A lady with a left armful, including a fancy fur coat, raises a camera as passengers board the fastest most luxurious passenger plane flying the friendly skies.

Until the first jet propelled passenger plane departed from San Francisco International Airport in March of 1959 the Constellation was the standard of the commercial airline industry. With its instantly recognizable banana-like fuselage and triple-tails it was also the most distinctive. It flew at twenty thousand feet and carried fifty passengers.

Just after Lockeed began manufacturing the Constellation in Burbank, California in 1944 it became the first commercial airliner to fly coast-to-coast non-stop. Howard Hughes made the historic flight in a record six hours and fifty-seven minutes. A year later the Connie, as it was affectionately known, began service for TWA. In 1955 the bigger faster Super-Constellation was the first plane to fly non-stop from California to Europe. In 1958, after 856 Constellations were built, production was discontinued to make way for the jet-age. The last TWA passenger flight was in March of 1967.

Today about fifty Constellations exist around the world in various states of disrepair. Only three are believed to be in flying condition. Only one of those three has the original TWA paint scheme that you see here in this slide. And it is beside that very plane, on display in a hangar at the Airline Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, that I will have a retro slide show and host a vintage TWA stewardess fashion show next Saturday night, October 4th. Tickets and Info

Heres to the Constellation, vintage TWA Stewardess uniforms and YOU!

“KODACHROME KING” photographed at the Moonlight Rollerway by Kevin Scanlon

Read the story at laweekly.com.

A foot long hot dog cart pulled up on a side street beside a First National Bank building in some wild west town provides a tasty backdrop for five fine folks dressed in their afternoon best. From the left a light-colored cowboy hat and a turquoise bolo tie are the perfect finishing touch for a plaid, three-button Pendleton jacket with a notch collar and bias-cut patch pockets. The grey goateed look continues to the right this time dressed up with a Colonel Sanders bow tie and a top hat. Is this man an undertaker? Next, the smoker pairs the latest look from Levi Strauss, a denim over denim day suit with a yellow shirt over a simple tee. A slim belt accessorizes.

And now for the ladies: Miss “Poodle Perm” takes town and country casual to fresh new heights with her printed emerald green velveteen open-front jacket over matching gab trousers and a pointy collard blouse. She tops it off with a smart short-strapped purse and a scarlet red scarf tied neck-side. And last, but certainly not least, is the proud cowgirl on the right. She’s got to know she looks. She is stiff but stylish. The way she wears her purse on her elbow with such purpose. And that smart, snap-front, embroidered two-toned western wear pantsuit she’s sportin’ is as Americana as fashion gets. Nice aqua sunglasses too!

Let these timeless classic Americana looks be an inspiration to you!

Speaking of hot dogs, I will be a guest on Martha’s Stewart’s special “Hot Dog” Show this Tuesday! Check your local daytime listings!

Here’s to foot long Hot Dogs, Classic Americana looks and YOU!

Knee high posts cage highly waxed used cars on a cement lot puddled with drippy motor oil. The signage is simple, satisfying and informative. Strung lights, barely visible by day, make the cars sparkle after sundown. A two-toned pearl grey and black cherry 1954 Plymouth Cranbrook sits waiting for a buyer. The stodgy yet stylish working man’s sedan is displayed between two dressier cars, a mint green ’53 DeSoto and an iridescent emerald green ‘53 Packard.

This scene is oh-so familiar to me. My dad had a big ‘ol used car lot when I was a kid. I spent many a Saturday playing there going from car to car pretending to drive each one. By the time I was ten I could tell you the year, make and model of every car on the lot.

I’ll never forget this old bag lady that my dad let live on the lot. I guess she kept an eye on things at night. All I know is that she totally gave me the creeps. She lived in an old Plymouth just like the one in the slide only it was pink and a station wagon. It was full to the brim with who-knows-what. Finally after a few years she died and my dad towed the car home. He just had to find out what she had stashed in there. I helped him go through it. Layer by layer we emptied the car. I’m not really sure what he thought he was going to find. Probably money. But there was no cash just stacks and stacks of nothing but old newspaper.

Speaking of cars, I’m doing a slide show at the Petersen Automotive Museum in LA this Thursday night at 7:30!

Here’s to used car lots the old bag lady and YOU!

Turquoise plastic curtains screen printed with white palm fronds and finished with a ruffled border stand out nicely against a glossy, buttery bathroom wall. Reclining is a bathing beauty wearing nothing but bubbles. She is very seductive with her body brush. This slide was marked “My wife.”

