1940s
Follies of the Madmen #516
Some wild and dubious claims for this metal briefcase.Source.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Sep 27, 2021 -
Comments (3)
Category: Business, Advertising, Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Family, 1940s
Hypnosis in Minutes—Tonight!
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Sep 26, 2021 -
Comments (5)
Category: Drugs, Hypnotism, Mesmerism and Mind Control, 1940s
The Stunts of TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES Radio Show
Many folks of a certain age might recall TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES as a TV show. But it began on radio in 1940, and was known for its far-out stunts, as detailed on this page.Excerpt below.
A 1942 contestant told Edwards that her 17 year old son was serving in the Marines - as if Edwards didn’t know this in advance when she was “randomly” selected to appear on the show. Her consequence was to count pennies - pennies mailed to her home by listeners to buy War Bonds for her son. Broadcasting magazine reported within a week that the woman received 301,464 coins, mostly pennies, totaling over $3,100. Variety reported that after ten days the amount of mail had reached 236,000 pieces and the amount was $3,560. To handle the massive amount of mail Edwards temporarily rented office space and hired 200 clerks to pick it up, open it, count the money and track the postmarks to learn where it came from, valuable research for NBC and sponsor Procter & Gamble.
Edwards sent a 1944 contestant on an involved and hilarious search for a thousand dollars that climaxed after a month with listeners mailing 18,000 old books to the man‘s home which were donated to servicemen and veterans’ hospitals - after the contestant was directed to leaf through the books to find the missing half of a thousand dollar bill sent to him by the show.
The fact that they gave out big money prizes didn't hurt their popularity either.
Source: Lancaster New Era (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) 08 Dec 1947, Mon Page 3
Posted By: Paul - Sat Sep 25, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Money, Publicity Stunts, Radio, 1940s
Yes, It’s True!
Really! It's true! It wasn't just a fantastical rumor! Metallic caskets are available again!
Springfield Daily News - Apr 14, 1946
Incidentally, I came across this ad after reading a 1948 article by columnist Doris Lockerman in which she wrote that, "It was reported, but not confirmed, that a convention of morticians once crowned a Miss Metallic Casket."
This led me to a long, and ultimately fruitless, search for any evidence of a 'Miss Metallic Casket'. The above ad was the only minor curiosity related to metallic caskets that I came across.
I'm wondering if the rumor of a 'Miss Metallic Casket' may somehow have been inspired by the pin-up girl calendar that a mortuary released in 1948, which caused a bit of a scandal.
Posted By: Alex - Wed Sep 22, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Death, Advertising, 1940s
The Bear Facts
Anti-communist fable presented as a kid's book.More pictures and discussion here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Sep 02, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Propaganda, Thought Control and Brainwashing, Children, Books, Fantasy, 1940s, Russia
Artificial Girls of 1940
Posted By: Paul - Sat Aug 28, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Fairs, Amusement Parks, and Resorts, Puppets and Automatons, 1940s, Women
Please Kill Me
Unsolved after 20 years, and from what I can see, unsolved to the present day.Source for first clipping: Joplin Globe (Joplin, Missouri) 11 Nov 1948, Thu Page 4
Source for second clipping: The Emporia Gazette (Emporia, Kansas)17 Aug 1968, Sat Page 11
Posted By: Paul - Wed Aug 25, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Death, Unsolved Mysteries, 1940s, North America
Two 1940s Songs About Strippers
Posted By: Paul - Tue Aug 24, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Music, Burlesque, Exotic Dancing, Stripping and Other Forms of Staged Nakedness, 1940s
Artwork Khrushchev Probably Would Not Have Liked 36
"Dorothea Tanning and Max Ernst with his sculpture, Capricorn, 1947"
Foto source.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jul 13, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Art, Avant Garde, Surrealism, Statues and Monuments, Husbands, Wives, 1940s
The Glamorous Women of the Spruance Rayon Plant
From DuPont's Better Living magazine (Sep/Oct 1949):These Virginia beauties have been photographed in a distinctive style, developed by leading U.S. lensmen to create an aura of glamour about their subjects. Such pictures have helped establish American women as the world's most glamorous...
They bespeak the beauty of Virginia women and qualify the Du Pont girls to rank with Hollywood's and Park Avenue's best as representatives of U.S. glamour.
I'm intrigued by their job titles. What in the world is a "slashing creel operator" or a "throwing operator"?
Some info about the Spruance Rayon Plant: Richmond Times-Dispatch
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jul 12, 2021 -
Comments (4)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Industry, Factories and Manufacturing, 1940s
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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 |