Beer Always Belongs
Category: 1940s
Because Sometimes Tom & Jerry Just Need Rum
Flipping through my festive 1949 LIFE, I noticed this ad for Puerto Rican Rum. My first thought was how I remember the texture of glasses like that on my fingers. You never see those at the department store homeware section any more. My second thought was how odd it seemed to get “something different, something gay” for your two friends, Tom and Jerry, including a personalized mug. Are they supposed to share it? What are the chances that Tom and Jerry even fell in love? And once the bickering starts, won’t this mug be the first casualty in a heated dish-breaking episode?
To me, Tom and Jerry are a cat and mouse. And I wasn’t sure which came first, the chicken or the egg. As it turns out, it was the drink, devised by British journalist Pierce Egan in the 1820s, not the cartoon debuted in 1940. Have you ever drunk a Tom & Jerry?
For research purposes, I wikipedia’d the cartoon animals, just to make sure they weren’t lovers. I was under the impression they hated each other. It said, “both characters display sadistic tendencies, in that they are equally likely to take pleasure in tormenting each other,” but that wasn’t any help. I continued to read the list of characters:
- Toodles Galore
- Butch
- Mammy Two Shoes, who appeared in Push-Button Kitty
- Fluff, Muff and Puff
- Uncle Pecos, who plucked one of Tom’s whiskers off to replace broken strings on the guitar
- Miss Vavoom
- Meathead, a brown, mangy alley cat who wears a red toupee
I’m pretty sure I met half these people in college at downtown dance clubs. Well, maybe not Mammy Two Shoes. Evidently, she wore layers of skirts and her face was rarely shown.
I don’t get it. So confused. Guess I”ll pour a jigger of rum and catch up on some Tom & Jerry reruns.
So Wholesome For Everyone
Elsie and Elmer Borden: A Lesson In Dairy Dysfunction
The First Couple of Borden’s Milk products always seemed to be arguing, as they graced the pages of LIFE magazine throughout the 1940s and 50s.
Elmer was controlling.
Elsie was passive aggressive. But, dear…
The ad continues for nearly a DOZEN paragraphs, nothing for which today’s reader would have time. The dialog eventually addresses the product of Christmas. None Such Mince Meat.
Can you imagine an ad today making reference to Cabbages and Kings? Would most readers understand a reference to the 1904 O. Henry novel, itself a reference to Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass? I shant believe it.
Not only have I never tasted None Such Mince Meat, I have never seen hide nor hair of it. The main ingredients include raisins, molasses, dried apples, beef and spices. Not what I think of when I think of pie.
And what about you? Have you ever put a forkful of this into your gullet?
Later, Elmer asks, “Didn’t they punish nagging wives in the public square?” To which Elsie responds, “What a silly idea! Who’d make the mince meat pie while the wife was in the square?” Yikes! Better make sure that eggnog is spiked for tonight’s meal.
A Joyful Thanksgiving
And I”ll leave you with this disconcerting Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade float:
PINOCCHIO, 1937
Episcopalian Canterbury Club 1947
I think my favorite one is the lady front and right, with her chin tilted down.
Mend No More
When’s the last time you mended a garment? I don’t mean a simple button replacement; I mean adding a knee patch, darning a sock. For me, the answer is never. Mending is a lost art. It’s much easier to drive a mile down the road and grab a dozen socks for $10 than repair the one with the hole in the heel. That sock was weak and deserves the trash.
I wonder if some readers have never seen a plastic wicker sewing backet.
I own my great-grandmother’s sewing basket, similar to this one, but I confess I’ve never used anything inside. Sentiment over function. At this point, it’s more art than utility. Do you remember one from your childhood?
Buckley Music System Selection
This 1941 image from Jack’s Sandwich Shop in San Francisco has so much detail, I can almost wipe any lint off his jacket shoulder.
Stag-Nation 1947
As we’ve seen in prior posts, deer heads graced the chests of many a student in the post-war years. Evidently, victors wear ruminant mammals as a display of pride.
The ladies of the Tee Club knew what was up. Which do you prefer: the facing double stag jump or the stags all over?
Mr. Deer Duds knew how broadshouldered these antlers could make him appear. They seem to be spreading across his frame.
And lastly, this girl from the Baptist Student Union understood how deer could be a perfect balance for her festive poinsettia.
These days, you can still find plenty of deer-dotted Christmas sweaters. Just don’t go too crazy, like this one on etsy.com
Knowin’ What To Throw Away And Knowin’ What To Keep
This young man may look like the king of his castle, but surely his folks wouldn’t approve of filched funeral home signs. Does anyone say “filched” anymore? Let’s bring that back. Note his tastes: cards, Popeye, and George Petty pin-up girls. Seems pretty blue-blooded American to me.
Whenever I Call You Friend
When Your Date Notices Your Excessive Ear Wax
Marlon Brando goofing around with his then-girlfriend Ellen Adler.
I Don't Get It 