1950's Archives - Page 4 of 6 - Retro Reminiscing Video and Pictures

Yahooo! Mountain Dew

When PepsiCo acquired Mountain Dew in 1964, they pushed the brand nationally and leaned hard into its folksy, hillbilly image to appeal to rural and Southern audiences, which made for some pretty wild early TV spots. Hillbilly mascot: “Willy the Hillbilly” was the cartoon character used in the TV spots and on packaging. He wore a floppy hat, overalls, and had a shotgun. The early ads were animated and featured slapstick humor, lots of moonshine-like bottles popping open, and backwoods antics. They emphasized lines like “Ya-hoo! Mountain Dew!” and “It’ll tickle yore innards!” The ads had banjos, jugs with XXX labels (a moonshine reference), outhouses, and old-timey mountain settings. While the hillbilly theme was eventually phased out in the 1970s in favor of a more youth-oriented, high-energy image, those early ads helped Mountain Dew gain a loyal base. Today, the contrast between the hillbilly roots and the current “Do the Dew” extreme sports vibe is part of what makes Mountain Dew’s branding history so unique.

Keep porch pirates at bay!

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Takes A Licking, But….

🕰️ Timex: A Watch That Made History
Founded in 1854 as the Waterbury Clock Company in Connecticut, Timex began by making affordable timepieces for everyday Americans. The brand reinvented itself in the 1940s with a sleek new name—Timex, a blend of “Time” and “Kleenex”—to match its modern, mass-produced watches known for durability and reliability.

But it wasn’t just engineering that made Timex a household name—it was television, and one unforgettable man.

🎙️ John Cameron Swayze, a former NBC news anchor turned enthusiastic pitchman, became the trusted face of Timex in the 1950s. He hosted live commercials that put the watches through outlandish “torture tests”: strapped to outboard motors, frozen in ice, dropped off buildings, even attached to a jackhammer. Time and time again, the watch survived, and Swayze would deliver the now-legendary line:

“It takes a licking and keeps on ticking.”

📺 That catchy slogan, born in a golden era of live TV and hard-sell advertising, helped Timex become one of the best-known and best-selling watch brands in the world. Even today, the phrase still echoes as a symbol of toughness and timeless style.

Know when packages arrive! No subscription fees.

Johnny Mathis Announces Retirement: A Legendary Career Comes to a Close

Johnny Mathis performing in October 2024 at Flagstaff, Arizona.

After more than seven decades of serenading audiences with his velvety voice, Johnny Mathis, the iconic crooner, has announced his retirement. Known for timeless classics like Chances Are, Misty, and Wonderful! Wonderful!, Mathis has been a defining voice in American music since the 1950s.

At 88 years old, Mathis has continued to perform tirelessly, delighting fans with his signature blend of jazz, pop, and romantic ballads. His influence spans generations, with a career that includes over 360 million records sold worldwide, making him one of the best-selling recording artists of all time.

Mathis’ decision to step away from the stage marks the end of an era for fans who have cherished his smooth vocals and heartfelt performances. Though he will no longer tour, his vast catalog of music ensures that his legacy will live on. From his Christmas albums that have become holiday staples to his enduring love songs, Johnny Mathis’ contributions to music are immeasurable.

As he bids farewell to the spotlight, Mathis leaves behind a remarkable legacy—one that will continue to enchant listeners for generations to come.

Thanks for the many years of magic!

You need add this to your collection if you are a Johnny Mathis fan!

The Voting Machine

Here is the voting machine I remember most. In my school, they were kept by the custodian’s office and we thought we were so clever discovering where they store them. They’d wheel them out the night before election day and set them up in the gymnasium. I also remembered when the bars had to remain closed until the polls closed so the “drink” would have an influence on the person’s vote.

McAshtrays

Not all memories are happy ones. I remember as a kid thinking to myself that if McDonald’s was mostly for kids, why did they have smoking in the restaurants? I hated when they were at a table we were at or near! The glass ones were really old school with the tin ones taking over in the 80’s. Smoking was banned in 1994.

He Should Be As Famous As Edison

Most of the things you use today Nick Holonyak Jr. had a hand in it. We all know Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, but who invented the LED light bulb? Nick Holonyak Jr. is receiving the credit for that energy saving device. Your TV, computer and phone screen are more than likely LED. Although the LED was around for a while, Holonyak made the first visible light from and LED and credited as the father of the LED light.

Holonyak won two Nobel Prizes. The first for co-inventing the transistor and the second one for explaining superconductivity (Google that one). He holds 30 patents. “His work is responsible for the technology used to develop red lasers in CD and DVD players, the ability to transmit information over the Internet, and applications in replacing conventional lighting with LEDs. Holonyak also created the basic electronic element of household light dimmer switches” (see https://www.invent.org/inductees/nick-holonyak-jr).

At the time of this writing (May 2022) he is still with us and enjoying retirement at the age of 93.

To learn more about his of course Google him or see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Holonyak

https://mntl.illinois.edu/ssdl

Easter Kodak Moments

Kodak, the memory keeper. Birthdays, weddings, Easter, you name it Kodak preserved our memories. I don’t miss waiting a week to see if I correctly captured the image! This ad was from 1950. Those images taken from the Brownie Camera was due to the large film format. It was the same film size most professional photographers used until digital photography took over.

Alfalfa Shot To Death Over $50

Carl Dean Switzer also know as Alfalfa in the series Our Gang was one of the earlier actors who were type casted and unable to find work after being a child star when his run with Our Gang ended in 1940 at the ripe old age of twelve. He did turn to television and had some luck with the Roy Rogers and a few other television shows. Switzer also trained hunting dogs and guided hunting expeditions. It was over $50 for the reward for the return of one of his dogs that caused an argument that lead to his death. The shooting was judged to be self defense as Switzer pounded on the shooters door demanding to be let in. 42 years later n 2001 a witness came forward saying it was more like a murder (see Wikipedia for the full story).

Vavoom From Felix The Cat

I was in a restaurant with my wife celebrating our anniversary and there was a table with kids. All were well mannered but one kid was just so loud I said he reminded me of the cartoon character Vavoom which gave me the inspiration for this post.

Vavoom was an Inuit (Alaskan indigenous person) on the Felix the Cat cartoon who used his voice to get them out of situations, like blasting rocks away in this video.

I grew up watching Felix The Cat on the Saturday morning cartoons. Surprisingly Felix The Cat only ran from 1958 to 1960 for a total of 126 episodes. CBS revived in the 90’s from 1995 to 1997 under the name The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat for just 21 episodes.

Did you ever give someone the nickname Vavoom. Please tell!

Oklahoma’s 1957 Time Capsule

Time capsules are fun. They are usually buried which creates challenges for preserving the artifacts. In 1957 the State of Oklahoma celebrated it’s 50th anniversary of statehood by burying a brand new 1957 Plymouth Belvedere along with other artifacts of the time period. This was during the cold war so the car was buried in a cement vault capable of sustaining a nuclear blast. They held a contest for the car, all you had to do is guess the population of the state in the year 2007 to win. See the unveiling in this fun and interesting video: