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January 31, 2008

Anaheim Vacationland

Kona_Kai.jpg Stovalls.jpg When not living overseas with my parents during the Sixties, I spent much of my childhood in Southern California. I vividly recall the area surrounding Disneyland as a marvelous jumble of Googie- and Polynesian-style motels, like the Kona Kai and Stovall's Space Age Lodge pictured above.

Sadly, most of these roadside vacation palaces have long since succumbed to the developer's bulldozer, but fortunately for us, author David Oneal has captured their cheesy motel souls in his new book, Anaheim Vacationland, a loving 244-page tribute to what Uncle Walt once referred to as "a second-rate Las Vegas."

Be sure to check out the Look Inside and Images links for some great vintage brochure and postcard scans.

[Link: Anaheim Vacationland]

January 27, 2008

Can You Prove It Didn't Happen?

Criswell_Mae.jpg

"From a vintage June 1955 Spaceway magazine, 'psychic' Criswell, and friend Mae West, on the moon as predicted by Criswell after Mae is elected President of the United States."

And remember, my friend, future events such as these will affect you....IN THE FUTURE!

[Link: halloween_guy's Flickr stream][via PCL]

January 17, 2008

Doin' the Space Girl Dance

While you await my return from Down Under, please to enjoy this video of Raquel Welch dancing sexifully in scanty space lingerie.

UPDATE: thanks to the astute bOINGbOING readers who pointed out that the bizarre sculptures featured in the video were part of the Ruta de la Amistad public sculpture project at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, and that this clip came from Raquel's eponymous 1970 television special.

[Link: Raquel Welch: Space-Girl Dance][via: the NTF'ers]