Indholdsfortegnelse for February/March 2022 i Reminisce

Our cover story this month, “Then & Now” (page 26), is a couples version of a popular topic we explored in photo packages last year. And once again, we were gratified by the enthusiastic response from readers. We spotlight 15 couples who are celebrating decades together. We have many more submissions that we hope to highlight in future issues. The other main feature, “They’re Playing Our Song” (page 34), is a deeper reflection on the theme of love running through the issue. It was a delight learning how couples adopted the tunes that became the soundtrack of their lives together. The best part of having a song as a couple, as some readers noted, is that it always carries you back to those first fresh days, no matter where you…

What else would you call a rocked-up version of hillbilly music? The new sound of country songs played with a driving rhythm and blues style burst out of the South in the mid-1950s. At Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, producer Sam Phillips engineered a “slap-back” echo effect that added to rockabilly’s distinctive twang. The 1956 hit “Blue Suede Shoes” by rockabilly pioneer Carl Perkins—recorded a few months later by none other than Elvis Presley—made this early form of rock’n’ roll a national sensation.…

Chicago had four major newspapers in 1952, around the time I was 12. I had an after-school route delivering the Chicago Daily News. We paperboys worked for an agency that handled the delivery of all four papers. When we arrived after school, our papers were stacked and waiting for us. We’d roll them and put rubber bands on them, load our bike baskets and be on our way. Most days, we had little time to horse around, aside from having a rubber-band fight or pulling a prank on whoever was the new guy. On good days, I ran my route in 90 minutes; on rainy days or after a blizzard, it took several hours. The kids who had it worst were those who delivered the morning papers—they created paths through…

My great-aunt had the remarkable name of Julianne, though we called her Aunt Julia. She lived in Charter Oak, Iowa, all of her 107 years. That side of my family, including my dad, Martin, were bilingual in English and German, even though they were all born in the U.S. I grew up in Denison, Iowa, so it was only a short drive to visit her and Uncle Paul. He was a bank president, and as handsome as a movie star, with stunning white hair and a mustache. As she aged, Julia lost most of her hearing and eyesight. Her daughter, Irma, moved back into the house she was born in to take care of her mother. The two joked that Julia’s daily exercise consisted of walking around the dining room…

Dan and I started dating in the spring of 1964. In early 1965, he gave me a single of the hit “Chapel of Love.” My brother wasn’t too happy about it, but I told him, “One day Dan and I are going to get married.” After I graduated from high school in June 1965, I was headed to New York to stay with a friend and her family. Dan drove me to the train station, and we decided at that point to date other people while we were apart. We got back together when I returned home to Michigan. In 1966, the Happenings’ version of “See You in September” was a big hit. That song became another favorite for Dan and me, perhaps because it described what had happened in…

MAKE IT A TWO-FER The Whitman’s Sampler became a staple in World War II, when the company shipped thousands of free boxes to troops overseas. By 1951, a Whitman’s Sampler was the go-to treat for every occasion, from first dates to the last day of school. Or, in this case, from Valentine’s Day to Easter. CORDIALLY YOURS Chicago-based Brach’s was best known for its star-shaped chocolate pan candies, but its cherry cordials ran a close second. At one point, Brach’s had the largest candy factory in the world. In the mid-1940s, its annual sales were $22 million. CANDY SWEETENS THE DEAL Yes, once upon a time in America, the candy lobby advertised. This Life spot from the confectioners’ association shows the many ways candy can make things easier, whether you’re…

THE SMALLEST ONE on the playground, I loathed games like Crack the Whip. When the kids put me at the end of the whipline and then tore off across the playground, it was God’s mercy I didn’t land on the school roof. Perhaps out of pity for my poor showing on the field, teachers chose me to make the valentine box for the class each year. I delighted in being chief engineer for the construction. After school, my assistants helped me wrap the biggest cardboard carton we could find with crepe paper, leaving a slit in the top for the valentines. We covered it with red paper hearts and doilies and pictures cut from old valentines. Usually I walked to school, but our beautiful box was delivered in state—in Dad’s…

ACROSS 1 Pith _____ (safari gear) 5 Shape of a wizard’s hat 9 Polite address 10 Sailor’s coat 11 Beauty pageant headwear 12 What a king wears 13 Charles Mingus’ “Goodbye _____ _____ Hat” 16 Posh beauty parlor 19 “… _____ a lender be” 20 Speedy Gonzales’ headgear 22 Fancy broad-ended tie 24 Do up a lace 25 _____beat 28 Instrument with pipes and pedals 29 Part of a baseball uniform 31 Headwear often associated with the French 33 Deception 34 Flight plan acronym, abbr. 35 It may get into a jamb? 36 Hat favored by Indiana Jones 38 Vane direction, abbr. 40 Lyricist Gershwin 42 Stadium sound 43 Three-pointed hat 47 Lassie, e.g. 48 Kind of pie 49 Sprinting gold medalist Ashford 50 Stiff straw hat DOWN 1 Shake…

