Exploring Series Books in Florida, Part 3 - Celebrating Gasparilla with Vicki Barr

Florida has so many places that can be found in various series books that Pam and I had to continue with our adventures!  After exploring the Space Coast (Series Books - the Space Coast) with the Hardy Boys, the Happy Hollisters, and Nancy Drew, and then exploring St. Augustine (Series Books - the Oldest City) with the Moving Picture Girls, the time came to head over to the west coast to follow in the footsteps of that crime-solving flight attendant, Vicki Barr!  That trip was originally planned back in October, but due to the hurricane, plans were changed - which, ultimately worked out for the best, because it gave us the opportunity to visit the Tampa Bay area in January and experience Gasparilla, just like Vicki Barr did!

 

As with our trip to St. Augustine, we were able to focus on just one book for this trip, and that was the Vicki Barr mystery, The Clue of the Gold Coin. This book is the twelfth book in the Vicki Barr Flight Stewardess series.  This series is sort of a companion career series to Cherry Ames (who was a nurse), as both series had the same authors: Helen Wells and Julie Campbell Tatham.  This particular book was written by Helen Wells, the original author for the series, and was published in 1958.  The story follows Vicki Barr, who was fortunate enough to get a route that would take her to Tampa Bay area, where she could not only visit with some friends, but also experience the pirate festival known as Gasparilla.  Vicki stumbles upon a mystery involving gold coins that are stolen from a museum exhibit that was arriving by plane, so of course, her traipsing through Tampa and Ybor City was mostly focused on solving the mystery.  Of course, along the way, she visited a number of various places, and it was surprising how many of them Pam and I found in the real world...

 

The adventure for Vicki began with her flight into the Tampa International Airport, as she looked out the window and "at last the hangars and runways of the Tampa International Airport swept into view..." (p. 4)  It was obvious that this would be our first stop as we followed in Vicki's footsteps.

 

We followed signs to see where the arriving flights would unload.  While Vicki flew in to Tampa on Federal Airlines, that is a fictional airline which does not exist in the real world (in the United States, anyway). Thus, we figured the closest we might find would be American Airlines, and we discovered the unloading took place at Blue 125.  There were a number of taxis waiting for passengers, which would have been perfect for Vicki, who "went out the building's main entrance to look for a taxi" (p. 12).

 

Once Vicki is settled into her friends' home, she is invited to join them for Gasparilla.  Her hosts provide her with a description of the event, giving her an abbreviated history of the pirate festival (pp. 17-19).  Since we did not have those same hosts to share the story, we visited the Henry B. Plant Museum, which provided the history we were seeking!

 

As the story goes, "...in 1783, to be exact, an officer in the Spanish Navy named Jose Gaspar mutinied ... turned pirate, changed his name to Gasparilla, meaning Little Gaspar, and began to prey on the merchant ships of all nations.  He made his headquarters in the islands around Tampa Bay..." (p. 17).

 

Since the book was published in 1958, it was likely the author visited Tampa the previous year and was able to experience the Gasparilla festival of 1957.  We learned that each festival has a "royal court" that includes a King and Queen, along witha group of maids, and the court is an important part of the celebration. At the museum Pam and I visited, we were fortunate enough to see the Jewel Circle Gown worn by a member of the court in 1957, which dress was designed by Anne Lowe, the first internationally recognized African-American fashion designer.

 

Both the museum and The Clue of the Gold Coin shared the history of how a "group of Tampa businessmen formed an organization called Ye Mystic Krewe..." (p. 18), which has since been joined by more than 60 additional "krewes," all of whom come together each year to contribute to this annual festival.  The Tampa Bay Hotel, which now houses the Henry B Plant Museum,was the central location for the early festivals.

 

 

From museum, it was only a hop, skip, and a jump (literally!) to the Cass Street Bridge.  Now, you may be wondering why would visit a bridge, as what importance could it have had to the Vicki Barr story?  Well, as it turns out, the book contains a two-page spread illustration of a drawbridge being lifted so that a pirate ship in the Gasparilla parade could make its way through.  

 

Based on the illustration, there was no doubt the bridge was the Cass Street Bridge, built back in 1926.  While the water tower in the background of the illustration is no longer there, the small octagonal building that housed the controls for the bridge is still there!  Based on the details in the illustration, either the author provided photographs of the bridge for use in drawing the scene, or the illustrator was familiar enough with it to depict it with such exactness.

