The 50s and 60s were the glory days for old drive-in movie theaters, when there were about 4000 such venues spread across the country. Take a look back!
Vintage & retro entertainment
What did many of our grandparents and great-grandparents look most forward to getting for Christmas? In many cases, trains – like these vintage American Flyer train sets!
See portraits of vintage Halloween pin-up girls from the 1930s and 1940s – themed photos featuring famous actresses and beautiful models.
Jayne Mansfield took Broadway and Hollywood by storm in the 1950s with her mix of beauty, wit, and ambition. Look back at her fascinating rise to stardom.
Gunsmoke, one of the longest-running TV shows in history, gave viewers a look at the old west – saloons and sheriffs, cowboys and horses.
Vintage View-Master reels offered a trip into another dimension – ‘with stereo color pictures so real, you’ll feel you are actually part of the scene!’ Take a look!
The movie ‘Stand By Me’ evokes childhood memories, condensing them into a remarkably realistic weekend excursion by four boys on the verge of their teens.
Love 1950s comics? Here you’ll find more than 50 old names from the funny pages, like Hopalong Cassidy, Flash Gordon, Curly Kayo, Brick Bradford, Etta Kett, Grandma, The Lone Ranger, Moon Mullins, Myrtle and more.
Explore the magic of Disney’s Cinderella with vintage videos and promos that bring the timeless 1950 classic to life.
Explore the rich history of famous catchphrases that shaped generations and discover their timeless charm in our culture today!
Vintage lunch boxes from the mid-century are a very specific, quirky slice of Americana. Featuring fanciful designs, lunch boxes back then featured everything from scenes
Tiddlywinks (originally Tiddle-dy Winks) seems like a simple kids’ game… but there’s a lot more to it! Find out about it – including how to play – here.
Check out these TV theme songs that set the scene — from The Brady Bunch era to the ’90s favorites!
Legendary talent Nat King Cole’s legacy is still strong Nat King Cole, a legendary figure in American music, left a lasting impression on fans worldwide.
From Carrie Fisher to Gene Kelly, explore a gallery of celebrity baby pictures and scenes from childhood that are sure to evoke a collective “Aww!”
Occasionally, top TV show theme songs aren’t just popular – they join the soundtrack of a generation. These 16 hits won acclaim for being more than being the tune played over opening credits. Have a listen!
These fun vintage mechanical rides – including the ubiquitous coin-operated horse – made millions of kids smile.
Explore the history and enduring appeal of Wonder Horses, the iconic ride-on spring rocking horse toys that galloped into the hearts of children from the 1950s to the 1980s!
Dairy Queen history involves decades of transformation, innovations, and, of course, a few yummy vintage menu items that make folks nostalgic.
The invention of the Ferris Wheel was a jaw-dropping innovation of its time! Find out the history of the Ferris Wheel ride we now know so well, plus see pictures of the HUGE first one.
From 1948 to 1971, The Ed Sullivan Show was synonymous with entertainment & a central hub for talent — introducing new acts & creating unforgettable moments.
Take a look back at Frank Sinatra’s legendary career through this collection of vintage photos, videos, and profiles from his heyday.
Grease hit theaters in 1978, but remains a fun, foot-tapping spectacle that’s perfect for a sentimental movie night. Let’s look back!
In her short, but impactful life, Patsy Cline managed to change the landscape of country music forever. Read on for feature stories and photos about the famed singer, both before and after her death.
For decades, Cracker Jack has been more than a just a popcorn and peanut snack. Thanks to the famed Cracker Jack prizes, it’s also a treasure hunt in a box! Find out more about this peak Americana treat.
Millions know ‘Say, Say, Oh Playmate’ – also known as ‘Playmate’ – but few today know much about the rhyming song & hand clapping game. Find out more here!
Reel-to-reel tape recorders hit the commercial market in the 1940s — and their evolution was boosted by the financial support of none other than Bing Crosby, who saw great potential in the technology.
After using AI photography tools, these vintage clown pictures looked so much more lifelike than before (those eyes!), and details that were easily overlooked before became obvious. See some before and afters here!
“I Love Lucy,” a domestic comedy TV series, reduces the role of husband to roughly that of the male spider, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if, at the end of the season, Miss Ball ate him.
Cowboy actor Tom Mix – the horse-riding hero of scores of western thrillers of the silent film era – left a lasting legacy after he died in a single-car crash on a highway detour in Arizona.
Say, kids, what time is it? Kids: It’s Howdy Doody Time! First gracing the airwaves in 1947, marionette Howdy Doody was a pioneer of American TV programming.
Living rooms changed entirely when these vintage console stereos came on the market – they were technology and furniture all in one!
The old Disneyland TV show, known by various titles since its introduction in 1954 (and currently entitled The Wonderful World of Disney) was Walt Disney’s first foray into the weekly television show format.
