Saturday, November 3, 2012

Six more neat things inside the 1964 Sunday News TV Week

The issue of the Sunday News TV Week from October 1964, which was featured in this week's Halloween post, is so cool that I want to keep mining it.

Here's a six-pack of additional photos and advertisements featured inside...

The Sunday News has EVERYTHING


Ahh, the good old days of Sunday newspapers that were stuffed to the gills!

It's interesting, however, to note how this advertisement for the Sunday News — which was distributed in Lancaster, Lebanon and York — prioritized for marketing purposes some of the content that was available for readers.

It's the Steve Canyon comic strip that gets top billing in this advertisement.1

Also touted are the newspaper's sports scores ("with lots of colleges"), the want-ads, and — at the bottom of the list — news. Hmmm.

Model 44 Electrostatic Copier

Here's an example of how far technology has come. In 1964, this "new one-step SCM Model 44 Electrostatic Copier" was considered cutting edge.

You could get dry copies in seconds for pennies! And fast multiple copies at the Flick of a Switch!

As for G.E. Richards Inc. of Lancaster, a January 2008 article from LancasterOnline.com provides the following historical narrative:

  • It was established in 1945.
  • At its peak, G.E. Richards had 44 employees and nearly $10 million in annual sales, about $6 million of which came from a state contract.
  • In 1979, the company moved into a historic building at 506 West Walnut Street in Lancaster — originally a schoolhouse that had been built in 1890 — to expand its operations.
  • In 2004, G.E. Richards lost its lucrative state contract.
  • The company was sold in 2007 and, in 2008, its office was closed and its historic building was auctioned off.

Political ad for Nathaniel N. Craley, Jr.

Here's a "Craley for Congress" advertisement for Nathaniel Neiman Craley, Jr. (1927-2006).

Days after the publication of this ad, Craley's bid for Congress was successful. The Democrat served one term — from January 3, 1965, to January 3, 1967 — representing Pennsylvania's 19th district in the House of Representatives. He was both preceded and followed by George Atlee Goodling.

Here is an excerpt from Craley's Wikipedia biography:
"Nathaniel Craley was born in Red Lion, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut, in 1946 and from Gettysburg College in 1950. He was engaged in furniture manufacturing from 1950 to 1965. He was treasurer of the York County Planning Commission from 1959 to 1965. ... He became chairman of the York County Democratic committee from 1962 to 1964. He was an instructor in economics and history at York Junior College from 1958 to 1959.

He was elected in 1964 as a Democrat to the 89th United States Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1966. After his term in office, he served in a number of positions in the Pacific Island territories of the United States. ... He died in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, aged 78, of undisclosed causes."

Dutch Gold Apiaries in Lancaster


The copy on this small advertisement (actual size is about 1½ inches by 2 inches) states: "Give Your Honey a Honey of a Gift! It's available in honey beers, tumbler sets and in jars. It's a gift that's different!" The location listed is 911 State Street in Lancaster.

Dutch Gold has been a family-owned success story and is still around, in a big way. The company is now based at 2220 Dutch Gold Drive in Lancaster County.

According to its website:
  • "What began as a beekeeping hobby for Ralph and Luella Gamber has grown to become the largest family-owned honey company in the United States."
  • "Since its inception in 1946, Dutch Gold Honey has been focused on fulfilling the motto of its founder, Ralph Gamber, 'We only pack the best'."
  • "The idea for the very first squeezable honey bear was 'born' in 1957 at the dinner table of Ralph and Luella Gamber. ... The original plastic bears were not exactly akin to the current models. Plastic molding technology was in its earlier stages and it was not uncommon for the bears to leak from the seams at their ears, or out of their noses. ... Dutch Gold celebrated the honey bear's 50th birthday in 2007."

"Wise mothers tell ... daughters about Ecco"


The only thing I'll say about this advertisement for Ecco Medicated Powder is that I have some deep concerns about a company that sold both medicated powder and tomato juice.

Back when Wink was just Win

This is the only picture you will see on the Internet today of Wink Martindale holding two large black rabbits. I feel confident in saying that.

But, technically, it's not even "Wink" Martindale.

When he hosted the short-lived "What's This Song?" from October 26, 1964, through September 24, 1965, Winston Conrad Martindale went by Win Martindale, not Wink.

