Fun-shaped Postcrossing arrival from Croatia

This nifty postcard arrived in my mailbox from Croatia, via Postcrossing. It was sent by Dorotea, a 21-year-old pharmacy student and philatelist who is a fan of Audrey Hepburn and Clint Eastwood.

Dorotea wrote: "Many friendly greetings from CROATIA! ... I come from a beautiful town of Sisak, which is famous for the fortress from 16th century and for three rivers, Kupa, Sava and Odra."

I also recently received a postcard from Zhizhi, who lives in Shaoxing, China, and is a fan of Taylor Swift. They wrote: "Contrary to you, it often rains here. I'm really tired of the rainy life everyday. It's just too painful, holding an umbrella every day. I am very interested in history, especially war history. I don't know why, but it really interests me, even though I'm someone who doesn't support war. Thank you."

I think our last measurable rainfall here in Florence was sometime in August, so I can't fathom the idea of disliking rain. 

To tie all of this together in an oddball way: Dorotea is a fan of Clint Eastwood and, coincidentally, Ashar and I watched Eastwood's Kelly's Heroes last night. It was the first viewing for both of us. I knew going in that it was more comedy than drama, but didn't expect it to be as trippy-hippie as it was. Also, parts of Kelly's Heroes were filmed in regions that are now part of Croatia. I think both Dorotea (Eastwood presence) and Zhizhi (historical war action mixed with anti-war messages) might find it interesting.

Sunday's postcards: People of the past (and a bunny)

Just a couple of quick vintage postcard blasts from the past today. 

The top card is a linen postcard published by the Asheville (North Carolina) Post Card Co. N327 is captioned "CHURNING. A MOUNTAIN WOMAN AT ONE OF HER CHORES." I can't quite tell whether this is color photography or a black and white photo that was hand-colored. If pressed, I'd lean toward the latter. I hope she got paid for her time!

The second postcard is from the UK. It's from M.P. Series No. 2 and is labeled "PLAYMATES." A barefoot boy who looks he'd fit well alongside the mountain woman is standing by a stool (or tiny table) upon which rests a rabbit. I'm not sure what year this one is from, but it has a divided back and indicates that for "inland"  delivery it requires half-penny stamp (1/2 d.). According to the Great Britain Philatelic Society, the half-penny rate was in effect from 1870 through the first half of 1918. So that narrows the possibilities.

Neither postcard has been written on or mailed, so I'll try to put them to use and convert them into even more interesting ephemera for a future historian. But it'll cost way more than a half-penny to mail them.

From the readers: Sock monkeys, film posters, Phillies hex sign & more

As we barrel headlong into the final six weeks of 2024, here's the latest roundup of contributions from Papergreat's readers. Thank you, as always, for sharing your thoughts!

Obscure and fabulous movie poster: Betty Bruce writes: "I have this Lake of Tears movie poster. I received it from a Canadian Consulat serving in Cuba from 1966-7 to 1970. I have many original posters from that time period. They are beautiful."

How to make the Red Heel Sock Monkey and Sock Elephant: Anonymous writes: "Edna Clapper published instructions for the Sock Monkey (with permission from Nelson Knitting) in Pack-O-Fun magazine. She subsequently created the Sock Elephant. Nelson Knitting bought instruction sheets for both and included them in every package of red heel socks. She also created the book, 'How to Make Sock Toys,' which Nelson Knitting packaged with a dozen Red Heel socks and sold in the Sears catalog."

I received a related email from author Dee Lindner, who writes: "Hi Chris, I saw on your website that you like history, folklore, etc. I have been interested in sock monkey minutia for decades and have great news! Red Heel Sock Monkeys: Pop Culture Icons is now available in the marketplace. Individuals can purchase this book on Amazon. If you can help spread the word that this book is now available, I would appreciate it."

Scholastic book: "Chilling Ghost Stories": Tom from the Garage Sale Finds blog, which just finished an amazing run of Halloween-themed October posts, writes: "I loved Scholastic, and their ghost story collections in particular. I never had this one, but definitely would pick it up if I came across it. I had 13 Ghostly Tales and Arrow Book of Ghost Stories."

A neat piece of Phillies history: Anonymous writes: "Great to finally see something online about this bizarre little chapter in Phillies history! I attended that doubleheader as a 12-year-old with my father & two of my brothers. This being Philadelphia, many of those hex signs were frisbeed onto the field between games. But not by us — in fact, mine has accompanied me to every place I’ve lived over the past 54 years."

