THE TRUTH, the whole truth, nothing but...

It's hard not to write a political piece when I see this ad. Now we know the substance of the ad is a flat out lie, but when this ran in Look magazine in January 13, 1953 the general public trusted corporations. We'd just come through horrendous years of war and certainly the military wouldn't have been giving our military personal products that would harm them, would they? Get them addicted to nicotine so once back in the civilian world they'd continue to smoke and smoke and.... A pack of cigarettes with your K-rations was patriotic, wasn't it? A tobacco farmer in South Carolina certainly wouldn't be in an ad touting the scientific evidence of the product without being sure of the validity of the statement, would he? Did he say it just for the cash?

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Things haven't really changed. Though the general public now knows the tobacco industry lies it's only now realizing so do banks. Will there be ads 50 years from now collected as ephemera showing how fast and easy it was to buy a house you could't afford with no money down? 

This ad, simply as graphic design, is hitting with all cylinders. The headline at the top in red blasting its way into your brain, the photo of the rugged looking businessman (who to me looks like someone out of a mob film), the product placement, and the final closing line touting the products name and reason it's the one you should buy. The "scientific facts" are secondary to all of it and I imagine the fine print was rarely read. This ad, on the back of the magazine, was meant to be read at a distance with just certain points highlighted. 

More people should remember two old adages:

Buyer beware.

and

A fool and his money are soon parted.

Sometimes it all just feels a bit like we've been living in the Twilight Zone.

THE CHINESE HONEYMOON

What's interesting about collecting ephemera is that you're collecting history, but usually history of little worldly importance. Bits 'n' pieces of things that were important to everyday people for a very short period of time. Thanks to the ease of the internet you can now search out information almost immediately and put the pieces in some sort of context.

I bought this postcard at an estate sale last year. I was anxious to find out what "A Chinese Honeymoon" was about. Leave it to Wikipedia to have the answers. 

"A Chinese Honeymoon" was "a musical comedy in two acts by George Dance, with music by Howard Talbot and additional music by Ivan Caryll and others, and additional lyrics by Harry Greenbank and others." That's a heck of a lot of "and others" if you ask me. The synopsis from Wikipedia follows:

The Emperor seeks a bride who will marry him "for himself alone," so he despatches an English skipper, who has been promoted to the post of Lord High Admiral of the Chinese fleet, in search of such a woman. But the conditions are rather hard, for the high position of the Emperor is withheld, and the unlucky admiral has to pretend that he represents a billposter. The admiral returns from his quest without success. As a lingering death is the penalty of his failure it need hardly be said that he resorts to all sorts of expedients in order to avert the punishment. Some comical effects are obtained by making the abnormally tall Emperor think that he is betrothed to a diminutive "slavey" [a maid-of-all-work]. To these ingredients add a cockney tradesman married to a jealous wife who insists upon her four bridesmaids travelling with her for detective and protective purposes, a pair of young lovers, and quaint (even if imaginary) Chinese customs.

The musical opened on October 16, 1899 in Hanley, England, toured extensively before playing at the Royal Strand Theater in London, opening on October 5, 1901. It was the first musical to run for 1,000 performances.

What I love the best about it are the inane character names. The West's version of the Far East.

Hang Chow (Emperor of Ylang Ylang)
Chippee Chop (Lord Chancellor) 
Hi Lung (Lord High Admiral) 
Mr Pineapple

There are more, but these are the ones that struck me as the most absurd.

According to the front of this card this production in the US was "Sam S. Shubert's Oriental Musical Comedy. Only successful Musical Treat America has witnessed in three years."

The card was, as you can see, used with a message being sent from a woman in Oakland on Janurary 20, 1905, to Miss Frances Trost in San Francisco. 

Dear Frances, 

You no doubt think me very slow in answering your card but I have thought of you often. Nevertheless, thank you very much. I have about 17 now. Have lost some. It is raining pitch forks tonight and must go to mail this so you receive it tomorrow. Remember to Rosa. If it's not to late I wish you a happey and genrous year. Sincerely Alice Bowden 

I like the idea that these women were exchanging cards because they were collecting them. Let's hope Miss Frances Trost cherished "The Chinese Honeymoon." 

