This Amazing America

Today’s scan is a 1938 brochure promoting “Strange and Unusual” places you could visit via Greyhound Bus Lines. There are 140 locations overall and as an extra bonus we get a profile shot of the beautiful streamlined Greyhound Super-Coach. I’m a sucker for old buses, and this one’s a beauty. Cover:

Discovered Mural

In Alameda, CA an old Mug Root Beer advertising mural was uncovered when siding was removed during a facade update. When you look at it up close you can see that there are many layers of murals on this wall, and below the plaster on the original sideboards is still another mural, visible because of [...]

1960′s China Souvenir Slides

Today’s post is 20 souvenir slides of China from the 1960′s. These are those pre-packaged professional photos for tourists that are sold in gift shops at attractions and airports. The package and slides are undated, but in the rickshaw photo you see the top of a Volkswagen Splitscreen bus which stop being produced in 1967.

Transcribing Around The Neighborhood

This is a 10 minute field interview by Frank Reynolds for the Modesto, California radio station KTRB and aired on May 14th, 1954. Frank is interviewing Mr. and Mrs. Cliff Horst the day before they opened Cliff’s Bakery and Delicatessen at 23 McHenry Ave in Modesto. This Electrical Transcription (ET) is a large 12″ acetate [...]

Dear Mr. Smith

Today’s audio offering is an odd one. This 45 record from Dictation Disc is a practice disc for increasing your shorthand speed. The record is undated, but from the tone of the voice work feels very mid-century to me. A man in his best 1950′s voice dictates various fictitious business letters in increasing speeds. For [...]

Irv Carroll and his Orchestra

There is a shocking lack of information online about Irv Carroll and his humorous songs. One of the few mentions was from the 3/14/1942 issue of The Billboard that stated that he just released his first single (Let’s All Snore) on his new Bluebird contract. These two songs are from Bluebird 78rpm record #B-11346. My [...]

Kid Stuff: Mousekedances

This is an “Official Mickey Mouse Club” 45 rpm record from 1955 called Mousekedances – 6 Dances and how to do them. Unless there was an insert that has been lost, they only tell you how to do two of the dances. Oddly the instructions for the Big Bear dance do not match up with [...]

The Navy Needs You in RADAR!

This brochure and letter was sent to an Alameda, California high school senior in 1944 or 1945, inviting him to experience “The war’s newest and most dramatic technical development” as a Radar Technician. “No member of the United States Navy, or any other branch of the armed forces, takes greater pride in his job than [...]

Situation Critical

Things slowed down here a bit to much. Sorry about that. I started a new job on the 14th and it’s been sucking up all my energy. I’ll get back on track soon. The image is a sign I bought at the Trader Vic’s warehouse sale a few years back. The message is pretty apt [...]

Old Smokes

My grandfather had a variety of stuff in his “treasure box”. Some of these things were packs of cigarettes he picked up on his travels. The designs are pretty cool, so I scanned them. These are good for design or color scheme inspiration.