[…] In the 1940s and 1950s, magazine ads from the John Hancock Life Insurance Co. used history and famous people from sports, business, politics & the arts to help burnish its reputation – such as this 1958 ad on baseball legend, Christy Mathewson… Story covers Mathewson’s career, accomplishments, product endorsements & “good guy” celebrity as well as some John Hancock history […]
[…] During the 1950s, the John Hancock Life Insurance Co. ran a series of low-keyed print advertisements that touted historic figures from the nation’s past. In 1959, one of these focused on Frederic Remington, the famous artist of the American West. This story examines that ad, Remington’s work, and the John Hancock “historical figures” advertising campaign […]
[…] This “topics page” provides thumbnail sketches and links to 18 stories at this website that feature or include magazine-related content from the last 100 years – including selected cover art, illustrator profiles, advertising art, political stories, civil rights stories, business stories, sports stories, and more… Cover samples are typically included throughout the stories from a range of magazines – Time, Life, Vanity Fair, Esquire, Fortune, The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, The Saturday Evening Post, New York Magazine, Wired, and others […]
[…] This “Topics Page” offers thumbnail sketches and links to 14 stories at this website that include history about famous athletes who have lent their name and/or image in print, radio, and/or TV advertising on behalf of various products or marketing efforts. Among those included are: Olympics star and pro golfer Babe Didrikson; football stars Frank Gifford and Sammy Baugh; 1930s aviatrix Elinor Smith; baseball stars Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Babe Ruth, Christy Mathewson and others; soccer legends Pelé, Zidane and Maradona; and 1930s tennis star, Ellsworth Vines […]
Home Page 2 Politics & Baseball “Jack & Stan” JFK-Musial: 1960 Politician & ballplayer form a campaign alliance — and a friendship. Politics & Publishing “Mailer on Kennedy” Taschen Book: 2014 “Superman” in the 1960 presidential campaign, by Mailer & Taschen. TV, Culture & Business “CBS Loved Lucy” 1950s-1970s Over 3 decades, Lucille Ball kept … Continue reading
Business, Politics, Culture
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[…] A series of 1950s Saturday Evening Post magazine covers are presented by artist Stevan Dohanos, who offered several Post Office and U.S. mail-related scenes from American communities and everyday life… These serve as indications of the importance of the local post office and U.S. postal system in American culture and local communities for both mid-20th century America and beyond, offering some relevance to the current debate over the proposed closing of some 3,600 post offices across urban and rural America […]
Madison Avenue ________________________________________________ Advertising History, Music & Marketing, Celebrity Ads, Advertising & Politics, Advertising & Culture, etc. Advertising & Celebrity “JFK, Pitchman?” 2009 A popular ex-President is used in print & TV ads to help sell Omega watches. Music & Marketing “Sting & Jaguar” 1999-2001 Rock star Sting uses a Jaguar TV ad to … Continue reading Madison Avenue
Print & Publishing __________________________________________ Book, Newspaper & Magazine History; Best Seller History, Books-to-Film Stories, Magazine Cover Art, Magazine Advertising, etc. Baseball Book “The Babe Ruth Story” Book & Film: 1948 The story behind the book & film made during the Babe’s final days. Politics & Publishing “Mailer on Kennedy” Taschen Book: 2014 “Superman” in … Continue reading Print & Publishing
[…] In the early 2020s, Bob Dylan, Tina Turner, Paul Simon, Sting, Stevie Nicks, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, and dozens of other rock stars, made mega-million dollar music rights deals, selling their song catalogs and/or royalty rights to the big music labels, new investment players, and other entertainment interests…These artists and their deals are profiled, along with brief career re-caps, song samples, and a listing of more than 50 other artists who have also sold music rights… A major shift and consolidation in music power is occurring, and streaming in the digital age is now one of the primary drivers […]
[…]Canadian born Joni Mitchell is one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of the late 1960s-mid-1970s period who came into mainstream notice with a series of albums — “Clouds,” “Ladies of the Canyon,” “Blue,” and “Court & Spark” – each with poignant, personal and moving songs. This story samples that music, Mitchell’s writing history, her biography & the social context, including Woodstock & Laurel Canyon period, later jazz explorations, and her music industry & personal relationships with David Crosby, David Geffen, Graham Nash, James Taylor, Charles Mingus & others […]
[…] The Beatles, with their 1966 album, “Revolver,” continued to push the boundaries of popular music with new studio techniques and novel songs, venturing further into what became known as psychedelic music. “Tomorrow Never Knows” was one of the songs in that genre, with a sound all its own… John Lennon consulted a Timothy Leary book and Tibetan sources for help with the lyrics… And in 2012, the song also made a cameo in a “Mad Men” TV episode […]
[…] This story covers rock musician Bruce Springsteen’s campaigning for President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, the singer’s politics, and use of his music at campaign events… More broadly, the story also includes celebrity involvement in political campaigns, celebrity donations to political campaigns, celebrity fundraisers, and celebrity & entertainer performances at campaign events & rallies, also focusing on how images from those events are used by the media […]
[…]Janis Joplin burned bright as a national rock star for five short years before dying of a heroin overdose at age 27. Yet in her short time she carved out a piece of music history that was distinctly her own… This piece tracks some of the major events in her life during her last four years, from 1966 through 1970, and reaction and plaudits thereafter […]
[…]She walked away from her husband and a successful musical career with some loose pocket change, a gasoline credit card, and little else. It was early July 1976… For a time, she relied on friends and food stamps to survive… But Tina Turner never lost her moxie… By 2005, Tina Turner had become one of the most successful female rock artists of all time […]