Nostalgic Photos Not Suitable For All Viewers
By | November 23, 2022
Who doesn’t enjoy a look back from time to time? No matter how modern we become, it is good to remember our past and the people, moments, celebrities, and pop culture that made us who we are today. That’s what you will find in this collection of photos – a mix of celebrities, history, and products from day’s gone by that will make you nostalgic for simpler times.
This article originally appeared on our sister site: historydaily.org
1970's Monday Night Football with legends Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, and Frank Gifford.
This iconic trio of Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford, and Don Meredith represents the golden days of Monday Night Football. When the NFL first started broadcasting games on Monday nights in 1970, it hired Cosell, Gifford, and Meredith as announcers for the season. The combination was perfect. So perfect, in fact, that the trio continued to announce Monday Night Football games for ABC for the next several years. For many people in the 1970s, Monday Night Football would not have been Monday Night Football without Cosell, Gifford, and Meredith.
A happy Leonard Nimoy with a Hobbit hole cake in honor of his song The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins, 1968.
Did you know that Leonard Nimoy was a wannabe singer in the 1960s? In fact, he recorded and released several songs, including the 1967 tune, “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins.” Yep, THAT Bilbo Baggins. Although The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy was not released until 2001, the J.R.R.R. Tolkien novel, The Hobbit, published in 1937, was a favorite. In Nimoy’s song, he recounted the adventures of Bilbo Baggins in song form. Apparently the pointy-eared Mr. Spock felt a connection to the pointy-eared Hobbits.
A couple with their hot rod VW in 1970.
A cuter car has never been made. The Volkswagen Beetle earned a reputation for being a ‘hippie’ car in the 1960s and 1970s. Groovy folks like this couple adored the Beetle, or Bug, as it was also called, for its affordability, ease of servicing, and drivability. Did you know that the Beetle was originally designed in the 1930s, but with the onset of World War II, it was strictly used as a military vehicle? VW Beetles as civilian cars didn’t really start until the close of the 1940s, but they quickly became popular, especially among the younger generation.
David Bowie with curly hair in 1969.
In 1969, the very permed English singer David Bowie was hard at work on his second studio album, Space Oddity. His 1967 self-titled debut album was not the commercial success he hoped it would be, so Bowie hired a new manager who would help him advance his artistic vision. Bowie was influenced by the 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey when he wrote Space Oddity, a story about a fictitious astronaut named Major Tom. Space Oddity was well received by the public and music critics.
Here's a 1971 Buick Riviera with Boattail ad.
It was the pre-WWII-era pontoon fenders with tapered tails that inspired Buick automotive designer Bill Mitchell to add the boattail to the 1971 Buick Riviera. Mitchell’s vision for the Riviera was for it to be similar to the Corvette Sting Ray, but on a larger scale. A full-sized car, the 1971 Riviera was larger than the previous year’s model. Overall, the end result was a large, impressive, capable car that looked as cool as a smaller speedster, just as this advertisement for the car suggests.
Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Uhura on the original Star Trek series.
The world was saddened by the loss of groundbreaking actress Nichelle Nichols on July 31, 2022. As Lieutenant Uhura on TV’s Star Trek, Nichols’ role represented one of the first times that a woman of color was depicted on a television series in a non-subservient role. Lt. Uhura was the chief communications officer aboard the starship Enterprise and an equal member of the crew. Because of her performance as Lt. Uhura, many young black girls realized that they, too, could find success in the STEM field. And, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that Nichols was one half of TV’s first interracial kiss.
Who remembers this Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle and accessories from 1974! And who still has theirs?
Evel Knievel was the embodiment of cool in the 1970s. The daredevil motorcycle stuntman was the idol of young boy in the groovy era. So when Ideal Toy Company capitalized on the Evel Knievel craze by releasing a series of Evel Knievel toys beginning in 1972, these items quickly became the must-have Christmas toys. This was one of them … the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle, which was introduced in 1973. All the cool kids had them. Did you know that the Evel Knievel toy line is one of the most successful toy lines in history? Ideal Toys sold more than $125 million worth of Evel Knievel toys.
Natalie Wood, 1965.
In 1965, when this photo was taken, Natalie Wood was filming a dramatic movie, Inside Daisy Clover. This film was based in Hollywood in 1936. Wood plays a poor tomboy, Daisy Clover, living with her eccentric mother. Daisy is a talented singer and is signed to a five-year contract by Raymond Swan, played by Christopher Plummer. A star on the rise, she has a romantic relationship with a young actor, played by Robert Redford, who turns out to be gay and only using her for a lavender marriage. Distraught by this news and the recent death of her mother, Daisy torches her beach house and simply walks away.
Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy debuted in 1959 on The Quick Draw McGraw Show and appeared in their own segment of that show.
Who remembers watching The Quick Draw McGraw Show to see Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy? These two Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters were a pair of father-son anthropomorphic dachshunds with a habit of getting into misadventures. Doggie Daddy was voiced by Doug Young who spoke in a thick, Jimmy Durante-like Brooklyn accent. Daws Buter voiced Augie Doggie. Augie’s love for his father was evident in his catchphrase, “Dear ol’ dad!” while Doggie Daddy showed his paternal pride by often saying, “Dat’s my boy!”
Patricia and Cyb Barnstable as 'Betty I and II' from the short lived sci-fi show Quark in 1977.
Identical twins, Patricia and Cyb Barnstable, daughters of NBA basketball player Dale Barnstable, were pageant queens, singers, dancers, models, and actresses. In 1972, they joined Bob Hope on a USO tour of Vietnam and were “Doublemint” twins in a series of television commercials for Wrigley’s Doublemint Gum. As models, their faces graced the pages of Brides, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, Vogue, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan magazines. Their careers peaked in 1977 and 1978 when they portrayed clones Betty and Betty in Quark, a television science fiction parody show.
Here's a lucky guy with his cool 1967 Ford Fairlane back in 1978.
They don’t make them like they used to. This groovy dude’s 1967 Ford Fairlane was a sixth-generation vehicle to bear the Fairlane name. There were actually seven generations in all, stretching from 1955 to 1970. In each new generation, the body style was tweaked and upgraded. The Fairlane, named after Henry Ford’s Michigan estate, was the flagship of Ford’s full-size cars. It was available in two-door and four-door models, or as station wagons. It could also be ordered as a soft-top or hard-top convertible.
A brunette Madonna striking a pose back in 1977.
The multi-talented singer and actress, Madonna was just 18 years old and still a brunette when she posed for a series of photos shot by her friend, Cecil I. Taylor, on May 3, 1977. Although Madonna was born and raised in Bay City, Michigan, this photo and the rest in the series were taken at the Art Worlds Institute of Creative Arts in Ann Arbor. Several of the photos show Madonna in ballet and dance positions, while others showed her wearing trousers and a blouse. When Madonna moved to New York City in 1978, she took the photos with her to help her land dance gigs.
Here's the Rolling Stones looking like proper young lads... in 1963.
In this photograph take of The Rolling Stones during their very first concert tour in 1963, we see a group of clean-cut, neatly dressed young men. It’s a far cry from how The Rolling Stones would look in a few years. This concert tour was a “package” tour. The headliners were the Everly Brothers and Do Diddley. Other featured performers on the tour along with The Rolling Stones were Little Richard, Mickie Most, Julie Grant, and The Flintstones. Presenter Don Arden and comedian Bob Bain were also part of the tour.
Barefootin' on a skateboard in the summer of '65, with a cool Mustang in the background, near Garner State Park, Texas.
The summer of 1965 was a pivotal one in American history, although this young lady seems to be enjoying a carefree day on her skateboard. During this time, the war in Vietnam was heating up. The American public was divided about the U.S.’s involvement in the war. Racial tensions were also escalating. The march on Selma took place, as did the assassination of Malcolm X. In addition, there were conflicts between the older generation and the younger, more rebellious youth.
The Groovy Group of Young Hollywood in 1955 included Jayne Mansfield, Natalie Wood, Lance Fuller, John Smith & Bob Fuller.
Even in a crowd of other young, talented Hollywood performers Lance Fuller, John Smith, Natalie Wood, and Bob Fuller, beautiful blonde Jayne Mansfield stands out. This photo was taken in 1955 when Mansfield was starring in the Broadway play, Will Success Spoil Rock Hudson? In the next few years, she will star in the film version of this play, and appear in other movies, including The Girl Can’t Help It, The Wayward Bus, Too Hot to Handle, and Promises! Promises!
The late Gram Parsons was a singer-songwriter-guitarist and a former member of the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers. Here he is with tailor Nudie Cohn in 1968, wearing one of Nudie's embroidered suits.