 

Next in the adventure, Vicki was offered a chance to "VISIT GLAMOROUS YBOR CITY - Enchanted Land of Fiesta and Romance" (p. 82), and on our trip to Tampa Bay, we also visited this suburb of Tampa.  Pronounced "Ee-boar," the city was founded back in 1885 and became quite famous for its cigar industry. 

 

When Vicki made her way over to the area, she discovered that "Ybor City was quite different from the modern section of Tampa..." (p. 83).  As she walked the district, she thought of it as "The Latin Quarter of Tampa" (p. 83).

 

While in Ybor, Vicki had lunch at "The Granada Restaurant" (p. 82).  In the story, the author describes the restaurant so vividly.  "The foyer just inside the door was floored with bright mosaic tile as were the walls..." (pp. 85-86).

 

"A tiny fountain in the middle of the hall was surrounded by potted palms ... A huge archway provided the entrance to the restaurant proper" (p. 86).

 

Based on the descriptions in the story, it was undoubtedly clear that the restaurant called "Granada" in the book was actually the Columbia Restaurant, which opened its doors back in 1905.  Pam and I were very fortunate, in that the current owner of the restaurant was there the day we lunched, and he came over to the table to talk with us about the book.  When we read the description given by Helen Wells in the story, he agreed there could be no doubt it was describing the Columbia.  

 

While at the restaurant, Vicki asks if there is music, and she is told "[a]t dinner we have also the piano and violin" (p. 86).  In the Columbia Restaurant, Pam and I found memorials to Adela and Cesar Gonzmart, who played the piano and violin, respectively, for many years in the restaurant (including the 1950s, when this book was written and published!).

 

The Columbia Restaurant is quite well known, and the ownership has remained with the family who first established it back in 1905.   It has changed very little over the years (although the courtyard with the fountain now has a roof covering it, so on those rainy days, people can still enjoy their meals in that room), and it maintains its original Spanish feel.

 

Upon leaving the Granada Restaurant (a/k/a Columbia Restaurant), Vicki follows a character that she suspects of shady business dealings to his residence - so that is exactly what we did!  "To find the Duke is like putting your finger on quicksilver.  But his home is on Columbus Driver at the corner of Thirteenth Street.  A red-brick house with a balcony..." (p. 91).  Pam and I drove down Columbus Drive until we reached Thirteenth Street, and behold!  Right there on the corner, just like the book says, is a two-story, red-brick house with a balcony!  (NOTE - in the story, Vicki walks the distance from the restaurant to the house; however, in the real world, the distance would be far too great to walk!)

 

Later in the book, Vicki returns to Ybor City with her hosts for "dinner ... in a restaurant called the Spanish Park.  It was very much like the Granada, Vicki thought, with archways, tiled floors and walls, potted palms and tinkling fountains" (p. 101).  There was once a restaurant called the Spanish Park in Ybor City on the corner of 7th Avenue and 36th Street, which was a family-owned eating establishment that closed its doors, after nearly a century, in 2022 (just three years ago!).

 

Having located the address while researching the history of the Spanish Park restaurant, Pam and I set out to see what now stood at the corner of 7th Avenue and 36th Street.  Sadly, the building now on that corner was drastically different - no more arches, nor more tiled walls...).

 

So, after hunting down all of the locations, it was finally Saturday and finally time to experience the Gasparilla festival, just like Vicki (and likely just like the author did back in 1957, the year before the book was published).

 

In the book, Wells describes how the "costumed members of Ye Mystic Krewe clambered onto gaily decorated floats, and amid the strident music of half a dozen bands, the parade began to move slowly up the street away from the docks" (p. 80).  I have a feeling the floats were much more extravagantly decorated and colorful back then, as the floats we saw pass by during the parade were simple and not overly colorful at all (which was a bit disappointing).

 

However, just like Vicki did in the illustration, Pam managed to track down a pirate of her own!

 

The parade was extremely crowded, with throngs of people literally pressing in from all sides.  We left just a bit early in order to avoid the rush of everyone leaving once the parade ended.  We made our way back by trolley to Ybor City, where we parked.  And, interestingly enough, while in Ybor, we happened across a sign on one of the buildings which advertised "Jewel Box Lofts" and "Gruen Watches" - now any series book fan is going to automatically get those references to Nancy Drew's twentieth mystery (The Clue in the Jewel Box) and to Nancy Drew's housekeeper (Hannah Gruen).  Talk about coincidences!

