REMEMBER WHEN REMEMBER WHEN WE ENTERTAINED OURSELVES BEFORE TELEVISION CAME ALONG? IN THOSE DAYS FAST FOOD WAS SOMETHING I ATE DURING LENT. A TIME BEFORE PANTY HOSE, CREDIT CARDS, LASER BEAMS AND BALLPOINT PENS- BEFORE DISHWASHERS, CLOTHES DRYERS, ELECTRIC BLANKETS, AIR CONDITIONERS, DRIP-DRY CLOTHES AND DESIGNER JEANS. BACK THEN, A CHIP WAS SOMETHING A COW LEFT BEHIND. MISSING PIECES FROM THE PAST With the beginning of a new Millennium, Im remembering things that once were important to a generation of Americans, things that were a part of our everyday lives. I miss some of these old-fashioned, words, people and things. And I ask myself, more and more each year, what ever happened to...? Hatcheck girls: During the 1930s, 40s and 50s, 95 percent of all American men wore hats, making it essential for most public businesses to include a hatcheck room on the premises. Hatcheck attendants stood inside these rooms receiving and dispensing hundreds of hats during a workday. Dirigibles: These lighter than air ships once floated across our skis like a luxury liner streams over the waves. These opulent air ships hauled passengers and cargo across the Globe. Filled with helium or hydrogen these ships could be highly volatile. In 1937 the German ship Hindinburg, caught fire while being moored at Lakehurst, NJ. The tragedy was filmed and viewed by American movie audiences across the nation, contributing largely to the decline in this form of air travel. None of these great ships survived W.W.II. Today, smaller versions of these ships are used manly in aerial photography, sports events and advertisements. Words like Prison, Library, and Hospital: These words are fading from todays vocabulary. Theyve been changed to: Correctional facility, Media Center and Medical center. Descriptive words such as shy, slob, or bad-parents. Such words are getting rare in our modern society. Today, shyness is considered a medical condition- referred to as socially dysfunctional and whats more, they make a pill to rid you of this once very normal emotion. Today, there are no more slobs, just people who lack social graces, and no longer is there such a thing as bad parenting- they are merely a dysfunctional family. Elevator operators: Before the do-it-yourself push button era of the 1960s came along, uniformed attendants stood like well mannered soldiers at the elevator controls, waiting to take their riders to a requested floor. They were sometimes called elevator jockeys Door-to-door salesmen: Hard to believe, but there once was a time when products and food were brought to us door-to-door. The Watkins man delivered our cooking and medicinal needs; the Fuller brush man, our household wares; the delivery boy, our groceries; the milkman our fresh cream; the Avon Lady, our cosmetics; the produce man, our vegetables, our fishmonger our sea bass, and the bakery truck, our warm breakfast rolls. Elsie, the Bordens cow: In the 1950s, Borden ice cream needed a new logo for its popular dairy products, and Elsie the Cow was created. Elises famous saying, If its Borden, its got to be good! became the companys popular slogan and Americans most popular ad among the baby boomer generation. House dresses and frilly aprons: Before wash and wear and blue jeans came along, American housewives wore practical, feminine cotton dresses with well-starched collars and cuffs. Over these dresses housewives and mothers wore the traditional white, starched frilly apron. A strand of white pearls completed Moms uniform from the past. Cigarette holders: Silly as it may seem by todays standards, but smoking cigarettes was once fashionable and considered very sophisticated a long cigarette holder was considered a stylish accessory to a smokers wardrobe. President FDRs use of a cigarette holder did a lot to promote this style trend. Shoeshine stands: Before Nike made sneakers fashionable for everyone from the chairman of the board to Granny, a man was judged by the shine on his shoes. A 25-cent shoeshine made a man feel like a million. The shoeshine boy snapped and buffed until he could see his face in the leathers shine. Ten-cents worth: Not too long ago, a dime could buy you a phone call, a Hershey bar, a double-scoop of ice cream cone, a postage stamp, a cheery cola, or a pound of fat from the butcher shop. Hope chests: These wooden chests were made of fine cedar and were used to hold young girls belongings for her future wedding day. It was customary for engaged girls to keep hope chests filled with all the things shed need some day to set up housekeeping. During her engagement, the cedar chest was traditionally filled with romantic keepsakes, linens, silver and crystals- all the necessary items or for a bride to begin her married life. The 25-cent kiddy matinee: On Saturday afternoons, kids under 12 flocked to their local theaters to enjoy the kiddy matinees. Two mercury head dimes and a buffalo nickel entitled us to see two full-length adventure films, three cartoons and coming attractions. Candy bars were a nickel. Full service gas stations: Before automation came along, the full-service aisle was the rule and not the exception. Smiling attendants pumped our gas, washed the windows and checked the oil, tires and radiator water- all for 40 cents a gallon. Soupy Sales: No, thats not a brand of sea food or alphabet soup. For those under forty, who dont remember, Soupy with pal White Fang, was a funny, pie throwing comic from TVs early days. Others of his ilk include, Time for Beanie; KuKla, Fran and Ollie, and Howdy Doody. Eight Track tapes: Just after LPs and before cassettes and CDs came along, the eight-track tape was all the rage. The bulky eight tracks were cumbersome and low in quality when compared to the super sound of todays paper-thin CDs. Halo Shampoo: This ridged bottle of golden shampoo was once all we needed to keep our hair gleaming. Creams rinse, hair coloring, super gels, hair blowers and other commercial hair-care products hadnt yet begun to clutter our cosmetic cabinets. Accordion music: The accordion was one of Americas most beloved instruments during the 1930s 40s and 50s. The serenade of a strolling concertina set the mood for a romantic evening. The popular sounds of accordionist Dick Contino and polka maestro Lawrence Welk had the public playing and dancing to the strains of the musical Squeeze box. Movie musicals: Whatever happened to those wonderful extravagant movie musicals? The kind that made us leave the theater humming a tune from the movie wed just seen such as The Sound of Music , Oklahoma and Carousel. And how long has it been since weve watched the extraordinary footwork of a dancer with the talents of Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, or Donald OConnor? Blue Chip stamps: Blue chip stamps replaced green stamps in the 1950s. And just as we did in previous years, we faithfully pasted these stamps inside our booklets, redeeming them for a variety of free gifts. Wouldnt it be nice today to get more than just a receipt at the checkout stands? It sure would help to soothe the escalating food prices if stores gave out premiums. The three-cent stamp: Yes, in the 1940s, I can remember when it took only three cents to mail a letter. A post card could be mailed for a penny. Everybody could afford to send long lists of Christmas cards at holiday time. Unfortunately, due to the high price of postage, Christmas card lists keep getting shorter and shorter. House calls: Having the family Doctor come to our homes to treat us in our sickbeds was a luxury enjoyed by the 1950s family. A spoonful of medicine and his friendly bedside manner helped to bring about a speedy recovery. A cup of coffee and some friendly conversation were his only additional fees for the service. RADIO DAZE BOXTOPS AND RADIOS WENT HAND AND HAND. IF YOU WERE A KID UN THE 1940s AND 50S YOU PROBABLY MAILED IN YOUR SHARE OF BOXTOPS TO THAT WELL REMEMBERED ADDRESS IN BATTLE CREEK MICHIGAN.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 14:47:12 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015