Nudie Cohn launched his tailoring business in the 1960s and specialized in making ornate, flamboyant western-style suits, which were popular at the time. He made a peach colored, sequined, heavily embroidered suit free of charge for singer Porter Wagoner, hoping that other artists would see Wagoner wearing it and want one of their own. His plan worked. Soon, Nudie Cohn was making extravagant, rhinestone suits for many celebrities, including Gram Parsons, John Lennon, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Cher, Ronald Reagan, and John Wayne. Robert Redford wore a Nudie suit in Electric Horseman and Elvis wore a gold lame Nudie suit on the cover of the album, 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong.
Who remembers the crazy comic book ads from the 1960's
If you were a fan of comic books in the 1960s, 1970s, and even the 1980s, you probably encountered some crazy, sensational-sounding ads in the back of the books. These ads offered products that sounded too good to be true, like x-ray glasses, toy nuclear submarines, mind-reading spectacles, sea monsters, and real working rockets. As adults looking back, we can see that these ads were preposterous and only meant to bilk kids out of there allowance money, but as a kid in the groovy era, who didn’t want one of these super cool gadgets?
A photo of a groovy couple with plenty of ruffles, going to their prom in 1974.
This groovy couple posed for the obligatory pic before heading off to their prom in 1974. You can bet they danced to all the top songs of the year, including Kool and the Gang’s “Jungle Boogie”, Grand Funk Railroad’s “Loco Motion,” The Jackson 5’s “Dancing Machine”, and “Bennie and the Jets” by Elton John. They probably slow danced to Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were,” Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle,” John Denver’s “Sunshine on my Shoulders,” and Paul Anka’s “(You’re) Having My Baby.”
Kirk and Michael Douglas having a shave together.
In this photograph of Kirk Douglas with his young son, Michael, we see a tender moment shared between a father and son. In reality, Michael Douglas has been open about his contentious relationship with his father. Michael and his brother, Joel, were born to Kirk Douglas and his first wife, Diana. After their split, Kirk was more focused on his career and rarely saw his sons. Michael later said that his dad only came to see them “out of guilt”. Still, his sons seemed to have inherited their father’s talents as Michael, of course, became a famous actor and Joel became a producer.
Young bathing beauty from Texas, Jaclyn Smith in 1969.
Beautiful Jaclyn Smith graduated from high school in Texas in 1964 and enrolled in Trinity University in San Antonio. She intended to major in psychology, but she dropped out of college after just one year. A dancer, she moved to New York City and joined the Balanchine School of American Ballet. She hoped to find work as a dancer or model. Instead, she landed several acting jobs for television commercials. She was a “Breck girl” in a 1971 ad campaign for Breck Shampoo, all before she landed her breakout role in Charlie’s Angels.
Coffee pot trucks were really a thing in 1956.
This is sort of like the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile, but with coffee. This caffeinated car was a promotional vehicle for Gevalia Coffee in the 1950s. Founded in Sweden in 1853, today, Gevalia is the largest coffee roaster in all of Scandinavia. It is a worldwide company … you can buy their coffee and k-cups at places like Walmart. But when the company first started, they sold their coffee directly to customers through home delivery. That’s a concept that was way ahead of its time. Wouldn’t it be great is the coffee truck stopped by your house every morning to hand you a steaming cup of Joe?
James Dean reading a magazine and Elizabeth Taylor napping during a break on the set of “Giant” in 1955.
Taking a break from filming the 1956 sweeping epic film, Giant, James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor each chose their own ways to relax. Giant, based on Edna Ferber’s 1952 novel of the same name, was notable because it was the last film in which James Dean has a starring role. The hot young Hollywood actor died in a car accident before the film was released. Dean was posthumously given an Academy Award nomination for his role in Giant. In addition to Dean’s nomination, Giant earned nine other Oscar nominations, but it only won in one category. Director George Stevens won for Best Director.
John Wayne without his toupee and touching up makeup during the filming of The Longest Day 1961.
John Wayne put his cowboy gigs aside to star in the 1962 epic film, The Longest Day, which was based on a 1959 book by Cornelius Ryan. The sweeping black-and-white movie told the story of D-Day from both the Allies and the Axis points of view. In addition to John Wayne, The Longest Day’s cast included a virtual who’s who of American and international performers, including Richard Todd, Richard Burton, Sean Connery, Paul Anka, Robert Mitchum, Henry Fonda, George Segal, Rod Steiger, and Eddie Albert. The movie won two Academy Awards.
