The Retro Blog

In 1965 country singer Roger Miller released his signature hit, “King of the Road.” For a song about a dirty hobo, it sure was popular. Here’s a video of Miller singing his song in front of an insanely colored cartoon train.

In the days before rap artists started shooting each other, rivalries between musicians were cute, [...]

Have you ever hear of Froggy the Gremlin? I know I hadn’t until today. The internet is a wonderful thing in that it proves that even the most obscure pop culture figures actually have strongly devoted fans. This deep voiced little scamp seems to exist to torment others, especially Andy Devine, host of the Andy’s [...]

If you love 50’s animation as much as I do, you’ll want to check out the book Cartoon Modern and its companion blog by Amid Amidi. It closely examines cartoon art from this era. For a brief period of time animators emphasized a graphic design style that focused less on realism and more on getting [...]

 
[via silera in vintage ads]

When you hear “business up front, party in the back,” you probably think of everybody’s favorite haircut, the mullet. In the pre-mullet days, you might have thought of this lovely desk. Gunn Furniture Co. invented this double duty piece of 1940’s hardware that acts like a normal desk during business hours, but the opposite side [...]

Prom season is here. Personally, I was not such a fan of prom. I probably would have been more enthusiastic about the event if people were all in 50’s outfits. Enjoy some retro prom pictures:
1. Dress choice is ever so important
2. Make sure you know all the right moves.
3. Coordinate clothes with your date. And [...]

“How to make yourself popular is a problem for all ages, but it can be particularly disturbing for teen-agers,” starts this article in the August, 1958 issue of McCall’s magazine. The magazine went straight to the teens themselves to solve this terrible problem, and the teen-agers of North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana were [...]

I reside in San Francisco, and should thus thoroughly enjoy Otis Redding’s biggest hit, “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay,” but this is not so. I’ve always been more of a “Try a Little Tenderness Girl.” It’s the classic slow buildup song. Watch this performance. It’s like a religious celebration.

Even the most die hard of modern cigarette smokers knows that there are certain times when you simply shouldn’t light up. People in the 1950’s, however, were unaware of this, and these commercials prove it.
1. When you’re waterskiing:

2. When you’re a doctor:

3. When you’re in need of a “cold shower”:

4. When you’re under hypnosis:

5. When [...]

I think it would have been pretty cool to be a nerd in the 1950’s. You know how I’d impress my nerdy friends? With a Curta calculator. Designed in 1948, this fishing reel-like device could perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and even complicated calculations like square roots. The device even has a cutesy nickname: the [...]

We’ve all seen tire commercials that advertise the tires’ ability to keep vehicle occupants safe. It seems that in the 60’s and early 70’s, this marketing was directed entirely toward women. After all, women are horrible drivers. You might think you don’t need a nice set of Goodyear tires, but as this sexist ad attests, [...]

Print magazine has a feature devoted to the common “object between spread legs” design element, tracing the graphic back to its roots on the covers of 1940’s pulp novels.

When I picture vintage pet carriers, horrible wooden pet prison boxes come to mind. People of the past were not especially kind to their dogs and cats, and when I see old cages they look more like traps than carriers. Thankfully, you can now get a retro styled pet carrier that doesn’t look a thing [...]

You know what stinks about those snazzy flat screen televisions everybody seems to be in a rush to buy? There’s no place to put a lamp on them. TV lamps were invented in the 1950’sto reduce “eye strain.” Seems that many people thought watching television in dim rooms was bad for you, so manufacturers rushed [...]

The game where “you make strategic offensive and defensive moves, and then try to bust your opponent’s balls.” I especially like the lazy, drawn out narration. Something makes me think this one didn’t quite make it to production.

“You’re a ball buster!”

The Retro Blog readers in Seattle have the opportunity to indulge in some vintage Japanese robot toy worship at the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. An exhibition running now through October 26 features many cute little retro visions of the future, many of which can be viewed in this gallery.

