The first family of TV:
It won't take long before you recognize and make the connection to this group. I think Marcia was my first crush, followed by Susan Dey from the Partridge Family. To this day they still write me letters and compete for my attention. Being happily married I politely decline each advance.
Can you name this young lady?
How can you write about the 70's and not make a reference about Farah Fawcett? There's something about this picture that is noteworthy. And not her hair or bottom. Check out those Nikes! Those babies started an empire.
The teenagers! Yikes - what they are really like! There are several items in this picture that I find interesting. The forty cents price for one. The anonymity of the poor guy driving the bike. Who was he? Where did he end up? How did he get to be the driver? The specter of existentialism looms above his head. Rember Brian Dunkelman?
Of course you don't. He stated his departure from American Idol was due to the terrible way they treated the young contestants on the show, staging the fights between the judges and reshooting contestants with producer-provided, glycerin tears in their eyes. He went on to say that leaving the show was a mistake. Shaaaah! I bet he wishes he was Ryan Seacrest now. Anyway, enough about the anonymous dude.
The young lady in this picture is named Jan Smith (Karin Jan Smithers). This cover picture actually launched her career, creating bit parts in Murder, She Wrote, The Fall Guy, The Love Boat, Mike Hammer and most famously 86 episodes in WKRP in Cincinnati.
On 7 September of 2007 her car broke down. Alledgely and according to reports, she was driving naked and when exiting her vehicle for assistance was struck and injured. I suppose the proverb we would learn from this experience is not to drive in our birthday suits.
Finally, and the thing I find hilarious is that Jan's head covers the headline of the article that now causes it to read "New eek". When you think of teenagers, do you think "eek"?
Lunchtime!
Wow. This brings back memories. Took a bit of time to find this picture. When I was a kid, we had metal lunchboxes to tote our food around in. I remember having several lunch boxes as they would get battered and bent, but this one sticks out in my mind. Yes, I was the proud owner of a lunchbox just like this, I'm guessing it was about 1965-67.
It came with a Campbell's Tomato Soup thermos. I haven't bothered to check the timing but as I recall it was an Andy Warhol endorsed product or somehow tied to him. Even then I was cool, and thought this was cool. I wish I still had that lunchbox today. It wouldn't have been in as good as condition as this one, but can you guess how much this is being sold for on eBay? $450.00!
Trivia: metal lunch boxes were eventually retired, allegedly due to the increased us as a schoolyard weapon. The last metal lunch box was made in 1985, and appropriately enough it was a Rambo lunch box - ready to beat someone up with.
Ah, for simpler times...
