Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Vintage Allies Broadcast



This is entertainment . . . coming to our readers and listeners soon. . .through Vintage Allies (VAV!) web pages and via a brick and mortar homefront radio broadcasting station. Coast to Coast, Vintage Allies will be bringing live and pre-recorded broadcasts, interviews, reviews and commercials to the listening audience.

It is time again, for those lazy days by the pool with the family, for those evenings up at the lake to reminisce about how simple life was and still can be. Prepare for all that reminds us of simpler choices and values--values we can recapture.

Timeless, wholesome, constantly entertaining, and produced to entertain an entire Vintage Allies (VAV!) family of readers and listeners through sound and imagination alone is what you'll find through our vintage broadcast.

At Vintage Allies we respect both the periods we celebrate and the wealth of historic, cultural and social messages. American history has been unique in a period of disaster, both financial and geo-political. But it was also a period of unprecedented hope and recovery--both economically and spiritually.

"The spirit of a great Nation is no where better preserved than through virtually every recording produced during the Golden Age of Radio--both here and abroad." ~ Dennis Nyhagen of The Digital Deli On-Line

If you would like to download or contribute to The Digital Deli On-Line, a large contributor to Vintage Allies radio resources, we offer the following facts and statistics from their web pages:

"Virtually all of the Internet's most prominent commercial Golden Age Radio vendors have built as much as 50% of their collections from The Digital Deli's Golden Age Radio Holdings. Indeed, if you've been downloading or purchasing .mp3 recordings from virtually any popular Internet Source for the past 9 years, there's a 30% - 40% chance you've been downloading Digital Deli Online recordings right along. Since we're a not for profit service, we don't compete with these vendors. But note that these successful Golden Age Radio vendors continue to trust The Digital Deli Online's holdings to build their offerings from our extensive, diverse, quality holdings.

Two worldwide, ongoing research efforts have collectively downloaded in excess of 38,000 and 163,000 files from The Digital Deli's FTP Holdings, with the goal of building two of the most completely documented collections of Golden Age Radio Episodes and Shows yet attempted.

If you have an ongoing Golden Age Radio preservation or research effort underway, we're prepared to help you--at no cost or nominal cost, with any of our resources. Feel free to contact us with your proposals. Simply click the 'Comments Please!' button on any page, and we'll work with you in any way practical."


A Homemaker's War Guide


The O.W.I.'s famous Poster No. 20, A Homemaker's War Guide. The Office of War Information enlisted the support of all major Radio networks to devote hundreds of hours of broadcast time each week to inspirational, informative and patriotic messages and updates on the status of the troops. The OWI also produced thousands of patriotic and informative posters throughout the period.



Poster provided by Gettysburgs' Greatest Generation Non-Profit Foundation.

Excerpt From Vintage Allies



Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy With The Andrew Sisters



January 2, 1941, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" was recorded by The Andrews Sisters in Los Angeles, CA. The song was heard in the movie, "Buck Privates", starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.

These vivacious sibling talents will forever be associated with their very active patriotic entertainment duty during World War II and the culture of the era. During the 1940s, the Andrew sisters found themselves in quite the demand earning $20,000 a week.

Born in Minnesota, LaVerne, the oldest sister, Maxene the middle sister and Patty the youngest sister all found a keen love for music at an early age. They were inspired by greats such as the Boswell Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald and Mel Torme.

The Andrews Sisters became America's most popular female singing group with their first major success "Bei Mir" selling 350,000 copies. The song held the Billboard Number one slot for five weeks. This incredible achievement established The Andrews Sisters as successful recording artists and celebrities. The first all-female group to have a record go platinum, these sisters earned nine gold records, recorded over 700 songs and sold over 90 million records.

If these accomplishments aren't enough to have Vintage Allies (VAV!) listeners and readers doing the Jitterbug, there's more. The Andrew Sisters were one of the first vocal groups inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, they had over 100 songs on top 30 Billboard charts and 46 songs reached the top 10 on the Billboard charts. Yes, these sisters were also established radio personalities, and all totaled had made appearances in 17 Hollywood movies.

Some of the sisters hits in the early to mid forties include; “Rum and Coca Cola” “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” and “I’ll be with you in Apple Blossom Time.”

Not too bad for three sisters from Minnesota.

Excerpt From Vintage Allies



Ours To Fight For




The Office of War Information enlisted the support of all major Radio networks to devote hundreds of hours of broadcast time each week to inspirational, informative and patriotic messages and updates on the status of the troops. The OWI also produced thousands of patriotic and informative posters throughout the period. One of its most famous posters, the O.W.I. commissioned Norman Rockwell to create O.W.I Poster No. 47, celebrating the Four Freedoms set down by President Roosevelt in his famous 'Four Freedoms' speech.



