Maynards by the Sea – Pacific Beach’s “Animal House”
Written by mac meda on September 5, 2009 – 3:08 am -
"Maynards by the Sea" in Pacific Beach across from Crystal pier, took all that revolutionary bull shit, mixed the counter-culture by adding a zillion kegs of beer and floating the top with a army of 16-wheelers filled with hard liquor - Photo taken in 1972 by Jack Minteer
It was the 1960s, an era best described as the counter-culture with its social and sexual revolution and also a time as one of irresponsible excess and flamboyance. Rampant drug use has become inextricably associated with the counter-culture of the era, as Jefferson Airplane co-founder Paul Kantner said: “If you can remember anything about the sixties, then you weren’t really there.”
Except San Fransisco, or anywhere else in the country, didn’t have Pacific Beach’s “Maynard’s by the Sea”, an iconic bar right across the street from Crystal Pier. Maynard’s took all that revolutionary bullshit, mixed in the counter-culture by adding a zillion kegs of beer, and floated the top with a army of 16-wheelers filled with hard liquor. It was joked, “More Jack Daniels was consumed in one day at Maynard’s than the rest of California did in one month.”
Maynard Heatherly was the owner that always had a cheap cigar dangling out of his mouth, wearing a Panama hat and Hawaiian shirt. Maynard liked to drink and have a good time about it. Maynard’s bar was a cocktail of trans-culture, a kick-back tropical environment, Mexican/American/Italian food, and biker/beachboy/cowboy mentality complete with an occasional knock down, drag out bar-fight.
Oh Golly Geee whiz … it was a lovely place to be when the muffled roars of 20-30 choppers with biker colors pulled up…
The Hells Angels and Iron Horsemen did frequent the place … oh boy … more entertainment…
Maynards Doorway ( left to right) Eric Carpenter (RIP), Patti Brewer, Jack Macpherson & Dave Osborn circa 1963-4.. Also hiding in other door (behind Maynard's cartoon guy) Pat Shea & Fat Art (RIP)
Maynard’s was THE spot in the ’60s and ’70s, that is, if you were not a “Golly Geee Whiz ” type of person. National Lampoon’s Animal House’s crazy, booze-driven characters would have fit right in at Maynard’s, which makes one wonder … if the script was written by Maynard and edited by David Osborn from the Red Mountain Inn? Hmmm, very interesting!
If you did not drink and drink hard, you did not belong.
Beside the fact of hard cord drinking, it was also known for its cheap and very greasy food specials that drew the drug-crazed hippies out of their flats in Mission Beach and gave the hangovers their daily nutrition with their 25-cents Spaghetti and Taco Night Specials during the week, and ending it with a Sunday morning Spanish Omelets.
“What a GREAT way to spend a Sunday morning on the Coast!,” Jack and company used to always say.
If you were underage, or just hungry and broke, like many of the hippies and beach rats were, you could order from the outside window on Ocean Boulevard, which at times was almost a block long. A spaghetti meal was delivered on a paper plate covered in noodles, smothered in a something “red” sauce, maybe one meatball, and always two pieces of white Wonderbread, dripping in butter. The plate had to be held by two hands and then it became a balancing act trying to avoid slipping on the grease walking away.
You did not leave hungry. All the crazed weekend drunks ended up in Maynard’s.
It was where Jack McPherson & Bob Rakestraw made the first stencil for Mac Meda t-shirts using a grocery bag when they went down there on a packed Sunday’s noon breakfast.
Tiny Brain (sorry forgot his real name) was the real life Bluto (John Belushi in the movie Animal House) when he worked there and was famous for chugging a pitcher of beer by biting on lip of the pitcher and drinking it non stop with no hands. Tiny could chug a fifth non stop, but Rackstraw said it didn’t count as he saw him throw up once after downing a bottle.
After the Chargers lost a game and Pat Shea came in. He sat down, said he didn’t want anyone sitting by him. One side of the bar was packed and the other side was just Pat by himself.
