Television
My Mother The Car
The 1965 sitcom My Mother the Car ran for a single season on NBC. Its oddball premise involved "a man whose deceased mother is reincarnated as an antique car, and she communicates with him through the car radio."Wikipedia notes, "Critics and adult viewers generally disliked the show, often savagely. In 2002, TV Guide proclaimed it to be the second-worst of all time, behind The Jerry Springer Show."
The Hackensack Record - Aug 17, 1986
Posted By: Alex - Tue Oct 26, 2021 -
Comments (7)
Category: Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Television, 1960s
The Odd Couple Opera
Article source: Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois) 20 Aug 1972, Sun Page 363
Posted By: Paul - Fri Oct 01, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Humor, Television, Theater and Stage, Opera
John Cameron Swayze Board Game
A board game with built-in obsolescence. Not the brightest notion.The entry at Board Game Geek.
Swayze is a Quiz game based on today's news. The players take turns acting as the Quizmaster who thinks of a news item from recent headlines, using a special map of the world. The other players are panel members who try and identify the news event by asking questions. John Cameron Swayze lends his name to the game. Yes the same John Cameron Swayzee of TIMEX watch commercials fame. Back when this game was around Swayze was doing the evening news and was a pretty famous and well recognized newsman and TV celebrity.
A book comes with the game that has current events listed for different areas of the world just in case the Quizmaster cant think of any for a particular area of the world. Some examples of what's in the book; Mount Everest conquered by Hillary May 1953, Ben Hogan wins British Open July 1953, US Forces enter Korea south of 38th Parallel Jul 1950, Mohandas Gandhi assassinated Jan 1948.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Sep 30, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Games, Television, Current Events, Headlines and Topicality, 1950s
AutoVision
Back in the 80s and 90s, Jay Schiffman had big hopes for his AutoVision system, which allowed a person to watch TV while driving a car. His device projected the image onto a small mirror positioned on the windshield, so that the driver could look at the road and a TV show simultaneously.Schiffman always insisted that AutoVision actually made driving safer, not more dangerous. From the Chicago Tribune (Sep 6, 1998):
In addition, the images kept the drivers alert, he said, stimulating their sympathetic nervous system, or fight-or-flight response.
I don't think many people were convinced by his argument. But maybe self-driving cars will create a new market for his invention.
More info: Patent No. US5061996A; "TV for Cars" Popular Science (Dec 1990)
Newport News Daily Press - May 15, 1998
Posted By: Alex - Fri Sep 10, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Television, Patents, Cars
Myrtle Young, the Potato Chip Lady
Myrtle Young worked as a potato chip inspector at the Seyfert Potato Chip plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana. During the course of her job, she would occasionally notice potato chips that resembled something, such as an animal or a celebrity. She began to take these chips home to show her granddaughter, and soon she had amassed quite a collection.When the media became aware of her collection it led to numerous appearances on talk shows, including a 1987 appearance on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. TV Guide named this as the funniest moment ever on television.
I don't know if it's the funniest ever, but it's definitely amusing. The noteworthy part occurs about a minute in.
The scene was later parodied in a 1993 episode of the Simpson's, 'Selma's Choice,' in which Great Aunt Gladys bequeathes to Marge, via video will, her collection of potato chips that look like celebrities. As the video will is playing, Homer is seen eating the chips. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a clip of this scene.
Update: Paul managed to get some screenshots of Homer and the potato chips!
Posted By: Alex - Thu Sep 02, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Humor, Television, Junk Food, Collectors, 1980s
Channel Surfing in the 1950s
How did people channel surf in the 1950s, before the invention of remote controls?Mrs. Cooper's solution was to own a different TV set for every channel. To change channels she just had to move to a different room.
Medford Mail Tribune - Mar 28, 1957
Posted By: Alex - Sun Aug 29, 2021 -
Comments (4)
Category: Television, 1950s
Ron Popeil, RIP
His obit at CNN.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jul 30, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Inventions, Chindogu, Television, Advertising
Sesame Street Fever
The Wikipedia page
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jun 29, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Fads, Music, Television, Children, 1970s
Video Village
This is getting meta! A TV game show that uses people as living tokens on a board game set is later replicated as an actual board game. Wow, man!The Wikipedia page.
The entry at Board Game Geek.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jun 28, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Games, Philosophy, Television, 1960s
Help…It’s the Hair Bear Bunch!
The Wikipedia page.According to author Christopher P. Lehman, Hanna-Barbera "dress[ed] the bears in counterculture apparel" in order to stay on track with the "mainstream" fashion in the United States.
Posted By: Paul - Sat May 22, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Anthropomorphism, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Television, Cartoons, 1970s
| Who We Are |
|---|
| 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 |