Granny Gowns

In 1965, "granny gowns" became the favorite fashion among teenage girls. These featured long, ankle-length skirts, long sleeves, and high, round necklines. They were seen as a reaction against miniskirts and other skin-revealing fashions.

In November, 1965 one girl got sent home from school for wearing a granny gown — told it violated the school policy against "extreme clothing."

St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Dec 22, 1965

Orlando Sentinel - Nov 25, 1965

Asbury Park Press - Nov 20, 1965

Posted By: Alex - Mon May 15, 2017 - Comments (3)
Category: Fashion, 1960s

Frontier Circus

In 1962, variations on the popular Western genre reached new and unlikely permutations.

Wikipedia entry here.

Posted By: Paul - Sat May 13, 2017 - Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Clowns, Fairs, Amusement Parks, and Resorts, Regionalism, Television, 1960s

Great Harvard Panty Raid of 1965

The proud past of a progressive institution.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Apr 29, 2017 - Comments (7)
Category: Antisocial Activities, Destruction, Education, Universities, Colleges, Private Schools and Academia, Underwear, 1960s, Men, Women

Follies of the Madmen #312

Ah, the hillbilly! What a once-potent icon. Used anywhere these days except Cletus & Family on The Simpsons?

Ad scanned from Playboy for March 1962.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Apr 27, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Fashion, Regionalism, Stereotypes and Cliches, 1960s

Telephone Marathons

Back in 1961, the fad of holding marathon telephone calls swept college campuses. The girls dormitory would call the boys dormitory, and then people would take it in turns to keep the phone call going for days, or weeks. Of course, the dormitory phone would be tied up that entire time... so too bad if you had to use it for an actual call.

The longest telephone marathon I can find a record of took place at Southern Illinois University in 1965, where they planned a 2½ month phone call. Though I don't know if the full call was actually completed.

(above and below) Dec 1961: Western Michigan students talked on the phone for 504 hours.

Southern Illinoisan - June 30, 1965

Posted By: Alex - Mon Apr 24, 2017 - Comments (1)
Category: Fads, 1960s, Universities, Colleges, Private Schools and Academia

Wild Ones on Wheels

Wild Ones On Wheels (1962) - Feature (Crime... by filmgorillas

Posted By: Paul - Sun Apr 23, 2017 - Comments (1)
Category: Clubs, Fraternities and Other Self-selecting Organizations, Motor Vehicles, Movies, Juvenile Delinquency, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, 1960s

Follies of the Madmen #311

Posted By: Paul - Thu Apr 20, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Domestic, Stereotypes and Cliches, 1960s, Women, Skin and Skin Conditions

Allergic to wife

1966: After suffering from asthma for 15 years, Sigurd Lindh learned that he was allergic to his wife, Greta. He moved into a cabin 600 yards from their home, and his asthma cleared up.

It's pretty rare for spouses to be allergic to each other (as in, actually having a physical reaction to the other's presence, not just hating each other's guts). But it's doubly rare for a husband to be allergic to a wife. So Lindh was pretty unique. For whatever reason, the overwhelming majority of these spousal allergy cases involve wives allergic to their husbands. See here and here.

Detroit Free Press - June 2, 1966

Akron Beacon Journal - Sep 12, 1966

Posted By: Alex - Tue Apr 18, 2017 - Comments (1)
Category: Health, Marriage, 1960s

General Electric’s 1965 Walking Truck

Walking robots, such as those from Boston Dynamics, are all the rage these days.

But does their ancestor, the human-operated Walking Truck, ever get any credit?

Well, this fellow did a magnificent article on the device.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 18, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Robots, 1960s

Vexations by Erik Satie

Eccentric composer Erik Satie wrote "Vexations," a four-line piece of music, around 1893, though that date is a guess because it remained undiscovered until his death in 1925. It was an unexceptional piece of music (by design), except for the instructions he attached that seemed to indicate that it should be played "840 times in succession" by a pianist who should "prepare oneself beforehand, in the deepest silence, by serious immobilities." It's not clear why he chose the number 840.

It was first performed in September 1963 at the Pocket Theater in Manhattan. Composer John Cage arranged for a relay team of 10 pianists to play the entire thing, 840 times. The entire performance lasted 18 hours and 40 minutes.

There was a $5 admission fee for audience members, but you got 5 cents back for every 20 minutes you listened to it. Joel Meltz sat through the whole thing, so ended up getting a refund of $2.80.

It's subsequently been performed a number of times and is, of course, available on YouTube. Check out the video below of the guy who plays the entire thing, alone, in under 10 hours.

San Bernardino County Sun - Sep 11, 1963

Posted By: Alex - Mon Apr 17, 2017 - Comments (6)
Category: Boredom, Music, 1960s