Tagus Theatre

Guthrie's Alley Cat
Bakersfield, CA
Photo courtesy John King

The colorful Guthrie’s Alley Cat blade sign puts on quite a show in a downtown Bakersfield alley. Its yellow, red and blue panels might suggest an old Kodak advertisement until that smiling cat comes into view. Animated eyes, a blue neon tongue and a pinwheel tail give this little lounge an oversized roadside personality. 07-10

Opened as Oscar’s Alley Cat in 1940, the bar later acquired the Guthrie name under Jack and Shorty Guthrie. It became known as Bakersfield’s oldest operating bar, with a dim interior and cash-only service. The cat developed its own following, even appearing in regulars’ tattoos, while a celebrity caricature mural supplied another conversation piece inside.

UPDATE: Guthrie’s Alley Cat remains open, and its animated neon continues lighting the alley after dark. The old lounge still offers a reason to look beyond the main street when exploring downtown. Follow the cat—apparently it knows where everyone is gathering. 11-26

Tower Health Food
Fresno, CA
Photo courtesy Mike & Robyn Howard

The glowing Tower Health & Diet Foods lettering adds another bit of nighttime color to Fresno’s Tower District. Down below, the shop offers vitamins, herbs, supplements and natural foods. Even without a shopping list, the neon gives sign hunters a reason to pause along Fulton Street. 07-11

The business has served the community since 1957, becoming a familiar stop through decades of neighborhood changes. Its storefront lettering fits comfortably among the district’s older commercial signs. The exact installation date remains uncertain, but the neon has become part of the shop’s recognizable appearance.

UPDATE: Tower Health & Diet Foods remains open after nearly 70 years in business. Its storefront and familiar sign continue to mark the longtime neighborhood shop. Apparently this is one Tower District business that has found a formula for staying healthy. 11-26

Ralph Kuettel Pianos (Gone)
Fresno, CA
Photo courtesy Mike & Robyn Howard

The Ralph Kuettel Pianos signs left little doubt about what waited inside this Fresno shop. A horizontal “PIANOS” panel carried decorative keyboard details, while a vertical neon blade repeated the message. Anyone searching for a piano had two chances to spot the right place. 07-11

The shop stood along Olive Avenue, just west of the main Tower District strip. Photographer John Margolies documented the storefront in 1987, preserving its distinctive advertising in the roadside collection now held by the Library of Congress. Those piano keys made an ordinary commercial sign into something worth remembering.

UPDATE: The piano business closed, and the building later housed Bencomo’s Home Brew Supply for a time. Both vintage “PIANOS” signs have been removed. The storefront found another use, but its unmistakable musical introduction survives only in photographs. 11-26