Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Vintage Things That Have Disappeared In Your Lifetime?

3PcSuit

One of the Regulars
Messages
160
@ScottyRocks Don't want to derail the whole thread with talk of movies, but honestly, working for a big box store would probably be better than working for one of those awful chains.


I'm only loyal to AMC and Regal at all because they have a few union oldtimers working there. That'll be done within a year though. Only the big cities still have any fairly-paid projectionists.

I just heard today (from one of the abovementioned) that this was the worst year for tickets in 25 years. When television came in and threatened cinema in the '50s, they brought in widescreen, expanded color production, cheaper color film that didn't require a Technicolor camera and 1,000,000 watts of light, made movies like "Ben Hur," "How the West Was Won," now we have (with the exception maybe of Avatar - that had many advantages in 2D as I saw both) a bunch of mediocre 3D movies that COST MORE, have less resolution than your TV, and "Cinemedia Extravaganzas" like "Wizard of Oz" that basically resulted in $6 million 35mm restoratino prints being withdrawn (destroyed) in favor of showing the movies on a bunch of those stupid video preview projectors.

Why in a time of trouble would theatres charge more, go to a medium that was Oh for Three (stereo "3D" movies), and tear out real IMAX screens. Almost any "IMAX" theatre built new (and a lot of old ones at the "big three" are scrap now) is just a BIG SCREEN with basically two HD projectors (television resolution files, marginally better 10% resolution projectors playing the one file).



A theatre-goer doesn't know what the hell goes on in the booth. Nine out of ten don't care (as Lizzie can attest), but they know when a movie sucks, they have gotten gouged, and when they basically paid the price to own the movie to get a presentation that is, in several ways worse than their set at home.

Your Blu-ray has more 2D resolution than an $80,000 "3D" projector, or a $2,000, 8,000-foot length of 35mm film. Why would you go and see that more than once? People know when they aren't getting their money's worth. . .



Theatres are out to trick you out of your money, rather than trying to earn it. And, with the filth they're peddling, digital 35mm prints that look worse than your TV set, or $2 million investments in digital machines that could've paid projectionists to walk around up there for almost 100 years, I won't miss AMC, Regal, or Cinemark one bit. They've fired, demoted, kicked out anyone smart enough to work for them who could have figured this out.
 

3PcSuit

One of the Regulars
Messages
160
Sorry, double post.


I did want to add: Have only made it halfway through this thread, but I've seen some potshots taken at "manual cameras," anyone taken a pot shot at camera film?

If you have, I know that there's still film made for Double 8 cameras from the '40s and '50s, although a lot of labs are gone, gone to hell. It's almost impossible to get B&W processed at a lab, and get prints made without a digital LED printer (most good labs are still using photographic paper, not inkjets).

That is a shame, an optical print ( 4x6" or the type that runs in a theatre) looks BETTER, and you can go all the way back to the '60s with that statement and it still holds true. I don't understand how "progress" brings everything backwards. Digital prints look horrible, the ones that even make it out of the computer, memory card that is. . .



Even the few of us that shoot some 35mm now and then are guilty of "process and scan." Seems like the poor fools trying to sell the stuff can't sell anyone a "wedding album" they just want pictures to put on Facebook. This bodes very poorly for anything surviving off the harddrive for future generations. . .


Physical fragility of film, paper aside, it is, as far as I'm aware immune from hard-drive crashes, fragmentations, errant deletions, and the purges of clean freaks who view anything over 3 yrs. old as fuel for the trash compactor.

A "purge" of this nature destroyed almost all of my baby negatives from growing up. Now I have faded, dirty, poorly printed prints that take forever to restore, but better a second generation than a JPEG on a 50-y.o. CD-R!
 
Last edited:

3PcSuit

One of the Regulars
Messages
160
Merthiolate!! Aaagh! *yucky* We had nightmares about this stuff. My dad insisted on putting it on any wound that bled. We saw commercials for Bactine and some of our friends' parents got it and it sounded so wonderful...we BEGGED for it, but to this day my dad insists if an antiseptic doesn't hurt, it's not doing anything. I can still see that little rectangular jar with the orange-stained plastic wand...shudder

I think this is actually mercurochrome?


The other seems to be more of a preservative agent for vaccines, at least according to Wikipedia. Of course, I have far more ample respect for encyclopedias not written by bored, male, computer programmers, but even my last encyclopedia, from 1995 is on CD :-(

And of even less certainty, from The "Straight Dope" message board:

Post 5:

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=108923
 
Last edited:
I think this is actually mercurochrome?


