My favorite movie candy treat was either Jujy Fruits or Turkish Taffey.
Jujy Fruits still abound:
However the following tip from CandyWarehouse may not be universally appreciated:
Fun Movie Tip: Sit near the front of the theater... chew a Jujy Fruit for about 30 seconds or until soft... throw at movie screen... win a prize if your Jujy Fruit actually sticks to the screen! Prizes redeemable from the movie theater usher/valet. (-;Unfortunately, Bonomos Turkish Taffey is no longer manufactured; it does, however, have a fascinating history:
(excerpts from
Old Time Candy):
The candy, which first appeared as a nickel bar after World War II, became a favorite with the economy-minded. Unlike some of its competitors, which melted in your mouth, Turkish Taffy eroded slowly, and it was so chewy that a single bar could last through most of a double feature at the movies.
Mr. Bonomo (pronounced BAHN-uh-moh) was born into the candy business and actually had Turkish roots. His father, Albert J., was a Sephardic Jew who had emigrated from Turkey. In 1897, the year before Victor Bonomo was born, his father started making candy in Coney Island to supply concessions at the amusement park. After World War I, Victor joined his father in running the candy factory on Eighth Street in Coney Island, where saltwater taffy and hard candies were produced.
As World War II ended, sugar rationing gave way and the entire country was eager to indulge its sweet tooth. Bonomo's joined the race to satisfy the surging demand, promoting three candy bars, "Thanks," "Hats Off" and "Call Again," which Tico Bonomo, Victor's son, described as "poor man's Milky Ways."
Then the candy cooks at the Coney Island factory came up with a batter of corn syrup and egg whites that was cooked and then baked.
"It was not really a taffy but what is technically known as a short nougat," explained Tico Bonomo. Nor was it Turkish. "It was not a family recipe and the name we chose, 'Turkish Taffy,' just reflected clever marketing," he said.
It cooled into sheets the size of school desks, which were distributed through Woolworth stores around the country. Clerks at the candy counters used ball-peen hammers to whack the sheets, breaking off shards that were sold by the pound.
Apparently this method of distribution merely whetted appetites for the candy, then available only in vanilla. Mr. Bonomo had the slabs cut into panels the size of 1945 nickel Hershey bars, which were larger that 1999 65-cent Hershey bars. The bars were packaged in wrappers that showed smiling men in fezzes pouring batter into a huge vat. Of course, in Turkey, the fez had been outlawed by Kemal Ataturk in the 1920's, but back in the 50's the design drew no complaints.
(end)
Now eBay will sell me an empty box for 40bucks or so
and I could buy a box car for a train set
but no more Turkish Taffy
der Brucer (warning: do not inadvertantly enter "Juicy Fruits" into a serach engine!)
