Brew 102 Makes Racial History and the World's Worst Beer

Brew 102 was so proud of their Miss Brew 102 contest, they hired two professional photographers to cover it. I suspect it was because they were making both racial progress and a marketing move to the hood, but both are speculation. Whatever, the press was assembled to cover the brew beauty pageant. Shown is the lovely Louise Franklin hopefully placing the deciding vote in favor of the sisters, though either are certainly pretty enough to sell beer. Either would also work better on the label than that bottle neck "coming at 'cha" or the Shemp-like mug of the owner.

I first heard of "Brew 102" when I found a trio of 8 x 10 glossy photographs, but I first read of it on a web bulletin board titled "What is the worst beer you ever tasted?" It didn't lack for contributions. I would enter "Golden Goebel" which was 89 cents a six in college. We had numerous names for it, all variations of the "taste likes piss" phrase so common among underage drinkers.

It appears Brew 102 was the Golden Goebel of Los Angeles. Reading up on it finds a good share of memories, all of them bad. The 101 highway through LA was curved to allow for their big cauldron ferment tanks. An eyesore of a big sign remembered by fathers. A beer can hunter killed through mishap while digging around the ruins of the brewery decades later. A typical day in the life Dull Tool Dim Bulb.

I find no mention of the contest. The African-American model may be named "Louise Franklin" according to a note scribbled on the reverse. I hope the sister won, because while it may be just the camera angle, the blond's head is ENORMOUS!


Original 8 x 10 glossy photographs by Art Adams and Irving C. Smith no dates Collection Jim Linderman

BIG UPDATE! Scott Warmuth looks close, finds answer!

Did you notice that the contestants for Miss 102 include a set of twins? The Peralto Twins won the contest; Bo Franklin, the African-American woman, placed second after weeks of being in the lead in the voting.

This shady contest is covered in the book The Melody Lingers On: Scenes from the Golden Years of West Coast Jazz.

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Los Angeles Cult Murder and Mayhem 75 Years Before Charlie Manson

Aieee! A pair of related religious nuts, and dangerous ones at that. Shown here is Mrs. May Otis Blackburn and Ruth Angeline Wieland A.K.A Ruth Rizzio. Tell me, did you ever hear of the Divine Order of the Royal Arms of the Great Eleven? No? Count your blessings.

This mother and daughter team of freaky prophets attracted over 100 converts to the same neck of the woods as Charlie Manson 75 years earlier, and it appears they baked at least one of them to death.

Let's start with the Angels. No, not the baseball team, nor the ones who flutter down in white feathered wings to grant wishes. I mean the "Angel Michael" who spoke to May in 1922 while Ruth was working as a taxi dancer (read "hooker"?) and dictated to her "The Lamb's Book of Life." It took 42 months. I presume Ruth helped but took time off for a few close, slow dances with Mr. Lonely Heart, but that is a guess. It must have been a good book, for soon Ruth had 100 cult members living with them a stone's throw from where Charlie would set up camp decades later. What is it about the Santa Susanna mountains? I don't know if Charlie had an agenda other than sending hippie chicks out on murderous creeps and touching off a race war... but this mother and daughter team of gospel grifters seemed only to be seeking God's reward on earth! However, like the Mansonites, the cult did dance around naked.

You can wiki up the Blackburn Cult and A good account of the sleazy sect is found HERE


A Post also on old time religion the BLOG

Crazy Nude Messiah and Kidnapped Converts (When Pictures do not tell the Whole Story)

Pictures often don't tell the story. A couple of dudes last year coming down from the mountain. So their woman friend dresses odd...lots of them do. Right?

This 1938 picture shows Mark Silverman (left...you know...the guy who looks like a friend of yours) and his "unwilling converts." Silverman was in fact a self-proclaimed "Messiah" who kidnapped the other two (Ms. "Button Pants" and that other guy who looks like a friend of yours) and forced them to live in the hills of San Gabriel Canyon, L.A. for 4 months. After the press was done photographing them, Silverman was taken by the deputy sheriff to a "psycopathic" ward.

Silverman forced the couple (actually his sister-in law and his brother Joe) to live nude in a cave the entire time while attempting to hypnotize them into murder and waiting "for the world's end." Prior to the kidnapping, he had gone to his mother's home where he burned her furniture and clothing. Mom was taken hostage as well, but was released earlier as mountain life wasn't good for her health. Before taking the hostages, Silverman, described as a "religious fanatic" was a shoemaker. Perhaps that explains Joe's spiffy boots! Regardless, Crazy Mark declared himself Jesus Christ and feed the pair walnuts, avocados and raw potatoes.

While being held for an insanity complaint later, Silverman denied being crazy, having queer religious beliefs and also pointed out he did not believe in nudism. Charges against him were dismissed.

Really, I thought it was a Banana Republic ad. Two questions not answered by the photo? Where did one of the victims get bell-bottoms in 1938? And why would ANYONE read fiction? This would have been damn hard to conjure up.

Also posted on my old time religion blog.

Original Press Photograph "Messiah comes out of the Hills with "Converts" 1938 Collection Jim Linderman

Teeny Tiny Grauman's Chinese Theater and Big Hand

Model of Grauman's Chinese Theater, complete with tiny hand-prints of the stars.
Original Press Photograph 1946 Collection Jim Linderman