I think just about every girl I know has thought at some point in her life that being a flight attendant would be a pretty good job. There’s something romantic about the idea of jetsetting about and seeing the world while only needing a waitress level skill set. I’ve thought about this too, but the [...]

Today temperatures soared in the Bay Area. It was not fun. It’s much more fun to hear people sing about extreme heat. Here’s two performances of “(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave.” The first is the most famous version, performed by Martha and the Vandellas. Love that coordinated arm swinging!

The second is a cover by [...]

I was born in an era where one use flashes were a thing of the past, but to the swingin pseudo mods in this Kodak commercial, flashcubes were probably pretty exciting. These nifty little devices were tiny cubes with a one use flash on each side, allowing the photographer to shoot four flash exposures before [...]

From mowtown mavens to mod beauties, this gallery of 1960’s ladies has it all.

A lot of people seem to think of Jayne Mansfield as the poor man’s Marilyn Monroe. Her roles were a little more on the cheesy and spicy side than Miss Monroe, and she might have followed Monroe in to the beds of various Kennedy’s, but I think that’s not to say that Marilyn was better. [...]

Flickr user Pink Ponk posted an excellent collection of vintage 1950’s-1970’s advertisements. [via laughing squid]

Mother’s day is here. How much do you love your mom? Enough to let her chuck machetes at you so she can get on tv? Little Connie Ann allows her mom, knife thrower Louella Gallagher, to toss knives at her for the sake of entertainment in this 50’s newsreel clip.

In keeping with the build up to mother’s day, I bring you the oh so classy trailer for Teenage Mother, a 1967 grindhouse exploitation flick that looks like Juno redone by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. It’s directed by Jerry Gross, the man who brought us such memorable films as “I Drink Your Blood and [...]

Here’s a great flickr gallery of scans of kodachrome slides of 50’s and 60’s travel posters.

On May 9, 1960, the FDA approved the world’s first oral contraceptive pill. Too bad for Eileen. It was two years too late for her. In this 1958 educational film, a young lass named Mary finds herself tempted by dreamboat Jeff and she’s afraid of what will happen when they “park.” Luckily for Mary she [...]

Here’s a whole series of old black and white retro illustrations from Russian science fiction novels. Quite gorgeous! [via boingboing]

If you’re into retro 50’s and 60’s styled art, you’ll probably recognize the work of Shag. Shag is Josh Agle, a 45 year old artist working in the medium of swank. His paintings, typically done in acrylic on wood panels, show a lot of parties you wish you were invited to. Bachelors impress their dates [...]

Here’s a gallery of gorgeous magazine covers from the 50’s and 60’s. Excellent retro designs. [via boingboing]

Did you know Salvador Dali was a total sell out? Watch him shill for Alka-Seltzer. I really can’t explain the odd choice of the actor providing Dali’s voice. Spanish=Mexican=Speedy Gonzalez? Check out Laughing Squid for more, including Dali’s quite amusing appearance on What’s My Line in which he insists on answering ‘yes’ to almost [...]

When I saw that today is Audrey Hepburn’s birthday, it got me thinking about what a fashion forward lady she was. How might one go about emulating her style? This is where one needs to point one’s browser to That’s So Boss, a blog where the writer gives you a clip of a retro film [...]

Osamu Tezuka is best known for Astro Boy, but you might not have heard of his other show, “Galaxy Boy Troop.” Apparently Tezuka turned down a gig as art director on Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 to work on this show. “Galaxy Boy Troop” combines marionettes and animation. And you know you love puppets. The show only [...]

What’s with little girls and hair? They love it. There seems to be something very soothing to children about dragging a brush through lengthy tresses. Luckily there’s always a marketing guy willing to cash in on little girls’ weird obsessions. Ideal toys stepped up to the plate with Crissy, a doll whose hair shrinks with [...]

Does seeing this shelving unit make you start to drool? Do you love the gorgeous vintage wood, airy design, and playful curves. Would it match just perfectly with your teak Danish modern coffee table? Are you dying to know the price? So am I. You have to register to the website to find out, which [...]