When Moviehouse Productions’ Rick Spector asked Historical Society of Frankford board member Susan Couvreur for someone to interview for his Philadelphia Neighborhood series, she replied, “Have I got the man for you.”
Couvreur, who chairs collections at the historical society, put Spector in touch with Fred Prescott.
Prescott, 83, has lived in Frankford his whole life, except for four years in Topeka, Kansas while in the Air Force and a short time when his family moved to Wissinoming before he enlisted. Like Couvreur, he is a board member of the Historical Society of Frankford, based at 1507 Orthodox St.
Spector, who has been offering nostalgia and history talks and videos for 42 years, talked to Prescott about Frankford from the 1940s through the ‘60s, when the neighborhood was the pride of the city, in Prescott’s view.
In those days, people had milk delivered to their house, and everyone ate at the Horn & Hardart at 4670 Frankford Ave.
The videotaped interview included still pictures and music. For a light touch, Spector had the video sponsored by Unity-Frankford Stores, those long-closed, individually owned grocery stores located across Philadelphia.
In the video, Prescott spoke of his upbringing at 2035 Margaret St. He attended Sullivan Elementary School, Harding Junior High and Frankford High School. He was a Cub Scout and later a longtime scoutmaster.
Prescott talked about Frankford’s schools, houses of worship, movie theaters, restaurants, transportation, hucksters, commercial corridor and more.
“Anything you wanted,” he said, “you could buy on Frankford Avenue.”
While Prescott was too young to remember the details, he talked about the horrible train crash that happened on Sept. 6, 1943, Labor Day. A Pennsylvania Railroad train, the Congressional Limited, traveling from D.C. to New York, crashed at Frankford Junction, near Frankford Avenue and Butler Street. The wreck killed 79.
Prescott also recalled the day around 1950 when neighborhood people turned out to watch the “5-Mile-Train” that carried munitions, tanks, Jeeps and more for use in the Korean War. The train seemed to go on forever.
“We stopped counting at a hundred cars,” Prescott said.
Another story, which could be legend, revolves around a circus owner who was said to have buried an elephant in the front yard of a home at 1615 Harrison St.
Prescott has vivid memories of seeing what he said was a not-so-great movie, Blackboard Jungle, starring Glenn Ford and Anne Francis in 1955 at the Roosevelt Theatre. While the movie was forgettable, in Prescott’s opinion, the soundtrack was memorable. It was the first time many teenagers heard Rock Around the Clock, by Bill Haley and His Comets.
“The theater went crazy,” Prescott said. “The kids were jumping up and down.”
Prescott, Spector and Couvreur believe the video is good enough to be screened.
“It was a team effort,” Spector said.
“I thought it was great with all the imagery,” Couvreur said.
Spector asked Prescott to recommend a song for the video. Prescott chose Could This Be Magic, by The Dubs.
“To me,” Prescott said, “Frankford was a magical place.” ••
To watch the video, go to https://moviehouseproductions.com/2025/03/02/freds-frankford-stories/
Prescott encourages people to email him at Fred@thsof.org with their memories of Frankford.
To schedule a nostalgia talk, groups can contact Rick Spector at 215-364-3802 or krypton1992@gmail.com.
