1950’s Car Commercials…The Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To

A lot of you kats and kittens are big on the MAD MEN series. But are you hip to the ad jazz they were laying down? Here are a few Automobile TV commercials and print ads from the golden era of Advertising.

I currently have a 1953 Chevy in my garage. Have had it for 20 years.

This bat-winged beauty was marketed toward big business presidents and tycoons. It cost more than a Cadillac.

There are few cars more elegant, beautiful and powerful as the 1963 Pontiac. Always wanted one. This commercial makes me want one even more!

For fans of the “little” Fords…I love how they point out “no dog leg”. That’s a reference to the wrap-around windshields popular on GM models (esp Cadillac) through the early 1960’s.

Ah, one of my favorite all-time rides, the 1958 Cadillac. We had one (already vintage) when I was a kid. I will have one again someday.

An here’s some old print ads from ’50s and ’60s magazines (click on each to enlarge):

Hope you kids dug this little trip down memory lane to the days when cars were made of steel and chrome and horsepower meant everything. My my how times have changed. Sorry kids, but after looking at ads like this, how could anyone ever get excited about a Honda Accord? bleh.

-Tiki Chris reporting from the showroom floor of the Imperial dealership down the block from Tiki Lounge Talk.

Bye Bye, Mercury

1939 Mercury

It’s a sad day for retro-lovin’ swingers. One of our all time best-beloved, the MERCURY, is being shut down.

Sure, Mercs of the past 20 years are kind of junk-like, with maybe the exception of the Marquis if you like that “I’m floating down the highway on my living room sofa” feel. But the old-school Mercs are second to none, baby.

The Mercury was introduced in 1938 (for the ‘39 model year) as line-up that could slip in between cheap, dependable Fords and luxed-up Lincolns. A beautiful car, the 1939 Mercury was the perfect blend of styling, power, and price to fit the mid-money market.

James Dean '49 Mercury from Rebel Without A Cause

Mercury stayed ahead of tech and styling through the ’40s, ’50s & ’60s. 1949 & ‘50 Mercs became favorites of hot-rodders and customizers because of their low, sleek look. Late ’50s models stood out from the crowd with unique styling which still managed to incorporate trends of the day like tail fins and wrap-around windshield. The 1960s saw the rise of the muscle car, and Mercury kept up speed with the Marauder and Cougar. And of course no one can forget the “Baby Lincoln”, the Marquis of the late ’60s and early ’70s.

1957 Mercury Montclair

Then everything went to hell in a handbag. The ’70s brought on tighter government restrictions on safety and emissions, gas prices went through the roof, and the American car suffered. Mercs like many other brands became boated and under-powered. The introduction of cheap, ugly little sub-compacts with irritatingly slow four-cylinders just made things worse. Prices went up, quality went down, and soon Mercurys were no longer in the mid-price niche, but were being overlapped by tricked-out Fords and low-end Lincolns.

1973 Mercury Grand Marquis. My grandfather had one of these in burgundy. It was his pride and joy.

When you think about it, it’s amazing Mercury wasn’t phased out years ago like the Corvair or Rambler. If Ford had stuck to the plan…Good, strong, economic and dependable yet fun-to-drive cars for the Ford line; more interesting, more powerful and unique cars for the Mercury line; and high-luxury, top performance cars for the Lincoln line, there would be no reason to let the Mercury brand go daisies up.

Henry Ford is spinning in his grave. RIP, Mercury.

-Tiki Chris reporting from the garage behind the Tiki Bar.

PS: I’ve been around a few Mercs over the years. My grandfather had a 1965 Turnpike Cruiser with the roll-down back window, and a ‘73 Grand Marquis that rode like a sofa. My old man had a couple over the years, including a ‘92 Grand Marquis. I had the honor of owning a 1968 Mercury Park Lane Convertible with a kickin’ 390 that could shut down almost anything on the road. McGarret drove a ‘68 Park Lane in Hawaii Five-O, and of course James Dean drove a ‘49 Merc in Rebel Without a Cause. Mercs have a long, great history. And I’m pretty sure Alan Jackson will never start singing “Crazy ’bout a Subaru” or something like that.

Reading Bachelor Pad Magazine at the Tiki Bar

For all you swingin’ kats ‘n kittens out there - if you ain’t got hip to Bachelor Pad Mag, point your peepers to Java’s Bachelor Pad and take a gander at some kool riffs, kookie stories and ohhh so swingin’ chicks!

Bachelor Pad Magazine

Tonight, while my wife was out on a photo shoot herself, I got to have a little alone time with a bottle of Canadian Club and my Bachelor Pad Mag. I particularly enjoyed the 50s style fiction by Will Daniels, the lifestyle advice by Miss Cherry Capri (this one featured what women should do with their mops while riding in a ragtop, topless), and the spread of coverdoll Miss Angela Ryan, a sure bet.

At my Tiki Bar

Bachelor Pad Magazine is a very kool throwback to the 1950’s girlie mags…you know, the kind your grandfather had hidden under his toolbox in the basement. They do a fantabulous job of recreating the look and feel of those old cheesecake mags, with just enough modern style to keep it fresh and fun (just like the chicks that pose in the mag). There’s always some hip, retro-style fiction, tips for living the retro kool life, and PLEN=TEE of kickin’ pix of voluptuous vixens burlesquing it up for the camera. Even the ads are retro-kool.

