Retro Ad #3: Creepy Pumpkin Patch Family For Dan River (circa. 1960)

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone!

In the spirit of the season I've found this gem of an ad from 1960.  It comes from Dan River an American clothing and textile manufacturer and as you can see it has a pair of mothers posing with their children in front of hundreds of pumpkins.  Of course, without any text there's no way of telling what this add is actually for.  My first guess would be pumpkins but I guess all the gingham, plaid, and pearls would guide my second guess to clothing.  Gotta dig the flower pot hat that the lady on the right is sporting.  And the lace detailing on the pockets of the little girl's dress.

Speaking of the people in this ad, especially the lady on the right, don't they all have a creepy spaced out expression.  It's almost like they are try to hypnotize onlookers into joining their polyester clad pumpkin patch dwelling cult.  Join us... join us... join us...  On second thought don't look directly into their eyes.

Since there's no title on the ad I think I'll add my own.  How about Pod People of the Pumpkin Patch?  The Perilous Posse of Pumpkin Grove?  Ah... they don't really do justice do they?  Enjoy your turkeys and pumpkin pies!

Classic Romantic Comedies Vol. 3: The Mad Miss Manton

We travel, this time, two years later than our last entry into this series, all the way to 1938 for what will likely be the most obscure romantic comedy that I write about.  It features a duo who will definitely appear again, and a women who you will soon grow tired of me praising. 

Directed by Liegh Jason, The Mad Miss Manton, stars the great Brabara Stanwyck as wealthy (is there any other kind?) socialite Melsa Manton, who stumbles upon a corpse in an abandoned building one night while walking her dogs.  When she returns with the police the body is gone, and the cops and media brand it as another one of her (and her band of socialite friends') pranks of which the whole of Manhattan are intimately familiar with.  Reporter, Peter Ames, played by Henry Fonda, is particularly nasty in his apprasial of Miss Manton's trickster ways in a column that he writes for a local paper.  Concerned with solving the murder, saving her name, and sticking it to Peter Ames, Melsa and her band of friends go investigating.  What follows is a delightful 80 minute romp in which Melsa and her girls slowly uncover the identity of the body and the perpetrator, with Ames and the police nipping at their heels.

As you would expect, Ames quickly changes his tune about Melsa, deciding that there is something to her story and mounts his own investigation.  The two butt heads, and as you would expect end up together at the end, and it is their sparkling banter that really lifts this out of the realm of silly screwball comedy and into something more special.  The dialogue is sharp and delivered at a machine gun pace, and as is the case with the majority of comedies starring Barbara Stanwyck she is the smartest person in the room and easily lays Henry Fonda's character to waste.

It is interesting to note that Henry Fonda hated his role in this film, and resented being forced to star in it (a victim of Hollywood's studio system).  He is quoted as saying that he did his best to ignore everything that had to do with the film, including the director and his leading lady.  It is said that his relationship with Stanwyck on this film was very icy, which is surprising considering their considerable chemistry.  It comes as an even greater shock that they would work together on two more occasions, and that Fonda would later admit to a great fondness for Stanwyck that some say was more akin to love.  As mentioned previously, this will not be the last time we focus on this duo.

Here's the first few minutes of the film:

Retro Ad #2: Blue Jay Corn Plasters (circa. 1945)

I don't know where to begin with this one.  A lady blissfully prancing in her pretty pink bra and matching bloomers; completely barefoot.  I know when I see this the first thing I think about is corn removal.  Apparently the talking heads at her feet all have corns on the brain as well.  Or at least corn relief.

Seriously, I'm not sure if the advertisers were trying to go for the sex appeal angle, but let's face it there's nothing sexy about overgrown foot calluses.  Not to mention the fact that the majority of people who suffer from corns are women who wear ill-fitting high-heeled shoes, I don't see how a shoeless nubile women in her underwear is would entice a woman to buy their treatment.  But then what do I know.

Fashion of the Fabulous Fifties

That's right folk.  We've reached the fifties in our examination of the fashion trends of the twentieth century.  And... if all the ins and outs of fifties fashion aren't enough for you we've included two duelling Bombshells for the price of one.  Head to our main site to find out about this exciting decade of fashion.

http://www.photobombshell.com/fifties.html

Spooktacular Speakeasy

We're all about dressing up and pretending to be something out of the ordinary here at Bombshell Photography.  Naturally, Halloween is one of our favourite times of the year.  A couple of weeks ago we had the privilege of photograph a fun-loving Edmonton couple who had no problem getting into the Halloween spirit.  Inspired by speakeasies of the prohibition era, and a little bit of zombie pinup action thrown in for good measure, I give you our own Spooktacular Speakeasy.  Our couple go from having a drink at the bar to succumbing to death and coming back again to live it up one more time.  Give our zombie couple some jazz hands!