A box social, sometimes called a box supper social, was an old-fashioned way for communities to connect, share a meal and raise money for local
Take a look back at 12 monthly Woman’s Day magazine covers from 1950, and marvel at how much daily life – not to mention magazine marketing and graphic design – have changed since then!
Get ready to remember some of the biggest thrills and chills from yesteryear, through these top vintage horror movies – great for Halloween or any time you want a little scare!
Peek back into the life of young Ronald Reagan in the 40s & 50s – way before he was president back when acting paid the bills, and his wife was Jane Wyman.
Imagine getting paid to think up the wildest retro-futuristic space-age inventions. Back in the 50s and 60s, that’s what commercial artist Arthur Radebaugh got to do.
Take a look back at actress Elizabeth Montgomery — from the early days of her career in 1955 up until her 1972 heyday!
Revisit the picture-perfect view of the ’50s with the Cleaver family, and their oh-so-retro daily ups and downs on the classic TV show, ‘Leave it to Beaver.’ You’ll also find out how Alfred Hitchcock was involved with this success story!
When the now-classic Disney film Sleeping Beauty came out at the end of the 1950s, moviegoers around the world were enthralled by the technicolor wonder, created by hundreds of artists over the course of six years. Find out more here!
Vintage book clubs have been around since before the Depression – and while the titles have changed, the concept behind the membership isthe same. Here’s a look back!
Who was Uncle Wiggily? Find out more about the author of these serials and Uncle Wiggily books, see examples of the characters and artwork, and look back at a copy of ‘Uncle Wiggily and His Friends’ that was published in 1955!
George Burns & Gracie Allen brought laughs from vaudeville to TV. See how their real-life love story made them one of comedy’s most unique duos.
Since 1952, Mad Magazine has poked fun at everything from Superman to Yoda, M*A*S*H to hippies. But it’s about more than humor – it’s big business, too.
Starting before TV was a really big thing, the old CBS Radio shows filled the airwaves with audio-only entertainment and news of every kind. Here’s a look at some of the programming!
Remember why Walt Disney’s 1950s movie ‘Old Yeller’ was one of those classic ‘boy and his dog’ movies – family entertainment made with kids in mind, but that could bring a tear to anyone’s eye.
In the 1956 movie musical Carousel, Oklahoma stars Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae were again teamed up for a Rodgers and Hammerstein classic. Also see an interview with Miss Jones from the same year.
Charlie McCarthy was the impudent little dummy who sat upon the lap of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, his creator, and entertained millions every week with his comedy.
Miracle In The Rain, a classic love story, stars Jane Wyman and Van Johnson as two lonesome people who meet in a small building-doorway during a dismal New York downpour.
Here are some interviews with star Rock Hudson from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, during which he talked about his favorite (and least favorite) parts of his hugely successful career.
When the old Victrola record players were first introduced, those turntables were some cutting-edge tech. Here’s a look at the history of the famous Victor Talking Machines!
In the fifties, people wanted to know: What was rock ‘n’ roll music? Where did this wild dance noise come from – and was it safe for the kids? Should it be banned, or was it just a fad?
In Gaby, playing off one of the more haunting love mix-ups of World War II, a French-born dancer in London (Miss Caron) meets an American soldier. Then he is sent overseas, and soon presumed lost.
Before vintage Disneyland opened in 1955, Walt Disney said the huge amusement park would be ‘the most fabulous playground on earth.’ See what it looked like!
Donning a brilliant red leotard, Audrey Hepburn demonstrated a series of yoga-like exercises. ‘I’ve tried to incorporate what I’ve seen in animals so the human body can benefit from them.’
When these vintage Zenith ‘Space Command’ TV remote controls first came out, they were revolutionary tech – and everyone wanted one.
Between 1918 and 1955, there were 11 different Tarzan movie actors, in the character’s various incarnations and adventures. Here’s a look back at those wild men.
Step back in time with Leonard Bernstein with a vintage profile and snapshots of the maestro’s melodious legacy!
When color TV was first invented, people wondered if you could convert a black & white TV to color, and which shows would appear in color – and when. Here are some of the answers they were given.
Through vintage interviews, meet Theodor Geisel – aka Dr Seuss – the man behind The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, Green Eggs and Ham and many more classic books for children.
Do you want to get organized? Have you longed for the uncluttered life? Actress Doris Day reveals her plan for becoming an ‘ex-Aimless’ and an ‘ex-Chaotic.’
Located in Beverly Hills, the Beverly Hilton hotel was opened in the 1950s, and boasted 450 air-conditioned rooms, private balconies, sunken swimming pool cabanas, shops and parking for 1000 cars.
At the height of his fame, Elvis Presley was drafted into the US Army. Here, see 20 photos of the man in uniform.
Happy Days starred Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham and Henry Winkler as Fonzie, and showed life in 1956 – or at least the 1956 some like to believe existed.
Years ago, young folks gathered after school and on Saturday nights in drugstores all across America and listened to vintage jukeboxes just like these!