Here’s the kicker - in the late 1970’s, my grandfather gave a stack of original 1950s girlie mags to my old man. They were just like this, except mostly black and white with a 2-color cover, and maybe one full-color spread in the middle.

original 50's girlie mag, like the ones my old man had

There were about 30 of them, in mint condition, but at the time they weren’t worth a dime. My father, who was buying and selling antiques at the time, tried to get some decent clams for them, but I remember he sold the whole bunch for $6. Now mind you, I was just a kid and didn’t realize the significance of these treasures at the time. If I had, I’d have talked him into keeping them, and would still have them today. Well, nuts. They’ve been gone now for 30+ years, and I still remember them clear as day. I guess I’ll just have to keep getting Bachelor Pad Magazine and keep the memories.

- Mack, from the Tiki Bar

PS: Java also has a Tiki Lounge with some very hip links to books, music & more for the Tiki connoiseur. http://www.javasbachelorpad.com/tiki.html

Sunshine & Coconuts

We moved to South Florida to get away from the cold & gray weather of the North East. But this winter, which should have been mostly in the 70’s and sunny, has been mostly in the 60’s and fairly cloudy. Today the sun is shining like crazy, and though it hasn’t hit 70 yet, it promises to be a beautiful day.

When I was a kid, there was a saying: March comes in like a lion, goes out like a lamb. Don’t hear that much anymore; not sure if it’s because the saying faded away, or because March comes in like a flamingo and goes out like a dolphin down here in the land of sunshine and coconuts. Either way, with a cool winter like we’ve had, makes me wonder what summer will wind up like down here…will it be hotter than usual, or more like the winter should have been?

Cool weather brings out cool cars

There’s a Classic Car Cruise Night every Friday night in Davie, about five miles south of the Tiki Bar. Year long, kats motor their rods, lead sleds, tuners, jalopies and fine original ‘chines down a huge parking lot on University drive, and hang out. Last night the weather was perfect for cruising, and the place was packed with the koolest of rides.

I haven’t brought my 53 Chevy Belair Hot Rod down there yet, as it’s still in the middle of getting the brakes done. But Colleen met me down there driving the Caddy, which being a 1994 is by south Florida standards antique, and brought the dog, Snoopy along too. As expected, Colleen and Snoopy got more attention than most of the cars!

Mod Movie Mondays: Superfly, 1972 Layin’ it down at the Tiki-Retro Blog

Sometimes the movies ain’t mod. But sometimes they’re just so hip, they fall into a class by themselves.

Today’s flick is soaked in coke, cheap liquor, prostitution and the pursuit of getting out of the ghetto. It’s the modern-day (70s) Funk-tastic equivalent to  The Grapes of Wrath. It’s

Superfly, 1972

“Never a dude like this one! He’s got a plan to stick it to The Man!”
Now, let me lay this on you…If nothing else, watch this movie for the car.

This is, without doubt, one of the best movies ever to depict the conditions in the poor areas of NYC and the people who tried to survive there in the ’60s and ’70s. It was made to show how things really were, to ‘keep it real’. Now it’s a fantastic time capsule, giving us a glimpse into the bad side of the old days, the dilapidation of the crumbling city, the poverty, and the crime. Watch this film with the cellphone turned off and the computer in sleep mode, and try to put yourself back in that era of payphones and typewriters, 8-Track tapes and big American cars, when Deep Throat was playing at theaters in Times Square and Nixon was president. It’ll blow your mind.

All that aside, it’s got an incredibly kick-ass soundtrack by Funk master Curtis Mayfield, including the title track “Superfly” and the instrumental “Freddie’s Dead”. The story centers around a drug pusher-pimp who goes by the name of Priest Youngblood, a man who is sick of the crime life, sick of the streets and is looking for a way out. In the mean time, he does all that he can to try to live the good life, from having a color TV in every room, to driving a custom Cadillac convertible.
Ah, the Superfly Cadillac.

Now we come to my favorite part of this post. The car, a 1971 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado custom convertible,

Supefly Cadillac Eldorado from the movie

became as much a character in the movie as Priest. It was featured on the poster, and became the icon of this film ever since. The entire opening sequence and titles features the Caddy being driven through the streets of New York City, with the defining “Freddie’s Dead” theme song weaving through the background. This big black Cadillac was a real car, customized by a coachworks in north Jersey that operated under the name Dunham Coach. They specialized in customizing large American luxury cars, i.e. Cadillacs and Lincolns, and had a steady clientele of “underworld” figures through the 1970s. In fact, the car used in the film was owned by an actual pimp at the time who went by the name “KC”. He let them use the car in exchange for a cameo in the film.

My 1975 Superfly Eldorado, in 2000. I should have never sold it.

I had the good fortune to own one of these Superfly Caddy’s back in the 1990s. It was a 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado Coupe with running boards, a Continental kit (spare tire on the trunk), Rolls-Royce Grille and Headlights, and a 1941 Cadillac hood ornament. Mine was blue and silver, not black.

Anyway, back to the flick…This is a gritty film, and as I said really puts you in the era. Maybe not the best writing, or acting. Maybe not the most original storyline. It was low budget, and sometimes it shows. But it’s sho-nuff fun to watch. Now…tune your ears into what I’m laying down on you kats, and dig it for real: This is a hard-edged, realistic depiction of ghetto life in New York City in the early 1970s. There’s violence, nudity, drugs, corruption, racism, sex, more drugs, gambling, and fine Cadillacs. The protagonist is a pimp and a drug pusher, and you’re rooting for him at the end. So I wouldn’t recommend this one for family night.

That said, here’s my riff: Dig this movie with the lights dimmed down low in your pad. Sip Merlot, and dine on a big, thick plank steak the way Priest would. And absolutely get the soundtrack, it’s Super Fly, baby. You dig?
Here’s a video of an interview with Les Dunham, creator of the Superfly Cadillac. Lots of shots of the car.

Superfly at Tiki Lounge Talk, by “Mack”