Thinking about things: Do You Remember??

plasticjunkie

I don’t believe anybody mentioned S&H Green Stamps. My mom got them at either Quick Check or Grand Union.  These would allow one to redeem them at the S&H store for merchandise.

That one started a memory my mum used to collect GreenShield stamps and exchange them in I think it was Whiteleys in Bayswater London. Going to school on the underground and having a couple pennies to put in a sweet dispenser for a small box of little round toffies. Then I got to recalling all the old sweets you could get for sixpence; 2.5 pence todays money

Sorry!

     I should've mentioned those ubitiqous things! My Gosh, I don't know how many times I would be told," Don't forget the "Green Stamps" when I would go to the market for the ladies in our household. Two Great Grand Mas and two Grand Mas made sure Christmas was special. How? They used all their full stamp books for our gifts! So I got Erector sets and Lionel stuff because of those darned green things. Yay!!

   There were also Stamps from the Sinclair station where we bought Auto fuel. They could be returned full in exchange for car related stuff and toys. Grilles, Camping stuff and any Toy related to the Gasoline and Oil Business. Except the "Texaco Tanker" Off course. Speaking of that! Did you know that Wen-Mac(Model Airplane mfg's. ( The Flying Kind) did the Tanke for a while.The Wen-Mac one was equipped with a better motor and power distribution system. Turns out to Collectors that one now has precedence over the regular one. Gee, wouldn't you know, Mine says " Wen-Mac" on both the box and inside the ship. Kool ! That means I have both! My other has an indistinct Mfgr's name!

     Here in the State of TEXAS, Hess Oil co. toys are everywhere and even the new stuff is hotly contested. collector stuff. I have actually seen grown men almost come to blows over that stuff even. Now, I do collect EXXON cars. I have at least two of every one put out. Even the Special Edition  BreastCancer Awareness ones. Every time i check then out, I think of my Late Second Wifey and our fun travels all over these United States,Pulling our R.V. and listening to music from the C.D. Player in the dash on our Pick-Um-Up truck-With Dogs and Parrots, a Crew Cab of course. The parrots talking constantly during the trip! The Dogs? One Weenie and one Jack Russel, The Parrots? Two Cockatoos, One Cockatiel and one Very Large Rainbow Macaw! The Macaw was the only rider Ever in my vehicles, that like the kids from earlier in my life  That said" Are we there yet?"

      Travels? We found that a few STUCKEYS and HO-JO's still exist-along the (" Mother Road")(U.S.66, What's left!), and going through Georgia and Florida! Stuckeys Pecan Rolls-The Best! Can't forget The Orange Julius stands either! I do believe that is the first time I ever met a Slushie! There were Gasoline stations that still had, in a corner, the old gravity fed , Hand pumped, Yes, pumps with the Glass tank on the top. Re-Filtered Oil in glass bottles for use in older cars(Beaters).

        How about this, Motel 6, when the rooms were really clean and Six bucks a nite! Or the "Red Roof" inns with the first "Free Continental Breakfast"( whatever that was). Recently,(Over the last twenty years) I have seen the Demise of "Flying J" Truck and R.V. Stops(Laid back and quiet) replaced with Pilot and other co's that are noisy and where the parents don't control their offspring At All! Many brands have gone by the wayside.When is the last time you saw a WestingHouse Stove or Refrigerator?  I better stop while I am ahead! Back to the top. What does S&H stand for? Does anyone Remember?

I remember the Green Stamps from when my Father managed some Grand Union stores.  I had to spend time at the kitchen table just wetting and pasting those sheets of stamps.  

Alan Sherman did a song about green stamps and Timex watches.  He did much more that Hello Muddah, Hello Father.  He did several albums where he had original songs or changed the words of other songs.

I remember those coin changing things you would hook on your belt for some jobs like pumping gas in N.J.

Then there was when aircraft on their way to Newark air port that would make the picture on the TV go wavy until they got out of range.  I was on the roof holding the antenna in the right direction while my brothers sat in the living room watching a show and saw a formation of fighters following a larger aircraft that I thought might be a KC-97 tanker.

Getting the mumps, measels, or chicken pox and laying in a bed in the walkway near the front porch waiting for a house call from the doctor.

Speaking of medical things, when it came time for tonsils to be removed, having that rubber gas mask being put on your face as they knocked you out.

Dentistry was different back then.  Having the dentist telling you to hold your breath while he stuck the needle in your gums and moved it around to different points.  No advanced seditive before the needle.  Don't forget those water bowels you would have to spit into.

Driver's license permits were just a printed card or very small form.  Ours were about 4x3 card and would be folded in your wallet.

Shows like Lost in Space, Time Tunnel, Man From U.N.C.L.E., Land of the Giants, The Invaders and 12 O'Clock High as well as many others, all in B/W.  When Star Trek commercials started to announce a new show, I remember saying that at least these guys got to go to other planets instead of being stuck all the time.

