Tucson Time Capsule: No wonder Debbie Reynolds fled

JOSE GALVEZ / ARIZONA DAILY STAR 1977 Store openings just aren't what they used to be. When the department store Zodys opened in Tucson on Aug. 24, 1977, 6,000 people showed up at 5545 E. Broadway to get in on the action. And there was a lot of action. With crowds drawn by the wide array of promotional prizes, shoving and fighting erupted among the shoppers, many of whom had been waiting in line more than two hours before the scheduled opening. One man was arrested, accused of punching a policeman in the face. At least 19 people were treated by paramedics, as the temperature reached 100. Actress Debbie Reynolds, who was passing out pre-autographed photos, asked security personnel to get her out of the building. Willie Mays, who was also to sign autographs, was a no-show; Monte Irvin filled in. A small boy was nearly crushed by the crowd. A fireman reported, "Some old ladies fell down and people began to trample them. I had to stop people from entering the store. They were acting crazy." The surge was so great that at one point store personnel were unable to open the doors. And inside the store, a policeman standing in a shopping cart was blowing his whistle to direct pedestrian traffic. But the action must have slowed down: by January 1983, Zodys had closed its Arizona stores as part of a reorganization. Mervyn's soon moved into the Tucson location.