1960s Archives - The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Jun152018 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Vintage NBC Promo Slides

Many, many years ago, when television technology was still somewhat crude, stations used still images to promote upcoming shows or events. Often they used slides that were simply projected to the screen. Of course, the need for these slides is long past but they remain a fascinating reminder of a simpler TV age. And so I was thrilled to come across a series of them for sale on eBay recently. According to the seller of these slides, they were used by NBC affiliate WRC-TV Channel 4, and were shown thanks to a piece of technology called a film chain. The film chain allows a station to convert a slide into an electronic signal and project it to a TV camera for broadcast. I'm not certain of the dates on these, but I suspect many of them are from the 1950s and '60s. I know the 1960s are in...

Feb212018 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

That’s Entertainment! #4: The Twilight Zone

TV & Radio

A publicity still featuring William Shatner and Patricia Breslin, co-stars of the season two episode of The Twilight Zone entitled "Nick of Time." It originally aired on November 18, 1960 on CBS. Shatner returned to the show in season five for one of its most iconic episodes, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet."

Dec22017 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Get Toasty With These Wisconsin Electric Power Company Christmas Cooky Books

Ephemera

Here are some wonderful artifacts from the days when public utility companies at least tried to pretend like they cared about their customers or wanted some sort of connection with their communities. This gallery features covers from a series of Christmas "Cooky Books" produced by the Wisconsin Electric Power Company in the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. The designs run from homey but bland to festive to delightfully cheerful and mid-century. One note: In fairness, the current version of this company, We Energies, still produces this book. Good on them. Most scans courtesy eBay. Click on any image for the full-size version.

Oct52017 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Another Gallery of Vintage Halloween Costume Slides

Photography

These days preserving memories of Halloween parties and trick or treating is as simple as clicking an icon on your phone. Back in the day it not only meant fumbling with a camera and film, but also finding a way to preserve all those spooky and cute memories. To remind us all of simpler Halloween times, here is a brand new gallery of 13 vintage slides (some Kodachrome) depicting kids (and kids at heart) getting into the Halloween spirit with costumes, jack-o-lanterns, parades, parties, and of course trick or treating for candy! Many of the classics are here, like cats, princesses, clowns, skeletons, football players, pumpkins, robots, and ethnic costumes of varying degrees of PC-ness. There are also some truly inventive, homemade costumes as well. Almost all of these were taken in the 1

Oct32017 by Chris Holmes2 Comments

The Revenge of Halloween Retrotisements!

Retrotisements

By my count this will be at least the third gallery of vintage Halloween advertisement I've shared here, although it's been a long time since the last one. So let's scare up a good time by checking out some spooky ads from years gone by!

Aug12017 by Chris Holmes1 Comment

Retrotisements: Back to School Edition, Part 2

Retrotisements

One thing that stinks about being an adult is that I don't get summers off anymore. One thing that rules about being an adult is I don't have to deal with the looming threat of Back to School time. So you see, now I can look at vintage back-to-school advertisements with joy and amusement, not dread. And now you can too. Enjoy!

Jul112017 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Car Crazy #5: 1968 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser Custom

Photography

Fans of That '70s Show remember the name Vista Cruiser well. Here we have an interesting publicity photo of the 1968 Vista Cruiser Custom from Oldsmobile (the one from the show is a '69 model). I do not recommend standing on any car roof like this.

Jun62017 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Brochure Beauties #7: Sea World San Diego, 1964

Ephemera

Today's beauty comes to us from the mid 1960s, during what I think of as the golden age of amusement parks. It dates (I believe) from 1964, when the first Sea World opened in the Mission Bay area of San Diego, California. Located on 22 acres, the original vision for the park was a giant underwater restaurant. I think the amusement park was definitely the way to go. Sea World's owners spared no expense with this brochure, as it has the evocative prose and lush illustrations typical of the best brochures and advertising material of the mid-century period. Behold the beauty of the front cover: Let's take a closer look at that logo, for it is wonderful. Just two colors here, but a great contrast of typefaces. And turning the standard '60s grid globe into a fish? Genius. Bef...

Apr122017 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Retrotisements — A Year in the Life (1967)

Retrotisements

In past ad galleries I've typically stuck with a particular theme or product, such as holiday-themed ads or new car lineups. I'm going to try something new and product an ad gallery from a single year, covering a wide range or products and services. Basically, a sort of visual shorthand to see what someone would've seen in print or TV ads in a particular year. Think of this as a virtual department store of sorts. For the first edition I thought I'd travel back exactly 50 years to 1967. Let's browse! Automobiles Consumer Electronics Entertainment Fashion Food and Beverage Health and Beauty Household Goods Travel

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