I like Amy Winehouse, psychobilly, the Pipettes, the Acid House Kings, the O Brother... soundtrack, and even that throw-back-to-the-Andrews-Sisters Christina Aguilera song. I have a craving for music produced in the now but inspired by the 1930s to early 1960s, with my favourite era being the 1940s. Can you recommend anymore good contemporary rock/pop bands along these lines, including psychobilly bands I may not have heard about yet? [more inside]
posted by flibbertigibbet on Aug 30, 2009 - 52 answers

Where can I find old historical exchange rates? Right now I'm looking for the crosses between British Pounds, US Dollars and French Francs in the mid-1950s. [more inside]
posted by b1tr0t on May 31, 2009 - 8 answers

Can anyone identify these cartoons? One about two poor kids who dream of a world made of food, then wake up to a feast in their kitchen. Another about a young couple at a future world/technology expo where they see instant houses, get groomed by robots, and ballroom dance? [more inside]
posted by thebellafonte on Apr 28, 2009 - 6 answers

Help me identify a style of music that has escaped me for well over the past year... [more inside]
posted by Brettus on Jan 14, 2009 - 7 answers

I've just finished reading Donna Tartt's The Secret History. At one point Tartt references a supposedly famous horror story, but I don't understand the reference! Can anyone identify it? [more inside]
posted by punchdrunkhistory on Jun 1, 2008 - 13 answers

Know of any magazines, periodicals, or newsletters dealing with Mid-Century Modernism, particularly home furnishings and interior design? [more inside]
posted by Asparagirl on Feb 20, 2008 - 5 answers

The Hair Club for (Mad) Men: Your Hair Helmet & You. [more inside]
posted by meifool on Feb 8, 2008 - 10 answers

Police procedural/gumshoe, sandbox games? [more inside]
posted by Happy Dave on Jan 14, 2008 - 8 answers

I'm looking for the title of a Scholastic (I think) kids' book published possibly in the early to mid-1960s, and also the name of the author of a teen novel published in the 1950s. [more inside]
posted by droplet on Dec 28, 2007 - 6 answers

I can't believe I'm asking this, because it's for an unbelievably dorky reason - but google has not helped, and the actual official webpages only go back to the 70's. Does anyone know where I can get a reasonably accurate history of MIT Men's Ice Hockey from the 1950's without having to call them? I can't even figure out if they had a Men's Ice Hockey team in the 50's. Bonus if there's coaches/team rosters/etc, but that's not strictly necessary.
posted by FritoKAL on Nov 26, 2007 - 4 answers

Where can I find 1950s and 1960s guides on how to talk to your kids about sex? I know they're out there, but library searches and amazon searches are only turning up newer books.
posted by bflora on Sep 18, 2007 - 11 answers

Seeking a music video about a daydreaming aerospace engineer in the 1950s. Details inside... [more inside]
posted by tss on Nov 14, 2006 - 1 answer

Somewhat of a follow-up to a previous question about my grandfather, I have some vague questions about law enforcement and the mental health system in 1950s America. [more inside]
posted by bondcliff on Sep 26, 2006 - 12 answers

Mixtape suggestions of ridiculous 1950s pop music. [more inside]
posted by salvia on May 28, 2006 - 30 answers

1950s era Low Voltage Relay Lighting - My new home has a system, and I'm not sure what to do if it ever breaks. Are there any good resources for parts out there? Any good discussions on these systems? Books I should pick up?
posted by salsamander on May 15, 2006 - 2 answers

Did children actually believe that "Duck and Cover" would work? [more inside]
posted by interrobang on May 3, 2006 - 37 answers

50sClothingFilter [more inside]
posted by nuclear_soup on Mar 16, 2006 - 6 answers

TVFilter: I'm trying to identify two TV shows. Both are from the early 90s (IIRC). The first features a teen who secretly works for a spy agency. The second is a gritty film-noir-style detective show that takes place in the 40s-50s. [more inside]
posted by Civil_Disobedient on Jun 22, 2005 - 4 answers

CheatingBarStewardFilter As I'm limited to one posted question a week, I'm, erm, gonna cheat (but both questions are kinda the same sort of thing):

1) Trying to remember a cartoon from the 50s, that I'm pretty sure was called "Bottles". It had a Disney-Fantasia-esque feel, with the medicine bottles in a shop coming to life on a stormy night, brewing up a potion in a standard cartoony chemical set (bottles and tubes and the like)...

2) Also trying to remember a recent Indie video I saw (OK - I saw it recently) where the screen was split vertically throughout the song, and on each side you had a girl going through her day, doing identical things. The clincher was that one of the girls was going backwards, so when one gets out of bed in the morning, the other one is going to bed at night, but backwards - both clean their teeth together (one out of bed, one before bed, etc). They pass at some point in the middle and end up on the other side of the screen getting to the (identical) end/beginning of their days.

So, either of these things ring a visual bell with anyone?
posted by benzo8 on Dec 30, 2004 - 12 answers

I need help finding a Christmas gift. My girlfriend mentioned recently that she was a big fan of a particular type of cartoon and I'm having trouble finding out 1) what they are exactly, and 2) whether or not they're available for purchase.

The cartoons had a very 1950's feel to them, and the subject matter always dealt with a prediction of the future. Like a cartoony take on what life would be like in the year 2000 from the perspective of the 1950's. They usually played with the classic Looney Toons cartoons on Saturday mornings when I was a kid.

Not much to go on, I know. Any leads?
posted by paulrockNJ on Dec 6, 2004 - 9 answers

Does anyone remember a movie from about the 1950s (not sure, but it was black and white) that was an Indiana Jones type adventure film (but of course it was made before the Indy movies) with the following final scene:
The hero and heroine are escaping with the treasure in a hot air balloon...[MI] [more inside]
posted by nprigoda on Jul 19, 2004 - 9 answers