FIND HATTIE’S HATPIN Hattie has lost a hatpin in this issue! If you find it, tell us at reminisce.com/hatpin. We’ll randomly select winners to receive a year’s subscription to Reminisce. In the December/January issue, we hid the hatpin on the upper left balcony, 4th floor, on page 62. There’s no purchase necessary to enter to win. Purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Sweepstakes is open to legal residents age 18 years or older of the U.S., its territories and possessions, or of Canada (excluding the Province of Quebec). Sweepstakes begins on 1/17/22 and ends on 3/11/22. Visit reminisce.com/hatties-hatpin-rules-rem for official rules. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Sweepstakes sponsored by RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC.…

BRAND-NEW BOOK! An absorbing look at America in war and peace, and the cultural flashpoints that shaped our country in the 20th century. PERSONAL STORIES Readers share their favorite memories of growing up in midcentury America, from family road trips to backyard pickup games. AUTHENTIC IMAGES More than 300 photos and vintage ads capture the sights and styles of the era in fascinating detail. LIFE AND TIMES Relive the past through the pop culture and iconic products that brightened our world. Order Reminisce: All-American Spirit for ONLY $10, plus FREE SHIPPING: REMINISCE.COM/AAS IN THE NEXT ISSUE • The Midcentury Home• Made in the U.S.A.: Zippo• Fabulous Formica…

High Society, a tony musical from 1956, has a pair of reporters (Frank Sinatra and Celeste Holm) visiting a palatial estate to cover the impending marriage of Tracy Lord (Grace Kelly), even though her ex-husband (Bing Crosby) still loves her. Sound familiar? It should. Sixteen years earlier, the same tale played out in The Philadelphia Story, with Jimmy Stewart and Ruth Hussey as the reporters, Katharine Hepburn as Tracy and Cary Grant as the lovesick ex. High Society doesn’t hit the heights of the 1940 version, which earned several Oscar nominations and won Stewart a best-actor statuette. But it’s not a bad way to pass an hour and 51 minutes—and it delivers a showstopping duet between two pop giants of the era. In the movie’s best scene, Bing and Frank…

Such a photo as this one, with the women dressed in true 1890s style, would be a prize in any family scrapbook. Photos of people, closeups of handwork and even military awards provide a snapshot of our ancestors’ lives. As early as the 15th century in England, keeping cherished letters, recipes and other treasured items was common. The practice peaked in popularity in the late 1800s. If you have inherited or made your own scrapbook of precious ephemera, consider these steps: ■ Scan the pages, or take a photograph of each item. ■ Preserve it using archival techniques. Two good places to learn about such preservation are: ■ Denise Levenick: thefamilycurator.com ■ Melissa Barker: agenealogistinthearchives.blogspot.com/ Remember to share what you keep. Relatives everywhere love to see this visual record of…

“PICTURE ME UPON YOUR KNEE JUST TEA FOR TWO AND TWO FOR TEA JUST ME FOR YOU AND YOU FOR ME ALONE” Jack and I had the stupidest song. We met on a blind date in 1952. He was a Marine stationed in Santa Ana, California, and on his way to Korea. I had just graduated from high school. We were apart more than we were together the next two years. When he was discharged, Jack went home to Columbus, Ohio, for a few months, until he returned to Los Angeles for our wedding. Where was I all that time? Living at home, listening to romantic songs by singers such as Jo Stafford (“You Belong to Me”), Eddie Fisher (“Wish You Were Here”) and Perry Como (“No Other Love”). I…

My wife, Barbara, and I first met when we both started teaching at the same high school in September 1968. We were on the same staff for 16 years, and many of those years we worked together as senior class advisers. Barbara left the school in 1984 to work as an administrator in a different district. I worked the rest of my 32-year career in my original school district. We didn’t meet again until 2008, when we both attended a luncheon for teacher retirees. We were both in our mid-60s and each of us had always been single. We began dating. We married in 2011. The priest who officiated at our wedding said Barbara and I were the oldest couple that he had ever married for the first time. To…

