Holiday Break

 

I'm taking a break to finish up preparations for the holidays, but don't miss the Swing Shift Shuffle Christmas Special this Wednesday night at 6 p.m. CST on WEVL FM 89.9 or wevl.org.  

Happy New Year!

 

All of us here at the SSS join Cab Calloway and His Orchestra (on New Year's Eve 1937 from the Cotton Club) in wishing you a very happy, healthy and safe 2021!

RIP Olivia de Havilland

On July 25, 2020, Dame Olivia de Havilland passed away.  She was always one of my favorite actresses.  At the age of 19, she was cast as the leading lady in only her third film, opposite another newcomer, Errol Flynn.  The name of the movie was Captain Blood.  The rest, as they say, is history.  Above is a shot of her from one of my favorites, Princess O'Rourke, a fun little 1942 wartime comedy with Robert Cummings and Charles Coburn.  Think Roman Holiday, but this time, the leading man gets to marry the princess!  RIP Olivia.  

Happy Independence Day!

A July 4th Celebration on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, 1939.  From the Library of Congress. 

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day!

Arrows Across America

I saw this article on CNN a few months ago, and I am just now getting around to posting it, but better late than never.  Air mail was a relatively new thing back in the 1920s and '30s, as was aviation itself.  To help the fledging air mail pilots find their way, huge concrete arrows were placed along the routes, illuminated at night by nearby beacons.  With the beacon towers long since vanished, the arrows still remain, continuing to point toward the destination of those early pilots.  A California couple has created a website of all the arrows they have discovered, Arrows Across America, including a few with the towers and sheds still intact.

Jimmie Lunceford Jamboree Festival, October 21-28

Memphis' own Jimmie Lunceford, a former Manassas High School teacher who went on to become one of the top big band leaders of the Swing Era, will be celebrated this week during the 2018 Jimmie Lunceford Jamboree Festival, which runs until October 28. 

Late 1940's View-Master Viewer With Discs

At a recent estate sale, I came across the above item.  Other than realizing it was an early View-Master viewer, and having seen one belonging to my niece just a few months ago, I did not have much information about it.  Since it came with about 25 slide discs, most of which had copyright dates around 1946, it was cool, and the price was right, I picked it up.

My research has now revealed that it is a (probably) late 1940's or early 1950's Sawyer View-Master Model C.  There is an article on Collector's Weekly relating the origin and history of the View-Master, including its contribution to the war effort during World War II. 

It appears the Bakelite Model C is relatively indestructible, so inexpensive examples can be found in perfect working order.  I have not been able to view all the discs yet, but most are scenic views of U.S. National Parks, along with an early clay-model version of Goldilocks, and a few Hopalong Cassidy discs.  I've already enjoyed having it in my collection.    

Black Cat

I don't know when DC introduced Catwoman as a villain, but this Black Cat comic, posted on Four Color Shadows, reveals a possible inspiration, although she is a crime fighter.  Her secret identity is glamorous movie star, Linda Turner. 

Early Chop Top

This photo on Rivet Head interested me because of the 1940's tag.  I know chopped tops were easily around by the late 1950's, but I did not realize people were doing such a severe chop as the above even in the late 1940's.

Dr. Mid-Nite

A good 20 years before Marvel's Daredevil, DC had its own blind crime fighter:  Dr. Mid-Nite.  In this case, the blind Dr. McNider overcame this challenge via technology, namely - infra-red glasses that, according to the splash page here, gave him "perfect vision."  The bad guys in this story, posed on Pappy's, have a penchant for deadly toy weapons - miniature battleships and tanks, etc. 

Cuba In 1933

Vintage Everyday posted this series of photographs taken in Cuba by Fay S. Lincoln in 1933.  Prior to the Revolution in the 1950's, Cuba was a popular holiday destination for Americans.  These pictures show an interesting contrast between the tourist Cuba and some of the economic hardships its people faced. 

Happy Fourth of July! Independence Day Special Tonight!

Happy Fourth of July!  Join me tonight for the Swing Shift Shuffle Independence Day Special!  We'll be playing great patriotic music from the Swing Era.  Tune in before the fireworks start, and please remember to be safe!

1946 Silk City Diner For Sale

If you are interested in a career change, Hemmings may have a deal for you.  An upcoming Sotheby's auction on June 23-24 will offer this 1946 Silk City Diner at no reserve, complete with all the appliances, fixtures and furniture necessary for you to hang out your own "Eat at Joe's" sign.  You will have to move it yourself, and Sotheby's estimates the sale price will be between $200,000 and $300,000. 

Lacey Lady

First saw this story in my print copy of Hemmings Motor News, then found this website.  So, you're a gas station owner at your own birthday party in 1947.  What do you do for fun?  Well, why not make a bet that you could use a B-17 Flying Fortress as a canopy for your gas station, borrow $15,000 in cash from a friend at the party (who had it on him), go to Oklahoma and buy a B-17 that you don't know how to fly?  Then, you could try to fly it ALONE, crash it into another B-17, convince the base commander to write it off and sell you another one much cheaper.  Finally, bribe the local fire department with whisky to let you borrow their pumper trucks to siphon aviation fuel out of the other B-17s, fly it back to Oregon (with a copilot this time), and win the bet by putting it atop your gas station.  That's what Art Lacey did.  Seems like a perfectly normal birthday party to me.  Find out how to help restore the Lacey Lady here.

Bob Phantom (Seriously!)

The hero of this 1941 comic, posted on Four Color Shadows, is "Bob Phantom."  He is not "The Green Phantom" or "Phantom Flyer" or even "Robert Phantom," - just Bob Phantom.  To make matters worse, his hero name bears no relationship to his secret identity, which is Walt Whitney, Broadway columnist.  What would be next, "Fred Batman"? 

And another thing - I know it was the 1940's, and male condescension to females was taught in kindergarten, but this guy seems like too much even for the times.  I'm surprised his secretary didn't slug him. 

1940 Automobile Buyer's Guide

Ratings and reviews are commonplace in the social media era, but the publishers of the 1940 Automobile Year Book and Buyer's Guide were setting some pretty high standards for consumer information.  Posted on Hemmings, this guide included way more information than most folks would ever think necessary, either back then or even now.  As the Hemmings' post noted:

Besides the pages shown, other charts compare all the 1940-spec cars’ batteries, bearings, body finish, brakes and weights, capacities, carburetors, clutches, head room, leg room, hoods, radiators, springs, ventilation, wheel bases, and a whole lot more. And even exhaust valve seat inserts and steering post locks are compared.

Memorial Day

I hope everyone enjoys their Memorial Day activities, and that you all will take a moment to remember the meaning of the day. 

The Unofficial Start Of Summer Break

I don't know if I'll be manning a grill at a picnic like these folks in Georgia from 1939 (from the Library of Congress Farm Security Administration collection), but I will be taking an extended Memorial Day break next week.  I'll be back in June. 

CAF Flies Into Memphis

Watch the skies this weekend as the Commemorative Air Force flies into the Memphis area!  The CAF Air Power History Tour will land at the Millington-Memphis Airport this Thursday, May 17, and run through Sunday, May 20.  Aircraft included in the tour will be Fifi, a B-29 Superfortress, the P-51 Mustang Gunfighter, and three other support aircraft.  Rides will be available.