Maylan, the Chargers strength coach at the time, and who had the first gym in La Jolla, used to come in. He would power down an couple of shooters and turn to the stranger sitting next to him, with a shit-eating grin, grab the person glass and start eating it.
One day the cops came in looking for Maynard, he ran out the back door and they chased him down Crystal Pier, he jumped into ocean and hit his head and died, so ending the Pacific Beach legend.
Jack had ordered recreations of Maynard Cartoon logo t-shirts just before he died.
Thanks to Dave Osborn for some of the content and photos.
Tags: bar-tales
Posted in Bars, Meda People | 46 Comments »
By Doug M. on Sep 5, 2009 | Reply
Tiny Brain’s name was Al Thomas. When the 1st known Southern California surfers (mostly La Jolla) went to the North Shore he became semi-famous when he body surfed Wiamea Bay.
By Jamie on Sep 7, 2009 | Reply
Additional…
1. Jack used to lift weights for Mahlon’s. He used to say that if he didn’t have to pay child support, and could train fulltime, he would have gone to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
He said that in the 50s, the mail volume at the Post Office was so light, he would take off in the middle of his route…drive to El Cajon for a competition weigh in…drive back to La Jolla and finish his route.
In the 80s, he would go back to his back yard in Bird Rock…start bench pressing…and then fall asleep on the bench. His landlady, Juanita Messick, used to find him snoring away under the La Jolla blue skies.
2. The Maynard’s tee shirts that he had made up a few years ago…the artwork was put together by one of his favorite West End customers…Munchkin (Larry ?)…Munchkin passed away last fall…God rest his soul.
By Eric Masterman on Sep 8, 2009 | Reply
“When Maynard died they needed a bartender. Many were eager and Tiny Brain was thrilled to get the position but failed to realize that he would be in the midst of breaking up bar bawls. After all, it goes with the territory. The occasional scrapes and bruises he received got to be a bit too much to put up with so he quit.”
“Maynard had class. He was always dressed his natty best in a colorful Hawaiian shirt along with his signature hat. He had the jukebox vendor ad some Hawaian music for atmosphere and at some point in the evening he would perform his Maynard hula that rocked the building!”
By Jamie on Sep 8, 2009 | Reply
Greg Noll’s classic film ‘Search for Surf’ features Tiny Brain, along with other La Jollans and Hawaiians…that’s Tiny Brain inside the metal drum being rolled over the rocks at Windansea…in another clip, he’s wearing a red smoking jacket and eating powder sugar donuts and milk…I think Fat or Skinny Wally are also in the donut footage.
By Louis on Dec 7, 2009 | Reply
Jamie, Munchkin is Larry Moyer. He, his brother Lonny and I grew up in PB. Went to Larry’s service. Lonny lives in Idaho. My brother (John) and I returned to PB 2.5 years ago to the house we grew up in.
By Jamie on Dec 8, 2009 | Reply
Louis…Larry also was a great locksmith!
By Harry Marriner on Dec 11, 2009 | Reply
1964 Memories of Maynard’s:
1. Standing in line to Receive beers and 19 or 25 cent Spaghetti dinners from “Tiny.”
2. Merle Clement’s dog going up and smelling a burly biker’s boot, then lifting his leg and pissing on it. Merle rapidly invited the guy for a free beer.
3. A couple years later Norman Frankland dressed up as a London Bobbie cop and Gary Wickham filmed him and John Warren checking ID’s at the door.
4. Returning an empty keg in the early morning hours after a Torrey Pines Glider Strip party to raise funds for bail for a drag racing ticket. This event was attended by Gary Wickham, Laurie Little, Steve Manns, Eric Carpenter and many others, but insuffient funds were raised to even pay for the keg.
By Dennis Strong on Jan 4, 2010 | Reply
we lived on jamaica ct in mission beach. spaghetti at maynards every week!!! we used to knock over our own trash cans and say “HONK”. That was 63, 64, 65!!! If only I owned that house today!! LOL
Enjoyed this website. My sons are very impressed!!:):)
By CYNDI ELLIOTT DAUGHTER OF MARIA ELLIOTT WHO RAN MAYNARDS AFTER HE DIED on Jan 7, 2010 | Reply
EVERYONE REMEMBERS MARIA, and it is to bad you never mentioned my mother in your article. Maybe you stopped going to Maynard’s, after nineteen sixty six.
