August 2009

1970's Workplace Instructional Film - Shoplifting is Stealing

Submitted by Mary on Sat, 08/01/2009 - 9:57pm (107 reads)

Dig that 70's shoplifting music! I'm assuming that this filmed was created to be shown to employees at department stores, grocery stores etc. so they wouldn't even CONSIDER shoplifting while they worked there.

I forgout about how supermarkets used to be designed to have an office above the level of the store so that managers and security guards could look out a window into the store and keep an eye on shoplifters. It was always intimidating looking, as though the great and powerful Oz of the supermarket was up there watching you.  read more...

Ghost Mall - The Scraps of Dixie Square Mall in Illinois

Submitted by Mary on Sun, 08/02/2009 - 9:58pm (196 reads)

There are ghost towns of the past, and there are huge, entire ghost buildings that were once thriving, colorful and alive. When I say "ghost mall", I don't mean haunted by ghosts (although this one certainly looks very eerie). I mean that this mall was abandoned years ago. More than THIRTY years ago. It was open only thirteen years, and it has sat there empty and decaying for more than thirty years. The mall closed in the late 1970's. Of all the ghost malls I have seen, Dixie Square Mall in Harvey, Illinois looks the most decayed. read more...

Poor Man's Meal - Recipe from Clara, a great grandmother in her 90's

Submitted by Mary on Mon, 08/03/2009 - 10:44am (142 reads)

These days, many people need some cheap recipes to help get them through these tough financial times. I haven't tried this inexpensive recipe yet, but Clara does make it seem very yummy and worth trying. I like the way she cooks; it reminds me of my own grandmothers. I enjoyed her stories too. I'm sorry she had to quit school because her family was too poor to even afford socks. read more...

Going on a Vacation? How about the Wagon Queen Family Truckster?

Submitted by Mary on Tue, 08/04/2009 - 5:56pm (136 reads)

If you ever saw the movie "Vacation", you know what an important role the station wagon played in the movie.  read more...

Hilda - the voluptuous, sweet red-head pin-up girl from the 50's and 60's

Submitted by Mary on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 1:17pm (397 reads)

The beautiful Hilda illustrations were created by artist Duane Bryers in the 1950's and 1960's. The red haired beauty has been featured on many calendars over the years. Artist Les Toil did a recent interview with Duane Bryers, which he published on his website. I was amazed to find that Duane Breyers came up with many of those illustrations for Hilda in his head, without any models. Duane Bryers is in his 90's now, and he has a wonderful sense of humor. read more...

John Hughes will always be a righteous dude

Submitted by Mary on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 6:57pm (113 reads)

I was shocked to find out a few hours ago that the writer, director, and producer behind many of my favorite movies has passed away. John Hughes wrote the movies I have watched repeatedly without ever getting bored. He wrote the comedies that still make me laugh, even though I've seen them so many times. Even the wonderful little details in his films continue to delight me.  read more...

Smoking around the Christmas tree...

Submitted by Mary on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 1:29pm (112 reads)

As someone who loves vintage Christmas ornaments and decorations, I got a kick out of the Christmas matchbooks in this collection. By today's standards, cigarettes and Christmas greetings don't mix, but back in the 40's and 50's, it was thought of as a sweet gesture to give someone a Christmas matchbook as a small token, and it was especially classy if one could afford to get their names printed on them. Every time your friend lit a cigarette, they would look at the matchbook and think of you.  read more...

Vintage 50's Lucite Purses

Submitted by Mary on Mon, 08/10/2009 - 2:57pm (112 reads)

People either seem to hate 1950's lucite purses, or they love them. I LOVE them. I don't really understand the whole love vs. hate thing most of the time when it comes to "stuff" because usually there is something in every category of "stuff" that I find likeable. Actually, that's true for people too. Sometimes I hear people say "People either love me or hate me. There is no in between." Usually with people like that, I do fall into the in-between category. read more...

40 Years Ago: 1969 - When winning the lottery meant that you would be drafted and sent off to war

Submitted by Mary on Tue, 08/11/2009 - 10:53am (134 reads)

I can't imagine what it must have been like forty years ago sitting down with your family to watch a happy show like Mayberry RFD (a spin-off of The Andy Griffith Show), only to discover it was interrupted to show the draft lottery. While I watched the video, I imagined what it was like to be a mother, and to hope to God that your son's birthday would not be drawn early on. In fact, I imagine many mothers were praying that night that their son's birthday would be drawn last. 366 numbers were drawn - one for every day of the year, plus leap year. read more...

Freedom... Freedom... Freedom... Freedom....

Submitted by Mary on Wed, 08/12/2009 - 4:10pm (96 reads)

Richie Havens was the first to perform at Woodstock. The band that was supposed to perform first couldn't get to the stage in time because of the traffic, so Richie was the first to go. He improvised the song "Motherless Child" in his own way, starting it off with the word "Freedom". It's beautiful, and it's meaningful, and I think it set the right tone for the rest of the Woodstock Festival. This performance was on August 15, 1969. A few days from now, it will be the 40th anniversary.  read more...