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Kirk Douglas: 1916-2020
... Classic tv and movies will never be the same again. (Kodachromes, Charles & Ray Eames, Movies) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/05/2020 - 8:17pm -

        Kirk Douglas, one of the last surviving movie stars from Hollywood’s golden age, whose rugged good looks and muscular intensity made him a commanding presence in celebrated films like “Lust for Life,” “Spartacus” and “Paths of Glory,” died on Wednesday at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 103. — New York Times 1950. "Actor Kirk Douglas, half-length portrait, seated in chair, on set during the filming of Ace in the Hole, New Mexico." 35mm color transparency by Charles and Ray Eames. View full size. Ace in the HoleAn interesting and offbeat movie, one of the best starring Kirk Douglas. RIP Cynical newspaper hackIn a pleasant coincidence, there is an article in The Guardian today by Vanessa Thorpe arguing that the finest role by Kirk Douglas was as the “cynical newspaper hack” in this movie. She writes: “Ace in the Hole, directed by the masterful Billy Wilder, creator of Sunset Boulevard and Double Indemnity, swiftly becomes a blistering portrayal of the dynamics of what we now call ‘a media circus’. Inspired by the real-life press feeding frenzy that sprang up in 1925 when a man called Floyd Collins was trapped in a Kentucky cave, the plot has Tatum (Chuck Tatum, “the restless and unprincipled reporter played by Kirk Douglas in the 1951 Hollywood classic”) taking control of the scene of a mining disaster and working it to his own ends. Quickly establishing himself inside the filling station run by a trapped man’s wife, the newshound twists the facts to suit his tale and shows no visible pangs of guilt. ‘I’ve met a lotta hard-boiled eggs in my life, but you, you’re 20 minutes,’ the wife tells Tatum in grudging awe.” They happen in threesWe also just lost Orson Bean (2/7/20) and Robert Conrad (2/8/20). Classic tv and movies will never be the same again. (Kodachromes, Charles & Ray Eames, Movies)
Ocean Spray: 1964
... could not be seen from there. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Found Photos, Miami) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/15/2015 - 12:32pm -

1964. "Collins Avenue, Miami Beach." With the Ocean Spray Hotel representing the Art Deco old guard and the curvy Fontainebleau the new. Medium format slide snatched from the jaws of eBay and scanned by Shorpy. View full size. A Bond moment?Down the street at the Fontainebleau in 1964, wasn't James Bond keeping an eye on Auric Goldfinger and enjoying a romp with Jill Masterson? Although I think I read somewhere that they didn't actually shoot those scenes on location. [Correct. The scenes with the principals were shot on soundstages at Pinewood Studios in England and edited together with footage shot at the hotel. -tterrace] Never mind the buildingsI'm more interested in what happened to the trunk lid on the car parked at the curb. [There's no trunk - it's a 1960 Ford station wagon with the tailgate lowered and the liftgate - the upper part with the window - not raised, but slightly ajar. -tterrace] AAHHH, my neck of the woods.Thankfully, a great job has been done saving the Art Deco heritage of Miami Beach. So many of the "old guard" buildings have been saved and are better than new. Even the lobby furniture in these old beauties is proper period design. This structure and many others by the architect Martin Hampton are on the National Register of Historic Places. This hotel is not in the "hot" South Beach part of town. The Streets of MiamiI've never been to the area (though I did have a change-over at the Miami airport once). Upon seeing this, my first thought was the old Allan Sherman spoof, "Streets of Miami", sung to the tune of "Streets of Laredo"... https://youtu.be/-cjAqvQBotM As I wandered out on the streets of Miami, I said to mine self, 'Dis is some fency town!" I called up mine partner and said "Hello Sammy," Go pack up your satchel and mosey on down. I got me a bunk in the old Roney Plaza, With breakfast and dinner included of course. I caught forty winks on mine private piazza, Then I rented a Pinto from Hertz Rent-a-Horse... You're Right JerryIn February 1956 I went to South Beach (although it wasn't called that then) and stayed at a hotel called the Peter Miller. It may still be there for all I know. As a young 20-something waiting to be drafted, I had a memorable vacation. However, the Fontainebleau could not be seen from there. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Found Photos, Miami)
Excelsior: 1964
... the best designed building at the fair. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Found Photos, NYC) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2015 - 2:30pm -

1964. "New York State Pavilion, New York World's Fair." The "Mezzanine Tour" looks just about our speed. Medium-format Ektachrome. View full size. Plaid DadIf you are a white American of a certain age, This Was Your Dad. Yikes! - Spikes!I find those massive, riveted, downward-pointing steel spikes unsettling. One of the weakest pavilionsI went to the Fair many times, saw every pavilion many times. The New York State Pavilion may have been one of the largest, but it was certainly one of the weakest. Outside of the tower (too long of a line), the only feature was a basketball court-sized map of New York State. The NYS government never appropriated enough money to maintain the building or tear it down. So it sits as a 50 year old eyesore with no real value at all. Restore it to what? An open canopy roof that leaked alot of water in it's first year, only useful for 4 months a year. Tear it down! NASCARA young Danica Patrick in the red hotrod, with a mall cop quick on the scene to slow the little darlings down. But where are the adults monitoring their children? I forgot, this was the 60s when the streetlight was the sign it was time to come home. Not an interesting pavilionI attended the NY Worlds Fair in 1965 as a 15 year old. This pavilion did nothing for me at the time. The IBM, General Motors, and AT&T Pavilions had some wow factor for kids my age. It's interesting that the NY Pavilion is one of the few extant fair objects. Great mosaic tile mapSorry Bumpkin, I disagree (in a friendly way, of course). I was 16 at the time of the fair, and being a native New Yorker (I lived within walking distance of the Fair, and visited a lot), I was very impressed with the mosaic tile floor which was a map of New York State, with major cities, towns etc. highlighted as reference points. Unfortunately, this pavilion, which still stands, is now in a disgraceful state of utter disrepair. Some civic groups have been trying to get monies for improvements and repairs but nothing major has happened yet. Sad to see such a beautiful building meet such a sad demise. Still standing......but no idea how. There's so much rust. The city & state have talked for years about what to do with this structure. At this point it should just be taken down in my opinion. A lot of other World's Fair relics have turned to crap. Some, like the Hall of Science with its Rocket Park, have been brilliantly maintained and re-purposed. Not The GreatestI visited the fair many times, living in the area. The NYS Pavilion was mediocre and had none of the glitz and excitement of the GM, IBM and other attractions. Looking at the photo, it seems that the pavilion was a low cost government project and pretty sad displays were evident. The ices vendor could not compete with Belgium Waffles. The NYS pavillion sits as an eyesore to this day. A rusting skeleton that has never been loved and 50 years of neglect have made it look worse for wear. I have heard that a group has volunteered to paint it. There it is!My siblings and I loved wandering over the huge map and finding our hometown ("Look! Union Hill! Right where it oughtta be!"). To this day there are those who say this was the best designed building at the fair. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Found Photos, NYC)
Dynasty: 1956
... (ShorpyBlog, SoCal 1956 Kodachromes) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/19/2012 - 2:05am -

Southern California circa 1956. Some of our picnickers are back for a multi-generational, ensemble-coordinated portrait on the couch. View full size. Hoping descendants look at Shorpy!I'm enjoying getting to know this family, as well as the time when I was a baby (I was born Sept. 1954), through these amazing photos! I sure hope someone will notice them and think, "Gee, that looks like Aunt Sally", or "They look like some neighbors we had growing up", etc.. Similar things have happened! That family sure had a lot of pretty girls! Image qualityHey Dave, how much clean up and adjustment was required on this image? Most of the slides in this series seem to be nicely color saturated, with good lighting, and devoid of the extraneous "junk" usually found on old slides. Nice job! (Is that our "loves olives" girl in the back?) [The film scanner and software do all of the cleaning up. - Dave] Bring back those styles!!Seeing photos like this from the 50's makes me long for the clothing styles of the times. You don't see any of these pretty ladies wearing t-shirts with logos on them or tank tops. They look beautiful and a good part of that is what they're wearing, and you can tell they know it. SMILESWith all the headlines about damaged children screaming at us every day, it is a delight to see the beautiful smiling babe in your photo. Thank You! Twins?What a beautiful & healthy family. The two girls on either side of the Mom look like they could be twins. They're both wearing the same blouse as well. A similar collection of photographsfrom the same time period, mid-50's, of African-Americans in Waco, Texas was found several years ago by historian Mike Cochran. There were 414 in all, black and white, in a bag in an antique shop. They needed lots of attention and he was able to get a grant to assist him in making them presentable and they are now available online at the link below. One of the subjects of a photograph, a youngster with a bicycle in 1952, identified the photographer who lived from 1902-1999 as his neighbor. There was a story about him recently in our local newspaper. http://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/partners/PCMC/ (ShorpyBlog, SoCal 1956 Kodachromes)
The 24-Carrot Kitchen: 1954
... desperately need some organization! (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Kitchens etc., LOOK) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/19/2018 - 8:14pm -

1954. "Harley Earl, General Motors Vice President of Design, in Frigidaire's 'Kitchen of Tomorrow' exhibit for the GM Motorama at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York." Flanking the Range of Tomorrow we have, on the right, the Rotisserie Oven of Next Wednesday; on the left, stowed in the down position, is an "Electronic Oven," which is what they called microwaves back in the day. Color transparency by Arthur Rothstein for Look magazine. View full size. Frigidaire FlairWhen I bought my house 22 years ago I thought that bizarre oven/stove combo would be the first thing to go, but I'm still using it! Previous owners were kind enough to leave both pics of the house from a Better Homes article from 1941 and the original brochure for the stove, among other things. The lady on the cover of the brochure is wearing a dress, high heels, and a CROWN while using the fancy new appliance! One major downside is the interiors of those ovens are chrome and therefore nearly impossible to clean. BewilderedMr. Earl looks ... uncomfortable. "What do you expect me to do with these carrots? I'm a car designer." Always wondered what motivated GM to get into appliances. [Zillions of dollars in profits? - Dave] And here it isCourtesy of Google Books, here's an article on the Motorama kitchen, from the April 1954 issue of Popular Science. Paging Jackie GleasonWe desperately need "The Chef of the Future" to complete this scene. Visine, pleaseGod bless him, but who decided Harley Earl should be in this shot? Dude looks like he tied on a few the night before. Your modeling days are behind you, buddy. 1950s ProphecyTomorrow is like today only in stainless steel. A gadgety timeIn the early 1960s my parents renovated their 1920s Colonial home outside of Detroit. The kitchen especially received much attention with a fresh coat of orange paint (so much orange) and a space-age Frigidaire Flair double oven with pull-out cooktop. Futuramic CarrotsHarley Earl was fixated on the future, at least in his own areas of operations. I believe he is scrutinising the carrots, trying to visualize the carrot of 1957 if GM should make the logical move from stoves to vegetables. Should it be straightened, or should we just make the curve more controlled? Fins?? and those leaves desperately need some organization! (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Kitchens etc., LOOK)
Holiday: 1956
... a 1949 or 1950 Ford. (Cars, Trucks, Buses, SoCal 1956 Kodachromes) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/14/2012 - 4:59pm -

Somewhere in Southern California circa 1956. The car is a 1954 Oldsmobile. Another Kodachrome slide from my recent eBay find. View full size. Wedding?Two guys in what appear to be tuxes... I wonder if the previous image was related to this event? The photographer appears to be proficient at fill flash. Wedding bellsIn my opinion, this is the same lovely young lady who "loves olives" in a previous photo from the same lot of Kodachrome slides. It appears there is a wedding about to take place (men in tuxes in the background)and she is invited. Wonder if the groom is one of the guys at the previous party. Does anyone else feel like they are spying on people who don't know they are being watched? Optional accessoriesThis is back when side-view mirrors, even on the driver's side, were extra-cost equipment. Panoramic windshield1954 was the first year Olds had the wrap around windshield. They put them on the Chevy the next year. Such a contrast!To the black/white/five shades of grey we see on today's depressing cars! It's either a Super 88 or 98 because I can see stainless steel "top bows" in the roof. The turquoise and white car is a '55 Pontiac with first year V-8 and I believe the one on the left is a '55 Chevrolet. This was when GM ruled the road and every parking lot, like this one, held a majority of that brand. Their biggest problem in those years was to not get over 50% of the market otherwise they'd be charged with unfair trade practices! Today it's 17.5%, the lowest since 1922! Two toningThe car is an Olds 98. The 88 and Super 88 had a different pattern of two-toning. My all time favorite of this period.. ExcellentFantastic era. Love the Kodachrome and the car. Makes you wonder who they are, and did that have a good life. I miss Kodachrome.The colors hold up remarkably well for a nearly 50 year old slide. The magnificence of the late, lamented Kodachrome can not be understated. [Or overstated. - Dave] Facepalm! One additional "trim" commentThe 1954 98 Holiday (hardtop, as posted) and 98 Starfire (convertible) did have the same "slashing" side trim. But the 98 sedan shared the trim arrangement of the 88s. I was always partial to the trim scheme of the 98 sedan, as it appears (to me) to complement the graceful lines of the entire car better, thus giving the overall design a more coherent look. Beautiful CarI had a 1957 Olds Super 88 in my high school days in the early '70s. This picture brought back many memories. KLN 961Another (blurry) view of the car. Click to enlarge. Bonus points to anyone who can Street View this. Really hoping for an "Aunt Liz" momentMaybe someone will recognize this family. The Side ViewThe lack of mirrors reminded me of my dad. Car racing brought so many innovations and safety improvements like rear view mirrors, side view mirrors, seat belts, and various safety glass and on, and on. He raced Midgets in his younger years, and all of our cars had side view mirrors because he installed them, or had them installed from the factory. And he installed seat belts too, well before they were standard equipment. But then he also installed dual mirrors on my mom’s ’58 Chevy Impala convertible, the one with the 348 Police Cruiser engine, and she was often pulled over due to her lead foot for speeding. A very pretty Australian lady, and with that killer accent she was never given a ticket as I remember. Dad would always just laugh. Mystery CarVictrolaJazz was correct about the '55 Chevy and '55 Pontiac in the background of the photo. The real tricky one to ID is the car in between them. It's pretty rough to figure out the make or model from just the "greenhouse" area showing ... I can't! Oldsmobile!My family had the Olds dealership in Richmond California for many years. I have a few of the old dealer books, with fabric samples, loads of photos, accessory info, etc. But the best thing about the books is that at the back there are clear acetate (or plastic) images of all the models for the year, with matching cutout color swatches. You would go to the dealership and put together the colors you wanted - and where you wanted them. You would also select the upholstery you wanted. Then you placed your order and the factory would make YOUR car! I really miss our '55 88, two-tone greens! Here it is, with our tandem bike. This is at the very end of this car's tenure with our family, as it was being replaced my Dad's $3 1961 Ambassador wagon (he bought it after it was totalled in a wreck and spent his spare time putting it back to perfect condition!). My how things changeCan't help but notice how big the cars are and how small the houses in the background seem to be. Now the cars are much more compact (and efficient), but you could put two of those houses into the average new build today. But the families who lived in those small houses seem to manage. CarsCars in large photo above: The car in the middle of the two GM products looks like the top of a 1952-54 Nash. The dull window frames are a clue, Nash from 52-54 used a dull brushed aluminum on the window frames hence the lack of sun light twinkling from them. Cars in KLN 961 comment: The primary car is a 1954 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight. The car behind is a 1955 Mercury. The next car is a 1946-48 Plymouth (very subtle changes through those years) the one way back is a 1949 or 1950 Ford. (Cars, Trucks, Buses, SoCal 1956 Kodachromes)
Tango Palace: 1949
... (Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Movies, NYC) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/14/2018 - 2:24pm -

New York, 1949. Broadway in neon and Kodachrome, courtesy of Shorpy member RalphCS. Where we're waiting to get Phil Spitalny's autograph. View full size. Note the Traffic LightThe traffic lights of the era in NYC featured red and green lights, with no yellow or "caution" light in between. As I recall, to give those approaching a suddenly-turned-red light time to stop or get through the intersection, the red light facing the others stayed red a while longer before turning green and allowing them to proceed. In 1952, I BelieveA sports Crosley 'Hot Shot' won the Index of Performance at the Sebring 12 Hour race. The Index of Performance was a way to let smaller, less powerful cars win a prize. Interesting cars. They even competed at LeMans in France. Quo VadisAdvertised here as "in production". Following numerous casting changes and production delays, it was finally released to theaters 2½ years after this photo. Crossing our path... is a lovely little 1946 or '47 Crosley station wagon. Crosleys, the first of the “econobox” cars in America, were remarkably innovative. The Crosley used a naval marine engine made of welded copper, the first affordable overhead-cam powerplant in an American car. This little buggy also had four-wheel disc brakes, another US first. Crosleys are quite rare today, but have a strong club following. Cross-country CrosleyBack in the olden days I used to see a number of Crosleys tooling around in Idyllic Larkspur™ and happened to catch one scampering down the main drag in this 1962 slide. [I wonder if those Toyopets will ever be as popular. -Dave] Waiting eagerlyFor someone to identify that funny little gray car. [It's a Crosley. -tterrace] Loving these in colorMy father drove a cab in NYC while going to NYU in the late '40s. Every time I see a cab in one of these pics, I like to imagine him driving it. B&W photos of this era just don't bring out the same emotion. Color makes the scene come alive. Thanks RalphCS & Shorpy for providing these. They're terrific! Roof AstorWhat is that sign in the background at the top "Roof Astor" supposed to mean? Is that the name of the establishment? There's an arrow that seems to point at the roof. Seems really non-intuitive for someone coming in from out of town. [Refers to the Hotel Astor's Roof Garden. -tterrace] Traffic Light PhasesThese traffic lights did not go directly from green to red. There was an in-between phase achieved by the green staying on, and the red coming on. Both would be lit briefly to signal Caution, and then the green would go out, leaving just the red light lit. In summary: Just Green, then Red and Green, then just Red. Phil Spitalny and His All-Girl Orchestra "Evelyn [Mrs. Spitalny] and Her Magic Violin" were featured soloist and instrument on the Hour of Charm radio program until well after World War II. I have dim memories of their program -- largely over-orchestrated schlock -- but only because one of my cowboy shows came on right after it. Still more on the traffic lightPerpster has it right on the red/green signal phases, but I'll add that the sequence mentioned was only instituted a number of years into the signalization of the city. Orignally I believe it was Green -> [DARK] -> Red. They decided to replace the [DARK] phase with Red/Green ON in the '40s or early '50s. I've refurbished one of these pretty little Sherman Tanks of a traffic light for myself: https://gardenstatesignals.net/my-traffic-signals/#NYCRedGreen (Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Movies, NYC)
A Grand Day Out: 1962
... them here on Shorpy! (Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kermy Kodachromes) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/27/2013 - 2:30pm -

"Adams Reunion, 1962." Somewhere in Maryland or Pennsylvania, it's Kermy at left with the glasses, sister Janet on the right with tot and Dale with the watch, relationship unknown. A nice day in the cemetery-cornfield. View full size. Twelve peopleMost of them young enough to still be alive and active. You might think at least one of them would visit Shorpy and have an OMG moment! Plymouth & ChevyOn the left we have a 1958 Plymouth Plaza 4-door sedan, at the lowest end of their model lineup that year. Back seats were optional on Plaza models. [The back seat was optional only on the two-door Business Coupe. - Dave] On the right, a 1955 Chevrolet 2-door. It seems to be a convertible, which would make it a Bel Air, at the highest end of Chevy's line until the first Impala in 1958. Someone's family might have been better off than their cousins. Or at least had more fun driving to the reunion picnic. Christine's Sensible Family-Oriented SisterA 1958 Plymouth at left, quite possibly the single best design of 1950s American car from the standpoint of styling. It can be distinguished from a 1957 Plymouth because it actually has quad headlights, whereas the '57 had two headlights and 2 round parking lights mounted inboard that were designed to look like another pair of headlights but were slightly smaller. This looks like a Plymouth Plaza, the lowest-priced model, from the side trim. However, Plymouth brochures for '58 don't show a 4-door in the Plaza line. All the 4-doors were higher-tier models like Savoys or Belvederes, with fancier side trim. '57 Savoy sedans had side trim like this. Maybe this is a fleet car or something? Something designed to use up leftover trim pieces from the previous year? [The 1958 Plymouth brochure has a giant illustration of a four-door Plaza Sedan in "Misty Green with Iceberg White Sportone." -Dave] What a Difference!You don't have to look too hard to see that these folks (unlike the dour campers in the previous photo post) are enjoying themselves, and having a good time, as there are smiles all around. And what I wouldn't give to have even one of those magnificent cars behind them! RidesOf course, in the back, a 1958 Plymouth sedan and a 1955 Chevrolet convertible. I'm currently restoring a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere 2 door hardtop (hence my name on Shorpy). Off roadAs a kid, being driven by my dad, if there was one thing more fun than driving on a dirt road, it was driving on grass. A Tale of Two CarsWhoever owned the '55 Chevy convertible must have been a "car guy." Not only is it clean and shiny, it seems to have a custom grille. The '58 Plymouth, on the other hand, does not seem to have been shown much love. With a face like that, it's no wonder. 55 Chev convertibleThe 55 Chev has a front bumper guard, not a custom grill, and was more than likely factory installed. [It is a custom grille. No vertical members. - Dave] Great memoriesMy father owned a 1958 Plymouth similar to this one. It was about 7 years old when it quit running; something to do with the crankshaft. I was never quite sure what it was, only that he blamed it on what he said were "soft crankshafts in Plymouths." I was about 11 years old and he gave it to me to try and sell. A man down the street gave me $25 for it (remember this was 1965). A few years later that man's daughter became my first big love. She was the prettiest girl I had ever known (until I met my wife years later). A lot of great memories emanating from a car I never got the chance to drive. My Guess Would Bea snapshot of all the cousins during an extended family get-together - a visit to the family cemetery, perhaps? I detect some facial similarities amongst the kids that would suggest kinship. One can only speculate about where life has taken Kermie and Janet since these wonderful snapshots were taken, or how fate chanced to drop these vignettes of life from the last century into Dave's hands, allowing all of us to enjoy them here on Shorpy! (Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kermy Kodachromes)
Kermy at Play: 1956
... got all kinds of camping and outdoor equipment. (Kermy Kodachromes, Kids) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 12:42pm -

