Retro Rockets

GM's Solutions to City Traffic Congestion

2012-01-23T22:39:00.000-08:00

There's loads of great shots of America's traffic jams circa 1955. While the parking theories herein make a lot of sense, GM was incidentally making a pitch for their city buses...and soon would be expanding their cars to extraordinary lengths!

Modernist automobile showroom #2

2012-01-21T15:55:00.002-08:00

The Miesian glass box, with its stark, elegant simplicity, is likewise an effective showcase for elegant things. A frilly, fussy frame would distract the eye from the object within. Case in point this Cadillac displayed in the Thomas Brothers Cadillac showroom in Cincinnati in 1955.

I'm surprised the building not only still exists, but remains a Cadillac showroom. Unfortunately the once sensational expanse of glass has been greatly compromised.

Modernist automobile showroom #1

2012-01-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

Perhaps it was merely a happy accident that the dazzling roofline matches the batwing fins of those 1959 Chevrolets displayed inside. Detroit's Dexter Chevrolet still exists, but judging from the photos on their website, the original showroom has either been drastically remodeled or torn down. From the book Stores and Shopping Centers, 1962, published by Architectural Record.

1959 Mercury Park Lane

2012-01-01T09:31:00.001-08:00

1960 Ford Thunderbird

2012-01-01T09:25:00.001-08:00

My favorite Ford commercial of all time. You must see this to believe it.

1966 Dodge Monaco

2012-01-01T09:10:00.001-08:00

1965 Cadillac convertible

2011-12-08T21:01:00.000-08:00

The all-new 1965 model year, with stacked headlights, was one of Cadillac's more elegant iterations.

Three 1961 Cadillacs

2011-12-02T20:08:00.000-08:00

One six window Sedan deVille, one four window 'flat top' Sedan deVille and a Coupe deVille. Even with a sleeker profile, the 1961 Cadillacs were still eye-catching and sharklike.

I'm still waiting for the future as seen by General Motors in 1961.

1966 Dodge Charger

2011-11-19T16:07:00.000-08:00

1955 Buick Century Riviera

2011-11-16T19:59:00.000-08:00

Now YOU can build your own NEW Eichler!

2011-11-14T21:46:00.001-08:00

Yes, it's really possible, thanks to Houseplans.com, which has now made available eight different models with a full set of legitimate plans for $4,500 each. That's reasonable considering the costs of hiring an architect and structural engineer to design something for you from scratch. The site promises to help determine if a selected plan will fit within your budget, and will provide you a location specific cost based on your zip code. The sad irony is that these houses were designed with the indoor/outdoor living of California in mind, but because of strict earthquake codes, new construction with large amounts of glass would seriously impact any of these designs. First you'll be required to get geological reports, soils reports, and if you're still willing, you'll be required to hire a structural engineer who will, based on the codes, require reducing the glass area and adding a lot of steel. At the end of the day you'd probably end up with something that won't have even a passing resemblance to an original Eichler and many times more expensive than simply trying to find an old one. But who says indoor/outdoor living must be restricted to California? For those of you living in other regions where building codes are less restrictive, these plans could well be a gift from Midcentury Modern heaven. You'll probably save yourself a lot of trouble by finding a flat lot and don't even think about a basement. These houses were designed for slabs with built-in radiant heating. As far as the legitimate Eichler building supplies, many are still being made and the Eichler Network is a good resource for making your Eichler as modern as it should be with information about light fixtures, house numbers, etc. The thin grooved exterior paneling, for example, is being manufactured by Eichler Siding. I bought a lot of paneling from Jeff and Annette for a house I remodeled in Los Angeles in 2006; the cost was quite reasonable plus they were very courteous and friendly. Large glass panes are still available and will be one of the higher ticket items in these days of insulated safety glass (but worth the cost). If anyone has actually built a new Eichler, I'd love to hear from you and see the results.

1960 Chrysler 300

2011-11-13T09:34:00.001-08:00

Bucket seats in the back? Why not?
Note transmission buttons on the left. Do you think a rocket to the moon would have a gear shift lever? Never.
It's a tragedy that until the end of time, not another car will have fins.

1961 Chrysler Imperial

2011-10-29T12:44:00.001-07:00

1961 Imperial commercial.

1958 Ford Fairlane

2011-10-23T14:00:00.001-07:00

I have a theory that some car models look best in selected colors. While the 1958 Ford was not nearly as pure a design as the 56 and 57 models, this dazzling turquoise becomes it very well.

Once upon a time, introducing a new car line was a very big deal.

1959 Cadillacs

2011-10-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

Few cars could claim to be more flamboyant than the 1959 Cadillac, the ultimate Retro Rocket. Left, the Cadillac Sedan deVille four window, now commonly referred to as a 'flat top'. Flat tops were available in all divisions at GM for a few years but apparently did not sell well. I can't think why but I always tilt towards zany given the choice. At the right, a slightly more sedate Coupe deVille.
The following several pictures are of the Sedan deVille.
What that rear window looks like from inside. No blind spots here.

A particularly flattering angle showing the curve of the fin meeting the curved roofline.
Get ready for take-off. Next stop, the moon.
The following pictures are of the Coupe deVille.

If you have soaring fins and jet exhaust at the rear, then you definitely need jet intakes at the front.

Following, a film strip (with accompanying record) tells the tale of the 1959 Cadillac is six sections. These film strips were sent to dealers.

1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II

2011-10-09T20:15:00.001-07:00

In my humble opinion, still the most beautiful and perfect design in American automobile history -- simple, graceful and elegant.

1956 Ford Thunderbird

2011-10-04T09:13:00.001-07:00

1957 Cadillac Coupe de Ville

2011-10-03T21:28:00.001-07:00

Commercial extolling the virtues of buying a used Cadillac.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-02T20:23:00.000-07:00

As Halloween approaches, I just thought I'd mention that my picture book, Which Way to Witch School? is still in print and available via most on-line bookstores, such as amazon, of course. This month Scholastic is offering a paperback version exclusively in their school book clubs in the US and Canada.

1956 Chevrolet Nomad

2011-10-02T12:06:00.001-07:00

The two door station wagon with neato sliding glass panels, born from the Nomad show car based on the then-new Corvette. There was also a Pontiac version, the Safari.

