Smoking and the Golden Era

[jamespowers]

That JFK??? OR Regan? Can't tell right off the bat.

Its Reagan you nit!
Look at that jacket too. :cool2: Makes me want to go out and get my pipe.
Anyone seen Gable's kid lately? The last time I saw him he looked a whole lot like his father---without the moustache of course.

Regards to all,

J

 

[Veronica Parra]

That JFK???

Reagan. Jack Kennedy was a stogie man himself. But here's a wartime snapshot of JFK's big brother, Joe Jr., sporting a pipe while at the controls of a PB4Y-1 bomber.

On August 12, 1944 Joe Kennedy's plane exploded shortly after takeoff, killing him and his co-pilot instantly.

 

[DanielJones]

Even Peter Lorre could look slick & stylish with a smoke in hand.

But that was then and this is now.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Bebop]

I remember when I was a young smoker thinking that I was sooo cool to hold a cigarette like Peter Lorre while smoking. I have always thought of Lorre as "Mr. Cool".

Pipe smoking was all but gone for quite a few years and now it seems that there are a few more pipers showing up. People are always asking me questions about either my pipes or my tobacco. It becomes a conversation starter. I think it is somewhat socially acceptable. Not as acceptable as in the above photos but more than the dreaded cigarette.

 

[Blackjack]

I still have a cigerette or two if I'm out tipping a few, but gave it up as an all day event a few years ago. Smoking as bad of a habit as it is has a LOT of very seductive qualities about it. It is a hard habit to break and I really liked to smoke. My wife quit years ago by going to those herbal cigerettes. They actually weren't that bad, very mild, no bite and compleatly non addicting. They still contain tar but no nicotine. One thing about those old photos was non filtered cigerettes make a much better prop than filtered ones. They smoke better and for some reason look "cooler" than thinner filtered smokes.

 

[Wild Root]

Its Reagan you nit!
J

Yeah, ok. I did say Reagan too you know. Shesh!

I'd have to say that is one of the earliest photos I have seen of him! Looks total late 30's to me!

Ok, JP does Gables son look like this?

 

[Lauren]

In black in white? Spectacular. You can't smell it, it has a cool effect, and it looks elegant. In real life? Not for me. My grandma died of lung cancer, so it's something I'll never partake in. Unfortunately, my boyfriend is a big fan of smoking pipes and cigars. It looks cool in vintage, but is not something I really appreciate. But I appreciate him way more than the smoking so I guess I'm stuck. If he ever gets into cigarettes, that's another story...

My faves for women smoking have already been mentioned-
*That pic of Garbo in the top hat
*Now Voyager
*Breakfast at Tiffany's (the one color movie I think it looks good in. It was that loooong cigarette holder.)



Don't forget that back then they didn't know there was anything dangerous about smoking! My grandma (my other one) says that everyone smoked because the stars smoked and they wanted to look more glamourous.

But how did the women smoke through veils? Wouldn't the heat cause the plastic to melt? And what about cigarette holders? Don't the chemicals start floating around when there's something that hot in the premisis?

 

[Wild Root]

Check this out.

This photo of Marlene Dietrich 1934 I'm sure sold a lot of cancer sticks!

=WR=

 

[Wild Root]

Even Peter Lorre could look slick & stylish with a smoke in hand.

But that was then and this is now.

Cheers!

Dan

Great photos of him! But, I can't help remembering his roll in "My Favorite Brunette" Staring Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour 1947.

=WR=

 

[Sefton]

Don't forget that back then they didn't know there was anything dangerous about smoking! My grandma (my other one) says that everyone smoked because the stars smoked and they wanted to look more glamourous.

How true! Everyone in my family smoked. Mother,Father,Grandparents,Aunts,well
you get the picture (how I turned out a non smoker is a mystery..). As a matter of fact, my Grandmother and an Aunt worked for the Chesterfield cigarrette company. As a reward for good work they were given cartons of cigarrettes!

 

[BellyTank]

"More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette."

B
T

 

[Wild Root]

Chesterfield was such a big sponsor for a few of the big bands! Glenn Miller, Harry James and a few others.

Back in those days, tobacco products weren't as full of chemicals and other additives to make cigarettes addictive. My Grandmother Smith smoked Lucky's. She tried to hide it from us till one day we helped her bring in her groceries from the car. She stepped away from the kitchen for a minuet and my mother was putting away some of the goods. She found a pack of Luck's and we all couldn't believe it! Always wondered why grama smelled like smoke and Lysol!