"Kermy, 1956." Cultural anthropologists and toy experts please annotate. Our third look at this batch of Kodachrome slides. View full size. Kermy's stuffProbably most others of my generation will recognize the Lincoln Logs, the molded-rubber little guys, the pre-Matchbox toy cars, the segmented plastic fence (mine was white, with machined planks rather than rustic), possibly even the radio setup - that one I never had. But he also has our woven wicker laundry hamper, at right, and even an army blanket, at left - ours usually rode around in the back seat of the Hudson, and later the Rambler, for traveling warmth and occasional picnic and camping use. This doesn't seem to be Kermy's room, though, or at least not his exclusively; the bed looks too fancy, and he sure wouldn't fit in those snazzy wingtips under it. Darn kid is even wearing glasses, like I did at the time. I never had quite the tan he does, though. Summer rugLooks like this is what my mother called a grass rug, put down in the summer, when the wool rug was sent to be cleaned and stored. The stuff on the floor is a fairly generic mixtureLincoln Logs, etc., but man do I want that radio set in the background! I'm also kinda keen on the singing cowboy figure - mine always had guns, but never a guitar! Marxist RadioForget the Lincoln Logs -- I'm all about that "W-Marx" radio toy. Google is somewhat failing me—there was a "Marx" toy company, with a lot of items on eBay and a museum site but I'm not sure this is the same Marx. [It's a Louis Marx Co. Electric Powered TV and Radio Station, apparently a rather rare item. This photo is from a recent toy collector convention. - tterrace] [I remember these! There was a light bulb inside that let you bake a cake. -Dave] Cowboys and IndiansYes, this brings back memories for me too ... I distinctly remember my grandmother giving me a Cowboys and Indians plastic set complete with a fence like this one (although not black) when I was very young for my birthday ... in later years I moved on to Army sets, but this one was first. The Enclosure Will Be TelevisedI like the way Kermy has mixed together cowboys, soldiers, Lincoln Logs, and vehicles, all of widely varying eras (and scales) within and around the (likely Marx) playset fence -- he was creatively hip to the surrealism lurking beneath those ostensibly gray flannel Fifties through which so many of us came up. The miniature orange and red semi trucks just outside the gate were Fords, which had been "prizes" in boxes of Post's Grape-Nuts Flakes, as I recall. I had several of those trucks myself, and sold them through the antique mall just a few years ago. [Kermy, like I did, probably watched western movies and TV show that were set in an intentionally ill-defined time period that included cattle rustling, bandits, six-gun shoot-outs, but also cars, radios and airplanes. - tterrace] Marx EPTVRSI spied one on eBay for $13,000 in an unopened box -- in case anyone is REALLY yearning for one of these. WMARXMy guess is that WMARX is a nod to the practice of a first letter W for radio and tv stations east of the Mississippi (or so). Kermy was a lucky kid. Marx familyIt's starting to look like Kermy's was a Marx family; his fences are from the company's Western Ranch playset (top). Mine must have come from Plasticville, because when I stumbled upon the lower photo in my searching my nostalgia glands exploded. Perennial favoritesI grew up in the late '70s-early '80s but still had a very similar toy set, with the plastic fence and cowboy-and-horse figures, though mine had three or four different colors of figurines and a yellow (fresh-cut pinewood) fence. Itchy & ScratchyI couldn't help noticing what looks like an itchy Army blanket in the corner. Every family had one for the bed or the beach. Either way it was scratchy. Army brat?I can smell that Army blanket right now. My dad was a career Army officer and we had a bunch of those in our house growing up. Kermy and I are about the same age. Wondering if he's an Army brat. The only thing that makes we think not is that big, expensive W-MARX radio console. Not many career Army dads would buy their kid a toy like that in 1956. Maybe he had grandparents who didn't mind spoiling him. [Where our Army blanket came from, I don't know; no one in our family was in the service. But it was always there when I was a kid, and thence forward. Very scratchy, like ilsa says. - tterrace] Marx memoriesWhen I was Kermy's age [in my case, early 70s], I think we had most of the Marx plastic playsets at some point, ranging from a dinosaur and caveman set to a WW2 military set which included US, German, and to a lesser extent, Japanese soldiers. I don't know how many battles we fought involving cowboys, Indians, cavemen, American, German, Japanese [oh, and a few Confederate and Union] soldiers on my bedroom floor, not to mention the tanks and other military vehicles versus dinosaurs. Obviously historical accuracy wasn't very important at the time. Regardless, the Marx sets made for hours of fun at the time and for great memories today. Army menHere are the nine army men I saved as a representative sample from a large bag of them from the sixties. I see Kermy has the sentry and the minesweeper. I'm missing my minesweeper. We had a set of Army men too.Once everything was in place, we'd attack them with Robot Commando, while our sister would play with her etch-a-sketch. From the words on the box, it looks like the name of the Army set was called "Battleground" play set. Christmas day, 1961. Army BlanketsWere readily available at the surplus stores where we got all kinds of camping and outdoor equipment. (Kermy Kodachromes, Kids)
Tracks in the Snow: 1942
... looking critter as a good will gesture. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:04pm -

December 1942. Three West Coast streamliners in the Chicago & North Western yards at Chicago. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. C&NW RRWould anyone know from just the picture which streamliners are in the photo? I believe the one on the left with the front grill work might be the City of Portland, the other 2 would be going to Calif by way of the UP. Also there's a E6 A or B unit? facing towards the streamliner on the right. [See comments in the detail view of this photo for a discussion of the streamliners. The one on the left is the City of Denver. - Dave] Transition from SteamDave, I don't know what surprises me most; Tom Kelley (who claims to be an old railroad man) believing that Diesel Locomotives didn't arrive until 1958, or you for stating that "Diesel-electric locomotives had largely replaced steam power by the end of the 1940s." [See clipping above for numbers. I think "largely replaced" is a fair characterization of the situation. - Dave] For the record the first diesels appeared the early 1930s and the first streamlined non-steam trainsets (a matched locomotive and cars) was probably the UP's City of Salinas with the famous M-10000 locomotive, which if I'm not mistaken (and I probably am) was first exhibited at the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago (love to see some photos of that btw). Dieselization proceeded at different rates depending on location. Western roads such as the UP, the Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe were quick to acquire diesels because of the dry conditions of the southwest in particular. Railroads with a lot of coal available made the transition more slowly - they had a cheap and ready source of fuel from the mines they serviced. Conversion did take place first on passenger trains and then on freight trains but of course there were exceptions to the "rule" as well. Suffice it to say that while they were being phased out, there were still plenty of steam engines running for much of the 1950s. The last steam locomotive to operate on a regular basis on a class 1 US railway was on the Norfolk and Western (a big coal hauler), which was about the time that the last steam engines on the Canadian National made their final runs. Rail Dieselization Nears Completion (1953)New York Times, August 9, 1953. Streamlimers in 1942 ???? Don't think so!!!Sorry to be a skeptic, but being an old railroad worker, i have to question this one since the 'Streamliners' pictured here appear to be diesels which didn't come about until 1958. [The streamliner on the left with the grille is the City of Denver, built in 1936. Wikipedia article. The heyday of the streamliner was in the 1940s and early 1950s. Diesel-electric locomotives had largely replaced steam power by the end of the 1940s. - Dave] 1942 ?????Are these units not diesels, which didn't arrive until 1958? [Where did you get the idea the first diesels came out in 1958 ????? - Dave] 1942 C&NWFrom left to right the first set of passenger cars is for the C&NW Twin City 400 service. These cars arrived between 1939 and 1941. The second train is the City of Denver, the noise heard is for C&NW & Union Pacific railroads and the headlight does not have a hood over it, which means the train did not go to the west coast. The hood had to be used by any train or locomotives which came within 200 miles of the coast as to help it not be spotted by enemy boomers. Next is a single EMD E3/E6 (1939-1941). And on the last track is a C&NW E3/E6 with a City of San Francisco EMD E2 (1939). snow clearanceInteresting to see that in the right foreground, snow has been cleared from around the switchpoints to prevent it from impeding their movement. 1953 statsDave, thanks for posting that. David P. Morgan wrote in TRAINS magazine that diesels were responsible for 90% of traffic in 1954, which comports well with the clipping. DieselsThe Gulf Mobile and Ohio was the first Class 1 railroad in the country to completely dieselize. One of the major weekly magazines (Look, Life or something similar) did a photo essay showing the last steam run on the GM&O and one sad photo I remember was of a diesel switcher pulling down a water tank within sight of our house. GM&O used ALCO equipment almost exclusively on the Southern Division while they used EMDs above Bloomington Illinois. We did have a Baldwyn cab unit or two and a real abortion (we called it "The Catfish") that was a road switcher made by the Ingalls Ship Building company right after WWII. I think it was the only one they built and since the GM&O did a lot of traffic with Ingalls, they bought the funny looking critter as a good will gesture. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
On the Town: 1962
... as to the claim that he is from Appleton). (Kermy Kodachromes, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/15/2013 - 5:35pm -

"Wisconsin plane trip." After disembarking, our mad men are painting the town Appleton Red in October 1962. 35mm Kodachrome slide. View full size. PerspectiveTaken on the other side of the street from the earlier photo, with the camera pointed in the opposite direction. I can hear it nowMost of these men are probably telling the cameraman to cheese it because their wives actually thought they were travelling to do "business." OK, boys, let's agree on one thing right now.Whatever happens in Appleton STAYS in Appleton! Like a MovieThis brings to mind 2011's "Cedar Rapids." Standard Oil CompanyYou can see a Standard Oil gas station behind the guy on the right. In some states back then, the emblem was the same but would say "American." Both were predecessors to Amoco, which of course is now owned by BP. The Dynamic 88The 1960 Rocket 88 Oldsmobile was still in its heyday, one of the most ubiquitous cars of the era! Two friends and I drove a blue and white one to the National Olds Meet in Milwaukee in 1981. I ran us out of gas coming back into Dallas on Central Expressway on the last day of the trip. Hard to believe this oldest of names just faded away. Sidewalk ClockMcCook Nebraska had a clock on the curb nearly the same as the one in the background. The advertisement that went with it was" Sutton jewelers by the time clock on the curb." I loved the way the downtown areas looked in the 50's and 60's. Rocket 88!!!Hey, VictrolaJazz-- With your moniker you probably are also aware of what some consider the first rock 'n' roll song: Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats' Rocket 88, recorded by Sam Phillips in Memphis in 1951 and issued on Chess: You may have heard of jalopies, You heard the noise they make, Let me introduce you to my Rocket '88. Yes it's great, just won't wait, Everybody likes my Rocket '88. Standard Oil QuestionHi, wxman1-- Interesting post. I've always thought that the old Esso brand name meant S-O as in Standard Oil. I seem to remember that the backs of the Standard Oil credit cards way back when had a slough of different logos where the cards were accepted, and I thought that they were all part of Standard Oil. I think Humble Oil was another one of those brands; they all had similar logos. I guess they're all Exxon nowadays. ["Esso" dates to before the breakup of Standard Oil in 1911. Thereafter, several companies nationwide were variously entitled to use the brand names. - tterrace] Standards of the WorldMy understanding was that Standard Oil of New Jersey's original "ESSO" brand name stood for "Eastern States Standard Oil," though that logical name has long since mutated into the more-corporate "EXXON." Similarly, on some vintage "Flying Horse" Mobilgas signs, you'll notice the cryptic inscription "Socony-Vacuum" at the bottom. When I was first interested in all things automotive in the 1950's, my father, a mechanic, told me the petroleum facts of life, namely that the first part of Mobil's subtitle meant "Standard Oil Company Of New York." For many years we Buckeyes had the most state-specific Standard Oil brand of all, the beloved "SOHIO" (an exclusive granted possibly in recognition of John D. Rockefeller having founded Standard in Cleveland.) Sadly, Sohio was taken over by multinational BP 20-some years ago, and I miss seeing the Sohio logo on our corner stations. Interestingly, all of the traditional Standard Oil divisions used a red, white, and blue clor scheme for their logos and structures, though the shades of red and blue varied by company. Great poses!The gestures of the four gentlemen are terrific. They're feeling completely at ease, whatever they're about to do! What a difference half a century makesI can imagine a conversation like this: "Hey guys, when we get back home you'll have to come over for dinner, I'll show you some slides of my kids, Kermy and Janet' "Uh, thanks Bob but I think I have a Root Canal that day" Flash forward to today and a bunch of total strangers are totally captivated by those same slides! Business in AppletonI loved visiting Appleton in the course of business about 10-12 years ago!! Home to Cleo's Christmas themed bar-year round! And a Houdini Museum (although I understand there is some dispute as to the claim that he is from Appleton). (Kermy Kodachromes, Stores & Markets)
Western Standard: 1941
... to ask him more about his younger days. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Don Cox, Gas Stations) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/21/2021 - 12:25pm -