A young Jodie Foster showing off her basketball skills in her school uniform, 1976.
This photo of a young Jodie Foster messing around with a basketball was taken in 1976, the same year that she co-starred in Taxi Driver. In this controversial film, Foster played a child prostitute although she was only 12 years old at the time. Despite the questionable subject matter, Taxi Driver received critical praise. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including one for Foster for Best Supporting Actress. Not bad for a young, talented performer who had not yet reached her teenage years.
Behind the scenes at Sesame Street, with Richard Hunt, Jim Henson and Frank Oz.
It is hard to believe that Jim Henson was able to make a lifelong and lucrative career out of puppetry. After earning a degree in home economics from the University of Maryland, College Park, he and his wife Jane, founded the Muppets, Inc in 1958. He created educational puppets for several television appearance but in 1969, he joined the production team for a new children’s educational program called Sesame Street. For this show, Henson created such memorable characters as Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Big Bird, and Elmo.
The late, great Jim Croce in 1973.
In the early 1970s, Jim Croce was the king of folk music. A singer and songwriter, he had numerous hit songs, including “Time in a Bottle,” “Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown,” “I Got a Name,” “Don’t Mess Around with Jim,” “Operator,” and “I’ll Have to Say I Love You in a Song.” Croce was at the height of his popularity when he was killed in a pane crash on September 20, 1973. He died the day before his fifth album, I Got a Name, was released.
Ann-Margret in a scene from the movie The Swinger 1966.
Ann-Margret starred in a racy, sexy romp of a film, The Swinger, in 1966. In the movie, she plays a young writer named Kelly Olsson who longs to have her articles published in Girl-Lure magazine. When her submissions are repeatedly rejected by the editor, she comes up with a wild plan. She develops a fake persona and portrays herself as a wild, sexually liberated girl. The magazine editors want to cover the exploits of this provocative woman, but things go awry when Kelly tried to fake her zany adventures.
Jackie Gleason in a scene from Smokey and the Bandit 1977
In the 1977 film, Smokey and the Bandit, Jackie Gleason was cast as a Texas county sheriff named Buford T. Justice. Did you know that the name came from a friend of Burt Reynolds’ father, a real highway patrolman in the state of Florida named Buford T. Justice. Reynolds’ father made another notable contribution to the film. He was fond of saying “sumbitch” so that phrase was added to Jackie Gleason’s lines. Burt Reynolds later said that Gleason’s impersonation of a Southern sheriff, who was polite and charming to the ladies yet tough and intimidating to the men, made him fall on the floor laughing.
Carrie Fisher, Paul Simon and Chevy Chase at the Caddyshack premiere, 1980.
Both the Caddyshack writer, Brian Doyle-Murray, and director, Harold Ramis, worked as caddies during their teenage years. That served as the inspiration for the film. In fact, several of the characters in Caddyshack, including the Haverkamps, Judge Smalls, Maggie, and Al Czervik, were based on real-life people that they encountered. Caddyshack was meant to be set in the Midwest so the producers secured the Rolling Hills Golf Club in Davie, Florida, for filming because the course does not have palm trees. Other scenes were filmed at various other locations in Florida.
Johnny Carson and his little friend on The Tonight Show
During his tenure as host of The Tonight Show, Johnny Carson encountered many different animal guests, including this guy who perched on Carson’s head. Several animal expert guests, including Jim Fowler, brought animals on the set. There are plenty of YouTube videos of Carson sharing the stage with critters, like a giant beetle, a python, an orangutan, a lion cub, a bear, a baboon, a coyote, a falcon, and a whole slew of talented dogs.
Don Knotts & Frances Bavier with their Emmys for The Andy Griffith Show in 1967.
In this photo from the 1967 Emmy Awards, we see Don Knotts and Frances Bavier showing off their hardware. The Andy Griffith Show co-stars each won awards that year, Knotts for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy and Bavier for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy. Although this was the only time Bavier won an Emmy for playing Aunt Bee, Knotts was no stranger to the award. His performance as the bumbling deputy, Barney Fife, earned him Emmys in 1962, 1963, and 1966.
Audrey Hepburn listening to records in her Manhattan apartment, 1954.