After Maynard died, and not to take anything away from him, at all. Maria became Maynard. She was loved by all who knew her and would soon come to know her. I ought to know, I’m her daughter Cyndi and Maynards was my home away from home.
Cream Pie’s bought at Food Basket, were then used to have the most incredible pie fights,my mom just hosed the place down, it was a beach bar. There were water gun fights and beer fights. She was the Den Leader of the beach, always counseling young kid’s, not do do drugs.
The food that is talked about in your article, well there is a reason there were long lines, because the food was fabulous. I rolled the tiquitoes Thursdays, for friday night mexican plate and helped mom peel 100 lbs. of potato’s every Monday, for Fish and Chips that night. I helped stir the sauce with a big paddle, so it wouldn’t stick, for Wednesday night spaghetti. There was never hard liquer there at that time, it was just a beer bar. The education I got from Maynards, I couldnt get from anywere else in the world. My friend’s were dying to get into Maynard’s but could’nt, I had the golden ticket, Maria. I was 13 at the time. The educators at Pacific Beach Junior High had a different oppinion, as they watched me roll up with about 6 Hells Angels,I sitting on the back of a loud Harley with my pigtales and saddleoxfords. What did they know, always saying “OH THOSE ELLIOTT’S, AND THAT DAMN MAYNARDS AND THOSE HELLS ANGELS. If maynards wasn’t open then everyone came to our house/garage, if you remember “THE SECRET SAUCE COLORED HOUSE” on 3363 Mission Blvd, in the early 70’s then you know Maynards.
So here’s to “Maynard’s”,”Smilin Jack”,”Brody”, “Zero”, “Indian Joe”, “Starfish” “Ralph” the bartenter, “Owen the cook, my mom Maria, and of course Maynard.
By Toni Meads on Jan 10, 2010 | Reply
Isobel Oaky and I got arrested there once at 14 when we tried but failed to convince everyone we were at least 18…if not 21, we would have been fine but there was a cop parked out front watching us do our thing the whole time, we had just downed everything in Don and Tinkerbells liqour cabinet then hitchhiked down to crystal pier…thats when the fun really started.
By Kim Elliott on Jan 25, 2010 | Reply
Hey Cyndi I suppose you rolled those tacos all by yourself!!???!!
By cyndi on Feb 27, 2010 | Reply
its all in the book kim
By bob lunetta on Mar 31, 2010 | Reply
Cyndi,
I was one of those “little kids” who was too young to go into Maynards.
I would hang around the open doors for a peek at all the people inside. On Wednesday night was spaghetti, Friday night was mexican, and Sunday morning for breakfast I was in line. I agree how fabulous the food was and I have been in the food business my whole adult life. I have never been able to duplicate the sunday breakfast which i think was leftovers combined from Wednesday’s sauce and friday’s beans. Can you shed some recipe light and make my life finally complete?
By Harvey on Apr 1, 2010 | Reply
When I was about 12. My dad (Mac) and I would spear fish in the a.m. and go get the omlett at the back window. I liked checking out the bikes. I have a Maynard’s business card.
By Pat Hartigan on Jun 10, 2010 | Reply
What year did Maynards close? I remember going there for the spagetti and tacos, but I was too young to go inside. We would get served through an open window or doorway.
By Rohn on Jun 22, 2010 | Reply
Dennis Strong, I lived on Jamaica ct during that time. I had a white dog named Bogart. I remember eating at Maynard’s drinking to. Anyway the Mexican omelet was Sunday morning at the back window. It was some type of thin egg stuff with re-fried beans wiped in it. They were 10 cents each. Also Sunday morning you could get beer with tomato juice in it for your hang over. Saturday night was Abalone dinner for a buck and I forgot which night was the spaghetti dinner. You could find a 25 cent spaghetti dinner every night of the week in MB. Tugs tavern was also on the spaghetti dinner route.
