REPRINTS! REPRINTS! REPRINTS! in 1963

A long time ago, in what seems like a different universe, if you wanted reprints of a photo to which you did not have a negative…and you got magazines…and you looked at the tiny ads in the back…












(SOURCE: ‘TEEN, October 1963)

Explain to me how these “companies” made money if within a few pages, and often on the same page, there were 14 ads for photo processing? How was a girl to choose?

I did have one friend who sent in a photo of herself and got back a packet of prints. They were fine. She handed them out to everybody. I think I might still have it, but as usual have no idea of where it might be.

DECORATION DAY

As of tomorrow, May 29th, it will be 101 years since this card was mailed. Will this card still exist 101 years from now?

Amazingly there is a card like this for sale at CardCow that was also mailed on May 29, 1911, also to New York. My card was mailed at 6 PM, the other card at 10 PM. Both were sent from towns beginning with the letter "B" which means absolutely nothing. There is no grassy knoll to be found here.

SITTING IN YOUR CABANA listening to your banana...record

You'll need Cabana Banana stickers to be able to purchase this offer. Good luck with that!

Strangely, I can’t find any reference online about this children’s record offer from 1969. Typing “Cabana Banana” brings up lots of pages about furniture. So I’ll simply post this and let you dream about this swell selection of kiddie songs. As to the company that offered it...

Click on image to see it larger.

(SOURCE: Sunset, July 1969)

Standard Fruit Company (now Dole Food Company) was established in the United States in 1924 by The Vaccaro Brothers. Its forerunner was started in 1899, when Sicilian immigrants Joseph, Luca and Felix Vaccaro, together with Salvador D'Antoni, began importing bananas to New Orleans from La Ceiba, Honduras. By 1915 the business had grown so large that it bought most of the ice factories in New Orleans, in order to refrigerate its banana ships, leading to its president Joseph Vaccaro becoming known as the "Ice King".

Along with the United Fruit Company, Standard Fruit played a significant role in the governments of Honduras and other Central American countries, which became known as "banana republics" because of the highly favorable treatment the fruit companies were given.

In 1926, the company changed its name from Standard Fruit Company to Standard Fruit & Steamship Company. Between 1964 and 1968, the company was acquired by the Castle & Cooke Corporation, which also acquired James Dole's Hawaiian Pineapple Company (HAPCO) around the same time. In 1991, Castle & Cooke was renamed Dole Food Company. Castle & Cooke Inc, a real estate company, was spun off in 1995 and is now separately listed. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

To read the history of the all powerful banana companies click here. There is a dark side to bananas and I'm not just talking about how fast they go bad.

BUYING A CAR IN 1969...Volkswagen Beetle

So, you want a car that looks nearly the same in the 1930s as it did in the 1960s? You're not big on change? Tattered and Lost Car Lot has this gem just waiting for you.

Click on image to see it larger.

(SOURCE: Sunset, 1969)

And while you wait for our experts to detail your car sit back and enjoy this little film with some bratwurst and beer. Ve vill call you ven it ist ready!

BUYING A CAR IN 1969...International Harvester Travelall and Scout

Are you just looking for a functional car that lets people know when you drive up that you have just a functional car? Then here, at the Tattered and Lost Car Lot, I've got just what you need. No flash, just function. Think ground meat and beer, not brie and wine.

Click on either image to see them larger.

(SOURCE: Sunset, September 1969)

And yes, the Scout does arrive in pieces via USPS, so don't think of buying it unless you're really good with a screwdriver and I don't mean the kind that comes in a glass...though that might be helpful too.


(SOURCE: Sunset, July 1969)

International Harvester Company (IHC or IH) was a United States agricultural machinery, construction equipment, vehicle, commercial truck, and household and commercial products manufacturer. In 1902, J.P. Morgan merged the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company and Deering Harvester Company, along with three smaller agricultural equipment firms, to form International Harvester. International Harvester sold off its agricultural division in 1985 and renamed the company Navistar International Corporation in 1986. Case IH was formed when the agricultural division merged with J.I. Case.

Founding of the company
The roots of International Harvester run to the 1830s, when Cyrus Hall McCormick, an inventor from Virginia, finalized his version of a horse-drawn reaper, which he field-demonstrated throughout 1831, and for which he received a patent in 1834. Together with his brother Leander J. McCormick (1819–1900), McCormick moved to Chicago in 1847 and started the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company. The McCormick reaper sold well, partially as a result of savvy and innovative business practices. Their products came onto the market just as the development of railroads offered wide distribution to distant market areas. He developed marketing and sales techniques, developing a vast network of trained salesmen able to demonstrate operation of the machines in the field.

