Arena Lanes to Reclaim Family Bowling Center in Oak Lawn

Arena Lanes is reclaiming its family bowling center in Oak Lawn.
Courtesy of Let's Bowl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Effective next Tuesday, Arena Lanes will replace the Brunswick Zone Oak Lawn as the name of the bowling center at 4700 W. 103^rd St.

Longtime proprietor Bill Bard is taking back his family’s bowling alley that he leased to Brunswick Corp. in 2001.

The Bard family opened the bowling alley with 24 lanes in 1956 and added 16 lanes in 1962 and ran it until they leased it to Brunswick. Bard said in February that he decided to resume running the alley after Brunswick opted to let its lease expire.

The closing of Brunswick Zone leaves a Brunswick Zone XL in Homewood as the company’s only location in the south suburbs. The other closest Brunswick locations are in Woodridge and River Grove.

DePaulo Travel Relocates in Frankfort

DePaulo Travel, which was displaced when the Village of Frankfort approved plans for a Mariano’s Fresh Market on LaGrange Road, has found a new home in the former Riley’s Trick Shop at 103 Bankview Dr., next door to Heartland Blood Center.

The travel agency has been in Frankfort for 32 years.

Tinley Chamber to Tee Off

The Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual golf outing on Wednesday, July 18, at 8 a.m. at the Odyssey Country Club in Tinley Park. Golf begins with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m.

Cost is $125 per golfer for 18 holes of golf, cart, continental breakfast prior to start, complimentary beverages and lunch on the course and dinner buffet with open bar. Dinner only tickets are $40 per person.

For information or to reserve a tee time, call the chamber office at 708.532.5700 or email info@tinleychamber.org.

Two new mattress stores open in Orland Park.

Discount Mattress USA opened earlier this year at 14700 S. LaGrange Road and Chicago Mattress Outlet opened recently at 15567 S. 94^th Avenue.

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bobbong@hotmail.com.

You can also catch up on Comings & Goings in other parts of the Southland at www.southlandbusinessnews.blogspot.com.

Ernest Borgnine, From Heavy to Funnyman

Ernest Borgnine won an Academy Award in 1955 for "Marty."

By Bob Bong
 Southland Savvy

Ernest Borgnine spent the better part of six decades as an actor and was performing almost to the end.

He died last week of kidney failure. He was 95 and had recently finished work on “The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez,” a film about a bitter old man who finds fame among the Latino workers at a nursing home.

Perhaps best known as the conniving skipper of PT-73 in television’s “McHale’s Navy,” Borgnine had no trouble finding work in films and on television.

He moved back and forth between TV and film with relative ease.

He was often cast as a movie villain in his early years, but managed to take home the Best Actor Oscar for his performance as an Italian butcher who somehow finds love in “Marty” in 1955.

His TV career included “McHale’s Navy,” “Airwolf” and “The Single Guy.” He also lent his voice to animated shows including “SpongeBob Square Pants.” In 2009, at age 92, he was nominated for an Emmy for his performance in the final two episodes of “ER.”

Borgnine’s personal life was almost as remarkable as his film career. He was married five times including a 38-day marriage to Ethel Merman in 1964. Other wives included actress Katy Jurado.

Among his film roles was Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi in “Legend in Granite.” He also appeared as a general in all four “Dirty Dozen” films. Didn’t know there were three made-for-TV sequels, did you?

Other performances included “Bad Day at Black Rock,” “Johnny Guitar,” “Emperor of the North,” and “Ice Station Zebra.”

One of his funnier roles was as the cabbie that chose to stay in New York in the Kurt Russell adventure film “Escape from New York.”

He also appeared in a bit part as the record keeper in Bruce Willis’ spy adventure “Red” in 2010.

You can see how good an actor he was by checking out these six movies available on video, DVD, on-demand and through streaming services.

“From Here to Eternity” (1953) – Borgnine is a brutal MP who beats Frank Sinatra’s character to death in the stockade in this film about military life in Hawaii in the days leading up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Other stars include Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Montgomery Clift, Donna Reed and Jack Warden.

“Marty” (1955) – Borgnine took home the Academy Award for his performance as an Italian butcher who unexpectedly finds love in this wonderful film, beating out Frank Sinatra, James Dean, James Cagney and Spencer Tracy. Other stars include Betsy Blair and Jerry Paris.

“The Wild Bunch” (1969) – Borgnine stars as one of the title bunch who find themselves hunted after a robbery in this Sam Peckinpah Western bloodbath. Other stars include William Holden, Robert Ryan, Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, Strother Martin and L.Q. Jones.

“The Vikings” (1958) – Borgnine stars as Viking king Ragnar in this epic film about two brothers fighting each other as much as the English. Other stars include Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh and James Donald.

“The Poseidon Adventure” (1972) – Borgnine is one of the survivors trying to find a way out after a luxury liner hits a tidal wave and capsizes in this epic disaster film. Other stars include Gene Hackman, Red Buttons, Jack Albertson, Stella Stevens, Shelley Winters and Pamela Sue Martin.

“A Grandpa for Christmas” (2007) – Borgnine stars as former song-and-dance man who discovers he has a granddaughter when he must take care of his estranged daughter after she’s in a car accident right before Christmas in the made-for-television Hallmark movie. Other stars include Tracy Nelson, Jamie Farr, Katherine Helmond and Juliette Goglia.

For more on movies, visit What to Watch.

Caribou Coffee Closes Tinley Location

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Caribou Coffee abandoned the Southland when it closed its Tinley Park location on Sunday with little notice. 

The company closed its shop in Homewood last month in much the same way. 

The closest locations for the nation’s second largest coffee chain are now Willowbrook and LaGrange.

Calls and an email to the company offices in Minnesota were not returned but speculation has been that the locations were closed because neither one had a drive-up window.

Calls to the management team at the Tinley Park Plaza shopping center also were not returned.

A few years ago, Starbucks closed a nearby similar retail strip location after opening a new location – with a drive-up window – across the street.  

Sears opens Scrubology store in Orland Square Mall

Sears has opened a Scrubology store inside of the retailer’s anchor store at Orland Square Mall in Orland Park and Chicago Ridge Mall in Chicago Ridge.

Scrubology stores specialize in work apparel and uniforms for professionals in the industrial, service and health-care fields.

The retailer now has 91 Scrubology stores in Sears and Kmart stores nationwide.

For information, visit Scrubology.

Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A in Orland Park is again offering free meals to customers of all ages who dress up like a cow on Friday, July 13. You can find detailed plans for cow costumes and otherinformation at Cow Appreciation Day.

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bobbong@hotmail.com.

You can also catch up on Comings & Goings in other parts of the Southland at www.southlandbusinessnews.blogspot.com.