Saturday, December 31, 2022

New Year's Eve 1956

Well, it's the end of another year... 2022, you could have been better, but I guess you could have been a lot worse too. I originally had a normal Saturday post all ready to go, but our friend Sue B. generously sent me these scans from a New Year's Eve party, circa 1956. So these should put you in the mood for your big parties later this evening! (Meanwhile, I will be watching cartoons).

Yes, that guy is having about as much fun as I have had at NYE parties! "I am so full that I don't want to eat anymore, so I might as well blow on this party tooter". His friends don't know that he used to dream of being a famous musician.


Two friends. Pals from the office? Or have they known each other since first grade? They are performing Debussey's "Clair de lune", and man, it is stunning. At first I thought, "Aw! That guy on the right is holding a kitty!". But I think it's just a cat-shaped pillow. Check out those knickknacks!


Notice the position of this fellow's arm, he can surreptitiously check his watch every three minutes until the clock finally strikes midnight and he can go to bed.


My eye finds itself going to that cool radio behind the guy in the middle; he is using all of his mental powers (aided by that special hat designed by MIT) to pop that balloon. I wonder how many of those large tumblers of bourbon and water he has had so far?


Hooray! He popped the balloon, using only his mind, and now he wears it like a necktie in celebration. "That balloon thought it was so smart, but I showed IT!". Of course it's time to break out a bottle of champagne. Love the anemic New Year's decorations.


These ladies look like they're actually having fun. The one on the left is wearing a maternity outfit, while enjoying a refreshing cigarette (proven by doctors to be healthful). The boisterous woman on the right just caught Jerry taking her picture. "Jerry, you son of a b****!". Yes, that's how she talked, and everyone loved her for it. They are surrounded by genuine mid-century furniture. I like the framed map on the wall, it reminds me of fancy endpapers from an illustrated book. Can anybody tell what the location shown on the map is? 


I don't know why it amuses me to see these ladies sitting on the floor. I'll bet these two used to have parties with all of their friends years ago, they'd enjoy a nice RC Cola and some Wise Owl potato chips while gossiping about schoolmates and giggling about boys. I wish I could identify the album on the chair, but... no joy.


This is the same fella as seen in photo #1, and frankly I can't get enough of him. 


"Do you mind if I take a flash photo of you, six feet from your face?". Too late! Now she'll have little white dots floating in her vision for the next few minutes. I still can't ID that album. This woman is singing the 1955 hit, "Mr. Sandman". Bring me a dream!


MANY THANKS to Sue B. for providing these fun vintage scans of a New Year's Eve from yesteryear. I'll see you in 2023!

19 comments:

K. Martinez said...

Where's the guy with the lampshade on his head?

I haven't partied on New Year' Eve for several decades now. Can't say that I miss it either.

Anyway, these are some fun pics provided by Sue today.

Hope all the Junior. Gorillas and Major have a Happy New Year!

Nanook said...

Major-
I think the snazziest items in these images are the party hats-! And please tell me more about that 'speckled' wall paint-! I think that's a Zenith radio - but I can't be 100% certain.

I want to say that album is Arthur Fiedler/Boston Pops - but again - no verification.

Happy NYE, everyone.

Anonymous said...

Now, I want some anemic New Year’s Eve decorations, too. Love your commentary, Major.

Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone! Thank you for another year of fun and laughs.

Sue

JB said...

Numero uno: Wow! The excitement just shoots off the screen like lightning bolts! I don't know how much more of this I can take! (I have a heart condition, you know.)
Mr. Excitement has a finger stuck into the bell of his instrument (do I hear snickering?) as if he's playing a muted trumpet. I wonder if that bow tie is part of the New Years get up, like the hat, or if it's original to the ensemble?

Numero dos: The guy with the leather cat looks like the twin brother of Mr. Excitement. These two are also bursting with uncontrolled merriment. I had to quickly close the image because my monitor was beginning to smoke!
I think that picture on the wall is a paint-by-number masterpiece.

Numero tres: I gotta say, the hats and noise makers are the deluxe models; primo stuff!

Numero quatro: That really IS a fancy-schmancy radio, Major. Very elegant. Or maybe it's a clock? Or a barometer? Judging by his appearance, I don't think there's any water in that tumbler.

Numero cinco: Okay, so what is that thing stuck to the wall behind Mr. Balloon Necktie? A deflated balloon? A sheep's bladder? The sloughed-off skin of a face-hugger alien? And what is that pink slip stuck into the doorjamb? Maybe an eviction notice?

Numero seis: Major, the map looks like Atlantis to me, at least, that's how it looked the last time I was there. Or maybe it represents the cave paintings at Lascaux; I see animals in the shapes.

Numero siete: The lady on the right is so far gone that she doesn't even realize she's not actually holding a drink in her hand.

