The Hotel Stockton || Community

These memories were shared via email. You are encouraged to contribute your memories and experiences to this site! Feel free to include any pictures or other memorabilia with your account. To contribute your story, send an email to: mail@thestockton.com.

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From: Anonymous

This is in response to your request for my memories of the Hotel Stockton. I have attached a picture of a matchbook style sewing card/nylon run repair kit I have from the Hotel Stockton.

I have also attached a couple of pictures that were taken during the time that the movie "High Time" was filmed. All of the actors and crew stayed at the Hotel Stockton, as did most all film crews during those days. One picture is of Fabian and an unknown woman and child. I may have known back then who these people were but have forgotten. The other picture is of Bing Crosby, Fabian, Tuesday Weld, and Jimmy Boyd. This was taken during a break in the filming of "High Time". I can't be sure but some of the other people in the picture may be some of the KJOY dejays.

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Because my mother was an employee at the Hotel Stockton she was able to meet many stars and people of importance. Bing Crosby actually gave my mom the passes to come onto the set of the film that was being filmed at UOP. It was quite exciting to be able to see such stars in person. I was maybe only a mere 9 or 10 at the time. A few of the stars that I remember staying at the Hotel Stockton during the days my mother worked there were Pearl Bailey, Sammy Davis, Jr., Chuck Conners, Natalie Wood, Charlton Heston. My mom is 81 years old now but says that all of the people from the movies were very hard working people and were neat. She has a few memories of some of the stars like Pearl Bailey using Knox Gelatin in her juice, or Chuck Conners calling her "kid or kiddo". She even once yanked the blankets off of Sammy Davis, Jr. because she thought the other housekeepers had not yet made his bed so decided she'd just do it. She was surprised to see him sleeping under the covers and surprisingly didn't even wake him so she quietly slipped out of the room. She has told me of beautifully dressed people attending parties in the 5th floor ball room that had the hard wood floors.

Not all of her memories were fun. She was in her thirties when she worked there and she was hired as the head housekeeper. My dad had gotten hurt and was unable to work so my mom had to go to work. She was very fortunate to have found such a job and was very grateful for it but always felt bad that she had been hired over women that had worked at the Hotel for some time. You see, my mother is white and most all, if not all, of the other housekeepers were black. My mother said that each and every one of the women she worked with were hard working, delightful women. It wasn't fair but what was she to do? She needed the job.

She also once told me of checking the wrap for a beautiful woman who was so gracious and seemed surprised that my mom remembered which wrap was hers when the party had ended. My mom said it wasn't hard to remember because both the wrap and the lady were beautiful. She remembers that woman to have been Joan Darrah, the former Stockton mayor.

I worked at the Hotel Stockton myself during the 1970's when it was office to the San Joaquin Co. Dept. of Public Assistance. There were times I wandered the halls trying to visualize the beauty that once was the Hotel Stockton. I am so excited that you plan on it's restoration and improvement. Thank you for the website as I intend to keep check on the Hotel Stockton's progress.