The Willow Glen Resident

Photograph courtesy of Cookie Curci-Wright

Rocci Curci (pictured here with waitress Juanita Brown) created a familial atmosphere at his Pronto Pup creamery in the 1950s. Regulars remember Curci fondly.

Pronto Pup was hangout for teenagers in the '50s

By Cookie Curci-Wright

Ask anyone who grew up in Willow Glen during the "Fabulous '50s," and they'll remember Rocci's Pronto Pup at 1383 Lincoln Ave. as the heartbeat of teenage Willow Glen.

The Pronto Pup creamery was the center of afterschool activities. When my generation remembers the "Pup," we remember flavorful hand-packed Meadow Gold ice cream, sold in cardboard containers with little wire handles, and merchandise such as sunglasses, razor blades, nail clippers, keychain can openers, Panatela cigars and Old Gold cigarettes. We recall soda fountain treats such as strawberry sundaes, root-beer floats and cherry colas, the smell of grilled Wimpy burgers and sizzling baskets of golden fries.

We remember reading Dell Comics for hours at a time while sipping on 15-cent lemon cokes. (10 cents for the cola and 5 cents extra for the squirt of lemon or cherry syrup). We remember the glass candy case, lined with 5-cent treats like Mountain Bars, Walnettos, Choclettos, Zig-Zags and Big Hunk candy bars.

But most of all, when Willow Glen kids from the 1950s remember the "Pup," they remember my dad, Rocci, a tall, robust man with dark hair, a big mustache, a heart of gold, a warm, friendly manner and a sense of humor. Rocci was the owner/manager of the soda shop, and in a way, he was partially responsible for guiding several generations of Willow Glen youngsters into adulthood. The kids of the Pronto Pup weren't just Rocci's customers; they were "Rocci's Kids," and he watched out for them, took an interest in their lives and steered them in the right direction. Rocci's creed was, "Stay out of trouble, work for what you want and save your pennies--they add up to dollars." Whenever he could, he'd pass this way of thinking on to his young customers.

One of Rocci's original regulars, Dave Falcone (now owner of Falcone Plumbing), once told me how, as a kid, he had a passion for bacon burgers, but they weren't on Rocci's menu. So, just for Dave, Rocci created a special bacon burger and named it in his honor: "The Falcon Burger." Dave's hamburger soon caught on, and every kid wanted to try it. The bacon burger was so popular that Rocci eventually had to include it on his menu.

Falcone also recalls that when local boys joined Little League, it was Rocci they wanted to sponsor their team.

"If one of us needed to earn some extra spending money," Rocci's nephew, Richard Furduto, says, "Rocci put us to work stacking Coke bottles, sweeping floors, washing dishes or cleaning out the storage shed. A lot of kids held down their very first jobs at Rocci's place."

Another Pronto Pup regular was Vince Trillo, who remembers a pay phone that hung on the back wall of the shop. "It rang daily with our parents calling to check on us kids," Trillo says. "Rocci continually reminded us all to call home and let our parents know where we were, but none of us wanted to spend a whole 10 cents on the call. Rocci solved the problem by coming up with an idea that satisfied us all. He suggested that we call home and let the phone ring once. When Mom and Dad heard the signal, they'd call us back at the shop. The kids got their dime back, the parents got to talk to their teenagers and everybody was happy."

A dime went a long way in those days, and we didn't want to waste one on a mere phone call. A dime could get us 10 turns on the penny gumball machine, two Hershey Bars, 10 "weights and fortunes" on the penny scale, a double scoop of creamy ice cream on a sugar cone, a comic book or a Top 10 tune on the jukebox.

In the fall when Halloween rolled around and the teenage pranksters soaped up local business windows, the Pronto Pup wasn't spared. But it was Rocci's place where all the kids gathered the following morning to help him clean up the mess.

The soda shop jukebox jumped 'round the clock as dating couples dropped in handfuls of nickels and dimes to hear their favorite tunes, like Fats Domino's "Blueberry Hill," and Kay Starr's "Wheel of Fortune." One of the most popular songs was the Platters' "Shake, Rattle and Roll." Customers laughed with Rocci when he misunderstood the lyrics to this classic song and insisted the words were: "Shake Marilyn Monroe."

Many youngsters from the old Pronto Pup days have told me that the time they spent with Rocci was an education in itself and one of the happiest times of their lives. They learned a lot about life just talking, listening and observing from their seats around the soda shop counter.

The alumni of the Pronto Pup are many, and to them I dedicate this little memory of their old Rocci, and the treasured teenage days they spent with him and their Willow Glen pals just "goofin' off" at the Pup.

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