Cinema #11: Snow White Meets Deep Throat (Part 2)

Several months ago, I published a post on old newspaper movie ads which contained both family oriented films side by side with explicitly adult films. There's just something funny about seeing an like the one above from a 1972 Bangor newspaper, which has Snow White right alongside Twins of Evil and Hands of the Ripper.

I think it's indicative of the times: in the 70s, everything was oriented towards the Boomers - kids were a footnote. There was an openness towards things considered solidly inappropriate today, and cinemas were full of adult oriented flicks, and precious little stuff for the kiddos.  Look at the big budget movies for kids these days and compare them to pre-Star Wars kiddie flicks like the Herbie and Benji movies and Escape to Witch Mountain (1975). They were were few and far between, and quite often total shite.

So, here's just a few newspaper artifacts from when the Love Generation ruled the cinema. Adult films riding shotgun with family matinees. I promise you, they are not cut and pasted together. Enjoy.

Tech #5: Awful Video Games

In 1982 there was actually a video game called "Outhouse".  It was made for the TRS-80 and basically was a game about stopping people from using up all your toilet paper. It was the dawn of the video game revolution, the prospects were limitless, the future full of possibilites.... and they make a video game about preserving toilet paper?

This sounds bad, but I would have to say it's not the worst video game of all time. That distinction goes to the E.T. game for Atari.  No game was more hotly anticipated, and no game was a bigger disappointment.  Outhouse was certainly a lousy game, but at least you knew what you getting into when you bought it.

Without any hesitation, the most politcally incorrect video game of all time has to be Custer's Revenge. The object is to have General Custer exact his revenge by literally raping a Sioux Indian girl.  This is beyond being un-PC, beyond offensive, beyond despicable. I stand in complete amazement that this ever existed.

Let's Get Physical #3: Bikes!

The bicycle boom during the 70s was the biggest the United States has ever had, and it was especially remarkable because it was such a tremendous jump. During the sixties, the number of bicycles sold had increased from 3.7 million in 1960 to 5.6 million in 1965 but only to 6.9 million bikes sold in 1970. Who would have guessed that 15.2 million bicycles would be sold in '73, just three years later? [source]

What was the cause for such a leap? It was due in part to improvements in their design and the introduction of the 10 speed.  The major reason, however, was the dramatic change in the culture. There was a renewed interest in both personal health and the environment.  The counter-culture had officially penetrated the mainstream, and taking a bike versus an automobile was the perfect hippie statement.  Plus, rising gas prices provided that extra incentive to keep the car parked in the driveway.

Bad Songs #6

A while back, I watched the John Waters movie, A Dirty Shame, and was struck by the soundtrack which contained extremely bawdy music from the 1950s and 60s.  I mean these songs weren't even subtle.  You hear stories about how "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles was scandalous - and yet here's these songs from ten years earlier which would make Barry White blush.... okay, maybe not, but you get my point.

Anyway, I soon discovered there was quite a market for dirty music back in the day - it just wasn't played on the radio.  All of the ones I uncovered were pretty awful - obviously not meant to be appreciated for their musicianship as their ability to turn a risque phrase and lay it between the lines.

Trivia Newton-John #16: Poster Giveaway

Drawn at the peak of the CB craze by Chuck Pettigrew and JK Smith, this amazing poster is a collectors item illustrating the colorful CB language of the time. This 24x36 inch full color map is available for purchase.  Contact Chuck for purchasing one for yourself or call him at 678-513-7845.

Chuck is nice enough to offer one for a giveaway on Retrospace, and will ship a FREE poster to the winner.  As usual, the first person to get the answer will be declared the winner, and will also be the proud recipient of a Trivia Newton John Award to place proudly in your blog's sidebar.

Retro Badass #3: The Top 25 Badasses of All Time

I just read through Entertainment Weekly's lackluster "greatest characters of the last twenty years" and was less than impressed.  I mean, not only were the choices ridiculous (i.e. Amanda from Melrose Place), but the concept itself is just horrible. They actually have Gollum from The Lord of the Rings alongside Cher from Clueless.

Far be it from me to knock lists - I love lists. Even though they're just a worthless collection of opinions, they are often fun to read.... and even more fun to compile. So, as lame and witless as EW's list was, it did inspire me to come up with one of my own: The Top 25 Badasses of All Time.

