Saturday, July 03, 2021

Vintage Kids

I have some nice vintage photos of kids (you know, tiny humans!) for you today. I hope you think they're fun.

First up is this July, 1960 photo of a girl playing miniature golf (or did you call it "putt-putt golf"?). The treacherous windmill has driven many a child to tears, and even madness. I hope she gets a hole in one! There is no information written on the slide mount, so I have no idea where this location is.


Meet Freddy! He's mighty pleased to be on vacation with his family in 1956. I just assume they are on a fishing trip, though there's not really any evidence - no rods and reels, or a floatation vest (those cushions hanging from the wall might also double as floatation devices though) or a creel in sight. I'll bet mom (with the camera) never wore dungarees in her daily life!

This photo reminds me of many a trip to Minnesota with my family and my grandparents. In the upper left we can see part of a framed image with the words, "Gee! I wish I was a woodpecker". 


Some Googlin' resulted in this vintage ad for Frontenac Ale!


And finally, from the 1950s (or possibly the early 1960s) comes this photo of a happy boy aboard his cool scooter. Looks like he has been doing donuts in that field! As is often the case, there is no information about the location - it could be practically anywhere. Can anybody ID the scooter? It doesn't appear to be a Vespa or a Lambretta.  

30 comments:

"Lou and Sue" said...

In the first photo, I like the little waterfall(?) propped up against that support beam, on the left. Classy.

Last photo: Steve McQueen in The Great Escape!

TokyoMagic! said...

In that first photo, it doesn't look like the windmill blades are long enough to block the ball. And it appears that someone cares more about the flowers on the left side of the windmill, than they do about the flowers on the right side.

Anonymous said...

In the second photo, Mom With Camera really reminds me of my grandmother. She had "vacation clothes" just like those. In fact, I have a picture of her shootingba bow and arrow in Colorado wearing the same peddle pusher jeans and plaid shirt (I think).
By the way, there IS a rod resting right behind the "flotation devices." This is very much like my childhood vacations to Colorado and New Mexico, although mine were about 5 to 10 years later...
The scooter looks fun!

Anonymous said...

Ok, I just checked the pic I was thinking of. Hairstyle and pants= the same. My grandmother's shirt was more colorful, though...

Chuck said...

Mom’s camera looks like a Leica IIIa, although it might be a high-quality clone like something from the Canon II/III/IV series. A lot of those Canon cameras came home from Japan during the Korean War.

Note the Norte Dame decal in the window. I love the clock on the wall; to us, it’s an antique worth preserving, but to these 1956 people, it’s just an old clock that’s only good enough for the Cabin.

Schools love it when you do donuts on their fields.

Finally getting to Six Flags St Louis today for the first time since Christmas of 2019. Weather is supposed to be great and they are doing fireworks. Can’t wait to see the vintage 1971 costumes and history displays.

Thanks again, Major!

Nanook said...

@ TM!-
I think you're correct about the ability of the windmill to stop any passing golf balls. A 'ringer' in this case.

The second image is a treasure trove of 'stuff'. Next to the thermometer is a lovely image of 'Dad' with rifle across his legs, petting his Irish Setter. Love the folding cot and of course, the ubiquitous ash tray. And what could be better than an anthropomorphic duck-? (The smoking pipe is a nice touch).

That last one looks decidedly like somewhere 'in the west'. I see junior is wearing the "proper socks". And.. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say his jacket is reversible. (I just know).

Thanks, Major.

zach said...

Oh jeez, not a hot dish in sight either. I was wondering about the decal, thanks Chuck.

At first I thought the logo on the right was the Vespa Piaggio emblem but I'm not so sure now. I can't find one on google that looks just like it.

Thanks, Major

Melissa said...

I love Golfing Girl’s saddle shoes! I had a pair at that age, and they were my favorites. Unfortunately I had a growth spurt and didn’t get to wear them for very long.

@Sue, I was thinking of Steve McQueen, too! I bet he was that boy’s favorite actor. Maybe I should dig out my copy of The Great Escape tonight.

@Chuck, have a great day at the park!

