series Archives - The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Jun262020 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

That’s Entertainment! #5: Bee Gees, c. late 1960s

Music

I'm not a Bee Gees superfan so I'm not totally certain when this group photo was taken. But based on the little I do know about the group and what they look like I'd put this at around 1967-68, give or take a year. Bee Gees circa late 1960s If I'm correct that means the band lineup was Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Colin Petersen, and Vince Melouney. Melouney was the band's lead guitarist for a brief time and left in 1968.

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.

Nov292018 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

TV Listings Flashback: November 29, 1973

TV & Radio

It's been awhile since my last TV Listings Flashback, so let's get right to it! Here are the evening/prime time TV network TV listings from November 29, 1973. This particular grid is courtesy that day's edition of the Tampa Times. Let's take a look and then get into the shows. Remember that visiting any of the Amazon show title links below will help me in keeping this site running! I'm going to focus on just the three big networks although you can see what PBS and the local independent station had in store that evening too. Channel 8 (WFLA - NBC) 6:00 Local news / NBC Nightly News 7:00 What's My Line? 7:30 To Tell the Truth 8:00 The Flip Wilson Show with guests Richard Pryor and Tim Conway 9:00 Ironside "The Hidden Man" - POW returns home, discovers that revenge-cr...

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.

Oct32018 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Greatest Misses: Van Halen

Music

Even the most popular and successful bands have songs that speak only to a (relatively) devoted few. In Greatest Misses, I'll count off the least popular song on band's albums, not including brief interludes, joke songs, or generally any abnormally short song. I'm using the super scientific method of counting streams from a band's Spotify catalog, so you know it'll be accurate. First up: Van Halen. One interesting note about this first entry, that I would like to do some further research on. Of the 12 songs listed, 7 of them are the last song on the album. Do people just get to the end of a record and decide, "Nah I'm good, I'll listen to something else now"? Strange. Anyway, here's the list and then the Spotify playlist: "On Fire" - Van Halen "Outta Love Again" - Van ...

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!

Aug52018 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Single Cel Organism #1: Quisp and Quake

Blogstuff

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.

Aug12018 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Brochure Beauties #8: 1937 Willys, The Surprise Car of the Year!

Ephemera

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.