"1935 Ford Tudor sedan at gas station." The year is 1941, and we are somewhere in Southern California. Kodachrome by our West Coast "carrespondent" Don Cox. View full size. I wishsomebody can recognize that art-deco-ish entrance for the location of the pump. Car design that evokes confidence in the machine. So solid and husky. That's One Clean Gas StationNot a bit of litter in sight. The car looks good too. Ghost ferns?What do you suppose the plants are in the lower right corner? Strange thing! Kodachrome Automotive BeautyWhat a lovely looking automobile! Wow, I sure miss the days of yesteryear! Too many people on the planet, too homogenous! Lead WarningGas pumps still had the warning "CONTAINS LEAD" in the 1960's. I never gave it a second thought as I filled up with premium. What were we supposed to do with this information, not drink the leaded gas or not inhale the exhaust fumes? The government was a little less excited about those issues back then, and I was absolutely clueless. [What you were supposed to do with that information was not employ gasoline for cleaning, heating, cooking or anything else besides its intended use as a motor fuel. - Dave] Interesting Aftermarket Directional SignalsAftermarket lights on the bumper appear to be directional signals. Factory signals were only introduced on more expensive makes in 1939. This Ford is also in great shape for a six-year-old car in that period. Spokeless Scene stealing little '35 has been equipped with later rims, clearance/accent lights added above bumper. Ford grille shell nameplate and some side brightwork appears to also have been removed from hood sides? What a sweetie! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGa59ESP1ps I've never seen that before. The compressed air and I suppose water hoses imbedded in the pump island are a new one on me. It seems very practical and eliminates a lot of clutter. The little crank to reset the pump counters brings back memories. The little yellow accessory lights on the bumper of the '35 are nifty. The no frills single windshield wiper, not so much. Air & Water HosesRob Ellie's comment about the embedded air and water hoses aroused my curiosity. Where is the spring loaded reel that retracts and stores the length of these hoses? There doesn't appear to be an access plate in sight to allow repairs when the storage reels or hoses eventually need repair. Gramps Would Be ProudMy grandfather (Mom's pop) ended his career as a VP for Standard Oil of California, later known as Chevron, based mainly in San Francisco and worked with both "Company Ops," meaning fully owned and run by the oil company, and the franchisees. He was a complete stickler for having the stations look spotless and if inspected by the company, enough demerits in the looks department could send a manager out the door. This was the norm, especially in stations around the downtown core of cities where there was intense competition. Gas was uniformly cheap, but it was the service aspect of the operation that built loyalty. He would have certainly liked the good and tidy looks of this example, wherever it was. Lead additiveDave, lead was added to gasoline to reduce engine knocking, boost octane rating and lelp wear and tear on valve seats. [We know that. The question was the reason for the warning sign. - Dave] Color Makes it RealThat is beautiful! My first thought: Is that the way things looked back then? I thought everything was black and white." Color brings history a little bit closer to my reality. Thanks Dave. Grandpa at the GulfSince this picture is from 1941, I recall that my grandpa (Mother's side) ran a Gulf station right here in town from 1941 to '51. Thanks to the local historical society, of which I'm a member, I was able to obtain a nice image of the station, which existed until at least the first few years of my life. I remember well losing Grandpa in 1974, and only wished I'd have been old enough to think to ask him more about his younger days. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Don Cox, Gas Stations)
Color My World: 1952
... then hop out of the seat and go flying! (Kids, Linda Kodachromes) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/23/2013 - 4:13pm -

"Linda 1952." Mid-century New England, in what could have been an ad for Kodachrome film. 35mm color transparency found on eBay. View full size. Linda's on my mindThe little girl in this Subaru commercial made me think of Linda the first time I saw it. Seeing this great picture of Linda today just confirms it. http://youtu.be/UO6ztkW4ulw She's a Sexagenarian!Most folks back in the 'Colorful' 1950s couldn't afford Kodachrome Film. It's a shame Linda's family doesn't have these wonderful photos to treasure. Thanks for bringing them to us, Shorpy! KodachromeDave's comment on this picture as an ad for Kodachrome is right on. My dad was a professional photographer who always spoke of Kodachrome with a kind of reverence. This picture, in its depth, reveals why. Beautiful!It looks like it was taken last week instead of 60 years ago, except of course the swing is made of metal instead of plastic, and there are all kinds of exposed bolts, pivots and chains that can cut, pinch and smash the tender parts. Look out for the nailIt looks like somebody stuck a rusty nail in one of the chain links. Maybe the photographer found it on the ground and stuck it there while taking the picture. This is a very good quality picture. [The rusty fastener is a screw or bolt. - Dave] How did we live to be adultsI am probably just a year or two older than Linda. In the early 50s my neighbor had one of those swing sets with all of the exposed hardware mentioned in "Vintagetvs" earlier post. But worse yet, in order to not have a muddy area under the swings the area was covered with steel "diamond deck" under the whole footprint of the swing. In today's world it would have to be some form of soft mulch in case someone falls off. Good Greens!Not only is this a super photo in itself, but it also proves that Kodachrome could render greens in a realistic way. Years ago, some photographers would grouse that the film wasn't capable of that. Wrong! Sorry Dave,But that is a rusty nail stuck into the middle of the chain. [Incorrect. Next! - Dave] Swing highI wonder how we made it through childhood alive also. What I remember most is the thrill of seeing how high you could swing before the legs of the swingset started lifting off the ground!! Unless someone got smart and cemented them in! Fun days. I love the "Linda" series because she is about my age and I remember so much of what we see in these photos! Thanks, Shorpy!! Nails and ChainsThat's how you adjusted the length of the chains on the swing seat for kids with short legs or long legs. The other way was to toss the seat over the top of the frame in order to wrap the chains around the pipe, thus raising the seat higher from the ground. Sigh! Another folk skill lost. Carriage BoltThat's what it looks like to me. Lockjaw? Nah.The height adjusting "S" hook must have been needed elsewhere. In order for that particular sitting position to function as designed, an alternate splice was required, probably installed by one of the machines operators. My guess is the multi purpose carriage bolt. A wonderful picture, with the original transparency sitting on Shorpys desk, next to the loupe. Rusty fastenerIt looks like a carriage bolt has been used to repair the chain. The link from below has been pulled through the link above and the bolt passed through. It's hard to see but I believe there may be a square nut on the end. The other chain for the seat has been shortened with what looks like an "S" hook, probably to level the seat after the repair. Re: Nails and ChainsWe had a swing set of the same vintage, complete with the skin-tearing nuts and bolts and eventually a rough patina of rust, plus the humpity-thumpity of the legs lifting off the ground when someone swang too high, evoked so well by pattyanne. But the way we used to adjust the height of the swings was by pulling up an equal number of links on both chains and attaching the chain to the J-shaped fastener not by the top link as on Linda's set but by, say, the tenth link. That way, you wouldn't have to insert yet another scrape-producing metal item into the child's hand zone. You could also toss the seat over the top of the frame, as LarryDoyle recalls, but that was considered the, uh, rowdy solution. ShackledRe: the high swinging comments. My Dad made a safety investment for us rowdy boys. Our swingset had shackles on the legs that were chained to corkscrew like stakes. I remember that it was noisy. Safety FirstI remember putting one of those things together back in the 1960s. It took me two weekends and I was super careful in order to be sure the construction would be sound and the kids using it would be safe. At the end I ran into a problem, there were a lot of left over nuts, screws, bolts and other fasteners. The children were ready to ride but I wouldn't let them. This was before stores were open on Sundays. On Monday I called the manufacturer directly ( 800 numbers were scarce then) to check on my work. They assured me that always packed lots of extras and that if I followed the assembly instructions there shouldn't be any problems. We sold the house about 15 years later, the backyard gym was still there, ready for the new owners kids. No "monkey bars"Linda's swing set is pretty elaborate. The one we had didn't have the "monkey bars" that go across the top where Linda is climbing on hers. But that's okay. We got our jollies not simply trying to see how high you could swing, but how high you could swing then hop out of the seat and go flying! (Kids, Linda Kodachromes)
Fort Knox: 1942
... self propelled gun type, the M-7 Priest. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 10:31pm -

June 1942. M-3 tank in action at Fort Knox, Kentucky. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. A triumph for democracy, and for KodachromeTeam Shorpy - Any chance of our seeing what this image looked like before color correction? This is a great shot, and I am intrigued by the conditions under which it was taken. I do not think color films in 1942 were very quick; this was probably shot on what would today be called iso 25 or iso 50 film. However, the dust clouds and tank treads are frozen, so the shutter speed may have been 1/250 or even faster. Palmer got pretty good depth of field too -- several feet at least. That combination suggests that this photo was taken in very bright sunlight. Traditionally, such a dark blue sky suggests that a polarizing filter was used, but that would have cut down on light and Palmer needed all the light he could get for this shot. Was it enhanced in Photoshop? I wonder if this tank would have seemed impressive or threatening to viewers of this photograph in 1942. To my eye, it looks cute, but perhaps that's the result of decades of exposure to much larger and more dangerous machines. [Original image below. - Dave] Central Harlem's Uniformed QuestionIn 1942 Kodachrome had a film speed of Weston 8 which corresponded EXACTLY to ASA 10, which corresponds exactly to ISO 10. There is no reason to believe that Kodachrome would have suffered any color deterioration WHATEVER since this image was processed and stored in 1942, so the colors you see here are probably exceedingly close to what you they were in 1942, allowing for the vagaries of present-day scanning, conversion to digital electronic format, and display. The colors as presented here are typical of what can be seen from properly stored Kodachrome transparencies from the 1940s, perhaps originally exposed through a polarizer, though not necessarily. Consult the Wikipedia article on Kodachrome for more on all this. [So, what kind of uniform does a "uniformed" question wear? Dress blues? Irritating, obtuse comment of the day. But the day is young! - Dave] The TankAs far as Central Harlem Anonymous's question as to whether "this tank would have seemed impressive or threatening to viewers of this photograph in 1942," the answer is that to the uninformed viewer it would have seemed quite impressive, but to anyone who had much knowledge about armor it would not be well regarded at all. The M-3 - known to the British as the General Lee - was pretty much obsolescent when it came off the production line. The 75 mm main gun is impressive enough but it is mounted in a sponson on the right side of the tank's hull giving it a limited field of fire of about 15 degrees to the right or left of center. The secondary gun, a 37 mm turret mounted gun (in this tank either removed, not mounted or cut off) was a fairly decent gun but didn't have the striking power of the guns that even the German Panzer IV had. And that was weak compared to what the Tiger Tanks that the Germans were producing had. The turret itself is a disaster - far too high and a very inviting target. The British bought a large number of the M-3s to cover their own shortfalls in tank production and the first thing they did was to replace the turret with a lower one of their own design. The result was the "General Grant" which was one of the main tanks of Montgomery's Eighth Army at the Battle of El Alamein. The Grants and Lees were taken out of service by the time of the invasion of Sicily, though some were used by the British in the Burma theater of operations where the Japanese tanks were truly pathetic. The Russians were given some through Lend-Lease; they referred to the Lee as "a coffin for seven brothers." Of course by this time the Russians were operating the beautiful T-34. The US Army would eventually use the body of the M-3, heavily modified, to create a self propelled gun type, the M-7 Priest. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, WW2)
Ford Rotunda: 1953
... optimistic spirit of the Depression era expositions. (Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/03/2020 - 4:25pm -

Dearborn, Michigan, 1953. "Ford 50th Anniversary vehicle display at the Ford Rotunda." On the turntable, the 1954 Mercury Monterey "Sun Valley" with its green-tinted plexiglas roof. Color transparency from the Ford Motor Co. photographic archive. View full size. Ford Rotunda Christmas ShowThe Rotunda was the home of a spectacular Christmas show that featured many beautiful holiday exhibits along with displays of the new cars. My favorite was the mechanical elves making toys in the workshop at the North Pole. Those were the days when we all anticipated three-wheeled cars with bubble tops just like the Jetsons. They also gave out Christmas books featuring the new car models. I was heartbroken when the Rotunda burned down in 1962 and I don't think I ever fully recovered. Before MoonroofsThe similar, previous year's Mercury (convertible) was featured in MGM's "The Long, Long Trailer." Another view below; there was a snap-in opaque screen for too-sunny days. In the distance is Ford's new model with the plexiglas roof insert, the Crestline Skyliner. Love every aspect of the industrial design, including the colors. Ahhhh! Not a high point in American designMid-century modern indeed, sans the taste. Sorry MidcenturyMidwest, just my opinion, but the pastels are ugly now, prone to looking dirty. Yellow car on a pink carpet? Plexiglass roof -- how's that stand up? And in a couple years the Edsel. Boy, did they ever need Iococca. Better things were coming next decade. [The Rotunda was an early 1930s design. And it's "Iacocca." - Dave] What does the sun do to that roof?I wonder how long a plastic roof would last in the sun. UV rays tend to destroy plastic over time. I would expect that especially in those rather early days of making plastics, these roofs might not have held up so well. Quick QuestionCurious about two of the emblems on the wall. I’m guessing the second from the left represents Ford Tractors, and it’s obviously Ford, Mercury and Lincoln in the next three spots. Does anybody happen to know what the emblems on the extreme right and extreme left represent? [Ford Industrial Engines and Ford Trucks (lightning bolt through a gear). - Dave] Toy rotunda?This photo makes it look like toy model! I've never seen it before, but I once had a toy gas station that would've looked right next door. My first carI thought this was the most beautiful car I had ever seen when my father and I went to the showroom in 1954. We bought a light blue one with blue and white tuck and roll seats. When I later learned to drive it was on this car. Driving down the road with my date seated next to me on the front seat, I felt like I was on top of the world. Toy RotundaA simple focus adjustment creates a true toy rotunda! Ford and RotundasHere in San Diego's Balboa Park our Air & Space Museum is housed in the beautiful Ford Building, built for the 1935 exposition our city hosted. It too was constructed in a rotunda shape sharing many design similarities to the one in the picture. Both are truly delightful celebrations of art deco architecture and captured the optimistic spirit of the Depression era expositions. (Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
String Theory: 1952
... and perch from the Gunpowder River. (Kids, Linda Kodachromes) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/02/2013 - 6:30pm -

