Annual Macy Parade For Thanksgiving
New York: Photo shows “Uncle Sam” as it passed through 34th Street, in front of Macy’s. photo: Acme 11/21/1940
As isolationists wanted the United States to stay out of World War II, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1940 had a patriotic balloon of Uncle Sam. The balloon was not a statement of being pro-war, Continue reading
Buoys And Girls – In New War On Drowning
New York – These lucky buoys are embracing the quartet of pretty maidens who assisted at the tests of a new life preserver at the Park Central Hotel pool today (Tuesday.) The device is said to be of one third the weight and three times the buoyancy of the present cork life vests. The belts are the invention of Jesse W. Reno, well known engineer who also invented the modern escalator or moving stairway. The girls are, left to right: Dorothy Day, Pat Hughes, Prudence Edgar and Sherry Pelham. photo: International News Photos 5-3-1932
As this old news photo confirms, getting publicity for a product usually works when you have pretty women pose with it.
Engineer Jesse Wilford Reno has an extremely short biography on Wikipedia. Reno’s entry says he invented the escalator and claims it was first installed at the Iron Pier at Coney Island in 1891.
But when Reno died at the age of 85, his obituary Continue reading
New York City has a lot of beggars with children. It always has.
If you look up from your phone you’ll see them weaving through subway cars or standing or sitting mid-block or on corners with children close by. Continue reading
It’s an historical artifact that seems quite self-explanatory.
Yet, when I first encountered this photograph there was no slug on the back explaining the setting or other identifiers.
A general internet search did not provide any clues. And proving once again that AI is worthless on millions of situations, Google was only able to transcribe words on the memorial which did not need transcribing as they are quite legible.
My assumption was that this bronze memorial plaque was once located at Christy Mathewson’s home field: The Polo Grounds of the New York Giants. If so what became of this memorial? Surely it would be preserved somewhere after the demolition of the Polo Grounds in 1964.
This is why you can never assume. I was completely wrong. Continue reading
Pitching Prowess
New York: Bullet Bob Turley limited the Milwaukee Braves to four hits in the sixth game of the World Series here, October 9, winning the tilt for the Yanks, 3-2, and thereby knotting the series at three games all. In this combo, Turley, without benefit of a windup, gets set to fire a pitch plateward. credit: United Press 10-9-1957
Turley pitched magnificently although he did give up solo homers to Frank Torre in the fifth and Henry Aaron in the seventh. But besides Continue reading
The Cat And The Blonde
Hollywood: Film star June Haver is amazed at some of the facts connected with cats as she helps the American Feline Society get the 1949 National Cat Week rolling. For instance, did you know that cats were kept as pets in ancient Egypt? Kitty’s been chasing mice since before the pyramids were built. photo; Acme/ 20th Century Fox 10-31-1949
One of the sillier promotional stills we have come across, is this bathing suit cheesecake photo from 20th Century Fox which was repurposed by Acme news photos to promote Cat Week.
June Haver (1926-2005) appeared in only 18 films Continue reading
These two news press photographs of the Yankees star catcher Bill Dickey were released one day apart in late September 1938. The photos were almost certainly taken the same day.
The stadium appears to be Chicago’s Comiskey Park where the Yankees played the White Sox the previous week, September 20-22.
The first news Continue reading
Before the construction of Stuyvesant Town this is what the area looked like.
The news caption reads: Continue reading
While standing next to Brian Aherne at a party one day, Gary Cooper said quietly out of the side of his mouth, “How tall are you?”
“Six foot two and a half,” Aherne answered.
“Me too,” said Cooper. “Never admit to six foot three!”
A few years later at a party in Washington D.C., General George C. Marshall asked the identical question in the identical way.
“I used Gary’s line to reply six two and a half, never admit to six foot three,” Aherne said. And the General replied, “Me too!”
The point is Continue reading
JUST CHARMER NOW, NO SNAKE
Paris, France – She was “Nita”a snake charmer in a traveling circus, who thrilled the audience with her five foot rose python snake form Brazil. But she was also Nicole Vaissiere, six-year-old. So she’s been taken out of her animal trainer step-father’s side show by a court order. Nicole’s on her way to school where the three R’s aren’t all in the word wriggle. Credit: Acme photo by New York staff correspondent David S. Boyer 12/29/1949
And what else? That’s our usual question to a news story like this.
Checking the news outlets of the time did not yield much more information. United Press International did report some additional facts. Nicole’s snake act Continue reading