McCormick died in 1884, with his company passing to his son, Cyrus McCormick, Jr. In 1902 the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company and Deering Harvester Company, along with three smaller agricultural equipment firms (Milwaukee; Plano; and Warder, Bushnell, and Glessner—manufacturers of Champion brand) merged to create the International Harvester Company. In 1919, the Parlin and Orendorff factory in Canton, Illinois was a leader in the plow manufacturing industry. International Harvester purchased the factory calling it the Canton Works; it continued production for many decades.

One of the company's light-duty vehicles was the Travelall, which was similar in concept to the Chevrolet Suburban. The Travelette was a crew cab, available in 2 or 4 wheel drive. It was available starting in 1957, and was the first 6-passenger, 4-door truck of its time. The Scout, first introduced in 1961,[12] is a small two-door SUV, similar to a Jeep. In 1972 the Scout became the Scout II, and in 1974 Dana 44 axles, power steering and power disk brakes became standard. After the pickups and Travelall were discontinued in 1975, the Scout Traveler and Terra became available, both with a longer wheelbase than a standard Scout II.

IH would abandon sales of passenger vehicles in 1980 to concentrate on commercial trucks and school buses. Today the pickups, Travelalls, and Scouts are minor cult orphaned vehicles. All were available as rugged four-wheel drive off-road vehicles. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

As a pointless aside I must mention that the reason I was born on the day I was born was because of a jeep ride my mother took through a dry creek bed in Carmel Valley the night before her rush to the hospital. I apparently was a little late so the neighbor decided to take my mom for an adventure. I was ready to pop out the next day, just like Tatter's pups.

BUYING A CAR in 1969...Datsun 1300

Have a hankering to do a little off-road racing in a pick-up with a tasty enchilada at the end of the road? Well, Tattered and Lost Car Lot has a little something you might be interested in if you're Baja bound.

Click on image to see it larger.

(SOURCE: Sunset, July 1969)

SCORE Baja 1000 is an off-road race that takes place on Mexico's Baja California Peninsula in November. The Baja 1000 is part of the SCORE Championship Desert Racing Series that include the Baja 500, San Felipe 250 and the new San Felipe Challenge of Champions in place of the Primm 300 which had been the only SCORE race in the United States. The Baja 1000 allows various types of vehicle classes to compete on the same course - from such small and large bore motorcycles, stock VW, production vehicles, buggies, Trucks, and custom fabricated race vehicles. The course has remained relatively the same over the years with the majority of events being either a point-to-point race from Ensenada to La Paz, or a loop race starting and finishing in Ensenada.

The first official race started in Tijuana, Baja California, on October 31, 1967, and was named the NORRA Mexican 1000 Rally. The course length that year was 849 miles (1,366 km) and ended in La Paz, Baja California Sur, with the overall winning time of 27 hours 38 minutes (27:38) set by Vic Wilson and Ted Mangels while driving a Meyers Manx buggy. 

From 1967 to 1972, the race was organized by the National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA) and grew in popularity with ABC's "Wide World of Sports" sending Jim McKay to cover the 1968 event, and attracting new participants like the late Mickey Thompson, Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones and movie actor James Garner. By 1971, major sponsors such as Olympia Brewing Company and Minolta Cameras began to support Parnelli Jones in his Dick Russell designed and Bill Stroppe prepared "Big Oly" Bronco and Larry Minor in a similar Stroppe prepared Bronco. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

BUYING A CAR in 1969...Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina

So, the MBG wasn't for you. Perhaps you lean more towards Italy than Britain. Some wine and cheese instead of fish 'n' chips? Let's take a look around the Tattered and Lost Car Lot.

Click on image to see it larger.

(SOURCE: Sunset, July 1969)

The Alfa Romeo 1750/2000 is a range of medium-priced cars which was produced by Alfa Romeo from 1967 to 1977.

The 1750 Berlina sedan was introduced in 1967, together with the 1750 GTV coupe and 2000 Spider. The 1750 models replaced the earlier 2600 Berlina, Sprint and Spider at the top of the Alfa Romeo range. In contrast to the 2600s, the 1750s were smaller and much less expensive, shared many parts with other concurrent models in the Alfa Romeo range, and sold many more units during their production span.

