Charles’ 
Slide of the Week: June 8th, 2006
Americana The Beautiful:
Mid-Century in Kodachrome
ICE CREAM SOCIAL & BOOK RELEASE PARTY
This is not the Slide of the Week as usual; it’s more like Slides of the Week. And they all just happen to all to share the cover of my new book, AMERICANA THE BEAUTIFUL: MID- CENTURY IN KODACHROME!
Spiraling from the upper left to the center they are: Giant Cement Native, Bryce Canyon, Utah, 1955, Boy’s Room, Los Angeles, 1957, Aquamaids, Cypress Gardens, Florida, 1960, Space Needle, Seattle, 1962, Trailer Travel, California, 1959, Refrigerator Pride, Danbury, Connecticut, 1953, Paul Bunyan and Bane the Blue Ox, Bemidji, Minnesota, 1955, Unisphere, Queens, New York, 1964, and last, but certainly not least, Oscar Meyer Wienermobile, New York, 1964. And, of course, there are tons more slides in the book!
While feverishly putting together Americana the Beautiful I was forced to ask myself the question: What is Americana anyway? Yes, its baseball and apple pie but we all know there’s a lot more to it than that! I took a stab at trying to explain it in the book. This is what I came up with:
“Americana doesn’t discriminate between classic and kitsch, high-tech or homespun, mass produced or one-of-a-kind, the authentic or make-believe. It draws no borders between town and country. It embraces Mother Nature and man-made, the future and the past. Americana is the essence of American culture.” I called the book AMERICANA the BEAUTIFUL, because Americana is beautiful.
It’s PARTY TIME and you are cordially invited to celebrate
- What: Ice Cream Social and AMERICANA THE BEAUTIFUL Release Party
- When: Sunday afternoon, June 25th 3pm to 5pm
- Where: Zanzabelle 2912 Rowena Ave,
LA, 90039
323 663-9900
a colorful, whimsical ice cream-candy-gift store that just-so-happens to be my favorite place in Silver Lake.- (½ blk east of Hyperion, near the Coffee Table in Silver Lake)
Here’s to you, the beauty of Americana and the new book!
Charles Phoenix
Los Angeles
June 2006
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9 Comments on “Americana The Beautiful:, Mid-Century in Kodachrome”
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June 9th, 2006 at 7:23 am
Charles~ I have seen many of your shows and have had the pleasure of talking with you. I grew up in West Covina,California with the fabulous Eastland Shopping center as my playground as a kid. Cliftons was one of my family’s favorite places to eat….do you remember the “wishing well” just inside the entrance? Loved that!
Anywho, I have all of your books and when my husband and I attended your Disney slide show at the Red Cat I was saying it was time for a new book and here it is just in time for my birthday!!! I just wanted you to know what big fans we are of you and the work you do to preserve what we remember as the best of times living and growing up in Southern California.
Thank you!
Robin Roberst-Gibson
Ps. Thank you for buying 1 of our Viva Las Vegas tickets since we weren’t able to go to the event.
June 9th, 2006 at 8:01 am
Charles, congratulations on yet another masterpiece ! Pictures that are intoxicating to look at again and again. Can’t wait to have some ice cream ! Can we have some hot dogs too? Seeing the weiner mobile has me craving a dog ! ! Take care and congratulations on a labor of love.
June 9th, 2006 at 10:02 am
Oops! That would be “Babe” the Blue Ox in Bemiji, Minnesota — not “Bane.” You don’t want to get on the bad side of The Man With The Axe.
June 9th, 2006 at 11:05 am
I wanna be an Aquagirl Congrats on another masterpiece, Charles darling. Andrew and I will see you on the 25th. Muuuwwwwwwaaaaah!
June 9th, 2006 at 2:08 pm
Sweet Charles!
It’s always in excellent taste to celebrate a wonderful success! I can’t wait to revel in every page of your new tome!
I hasten to add, however, that all of us attending your ice cream social might remain vigilantly well-mannered — even while eating a lovely sweet treat! It is my hard job to inform you all that eating ice cream from a cone is not very good manners for adult. I know, I know … adhering to the laws of etiquette can be difficult. As a fan of a good sugar cone myself, I find it difficult to stick to this guideline. You can, of course, enjoy a frosty, coned treat in the privacy of your home or in your backyard or perhaps even in a park. But walking about on the street while licking away at a creamy confection is bad manners indeed.
What to do with ice cream in a bowl, you ask? How should you proceed? Let me guide you, my etiquette acolytes! I have two separate sources that verify the proper way to eat ice cream. I will defer to Vogue’s Book of Etiquette by Millicent Fenwick (1948) as it is, well, Vogue and, well, written by a woman named Millicent. Don’t those two facts make you feel in good hands? From the chapter, “Table Manners: Special Customs and Techniques”:
“Ice Cream and Other Desserts are eaten with both a fork and a spoon. There is no practical basis for this as a spoon would often suffice, and it is certainly not a rule. But for some reason, when one is given the two implements, as one is for dessert, it is more attractive not to use the spoon only. The fork is used for the solid part of the ice cream, the spoon for the part which has melted.”
A fork? My goodness. These are advanced table manners, eager learners. Use caution while deploying them. Now, if I see anyone eating ice cream from a cone, I will look away quickly. You might use an alias with me, though, as I will nevertheless have to mark you down in The Big Book of Etiquette Mistakes I’ve Seen While Out and About: Names and Crimes Committed. As I always say, “Love the etiquette sinner, hate the etiquette sin.”
xoxo!
Miss Sharon
June 9th, 2006 at 5:30 pm
Dear Charles: I guess I’ll just have to watch out for Miss Sharon
and not partake in the yummy ice cream ritual of cone eating if
she’s around. Goodness knows I wouldn’t want to upset her umm,
apple cart full of proper etiquette owners manuals.
Or, I might just order the ice cream in a cup if I find it necessary
to do so. I’ll check with the real folks first.
May you have the New York Best seller list chasing you along Route 66! If so, pull over and let it envelope you…..
June 9th, 2006 at 9:12 pm
Charles the book looks fabulous! We cannot wait to read it over and over. Your description of Americana is perfect and we love seeing it all through your eyes. We hope to make it down for the ice cream!
Peter and Mary from Fresno
June 10th, 2006 at 12:39 pm
We could avoid the ice cream-faux pas issue altogether by walking around the corner to Burrito King and ordering quesadillas (the BEST in So Cal!!)
Cheers,
Caroline the librarian
June 11th, 2006 at 12:23 pm
Dear Jim: I hope you don’t think I’m not “real folk.” I am real, of course! And I heartily love both ice cream and etiquette. Perhaps I could be persuaded to look away from an ice cream faux pas with the right kind of bribery. Making a good deal is always good manners!
xoxo!
Sharon