I realize some of these are pretty obscure, but they stand out in my head as big time badasses nonetheless. I am sure I missed some obvious ones. So, not only will I not be offended if you dog cuss me for leaving a good one out, I would be extremely appreciative of any contributions you could add. (No, pretty boy James Bond did not make the cut - this was not an oversight). So, here they are....(drum roll please)

1. Blondie (Clint Eastwood - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly)
2. Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt - Inglorious Basterds) 
3. Philo Beddoe (Clint Eastwood - Every Which Way but Loose)
4. Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood - Dirty Harry)
5. Jack Carter (Michael Caine - Get Carter)
6. Captain Kirk (William Shatner - Star Trek)
7. The Bride (Uma Thurman - Kill Bill Vol. 1)
8. Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson - Death Wish)
9. John Shaft (Richard Roundtree - Shaft)
10. Lee (Bruce Lee - Enter the Dragon)
11. Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson - Pulp Fiction)
12. Black Dynamite (Michael Jai White - Black Dynamite)
13. Marv (Mickey Rourke - Sin City)
14. Coffy (Pam Grier - Coffy) 
15. Bud White (Russell Crowe - L.A. Confidential)
16. Gator McClusky (Burt Reynolds - White Lightning)
17. Youngblood Priest (Ron O'Neal - Superfly)
18. Dae-su Oh (Choi Min-Sik - Oldboy)
19. Heinz Klett (Raymond Harmsdorf - Bloody Friday)
20. King Leonidas (Gerard Butler - 300)
21. Tony Montana (Al Pacino - Scarface)
22. Ash (Bruce Campbell - Evil Dead II)
23. Black Belt Jones (Jim Kelly - Black Belt Jones)
24. Billy Jack (Tom Laughlin - Billy Jack)
25. Cesare Cardinali (Alex Cord - Stiletto)

The Vintage Home #4

Here's another dozen or so glimpses inside the 1970s home.... a time when a chair swing was perfectly okay sitting right in the middle of your living room. 

I must confess, I love the 70s style - it was so unique and daring.  Sure, its colors were either ultra-brown or loud and obnoxious - but that's part of the charm.  It's easy to dismiss as tacky; but, with an open mind, it was really interesting and fun.

Vintage Scan #12: Good Manners '83

I scanned this from a book called Health Safety & Manners (1983). I don't know about you, but I love my kids dearly and feel they are good kids.... but they have never, not once, followed the rules above.

"I walk quietly beside my mother"

Are you kidding me? Not only do my kids break that rule, but every kid I've ever seen in the grocery store does the same thing.  They are all bitching, whining, begging, and just talking incessantly. Are kids today more badly behaved than 27 years ago.... or is this just an example of wishful thinking back in the early eighties?

"I do not handle things on the shelves"

Ummmm. Once again, this is just not happening at any of the grocery stores I've visited. Their grubby hands are all over everything in every aisle. Again I ask - was this a fantasy world, or have things changed that much? Personally, I think they were better behaved back then. My memory is not perfect, but I don't think kids were quite like they are today in public places.

Read on to gaze in wonder at a few more pages from Health, Safety, & Manners. Enjoy.

Vintage Wheels #8

Believe it or not, the image above is from an old Texas Tech yearbook.  Every year throughout the 70s, the yearbook would feature their annual Playmate who'd be featured in some seductive mock Playboy cover.  Can you imagine this in a yearbook put out today?

Anyway, upon seeing this, I was inspired to throw a few more images your way featuring women and wheels - i.e. cars, motorcycles, scooters, auto parts, etc.  Enjoy.

Vintage Style #12

Here's a sort of grab-bag of bad fashion from the 1970s, and a few from the 60s.  Most of these I didn't scan myself, but swiped from places like ebay and various forums, etc. I certainly prefer to provide my own content, but sometimes it's just fun to take a look at what other people have uncovered.

I say this nearly every Bad Fashion post, but let me reiterate one more time: I actually love the fashions of both the 60s and the 70s.  Sure, they're fun to point and laugh at, but that's only because they took risks, and just rolled with it.  Today, we almost have an absence of fashion - there will not really be much to point and laugh at in the ensuing decades. I can promise you that posts on fashion from the 90s and 00s will be very boring posts indeed. Having nothing to point and laugh at in the decades to come isn't necessarily something to be proud of.

So, go ahead and laugh your ass off at some of these pictures. I sure did.  However, know that, in a way, their hideousness is a badge of honor.

Important Things to Know #6: You Are Made of Corn

We’ve talked a lot about the cultural differences between the present day and the 60s and 70s; however, I think it may time to highlight a biological difference. Pretty much everyone reading this post is made of corn - prior to the 1980s, we were not made of corn.