 

And with that, we wrapped up our third Florida series book adventure.  First it was the Space Coast, then it was St. Augustine, and now Tampa Bay.  As we packed our bags for our return trips home, we had to wonder - where would our next Florida adventure take us?  The Everglades?  Key West?  Miami? Fort Lauderdale?  Fort Myers?  Palm Beach?  So many places to choose from!

 

Only time will tell....

Vicki Barr Air Stewardess Mystery # 12 - The Clue of the Gold Coin

Here we go with another first - the first Vicki Barr book I've ever read.  I've had the complete series for some time, mostly due to a wonderful friend who lives in Australia who was able to locate some of the last books I needed to complete the set; however, I have just never gotten around to reading them.  Since I made the decision to start reading some of these various series I've had sitting on my shelves, and since this one happens to be set in Florida, I figured I might as well start with this one.  And yes, it was not an easy choice, since I'm a stickler for reading series in order (in fact, I usually won't read any books in a series until I have all the books in the series!), but it's time I started breaking tradition and trying some new things.  So with all of that in mind, I sat down to see what all the hub-bub is about when it comes to this blonde-haired stewardess!

The Clue of the Gold Coin is the 12th book of The Vicki Barr Air Stewardess Series (I note that they do not refer to it as a "mystery" series, but seem to focus more on the career aspect of her being a stewardess).  The book is written by Helen Wells, who wrote eleven of the sixteen books in this series (according to Jennifer White's website, Wells wanted to pursue other projects, so she quit writing the series after book 4, at which point the series was written by Julie Tatham; however, Wells came back to write the series starting with book 9 - Vicki Barr Air Stewardess Series).  It seems these same two authors also took turns writing the Cherry Ames nursing stories around the same time period.  

In any event, this book find Vicki receiving a Florida run as her latest assignment, for flights going back and forth between New York and Tampa.  Vicki is thrilled, since it will allow her to escape the cold and enjoy the sunshine and beaches of Florida - but, of course, what she does not expect is to be thrust into the middle of a mystery (one would think that these amateur sleuths would realize that no matter where they go, they are always going to stumble across a mystery...).  It starts on the plane with an elderly man who appears sick and the slick travel agent who seems nice enough to assist the man. But when the elderly man leaves behind a brochure for Ybor City, Vicki begins to wonder if he was sending her a message.  Well, soon enough, she discovers she is in Tampa right as the Gasparilla festival is about to begin, so she is able to share in those festivities - but a damper is put on them when she learns a crate of priceless gold coins that were shipped down to Tampa from New York on the very plane she came down in have disappeared!  A trip to Ybor City only leaves Vicki with more questions than answers, as she not only sees the old man and the travel agent, but meets a debonair business man by the name of Raymond Duke (referred to by many as simply "the Duke"), all of whom seem to know each other and are desperate to keep Vicki from finding out exactly how.  Throw in an FBI agent who is working the case, an airport warehouse employee that Vicki helped get the job there, along with the young man's cranky supervisor, and you've got yourself a rather complicated case to solve.  After all, how were the gold coins that were placed in a protective container and shipped inside of a sealed container - all of which was carefully monitored in New York and unopened until the festival committee received it and opened it - suddenly turn in to worthless pieces of metal?!

For my first Vicki Barr mystery, I will say I picked the right one.  This mystery was extremely well written, and it even had me questioning things as I went along.  There is one rather subtle clue that Vicki sees while in Ybor City that gave away (to me, at least) how the gold coins were switched out, but of course, she does not pick up on that right away.  If she did, it would have been a pretty short mystery!  Instead, it isn't until she takes a small jaunt down to Havana with the family she is staying with in Tampa that Vicki figures out exactly what has been going on, who is really involved, and how they managed to steal all of that gold.  The final chapters include a rather interesting chase scene involving not cars, bicycles, or even on foot - no, this chase scene involved two airplanes! - one taken over by one of the crooks and the other being flown by none other than Vicki Barr as she fights to keep the other plane from taking off the ground!  It was actually pretty intense, and I would love to see that scene played out in a live action film.

