The Florida Gulf Coast.. an Alligator and Kitsch enthusiasts dream

I had an absolute blast vacationing down South last year, and the merchandise I come across in Florida gift shops and stores never ceases to amuse me.   Ever since I was a kid, I've been amazed by Alligators.  I mean, after all.. these creatures roamed with the Dinosaurs, and I guess could even be called modern day dinosaurs in their own right.



Apart from the massive amounts of great Alligator items I saw last time around, there was also plenty of great Florida kitsch.  Check out some of these great items below..



 Happy Gator Wine Bottle holder



 Gator Hammock Seasonings and Spices
(Some of these came home with me)





Gator Letter Opener



Hand Blown Glass Gator Wine bottle stopper 


 Ceramic hanging signs



 Crafty Alligator toy


 Almost bought this just for the heck of it


Gator Toilet paper caddys





 Manatee Wine (or beer) holder











 Bought some of these, and they were delicious!




 Another near impulse buy




 Wicked looking Rattler Wine Bottle holder






I love hitting the souvenir shops and tourist traps in Florida.  If I come across any good finds next time I visit (and I know I will) I'll make sure to post more pictures here.






Whistle while you work!

My bride told me the other day that there was a spot on the news, that stated whistling is fast becoming a lost art.  I guess I can see that.  It seems like most everyone uses their spare time now with their noses smart phones and tablets.  It used to be that many folks would whistle to pass the time, honing their whistling skills, and personally challenging themselves to get better at whistling their favorite songs and American standards. At least that's how I grew up.  Now, I know many who don't even know how to whistle at all, or have the slightest inkling to whistle (at least for the reasons I do it).

You've heard of the old saying "Whistle While you Work" right?  Well, I'm guilty.. I'm one of those folks who likes to do just that.  Many times, I find myself whistling songs that I'm pretty sure my workmates under the age of thirty may have never heard of.  There's certain ditty's and theme songs that seem like they always have been, and always will be emblazoned upon my memory.  Some of these songs I barely know a verse of, others I can rattle off every word.  I think there's little chance of me ever forgetting any of the songs listed below, and I'm perfectly fine with that.  Here's a short list of songs I regularly whistle..



Listen to the Mockingbird

I can't begin to count the times I've seen or heard this song sung on variety shows, comedies, and cartoons over the years. It was written in 1855, and was one of Abraham Lincoln's favorite songs.  The meaning of the song is pretty somber, having to do with a fellows sweetheart who is now dead and buried, and a mocking bird singing over her grave.  Sounds a bit morbid I know.. but the tempo is incredibly upbeat!   I have great memories of my grandfather singing this song, and then bursting into an enthusiastic whistling solo.   I believe I've also seen Alfalfa from the Little Rascals singing a wonderfully funny and off key version.  It's a catchy tune that always instantly lifts my spirits.











By the light of the silvery moon

I remember being at my grandparents house one cold winter night with my parents, various cousins, aunts and uncles We were all in the living room watching the 1953 movie "By the light of the silvery moon" starring Doris Day, on a beautiful 21 inch black and white Zenith television.  I believe I was reading a Spider Man comic book when almost everyone in the room except for the kids burst out singing this song. I'm not sure if it was the final song of the movie, but it was a nice scene with Doris Day and Gordon MacRae ice skating and singing the movies namesake.



I remember being in awe that everyone knew the lyrics and harmonized pretty good to boot!  Below is a clip of that beloved scene.  ( The song begins at about 57 seconds into the video )  Oh, and for you kids that aren't aware, back in the old days.. stating that you wanted to "Spoon" meant something totally different, and much more innocent.






 





American Bandstand theme

What an iconic show for both mine and my parents generation!  Sung by Barry Manillow, the shows theme song was incredibly catchy, and I've been whistling it since I was a boy.   If you want to hear the full version of "Bandstand Boogie" set to an incredibly funny street comedy video by comedian George Gallo, you must check this out..














"Drunken Sailor"

I'm no sailor.  I'm not even a son of a son of a sailor.  However, I dig whistling this old sea shanty while hard at work.  While there are numerous version of this song, the basic lyrics are below if you feel like belting it out sometime..



What shall we do with a drunken sailor? (repeat 3 times)
Early in the morning.
Put him in the long-boat and make him bail her. (repeat 3 times)
Early in the morning.
What shall we do with a drunken soldier? (repeat 3 times)
Early in the morning.
Put him in the guardroom till he gets sober. (repeat 3 times)
Early in the morning.


I assure you there are many more songs I regularly whistle and hum to, but perhaps I'll share those another time.







Keep the Change you FIlthy Animal! Home Alone returns to theatres in 2015






That's right, for the 25th Anniversary of its release, Home Alone will return to theaters for two nights only on November 8th and 11th.  Check the Fathom Events website below to see if it's showing at a cinema near you!

http://www.fathomevents.com/event/home-alone-25th-anniversary 



Interesting facts about various retro advertising icons

The Michelin Man
Most people know of this beloved icon simply as The Michelin Man.  However, he is in fact named Bibendum, or "Bib" for short.  The Latin word Bibendum means to drink, or drinking to be done.  Some of the very old advertising campaigns featured Bib holding a drinking glass filled with sharp items that could normally destroy a car tire.  The connection and subsequently Michelin's motto, was that Michelin tires could drink up road obstacles.





