Florida's Silver Spings

Here's a brochure from 1977 for Florida's Silver Springs...

Like Weeki Wachee,  Silver Springs was once owned by ABC Leisure Attractions -  a subsidiarity of the American Broadcasting Company.

Check out the fine print on this map if you don't believe it ...

Silver Springs is no longer owned by a private company, and is now a Florida State Park.

Numerous famous movies and television shows were filmed at Silver Springs. For example the 50's TV show Sea Hunt starring Lloyd Bridges.  Check out a young Larry Hagman in this episode titled "Legend of the Mermaid..."


And most impressive to me, one of the greatest movie monsters ever swam thru the crystal clear waters of Silver Springs the Creature from the Black Lagoon ...
 

Six Flags Atlanta

I have two brochures for Six Flags Atlanta (now called Six Flags Over Georgia) from 1978 and 1979 to share today.  I've never been to "Six Flags Atlanta," but for those who have here's a little nostalgic look back to a time when The MindBender was the big new ride...

Zorayda Castle

It's June, and that means it's almost time for summer vacation!  As a public service to those who might be planning a big summer vacation trip I thought I'd dig into my stack of vintage brochures and see if I can could come up with some interesting travel destination ideas. 

If someone asks for a list of "World Famous" castles one may think of Windsor Castle, Cinderella Castle or even White Castle.  Or maybe it's just possible someone might think of Zorayda Castle in St. Augustine, Florida...

 
... it says "World Famous" right on the front of the brochure.

Let's take a look at what's inside...

Cool, there's a "SACRED CAT RUG" that's over 2300 years old, and is said to possess a curse.  Heck there's even a "MUMMY'S FOOT!"  Personally I always thought The Mummy's Foot was one of the weaker Universal horror classics.

If you would like to see the "SACRED CAT RUG" you are in luck, it's still on display at what today is called the Villa Zorayda Museum.  If you should visit please let me know if they still have that mummy's foot.

Who is this guy?

Confession time.  Last month I thought I had more content to post when in reality I didn't.  Yes, one could say I sorta got caught with my pants down, but that's pretty much the status quo around here nowadays.

To my surprise I've been doing this extra stupid (and I use "stupid" as a point of pride) for almost 7 years.  It's hard to believe I've managed to maintain this consistently mediocre corner of cyberspace for so long. I intentionally try to never talk about myself very much because this is primarily a "show & tell" type blog, but since I'm running out of the "show" in this post I'm going to get just a little more personal with the "show" this time.  If that makes any sense.

Most every literate person knows Reading is Fundamental.  Books still have a certain prestige in our society - whether they be digital or even "books on tape." People have found profound personal enlightenment in reading religious texts, self-help books, famous works of literature or whatever is popular on Oprah's Book Club list.

I found THAT book that spoke personally to ME when I was in college, and stumbled upon the 1988 book High Weirdness by Mail, by Ivan Stang...

It's the introduction spoke to me directly like nothing else ever has...

If you couldn't read the picture above, please let me make it easier for you by turning it into text...

Do you have “different” tastes?  Intrigued by the bizarre, the kooky,
the kinky — as long as it keeps its distance?  Enjoy getting unsolicited,
unspeakably weird things in the mail — for free?  Love to snicker in
superiority (perhaps largely imagined) at the incredible gullibility of
others?  Enjoy reading the headlines on sleazy tabloids, and ads for
local psychic fortune-tellers?  Appreciate unexpected glimpses of the
strange “realities” behind religions other than your own?  Entranced
by the thought process of the mentally ill?  Bored to tears by any music, video, and literature that isn’t almost shockingly original?

Painfully aware that all the great geniuses and inventors of the past appeared totally insane to everyone around them?

Then...

HAVE WE GOT A HOBBY FOR YOU!!

Specifically it is the "Intrigued by the bizarre, the kooky, the kinky — as long as it keeps its distance?" part in particular which pretty much sums me up.   I think I just might have it placed on my gravestone.

I took this book to heart, and in the early 90's (a time just before the interenet exploded) I was able to mail away for the bizarre and kooky.  I never sent away for any of the truly "scary" things listed in the book.  I wasn't very interested in anything some sort of saucer cult might send, and I certainly didn't want to take the chance of any saucer cults devotees ending up on my doorstep.  Heck I've got enough aggravation from those pesky Jehovah's Witnesses's.

