The Way TV Ought to Be: Vintage Advertising from Classic TV Ads

Oh, it's a kitsch cavalcade out there on the internet and one of my favorite sites for quality time-wasting is Classic TV Ads, repository of vintage advertising from the dawn of television to the early 80s. Organized by subject matter, you can stroll down memory lane watching Pepsi ads from the 80s or Charlie ads from the 70s (I'll never get that jingle out of my head) or watch the dancing sticks of BeechNut gum as they put on a Busby Berkeley extravanganza. Of special delight are the commercials that feature 1950s homemakers as they struggle with the complexities of baking the perfect cake for their husbands or wrestle with the laundry, hosting Tupperware parties in their free time. Yes, TV commercials in the 50s had it all, militias of scotch tape despensers marching down miniature train set towns, dancing German stereotypes hawking Tareyton cigarettes, animated Mr. Clean adding sparkle to a housewife's windows, there's just no end to the fun.

Retro Redheads: What the Well Dressed Kitchen is Wearing

If there's anything I can't resist it's beautiful kitchen junk. I have far more than I need and can only resist buying more by firmly sitting on my hands! Cupboards full of vintage pyrex, Vernonware, Bauer bowls, table linens, and a random assortment of kitchen tools I don't know how to use, I am far better stocked than a person with my cooking ability has any right to be. Into this rather desperate personal crisis enters Retro Redheads, a wonderful store devoted to retro and vintage housewares and, sadly for me and my resolve, it is only a click away. Pyrex, jadite, Harlequin and Fiestaware, novelty salt and pepper shakers, souvenir travel plates, barware, vintage linens, and an assortment of the best in retro repro, Retro Redheads has got it all. So if you've been looking for that Vacationland table cloth or those Santa Barbara Mission kitchen towels to round out your travel-themed kitchen or that special novelty cigarette holder for your otherwise well appointed bar, look no further. Retro Redheads have come to the rescue.

Viewmasters: A Vintage Fun For All

Oh, the glorious Viewmaster! I hadn't looked into one in years, but I could still remember the beauteous claymation fairy tale scenes, the edifying scenes from American history, and, who could forget the wondrous national park series. Occasionally finding myself in toy stores I would look for Viewmaster reels only to find that claymation and kodachrome had been replaced by computer animation and Disney film tie-ins. But the internet is every girl's friend and I've found some wonderful sites online devoted to the Viewmaster and I am happy to report that though few, if any, of the vintage children's reels are being reproduced, they can be had used, pardon me collectible, for a reasonable price. What is being reproduced, however, are the reels originally marketed to adults. If you are a devotee of mid-century modern, for instance, you can buy a series of reels by Charles and Ray Eames or of houses by Bruce Goff and Russel Wright. There are plenty of reels that look pretty enticing. A 3D tour of the solar system, perhaps, or a claymation Story of Easter? Though I just received my shipment of classic tales reels as well as a new black viewmaster, I can hardly restrain myself on that last one. Claymation Jesus rising from the dead? It doesn't get any better than that!

All things viewmaster and stereovision can be had at amazon and 3dstereo
Wikipedia has an interesting History of the Viewmaster page
The Viewmaster Ultimate Reel List details every darned reel they ever made anywhere anytime

That Old Time Country Music

For me, there's a huge divide separating the Garth Brooks Christian Conservative NASCAR country of today and the traditional country western of yore. When I think country I think of The Real Thing, ole timey hillbilly, ballads, yodeling, bluegrass, that sorta thing. Starting in the 1920s, country music was a mix of traditional American folk music, Celtic music, gospel, blues, jug bands, and hokum. Today's country can be blamed on the legacy of the Bakersfield sound of the 1970s full of eighteen wheelers and imitation outlaws, but then what can you expect from Bakersfield? Turning their backs on the past, the 70s and 80s brought us a generation of bad "urban" country, but we don't have to listen to it. In case you'd like to hear some of the good stuff, I've put together a list of some of my favorite country CDs, some kitschy, some beautiful, all great.