The Pilsbury Doughboy
The Pillsbury Doughboy actually has a name, and it's Poppin' Fresh.  And.. he's not the only one of his kind.  In his early days, he had a wife named Poppie Fresh, a child named Baby Bun Bun, grandparents named Grandmommer, and Grandpopper, and a puppy named Flapjack!!  All characters were available in vinyl toy form, and you can occasionally find whole sets of the Poppin' Fresh family for sale on ebay.



Mr. Clean

 Mr. Clean was created in 1958.  In 1962 during a company promotion to give Mr. Clean a first name, he was donned the first name "Veritably".  While many believe Mr. Clean to be a genie, he was actually modeled after a United States sailor.


The Jolly Green Giant




The Jolly Green Giant has been around since 1928, and was originally conceived to promote the companies variety of unusually large peas that they sold.  When The Jolly Green Giant started appearing in commercials, he was deemed as too scary and menacing, especially when he walked.  This is why you see the giant simply standing in the valley with his arms crossed, and uttering nothing else but his jolly "Ho Ho Ho".





Charlie Tuna
I used to love the StarKist tuna commercials, but always thought it was kind of morbid that Charlie's dream was to be caught by a fisherman so he could in essence be "processed" and sold as StarKist tuna!  There was a rumor floating around for years that Charlie Tuna's likeness was created by actor James Dean, several years before the StarKist company started using Charlie at their mascot.  It stemmed from one of James Dean's friends stating he was with him one night in a Los Angeles diner when Dean sketched out Charlie. This claim has been shunned by both the StarKist company and Tom Rogers, the artist who created Charlie.  Furthermore, no real evidence has ever been found to truly support the claim.

Things that irk a retro Dad..


Here's another post that I can add to the "I'm turning into my Father" file. Certain things that used to get my Dad irritated, used to crack me and my brother up when we were kids. While we didn't understand it back then, it now makes more sense to me as an adult. Heck, many of the same things that ticked him off, are now pet peeves of mine. Here are three standout's that you very well may be familiar with..

"Put the tools back when you're done with them"
Boy did the old man ever get hot under the collar when I failed to return a tool of his after using it. I can hear his lectures right now.. "When you put a tool back where it belongs, it will be there the next time you need it!" or.. "every tool has its place!" Really, how can you argue with that kind of reasoning?

I must admit that when I go to grab a tool and its missing, my blood instantly begins to boil. I immediately start to wonder if my bride or children used my new pliers or screwdriver, to pound yet another nail into the wall. I'll even get mad with myself if I learn the tool is missing by fault of my own. Maybe it's just folks who use tools a lot like myself and my Dad, because I have a few friends who could care less about their arsenal of tools (or lack thereof). I've even found myself getting frustrated at times, when friends of mine were unable to find a tool in their own toolbox or garage. Hmm.. maybe I have a problem.


"Turn that light off!"
Dad used to always get on us for leaving a light switch or radio on when leaving our bedrooms. This is another thing that bugs me when it happens in my house. It's almost like I feel the pennies flying out the door when I see a hall light on, or a television turned on with no one around to watch it.


"Don't leave the water running!"
Whenever washing dishes, shaving, or brushing my teeth within ear shot of my old man, he would often get on me about leaving the water running and say something like "Turn that water on and off instead of letting it run down the drain!"

Now when the kids are brushing their teeth or washing a dish in my house, the sound of running water is like nails on a chalkboard to me.  Sure enough, I can't contain myself and usually tell them something like "Turn the water on and off as you need it, instead of pouring money down the drain!"


Maybe it's embedded in my DNA, or maybe the old man's little life lessons actually got burned into my brain from the endless repetition we endured as kids. I wonder what other quirks I will develop next?  Maybe soon I'll start telling my kids.. "You'll understand what I'm talking about when you're grown and have kids!"   Wait.. I guess I say that already.


Thrift Store VHS finds


It wasn't very long ago that VHS tapes were capitalizing space in my closets, boxes, drawers, cabinets, and now.. they're all but obsolete.  Here's a few I saw the other day at the thrift store that made me stop to take a second look..


I so wanted to pick this set up and take it home with me.  However, I no longer have a means of playing them, and haven't for quite some time.  I do have a few of these on DVD, but the lineup isn't as impressive as this one.


STAR TREK Boxed set
It looks like someone got some good use out of this set.  I know I sure watched the heck out of all my old STAR TREK video cassettes over the years.


 STAR TREK the Next Generation TV Series


Why did they ever have to try and improve upon VHS cassettes?  Oh yeah I remember..  look at the flippin' real estate these things ate up!   I remember when Columbia House Video was offering this set for purchase, and it was not cheap.  It's kind of sad that back in the day someone spent some serious money on this set, and now you can't hardly give the things away.

I really must obtain a VHS player soon, even if it's just for use in my garage.  I'd love to be able to throw in an old monster movie or sci-fi flick to have playing in the background as I'm working on my bicycles, or a "Honey Do" list.   There's no shortage of cheap video cassette's laying around at garage sales, thrift stores, and flea markets, so I'm thinking I can pick up a player and a whole gaggle of movies for well under $20.00.  We'll see..