Beautiful and classy Audrey Hepburn was engaged to James Hanson, an industrialist, in 1952, but broke off the relationship because of the demands of her career. She was also romantically linked to film producer Michael Butler. Hepburn’s first marriage, however, was to fellow actor Mel Ferrer. The couple tied the know in Switzerland on September 25, 1954, while on location for their film, War and Peace. They divorced 14 years and one son later. Hepburn’s second husband was Andrea Dotti, an Italian psychiatrist. She had another son with her second husband but their marriage ended after 13 years.
Kurt Russell kicking Elvis in a scene from It Happened at the World's Fair 1963.
Although the 1963 movie musical, It Happened at the World’s Fair, was designed as a star vehicle for Elvis Presley, in many ways it was a young Kurt Russell who stole the show. In the film, Elvis’s character attends the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle, Washington, where he falls for a nurse working at the first aid station at the fair. This nurse, however, resists his flirtatious advances. So Elvis’s character pays a kid twenty-five cents to kick him in the shin, thus giving him an excuse to see the nurse again. Who was the actor who played the kicking kid? You guessed it … it was a young Kurt Russell in his first movie role.
Rick James rocking out in 1978.
Rick James got his first real taste of commercial success with his 1978 album, Come Get It!, which was produced by Motown’s Gordy Records. Two of the hits from this album, “Mary Jane” and “You & I”, helped increased his fan base. This set the stage for his 1981 Street Songs album, the most successful album of his career. This was the album that gave us “Super Freak” and “Give It to Me Baby”. Although Rick James’s career overlapped with the disco era, his musical sound was not confined to the disco genre. He mixed elements of funk, rock, R&B, soul, and new wave sounds into his music.
'Born to be Wild' back in the early 80's.
Yep, this trio of tough guys looks like they are about to release their debut album. In the early 1980s, when this photo was taken, parents weren’t as concerned about things like bike helmets, neighborhood bullies, kidnappers, and knee pads. Kids were allowed to play outside and encouraged to make friends in the neighborhood. Parents didn’t arrange play dates or over-schedule their kids’ days. Free play was every day. Kids spent their days riding their bikes, exploring the woods, and interacting with friends, rather than watching TV or playing video games. It was a great way to grow up.
Little kids hanging out at the corner store in 1960.
Here are a group of kids in the 1960s hanging out in front of the corner store. It is just a hunch, but we think this store might sell Coca-Cola. All those promotional and advertising signs might seem like overkill, but fast forward a few decades and they are highly sought-after collectibles. Vintage advertising signs, especially for products like Coke with is an American classic, are big ticket items in antique stores. Since it first hit the markets in 1888, Coca-Cola has mastered the brand recognition game with its consistent red and white signs.
Willie Nelson was invited to the White House by Jimmy Carter who thanked the country superstar for his campaign support in 1977.
Willie Nelson, country music’s outlaw rebel, was invited to Washington by President Jimmy Carter. It was what happened after Willie Nelson’s meeting with Carter at the White House in 1980 that would be the subject of rumors for years to come. In his 1988 autobiography, Nelson confessed to smoking marijuana on the roof of the White House with a ‘companion’. Nelson refused to out his smoking buddy. He coyly explained that it was a ‘staffer’, but in an interview for a documentary several years later, Jimmy Carter himself explained that the ‘companion’ was his own son, Chip.
Ava Gardner in a mint green dress, although, she looked great no matter what she wore, 1959.
Lovely Ava Gardner was one of the top leading ladies of the Golden Age of Hollywood, but her career lasted much longer. In the 1950s, she starred in such films as The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Show Boat, The Barefoot Contessa, and Pandora and the Flying Dutchman. She followed that up with a string of films in the 1960s and 1970s. In fact, Gardner, a prolific performer, continued her acting career well into the 1980s. She retired from acting about four years before her 1990 death at the age of 67.
June Carter as a solo country music artist back in 1956.
Lovely June Carter began her singing career as a youngster, just 10 years old. She performed first with her musical parents and then with her mother and sisters, Helen and Anita, in a group called Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters. As an adult, June admitted that she was not as musically gifted as her sisters but she had more of a stage presents and comedic timing than her sisters. Those skills helped her when she developed skits she performed at the Grand Ol’ Opry. In 1950, the Carter family became regulars at the Grand Ol’ Opry where they befriended Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash, who would be the love of June’s life.
Here's actress Maggie Smith, 'Professor Minerva McGonagall' from Harry Potter, in the early 1960's.
