1950s
The Continuing Adventures of Rayo
After being ignored by most people when he nailed his tongue to a wooden board, Rayo the Fakir sealed himself with a snake inside a glass "bottle," in which he toured Europe. By the time he emerged, a year later, the snake had died.Life magazine reported that the year-long stunt almost didn't happen because city authorities in Linz filed a temporary injunction, citing the act as "counter to the dignity of man... liable to produce panic... and creating an unhealthy condition for the inhabitant of the bottle."
I'm guessing Rayo wasn't actually Indian. He just pretended to be an Indian fakir as part of his act. (Basically, he was the David Blaine of the early 1950s.) Also, I think his last name was spelled "Schmied," though a lot of papers reported it as "Schmidt."
Newsweek - Jan 12, 1953
The Circleville Herald - Dec 26, 1953
Posted By: Alex - Tue Feb 02, 2016 -
Comments (6)
Category: Human Marvels, 1950s
Bob Gaffner, Fishermen’s Helper
That Bob! "He's full of the old mick!" Huh? That expression summons up a mere two Google hits. I suspect it's a euphemism for "full of the old Nick," which in turn was a euphemism for "full of the Devil."
Posted By: Paul - Tue Feb 02, 2016 -
Comments (2)
Category: Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, Work and Vocational Training, Children, 1950s
No one cared about Rayo
1952: Rayo the Fakir nailed his tongue to a wooden board, but no one cared about the feat.
Lethbridge Herald - Feb 29, 1952
Franklin News Herald - Mar 28, 1952
Fredericksburg Standard - Jun 18, 1952
Posted By: Alex - Mon Feb 01, 2016 -
Comments (12)
Category: Human Marvels, 1950s
Sanatogen
Full story here.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jan 30, 2016 -
Comments (6)
Category: Body, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, 1950s, Nineteenth Century
La Bruja
I regret that I cannot find a subtitled-in-English version of this Mexican film, where a mad scientist creates a formula that turns an extremely ugly woman into a beauty, as in the before-and-after pix below. But those of you who know Spanish--or who just want visuals--can enjoy the full movie.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jan 29, 2016 -
Comments (2)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Drugs, Mad Scientists, Evil Geniuses, Insane Villains, Movies, 1950s
May and Very Very Late December Marriage
Original article here.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 27, 2016 -
Comments (11)
Category: Elderly and Seniors, Wives, 1950s
Cobra Skins for Sale
Original ad here.
How much are you willing to bet that these snake skins were a) not cobras and b) were not imported from "British India"...?
And by the way:
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 20, 2016 -
Comments (8)
Category: Animals, Taxidermy, Scams, Cons, Rip-offs, and General Larceny, 1950s
What Was the Name of Ted Williams’s Car?
Original ad here.
So what was the winning name? It's a mystery for the ages. As this blogger says, "This car was widely shown and generated considerable publicity. Surprisingly, no one at S.C. Johnson & Son seems to remember the winning name to this day. 'I attempted to find out on numerous occasions during my career with Nash and American Motors -- writing the Johnson company and perusing newspapers and trade journals of the period,' says John A. Conde. 'Unfortunately, nothing turned up.'"
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jan 18, 2016 -
Comments (10)
Category: Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Sports, 1950s, Cars
Follies of the Madmen #272
Please spend half a minute to contemplate the subtext of this imagery. A pagan housewife (prefiguring BEWITCHED?) performs black magic to seduce and beguile a priest, with hubby nowhere in sight. Happens in 1950s suburbia every Sunday.
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jan 17, 2016 -
Comments (10)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Domestic, Food, Mass Transit, Religion, 1950s
Bus Driver’s Revenge
Today of course he would face federal charges for kidnapping, and many, many lawsuits.Original article here.
See clean transcription below.
“They’re going to fire bus driver William F. Jackson today but he doesn’t care—he already quit in spectacular fashion.
"Passengers—phooey,” was his battle cry yesterday when he revolted against traffic jams, abusive drivers, supervisors and noisy children and took what someday may be known as “Jacksons’s ride.”
The Chicago Transit Authority driver was inching his bus through Loop traffic, swollen to three times its usual density by the Christmas rush, when he suddenly decided he was sick of it.
He slammed the doors shut and from then on nobody could get off.
“Passengers—phooey,” he muttered darkly.
He rolled out of the busy Loop on his regular route. But when waiting citizens pounded to get into his bus Jackson was aloof. When his angry passengers demanded to be let off he would not relent.
When a company supervisor tried to board the bus at an intersection Jackson ignored him too.
Finally he wheeled the big vehicle into one of the CTA barns, turned off the ignition, and hopped off the bus.
He headed straight for his boss, stared him straight in the eye and announced:
“I quit.”
Wounded CTA officials said, “He can’t quit just like that, but tomorrow we’ll fire him.”
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jan 12, 2016 -
Comments (8)
Category: Annoying Things, Jobs and Occupations, 1950s, Bus, Nausea, Revulsion and Disgust
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |