I remember being 10 years old, watching old movies & shows with my mom & wishing I could build a time machine to take me back to the 1940's.
I loved the fashion. Dresses that were hand stitched and laced. These were the times names such as Dior & Coco Chanel were booming. Oleg Cassini & Edith Head was the BCBG & Versace of today's time & man did they have some style.
It wasn't just the feminine dresses or the "New Look" inspired by Christian Dior that caught my eye during the decade...but it was the sense of simplicity.
Radio was the lifeline for Americans. Anything from soap operas to sporting events, to critical news reports & mystery dramas & children stories was what families listened to during the week. Don't get me wrong, I am for sure fortunate to be able to watch various baseball & football games on the snazzy HD flat screen TV most people now have in their households.
Let me be real though, was there more of an intensity on a sweltering summer night, gathered around the radio to hear the crack of a wooden bat smack the living crap out of a baseball hit by Joe DiMaggio or Ted Williams? Didn't think so.
The 1940's rank as one of the most spectacular decades in baseball history, despite the disruption of war. At the beginning of the 1940s, games were played in the daytime by white players and watched by fans who normally lived fairly close to the park. When the decade ended, night games were an accepted and crucial part of professional baseball... black players were not only participating, they were reshaping the game; and radio and modern-style marketing promotions were captivating fans in every part of the county.
Speaking of War...have I mentioned World War II? On the devasting day of December 7th, 1941, the Japanese military bombed the military base at Pearl Harbor. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said it best when in a press conference infront of Congress he stated that December 7th 1941 was a "a date which will live in infamy".
You might wonder why in the hell would I want to build a time machine & take myself back to that trying time in American History? The answer is simple. I wish I could of helped.
"Sure, we want to go home. We want this war over with. The quickest way to get it over with is to go get the bastards who started it. The quicker they are whipped, the quicker we can go home. The shortest way home is through Berlin and Tokyo. And when we get to Berlin, I am personally going to shoot that paper hanging son-of-a-bitch Hitler. Just like I'd shoot a snake!"
- General George s. Patton addressing his troops.
The last thing that makes me smile ear to ear about the 1940's is the FADS.
Working mothers, combined with another new phenomenon..the refrigerator. Yes..the refrigerator, led to the invention of the frozen dinners. Ya know..those things that now take up a whole section of the frozen foods in grocery stores. With the TV becoming available later on in the decade, their name changed to TV Dinners.
Tupperware & Aluminum foil was invented during this time. TUPPERWARE! I would DIE without that. Diners were also invented, and we all know when the 50's rolled around..you wern't "cool" unless you sported your favorite poodle skirt, hair tied back in a ribbon, sharing a milkshake with your hot greased boyfriend.
& lasast but not least..the invention of.. The Slinky.
[with Greenwall at top of a huge set of stairs leading to a temple]
Ace Ventura- I'll meet you at the bottom. There's still one more thing I must do before I go...
[close-up of slinky going down temple stairs]
Ace Ventura- Isn't this incredible? IT'S GONNA BE SOME KIND OF A RECORD! Everyone loves a Slinky, you gotta get a Slinky, Slinky, Slinky, go Slinky go!
[runs down to see Slinky stopped on second last step]
Ace Ventura- Awww man! Can you believe it. It was right there!
:]
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