Numero ocho: From this angle, Mr. Excitement's tie looks like Twizzlers. I like that TV. A portable. It can't weigh more than two... three... hundred pounds, tops. unfastened objects are falling into its gravity well.

Numero nueve: Poor gal. She'll miss the first half hour of the New Year due to camera-flash-blindness. As for the record album, it would help if we could figure out what those gold-colored things are on the cover. Loud speakers? Hats? Suction cups?

Excellent choice of photos, Sue! You always find something good for us to poke fun at. And thanks for the witty commentary, Major.

MIKE COZART said...

Tonight’s party has been brought to you by Pal Mal Cigarettes and new Cigarettes for ladies with the new “Insta-light” feature : the only self starting cigarette for women ! Ladies : ask your husbands if you can have a Pal Mal Insta-light!!! And ladies : give the Insta-lights to your girlfriends that are “expecting” - the perfect gift for any baby shower or afternoon luncheon!

Pal Mal would also like to remind everyone this year and in the new year to be sure are sterilize your ashtrays!! In the home, school, work and hospital : clean sterilized ashtrays prevent ashtray mold infections and terrible dirty ashtray “WHEEEZE!!”

Ladies: if you LOVE your family : CLEAN YOUR ASHTRAYS!!!

TokyoMagic! said...

The man in the second pic is holding the original Boo Boo Kitty!

The lady in the close-up flash pic needs Head & Shoulders shampoo. Or a lint roller. Or both.

The proud man with the popped balloon around his neck, has something stuck between his upper right canine and his upper right lateral incisor. Somebody give me a cocktail fork or a knitting needle, and I can dislodge it for him.

Major and Sue, thank you for these wonderful vintage images and funny commentary!

Happy New Year, to all!

Gojira said...

Happy New Year! What a great batch of photos. The guy with the balloon necktie is holding a bottle of Buchanan's Black and White Scotch Whisky! Cheers!

Gojira said...

The wall map is of the Cape Cod peninsula, Nantucket Island, and Martha's Vineyard.
It looked familiar!

Chuck said...

There’s corroborating information in the fourth photo that confirm that this can be no earlier that New Year’s Eve 1956. On the bookshelf to the right of the radio (I agree with Nanook that it’s probably a Zenith; it looks remarkably like one my grandparents had in their basement) we can make out the blue spine of William Brinkley’s novel Don’t Go Near the Water, the bestselling American work of fiction of 1956.

The wall map in the sixth image depicts Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket Island.

The album cover in the seventh and ninth picture looks familiar but I can’t place it. It might be just that it graphically reminds me of a Christmas album I inherited from my parents.

Thanks again, Major & Sue, and may all the Junior Gorillas have a fun and safe New Year’s Eve!

PS - fun tip if you have little ones - we used to set the clocks forward about two and a half hours on New Year’s Eve without telling the kids and do our own countdown to midnight at 9:30 p.m.. The kids felt like they had stayed up late but weren’t cranky the next day and we got a decent night’s sleep.

Chuck said...

Gojira, great minds think alike. Apparently, we do, too. ;-)

Bu said...

I concur with the Cape Cod map. I have it's sister/brother somewhere in this house I live in...the colors were a bit bold, so I think it ended up in the basement. JB: you took ALL the words out of my mouth- so now I don't need to write much. Next to the MASS map in my basement is also a collection of vintage framed paint by numbers. They are cool, but I don't need 30 on my walls, I only need a couple. I miss the 60's and it's cloud of cigarette smoke followed by BOOOZE! I suppose, the same experience can still be had today in some countries that allow such things to be practiced concurrently. The old days of the pubs in England were condusive to drunken escapades in smoke filled tiny rooms. Old pubs are great as they even though may change a bit, even decades (or hundreds of years) later they still stand. A pub my Grandfather visited as an RAF officer in the early 20's prompted his move out to the countryside in the 70's, and was a stomping ground of mine in my early adult life. The pub was around since the 17th century. The pub was stumbling distance from the house- so steady drinking was encouraged. I spent a few NYE's in that pub. Even underage we still were served a "wee dram" as long as did not actually sit IN the bar area of the pub. The dining room was a free for all as long as the parents ordered your Drambuie for you. (true stories). A strange memory I have from a NYE of days of yore, was when the owner of the pub was complaining about vegetarians (and non-locals at that!) only wanting chips (fries)and booze...since they were vegetarians. Note that this was the early 80's I think...and in the countryside of England pub lunches generally consisted of of meat and potatoes. He laughed at the vegetarians as they were gobbling up fried potatoes like seagulls on the beach...chips that were fried in suet (beef fat.) I will say that the BEST fries ever are fried in beef fat (can get super duper hot and makes your fries taste like a roast), or for even more decadence: fry your chips in DUCK FAT. It is worthy of the best poutine ever made ever. Or try the Peruvian Lomo Saltada...which is basically a stir fry of beef with rice ON a bed of french fries in the most amazing sauce ever. There are your NYE culinary ideas to ring out 2022. Happy New Years to Major and the Juniors!