I sent away for much of the nicer stuff.  Like the monster and science fiction models offered by Mike Evans Model Kits, although unfortunately I never got beyond looking at the catalog/newsletter.  You can see I even corrected the address on the book's entry...

Or the wondrous products from Archie McPhee...

Unlike those models, I actually ordered a number of things from Archie McPhee in the 90's.

So that brings us back to last month, when I thought for certain I had a few of these old monster/science fiction model and Archie McPhee catalogs squirreled away somewhere.  When it came time to use them in a post they were nowhere to be found.  After racking my brain I now have a dim memory of cleaning house about 10 years ago and tossing a lot of stuff like that out. I thought with the internet who need to keep the old catalogs.

Well fortunately it appears  like Archie McPhee has archived some of their old catalogs online...

I once had that catalog!

...but I wasn't able to access it.  Maybe you will have a better luck if you wish to check out  the Archie McPhee blog for yourself.

Lastly here's a great link for those who wish to re-live High Weirdness By Mail in modern internet form it's the officially sanctioned High Weirdness By Web.

May the Fourth Be With You

Hey it's May the fourth, and that means it's the unofficial Star Wars day.  Since the internets is made of approximately 67.3% Star Wars content it going to be hard show you something that's never been posted online before, but I'm gonna give it my best shot.

First here's something that probably out there, it's a press kit or lobby photo of the Darth Vader vs. Ben Kenobi light saber fight...

I've never met Mark Hamill, but I had a friend who went to an Autorama where Mark was appearing and picked up this photo... 

That signature isn't "real" in case you're wondering. Hmm, I think I need to watch for Mark Hamill in "Stingray" from MGM.

I did meet Darth Vader, Chewbacca and a Stormtrooper at Toys R Us on October 1, 1977.  Here's what they handed out to the kids...

 The entire Toys R Us giraffe family was there also...

Like every 70's kid I was swept up in the Star Wars mania, and for a while would clip any Star Wars thing I found in the newspaper.  Like this Meijer ad for Star Wars figures...

I remember my mom taking me and a friend to our local Meijer before school one day when they got a shipment of figures.  We were able to pick them right from the shipping box before they were even stocked on the shelves. Thanks Mom!

Here's an ad for the Star Wars Escape from the Death Star board game...

 I never had that game, but I assume I wanted it since I clipped the ad.

Here's a unique ad for a free Super 8 sound 400 foot edition of Star Wars when you buy a movie projector...

Lastly here's a little bit of Star Wars legal news when Fox sued Ideal Toys over their Star Team action figure toys, and "Knight of Darkness" in particular...

I wish someone would upload those 1970's Star Team toy commercials someday.  I always love to post them YouTube commercials, but I came up with nothing this time.

One Night In A Novelty Catalog

Hey folks, it's time once again for one of my wacky animations that makes this blog so popular with the hoi polloi.

The animation is inspired by this months theme of April Fools...


One Night in a Novelty Catalog from David Witt on Vimeo.

I used a 1992 Johnson Smith Company catalog in case there was anyone who might have wondered.

Do you believe in TV Magic?

In my last post I wrote about the "Giant Surprise Catalog of  Professional Magic," and so I thought I might as well continue with that magic theme.

From age five to about twelve I was very interested in magic. Hardly a birthday or Christmas went by without a gift of some sort of new magic trick. My very first trick was a deck of TV Magic Cards.  An advanced magic trick for a five year old I know, but this was due to the frequent commercials featuring magician Marshall Brodien in the 1970's...



At that young age I remember thinking magic was real.  So when I was given the deck I thought the cards were enchanted. It was a cold slap of reality when I quickly learned it was just a trick, and magicians were basically just pretending.  I think magic could probably be used for teaching children logic and critical thinking.

After the TV Magic Cards I received other magic sets by Marshall Brodien, and this is how I got this booklet, Fifty TV Magic Tricks which has a good selection of easy tricks for beginners...

Read the first page "How To Be A Magician."  Maybe if I had stuck with magic beyond the start of adolescence I too could have been the "life of the party"...

Here's a trick (and it's not truly a magic trick, unless you consider a flambé magic) that wouldn't be found in a magic book today that could be read by children...

Booze and fire? Remember kids, don't try this at home - go to a neighbors house!

Lastly, a different kind of "TV magic," I remember being a big fan of this 70's syndicated magic show called Wonderful World of Magic hosted by Bill Bixby...



Extra big bonus points to anyone reading who can remember this show.  IMDb doesn't even list it.