Nyad

 

I'm in the Screen Actors Guild, and I get these things every awards season.  I was going through some drawers, and I found some cards from different nominated movies.  I was going to throw them away, but I figured, what the hell, they've got photos on them and there might be a few people out there who'd find them interesting.  Nyad was released in 2023, so the QR codes on the back of the card are long dead. And, by the way, Nyad is a pretty good movie. 

Nagra and The Beatles

 

I don't walk by there all that often, but about an hour's stroll from my apartment, there is a store that has a rack of advertising postcards that I sometimes look at just to see if there's anything that I'd like to add to my ever-growing collection of ephemera.   Anyway, I liked the photo of the old Nagra tape recorder, so I scarfed this one up and brought it home.  Because I didn't want to do free advertising for an event, I decided to hold onto it until after it was over.   And no, I didn't go, though I would have liked to.  Who doesn't love The Beatles? 

Barney Seamon's

 

 I did a bit of research and found some information about Barney Seamon's Modern Clothing Store.  In February 1917, Barney was liquidating his store.  He had to retire due to ill health.  There is something written on the back, "Out on the State road near Coffin Crops-the same day we stopped at Coffin's & returned to the gorge behind Aunt Min's."  Well, I'm not sure about Coffin Crop's.  It could be Coffee Drop's, or perhaps Coffin Drops.  It's bad when someone has worse handwriting than me.  There are over 150 waterfalls in the Ithica area, all with their very own gorge.  I have no idea which one is behind Aunt Min's. 

Advertising for the Flea Market

 

No, I'm not posting an ad for a flea market.  These were stapled to some of the telephone poles in my neighborhood and I liked the photo.  Actually, after seeing the back, I liked that a lot more.  Anyway, this card is a couple of years old, so I have no idea if the flea market has survived the pandemic. 

Nivea

 

So why is this guy sitting with a big Nivea ball between his legs?  Curious. 

Nita Borka, Contortionist

For those who are not old enough, many years ago, there was something called The Ed Sullivan Show.  Ed Sullivan had been a newspaper columnist on the New York Broadway beat.  Despite the fact the he wasn't particularly telegenic, and far from charismatic, Ed Sullivan became one of the early stars of network television.  Every Sunday night he hosted a variety show.  While he booked some pretty big acts, and made rock & roll mainstream, he also booked these weird novelty acts that probably hadn't worked since vaudeville died.  Personally, I liked the plate spinners. 

There's a label on the back of this photo that I've translated from German.  Well, actually Google Translate did that, but I did type it in.  "Photo is the property of the artist.  Please do not hesitate to return to agency G. Schnitzler.  HAMBURG 13-Innocentiastr. 12."  Well, Innocentiastr. is an abbreviation, str. is probably strasse, or street.  Innocentia doesn't come up as German, but does mean harmless in Latin.  So, for what it's worth.  There's a second stamp, "Photo reproduction Garloff & Richter, Magdeburg."  And a third, all abbreviations, "Reg. Nr.  IV-14-68."  Good bet that means April, 14, 1968. 

What's intersting is that Hamburg was in West Germany, while Magdeburg was in the East.  Perhaps by 1968, a contortionist wasn't sophisticated enough for the more advanced west, but  in East Germany, Nita Borka could still make a living. 

The Post War European Trip Collection-Lausanne 4

I was going to wait until tomorrow to finish up this travel brochure, but I decided to just get it over and done with.  To sum up, Lausanne is in the French speaking part of Switzerland, it's on Lake Geneva, and it's home to the International Olympic Committee.  Here's a fun fact.  The Swiss have hosted the Winter Olympics twice, the last time in 1948 and they've never hosted the summer games.  I guess they're smart enough to pass on the bankrupting thrill of sport.  Too, Lausanne is another word that Blogger doesn't recognize. 

Yes, yes, click on The Post War European Trip Collection in labels.  If you don't I'll come back and haunt you after my death. 

The Post War European Trip Collection-Lausanne 3

For our English speaking friends?  Bored Englishmen going off to live in Switzerland or on the Rivera where they could indulge their more "continental" tastes.  The plot of many a bad British novel.  Lay back and think of England is my advice.

Yes, I know, click on The Post war European Trip Collection in labels to review, and review....

The Post War European Trip Collection-Lausanne 2

I can't be 100 % certain without seeing the entire Gloria Lee Bigewet archive.  As I wrote in an earlier post, there is a rare book dealer in Saint Louis who is selling thousands of pictures and documents for far more money than I have.  However, from what little I've seen from my small sample of the archive, Gloria Lee and her tour group spent a lot of time in Switzerland.  That makes sense.  In 1948, the rubble of World War 2 may have been cleared from the streets, but many of Europe's cities were years away from being rebuilt.  Throw in food and fuel shortages, and a thriving black market and the criminals who ran it, and Switzerland was a safer place for American teenagers than much of the continent. .