1978 Halloween movie marathon at MacArthur Drive-In in Orange, Texas: Wendyvee writes: "I'm not much of a horror fan. I think that is due to the fact that my first exposure to them was when I was probably too young and I had friends with cable TV. The films that stick out to me from that era would be the weird Chuck Connors Tourist Trap (go figure), Harvest Home, Carrie (original), and The Sentinel (Burgess Meredith)."

Advertisements in the final 1960s issue of "Horror Monsters" magazine: Tom quips, "Why do I think you would just receive a pair of those plastic fangs for both the Vampire and Werewolf kits?"

Many great memories of Wintrode's Garage in Littlestown: Mary Wildasin Staub writes: "My dad was the Leroy Wildasin you mentioned in your post! I tagged along with Dad on occasion and he would buy me an ice cream as a treat. Do you have any idea where I could find employee records, as I am researching the time he worked for A.W. Feeder in Silver Run, Maryland, and then the Buick dealership. staubmk@gmail.com would love to hear from you."

It would be great if someone out there could help Mary with some leads!

Triad and Stevie and witches, oh my: Wendyvee writes: "Much like 'Edge of Seventeen,' the origin story [for 'Rhiannon'] does change a little bit over the years; but remains essentially the same."

1967 advertisement for a flying saucer lamp in Saucer News: Tom, who has found some amazing rare pieces at garage sales and estate sales over the decades, writes: "That is one cool lamp. I have never seen anything like it in all my travels."

I'd be stunned if an original one even exists in the wild, given how few were produced and how flimsy they probably were. But there's always hope in someone's attic or basement.

Cheerful Card Company can help you earn extra money for the holidays: Anonymous writes: "I, too, sold cards for the Cheerful Card Company when I was 10 and it was a wonderful and huge growing experience. I am 83 now and vividly remember my excitement when I received my sales kit in the mail! The whole experience gave me independence and confidence to achieve more — and I did! Thank you Cheerful Card Company!"

And, finally, Sallie Ann O'Neill writes: "My mother's uncle, Thomas Doran, was the owner of the Cheerful Card Company. When she was a little girl he use to take her door to door with him selling his cards when he first started out. He was a big man, and he thought people would be more likely to answer the door if they saw the cute little girl beside him, and it worked. He was a hard worker and very driven. We miss him dearly."

Thank you, Sallie Ann, and to everyone who comments and shares stories on Papergreat.

Seven Novembers ago

Apropos of nothing, here are some photos from November 2017, which seems like a million-billion years ago...

First, a couple shots of our sunlit former house in Dover, Pennsylvania

Ashar and I at an antique mall in the New Oxford area

Ashar prepping for a potential apocalypse

I'm honestly not sure which cemetery this is. We used to go to many of them.

I think this is my favorite all-time bookshelf / trinket shelf / wall art setup. 

I wish the photo were sharper.

Sweet little Huggles.

Veterans Day and my Pappy

Today is Veterans Day. On August 27, 1943, my paternal grandfather, John Alexander Otto (1911-1991), a lifelong resident of Easton, Pennsylvania, enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 32. The outcome of World War II was still very uncertain at that moment — it was uncertain whether fascism would triumph over the United States and the Allies. Pappy, as I called my grandfather decades later, went on to serve as part of the U.S. ground operation in Europe from mid-August 1944 through the end of the war. 

Dad got some of the details of Pappy's service history down in writing, and those papers have long been tucked inside my copy of The 84th Infantry Division in The Battle of Germany (more on that afterward). Here's the full transcript of those notes, with some links, clarifications in brackets and annotation:

Inducted Sept. 17, 1943, at New Cumberland, Pa. Left New Cumberland Sept. 23, 1943. Arrived at anti-aircraft training center at Fort Eustis, Va. Took basic training at Ft. Eustis and went to school to learn to be a radio operator.

Left Ft. Eustis Dec. 31st and arrived at Camp Davis Jan. 1, 1944.¹ Attended communication school at Camp Davis, N.C., for 12 weeks. Left Camp Davis Mar. 25 and came home on furlough for 6 days.

Reported to Camp Stewart, Ga.,² and was assigned to 445th AA [Battalion]. One week later this outfit was de-activated and all men were transferred to other outfits. Was sent to Fort Jackson, S.C., and assigned to [Battery] C 557th AA [Battalion] as radio operator. July 1st was promoted to PFC.

July 17, battalion entrained for port of embarkation. Arrived at Fort Slocum, N.Y., next day. July 23rd left New York aboard Queen Mary.³ Arrived in Scotland (Gourock) July 30th. Boarded train and traveled through Glasgow, Edinburgh, finally arriving at a small camp about 30 miles from Manchester, Eng. 