Rohn
Cabo Del San Jose Baja California
By Bill Bugg on Jun 24, 2010 | Reply
It was possible to eat dinner for a quarter every night by going to Maynard’s, The Court Room in La Jolla and the Pennant in South Mission. I remember drinking in there on an early Easter Sunday (it was packed) and greeting the dressed up after church goers with Jesus jokes. After they tore it down, I think Maynard’s moved up on Garnet, but was never the same.
By John Analla, aka Sisco on Aug 13, 2010 | Reply
I grew up in PB and took my wife to Mayanards many times. I am trying to have and artist recreate Maynards, Oscars and Crystal Pier as it
was back in the sixies. If anyojne has a large detailed pictures of Maynards that has the grafics on the walls that I could use I would appreciate it. I have the one with the bikes out in front but it is not detailed enough.
Thanks for the help.
By Ron Arnoldsen, aka Knucklehead Ron on Nov 30, 2010 | Reply
I started hanging around Maynard’s just out of high school with a bunch of my buddies about 1968. I remember all the good times, all the terrific meals too!. It was a weekend place to go! Many of the names you mentioned Cyndi are familiar to me. I have a large poster of the front of the building with bikes lined up and mine is just out of view. It was taken by Zero in the day. This web site really got my old fond memories stirred. Those were the days.
By when crabs roar on Dec 4, 2010 | Reply
Jack refered to Sunday mornings at Maynard’s as “church”, if we were there Fri. or Sat. night, he would always say, “see you at church”. Maynard’s was also one of the first places we would put up convention posters to spread the word. When Maynard’s closed Owen the cook went over to Tug’s Tavern on Mission Blvd. and continued the dinners and breakfast but it wasn’t the same, they just lacked the spirit of Maynard’s.
By Savage on Dec 23, 2010 | Reply
As a surf punk in the 60’s, I stood in line at the back door for omelets, spaghetti, rolled tacos and – if I could come up with a buck – the abalone. I also did the Pennant spaghetti and Tug’s rolled tacos. I think I also remember 19 cent cold cuts, maybe at the Pennant or Beachcomber. The other great deal was at Sam’s Cheesecake in MB – they sold the ones that had splits in them for 50 cents – only problem was they were frozen – pretty tough waiting for them to thaw out after surfing all morning. No nukes back then.
By hank warner on Feb 9, 2011 | Reply
I have a photo of a 13 year old gremmie{me} being pulled into Maynards by…Del Cannon, Chuck Hasley, Mike Diffenderfer,John Pettit Harold Reid and Butch VanArtsdalen..one of those classic sunday AM $.25 brekfast omelette days in 62 or 63…Hanky Warner
By mac meda on Feb 13, 2011 | Reply
Love to have that photo and put it on the website with a bit about it – be a good blog post .
By Lee Hughs on Feb 17, 2011 | Reply
Cindi: I have so many good memories of Maria, and as you well know, I was one of those kids that she helped raise and gave advise to.She had a way of connecting with us beach rats. We would hang in the garage and Jeff would spin the records.I remember you as the little sister with the most sense of any of us, that which you inherited from your mom.
By Jiim Prescher on Feb 19, 2011 | Reply
I happened to spend a number of evenings and weekends in Maynard’s in the early 60’s while stationed at Camp Matthews Weapons Training Bt. in Torrey Pines. Spent time at the Pennant and if I’m not mistaken, you could buy a steak (cheap) and grill it yourself. Tug’s had the best taquitos in PB with large bowls of sauce on the bar.
Also, I have a Maynard’s card. If it’s possible, I can post a jpeg of it to this site.
By george kirkpatrick on Mar 22, 2011 | Reply
would love to have recipe, or at least ingredients, that was Tug’s Tavern salsa ?? somebody should have marketed it !! best I ever had !!! anyone help ??? retired, disabled, just have always craved it !!!
