Rock Hudson and Paula Prentiss star in Howard Hawks’ film Man’s Favorite Sport? (1964). This screwball comedy is a loose remake of Hawks’ earlier film hit Bringing Up Baby (1938), which starred Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. The plot for this film is relatively complicated for a comedy. Rock stars as Roger Willoughby, a salesman at Abercrombie & Fitch – your grandfather’s Abercrombie & Fitch of yore when you could buy a safari set-up of rifles, zebra skins, ammo, and tents. Roger is a celebrity in fishing circles, known for his bestselling book, “Fishing Made Simple.” He can tell customers the perfect times to fish, the right lures for all occasions, and the proper way to cast a line. But Roger is hiding a dirty secret – he hates fishing and can’t stand being around fish.

Paula Prentiss co-stars as Abigail Page – a sarcastic woman on the go. She meets up at Abercrombie & Fitch with her girlfriend, Easy, played by the amazingly beautiful Austrian, Maria Perschy. (Perschy later had less film success, landing the lead in the 1973 film House of Psychotic Women, which happens to be #21 in my Netflix queue.) In case you missed it, her character’s name is Easy. Since her character is pretty wooden throughout the movie, I guess you had to be there.

Read the full post >

In the 1959 premiere episode of The Twilght Zone, Earl Holliman explores a town completely deserted. After helping himself to some ice cream from the drug store soda fountain, he encounters wire spinner racks full of paperbacks, one of which is filled entirely with copies of the ominously titled “The Last Man on Earth.”

In the age of the electronic book, wire book racks (as well as drug stores that serve ice cream) are things of the past. In the golden age of the paperback, though, they were how books made their way to the masses. Drug stores, supermarkets, newsstands, and even gas stations, each had spinning paperback racks somewhere; And, from there, the rugged cowboys, monstrous space aliens, and wicked femme fatales on the book covers all vied for your attention and your 35 cents.

Read the full post >

A well known Brazilian singer, Elis Regina, born on March 17, 1945 would have been 65. She unfortunately died very young at the age of 36 on January 19, 1982.  Regina is most notable for singing Bossa Nova music. Elis Regina began her singing career at the age of 11 and released her first album when she was 16 years old. She had released around 30 albums between 1961 and 1982. Regina’s beautiful voice was very gentle and creative – sounding like a distinctive instrument within the music. Over one thousand fans had gone to visit her glass casket to pay their last respects to this wonderful Brazilian pop singer.

Let’s climb aboard the Alweg Monorail in Downtown Seattle and take a trip back to the 1962 World’s Fair: Man in the Space Age. The Century 21 Exposition brought the first World’s Fair in North America since 1940 and the United States was eager to demonstrate its new ideas and advancements in technology, science and entertainment. Rapid technological advancements, Googie architecture, and the Space Race tantalized imaginations with the possibilities of the 21st century and beyond. The Future promised push button telephones and flying cars. While innovations raced towards the future, values remained firmly rooted in the past. Kitchen gadgets targeted housewives while innovations in office communication targeted businessmen. Nuclear families would populate the suburbs of the Moon in the 21st century.

Read the full post >

Let’s kick off the new year by spending some of that hard earned money at the local shopping center. Perhaps a new color television, that black suit that’s now on sale or why not a new kitchen appliance for the wifey? There is something for everyone. Where shall we go first? Montgomery Ward, SS Kresgne, Publix or Woolco? I am sure many of you have fond (or perhaps not so fond) childhood memories visiting these stores as a kid. For more shopping adventures and photos head over to the always splendid Pleasant Family Shopping. And don’t forget to check out the other posts in the shopping spree series. Which is your favorite chain or stores that are still alive today?

From all of us, to all of you. Merry Christmas, happy holidays and have a great new year! Ultra Swank will resume our normal posting soon. Meanwhile, check out the Ultra Swank photo group on Flickr. There are close to 5,000 images in our archive now, amazing! What was your favorite moments of 2010? (Image source)