Good Clean Fun--The Comedy Record

I'm not a prude. I can cuss like a sailor (and am guilty of doing just that at times), and I'm not against R-rated material. That said, I am totally against the inane use of "bad language," sex and nudity to score a cheap laugh or get people to look. Clever is good. And while some cleverness is certainly R-rated, and brilliant for it, so much cleverness just doesn't need that crutch.



This week I found a stack of old comedy albums, and this got me thinking about that genre that is all but dead. See this L.A. Times article on the basic differences between old-school comedy recordings and those that pass for such (mainly at the Grammy Awards) these days. Once upon a time, a comedy album (vinyl, doncha know) could be a remarkable thing that was purchased by the millions and much discussed around record players and water coolers alike.

Classics like The Smothers Brothers early albums, Nichols and May, Lily Tomlin, Monty Python (yep, on vinyl!), Jonathan Winters (really!), Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Steve Martin, Bill Cosby, and true master comedy album: The Button Down Mind of Bob Newhart (remember that early Mad Men episode where the guys are sitting in the office listening intently to this?), are amazing pieces of comedy history that have mostly stood the test of time. I also found and listened to an Allan  Sherman (My Son, the Folk Singer) album, and laughed--right out loud. Phyllis Diller did albums, and, in fact, any comedian worth his or her salt did albums. And people bought them. Before You Tube and cable television, a good comedy album was something to sit up and pay attention to. Ask Bob Newhart (in fact, you can listen to him discuss it here)...he kicked Elvis right off the top of the charts and stayed there for weeks. Part of what made some of those early comedy albums so successful was the fact that they were both smart and cutting-edge--for all ages. No crutches needed.

If you only know some of these comedians as old guys who are far from cutting edge, check out some of their early stuff. It's truly remarkable stuff that's still funny. And it influenced everything that came after.

Now, this isn't to say there wasn't raunchier stuff (and just as funny...just not kid-friendly!). Red Foxx, anyone? Lenny Bruce? Yep, there's nothing new under the sun. The thing is, though, there's adult-level clever, and then there's juvenile-level stupid. You be the judge.

Oh, and don't think I don't like any modern comedians. But they have to be smart about it (like, say, Eddie Izzard). But I do enjoy being able to laugh with my kids at stuff. That seems to be a rarer and rarer comic commodity. (and don't get me started on all the fart jokes in kid's movies today... argh...)

So why'd we stop appreciating good comedy...comedy so good, we'd buy it on a record and play it over an over? What's your favorite comedy record? (Note: I am talking about records made by comedians, not recordings of old radio shows, or even comedy music, like Weird Al Yankovich, which are other genres...and just as funny!)

Pen Pals

Oh, what a bad blogger am I? What with the holidays and the back to school and the 150 baby chicks (4-H projects!) and numerous other bits of life, I have not been spending much time on the computer...at least in productive ways!

I'm all caught up on my blog reading and am ready to get back in the swing of things!

Lately I've been thinking about letter writing. Why'd we stop doing that? I have some letters between my grandmother and her sisters, from the 30s through the 50s or so. I also have a fantastic love letter a beau sent to my great aunt in the teens (I'd love to share it, but I fear I would be haunted!). I love old letters for their high and sometimes low thoughts, for the handwriting and occasional art work, for the record of lives lived. Perhaps the most poignant letter I could imagine, I own. In it, my great aunt tells my grandmother about another of their sisters sons, who had just died at the age of about 10. It is so beautifully sensitive and a priceless family record. I knew two of my grandmother's sisters quite well, and if I could time-travel, I would immediately go back to their young days and get to know them! The oldest was born 1890 (or so...she was vague on that!) and the youngest, my grandmother, was born 1907. In fact, her birthday would be next week, come to think of it! That age span meant they were scattered around for many years, either off at school or work or starting their own families. And letter writing was how they shared their news.

I was also given a gorgeous Parker 21 for Christmas by my sweet husband. That pen writes like a dream and is a pleasure to hold. Problem is, I can't find anything to write! I have done more playful scribbling than actual writing with it, and that makes me sad.

And third, I'm currently reading As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto. Talk about a wonderful document of a friendship, of a cookbook, and of a national personality. I feel like I have two new friends while I'm reading this book, and I'm just itching to join in their years-long conversation. If you come across this book, give it a look.

I want a pen pal like Julia and/or Avis. I have a few e-mail correspondances, but they don't really have the "feel" of becoming letter-writing relationships. There's something...different. But the thing is, there will be no wonderful letters like the ones I have from my relatives, left behind to record my generation. For goodness sake, my husband and I spent much more time on e-mail (in those early e-mail days!) than we did on paper in our courting days. There will be little to nothing for anyone to stumble over one day. I might have to resort to journal writing... ugh. Or maybe I'll have my pen next to the computer as I blog!

Ah well. What about you? Do you write letters?

Holiday Shopping Guide--Whitman's Samplers

Anybody else grow up thinking a Whitman's Sampler was the height of luxury? Every special occasion called for a big yellow box and everyone in the family had their favorites, and you didn't dare infringe on the individual sampler space(s).

My mother, who is 83, has informed us that all she wants for Christmas this year is, in fact, a Whitman's Sampler. So we will oblige...and hope she insists on sharing!

This, from Time magazine, Dec. 23, 1940:

Just look at the selection of Whitman's chocolates. If you're like me, you've only ever seen the yellow-boxed samplers in stores. And even finding the giant boxes that used to denote the most generous of gifts is difficult.

