Atomic Sex Symbols

1952 - YB - 60 bomber, photo: courtesy of James Vaughan/x-ray delta one

The strategic bomber! The YB-60 Bomber was something of a less successful precursor of the iconic Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, but still - what an outstanding shot!! Both aircraft were long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bombers, forever associated with the Cold War.

1954 - Miss Atomic Test, Las Vegas Photo: courtesy of James Vaughan / x-ray delta one

Ummm... errr... uh, as you can see, this particular atom bomb test was, umm... hugely successful *cough*

The Red Phone at Strategic Air Command, head-quartered near Omaha, Nebraska, alerts nuclear bomber and missile crews in event of war. The individual buttons light as bases respond.



A 1955 Convair ad proclaiming the Nation's protective military defense:

"All over America these days the blast of supersonic flight is shattering the old familiar sounds of city and countryside. At U.S. Air Force bases strategically located near key cities our Airmen maintain their round the clock vigil, ready to take off on a moment's notice in jet aircraft like Convair's F-102A all-weather interceptor. Every flight has only one purpose - your personal protection!"



In stark contrast - did you know a nuclear bomber went down on U.S. soil? This photo shows the MK 39 nuclear bomb retrieved after the 24 January 1961 Goldsboro B-52 crash. The weapon's parachute deployed, resulting in a soft landing and the weapon being recovered intact.


The YB-49 Flying Wing - at the time it promised to be the symbolic next big step in the future of aviation. It was simply an idea too far ahead of its time to become the ultimate jet-powered strategic bomber of the Atomic Age. It took another age, the Computer Age, to help the flying wing concept to finally obtain it's goal.

Men On Guard! The Unicorn Book of 1953

No self-respecting fighter jet pilot would be caught in front of the camera without the latest advancement in military issue pressure suit - now available with figure flattering two-way stretch!


And that ultimate symbol of the Cold War, the looming Mushroom Cloud, circa 1953.

This has been another bulletin from

Atomic Living's Emergency Broadcast System for

Please tune in again - Same Atomic time - same Atomic channel!

(Sorry for the delay in posting - Technical difficulties have NO respect for deadlines!)

Out with the Old, In with the FUTURE

Prepared to watch the New Year's fireworks at Yucca Flats

Happy New Year's Eve my friends, aquaintences, and every body else! Tonight we're watusi-ing at a deadend little grotto I fell upon, Googie's. I suggest you should find time to drop in as well. We'll spin the vinyl on the TeslaTone Plasmatic Music Box featuring a red hot atomic-age selection, with aptly titled tags like 'Radioactive Mama', 'Love Goddess of Venus', 'Fallout Shelter', 'Knocked Out Joint on Mars' and 'Atomic Bomb Blues'. Swingin!

Stay tuned America!

This has been a bulletin from
Atomic Living's Emergency Broadcast System for

Please tune in again - Same Atomic time - same Atomic channel!

A Christmas Card for You

Warm Christmas wishes to You
from Junior and your friendly neighborhood Space Commander!

Hoping you take some time to relax and enjoy this special day

Listen to the old favorites of the holidays - Put on the classics

Its okay to let yourself go... and if you can, do it with family and friends
Don't forget, the spirit of Christmas starts within yourself

...and
Be sure to drink your Ovaltine!

Family Christmas Nostalgia

Christmas at B Street, 1950's

Christmas-time at the new house, 1958 or '59 - Bro, Mom, Grandma, Sis & Pepper the dog

Christmas 1969 - Sis & me

Invading a Christmas Tree Near You!

Look what I found at a local retailer this year. Three contemporary yet authentic glass ornaments with a FAB retro space-age theme, ready to hang on the aluminum Christmas tree. These are full size ornaments, not plastic knockoffs. I almost fainted with holiday joy when I spotted these! Somebody pinch me ;)

Winters Past

Recently while looking through boxes and boxes of family treasures, I found these two contact prints among my Dad's photography. Now that we've just had our first real snowstorm of the season, its as fitting a time as any to share them here.



It'd be interesting to go back and photograph the same locations today... if I only knew where exactly in town they were taken from! I can however photograph the weekend's first snow as it settles on our beloved ranch house which we call home.

Have an Aluminum Christmas This Year!

It's the return of Grandma's Regal Sapphire aluminum tree, with the tinsel mechanically attached for that perfect hi-tech look!

Ahhh, all those Christmas seasons that I remember helping Grandma set-up and decorate this very tree. And what a spectacle it was, displayed in the corner of the living room near the kitchen entryway. The color wheel light endlessly casting reflections of red, blue and green, dance on the silvery needles. Soon it would be sheltering a colorful horde of presents, professionally wrapped ones by the retailers too!

When the first aluminum trees burst upon the scene in the 1950's, many people scoffed at the idea, and only treated as a fad by others. But not my Grandma. Unlike the nay-sayers and scoffers who never understood, Grandma "got it." And fortunately for later-comers like me, she still got it well into the 1970's so that I too could honestly claim that I had "gotten it" as well.

Today the Tree made of aluminum tinsel is enjoying renewed acceptance, not so much as a kitschy fad but more and more as trendy stylin'. In fact the trend has been gaining enough momentum that retails have taken notice and have been offering brand new renditions of the metallic icon in a whole host of color variations. What was old is new again!

So here's to you, Grandma and your forward-thinkingness... and thank you for all those memories you made that still keep me going forward today!