Linda and the gang circa 1952. Hey kids, go fly a kite! (But watch out for those power lines.) 35mm Kodachrome slide found on eBay. View full size. Burlap FlapsBeautiful shot - the colors, the faces. The burlap tied around the trees really brought back memories. Husband and I built a small tract rancher in southern Pennsylvania in 1979, and paid extra for a wooded lot. We spent the next three springs picking gypsy moth caterpillars out from under burlap flaps strung around our trees, exactly like those in the picture, so our beloved oaks would survive. Most did. Hand fishing line I believeIf memory serves me correctly that is a hand fishing line setup he has. I used to catch sunfish hanging out near dock pilings that way when I was six or seven years old. Smiling!I knew Linda would eventually smile. Certainly not a toothy grin, but she's definitely having fun running with the pack. T-Shirts & JeansWere the uniform of the day during the 50s/early 60s. Once you got to about 10 years old or so, it was not cool to wear shorts. I'm the age of the little guy. Time flies for sure. I'm the guy in the middleAlthough this picture was taken four years before I was born, I can definitely identify with the boy in the middle. That was me: I played outside all the time, and I got DIRTY. Today, kids don't seem to get dirty anymore, except perhaps on the playing field. But my three grandsons get seriously dirty in their back yard or ours, and I love it! Fashion senseHurry take those kids to the nearest mall and get them jeans with rips and holes. Don't they have any fashion sense at all! The closest we ever came to today's fashion jeans was when we would accidentally rip the jeans and mom would put on an iron on patch but even with that we didn't feel like they were good jeans anymore thus we would try to con a new pair from our parents. That's me on the far right with the belt end hanging out. When Dad saw that he would always tell me to put my "business" back into my jeans. Love the dirty jeans boy since it seems like he had the art of being a youngster down pat. I know I never got yelled at too much for dirt just for rips and snags since Tide was a lot cheaper than a new pair of pants. I agree about the fishing line. I used one many times off a pier at Oliver Beach to catch sunfish and perch from the Gunpowder River. (Kids, Linda Kodachromes)
Dallas: 1954
... by co-author Robert Genat. - Dave] (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Don Cox) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/07/2021 - 7:48pm -

"Dallas 1954." The latest Kodachrome from that peregrinating hotrodder Don Cox. The view here is of Ervay Street; at left is the brand-new Republic National Bank building. View full size. A few businesses are still aroundAs a resident of greater Dallas, it's fun to see some names of businesses in this picture that survive to this day: Adelstein Jewelers has moved to the far north end of town, but it's been in business since 1905, and Hardie Seeds, founded in 1899, is now Nicholson-Hardie Garden & Nursery and has also moved a little north of downtown. (Also, take note of the sharp diagonal curve of the street at the top of the photo. Local legend has is that the city officials platting the downtown area would occasionally run into a farmer who didn't want the new street running through his land. Since said farmer had a gun, the street ended up veering off a bit to the side.) Sometimes the times are slow in changingThe Arcadia Liquor sign reminded me that you still cannot buy any liquor you choose just anywhere in Dallas county. This D magazine article from 2010 explains it better than I can. D is for Dallas. Spiritual or FinancialIf I'm reading the maps correctly, that row of buildings across the street was demolished and that spot is now Thanks-Giving Square, which includes an architecturally unusual non-denominational chapel in the midst of a small park. A bit of a switch from the small-time lenders, but both places someone down on their luck might go when in need of some sort of help. The building with the clock off in the distance seems to be still standing on South Ervay between Main and Commerce, though it is no longer visible from this spot. The spotlightThat picture takes me back to my childhood. I was 8 years old living on our farm in Irving, Texas when the Republic Bank opened and they turned on the lights on the tower. The colored lights forecasted the weather if you knew the code. Everyone in Dallas and surrounding area was familiar with what the arrangement of the red, white, and blue colors signified. The most striking thing was the giant rotating spotlight on the top. A 500,000 candlepower beam could be seen over 100 miles and rotated at about 12 times a minute. Liquor and loansPlus a few diamonds and watches. I have been to Dallas once, in 1982. It was too hot. Dave, quit teasing us with "hotrodder"Let's see some time trials action! How about a nice drop-tank lakester with a hopped-up flathead in the back? [Don's racing photos, which were used to illustrate his book "The Birth of Hot Rodding," are not part of the collection donated to Shorpy by co-author Robert Genat. - Dave] (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Don Cox)
Milwaukee Modern: 1963
... The building has since been demolished. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Balthazar Korab, Milwaukee) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/04/2014 - 2:54pm -

Circa 1963. "Milwaukee Art Museum (War Memorial Center), Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1952-57. Eero Saarinen, architect." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Balthazar Korab. View full size. EeeewwwwwAnother damn Brutalist Saarinen building. May all the gods (and especially Hestia) save us from more Brutalism. [Saarinen is not associated with the Brutalist school, and this building is not considered to be an example of that architectural style. - Dave] Influence for Pixar?I instantly thought of this wonderful shot from The Incredibles. I would not be surprised if the Pixar guys had this photo as a reference, this film is *very* precise about its details. 1957Saarinen's father, Eliel, was commissioned to design the building after WWII. When he died in 1950, his son took over the project. The War Memorial Center was dedicated in 1957 “To Honor the Dead by Serving the Living.” Saarinen does not deserve the attacks he gets hereI honestly do not understand the vilification that is poured out on this site every time a photograph of Eero Saarinen's work is posted. Saarinen was quite possibly the least doctrinaire Modernist architect who ever lived, and the work he produced in his short life (he died at age 51, very young for an architect) continually presents delights and surprises. Those architects whom I've met who had the chance to work with him remember him as immensely inspirational and seemingly little lower than the angels. The architect Mies van der Rohe reportedly said, "I do not create a new architecture every Monday morning;" Eero Saarinen came close to doing just that. We should honor him for his ceaseless creativity, and Balthazar Korab's photographs of his work, such as this one, offer stunning proof of that. To Honor the Dead by Serving the LivingSo goes the motto for the Milwaukee War Memorial. My eighth grade (1955) civics teacher would rant almost daily about the hypocrisy of spending so much to build an art museum that would only be used by the rich. He thought it better that the money be distributed amongst living vets, thereby improving their lot (serving the living) in a more meaningful way. Whatever merit his argument may or may not have had, Mr. Z has since passed into history and the Saarinen building still stands. Have spent many enjoyable hours walking through the various galleries of the museum over the years, my last visit being 2004/2005 (?) for a look at the wonderful Brooks Stevens exhibit. In 1958 I received a 35mm rangefinder camera for Christmas, and shot many a roll of both print and slide film on the building. The memory of the 1957 World Champion Milwaukee Braves had pretty much faded by 58, and local civic leaders never missed a chance to promote the “War Memorial.” I'm No Expert....on either art nor architecture. I look at something and either like it or not. I like this building! B.P.O.E. #46The brown brick building partially visible in the far background at the extreme right is the Milwaukee Elks Club. It was a stately building with large formal lobby, large dining room with dance floor, swimming pool and small apartment rooms for members who wished to live there . The building has since been demolished. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Balthazar Korab, Milwaukee)
Domestic Pardner: 1952
... one as we have plenty of ammo. (ShorpyBlog, Minnesota Kodachromes) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2014 - 9:51pm -

"Leslie, 28 Feb. 1952." Visiting the abode of Grace and Hubert, whose low-key decor whispers of subdued scarlets and tentative teals. View full size. Sly BootsIt's not every day when your boots match the drapes. Part of me really wishes that was planned, but I doubt it was! Floral MotifWallpaper, pillows, afghan, curtains, sofa, rug ... and that vase has flowers not just in it, but ON it. About LeslieBits and pieces of Leslie C. Boler's life appear among various news and ancestry databases. Not surprisingly, like so many men who were 21 at the time of the 1940 Census, he served in the military. He returned home and, like his father and relatives, farmed near Truman, Minnesota. In 1957, he put his four tractors and other equipment up for sale in an ad placed in the Estherville, Iowa, Daily News, explaining that he was "going into a larger farming type operation." His fifteen seconds of fame came the next year, when on March 8, 1958 he was mentioned on the front page of the New York Times as an example of farmers dramatically improving their corn yields through new farming techniques. At some point he and his wife moved a few miles east to Hollandale, Minnesota, then to Orange County, California, where he died in 2002. Shirt and TieMatch the drapes, perfectly. That ClockI would love to see a picture of the whole thing -- very sleek. However, the boots, drapes, wallpaper, shirt and tie more than make up for it! That wallet or checkbook in his pocket is pretty snazzy as well. What a terrific slide! I LOVE that clock -- and if those figurines are salt and pepper shakers, I can die a happy man! Riding HeelsNot only Western boots (in Minnesota?), but authentic riding heels, of the kind that put more than one inebriated cowpoke flat on his back when he leaned back to spit some chaw at the cuspidor. PainfulWhen I was a child we had a sofa upholstered in that fabric. Horrible stuff, felt like steel wool. If you wore shorts, you had to sit perfectly still or sand off a layer of skin. [Crunchy nylon. My grandparents had one too. -Dave] Going back in timeThis picture was a definite treat for me. I see my mother's pillows on the couch and her rug on the floor. My great-aunts crocheted granny square blanket made of 100% wool that scratched like the dickens. Put yourself on that couch (ours was dark purple) and between the blanket and the scratchy couch you didn't know which was worse! Oh, we had those drapes too and those little deer that are on the shelf. Ours were candles and we still have them. Great slide! Into every lifea patchwork afghan must fall. I believe everyone on earth in modern times is familiar with similar afghans, either crocheted or knitted by their grandma or aunt, neighbor or friend, with the black background and multicolored blocks hooked together. I'm told it was often made by using up small bits of assorted yarn that were left over from other projects. Don't see 'em much anymore. Perhaps our era will be referred to by archeologists as the "afghan age". Sharp looking person of the land!Does anyone know what kind of stovepipes Mr. Leslie is wearing? The trousers look particularly long lasting and I would like to know if they make clothing like this today. I have trouble finding sensible clothing that will not fall apart in a few months. I know that I can get boots custom made. Those boots are too cool for school! [The trousers look like twill work pants. - Dave] The Afghan AgeOTY is basically right that "into every life a patchwork afghan must fall", but my own data point is that they must sometimes come into a life in blizzards. When my folks died, my sister and I began the 3-year process of excavating their home of 50 years. By the time we folded them, there were three closets of afghans stacked shoulder high. Of the twenty aunts and 2 grandmothers, only four remain, but it's fortunate that they've apparently all run out of yarn. Our city has one of those annual yarn events where knitters cover trees and park benches. We're anxiously awaiting the next one as we have plenty of ammo. (ShorpyBlog, Minnesota Kodachromes)
Birthday Boy: 1957
... I think the wallpaper is FABULOUS! (ShorpyBlog, Pa. Kodachromes) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/29/2012 - 6:53pm -

