Of Long Ago

Back in the day, way back in the days before television and cool gadgetry, families gathered together after a long, hard day and were transported to the only world of entertainment they had, the radio.

Off and on I find myself indulging in these classics, and imagining what it must have been like when women still took great pride in their appearances, and went to so much trouble to stay lady-like and feminine. They wore pristine suits and gloves and hats, and the men did too. I'm not saying there weren't hard working people in tattered garments and worn jeans and all that, but not in public. Those clothes were for working, and for working in the fields and getting dirty.

If you were showing your face in public you were presentable and elegant. You got 'dressed for dinner', everyone sat down at the table, in the dining room and had dinner as a family. Yes certainly there were exceptions to this, but I think it's the way I romanticize the era when I listen to the songs, and these radio classics.

Why am I drawn to this? I listen in and almost imagine myself there, maybe as a sassy stenographer living in New York City like "My Friend Irma", Walking the city streets in my fancy little dress suit, perfectly styled. Maybe I have on shiny, pointy-toed pumps and can actually walk in them. If I were like Irma, I might have some suave, city-slicker boyfriend who takes me to dinner... Chivalry isn't yet dead. :)

I've often fantasized about running a cool little Italian Pizzeria where the waiters and waitresses would present themselves with style. I fancied maybe playing nothing but the old Italian singers like Perry Como, Dean Martin, Louis Prima, Frank Sinatra... on some beautifully restored jukebox from the past. Those singers are a mix of eras of course, but they still remind me of the mystery of a time gone by that I wasn't a part of.

These things make me feel as though there was once romance, neatness, lower crime rates, ladies, gentlemen and simplicity.

Here's a video link to an episode of "My Friend Irma"


It offers the next segments once you've listened to the first... give it a try, it's cool!

And here is one of my favorite songs from back in the day. One you might hear if you ever come out to "Jaxxx's Pizzeria". Play and Enjoy!