Symbol of better living 1960

[rp2813]

Chester!

 

Family friends owned a bar on the main drag (the only drag?) there in the late '60s.  They also had access to a cabin nearby on a Feather River tributary in the tiny hamlet of Seneca.  All phones there were big wooden crank types and the directory with ring codes was on a single mimeographed sheet of paper.  Maybe a dozen subscribers in all. 

 

Back around 1980 I had a friend and co-worker who was a licensed pilot and four of us flew up to Chester for a couple of days.  We slept in the woods by the airstrip and the mosquitoes sounded like giant dive-bombers.  I had a scar for years from scratching one particular bite that would not stop itching.

 

I can't imagine getting into a single engine plane again, let alone sleeping in the woods without so much as a tent.

 

[ea56]

Ralph, was the bar the Bear Club? I seem to recall that there was a bar in Chester by that name.
Eddie

 

[rp2813]

I can't remember the name of the bar.  I do remember that it was on the far-ish west end of town in a sort of rustic commercial strip on the south side of the street.  I don't think it was a free standing building, but I could be wrong.

 

Most likely any photos that might have provided clues were tossed before we moved (I had been storing them for ten years), but slides may still exist in round trays that hold 100 each.  My sister took those to sort through so I'll inquire with her.

 

[foraloysius]

Meet Mrs Swenson - 1956

Another gem, quite long though. Oh, the disappointment....!

 

[launderess]

You don't have to give me the commercial, I'm not a

Would be the back of my mother's hand I'd be knowing next if I didn't watch out! *LOL*

 

[launderess]

That House! *LOL*

Imagine in 1950's being saddled with that huge barn of a place from the Victorian era! *LOL*

Though one would love those deep wash sinks, clearly that house was designed and built for a household with servants. That or at least one maid of all work who together with Madame (and perhaps a cook, and maybe a laundress) managed to keep things going.

Mrs. Swenson was smart, she realized (or rather knew) what hard work it was keeping such a place, and took factory work instead.

As noted in another thread to a large extent the "servant problem" that began post WWI, and grew after WWII was due to certain women finding better job choices outside of domestic work.

Now one loves old Victorian homes much as some others; but only when fitted with every mod con possible. If Father had tried to saddle Mama with three deep sinks and a washer with a mangle in the 1960's, (or late 1950's) three guesses what would be the first thing she'd put through the wringer. *LOL*

 

[toploader55]

Mrs. Swenson's daughter is Zelda from Dobie Gillis

 

[pulltostart]

Medallion Homes

These all-electric homes were promoted by all three major appliance manufacturers, starting in the very late 1950's, I believe.  They each had their spokesperson - for GE there was Ronald Reagan, Westinghouse had Betty Furniss, and Whirlpool had Fran... and I forget her last name.  It all played on how good life was and how a better life was possible if you possessed the right things.

 

The manufacturers had learned to rely on two bullet points:  materialism (by the consumer) and planned obsolescence (by the manufacturer).

 

lawrence

 

[ea56]

Launderess

I loved the “Mrs. Swenson” video! The fuses blowing when she was vacuuming, or the TV was plugged in reminded me of the old places I rented in the 70’s. And the Dr. coming to the house at 3:00AM is just how it used to be. Our family doctor, came to the house all the time on off hours if one of us was sick. When I had Rheumatic Fever, he came every day, and he saved my life and my heart. Because of his excellent care I reached adulthood with no damage to my heart valves.

Lots of families made these kinds of improvements to old homes in the 50’s, if they could afford it. And I’m sure you must have noticed all of the appliances that were connected to the overhead light sockets before the remodel. At least thats one thing I never had to contend with in those old apts. I rented in the 70’s.

Thanks for posting it.

And BTW, the as Eddie Toploader55 said, the actress that played the daughter was in “Dobie Gillis”, she is Shelia James, a good Democrat who was one of our Congresswomen from Southern California in the past, and she did a great job too.

Eddie
[this post was last edited: 9/17/2018-14:09]

 

[steved]

Medallion Home here

Our place was built in 1962 as a Medallion Home since it had gas heat. You needed electric heat to qualify as “Gold Medallion”. I was able to find a replacement medallion on eBay for the front door. The house number sign says “Adequate Wiring”. What amazes me is the number of outlets! Our bedrooms have at least 6 each!

 

[rp2813]

Zelda

We knew her as Zelda Gilroy, but Sheila Kuehl was an excellent member of the California State Assembly and (it may come as no surprise to many) was open and out about being a lesbian.  She was admired by her colleagues.

 

[ea56]

Ralph,

thanks for the clarification about Sheila Kuehl. I should have taken the time to Google her, and I went by her professional actors name in the credits. I knew as I was writting it that she the name didn’t sound right, sorry, my bad. And i was wrong about her being a Congresswomen, you are correct, she was State Assmebly Member, and an excellent one at that. Sometimes I need to slow down in my enthusiasm, LOL, but I wasn’t all wrong.

Eddie

 

[launderess]

That house in Mrs. Swenson video

Reminds one of similar seen in countless 1950's through 1970's films or television shows.

Those old Victorian or Edwardian barns usually occupied by one or more elderly persons (spinster sisters, spinsters, old widows, etc....) who moved into the place not long after it was built and or perhaps their parents had the place built.

Either way the layouts always bothered me; all those doors, walls and such gave a closed in feeling. That and in no small number of cases who knows what was in the cellars. Vampires, ghosts, the grave of a (now long) missing spouse, maybe a few others such as traveling salesmen.... *LOL* You know like that Cary Grant film "Arsenic and Old Lace".

 

[rp2813]

". . . but I wasn’t all wrong."

LOL Eddie!  You remembered the important stuff!

 

Both of the misstatements you pointed out flew right by me.   I thought I was just adding to what you had posted, and didn't realize what I had written about her was different from what you had.

 

Steve, I'm all over six outlets in every bedroom!  The living room at our new house has a grand total of three outlets, and that really limits what furnishings can go where.

 

[launderess]

One reason you hear of so many fires in NYC apartments

Is many, many, *many* buildings are old (anything from 1960's to before WWI) and unless upgraded have limited electrical supply. Things like barely 100 amps and even then often glass fuses.

Even when switched over to circuit breakers apartments often have few electrical outlets. Maybe one or two for kitchen area (with per recent post war (IIRC) code at least one 20amp circuit for fridge or whatever), and another near window for AC.

Of course many of these apartment buildings were built a fridge and maybe radio were the largest drawing electrical appliance most had. Some didn't even have the former and still were using ice boxes.

In any event this lack of outlets often means extension cords and power strips galore in order to accommodate the vast amount of electric appliances and gadgets most of us have today.

Sadly people also do not heed warnings about overloading such things and or running extension/power cords under carpeting/rugs or whatever.

 

[iej]

1930s recommendation for outlets

There were surprisingly large numbers of outlets being recommended here in in the 1930s

https://esbarchives.ie/2017/06/22/the-house-you-want-1930s/

And "the all electric home" You're living in 1935!!

https://esbarchives.ie/2018/01/15/youre-living-in-1935/

 

[gansky1]

I don't wanna become a sour, beaten, worn-out kitchen drudge. Because you won't love a drudge, and the children won't.

Noticed this on a house yesterday, don't see many of the medallions anymore.

 

[launderess]

Let's keep things going, shall we?

GE for 1935!

 

[launderess]

One thought those GE "lift top" Mobile Maid dishwashers are a pain; cannot imagine a lift top fridge. Imagine having to haul god knows how many items out (and put them back again), to reach something at the bottom.

 

[launderess]

1941

New *Improvements* from GE