Aug. 15th [1944] boarded ship at Southampton and landed on Omaha Beach, Normandy.⁴

Sept. 5th traveled in convoy to [Villeneuve-Saint-Georges], a suburb of Paris. Remaining there only a few days we joined First Army forces in drive forcing Germans out of [northern] France and Belgium. Crossed German border Sept. 14th and penetrated Siegfried Line for a distance of about 10 miles. Here drive halted.

Replaced by another ack-ack outfit and withdrew to city of Luxembourg. Remained there 2 weeks. In mid-October, outfit moved to vicinity of Visé, Belgium, about 10 miles from Liège, [Belgium]. Remained in this area about 6 weeks. Joined 84th Division Thanksgiving Day, in town of Geilenkirchen, [Germany]. Remained with 84th Division until about 2 months after Germany surrendered [on May 8, 1945 — VE Day]. At that time we were doing occupational duties in a small village about 30 miles south of Heidelberg.

Left there last week of June. In 4 days we arrived a Deauville, France, across harbor from Le Havre. Remained here 1 month and then crossed channel to England. Stationed in various parts of England, notably Birmingham and London.

Departed Southampton Jan. 15th, 1946. Arrived in New York Jan. 29th. Discharged [Fort] Indiantown Gap Feb. 3rd.

So, Pappy was a radio operator in Battery C of the 557th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion. And that battalion was attached to the 84th Infantry Division (nicknamed "The Railsplitters") in late November 1944. The 84th was intensely involved in the Battle of the Bulge, which began on Dec. 16, 1944, and lasted until late January 1945. But the above notes give no details about the crucial period between Thanksgiving 1944 and VE Day, when my grandfather's battalion would have been involved in the most intense and stressful combat.

Robert Beckhusen's grandfather was also in the 557th, as a master sergeant. In a 2017 post on Medium, Beckhusen details some of what his grandfather — and likely my grandfather — experienced during the bloody final months before VE Day. Beckhusen also explains that the 557th's job "was to protect and assist the infantry with M45 Quadmount and 40-millimeter anti-aircraft guns. Shooting down German aircraft was the gunners’ number one priority, but their weapons also helped provide covering fire for the infantry when they advanced." 

As a radio operator, Pappy would have been a crucial cog in the success of these operations.

Beckhusen's post includes details of the 557th's heroics and the horrors it faced: In February 1945, positioned on the banks of the Rhine, the battalion fired more than 250,000 rounds to give cover to the 84th Infantry. Dozens of members of the 557th were killed in action, many by either German artillery or mines. Very late in the war, the 557th was actually overrun and nearly 50 soldiers were captured. But the prisoners were soon released by the Germans, who were more focused on their own escape at point, with the Nazis' surrender clearly imminent.

That brings us to the book at the top of this post. "The Railsplitters" are the subject of The 84th Infantry Division in The Battle of Germany, which was written by Lt. Theodore Draper (1912-2006) and published by The Viking Press in May 1946. It focuses exclusively on the period of November 1944 through VE Day. So, even though my grandfather wasn't a "Railsplitter," this is the book that best conveys the order of events that unfolded during Pappy's time on mainland Europe. The book also describes the attitude of civilians encountered by the 84th during the final push to end Adolf Hitler's aggression. One excerpt from Draper's narrative:

"It was noted that Hannover was a dividing line in terms of German sentiment toward American forces. Roughly, west of Hannover the attitude had been relatively co-operative. Along the Rhine, the white flags were plentiful and people quite freely expressed themselves against the Nazi regime, although it was always difficult to judge the sincerity of these sentiments. East of Hannover, however, the change was marked. White flags were scarce and more people in conversation identified themselves with the Nazi regime. For this there probably were several reasons. The war had not touched the country to the east as much as it had the Rhinelanders who suffered from the most severe bombardments — the most suffering, the less sympathy for the Hitler regime. From Hannover to the Elbe, the region was mainly agricultural, lacking either a strong aristocracy or a strong working class. The middle class in this zone was half shopkeeper, half farmer, precisely the social group that was most vulnerable to Nazi propaganda."

In the end, the Nazis were defeated. This was thanks in large part to the millions of Americans such as John Alexander Otto who served and put their lives on the line to end the threat of global fascism. Because of them, Americans today are free to live and work where they want, worship (or not worship) however they choose, own property, get an education and receive information from a wide variety of media sources that are protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution.⁵ Democracy reigns, for now, as we approach our nation's 250th anniversary in 2026.

