Al Stine-Playboy Cartoonist

Al Stine contributed some incredibly skilled watercolor cartoons to Playboy magazine during its golden age. He’s still alive and well, painting and teaching in South Carolina. Check out his website.
Alstine.com

1959 Chevy Ultimus

This custom built '59 Chevy El Camino aka The Ultimus, has been around since the early sixties. It’s one of the coolest custom jobs I’ve seen in a long time.
Someone out in cyberspace has created a great page dedicated to it, with lots of photos & info.
View Full Page Here!

Suzy Parker-Fashion Icon

Suzy Parker enjoyed a multifaceted career as a model (the signature face for Coco Chanel), fashion editor, photographer, and actress. She was the first model to make more than $100 an hour and $100,000 a year, and was the inspiration for the character portrayed by Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face (she also made a brief appearance in the film).
Suzy Parker Bio
Order Funny Face DVD From Amazon

The Nutty Professor Soundtrack

I just found a great page where someone has posted the unreleased soundtrack to this 1963 Jerry Lewis classic.
Click Here To Listen!
Watch Buddy Love-"We've Got a World That Swings" Video

Playboy’s Theme

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Hugh Hefner, who was generous enough to autograph my original sheet music for Playboy’s Theme (written by Cy Coleman for the Playboy After Dark television series).
Listen To Henry Mancini’s Version Of Playboy’s Theme Here

Jumpin' Jivin' Johannesburg

Authentic Selection Of South African Township Swing Classics From The '50s & '60s. Shuffling drumbeats, serene horn lines, and sweet vocal melodies all come together in the vintage sounds of township jive and South African Jazz. From traditional Kwela flute music and improvisatory Marabi, to bass-heavy Mbaqanga and very influential American Jazz recordings, both township jive and South African Jazz were born.
Order Here
History Of African Jazz
Further 50s & 60's African Jazz Suggestions

Johnny Sokko & Giant Robot

Johnny Sokko was a young Japanese kid that gained control of a giant flying robot...called imaginatively, Giant robot. The earth was under attack by The evil emperor Guillotine and his mob of earthling foot soldiers, the Gargoyle Gang.
Johnny Sokko is on a trip, to, well, we don't know. We just know he's on a boat and he meets fellow passenger, Jerry Mano. Jerry is posing as a writer, but he's actually a secret agent for UNICORN, an organization pledged to defend mankind. That sounds more dramatic than what is shown. First off, James Bond Jerry is not. He blows his cover after talking to Johnny, a twelve or so year old kid, in two minutes. But that's not Jerry's biggest problem. Just as he and Johnny are getting to know each other, the sea monster, Dracolon attacks!
Click Here To watch 10 Episodes For Free!

Dean Martin's 1962 Dual Ghia Coupe

Mighty Mouse Theme

Click Here To Listen!

Weird-Ohs

Hawk has re-introduced the popular Weird-Ohs collection of model kits. Weird-Ohs were more popular in the 1960's than Pokemon was in the 1990's, and are sure to be enjoyed by today's model builders.
Check Out The Official Weird-Ohs Website!

1937 Delage D8-120 S-French Streamline Elegance

Louis Delage's lavish and flamboyant lifestyle matched the luxurious cars he produced, but it also resulted in the downfall of the company. Like many of Delage's contemporaries, the French company filed for bankruptcy midway through the 1930s. Fortunately Delahaye stepped up and bought the assets. Production could continue and there was enough money available to develop a new model for 1936. Although Mr. Delage had officially parted ways with 'his' company, he kept a close eye on the products for a long time after the take over and remained their spokesperson.
Read Full Article.

Roots Of Surf Music

Some years before the popularity of Dick Dale, The Ventures, and The Beach Boys, legendary surf movie director Bruce Brown was using jazz music from the west coast for his film soundtracks. Most notably, “Slippery When Wet” featuring woodwinds player Bud Shank.
Click here For Full Article.
Order Slippery When Wet DVD From Amazon.

Happy New Year From Patsy Cline

Patsy with Sonny Hawthorne and His Blue Rhythym Boys, at the Fire Hall in Lorton, Virginia, New Year's Eve 1957

New Year's Eve 1949

Nina Foch and dress designer Jean Louis sipping champagne at Samuel Spiegel's New Year's Eve party,1949.

Gerry Mulligan 1957

I first heard this LP at the local library when I was 14 years old and it changed my life in a big way. It was my first introduction to Gerry Mulligan, Sweets Edison, Herb Ellis, and most significantly, the Dizzy Gillespie composition "Woody'n You". It also features Stan Getz, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Art Farmer, and Louis Bellson. Long out of print, not reissued on CD that I’m aware of (although a couple cuts have sufaced on Verve compilations), this album is well worth seeking out on vinyl.

How To Properly Identify Roadside Muffler Man

Physical Characteristics
Material: Fiberglass. Knock on his leg to see if he's hollow.
Height: From bottom of shoe to top of head or hat, between 18-25 ft. tall
Head: Well-chiseled facial bones, prominent brow and squarish "lantern" jaw. Crack a beer bottle over this guy's noggin and he wouldn't be fazed. Eyes may appear to stare blankly into the middle distance, or may be painted to leer down at visitors. Exceptions: Halfwits and Indians
Torso: Broad-shoulders, and familiar design of fake shirt folds. Pockets, suspenders, shirt patterns sometimes painted on. Exceptions: Indian models often barechested.
Arms: Short-sleeved shirt, well-articulated veins bulge on forearms. Bent at elbow, left palm faces down, right palm faces up -- with an open grasp to hold an ax, muffler, golf club, etc.
Shoes and legs: Big, blocky shoes measure about 4-ft. from heel to toe. Pants exhibit familiar pattern of folds and creases.
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Rip Kirby-Private Dick

Rip Kirby was a comic strip featuring an eponymous character, created by Alex Raymond in 1946.
After World War II, Raymond did not return to work on any of his previous successful comic strips (Flash Gordon, Jungle Jim, Secret Agent X-9) but instead began work on a new strip starring an ex-marine private detective named Rip Kirby, based on the suggestion by Ward Greene that Raymond try a "detective-type" strip. The daily strip was first published on March 4, 1946. The strip enjoyed enormous success and Raymond received the Reuben Award in 1949.

1936 Tatra T87

Three years ago, my friend Paul Greenstein sent his 1936 Tatra Tatra T87 to the Czech Republic for ground up restoration. Here’s a couple recent pics of the nearly finished project. This vehicle design was Ferdinand Porsche's original inspiration for the Volkswagen.
Click Here For Tatra 600 Web Page. Super Cool Stuff.

Mamie Van Doren & Conway Twitty

I just found this cool page of the Films Of Conway Twitty. It’s fun & quirky, part of a larger site called The Meeker Museum.

Matchbook Art

From the 1920s to the 1950s, a ubiquitous advertising gimmick made its way into the purses, pockets and kitchen drawers of millions of Americans. The giveaway matchbook, from its humble origins as an entrepreneurial gamble, quickly caught on and became one of the most pervasive means ever found of putting promotional images into the hands of the public. Order Here.