The younger generation may only now English actress Maggie Smith for her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series, but she had a long and illustrious acting career well before she went to Hogwarts. Smith is one of the few actresses to have achieved what is called the Triple Crown of Action – winning an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and an Emmy Award. In fact, Maggie Smith is a bit of an over-achiever. She has actually won two Academy Award and four Emmy Awards. In addition, she has earned three Golden Globe Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and five BAFTA Awards.
Lily Tomlin as Ernestine the telephone operator in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In that ran from 1968 to 1973.
Most people today have no idea what a telephone operator is but those who do probably automatically think of Lily Tomlin. On TV’s Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In in the 1960s, comedienne Lily Tomlin, a cast member on the show, created the iconic character of Ernestine, a telephone operator. Television audiences found her rude, brash, and unsympathetic demeanor to be hilarious. When making called, she often commented, “One ringy dingy … two ringy dingy.” Oh, and she snorted when she laughed, too.
The Moody Blues, 1971- RIP Ray Thomas.
Following his death in 2018, Ray Thomas, the founding member of the Moody Blues was posthumously inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A multitalented performer, Thomas was a songwriter and composers, singer, and played several instruments for the Moody Blue. That was him playing the flute in the band’s 1967 classic, “Nights in White Satin.” In addition to Thomas, the Moody Blues members were Mike Pinder, Danny Laine, Graeme Edge, and Clint Warwick. Although they were considered to a be a progressive rock band, a number of their hits could be called rhythm and blues.
Here's John F. Kennedy feeding a deer at Lassen Volcanic National Park, CA in 1963.
When President John F. Kennedy was on an official visit to Northern California in September of 1963, arrangements were made for his to stay overnight in a cabin in Lassen Volcanic National Park. There, the President was thrilled to discovered that the local deer population was so accustomed to humans that they could be hand fed. In the morning, before a helicopter arrived to take Kennedy to his next stop, the President was delighted to find a deer outside the cabin, hoping for a hand out. He rushed outside in his pajamas and slippers to feed the deer some bread. One of his military aides, Cecil Stoughton, snapped this photograph.
ACDC back in 1978.
In 1978, when this photo was taken, the Australian hard rock band AC/DC released If You Want Blood You’ve Got It, the first of their live albums and the only one to feature Bon Scott as the lead singer. They were still buzzing from the success of this album when they released their Highway to Hell album in 1979. With the album, AC/DC was on the cusp of superstardom. But on February 19, 1980, Bon Scott spent a night on the town with a fellow musician. He was found dead the next morning. The coroner ruled it a “death by misadventure” but the likely cause was acute alcohol poisoning.
Ann-Margret 'shooting' behind the scenes in Viva Las Vegas, 1964
No, sexy Ann-Margret didn’t play a gun toting gangster in the hit 1964 movie musical Viva Las Vegas, as this behind-the-scenes photo would suggest. She played a swimming instructor working at a swanky Las Vegas hotel. The film was written and developed specifically for her and Elvis Presley to showcase the singing and dancing talents of both of them. In the film, neither one of them play professional entertainers. Elvis plays a race car driver. But to get the quick cash Elvis needs to fix his race car, he needs to team up with Ann-Margret’s character to win the hotel’s talent show.
When You're Hot, You're Hot Musician and actor Jerry Reed sporting some top-notch 70's sideburns and fashion.
Jerry Reed’s style of country music included a good blend of humor and some wonderfully catchy hooks. While rocking his trademark seventies sideburns, the singer, songwriter, composer, guitarist, and actor had such memorable hits as “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot,” “A Thing Called Love,” and “She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft).” You may even remember him from “East Bound and Down,” the theme song to the 1977 movie, Smokey and the Bandit. Reed also appeared in that movie as well as about a dozen more. He was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Musicians Hall of Fame.
Devo in front of Akron's 'Chili Dog Mac' in 1978.
Devo caught people’s attention in 1977 with their first single, “Mongoloid” and their cover of The Rolling Stone’s hit, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”, but 1978 was their breakout year. Very cleverly, their released an album of apparent demo songs that was claimed to be a bootlegged album, but was, in fact, a marketing ploy to stir up interest in the band. David Bowie and Iggy Pop recommended the band to Warner Bros, who offer Devo a recording contract. Their first album was titled Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! Everyone knew their name after their 1978 appearance on Saturday Night Live.
Here's a very fashion-friendly pair in New York, 1961.
