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| Scantily-clad dancer from La Ronde bar, 1967 |
The massive event brought more than just positive vibes and merry recollections, it also sprouted new business concepts that alterted the urban landscape.
Expo 67 offered entrepreneurs a chance to try out business ideas with relatively minor investment, some of which that went on to become prominent long-term businesses in Montreal.
1-Irish pubs: The recently-deceased radio ad salesman Danny Dooner and a couple of colleagues gathered proof of concept with their thriving Irish pub on the grounds of the Expo 67.
Their Irish pub on the Expo grounds proved so successful that they duplicated it on Montreal's first Irish pub, the Hunter's Horn on Peel Street. Many other Irish pubs followed, of course and have become a fixture in the city that has become one of most profitable and stable business cliches.
2-Separatism: The flags of 60 participating countries flew proudly in Montreal in 1967, which led many Quebecers to ask: why not Quebec? We can be a country too! Prior to Expo 67, Quebec's independence movement was a tiny group of violent oddballs, bomb-tossing repressed homosexual psychopaths but that changed fast, as the event led to a stirring of Quebec nationalism, as did the Olympics of 1976.
3-Oompah band bars: German lederhosen bars were another hit at Expo 67 and that inspired one of Montreal's least non-unforgettable bars, the giant Old Munch on Dorch and Denis.
The Old Munich was a joyous spot where people drank ample ale and joined in Krautish conga lines. See the excellent Montreal 375 Tales for more fascinating background on this and other places.
4-Strip clubs: Stripteasing dancing places appeared in massive numbers in 1968, thanks partially to strip-bar at La Ronde, the amusement park built for the event. The bar, run by a pair of Frenchmen from France, including Lucien Morin, was known as l'Antre du diable.
It had been refused permission to host striptease shows but did them anyway without complaint. (In contrast, police caused a fuss when they arrested actors of the the Saltimbanques drama company on 25 September 1967 after they concluded that one of their shows on the La Ronde grounds was too naughty).
Strippers became a main draw for the city of Montreal in subsequent years. Montreal's strip clubs appears to have peaked at about 80 on the island in about 1977, not to mention countless others off island. Fewer than 20 strip clubs still exist on the island today.
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| Another La Ronde dancer |
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| And a third one |
I remember plenty of strip joints…and of course the Old Munich and Hunter’s Horn…It was a lively place as was the Old Munich, where I spent several New Year’s getting sloshed..those were the days, my friends…..
ReplyDeleteAnother innovation that Expo67 introduced to the public were the ubiquitous Touch-Tone pay phones to be found at various locations around the site as well as at the Bell Pavilion which offered displays and hands-on technology such as the Picturephone.
ReplyDeleteTouch-Tone (a Bell registered trade mark), using transistorized DTMF technology, began testing about 1960 at the U.S. AT&T labs and subsequently offered on trial to selected customers in certain locations around Pittsburgh, PA, and Canada in 1961 such as with the 482 exchange in N.D.G., Montreal. Touch-Tone was officially introduced to the U.S. public on Nov. 18, 1963. Links below:
The Montreal Star, Sept. 28, 1961, page 82 "200 to Make 'Touch Tone' Phone Trial".
The Montreal Star, Sept. 27, 1966, page 25-26 "Instant Data Will Be on Call".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push-button_telephone - History
https://ethw.org/Telephone_Dials - Touch-Tone model variations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t5na44D0Dw - Touch-Tone versus dial phone - short video, public introduction at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_Pavilion_(Expo_67) - Bell Pavilion
It would be interesting to read comments in this blog from any local Montreal residents or businesses who in 1961 volunteered to try out the new technology and for how long they were permitted to use it before Bell Canada reclaimed them for the inevitable further improvements--a situation perhaps somewhat similar to the ill-fated 1996 EV-1 electric car which were, despite its popularity, unceremoniously taken away from their lease-only, contract users and then shockingly sent en masse to the crusher (!) by General Motors despite the intense public uproar at the time and, indeed, the head-shaking regret that lingers even today--a classic case back then of politics interfering with modernization.
The very first Touch-Tone I ever saw was a phone booth near Burlington, Vermont back in 1966.