Through the 40s, 50s & 60s, you’d see a new set of vintage calendar girls & pin-ups in garages, diners and dens each year. Take a look back!
Take a look at young ‘Leave it to Beaver’ actors Jerry Mathers & Tony Dow — and then see what the two men looks like as adults!
See some of the dozens of the most popular vintage board games from the ’50s, including Easy Money, Alfred Hitchcock’s WHY, Summit and more fifties fun.
Few people thought Bonanza would last long, but the mythical Ponderosa, the larger-than-life inhabitants and the horseback morality plays will glow on tubes around the world for years to come.
These stories and clippings show the world’s joy over the birth of a celebrity newborn – Carrie Fisher. The woman behind Star Wars’ Princess Leia grew up to be not only a well-known actress, but also an author, screenwriter and producer.
Leave it to the kids if you want an honest opinion of TV’s effect on family life (1955) by Jack Cluett – June 1955 When
For nearly 30 years, Captain Kangaroo said good morning to kids across the country. Here, meet Bob Keeshan, the man behind the beloved character!
See vintage Milton Bradley board games like Uncle Wiggily, Candy Land, Go to the Head of the Class, Chutes & Ladders, Stratego, Concentration and others!
For the ’50s housewife, laundry was huge: the love you had for your kitchen paled only in comparison to the adoration you felt for your washer and dryer.
Widely regarded as one of the most innovative television shows of all time, The Twilight Zone premiered in 1959, and would go on to dazzle, delight and frighten audiences for the next five seasons.
Legendary beauty Lillie Langtry was a statuesque blonde with blue eyes, a perfect complexion and a ravishing figure. She was acclaimed by the social set, and became the mistress of The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII.
The top-rated TV show, I Love Lucy, ran from 1951 to 1957 – around the time these magazines with Lucille Ball on the cover were published.
A lighthearted look back at the 50s housewife during the sunny days of yesteryear, when a woman’s home was her castle — and her kitchen was the heart of that home.
This story is about the father of rock ‘n’ roll music. In a decade of American history condemned for its small-mindedness, blandness and apathy, Chuck Berry set the spark. Chuck Berry kindled the flame.
Wherever Elvis Presley goes to howl out his combination of hillbilly and rock ‘n’ roll, the lean, 21-year-old Tennessean is beset by teenage girls yelling for him.
Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, with their progeny David and Rick, are synonymous with the American family image both on and off television. The Nelson boys are perhaps the only people who have literally grown up before the eyes of millions of weekly viewers.
Elvis Aaron Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935. Here are some photos from the legendary singer’s childhood! The life of young
Discover how Jerry Lee Lewis’s ‘Great Balls of Fire’ set the 1950s music scene ablaze and cemented his legacy in rock and roll history.
Roy Orbison without sunglasses? Do such photos exist?! Indeed they do, even though once his musical career got established, the multi-talented Orbison was rarely seen without his trademark dark shades. See his actual eyes here!
Woman’s Day magazine launched in 1937 as an inexpensive in-house magazine for customers of A&P grocery stores. By the time A&P sold the brand in
Sha Na Na: Carefree greasers By Mary Campbell – The Evening Sun (Hanover, Pennsylvania) Jan 8, 1970 Sha Na Na is starting the 1970s performing
Remember the game of ‘dots’ or ‘boxes,’ where you joined the dots to complete squares, and the person who made the most squares was the winner? Print out these two versions to play at home.
Disney’s ‘Third Man on the Mountain’ represents the first successful effort to capture the mystical quality of James Ramsey Ullman’s stories about man’s struggle to master the heights.
If men “hate the sight of you” read this (1930s) Good news for thousands of girls who have no sex appeal (1940s) Don’t be skinny!
Johnny Carson is a slender, good-looking looking man with an uptilted nose and a casual comedy manner. When his Thursday night CBS show first premiered, here’s what happened.
Romper Room: Television classroom for preschoolers (1971) From The Leaf-Chronicle (Clarksville, Tennessee) May 26, 1971 The world’s largest kindergarten is not located in India or
Debbie Reynolds: Photo scrapbook (1978) The unsinkable star shares her very personal memories of her broken marriages, her two children and her career Some might
I call on Bret Maverick by Pete Martin The star of TV’s Maverick sets the record straight on his real life as Jim Garner, and tells
New York-born Dick Clark, the pioneering powerhouse in the music and TV industries, was best known to the world for his show American Bandstand, and for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.
“Thelonious,” a tune from his very first Blue Note session, had verses fashioned from a single ingeniously hammered note, with three horns playing shifting dissonances behind it. He developed the one-note motif in his solo and then abruptly broke into some pure, old-fashioned Harlem oompah stride.
TV show ticket stubs from old quiz shows, game shows, comedy hours & variety shows Joel Tator, a director with KNBC in beautiful downtown Burbank,
Jackie Gleason — born Herbert Walton Gleason Jr. on February 26, 1916 in Bushwick, Brooklyn — was best known for his roles on The Honeymooners