By h.lee on May 5, 2011 | Reply
Was a 1st Fire ring Grem in 60,61,62….Fondly remember The Sunday morn breakfasts at Maynard’s. I too have tried to duplicate the taste, & haven’t succeeded. We used to go behind Food Basket & take cardboard & anything else we could score for our early morning fires. For a long time some people asked me why I shaved my legs. I didn’t…it was those early morning fires!
By Pat G. on May 21, 2011 | Reply
Never was old enough to go inside, but always ordered a “double” Sunday breakfast, and if I had an extra quarter, sometimes a “triple”. This after surfing at the north jetty in OB. One day we showed up and there was no line…a surprise.
Owen the cook who could do the work of five people in the kitchen, when asked where all the people were, deadpanned and shrugged, “they’re all having their stomachs pumped.”
We looked at each other….and ordered a “double” anyway.
Maynard’s was a classic. Miss it.
By Brian Davis on May 31, 2011 | Reply
I always wanted to re-hear the story about Blah James coming into Maynard’s looking for Jack Pringle, who had just recently broken Butch’s jaw up in Del Mar at the old Powerhouse…
By CharlieG. on Jun 28, 2011 | Reply
Tiny Thomas was a close family friend and a legend when I was a kid growing up in PB in the 60s and 70s. He and my Pops were always tight, and I got into Maynard’s on a few occasions when I wasn’t even tall enough to see over the bar stools let alone the bar.
Pops and Tiny are both gone now, but we all remember them both. Some of the stories Tiny would tell of his trip to the North Shore (and how he got talked into bodysurfing Waimea) would blow your mind. Here’s the last picture I him, taken with my son in the summer of ‘93.
http://members.cox.net/cgow/Tiny_Thomas.jpg
RIP Al ‘Tiny’ Thomas and my Pops, Jack Gow.
Thanks to the OP for this PB flashback.
Charlie G
By Marilyn on Jul 11, 2011 | Reply
Actually Maynard Heatherly III was a great friend & lover of life. He died in the Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, CA; no fancy dive off the pier.
By Cappy on Jul 26, 2011 | Reply
I was one of the surf rats. Cold Sunday mornings after a couple hours of waves. That omelet was mighty tasty!
Special memories. One of the very best memories of California.
By Tommy Graves on Jul 30, 2011 | Reply
The story I heard was that Blah James and Butch went in there one time with a Tommy Gun and shot up the ceiling. Maybe it had something to do with Blah looking for someone, maybe it had something to do with the fact that Jack Pringle beat Butch in a fight at the Powerhouse?
By Bone Dog on Mar 4, 2012 | Reply
I got out of the Army in 1969 and moved to San Diego to start a band with a bunch of guys who met in the Army. We had no money and discovering Maynards was a godsend. You could get a double order of spaghetti on Wed. or rolled tacos on Friday(?) … and it was delicious. I don’t know if they always did this, but in 1970 while I was there you could go upscale on Sat. nights for $1.00 abalone. I’ll never forget the place … thanks for this post to help us remember.
—BD
By Suzanne on Apr 4, 2012 | Reply
Butch first introduced me to Maynard’s and to Tiny Brain in ‘64 when I was just 18. I never was carded, and Tiny even asked me to watch the bar while he ran errands one day. If you came in with the guys from Windansea you were safe from then on. Fun memories of many many years ago.
By PJ Granger on Apr 29, 2012 | Reply
Oh God, Maynards, Food Basket, The Action Center, yikes! Sammi Fritz, me and I think Stoney were around 15 and used to cage spaghetti dinners because we used our cash on other things. Everybody was so cool to us it was like a Gidget movie (as far as I remember). Damn, that WAS Heaven. PB sucks now-just my opinion.
