"Indian Summer" Car Ad – October 12, 1953

Indian Summer was an unusual choice of theme for this Earl J. Lance used car ad that ran in the Lorain Journal back on October 12, 1953.

"Enjoy Mother Nature's most beautiful display in one of these guaranteed used cars," reads the ad copy. At least it provided an opportunity to use some Indian clip art.

We all know that Indian summer is loosely defined as an unusual warm spell in the fall that occurs after the first frost. But what is the Indian aspect of it? 

There's some theories in this Wiki entry. It notes, "Although the exact origins of the term are uncertain, it was perhaps so-called because it was first noted in regions inhabited by Native Americans, or because the natives first described it to Europeans, or it had been based on the warm and hazy conditions in autumn when Native Americans hunted.  

"John James Audubon wrote about "The Indian Summer that extraordinary Phenomenon of North America" in his journal on November 20, 1820. He mentions the "constant Smoky atmosphere" and how the smoke irritates his eyes. Audubon suspects that the condition of the air was caused by "Indians, firing the Prairies of the West." Audubon also mentions in many other places in his writings the reliance Native Americans had on fire. At no point does Audubon relate an Indian Summer to warm temperatures during the cold seasons."

Yessir, Mr. Bird Man. Blame your irritated eyes on the Indians.

Anyway, the ad is interesting for a few reasons. Earl J. Lance is indicated as a Kaiser and Henry J. Dealer. Kaiser Motors was an automobile manufacturer in Michigan, and the Henry J was a compact car it produced. The idea behind it was that it was built inexpensively, and priced low so that the average American could afford it. (I could go for one of them right now.)

The ad also includes an assortment of other brands, including Chevrolet, Ford, Nash, Pontiac, DeSoto, and Oldsmobile. 

Alas, Chrysler discontinued DeSoto in 1960. Olds and Pontiac were both discontinued by General Motors during the period in which the auto maker was in government-assisted bankruptcy in the early 2000s. And as noted back on this post, the Nash brand was phased out in the late 1950s by AMC.

"Our Ohio" Newspaper Feature – October 1953

Seventy years ago, Ohio was almost through celebrating its sesquicentennial year. As part of the festivities, a special cartoon feature entitled "Our Ohio" was offered to newspapers. Here are a few samples that appeared in the Lorain Journal in October 1953 .

"Crisp Autumn Morning"
Watercolor Painting by L. McClelland

The feature was drawn by Leland S. McClelland, who enjoyed a fine career as a cartoonist for the Columbus Citizen until it folded in 1959. He later became well-known as a talented watercolorist. (You can read more about his career here on the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum - The Ohio State University Library website.)

The "Our Ohio" samples are fun to look at, although the caricatures of huge-nosed Native Americans are probably a little inappropriate now. The cartoon of George Armstrong Custer (with a beard?) also looks like there was no available photo or painting of him for reference. Oh well.

But there's a nice selection of Ohio trivia and historical tidbits. I also like the mixture of cartoons and realistic renderings.

Alas, this kind of little cartoon feature that used to liven up newspapers (like Scott's Scrapbook) are a thing of the past, right along with the papers they used to appear in. But in their heyday, they provided some entertainment and maybe even served to stir up some interest in topics that many newspaper readers previously never knew existed.

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Kingston of Vermilion has a nice collection of watercolor prints by Leiland S. McClelland decorating many of the walls in the east wing.

Lorain Telephone Ad – October 13, 1953

As noted many times on this blog, I have a certain nostalgic fondness for old advertising mascots, particularly those used by the public utilities. These characters served an important purpose by being the friendly face of these organizations, and helping to introduce the public to new technologies.

While Reddy Kilowatt (with more than 50 blog posts devoted to him) is a favorite, I'm also a fan of the one I loosely refer to as "That Telephone Guy" (shown above). He seemed to have originally been a creation of the Bell Telephone System in the 1930s, and proceeded to be featured in a series of Bell ads that ran all the way up to the early 1950s.

Later, some local phone companies (like Lorain Telephone) used a simplified version of the character on customer billing paperwork, and in their own advertisements. 

Here's an example of one of those ads. It ran in the Lorain Journal back on October 13, 1953. I like the way the couple is walking hand-in-hand with the oversized Telephone Guy. Just another everyday occurrence in Anytown, USA.

The ad does have some helpful hints about keeping the phone away from a damp environment, including using a wall phone. I wonder if wall jacks are still an option in today's construction?

I had a wall jack in my condo. But at some point, a previous owner covered it up. You can see the lump on the wall where it's been imprisoned forever. But that's okay. My condo still had a few phone jacks that were in use up until a few months ago, when I finally got rid of my land line. I think I was the last person in Ohio with one.

