There are numerous times in my role as the self- appointed retro cultural historian for Boston that I feel just like Gloria Swanson in 1960 standing in that classic photo taken amidst the destruction of the once splendid crown jewel of cinemas, The Roxy Theater in New York City. Boston, like so many other American cities, has been pillaged… truly stripped bare of what made...
A publishing house typing pool is the seething heart of the aspirations of a cadre of working girls, marking time until they marry Mr. Right and settle down. Caroline Bender (Lange) battles her career aspirations and fear that she will morph into scary book editor Joan Crawford. It’s the original Sex in the City. Rona Jaffe’s novel, The Best of Everything, is about four girls (and their...
Here is a handy guide written by Roger 99 that shows us how to create old-fashioned posters with that special vintage look, complete with aged paper feel. The tutorial explains in detail using a step-by-step guide how a advertisement for Facebook could have looked if it was available in the 1950s. There are also examples of YouTube, Twitter and Skype included. Read the tutorial here...
“Shopping” is one of the first interior shopping center ever built. This mid-century gem is hidden away in the cold northern parts of Sweden. Designed and conceptualized by famed British-Swedish architect Ralph Erskine and completed in 1955. After visiting an open-air shopping mall in Canada with harsh weather conditions, Erskine wanted to create a place that would be enjoyable for everyone all year round, not...
From Retro Christmas Card Company, comes a handful of original, well designed retro Holiday Cards that trend with the popularity of 1950s and 1960s themes as seen in the television shows “Mad Men“, “Pan Am” and 2011 film “The Help“. Featuring fun, nostalgic images of 1950’s and ’60’s Retro American Christmas. Set up the aluminum tree, plug in the color wheel, and put Bing on...
Sometimes, the city in which a movie is set plays a role more important than that of the main characters and, over the years, many filmmakers have been drawn to the old school majesty of London. Here are a few films where London—a city of striking contrasts— makes an appearance. Indiscreet (1958) “How dare he make love to me and not be a married man!” So...
Sometimes, the city in which a movie is set plays a role more important than that of the main characters and, over the years, many filmmakers have been drawn to the crusty liveliness of New York. Here are a few films where, even when cast alongside screen legends like Audrey Hepburn, Robert Redford and Marlon Brando, New York was the star. The Best of Everything (1959) The...