Boeing 747, also known as the jumbo jet was first introduced in 1970. With Pan American airlines as one of its major investors they had the possibility to influence the design and development of the aircraft. It was deemed that the world needed a jet plane of massive size that could transport hundreds of passengers fast, efficient and with style. Juan Trippe who was the CEO of Pan Am at the time predicted that the 747 would be "... a great weapon for peace, competing with intercontinental missiles for mankind's destiny." (Source).
Here is a taste of various photos found at the great airliners.net website, depicting how it was like to travel with a Pan Am jumbo jet in the early 1970s. For anyone who hasn't been able to experience it first hand, I recommend getting the Space Age Lounge Volume 3 compilation and then read the article about former Pan Am stewardess Valerie Waterman. What are your memories of jet traveling in the 1970s?
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Anyone who has ever enjoyed a movie at a drive-in theater in the US back in its heydays, knows that seeing the movie was just one part of the enjoyment. Families made the drive-in a weekend adventure, filled with food, laughter and goodies that dad picked up from the concession stand during the intermission. These intermissions were mainly a product of a Chicago based company called Filmack Studios, that has been in business since 1919 and are still alive today.
Often they debranded the beverages and treats seen in the short films so no manufacturer was favored over another, it also made production cheaper and in a way timeless, seeing that many of these intermission rolls were seen up until the late 1970s in many theaters. Animation was usually preferred for these clips and many of them were designed by Rocky & Bullwinkle creator Jay Ward. The intermission ran on a 5 or 10 minute reel and with every minute it would remind its patrons how long until the feature movie starts. Above is a example on one of these 10 minute intermissions circa 1960, styled to make it look like more authentic. Which was your favorite intermission movie?
This book looks really swell! There are probably no one left in the world who hasn't heard about IKEA with its affordable build-it-your-self-furniture concept. Ingvar Kamprad, the man behind IKEA was only seventeen when started his soon to be blooming enterprise in 1943. Ten years later he opened his first IKEA store in Sweden. Today there are over 200 stores worldwide and as much as I love IKEA I also think it's too ubiquitous and consumer driven. People throw away their furniture to buy new every two years because it's so inexpensive, not stopping for two minutes reflecting on the design and functionality.
The book is titled "IKEA Design och Identitet" and can be bought from Adlibris if you live in Sweden. Which is your favorite IKEA piece?
IKEA's catalogs are like a photo book of the Swedish home. Here contemporary living is reflected from the 1970s brown corduroy couches and painted pine kitchen tables to todays modern design of the PS-collection of top international class. It's retro, nostalgia, present and future vision, all at once. But what lies behind such a strong concept that allowed them furnish almost every Swedish home for decades?
This short promotional film, produced in the early 1970s gives us a insight into how the classical compact Polaroid SX-70 camera functions.
The SX-70 included many sophisticated design elements. A collapsible SLR required a complex light path, with many mirrors (including one Fresnel reflector) of unusual, aspheric shapes and at odd angles. The film pack contained a flat, 6-volt "PolaPulse" battery to power the camera electronics, drive motor and flash. The original flash system, a disposable "Flash Bar" of 10 bulbs from General Electric, used logic circuits to detect and fire the next unused flash.
If you miss the old days when television was black and white and the television-sets were anything but dull looking, LG has a treat in store for you! They call it "The LG Serie 1 Retro Classic TV" and comes with a 4:3 ratio 14 inch display screen which can be tuned to either color mode, sepia or black and white – perfect for watching those old 1950s and 1960s television shows such as "I Dream of Jeannie", "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." or "I Love Lucy". The TV also comes with retro styled chromed legs and rabbit styled antennas. The only problem is that it is currently only sold in South Korea, unless you are willing to take a road trip and have $200 left over to spend. What do you think, would you like to own one of these retro puppies? Continue reading to see more images.
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For those of you who prefer to hang out on Facebook instead of socializing in the real world you can follow Ultra Swank through its group page which now also features automatic updates of every post from my website. Now you will never miss an update again. If you are not already a follower, head over to the Facebook Group page and start following right away!
The '50s are back and making its way into the design of everyday gadgetry. If you are a fan of Apple's personal computers I bet you will dig this concept for a home computer. The "Philco PC" takes its inspiration from the 1954 design classic Philco Predicta, as well as an eclectic mixture of modern minimalism, the steampunk movement, and antiques. Sadly this is still just a concept and the images you see are 3D rendered, but Shultze Works who are the creator of this little time piece, hope that a electronics company will pick it up and start to manufacture it in a near future. What do you think? Would you like to have the "Philco PC" in your mid century inspired designer home and how much would you pay for it? Continue reading to see more images and a video of the PC.
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Love scene between Analía Gadé and Jean Sorel. Italian 1970s Giallo cinema at its best with very tasty music from the great Piero Piccioni. Taken from La volpe dalla coda di velluto. What do you daydream about today?
