Movie Advertising From The New York Daily News 1974

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What’s Playing At The Movies – Ads From The Daily News 1974

That’s Entertainment Alongside Porn

Because I own some old newspapers that report historic events, I was looking at the New York Daily News of August 27, 1974 announcing the death of Charles Lindbergh on the front page. Turning the pages my attention was drawn to the movie advertisements.

The ads are simple, frequently without captivating graphics and  usually lacking even brief summaries of the plot of the movies. Besides giving the theatres and times they were playing at, these ads were supposed to attract potential viewers with the title, the stars or a reviewers blurb.

The disarray of the motion picture industry in the seventies is evident in the variety of films playing at theaters.

Adjacently advertised next to one another are Deep Throat; The Devil In Miss Jones; The Longest Yard and Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia. Two X-rated and two R-rated films.

Deep Throat (1973) was the first “mainstream” pornographic film. It was Continue reading →

What To Do When There’s A Cigarette Shortage

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No Cigarettes? Smoke A Pipe.

Lady With Pipe
London- Josephine Yorke, actress now appearing in the cast of the perennial musical, “Chu Chin Chow” has an answer to England’s current shortage of cigarettes. She smokes a pipe. Here she enjoys a smoke in her dressing room. PASSED BY BRITISH CENSOR credit photo: Acme, 8/15/1941

Smoking is not necessarily in vogue these days in England or most places for that matter. Vaping is what attracts potential new nicotine addicts.

Tobacco pipe smoking has also been in steep decline over the last few decades. Maybe not so for pipes filled with other illicit substances like weed, hash, crack, and opium. Continue reading →

Old New York In Photos #190 – Broadway North From Bowling Green 1889

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A View Up Broadway From Bowling Green

This 1889 view of Broadway north from Bowling Green shows the street before skyscraper construction would permanently alter the famous corridor.

We are dating the photograph by the buildings visible and most importantly the presence of overhead telegraph wires.

After the blizzard of 1888 caused wires around the city to come down, a movement to place wires underground began in earnest. Upon taking office in 1889 Mayor Hugh J. Grant immediately set upon removing overhead wires, sending crews with axes to chop down poles if the companies responsible for the wires did not promptly relocate them.

We see pedestrians going about their business as horse drawn vehicles make their way up and down Broadway. Parking does not seem to pose a problem and a wagon advertising  “hams” is making a delivery on the west side of Broadway. Bowling Green’s original 1771 fence is visible in the foreground.

The Buildings

On the right with arched entryway is the nine-story Welles Building at 14-16-18-20 Broadway. Beginning in 1882 the Welles Building became the home of the Petroleum Exchange.

It make sense that adjacent to the Welles Building, in 1885-1886 the Standard Oil Company would build its ten-story 157 foot tall headquarters at 26 Broadway. Continue reading →

Brigitte Bardot Dies At 91 – First American News Feature Was 1952

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Brigitte Bardot Dead

Was Noticed By A Hollywood News Writer In 1952 Before Worldwide Fame

Brigitte Bardot in Madrid, Spain, 1957 photographer: Peter Basch

Brigitte Bardot, who quit film acting at age 39 in 1973 to devote herself to animal rights is dead.

The Fondation Brigitte Bardot who announced her death did not reveal a cause, place or date that she died.

Her obituary appears worldwide, so we will not cover the details of her long and sometimes controversial life or film career.

What interested us is: when did Bardot first come to notice in the United States? Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #188 – Paul Lynde & Elizabeth Montgomery

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Paul Lynde & Elizabeth Montgomery In Bewitched – 1968

This publicity photograph comes from the ABC Television Network for the comedy series Bewitched. This episode is The No-Harm Charm which originally aired on ABC on Thursday April 25, 1968 and re-aired August 29, 1968 from 8:30 – 9:00 P.M. EDT.

Special guest star Paul Lynde appeared eleven times from 1965-1971 in Bewitched. Lynde’s first appearance was as driving instructor Harold Harold in 1965,  However, after that episode Lynde had a recurring role in the series as Uncle Arthur.

In The No-Harm Charm Uncle Arthur gives Darrin (Dick York) a charm Continue reading →

A List Of New York City Hotels In 1877

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Visitors Could Stay At These New York City Hotels In 1877

We’ve provided lists like this twice before for New York’s hotels in 1882 and 1964.

This is useful to someone researching or wondering about where the New York City hotels of 1877 were located.

This compilation  comes from The Practical Guide To New York City and Brooklyn by Henry Morford; Union News Company and Lee, Shephard and Dillingham( 1877).

The advertisement for Stevens House from the book shows a rate of $1.00 per day for a single room. Double occupancy at most hotels ran between $1.00 to $2.00.

One thing to take note of is that 38 Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #187 – Marie Wilson Protests Wearing A Corset

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Marie Wilson Stages A Protest Against “Fencing Her In” With A Corset

There was no news slug on the rear of this photograph, but tracking down what the commotion was all about was easy. It’s a publicity stunt of the silliest magnitude.

Film Lovelies Protest Corsets, Win Short Ribs
Hollywood, CA – Carrying signs and corsets Hollywood lovelies picket a movie studio. They are from left, with “No! To Corsets” sign is Marie Wilson, in background, Judy Cook, the picketed producer Albert Lewin and Darlene De Mos. photo: AP 5/15/1946

The Des Moines Register was one of the news Continue reading →

Old New York In Photos #189 – The Recently Completed Flatiron Building 1902

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The Innovative Flatiron Skyscraper – Available To Rent 1902

Our photograph is from American Art Views, a view book published September 15, 1903 showing contemporary New York City.

To the right, with a flag on its roof is the six-story Fifth Avenue Hotel (1859-1908). The clock in front of the hotel remains standing today, though the hotel is long gone. On the corner of 24th Street we can glimpse the sign for for “Maillard’s.”

Maillard’s restaurant and confectionery shop was on the ground floor of The Fifth Avenue Hotel.  Continue reading →

What Did The Rear Entrance To Ebbets Field Look Like?

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The Less Than Iconic Rear Facade Of Ebbets Field

The Dodgers left Brooklyn after the 1957 season, breaking many Dodgers fans hearts. The Dodgers home park Ebbets Field was razed in 1960. A housing project is now on its site.

But the memories of what the ballpark looked like is etched in anyone’s mind who ever visited Ebbets Field. If you do remember visiting you are at least 70 years-old. The reality is, few people are still around who actually saw the place.

It’s really photographs of the ballpark, especially the front entrance, that baseball fans are familiar with.

The main entrance was at the corner of Sullivan Place and McKeever Place. McKeever Place was originally Cedar Street, but renamed in 1932 after one of the contractors who built Ebbets Field.

This is what the front  looked like.

Ebbets Field 1940s

The exterior of the front of the New York Mets home Continue reading →