According to Wikipedia, the game show went something like this: "Two celebrity/contestant teams competed. A song was played, and if the team in control guessed its title correctly, they got 20 points and a chance to earn 20 more by singing the first two lines of the song they had identified. After the team sang the first two lines, their opponents could challenge if they believed the lines sung were incorrectly. ... The first team to reach 100 points won the game."

To my generation, of course, Wink Martindale is best remembered as the host of Tic-Tac-Dough — the game show with the pixelated dragon — from 1978 to 1985.

Wink turns 78 next month. He reminisces about his career on his website, Wink's World.

Footnote
1. Here's a fun Steve Canyon tangent: For our Halloween Family Movie, Joan, Ashar and I watched 1959's "House on Haunted Hill." (Ashar is a huge Vincent Price fan.) One of the stars of the movie is Carol Ohmart, who plays Price's wife.

Ohmart's biggest claims to fame were winning Miss Utah, getting hyped by Paramount as the next Marilyn Monroe, starring in "House on Haunted Hill," ... and serving as cartoonist Milton Caniff's model for Copper Calhoun in Steve Canyon. Here's are two links to very cool photographs of Ohmart working with Caniff: Photo #1 and Photo #2.

Ohmart is also, I believe, the only cast member of "House on Haunted Hill" who is still alive. She is 85.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

1964 Halloween-themed Sunday News TV Week (plus some ads)


Remember when the Sunday newspaper came with a separate guide to the upcoming week of television shows? (Some of us of an, ahem, certain age might end up being the last generation that truly recalls such a thing.)

This is the October 25-31, 1964, edition of TV Week for the Sunday News, which was distributed in York, Lancaster and Lebanon counties at the time.

It's a fairly amazing cover, what with the witches, black cats, bats, and floating severed heads of Fred Gwynne, Joe E. Ross, John Russell, Eddie Albert, James Whitmore and the future President Reagan inside an illustrated pumpkin. You don't much see covers like this these days.

One of the other wonderful things about this TV guide is all of the advertisements for television dealers. It's pretty neat to see what the state of the industry was like 48 years ago.

Here's a small gallery of those ads. (Some of you might spot at least one business that's still alive and kicking.)





Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Four spooky tales for the Hallowe'en Witching Hour


Sweet dreams...

Horrifying ephemeral images that will haunt you this Halloween

Last October, we had a lot of fun with the Halloween Countdown of the most horrifying ephemera I could find in my collection. We had the live mystery egg, an elongated neck, clowns, disgusting recipes, zits, a "rupture-easer," absurd fashion statements and much more.

This year, on the eve of our scariest holiday, here are a few more pieces of ephemera to make your skin crawl.

Ways to ruin nice meat, Part I


This is the cover of a 1971 hardcover titled "The Meats Cookbook," which was part of the Southern Living Cookbook Library.

I believe the correct reaction to this is WHY?!?

Why would you tarnish a perfectly nice pot roast by filling it with olives, like some horrible alien seeds waiting to burst from the center?

The recipe is called Deviled Pot Roast (seems appropriate) and you are supposed to cut slits into the uncooked meat and push olives inside before roasting it.

It's bad enough that this recipe exists, but why on earth would someone think it made sense to use it as the cover shot of a cookbook?

Terrors from Aunt Lydia1

These three knitted items are described in Star Book No. 207 — "Make It With Aunt Lydia's Heavy Rug Yarn."2

First up, we have the Clown Tissue Topper.3


Then there's this scary-ass doll. Those eyes would give a kid nightmares.


And finally, for knitters who love insects, we have "Cynthia Centipede."

I'm not making this up.


Ways to ruin nice meat, Part II


A recurring theme on this blog has been the common-sense idea that you do not put other foods in Jell-O/gelatin.

Ever.

And yet here we are with another violation of that rule. And not only is the rule broken, but it's broken with one of the greatest foods on the planet — shrimp.

Why would you ruin the wonderful taste of shrimp by immersing them into a gelatin mold???

This shrimp, egg and gelatin recipe, from a 1945 booklet titled "The State of Maine's Best Seafood Recipes," is so heinous that I dare not repeat it here.

Like the text of the Necronomicon, it must never be shared or read aloud.

Footnotes
1. Another Aunt Lydia booklet was featured in the very first Halloween Countdown post — nightmare toilets.
2. Do you think it's better to make it with Aunt Lydia's heavy rug yarn, or to make it with Aunt Lydia? Discuss.
3. The clown tissue topper, however, is not nearly as creepy as these Doll Head Tissue Boxes that were uncovered by The Kitsch Bitsch, whose collection of uncomfortable vintage ephemera images is absolutely unrivaled.








