Rare Footage of Herb Crisler in the Olympic Mountains (1940s)

I've got some amazing footage to show you! My grandfather had this tape of footage of noted hiker and Disney filmmaker extraordinaire Herb Crisler that he had received from writer and biographer Ruby El Hult, who received it directly from Crisler himself. It was basically unlabeled except for a small note from Ruby stating what was NOT Herb Crisler on the tape (only two short scenes, which have been edited out). After I watched the approximately twenty minutes of footage, I knew this was something special. It's candid moments in the Olympic Mountains with Herb Crisler and assorted others. There's a ton of great moments here, from chasing grouse and filming bear to loading up one of his caches and birdwatching. This footage from the 1940's is a special slice of film we rarely get to see anymore, let alone see something that probably very few people have seen.


Rare Footage of Herb Crisler in the Olympic Mountains from David Marriott on Vimeo.

Complete Postcard Set of International Eastern Star Temple in Washington, D.C. (1940's)

My great grandfather Tedd Marriott was involved with the Masons, although I really don't know much about his involvement, nor was it something that my grandfather or father continued in our family. Regardless, at some point in the 1940's he visited the International Eastern Star Temple -- headquarters of the General Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star -- in Washington, D.C. and purchased this set of twelve personalized postcards. They are completely unused, and have sat in their envelope for approximately sixty years! Please enjoy these images of the postcards in the slide show below, or click through for the Flickr set.

Recordio Discs - Homemade Records (1940s)

In the 1930's and 1940's, many people jumped on the bandwagon of purchasing home recording machines that, in the days before magnetic tape for home use, recorded onto a blank record. Machines were made by a variety of companies, but the Wilcox-Gay Recordio machines were by far the most popular, and can still be found on eBay from time to time. My grandparents used their machine quite a bit when my dad and uncle were born, and thankfully these discs weren't tossed! Dig the cool logos! Enjoy the images in the slideshow below or the discs themselves and the folder that holds them, or click through for the Flickr set. Can you tell which are 7" and which are 10"?

Gertrude Elliott Color Illustrations from "The Golden Songbook" (1945)

"The Golden Songbook" is a classic songbook for children, and it was just that for my mother. Filled with sixty songs -- from "A-Hunting We Will Go" to "Yankee Doodle" -- and dozens of wonderful illustrations by Gertrude Elliott, this book is a minor treasure. Here's the official description:

Sixty of the best-loved songs of childhood are here, all illustrated in Gertrude Elliott's charming manner. The arrangements are suited to young voices amd simply harmonized for piano accompaniment. A dozen songs may be used for singing games, and the directions for these have been included. Katherine Tyler Wessells has also arrange "The Little Golden Book of Singing Games". Among the books Miss Elliott has illustrated are "The Golden Dictionary," "The Golden Book of Poetry," and a number of Little Golden Books.

And so, from The Golden Library, here are the complete set of color illustrations by Gertrude Elliott from "The Golden Songbook" for your viewing pleasure -- and click through for the full-sized scans if you so desire! And -- though I hate to ask -- if you are getting something out of the stuff here, please throw a few bucks in my donation box -- thank you!

Jazz Songbooks from Leeds Music: Part I (1940s)

I'm a huge vintage music collector, mainly because I'm a musician and either find a use for it or at least preserve it, but also because I love the vintage design on some of the covers. I'm particularly fond of these covers that Leeds Music did in the 1940s for a series of jazz songbooks. Part I of my collection are these two warm-up books. They all appear to have the same illustrator as well, signed simply, "Holley". Enjoy, and click through for full-sized scans. Also, if this kind of thing interests you, visit my other blog, Collecting Sheet Music.