Ultra Swank - Retro Adventures

pop culture

Swingin’ London Street Scenes
Written by Christopher in Roadtrip

Swingin’ London Street Scenes

Various photos, scans and stills from London in the mid 1960s, when the term “Swingin’ London” was in full effect. Love how even the rainiest, gloomy day in London can look beautiful back then....

Visions of Space – Part 3
Written by James Vaughan in Kitsch

Visions of Space – Part 3

Science Fiction movies and the 1960’s. Shorter distances between the science and the fiction. Bigger budgets and better scripts. New actors who have not spent their entire careers fighting giant, mutant bugs. Special effects that are almost believable. After MGM’s breakthrough experiment of ‘Forbidden Planet‘ in 1956 and mainstream Disney’s ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea‘ of 1954. Hollywood begins to sense that Sci-Fi can be...

Visions of Space – Part 2
Written by James Vaughan in Kitsch

Visions of Space – Part 2

Our journey through space travel science fiction has our coordinates locked onto the 1950’s The most Ultra of the Ultra-Swank decades. Receding in our aft view screen is the pulp pre-war period of the 1930’s and 1940’s – the times of cowboys in space. They rode rockets instead of horses and blasted bad guys with ray guns instead of six-shooters. Our mid-century destination is where...

It’s Dinner Time – Music for TV Dinners

Need a compilation of some catchy tunes? Well, you’ve come to the right diner! I was hungry for more lounge music and found “Music for TV Dinners: The Sixties.” For those that don’t know many lounge artists, this is a great compilation with a tasty mix of library music. The album includes artists such as Syd Dale, Laurie Johnson, and of course the great Alan...

Video

Twiggy, born Lesley Hornby, is without a doubt one of the biggest fashion icons to emerge from the 1960’s. Her thin frame and big blue eyes became the envy of fashionistas everywhere. The look of drawn on lashes (anything to make the eyes look bigger) and pale lips became a Twiggy staple as girls copied her look to fit in with Swinging London and everything...

Visions of Space – Part 1
Written by James Vaughan in Kitsch

Visions of Space – Part 1

As the technological miracles of the 20th Century exploded- so did our imaginations. Where would all this science take us? Up, out and beyond our normal mundane lives to New Worlds where anything was possible! The vast and limitless horizon of outer space! In a time before television and jet airplanes the technical label of astronaut had not been invented. The men and women that...

Thoughts on Ski Party
Written by Jesse Kowalski in Film

Thoughts on Ski Party

The opening begins with an ominous scene. In succession, skiers descend a snowy mountainside under moonlight in what surely represents the director’s vision of the Archangel Lucifer descending into hell. Then the credits announce “Starring Frankie Avalon” as Avalon sings the theme song. Thus begins another entry in American International Pictures’ series of Beach movies. The film proper leads off with an unbilled Annette Funicello...

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