Vantastic! How to Build the Ultimate Shagging Wagon

'Tis that time of year when vintage car owners show off their chrome and wheels at cruise nights and classic car gatherings, but the custom van of the 70s usually isn't one of them. I don't know why no one is restoring these shag pads on wheels, because street vans were a huge automotive phenomenon during the late 70s and early 80s--there was even a magazine dedicated to them called Travelin' Vans. However, as a public service to my readers, I'd like to offer three simple steps on how to turn any mommy (or daddy) minivan into the Ultimate Shagging Wagon. Get ready to say to your friends and neighbors, "If this van is a-rockin', don't come a-knocking!"

1. Get a Custom Paint Job

Vans from this time period were adorned with a wild assortment of graphics and portraits, from bold, mod looking stripes to western landscapes. Nothing was too tacky for a 70s van, so let your imagination go wild--even if you're a Star Wars fan!

2. Get a Custom Interior

Don't forget about the inside of your vehicle! Shag or velour carpeting will make those trysts with your loved one a little more comfy (but watch out for carpet burn!) while curtains ensure privacy. A lava lamp, dashboard Jesus, or fuzzy dice adds a nice ambiance and sets the mood. For added flair, consider the chain steering wheel--it was a favorite of Cheech and Chong's, after all. 

Or how about some fiber optic lighting???

 

 

3. Go Where the Girls (or the Guys) Are

Take the van to the beach, local swimming hole, or your neighborhood block party. They'll flock to it like moths to a flame! 

Don't you just totally want one now?

Pinup Girl Clothing: Vampalicious Vintage Swimsuits and More

Mod Bow-tie mini dress, $128

All too often, I often forget to mention retro items that you can buy in favor of the usual Go Retro commentary. I'd like to remedy that by sharing the love for some of the cool vintage-themed stores I've found online, starting with the site Pinup Girl Clothing. I found them not long ago while looking for vintage-styled swimsuits online, but love all of their product departments, particularly the dresses and bags. If you're a woman looking to wear something bombshell sexy along the lines of Marilyn Monroe or Mad Men's Joan Holloway, this is the site to check out. The company also prides itself on using models of various dress sizes to show off the clothing and accessories. Here's just a few of the favorite things that I'd like to add to my wish list:

Birdie Party Dress in Red Vintage Floral by Pinup Couture, $118

Natasha Dress in White Pin Dot by Pinup Couture, $88

Paris Dress in Grey with Pink Trim by Dixiefried, $116

Look familiar, Mad Men fans? This is the Joanie Dress in Olive Green by Pinup Couture, $96

Retro Halter Swimsuit - The Bettie One Piece in Red Polka Dot by Pinup Couture, $78

Sailor Girl Nautical Bikini Top and Bottom, $56 for each piece

Red Sparkle Train Case by Pinup Couture, $112 

Just in time for the upcoming ABC series, the Pan Am Hat Bag, $87

There's oodles more where these goodies came from, so check out the site. Happy shopping!

And the Winner Is...

I just picked a winner for the Jacob Bromwell skewers. Needless to say, this being a retro themed blog, my method of choosing a name is old school...

I know it's hard to see, but the winner is...Mimi, of 1972: The Retro WW Experiment! Congratulations, Mimi! I'll be in touch to obtain the address to have the skewers shipped to. Enjoy, but don't go using these for your nasty gelatin Weight Watchers recipes (she knows how much I hate gelatin!)

Nice try to everyone who participated, and thanks again to Jacob Bromwell for reaching out to me and contributing the item. I hope to have more cool giveaway items for my readers in the future.

Go Retro's Summer Giveaway!

Now that I have your attention, I'm excited to announce that I have another giveaway item for my readers! Last week, the president of a company called Jacob Bromwell, Inc. reached out to me. Jacob Bromwell is a manufacturer of American cookware since 1819, specializing in vintage, nostalgic, and hard-to-find kitchen and campfire cooking products. Named for its founder, Jacob Bromwell, this company is recognized as America's Oldest Cookware. Best of all, every product is made with pride in the U.S.A. and backed by a lifetime guarantee!

Jacob Bromwell is offering a lucky reader of this blog a pair of Ohio Barbeque Skewers, pictured above, a $29.50 value. These beautiful skewers are 20" long and feature wooden handles to keep hands cool while cooking. They are right at home around a campfire or on the grill, and perfect for roasting or grilling marshmellows, hot dogs, kebabs, and more. You can see additional photos and read more about them on the Jacob Bromwell site here.

