golden era

Pencil, Miss?

From So, Unafraid, He Faced The Setting Sun: Newspaper Ads From The Golden Era of Advertising

Summer days leave you with frayed nerves and exhausted energy...

via the ultimate insult

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Comments: golden era

Once young of course, and thoughtless,
Posted by rollo at December 15, 2005 12:48 PM

the husband died

at the wrong time
Posted by boynton at December 15, 2005 01:49 PM

Maybe the old lady preferred selling pencils to falling into the clutches of these guys:

http://www.davetill.com/ads1920s/38_salvationarmy.htm
Posted by Gummo Trotsky at December 17, 2005 01:37 AM

I wonder whether the girl bought a pencil as well as life insurance. Wish they'd finish these stories.
Posted by wen at December 17, 2005 06:50 AM

And in the "there is nothing new under the sun" department, who else has spotted those TV ads for superannuation - like the one where a rich git asks his valet for the morning paper and coffee, then the same scene is played with the roles reversed?

How much money did they spend in the focus groups, I wonder, to come up with an ad campaign based on an idea as old as the 1920s/30s.
Posted by Gummo Trotsky at December 17, 2005 11:34 AM

2B or not 2B?

Intriguing wen. Mayeb it's been waiting for someone to take up the thread? ;)

Have not seen that ad, Gummo. Will have to pencil in commercial TV viewing time this week.
Posted by boynton at December 17, 2005 02:25 PM

Please buy some cleaning products miss. Just a pack or two of laundry detergent maybe.

"Oh shit, here's that pesky old bat again. Just because I let her talk me into buying the shit once -"

Then like an arrow came a strange thought.

The young woman's gaze went past the K-Mart dress, the op-shop coat and rested on the face with the wistful eyes from which fear looked out - the fear that dwells with the aged poor.

The girl knew her story. Once young of course, careful with money, happy with a husband and home. They had good times. They saved for their retirement, he had company superannuation, he paid his life insurance premiums punctually.


Before he retired, they bought the campervan they were going to tour the country but witihn a week after collecting his gold watch, he died. There was no company superannuation - all the funds had disappeared into a bank account in the Caymans. The life insurance company had been declared bankrupt -she would be lucky to get five cents in the dollar on the policy. The widow clung onto her home, and joined a party-plan sales organisation to supplement her income.

So to the young woman came these drumming questions that would not down - "Could this happen to me? Could it? Old, helpless, forlorn ... no money ... unwanted? What can I do to make sure that I will never come to this?"

There you go - let's see somebody top that then.
Posted by Gummo Trotsky at December 17, 2005 05:03 PM

"0h brother, there’s that patronizing young airhead again. Just because I sympathized with her once-“

Then like an arrow came a strange thought.

The widow's gaze went past the drab uniform of corporate servitude, the hopeless stab of personality, the unremarkable bob and rested on the bland face with the cold eyes from which fear looked out – the fear that dwells with young urban mice, prematurely prudent.

The widow knew her story. Young of course, and thoughtless, so many daily units of calories, alcohol and magazines, unable to even consider a campervan, drifting into this... typing reports to people who didn’t want them..."


- actually I'm off to St Vinnies later to search for a Hopeless Coat. Sounds rather cool.


Posted by boynton at December 19, 2005 11:58 AM

Touche, Ms B.
Posted by Gummo Trotsky at December 19, 2005 03:14 PM

They Laughed When I Sat Down At the Keyboard But When I Started to Blog! --

"Can he really blog?" a girl whispered. "Heavens no!" Arthur exclaimed. "He never wrote an original thought in his life."

Arthur had just blogged "Cronulla." The room rang with applause. I decided that this would be a dramatic moment for me to make my debut. To the amazement of all my friends, I strode confidently over to the keyboard and sat down.

"Jack is up to his old tricks," somebody chuckled. The crowd laughed. They were all certain that I couldn't write a single sentence.

"Can he really blog?" I heard a girl whisper to Arthur.

"Heavens, no!" Arthur exclaimed "He never wrote an original phrase in all his life... But just you watch him. This is going to be good."

I decided to make the most of the situation. With mock dignity I drew out a silk handkerchief and lightly dusted off the keys. Then I rose and gave the swivel chair a quarter of a turn, just as I had seen an imitator of TBogg do in a vaudeville sketch.

"What do you think of his execution?" called a voice from the rear.

"We're in favor of it!" came back the answer, and the crowd rocked with laughter.

Then I Started to Blog

Instantly a tense silence fell on the guests. The laughter died on their lips as if by magic. I typed through the first few paras of Swift's "A Modest Proposal. I heard gasps of amazement. My friends sat breathless -- spellbound!

I blogged on and as I blogged I forgot the people around me. I forgot the hour, the place, the breathless readers. The little world I lived in seemed to fade -- seemed to grow dim -- unreal. Only the words were real. Only the ideas and visions it brought me. Visions as beautiful and as changing as the wind blown clouds and drifting moonlight that long ago inspired the master essayist.

It seemed as if the master essayist himself were speaking to me -- speaking through the medium of blogs-- not in words but in polemics. Not in sentences but in exquisite posts!

http://www.passaicparc.com/killer/caples.html
Posted by Nabakov at December 19, 2005 08:55 PM

Right...

It's Mitsubishi's End of Wage Agreement Run-Out!

Don't miss out! These prices can't last!

Order your new Mitsubishi before the Enterprise agreement runs out on August 30 2006!

http://www.davetill.com/ads1920s/27_summercoal.htm
Posted by Gummo Trotsky at December 20, 2005 06:39 AM

"It sounded so convincing that I filled out the coupon requesting the Free Demonstration Lesson"

(Arthur is a fascinating character and deserves his own blog/post.)

Read blogs regularly and surprise yourself with your keen knowledge of values – to say nothing of your increased knowledge of every day affairs
http://www.davetill.com/ads1920s/26_humannature.htm

And indeed Sir- there is surely nothing new in the Sun.


Posted by boynton at December 20, 2005 12:23 PM