25 Unintentionally Funny and Weird Comic Strip Panels From the Past

In his 1953 book Seduction of the Innocent, Dr. Frederic Wertham famously assailed the comic book industry for how it created different kinds of maladjustment in young minds. The following year, the Comics Code Authority was created to police the industry, censoring any references to sex, drugs, excessive levels of violence, the occult, etc. And yet these 20 comic book panels the bulk of them selected from comics that were published in the 1950s and ’60s when the Comic Code Authority was at its strictest demonstrate that even a sanitized, well-regulated comic book industry could still have its fair share of lewd and crude moments, filled with boners, indecent exposures and propositions for trysts in the Batcave when read in certain contexts, of course.

In reality, while some of these images might have been the work of some clever, smart-alecky comic book creator that wanted to subversively work in a dash of innuendo into the latest issue of Batman, Superman or Archie, the hilarity of these panels is inadvertent a happy accident for those of us whose mind goes directly into the gutter whenever a comic book character talks about getting hard or having a strange sensation. So here are 25 unintentionally funny comic book panels in all of their out-of-context glory.

See more»

Elegance and Iciness: The Ultimate Blondes of Hitchcockian Films

It is unsure whether Alfred Hitchcock was a true gentleman according to the on-set legends – but he certainly preferred blondes, even obsessed with them in a peculiar manner. His films are renowned for not only the suspense, the voyeurism and the gallows humour, but also the frequent feature of a blonde in a pivotal role. Of course, these blondes are not merely picturesque beauties for the audience’s gaze. They project such qualities of independence, determination, grace and mystery, but most notably, they also represent Hitchcock’s fantasy and idea of how a perfect woman should be.

Ingrid Bergman taking a last fond look at the sights of London in the company of Alfred Hitchcock, October 23, 1948. Photo by Kurt Hutton.

It is worth noticing that the Master of Suspense avoided the popular Hollywood bombshells in the 1940s – 1960s like the plague. Hitchcock’s leading ladies are regularly portrayed as the classic model: clean wardrobe, hairspray and aloof exquisiteness. The way they operate, however, is similar to modern women’s, whose suppressed sexuality and emotional complexity hidden beneath that elegant physical appearance. The curious beauty and grace in their looks create tension and contradiction – an icy exterior with an inner fire – which frequently help drive the films and strengthen the character’s duality. In 1996, film critic Roger Ebert wrote, “The female characters in his films reflected the same qualities over and over again. They were blonde. They were icy and remote. They were imprisoned in costumes that subtly combined fashion with fetishism. They mesmerised the men, who often had physical or psychological handicaps. Sooner or later, every Hitchcock woman was humiliated.”

Here is a look at his ultimate screen sirens:

1. Ingrid Bergman:

Swedish star Ingrid Bergman played the female leading role in total three of Hitchcock’s films: Spellbound (1945), Notorious (1946) and the lesser-known Under Capricorn (1949). Her palpable intelligence, along with her modest manner, created a combination of restrained elegance with a simmering desire, which made her a superb candidate for Hitchcock’s ideal female protagonist. To this day Notorious still remains as one of Hitchcock’s most regarded films.

Ingrid Bergman as Alicia Huberman in 'Notorious,' 1946.

Publicity still of Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant for 'Notorious,' 1946.

Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck on the set of 'Spellbound,' 1945.

Publicity still of Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant for 'Notorious,' 1946.

See more»

27 Vintage Snaps Capture People Watching TV in the Past

Before internet, here is what people often did in their freetime in the past.

See more»

42 Awkward Pics of the 80's Sweaters That You Won't Want Them Back

The 1980s saw many dramatic changes in fashion. Some things were really cool: punk style, very big hair... But there were also many bad things in this period, and sweaters were one of them.

Take a look at these photos from Wit Knits to see how awkward the '80s sweaters were!

Sign of Success

Snail Style

Sundae Best

Sunny Side Up

Sweet Sixteen

See more»

This Footage of NYC From 1911 Gives a Glimpse Into What Life Was Like in the Big Apple More Than 100 Years Ago

In 1911, a Swedish film crew from Svenska Biografteatern, who were sent around the world to make pictures of well-known places, came to the United States through New York City and captured beautifully clear footage of daily street life in the burgeoning American metropolis along with every mode of transportation available at the time.

Opening and closing with shots of the Statue of Liberty, the film also includes New York Harbor; Battery Park and the John Ericsson statue; the elevated railways at Bowery and Worth Streets; Broadway sights like Grace Church and Mark Cross; the Flatiron Building on Fifth Avenue; and Madison Avenue. Produced only three years before the outbreak of World War I, the everyday life of the city recorded here—street traffic, people going about their business—has a casual, almost pastoral quality that differs from the modernist perspective of later city-symphony films.

See more»

Beetle Painted on VW Volkswagen: Pictures of Gorgeous VW Bus Art Paintings

Volkswagen, maker of the Beetle automobile, expands its product offerings to include a microbus, which goes into production on March 8, 1950. Known officially as the Volkswagen Type 2 (the Beetle was the Type 1) or the Transporter, the bus was a favorite mode of transportation for hippies in the U.S. during the 1960s and became an icon of the American counterculture movement.

The VW bus was reportedly the brainchild of Dutch businessman Ben Pon, an importer of Beetles to the Netherlands, who saw a market for a small bus and in 1947 sketched out his concept. Volkswagen engineers further developed the idea and in March 1950, the vehicle, with its boxy, utilitarian shape and rear engine, went into production.

The bus eventually collected a number of nicknames, including the “Combi” (for combined-use vehicle) and the “Splittie” (for its split windshield); in Germany it was known as the “Bulli.” In the U.S., it was referred to by some as a hippie van or bus because it was used to transport groups of young people and their camping gear and other supplies to concerts and anti-war rallies. Some owners painted colorful murals on their buses and replaced the VW logo on the front with a peace symbol. According to “Bug” by Phil Patton, when Grateful Dead musician Jerry Garcia died in 1995, Volkswagen ran an ad featuring a drawing of the front of a bus with a tear streaming down it.

Beautiful Found Photos Show a Couple's Wedding in Cranfield, England From the Mid-1980s

Here is a found photo collection from vintage ladies that shows a wedding of an unknown couple in Cranfield, a village and civil parish in north west Bedfordshire, England on 1st June 1985.

Bride at home prior to wedding

Bride at home prior to wedding

Bride at home prior to wedding

Bride at home prior to wedding

Bride at home prior to wedding

See more»