Using my blog to try and make the world a better place. If I can help someone forget their troubles for a few minutes a day, it's all worth it.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The Bad News Bears

I didn't see this movie when it first came out in 1976. My mom (her and dad had split up by then, and I was living with her) wouldn't let me see it because of the "language". She also wouldn't let me see Jaws a year earlier. She was just no damn fun....

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Dynamite magazine:

I received the above pictured Dynamite magazine in the fall of 1978, through Scholastic. I've since purchased a copy through ebay. It had a calendar poster of 1979 inside. Also inside was a ghost story (The Cottage On Clarkson Street) about a kid (Tommy) who used to bounce a ball down the cellar stairs and fell down the stairs and broke his neck. That story freaked me out for WEEKS...

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Lost In Space, one of my favorites:

I'm not sure how recent the "now" picture is. Looks like they've all aged pretty well, though... especially the robot. It looks like he hasn't aged a bit..
Click pic for a larger image.

These were extremely popular back in the day:

Click pic for larger image.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Hey hey hey, it's FAAAAAT AAALbert:

Watched it every Saturday. Good stuff. I never cared for Rudy, though. Just sayin'...

Friday, April 24, 2009

Ronco:

In the 70's, Ronco sold all KINDS of crap.. like does anybody still use this stuff?????

Kim Richards

This is Kim Richards in 1975, when she co-starred in Escape To Witch Mountain (one of my all-time favorites). I always thought she was such a cute kid. While I was really never a fan of Disney, this is probably the one exception. I saw this movie at the theater when it came out. I'd love to see this movie again someday.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Davey and Goliath:

I watched this every Sunday morning. I believe it was a Rankin/Bass production, but I'm not sure. Btw, don't let that side-part hairstyle and sunday school best attire fool you - sure, he looked all clean-cut and innocent, but that dude was always getting in trouble. He was bad news..

Anti-smoking posters:

They used to hang these posters in school hallways in the 70's. For a bit of trivia, this poster was on Carol Brady's TV room table, along with several others, in the episode where she joined the anti-smoking committee and Greg just happened to take up smoking at the same time (how convenient). Btw, I have a neighbor who looks just like the above chick..

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Colorforms:

When I was a kid ('til about 7 years old), there was always a Colorforms set in my toybox. This set looks familiar, I'm sure I had it. It's dated 1971, but it could have been sold up until '73 or even '74.
Click pic for larger image.
I tried to think of a moral for this comic, but I got nothin'.. except maybe if you're going to try and convince people you're a Portuguese water dog, you should know a little bit about Portugal. Or at least know how to spell..
Click pic for larger image. Or not. Whatever.....

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Kid Power:

I watched the Kid Power cartoon, but I didn't know they made a K.P. lunch box. Well, I should have, everything pop culture was made into a lunchbox....

Saturday, April 18, 2009

No matter how bad you're feeling, a puppy's love can make everything okay.
Click pic for larger image.

Random fact:

I really miss the disco days, even though I was too young to go to a disco. But still I miss the days when the Bee Gee's and Donna Summer were producing new stuff.
Click pic for larger image.

Random find:

Even back then, they were ugly. Of course, that's just my opinion, but since this is my place, it's really the only opinion that counts....

I'd buy one, but I don't really care for bass:

"How many times has this happened to you? You have a bass, and you're trying to find an exciting new way to prepare it for the dinner table. You could scale the bass, remove the bass' tail, head and bones, and serve the fish as you would any other fish dinner. But why bother, now that you can use Rovco's amazing new kitchen tool, the Super Bass-o-Matic '76. Yes, fish-eaters, the days of troublesome scaling, cutting and gutting are over, because Super Bass-o-Matic '76 is the tool that lets you use the bass with no fish waste, and without scaling, cutting or gutting."

"Here's how it works: Catch a bass, remove the hook, and drop the bass - that's the whole bass - into the Super Bass-o-Matic '76. [ drops the bass into the blender ] Now, adjust the control dial so that the bass is blended just the way you like it. [ turns blender on and grinds it to a pulp ] Yes, it's that simple!"

Friday, April 17, 2009

What a shame.

That was a perfectly good raft...

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Cereal box records:

This is for Marissa, who likes cereal box records. There's really not much more to say, actually...

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Glow-In-The-Dark stuff:

When I was a kid, I loved glow-in-the-dark stuff (which is kind of why I like this black template. The wordage seems very glow-in-the-dark). I probably would've bought the above record just because it glowed. I also remember a glow-in-the-dark pen that came in boxes of Sugar Crisp cereal ca. 1974/75. I looked at that thing in the dark more than I ever wrote with it...

Sadly, life never asked me what I wanted..