What a handsome, stylish couple! It is too bad that hats like these are no longer fashionable. They make any outfit look chic. The woman in this photo is rocking a Panama hat. Together with her trim, tailored dress that has Audrey Hepburn-Jackie Kennedy vibes all over it, lovely brooch, and timeless accessories, she looks like she is about to hit the runway or star in the next Hollywood blockbuster. As for the gentleman in this photo, his bowler hat is a compliment to his well-cut suit.
Talented singer-songwriter friends, Warren Zevon and Jackson Browne in 1976.
Singer, songwriter, and musician Jackson Browne, known for his hit songs, “Somebody’s Baby,” “Running on Empty,” and “Doctor, My Eyes,” has had a lifetime personal and professional friendship with Warren Zevon, a fellow singer and songwriter. Browne even served as a mentor to Zevon. It was Jackson Browne who strongly encouraged David Geffen of Asylum Records to give Zevon’s music a listen which led to a recording contract. Asylum Records produced Zevon’s first two albums. On the personal front, Jackson Browne is the godfather of Zevon’s daughter Ariel.
Joanie Labine was the first female DJ at the Whisky A Go-Go in 1965.
Joanie Labine was the first female DJ at the famed Whisky A Go Go, but got be too quick to label her as an icon of women’s rights and equality. At the time, the DJ booth was in a cage suspended over the stage. One night, she was spinning one of Johnny Rivers’ albums. Caught up in the music, she started dancing to the music, wearing one of her favorite outfits, tall white boots and a short, fringed dress. The crowd loved it. At that moment two new trends were born – dancing girls in cages and go-go boots -- and neither of them helped advance the feminist movement.
Iron Maiden, with their mascot Eddie, on a battleship in 1981.
As scary as it was, Eddie the Head was the longtime mascot for the British heavy metal band, Iron Maiden. Eddie joined the band on tours and had a prominent role in their concerts. The band sold Eddie merch, too. There were t-shirts, posters, and even an action figure based on this controversial character. Eddie, who was called a zombie, a cyborg, a deranged mental patient, and an ancient Egyptian mummy all rolled into one, also appeared on all the album covers for Iron Maiden. Artist Derek Riggs drew various illustrations of Eddie for the band’s promotional use.
Tom Waits, Bonnie Raitt and John Prine at Opryland in 1974.
When this photo was taken of Bonnie Raitt with Tom Watts and John Prine in 1974, Raitt was on the cusp of stardom. Just a few years earlier, she was performing with her brother in a folk festival when a Newsweek reporter saw her show. The reporter spread the word about her when ed to her being offered a recording contract with Warner Bros. Her self-titled debut album was released in 1971. That album, and her nest two, Give It Up in 1972 and Takin’ My Time in 1973, were met with critical acclaim but were not fan favorites. It took her a bit longer to build up her loyal fan base, but when she did, she was unstoppable.
Holy Cowabunga! It's Batman surfing in 1966.
It couldn’t get any campier than this. The writers of TV’s Batman decided hop on the surfing craze that was sweeping across the country by having the Caped Crusader hang ten. In an episode that aired in 1967, Batman must thwart the arch-villain, The Joker, by … you guessed it --- surfing. You see, The Joker has captured the word’s best surfer and used his “Surfing Experience and Ability Transferometer” machine to suck the talent out of the poor surfer dude and into his own body so that he can become the king of surfing and, thus, take over the world. It is up to Batman to out-surf The Joker and save Gotham City.
Tim Curry lounging on the streets of London, 1969.
When this photo of English actor Tim Curry was taken in 1969, Curry had recently graduated from the University of Birmingham with a combined bachelor’s degree in English and drama. In a few short months, he would land his first full-time acting role as a member of the original London cast of Hair, the 1968 musical. It was during his time with Hair that Tim Curry met Richard O’Brien, a fellow actor, writer, and producer. A few years later, in 1973, O’Brien tapped Curry for a new film he was writing. He wanted Curry to play the role of the flamboyant Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Teri Garr guest-starring on Star Trek in 1968.
Actress Teri Garr appeared in one episode of the original Star Trek television series, but it was not a positive experience. In the episode called “Assignment: Earth”, Garr was cast as a secretary, Roberta Lincoln. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry had Garr wear an incredibly short skirt for the role. But part the way through filming, Roddenberry called for Garr’s skirt to be made even shorter. Furious, Garr walked off the set in protest. She did eventually return to finish the role but she had such an unpleasant experience that she rarely spoke of her Star Trek appearance.
