It dawned on me recently that I haven’t done a “Friday Finds” for a while.  So here are some blogs and such that have been capturing my attention recently:

I’ll admit that I’m a bit of . . . → Read More: 1950s Red Carpet Worthy Evening Gowns]]>

It is that time of year again: Red Carpet Season!  Back when I was a little girl, it was called Awards Season.  But in the past 10-15 years, or so, the actual awards seem to be less important than what the stars are wearing on the red carpet.

I’ll admit that I’m a bit of a snob.  I look at a lot of the modern clothes coming down the red carpet and wonder if the starlet even bothered to look in the mirror before she left the house.  But then, she’s usually getting a couture gown to wear for free, so mirrors aren’t needed.

Naturally, I prefer the “Old Hollywood” type of gowns.  In that spirit, here are five gowns I found while searching Pinterest and the Internet:

Add a caption in the comments . . . → Read More: Friday Found Photo Fun #2…Because Sometimes You Have To Wonder What Is Going On]]>

This is our second affectionate look at “found photos.”   Found photos are the ones that are either sold at garage sales or are found in an attic and no one knows anything about the people or what is happening.  They also offer us a peek into mid-century everyday life.

Add a caption in the comments section related to the photo.  There’s no prize for having the best caption except for the bragging rights in knowing you’ve made us all laugh!

On back: Christmas Morning, 1955; Image courtesy of Jordan Smith on Flickr.com

Add a caption in the comments . . . → Read More: Friday Photo Fun…Because Sometimes You Have To Wonder What Is Going On]]>

This is the first affectionate look at “found photos.”   Found photos are the ones that are either sold at garage sales or are found in an attic and no one knows anything about the people or what is happening.  They also offer us a peek into mid-century everyday life.

Add a caption in the comments section related to the photo.  There’s no prize for winning except for bragging rights.

Image courtesy of Rick Hebenstreit on Flickr.com

Any guesses as to what these two women are doing and/or saying to each other?

Anyway, in a stream of consciousness thinking while doing the dishes this morning, I went from turkeys to tofurkeys to all of the wonderful kitschy turkey decorations that graced dining and buffet . . . → Read More: And Now Even Tastier Than Tofurkey! {Etsy Treasury}]]>

Okay, okay, I’ll admit that I’ve never had tofurkey but I have friends who either swear by or swear at the turkey substitute…

Anyway, in a stream of consciousness thinking while doing the dishes this morning, I went from turkeys to tofurkeys to all of the wonderful kitschy turkey decorations that graced dining and buffet tables during the mid-century.  I decided to see what showed up on Etsy and here are a few turkeys that I found:

 
Do you have any turkey-themed table decorations? And, what is your experience with tofurkey?

Ah! The glamor of air travel!  The stewardesses! The gourmet meals!  The relaxing in-flight lounge!

Excuse me, what did you say?  It isn’t like that anymore?  It is more like a cattle car hurtling through the sky?

The first time I ever flew was a 50 minute Pacific Southwest . . . → Read More: Friday Find: When Pan Am Ruled The Skies]]>

1963 Pan Am Flight Attendant

Ah! The glamor of air travel!  The stewardesses! The gourmet meals!  The relaxing in-flight lounge!

Excuse me, what did you say?  It isn’t like that anymore?  It is more like a cattle car hurtling through the sky?

The first time I ever flew was a 50 minute Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) flight between Los Angeles and San Francisco in 1979.  A few hours later, I was on an overnight flight on Laker Airways to London for a student group tour of Greece and Europe.  It wasn’t the heyday of air travel, but it was still exciting and I was enthralled with how glamorous the stewardesses (they were still called that) were.  I didn’t want to be one.  I just wanted to be glamorous like one.

So, like many others, I decided to watch ABC’s new show Pan Am.  I enjoy the show although it isn’t as attuned to time-period accuracy as Mad Men.  Nevertheless, it is a visually stunning show.

If we want historical accuracy, though, we can’t go wrong with a primary source.  And look what came across my desk this week: 6 1/2 Magic Hours, a 12-minute movie produced in 1958 by Pan Am about the inauguration of their jet Clipper service.  It is well worth the watch if for no other reason than to remember what air travel used to be like.

6 1/2 Magic Hours by Pan American World Airways (1958)

Click here if the player does not work for you.

I believe my great-grandmother flew from Los Angeles to Africa to visit her missionary daughter in the 1960s on Pan Am.  Imagine, a woman who had traveled by covered wagon, twice, so she and her husband and children could follow a dream, eventually traveled by jet.  It must have been quite an adventure for an adventurous woman!

Did you ever have the good fortune of flying Pan Am?

In our Charm School lesson on Wednesday, I mentioned that Mr. Powers encourages us to exercise so that our skin will be firm and youthful.  Lindsey wondered in the comments what exercise was like during the mid-20th-century.

Boot Camp The Royal Canadian Air Force Way Created by Bill Orban in the late 1950s . . . → Read More: Before Jillian, Debbie Whipped You Into Shape]]>

Dear Friends,

In our Charm School lesson on Wednesday, I mentioned that Mr. Powers encourages us to exercise so that our skin will be firm and youthful.  Lindsey wondered in the comments what exercise was like during the mid-20th-century.