I used to live across the road from a mini golf course, but I never played there. Then it shut down and got that cool “abandoned” look.

I can’t hear the word “dungarees” without thinking of the classic “Suits vs. Dungarees” bit from WKRP.
https://youtu.be/pFE31-GzjaY

MRaymond said...

I let my OCD get the best of me and started searching for the scooter in pic 3. The only scooter I found with a winged logo is a company called Jawa but I couldn't find an exact match to the model. It is pretty cool and reminds me of my first motorcycle, a KZ100.

zach said...

MRaymond, my first was a Honda 90 Sport. Varoom! Brings back memories.

JG said...

Major, these are great! I love miniature golf, carrying a windmill out on a regular course is too much work.

The flower bed has the same wire fence as Disneyland.

Those cushions are definitely floats, see the straps designed to fit over your shoulders. Dad had some almost exactly like that with our little boat.

Great job on the beer poster, funny ad.

It’s only a matter of hours before somebody identifies that scooter. I’ll check back later. He is wrecking the school lawn though.

JG

Grant said...

Great post today Major. I'm a sucker for vintage 50s family photos. These photos are my era.

There was a miniature golf course close to my house in Anaheim that we visited often. I never heard the term putt-putt golf. It must not have been a So Cal thing.

The vacation cabin pic is my fav. So much going on.

Sue, you beat me to it with the Steve McQueen/Great Escape analogy.

Bu said...

We called it "Miniature Golf" not "mini, not putt putt"....I call it mini golf now! I love mini golf and pined to play at the Disneyland Hotel mini golf with the castle and Matterhorn, et.al. "why do you want to play miniature golf when Disneyland is across the street?!"...gee...probably because I'd rather be doing something other than watch you drink and smoke :) Ahhh...childhood! We did have an awesome miniature golf course on Catalina Island...For a place that had the most touristy kinds of things it also had an award winning design miniature golf course, with very elaborate tubes, and secret holes that gave you extra points, as it would go onto the next green, etc. I would also like to be a woodpecker, and I am wondering how comfy that "folding cot" was? The hanging pillows I remember selling something like that at a store I worked at...except they were wool and plaid and were billed as "stadium seats" to take with you to games and whatnot. You would wear them like a back pack. Buffalo Plaid camera lady looks like she is ready to take some flash pix with the giant flash bulb attachment she has in her lamp. I agree, it looks like the camera my dad brought home from the Korean War...made in Japan. Love the scooter and the teeth to go with it. Looks like a suburb of Denver to me- high and dry....Thanks for the tiny human photos!

Melissa said...

I meant to mention that sweet schoolhouse clock in the vacation cabin. We had one like that while I was growing up, with a slightly lighter finish.

Major Pepperidge said...

Lou and Sue, is that a waterfall? I admit it does kind of look like a really chintzy one! But that’s a weird place to put it.

TokyoMagic!, I was thinking that the windmill vanes maybe had to be made shorter to not hit the curb. But if it was spinning fast enough, it might be just enough to spook a golfer even if the vanes wouldn’t actually hit the ball.

Stu29573, my grandma also had vacation clothes - it’s so amazing to see her in overalls when she and my grandpa went to the Sierras, because she was always so put-together ordinarily. You’re right about the rod, I should have looked at the full-size jpeg when writing this blog post!

Stu29573, your grandma still wanted to look at least a *little* civilized!

Chuck, I thought that it looked like a Leica as well, but am not that familiar with other camera brands of the era. thanks for pointing out the Notre Dame decal, that helps to locate this photo to France. Have fun at Six Flags St. Louis! Take pictures!

Nanook, my theory is that the windmill vanes had a high-tech repulsor ray at the end of each one. Sure, it cost millions of dollars, but it was worth it. I definitely noticed the ashtray, yuck! The top hat and pipe are nice, but a duck with a starched shirtfront takes the cake. I was wondering if the scooter photo might be in the Jackson Hole area.

zach, if the fish weren’t biting, we were sadly reduced to opening a can of chili. The ultimate humiliation. I actually did try to ID that scooter, but didn’t find anything that matched.