Not allowing Lawyers to run commercials on TV or the radio.

If I remember correctly S & H stood for Sperry and Hutchinson Co. 

Hi Lurch!

 You just earned a Bubble Gum Cigar! For sure-Good old sperry and Hutchinson! Their catalogue was definitely something to call a Wish Book!

Thanks TB. I remember those stamps. I dont remember the catalogs tho. I recall puting those stamps in the books for my parents and grandparents tho.  Also can I get a slimjim because I dont chew bubblegum. 

Hey Lurch!

 They still make those? I haven't had one since about eight years ago in a Service Station in Arizona!

How about Lepage and Testors tubes of celulouse glue?  Testors dope?  Shriking tissue?  First learning dope did not work well on styrene?  Momogram speedy-builts, a transitional kit from balsa to plastic?

S&H. Yep. I think I still have a couple books of them in a drayer somewhere.

Missileman2000!

      Hey, you can Still get Lepage's Mucilage glue .You just have to really look for it in printing specialty stores!Mainly printing equipment stores that work with museums. I used Dope to krinkle the surface of model shipwrecks when i saw what it did. Every Monogram Speedy Bilt I put together always flew nicely. Shrinking Tissue is still available in Bamboo and light crafts stores.

They are still around. WOW I havent seen those for years.I bet its been 20 years since I have seen them

There are online hobby shops that cater to small rubber models.  Google rubber  free flight models.  You can even get the small cross section indoor rubber.

You can get a lot of rubber scale stuff online.  Especially look at Easy Bilt models.  Laser cutting is the new high tech thing.  No more hours with a hobby knife cutting out ribs and formers!

Hi Lurch!

     Yeah, I was surprised too! Turns out if you want to find the oldies that are still around, talk to a Model railroader! They still use a Lot of the older stuff. They are very reluctant to change. An apt slogan for them is " If it ain't Broke,Don't fix it!"

When I was  kid in the 1950's, I remember buying a green plastic film that I would place over the TV screen and then draw on the film with  special types of crayons.  The green film was used during a TV show called Winky Dink..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5TdRhNLOPk

I remember that show, barely.  Wenever had the plastic to cover the screen.

Tanker-Builder

Hello, America! Paul Harvey Here!

         Does anyone remember him? How about Arthur Godfrey? or How about, this, an old word trick at school. Antidisestablishmentairinism? That was a Mouthful. Remember Carvel Soft Serve? Or gas Stations like Gulf, Esso, Sinclair, Texaco. Remember their slogans?"Trust Your Car to the man who wears the Star"was Texaco's, and Esso-Exxon was 'Put a Tiger in Your Tank". I had to be careful about that last! I swear my brand New 57 Chevy Bel-Air With Fuel Injection was touchier on the throttle with Esso-Exxon!

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          Ah! Those were the days of "Life of Riley" and "Dragnet" on the radio, Remember those? The Large boxes on the Cabinet behind the Sofa? Or the larger cabinets that sat in a corner of the parlor with a round dial with a switch that allowed you to listen to Radio Free Europe and the B.B.C. from the comfort of your American, Levitown house (If you lived there) or the Sears-Built Bungalows, Different sizes for Different sized families. Own your own Craftsman designed home. Delivery assured. Yup! Kit Homes back then. Weren't we lucky?? I thought life was grand, No fears of strangers on the "Sidewalks" in our hometown and None came to our schools with harm in mind! Beat Cops, Safe neighborhoods, Parks with Merry Go rounds that you made spin fast enough you forgot about centrifugal force when you tried to get on. Monkeybars, With only sand to fall on. Swings with wooden Boards with Splinters and Rusty chains. Wasn't it wonderful to catch a jar of fireflies? 

         End! Really No, but you might be getting bored now, God Bless and I'll check in with you Tomorrow, Mr.Blue Collar, signing off. Good Night America!

 

Ah, yes, I listened to life of riley, dragnet, Aurther Godfry, FBI in peace and war, Green Hornet, Crash Corrogan, the Shadow,and Lone Ranger on our big floor standing Philco that also covered short wave bands.

My first model kit was a Guillows Aeronca, but the same Kresges store also had Comet kits, which were cheaper, so I built more of them.  It wasn't till I was going to hobby shops and subscribing to Air Trails and Model Airplane News that I discovered Scientific which flew much better than Guillows or Comets.

missileman2000, your reposnse brought back both good and sad memories for me.  I had a 1930ish Crosley standing cabinet radio/world band refurnished many years ago and spent many nights in my Man Cave building models and listening to various programs on the radio.  Unfortunately, about 15 years ago my community had massive flooding from a "100 year"storm and we got over 10 inches of floodwater in our basement.  The radio's cabinet was staturated and it was put to the curb along with so many of my model kits.  In my opinion, music and sports broadcasts just sounded so much better on a vintage piece.

tjs