I SEE YOU!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Two vintage Halloween-themed covers of Jack and Jill magazine

Anyone remember reading Jack and Jill as a kid? What features did you like best in the magazine?

October 1967


The above cover illustration, by Dorothy L. Forsyth, features a boy who is dressed as an astronaut1 and is losing the candy from his trick-or-treat bag.

Contents in this issue included:
  • An article on the young stars of "Family Affair"
  • Part two of the story "Baba Yaga and Uncle Bogatir's Gift"2
  • Instructions on making Halloween masks
  • A recipe for October Nectar, which is simply equal parts apple cider and ginger ale, served with apple slices and a dash of cinnamon

In case you're wondering, the winner of the Cat-Naming Contest mentioned on the cover was Janice Harter of Corona, California, who suggested "Purrkins." For her efforts, she won a Britannica Junior Encyclopaedia. There were 100 fourth-place finishers, including Sidney Lee Hull of East Berlin, Pennsylvania.

October 1972


This illustration, featuring a dog popping out of a pumpkin, is by artist Al Michini.

Contents in this issue included:
  • The Molly Jones story "Mr. Mixup and the Hiccup Robbery"
  • The conclusion of the story "Baba Yaga and the Firebird's Feather"
  • The Jean Conder Soule story "Maggie McBroom and the Hurricane"3
  • A collection of international recipes, including three-layer casserole from Austria, French-Canadian fries4, Canadian pork pie, Spanish rice and Chinese gingered fruit.

Footnotes
1. This space-themed cover illustration came when America's attention was focused on the Apollo program. Sarah is currently learning about this program during her homeschooling, partially by watching the excellent HBO miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon."
2. Baba Yaga stories were a staple of Jack and Jill during this era. According to this 2010 post on the PowerOfBabel blog: "In these tales Baba Yaga, though grumpy and a little greedy, was a far cry from the cannibalistic hag depicted in old Russian tradition. The real hero was her put-upon black cat, who was sent out on missions by the old witch and had to brave whatever challenges that entailed."
3. Hurricane Sandy, aka Frankenstorm and Superstorm and whatever else they're calling it, is supposed to start truly affecting York County today. Stay tuned.
4. The only apparent difference between these fries and "regular" fries is that you sprinkle them with some vinegar instead of smothering them in ketchup. And so that makes them French-Canadian. OK.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Kicking off Halloween with a postcard mailed 100 years ago


OK, it's time to kick off the Papergreat Halloween festivities, with the holiday just days away.1 I have a few All Hallows' Eve posts planned, including a nod to last year's Halloween Countdown with some fresh Ephemeral Horrors.

(All of these posts, of course, are contingent upon southcentral Pennsylvania — and the U.S. Northeast in general — surviving the upcoming Frankenstorm.)

Today's cool vintage postcard features an illustration of two kids sitting atop a grinning pumpkin. It's not quite as awesome of some of the "21 Truly Bizarre Vintage Halloween Postcards" that I mentioned in this post last week, but I am quite fond of it. And the side of the card looks like it was gnawed by a werewolf or zombie, so this postcard has character.

And it's 100 years old.


According to the reverse side, this postcard was mailed (for a penny) almost exactly 100 years ago. It was postmarked at 10:30 a.m. on October 30, 1912, in Philadelphia.

The cursive note reads:
"Are you still the little artist you were when you called at 607 Bullitt Building a long time ago? R. Olive Mutchler. 10/29/12."

Bullitt Building was an impressive-looking structure in Philadelphia in its day. It was constructed in 1886 and was apparently one of the largest structures in the city at the time. It seems that a number of different engineering and architectural firms, including Mr. Mutchler's, had offices in Bullitt Building, which no longer exists.

The postcard was mailed to "Miss Mary Silliman" in care of Mr. Edward Silliman of Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania.

According to "Mahanoy City, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania 1863-1963, A History," Edward Silliman was a coal operator who was the owner of Silliman's Colliery2, the third president of First National Bank and the president of Mahanoy City Water Company (which is mentioned in the address on the postcard).

I suppose we can assume that Mary was his daughter. And it seems she liked this postcard enough to keep it. Or at least stick it in a drawer.


Footnotes
1. Two previous posts have highlighted my Halloween costumes of the past:
2. The Underground Miners website has a short history and a few photos of Silliman's operation.