Posts

Movies

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Wow! I am almost done sharing my favorite person's experiences with media. To end this blog on a rather dull note, I'll be talking about Grandma's usage of movies growing up. It'll be interesting because Grandma only went to the movies once. But, onward we go... Reflecting on Grandma's movies experiences, she shared that her nearest movie theater was the Uptown Theater, about two miles away from her house. The reason why she only went once is because Grandma didn't get the notion that you had to hold the theater seat down when you sat, so when she let go...well, you know. Needless to say, she never returned. Grandma shared that the theater had a screen that wasn't as big as it is today, long velvet drapes covering the room, a quieter sound system, and fewer seats than there are today. │"If you didn't know to hold down the seat, you were on the floor." http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/5109 Grandma remembered matinees being more p...

Television

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Growing up, I remember distinctively watching many TV shows and movies in my Grandma's living room. I can remember the flat-screen TV, what was typically on the TV, and what times the shows aired. Grandma and Grandpa were particular in the way they controlled the television. │"You betta' not interrupt my show, Lexi!!" Grandma recalls not having television for a while, but when her father finally bought one, it didn't change her life in a significant way. She remembers the oval, laptop-screen-sized TV with tubes on the back of it. The television stayed in the living room and was mainly dictated by her father when he was home. There was a color screen that went over the black-and-white TV screen, but it wasn't always accurate in the coloring. │"Sometimes you saw an orange zebra...or purple broccoli...that's just how it was!" https://www .verygoodplus.co.uk/forum/let-s-talk/films-tv-books-nrr-new/43181-vintage-tv- tech Grandma shares th...

Advertising/PR

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Living so far away from my Grandma, I get the privilege to call her often and discuss how our lives are going. I tell her that I'm stressed to pieces, and she tells me that the retirement life is amazing. It's a balance. For this interview, we put our stress and paradise away to talk about her experiences with Advertising/PR.  If you recall, Grandma came from a fairly low-income household with not a lot of resources. This meant Grandma wasn't able to travel often to see various billboards and she wasn't able to see many advertisements in magazines or newspapers.  Whenever Grandma would travel to see her grandparents, she saw Burma Shave advertisements that read, "Treat your man..." and a mile later, there'd be another sign that read, "...To a good shave!" Grandma believes that everyone  always looked for the Burma Shave advertisements when they were on the road; a testament to how popular they were. http://www.vintageadbrowser.com...

Audio

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https://www.ebay.ie/itm/182148095364 Growing up, my grandma had a glass case full of antiques she collected. My brother and I would marvel over all of the glass stiletto shoes she had, along with a record player he thought was from the stone age. As I interviewed her about her use of audio, I got to hear the story behind the record player. Grandma's record player could switch from the 45, 33, 78's, & 1/3, and she described it as having a hole in the center. She loved to listen to Elvis Presley on a 45, and he was one of her favorite artists, along with Charlie Pride and Willie Nelson. The records were cheap, less than a dollar. This cheap price came in handy when she would run into her neighbor who happened to give her a couple dollars for records.  Grandma's mother didn't listen to the record player all that often, so it primarily existed for Grandma and her sister. This explains why the record player stayed in their room and why their mother never rest...

Print Media

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I recently got the chance to sit down with my Grandma to discuss her experiences with Print Media. Grandma came from a loving family that didn't have much access to print media. She recalls getting her town's newspaper everyday through the mail, but had to get books, magazines, and different newspapers from her school or local library. Grandma grew up reading The Sedalia Democrat which gave her all she needed to know about local news, obituaries, births, marriages, cartoons, and select world news. Surprisingly, her favorite section as a child were the....obituaries. │"Oh... now, don't look at me like that! They were interesting! Lexi, I said do not give me that look!" https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/72623838/ One of her favorites to read was the Ann Landers advice column. She explains that Ann Landers was a gal who would give advice to other gals about certain life situations. Grandma thought they were interesting to read, and she related ...