It’s true. Your dry weight is almost completely corn derived. In other words, the carbon atoms and various other organic compounds that make up your body were once in a corn field in Iowa.

Once upon a time, our beverages were sweetened with sugar (from sugar cane); now everything is sweetened with corn syrup.

Once upon a time, our livestock were fed with grass/hay; now, their diet is nearly entirely corn based. Thus, the majority of the biomass that you consume when eating beef is corn derived.

Mini Skirt Monday #49: Group Photos

What's the only thing better than a miniskirt? Yeah, that's right - two miniskirts.

Utilizing this principle, I present to you great quantities of minis in group photos from yesteryear . Enjoy.

Vintage Wheels #7: Alien Technology Used to Create Dodge Ad

click to enlarge

It's just a theory, but I think Chrysler-Dodge may have had access to alien technology in the 1970s.  The advertisement above could only have been ripped directly from a man's subconscious. Put simply, I'm saying Chrysler-Dodge somehow tapped into the brain waves of an unconscious male and were able to visualize that information and transfer it to print.  It sounds like science fiction, but it's the only conceivable explanation for this ad.

The Vintage Preservation Collection #3: German Super 8's

Super 8 film was originally intended for amateur filmmaking; however, cinematic releases were also available in this format for home viewing during the late sixties, and throughout the seventies.  The ads proclaim "the world of home movie magic, right in your own living room!"

Turns out, a guy named Robert Weidmann in Berlin has an excellent collection of Super 8 packaging and promotional material. Robby's Super 8 features hundreds of scans of German movie art, oftentimes bizarre and hilarious. I don't know if Super 8 was especially popular in Germany, or Rob is just a fanatic - either way, it was very entertaining perusing through his collection.

 I couldn't help myself. I had to sequester 20 or so examples and put them in a slideshow for your viewing pleaure. I enjoy exploring the less traveled niches of the retro pop culture landscape, and German Super 8's from the seventies certainly qualifies in that regard!

Gilligan: The Untold Story

I've been blogging for a few years now, so I think it's only right to tell a bit about myself for my loyal readers who may be curious.

I was born on a Wednesday to the love-slave of an unemployed Belgian cobbler. True, she was crazier than a shit-house rat, but she took care of me. Sadly, the day after I graduated from culinary school, she was abducted by aliens.... illegal aliens.... from Sweden. Alas, I never saw her again, but heard reports she was responsible for the breakup of ABBA after being caught in some sick sexual act with both Björn and Benny and a Black Bear (which is BTW the national animal of Sweden).

My bleak formative years no doubt led to a very dark period. I abandoned hopes in a future in the culinary arts and began writing poetry and taking massive doses of hallucinogens. My first published work is pictured below. It's out of print, but still can be found on ebay and Amazon from used booksellers.

Needlework A Go-Go #6

To demonstrate how little I know about needlecraft, I thought Columbia Minerva was the woman on the cover.  Turns out, it's a corporation specializing in yarn and how-to needlework books.  Personally, I cannot operate a needle - I couldn't sew a button if a gun was to my head.  However, I do have a strange fascination with vintage needlecraft books. Go figure.

The reason I'm fond of them is that they are perhaps the best sources of vintage fashion out there, along with catalogs and old magazines. If there's one thing I've learned from hundreds of trips to hundreds of flea markets, it's that women hang on to their cookbooks and needlecraft literature - making these two items abundant.  Whereas, women threw out their old catalogs and magazines, making these vintage articles harder to come by.

Anyway, here's a few scans from the needlework booklet pictured above, published in 1968.  I particularly like this one because the photographs are so colorful, crisp and clear - plus, the fasions are very (ahem) interesting.

Retro Film Report #11: Dracula A.D. 1972

Mix equal parts Austin Powers and Bram Stoker and you get Dracula A.D. 1972 - a wonderful admixture of Hammer horror and Swingin' Shaggin' London. It's both groovy and Gothic, and highly entertaining. At times you'll think you're watching a blaxploitation flick - the soundtrack is funky and Drac is the ultimate pimp. At other times it's classicly Gothic, with dark castles and late night seances.  Indeed, Dracula A.D. 1972 has one foot in classic Hammer horror and the other in the funktastic 1970s, makes this a rare treat.

Magazines #4: 1979 Tabloid

Let's take a look at the July 1979 issue of a tabloid called TV Picture Life - published long before Kate Gosselin's new hairstyle was grabbing the headlines. What were they gossiping about 31 years ago>? Read on and find out.

