Few things indicate that a TV show has broken through into pop culture at large like getting its own set of trading cards. Naturally, most of these programs don’t really need or deserve a trading card set, but that’s another topic altogether. While some shows — particularly ones heavy on action or in the sci-fi/fantasy genres — lend themselves to interesting cards, more often than not you just got a still photo of some cast member that says, “Remember that this was a person on our show? So do we.”

Regardless, let’s look take a trip back to the days when you could find cards for almost any show imaginable, issued by giants of the field such as Topps, Donruss, and Fleer.

ALF

Growing Pains

In Living Color

Knight Rider

Beverly Hills 90210

Happy Days

The Incredible Hulk

M*A*S*H

Three’s Company

V

Welcome Back, Kotter

Kicking off the latest series on GFS is a gallery of vintage newspaper print ads for movies. There is a specific style and charm to old movie ads that I just love. It pretty much doesn’t matter what the movie even is. In fact, in digging through papers to find these ads I came across several for films I had never even heard of.

So enjoy browsing through this time capsule of entertainment ads from a bygone era, and be sure to stop by the lobby for some refreshing treats!

The Indian Fighter (1955)

Pinocchio (1954 reissue)

Summer Stock (1950)

Small Town Girl (1953)

Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1954)

The Unguarded Moment (1956)

Wyoming Renegades (1955)

This Island Earth & Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki (1955)

Red Garters (1954)

The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958)

Here’s an interesting cel featuring some vintage cereal mascots, Quake and Quisp, with a third character I’ve not seen before. If anyone knows who the man in the black hat is, drop a comment below.

It’s hard to believe that I’m almost 10 entries into this series and haven’t shared any car brochures. Luckily I found a real gem for the first one. This brochure highlights the new 1937 Willys, with the slogan “The Surprise Car of the Year.” The typeface and color scheme are very much of their era, and are a pure delight.

The first image breaks down (OK, unfortunate phrasing) the cost of ownership over 35,000 miles. Can’t say I’ve ever seen a car brochure give a depreciation amount before.

Next up is the money shot, a pretty nice looking pre-war car that boasts up to 35 miles per gallon.

Next we get several exterior and interior shots, with some very well-dressed people looking very approvingly at the beautiful bench seats, roomy interior and spacious trunk.