Boot Camp The Royal Canadian Air Force Way Created by Bill Orban in the late 1950s at the request of the RCAF, the 5BX (for men)  and XBX (for women) progressive programs (start slowly and then increase intensity) could be completed in about 10 minutes without the need for any equipment.  The program also encourages people to get some sort of aerobic exercise by hiking or playing sports.  You can get the exercises for free at Fit for Fifty or buy used copies of the original book for pennies less than $10 online  (as of publication of this post) at places like AbeBooks.com and Alibris.com.  Don’t forget to check your local used bookstore and yard sales, too!  This book sold millions of copies and they are floating around.

Royal Canadian Air Force Exercise Book Cover

Jack LaLanne: The Godfather of Fitness  Sadly, Jack LaLanne has become known more for his juicing machines than his contributions to physical fitness.  There is a good possibility that the equipment you are using at the gym was originally created by Mr. LaLanne.  He opened the first health club in Oakland, CA, in 1936 and designed the first leg extension machines, pulley machines, and weight selectors.  His television show hit the airwaves in 1951 and millions of homemakers tuned in every day to exercise with him and learn about health and nutrition.  He strongly felt that the health of the United States depended upon the physical and mental health of its citizens.  You can learn more about him and buy several DVD’s featuring his show by visiting the Jack LaLanne website.  Here Mr. LaLanne talks about “Uphill or Downhill.”

Debbie Drake’s How to Keep Your Husband Happy Not nearly as famous as Jack LaLanne, Debbie Drake was also an early television exercise pioneer with a daily 15 minute show, debuting in 1960 and staying on the air until 1978, that taught homemakers the Easy Way to a Perfect Figure and Glowing Health.  She first published Easy Way in 1961 and then went on to record a couple of exercise albums, including How to Keep Your Husband Happy.  The video below is an entire episode.  Don’t fool yourselves…she makes them look easy but you are actually working hard!

Click here if the video player doesn’t work for you

There was a time when I was exclusively using these old school exercises and I really enjoyed them.  But there was a part of me that felt like I needed to kill myself in order to get into shape.  The problem is that when I go for Jillian Michaels-type workouts I always end up hurting myself (I’m currently recovering from a pulled groin muscle) and then what good is that?

What are your favorite “old school” workouts?

To your healthy and fit Technicolor Life!

Dr. Julie-Ann

Because I’ve been taking care of some family business, I haven’t had as much time to go exploring for interesting things lately.  But, here are three items that I wanted to share with you.

Today I have a mish-mash of links for articles or items that have “crossed my desk.”

1. Pinterest  I love this site because if there is an image on the web that speaks to me, I can “pin it” using a gizmo on my browser toolbar.  I’ve just joined so I don’t have . . . → Read More: Five Worth A Look…Including Andy Williams And A Whale’s Mouth]]>

Dear Friends,

Today I have a mish-mash of links for articles or items that have “crossed my desk.”

1. Pinterest  I love this site because if there is an image on the web that speaks to me, I can “pin it” using a gizmo on my browser toolbar.  I’ve just joined so I don’t have a lot of images pinned, yet, but I love that I can organize and create mood and inspiration boards (two things I had to create many times while I was taking the fashion design classes) without having to copy and paste them onto my computer (and then never being able to find them again…).  You can follow me, too! 

Retro Cell Phone Headset--"Pinned" to My "Quirky Retro Stuff" Board

2. Redefining Simple Living: Choose Your Priorities  For me, living like a 1950s homemaker involves a great deal of intentional living.  I like this article because she points out that the umbrella term “simple living” means different things to different people depending upon their priorities.

Image courtesy of Lindsey Turner

3. Vinyl Records are back!  Just when you finally figured out how to do the playlist thing on your MP3 player or phone, it is hip to play vinyl.  Indie bands are starting to produce their music on vinyls instead of digitally, which is easier to steal.  So, proudly display that Andy Williams Moon River LP you’ve been holding onto and savor the satisfaction of being a hipster!

4. Housekeeping on a Homestead  This is an article that was published in 1970 about how dreadful city housekeeping was compared to homemaking on a homestead.  The author describes city homemaking as mind-numbing and encourages her readers to become homesteaders because it is much more interesting. I’ll share my thoughts about this article in the comments after you all have had a chance to respond.

5. Vintage Los Angeles Facebook Page and it’s sister site Alison Martino’s “Lost” Angeles  Granted, I grew up in Los Angeles, spent 20 years away and returned to a completely different city, so these two sites tug at my nostalgic heartstrings.  But, you get to see the real city, not just the Hollywood glamorized version of it (although there is plenty of that, too…). 

Yes, that's a whale's mouth you walked through to get inside. Los Angeles was a free for all for great archicture during the postwar boom. Image courtesy of Alison Martino

Has anything interesting crossed your desk this week?

To your fabulous Technicolor life!

Dr. Julie-Ann