In my search, I discovered that the old company, Whitman & Son, went through a series of owners and is currently owned by that other famous chocolate boxer-upper, Russell Stover. And while you can't find these:

Chocolate cigarettes! Candy-loaded toys! !!

 

you can readily find the samplers, although they don't look exactly like this anymore:

But if Whitman's makes you nostalgic, like it does me, check out the Russell Stover Web site. There you can find a few different spins on the sampler, like peanut butter, nut and chewy, along with special boxes, like Peanuts and "the meaning of Christmas." They have a 40 oz sampler! A 9 oz caramel mallows (oooooohhh! aaaaaahhhh!)! Sugar-free samplers! And the neatest, this 100th anniversary sampler in a tin. Unforntunately, that gorgeous tin is sold out... sob...

So for a sweet vintage treat of a gift, how about a Whitman's sampler?

Holiday Shopping Guide--Wonder-Full Gifts

And no, I don't mean wonderful... I mean things that make you wonder about a gift giver! Here are a couple of ads, from the same 1953 Good Housekeeping. For him and her:

Now these aren't rude gifts, like a scale or a floor sweeper. And they aren't necessarily bad gifts, especially is she loves rolled ice cream and he loves to garden (or vice versa!). It's not even that they are utilitarian, because they are a step up from a spoon or ... I don't know... a non-stainless steel sprayer? I suppose in JUST the right situation, these are appropriate and even quite thoughtful gifts. I just can't imagine what that perfect situation is that would warrant either of these gifts as a Christmas gift, even a host or hostess gift.

I know these are ads, from companies wanting to make sales. It's just their suggestions of their items as "thoughtful" Christmas gifts that just make me scratch my head!

Oh well. It looks like the joke's on me! Both of these companies are still in business and STILL making these SAME products! So if you happen to want an ice cream scoop by Zeroll or a stainless steel sprayer from Hudson, you're in luck! But if I receive either of these, I will wonder about the giver...

Holiday Shopping Guide--Watch the Time!

Do watch the time... Christmas is only 15 days away!

Here's a lovely gift idea from 1940, Time magazine:

Vintage jewelry is lovely for sure, but a vintage watch, for me, is just so special. There seems to be a kind of connection, maybe because that watch has literally been ticking off the time since it was made. And so many of them still are ticking off the time, as they were made to last...and have!

I've lately been hankering after a ladies watch on the cord band. My  mother had one when I was little, and it disappeared (like so much). They are so jewel like, so dainty, and so evocative of their era.

And by the by, when did we stop putting things like watches in such lovely boxes? That is often my most favorite thing about vintage jewelry of any kind, when the original box is with it. They were just as lovely, often, as the gift inside.

Sigh... so pretty!

Just look at "F" there. And those men's watches are so classy.

Happy hunting!

Holiday Shopping Guide--That Takes the Biscuit

Ah McVitie's.

If you've ever been to the British Isles or know anyone from there, chances are you know this brand of biscuits...HobNobs, Chocolate Digestives, Rich Tea biscuits... yum. In fact, they are so much a part of the culture, Prince William's groom's cake was made out of Rich Tea biscuits and chocolate. What's not to love?

This ad is from November 17, 1949, The Sphere (UK):

The ad is a lovely thing in itself. Let's take a look at the "grand old Christmas customs":

Lovely...

Once upon a time, one bought one's biscuits (or received them as gifts) in beautifully decorated tins. These were so lovely that few of our grandmothers ever threw them out! As such, there are tons of vintage tins out there, biscuit and otherwise, to make lovely gifts.

Or better yet... use a vintage tin as a gift box, put something really extraordinary inside, and wrap a pretty ribbon around it. We vintage types always have uses for old tins, and of course...for what might be inside! (especially biscuits!) So that's a gift in a gift....and if the ribbon is pretty enough... a bonus gift for the hair! Perfection!

So think outside the "box" for putting gifts under the tree, and give your gifts a vintage flair!

Holiday Shopping Guide--Usefulness

Well, I certainly did fall off the blog wagon and went on a non-blogging binge... What with Thanksgiving, houseguests, illness, sheer busy-ness, and a touch of laziness, I haven't been here in a while. But I'm back with gift ideas for those starting to get a little frantic!

So, without further ado:

Now this may seem a bit utilitarian, but I like it. Receving it in 1940 (this ad is from Dec. 2 Time) may not have been terribly exciting, but getting a vintage tape dispenser today is a pretty cool gift. Those suckers were made solid, and most old office equipment is very desirable today. Pens and pencils, in-baskets, filing cabinets, desks, chairs, telephones, stamp dispensers and moisteners, and what have you. Lovely items any vintage lover would appreciate -- and use!

So if someone on your list has a space on his or her desk crying out for a perfect supply, look around for vintage office supplies. You'll find something to fill the bill!

I recently received a great early gift of a voucher for a local antique mall. I thoroughly enjoyed spending a couple of hours trying to spend it all! I came up $14 short, but the mall was kind enough to just give me the difference. I've tucked it away for another trip...and yes, I will find something I love for that amount...or less!

Here's my first haul:

That's a couple of 1940 Life magazines, a lovely little dish that matches one I got from my sweet husband a couple of Christmases ago, a lovely little bottle of Yardley Red Roses perfume in its original box, a fantastic Westclox Big Ben alarm clock that I've had my eye on for the better part of a year, and a simply wonderful Collins box bag that is now the pride of my Collins collection. I had a great time shopping with my voucher and tried to make the most of it. I love my special goodies so much and the day out leisurly shopping was the added bonus.

So how are things going out there? Getting that shopping done? Dropping enough hints to be sure you get what your heart desires? :)