The Sprayberry Academy of Radio, 111 North Canal Street, Chicago. Illinois is now the Coolsavings.com, Family Feature Films Inc, and the Zion’z First National Bank.
The Cortina Academy(originators of Phonograph Method) of 136 52nd Street, New York 19, NY is now the very tall Sheraton Hotel on 52nd Street and 7th Avenue.
The Volume Sales Co. that sold Giant Balloons – from their War Assets Division is now the Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea company, or the Café Stella on Sunset Blvd, in Los Angeles, Ca.
The Tri State College in Angola, Indiana is now the Tri State University and still is at the same address – 415 College Ave., Angola, Indiana.
The Charles Atlas Company at 115 23rd St., New York, NY is now the ROC Corporation and the CITI Bank building.
Sheesh – the whole world has changed! It was 1955 and the promises the magazine made were amazing.
The Sprayberry Academy of Radio offered New Equipment! New Lessons! Enlarged Course! I could practice and train at home with 25 new kits of equipment – where I could build a powerful 2 band superhet radio, the all new 18 range Sprayberry multitester, the new Sprayberry Training Television receiver, signal tracer, and many other projects.
In the spring of 1956 I was yet to see a Television – that would happen in fall of 1956.
The Cortina Academy promised me that I could learn French or Spanish – almost overnight!
The Volume Sales Co. of Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, Ca. offered me Giant Balloons neoprene weather and target balloons that were great fun in the back yard, at parties, picnics, dances, fairs… and terrific for High School and College Proms!
The Tri State College of Angola, Indiana offered a Bachelor of Science Degree in 27 months in Mechanical Engineering, Civil, Chemical, Aeronautical, Radio (Television) AND BEST OF ALL… there were MORE JOBS THAN GRADUATES!!!!
And the best yet… Charles Atlas… the strongest man in the world was offering me a Body of a “He-Man”, The question asked of me in the ad was, “Are you Skinny, Weak, and run down? Tired, Nervous, Lacking Confidence? Constipated? Suffering from bad breath? Fat and Flabby? What to do about it is told in my book.”
Charles then asked me… “What’s my secret” Answer, “Dynamic Tension”! That’s the ticket! The natural method that I myself developed to change my scrawny skinny chested weakling I was at 17 to my present superman physique!...”
But he wasn’t Charles Atlas at all he was Angelo Siciliano born in Acri, Italy…From Wikipedia…
“Charles Atlas, born Angelo Siciliano (October 30, 1893, Acri, Italy – December 23, 1972, Long Beach, New York) was the developer of a bodybuilding method and its associated exercise program, most well-known for a landmark advertising campaign featuring his name and likeness, which has been described as one of the most lasting and memorable ad campaigns of all time.
According to Atlas, he trained himself to develop his body from that of a "scrawny weakling", eventually becoming the most popular muscleman of his day. He took the name "Charles Atlas" after a friend told him he resembled the statue of Atlas on top of a hotel in Coney Island, and legally changed his name in 1922. His company, Charles Atlas Ltd., was founded in 1929 and, as of 2009, continues marketing a fitness program for the "97-pound weakling." The company is now owned by Jeffrey C. Hogue.”
Back in the spring of 1956, on my grandparents farm, in the west end of the house, curled up on the old couch, with the wind and rain beating against the old window I savoured far away places and things that amazed me.
I was an 11 year old weakling that had a scrawny body, and active mind and a lifetime ahead of me. The places and addresses in front of me were impossible to know – except they were far, far away in a magical place that a boy could only dream about.
As I poured over the pages and dreamed of speaking French or Spanish – almost overnight… dreamed of being a radio and even television(whatever that was..) technician and getting something as silly as a weather balloon in the mail from somewhere far way… the rain beat on the windows and the strong west wind howled against the frame of the old farm house – trying to get at me.
The old couch was warm and the old Popular Mechanics Magazine had a certain new smell about it, a certain weight that was strong with pages and pages of ads that were promising me the world.
BUT do you know how all of these places were from the farm west of Truax, Saskatchewan was from all these places? About a million miles was an easy answer… but with the magic of an imagination I was there… savouring all of it.
It was 12 years later that I would get to see New York City. It was 2 years later that I saw Chicago. It was 25 years later that I walked on a part of Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles. And I have not been to Angola, Indiana yet.
You have to ask – “How did you remember all of that?”
Well - Yesterday I pulled out that exact same Popular Mechanics Magazine from January 1955. The new smell is gone now replaced by a mildew scent … the weight is the same… the cover is gone… but the advertisements are the same…
Today with the help of Google Earth I zoomed into all the addresses of the old ads. I went to each place in a second or so… zooming around the world – across the USA to the mysterious places of 1955… and the new scenes of 2009 that appeared on my monitor.
What a rush to be a boy again. What a rush to go back to the old west room in the old farm house to savour the warmth of the couch and see the magazine again.
I had intended to throw out these old magazines – with the Blue Box stuff on Tuesday… BUT I can’t do it. It would be like throwing out all my treasured memories. Maybe the kids can put them in my casket or somewhere when I finish the final race. I will find a place for them – just as I have for over 25 years now…
For your own pleasure I offer these priceless ads again today - below. They likely mean nothing to you… sorry…
But for me – they offer a time and place that is impossible to return to – except in my imagination and memories… The house is gone… the wind and the rain is still there beating on the gold coloured prairie grass down the hill from where the house used to be…
I have to run… more memories are flooding back… this is one fantastic rush today – back to 1955 and beyond… whoa!
~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Atlas
The Cortina Academy(originators of Phonograph Method) of 136 52nd Street, New York 19, NY is now the very tall Sheraton Hotel on 52nd Street and 7th Avenue.
The Volume Sales Co. that sold Giant Balloons – from their War Assets Division is now the Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea company, or the Café Stella on Sunset Blvd, in Los Angeles, Ca.
The Tri State College in Angola, Indiana is now the Tri State University and still is at the same address – 415 College Ave., Angola, Indiana.
The Charles Atlas Company at 115 23rd St., New York, NY is now the ROC Corporation and the CITI Bank building.
Sheesh – the whole world has changed! It was 1955 and the promises the magazine made were amazing.
The Sprayberry Academy of Radio offered New Equipment! New Lessons! Enlarged Course! I could practice and train at home with 25 new kits of equipment – where I could build a powerful 2 band superhet radio, the all new 18 range Sprayberry multitester, the new Sprayberry Training Television receiver, signal tracer, and many other projects.
In the spring of 1956 I was yet to see a Television – that would happen in fall of 1956.
The Cortina Academy promised me that I could learn French or Spanish – almost overnight!
The Volume Sales Co. of Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, Ca. offered me Giant Balloons neoprene weather and target balloons that were great fun in the back yard, at parties, picnics, dances, fairs… and terrific for High School and College Proms!
The Tri State College of Angola, Indiana offered a Bachelor of Science Degree in 27 months in Mechanical Engineering, Civil, Chemical, Aeronautical, Radio (Television) AND BEST OF ALL… there were MORE JOBS THAN GRADUATES!!!!
And the best yet… Charles Atlas… the strongest man in the world was offering me a Body of a “He-Man”, The question asked of me in the ad was, “Are you Skinny, Weak, and run down? Tired, Nervous, Lacking Confidence? Constipated? Suffering from bad breath? Fat and Flabby? What to do about it is told in my book.”
Charles then asked me… “What’s my secret” Answer, “Dynamic Tension”! That’s the ticket! The natural method that I myself developed to change my scrawny skinny chested weakling I was at 17 to my present superman physique!...”
But he wasn’t Charles Atlas at all he was Angelo Siciliano born in Acri, Italy…From Wikipedia…
“Charles Atlas, born Angelo Siciliano (October 30, 1893, Acri, Italy – December 23, 1972, Long Beach, New York) was the developer of a bodybuilding method and its associated exercise program, most well-known for a landmark advertising campaign featuring his name and likeness, which has been described as one of the most lasting and memorable ad campaigns of all time.
According to Atlas, he trained himself to develop his body from that of a "scrawny weakling", eventually becoming the most popular muscleman of his day. He took the name "Charles Atlas" after a friend told him he resembled the statue of Atlas on top of a hotel in Coney Island, and legally changed his name in 1922. His company, Charles Atlas Ltd., was founded in 1929 and, as of 2009, continues marketing a fitness program for the "97-pound weakling." The company is now owned by Jeffrey C. Hogue.”
Back in the spring of 1956, on my grandparents farm, in the west end of the house, curled up on the old couch, with the wind and rain beating against the old window I savoured far away places and things that amazed me.
I was an 11 year old weakling that had a scrawny body, and active mind and a lifetime ahead of me. The places and addresses in front of me were impossible to know – except they were far, far away in a magical place that a boy could only dream about.
As I poured over the pages and dreamed of speaking French or Spanish – almost overnight… dreamed of being a radio and even television(whatever that was..) technician and getting something as silly as a weather balloon in the mail from somewhere far way… the rain beat on the windows and the strong west wind howled against the frame of the old farm house – trying to get at me.
The old couch was warm and the old Popular Mechanics Magazine had a certain new smell about it, a certain weight that was strong with pages and pages of ads that were promising me the world.
BUT do you know how all of these places were from the farm west of Truax, Saskatchewan was from all these places? About a million miles was an easy answer… but with the magic of an imagination I was there… savouring all of it.
It was 12 years later that I would get to see New York City. It was 2 years later that I saw Chicago. It was 25 years later that I walked on a part of Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles. And I have not been to Angola, Indiana yet.
You have to ask – “How did you remember all of that?”
Well - Yesterday I pulled out that exact same Popular Mechanics Magazine from January 1955. The new smell is gone now replaced by a mildew scent … the weight is the same… the cover is gone… but the advertisements are the same…
Today with the help of Google Earth I zoomed into all the addresses of the old ads. I went to each place in a second or so… zooming around the world – across the USA to the mysterious places of 1955… and the new scenes of 2009 that appeared on my monitor.
What a rush to be a boy again. What a rush to go back to the old west room in the old farm house to savour the warmth of the couch and see the magazine again.
I had intended to throw out these old magazines – with the Blue Box stuff on Tuesday… BUT I can’t do it. It would be like throwing out all my treasured memories. Maybe the kids can put them in my casket or somewhere when I finish the final race. I will find a place for them – just as I have for over 25 years now…
For your own pleasure I offer these priceless ads again today - below. They likely mean nothing to you… sorry…
But for me – they offer a time and place that is impossible to return to – except in my imagination and memories… The house is gone… the wind and the rain is still there beating on the gold coloured prairie grass down the hill from where the house used to be…
I have to run… more memories are flooding back… this is one fantastic rush today – back to 1955 and beyond… whoa!
~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/
Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Atlas
1 comment:
Charles Atlas is so amazing! Check out the website of the company he co-created at www.charlesatlas.com
Post a Comment