Building excitement on television for the 1956 Chevrolet.

1959 Ford station wagon & Katy Keene

2011-09-19T21:25:00.000-07:00

This car was originally owned by Bill Woggon, a cartoonist best known for comic book pinup girl Katy Keene, who appears to have been inspired by Jane Russell. The new owner went to great lengths to restore the car, including Mr. Woggon's charming ranch logo.

1958 Edsel

2011-09-11T14:12:00.001-07:00

Edsel was so audacious, pink suited it well.

Edsel was a sponsor of the popular TV western Wagon Train.

1953 Packard Patrician Limousine

2011-09-05T07:51:00.000-07:00

These are a series of industrial films and commercials, some of it raw without sound.

1964 Plymouth Sport Fury

2011-09-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

Now here's a car that really takes me back. My parents bought one of these, albeit the standard Fury with push button transmission. Otherwise, it was identical -- it was even this same color -- 'gold flecked metallic brown.' Sometime in 1964 or 1965 we traded in our 1957 Rambler Custom at Sam Swope Plymouth on Dixie Highway, directly across from Dixie Manor Shopping Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Though used, it was the newest car we ever had at the time. I remember trying to convince my father to buy a slightly older (1963) Cadillac, but he wouldn't go for it, he liked the Fury. While my father was inside the office signing papers, I was given the important duty of transferring everything inside the Rambler to the Plymouth. That included the same whisk hand-broom he'd been using since his 1949 DeSoto, several out-of-date maps, a plastic collapsable drinking cup, a flashlight with dead batteries, stale gum, trading stamps from service stations and a white plastic St. Christopher statue which had been gazing through the Rambler windshield for the past several years. A magnet held him to the steel dashboard, though he was sometimes known to suddenly fling himself towards an open window in sharp turns or sudden stops. I was always disappointed to see him caught mid-air, because some of the kids at my elementary school, evidently trained to recognize iconography from competing religions, would see the statue and recoil in horror. "I didn't know you were Catholic!" emphasizing the word with as much disgust as they could muster. "Why don't you go to your own school? Public schools are for Protestants." Ah, schooldays, I look back on them so fondly. I suspected these little bigots' opinions were worthless; nevertheless I had grown tired of them. Now, suddenly, an opportunity had unexpectedly and miraculously presented itself to rid myself of this holy object of contention. When I look back on it now, the whole thing was like a Leave it to Beaver episode had they ever had dared venture into the subject of religious intolerance. Without a thought to any possible consequences, I quickly buried St. Christopher in a shallow grave in the gravel lot. When my father and I got in the almost-new Fury, I held my breath. It was hard to pull things over on my sharp-eyed father. Much to my surprise, however, he was too taken with his new purchase to notice. Bit by bit, I began to relax and enjoyed the new car right along with him. Then, a few weeks later, it happened. "Where's the St. Christopher statue!" he shouted. You'd think I'd left my little brother strapped in his car seat on the roof. As it turned out, however, I needn't have bothered with my diabolical scheme in sacrilege. He now realized that because the Plymouth's dash was padded, a statue with a magnet at its base would have no metal to cling to and it probably would have ended up forgotten in the junk drawer in our kitchen.
Once while waiting in the driveway for my mother to come out of the house, which I seemed to do a lot of, I discovered that if I pinched the vinyl covered foam rubber dash, it would slowly pop back into shape. It seemed logical at the time to next implement the bite test. That was a threshold apparently not anticipated at Chrysler. To my sudden horror, the impression remained. I could have shown it to a dentist for him to design braces. "Why would you BITE the dashboard!?" my mother screamed as she entered the car. "You must be INSANE!" I had no answer for her. In retrospect, perhaps it was a subconscious desire to always leave my personal mark on our cars' dashboards. There was, after all, a stunning dent on steel dash of our 1957 Rambler that was caused when my mother stopped short and I went flying over the seat. It was like being shot out of a cannon. Life was riskier but definitely more fun before seat belts.
Without the benefit of a garage, the Plymouth deteriorated rather quickly over the next several years. The gold flecked brown paint lost its luster and gradually gave way to a gold flecked rust. My father drove it daily and took it for granted. He maintained it only where absolutely necessary. Bit by bit it was falling apart. Eventually bite marks on the dashboard were the least of its problems. I was at my junior year in college when he bequeathed the old Fury on me, and believe me, I was very glad to have it. Ramming it into an unmarked dead end didn't improve it, nor did my amateurish attempt to fill in a huge rust hole next to the windshield. In 1975, my girlfriend Sue and friend Mary look on with horror at the poor, wrecked Plymouth. I'd completely forgotten until I found this picture that my head hit the windshield. For years no one seemed to want these cars, but in the past decade they've become very collectable, fetching up to $30,000 when fully restored.

1948 Lincoln Continental

2011-08-31T21:27:00.001-07:00

1953 Studebaker Commander

2011-08-22T20:31:00.001-07:00

1954 Mercury Monterey

2011-08-11T23:25:00.001-07:00

1953 Cadillac Fleetwood

2011-08-09T20:18:00.001-07:00

Air conditioning was very rare in 1953, but if you could find it, it was usually an after market unit with the vent under the dash, so the passengers in the back were left to hope for cool air finding its way back somehow. Not Cadillac. Those transparent tubes carried the air conditioning into vents in the ceiling to ensure even distribution of cool air throughout the sedan.

1947 Chrysler Town and Country

2011-08-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

Yes, folks, that's real wood.

1958 BMW Isetta

2011-07-30T00:27:00.001-07:00

OK, so maybe your knees are the crumple zone, but it's still as cute as hell.

Here's a vintage German commercial.

1962 Lincoln Continental

2011-07-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

Good design is eternal. The 1961-1964 Continentals -- rich and elegant, understated -- the Audrey Hepburns of the car world.

1965 Chrysler 300

2011-07-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

Remember when cars were in living color?

1958 Cadillac

2011-07-16T18:14:00.001-07:00

Hurry!!

1965 Buick Riviera

2011-07-14T21:45:00.001-07:00

Stacked headlights are hidden behind these unique covers that slide from the top and bottom with the halves meeting seamlessly in the middle.

See how those clamshell headlight covers work.

1958 Buick Special

2011-07-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

Once again the West Coast Auto Show was held in beautiful San Luis Obispo. Get ready to glide down memory lane. Each post will feature one beautiful car. The parade starts with this dazzling turquoise 1958 Buick Special.

Debbie Reynolds Auction

2011-06-21T20:22:00.001-07:00

Debbie Reynolds' first auction of her vast collection of memorabilia was a smashing success. When MGM and 20th Century Fox cleaned out their warehouses in the early 70s, Debbie was one of the few people at the time who realized these famous costumes in movie history shouldn't simply be tossed away (no doubt much of them probably already had). Imagining them displayed in a Hollywood museum, she held onto them for decades, which is quite a remarkable accomplishment considering these fragile items were really designed only to have a lifespan of a few weeks or months. She was never able to find a permanent home for the collection. A recent failed attempt to house the collection at an unfinished amusement park near Dollywood left her owing so much money she finally had to give in to selling her treasures. She must have had a pretty good idea that this would probably solve all her financial problems, but there was always more to her plan than self-interest. At the start of the auction, Debbie made a game attempt to be bright and cheerful, struggling not to cry, but it was clearly a day she had long dreaded. After Judy Garland's alternate dress from The Wizard of Oz sold for $910,000, however, she brightened considerably and was making witty, funny asides throughout the many hours of the auction that followed. And it DID go on. The items sold in film history order, and after eight hours, they had only reached the year 1955, so I decided I would give up on the idea of bidding on an item from the 1963 Cleopatra. During a break both Debbie and daughter Carrie Fisher were kind enough to sign my catalog.
One of my favorite items, this Adrian designed felt jacket worn by an extra in The Wizard of Oz sold for $22,500. An alternate dress for Judy Garland (not used in the film) sold for $910,000, the first big sale of the day. The alternate Arabian styled Ruby Slippers sold for a mere $500,000.
Shirley Temple's dress from The Littlest Rebel sold for $25,000.
Mary Astor's ivory lace gown from Meet Me in St. Louis sold for $15,000.
From Meet Me in St. Louis, a nightgown worn by Margaret O'Brien and a dress worn by Judy Garland sold for $800 and $16,000.
Gene Kelly's pewter brocade jacket and pantaloons and Debbie Reynolds' dress from Singin' in the Rain sold for $9,000 and $15,000 respectively.
Another one of Debbie's flapper dresses from Singin' in the Rain sold for $27.500.
A relative bargain, Lucille Ball's costume from The Long Long Trailer sold for $16,000.
Marilyn Monroe's 'Heat Wave' costume from There's No Business Like Show Business sold for $500,000.
Marilyn Monroe's 'Little Rock' costume from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes sold for $1,200,000.
Possibly the most famous of all movie costumes -- the 'subway' dress from The Seven Year Itch. It exceeded all expectations by selling for a staggering $4,600,000. Needless to say, Debbie was overwhelmed. She may never have gotten the museum built, but at least she has the satisfaction of knowing she made a spectacular investment.
Audrey Hepburn's iconic Ascot dress from My Fair Lady.
From Left, the Ascot dress from My Fair Lady, Rex Harrison and Samantha Eggar's costumes from Doctor Dolittle and Barbra Streisand's costume from Before the Parade Passes By from Hello, Dolly!
Barbra Streisand's costumes from Hello, Dolly! and Funny Girl.
Julie Andrews' nubby brown jumper and signed guitar from The Sound of Music.

Milton Bradley's 1957 Chrysler Test Driver Game

2011-05-17T22:32:00.001-07:00

Milton Bradley made lots of games that were tie-ins with television shows and movies, but so far as I know, this was their only tie-in with a car company. It's a fairly straightforward game, using sticks with magnets to grab and pull plastic markers (with metal tabs) through the rough demands that every Chrysler was required to endure before being displayed in showrooms across the country. Each marker is a generic finned Chrysler product, cast in different colored plastic, but we'll forgive them for going to the trouble of featuring those swell drawings of Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto and Chrysler next to each one. Because only four could play, Imperial was omitted but it was included as part of the board art.

The large game board is a large, thick, plastic coated paper which somehow over the last fifty-four years has remained completely intact. Note the three dimensional paper cutouts.

A view across the game board showing its three dimensional paper cutouts.

Details of the game board:

I told you there was an Imperial.

This keen comic book was included, which was doubtlessly also a dealer giveaway since the game is advertised in the center spread.

According to his bio in IMDB, Bill Lundigan, 1914-1975, hosted CBS programs Climax! and Shower of Stars (both 1954), and delivered sponsor Chrysler's commercials. He traveled over 100,000 miles as their goodwill ambassador, visiting 560,000 people in 90 weeks. One presumes he and his wife were given shiny new Chryslers in gratitude for all that.

Pyro Plastics' design sets, circa 1960

2011-05-06T21:59:00.000-07:00

Fifty years ago, future architects, car designers and airplane designers didn't have home computers, but they did have the Pyro Plastics company (history here) which manufactured three interesting building sets with the more intellectual child in mind than usually played with Kenner sets and Lincoln Logs. I remember seeing them in offbeat places like trading stamp redemption centers rather than, say, standard department stores.
I myself had this set. While fun, I never understood the claim one could build four thousand models. I think they were cheating it a bit, by at least 3,900. One did not glue these sets if one didn't want to, so one could endlessly construct and reconstruct. The pieces fit together easily and held reasonably well. Included was a paper slide rule I could never figure out, which probably partly explains why I didn't end up designing planes.
I also wanted Design-a-Car.
The box art for the basic Design-a-House set. I've never seen a master set. If there's someone out there who has one, I'd love to see some pictures. I used to play with a friend's set and always wanted one myself. That finally happened when ebay shook out the attics and basements all over the world. Though easy to assemble, it's probably as close as any mere toy got to looking like a genuine architectural model.
A quick example of what one can begin do with the set. There are a lot more pieces in the box. The panels, shown as stud walls, can be covered in various shades of colored paper (included) to make them opaque. Rooflines can designed to be sloped or flat. One can design one or two story houses, in mid-century modern, of course. There are kitchen cabinets, bathroom fixtures, even a tiny toilet, cast in popular turquoise.