If you want to actually hear some of the music digitally produced click here. You're certainly not going to find it on iTunes. Happy listening.

UPDATE: I now have items available for sale at Tattered and Lost Ephemera Gift Shop using this vintage image. Get your souvenirs for Broadway's finest before the rush.

When you care enough TO GIVE THE VERY BEST

Maybe it's just me, but when I'm looking for that perfect card to send to a friend just to say "hi" I don't go to the card section of prisoner's in stocks. This whole thing strikes me as more than a bit odd. The card was mailed from San Francisco on November 12, 1906 to  Miss Frances Trost in San Francisco. Do remember that 1906 was the year of the big earthquake so getting from one part of town to another wasn't a hop, skip, and a jump. Still, you have to wonder why this card for a casual friendly note.

These prisoners are in what is called a cangue. According to Wikipedia: "A cangue is a small device that was used for public humiliation and corporal punishment in China, and some other parts of East Asia, until the early years of the 20th Century. It was somewhat similar to the pillory used for punishment in the West, except that the board of the cangue was not fixed to a base, and had to be carried around by the prisoner."

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The message reads:

San Francisco Calif   Nov. 11/06
Friend Francis
Received your postal and will say that we will be up next Thursday evening. I have not seen Harry yet but will see him before then and will write you.
Yours
Chas (can't read last name clearly but I'll guess Grace)

I have found a site online selling various disturbing cards such as this. Actually they're horrifically disturbing so don't click on this link unless you have the stomach for it. I don't even want to know why cards like this were published. I can understanding the photography as documentation, but as penny postcards? It's all too much like standing around waiting for a hanging or slowing down to see an accident on the freeway. I know it exists, I don't need to see it.

Sweet Smell of SUCCESS

A few months ago I featured a couple of film tie-in paperbacks for Paul Newman and Steve McQueen films. This time it's Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis in Sweet Smell of Success. The film came out in 1957 and stars Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis as a notorious New York gossip columnist and a desperate press agent. Beautifully shot in New York in black and white noir. The story is as relevant today as when it was released showing the dark underbelly of how some things are done in our society. I can't recommend it enough. 

If you like Mad Men and haven't seen this film watch for it to show up on Turner Classics or put it in your Netflix's queue. I've already checked out next months listings for TCM and it's not on so I can only hope it'll be on again in the coming months. To read Roger Ebert's review of the film click here.

This paperback was found in a thrift store. A nice find. Includes 8 pages of black and white stills from the film. A nice way to remember the film. Really a mini film poster. 

DON'T FREEZE the egg salad

As the holiday weekend comes to an end one thought for many is: What am I going to do with all this food?!?@??

Why, just reach into the drawer and take out a Spotless Frozen Food Carton. Easily popped into a box shape within moments, yet easy to store flat before needed. I should know. I have a stack of them in a drawer. I'll never use them. I keep them because they make me smile, they're old (but very clean), and they belonged to either my mother or grandmother. I like the simplistic design of the frozen tundra and icicles with a backdrop of a table cloth. It says what it needs to very simply. And since it's a two color job the designer had the choice of either making the leaves on the strawberries red or blue, which would have made the viewer think perchance the product did not maintain the freshness they'd want. Strawberries rotting from the top down. Not putting that on my table to be consumed. But luscious garden ripe red strawberries. We both know when they came out of the box months later they didn't look garden fresh.

So package up those leftovers into our modern version of the food carton, the plastic freezer bag. But please, please, pleaseeeeeeeeee don't freeze the egg salad. You really don't want me to tell you about the frozen egg salad sandwich thawing in a high school locker.

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I really do like little boxes. Little places to store little things. Unfortunately there is no information about the manufacturer of this item. I don't know if the company was actually named "Spotless." If anyone has information they'd like to add just leave a comment.