Reno Divorce Myth

Original photo and article here.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Jun 09, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Customs, Regionalism, Divorce, 1930s

Frontier Circus

In 1962, variations on the popular Western genre reached new and unlikely permutations.

Wikipedia entry here.

Posted By: Paul - Sat May 13, 2017 - Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Clowns, Fairs, Amusement Parks, and Resorts, Regionalism, Television, 1960s

Follies of the Madmen #312

Ah, the hillbilly! What a once-potent icon. Used anywhere these days except Cletus & Family on The Simpsons?

Ad scanned from Playboy for March 1962.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Apr 27, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Fashion, Regionalism, Stereotypes and Cliches, 1960s

The City Flag of Tampa

Our own Chuck Shepherd, longtime resident of Tampa, Florida, can salute his city's improbable flag as one of the ugliest banners in the history of banner-dom. He modestly suggests that more people should know of it, to induce further laughter and insults.

And yet, surprisingly, neighboring burg of St. Pete has a halfway decent ensign--if you like pelicans.





Full article here.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Apr 22, 2017 - Comments (0)
Category: Annoying Things, Government, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Regionalism, Chuck

Mudlavia

Miracle mud cures!





Wikipedia page.





Great article with primary source material here.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 04, 2017 - Comments (0)
Category: Architecture, Fads, Health, Regionalism, Natural Resources, Nineteenth Century

Miss Photoflash

The first foto below is of the 1945 contest. Given that it was the "First Revue" of the sponsoring group, we can tentatively date it as the first such contest.



Original foto here.

The next foto is from 1968, and definitively labels the contest as being in its 24th year. Did it end then, amidst the tumult of the era?



Original foto here.

Here are the 1945 contestants again.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Feb 16, 2017 - Comments (1)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Photography and Photographers, Regionalism, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s

From the Indies to the Andes in His Undies

Full story here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Feb 01, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Humor, Music, Regionalism, 1940s

Milton Metz, RIP

I never heard his radio show, but Milton Metz seems as if he were an amiably weird guy.

Obit here.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Jan 14, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Celebrities, Communications, Radio, Regionalism

Irv Pollock, Auto Dealer

According to this verbal portrait of the era,, the Toledo, Ohio, car-dealership scene of the 40s, 50s and 60s was a vibrant, competitive time. Certainly a dealer would want to come up with wild ads to stand out. Irv Pollock must have felt that way anyhow!

Note: you might have to scroll left or right at the links to see the original ad.



Original ad here.



Original ad here.



Original ad here.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Jan 07, 2017 - Comments (3)
Category: Business, Advertising, Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Regionalism, 1940s, 1950s, Cars

Hurff Canned Goods

Once upon a time, a company with the somewhat off-putting name of Hurff was big enough to advertise in a top-of-the-line national magazine like LIFE.



Here's the backstory, so far as I can find out.



I have found ads from them as late as 1948. Does that mean that store was selling three-year-old cans of food, given the plant-closing date of 1945? Or maybe the plant did not close, but Hurff himself was forced out? We will probably never know...



Hurff is a fine forgotten piece of what cartoonist Robert Crumb calls "weird old America."

Posted By: Paul - Fri Dec 16, 2016 - Comments (10)
Category: Food, Regionalism, Advertising, 1930s, 1940s