1959-1960 diecast 87th scale model cars

2011-05-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

I have a distinct memory of my mother buying me a few tiny diecast cars at Kresque's. They were sold separately in tiny, individual cardboard boxes and were ten cents apiece. For years I tried to find out who made these strange little models which I remembered as being reasonably well detailed for their size, but for years no model experts on the internet seemed to know. Then one day, I found this website and from there I sought out and actually found two nearly complete sets on Ebay imported by Ahi, Inc. The name is not, alas, Japanese, as one might expect. It stands for the distinctly non-Japanese sounding Azrak-Hamway International. There were at least four sets of American cars (1957 though 1960 model years) and at least one set of foreign cars as well as sets of 'old timers', military vehicles and road equipment vehicles. In these sets, a dozen cars were displayed individually in tiny plastic showcases. Admittedly the sculpting is somewhat crude but they are still recognizable with specific features on grills and hand painted trims. I must admit I still find them rather endearing, mostly because it makes me recall that one day long ago in Kresque's at Bacon's Shopping Center in Louisville, KY. Each is slightly less than 2" long.
1959 Buick
1959 Cadillac
1959 Chevrolet
1959 DeSoto
1959 Chrysler
1959 Dodge
1959 Ford
1959 Oldsmobile
1959 Plymouth
1959 Pontiac
1959 Rambler
1960 Buick
1960 Cadillac
1960 Chevrolet
1960 DeSoto
1960 Dodge
1960 Edsel
1960 Ford Falcon
1960 Lincoln
1960 (?) Opel Capitan
1960 (?) Volkswagen
1960 (?) Daimler DK400 Limousine

Magnificent Magnavox

2011-03-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

About ten years ago I bought this Magnavox sale catalog on ebay. One particular model led to a bit of an obsession, as revealed below. But for the moment, have a stroll down memory lane. This catalog is from about 1966. If the prices seem high, they were. Electronics were expensive back then, especially when you consider you could get a Chevrolet Impala for about $3,000. One dollar in 1966 bought about as much as seven dollars today. In Louisville, where I grew up, Shakleton's Music had an elegant showroom with a wide range of Magnavox televisions and stereos on display. Since some of these cabinets were up to six feet long, it required a lot of square feet.

Black and white consoles were still being made in 1966. I remember my parents making the choice between a color set with a lesser cabinet and a black and white set with a nicer one. My mother won out with the nicer cabinet, but then furniture was everything to my mother. I just wanted to see Lost in Space in color.

A new concept at that time was the stereo 'theatre' -- a combination TV and stereo. My parents were adamantly opposed despite the fact we had a small living room. The main objection was that if the TV was on the fritz, you might not be able to play the stereo. TVs went on the fritz all the time back then. Our TV repairman, Mr. Wheatley, was like one of the family. We saw him at least once a year, particularly before transistors. Factoring the sevenfold rate of inflation since 1966, the $1095 'stereo theatre' above would be like spending $7,000 today. Personally, I like the "Far Eastern Contemporary."

You could even get a black and white entertainment center. The off-center model on the bottom right is interesting.

In junior high, a friend of mine got the portable at the top for Christmas. I was extremely covetous of it and saved up my allowance for one myself, but my parents persuaded me to buy a much cheaper -- and far inferior -- Admiral model. My parents bought the small console at the bottom, but in the Colonial style. Last I saw it, it was in my brother's basement, but the turntable was no longer functioning.

Once I saw this picture of the Astro-Sonic contemporary I searched ebay for months until one finally turned up. It cost a mere $40 but it was $70 to ship (from Oregon to Los Angeles) and a few hundred more to restore. Generally speaking, these old console stereos aren't worth a whole lot and are quite a lot of trouble to restore. I never considered gutting it and installing new components, not even new speakers. I was determined to have a legitimate Magnavox, not a hybrid imitation.
Getting the turntable and receiver out to have them restored meant arduous hours spent lying on my back untwisting bolts and screws and disconnecting wires. I had the turntable tuned up and rewired and had the receiver's old transistors replaced with new ones. I hoped it would be worth it and it was. Now, whenever I turn it on, I feel like I'm transported back in time to the 1960s.
The unique Magnavox automatic turntable. The tone arm touches each record to determine its size, regardless of speed. Unlike any other turntable, it could handle, for example, an odd sized 7" LP automatically.

Cadillac newspaper ads from 1964

2011-03-07T22:26:00.001-08:00

When I was ten, I clipped ads from The Courier-Journal and Louisville Times and pasted them in a scrapbook. I was obsessed with Cadillacs and couldn't wait until I owned one myself. I'm still waiting. And I still want one of these, not a new one. I did buy a beautiful 1969 silver Toronado from Brown Brothers Cadillac in 1976 for about $1,500. I kept it for ten years and still regret selling it. Wonder why they omitted the 1961 model year in the above 'how to fit a Cadillac into any budget' ad?
How much would seven 1959 Cadillacs be worth today?

Lautner's Chemosphere House

2011-03-06T15:33:00.001-08:00

About a mile west of Launter's Garcia house and Carling house (see previous posts) is his Chemosphere house (1960), probably the most famous modern house in Los Angeles. Supported on a thirty foot tall cement pedestal, it's the single family version of the Jetsons Sky Pad Apartments. Instead of human sized pneumatic tubes, however, there's a 'hillevator' (a small funicular) to transport goods and humans to the Jupiter 2-shaped dwelling. Publisher Benedict Taschen restored the house in 2000.

At its base is a satellite building, which includes a carport.

I liked the metal grillework on one side of the carport.

Bette Davis in person, March 27, 1974

2011-02-20T19:28:00.001-08:00

I was twenty years old, a junior in college, when Bette Davis swung through Louisville on tour. After about twenty minutes of movie clips, she walked out onto the stage, gave the theatre a good look and proclaimed "What a dump!" Truly, one of the more memorable nights I've had in any theatre.

Modern architecture cartoons by Alan Dunn

2011-02-15T21:29:00.000-08:00

Alan Dunn (1900 - 1974) was a cartoonist for the New Yorker (according to Wikipedia, "its most prolific, creating 9 covers and 2000 cartoons over 47 years") and Architectural Record. The following are selections from his 1971 book Architecture Observed, long out of print. The portrait above was done by his wife and fellow New Yorker cartoonist, Mary Petty.