Who hasn’t, at least once in their life had a bath with Mr. Bubble. I certainly have. Haven’t YOU? Well, now that I think of it, it has been several decades.

Anyway, not even a moment after the initial excitement and inspiration of deciding that this bubbly bathing beauty was going to be this weeks slide., I immediately went to Google to research the history of the worlds most famous bathing companion, Mr. Bubble. The Gold Seal Co., a floor and glass wax manufacturer in North Dakota introduced Mr. Bubble in 1960. Who knew? But then what I found was shocking! On August 8, 2008 the company that now makes everyone’s favorite bubble bath announced their bubble had burst! Yes, Mr. bubble is bankrupt! How can that be? Apparently I’m not the only one that hasn’t had a bubble bath in decades!

And if that wasn’t enough bad bubble news, beware! The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services warns that prolonged bathing with Mr. Bubble may cause a urinary tract infection. Long live Mr. Bubble but just keep your meetings with him to a minimum.

Here’s to bubbly bathing beauties and Mr. who made the Bubbles!

A 1960s vintage International Harvester Chicken Truck is prominently displayed in the park-like parking lot of the White Fence Farm Restaurant. Whoever designed this spectacular one-of-a-kind promo vehicle is clearly a creative design genius. Notice that oh-so seductive sparkle in the hen’s eye and how beautifully the scalloped tail swoops up. And how about the painted-to-match bumper, wheels and hub caps.

To stand there before the fried chicken dinner truck is joy and privilege to behold. I know, because I was there two weeks ago. And we might as well get it out in the open right now…The White Fence Farm is an AMERICANA experience of the highest order.

The White Fence Farm is an spell-binding, barnyard-themed, family-style fried chicken roadhouse restaurant just outside of Denver city limits that opened in 1973. They have live entertainment, square dancing, a petting zoo, the biggest pig in Colorado, gift shop, antique store, Christmas Boutique, candy counter, carriage rides around the former farm grounds and more. The whole place is homespun and family run. The charming and delightful hostess told us she was 85.

The fried chicken dinner was the best I’ve ever had – as crispy delicious on the outside as it was tasty moist on the inside. It was served stacked with pride on a big platter topped with an American flag toothpick. The all-you-can-eat side dishes (and oh, I did!) were sliced pickled beats, kidney bean salad, cole slaw and these little deep fried dough treats sprinkled with powdered sugar. I was STUFFED! But could hardly pass up the desert specialty of the house, a brandy parfait. I was drunk with pleasure.

Next time I go there I’m gonna hijack the chicken truck and take it for a ride around the parking lot. I won’t be driving, oh no! I’ll be riding high atop the hen!

Here’s to White Fence Farm, their chicken truck, chicken dinner and YOU!

Amid much fanfare and speculation that it would never fly, the biggest airplane ever built finally emerges to show off for the whole world to see.

This slide was taken either just before or after its brief, but meaningful, maiden voyage into flight on November 2, 1947; the only one it would ever take. The flying cargo ship gracefully flew about one mile at an altitude just above sea level. It had to fly, because if it didn’t the government would’ve never paid the bill. Howard Hughes built the Spruce Goose for the US government to carry troops and supplies back and forth to Europe during World War II, but by the time the plane was finished the war was over. Oh well.

Immediately following this historic short flight the monster airplane was mothballed in a giant hanger hidden from the public and shrouded in secrecy until Hughes died in April 1976.

I had the privilege of seeing the freak flying machine while it was finally on display between 1980 and 1990 in a giant dome next door to the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA. Of course, I was flabbergasted! It’s HUGE!

A few weeks ago I saw it again, this time at its new home, the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. It radically dwarfs every other plane on display. I was quite surprised when I walked into the belly of the beast and was greeted by several dozen 1940s vintage beach balls in various states of inflation piled on the fuselage floor. The docent explained that hundreds of these beautiful beach balls were discovered hidden and forgotten in the wings while it was being dismantled for the tedious trek from Long Beach to Oregon. Apparently, the mysterious Mr. Hughes ordered the frolicy flotation devices placed in the wing floats and all of the empty spaces in the fuselage so the darn plane wouldn’t’ sink if it crashed!

Yes, beach balls were going keep the world’s biggest plane from sinking!

Here’s to the Evergreen Aviation Museum Howard Hughes and his Spruce Goose , beach balls and YOU!

Jack A. Weil is the great granddaddy of the western shirt. He founded Rockmount Ranch Wear and began manufacturing his timeless classic signature snap-front cowboy shirts in downtown Denver in 1946. At the age of 107 he was believed to be the oldest working CEO in the USA. He went to work and greeted his customers everyday until a week ago.

