Lost In The Fifties
- Thread starter Ringo
- Start date
Nick Burkhardt
New member
Ah the 50's
BluesStringer
Les Brers
Man, I freakin' hated Ovaltine, but my mom and granny believed all the advertising about how "good for you" it was, so I grew up having it force-fed as my "treats" for being a good boy! LOL
Was kind of surprised there weren't any clips of cigarette ads saying, "More Doctors Smoke Camels Than Any Other Cigarette!" That stuff was u-freakin'-biquitous back then!
I also drove a '53 Buick very similar to the big black one pictured during the video a lot. It was my best friend's first car. He was two grades and three years older than me, but he and I just clicked when we met at a YMCA Indian Guides camp when I was 8 years old and he was 11. By the time he turned 16 and got that car, we'd already been stealing our parent's cars from our older siblings, ditching school, and going down to Hermosa Ave to race 'em. LOL Never did get caught either! HA! His mom's car was a '64 convertible Skylark, and my mom's was a '65 Malibu wagon, either one of which would be worth in the mid to high tens of thousands of dollars range today even with all the trashing we did to 'em! My friend's name was Phil Riggs. We were best friends from when we met until he was killed in a car crash in Marietta, GA in '94. He, his wife Lynn, and their two sons lived in Ellijay a bit North of Marietta, which is one of the big reasons my wife and I chose North Alabama to move to in '92. They were only about 150 miles away, and the last two years' worth of time together, were the best by far. But oh, the memories seeing that car pictured invoked in me!
I was half expecting to see a picture of a family member of mine who made some significant media history in the 50's. I'll just post a picture of him and see if anyone recognizes him or can recall what history I'm referring to....
Rattle any memories awake for any of the ol' farts around here?
Blues
dogshawred
New member
That was like old homes week. Just a little too familiar. A more simpler time, when home really meant something to everyone.
~
I can remember growing up and my father always drilling into my brother and I. Your mother is not a housewife she is a homemaker and he damn well meant it. I was raised with that kind of attitude. I can't count the number of times I got into a fight because someone called me an SOB, that was never said to me or about me within my ear shot. My friends learned quickly that was nothing to joke about with me.
~
I can remember growing up and my father always drilling into my brother and I. Your mother is not a housewife she is a homemaker and he damn well meant it. I was raised with that kind of attitude. I can't count the number of times I got into a fight because someone called me an SOB, that was never said to me or about me within my ear shot. My friends learned quickly that was nothing to joke about with me.
NotTwoShure
Well-known member
Thanks. We have all the oldies on our Youtube favorites and NetFlicks. Other TV is not worth the P.C. commercials. Duck and cover drills, U.S. Keds for Tennis shoes. I gave five four inch binders of Superman Comics to my 42 year old daughter a few years ago. All in document covers all bought for $0.10.
Azimuth315
New member
Tnx Ringo & hi Blues ---- John Gnagy -- "Learn to Draw"
I remember these. Am I growing old? "What a revoltin' development this is!!"
Regards --- Al
I remember these. Am I growing old? "What a revoltin' development this is!!"
Regards --- Al
BluesStringer
Les Brers
That's right! Good memory! He was my uncle. His home and studio was in Idyllwild, CA, in the mountains of Riverside County about a two hour drive from where I grew up in Redondo Beach. When he died in 1981, I was the only "local" younger generation of the family who could help my aunt clear out the studio. His very well-known and important pieces all went to his only surviving daughter, Polly, and I distributed the rest of both finished and signed pieces and unfinished, unsigned pieces among the family. My homes have always been covered from wall to wall with his art ever since then.
Because all but a very few pieces of his most important work remains in the family, there is no market history from which to evaluate our pieces. It's a weird idiosyncrasy of the art market; it only garners high value if it sells for high dollars, even though the artist, like Jon, might be among the most famous, at least in America. Even though they're not worth much though, a piece created by him in his studio that might've been intended for a local gallery showing or as a gift to a friend or something, is truly awe-inspiring work. I wish I had some scans handy to show off, but I don't.
When you say you "remember these," I understand that you're talking about his "Learn To Draw" boxed kits. Polly still licenses them and they are available on eBay and a few retail art stores across the nation. This is one I just nabbed the pic from eBay to show. It's being sold as being a 1950 version:
But that wasn't the "significant media history" to which I was referring. Uncle Jon held two significant media distinctions; 1) He was the first television teacher in history, and 2) On May 16, 1946, Jon Gnagy was the first "act" on the first television program broadcast live in history. It originated from the antenna atop the Empire State Building. Some of the YouTubes of his shows have Comments from people in SE Canada saying they got his live show all the time too.