The 1750 Berlina was based on the existing Giulia sedan, which continued in production. The 1750 was meant to top the sedan range, above the 1,300 cc and 1,600 cc versions of the Giulia. In the United States, however, the Giulia sedan ceased to be available and was entirely replaced by the 1750 Berlina. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

BUYING A CAR in 1969...the MGB

What were some of your car choices in 1969? I remember a pretty blue Oldsmobile a teacher drove at my high school. The car was beautiful, at least as I remember it. Now I can't even remember what model it was. But nevermind...time to go car shopping!

Here at the Tattered and Lost Car Lot I give you the first model, a British car. It was a hot little pistol.

Click on image to see it larger.

(SOURCE: Sunset, July 1969)

To read about the MGB click here.

What NOT TO DO WITH CHEESE

Household Tip of the Day...

When caulking windows or bathroom tiles consider using spray cheese in a can instead of hardware store caulking material. This way when you're done with your DIY project you won't be left with a tube of caulking sitting in your garage hardening. Instead you'll have a tasty topper for outdoor grilling!


(SOURCE: Sunset, September 1969)

Getting stuck at a STUCKEY'S

A few days ago I received a comment about an old post I did about Travel Lodge motels. The commenter made mention of Stuckey's. When I saw this ad I knew I needed to post it for her. 

Stuckey's, for me, will always mean pralines. Not the best pralines, but worth the stop.

Let's hear it for the old days of driving across the country: odd motels, privately owned gas stations, and coffee shops that were always a crap shoot, so to speak.

(SOURCE: Sunset, July 1969)

SEYMOUR CHWAST does Schweppes in 1969

There were many designers that held sway over those of us studying graphic design and illustration in the late ‘60s, probably none more so than Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast. We longingly wished to do what they did, but knew we probably never would. They were on the top floor and the rest of us just hoped we’d be good enough to stay out of the basement.

Here are two ads created by Chwast for Schweppes back in 1969.

Click on either image to see it larger.

(SOURCE: Sunset, July 1969)

(SOURCE: Sunset, September 1969)

To read about Seymour Chwast click here.

To visit his online site click here.

Click here to see a variety of work at Google images. You're bound to recognize something.

BANKERS...men of integrity...???

I hate to say it, but at one time you could sort of trust your banker. I admit that growing up with parents who lived through the depression I was never fond of banks. I had images of the banker driving up to a dust bowl farm and evicting the family. So my distaste of bankers was not fully formed. It might have been a little irrational...back then. Now?

Try to imagine a bank running an ad like this today. Let's get the folks at Chase sitting around a table trying to convince us they're doing right by their customers and not just lining their Armani pockets.


SOURCE: Sunset, July 1969

Example...your bankers at work today.

Happy Mother's Day from GIBSON GREETINGS

The following cards are all from one scrapbook and were given in the early-to-mid 1950s, each was made by Gibson Greetings. At the time Gibson was a company unto itself. In 2000 that changed when they became part of American Greetings.

FAHRENHEIT 451 is not a slow burn

This book is as relevant today as when first published in 1953. Good books by great authors always are.

This is one of the few movie-tie-in books that I actually bought when I was in college. I highly recommend it along with the 1966 film directed by Francois Truffaut starring Oskar Werner and Julie Christie. I checked to see if it would be on this month, but no luck.






Click on any image to see it larger.

Fahrenheit 451 is a 1953 dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury. The novel presents a future American society where books are outlawed.

The novel has been the subject of various interpretations, primarily focusing on the historical role of book burning in suppressing dissenting ideas. Bradbury has stated that the novel is not about censorship, but a story about how television destroys interest in reading literature, which leads to a perception of knowledge as being composed of factoids, partial information devoid of context.

François Truffaut wrote and directed a film adaptation of the novel in 1966. At least two BBC Radio 4 dramatizations have also been aired, both of which follow the book very closely.

In 1947, Bradbury wrote a short story titled "Bright Phoenix" (later revised for publication in a 1963 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction). Bradbury expanded the basic premise of "Bright Phoenix" into The Fireman, a novella published in the February 1951 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction. First published in 1953 by Ballantine Books, Fahrenheit 451 is twice as long as "The Fireman." A few months later, the novel was serialized in the March, April, and May 1954 issues of Playboy. Bradbury wrote the entire novel in the basement of UCLA's Powell Library on a pay typewriter that he rented for a fee of ten cents per half an hour. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

Click here to see a video showing much more interesting scenes than the rather hokey trailer above.

(Photo below of Ray Bradbury by Alan Light)

Ray Douglas Bradbury (born August 22, 1920) is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles (1950) and The Illustrated Man (1951), Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th and 21st century American writers of speculative fiction. Many of Bradbury's works have been adapted into television shows or films.

