1. Boosting is a Business – Here’s a 1950 informational film detailing various techniques used by “professional” shoplifters.  The tactics used range from pedestrian “grab-and-put-it-in-your-pocket” theft to coordinated operations involving multiple people  Beyond the actual shoplifting there’s a lot to love about this film: the locations, the fashions, and the little slice-of-life glimpes you get of 1950s America are all worth the watch.

The film’s pretty balanced about its thieves; there’s only the occasional teenager while the majority are middle aged men and women.

The shifty eyes give these people away every time.

This one’s got it figured out. Look straight ahead.

This scene is particularly noteworthy not only for the fancy clothes rack design but also that this lady just opens her skirt and tucks more skirts onto the front of her actual skirt! How would that work!

Like I said, worth a watch.  There’s no hokiness here other than the harsh overdramatic tone of typical 1950s short films.  For a department store shoplifting is pretty serious business, and this film certainly backs up that attitude. There’s also an odd little piece of drug fear interjected into the middle about crazed addicts who will steal anything to fuel their habits.

2.  Thanksgiving Magazine Covers – I shared a great Thanksgiving themed Boy’s Life cover last week, but here are a few more that I love.

Woman’s Day from 1956:

Harper’s Bazar from 1894:

Child Life 1925:

3.  Give Peace a Chance (1991) – Everyone knows John Lennon’s 1969 version of this classic song but fewer are aware of Yoko’s 1991 cover, made in protest of the Gulf War and including dozens of musicians from the ’90s.  It’s really…..something.

Sebastian Bach really belts it out, doesn’t he?

4.  You Cannot Beat Us – Not one of Nintendo’s finer moments, this ad was quickly pulled off the air due to the fact that it was scaring children.

5.  Little Birdie – One of my favorite Vince Guaraldi tunes, here’s “Little Birdie” From A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

-ds