Sorry, Telephone Guy. 

Blue Bonnet Margarine Ad – October 1, 1953

I've mentioned a few times how running ads in local newspapers used to be an important part of national advertising campaign, especially in the days before television siphoned off much of a company's marketing budget.

The Lorain Journal used to enjoy a healthy revenue stream from these national advertising purchases, especially in the 1950s. New products were constantly being introduced, and older ones had to make their presence known to maintain their market share.

Thus it was common to see ads like the one above from the October 1, 1953 Journal for Blue Bonnet Margarine, featuring Blue Bonnet Sue. (Note how the package says 'oleomargarine,' which is how my Mom used to refer to it when I was a kid.)

It's kind of interesting how Blue Bonnet was marketed. The ad doesn't even pretend that Blue Bonnet tastes like butter or is better. Instead, it is presented as an economical alternatives to other margarines and 'spreads.' The ad notes, "Each pound of of tasty, nourishing Blue Bonnet Margarine costs less than half as much as the high-priced spread.' Blue Bonnet is also uniquely positioned as having 'extra nutrition' and being rich in both Vitamin A and Vitamin D.

Baby Boomers might also recognize the grinning face of Howdy Doody in the lower right hand corner of the ad. Blue Bonnet was apparently the freckled puppet's 'favorite.' 

I like the gimmick of including photographs of real housewives wearing blue bonnets and offering their own mini-testimonials. It kind of personalizes the ad, although we have no idea where the amateur spokeswomen live.

Lastly, in our modern era in which controversial mascots (Uncle Ben, Aunt Jemima, the Land O'Lakes Indian maiden, etc.) have been retired in recent years, it's kind of nice to know that Blue Bonnet Sue is still around. No one is complaining about the way she looks or her old-fashioned head gear. She's on the package and still looks much the same as she always did.

But alas, while Blue Bonnet is technically a margarine, apparently it's not allowed to market itself as such. According to federal regulations, margarine needs to have a minimum fat content of 80% to be labeled as one in the U. S. unfortunately, Blue Bonnet only has 53%. So instead, the box says "53% Vegetable Oil Spread."

The well-remembered tagline is on the box as well, although I haven't seen a Blue Bonnet TV commercial for decades. Here's a vintage one.

And here's a bizarre one from the Great White North circa 1981, featuring a live-action Blue Bonnet Sue that's about as big as a Barbie doll. (I can see her being chased around the kitchen table by a love-crazed Snap, Crackle and Pop a la the Marx Brothers.)

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I've featured Blue Bonnet on this blog before, in the form of a 1957 advertisement back on this post.

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Click here to read an interesting history of the brand, complete with the story of the woman who modeled for the very first illustration of Blue Bonnet Sue.

Cleveland Browns Apparel at Sears – Oct. 1973

Showing your support for your favorite professional sports team by wearing apparel emblazoned with their logo is pretty easy nowadays, if you have deep pockets. Websites such as Fanatics.com carry an incredible variety of top quality merchandise – jackets, sweatshirts, caps, etc. – for all of the leagues, all available at your fingertips with a few clicks. 

(I've bought a few Toronto Maple Leaf items on Fanatics.com over the years, so I'm all set to blend in with the crowd in Toronto when they eventually win the Stanley Cup.)

But finding and buying stuff with a team logo on it wasn't always so easy fifty years ago. It used to be that only certain area stores might carry a team's line of merchandise.

Sears was one of those stores, selling officially licensed Cleveland Browns apparel. The ad below ran in the Lorain Journal back on October 11, 1973.

I remember seeing kids wear the hats and jackets shown in the ad. But while my brothers and I liked the Cleveland Indians (and went to some games), I don't remember us being big Browns fans as kids. In fact, I've never bought a Browns cap or T-shirt in my life. 

Anyway, the Sears ad is kind of neat in that it features nine Cleveland Browns who were scheduled to make personal appearances at various Sears stores: Walter Johnson, John Demarie, Sandusky's Thom Darden; Jerry Sherk (at the Midway Mall store); Milt Morin, Billy Andrews, Don Cockroft, Bob DeMarco and Charlie Hall.

One thing comes to mind when I see that list. Why did they send Thom Darden to Southgate, instead of a store in Sandusky – his hometown?

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I still remember those unfunny commercials for Southgate USA starring actor Ted Knight.

P&H Home Ad – October 2, 1953

Here's yet another vintage model home ad that ran in the Lorain Journal with an illustration of a housewife expressing her approval at the prospect of a new house. The ad ran in the paper on October 2, 1953.

