Olivia de Havilland enjoys teensy cups of beverages with different branches of WWII servicemen as part of her service in the USO.
And Now She’s 103
Category: 1940s
The Font That Gives Me The Heebeejeebees
I don’t know what it is about that font, but I don’t cotton to it. It’s not Nordic or Viking, but there’s something very anti-American about it, believe me. I can see why they chose it; it looks like holly leaves, sure enough. But no me gusta.
Today, we’ll be checking out more Christmas gift ideas from 1949. Yes, 70 years ago! Yes, another Christmas post! Only FOUR MORE DAYS!!
That’s right, Frank! And it’s time for indulging impatience with a new Polaroid camera! Don’t wait a week to have your film developed; get a chemical-smelly, low-res image NOW! You can see the actual size!
But maybe you don’t have a Polaroid. Maybe you have a real camera that needs a real exposure meter. Isn’t it cute–like a l’il Fitbit?
You could upgrade from still photos to moving pictures with a Bell & Howell camera. Is it me, or do the “hilarious Christmas moments” below seem poor choices?
If cameras weren’t your bag, you could gift a pen. Folks used to use pens a lot. For writing letters. And doing accounting stuff. And writing out checks. Now we just use them to sign forms. But Esterbrook gave you all kinds of tip options. Fun!
However, Parker claimed they made the world’s most wanted gift pen. The case looks as snazzy and cozy as a coffin. And no, it wasn’t 1951 yet.
All these gifts sound to mainstream? Too predictable? Well, you could always give your family the gift of Vitamin D and melanoma with a trip to warm places. No self-respecting Hallmark movie would host Christmas in Arizona or California, but if it’s swim trunks and palm trees you desire, wrap some tickets to paradise and stick a bow on them! And whatever you do, Merry Christmas!
Santas Of 1949
Before we lived in a culture where some believed that asking your child to sit in Santa’s lap was a violation of personal rights, kids would line up at department stores to sit in the lap of jolly old Saint Nick and tell him what they wanted for Christmas, without having parents looming within earshot. The little boy in this Plymouth ad definitely has his dad’s back.
Let’s keep in mind that Coca-Cola had only decided what the now-iconic Santa should look like back in 1933, so tweaks were still being made. This Santa hat looks more like a jester cap. How fun is that squiggle of a holly detail?
Next, we have a very basic Santa rendering. He looks like might be about to sneeze, but he’s pointing to the gift of Leica, which should be at the top of your list.
Lastly, we have a rotund and active Santa (no sitting for him!). Fluffy beard? Check! Rosy cheeks? Check! Proper hat? Check! He appears to be unveiling a new fleet of trains.
So if you grew up watching Santa animation and cartoons…
…and got older and decided it was impossible for him to travel from chimney to chimney…
…just know that some of us still believe.
Sit, Ubu, Sit
This private first class and his dog both enjoy a good sit at a dock in Karachi, India.
Taking Linwood Sexton Down
During the 1946 football season, it took five KU Jayhawks to bring down down Wichita “Wheatshockers'” Linwood Sexton. However, the final score was Kansas 14, Wichita 7. Sexton, one of the first African-Americans to play for Wichita State, went on to play halfback for the Los Angeles Dons. A member of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, he passed at the age of 90.
Below he is pictured in 2008 with son, Eric, in front of a mural at Koch Arena.
No Men On Second
Just What I Always Wanted
Grand Gifts For Smokers
Knee-Deep In Ticker Tape
So went the LIFE caption, as news of the Japanese surrender spread across New York on August 14, 1945.
Finally an end to the war.
I Just Want To Bang On The Drum All Day
Check out these squirts, circa WWII, conducting a “lively aluminum salvage campaign” out of pots from their neighbors on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. A grumpy bearded gramps doesn’t seem nearly as thrilled about the pursuit as the youth, but I think that’s just the face old folks make.
Whilst Men Were Overseas
In 1941, only 1% of aviation employees were women.
Two years later, they made up 65% of the industry.
When You’re SERIOUS About Christmas Cards
Actually, this woman was a draft service worker during WWII. Men 18-65 and were required to register and keep the card on them at all times. Men age 18-45 were subject to military service. From 1940 until 1947 – when the wartime selective service act expired – over 10,000,000 men were inducted.
This cartoon in the Saturday Evening Post depicted a draft board scraping the bottom of the barrel.
I Don't Get It 