My mother-in-law, Thelma, needed to see specialists at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in 1976. I went along as her caregiver, and brought my children, Kim, 3, and Eric, a baby. Thelma was frail and rode in a wheelchair through the Savannah airport. I must have looked a bit frantic because many people offered to help me. There was a buzz of excitement as we waited to board, and I saw that the actor Lorne Greene was on our flight. Bonanza was a family TV favorite; Greene played Ben Cartwright, the handsome owner of the Ponderosa ranch. I felt certain we wouldn’t see much of him, since I had a small brood to look after, and he would be in first class. Once we were in the air, the…

TELL US HOW TO FIND YOU Whether you send your submission via mail or email or post it online, include your full name, daytime phone number, email address and mailing address. If you have a post office box, tell us your street address too. HELP US SORT THINGS OUT Include the name of the department your submission is for (Motoring Memories, Growing Up, etc.) on the first page of your submission or in the email subject line. For any photos you submit, please identify the people, city, state and year the photo was taken. We reserve the right to use submissions in any section of our magazine, or elsewhere. We do not return unsolicited materials. Send quality photo reprints or email high-resolution JPEG files (300 dpi at 8x10) so you…

By the time the dismissal bell rang at the Central School in Wakefield, Michigan, in the mid-1940s, some students already had put away their valentines. I was surprised to find that one more had been left on my desk. The greeting-card-style valentine was unsigned; stuck to the back was a note with its edges pasted shut. I didn’t fully comprehend that this meant its contents were private. I loosened the white notepaper from the card and unfolded it, thinking that the mysterious sender might have signed this. My friends Becky and Elaine watched with wide eyes. “That must be a real love letter!” Becky said. I smiled. “You’ve been watching too many love stories! It’s a valentine—not a love letter!” Some boys overheard my too-loud answer and rushed over to…

■ Among the system’s goals are easing congestion, making travel safer and faster, and allowing residents to evacuate urban areas quickly in the event of a nuclear attack—a very real fear in the 1950s. ■ The network’s price tag is $26 billion, to be raised through a nationwide 3-cents-per-gallon gasoline tax. At the time, gas is about 30 cents a gallon. ■ Residents and officials in many cities object to how the expressways will tear through neighborhoods and displace the people who live there. Engineers make some modifications. In all, the government builds some 46,000 miles of interstate roads.…

When I was a teenager back in the 1950s, I started collecting Elvis’ records—singles and LPs. My son, Scott, grew up to be a huge fan, too. From the time he was young, Scott borrowed all my records. In 1975, when he was 10, Woodcrest Elementary School in Port Neches held a talent contest. Scott wanted to perform as Elvis, but he didn’t have a costume. So while he was at school, I tailored one of my satin blouses, cutting it down to fit Scott and adding rows of red and silver sequins. I also bought him white shoes and jeans. Scott tried on the outfit as soon as he got home, then grabbed his guitar and put on a record. He was off in his own world. The morning…

My basic training at the Naval Station Great Lakes in Lake County, Illinois, ran from October to December in 1967. As it came to a close, we boots, as those of us in boot camp were called, were given one day of liberty off base. We had a choice of taking the train south to Chicago or north to Milwaukee. Having never been to Wisconsin, my three buddies and I chose that as our destination. It was late November, and the day was cold as we walked around the city. We passed a tavern, and my friends urged me to go in. I had recently turned 21, but the other three were underage. Since it was legitimate now, I went in, sat at the bar and ordered a beer. The…

RASMUSSENS Kent and Karin met at a Sadie Hawkins dance at Brigham Young University in 1962. “We’ve had our joys and sorrows,” Karin says, “and it’s been quite an adventure.” GROOMS Patricia saw Joe, a butcher’s son, at church one Sunday in Columbus, Ohio, and knew he was the one. A few months later, their first kiss “was the beginning of a beautiful love,” she writes. PONES Robert had to think of an excuse to talk to Terri at their high school in Orange County, California. So he asked her if she’d date his friend. “No,” she told him. “I want a date with you.” GODDARDS Nancy was a high school sophomore when she started dating Dan. They married the summer after she graduated, when Dan had finished basic training.…

When BMI ranked the 100 most-played songs on American radio and TV in the 20th century, 12 of the top 20 were love songs. And No. 1 was a lament to fading romance: “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” by the Righteous Brothers. Protest songs, road songs, joke songs—all speak to the head and feel dated over time. Love songs speak to the heart. They endure. These tunes have strong connections to their eras, yet like all good love songs they are timeless. 1931 STARDUST Hoagy Carmichael, left, recorded his jazz masterpiece in 1927, but Mitchell Parish’s lyrics, written in ’29, turned the song into an elegy for a beloved lost to time. Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong did versions in 1931. 1939 IF I DIDN’T CARE The song that made…

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