Category: 1940s

Perched In A Paneless Pose

LIFE, March 7, 1949

What kind of weirdo takes his wife and 11-year-old daughter into a burnt-out Victorian mansion to stand in windows that have no panes? Gary Cooper, that’s who. Or as LIFE magazine referred to him, “the embodiment of the solid, easy-going, tough-fibered American male.”

It seems he and his family were on vacation in Aspen, Colorado when they spotted said house corpse and decided to enter the spooky remains. These days, of course, that would be trespassing. There would be bars in those windows, preventing any would-be suicidal maniac from perch-pouncing. Or the place simply would have been razed to the ground.

But not for the Coopers, clad in goggles and free of smiles. Not by a longshot.

Here he sits with wife Rocky and daughter Maria in a room with cinder covering the floor. Watch your step!

Twelve years later, the family would take their final vacation to Sun Valley, due to an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread throughout his body.  On April 17, 1961, Cooper watched pal James Stewart accept (on his behalf) an honorary award for lifetime achievement at the Academy Awards. The emotional Stewart said, “Coop, I want you to know I’ll get it to you right away. With it, goes all the friendship and affection and the admiration and deep respect of all of us. We’re very, very proud of you, Coop.” 

In his last public statement on May 4, Cooper said, “I know that what is happening is God’s will. I am not afraid of the future.” He passed on May 13, 1961, six days after his sixtieth birthday.

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Laughter Is The Best Medicine

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Why Your Grandma Never Had Hair In Her Eyes

Alpha Delta Pi ladies of Indiana University, 1943

One notices in 1940s hairstyles that the hair just beyond the temples was often smooth or pinned back, making the voluminous curled areas appear ever poofier in contrast. Ever wonder why you don’t see pics of these women with long bangs in their faces (like the umpteen actresses on talk shows who constantly wipe their hair to the side)? There’s no Crystal Gayle or Kim K. hair here. And it wasn’t just fashion.

Able-bodied men were overseas, and women were manning the production lines. Long hair (or even one stray lock) could get caught in machines and not only injure the workers, but put production on hold until she was freed. Even Veronica Lake (of the oft-imitated peekaboo hairstyle) changed her style during the war effort, showing the dangers of untamed, unpinned hair.

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This youtube video explains why safety is of the utmost importance during factory work.

The end result is a new and improved, less seductive 4’11” Veronica, donning the updo called the “Victory Roll.” Sleek = Safe. And as you can see in the video, from behind, her hair makes a dazzling V for victory.

Many stars wore them, including Rita Hayworth.

(Photo by Pictorial Parade/Moviepix/Getty Images)

And Betty Grable.

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Now you know why your vintage pin-ups often wear their hair in an updo, and why the Allies won the war.

Cast Your Vote For The Lanky Lad With Scoliosis

Evidently, Elam was a pelvis-forward kind of man. I can’t say as I ever voted for an editor in college. The best I mustered was my first presidential vote.

But college politics have always been a big deal. Selig was willing to endanger his own life by sitting on the hood of this here jalopy.

Others simply strolled with signs.

Lovely signs, I’ll give them that. Both Brown and Ferguson remind me of civil rights cases. 

Folks sure showed enthusiasm for Sterling Steve. I hope he took it by a landslide. 

Cramped Quarters

1942 Recall, Dorm Life

These fellows at the Schreiner Institute are packed in like sardines! While some look dressed for bed, others seem ready for a night on the town. Perhaps they had to sleep in shifts to accommodate everyone.

1940s dorm life might have been cramped, but frat life was just plain odd. Check out this guitar fit for a giant! Where do you buy strings for that?

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Meanwhile, the sorority girls were still playing with dolls…

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But there’s one thing everyone could agree on.

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Hoo Ray For Raye

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With politics so prevalent in today’s news feed, let’s dial it back to a simpler time. When the wheels were turning for Ferris.

When babies were too young to vote for Jane Cloyes.

And cows were used as props to show that voting for Cissy was no bull!

No, It’s MY Turtle

We’ve all been there, right? Stuck in a boat, wearing our wifebeater and cuffed dungarees, wrestling a half-naked man for rights to the Galapagos Island sea turtle… Actually, these were 1949 National Geographic staffers, who had initially been searching for land turtles, but came up empty-handed. Nice work if you can get it.

Gearing Up For Fuddrucker’s Three Pound Burger Challenge

In case you didn’t know it, today is National Cheeseburger Day, and Fuddrucker’s is offering their 3-Pound Burger Challenge. If you can finish your burger and 1 lb of fries in ONE HOUR, then you will receive a $25 gift card. Woot! That’s enough to buy some Pepto and Tums. At least now we know where the beef is.

And as far as the image up top, well, that’s actually football coach Bo helping Indiana University beat Minnesota’s Golden Gophers in the fall of 1942.