Onstage, Family Photos

By KIMBERLY STEVENS

THE scene is Huntington Beach, Calif., 1946: Mary poses
on Christmas Day with her twin great aunts. Huntington Beach, 1947: Mary
dresses to the nines for Thanksgiving. Huntington Beach, 1950: Mary wears
a handmade bikini for the Easter Sunday bathing suit competition; she
comes in sixth.

It was only a matter of time before family photographs were mined for
theatrical entertainment.

Now playing at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, "Charles Phoenix’s
God Bless Americana: The Retro Holiday Slide Show" represents "a
collective memory of our culture," said Mr. Phoenix, a pop-culture buff
who provides running commentary.

The show focuses on holiday celebrations from the 1940’s to the 1970’s, including the traditional carving of the turkey. The show is generating a cult following among set and costume designers who look for period details, and fans of vintage clothes and objects. It has a campy quality with wide appeal.

During the nearly 80 minutes show, Mr. Phoenix provides snippets of information from the backs of slides and other sources. He gives a bit of historical context, turning the show into a kind of performance piece.

A 1959 slide depicts a house in Downey, Calif., covered with quilt
batting so as to resemble a snow scene. The occupants, Mr. Phoenix said,
were the nation’s top Tupperware sales couple of the year.

Family slides reflect "the psychology of what we deem appropriate and
interesting to photograph," Mr. Phoenix said. He produced his first slide
show, "God Bless Americana: The Retro Vacation Slide Show Tour of the
U.S.A.," four years ago. It was followed in 2001 by "God Bless Americana,
Part II: The Retro Tour of Southern California." He turned both into
books. He has an archive of 200,000 slides (120 are used in the show),
gathered at estate sales, flea markets and thrift shops.

In one photo, a couple celebrate New Year’s Eve 1956 in a yellow
kitchen. He is pouring a drink, and her glass has a drink cozy shaped like
breasts. "We can learn so much by studying the décor, clothing and even
stances," Mr. Phoenix said.

Consider three sisters who coordinated their holiday garb with their
dining room décor. In a 1955 slide, they and their husbands are dressed
for Christmas dinner in plaid to match the curtains and tablecloth. Two of
the sisters appear in a picture taken on Thanksgiving the next year, one
in a dress that goes with the curtains, the other in a dress coordinated
with the tablecloth.

Mr. Phoenix said he was drawn by photos that captured not only a time
and a place but also a point of view not often seen on a movie screen.
"These are all taken by the average amateur photographer documenting the
moment," he said. "I love the truth of these images."

He points out that the slides represent a kind of fantasy. In one
series, two brothers are seen growing up in Pacific Palisades, Calif.,
starting with a 1948 slide of them next to a Christmas tree and holding a
football and a Flash Gordon gun. By Christmas 1960, they are teenagers,
one in full surf regalia, the other clutching skis and poles. Mr. Phoenix
does not mention that one brother died in a climbing accident as a young
adult. "People expect `Leave It to Beaver,’ " he said. "Death and dying
and tragedy isn’t part of my show."

Toward the end, the audience sees a giant Santa Claus sitting in Santa
Claus Lane in Carpinteria, Calif., in the 1950’s. That Santa, Mr. Phoenix
said, was sighted not long ago on Route 101 there. It was wearing a sign,
he said: "Take Me. I’m Free."

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