Note that Lucky Jordan starring Alan Ladd was playing at the ABC theater.  Lucky Jordan was released in 1942.  Even though Switzerland was neutral during the war, and there was contact with the non Nazi world, it must have been hard to get an American movie to Switzerland.  So, Swiss Alan Ladd fans had to wait to see their favorite star.

Yes, I know I'm repeating myself, but click on The Post War European Trip Collection in labels to see more.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Lausanne 1

There are a few photos in this travel brochure.  Not many, but a few.  Some of the ads are great, so there is that.  As usual, click on The Post War European Trip Collection in labels for more, more, more! 

Terry's Cafeteria

I love these old advertising postcards.  It reminds me of a time when people didn't eat at McDonald's because the damn things were so hard to find.  I admit it.  I made a huge mistake.  Fast food places were just beginning their strangle hold on fast and cheap meals when I was growing up, and back then, I was all for avoiding the local diners, with all their eccentricities in favor of the predictability of the posted menu.  I have to say, I'd love to find a chicken fried steak, a bowl of chili, or a piece of cream pie, all cooked from the cook's own personal recipe book, all served by a waitress who would have never offered to super size things for me.

So, I did run a search on Terry's Cafeteria, and I did find a Facebook page with that title, though absent pictures of the building, I suspect it's a nostalgia site as opposed to one operated by an existing restaurant.  I found an obituary for Cleo Terry, the owner of the cafeteria.  Born in 1919 in Knoxville, Iowa, died 2008, Delaware, Ohio.  A 1937 graduate of Piqua High School, he was a World War 2 veteran who served in the Normandy campaign.  He was a member of the Disabled Veterans of America, so he didn't come out of the war unscathed.  I couldn't find anything on when Terry's first opened it's doors, but it's a fairly safe bet it was after the war. 

This card was never mailed.  Captioned, "TERRY'S CAFETERIA, 105 E. Greene st., Piqua, Ohio 45356, 1/2 Mile from I-75, West on U.S. 36.  Seating Capacity 350.  Banquet and Party Rooms.  Phone (513) 778-0566   AAA Rated."

Derby Dolls

When did roller derby become a hipster favorite?  When I was growing up, oh so many years ago, roller derby was quite popular.  Back then, it was on a banked track, it was both men and women, and it was incredibly violent.  As I got a bit older and realized it was kind of a sick sport, I started calling it blood and dentures.

Views of the World, Cheapside, London, England

Cheapside is a street in London's financial district.  Lots of horse power in the original photograph.  I thought it might be possible to find the original black & white photo on line, but no dice.   I found quite a few that were very similar, but not this exact image.

Click on Views of the World in labels to bring up other cards in this series.

Arden Ice Cream

I do love it when there are signs in the backgrounds of photographs.

 Take a look to the left and see an advertising sign for Arden Ice Cream.  Arden Dairies started operations in 1904, in El Monte California, now a suburb of Los Angeles.  It soon became one of the largest milk producers in the state.  In 1930, Arden merged with California Dairies, Inc., a subsidiary of Western Dairy Products of Seattle Washington.

  I couldn't find any evidence that Arden is still in business, but I was able to find a reference to Arden from 1955  (Judging by the clothes, about the time this photo was taken.)  They were being sued by Balian Dairies for lowering their ice cream prices below production costs, in Los Angeles County, so that it wouldn't be possible for other ice cream makers to survive.   Unfortunately, I couldn't find an outcome.

Dawson Garage

This one, dated "Oct. 25, 1917," is a rich little picture.  Let's see, a cop, a street cart, a Valvoline Oil sign, Delco Batteries, tires for sale,  a Bell Telephone enameled sign, streetcar tracks, and a palm tree in the background.  And what is a half sole tire?

Seeing Is Believing

I got this for free; I wouldn't have paid for it; I'm not going to post the advertising copy on the back.  I've posted this advertising card for one reason, and one reason only.  When I tell people  it's possible to kayak the Los Angeles River, they call me a liar.

100,000 +

I had a lousy weekend.  Everything didn't go wrong, but pretty damn close.  Anyway, sometime yesterday afternoon I went over 100,000 page views.  I don't know how impressive that is, but it was the best thing that happened to me on a bad day.  This is a re-post from the early days of The New Found Photography.  It isn't the first old photo that I bought, but it's one of the first.  I think it's pretty self explanatory.  This young lady was hired to promote clove gum.  Some costume.