1930s
Johnson Smith Catalog Item #7
Sure to win you tons of friends.
From the 1930s catalog.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Sep 06, 2011 -
Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Johnson Smith Catalog, 1930s, Jokes
Verne Soules
Full patent here as PDF.
A mention of his death in 1948.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Aug 29, 2011 -
Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Technology, 1930s, 1940s
Erectorscope
What is the mystery of the "Erectorscope?" Does it have anything to do with erections? No!
This product comes from the Gilbert folks who made Erector construction toys.
If you look here, you'll see an accompanying booklet printed in the old-fashioned 2-color 3-D system. It seems the Erectorscope was nothing more than the cardboard blue/red glasses to view the advertised Gilbert products.
No wonder the kid in the ad is turned away from the customer. It's as bad a scam as X-ray Spex.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Aug 27, 2011 -
Comments (5)
Category: Toys, 1930s
Johnson Smith Catalog Item #4
Imagine walking into the opera house today with this in hand.
From the 1930s catalog.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Aug 06, 2011 -
Comments (2)
Category: Inventions, Johnson Smith Catalog, 1930s
Johnson Smith Catalog Item #3
From the 1930s catalog.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Aug 02, 2011 -
Comments (3)
Category: Disguises, Impersonations, Mimics and Forgeries, Johnson Smith Catalog, 1930s
Johnson Smith Catalog Item #1
[Click to enlarge]
Starting a new series: weird stuff from famed seller of novelties Johnson Smith.
I will be extracting from two catalogs: one from an indeterminate year of the 1930s, and one from the year 1950.
This entry, from the 1930s.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 14, 2011 -
Comments (2)
Category: Body, Body Modifications, Costumes and Masks, Johnson Smith Catalog, Surrealism, 1930s
Weight Gain Program
Why is it we never hear about such problems these days?
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jul 03, 2011 -
Comments (2)
Category: Body, Obesity, Business, Advertising, Products, 1930s
Monkey Song
More about Clarence Williams here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Apr 21, 2011 -
Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Humor, Music, 1930s
Scatter-Brain
Nothing like winning over a woman by telling her she's an idiot, as Freddy Martin and his orchestra do in "Scatter-Brain."Listen to the song here.
Everyone who sees you says, fascinating face
Heavens, what a figure and, goodness me, what grace
Everyone who meets you must lose his heart, I find
Then he's sure to lose his mind
You're as pleasant as the morning
And refreshing as the rain
Isn't it a pity that you're such a scatterbrain
When you smile it's so delightful
When you talk it's so insane
Still it's charming chatter, scatterbrain
I know I'll end up apoplectic
But there's nothing I can do
It's just the same as being in a hurricane
And though my life will be too hectic
I'm so much in love with you
Nothing else can matter
You're my darling scatterbrain
You're as gay as New Year parties
You're as sweet as sugarcane
But when you get serious, you're such a scatterbrain
When we dance I think it's heaven
Till about the third refrain
Then you start your patter, scatterbrain
Perhaps I'm much too analytic
But I'm up the well-known tree
I've tried to understand your double-talk in vain
Yet, won't you please forgive your critic
'Cause you mean so much to me
Nothing else can matter
You're my darling scatterbrain
Posted By: Paul - Wed Dec 29, 2010 -
Comments (4)
Category: Stereotypes and Cliches, Stupidity, 1930s, Women
The Return of Doctor X
Humphrey Bogart regarded this as his biggest dog of a film. He plays a mad scientist who went to the electric chair, died, was revived with "synthetic blood," then had to subsist by draining the blood of others.
And here's the weirdest thing: almost every scene in this trailer is an outtake, not seen in the actual film! I wonder if viewers of the era felt ripped off.
'Nuff said!
Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 27, 2010 -
Comments (3)
Category: Body Modifications, Horror, Medicine, Movies, Science, Experiments, 1930s, Blood
| Who We Are |
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |