Signs of the Times: Nashville, Tennessee in 1940s

These photos were taken by a billboard/graphic artist in the late 1940s in Nashville, Tennessee. They come from the absolutely wonderful Electrospark collection.

Educational Films #26: Ulcer at Work (1959)

Learn all about ulcer, what they are and their treatment in this very noir educational film from 1959.

Roller Rinks of the Past #20: Happy Valley Roller Rink - Columbia City, Indiana

The Happy Valley Roller Rink, or as it is now known, The Happy Valley Skate Center is located at 625 West Old Trail Road in Columbia City, Indiana. I can't find any information on how long this rink has been open but I do know that it's been open since at least 1953.
This Billboard article from June 13, 1953 just mentions the name of the rink in passing but does have a bunch of news and notes about roller skating in the early 50s.
As far the label, it's a generic design from the 40s and you could just add your rink's name to the bottom. You can see another example below.

Drive-In Theater Intermission Commercials, pt. 7

Another installment of commercials that aired at drive-in theatres before the movie began.

Wish You Were Hear: He's Real

Mailed from Santa Claus, Indiana to Mrs. W.B. Stanford of Salem, Illinois on May 23, 1952:

Now don't let the big girls tell you there ain't any Santa Claus.

Breaking News From Dallas, Texas

Today marks the 48th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was taking on a trip through Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. He had arrived at Love Field that morning and was heading to the Dallas Trade Mart to give a speech when shots rang out.

These are the breaking news audio/video from various radio and television stations as the news broke.

Jay Watson, a reporter for WFAA-TV (Channel 8) in Dallas, Texas. Jay ran from Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas directly to the WFAA studios after the shots were fired.



WCCO Radio of Minneapolis, Minnesota:



From CBS News (during an episode of As The World Turns):





WLW Radio of Cincinnati, Ohio:



ABC Radio:



ABC-TV:



NBC-TV:

Motel Monday: Back to Anaheim, California

In honor of my motel postcard blog, In The Heart of Downtown, reaching 100,000 views I am posting a  more postcards of the city that draws a lot of viewers towards my blog: Anaheim, California. I posted a dozen other cards about a year ago. Check out the new ones after the cut.

Magic Lamp Motel

Frontier Motel

Cosmic Age Lodge

How To Get a U.S. Government Job

How to Get a U.S. Government Job was published in 1935 by the Franklin Institute of Rochester, New York. The Franklin Institute was established in 1905 and was dedicated to the memory of Benjamin Franklin. it's goals were to aid the American citizen in better himself. The following 30+ page booklet will tell you everything you need to know about obtaining a great job, in 1935.
See the entire booklet after the cut.

Natalie Wood

With the Los Angeles Sheriff re-opening the case of the tragic death of Natalie Wood, I felt I should re-post this.

Here's a very brief biography from Wikipedia:

Natalie was born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko on July 20, 1938. She began acting in movies at the age of four and became a successful child actor in such films as Miracle on 34th Street. A well received performance opposite James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and helped her to make the transition from a child performer. She then starred in the musicals West Side Story and Gypsy. She also received Academy Award nominations for her performances in Splendor in the Grass and Love with the Proper Stranger.

Her career continued successfully with films such as Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. After this she took a break from acting and had two children, appearing in only two theatrical films during the 1970s. She was married to actor Robert Wagner twice, and to producer Richard Gregson. She had one daughter by each: Natasha Gregson and Courtney Wagner. Her younger sister, Lana Wood, is also an actress. Wood starred in several television productions, including a remake of the film From Here to Eternity for which she won a Golden Globe Award.

Natalie drowned near Catalina Island on November 29, 1981. There remains a fair amount of mysetry to this day regarding what happened the night of her death.

All 13 images lead back to my flickr site where you can download the images at any number of sizes.

Vanity Fair, pt. 2

Part two of the Vanity Fair advertising spectacular

Vanity Fair

These are advertisements for Vanity Fair clothing from the Vanity Fair mills. The ads ran in the 1950s and 1960s. The ads I posting here are culled from old New Yorker magazines.

Here's a little background on Vanity Fair from Wikipedia, unfortunately the only place I could find any decent information on their history:

The company was established first as Reading Glove and Mitten Manufacturing Company in Pennsylvania in October of 1899 by John Barbey and a group of investors. The company was started with $11,000 and a 320-square-foot (30 m2) factory that was leased for $60/month. It was incorporated in Pennsylvania on December 4 of that same year. The manufacture of undergarments is begun in 1919 and is accompanied by a name change to Vanity Fair Mills. Shares were sold to the public in 1951. The H.D. Lee Company (now Lee Jeans) was acquired by the company in 1969 and the corporate name is changed to VF Corporation to reflect the more diverse product line. Blue Bell Inc., the owner of such brands as Wrangler and JanSport, was acquired in 1986, effectively doubling the size of VF and making it the largest publicly held apparel company.