Is it a microphone? A futuristic communications device? No! It’s the wonderful new Ronson electric shaver, the most advanced electric shaver ever made! And it can be yours by order from Email Braude & Sons’ 1959 catalog.
Emil Braude & Sons were wholesale distributors nationally advertised watches, jewelry, silverware, clocks, and appliances. They were based out of Chicago, Illinois.
(image courtesy Flickr)
Here’s a mid-century gem from Harvey Comics: It’s issue #26 of Hi-School Romance, publication date March 1954. One of the common tropes I’ve noticed from these romance comics is that the kid with the bow tie always seems to be choice #2 for the heartbroken girl. Well, not Eddie Fisher, but the other kids.
This cover, with art by Julius La Rosa, comes from the “Rage of Night” story. The others stories are just as delightfully named — “Trapped by Desire,” “Tempted!” and “I Lied to My Love.” So scandalous! So steamy!
This one image, the cover for the program from the 1955 Newport Jazz Festival, pretty much sums up everything I love about the aesthetic of mid-century jazz in America. Notably, this was just the 2nd edition of the now-legendary music event.
Folks, this one has it all. Matching outfits, leis, pants up to the belly button, at least three tubes of Brylcreem, a vibraphone (or is it a marimba?), and state of the art photo editing. It’s Arthur Lyman on Broadway!
This gem of an LP was released in 1959 on the HiFi Records label. Lyman, who made his name with music that could roughly be called Polynesian, explored the world of show tunes here. There are four cuts on the album — “The King and I,” “My Fair Lady,” Porgy and Bess,” and “South Pacific.”
Here is a wonderful piece of Thanksgiving and U.S. military ephemera. It’s the 1952 Thanksgiving menu for a dinner held by the Long Beach Group of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Reserve Fleet. Here’s the cover, with its wonderfully traditional illustration and typeface:
And the menu itself, including Thanksgiving staples such as ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, and cigars!
Since Halloween is once again just around the corner, here are a few slides from days gone by featuring kids and adults in fun costumes. Here are some adults from some time in the 1950s. The poor guy on the left looks totally thrilled.
And here is a decidedly happier-looking group of kids from the ’70s.
There is no postmark on this one but it seems to be from the 1950s or so.
NATURAL COLOR PHOTO
DORNEY PARK, ALLENTOWN, PA.
The flag shown on the reverse side was a special Labor Day decoration. It was made of thousands of white and red apples for the stripes. Egg plant was used for the blue field and squash was used for the stars. Thousand flock to the amusement park each year to see the designs made entirely of fruits and vegetables for Labor Day holiday.
From the age when corporations directly sponsored TV shows comes this color animation cel from 1959. It features Baba Looey of The Quick Draw McGraw Show on top of a wagon spiriting a Kellogg’s banner. The show was sponsored by Kellogg’s when it debuted in 1959.
Here’s a sample of the opening theme for the show, although this particular cel is not part of it.
Postmarked June 18, 1956:
PIKES PEAK AUTO RACE
Here on Labor Day of each year gather the world’s best dirt track drivers to test their skill on the 10% grade up the side of Pikes Peak, rising 14,110 feet above sea level.