Octa-Gane Water Injection Carburetor

Even after reading this article, I'm still not sure about the physics of this device. But one thing is clear.

"Popular Science tested one of the J.C. Whitney Octa-Ganes in 1968 and reported a drop in fuel mileage and power when using it."

Original ad here. (Scroll down.)

Posted By: Paul - Wed Dec 31, 2014 - Comments (23)
Category: Frauds, Cons and Scams, Inventions, 1950s, Cars

The Well-Balanced Beer

Headline writers had a lot of fun with this story. Ruth Shepler was an Iowa barmaid who had a signature bar trick which involved pouring a bottle of beer into a glass while the glass was balanced on her ample "frontage." She could reportedly balance up to four glasses simultaneously.

But when the IRS heard about this, they decided that her trick was really a cabaret show, which meant that she should have been paying cabaret taxes for the previous three years (1952, 1954, and 1955). And they demanded these unpaid taxes, which by their calculations amounted to $44,694.

Shepler hired a lawyer to fight the IRS. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any news reports that tell how her case turned out.

Posted By: Alex - Tue Dec 30, 2014 - Comments (6)
Category: Entertainment, Government, 1950s

The best photo wins

Back in 1956, there was a lot of harrumphing in political circles after Virginia Grant was elected Democratic national committeewoman from Oregon, beating her rival Gladys Last. The complaints centered on the fact that 33-year-old Grant was pretty much an unknown with no political experience (she was a waitress at the Aloha Room bar in Portland) who didn't bother to campaign much at all, whereas 46-year-old Last was an old-hand at politics and had campaigned actively.

But what really scandalized people was that in the voters' pamphlet mailed to all registered Democrats, Grant included a "glamour shot" of herself, while Last just used a "regular photo." And it seems to have been the photo that tipped the election in Grant's favor. She won by an 18,000 vote margin over Last.

Their photos are below. (I could only find a watermarked photo of Last's). Which one would you have voted for?

Posted By: Alex - Fri Dec 26, 2014 - Comments (8)
Category: Politics, 1950s

Uranium Dirt Sitting Houses

Briefly in the 1950s it became popular to sit in mildly radioactive dirt as a panacea for many ills.

The house above in Rotan, TX, was one such establishment.



Article here.

LIFE magazine article here.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Dec 16, 2014 - Comments (6)
Category: Fads, Atomic Power and Other Nuclear Matters, 1950s, Diseases

From Hell It Came

This not taken from the Alan Moore graphic novel.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Dec 14, 2014 - Comments (4)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Horror, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Movies, 1950s, Natural Wonders

Karlsson-on-the-roof

Karlsson-on-the-Roof from Maripuka85 on Vimeo.

Young boy subject to hallucinations is befriended by drunken fairy godfather. In Russian, but that hardly matters.

The German live-action version is even odder.



Wikipedia entry here.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Nov 28, 2014 - Comments (2)
Category: Children, Cartoons, 1950s, 1970s, Fictional Monsters, Alcohol, Goofs and Screw-ups

Alcohol Is Dynamite

Posted By: Paul - Mon Nov 24, 2014 - Comments (3)
Category: PSA’s, Teenagers, 1950s, Alcohol

Nipper, the corn-eating cat

Posted By: Alex - Thu Nov 20, 2014 - Comments (10)
Category: Cats, 1950s

Johnny Jupiter

There's a bit of Jim Carrey to our hero Ernie.

Full story here.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Nov 11, 2014 - Comments (2)
Category: Aliens, Geeks, Nerds and Pointdexters, Puppets and Automatons, Television, 1950s

Woman Seduced by Horny Saxophone

Posted By: Paul - Sat Nov 08, 2014 - Comments (3)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Innuendo, Double Entendres, Symbolism, Nudge-Nudge-Wink-Wink and Subliminal Messages, Music, Sexuality, 1950s