IF you wish to see Margie Rayburn and Norman Malkin's entire restored 8mm vacation film that includes areas of southern CA and part of what looks like Tajuana click on this link. • 1960s California Vacat...
Episode #6 of the Sacramento Time Traveler. This episode looks at a building that stands across from the CA State Capitol on the corner of 13th and N Street and a lady that once performed there.
The 14 story el Mirador Hotel was erected in 1957 and served a fairly influential clientele during its 12 year existence. It was also the first major hotel built in downtown Sacramento since 1930 and was known quite well during much of its existence for having what has been described as a 24 hour party atmosphere.
The el Mirador boasted two swimming pools, three cocktail lounges and offered fine dining at the Granada Room restaurant as well as the Sky Room where diners had wonderful views of the State Capitol and park below.
It was said that on Thursdays patrons of the Sky Room including many Politicians and lobbyists enjoyed what was reported to be an extraordinary lunch that featured an open bar. I spoke with a gentleman that worked at the time for KCRA as a news cameraman and had attend a few of the Thursday luncheons and he confirmed something I had read on the internet. He told me that many of the same folks that attended that open bar lunch would many times participate afterward in what he called an evening of carnal sporting events. He would not elaborate so I can only speculate on what that entailed but will not go into further detail on this family oriented video.
As advertised in their brochure, musical entertainment was enjoyed at the el Mirador Hotel Roof Lounge. Downstairs at the Lower Bar an underwater ballet could be seen through a large window that gazed into one the swimming pools. The hotel closed in 1969 and today is the home of the "Park Place Senior Community".
I suppose it’s possible that someone living there now stayed at or enjoyed the entertainment of the el Mirador in its heyday. That's a romantic idea that puts a smile on my face.
I mentioned earlier the el Mirador provided musical entertainment on the roof. This lady, Recording artist Margie Rayburn is seen here and announced via the billboard above as having once performed at that long gone cocktail lounge. Margie, her multi-talented husband Norman Malkin and their dog stayed at the hotel while she performed and they shot this 8mm film for the occasion.
Most will not remember either of these performers as their musical careers was fairly short lived and longa ago but both Rayburn and Malkin have minor claims to a bit of fame. In the mid 1950s they were both apart of an American pop music trio called the Sunnysiders. This is also where they first met and later married. In 1955 one of the songs they recorded on Kapp Records was a real hit "Hey! Mr. Banjo", and it reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. As a side note, at one time Norman Malkin was a member of Spike Jones and his City Slickers.
Rayburn can also lay claim to a bit of personal fame as she had a top 10 hit in 1957 with the song "I'm Available". It was released on Liberty Records and reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November of that year. She also co-wrote with Malkin the 1963 song "Roman Holiday".
After that her popularity seemed to slowly fade and the mid 1960s would see the end of Margie Rayburn’s musical career. This lady was born in Madera, California as Marjorie Helen Orwig on June 3, 1924 and retired from this mortal coil at the age of 76 on June 14, 2000.
18 апр 2024
