Tell me about the '60s (vanity)

[HungarianGypsy]

I am wanting to write a story based on a young adult in the 1960s. Since I was born in 1973 all I really know is what I studied in books. But, I want to get beyond love beads and LSD. I want to be able to write this as it really was. I know it's said if you remember the '60s you weren't really there. But, if anyone does remember I would appreciate reading your stories and facts. Thank you.

[desertlily]

Here's an excellent blogpost

about FREEDOM OF ART during the 60's

[tacticalogic]

I still remember the words to the theme song from "Car 54".

[nanetteclaret]

Jimmy Rabbit was the afternoon guy, wasn't he? My Dad used to listen to Library of Laffs, but I liked Classical music on Sunday afternoons. The late Evelyn Oppenheimer did her book reviews at that time, too.

[geopyg]

"I used to wonder for days on end what Zanzibar and Crepe Suzettes were."

The whole point of the song!

Nowadays if a high-school kid hasn't BEEN to Zanzibar and Barclay Square you live on the wrong side of the tracks.

Although back in the 60's my old man WOULD make make Crepe Suzettes every Saturday morning. The only time other than with the Weber grill that I saw him cook.

[alice_in_bubbaland]

Remember "Toco Geggio" (sp?) on the Ed Sullivan show? "Ooohh...Eddie...."

[spectre]

What you left out was the lack of "communication" ability. That was the worst part of my husband being deployed to Nam.

No computers, no emails, no cell phones. I wrote a letter day..BUT letters to the States and back could take weeks.

Phone calls had to be "set up" for R&R time and cost about $100 per call.

I was just a kid when Spectre and I were married :)..Shortly after he left for Nam, I had emergency surgery. The Red Cross had to get hold of him, and he called me in Virginia via ham radio. It took a full "week" for the Red Cross to find him.

sw

[listenhillary]

Although I was born in 62...

Walt Disney on Sunday nights
Plymouth fury used cars my dad bought
Space launches, the moonwalk
Estes model rockets
Green Hornet, Dragnet, Laugh-in, Sonny and Cher, Lassie, Cartoons - Road Runner, Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry, Johnny Quest
Nehi soda, RC-Cola, Double-cola, Tab, Rootbeer Floats,
Twister, Monopoly game marathons, Yahtzee, playing whiffleball, dorky plastic black framed glasses

[LowOiL]

In early 1966 I didn't exist (to the liberal crowds anyway), I was just a fetus... While a fetus causing my mother great pain, my uncle got drafted and was to be flown out of Atlanta. Grandmother and mom went to send him off... Grandmother asked where the keys were, mom said.... "opps"... my uncle had it in the plane... off mom went bounding beyond the security guards at the gate onto the runway yelling "stop"... The plane did stop, opened the plane door and my uncle tossed out the keys to mom.

Later that year things came into color when I actually did seem to exist to the liberals of now days.

I seem to remember a rope swing some time before 1970.

[Inge_CAV]

"I was also there when they were looking for nurses to go to Grant Park during the Democratic Convention. A lot of the nurses came back with horrible bruises after they got hit by the police batons in Grant Park when they tried to help people."

At that time I was stuck at O'hare airport, trying to catch a flight out on military standby. Sat in the waiting lounge a couple of days until I found a flight with an extra seat available. Didn't understand what had happened until I returned to my base.

[Rte66]

Our "7-11's" in Houston were called "U-Totem's"!

They've been gone for a jillion years, but every once in a while, I'll accidentally call a 7-11 or any convenience store whose name I don't know "the U-Totem."

[Rte66]

You must've grown up near White Rock Lake!

[sionnsar]

Nehi soda, RC-Cola, Double-cola, Tab, Rootbeer Floats,

Hot Vernor's at the skating rink!

[sionnsar]

When my father flew out (or returned) we could walk out to the edge of the tarmac. No security, no X-rays, no magetometer...

[nanetteclaret]

P.S. Baseball trading cards. We used to trade them at lunch time for sandwiches we liked. I had Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle and other NY Yankees and LA Dodgers from the '63 World Series. I think I got mine from cereal boxes. I don't remember exactly, but I know they weren't from bubblegum packs because we weren't allowed to chew bubblegum (no cavities in our house!).

[Rte66]

We got WLS in NE Oklahoma, too. "On top of old pizza, all covered with cheese, I saw my first meatball, till somebody sneezed ..."

As well as a station in San Bernardino, CA, when the directional transmitter changed after 7 PM to east-west.

[Rte66]

I had a paper dress! It was black and white geometric-patterned. Not good in Humidston's summers when anti-perspirant didn't work!

[brazzaville]

Good evening.

My first platoon leader, 1st LT John Lattin was a VMI graduate.

He was a superb officer for the 3 months I knew him. He was killed 12/15/1967 after a long fight between the 12 man team he was leading and an enemy reinforced platoon. The pointman of the reaction force sent to relieve them shot him by mistake. It wasn't the poor grunt's fault, just bad luck on a bad day. So much of life in the '60s seems to have been about luck.

Michael Frazier

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

Twlight Zone and Outer Limits.

[decimon]

I worked for a Wetson's for a couple of days at its opening in my area. Must have been about 1960.

[brazzaville]

Good evening.
"Every hardware store in town sold guns and bullets. So did Sears."

I bought my first gun from Sear Roebuck's when I was 14 for $35.00. It was an 1895 Chilean Mauser and came with 100 rounds of ammo. It's in my safe and still shoots like a dream. I'm finally as good a shot as the gun is.

Michael Frazier