Apologies if this has been posted before:

http://www.archive.org/details/GoldenYe1960

Or, if you prefer, you can see it in two parts on Youtube:

Thanks for that nostalgia, Dave. I do remember the first Center that had the Brunswick decor instead of the standard wood slat benches. Mom and Dad would bring us kids bowling after Church on Sundays. And, we wanted to go to the new place with all the colors.

I loved the optional 'open Bowling score pads'. Many today don't know how to keep score manually.

Just looking at that old Brunswick video brings back that old bowling alley smell, I think it was the old lane oil they used to use, it was a great smell and brings back many good memories.

Jim, I can remember that smell.

Look at those Brunswick videos. Both the Mom and kid went over the line. Neither fell. Well, the kid belly flopped, but he didn't slide. Don't think they had much oil on them.

Dave, are there any older lanes still open in your area? There are just a couple left by me. You know, the 8 or 12 lane houses. The older ones have gone the way of strip malls and vegetable markets.

Chicago was loaded with second floor alleys. Some had candlepins on the third floor. When the first real, "built for bowling" center opened, it looked like your video.

I remember that smell! Until you mentioned it, it didn't even occur to me that bowling alleys don't smell the same as they used to. But you're right!

Dennis, I don't believe there are any houses around here running the really old equipment. My "home house" in the late '70s did (the equipment seemed old even back then), but sadly they've been closed for a few years now. The place still stands, though; I wish I could go in there and bowl on those old wooden lanes one last time.

Jim, I think the smell we remember was the shellac they used on the lanes, not oil.

Our House in the 60-70's would re-sand the lanes first week in the Summer, and over XMas. Then shellac with a few more applications in between.

The Brunswick equipment shown on that video is more modern than what is used in the houses where I bowl. The only thing that I did not care for was the drink holders on the back of the benches. I think most bowling centers today have banned drinks in the settee area.

Ahhh yes I remember those old scoring stations with overhead projectors.

Thanks for sharing.