1950s Archives - The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

May162019 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Toon Time #2: Quick Draw McGraw for Kellogg’s

Advertising

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. Kellogg's - The BEST to You Here's a sample of the opening theme for the show, although this particular cel is not part of it.

Nov22018 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Postcards from the Past #1: Pike’s Peak Auto Race, 1950s

Ephemera

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.

Sep262018 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Now Playing: On the Waterfront

Movies

From the September 26, 1954 edition of the Dayton Daily News comes this ad for Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront, starring Marlon Brando. The movie, a genuine box office smash, had already been out a few months when this ad ran. Although it didn't earn nearly the money that blockbusters such as White Christmas or Rear Window did, it earned eight Academy Awards including Best Picture.

Aug182018 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Now Playing: Vintage Movie Ads of the 1950s (Part 1)

Advertising, Movies

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!

Jul292018 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Retrotisements: Back to School Edition, Part 3

Retrotisements

Yes, it's nearly that time of year that all kids dread and all adults love -- Back to School! And so I'm back for a third time with a set of vintage advertisements that will either appeal to you or drive you mad. Either way, I hope you enjoy!

Jun152018 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Vintage NBC Promo Slides

Auction Finds, TV & Radio

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...

May182018 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

First Year Covers: Playboy

Ephemera

I'm starting a new series called First Year Covers, the purpose of which should be obvious. I'll take a famous magazine and share a gallery featuring all or selected covers from its first year of publication. For no particular reason I've chosen Hugh Hefner's Playboy for the first entry. Scratch that - there is a reason. Aside from all the controversy Playboy has courted almost since its first issue published in December 1953 -- and featuring previously unseen nude photos of Marilyn Monroe -- many of its covers in the early days are fun and imaginative exercises in graphic design. So with that out of the way, let's enjoy a look at the twelve months of Playboy covers, plus a bonus 13th cover to round out 1954. Sorry fellas, no nudity here.

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...