By Tom Leech on May 3, 2012 | Reply
I lived in PB and So. MIssion during most of the ’60s and, with various cronies, was a frequent patron at Maynard’s. My two teen age nephews visited me from Michigan, so Sunday morning, I took them to the window at the alley for that special breakfast. That became a highlight of their trip as they spoke about it many times. Maynard’s was a fine place to just chill out (didn’t know that term then), sipping beer while listening to great music from the Righteous Brothers and many others. Another favorite was the Sip ‘n Surf on La Jolla Blvd, where we sat on the floor at the surf board tables. Wonder if anyone ever got a photo of that fabulous Mike Dormer wall mural behind the bar? Would love to have a copy (Mike would too).
By Marlene Cesarz on May 16, 2012 | Reply
My husband and I moved to PB in 1967 and spent a lot of time in Maynards. Do you have t-shirts? If so, please let me know.
Thanks, Marlene
By Carl on May 17, 2012 | Reply
I learned how to surf as a junior high student in 1965, at the foot of Law Street, and fondly remember the cheap but tasty Sunday Omletts, Wednesday night spaghetti and Friday taquitos from the back window. In later years, in early ’70s, Tugs Tavern at corner of Emerald & Mission Ave continued Maynard’s tradition with the spaghetti, taquitos and Sunday breakfast. I vividly remember the plywood they’d place over the pool tables, then an oil cloth over that as a tablecloth, and empty Gallo Spinada bottles for their Green Goddess salad dresing. Pitchers of beer were only 75 cents, too!
By Terry Tucker Rhodes on Jun 5, 2012 | Reply
I remember a story about Tiny jumping into the Blow Hole in Hawaii and getting shot out of it when the water came in. I also remember when Bla first came to town and supposedly was to be really tough, so Butch didn’t wait to find out, but threw him through a window. Don’t know if either story was true.
One night a friend and I sneaked past the guard on the pier and he started chasing us. We ran out to the end of the pier and jumped off and swam to shore.
I was at the dance at Del Mar when Butch got his face kicked in. These guys just jumped him and got him on the ground and started kicking him in the face. I ducked under a table because people and things were flying everywhere. Skip and some others got him out of there before the police got there. The papers called it a “Surfer Riot” and my parents wouldn’t let me go to any more surfer dances.
By PJ Granger on Jul 6, 2012 | Reply
I’m with Marlene C.-have you thought of Maynard’s T-shirts. Are there any other photos of Maynard’s out there?
By Scrounge on Sep 20, 2012 | Reply
Came here from Miami in “70″ with a surfboard & holes in my pockets. Cash in a few coke bottels, I could eat every few days. It’s now 42 years later. Thanks for the cheap eats. Maynards & Tugs. That’s old school PB. Miss them both.
By Scrounge on Sep 20, 2012 | Reply
R.I.P Shorty
By Johnny the Shu on Jan 23, 2013 | Reply
Went here on Spaghetti night as a teenager in the summer of ‘69 with my school buddy, John and his family (bikers). Had a great time – just watching people as I slurped my dinner up.
Ah – the memories of our youth…this one is well-treasured!
By Bill Sowles on Feb 17, 2013 | Reply
Maynard’s had the best spagetti dinners for 25 Cents.
By Cyndi Elliott on Apr 20, 2013 | Reply
You are all making me hungry for a “Single, extra meat, extra cheese”. Think I will make one in the morning, being Sunday and all. Let’s not forget the “Red Beer”. Owen passed on the recipes to my mom Maria. I am so happy to be able to give my family a taste of Maynards. I still make the spaghetti on Wednesdays,( I have a great shot of my mom at Maynards, stirring the big pot of sauce, with a wooden paddle.)I stay away from rolling tiquitos though. After rolling 1260 every Thursday after school, either with my brothers and sister, alone or with a friend I might bring with me, I just can’t…lol. I’m sure that was where the first “Tortilla Toss” was started. When the tortilla would break while rolling it, it would just get tossed. I mean they were flyin! So,I think I will play a little Les McCann and Eddie Harris “Compared to What” to go with That omelet. Mom played that a lot in Maynards. When she opened Maynards in the mornings, she would always start the day by dropping a quarter in the jukebox and playing “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye. Love you and miss you Momma and Maynards!!! xoxo