I took this photo of him when I was in Denver last August. His grandson came to one of my slide shows and invited me to come by the Rockmount Ranch Wear store to meet his famous “papa.” So, of course, I did. “Papa Jack” talked my ear off and I savored every moment.

The unforgettable experience prompted me to then always ask my Denver Friends, when I spoke to them, how he was doing. The response was always the same “fine I guess, I haven’t heard otherwise.”

Then Wednesday when I arrived in Denver one of the first things I did was drive downtown to Rockmount Ranch Wear to check in with, who else, “Papa Jack.” It was late in the afternoon, I was tired and I couldn’t find a darn place to park. So I decided to come back and see him in the morning. A couple of hours later I while having dinner with my Denver friends I asked again, “how’s ‘Papa Jack’?” I got the same answer, “fine, we haven’t heard otherwise.”

When I got back to my room I turned on the local news and the first thing I heard was: Jack A. Weil, legendary founder of Rockmount Ranch Wear died tonight at the age of 107.

So here’s to “Papa” Jack A. Weil and every timeless classic cowboy shirt he ever made! He will always be Americana Royalty of the highest order!

Soft Serve is served. The whole family is eating it. And how nice of them to be so fashionably color coordinated while doing so. Daddy-O and Jr. sport timeless classic polo shirts. Mom goes positive and negative in basic black and white. Missy is the most stylish of the brood. Her smart shirtwaist dress features puff sleeves and machine embroidered patch pockets. The baby strolls the town in a simple tee over plaid shorts and knees socks. He has soft serve all over his face. You know it tastes much better that way.

OK, we might as well get it out in the open right now. Soft serve is delicious, not to mention, rarely photographed. Who takes a picture at a soft serve stand anyway? I don’t, do you?

Every four or five months I treat myself to a big half and half cone and mmmm-mmmm is it good! Every time I ask myself what am I really eating anyway? Its not ice cream that’s for sure. Is there is any dairy in it al all? I doubt it. There is no fast food product with more mysterious ingredients.

According to the legend Dairy Queen was the first to serve soft serve. That was in 1938 at an ice cream shop in Kankakee, Illinois. Today there are 5700 Dairy Queens in 22 countries. What McDonalds is to the hamburger Dairy Queen is to soft serve. That would make Dairy Queen the soft serve king.

On August 4, 2007, several of the original DQ stores in Illinois will have a big 70th party celebrating the birth of the delicious sweet frozen taste-treat sensation by selling cones for just 10 cents. If that’s not Americana I don’t know what is.

Here’s to family color coordination, whishing soft serve happy birthday and YOU!

This man is experiencing the proudest moment of his life!

And frankly, so am I! This week I’ve been on a whirlwind road trip extravaganza touring three of the greatest Americana destinations that up until now I’ve only dreamed of experiencing, Henry Ford’s Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Mi, Washington DC, and Colonial Williamsburg, VA.

At the Henry Ford Museum I stood oh-so-proudly in front of a beautifully restored 1952 Oscar Mayer Weiner mobile, then sat in the very seat in the very bus that Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of. I was moved to say the least. Next door at Greenfield Village I was transported back in time to a living museum / theme park of early 20th century small town life and style. It was like being in a dream or on the set of Hello Dolly! I had no idea that the village was dedicated in 1929.

Next was a too-quickie trip to Washington DC where I power-walked between the famous memorials and monuments that I’ve seen SO many slides of. They were all about a zillion times more impressive in person than I ever dreamed they would be. I was beyond giddy when I noticed that the fountain in front of the White House had turquoise dye in it – just like the kind they use at miniature golf courses. How perfect is that? But nothing prepared me for the grandeur of my new favorite building ever, the Capitol building. Frankly, I had NO idea it was going to be THAT shockingly spectacular. After all but a cavity search I was escorted in, down a long hall of the best murals I’ve ever seen, and then upstairs to the House of Representatives where they were arguing about what else? Oil.

From there it was off to Colonial Williamsburg, VA. Again, I’ve collected SO many slides of this living museum / theme park of Revolution era Americana but had NO idea that it was going to be a such a mind-bending time travel experience of the highest order. The restoration and recreation of Williamsburg began in the late 1920’s with most of the funding provided primarily by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Reader’s Digest. Who Knew?

This intense triple dose of Americana has been a life altering experience to say the least. My imagination is inspired and my Americana spirit is soaring like it never has before!

Here’s to all things Henry Ford, turquoise dye in the White House fountain, colonial era Williamsburg and YOU!