Melissa, the only thing I ever had that resemble saddle shoes was a pair of golf shoes my dad gave me. I never did take up the game! I truly loved mini-golf as a kid, and there is still a fairly elaborate mini-golf place not too far from me - but I don’t know anybody else who ever wants to go! WKRP, wow, that’s a blast from the past.

MRaymond, Jawa scooters! I wonder if George Lucas had one! He was a gearhead, as you know.

zach, aw, all you cool kids with your motorcycles and minibikes! I never owned one.

JG, there was a funny Simpsons episode where the animators had a great time thinking up ridiculous mini-golf ideas. I was a good swimmer as a kid, but I always felt a little more secure with a life jacket on. And I would frown in disapproval when we’d pass another boat and nobody had their safety device on! I’m amazed that the scooter has evaded identification for this long.

Grant, I love these photos too; it still kills me that I sold off so many good slides, but I needed more room for my actual life! I hadn’t heard the term putt-putt golf until I was in my 20s, I always thought it was kind of dumb, ha ha. In “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” the kids call it “Goofy Golf”.

Bu, yes, somehow when I was a kid we actual said “Miniature Golf”, not even “mini golf”. We were very formal. I’ve seen photos of the Disneyland Hotel mini golf course, I would have definitely wanted to play a round or two if we’d ever been lucky enough to stay at the hotel for multiple days. A mini golf course on Catalina island, that’s a new one to me! I had no idea. Did anybody ever play mini golf, and wind up losing your ball in one of those tubes? It would get stuck, and the employee would have no clue how to get it out. Presumably there was a plumber’s snake or something for just such an emergency. My grandparents had cots that I swear must have been WWI surplus, the mattresses were rolled up in metal barrels. On really hot nights, they’d sometimes set them up on the back patio for the kids, but the mosquitoes ruined the experience.

Melissa, I don’t see where that clock is wound up, where are the two little holes for the key?

"Lou and Sue" said...

Major, it looks like one of those fancy self-contained waterfalls, to me. My in-laws had one and I always remember that thing gurgling for hours in the living room when we’d be celebrating Christmas and opening gifts. Only got turned on for fancy occasions, I think. Had a giant glazed ceramic toad sitting in it.

We (everyone in my area) called it peewee golf, when I was a kid. Our friends asked us to go with them tonight. Am serious. I wish I was with Chuck’s family today!

"Lou and Sue" said...

^ Our friends asked us to go with them tonight miniature golfing.

Anonymous said...

As a kid, we called it minature golf. Putt-Putt was the same thing without the windmills and castles...

Andrew said...

Have fun Chuck. Looking at the ever-addicting queue-times.com (they have the Disney parks too), it looks like a busy day but not as crazy as yesterday, for which it shows a crowd level of 99%. :-O I actually visited (Six Flags) Great Adventure in NJ yesterday and it was absolutely dead because of a forecast for rain that didn't come. I walked on to all the (open) coasters in just a few hours. One of the highlights, though, was riding the Parachute Jump, which came from Six Flags Over Mid-America in 1983 and is one of two of its kind left in the world. It's the same basic ride as the Sky Jump that was at Knott's.

Sunday Night said...

We said "miniature golf" as well. That's the only correct way ;-)
In golf shot - wonder what that covered building to the left is? Picnic area?
As a kid I was always disappointed that on the last hole the ball went down some hole at the end where you couldn't get it out - although rather intrigued as to where it actually did go.

Major Pepperidge said...

Lou and Sue, ha ha, I now need a self-contained waterfall with a giant glazed ceramic toad! It seems odd that they would put a little waterfall against that pavilion support (where people could eat I assume), but hey, mini golf places ARE weird. Pewee golf, love it.

Lou and Sue, it sounds like you have excellent friends!

Stu29573, ah, maybe there is a subtle difference between Miniature Golf and Putt-putt golf. Now I’m thinking about how fun it would be to design the ultimate miniature golf course!