What a ridiculously deceptive headline!  You'd think this would actually be interesting: perhaps Williams had to engage in gay sex with the producer of Happy Days to get the part as Mork. Nope.  The truth behind the headline is much, much less interesting. After Robin split up with his girlfirend in New York, he moved to California to get away - thus enabling him to have opportunities as an actor..... Jeez What a let down.

Live from an Oil Soaked Wasteland

I hate to diverge from the retro oriented topics; however, I can't help but mention our experience on the utterly destroyed beaches on the Gulf.  The Gilligan family is vacationing in my favorite part of the country, The French Quarter. We decided to stop by the beach en route and were highly disturbed by what we saw.

The pristine white beaches are brown with turd shaped globs and big waves of peanut butter-like crap.  That's my daughter, Naomi, in the picture above. She was highly disturbed by what she saw.  It's one thing to see it on television, quite another to stand amid the destruction. 

The Vintage Preservation Collection #2: Comics with Problems

You pick a problem, there was once a comic book about it.  Venereal disease, drugs, pregnancy, smoking, bicycle safety, poison, communism.... you name it, there was a comic for it. Comics with Problems is an excellent site with scans from many oftentimes hilarious public service comic books.  The illustration above is from Danny and the Demon Cycle (1972).

NBA Finals vs. World Cup

So, I'm on a nice long vacation and I've got plenty of time to watch the tube. I'm suddenly faced with a question - do I spend my time watching a rather exciting Celtics - Lakers NBA Finals or do I watch what the entire rest of the planet is watching - the World Cup?

Here on Retrospace, I like to look at things from a historical-cultural perspective, and so the real question is why is everybody else watching soccer and we Americans are watching basketball? Why did soccer never catch on here in the States?

A few theories: (1) There's very little scoring, and Americans need lots of stuff for the ESPN highlight reel, (2) many Americans suffer from a superiority complex - in other words, who gives a shit about France and Brazil, the only rivalries that count are within the US of A, and (3) it's just too damn late - it's not easy to get 290 million people to become soccer fans, when they've already invested themselves in football, baseball and basketball.

That's my two cents. If you've got any theories, I'd like to hear them. Go Celtics!

Fads #13: When Brown Was Beautiful

Back in the 70s, your goal (mainly women) was to get as brown as your skin would permit.  Sun BLOCK or sun screen was basically nonexistant. You wanted to amplify your rays - SPF numbers hovered around 2, 4 and 8. Women typically lathered on Crisco and baby oil to get that deep baked look.

As I spray my SPF 50 on the kids and apply the SPF 30 to my shoulders, I reflect on how times have changed.  Many of my children's friends aren't even allowed to play outside without sun block!  Of course, no one wants skin cancer... but there's something to be said for having a "healthy glow". Right or wrong, I personally feel healthier when I've got a tan - perhaps it's healthier to be pale and pasty, but I'm a true believer in the old school 70s motto that Brown Is Beautiful.

Take a minute, if you have time, to check out some old advertisements from the golden age of the tan. Enjoy.

Rollermania #4: Roller Ads

Long before rollerblades took skating outside, there was a whole fashion niche in the roller skating world of the rink and roller disco.  There were bedazzled leotards and funky skates in a dazzlingly hideous variety. For instance, there was the roller formalwear...

Of course, most rollerwear was gaudy beyond human comprehension - especially attire designed for the roller disco. Not that the guys were complaining...

So, let's take a look at some of them in my little gallery of roller skating advertisements from the 1970s and early 80s. While none are jaw dropping risque like the image above, they're no less interesting for nostalgia's sake. Enjoy!

The First Retrospace Poll - Decades of Horror

After several years of posting nearly every single day, I still haven't tried a single reader's poll.  The primary reason: I think polls are just a lame waste of time.... but, I must say I can't help but try it at least once.

Sitting by the pool, I was reading a Rue Morgue magazine (their recent 100th issue) where they discuss the changes in horror movies over the duration of the magazine's circulation of thirteen years.  It got me thinking - what decade was the best for horror movies? Not surprisingly, I'm partial to the seventies, but it's not really a "no brainer".  There were some damn good horror flicks in the 60s and 80s.

I certainly don't want to sway the poll results, but I feel the 90s were the absolute low point in horror.  However, I've been very pleased with the horror in the 2000s - other than the lousy remakes (The Omen, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, etc.) and the torture porn (Hostel, Saw, etc.). I absolutely loved Drag Me to Hell, Trick or Treat, The Grudge and Planet Terror.

