indianapolis, Indiana, and there is a very informative Wikipedia article on this as well.

Additional note: YouTube has some video footage where Cliff Grass is singing at Darktown Strutters Ball. Go to this site.

Ollie Hammond's Steak House

Before I was born in 1960, my mother worked at the then well-known restaurant Ollie Hammond's Steak House on Wilshire Boulevard. She told me that she helped to open another restaurant. By 1950 there were at least three restaurants, one located in the Beverly Hills area on La Cieneca, the one on Wilshire, and the third at Third and Fairfax. According to a history of the restaurant from one of the menus in the 1950's, Ollie Hammond built his first Steak House during the early part of 1934 (said to be 16 years old at the writing of that history.) The Beverly Hills site opened in June of 1940, and the Town & Country Steak House opened on June 24, 1942. Based on memories of what my mother told me, I am assuming that there may have been yet a fourth restaurant that she helped open in another location, although I have not yet found confirmation for that.

My mother also told me that Mr. Hammond had been involved in an auto accident, probably not long before 1960, and suffered some kind of head injury. He was told to stay home and rest, but didn't follow through as he should have. As a result there were noticeable personality changes, and she found it difficult to work for him after that. Although my mother could not work at the restaurant after 1960, since she was now a single mother, she did continue doing payroll and other work for some time after that. I know that after Ollie Hammond's, and before we moved in the mid-60's she worked for Poor Richard's Restaurant as well, and possibly for Lawry's or Carl's (?).

My mother (seated to the right in the photo, in a navy blue dress suit) initially worked for Ollie Hammonds as a waitress and probably as hostess, but later became a manager of the restaurant, and as I indicated above, possibly helped to open another site. My godfather was also a key member of the business, whose name was Vaughn K. Thompson (pictured on the left side of the photo in the dark suit and tie.) I think that he may have been one of the main chefs and possibly a general manager or co-owner with Mr. Hammond. The pictures I see of him are usually with a chef's hat. He was originally from Utah and was a Mormon by faith. His death may have occurred around 1977. My natural father, William D. Smith, a waiter at Ollie Hammond's, took over my mother's position after my birth. I don't think he is in the photo.

Ollie Hammond's restaurant on La Cienega is said by some to have eventually burned down and I'm not sure about the fate of the other restaurants. Others claim it didn't burn down, but simply disappeared. Mr. Hammond, I read, had served as president of the Santa Monica Rotary Club from 1969 to 1970, but other than that I could not locate any other information on him via the Web. The picture to the right, from my mother's collection, was probably taken sometime in the 1950's. My guess is that he was probably in his 50's at this point. I think that he may have been an engineer by trade, and I seem to remember that she told me the original restaurant was started with money from an inheritance.

There are a few sites on the Web with some recollections regarding Ollie Hammond's, although none that describe Mr. Hammond or other workers of the time. The most informative was at the site called "Chowhound." It has a nice description of the restaurant, which some described as a cross between a coffee shop and a fine-dining restaurant, which fits with what my mother had described. The original restaurant begun in 1934 had 18 stools and 2 booths. The building was expanded in 1935, and from that date began a 24-hour business. My mother also made mention of the distinctive red leather booths, a kind of trademark of Ollie Hammond's.

The final picture is of Mr. Thompson at one of the red leather booths, showing a somewhat different view of the restaurant's interior.

Note:  Ollie Hammond's last restaurant closed in 1979.

Family Names

My family tree is probably a bit more complicated than some, and therefore involves a few more names to which I am connected. I list them here in the event that someone may be researching family trees connected with any of them.

ENGEBRETSON - I was adopted by my father George Engebretson in 1974, who was the son of the late Douglas Engebretson (1895-1925) and Stella nee Duranso. His first marriage was to a Gerda nee Schnell of Germany, in 1955 while he was stationed overseas. They were divorced in 1958, but had one daughter Caroline. Gerda later died in 1971. He was married to my mother Dorothy in 1972. He passed away in 1988. My mother passed away in 2002. Prior to 1974 I carried my mother's maiden name Grass. George lived from 1922 to 1988, and was a highly decorated veteran of World War II and the Korean conflict, earning the Bronze Star among other medals. During World War II he fought in the famous Normandy Invasion and was most likely present at the Nuremberg War Trials. But more of that later....

SMITH - Now how's that for a common name! Unfortunately this was the name of my natural father, William D. Smith. I was born in Pasadena in 1960 and lost track of him years ago since my mother chose to raise me by herself, and we moved from the coast in the late 60's. There must be literally hundreds, if not thousands of men by his name associated with California. I believe he may have passed away sometime in the 1970's. He worked for the well-known Ollie Hammond's Steak House in California back in the 1950's and 1960's. More about Ollie Hammonds in a future article....

GRASS - This was my mother's maiden name. My natural grandfather, who passed away in 1933 from an auto accident, was Charles Grass. Dorothy, my mother, was a cousin of the well-known Cliff Grass, past member of Guy Lambardo's band. More on that later.... BTW, my grandmother ran across some information that suggests that the name Grass may be a variation of DeGrass (DeGrasse?), a French name. For many years we thought that it was an Anglicization of an Austrian name Grauf or Graus, or something like that.

MACAULEY - This name reflects a Scotch-Irish heritage. This was my maternal grandmother's maiden name. Her first name was Pearl. The McCauley family from which I am descended is mainly connected with Crandon, Wisconsin. My great-grandfather was Thomas Walter Macauley (1873 - 1937). My great-great grandfather was William Macauley who had been born in New York state, city unknown. He died in 1897. My maternal great-grandmother was Margaret (nee Rupp) Macauley (1882-1964). My great-great grandfather's mother's maiden name was Reynolds, and she was born in Ireland.

BOHLMAN - This is the name of my mother's stepfather, the only grandfather I really ever knew. His name was Leonard, and he passed away in 1986. I believe my grandmother remarried in 1937.