Promotional model cars

2011-02-13T12:18:00.001-08:00

That's me at age three, Christmas 1956, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with some of my toy cars. On the right is a 1956 Continental Mark II promotional model, and how she appears today, an improbable survivor (the others in the picture, including one other promo, a 1956 Chevrolet, have long since disappeared). Luckily for me, my parents never had a hard time figuring out what to buy me for Christmas or my birthday. I was always delighted to get a promo model. Pre-assembled in factories in Detroit (AMT and Jo-Han were the two major companies), they were given away at car dealerships as a perk for the kiddies or sold as toys in stores, and as such were usually outfitted with friction fly-wheel motors to make them more play-friendly. They came in a wide range of colors, often two toned and were somewhat sturdier than the plastic kits (though the 1950s plastics were not as stable as they are today and had the tendency to warp). Some of the earlier model years did not have interiors. By the mid-sixties promos began to decline in popularity and became increasingly difficult to find, at least in Louisville, Kentucky. I had to console myself with model kits, but could never hope to attain the skill level of the Jo-Han and AMT professionals in Detroit.

I have a vivid memory of seeing this dazzling red 1956 Cadillac on display in a department store, surrounded by several 1956 Fords. My parents kindly indulged me by buying one of each.

1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk.

Aaron G. Green's Reif Residence, West Hollywood, 1951

2011-01-03T20:13:00.000-08:00

One thing I've learned is that a beautiful modern house is not necessarily a big modern house. Take this intriguing example -- it was only 1,600 square feet. Notice that the floorplan recalls the Goldwater house (see previous post) -- with hexagonal and triangular spaces, albeit one third the scale. It also features one of my very favorite concepts -- an interior courtyard. These pictures are from The House Beautiful Treasury of Contemporary American Homes, 1958 edition. The house was near the famous Schindler house on King's Road, unfortunately destroyed by fire. I myself once lived on King's Road. It's long since been taken over by high density buildings. Given the modest size of the structure, perhaps someone might try building it again. Depending on codes, all one needs is a fairly standard 50' x 150' lot. If I could live through another construction, I'd consider it, though I'm sure it would require many structural changes to suit current California building codes. Mr. Green, an associate of Frank Lloyd Wright, died in 2000, but his company continues. Additional information and pictures are on the company's website.

Palm Springs Modernism Tour

2011-01-02T14:12:00.000-08:00

If you ever find yourself Palm Springs on a dreary rainy afternoon, consider driving around and looking at the many notable examples of midcentury architecture. Probably most notable is the Kaufmann house by Richard Neutra, 1946, which has been beautifully restored.

Cielo Drive winds its way up the natural terrain, affording splendid views. I've not found any information on this house, but we loved the roofline.
Above and below, the Edris House by noted Palm Springs architect, E. Stewart Williams, 1954.

Craig Ellwood's Palevsky House, 1968-69. Behind this blank facade are guest houses and courtyards leading to the main house, and finally, a swimming pool with a stunning view.
Elvis and Priscilla spent part of their honeymoon in this house in an Alexander Homes development. A plaque commemorates the occasion.

Below, six of the seven Alexander steel houses, designed by Donald Wexler. They intended to build an entire tract of these.

Barry Goldwater house, Phoenix, 1958

2010-12-27T19:26:00.000-08:00

Book of Homes, An Idea-Filled Collection by the West's Leading Architects, was a high-class periodical, similar to Record Houses, published twice yearly. Each edition is a treasure trove of midcentury gems, many of which I've not seen anywhere else, so I'll share more of them in subsequent posts. Here's the entire article about Paul Christian Yaeger's design for Senator Goldwater, five years before he ran for presidency against Lyndon Johnson.

Total square footage was 4560 square feet. Notice there's not one square room. I particularly like the idea of a triangular bathroom. To see pictures of the house today, go here.

Santa's Rocket Sleigh

2010-12-25T15:24:00.000-08:00

During the Space Race '60s, Santa's Rocket Sleigh made several stops at Dixie Manor Shopping Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Though it's now rather forlorn, in those days was a bustling, popular hive of commerce, the largest shopping center in the region. I only rode the ship once, when my mother entrusted me with my three year old brother, Todd. I was about twelve, so I had no delusions about blasting off the North Pole. It was fairly clear it had been an old streamlined city bus in a previous life, but its transformation to rocket sleigh was rather impressive. Inside, it was fully upholstered: seats, walls and ceiling, in the sort of sparkling vinyl typically seen in 1950s diner booths. Christmas music blared through speakers and Christmas lights twinkled overhead. During our journey at least, it was suffocatingly hot inside. A cheerful hostess in a fur trimmed miniskirt instructed us to take our seats then started up the bus -- er, rocket -- as she herself piloted the ship into a slow orbit around the parking lot. Meanwhile, Santa interviewed each kid via microphone as he made his way slowly up the aisle. I was shocked at the lack of discretion; the whole bus was in on what is supposed to be a very intimate, personal consultation. When he got to me, I dismissively replied I was simply there to accompany my brother, who, utterly bewildered, simply looked at the microphone. In the years following, I'd occasionally spot the rocket in city traffic, but eventually the landings ceased. Perhaps rocket ships in general had become too matter-of-fact.

I took these pictures of Dixie Manor in 1983. Originally, it had two local department stores -- Kaufman-Strauss and Ben Snyder's. My personal favorites were Woolworth's, G. C. Murphy's, Shakleton's elegant music store, and Fischer's, a delightful hobby store. Sadly, most of those names have vanished off the face of the earth, but I have great memories of Dixie Manor in its prime, including that one brief tour on the Rocket Sleigh forty-five years ago.
Many thanks to Dave Conover, who is preparing a book about Louisville shopping centers, for hunting down actual rocket sleigh posters and sending me one of my own. This is one of the several variations of the Rocket Sleigh. If you search google images for Santa's Rocket, you'll find a photograph of the version shown here. Apparently one sleigh has found its way to Alaska, which is certainly appropriate. Viktor Kuprin of Bloomington has written more extensively about the history of the Rocket Sleighs on his blog, Kosmosflot.

Aluminum Christmas trees -- they won't tarnish or shed!

2010-12-23T16:17:00.000-08:00

You won't hear those two claims made about many products. My mother was not convinced; we always had a real tree, but I consoled myself with a tiny aluminum tree she brought home from the bank branch where she worked. I faithfully set it up in my bedroom for many years running. It was thrown out in the 70s, but a friend gave me a large one in the mid 90s and I've been putting it up ever since. This pink and perky ad is from Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas for 1960, which I have profiled in a previous post.
Above and below, advertisements from the 1960 Sears catalog.

Above and below, more ads from BH&G 1960.
This one has the same stand as mine, an 8 ft. Aluminum Sparkler, seen below. It was made by the Star Band Co. Inc, in Portsmouth, VA.

The one and only 1960 DiDia 150

2010-12-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

How's this for a retro rocket, eh? Until yesterday, I was completely unaware of this midcentury spaceship, which has come to be known as the Bobby Darin Dream Car. It was the only automobile design by clothing designer Andy DiDia, which took seven years to build (1953-1960). Photos are courtesy of Scott King, who took them at the Concours d'Elegance of America in Meadowbrook, Michigan.
This is the designer himself, Andy DiDia. More photos and information can be found here, at Car News Articles. And even more photos of the car can be found here at Conceptcarz.com and here.

The design brings to mind the slightly less ambitious 1956 Packard concept car, the Predictor, seen below.

Perhaps the 1953 Lincoln XL-500, seen below, inspired the bubble top.

Japanese cardboard Glitterhouses, circa 1953

2010-12-19T21:00:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up, Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without our delicate little cardboard village beneath the tree. As you can see some of the cellophane windows have disintegrated, but mostly the houses are generally intact. Transportation for the residents was provided by my O scale American Flyer train, which made convenient, regular stops at the train station and the nativity set. At one point I thought these houses must be very rare, but they turn up on ebay all the time, sometimes in entire sets. There were quite a variety of designs manufactured in the 40s and 50s. In recent years, there's been renewed interest in these charming decorations. There are sites that feature new ones like Dimestore Dwellings. Have a look at their catalog. There are other sites that tell you how to repair your old houses or even design and make your own, like this very useful site. General historical information can be found here.

Christmas Ideas for 1962

2010-12-18T15:41:00.000-08:00

For those who really need a challenge -- if BH&G says you need precision to make these, you can probably take them at their word.

Q-tips show up over and over in BH&G Christmas Idea books of this era. When Christmas is over, you can always gradually disassemble these in the bathroom.

In the 24th century, driftwood might look like this.
For those with flair and plenty of time, these homemade cards are quite impressive.
I'm not sure everyone will get the symbolism, but the symbolic tree on the left does look like it would only take hours per card rather than days.
In case you've been wondering what to do with gift paper rolls.
I do like the contemporary goop sample on the right.

Even Joan Crawford would have to admit these wire hanger creations are festive. It says to use foil, but I should think colored cellophane would be nicer, particularly for the butterflies, though the connection with Christmas is a bit of a stretch.
There are loads of ideas for making charming ornaments like this one.

My new picture book

2010-12-18T11:16:00.000-08:00

I'm not big on self-promotion, but since my blog is getting about twenty times as many hits per day as my website, I thought I'd be wise to mention my new book here. Despite the fact it's about little witches, it is not a Halloween book (though it was promoted as such). It's currently available in stores (check Barnes and Noble's website to see if a store near you has it in stock) and it is also available through most on-line bookstores, such as amazon, of course.
The girls are from respectable haunted neighborhoods like these.
And attend Miss Thornapple's School for Proper Young Witches.

BH&G in 1959: small houses can be elegant

2010-12-16T22:00:00.000-08:00

What a sweet little house this is. Once upon a more prosperous time, people were very happy with stylish little houses like these. Today, people expect bedrooms to be the size of living rooms, and kitchens and bathrooms must have every known amenity, but in the final analysis how much of these things are really, truly necessary? Houses like these were built by the thousands in the west with large windows, Douglas fir plywood paneling and pleasant, open beamed ceilings which made small spaces seem more spacious. To me, given the choice between a large, ordinary house and a graceful little house like this, there's simply no contest. I'd get rid of the stuff that didn't fit. Simplify, said Thoreau, and he was right.

Christmas Ideas for 1957

2010-12-15T21:19:00.000-08:00

While the Better Homes and Gardens editors were tirelessly creative, it seems to me 1957 was a particularly good year for imagining how future space colonies might decorate for Christmas.
Many artificial Christmas designs were suggested. Some were rather traditional, but of course the modern ones are what really caught my eye. Strap yourselves in, because we're going to Mars.
If you think this one belongs in the Jetsons' Space Pad Apartments, you can have a very similar one right now in this rather regressive, provincial era, without having to go to the trouble of making it.
"Mom, can't we have a normal aluminum tree? No other kids I know have a tree made out of YARN!"
One can imagine this delicate paper parasol tree fluttered and tore every time someone opened the front door.
Nothing says Christmas like a three-dimensional cubist/futurist tree!
This one is handy for placing presents in the tree instead of under it.
This particular edition had these charming illustrations scattered throughout. Unfortunately there was no credit given for the artist.

I've been searching for a vintage modern nativity set but have never found anything I've liked. Someday, when I have the sort of patience the article warns one must have, I might even attempt it. I include the plans for those of you who are already patient and proficient with X-Acto knives and glue.

Andy Warhol meets Amy Vanderbilt

2010-12-12T15:17:00.001-08:00

From 1949 through 1961, Andy Warhol was a commercial artist.
A distant cousin of the storied family of vast wealth, Amy Vanderbilt was most famous for her books on etiquette. One year before his Los Angeles debut as a serious artist, Andy drew these simple, wry ink drawings for her cookbook. His leap to pop art was not so broad a jump, as you can see. Two days after Christmas in 1974, Amy fell from a window of her second story townhouse on East 87th Street, dying of multiple skull fractures. The circumstances have never been determined.

The cookbook itself is surprisingly useful, and I've gone back to it many times over the years. I made these Pasadena Canapes for my Mad Men Christmas party last night and they were quite popular. I found I had to add more flour than the recipe suggests. It should be akin to cookie dough upon refrigeration, sticky but not so sticky it does not hold a shape upon slicing. Top with olive slices or anything else you like.

