Vintage 1950s Movies 2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey

 

2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film inspired by the book of short stories "The Sentinel"  by Arthur C. Clarke and his other short stories. The film follows a voyage to Jupiter with the sentient computer 

 HAL after the discovery of a slab-sided alien monolith affecting human evolution, and features themes existentialism, human evolution, technology, artificial intelligence, and the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

          The film is noted for its scientifically accurate depiction of space flight, pioneering special effects, and ambiguous imagery.  

          The film received diverse critical responses ranging from those who saw it as darkly apocalyptic in tone to those who saw it as an optimistic reappraisal of the hopes of humanity. The film garnered a cult following and became the highest-grossing North American film of 1968. It was nominated for four Academy Awards. Director Stanley Kubrick won the award for his direction of the visual effect.

          In 1991, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. In 2010, it was named the greatest film of all time by The Moving Arts Film Journal.

        Filming began December 29, 1965, in Stage H at Shepperton Studios, England. In January 1966, the production moved to the smaller MGM-British Studios in Borehamwood, where the live-action and special-effects filming was done, starting with the scenes involving Floyd on the Orion spaceplane; it was described as a "huge throbbing nerve center ... in which the same frenetic atmosphere as a Cape Kennedy blockhouse during the final stages of Countdown." 

          For the opening sequence involving tribes of apes, professional mine

  Daniel Richter played the lead ape and choreographed the movements of the other man-apes, who were mostly portrayed by his mime troupe.

 

 

Added note

          The shots where the actors appear on opposite sides of the wheel required one of the actors to be strapped securely into place at the "top" of the wheel as it moved to allow the other actor to walk at the "bottom" of the wheel to join him. The most notable case is when Bowman enters the centrifuge from the central hub on a ladder, and joins Poole, who is eating on the other side of the centrifuge. This required Gary Lockwood to be strapped into a seat while Keir Dullea walked toward him from the opposite side of the wheel as it turned with him.

 

Vintage 1960s Food Easy Swedish Panckes

                                                 

Easy Swedish Pancakes

Christmas morning my mother made these pancakes for the family after we opened our presents. Just the thought of these pancakes brings back so many memories

Serve with butter, jam, fresh berries( i.e. Lingonberrys), or maple syrup.

Ingredients

4 eggs

2 cups milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 pinch salt

2 tablespoons melted butter

 

In a large bowl, beat eggs with a wire whisk. Mix in milk, flour, sugar, salt, and melted butter.

Preheat a non-stick electric skillet to medium heat. Pour a thin layer of batter on the skillet, and spread to the edges. Cook until the top surface appears dry. Cut into 2 or 4 sections, and flip with a spatula. Cook for another 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Roll each pancake up, and serve.

                                                                   allrecipes.com

Vintage 1960s Women's Fashions Pants

Women's Fashions

Pants

Many of the 1960s fashions are still worn today. In the first few years of the 1960s. fashions were conservative (women still primarily wore dresses. Casual clothes were reserved for casual occasions). 1964, however, brought a music and fashion revolution from England and suddenly fashion made history.

Most notably:

-hip-Hugger flared pants made out of velvet.

 

-capri-length pants (also called pedal pushers: were made popular by TV and movie personalities.

-culottes started conservatively at mid-shin length but by the end of the '60s, they changed into gauchos and the palazzo pants in the '70s.

- shorts became an everyday fashion choice that designers chose in order to cash in on the trend by making dressier short outfits.

-blue jeans gained popularity in the 60s specifically with young people. Most adult women probably only wore jeans at outdoor events. But under 20 wore them all the time (except at school!)

          Another popular style in the 1960s was referred to as skorts or scooters, or skate skirts. These were short skirts (above the knee) with clever matching shorts hidden under the front flap of the skirt. This style of skort was perfect for occasions where a skirt was more appropriate but you didn't want to deal with all the inconvenience of a short skirt.

            The fashion of the 1960s featured a number of diverse trends. It was a decade that broke many fashion traditions, mirroring social movements during the time.

Vintage 1960s Television Courtship of Eddie's Father

Courtship of Eddie's Father

 

The Courtship of Eddie's Father is an American sitcom based on the 1963 movie of the same name which, in turn, was based on a novel by Mark Toby.

          The series is about a widower, Tom Corbett (Bill Bixby), who is a magazine publisher, and his young son, Eddie (Brandon Cruz). Eddie believes his father should re-marry. Eddie's continued matchmaking efforts were the theme of the show.

          The series aired from September 17, 1969, through March 1, 1972.

Bixby received an Emmy nomination for the show in 1971.

         The television show's theme song, "Best Friend", was written and performed by Harry Nilsson. The song has often been used as an indication of father-son bonding in television and film.

Like to hear the iconic theme music of this show?  Click below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGu0m08Etm8

Vintage 1960s Music I Want to Hold Your Hand

I Want to Hold Your Hand

I Want to Hold Your Hand is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, of The Beatles and recorded on October 17, 1963. It was the first Beatles record to be made using four-track equipment.