The other seems to be more of a preservative agent for vaccines, at least according to Wikipedia. Of course, I have far more ample respect for encyclopedias not written by bored, male, computer programmers, but even my last encyclopedia, from 1995 is on CD :-(

And of even less certainty, from The "Straight Dope" message board:

Post 5:

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=108923

No, she means merthiolate. I had the same experiences with it when I was young. Man, that stuff would burn when applied to a wound. I know it was used in vaccines as well. Interesting that they used to use a mercury containing substance in vaccines and applied topically. :p
You were much more careful not to get cut or report that you did to your parents with that stuff in the back of your mind. :p
And yes, Dad had the same idea about it not working if it didn't burn.
 

mflemming

One of the Regulars
Messages
105
Location
Chicago
Christmas at our house when I was growing up was punctuated by my mother yelling "SAVE THE PAPER SAVE THE PAPER WE CAN USE IT NEXT YEAR!" Needless to say she was one of the first converts to Gift Bags.

I've always believed that ripping the paper is an essential part of opening a gift.
 

Mr. Hallack

One of the Regulars
Messages
279
Location
Rockland Maine
One thing that's disappeared is snow in January in Maine (pic taken this morning from work)

nosnow.jpg
 

Espee

Practically Family
Messages
548
Location
southern California
My mother was big on saving the paper, for a decade at least. I was poor enough at wrapping already, without trying to pick a smaller gift to put in a saved sheet of paper the next year.
Gradually it changed to "we don't wrap around here"!
Or she would do gift bags, however just try and wade though the butterflies/ spring flowers/ kitty kat in a grassy field, to find a Christmas-themed bag in her supply!
 

Miss Stella

One of the Regulars
Messages
195
Location
California
It is. We always used to tear the heck out of it just to see the look on my grandmother's face. It went into the fireplace after that. :p Then again, we were 8 at the time.....

For the past 28 years after opening presents, we would pile up the wrappings and take them outside the cottage, into the pasture and had a Christmas day bonfire!
This year it was just hubby and I so we put the two wrappings in the woodstove....but next year the grandson will be interested in unwrapping
gifts (this year, at 15 months, he was a bit 'shell-shocked' just by a tree bring in the house!!) so hopefully we will be back to the traditional bonfire!
 

Miss Stella

One of the Regulars
Messages
195
Location
California
I'm not sure how old they actually were, but there are no more Mothers brand Flaky Flix cookies made. They were an institution in my childhood!
 

sheeplady

I'll Lock Up
Bartender
Messages
4,479
Location
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, USA
This year we didn't even need winter coats on NYE&D.

Last year at this time we had record snow- it was almost to my shoulders (I'm 5'8".) We have nothing on the ground right now, but a storm is rolling in tonight.

I'm a bit petrified about what the worst case scenario is going to be if Winter doesn't let us off easy and decides we need to catch up.
 

Caroline H

Familiar Face
Messages
63
Location
Charlotte, NC
When I was still wrapping presents I used the comics, and sometimes the sales flyers. There was/is no reason to waste a tree. Pretty paper used but once is a waste. My wife used to scream save the paper too.

My mom used to be a champion wrapping paper saver. I was always amazed to receive gifts wrapped in paper I knew I bought years ago and you couldn't tell it had ever been used!! I know she rolled it up on tubes with the unused paper but even knowing basically how she did it I'm amazed at how well she did it! She is in her 80's now and has decided gift bags are easier.
 

DeaconKC

One Too Many
Messages
1,732
Location
Heber Springs, AR
I just realized that paper straws are an extinct breed. I remember going to Willie's Wienie Wagon as a kid and getting a bottle o Pepsi out of the outside cooler and a paper straw.
 

Espee

Practically Family
Messages
548
Location
southern California
Do they still make cake cones for ice cream, with kids' names on them?
I remember being baffled by NAN... didn't even know a "Nancy."
Ahhh... I suppose any collection of names would be offensive to all the kids with other names.
 

mdove

Familiar Face
Messages
65
Location
United States
I have not read all 166 pages of the thread. Full service service stations where they filled the tank, checked the oil, cleaned the windows, and had change makers covered with rubber so your car did not get scratched. Woolworth's with lunch counters. Drug stores with soda fountains were you could get a real chocolate soda or flavored coke. Meat markets where the butcher knew your name and usually what your mom sent you for. Bakeries with warm donuts and cookies where you actually got a bakers dozen, and when you were with your parents you got a cookie. These bakeries also had fresh bread they would put through the bread slicer for you. Models with lots of pieces and you actually had to glue them together with model glue. Actual school bags, not back packs.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
109,096
Messages
3,074,063
Members
54,091
Latest member
toptvsspala
Top