We spring ahead this weekend, which means more sun!
But some people aren’t too keen on the whole Daylight Savings Time idea.
Take for example owners of Drive-in theaters.
Here’s a vintage ad shown at drive-ins during the theaters heyday.
Considering the dwindling numbers of drive-ins, it appears DST has won.
In the mid-1960s, Beatlemania was replaced by Monkeemania.
Afterall, a new group had to replace the cute, madcap, frenzy humor The Beatles had outgrown.
And so, enter Mike, Micky, Davy and Peter.
Monkee merchandise hit the stores as their records were climbing the charts.
Who’s Got The Button? is a hardcover book released in 1968.
It reads like a sitcom.
Below is an excerpt from the book.
***************************
The Monkees raced from the marketplace, then up a narrow street, down a wide avenue, up a narrow alley and down a wide boulevard. The guard and the police, meanwhile, still firing, raced from the marketplace, then up a wide boulevard, down a narrow alley, up a wide avenue and down a narrow street. At that point The Monkees and the guard and the policemen all met.
“How’s about across the bridge this time?” Davy suggested.
“Fine by me,” the guard replied. “How’s about it boys?” he asked the policemen.
“This is your chase,” the head policeman said to the guard and the Monkees. “Anything you decide is okay by us.”
“Over the bridge and through the woods it is, then,” Davy said. “And we’ll all meet at Grandmother’s house. Okay?”
Without waiting for a reply, the Monkees took off again. And the guard and the policemen set out once more to catch them, firing their guns and shouting, “Stop, thieves! Stop, thieves!” all the while.
The Secret Policeman’s Ball is coming to the New York!
The show takes place March 4 at Radio City Music Hall and will feature bands Coldplay and Mumford & Sons and comics Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and more.
The Ball began in London in 1976 and was created by Amnesty International to support their work in human rights and protection of free speech.
Here’s a clip from 1981.
It features Sting, the frontman of The Police, singing “Roxanne.”
I found this magic booklet in my dad’s barn.
It contains 31 pages of magic tips and tricks using natural chemicals.
Here are three of examples from the booklet.
Experiment 17: Writing that Disappears by Magic
Prepare a solution of 1/2 measure of Ferric Ammonium Sulfate and 1/2 meaure of Sodium Ferrocyanide in a test tube 1/4 full of water. Shake the solution thoroughly, and then, using a clean pen, write with the blue ink on a sheet of white paper.
Prepare another solution of 2 measure of Sodium Carbonate in a test tube 1/4 full of water. Dip your pen in this solution and follow along the blue writing. The writing will disappear as you go over it with the sodium carbonate solution, making a very interesting trick.
Experiment 35: How to Stretch an Egg
Obtain an egg and put it in a glass full of vinegar and allow it to stand for about 24 hours. At the end of this time feel the egg with your fingers an if it is soft and elastic, remove it from the vinegar and examine it carefully. If it is not soft at the end of this time pour out the vinegar and replace it with fresh vinegar for another 24 hours.
When the egg has become elastic it may be put in a bottle through with it originally would not pass without breaking. An elastic egg will be quite a novelty to show your friends, but be careful not to break it.
Experiment 51: A Magic Odor that will Revive Fainting Persons
Place 2 measures of Ammonium Chloride and 2 measures of Calcium Oxide in a test tube. Heat this mixture over a flame for a few moments and smell the gas which is given off. This gas has the property of reviving people who have fainted.
The Carnival season is now over. It ended on Tuesday.
But relive the madness of a New Orleans Mardi Gras 1953-style.
I pulled in this clip of a family home movie from You Tube.
Enjoy and where you there?
Record American Sat. March 3, 1962
John Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth.
The historic flight took place 50 years ago this week.
Glenn was aboard Friendship 7.
NASA dubbed the mission Mercury-Atlas 6.
John Glenn circled the globe three times.
The entire flight lasted 4 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds.
Record American Newspaper Feb. 21, 1962
New York Ticker Tape Parade for John Glenn
Upon his return to earth, a ticker tape parade was held in New York and a parade Washington.
Season Two of Downton Abbey is nearing its end on PBS.
The hit series is featured on the long-running program Masterpiece (now in it’s 40th year).
Actress Laura Linney is the host of Masterpiece this season. She’s one of several hosts to have stepped in the shoes left by the late Alistair Cooke.
Here’s a clip of how the show opened every week.
If this is a bit too highbrow, then here’s a Sesame Street spoof of Masterpiece starring a blue, furry muppet as your host!
Valentine’s Day cards come in all shapes and sizes, but the message remains the same.
Sending a card that says “I Love You” has been around since the 16th century.
It began in Europe and spread to the United States in the early 1700s.
Since the 1900s a popular (and fun) type of card was a “mechanical” valentine.
Either a tab or a wheel would move the figure or object.
Many of these types of cards were made in Germany.
The two cards shown above were made there; the date is unknown.
To learn and to see many more examples of Valentine’s Day cards click here.
It was the best of musicals, it was the worst of musicals.
The movie musical Oliver! was released in 1968. It was based on the Charles Dickens’ classic Oliver Twist.
Birthday celebrations are scheduled all year for the British author. Dickens was born 200 years ago this week.
So, here’s my nod to the birthday boy.
Enjoy this week’s My Vintage Video!
Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime performance has put her back in the spotlight (with a little help from M.I.A.).
All week I’ve been rummaging through my vintage stash looking for items bearing the pop diva’s name.
This is one item I had tucked away.
This beach towel is from 1989 and was sold during Madonna’s True Blue era.
Apparently it was sold for a limited time via her fan club.
I bought the towel last summer at a local flea market.
And if you want more Madonna, then check out My Vintage Video. It’s a early performance on Italian TV from 1983.