Hi-Fi's and Hi-Balls : The Golden Age of the American Bachelor
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Packed with reproductions of album covers, advertisements, book covers, and fashion shots from the swinging side of the early '60s, this book is a visual delight. Every effort has been made to give this volume the feel of the era it fetishizes. Even the background colors are chosen from the Technicolor palette of the bachelor dream pad. Perhaps most impressive is the collection of novelties and knickknacks, including "gag" cocktail napkins, old bowling trophies, a light-up bow tie, and the requisite bongo drums. It's a crazy trip to weirdsville, Daddy-o ... or something.
Review
By Debra Phillips
"Young people are looking for something they've never encountered before--something that seems exotic," explains Steven Guarnaccia, co-author with Bob Sloan of Hi-Fis & Hi-Balls: The Golden Age of the American Bachelor. "For those of us who remember the era firsthand, it's kind of cheesy."
And yet, it's kind of a gas, too. As Guarnaccia points out, the 1950s boast at least the appearance of a simpler, less angst-ridden time--with the possible exceptions, of course, of the days of the bongo-playing, stream-of-consciousness, swaying Beatniks. Even these cats, however, knew how to play it cool.
Speaking of cool, movies such as "Swingers," lounge-music collections, and clubs featuring the tunes of Percy Faith, Julie London and Bobby Darin continue to be what's shakin' in the cocktail nation. But when space-age bachelor mania stops cookin' with gas, Guarnaccia speculates there will still be interest left in at least one group from that era. "I think we've yet to really see the full flowering of the Beat and hipster angle of it," he surmises. "That may be yet to come."
Fine with us. We're ready to go on the road again.
Hi-Fi's and Hi-Balls : The Golden Age of the American Bachelor
Hi-Fi's and Hi-Balls : The Golden Age of the American Bachelor,Steven Guarnaccia,Robert Sloan,Chronicle Books LLC,081181663X,20th century,Antiques/Collectibles,Bachelors,History,Lifestyles,Men's Studies - General,Pictorial works,Pop Arts / Pop Culture,Popular Culture - General,Social Science,Sociology - General,Sociology Of Men,U.S. History - 1950s,United States,Photography / General
Hi-Fi's and Hi-Balls : The Golden Age of the American Bachelor
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