Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Posted by Marisa on

To celebrate the birthday anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his legacy to the African-American community, I’m re-posting this entry from October of 2013. I still can’t get over these pictures. They are such a treasure.

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I am so. excited. to be bringing you today’s pics. Thanks to my new Facebook pal Juan Ibáñez Mateos, from beautiful Barcelona, Spain, we are presenting some candid photographs of young Timothy that I can pretty much guarantee you have never seen before. They were taken at an unknown venue by an unknown photographer sometime in the mid-1950s. It looks like there is some kind of song-and-dance talent competition going on. The Johnny Otis Band is going to town in the background. And Mr. Timothy Carey is owning the room.

Tim and the Johnny Otis Band, mid-50s

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The fellow who gave these pics to Juan was apparently unaware that Tim was even in them. They have a marvelous LIFE magazine quality. In the James Dean article from Movie Stars Parade magazine, Tim tells Dean that he spent a lot of time at the 5-4 Ballroom in Los Angeles. I’m willing to bet that these pics were taken there. And, of course, we’ve all got to wonder – did Tim win the competition? Eternal thanks to the unknown photographer, the friend who passed these on to Juan, and Juan himself. I am just blown away by this unexpected glimpse into the life and times of young Tim. I’ve been walking around with a goofy grin on my face since yesterday. It’s showing no signs of going away anytime soon. I hope you love these pics as much as I do.

4 responses to “Happy Martin Luther King Day!”

  2. Wow, another El Monte connection. Johnny Otis played it seems every weekend at the El Monte Legion Auditorium during the early and mid fifties. As a kid I lived just across the tracks on Kauffman St, you could hear that sax for miles. I went in many times to see Johnny perform, I wonder if Tim might have been there to a few times too. No regrets, I met him years later and was thrilled to shake his hand. A nice man who acted out anything but nice, but that’s what made him a standout. Richard

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    • Richard, I didn’t know that! Is there any possibility that these pics were taken there and not in LA? Does the venue look familiar at all? Getting some provenance, as they say, with regard to these pics would be so great. Thanks as always for sharing your memories of Tim!

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