Whiz-Bang Wonders From the Good Old Days
by Edited by Ken and Janice Tate
Published by DRG Publishing
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Reviewed by Andrea Sisco
I am proud to admit that I am a member of a growing phenomenon I like to call "fans of the good old days." Anything and everything created during my childhood fits into that category--when things seemed simpler and somehow better. They may not have been, but since I'm also a fan of denial,I choose to believe that the years from the late 1940s through the '50s were a special time.
Whiz-Bang Wonders From the Good Old Days can take a step back in time and revisit the "glory days." It includes absolutely everything from yesteryear; things we remember and things we've forgotten until reading this book.
The old ads for the first television sets from Westinghouse, RCA Victor, Magnavox, etc. brought back delightful memories of watching Howdy Doody. I remember I cried during the final program when Clarabelle spoke for the first time. I loved the list of television firsts and the accompanying stories.
The photographs in the section about telephones are priceless and call to memory the "party line." Okay, I admit to listening in to a neighbor's conversation occasionally. It even jogged from my foggy brain our first Minnesota telephone number: LaSalle 9-2237.
The mealtime product section includes stories, photo advertisements and tidbits of information. I don't remember my mother cleaning in a dress or having such a "happy face" but I remember our new Hoover. The home permanents ads are hilarious. The book depicts in narrative and through photographs the advent of Avon, perfume and other beauty products. And who can forget the Burma-Shave signs and slogans?
I could continue talking about washing machines, lawn mowers, stoves, refrigerators, toys, etc., but then you wouldn't have anything to look forward to, except for the photos. What a fascinating and pleasurable trip back into yesteryear with Whiz-Bang Wonders From the Good Old Days.
This book will never leave my home and it will be read again and again. I suspect my children will pick it up and give it a look-see. They may chuckle but the laugh will be on them because there will never be a time as special again as the good old days.
Armchair Interviews says: This is an absolute must have, must read for anyone growing up in the "good old days."