Ricky Rivets Prepares to Blast Off

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you "Ricky Rivets" the robot. This Halloween my very own Junior is modelling a very vintage trick-or-treating costume, which I happened to win off of eBay earlier this year. And its a perfect fit! "Ricky" is a Collegeville Costume product which from the styling looks typically early 1950's. Junior also models to suit as an optional space ranger uniform. The red "Rocket Patrol Space Police" cap with rotating propellor (for providing maximum thrust during police hover craft chases) is another vintage find. It came from a local antique shop, still with it's original price tag of only 15 cents attached.

I could be slightly biased, but doesn't the little man look all spiffy in his improvised uniform? Enough to make any space commanding Pop proud!

(My apologies for this post coming to you a tad bit late for the holiday.... but better late than never)

Julie Newmar and the Swanky Apartment

I was rummaging through LIFE.com (because I like rummaging through the virtual world about as much as I do in real life) and spied Julie Newmar's photo shoot showcasing a particular play she was appearing in back in the late 50's.

Now, when you usually think of Miss Newmar, you immediately associate her with Catwoman from the 1960's TV series. But indeed she was very busy slinky sedctress before then. So, let's get back to my point here... In 1958 she did this photo shoot/story in LIFE magazine after being cast for the Broadway play The Marriage-Go-Round.

Aside from Miss Newmar, the imagery we see is of the set from this Broadway production. We only get a glimpse of this backdrop, but sometimes that's all one needs for some inspiration. It's very 50's, with just enough Modern thrown in; there's those tall champagne-pink bookcases with matching sofa, all loaded with volumes and volumes, a touch of African art here and there, the sculpted glass brandy bottles and I love the built-in radio.

Now why can't my pad look like this? Because I'm not that suave, swanky and sophisticated, that's why!

Anyway, enjoy Julie and the setting, you can read the rest of the story by clicking on any of the photos -

Those Outer Space PJ's

A little late, but I knew there's was a shot our two of my beloved Outer Space Rocket pajama's... the best sleepwear a kid ever had! I was 5 years old in this shot and I've got my little junior tool kit (the kind that came with a rubber saw, a screw driver and a real hammer!) I also have it filled up with expended flash cubes that dad gave to me because I thought they were pretty cool at the time.

The Beautiful Blonde with a Beauty Mark: Anne Francis . . . in Memoriam

A long time heartthrob of mine is gone. Actress Anne Francis, forever iconized for her role as the unforgettable love interest in the 1950s science-fiction classic "Forbidden Planet" and in the 1960s for the sexy private eye in "Honey West" on TV, has died at age 80.

The beautiful blonde with a prominent beauty mark, Anne appeared opposite such stars as Spencer Tracy, Paul Newman, Robert Taylor and Glenn Ford in some of the most popular films of the 1950s.

in "Forbidden Planet"

"Forbidden Planet" was a science-fiction retelling of Shakespeare's "The Tempest." The 1956 film had Commander Leslie Nielsen and his crew land on a planet soley occupied by hermit scientist Walter Pidgeon, his daughter (Francis) and their helper, Robby the Robot.

as "Honey West" with her pet ocelot

In "Honey West," airing from 1965 to 1966, Anne was a private detective played as a female James Bond, who happened to keep a pet ocelot, bested her worst enemies with her martial arts and just as cool with a gun. It was one of the first TV series to star a woman in an action series. She won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy award for her role in "Honey West."

from "So Young So Bad "

Among Miss Francis's other films:

• "Blackboard Jungle," the landmark 1955 film about an idealistic teacher (Ford) in a violent city school, Francis played his pregnant wife who is targeted for harassment by one of his students.
• "Bad Day at Black Rock" with Tracy and Robert Ryan
• "Rogue Cop" with Robert Taylor
• "The Rack" with Paul Newman
• "A Lion Is in the Streets" with James Cagney
• "Hook, Line and Sinker" with Jerry Lewis

the young starlett with Jeffrey Hunter in "Dream Boat"


with Tom Ewell and her dog Smidgeon, going over the script for "The Great American Pastime"

In television, Anne appearing in dozens of series:

• "Mission Impossible"
  
• "The Virginian"
  
• "My Three Sons"
  
• "Ironside"
  
• "Gunsmoke"
  
• "The Twilight Zone"
  
• "Charlie's Angels"
  
• "The Golden Girls"
  
• "Home Improvement"
• "Nash Bridges"

with dark hair as Jess Belle

Born September 16, 1930 in Ossining, New York as Ann Marvak, she grew up performing for radio and television and on the Broadway stage. Anne relocated to Hollywood when she landed a movie contract at MGM (and later went to 20th Century-Fox) acting opposite the biggest male stars of the day.

According to sources, Anne had married twice and is survived by a daughter and grandchild. This last Sunday she succumbed after a long battle with lung and pancreatic cancer, in Santa Barbara at age 80.

Anne's website: http://www.annefrancis.net

Welcome to the Jet Age

It's been a day for surfing the web and stumbling upon all kinds of goodies. And I wanted to share some highlights with you.

The Atomium
Views from all around the mega molecular model at Pictures Newsletter.

Check out the Webcam Atomium too.


TWA Terminal - JFK Airport
A little bit of Populuxe Space-Age feel good heaven to be seen in this wonderful little stock photographer's site: RonSaari.com



The Unisphere
A set originally uploaded to Fotki by Peirce Behrendt.