September 1957 somewhere in Pennsylvania. In the prequel to this slide, we have Big Brother's second birthday. Let the anthropological analysis and cultural deconstruction begin! 35mm Kodachrome transparency. View full size. 3rd birthdayI see, from the calendar on the wall, that my third birthday was on the third Saturday of the month, that year. I love the wallpaper, too! I vaguely remember the wallpaper that was on the wall of my grandparents' living room, at that time, and it was similar. It was painted over a few years later, though. PS Aenthal, if you think this wallpaper is hideous, you should have seen some of the OTHERS that were popular during that time! How DO you do it?What do you use to scan these slide transparencies for reproduction online? They look fantastic. [A Nikon film scanner. - Dave] Oh! The wallpaper!Not only that, but the Honeywell wall thermostat and that indescribable radio just sitting to the left of of Junior's shoulder. One second after this photo was taken, maybe Junior's only take on this situation was to dive headfirst into the cake that was presented to him! Fun for him, a slicing nightmare for everyone else. Maybe Mom and Dad were enjoying a libation out on the porch -- let the grandparents deal with this. They've been there, and have done that. HoneywellI have an old Honeywell thermostat! Still controls my ancient Arco boiler. Kodachrome is so beautiful; thanks for finding these. American GothicAn old fashioned Grandma, complete with braided bun and no makeup. The radio-phono combo probably had an AM radio and a Webcor record changer. Try as I may I can't remember who made a table model in that highly polished wood cabinet, most of the units we sold looked like luggage. Well, whaddaya knowIt appears that Laneko Engineering is still in business. ThermostatI have a very similar "thumbwheel" thermostat sitting on laundryroom table downstairs. It was new in 1947 and I finally replaced it with digital gizmo that doesn't work worth half as well. My old thermo is labeled "ESSO" (for Standard Oil of New Jersey). More kids, fewer picturesIt is funny that when the first child is born, his picture is taken every day. The second child gets a photo on special occasions. I was a third child and my baptism and h.s. graduation were on the same roll of film. P. S. Furthermore, and even worse, my brother married a girl who was the last of 8 children and when her high school class was having a contest to guess kids from their baby pictures, her mom could not find one of her, but told her to just use her older sister's baby pic because "you all looked alike anyway." (So much for the unique snowflakes we are supposed to be). PhonographI have a Silvertone table radio with knobs identical to the ones on the record player in the photo. Never dyed, never permedLook how shiny that braid is. MarketingAnd let's not forget the birthday tablecloth featuring Raggedy Ann and her brother Raggedy Andy. Less than five years after this image was taken my sister and I had Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls that were our constant companions. Well, at least until my toddler sister chew the yarn hair off both of the dolls... Laneko Still Around, the Wallpaper--I hope notAm I the only viewer who thinks that wallpaper is hideous, not in and of itself, but placed in that tiny room? In a spacious room I can see those huge flowers working, but in this suburban Philadelphia home it overpowers everything. You can tell the house was built in the 1910's or 1920's by the push button light switch on the far side of the thermostat. You can also tell this room is tiny because in the later photo they had no place to put the playpen but under the window on the right, blocking where somebody would walk. And in both photos there is no space between the people we see at the table and the wall. But the Laneko calendars, centered so utilitarianly on that far wall, are a treasure a half century later. Clearly there was some connection between these people and that tool and die company to have put their calendar, and not a bank calendar, or a dry cleaner's calendar, in that spot both years. And Laneko is still a thriving company. They might even have done a 2012 calendar. Younger siblings do get the raw dealOTY is right... I come from a family of four children. My oldest sister has a complete baby book, and my second oldest (who came 18 months later) has a baby book with about four pages filled in and various memorabilia tucked inside the pages. I am the third daughter, born five years later. My baby pictures and assorted baby memories were kept in a Kraft envelope with my name written on the outside. My little sister's few baby pictures were stuffed into my envelope. And, by the way... I think the wallpaper is FABULOUS! (ShorpyBlog, Pa. Kodachromes)
Swing Street: 1948
... when daylight dims its gaudy luster.” (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Music, NYC, William Gottlieb) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/01/2019 - 1:08pm -

July 1948. 52nd Street in New York. "The Street is at its best at night, when the neons start to bloom. It loses some of its carnival atmosphere when daylight dims its gaudy luster." Kodachrome by William Gottlieb for Collier's magazine. If anyone needs us, we'll be digging Harry the Hipster at the Onyx. View full size. The day the Grind diedJuly 4, 1960. Seven clubs had their liquor licenses pulled on the same day. "They're slapping us to death with suspensions," complained stripper Winnie Garrett. "It's such a lousy little street. Why can't they leave us alone?" The clubs closed, the strippers exited with the jazz musicians. Skyscrapers and offices took over and now it's like the neon landscape of The Street never existed. Proud FinkThat is the first time I have ever seen anybody proclaim being a Fink in bright lights for all the world to see. Neat addition of the Shorpy mark. It fits right in this photo, and even helps create a sense of balance to the composition- Kudos. Only missing Nick's PlaceReminds me of Pottersville from "It's a Wonderful Life." GeniusI'll be checking out Erroll Garner in his prime at the 3 Deuces. And later, I might check out that new club, Shorpy. Miss D and BebopBack in 1955 I was blessed to have had a very pretty and hip eighth grade English teacher. On occasion she would bring her 10 inch LP jazz recordings for us to listen to. More than once she reminded us that before taking the job she had she had lived in New York and had the opportunity to see the great musicians we listened to. That would for certain have included 52nd Street. Wish I could have been there. If you're hip and not a squareyou'll avoid Harry the Hipster and be nursing a beer listening to Tatum, or Erroll Garner with J.C Heard and Oscar Pettiford. Just those four alone represent more musical talent than you'd find most anywhere today. And the clubs: Jimmy Ryan's and the Onyx for example were places of musical worship. Where's that time machine got to? Harry was quite the hipster indeedIntriqued by the Harry the Hipster sign I decided to check on him. He was apparently quite the entertainer and ahead of his time musically. I will include a clip from YouTube of him performing. Wikipedia has a nice article on him as well. Art Tatum, Fats Waller and GodMy favorite story about 52nd Street was told about Fats Waller from 1940 or 1941 - drummer Henry Adler (who Buddy Rich, among others, studied with) was in the audience: "So I was at the 3 Deuces catching Fats Waller's outfit when Art Tatum walks in the door. A few moments later, Fats notices too and stops the band dead cold. Then he stands up and says 'Ladies and gentlemen, I'm just a piano player, but tonight, God is in the house.' and he motions towards Art Tatum amidst a swell of applause." It's always been bit surprising seeing Harry "The Hipster" Gibson's name in this iconic photo as, the year before (1947) he was largely blacklisted after the record below was banned from radio play, never to be heard there again until Dr. Demento spun it in 1975. From my own stash of 78's : Neon and Rain-Washed StreetI think this is my favorite modern-era Shorpy picture. Also best Shorpy placement ever! I love seeing Art Tatum, Oscar Pettiford, Erroll Garner et al on the marquees. Further proof I was born too late. Real cool world This is going right on the front screen. Is that Art Tatum, playing down the street from Garner? Probably not, but I'm getting a little misty thinking about it. Don't you just hate Robert Moses? Rockefeller Properties expansionThe removal of the jazz clubs was mostly the result of a hostile takeover by Rockefeller Properties, which wanted to get rid of any neighboring businesses that were not to their liking. The only structure that has remained on that block is the "21" Club. It has been said before,and will be said again, but this photo has the best watermark yet. Two months earlierAnd without neon. As the caption has it, “It loses some of its carnival atmosphere when daylight dims its gaudy luster.” (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Music, NYC, William Gottlieb)
Refrigerated Freight: 1943
... on Google Earth, it was still there.) (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/27/2013 - 7:09pm -

March 1943. "Santa Fe R.R. yards and shops, Argentine, Kansas." 4x5 Kodachrome by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Nice framing!Delano lowered the lens center considerably, to get lots more of the interesting foreground and place the horizon high on the print, while keeping the camera level. Try that with a standard lens on your digital cam! DaveB Still there; now part of BNSFArgentine Yard is still in Kansas City, Kansas. Today it is part of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and is the biggest yard in their system. View Larger Map I am pretty sure this view is looking mostly east; the elevated roadway crossing the tracks at the upper right is probably 42nd Street. The oil tanks visible at the upper left are still there as part of the Sinclair pipeline terminal; its modern address is 3401 Fairbanks Avenue. The hills at the upper right are on the south bank of the Kaw River. It's kind of hard to see, but the river crosses from left to right near the top of the photo; there is a truss bridge just about visible among the smokestacks, which I think is 18th Street. Today, the elevated portion of 42nd Street extends further north (to the left in this picture) and only "comes down" to connect with K-32/Kansas Avenue. The house on the west side of 42nd Street here, and all the plowed fields between the tracks, are no more; all of this belongs to BNSF and has various tracks and buildings on it. None of the smokestacks visible between the oil tanks and the railroad yard seem to have survived. The large warehouse on the east side of 42nd Street at the right of the picture is gone; there is a lot full of shipping containers where it was. The modern BNSF offices (4515 Kansas Avenue) would be just out of shot to the left of the picture. I-635 runs parallel to 42nd street on the west side; it crosses over the yard about where the railroad light tower is on the upper right of this picture. Eight years after this photo, a lot of this would be underwater; this link has photos from the 1951 flood. The Argentine neighborhood was named for a silver smelter that operated there in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It closed before World War I. Probably taken from the elevatorI looked up the other Delano photos of Argentine yard and I started to wonder how he got the angle for this shot. After a bit of Google Earthing, I think he was probably standing on top of the grain elevator seen here. (The elevator won't show up on Google Maps, but if you look at the early-90s image on Google Earth, it was still there.) (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Jefferson Airplane: 1967
... in his day than we young guys give him credit for. (Kodachromes, LOOK, Music) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/29/2018 - 6:27pm -

        Marty Balin, a founder, lead singer and songwriter of the groundbreaking San Francisco psychedelic band Jefferson Airplane and a key member of its 1970s successor, Jefferson Starship, died on Thursday in Tampa, Fla. He was 76. — New York Times February 1967. San Francisco. "Rock group The Jefferson Airplane. Members Paul Kantner, Marty Balin, Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady, Spencer Dryden and Grace Slick posing outdoors." Color transparency from photos by Jim Marshall for the Look magazine assignment "Jefferson Airplane Loves You." View full size. RIP Marty BalinJefferson Airplane along with Hendrix and the Byrds marked my first entrance into Psychedelic Hippie culture. Fortunately, I never saw any anger or violence. Inviting Hell's Angels to any party is bound to have negative consequences. Well let's see, Grace slick got stranger, Jack and Jorma have a now senior hot tuna band and Jefferson Starship kinda lost me. So now I am just counting down and mellowing out. The MusicThat kept us going during long sessions in the drafting studio. Once heard, never forgotten. R.I.P. indeed. Ironic, or Coincidence?I was viewing Aretha Franklin photos on Facebook and came here wondering if there were any, and the first photo I see is of the Jefferson Airplane. Rest in Peace to Marty, all those singers and all that time is way before my time, but I love the music and I love the time. They are all passing on, their music still here and they are still alive in their music. I would love to see more photos of entertainers from that time, if I happen to come upon some of my own, I certainly will upload. Wasn't That a Time?Their music is part of the soundtrack of my life. Turn a page. Rest in Peace, Marty! Altamont HeroicsThe Jefferson Airplane was onstage at Altamont when the Hell's Angels starting beating Meredith Hunter, an 18 year-old African-American who they had seen dancing with a white girl in front of the stage, with pool cues.* Marty Balin jumped off the stage and tried to stop the initial fight. He was the only person who tried to intervene and was knocked unconscious for his trouble. Later, Hunter returned with a gun and he was stabbed to death by one of the bikers. A bit later, Marty complained loudly to Sonny Barger, the leader of the Angels, who knocked him out again. *They claimed that this was because he had knocked over one of their motorcycles but those claims are probably spurious. Charlie Chaplin's NephewDrummer Spencer Dryden's half-uncle was Charlie Chaplin. His father was Chaplin's half-brother. He kept that hidden from his bandmates. Spencer DrydenI am on the coaching staff of a high school soccer team and we have a freshman player with the last name Dryden. The head coach typed up the roster for the first game of the season recently and he listed the kid as "Spencer Dryden," which is nowhere close to the kid's first name. When I pointed out the mistake, the coach said he wasn't sure where he'd gotten the name Spencer. I think I know now, and I think our old-school 68-year-old head coach might have been a little hipper in his day than we young guys give him credit for. (Kodachromes, LOOK, Music)
Hatchlings: 1942
... in one of these beautiful planes. (The Gallery, Kodachromes) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/17/2014 - 10:36am -

