5 Things From The 70/80's That Should Return
14/07/09 15:21 Filed in: Personal
Four things from the 1970’s to bring back
1. Headboards with built in radios
About six months ago I stayed in a hotel that had decor that could only have come from the 1970s. The reception was flanked by a gigantic, apparently wool based, wall mural of the hotel and surrounding area. This huge monolith had sadly faded a lot since it was put up, but it really reminded me of that communist era propaganda wall paintings you used to see in East Germany before Wulfgang got carried away with the magnolia and they were lost to time.
One of the key colours in the mural was orange (originating from a Sun) and this was the theme continued in the rooms.
Each room had a lovely faded (after thirty years) orange hue to it, with matching carpets, curtains, door handles, desk and feature wall.
Best of all, the headboard... in mock wood, contained a shiny faced radio / intercom system. Sadly long since defunct (I even tried it).
I distinctly remember these from my childhood where we would stay away and I’d listen to the radio while falling asleep. I also staying in a hotel in Blackpool, when I was left in my room aged 7 with the intercom system being used as a baby/child monitor.
Ever so often the receptionist would dial up my room and ask if everything was OK. I remember saying that I didn’t have a blue crayon and the lady on reception sent one up with a waiter who happened to be passing my room. For several days I actually thought that he’d made a special trip.
I guess the radios became obsolete due to the adoption and migration of radio from AM to MW and then later from MW to FM channels. I guess they are as obsolete as car radios will be in about 5 years time when the Government makes commercial channels switch from FM to DAB, a move that’s far from universally welcome.
2.Swing ball
Although swing ball never really went away as a stalwart for visual comedy, the number of homes armed with this simple to setup and play game has dwindled to almost zero.
Perhaps it’s because of the 90’s craze for decking every bloody square inch of your garden... or the shift towards more urban (no grass) living. I can’t really say, but Swing ball was a big hit in the 70’s and I think everybody I knew had a set (if not two).
TIP:For extra points, trying smacking the ball upwards to hit your opponent on the head.
3. Cars that don’t look like every other car
Remember that 70’s? That was the decade that spawned the Austin Allegro, Leyland Princess, Ford Capri and the Talbot Sunbeam. Each had two things in common;
- They looked more original than anything else about at the time.
- They were all, to a greater or lesser degree, rubbish.
4. The ‘exotic’ Bond movie
I guess this is more of sign of the times and the relative cheapness of travel these days. That and the need for Bond to compete on a like-for-like basis with the Bourne franchise.
But in the 1970’s, Bond was all about finesse and exotic locations. The unobtainable (to 99% of the planet) and the corruption that goes with it. Lets face it, Scaramanga’s island might have been very cool, but look what he had to do to get it. Bond was a toff with a conscience with Roger Moore at the helm.
I know they generally only resemble the books in name only, but they are a product of their time.
Casino Royale’s ‘exotic’ location in the Caribbean resembled a Sandels resort!
1. Headboards with built in radios
About six months ago I stayed in a hotel that had decor that could only have come from the 1970s. The reception was flanked by a gigantic, apparently wool based, wall mural of the hotel and surrounding area. This huge monolith had sadly faded a lot since it was put up, but it really reminded me of that communist era propaganda wall paintings you used to see in East Germany before Wulfgang got carried away with the magnolia and they were lost to time.
One of the key colours in the mural was orange (originating from a Sun) and this was the theme continued in the rooms.
Each room had a lovely faded (after thirty years) orange hue to it, with matching carpets, curtains, door handles, desk and feature wall.
Best of all, the headboard... in mock wood, contained a shiny faced radio / intercom system. Sadly long since defunct (I even tried it).
I distinctly remember these from my childhood where we would stay away and I’d listen to the radio while falling asleep. I also staying in a hotel in Blackpool, when I was left in my room aged 7 with the intercom system being used as a baby/child monitor.
Ever so often the receptionist would dial up my room and ask if everything was OK. I remember saying that I didn’t have a blue crayon and the lady on reception sent one up with a waiter who happened to be passing my room. For several days I actually thought that he’d made a special trip.
I guess the radios became obsolete due to the adoption and migration of radio from AM to MW and then later from MW to FM channels. I guess they are as obsolete as car radios will be in about 5 years time when the Government makes commercial channels switch from FM to DAB, a move that’s far from universally welcome.
2.Swing ball
Although swing ball never really went away as a stalwart for visual comedy, the number of homes armed with this simple to setup and play game has dwindled to almost zero.
Perhaps it’s because of the 90’s craze for decking every bloody square inch of your garden... or the shift towards more urban (no grass) living. I can’t really say, but Swing ball was a big hit in the 70’s and I think everybody I knew had a set (if not two).
TIP:For extra points, trying smacking the ball upwards to hit your opponent on the head.
3. Cars that don’t look like every other car
Remember that 70’s? That was the decade that spawned the Austin Allegro, Leyland Princess, Ford Capri and the Talbot Sunbeam. Each had two things in common;
- They looked more original than anything else about at the time.
- They were all, to a greater or lesser degree, rubbish.
4. The ‘exotic’ Bond movie
I guess this is more of sign of the times and the relative cheapness of travel these days. That and the need for Bond to compete on a like-for-like basis with the Bourne franchise.
But in the 1970’s, Bond was all about finesse and exotic locations. The unobtainable (to 99% of the planet) and the corruption that goes with it. Lets face it, Scaramanga’s island might have been very cool, but look what he had to do to get it. Bond was a toff with a conscience with Roger Moore at the helm.
I know they generally only resemble the books in name only, but they are a product of their time.
Casino Royale’s ‘exotic’ location in the Caribbean resembled a Sandels resort!
