Showing posts with label the 1960's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the 1960's. Show all posts

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Book Report

I bought this novel for a buck and after reading it, it's well worth ten times that.

It's a story about a aimless well meaning guy in the late 1950's/early 1960's who gets drawn into taking nude photos of women for some shady characters which then progresses into him shooting porn films for some even shadier characters. Along the way he gets sucked into the periphery of the sex Profumo sex scandal which has negative consequences for him and some of his friends and acquaintances. (There is a vey good film about the Profumo sex scandal. It was made in 1989 and it's entitled Scandal. I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it.)

This book oozes atmosphere and it gives you a great sense of what London was like in the early swingin' '60's. The author does a hell of a job evoking what that era and place were all about. And for the most part, he does a hell of a job with the story.

My only quibble with the book is that it took so long to take off and then he kind of let things go downhill at the very end. Frankly, the book could do with out all the stuff about the protagonist's early home life and it could do with out the last part all together. The novel is strongest when it focuses on the main characters and the main story of Tim Purdom and his connections to the characters involved in the Profumo scandal.

I recommend it despite the quibbles I have with it. It's an enjoyable read.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Bristol goes on forever


I love this 1960's photo of Bristol, TN/VA. It makes the city look glamorous and like it goes on forever. I got it out of a 1962 King College, which is my alma mater by the way, yearbook.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Come on in...

...and have a seat.
The swingin' '60's will be right with you.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Protecting Our Food

I put all the photos and a few illustrations from the 1966 USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) handbook entitled Protecting Our Food on Flickr.

It's chock full of photos of pesticides being applied, scientists working to come up with more additives, farmers, people working in food related plants, grocery shoppers, and animals and insects. I was surprised to find this photo of a young, hungry, but happy John Kruk in amongst the photos, but there he was nonetheless:
And this sexy thing is Pestina:
She was a cartoon that reminded people who travelled outside the country to check their clothes and luggage for unwanted bugs that might hitch a ride in to the USA and ruin our food supply. I'd kind of like to see her and Judy Jetson kiss and fool around a little bit. What? Did I say that out loud? Sorry.

Anyhoo, you can see all the cheesy vintage USDA goodness by clicking here.