More Vintage Valentines - 60s, 70s & 80s

Several years ago, I shared some classroom Valentines from my childhood.  A good number of those were unused Disney-themed Valentines, which I had saved for years.

Last year, I shared some vintage Valentine cards from a scrapbook my mom had made, back in the 1950s.

Today, I'm sharing some Valentine cards from the 60s, 70s and 80s, which were sent by members of my family.

This first one is from the 1960s and was sent to my brother, from our grandmother.

The back of the card is fully printed with graphics, and includes the name of the company that manufactured it, which was "Buzza."

Inside message:

These next two are both "Hallmark" cards from the 1970s, and were sent to me by my grandparents.

These next two were sent to me by my aunt and uncle.  This first one is from the 1970s.

I'm not sure of the decade for this card.  It could have been the late 1970s, but I'm thinking it could have also been the early 1980s.  It included three folded panels, but is shown here, unfolded:

I found two more Disney-themed Valentines, which I had not previously posted here on the blog.  As a child, I selected these from my box of "classroom" Valentines, to give to my mom.

This is another card that I gave to my mom when I was very young.  The rabbit on this one is flocked, meaning that it's "fuzzy" to the touch.

And here is yet another bunny-themed Valentine for "Mother."

This card was given to my mom, by my brother.  It was sold as a blank card, with no printed sentiment inside....you had to write your own!  For some reason, I really like the graphics on this card.

There is a 1980 copyright date on the back of the card.

Here's another one that I am not sure about the decade.  It could be from the seventies, but it could also be from the early eighties.  This one was sent to my brother, by my aunt and uncle.

Inside message:

And in case you don't think clowns on a Valentine card are scary (which I happen to think clowns on anything, are ALWAYS scary), take a look at this Valentine.  Something about these graphics....specifically the little girl, are a little creepy.  This card was given to my mom, by my great-grandmother.  My mom was already an adult at this point, but I remember my grandparents complaining at times, that it was difficult to find greeting cards that were more appropriate for "adult" grandchildren.  Apparently, I forgot to scan the inside of this card, because I couldn't find it in my files.

I hope everyone has a very happy Valentine's Day!

Rest In Peace, Cindy Williams

I was very saddened to hear of the recent passing of Cindy Williams.  I had been a fan ever since her TV show, Laverne & Shirley, first debuted.  I was in sixth grade at the time, and I can still remember classmates talking about the show, the following day at school.

Cindy Williams ended up appearing on the cover of TV Guide (along with her co-star from the series, Penny Marshall), five times.  I saved those issues, and have kept them all these years.

1976:

1977 (artwork by Jack Davis):

1978:

1979 (artwork by Richard Amsel):

1982:

The 1977 issue featured an interview with Cindy Williams.

I was so much a fan of Laverne & Shirley, that I desperately wanted to see the show in-person.  After all, at the beginning of every episode, a voice-over would state, "Laverne and Shirley is filmed before a studio audience."  But I never knew how people got to be in the audience.  Then one day, my mom gave me something she had clipped out of the newspaper.  Someone had written in to the paper, and asked that very question.  The response included a list of addresses, one for each of the television networks.  I wrote to the address listed for ABC, and after not too long, received my tickets.

The show was filmed at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, in a sound stage that had previously been a part of the Desilu Studios, and prior to that, the RKO Studios.  This aerial view of Paramount Studios is from the book, Above Los Angeles.  I've circled (in red) the doorway through which the audience entered.

Over the years, we ended up going back to see the show three more times.  During one of my visits, I took this pic of the sign above the audience entrance.

And I saved the tickets from two of the four shows we saw.

My mom knew how big of a Laverne and Shirley fan I was.  She pulled these pages out of one of her Good Housekeeping magazines.  Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams had both been given "makeovers," courtesy of Good Housekeeping.

This Laverne & Shirley jigsaw puzzle was purchased from our local Alpha Beta grocery store:

And this TV Favorites "fan" magazine came from our local Lucky's grocery store.

The magazine included articles about the show, both of it's main stars, and also one on Phil Foster, who played Laverne's father.  Below, is the article on Cindy Williams.  Unfortunately, the magazine was made with a cheap paper, almost like the kind they would use for comic books.  But I guess it's held up pretty well, considering it's 45 years old.

 This color photo was from the inside cover:

 Rest in peace, Cindy Williams!