So, I encourage you to place your vote on the sidebar to the left. I'm actually curious how this'll turn out. You'll notice there's no option to choose decades prior to the 60s - fans of those old Universal horror movies feel free to curse me under your breath. I feel your pain.

Saturday Morning TV #5: The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show

The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show was an awful Saturday morning program that aired in 1974 and 75.  It had a lot of similarities to Krofft productions in that it was both surreal and cheesy. 

The brothers were actually decent musicians and had achieved a degree of chart success in the late sixties and early seventies.  But their real claim to fame is brother Bill (on the left in the image below), who was one of the biggest playboys of his day.

He married Goldie Hawn (his daughter is Kate Hudson), and then Cindy Williams from Laverne & Shirley.  He also was romantically involved with Jill St. John, Candice Bergen, and Ali McGraw!

Vintage Wheels #6: Shaggin Wagons

(click the image to enlarge)

Your clothes are distinctive
Your lifestyle different
So why should your means of transportation
be the same as everyone else's?
You want something personal, unique
You want something that says,
"This is me."

This is 70s poetry at its finest. Emily Dickinson eat your heart out.
 

Take me back to glory days of the custom van. In the 1970s, vans were a private space to have sex and do drugs..... oh, yeah - they also were a means of transportation. One of my very first posts on Retrospace was about the custom van - they are the definitive symbol of the seventies.The interiors were often shag carpeted dens of iniquity - dimly lit rooms that smelled like pot and Hai Karate. They were the ultimate 70s male lair. If, for some reason, you wound up in this place, the odds were high that you were seconds away from getting stoned or shagged.... probably both.

 

Mini Skirt Monday #48: Minis in Catalogs

Click the icon below to view 38 pages from various catalogs from 1968 through 1975. These are scans from catalogs like Montgomery Wards and JC Penney.  Enjoy..... and, your welcome.



Note: to view the images full size, you have to click the word "link" on the left side of the slideshow. This takes you to the Flickr set..... pain in ass, I know.  I promise to not use this slideshow creator next time.

Vintage Reads #7: Summer Reading List

I will be going on a 2 and a half week vacation in a couple days, and I just picked out some books to read poolside.  I've never taken a vacation for two consecutive weeks; at least not in the past fifteen years.  So, I'm really looking forward to having the time to relax and read. I'll have a laptop with me, so I can still post on Retrospace - but it will be in a Margarita fueled haze, so forgive me if I sound incoherent in the next few weeks.  Plus, I'll be in close quarters with my kids day and night, so there may be an added element of stress and tension in my writing.

Enough, about me and my freaking awesome vacation.... back to the books. When I returned home with a sack full of trashy paperbacks, my wife commented on my decline in taste over the past few years. You see, I was quite the book snob once upon a time. I never read anything but "quality literature" for years and years: Kafka, Steinbeck, Hawthorne, etc. What the hell happened to me? Here's a few of the books to read this vacation (plus The Minnesota Connection shown above) ...

(click on images to enlarge)

How did I go from reading James Joyce to a paperback which reads "Half child, half woman... all bitch!" I think the best way I can describe it is to compare it to someone who loves quality beer. For years, he only will drink the finest brew and looks down at domestic brands like Miller and Budweiser..... till one day, he orders a glass of top quality ale at the local brewery. He receives it in a glass, and drinks it down, relishing every sip, commenting on the outstanding taste. Surely, only the choicest hops and barley were used in the preparation of this incredible glass of beer!

Then, the bartender apologizes for switching his order with another customer. He was actually drinking effing PBR! He'd been singing the praises and treasuring every swallow of Pabst Blue Ribbon!

Okay, the analogy took longer than I thought, but you get my point. Take away the label, the cover, the preconceived judgments, and you're left with just words on a page.  In the end, it's just a matter of personal taste.

Food & Drink #9: MEAT!

I'll be honest with you - I'm not a big fan of meat.  A few years ago, I lived out in the country somewhat near a factory farm for chickens.  Almost every day I'd get behind a truckload of those sick, bloated creatures. It turned my stomach.

I have no real moral problem with eating animals, it's the industry. I just have a problem with eating animals raised in disgusting living conditions and pumped full of God-knows-what chemicals. Not to mention, these gigantic factory farms are taking advantage of illegal immigrants and are horrible polluters.  I could go on and on.

