Harry-Go-Round http://harrymccracken.com/blog Harry McCracken's blog Sun, 19 May 2013 06:48:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 The Art of the Cartoon-Character QSL Card http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/05/18/the-art-of-the-cartoon-character-qsl-card/ http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/05/18/the-art-of-the-cartoon-character-qsl-card/#comments Sun, 19 May 2013 06:48:45 +0000 Harry http://harrymccracken.com/blog/?p=745 I don’t know much about QSL cards, but I do know this: ham-radio operators have swapped them for many decades as a way of recording where their signals reach. The custom spread to CB radio, and cards with cartoony caricatures of the operators in question became popular. In some cases, the cards just used unauthorized [...]]]> I don’t know much about QSL cards, but I do know this: ham-radio operators have swapped them for many decades as a way of recording where their signals reach. The custom spread to CB radio, and cards with cartoony caricatures of the operators in question became popular. In some cases, the cards just used unauthorized versions of well-known characters. These are some of those cards. I believe they date from the 1970s.

Most of these were done by a person or organization known as Runnin Bare. I love ‘em — especially how they make everyone from Porky Pig to Blondie look kind of like a trucker.

card-porky2

card-porky

card-roadrunner''

card-daffy

card-donald

card-figaro

card-pinoke

card-huck

card-tramp

card-pebbles

card-magoo2

card-magoo3

card-magoo

card-woody

card-casper

card-annie

card-speedy

card-dagwood

card-abner2

card-abner

card-popeye

There seems to have been a long tradition of using famous characters on QSL cards — here, borrowed from an eBay auction, is a 1934 example.

card-mickey

]]> http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/05/18/the-art-of-the-cartoon-character-qsl-card/feed/ 2 http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/05/12/740/ http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/05/12/740/#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 01:14:26 +0000 Harry http://harrymccracken.com/blog/?p=740 The people of the 1980s, they were different from you and me. (I bought this photo at an antique store but have no idea what it depicts.)

]]> The people of the 1980s, they were different from you and me. (I bought this photo at an antique store but have no idea what it depicts.)

Donkey Kong

]]> http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/05/12/740/feed/ 0 http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/04/15/736/ http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/04/15/736/#comments Tue, 16 Apr 2013 05:41:01 +0000 Harry http://harrymccracken.com/blog/?p=736 Adam West, it turns out, isn’t as good a singer as Batman.

]]> Adam West, it turns out, isn’t as good a singer as Batman.

]]> http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/04/15/736/feed/ 0 http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/04/15/732/ http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/04/15/732/#comments Tue, 16 Apr 2013 05:36:15 +0000 Harry http://harrymccracken.com/blog/?p=732 From the Nixon Agnew Committee’s Nixon Yearbook 1968.

]]> From the Nixon Agnew Committee’s Nixon Yearbook 1968.

nixon

]]> http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/04/15/732/feed/ 0 http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/03/13/725/ http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/03/13/725/#comments Thu, 14 Mar 2013 04:13:08 +0000 Harry http://harrymccracken.com/blog/?p=725 Has any subject provided more inspiration for interpretive dance than…Batman?

(The dancer who’s in the center for much of this is the amazing, and wonderfully-named, Lada Edmund Jr.. I never heard of her until yesterday, but now I’m a big fan.)

]]> Has any subject provided more inspiration for interpretive dance than…Batman?

(The dancer who’s in the center for much of this is the amazing, and wonderfully-named, Lada Edmund Jr.. I never heard of her until yesterday, but now I’m a big fan.)

]]> http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/03/13/725/feed/ 0 http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/03/13/723/ http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/03/13/723/#comments Wed, 13 Mar 2013 07:19:54 +0000 Harry http://harrymccracken.com/blog/?p=723 At last, the hard-hitting documentary on the making of a Joey Heatherton Perfect Sleeper commercial which you always knew was out there somewhere.

]]> At last, the hard-hitting documentary on the making of a Joey Heatherton Perfect Sleeper commercial which you always knew was out there somewhere.

]]> http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/03/13/723/feed/ 0 http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/02/18/713/ http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/02/18/713/#comments Tue, 19 Feb 2013 07:10:52 +0000 Harry http://harrymccracken.com/blog/?p=713 What is it about “Orange Colored Sky” and people who played DC superheroes? You loved Adam West’s rendition; now enjoy Burt Ward’s version (produced by Frank Zappa!) and Lynda Carter’s Muppet Show production number.

I don’t know if George Reeves ever recorded the song — but at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised…

]]> What is it about “Orange Colored Sky” and people who played DC superheroes? You loved Adam West’s rendition; now enjoy Burt Ward’s version (produced by Frank Zappa!) and Lynda Carter’s Muppet Show production number.

I don’t know if George Reeves ever recorded the song — but at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised…

]]> http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/02/18/713/feed/ 0 http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/02/17/707/ http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/02/17/707/#comments Sun, 17 Feb 2013 10:30:07 +0000 Harry http://harrymccracken.com/blog/?p=707 If this doesn’t make your day, you’re at the wrong website.

]]> If this doesn’t make your day, you’re at the wrong website.

]]> http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/02/17/707/feed/ 0 http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/02/04/704/ http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/02/04/704/#comments Mon, 04 Feb 2013 08:48:39 +0000 Harry http://harrymccracken.com/blog/?p=704 Just because.

]]> Just because.

]]> http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/02/04/704/feed/ 0 http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/02/02/692/ http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/02/02/692/#comments Sat, 02 Feb 2013 18:07:08 +0000 Harry http://harrymccracken.com/blog/?p=692 He will be missed — and I can’t think of him without thinking of this.

]]> He will be missed — and I can’t think of him without thinking of this.

]]> http://harrymccracken.com/blog/2013/02/02/692/feed/ 0