On this Veterans Day, and always, we owe tremendous thanks to my grandfather, to the Greatest Generation, and to all U.S. veterans. 

Footnotes

1. Camp Davis was built by the U.S. Army in December 1940 as an anti-aircraft artillery training facility. 

2. In June 1940, Congress authorized funding for the purchase of property in coastal Georgia for the purpose of building an anti-aircraft artillery training center. It was officially designated as Camp Stewart, in honor of American Revolution general Daniel Stewart.

3. The RMS Queen Mary was absolutely vital as an Allied troop transport during World War II. On one Atlantic passage, it carried more than 15,700 soldiers. By war's end, it had transported more than 800,000 troops.

4. August 15, 1944, was D-Day Plus 70.

5. This is vital, because authoritarians of the past and present aim to restrict and control the free press, and thus dismantle democracy. They do this in ways that tend to be more subtle than overt, but are insidiously effective either way: They villainize journalists and even threaten to prosecute them. They deploy considerable legal and economic levers to pressure the owners of media companies into self-censorship aimed at self-preservation. They gaslight the people by constantly discrediting factual reporting. And once media outlets are weakened by these attacks from so many angles, they either close up shop or are ripe to be snapped up by wealthy individuals who share the aims of the authoritarian regime. That's how democracy ends.

Three more of Lada Draskovic's Sweetniks dolls

Since 2011, I've felt an obligation for Papergreat to serve as a repository for all that we know about Lada Draskovic and her Sweetniks dolls. It's not much, but I hope that gathering it all here will prove useful to some future researcher or internet sleuth who can take the story across the finish line.

These are the Papergreat posts, from oldest to newest:

• Doll fads of 1960
• From the Notepad: Cool links, Lada Draskovic, Twitter and more
• Reader comments: Lincoln life mask, Sweetniks and more
• The Incomplete Lada Draskovic
• An addendum to "The Incomplete Lada Draskovic"
• Extremely rare Sweetnik doll by Lada Draskovic hits eBay
• Another Sweetniks doll by Lada Draskovic surfaces

And now there are three more Sweetniks dolls on eBay that I was previously unaware of. It's really amazing how no two of these dolls by Draskovic seem to be alike. And that so many of them have survived for more than a half-century. The eBay lots and their photos won't be around forever, so I want to post the images here for posterity.

1. This one is listed on eBay as "Vintage 1960’s Sweetnik Doll By Lada Draskovic blonde gold necklace"

2. This one is listed (and misspelled) on eBay as "VTG 1960's "Sweentnik" Beatnik Doll Saks Fifth Avenue Lada Draskovic Rome Italy"

3. And this one is listed on eBay (for more than $3,200!) as "Vintage Original Sweetnik Doll Handmade in Rome Italy In The 1960's by Lada Dras." The description states that it's 13.25 inches tall and adds: "The jewelry is really very cool. There are 3 different long dangle necklaces/chains that adorn her dress. Each one has a slightly different tone and texture. On her left arm there are 4 gold tone bangle bracelets. Her head is ceramic with glued yarn hair and hand painted face. Her face is just stunning in perfect condition. Beautiful long yarn hair is a pale pink color with really cute bangs. Her body is made of a stick, arms are made of pipe cleaners. Her dress is cardboard with navy blue ribbed cloth covering. Adorable navy turtle neck with long sleeves. She sports a pair of light blue cigarette pants that are made of corduroy. Her toenails are painted red on her wooden feet that are very cool sandals. The base of her feet is black velvet with a distinctive heel. This doll is just perfect. She is probably one of a kind."

October Postcrossing wrapup

Halloween went wonderfully here in Florence. We had about 120 trick-or-treaters, all in good spirits (pun intended). October was also a good mailbox month. I received several autumn-themed or Halloween-themed postcards through Postcrossing. And the U.S. Postal Service did a perfect job of handling my mail-in ballot for the presidential election.

Kasia from Hungary wrote on her postcard to me: "After a very hot summer, autumn has finally come and I couldn't be happier about this change. Soon we will be able to see views like the one on the postcard during weekend hikes in nearby forest." (I'm so jealous!!)

And a young woman from Ukraine wrote this message on her postcard: "Hello Chris! I'm 19 y.o. Ivanka from Kyiv, Ukraine. For me, Arizona is associated with 5C: cotton, climate, citrus, copper, cattle. This is also the state with sent McCain to the Congress. McCain Str is the one I love walking here in Kyiv.¹ As Russian scumbags destroyed most of Ukraine's energy generation, we spend long hours without electricity. Hence, this postcard is dedicated to energy workers who against all odds manage to keep the grid afloat. With best wishes, Ivanka."