October 1942. "New B-25 bombers lined up for final inspection and tests at the North American Aviation plant in Kansas City, Kansas." 4x5 Kodachrome trans­parency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. View full size. Re: Love!Your grandfather probably flew one of the hundreds of variants of the B-25. Over 10,000 of them were produced during the war and there were tons of variants. Most were bombers, some were recon planes, others were modified for specific bombing missions (such as the Doolittle Raid). I'm at work or otherwise I'd try to dug up a few photos of variants with enclosed noses. Hope that helps a little! B-25'sSome B-25 models did indeed have solid noses; this was to accommodate multiple machine guns (and on some models a 75 mm cannon). These were used in a ground attack role and to attack shipping. Obviously by eliminating the bombardier's position bombing accuracy was lessened as the pilot had to aim and drop the bombs "by guess and by golly". Many actionsUsed in all theaters of WW II most notable the Dolittle raid on Tokyo made six months before this photo. Re: Remarkable SpeedAt the height of production, the Ford Bomber plant at Willow Run, Michigan turned out one completed bomber every hour. Pretty impressive! My uncle owned 3 of these planes during his lifeI had an uncle who owned 3 of these planes,two at one time back in the 70s(before he married my aunt).There was a feature article done back in the 70s in one of the local papers about him and the two planes that he owned back then.He later sold one of those two planes and traded the other one to the Yankee Air Force in Ypsilanti,Michigan for the third plane that he had until he sold it(and two semi trailers full of parts) a couple of years before his death.That one,named "Guardian of Freedom" now resides in Califonia in the collection of General William Lyons. I never got a chance to ride in the plane,darn it. Electric Ice Boxes and Razor Blades"Don't worry, the Americans can't build planes, only electric ice boxes and razor blades" -- Hermann Goering. Love!My grandfather flew these in the Pacific in WWII, one named Vera that I have a full-frame photo of on my wall, but the bow wasn't glass, but fully enclosed. But the photo was from later in the war, so I wonder if the eventually enclosed them? Hmmm... Mundane but impressiveThis is such a simple scene, but it speaks to the remarkable speed with which factories turnout all sorts of machinery during the war. Kodachrome!It's just like being there! From nothing to nest in 9 monthsThis photo is probably looking north; most of the buildings at the Fairfax airport were on the west side of the property. There is a lot of history on the North American plant (and the Fairfax airport) here. Some highlights... The airport opened in the early 1920s as Sweeney Airport. It was renamed Fairfax Airport in 1928. (Note the Fairfax Aviation Schools sign on the building at the left.) The ground-breaking ceremony for the North American Aviation plant was held on 8 March 1941, and the first B-25 came off the line on 23 December 1941, a couple of weeks after Pearl Harbor. They didn't stop making B-25s there until the day after V-J Day. GM bought the bomber plant and built their first car there in June 1946. The airport flooded in 1951, like a lot of the rest of Kansas City; that was part of the reason for building Mid-Continent International way up north of town. GM kept building cars there until 1987, and tore down the plant in 1989. The airport was in service until 1985. GM bought the whole airport and built a new plant pretty much right on top of the center of the runways a few years later. You can still see some of the runways on aerial photos. The North American (and later GM) plant was located at what is now the north end of Fairfax Trafficway, at Kindleberger Road. I remember it being there when I visited the area as a kid. When I worked in the area in the early 1990s, there were still a few of the airport buildings there, even though the new GM plant was already up and running. By the late 1990s all the airport buildings were gone. Note that this is *not* Downtown Airport in Kansas City, Missouri (MKC), which is still there and operating. Easy to AppreciateThe skill that was required to take off from the deck of 'Shangri-La' in one of these beautiful planes. (The Gallery, Kodachromes)
Asphalt Oasis: 1965
... it did when it first opened in 1964. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Found Photos, NYC) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/25/2015 - 4:26pm -

Tropical greenery notwithstanding, this isn't Bora Bora, Anaheim or even Orlando. "1965. Monorail station, New York World's Fair, Flushing Meadows" is the caption. Over to the left: "Florida Exhibits and Porpoise Show." Medium format color transparency, photographer unknown. View full size. YES! The Goldfinger Aston Martin I remember seeing that car like it was yesterday. A model showed off the car and used a handheld device with a telephone dial on it to activate the special 007 features - bullet proof shield, revolving license plate, machine guns behind front turn signals, etc.. I got to brag about it to my buddies for years. 007's CarThe "James Bond 007 car" in the poster would have been the Aston Martin DB5 "road car" used in Goldfinger, which was released in Sept. 1964. According to this site, "With the release of Goldfinger, it soon became apparent that the DB5 had created a sensation, and the movie cars were sent out on promotional duty, with FMP 7B [the UK license plate] making a display appearance at the New York World's Fair in 1965." Should've taken a tip from WaltThe operators of the Worlds Fair in New York should've taken a tip from Walt Disney: the patrons appreciate a clean park. The garbage on the walkways seen in these shots would not occur in 1965, or 2015, Disneyland. Walt employed an army of cleaners keeping his park spotless at all times. Wonderful rideBeing only 16 at the time of the 1964-65 World's Fair, I don't remember exactly what part(s) of the fairgrounds the monorail covered, but I recall that this was a ride my mom really loved. She definitely did NOT like the open gondolas of the cable-car ride, which swung from side to side as my brother and I would jostle around in the bucket to get the best view (and for me to take pictures). Mom felt more comfortable in the enclosed monorail car. SponsorThe sponsor for the monorail was AMF and it went around the lagoon where the Florida pavilion, water ski and porpoise shows, among other things, were located at the fairs. New York State Pavilion still lives50 years later the only thing that is still extant in this photo is the New York State pavilion, the tan circular (actually oval) edifice held up by white columns (the "Tent of Tomorrow") seen to the lower right of the monorail station. Just to the left of it you can just make out the two observation towers that had a starring role in the movie "Men in Black". The floor of the Tent of Tomorrow was a large terrazzo map of New York State - long gone now. The structures are currently being repainted for the first time ever, so at least the superstructure will look like it did when it first opened in 1964. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Found Photos, NYC)
Little Miss Revlon: 1957
... your passengers, coffee or tea??? (Christmas, Kermy Kodachromes) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/09/2013 - 6:02pm -

"Christmas 1957." Having seen the boy toys at Kermy and Janet's house in Baltimore, we now move on to the girl gifts, which include Little Miss Revlon and Betsy McCall dolls as well as a Fun With Needlepoint Kit ("Make your own horse"). What else do we recognize here? 35mm Kodachrome slide. View full size. Paint By NumberLooks like one of the highly coveted Paint By Number sets on top of the pile. I received numerous versions of these over my early years (I guess because I actually used them). I can honestly say that the end result for me was very mediocre every time I tried, even though I always started each new one with such positive enthusiasm. At least I was able to check off Artist as a future profession... Sugar and spice... and a pack of Camels. My grandfather was smoking by age 8, but I hope she waited a bit longer (or that if those belong to her Mom or Dad, that they quit as part of New Year Resolutions 1958). [Candy cigarettes were an old-school stocking-stuffer. - Dave] Ding Dong SchoolI see two boxes with the familiar "Ding Dong School" bell logo emblazoned upon them to inspire education, fun, and play. I also remember the nuns descending the stairs at grade school to the playground while ringing one, to end our playtime. Candled ChoirThat was the first Christmas that I remember well, being 3 years old at the time. Janet's got quite a haul, there! I don't remember Little Miss Revlon, but I'll bet Barbie kicked her butt off the market when she became the rage, a couple years later. I remember seeing LOTS of the choirboy and angel candles. I know my grandmother had some she put out every year. By The NumbersPainting by the numbers at 10 got me started, with just such a Christmas set. By 12, I was using the leftover paint for my own bits. By 14, I had won an international competition with the reward of a painting permanently hung in corporate sponsor offices in Chicago. By 20, I had another hanging beside a prominent Andrew Wyeth. By 22, I put the smelly stuff away "till my old age". Now that's here, I have acquired hundreds of brushes, countless tubes of the smelly oils, closets full of blank canvas, but still none of the patience for anything that includes "watching paint dry" (titanium white takes nearly forever). I also have those candles, but also don't have the patience to haul them out, along with the thousands of decorations that have covered a tree only once in the last 40 years. If I were this girl's age, or had a daughter, or grand-daughter her age, no patience would be required at all for all that "humbug". The necessary Christmas magic requires one or more children. I spywhat looks like a paint-by-numbers set at the top of the centre pile. I've been trying to work out what the silver object is behind the Santa on top of the needlepoint kit. It looks like a kitchen utensil. [Clear plastic hairbrush & comb. - Dave] Wicked!Love those figurine candles. They were all over in holiday decorations of the 1950s -- I remember turkeys and pilgrims, too, all with the wicks coming out of their heads, which looks a little odd as a decoration. I wonder if anyone ever burned them? I don't remember ever doing so. They would melt into sad remnants of their former selves. Great picture though. At my house, there would have been Nancy Drew books and Ginny dolls under the tree. AutographsDidn't everyone back in the day have an Autograph book? I see a red one. This girl looks to be about the same age I was in 1957. I'm not sure what the box with the metal handle is, but it reminds me of a play nurse's kit I got that same year. Oh the memories! Ooooh, Ginny, GinnyI think the doll is the wedding dress is neither Betsy or Miss Revlon but a jointed doll called a Ginny doll. She came with a little wardrobe trunk for her clothes with tiny hangers for each outfit. For decoration onlyThe Christmas candles. Never lit and used year after year. Forget the Girly StuffThe little red and yellow plastic airplanes caught my attention. I think I see a couple Douglas DC-6's, and possibly one red Lockheed Connie. Dolls and ToysI'm also about the same age as the little girl, and I also got a Little Miss Revlon doll, although I think I got mine Christmas of '58, not '57. Mine had honey colored hair, I don't think I would have stood for a blonde! The little girl is playing with her Little Miss Revlon doll, and the Betsy McCall doll is in her lap. I love the adorable artwork for the Betsy McCall- the box graphics are adorable! But I don't think the doll was as cute as her paper doll counterpart. She also has an inexpensive Hollywood-type doll dressed as a bride. I had a number of those as a child, and they were plentiful, but not very satisfying as they had limited articulation and often the fashions were sewn on. The box with the handle looks like it might have been a stewardess or pilot kit... there are airline 'labels' on the box. Hasbro (then known as Hassenfeld Brothers) made many of these types of kits, but that one doesn't look familiar to me. I wish I could take a peek! By the way, that little girl is adorable! I love her cute haircut, and those freckles! And her socks brought back so many memories. I usually wore plain white socks with my mary janes and saddle shoes, but occasionally wore my fancier socks with embroidery and maybe some lace. Love the graphics on her dress. Choir candlesDon't know if these were sold as a set or how big the set might have been, but my mom still has these and they are set out every year. "Boy candles" in the black/white and "girl candles" in the red/white, the angels (they came in different sizes)and the Christmas trees. The trees are covered with glitter. They would be placed with the Nativity set making it look very festive. Ahhhh! Great memories! Candy Cigs - Chocolate or Pure SugarIn Detroit in the 1950's you could get chocolate cigs with real paper wrapping. They looked pretty cool, but getting the wet paper off after a few puffs was a pain. I later switched to the pure sugar ones which had a red dye lit end. When you first opened the sugar pack, you savored the first cig letting it slowly melt away. Perhaps the second was smoked the same way, however the sugar soon kicked in and you quickly munched the rest of the pack. Gurley candlesLove those Gurley/Tavern candles! You can still find them online. A friend of mine collects them and has a bunch! I also see a Candlewick dish under the side table. And there's Miss Frances from Ding Dong School on that box. This little girl and I are about the same age. So, this collection of toys and games look mighty familiar to me. More Toy IdentificationI recognize the suitcase tucked under the needlepoint kit. It is an airline stewardess kit that had a set of plastic dishes and a stewardess "cap" and wings to wear as you offered your passengers, coffee or tea??? (Christmas, Kermy Kodachromes)
Cars & Stripes: 1946
... be really dim in there when the sun went down. (Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Factories) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/01/2021 - 1:52pm -

