1953’s “The Cool Hot Rod” | Cool Culture, Corny Flick

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1950s hot rod culture at it’s best.  Yes, there’s the prerequisite corny score and script… but more so, enjoy the glorious landscape of 1950’s fashion, pomade, and hot rod heaven.

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Well Said– Well Plaid Rocker | Vintage Bo Diddley

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“Don’t let your mouth write a check that your tail can’t cash.”

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–Bo Diddley

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Bo Diddley had an enormous impact on the development of popular music, largely due to his emphasis on rhythmic elements.

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“I opened the door for a whole lot of people– and they just ran through and left me holding the knob.”

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–Bo Diddley

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Bo Diddley in action on his signature Gretsch guitar --late 1950s.

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“I thank you in advance for the great round of applause I’m about to get.”

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–Bo Diddley

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Bo Diddley on guitar with Jerome Green on the left playing maracas --late 1950s.

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“I made Bo Diddley in ’55, and everybody freaked out.  Caucasian kids threw Beethoven in the garbage can.”

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–Bo Diddley

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Dress Whites | Vintage Wimbledon Fashion

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“New Yorkers love it when you spill your guts out there.  Spill your guts at Wimbledon and they make you stop and clean it up.”

–Jimmy Connors

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Mr. A. F. Wilding, Wimbledon Champion.

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Mad Max Bubeck & his Chout | Hell on Hybrid Wheels

Max Bubeck sitting on his 135.58mph hybrid Indian Chief/Scout that he rode at Rosamond Dry Lake on June 27th, 1948. The Pop Shunk-built "Chout" is as lean and mean as a straight razor except for two big-assed carburetors that look big enough to pluck poultry. Bubeck's "Chout" still holds the record for the world's fastest unfaired Indian motorcycle.

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“Mad Max” Bubeck made a name for himself dominating the enduro scene from the 1930s to the 1970s.  Bubeck was also a speed racer & builder who in June of 1948 rode his Indian “Chout” (an Indian Chief 80 c.i. engine jammed into the smaller & lighter Scout frame) to a record speed of 135.58 mph on the Rosamond Dry Lake north of Los Angeles. It’s a record that still stands for an unstreamlined, normally aspirated 80 cubic inch displacement Indian motorycle.  After retiring from competition in the late-1970s, Bubeck continued to be active in motorcycling, doing everything from restoring classic Indian motorcycles to sponsoring antique motorcycle meetings.

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Mad Max Bubeck on his famous & record setting Indian "Chout".

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One of Bubeck’s most popular wins came in 1950 aboard the new Indian Warrior. That year, he won the Cactus Derby, a long-distance desert race and mountain race originated in Riverside, California. The race was unique in that it started at midnight. That year, Bubeck’s bike lost its lighting barely an hour into the race. He managed to continue by riding with other riders and using their lights. A few times he lost touch with the other riders and rode in complete darkness. In that same event, a long, slow-moving freight train was blocking a crossing. Bubeck sped ahead of the train and crossed the tracks so as to not lose too much time. Despite the darkness, the trains and riding a supposedly uncompetitive bike, Bubeck still managed to win the event. It went down as one of the most memorable victories in his career.

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No Rebellion Here | Vintage Triumph Ads

 

 

“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”

 

–Thomas Paine

 

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1966 Triumph motorcycle ad

 

 

Vintage Triumph motorcycle ad

 

 

Vintage Triumph motorcycle ad

 

 

Vintage 1977 Triumph Bonneville motorcycle ad

 

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L.A. Stories Told Through Vintage Pics | UCLA Archives

 

“Los Angeles is 72 suburbs in search of a city”

–Dorothy Parker

 

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Ed Holovchik (aka Ed Fury), bodybuilder and Mr. Los Angeles contestant with model Jackie Coey --1953.

 

 

VISITING TRIO-- Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus clowns Coco and Bobby Kaye visiting a patient at Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital --1970.

 

 

FOOD'S FUN-- Nancy Kennedy, 20, downs diet cola and french fries, popular combination with the young set. The theory is that diet drink saves enough calories to allow for the fattening french fries. L.A. Times --1965.

 

 

Comedian Eddie Cantor with beauty contestants Lisa Davis, Barbara Drake and Phyllis Applegate, Los Angeles, CA --circa 1954.

 

 

Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell putting handprints in cement at Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, CA --circa 1953.

 

 

PERFECTION?-James L. Pyle and Nonna Walls examine "Miss Formula", a computer-created drawing resulting from a list of "perfect female" statistics, CA 1964.

 

 

Pat Hall, "Miss 7-Cent Cup of Coffee, 1950," serving William E. Kinman coffee while wearing a bikini, Los Angeles, CA --1950.

 

 

Man wearing gag thumb with three bathing beauties, Long Beach, CA --1949. Someone please explain...

 

 

PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE-Policeman Chuck Peyton checks to see if the old-fashioned bathing suit worn by actress Myrna Ross complies with 1933 Redondo Beach ordinance banning women's suits that are more than 3 in. above knee. The city attorney warned enforcement may be necessary if topless suits appear on beaches. Male swimmers would also be required to wear more discreet attire.

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