          With advance orders exceeding one million copies in the United Kingdom, I Want to Hold Your Hand would have gone straight to the top of the British record charts on its day of release (November 29, 1963) had it not been topped by the group's first million-seller She Loves You, their previous UK single. They waited two weeks to release, I Want to Hold Your Hand which stayed at # 1 for five weeks and remained in the UK top 50 for 21 weeks. The song was re-released on December 6, 1982, in the UK.

          It was the group's first American #1 hit, entering the Billboard Hot 100 chart on  January 18, 1964, at number 45 and starting the British Invasion of the American music industry. By February, it topped the Hot 100 and stayed there for seven weeks before being replaced by She Loves You. It remained on the Billboard chart for 15 weeks. I Want to Hold Your Hand became the Beatles' best-selling single worldwide selling more than 12 million copies. 

             The Beatles came to America for the first time on February 7,1964, greeted at the airport by screaming fans. I Want to Hold Hand was the #! song in the country at the time, and it stayed on top for seven weeks. Their next single released in the US was She Loves You, replacing it at the top.

 

An Added note

Paul McCartney and John Lennon wrote I Want To Hold Your Hand at the request of their manager, Brian Epstein. He wanted them to write something for the American market which they had yet to break into.

 

Enjoy your walk down memory lane with this live performance on The Ed Sullivan Show on 2/9/64.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jenWdylTtzs

 Easy Turkey Recipe

 

1 Turkey (10-12 pound), giblets and liver reserved

Apple, carrot, onion chopped, and fresh herbs

Butter, salt, and pepper

Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees F. Use some paper towels to dry the turkey after scooping out the cavity. Take salt and pepper and season both inside and outside of the turkey. Fill the cavity with chopped vegetables and herbs.

Take a roasting pan and put the turkey with the breast side facing upwards. Use melted butter and brush evenly over the turkey. Cover it with foil and roast for around 2 hours. Take it out and put some more melted butter over your turkey after opening the foil.

Raise the temperature of the oven to 425 degrees F and roast for one more hour. Use an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the meat and check for 165 degrees F.

Allow resting with foil intact for 30-45 minutes before carving.

Vintage 1960s Food Peas Juliette

 

Peas Juliette 

I loved this as a kid, begged my mother for it every week. I modernized it, making it healthier by using frozen peas instead of canned, using brown rice instead of white, and omitting the cornstarch. It tastes better than the picture looks! Here is the original recipe.

 

1 1-lb. can Del Monte Brand Early Garden Peas
1/3 cup chopped onion
3 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup chopped pimiento
3 cups hot cooked white rice
1 6 1/2-oz. can chunk style tuna (in water), drained and flaked
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

 

Drain peas, reserving liquid. Sauté onion in butter or margarine till tender. Add cornstarch dissolved in liquid from peas. Cook, stirring constantly, till thickened. Add peas and pimiento; heat. Combine hot rice, tuna, and cheese. Season to taste. Pack into 1-qt. ring or other simple molds; turn out on a hot serving dish. Serve with hot peas mixture, as shown.

intage 1960s Women's Fashio

 Kitten Heel Pumps

The 1960s dropped the heel to simple slip-ons, strappy sandals, and ankle boots in vibrant mod colors.

      Tall, thin heels were popular in the 1950s. They shaped a women's legs and helped women put some wiggle in their walk while wearing a tight pencil dress. The pencil dress continued into the 1960s but with a straighter shift shape. High heel shoes were replaced by short kitten heels or Sabrina heels, which were much easier to walk in but still offered some leg shaping and elegance. The kitten heel pump was especially popular as a slingback– an open heel and one strap that buckled around the back. They looked especially sharp with evening wear.

        Although high heels were not "cutting edge" enough for modern designers in the 60's, some women continued to wear them until the late 1960s.  Despite changes in the new fashion, some women still loved their high heels.

Vintage 1960 TV Gilligan's Islan

Gilligan's Island

 

Gilligan's Island was created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz.  The show aired for three seasons on the CBS network from September 26, 1964, to April 17, 1967. The series followed the comic adventures of seven castaways as they attempted to survive on an island on which they had been shipwrecked. Most episodes revolved around the dissimilar castaways' conflicts and their unsuccessful attempts, (for whose failure Gilligan was frequently responsible), to escape their plight.

          Gilligan's Island ran for 98 episodes. Thirty-six episodes of the first season were filmed in black and white and were later colorized for syndication. The show grew in popularity during syndication, especially in the 1970s and 1980s when many markets ran the show in the late afternoon.

 

          Jerry Van Dyke was originally offered the role of Gilligan, but he turned it down, believing that the show would never be successful. (He chose instead to play the lead in My Mother the Car, which premiered the following year and was canceled after one season). The producers thought that Bob Denver, the actor who had played Maynard G. Krebs, the goofy but lovable beatnik in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis turned out to be a perfect choice.

 

An added note:

The music and lyrics for the theme song, The Ballad of Gilligan’s Isle, were written by Sherwood Schwartz and George Wyle. One version was used for the first season and another for the second and third seasons.  With the growing popularity of characters Professor and Maryanne, their names were inserted into the lyrics in the second season. The theme song underwent this one major change because star Bob Denver asked studio executives to add their names to the song. The studio at first refused. Then Denver insisted that his name be taken out of the song if they didn't include the others. The studio caved in, and "the Professor and Mary Ann" were added.

