Do You Remember?

Two or three times a year I will get an email (usually forwarded) from some of my Old Fart friends, which asks if you remember certain things from the 1940’s through the early 1960’s. Most of them have 25 to 40 questions about things that were popular during that time frame.

The latest was titled “Older than Dirt”. I knew all of the answers, so therefore I am older than dirt. Surprisingly there were two “do you remember?” questions that I hadn’t seen before (Metal Ice Cube Trays with a Lever and Mimeograph Paper – actually it wasn’t normal paper but a waxed stencil paper that you attached to the Mimeograph cylinder).

The first “do you remember?” question (which appears on almost every list that I have seen) was Blackjack Chewing Gum. Blackjack gum is still being produced, albeit, in limited quantities. I, as well as Chuck Yeager, preferred a chewing gum made by the same company named Beamans. But the question should have been “do you remember?” Fan Tan or Beech-Nut Chewing Gum.

Another common “do you remember?” is Candy Cigarettes. These are also still being made. They are predominately found in assortment bags of cheap Halloween Candy. The better question is “do you remember?” two penny candies called Red Hot Dollars and Wax Lips. How about Bonomos Turkish Taffy (I liked the Banana flavored variety).

Finally the most posed question “do you remember?” the Studebaker. Everyone over 45 years old should remember Studebakers, but how many of them will remember the Kaiser or the Henry J. My dad had a 1951 maroon Kaiser; I thought that it was the coolest car in the neighborhood, at least until I saw a 1957 Chevy.

Now I will put forward five questions that should appear on every Baby Boomer “do you remember?” questionnaire.

1) Do you remember? What chain smoking television (and radio) Journalist’s sign off line was “Good night, and good luck”?

2) Do you remember? Who the original host of the 1950's prime time quiz program “Who Do You Trust” was?

3) Do you remember? What Spike Jones was best known for?

4) Do you remember? What you specifically received for 5 cents from the Topps Company in the 1950's?

5) Do you remember? What singer and television personality always said "Bless your pea-pickin' heart"?

If you can answer all five (without looking them up), then, like me, you are an older than dirt Baby Boomer.

The Beach Bum