Grant said...

Great pics Sue and Major. They are like stepping into the NYE parties my parents had in the late 50s. Basically a bunch of 30somethings... all hammered with silly hats, noise makers and full ashtrays.

Happy New Year to Major and all the Jr. J's!!

JG said...

Everyone at this party went home to a huge hangover and swore not to do it again next year, especially those two ladies who seem pretty wrecked already.

Major, I’m enjoying the commentary as much as deciphering the book titles and admiring the bric-a-brac. The Chianti bottle and Fanny Farmer Cookbook are special and my BIL would commit a minor crime to possess that radio. He was an “on-air personality” for KCBS (SF) and has a fine collection of vintage radios, also a “radio voice”. I can smell the cig smoke right through the screen.

Also, all the walls, door trim, switch plates and the door appear to have been sprayed with Zolatone in one swooping operation. Very odd, usually an automotive product for trunks, truck beds etc. Maybe the lady in black was spraying it before having her picture made?

Our NYE party nights ended with the advent of children and never returned. I do remember a few evenings like Bu describes, except Irish pubs in SF. The kids are included too, and everyone sings along, lots of fun. Now we are happy with our fireplace, books and cats, much like all the other nights.

Also “duck fat”. We have a tub in the freezer right now. Unsurpassed for top shelf frying.

JG

Anonymous said...

When I was little, the big deal was to be allowed to stay up, in my pajamas, to midnight and enjoy the festivities with the adults...as we all sang along with the Guy Lombardo band on TV and then be shuffled off to bed.

Nowadays, I struggle to stay up till midnight and pretty much just listen to clock strike 12.

Happy New Year! And to all, I'll 'read' you all next year! KS

Major Pepperidge said...

K. Martinez, the thing I really used to like to do was go see one of my favorite bands on New Year’s Eve. Oingo Boingo, for instance! That was a while ago of course. It was so fun to do the big countdown with the crowd.

Nanook, yes, those hats are pretty special. Why not wear hats like that every day? Instead of boring fedoras, you know. Arthur Fiedler/Boston Pops is a good guess, I’m going to do a little research now to see if I can match up that cover!!

Sue, THANK you for sharing these awesome scans!

JB, I don’t want you to get too excited and pass out, so I apologize! “Mr. Excitement”? I thought that was MY nickname. “The guy with the leather cat”, worst Agatha Christie novel ever. I’m pretty sure that’s a radio. I don’t believe in barometers. They are a part of a secret plot to something something. Sheep’s bladders were used before latex balloons, it’s sort of like the bison Slip-N-Slide we were talking about yesterday. Atlantis? That’s where my people are from. That explains my rudimentary gills. Ha, I was going to make an “invisible drink” joke, but forgot, so you beat me to it. I want a whole feature length movie about Mr. Excitement, from James Cameron. Three hours for part one, and then five more installments. I thought those gold things were stylized straw boaters, but maybe not?

Mike Cozart, “insta-light”, oh man! You could be a billionaire by now! How can we make that as thing? How about a tiny nitroglycerine charge in the tip of each cigarette. No problem there. I’ve seen some pretty gross ashtrays (like the ones my brother uses), so sterilizing them does not seem like a bad idea.

TokyoMagic!, I guess there had to be an original Boo Boo Kitty, even though I never thought about it before. Head and Shoulders shampoo was developed by NASA, probably, so that poor woman just had to be dusty. Ha ha, I love that you spotted that gross thing in the man’s teeth, he had no idea that people would spot it decades later.

Gojira, wow, I am impressed. I have to say, that man looks about as happy as a person can be, he must love that whiskey!

Gojira, AHA! Thanks for ID-in the map!

DrGoat said...

A Happy New Year to all you wonderful people. May you all have good health and happiness in the new year.
Peter

DrGoat said...

And thank you Major for bringing a lot of joy into my life. That includes all of you good folks, one and all.

Nanook said...

@ Bu-
(In response to Friday's Norman Tokar comment...) Duane Chase [Kurt in The Sound of Music] had some rather 'unpleasant' things to say about Norman Tokar, from his experience working in Follow Me, Boys! Although Tokar did direct 93 episodes of Leave It to Beaver, and I didn't hear any 'stories' about his direction of kids from that series, so... Maybe directing Leave It to Beaver was what pushed him 'over-the-edge'-!

dennis said...

Ballantine Beer can on the table in picture #4. My Dad and my Uncles used to go through a lot of those.
Happy New Year! Dennis,Levittown, NY