On my mothers side my family were mostly LDS and so they were smoke free! One friend of mine took up smoking just to look more period! I was disappointed in this because it's so unhealthy. He also smokes a pipe and cigars on occasion. He has tried to get me to try it but, my reply has always been this: I'm a 30's-40's Mormon!

Smoking as such a big time habit as it was back then would be the only thing I wouldn't like about living in the 40's. It was in all public places. You couldn't escape from it. Yes, the movies make it look cool and that's about it!

=WR=

 

[Mycroft]

Ha ha, that is so choice :clap That is like medicinal whisky or brandy. :beer: (it's good for your health.) The "T" zone...

 

[Slate Shannon]

Remember, kids, don't try this at home!

I used to smoke cigarettes when I was a young man, but gave it up many years ago. Quit cold-turkey and never had the urge to smoke another one. I must confess, though, that I am seriously considering taking up pipe smoking.

 

[jamespowers]

Ok, JP does Gables son look like this?

Yep, that looks nearly exactly like him. He is older now and graying but that does look like him. Interesting how our genes can pull so much from one side or the other. :cheers1:
For those who didn't read it earlier, people knew smoking cigarettes was bad for them since 1604. They just did it anyway. The doctor bit was a bit of subterfuge and appealing to authority for a cover but people knew. Real doctors, not the ones in ads or on TV, told you to quit. They told my grandfather to quit in the Golden Age. They were more blunt about it too then. It was simply "quit or we will be throwing dirt in your face in a very short time." Sounds just like saying it will kill you to me.
All this being said, I still will enjoy a cigar or pipe maybe once a week or so. That is enough for me. I told my doctor I smoke and he got all up in the air about it. Then he asked how often I smoke and what. The reaction was much more subdued. The health risk from that kind of exposure is cut down to the point that it is insignificant. Lets remember that people who do not smoke also get lung cancer. Its not exclusively a smoker's disease. Christopher Reeves wife is one case of many.
I smoke knowing the risk and they smoked knowing the risk as well. They just don't want to take responsibility for their actions now and love suing "big tobacco for their own vices. I am sure fast food and the liquor industry will be next. Now if I could only decide which liquor company's stock to purchase. Nobody ever went broke investing in vice.

Regards to all,

J

P.S. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[scotrace]

Got it all

If you have a lanky brunette with a wicked jaw, a Borsalino (see the waffled front sweat edge), a grand suit, perfect tie, twinkling eyes, a Lincoln convertible and a smoke, who needs to live to be 100? (which, I might add, he nearly did).

 

[Nick Charles]

Moderation

Everything in moderation gents. I smoke a pipe and cigars, but not every waking minute of the day. Some of it is also luck and good genetics. Some people can just smoke and drink and be 80, 90 or even a hundred. Case in point

Say goodnight Gracie.

Goodnight

 

[jamespowers]

Everything in moderation gents. I smoke a pipe and cigars, but not every waking minute of the day. Some of it is also luck and good genetics. Some people can just smoke and drink and be 80, 90 or even a hundred.

Exactly!
Science has also shown us that two out of ten of us have a gene that makes the lungs impervious to the tar and build up caused by smoking. These two in ten have a super lung cleaning system that continues to function no matter how much they smoke. The cilia in their lungs doesn't become clogged with the tar and nicotine and die. They just keep sweeping out the garbage.
A friend of mine smoked until she was 89. It wasn't the smoking that lead to her demise either. Obviously she was one of the two out of ten. The caution is that if you smoke like a fiend for 50 years the chances are against you 80/20. You have an 80% chance that you are not the beneficiary of good genes. It will get you eventually so moderation is a good thing. Living like you are part of the 80% is a good idea because it is likely you are.

Regards to all,

J

 

[Bebop]

The tranquility and mellowness of the moments spent smoking my pipes overshadows the hazards. I would have to drink alcohol or take some kind of pills to feel as relaxed and tranquil as I do when smoking my pipes. Moderation is the key word when enjoying tobacco :cool2: or alcohol :beer: or most anything (except hats). :cool2:

 

[Absinthe_1900]

I always liked W.C. Fields talking about his son "Chester" when Lucky Strike sponsored his radio show.........