Philly Tales Blog

When I grew up in Philly during the 1940s and 1950s, my family was not particularly religious. My dad was a nonpracticing Catholic, and my mom was ...

1953 to 1957 – Ages 9 to 13 – Summer The siren's sound was deafening as our teacher quickly guided us to the hallway and told us to put our heads b...

Yesteryear Technology We live in a fabulous technological world! So many great technical feats make our lives better and healthier. For example, in...

It’s odd to look back to my days growing up during the 1950s in Philadelphia’s Kensington section. Kensington today is different from the blue-coll...

People often tell you, “Don’t sweat the small things,” and that’s good advice when it comes to things that disturb you. However, it’s the small thi...

On November 22, 1963, I was working in the darkroom making prints of some target or another for my employer, the United States Air Force. It was a ...

My favorite Bruce Springsteen song is “The Streets of Philadelphia.” It gives me a lump in my throat every time I hear it. This haunting song remin...

Can you believe it? The summer is almost over, and it seems like it just started. This summer will be memorable, but mostly for the wrong reasons. ...

When you live in one place for a long time, you get comfortable with your surroundings, get used to the people who live near you, and become accust...

By Harry Hallman Kensington had a lot of hot rods, and in fact the whole country was crazy for hot rods in the ’50s and ’60s. Movies such as Rebel...

Dogs, Cats, Salamanders, and Scarlet Johansson. Oh my! By Harry Hallman Updated March 13, 2023 The other day while I was lying on my two-thousand-d...