Bradbury was born in 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois to Esther Moberg Bradbury, a Swedish immigrant, and Leonard Spaulding Bradbury, a power and telephone lineman.

Ray Bradbury is related to the American Shakespeare scholar Douglas Spaulding. He is also directly descended from Mary Bradbury, who was tried, convicted and sentenced to hang as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. She was married to Captain Thomas Bradbury of Salisbury, Massachusetts.

Bradbury was a reader and writer throughout his youth who was greatly influenced by the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. Bradbury was especially impressed with Poe's ability to draw readers into his works. In his youth, he spent much time in the Carnegie library in Waukegan, Illinois, reading such authors as H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, and his favorite author, Edgar Rice Burroughs who wrote novels such as Tarzan of the Apes and The Warlord of Mars. He loved Burroughs' The Warlord of Mars so much that at the age of twelve he wrote his own sequel. An aunt read him short stories when he was a child. He used this library as a setting for much of his novel Something Wicked This Way Comes, and depicted Waukegan as "Green Town" in some of his other semi-autobiographical novels—Dandelion Wine, Farewell Summer—as well as in many of his short stories.

He attributes to two incidents his lifelong habit of writing every day. The first of these, occurring when he was three years old, was his mother's taking him to see Lon Chaney's performance in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The second incident occurred in 1932, when a carnival entertainer, one Mr. Electrico, touched the young man on the nose with an electrified sword, made his hair stand on end, and shouted, "Live forever!" It was from then that Bradbury wanted to live forever and decided on his career as an author in order to do what he was told: live forever. It was at that age that Bradbury first started to do magic. Magic was his first great love. If he had not discovered writing, he would have become a magician.

The Bradbury family lived in Tucson, Arizona in 1926–27 and 1932–33 as the father pursued employment, each time returning to Waukegan, but eventually settled in Los Angeles in 1934, when Ray was thirteen.

Bradbury graduated from Los Angeles High School, where he took poetry and short story writing courses that furthered his interest in writing, but he did not attend college. Instead, he sold newspapers at the corner of South Norton Avenue and Olympic Boulevard. In regard to his education, Bradbury said:

“Libraries raised me. I don’t believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don’t have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn’t go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years.”

It was in UCLA's Powell Library, in a study room with typewriters for rent, that Bradbury wrote his classic story of a book-burning future, Fahrenheit 451. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

Visit Ray Bradbury's site here.

Going to camp with DARK SHADOWS

In 1966 my neighbor was addicted to Dark Shadows. There was no point even trying to talk to her between 4 and 4:30. Dark Shadows came on and she shut out the world. I, on the other hand, was not a fan of the show. I’ve never cared for vampires. I’m easily frightened. In the case of Dark Shadows I was frightened by the boring story and melodramatic acting. It just wasn’t for me.

Dark Shadows is an American gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements. It was unprecedented in daytime television when ghosts were introduced about six months after it began.

The series became hugely popular when vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) appeared a year into its run. Dark Shadows also featured werewolves, zombies, man-made monsters, witches, warlocks, time travel, and a parallel universe. A small company of actors each played many roles (as actors came and went, some characters were played by more than one actor). Major writers besides Art Wallace included Malcolm Marmorstein, Sam Hall, Gordon Russell, and Violet Welles.

Dark Shadows was distinguished by its vividly melodramatic performances, atmospheric interiors, memorable storylines, numerous dramatic plot twists, unusually adventurous music score, and broad and epic cosmos of characters and heroic adventures. Now regarded as something of a camp classic, it continues to enjoy an intense cult following. Although the original series ran for only five years, its scheduling as a daily daytime drama allowed it to amass more single episodes during its run (1,225) than most other science-fiction/fantasy genre series produced for English-language television, including Doctor Who and the entire Star Trek television franchise. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

Now with the looming debut on May 11th of the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp version of Dark Shadows there will probably be a lot of talk about the original show and its fans. For those who are hardcore fans from the 1960s I think they might end up offended that comedy is front and center in this version. There were a lot of us who thought the original was funny, unintentionally funny.

I found this tv tie-in book at my post office book exchange table. There were thirty-two books in the series.

Dark Shadows Books (1966-72)

The Paperback Library began releasing novels based on the TV series Dark Shadows in December 1966. There were thirty-three novels released through to 1972, all of them written by Dan Ross under the pen name Marilyn Ross.

All of the novels, with the exception of House of Dark Shadows were part of one shared continuity separate from the history supplied in the original television series. House of Dark Shadows was an adaptation of the MGM film, House of Dark Shadows and as such, represented a separate continuity.