"Chico, don't be discouraged, the man he ain't so hard to understand. Chico, if you try now, you know that you can lend a helping hand. Because there's good in everyone, and a new day has begu-u-un. You can see the morning sun, if you try. And I know, things will get better. Oh yes they will for Chico and the man, oh yes they will for Chico and the man."

In '76, I thought Chico was SO cool. I dreamed someday of working in a garage where my hands never got dirty, living in my van in the garage with no bathroom facilities, and working for an alcoholic bigot.... yes, that would have been SOME life....

Sunday, April 12, 2009

1978 was a good year. It's hard to believe it was over 31 years ago. It's amazing how time slips away, and the present becomes the distant past in no time.

'76 flashback:

I got the above pic from Jen's place. These were bumper stickers that co-incided with the Carter / Ford Presidential election year. They came in Trix cereal boxes. I've been looking for a pic of these things for a long time. Thanks Jen!

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Morgan Freeman, the early years... This is a pic from his days on The Electric Company. I'm sure I saw this episode, back in the day. I watched it every weeknight.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Dinah Shore:

Does anyone out there remember The Dinah Shore Show?? Do you? 'Cause I sure don't. Of course I remember it existed, or I wouldn't have posted it, but I didn't watch it. I think my Aunt Nancy watched it, but that's about it... Btw, the logo is from '75 (I only know because it was in the description of the search result).. I was more into Land of The Lost back then...
Click pic for larger image, if that's your "thing"...

Nothing good lasts forever:

Apparantly when Phyllis George left the morning news in the mid-70's, people took it pretty hard... well, can't blame them there...

I know our parents just wanted to kill us:

Ah, candy / bubble gum cigarettes. Something to tide us over until we were old enough for the real thing. They tasted good, though. On a personal note, this author thought the best ones weren't the gum ones, the best ones were the hard, tasteless, chalk-like, candy variety..

Random find:

I found the above pics when I did an image search for hygiene films..
Click pic for larger image.

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Hollywood Squares:

In the 70's, Hollywood Squares was my favorite game show. I still wouldn't have bought the record, though, I wasn't that big of a fan...
Click pic for larger image.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Keep America beautiful:

Man, what a whiner....
If you were around in the 70's, you remember these commercials. It's funny how a commercial goes on for years and years, and it becomes a fabric of our society, then all of a sudden they disappear, and you don't think anything of it, until you realize it's gone, like the "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" commercial, and the "Bounty" commercials with Nancy Walker as Rosie the diner waitress, or the "Folgers" commercial with Mrs. What's-her-name, or the "Fill it to the rim with Brim" commercials that were so annoying...

Mary Hartman! Mary Hartman!

This is for Ann, who liked this show and watched each episode. Click pic for a larger image.

Monday, April 06, 2009

Random fact:

I always wished I had learned to play the guitar. Btw, I know this movie was from 1980, but it was probably filmed in '79, so technically it does qualify....

Sunday, April 05, 2009

Lite Brite:

The thing I remember most about Lite Brite, was that they never gave you enough of each color to put together a decent pic.. not that I'm complaining, although I guess I am, aren't I....

Saturday, April 04, 2009

Welcome to the Hotel California:

I've heard many explanations as to the meaning of Hotel California by the Eagles. I've heard it said that it's a reference to Hell. Maybe. But I've also heard it's a reference to a mental institution. Colitas ("warm smell of colitas rising up through the air") is a strong form of cannibis. Apparantly the singer of the song smoked some tainted colitas and ended up in a mental institution. On the line "Relax said the nightman, we are programmed to receive. You can check out any time you like but you can never leave"... if he was dead (a.k.a. being in hell), he couldn't "check out", he'd already be dead. And the line: "Her mind is Tiffany Twisted"... well, that speaks VOLUMES, as far as I'm concerned...

Name that toy:

Film Father sent me an email, asking if I knew what a certain toy was that he couldn't remember the name of. For the life of me I've got no clue, maybe you know. Here's his description:

It featured a long track, like a plastic rail, that you could set up rollercoaster-style, then you put these stout, boxy plastic robots on the track (the robots were probably 6 inches tall) and you pushed them along the track. There were all different kinds of robots, but the one I remember the most is from the front of the (big) box the track came in: he had a human face, with a mad/angry look, maybe black hair, and he may have had a black eye...

Anybody know?

Friday, April 03, 2009

I used to have nice hair. Once. I wonder if this guy still does. Then again, I wonder if he still has it at all... I also wonder if he's still got that shirt....

Hold on tight, we'll muddle through one day at a time:

Btw, that's Ms. Romano..

Thursday, April 02, 2009

For Marissa, who wanted a new post:

So, does anyone out there still have their Quisp ring?? The one you probably paid $2.50 plus 12 box tops for??? The one you just HAD to have, back in the day?? Do you STILL wear it? On dates or job interviews???????