Dearborn, Michigan, 1946. "Ford Rouge B-Building. Cars leaving assembly line." Ansco color transparency from the Ford Motor Co. photographic archives. View full size. No change until 1949The 1946, 1947, and 1948 Fords all looked quite the same, except for some minor grille changes that only an expert could identify. But then came "The New Ford" for 1949, and body styles changed forever and for better. I'll take itColor and style probably meant little to returning GIs in 1946. Fords, and their low-priced competitors from Chevy and Plymouth, sold like nickel beer. For 1947, Ford changed to round parking lights and moved them down below the headlights. The grilles no longer wore red painted highlights as seen in the photo. These were running changes, not strictly linked to the model year. Before the first new carMy dad, born in 1941, has said many times over the years that the 1949 Ford was the first "new" car that he ever saw, the warmed-over 1942 model being sufficient to satisfy pent-up demand until then. Of course, I know that the 1947 Studebaker was also new, but that fact doesn't compete with childhood memory, and he was 6 then, rather than 8, which is significant. A couple of years ago, I got behind an Acura with a Bush-Quayle '88 sticker on it, and my first thought was, even though I'm a lifelong Democrat who voted for Dukakis, if I bought a vintage Acura with that sticker, I'd be inclined to keep it. My second thought was, "Wait, there's such a thing as a vintage Acura?" Yes, indeed there is. I couldn't remember what year Acuras were introduced, so I looked it up, and realized I have friends with advanced degrees who were born into a world that already had Acuras in it. The only parallel I can imagine to my own generation is that of a Studebaker being a new car. They ceased production 17 months before I was born. My first awareness of Studebakers was of Fozzie Bear driving one in the Muppet Movie. Wait, no. I had the Matchbox Lark Wagonaire a few years before the Muppet Movie came out. Totally irrelevant side note: looking at those weak bare incandescent bulbs, and the generous daylighting windows, it's not hard to see why people thought Daylight Savings Time would save energy. It makes absolutely no sense now, in this era of windowless workplaces. What's The Difference? The obvious difference between the 1946 and the '47 & '48 Ford is the location of the front parking lights; but can does anyone know how to tell a '47 from a '48. I also agree with the above poster that the 1949 Ford was the first modern car. Worst carMy dad went in the service before the United States entered the war. When he got out of the Navy in 1946 he bought a new 1946 Ford. It was the only new car he ever bought, and he told me it was the worst car he ever bought. My eyes were drawn to the incandescent lighting on that assembly line. That would be really dim in there when the sun went down. (Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Factories)
Florida Football: 1955
... sure there was still de facto segregation at lunch. (Kodachromes, Florida, LOOK, Phillip Harrington, Sports) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/25/2017 - 11:56am -

December 1955. "Football game in Florida." Kodachrome transparency by Phillip Harrington for the Look magazine assignments "How It Looks From the South," "Florida's Prophets of Boom" and "What Is Florida?" View full size. CompositionI recall a photojournalism prof using this photo to demonstrate the possible impact of frame composition. He also taught us great techniques like "The Ol' Switcheroo": how to palm "the good stuff" and give a "placebo roll" to the cop who's demanding the film's surrender. Grim reminderThis photo reminds me of the first time I went down to Florida, Jacksonville, in 1967. As a 17 year old from New York, I remember the separate bathrooms and water fountains, the images of which burned into my mind. It was a side of humanity that I had not seen before. Separate but EqualGrowing up overseas (Asia) I was pretty ignorant of jim crow. Later in life, learned what it was about from a friend that was sent in 1965 to Georgia Tech for a year. He and some buddies went bowling one night. When he went to get a burger, he was told to "go over there" where non-whites were served. His buddies came over, forced the person to serve them all. They sat in the whites section. They also never went back there. I asked him how he could tolerate working for an American firm after he was treated that way in the US. His comment was really pretty simple and telling: Not everyone is that way. And he is right. The same all over?I remember seeing the duplicate facilities in the Winter Park, Fla. train station, and thinking that it was the same as where we came from up North in Pennsylvania, except we had them labeled "Men" and "Women"! Jim CrowI was born and raised in Kansas and had very little exposure to Jim Crow laws until about 1954. We had black students in our school and we never thought a thing about it. They were just other students trying to get through high school like the rest of us. In about 1954 my family took a trip down through Tennessee and one Sunday we stopped at a drive-in to get something to eat. Whites were given the priviledge of curb service but Blacks had to go around to the side to pick up their orders. Being a Sunday, all the Blacks were dressed up just coming from church and were very well dressed. A car pulled up next to us loaded up with what I can only say were "white trash". They got curb service, since they were white, and proceeded to throw trash all over the parking lot and were a very disgusting bunch. That was my first exposure to discrimination and I just could not imagine it. Transparently OpaqueKodachrome, but black and white. Used the Wrong Water FountainDuplicate facilities were the norm in Oklahoma when I was a boy (1950s). Once in a big grocery I drank from a fountain that said "Colored," and caught holy H from my grandmother. I am white. Where's Waldo? There are a few African Americans sitting in the 'whites' section with seemingly no problem. For example: Is this really a football game?This seems to be something other than a regular football game - I can count four different marching band groups in the stands. Perhaps a band competition of some kind? (The one seemingly black person among the whites that J.W. Wright pointed out looks like he's part of one of the bands - perhaps from an integrated high school.) It looks like a very hot day - many of the women are wearing identical looking paper hats to get some relief from the sun, perhaps for sale at the stadium. On a personal note, I grew up in Central Florida, and the high school I attended, which was built in 1969, had two side-by-side cafeterias. The public schools in my city were integrated by then but I'm quite sure that the cafeterias were built the way they were to make sure there was still de facto segregation at lunch. (Kodachromes, Florida, LOOK, Phillip Harrington, Sports)
Festival of Gas: 1965
... cooking. And what a wok skimmer is. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Kitchens etc., News Photo Archive) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/30/2015 - 1:15pm -

May 6, 1965. "World's Fair, Flushing, Long Island. Robert & Frances Vargo from Verplanck, N.Y., with Madame Grace Zia Chu, cooking Chinese Spare Ribs at Festival of Gas." Madame Grace, known as the "First Lady of Chopsticks," was a sort of Asian Julia Child who did her best to explain that authentic Chinese cuisine relied on fresh ingredients that did not come from a can. 4x5 inch Ektachrome transparency from the Shorpy Publicity Department archive. View full size. Electricity not Allowed !I see what appears to be a safety grate of an electric fan sitting on a post in the background. For what purpose? Those are nice-looking ribs, but how do your do rotisserie barbecue without an electric motor attached to your spit? FrustratedShe must have been very frustrated. In the '60s, anything I ate that was remotely Asian came from a can of La Choy. Chinese cookingI haven't heard of "Madam Grace" before now, but am anxious to get her books! A decade after this, I learned about cooking from my friend, Linda Ling Kee Tang (later, Thompson), as well as other Chinese roommates I had in college, in Hawaii. It was all quick and cheap, nothing fancy, since college students were always short on time and money. Almost always, dinner was made from a small piece of meat, stir fried with whatever vegetables happened to be around, including many that most Americans would never consider cooking. It was always delicious! When I got married, my basic Chinese cooking skills were pretty darned good, although I still had a lot to learn about the other stuff! A CharmglowThe grill looks like a cast aluminum Charmglow model. The house where I spent my teenage years (and my mom occupied for another 35 years) had a similar grill, minus the vents in the top. It was natural gas fired and permanently mounted on a post in the ground (installed no doubt by the local gas company, since there was also a gaslight in the same backyard). My mom tried cooking ribs on it once; she completely forgot about them, and by the time I rode home on my bike and discovered them, they were burned beyond recognition. The grill didn't get much use after that. Wok skimmerThe "electric fan cover on a post" is a wok skimmer, sometimes also called a strainer. Similar to Noelani, I had a Chinese roommate in college long ago, who taught me a lot about cooking. And what a wok skimmer is. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Kitchens etc., News Photo Archive)
Dearborn Reds: 1952
... reduction. Our Take in SoCal “Wind Wings” (Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Sports) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/15/2021 - 2:07pm -

"1952 Ford Customline Tudor Sedan." As opposed to the "Fordor" sedan, which had two Mordors. Color transparency from the Ford Motor Co. photographic archives. View full size. Lady you're gonna hafta move this thing!Coach is giving his star halfback Biff enough time to arrange a date with Suzy Cheerleader but his patience is wearing thin as practice has already started. Coral Flame RedIt's amazing how many color choices you used to get on a new car. Basically a color palette to choose from and each with its own unique name. This '52 color is Coral Flame, later to be re-named Torch Red. Another example is below. A Very Red Car, ComradeThis '52 Ford reminds me of Soviet cars of the late-'50s through '70s. Pictured: the 1957 Volga M21V. All New for '52!How often do you hear those puff words in connection with a new car model? However, for 1952 Ford wasn't kidding! An all new body to begin with, and if it had the six, which this one obviously doesn't, it would be an all new overhead design. It also had three features that would become ubiquitous on almost all cars during the coming years. It had suspended brake and clutch pedals instead of the old style that went through the floorboard. Also a step-on emergency brake with Buick being the only other make to offer it. And I believe it was also the first make to place the fuel filler behind the license plate, making it able to use either side of a gas pump. Made the year I was bornIn the mid-'60s my best friend's dad had one similar to this. By that time it had a fairly substantial hole in the floor on the front passenger side where it had rusted out. Big enough that we could look down and see the road whizzing by under us. The front seat anchor was also broken so the entire seat would tilt back if you pushed on it. It's a miracle we weren't asphyxiated or killed in that thing! Seems to me that a 10-year-old car today is not likely to be in such terrible condition. [My dad had a 1951 Ford with a hole in the same place! One day on the way to school we went around a corner and the door flew open and he had to grab my arm to keep me from falling out. Right after that he traded it for a new 1966 Galaxie. - Dave] And one does not simply walk into MordorWhy does a chicken coop have two doors? Because if it had four doors, it would be a chicken sedan. Time to get back to practice, kidsVery professional shot. But it's interesting to see what appears to be a wedding ring on the football player's hand -- he better be careful with the flirting. Fortunately, his coach is there keeping an eye on things, though he's probably a bit annoyed that this car is out on the field. Why did they name it after Henry VIIIWhen I was in seventh grade, the Ford dealership was diagonally across the street from school. I would wander around the showroom admiring all the new 1961 Fords. I particularly liked the Galaxie Starliner. I was always confused as to why they named so many cars after the English House of Tudor. I'm not going to say how long it took me to figure out what was really being said. The reason being of course that as such a recent immigrant from Britain, I pronounced it the British way, TYOO-der, not "two door," like Americans. Rear ViewYou can check out a rear view of the same basic model a few years later on this Shorpy photo. Most of these cars from that era before air conditioning was common have a small opening front corner window, popularly known as a "no draft". ["Vent wings" in the Lower 48. - Dave] Door LatchesDad took us to the introduction of the 1952 Fords at Times Square Motors in Erie, PA. The pushbutton latches were right at my eye-level and I was proud to grab his sleeve and say "Hey, Dad! Look at this!" Vent Wings and AerodynamicsIn our house my mother called them "Cozy Wings." Not sure if that name was used elsewhere or if it was just another Cincinnati expression or something unique that my mother came up with. In addition to ventilation the vent wings served a very useful aerodynamic purpose. With today's "vent wingless" cars if you have your side window open and are cruising on the highway above about 45 mph the wind passing by the window causes an annoying throbbing sound. Vent wings were also "throbbing sound minimizers". Try it using your hand as a pseudo vent wing and note the reduction. Our Take in SoCal“Wind Wings” (Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Sports)
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