Christmas Ideas for 1958

2010-12-06T21:49:00.000-08:00

BH&G editors Guy Neff and John Linkletter weren't coy when it came to pioneering modern decorating ideas. In this issue they go way out on a Christmas tree limb by encouraging their readers to decorate their houses in 'Oriental' and tropical themes.

Nothing says Christmas like a modern Christmas.

I don't know how much 8 gauge copper wire costs these days, but this is a pretty cool tree, dog dish base and all.

Is twine still wound on cones?

I quite like the 'Oriental Christmas colored' tree on the left, though the editors felt the candy cane tree was very clever indeed.

I knew you'd like these, so I've included the instructions.

When you're into Chinese Modern, go all the way, I say, and have a Chinese Modern Christmas.

This is really quite elegant, but is it really Christmas?

"So that's why you've been saving those palm fronds, darling! You're so clever!"
"I can't take all the credit, dear. Better Homes and Gardens practically insists upon a South Seas Christmas this year."

Christmas Ideas for 1960

2010-12-02T22:03:00.000-08:00

Here's another wonderful vintage Better Homes and Gardens idea book. I bought several of these on ebay several years ago. I just enjoy looking at them, though someday I hope to try out one of the simpler ideas.
These clothespin soldiers are pretty darned cute.
Here's an interesting stylized lantern made from cardboard and tassles. Needless to say, to make any of this stuff, one would benefit enormously by having access to a good crafts store.
Who wouldn't want space age elves? Personally, I'm partial to the triangular Santa door display.
More modernist door displays. If you know someone who has a hundred empty spools lying around the house, the one on the left seems simple enough to make. You can certainly still get pegboards. As for the one on the right, something tells me muffin cups don't stand up well to the outdoors.
This would take lots of careful gluing.

Christmas Ideas for 1961

2010-12-01T22:50:00.001-08:00

Want to make your own mid-century modern tree, door decoration, cards, etc? Look no further than any Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Idea annuals from the period. If you made every project, you'd be kept busy until the middle of this century.

This is just one of the suggestions for a front door design made from old Christmas cards and ornaments. Interestingly, the designer, Bob Winquist, later taught at Cal Arts. Jenny Lerew's Blackwing Diaries blog pays tribute to him here.

This looks fun, but I'd like to try it by backing the marbles to a sheet of plexiglas and putting it in a window.

Though new 50s-styled cards are much easier to find in recent years, you might still consider making your own. One suggestion is essentially marbelizing your own paper, something that used to be done with endpapers in high-end book publishing.

How about a wall decoration made out of soda straws? I haven't seen the kind they're referring to in some time -- sparkly, transparent ones in pastel colors, but if nothing else, there's always ebay.

And now, the piece de resistance, ladies and gentlemen! Turn off that TV and stage your very own Christmas puppet show! These charming little guys were designed by master puppeteers Bil and Cora Baird.

A killer 1951 Chrysler New Yorker convertible

2010-12-01T09:17:00.000-08:00

TCM recently showed Angel Face, a 1952 Howard Hughes production starring Jean Simmons as a spoiled rich girl who drives a Jaguar and wants a mechanic (Robert Mitchum) to go with it. Disliking her stepmother (Barbara O'Neill, Scarlett O'Hara's mother), she pulls a cotter pin out of the automatic transmission, sending the Chrysler over the cliff in reverse. As jaw dropping as this crash is, there's an even better one at the end of the movie.

Lautner's Garcia house 1962

2010-11-21T11:45:00.000-08:00

Possibly the coolest of all Hollywood Hills cliffhangers is the Garcia house. Its sweeping roofline is typical of Lautner's style, the sort of space age modernism we were told would be everywhere by the 21st century.

I pulled the next two images off the Curbed LA site which leads to more information.

John Lautner's Foster Carling house

2010-11-14T15:52:00.000-08:00

There are two John Lautner houses in my immediate neighborhood, both remarkable. You won't find too many architects more daring than Lautner. The first is the Foster Carling house, built in 1947. It features an indoor/outdoor swimming pool and a wall that pivots to the outdoors. I took the first three pictures today. The rest I grabbed from a website offering the property for lease at $10,000 per month. You can read more about John Lautner here.

Harry Greene, architect

2010-11-07T13:44:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm firmly ensconced in my new house in the Hollywood Hills, I've started to explore the neighborhood. Today I happened upon this extremely groovy and sophisticated mid century by Harry Greene, built in 1957. I think that might be one of the coolest carport designs I've ever seen. Let's just hope no one is ever tempted to convert it into a garage. The last photo grouping is from a listing in 2008.

1957-1958 Zündapp Janus

2010-07-23T21:53:00.001-07:00

The Janus, named for obvious reasons after the Roman God with two faces, was made by the motorcycle company Zündapp. It was powered by a two stroke single cylinder engine with a top speed of 50 mph.

1956 Mercedes 190 SL

2010-07-23T21:50:00.001-07:00

I rode up to San Luis Obispo in this car, owned and meticulously restored by my friend Richard. We got lots of thumbs up along the way.

1950 Nash Rambler convertible

2010-07-20T22:41:00.000-07:00

Ramblers were economical and practical. Every Nash had reclining seats, a tradition which started in the 1930s when motels were hard to come by in long motoring trips. The bench seat folded all the way back to the rear seat. Of course one did run the risk of accidentally hitting the horn with one's foot, which could prove quite embarrassing at the drive-in movie.

Here I am with my brother circa 1964 with our 1957 Rambler Super. We only used the fold down seats a few times as I recall. It had vacuum wipers that slowed down the faster you drove, so at an idle they flipped back and forth like crazy. I wonder how many accidents that caused. I absolutely hated the car. There was a dent in the metal dashboard from my cranium striking it. The only restraints we had back then were our parents arms, which were never fast enough. My mother once had an argument with a woman driving a 1958 Ford in a parking lot. It escalated to the point where both were side by side at the traffic light, gunning their engines. It was like being in the chicken scene in Rebel Without a Cause. When the light turned green, we raced down the highway, side by side, my mother calling her a 'son of a bitch' which I found very confusing as she was clearly no one's son. I was warned not to tell my father, and I probably never did. Soon after the picture was taken below, the axle suddenly broke at a stoplight, right in front of the garage where my father always took it. We traded it in for a 1964 Plymouth.

