Livin' like it's 1956

Go back to a time when you could stand on the corner of 42nd Street and Grandview Avenue and "not even see Odessa."

Those are the good ol' days that Ron Smith thinks about - and those days are what his extensive collection of antique and vintage items represents to him.

A step into Smith's home takes you back a few decades. There's a malt shop booth with a genuine Route 66 sign and "American Graffiti" movie memorabilia.

And that ain't the half of it.

Smith has several 1940s Wurlitzer jukeboxes, emblematic of mid-century rock 'n' roll, that play the ditties of bygone eras on 78s. Songs by Billie Holliday, Buddy Holly, Percy Sledge and Elvis take Smith back to a simpler time, he said.

"I really relate to the music. Times were different back then," Smith said.

Smith said he often purchased the nostalgic bubblers when they needed repair. From the inside out, Smith had parts on the jukeboxes replaced, and the rest was shined, polished and waxed.

Smith acquired most of his stuff from friends or people who know he takes a liking to vintage collector items.

But Smith's favorite things sit parked in the garage. He has two 1932 Ford Roadsters that "are street rods that have been modernized."

"I'm an old guy, and my twin brother and I had one of these in high school," Smith said about the cars. Smith graduated from Odessa High School in 1956.

Also on the Smith's personal show room floor is a bright red 1968 Chevrolet Impala that comes pretty close to matching the red on his more than 20 Coca-Cola machines from the late-40s to mid-50s.

So what does Smith's wife of 52 years think about her husband's hobby?

"I love it. If you didn't like that stuff, you wouldn't let your husband spend all that (money) on it," Carole Smith laughed. "We both enjoy it."

In fact, Carole Smith has her own collection of antique china and valuable crystal, including some Lalique crystal swans.

"I read that J.Lo, that movie star, had those on her table at her wedding," she laughed.

Carole Smith said at one time, they had so much stuff they opened up their own antique store in Chappell Hill.

As it is now, numerous antique signs adorn the garage walls and vintage Dr Pepper clocks tell the current time even as "American Graffiti" movie posters stop time on a rebellious youth that was coming of age and had a wide-open future.

"In those days, people worked hard. These days you have to have a contract, and people don't even honor that. Back then, you could shake hands and you had a deal," Smith said.

So if you see a man cruising around town in a bright yellow '30s Ford Roadster, wave. It might just be Smith living like it's 1956.