I have made no secret of the fact that I don’t care for movie musicals. But I think what I’m discovering over the years is that there’s a certain type of musical I don’t like. I can’t put my finger on it yet, but there has to be some sort of connection between the musicals I do like — Chicago, Singin’ in the Rain, and now Dames.

I came across Dames (Warner Bros., 1934) while researching a piece of Popdose on the Flamingos’ version of “I Only Have Eyes for You.” Turns out that the song — composed by Harry Warren and Al Dubin — was introduced in Dames as one of the film’s showpiece musical numbers. And man, what a showpiece it is! More on that in a bit.

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Here’s a snowy scene from the 1930s — it’s the parking lot of the Calco Chemical Company building, located near the Raritan River in Bound Brook, New Jersey. This was shot in February 1936.

Calco was founded in 1915 as a manufacturer of “coal-tar intermediates required to make synthetic dyestuffs.” I have no idea what that means, but it sounds nasty. In any case, Calco was acquired by the American Cyanamid Company in 1929 (you can see that designation underneath the main sign). Astute readers will recognize that name from one of my lovely Thanksgiving advertisements.

I don’t know exactly when this facility was closed for good, but according to my research it had been completely demolished by 2002 at the latest.

Related articles

• Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 23: Going to the Garment Factory, 1936 (grayflannelsuit.net)
• Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 22: Hudson Tunnel Station Newsies, 1909 (grayflannelsuit.net)
• Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 24: Holland Tunnel Opening, 1927 (grayflannelsuit.net)

Yesterday I posted an image on my Facebook page of an old CHiPs Emergency Medical Kit toy, and we all had fun with it. I’m not sure why a medical kit is a relevant toy for a show about motorcycle cops, but whatever.

But it got me to thinking about an age-old question. Of the two main theme songs CHiPs used over the course of its six-season run, which is the better one? I know what my answer is, but I need to know what you think. For reference, here are the choices. Both were written by John Parker, by the way.

Here’s the intro used for season 1, which is fairly close to what was used for the pilot episode as well. It was also used on occasion in later seasons.

CHiPs season-6 with 1977 theme by deadsnake

As you can hear, we’ve got a bit of a laid back mariachi thing going on here. I very much dig the trumpet solo.

Here’s the version used from season two through season six, arranged by Alan Silvestri.

CHiPs Intro & Theme Season Two by dm_50aac3e3c0987

This is the version most people probably remember, and I would classify it as Disco Funk. It moves along at a much more urgent pace, and of course there’s that bass line.

So there you are, two great choices. Voting is taking place now on the GFS Facebook page, so let your voice be heard!

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I’ve gone through my logo rankings for the NFL and MLB, so now it’s time for the NBA! If you want to see which logos I picked as the best for those leagues, I’ve provided this handy reference page. Otherwise, let’s do some roundball logo reviews. I’m going to take this at an easier pace than I did with football and baseball, so this will be running throughout the NBA 2012-13 regular season.

Up next are the five teams of the Western Conference’s Northwest Division — the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, and Utah Jazz.  As always, most of these are sourced from Chris Creamer’s outstanding logo website.

Denver Nuggets

Best

What’s this, you ask? Well, before the Denver Nuggets came to the NBA from the old American Basketball Association (ABA), they were the Rockets. They had to change their name because Houston already had a team called the Rockets. Anyway, I love this. Even more than the classic 1980s Nuggets Tetris skyline logo.

Worst

Hey look, it’s Yukon Cornelius! And he suffered a hideous leg fracture! Weird.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Best

Yeah it does remind me a little of the Phoenix Coyotes logo, but it’s still cool. I almost went with the original primary, but it’s a little too tame. The pine tree silhouette in the wolf’s fur is a nice touch.

Worst

It’s probably telling that the first thing I think of when I see this alternate T-Wolves logo is Madonna’s Immaculate Collection album logo.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Best

No offense intended to the fine fans of Oklahoma City, but Viva SuperSonics!

I imagine most Seattle fans gravitate to the primary logo used from the mid ’70s to the mid ’90s. You know, the one that looks like this. But the Space Age look of the team’s original logo is just too cool. It’s slick and minimalist at the same time.

Worst

Again, no disrespect intended, but this sucks. I said it in 2008 and I stick by it now.

Portland Trail Blazers

Best

For the longest time I thought this was some nifty way of showing the letter B for Blazers. Apparently, though, this is a somewhat abstract visualization of a basketball game, with the two sets of five lines representing the two sets of five players. If that’s true, it’s even more nifty.

Worst

This one time, I went to a basketball game and a monster truck rally broke out.

Utah Jazz

Best

Although it doesn’t make sense that the New Orleans Jazz kept their nickname when they moved to Utah after the 1978-’79 season, they were wise to keep the logo. This is probably one of my top 10 NBA logos of all time.

Worst

Firstly, points off for speed lines in the wordmark. And secondly, this looks like the logo for some odd brand of soap. You’re not fully clean until you’re Utah Jazz clean!

Man, I want to find the person who drew this and shake his or her hand. Because Andy Griffith as Matlock as Peter Criss from the front of his 1978 Kiss solo album is inspired.

For reference, here’s the original.

Genius. They even nailed the classic Kiss font.

Update: Chet Loggins, the creator of this fine work of art, has stepped forward! See the comment section below.

Nearly four decades before Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia danced their way into our hearts during the FAO Schwarz piano scene in Big, Life magazine photographer Lisa Larsen snapped this:

I’m kidding of course. This is Betty Spornitz, who won first prize in May 1950 at the Flickertail Follies, a talent show held at the University of North Dakota. Good times.

You shrieked in terror at my gallery of vintage ’80s horror movie posters… you gasped at my science fiction movie posters of the ’50s… now tremble at this gallery of movie posters featuring juvenile delinquent/teen exploitation films of the ’40s through the ’70s!

#1. Teen Age Thunder (1957)

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Here’s another tunnel-related vintage photo for you. Although the source (New York Public Library Digital Gallery) doesn’t note the year, I’m going with 1927. Take a look and you’ll see why. (Click for a larger version.)

The reason I’m going with 1927 is because the Holland Tunnel, which connects Manhattan with Jersey City, opened in November 1927. I don’t imagine that these unnamed officials, decked out in their late ’20s finery, would be taking pictures and shaking hands across the border in the middle of construction. Or maybe they did, who knows.

Update: An astute reader identifies the two men shaking hands as New York and New Jersey governors Al Smith and A. Harry Moore, respectively. Thanks!

Related articles

• On This Day In 1927, The Holland Tunnel Appears On The Cover Of TIME (rememberinghistory.wordpress.com)

Today is a momentous day in Gray Flannel History, for this humble site logged passed the 1,000,000-visitor mark and rolled the odometer over! It’s been a big 12 months for this site, what with the Facebook page taking off and my Zazzle shop opening. I’d like to take yet another opportunity to thank everyone who has turned this little venture — which launched almost 6 years ago after I closed my first site — into the fun diversion it is!

I’ve got more fun time wasting web stuff planned for 2013, so stay tuned. And tell a friend!