Vintage 1960 Scandals The Curse of the Misfit Film

The Curse of the Misfit Film

 The Misfits, is a movie considered to carry a dark curse on anyone who was associated with it. While it failed at the box office at the time, Rotten Tomatoes has since given the movie a 100 percent rating.

          The film starred plenty of big names such as Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe. and Montgomery Clift. But soon after the movie began production, the lives of people involved were thrown into discord.

          Monroe overdosed on the set after her relationship with Arthur Miller ended. A year after the movie wrapped up she died of an apparent overdose.

          Gable died of a heart attack only a few days after filming. On November 6, 1960, Gable was sent to the hospital where doctors found that he had suffered a heart attack. The following day his condition was listed as satisfactory. By the morning of November 16, he seemed to be improving, but he died that evening at the age of 59 from an arterial blood clot.

          Clift was involved in an accident that destroyed his career.  It all came crashing down when Clift was involved in a car accident after falling asleep behind the wheel. He lived the remainder of his life in constant physical and mental pain and became addicted to alcohol and painkillers.

          Five years after the movie finished filming, Clift was informed by a friend that the movie was airing on television, which he refused to watch. It was that night that Clift was found dead due to a heart attack.

 

Vintage 1960s Music Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini

 

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini

The Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini is a novelty song telling the story of a shy girl wearing a revealing polka dot bikini at the beach. It was written byPaul Bance and Lee Pockriss and first released in June 1960 by Brian Hyland. The Hyland version reached number one on  Hot 100, selling a million copies in the US, and was a worldwide hit. The song has been adapted into French as "Itsy bitsy petit bikini" and into German as "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Honolulu-Strand-Bikini", reaching number one on national charts in both languages. Several versions of the song have proved successful in various European countries.

          Trudy Packer recited the phrases "...two, three, four / Tell the people what she wore", heard at the end of each verse before the chorus; and "Stick around, we'll tell you more", heard after the first chorus and before the start of the second verse. The song also made the top 10 in other countries, including #8 on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached #1 in New Zealand.

 

Added note:

          At a time when bikini bathing suits were still seen as too risqué to be mainstream, the song prompted a sudden take-off in bikini sales and is credited as being one of the earliest contributors to the acceptance of the bikini in society. The early 1960s saw a slew of surf movies and other film and television productions that rapidly built on the song's momentum.

 

For a walk down memory lane, here is the link to the Dave Clark version of the song. Enjoy!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge9Ou3-YyqU

           

Vintage 1960s Movies Planet of the Apes

 

Planet of the Apes

 

Planet of the Apes is an American science fiction media franchise

consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media revolving around a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on French author Pierre Boulle's 1963 novel La Planete des singles, translated into English as Planet of the Apes or Monkey Planet. Its 1968 film adaptation, Planet of the Apes, was a critical and commercial hit.

          An astronaut crew crash-lands on a planet in the distant future where intelligent, talking apes are the dominant species and humans are the oppressed and enslaved.

          Four sequels followed the original film from 1970 to 1973: Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes and Battle for the Planet of the Apes. Also, two television series in 1974 and 1975 were made. Plans for a film remake stalled in"developmental hell" for over ten years before Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes was released in 2001. What followed was a film series in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which was followed by Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in 2014 and War for the Planet of the Apes in 2017. Franchise tie-ins include video games, toys, and planned theme park rides.

          Planet of the Apes has received particular attention among film critics for its treatment of racial and cultural issues. Cinema and cultural analysts have also explored its Cold War and animal rights themes.

 

An added note

The series began with French author Pierre Boulle's  1963 novel La Planete des singes. Boulle wrote the novel in six months after the "humanlike expressions" of gorillas at the zoo inspired him to contemplate the relationship between man and ape.  He rejected the science fiction label, instead, he called his genre "social fantasy".

Vintage 1960s Tunnel of Fudge Cake

 

In 1966 the “Tunnel of Fudge” won the Pillsbury Bake-Off.

 

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

 

Ingredients

Cake

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups margarine or butter, softened

6 eggs

2 cups powdered sugar

2 1/4 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose or Unbleached Flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 cups chopped walnuts*

 

Glaze

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa 4 to 6 teaspoons milk

 

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube cake pan or 10-inch tube pan. In a large bowl, combine sugar and margarine; beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar; blend well. By hand, stir in flour and remaining cake ingredients until well blended. Spoon batter into greased and floured pan; spread evenly.

 

Bake at 350°F. for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top is set and edges are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan.**  Cool upright in pan on wire rack 1 1/2 hours. Invert onto serving plate; cool for at least 2 hours.

In a small bowl, combine all glaze ingredients, adding enough milk for desired drizzling consistency. Spoon over top of the cake, allowing some to run downsides. Store tightly covered.  Serves 16

Tip

* Nuts are essential for the success of this recipe.

** Since this cake has a soft filling, an ordinary doneness test cannot be used. Accurate oven temperature and baking times are essential.