Unlike other new home ads posted here (such as this one or this one) that implied that a new home was the path to a glamorous lifestyle, this ad was refreshingly different. The apron-clad homeowner depicted in the ad was no Dorothy Malone lookalike; she was obviously a housewife and mother who would genuinely appreciate the house in the ad.

I had a hard time locating the model house shown in the ad, as there didn't seem to be a house on Kneirim Drive that looked like the architectural rendering with its distinctive roof line. 

But I finally found it during a Google Maps 'drive by.' The house actually has a Pickett Road address. But it still looks great and modern, seventy years later. It's a very nice neighborhood too, with a country feeling. ( I remember as a kid I thought that whole area on the edge of town, including Pickett Road, Surf Ave., etc. was the 'boonies.')

But what's a P & H Home?

The company that designed them was Pawling & Harnischfeger, commonly known as P&H. The firm was Milwaukee-based and offered a variety of styles of home designs.

Vintage P&H Homes Brochure

Routes 57 and 254 Collision Course – October 1953 & 1963

The intersection of State Routes 57 and 254 was in the news for the same thing – auto accidents – in both October 1953 and 1963.

In October 1953, the new State Route 57 had just officially opened on the first day of the month. The old Route 57 had followed Lake Avenue into Elyria. The new route extended along E. 28th Street to Grove Avenue, and then south on the new divided four-lane highway into Elyria.

And it was on the very first day that the new highway was open that the first accident occurred on it. 

The article below, which appeared in the Lorain Journal on October 2, 1953, noted "A car carrying two teen-agers was hit broadside at the intersection of newly opened Route 57 and Route 254 last night when it turned into the path of an oncoming automobile."

It was an inauspicious beginning for that intersection.

Exactly ten years later on October 1, 1963, the intersection was still in the news for the wrong reason. As the article below from the October 1, 1963 Journal noted, "Lorain county continues to have the dubious distinction of having the third most dangerous intersection in the state within its boundaries.

"The intersection, Rt. 254 and Rt. 57, midway between Elyria and Lorain, ranks third as far as total number of accidents is concerned and may rank higher as far as property damage is concerned," the article notes.

"Some of the county's most spectacular accidents occur at the heavily-traveled intersection.

"Despite the fact that the state is constantly bettering the traffic-light system at the intersection, the accident toll continues to climb at its present rate of about seven or eight accidents per week.

"One of the big reasons for the high collision toll is the tremendous amount of traffic carried by both Rt. 57 and Rt. 254.

"Route 254 offers the best route into Downtown Cleveland unless a motorist wants to take one of the other routes such as Rt. 20 or 10 which are packed with semi-trucks.

"Rt. 57 is the main route between Lorain and Elyria.

"Also adding to the problem is the number of business places which are located on Rt. 254. Two of the county's largest stores, O'Neil's and Ontario's, are both located on Rt. 254.

"Hills Department Store on Rt. 57 and Homewood Dr. in Lorain attracts large numbers of motorists from the south side of Rt. 254."

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State Route 57 going from Lorain to Elyria was a much-used road by my family while I was growing up in the 1960s. 

We followed it via E. 28th Street to South Lorain, because Hills Department Store was located on it. Kmart and Pic-Way Shoes were on Route 57 as well. 

We also took Route 57 to pick up the Ohio Turnpike in Elyria. And before the new limited-access State Route 2 from Route 57 to 58 was opened in the late 1960s, we had to take State Route 254 home after getting off the Turnpike. (That meant we got to see the "rocking man" sign on the E. H. Roberts building at the particular intersection of 254 and 57.) 

I also remember my father taking Route 254 when he took my brothers and me to Indian games in the 1960s and early 1970s. He made the connection with US Route 6 in Rocky River and then followed it the rest of the way into Cleveland.

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And here are some recent views – in sequence – of the intersection of Rt. 254 and Rt. 57, approaching it from the south while driving north on 57.

As you can see, every effort has been made to try and make things safer, with a concrete barrier separating the lanes and a sign alerting motorists to an impending traffic light. Note the billboard advertising E. H. Roberts, which for years was located at that intersection.

This shot (below) shows how there are now two left turning lanes for drivers wishing to head west on N. Ridge Road. Note that Route 254 no longer is marked as such going west.

Speaking of E. H. Roberts, you can see the former home of the 'rocking man' on the right (east side) of the highway at the intersection.

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Lastly, here's part of a 1920s Cleveland Automobile Club map showing the old alignment of State Route  57 going into Elyria by way of Lake Avenue.

Roads shown as a solid line are "improved roads." Roads with an alternating white and black pattern are "gravel, slag or cinder roads." Roads that are depicted as an open line (neither solid nor the pattern) are "unimproved" roads.