Thursday, June 25, 2015

Visiting the past....

I bought a magazine from a yard sale about a month ago..
And just getting around to reading it.. It is LIFE magazine
January 1, 1940.

Being I was born in 1940.. it peaked my interest.. of course the
magazine is about 4 months older than me.

The car ads are a hoot... first of all, they list the price.. which you
don't find any more.. Pontiac can be had for $783...deluxe 4 door
for $970 but you had to pick them up at the factory for that price.
More of the dealer got it.  Chevrolet could be had for $659 +shipping
and wait there is more... the shift is on the steering column now!!.
Also GENERAL MOTORS must have been feeling the pain of the
competitors as they have a full page ad about the quality of the
their vehicles.

An article of how the Germans were sabotaged their big ships,
because they were at war with England and British ships were
hunting for the their ships, be they war ships or merchant marine.
The Columbia was running out of food and fuel, so they did in
their ship where the American's could see it, so they could rescue
the men from the ship...  Remember we aren't in the war yet.
There is the ship, Admiral Graf Spee too.. who after being rescued
by the Americans.. the captain shot himself in disgrace.
Also I didn't know that there were Americans who volunteered
in the Canadian Army so they could fight the Germans.

Douglas Fairbanks had died... the moon shiners were alive and well,
and well sorted after.. New safety glass is now available.. the old one
could get water in side or dry out from the sun.. but this has a polyvinyl
in it.. so heat or cold doesn't bother it..   And some of the ads.. cough
drops... Smith Bros.  (do they still make them) my favorite was cherry.
Martini and Rossi vermouth.. ads.  Paul Jones Gentleman's Whiskey.

Movie of the week.. Hunchback of Notre Dame.... an 6 page
article about England going to war, and the darkness of the
nights.. no lights allowed.
6 page article on a JOE MARTIN who was a Senator from Mass.
from poor beginnings, ended up a publisher.. and then a senator.
(see not all congress are lawyers.. lol actually they listed several
different occupations.. veterinary, meat packer, dentist, druggist,
stagehand, train engineer and even a co owner of a large ranch..
didn't say who). The article was about the newly voted in
Congressmen and he was made the Minority Leader. And the
high hopes of his term, as he was a nice man with common
sense..   (now that is a rarity now days)

And of course you have to have entertainment news.. a debut
of one Ms. Camilla Davis.. coming from great money, enough
to hire Elsa Maxwell, to throw the party for her..

The coffee ad here.. talks about the good of coffee, yet doesn't
name a brand.. don't know why.




Anyway, it was a good read.. to see where the world was before
I was born.. before we went to war... and how bad it was for
England to be at war.   My mother use to have a subscription
to LIFE magazine.. and I would devour it when it came. We
all remember the end of the war picture.. of the sailor kissing
the nurse.. LIFE was a great magazine.


AND Happy Birthday to my oldest.. she is now the
legal speed limit... the double nickels.. 



1 comment:

marlu said...

So interesting! I love seeing those old magazines or newspapers.