To win them, just leave me a comment on this post.  The only rule is I must have a way of contacting you, so any anonymous commenters must leave a valid email address where they can be reached. I'll draw a name Friday morning at 9 AM EST and will announce the winner then. The skewers will ship directly to the winner from Jacob Bromwell. 

I also encourage everyone to check out the Jacob Bromwell site to see all of the cool items they offer. Good luck!

Land of the Lost TV Series: Crime Story

This fall, NBC and ABC are going to try to capitalize on the success of Mad Men with two shows that are set in the 1960s: The Playboy Club (NBC) and Pan Am (ABC.) Time will tell if either of these dramas becomes a hit (I'm guessing no - too little, too late, folks,) but people may forget that this isn't the first time the 60s era was portrayed on network television. In the mid-80s, NBC did a pretty good job with a short-lived but compelling series called Crime Story.

Crime Story was produced by Michael Mann, who had left Miami Vice in 1986 to work on the new show, which took place in 1963 Chicago (and later, Las Vegas.) The series starred Dennis Farina as the tough talking Lt. Mike Torello, and Anthony Denison as his nemesis, gangster Ray Luca. Torello's thwarted attempts to bring Luca down was the underlining theme of the show, but other sub-plots were worked into the storyline, and both seasons ended with cliffhangers that left viewers wondering if the main characters would survive. 

A lot of that cool art deco style so prominent in Miami Vice oozed over into Crime Story and worked nicely in what has become known as the pre-Beatles period of American history. By the second season, each episode cost over $1 million to produce, because of the period costumes and props required and because it was shot on location. The opening theme was a cover of Del Shannon's hit Runaway, with the lyrics slightly altered. Although many clips of the show don't currently exist on YouTube, this 10-minute sequence was full of eye candy to me: a pastel colored department store, impeccably dressed extras, and shiny, fish-finned cars. Is it also wrong of me to think that the bad guy, Ray Luca, is kind of a hottie? Whoever the set director was for Crime Story, they captured the look of the time period as nicely as the crew of Mad Men does:

I get the impression that the Lt. Torello character rarely smiled in this show - he was the epitome of the crusty, hard working TV cop. This scene made me laugh - his marriage is ending, and he discovers his wife's lover in his home...but he's not telling him take the beloved TV set away from him!

Even though Crime Story only aired for two seasons, several big-time actors got their starts on the show. Julia Roberts made her TV debut playing a rape victim in one of the episodes. Gary Sinese starred as a man who robbed in order to pay for his wife's health expenses (see clip below) and Kevin Spacey portrayed a Kennedy-esque politician. Stanley Tucci played a bomber and David Caruso had a recurring role as a minor character in the pilot and some of the season one episodes. 

I regret that I didn't appreciate Crime Story as much when it first aired, but the premise just didn't appeal to my 14 year-old female mind (Don Johnson sans shirt, however, did.)The show did fairly well after its premiere, where it aired after Miami Vice on Friday nights. When NBC made the fatal move of switching it to another night to compete with Moonlighting, its ratings sunk. They tried the 10 PM Friday night slot again but to no avail: the show was canceled after the second season ended and we never learned if Lt. Torello and his colleagues survived a plane crash. 


Martin Scorsese noted that at the premiere of his film Casino that Crime Story served as an inspiration for the movie. It also was one of the first TV shows that followed a storyline over an entire season, instead of episode by episode, a format which later became popular with 24 and The Sopranos.

Here's the opening theme to Crime Story. Both seasons of the show are available on DVD.

Two Forgotten Friday Favorites: Heart

Before I get into today's Two Forgotten Friday Favorites, I wanted to let everyone know that there's going to be another giveaway after the long holiday weekend! So stayed tuned for more details next week...

Even though the sister-centric rock group known as Heart has their roots in the 70s, it's the hits they sustained during their comeback period of the 80s that I love the best: These Dreams, Alone, What About Love, and many more.  Throughout the group's band member changes, the beautiful sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson have remained the only two constants - except, interestingly, when the group was first formed by three guys. Ann met and fell in love with one of the members, and the rest was history.

Heart is still going strong and just released a new album last year which did very well on the Billboard album charts. For this week's Two Forgotten Favorites, I'm not going to choose Barracuda, Magic Man, Crazy on You, or any of the usual overplayed hits. Instead, I really want to hear 1987's There's the Girl - the video is quintessential 80s. I'm cheating a bit on the second song as it's not a true Heart song, but one that features Ann Wilson performing a duet with Mike Reno of Loverboy on one of my favorite sappy love songs of all time, Almost Paradise. Also known as the love theme from Footloose. Yep, I realize I just lost my male viewers with that one...but I can't help it. Just last week I listened to the song for the first time in nearly 25 years!