Believe it or not, this is a fairly recent phenomenon.  As late as the 1970s, the beef you bought at the local grocery store likely came from a nearby farm.  Whereas, now the meat industry is controlled by around six mega-corporations, back then the sources for what ends up on your plate were much more diverse. 

That's not to say that meat couldn't be disgusting back in the day.  Here's a few examples of hideous meat creations from yesteryear. Enjoy!

Catalogs #3: 1977 Victoria's Secret Catalog

I must admit, I was a little surprised to learn Victoria's Secret was around in 1977.  Evidently, they started that year in a San Francisco shopping center.  They also put out a mail order catalog in '77  which has been lovingly scanned for your viewing pleasure at Yeeeeee. 

You may recognize the model in the picture above.  That's Melody Anderson from Flash Gordon, who was also featured here in a Foxy Ladies post. I don't know about you, but I find that rather interesting.

Retro Badass #2: Shatner

What made Captain Kirk everything a red blooded American boy wants to be? How did Shatner take a role that could have easily just been a one dimensional caricature, and make it his bitch?  A potentially cheesy "space captain" became a pop culture icon. What makes him such a badass?

First of all, he's the captain, so everybody kissed his ass. If there was a beautiful woman or alien within a 70 yard radius of him, you could guarantee he'd be making love to her within the hour. 

Kid Stuff #14: When Playgrounds Were Metal

click image to embiggen

Remember when playgrounds were fun? Sure, there was a pretty good chance you'd be scalded by a hot metal slide, or walk away with tetanus, but that's what memories are made of.

At my children's school, there is literally a sign that reads "NO RUNNING ON THE PLAYGROUND".  I swear I am not making that up. Plus, they've stripped it of all the "dangerous" playground equipment. There's no merry-go-round, no jungle gym, no monkey bars.... boooooring.  My kids literally do not know what a see-saw is.

And it's not just our kids' school. My wife is a teacher and she says it's like this in a lot of places.  She doesn't know the last time she's seen a merry-go-round. Kinda sad really.

I remember my school playground had a metal ladder "wall" that I swear went up three stories - it didn't connect to a slide or anything. It was literally a ladder to the sky - I remember thinking the oxygen was thinner at the top.  One false move and I'd have been a fleshy colored stain on the asphalt.

Maybe I'm a bad parent, but I'd let my kids play on a slide that wasn't fully encapsulated and made of soft plastic.  If they got cut, scraped, burned, or bruised, I'd give them a hug and let them go back to play - it wouldn't be the end of the world for chrissake.

The Vintage Preservation Collection

Okay, folks, this took some thought, but I think it's time to introduce another regular feature on Retrospace - one that I'm particularly excited about.  I hereby announce the arrival of The Vintage Preservation Collection (trumpets and fanfare).

I'm constantly stumbling upon good quality scans of all kinds of vintage items: comics, catalogs, advertisements, magazines, etc.  Taking the time and effort to scan a catalog or magazine can be quite an undertaking, so it's only right that these selfless bloggers get the credit they deserve.  After all, these items may be lost to the depths of time were not for their acts of digital preservation.

Sure, there's a handful of sites that contribute to vintage preservation on a daily basis,  Zen Tiger's site and The Horrors of It All come to mind.  My goal is to spotlight posts rather than the blogs themselves.  In other words, it may be a completely non-vintage blog which happens to have one post that meets the criteria.

In fact, some of these may be from now defunct blogs; abandoned long ago to the graveyards of the blogosphere.  But it doesn't matter - this isn't an award.  This is simply what the title implies: vintage preservation - primarily from the periods covered on Retrospace (the 60s, 70s, and 80s).

I won't pretend that a shout-out from Retrospace is anything special - but, perhaps, a portion of the 5000 or so folks that drop by everyday here will pay them a visit. I will happily direct traffic to my fellow comrads who strive to keep materials from the 60s and 70s from being lost forever.

I would like to make this regular feature a weekly post - sorta like Miniskirt Monday. Once I've named 10 or so, I will create a page that will list all the items in The Vintage Preservation Collection. Perhaps, this will develop into a cool retro reference site. Who knows?

So without further ado, here's the first addition to The Vintage Preservation Collection

 The 1974 Kenner Fun Catalog posted by The Magic Whistle

A great piece of nostalgia, with 15 or so pages of comic panel ads for products I vividly remember from my childhood.  The Snoopy pencil sharpener, Baby Alive, and who can forget the Cassette Movie Viewer?

Final note: If you have some good scans or know of an undiscovered gem out there, please email it to me or drop it in the comments.