Sunday, November 8, 2009
Lost Memphis Old Signs from the TROPICAL FREEZE! Wow!
Posted by Vance Lauderdale on Sun, Nov 8, 2009 at 5:27 PM
And then a few days ago, a reader who identified himself only as skipchip, sent me this message:
The owner of the Tropical Freeze, Eleanora Waddell, died January 15, 2007 in Memphis. Several items from the shop were recently stored in Memphis. I have photos of some of the menu boards.
I immediately wrote back and asked for photos of the signs, and here you go (more images below). Notice that he also has a few decorative panels as well, with brightly painted palm tree designs.
Looking over the menus, the selection at the Tropical Freeze wasn't really very unusual, but you'll notice they did offer such oddities as "Tropical Sundaes" (just 35 cents), a Papaya Juice Pina Colada (25 cents), and even an ice cream flavor they called (what else?) "Tropical Freeze" ( a whole pint for just 30 cents).
Also, their "Tropical Shakes" were "made with our own Tropical Freeze — a delightful blend — of island-grown products." What's more, they were "nature's most healthful, non-fattening and refreshing flavors."
Many, many thanks for sharing all these pictures, Chip. If you want to sell any of these to the Lauderdale Library, well, you know how to reach me. (See more photos on the next page.)
Okay, now I've heard the Tropical Freeze had a little dancing hulu girl in the window. I've also heard that the great neon sign that stood on Poplar was propped against a fence behind a house on Brookhaven Circle, where it remained for years until one day it disappeared. So what I want to know is:
WHERE IS ALL THE OTHER STUFF FROM THE TROPICAL FREEZE???????
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Skipchip, if you will get in touch with Vance, I would like to talk to you about a segment on WKNO-TV's "Southern Routes". Hope to hear from you! :-)
I sure have fond memories of the Tropical Freeze. I wish it was still there.
Oh, how I looooved going there in the back of a chevy station wagon! We were so excited! I loved the hawaiin music that came out of those speakers! Wasn't there an old man who used to have a fruit and vegetable stand east of there on Poplar right by the railroad tracks?
Dang, you "heard" these things? I thought you were older than I am. The MUS school bus used to stop at the Tropical Freeze every day on the ride home.
The restaurant became a Roy Rogers roast-beef place. I remember that from the early '70s, then a Pancho's Taco, then a Starbucks.
Devin, did the Tropical Freeze "become" the Roy Rogers, or was it demolished and rebuilt as a new place entirely? That seems to be part of the mystery here. You can see remnants of the original stone wall that once stood behind the building, but I'm not sure if any other parts of the complex remain on the site.
I checked the property records and there is no 5201 Poplar listed. the next business to the west is Jimmy Johns Sandwiches at 5181 Poplar. Property records online show a 5191 Poplar listed is listed as built in 1968, the same year Roy Rodger's website said they opened their first restaurants, plus the building looks more Western than Tropical. So smart money is on Tropical Freeze having been a different building.
So can I fill in when you go on vacation?
Devin, you are surely correct. I vaguely recall seeing a very blurry photo of the Tropical Freeze building somewhere (probably an ad in a school yearbook, again), and it bears no resemblance to the current building, even if you take into account the various modifications to the current site over the years, as it morphed from a Roy Rogers into a Starbucks.
And yes, you can take over when I go on my "vacation." Here, though, we call it "parole."
I remember I was there one of the times the corner fountain was "salvo'd" by a passing car of guys. I think it was Bobby Wampler's older brother.
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