Andrew, there are definitely crowds there today! “Justice League: Battle for Metropolis”, 130 minutes?! I guess Disney has trained me to not be too shocked at some line times (remember when Radiator Springs Racers was always a four hour wait?), but even so, it would be kind of a bummer. I’ll just go on the Log Flume over and over, a mere 15 minute wait. You sure lucked out yesterday, it must have been amazing to walk on everything!

Melissa said...

Our clock never actually worked, so we never had to wind it. Maybe the keyhole was in the back? You could make the pendulum swing for a while if you started it manually. Every once in a while one of us would get bored and move the hands to the correct time just for something to do. Hey, we didn't have video games or the Internet; we had to make our own fun!

Chuck said...

Battle for Metropolis (in the old Injun Joe’s Cave show building) is air conditioned, so there’s always a pretty long line, but so is our car, and the line is much shorter. Guess where we are right now?

"Lou and Sue" said...

I hope NOT heading home!

Chuck said...

Nope - just cooling off.

"Lou and Sue" said...

Chuck, I'm glad your cool car was there!...

Back in 1979 or 1980, my husband (who I was dating at the time), his brother and girlfriend, all went to Great America for the day. Mid-day my husband and I went back out to the car (my brother's car - he drove the four of us). I think I had won (or we purchased??) a stuffed animal and didn't want to carry it around all day, and I wanted to get my sweater, for later in the evening. When we walked to where we had parked the car that morning, we couldn't find it. After walking all around searching for quite a while, we went back to get the other two - to see if they remembered where we had parked. They walked to the same spot we did, but there was another car in that spot. It was then that we noticed a mangled wire hanger laying on the ground - and realized what had happened. We learned that, although you pay to park in their (or most any) lot, there's a disclaimer on the back of the parking receipt...they aren't responsible for anything. We had to get the police to take us to the police station, and get our parents to drive an hour to come and get us. Ugh.

"Lou and Sue" said...

^ Note: This was obviously before cell phones. The police took us to the station to fill out reports, make phone calls, and to have a place to wait (and wait) for our ride home.

Chuck said...

Oh, my, Sue! Did your brother ever get his car back?

"Lou and Sue" said...

Yes, Chuck, a few weeks later, the police called him to tell him they found the car sitting in an alley in Chicago (in a bad neighborhood*) and to come and get it NOW or it would probably 'disappear' if they had it towed to any location (yes, that area was that bad...you could't trust anyone). It was a beautiful (1976?) Cutlass - and when my husband, his brother and father went to retrieve the car (with a police escort), they found that the thieves had removed the good wheels and tires, T-tops, stereo, seats, and battery - and replaced those items with junky ones.

* When you hear about all the Chicago shootings now, that's the neighborhood.

The insurance company did replace the junky stuff.

Side note: When the car was stolen from Great America, my purse and wallet (gifts my mom had purchased for me from Disneyland) that were locked in the trunk at the time, disappeared, too. :(

Major Pepperidge said...

Melissa, hmm, maybe the keyhole was in the back. I couldn’t say! We used to have an old clock that operated via pinecone shaped weights hanging from chains (instead of the usual clockspring). We always liked “winding it”!

Chuck, I’m going to have to look up this Battle for Metropolis thing. It sounds peaceful. Now it’s 7:30 (California time), so I’m guessing you are home!

Lou and Sue, Chuck is in it for the long haul.

Chuck, the concept of leaving a park to cool off in your air-conditioned car is interesting! I once went to the park with a girl who decided to retrieve her sweater later in the day, and I swear the whole endeavor killed an hour.

Lou and Sue, that’s the problem with winning stuff at carnivals or amusement parks - you have to deal with it for the rest of the day. So crazy that somebody stole your brother’s car!! I can only imagine that sinking feeling when you realized that it really was gone. Did he ever get it back??

Lou and Sue, ha ha, I guess it’s necessary to explain the “no cell phones” detail to younger folks!

Chuck, yes, I need to know!

Lou and Sue, I suppose that the whole car theft thing could have been worse, but still… what a bummer. I’ve heard nightmare stories from friends! I almost think it’s a miracle that the car wasn’t completely trashed.