Poster provided by Gettysburgs' Greatest Generation Non-Profit Organization.



For historical documents that tell the stories of America's history as a nation and as a people, visit: National Archives




Saturday, January 1, 2011

Rosie The Riveter Dies


By Starlight Reporter


Geraldine Doyle, the woman featured in the iconic WWII-era "Rosie the Riveter" poster above, has died at age 86. This image would eventually become the central face of Rosies everywhere and serve as the rallying cry for an entire social movement."

Rosie the Riveter was one of the most widely known personas of the 1940s. With her hair in a polka dot kerchief, sleeves rolled up, and a positive set to her jaw and eyes, Rosie could never be taken for granted. She had a can do attitude, feminity, beauty and yes, sex appeal.

This Rosie the Riveter poster model was never named Rosie, nor was she a riveter. Rosie was actually Mrs. Doyle who worked at a metal factory.

Why a Rosie the Riveter Poster?

At the government's request, The Ad Council, created the legendary iconic Rosie the Riveter to encourage women to serve America at work during WWII, not as nurses or secretaries, but in factories. As the War progressed, more and more planes and artillery became increasingly in demand. Manufacturers' buildings became munitions factories for producing weapons of war. Men, who had performed in the factories making munitions were now serving on the front battle lines and in short supply on the Homefront. How could the war be won without weapons?

Women were the key answer to step in to fill men's traditional roles in the factories. However, before women could begin their very important work in the factories, they had to be convinced of the importance of such an undertaking. The campaign to encourage women to take on traditionally male jobs focused on the main theme of patriotic duty. The campaign message was clear: you can work a man's job, and keep your femininity. Rosie the Riveter posters soon followed. "We Can Do It" blazoned alongside other war slogans, such as "We Can't Win the War Without Them," and paid tribute to women giving due honor for working on the home front.

The ad campaign proved convincingly seductive to American women. Women were impassioned by the call of their country. They were compelled to support their American men who lay their lives down for peace against the atrocities of war. Answering the call with no faint heart, women proved themselves capable with astounding vigor and stamina. They fulfilled the call to work, not only in factories, but in vacant occupations, traditionally male oriented.

Rosie represented the newfound strength of the 18 million American women who worked during the war and afterward became a figure of the female contributions and power with a can do attitude. Rosie the Riveters across the nation answered the call to serve their country, flawlessly, capably and even against all difficult and dangerous circumstances. In many cases the female workers supassed expectations, particularly, when the job demanded dexterity, detail, or persistence.

Vintage Allies (VAV!) adds a caveat to this story. Rosie was not the only working girl to benefit from her status as factory worker. Photographs of women engaged in their duty serving the country, posing diligently aside machines, were published in newspapers and magazines. This unfailing loyalty and bravado was sent to the boys on the warfront boosting their morale, and showing them what they were fighting for~ Family, Freedom, and Truth which is the American victory cry, in the greater part.

Every woman, on the Homefront, who was or wasn't represented in print as Rosie The Riveter wins the hearts of Americans everywhere. We thank Rosie The Riveters today for their extraordinary service and will forever and a day remember these women in the American book of Unforgettable Heroines.

In the span of those tumultuous few short years during WWII, Rosie The Riveter was never needed more. She is a venerated, war hero. Please know that she served her duty well and returned home with an honorable discharge. Today, we honor those Rosie the Riveters for their vast contributions to the war and for blazing new trails in gaining respect and opportunities for women. For more on WWII Front to Homefront, Gettysburgs' Greatest Generation is a non-profit foundation offering a valuable and reliable source of information.

What kind of woman are you when it comes to living life to the fullest?



Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb wrote a "Rosie the Riveter" song in 1942:
She's making history,
Working for victory,
Rosie the Riveter.
Keeps a sharp lookout for sabotage,
Sitting up there on the fuselage.
That little girl will do more than a male will do"



Rest in Peace. Job well done~Starlight Reporter

For more information on the history of World War II, Front to Homefront:  Gettysburgs' Greatest Generation

Special Thanks to Vintage Allies (VAV!) Article written by Starlight Reporter

Note: Norman Rockwell's Rosie Pictured Above

On May 29, 1943, Norman Rockwell's Saturday Evening Post cover was his version of Rosie. Please note the patriotic theme and background, the attributes of strength and feminity. You'll see Rosies' penny loafers rest casually on a copy of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf, a magazine article.