As for the locale, Wells had either visited the Tampa area at some point or she did some extensive research, as she does a pretty good job of nailing down the area.  From the Tampa International Airport (p. 4) to the description of Ybor City (p. 33), and a number of things in-between, she makes the reader feel like they are actually there.  And her history of Gasparilla (pp. 17-18) is accurate - and having lived in Tampa for eight years, I can attest to just how much impact that festival has on the Tampa Bay area!  And the illustration that crosses over pages 80 and 81 depicting a drawbridge raised so that the ship, Ye Mystic Krewe, can come into the Bay, resembles the Cass bridge, which has a railway drawbridge next to it.

Now, I will say some of the actual details in Ybor City were changed (likely to keep from being accused of directly using actual places and names without permission).  The Granada Restaurant that Vicki visits in Ybor is most certainly the fictitious name for the Columbia Restaurant, probably the most famous restaurant in Ybor City (Columbia Restaurant).  While reading the description, it is easy to tell that she is describing the Columbia, with the bright mosaic tiles on the floor and wall, and the fountain in the foyer, as well as the arched doorways (p. 86).  The book indicates the restaurant is on Fifth Avenue (p. 85), but the real restaurant is actually on Seventh Avenue.  Additionally, when Vicki learns the Duke's house is on Columbus Drive at the corner of Thirteenth Street, it is said to only be "two streets up" (p. 91).  This is a bit of a misnomer, as Columbus Drive is actually eight streets up from Fifth Avenue, not two.  But these are minor details that definitely do not detract from the story at all.

Humorously, Wells also makes a quick mention near the end that "a light rain was falling, one of those sudden showers so peculiar to southern Florida that seem to come out of nowhere and stop as suddenly..." (p. 160).  This pretty much proves Wells visited at some point, as Florida is very well known for those sudden showers that come and go very quickly, particularly in the early afternoons (usually as you are just getting ready to leave work!). 

Another humorous moment is when Vicki is in New York with her apartment mates, and they play a game of charades.  Vicki is left pondering how to act out the line, "A horse ... a horse ... my kingdom for a horse!" (p. 70).  This is a line from the Shakespearean play, Richard III (Act 5, Scene 4, Line 13); however, it is also a line from Ken Ludwig's farce, Leading Ladies, when two con-men put together a horrific play-within-a-play combining scenes from various Shakespeare plays - and a line that I actually had to say when I was playing the part of Jack Gable in that play!  Thus, when I read the line in the book, I could not help but laugh out loud (and also repeat the surrounding lines I had in the play!).  It brought back some wonderful memories.

 

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not make mention of the cover art for this book.  I am not sure who the cover artist is, but it is uncanny how closely this art resembles that of Rudy Nappi for the original text cover of Nancy Drew #30 - The Clue of the Velvet Mask, which was published in 1953, just five years prior to this one.  In both covers, the title character is dressed in Spanish garb, with a red dress and a black lace head covering.  In both covers, the female sleuth is holding one hand up to her chin.  In both covers, there is a man that she is staring at, whose back is to the viewer.  In both covers, the man has a black cape.  And in both covers, there are costumed revelers in the background.  This naturally raises the question of whether the artist for the Vicki Barr cover was influenced in any way by Nappi's cover to Velvet Mask, because the similarities are just too great to overlook.  If it is, indeed, nothing more than a coincidence, then I'd have to say this is a bigger coincidence than any I've ever seen in the myriad of series books, whose mysteries are greatly dependent on coincidences for these young sleuths to be able to solve the mysteries!

As indicated above, this book was certainly a fantastic introduction into the world of Vicki Barr.  I do like the title character, I enjoyed Well's writing, and the mystery was not easily solved, even for an experienced reader.  All of these things combined made it a very good read, and I look forward to reading more of her adventures.

(SIDE NOTE - our beloved and esteemed Michael Cornelius has written a scholarly paper about Vicki Barr, which was recently published in the collection, Beyond Nancy Drew: U.S. Girls' Series Fiction in the Twentieth Century - Beyond Nancy Drew - definitely provides some interesting insight into the character of Vicki Barr and the series as a whole.)

RATING:  10 solid gold replicas of the Gasparilla pirate ship out of 10 for an extremely engaging, well-written series book mystery!