Meanwhile, here are some of the emails I received in October from Postcrossers who received cards from me:

Kristina in the United Kingdom wrote: "Thank you so much for a spooky Halloween card! It reminded me that now's the time to compose a Halloween watchlist -- I'm not a horror person, but I do enjoy my fair share of Halloween-themed fantasy movies and TV shows. Happy Halloween to you and the cats!"

Satu in Finland wrote: "Thanks a lot for your nice Halloween card and stamps. We have quite nice weather now, but weather forecast has promised we will get snow soon. I hate winter. We have 4 Cairn Terriers and they love snow. Take care!"

Huang Yanju in China wrote: “I'm glad to receive your postcard. I really like these beautiful stamps. The building in the picture is very beautiful. It's also autumn here, which is my favorite season, but the climate is still hot now. There is no Halloween event here, but I really like to eat pumpkin. Good day.”

Footnote

1. Kyiv City Council voted in 2019 to rename Ivan Kudrya Street as John McCain Street. "John McCain, a U.S. senator who was a member of the Republican Party, was a strong supporter of the EuroMaidan protests in 2013-2014. He also visited the front lines in Ukraine near Mariupol after Russia launched its war on Ukraine in the Donbas in 2014," the Kyiv Post reported at the time.

Spooky cinema: My 53 personal favorites

Happy Halloween!

Earlier this month I mentioned programming my own Halloween movie marathon. But how could I ever choose just four or five movies?!! Instead, I decided to compile a list of my spooky favorites, including TV mini-series. Other than deciding to exclude outstanding movies that lean almost entirely toward being horror comedies (think Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein), the criteria used here is that these are simply films I love. Not the best, in all instances. And not the only ones I love. Just personal favs.

It's a list of 53 because I'm 53. Maybe I'll revise it every year and add one to the overall number.

Here they are, chronologically. Looking at it myself, I think this list makes it pretty easy to make some assumptions about me and see some trends. The assumptions would be correct. I'm not complex. Also, wonderfully, I still have a lot to see for the first time.

• The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
• Nosferatu (1922)
• Le Manoir de la Peur (1927) pictured at top
• The Old Dark House (1932)
• The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
• Cat People (1942)
• The Curse of the Cat People (1944)
• Ugetsu (1953)
• Night of the Demon (1957)
• The House on Haunted Hill (1959)
• The Brides of Dracula (1960)
• The Innocents (1961)
• Carnival of Souls (1962)
• The Haunting (1963)
• Black Sabbath (1963)
• Kwaidan (1964)
• The Last Man on Earth (1964)
• The Plague of the Zombies (1966)
• Quatermass and the Pit (1967)
• Viy (1967)
• The Devil Rides Out (1968)
• Night of the Living Dead (1968)
• Robin Redbreast (1970)
• The House That Dripped Blood (1971)
• Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (1972)
• Gargoyles (1972)
• Horror Express (1972)
• Messiah of Evil (1973)
• The Exorcist (1973)
• From Beyond the Grave (1974)
• The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (1974)
• Black Christmas (1974)
• The Signalman (1976)
• The Man from Nowhere (1976)
• Suspiria (1977)
• Cathy's Curse (1977)
• Dawn of the Dead (1978)
• Halloween (1978)
• Salem's Lot (1979)
• The Shining (1980)
• The Changeling (1980)
• Poltergeist (1982)
• The Midnight Hour (1985)
• The Lost Boys (1987)
• The People Under the Stairs (1991)
• The Sixth Sense (1999)
• Session 9 (2001)
• Trick 'r Treat (2007)
• Let the Right One In (2008)
• The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
• The Conjuring (2013)
• The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
• Midnight Mass (2021)

High honorable mention and/or I forgot about them at the time I wrote the post: The Skull (1965), Isle of the Dead (1945), The Appointment (1981), A Warning to the Curious (1972), Misery (1990), Psycho (1960), The Golem: How He Came Into the World (1920), The Haunted Palace (1963), House (1977), Dead of Night (1945), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), Frankenstein (1931), Kill, Baby, Kill (1966), The City of the Dead (1960), Ghostwatch (1992), Burnt Offerings (1976), The Body Snatcher (1945), Tales from the Crypt (1972), House of Usher (1960), Son of Frankenstein (1939), I Saw the TV Glow (2024), The White Reindeer (1952), The Wicker Man (1973), Doctor Sleep (2019), Deep Red (1975).