I don't specifically remember if Expo67's Touch-Tone phone booths continued to remain at its successor site Man and His World from 1968 onwards.
I do remember, however, that in 1972 residential Touch-Tone service began to be offered to existing, rotary dial subscribers in my own neighbourhood.
Incidentally, for those who may have wondered, rotary dial phones can technologically and legally still be used in residences that use a basic, single landline; that they will continue to connect to the network, and are unlikely to be relegated mechanically and electronically obsolete, at least for the foreseeable future. Presumably, rotary dial service remains as a back-up if the DTMF switches go down.
Although dial phones are obviously problematic when a residential subscriber attempts to use one for business purposes where additional digits are required to complete a call to a specific company department, dial phones are still handy for RECEIVING incoming calls such as in a spare room, workshop, garage, etc., even if only as nostalgic conversation pieces.
* * *
Hello, former "phone guy" contributor Mr. MP&I. Are you still with us?
Another innovation that Expo67 introduced to the public were the ubiquitous Touch-Tone pay phones to be found at various locations around the site as well as at the Bell Pavilion which offered displays and hands-on technology such as the Picturephone.
ReplyDeleteTouch-Tone (a Bell registered trade mark), using transistorized DTMF technology, began testing about 1960 at the U.S. AT&T labs and subsequently offered on trial to selected customers in certain locations around Pittsburgh, PA, and Canada in 1961 such as with the 482 exchange in N.D.G., Montreal. Touch-Tone was officially introduced to the U.S. public on Nov. 18, 1963. Links below:
The Montreal Star, Sept. 28, 1961, page 82 "200 to Make 'Touch Tone' Phone Trial".
The Montreal Star, Sept. 27, 1966, page 25-26 "Instant Data Will Be on Call".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push-button_telephone - History
https://ethw.org/Telephone_Dials - Touch-Tone model variations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t5na44D0Dw - Touch-Tone versus dial phone - short video, public introduction at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_Pavilion_(Expo_67) - Bell Pavilion
It would be interesting to read comments in this blog from any local Montreal residents or businesses who in 1961 volunteered to try out the new technology and for how long they were permitted to use it before Bell Canada reclaimed them for the inevitable further improvements--a situation perhaps somewhat similar to the ill-fated 1996 EV-1 electric car which were, despite its popularity, unceremoniously taken away from their lease-only, contract users and then shockingly sent en masse to the crusher (!) by General Motors despite the intense public uproar at the time and, indeed, the head-shaking regret that lingers even today--a classic case back then of politics interfering with modernization.
The very first Touch-Tone I ever saw was a phone booth near Burlington, Vermont back in 1966.
I don't specifically remember if Expo67's Touch-Tone phone booths continued to remain at its successor site Man and His World from 1968 onwards.
I do remember, however, that in 1972 residential Touch-Tone service began to be offered to existing, rotary dial subscribers in my own neighbourhood.
Incidentally, for those who may have wondered, rotary dial phones can technologically and legally still be used in residences that use a basic, single landline; that they will continue to connect to the network, and are unlikely to be relegated mechanically and electronically obsolete, at least for the foreseeable future. Presumably, rotary dial service remains as a back-up if the DTMF switches go down.
Although dial phones are obviously problematic when a residential subscriber attempts to use one for business purposes where additional digits are required to complete a call to a specific company department, dial phones are still handy for RECEIVING incoming calls such as in a spare room, workshop, garage, etc., even if only as nostalgic conversation pieces.
* * *
Hello, former "phone guy" contributor Mr. MP&I. Are you still with us?
There was a strip bar at La Ronde? First I heard, but I was 7 at the time.
ReplyDeleteStripping, compared to burlesque, was still new in 1967. If I understand it, Carol Doda in 1964 was the first to actual show her breasts, no pasties.
Even circa 1976 when Fonda Peters (Lindalee Tracey) organized stripper benefits for the Montreal Children's Hospital), I remember the articles quoted her as talking about keeping burlesque in her act. Only later did I realize it was like hanging onto the past, rather than going retro like I thought at the time.
45 years later, there isn't much time between 1964 and 67 or 76.
Expo 67 also had Belgium waffles, which I could appreciate at the time.