Metropolitan

2010-07-20T22:36:00.001-07:00

I don't know the exact year. It could be late 50s through early 60s. When other American cars were constantly changing their flashy wardrobes, Metropolitans, like Volkswagens, liked what they were wearing. I suspect only the owner knows for sure.

1956 Nash Ambassador

2010-07-20T22:23:00.000-07:00

1963 Chevrolet

2010-07-17T15:41:00.001-07:00

One of the prettiest years of Chevrolet.

1956 Chrysler 300 convertible

2010-07-17T15:37:00.000-07:00

The 300 was fast, and might be described as the original muscle car.

1964 Studebaker Avanti

2010-07-17T10:31:00.001-07:00

My flashy accordion teacher had one of these. He clearly aspired to greater things than teaching little kids like me how to play Cirabirabin. Sadly, Studebaker would be gone shortly thereafter. I don't know what became of my accordion teacher.

1964 Thunderbird

2010-07-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

1960 Thunderbirds

2010-07-17T00:00:00.011-07:00

The 1958 - 1960 Thunderbirds are now referred to as the 'Squarebirds' and were immensely popular. It's easy to see why -- they are surely the best designed Fords of those years. I've always thought that Ford should have conceded defeat on the Edsel before going into production, kept the two seater birds and made the Squarebirds the new model and called that the Galaxie or the Futura. In 1961, Thunderbird was reinvented once again (see following post for the 1962, which was very similar to the 1961) and Edsel was, alas, gone.

1962 Thunderbird Sports Roadster

2010-07-16T17:41:00.009-07:00

Its convertibility was dual -- not just in terms of its roof but its seating. One could place the tonneau cover over the backseat, converting an extraordinary convertible to an intimate, block-long spaceship for two.

A swiveling steering column ensured a graceful exit and entry every time.

1953 Ford

2010-07-16T17:32:00.009-07:00

1963 Ford Galaxie

2010-07-16T17:24:00.006-07:00

1956 Lincoln Premiere and the 1955 Lincoln Futura

2010-07-16T10:32:00.017-07:00

Good luck trying to appear inconspicuous in your wisteria Lincoln, which was indeed the original color.

The proud owner stands next to his Premiere. He told a charming story of having to sell his first Premiere in the 1960s. Years later, wanting to restore another one, he found this one stored away in pieces. In the long process in rebuilding it, it was revealed by the serial number that this was the very car he'd sold decades before. His Lincoln had, at last, come home.

I felt privileged just to stand next to it.

I'm not sure if I've ever seen these two colors side by side, let alone in an engine compartment.

You can clearly see a resemblance to the 1955 Lincoln Futura, one of my very favorite concept cars, which was repainted red and appeared in the Debbie Reynolds/Glenn Ford movie, It Started with a Kiss.

After that it sat neglected until George Barris rescued it and restyled it into the original Batmobile.

In 1995, a friend and I paid a visit to George Barris' studio and here I am next to the the old girl herself.

Revell issued a 1/24 scale model of the Futura.

1955 Dodge

2010-07-16T10:28:00.005-07:00

1955 Mercury Sun Valley

2010-07-16T07:41:00.010-07:00

For a few years, Ford experimented with the transparent roofed Sunliner and the Mercury Sun Valley. Apparently the occupants baked, so the concept was abandoned.

1960 Chrysler convertible

2010-07-15T23:42:00.010-07:00

How's this for a head turner, and in a swivel seat, you can look back without turning your head. Yes, once upon a time, car companies mixed up very pretty colors. And have a good look at that instrument panel. Push button automatic transmissions were, of course, standard. I inherited my family's 1964 Plymouth, the last year for buttons, and loved demonstrating them for everyone who got in the car. In the Doris Day/James Garner movie Move Over, Darling, Doris is confused by 'all the buttons' in Garner's Imperial and ends up putting the top down in a car wash by accident. Well, just look at all those buttons. Who wouldn't be confused?

1958 Oldsmobile

2010-07-15T23:30:00.008-07:00

There's no mistaking the 1958 GM cars. Every division was bigger and bulkier than the 57s, and the 59s were lower, longer and wider. Suddenly there were four headlights, grilles like bared teeth and as much chrome as they could fit in. This Oldsmobile won for best in original condition. Not restored! Imagine! It was still wearing its original seat covers until recently. I personally love these rocket fins. Each fender could be melted down to make a Honda. GM loved to hide the gas tank opening. They started by playing with the Cadillac. Here, it's behind the left taillight. You pushed it to the right and the assembly swiveled open. Now that had to have been fun for the gas station attendants, because in those days no one stepped out of their cars. Everyone had their hood opened to check the oil and radiator, and people were shocked if their windshields weren't cleaned, all for 25 cents a gallon.

1963 Cadillac Fleetwood

2010-07-15T19:41:00.008-07:00

Fleetwood was the top of the line sedan, very Mad Men indeed. While there were still fins, they were less razor sharp, just enough flash over substance to excite those who wanted pleasure mixed with big business.

Seen in the background is San Luis Obispo's Sunset Drive-In Theatre, still open!

1961 Buick Electra 225

2010-07-15T19:35:00.009-07:00

Where does the 225 come from, you ask? The number of inches long it was (17' 11"). What a lovely color this one is.

1960 Chrysler New Yorker station wagon

2010-07-15T13:22:00.011-07:00

Chrysler, one step down from Imperial, was a serious car, fast and flashy, to be sure, and made its presence known. A station wagon luxury car seemed to me at the time to be a strange thing. Nowadays of course, people want luxury trucks and luxury station wagons they have renamed SUVs. I'd much rather have one of these, if only for the fins.

1960 Buick

2010-07-15T13:18:00.009-07:00

Buicks of this era were considered by some to be the best of GM's designs of the 1959 and 1960 model years. Its flamboyance is not described so much by chrome but by fluidity in its sculpted lines that start at the front and go way, way, way back to its canted tailfins and singular afterburners. It's like a big black bird unfurling its wings.