Bettie Page High!

    Recently the city of Nashville announced a historical marker for the world-famous Bettie Page. As great as this recognition is, it’s not enough.

    Bettie grew up in Nashville, and attended Hume-Fogg High School before leaving to start her career. I believe that a true tribute would be to rename her high school in her honor, to Bettie Page High.

    Who better than a symbol of female empowerment such as Bettie to inspire the students at her namesake high school? Certainly it’s more inspiring than the memory of Hume and Fogg, the two old white guys who started the original schools that merged. Heck, Japan itself would probably fund Bettie Page scholarships at the school in return for photo ops. Think how proud the students would be to say they were from Bettie Page High. And just imagine the cheerleaders!

    And what would this name change do for the tourism industry? Everyone would have to walk up the hill from Lower Broad to at least get a picture. Imagine the tour busses that would go by every half hour. Sales of Bettie licensed merch would boost the local businesses.

    This isn’t a time for half measures. Let’s go all the way, and make way for Bettie Page High!!

 

Carbon Free Sugar?

Last time I checked, the chemical formula was C₁₂H₂₂O11.

Liberace of the Harp Lloyd Lindroth

Lloyd Lindroth was not a character on SCTV, but he could have been. Lloyd moved to Nashville in the early 1980s, and performed on The Nashville Network and Hee Haw. For years he did a Vegas style show in the open air Cascades section of the Opryland Hotel. Here's a postcard that he passed out at one of his Christmas shows, click to enlarge, or for biggest picture, right click and open in a new window.

Listen to Lloyd's Somewhere My Love, from the album "Love Drops" by clicking here.

Lloyd passed away in 1994 at the age of 63, an interesting highlight in Nashville music history.

Mad Men Barbie Style Postcard

A relic from the Reagan years, this officially licensed Barbie postcard says it all.

Big Lots 30% Off Sale

I hope that in 10,000 years, future archeaologists will hit this rich vein of Big Lots collectibles. What will these artifacts say about our civilization?

Delta Burke Intimates - and Delta's been every size in the box!

Baby recliners - train your kids for a lifetime of watching TV.

Marvel Superhero Gummy Candy Finger Puppets - they battle, and you eat them.

Hey look! I got a text from Zac!

Now you're packin!

No comment.

And some pre-mixed cocktail slippers for the road!

Polio Shot Immunization Card from the 1950s

It's hard for anyone under 60 to remember the panic that polio caused before the 1960s. It was a crippling disease, often leaving victims hunched over for life. It was also contagious, adding to the fear factor.
Dr. Jonas Salk developed the first polio vaccine in the 1950s, and families lined up to get their shots. The government and other organizations flooded the mail with immunization cards like this one, with spaces for each family member.

 Later, the shots were given in school. The typical shot was a pressure activated needle with several smaller needles around it in a circular shape. The shot was usually given in the upper arm, and the circular pattern sometimes left a scar with a circle of dots and a larger dot inside.

Obviously even the ancient Spartans knew this, as evidenced by this still from "300". Click to enlarge.

Hans Conried and Fractured Flickers

One of the funniest and silliest shows of the 60s was Fractured Flickers, a Jay Ward production hosted by actor Hans Conried. The show took old silent films and added audio, turning them into all new and funny stories.
 Hans also interviewed stars in a special segment each week, like this Rod Serling video.



Fractured Flickers ran in syndication for 26 episodes during 1963. Several years ago the entire series came out on DVD, and I have my copy. You can order yours here.

In the late 80s I visited the Dudley Do-Right Emporium on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood to buy some souvenirs. Among them were these Fractured Flickers Stickers, click to enlarge.

Hans, a Baltimore native, is gone now, but his voice lives on in Dan Castellaneta's Robot Devil character in Futurama.

R.I.P. Hans Conried, Jay Ward, and The Dudley Do-Right Emporium.