We haven't done a cultural archeology post in a bit, so let's dive into the past and take a look at life 80 years ago. I' speaking rather literally - we're digging into
Life magazine from 25 April 1938 - 80 years ago today.
Um... I gots no sports.
Like - at all.
So, near as i can tell - this cover is from
Mudville and that guy is named
Casey.
Before we go on, let's get our minds into proper perspective. How long ago was 80 years?
Here's the UK's seemingly immortal Queen Mother at the time...
Got your head wrapped around it?
Okay - Buckle Up! This is gonna be a long one. We're not going to cover everything, but there's still a lot. Let's start with a look at the table of contents -
Ah - there's the cover info. MeKenzie, Tenn... That's close to Mudville, ain't it?*
The letters from the editor in this issue are all on the same topic. Here's the first page...
Well, if you're like me then you're wondering what that four page sequence must have looked like, eh?
Let's jump back a couple of weeks and take a look-see...
Frankly, i'd rather have seen that when i was a kid than the very clinically obtuse or metaphorically confusing literature options that were available at the time.
Back to today (80 years ago)... Here's another fine indicator of just how long ago this was -
Note that $685 is the price for the mid-range automobile. There are both cheaper and more expensive options available. Damn
What else was going on in the advertising?
People were still taking advise from animals...
The idea that maybe cars should have stronger glass than what's in your kitchen window was still a new thing...
...and the idea of what goes in that kitchen was being revolutionized by the new Electric Kitchen...
Cars and trucks were big, the largest single advertising block So perhaps it's no surprise that Texaco was running a two page advertisement for their
gas Service Stations -
I guess they were focused on the rest rooms because drivers already knew to
"always trust your car to the man with the (Texaco)
star"?
The lead story of the issue was
President Roosevelt taking to the radio for one of his famous "fireside chats"...
What i find really fascinating is that Life apparently sent out photographers to various people's homes to take pictures during the broadcast. 80 years ago they were already using the tech of the day to make audience reactions to a story into a story of its own? Did the following issue have reader comments to listener reactions to the original event - playing out like a slow motion version of today's internet commenting?
(No. I looked, and no letters were on this story)
Hmm. Isn't it interesting how they present Addison's speech in ethnic colloquialisms in the bold face quote, but only in the the bold highlight.
"Ah hopes he brings me some good work!" vs.
"I think it was wonderful." and
"I always favor the President's programs."
A bit that might seem right at home today followed with the radio station owners complaining of lost advertising revenues...
Here's the full page piece on the Royals from which the opening picture of
Princess Elizabeth was sourced...
One thing that remains consistent is a celebrity gossip section, though the celebs may be rather less familiar...
Hollywood children getting ripped off by their parents is nothing new - though it was new for
Jackie Coogan...
They were first, but Jackie's parents may have done it best with their
declaration that he was a minor so all earnings belonged to them and he
wasn't entitled to anything earned before he turned 18.
They seemed to shoot both low and high for their audience, featuring both Chess Champion...
...and Marbles Champ...
Ah - forget them. There's Daffodil Girls!
A big difference was that it was shocking for a Wall Street broker to commit financial fraud.
Another is the view of
D.W. Griffith and that of
Birth Of A Nation in particular, calling the now widely-reviled movie
"the most celebrated film ever made"...
The U.S. Capital was being reshaped into a form more recognizable to today's readers, and Life did a special pictorial - with colour!
I'm willing to bet they did not tell the subjects of the photographs that "little men in big buildings" line before the issue saw print. Readers got pics of the new office of the Attorney General...
...the International Commerce Committee...
...the Ways & Means Committee...
...and the Federal Reserve Boardroom...
Meanwhile, New Yorkers were enjoying a bit of statuary...
...and the long highway to key West was finally in service...
Since the stock broker above got sent to Sing Sing, San Quentin was the party destination of choice, long before Johnny got there...
Wouldn't want readers to think it was all fun & games in prison? or capitalizing on the potential sensationalism? Either way, we switch from party to death row...
The gallows were painted baby blue? I don't think i ever would have guessed that.
Okay - let's wrap this up (Finally!) with a movie review for... wait. What's this? Clark Gable, Spencer Tracey and Myrna Loy? In a movie about Test Pilots? I'd watch a movie with any one of them in it. My dad was a test pilot! Why don't i know this film?
Okay, time to go.
I gotta find out if this film still exists.
pages from April 25th issue of Life magazine (1938)
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*(I was born in Tennessee. I'm allowed to mock.)