Many of the 1st printings of the novels featured covers with production stills from the television show. Invariably, the photographs represented on the covers had little if anything to do with the actual stories inside. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

To see a list of books click here.




Click on any image to see it larger.

The one actor I remember from the show is Jonathan Frid who played the vampire Barnabas Collins. Wondering what became of him I found that he died just a few weeks ago from an accidental fall. Sad that he won’t be around to revel in the reintroduction of the character he created.

I will admit that I watched the NBC remake of the show in 1991 with Ben Cross as the vampire. Ben Cross was the reason I watched the show, though after a few episodes I was again having trouble with the whole story. I’ve never been a fan of gothic romance. I’ve never been able to imagine myself as a lady running away from a dark castle. I would have been too clumsy for that and would most assuredly have fallen and been caught by the vampire. And I’m not fond of blood dripping from someone’s neck, most especially my own.

Now que the creepy music.

A kid's BIRTHDAY NIGHTMARE!

Sometimes I just don't understand home economists. How do they come up with some of the crazy recipes you find in cookbooks and magazines? Do they think nobody will notice that they've completely come off the rails? Do they have any idea what a kid's face would look like if on their birthday they were served a bowl of cream of mushroom soup with a candle floating atop a piece of toast stuck in place with peanut butter? Do they think this kid would ever get another kid to come to one of their birthday parties again?


Click on image to see it larger.

This page is from Cooking with Soup published by Campbell's in probably the 1960s or '70s.

Looking for something to serve the kiddies before the unveiling of the Cream of Birthday soup? How about creamed corn with bologna? Mmmm mmmmm good!

I won't even comment about "swirly soups" being exciting. Nor will I ever cut a piece of cheese to look like an animal.

This is why I only took one year of Home Economics in high school. I was just too snarky for it.

Mini KNOTT'S

I mentioned in the comments section of yesterday's post that Knott's Berry Farm used to have a building full of miniatures. I don't know when they got rid of it. I wonder what became of all the doll houses. You can see a few examples below.

Click on any image to see it larger.

I haven't been to Knott's in decades. It's one of those places that is better in my memory than what exists today. Now it's just an amusement park. In the old days it was a wonderful quiet experience, but then people had more patience. Yes, I'm old and I'm lucky to have memories of the park. I don't want to see it now.

KNOTT what it seems

This post is a companion piece to this week’s Sepia Saturday post at Tattered and Lost Vernacular Photography.

The following images are all from Knott’s Berry Farm located in Buena Park, California.

I first went to Knott’s Berry Farm in the early 1950s, before Disneyland was even open. I have two vivid memories; one involved the train, the second involved the jail.

This lovely old train was one of the few rides in the park. I don’t remember why only my mother and I went on it, but I can tell you I was screaming at the top of my lungs before it was over. Everything seemed to be fine and dandy as the train moved around the park grounds. And then THEY came aboard with guns drawn, kerchief masks over the faces. They were train robbers and I thought it was all very real. I was terrified as they came down the aisle demanding our valuables. I don’t know how my mother got me calmed down, but we forever remembered that ride.

Click on any image to see it larger.

The second memory involves my grandfather and the trick he played on me. Behind some old buildings on the main street is the old jail. You walk up a wooden sidewalk and look inside to see the poor fellow below. Again, I was a little girl, probably around 4 or 5. Imagine my surprise when I looked through the jail house door window and the prisoner, Sad Eye Joe, started talking to me, using my name. How could he possibly know who I was? My folks stood by laughing. I was creeped out. And for some reason my grandfather was no where to be found. It wasn’t until I was older that my folks let me in on the “secret.” Anyone could go to the building in front of the jail and give a man the name of someone who was approaching the jail door. Then this fellow would start talking into a microphone as you looked in the door. I got to finally do it to a friend in the early ‘70s. She was old enough to know the dummy was not talking, but it took her awhile to figure out how it had happened. I have a photo of her peeking through the door. I just wish I had a photo of the look on her face when she turned around.

Click on image to see it larger.

I haven’t been to Knott’s Berry Farm in a very long time. I have such good memories of how it used to be before it became just another park with rides. It was a gem when life was slower. Chickens roamed around the parking lot, long lines of people waited to eat in the chicken restaurant (not to go on rides), and just walking up and down the dirt covered streets with the old buildings was an adventure. As to the parking lot chickens…I have no idea if the lot was searched each night for road kill to serve the next day at the chicken restaurant.

Click on either image to see it larger.