There are no known copies of that first broadcast that I'm aware of, but from that first one began a 25+ year Saturday morning staple of Americana that came on with a new lesson lasting 10 minutes between showings of various NBC cartoons. My earliest memories are that his lesson came on at 8:30 after Felix the Cat. Mom had an easel set up one each for me and my sister, and we always followed along with the lessons. Neither my sister or I were ever going to be artists though, so it was just a family tradition that all the youngins' participated in. Another aunt and uncle and my four cousins lived right next door to us, and one of them, Allan McCollum, is an internationally-renowned artist today who attributes his interest in art to Uncle Jon's influences:
Allan goes on into pretty in-depth history of Jon's life and early development as an artist, and how Allan's art, even though a totally different approach that's nothing at all like anything Jon ever did, would be quite different, if he was even an artist at all, without the major influence of Jon Gnagy. Many a non-family-related artist can be found on YouTube giving high praise to Jon Gnagy for either their professional careers or their fun, relaxing and fulfilling hobbies as artists. Uncle Jon would be amazed that his legacy has not only survived, but reached more budding artists since the advent of the digital age than 25+ years of non-stop weekly showings/lessons ever did.
Here's a typical example of one of his shows housed on Polly's husband, Thad's, YouTube channel, originally aired in 1956.
Blues
mappow
New member
Thanks Ringo. I forwarded to all my friends. Of course most of those where born during the fifties. Some, as my parents, will appreciate the retro. They're in their mid 80's.
mappow
New member
That's right! Good memory! He was my uncle. His home and studio was in Idyllwild, CA, in the mountains of Riverside County about a two hour drive from where I grew up in Redondo Beach. When he died in 1981, I was the only "local" younger generation of the family who could help my aunt clear out the studio. His very well-known and important pieces all went to his only surviving daughter, Polly, and I distributed the rest of both finished and signed pieces and unfinished, unsigned pieces among the family. My homes have always been covered from wall to wall with his art ever since then.
Because all but a very few pieces of his most important work remains in the family, there is no market history from which to evaluate our pieces. It's a weird idiosyncrasy of the art market; it only garners high value if it sells for high dollars, even though the artist, like Jon, might be among the most famous, at least in America. Even though they're not worth much though, a piece created by him in his studio that might've been intended for a local gallery showing or as a gift to a friend or something, is truly awe-inspiring work. I wish I had some scans handy to show off, but I don't.
When you say you "remember these," I understand that you're talking about his "Learn To Draw" boxed kits. Polly still licenses them and they are available on eBay and a few retail art stores across the nation. This is one I just nabbed the pic from eBay to show. It's being sold as being a 1950 version:
But that wasn't the "significant media history" to which I was referring. Uncle Jon held two significant media distinctions; 1) He was the first television teacher in history, and 2) On May 16, 1946, Jon Gnagy was the first "act" on the first television program broadcast live in history. It originated from the antenna atop the Empire State Building. Some of the YouTubes of his shows have Comments from people in SE Canada saying they got his live show all the time too.
There are no known copies of that first broadcast that I'm aware of, but from that first one began a 25+ year Saturday morning staple of Americana that came on with a new lesson lasting 10 minutes between showings of various NBC cartoons. My earliest memories are that his lesson came on at 8:30 after Felix the Cat. Mom had an easel set up one each for me and my sister, and we always followed along with the lessons. Neither my sister or I were ever going to be artists though, so it was just a family tradition that all the youngins' participated in. Another aunt and uncle and my four cousins lived right next door to us, and one of them, Allan McCollum, is an internationally-renowned artist today who attributes his interest in art to Uncle Jon's influences:
Allan goes on into pretty in-depth history of Jon's life and early development as an artist, and how Allan's art, even though a totally different approach that's nothing at all like anything Jon ever did, would be quite different, if he was even an artist at all, without the major influence of Jon Gnagy. Many a non-family-related artist can be found on YouTube giving high praise to Jon Gnagy for either their professional careers or their fun, relaxing and fulfilling hobbies as artists. Uncle Jon would be amazed that his legacy has not only survived, but reached more budding artists since the advent of the digital age than 25+ years of non-stop weekly showings/lessons ever did.
Here's a typical example of one of his shows housed on Polly's husband, Thad's, YouTube channel, originally aired in 1956.
Blues
Showing your age brother! Which is a good thing as you've develop the skills and knowledge to walk the journey laid in front of you.
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