NEIGHBORHOOD TIME-TRAVELING,PT. 6: "TOO MUCH, TOO SOON"(1958)

 As we reach the midpoint of our kitchen destruction renovation, I've been able to find a few minutes to quickly type out something that doesn't require much thinking. (Maybe I should enter politics.)

For some reason, I've always had a thing for watching the opening credits of old movies I otherwise have little or no interest in watching. This week, the lucky winner was Too Much, Too Soon, based on the autobiography of the doomed Diana Barrymore. 

Following a typical late 1950s downbeat jazz style opening theme, Too Much, Too Soon cuts to an establishing shot of Central Park.

I immediately recognized the Boat Pond (that's toy sailboats, in case you were wondering) on the 5th Avenue side of the Park between 72nd and 75th Streets. And that was the only thing that looked familiar. What was that skyscraper near the right? And am I so dim that I've missed that domed building on the left for over 40 years? It was time for a stroll through the Park to find out.

Hey, no wonder why it doesn't look the same -- those damn oxygen-providing trees blocking the view! The smaller buildings on the right of the screen grab were replaced by taller ones. And that thin skyscraper disappeared somewhere along the way. The green-roofed cafe we see here didn't exist at the time of filming.

If you look carefully, you can see the tall apartment building left of center that was in Too Much, Too Soon. The smaller building to its right, now hidden by trees, is still there, too.

But what of the mysterious domed building to its left? Here's how it looks now:

No dome on this co-op. I needed to know, now, the identity of the structure that was there once upon a time. A moment's research brought me to this:

Temple Beth-El at 76th Street and 5th Avenue, built in 1891, torn down in 1945. No wonder I never noticed it! 

A couple of things stand out. First, it dwarfs the surrounding buildings. Second -- check out those billboards on the right. Cupid Bouquet was a brand of little cigars. It must have been good because the tagline says NOT MADE BY A TRUST.

To its right is a product I can't make out. But the third product is Vin Mariani, a red wine infused with cocaine. So refreshing! Look carefully at the photo -- it received the official endorsement of Pope Leo XIII. Refreshing and holy!

The final billboard is for Beeman's Pepsin Gum. Pepsin was said to aid digestion, a claim the FDA would likely not agree with. Now it's known by the more drab Beeman's Chewing Gum. No more pepsin for people with upset stomachs.

Back to matters at hand. Temple Beth-El was torn down 13 years before the making of Too Much, Too Soon. And that scene takes place circa 1940. Whether deliberately or not, somebody at Warner Bros. dug out an age-appropriate shot from the files. Could it have been filmed for the previously-discussed Central Park 26 years earlier? I wish I could ponder it further over a glass of Vin Mariani.

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To read about the great pre-code Central Park, go here.