Some Enchanted Evening

In the Wonder Years episode where Kevin asks Winnie if she likes him or if she like likes him, she offsets the awkward moment by offering up a corny knock knock joke: 'Knock knock' 'Who's there?' 'Sam and Janet' 'Sam and Janet who?' (sung to the tune of 'Some Enchanted Evening' from South Pacific) 'Sam and Janet evening..' It was corny.. just like this Halloween party idea from a 1959 book called Party Perfect by Gay Head and the editors of Co-Ed Magazine. Illustrations are by Hertha Depper.

There's enough time for you to cobble together.. One Enchanted Evening. Just don't invite any real (or former real) witches! (all following text written by Gay Head)

"What is there about October that turns the moon into a big orange pumpkin and changes every shadow into a creeping black cat? There's Halloween magic in the air! Just the time for you to plan 'one enchanted evening.'

INVITATIONS

Try this bit of verse written in white ink on black paper cats or witches' hats.

Sunday night's the night that you
Shall be enchanted on witches' brew;
Come all 'cats' and share our treat--
Food and games that can't be beat!
If you can come, reply: Enchanted!
If you can't come, reply: Disenchanted!

DECORATIONS

Turn yourself loose in a variety store full of Halloween fixings. Decorate your party room with black cat figures, skeletons, pumpkin heads, and autumn leaves. Make moonlight magic by hanging an orange crepe-paper moon in front of a light. Dangle witches from the ceiling. Make a cauldron of a big black kettle, filled with witches' brew (apple juice or cider). For your table centerpiece, use a jack-o'-lantern which can be bought at the dime store. Fashion the hair out of strips of crepe paper and pull each strip just a little to give it a curly effect. Set a small wooden dish of nuts on the 'head.' Stick a corncob pipe in the mouth and put glasses on the 'nose.' Place your centerpiece on autumn leaves or on paper cut-outs the shape of leaves."



GAMES

"APPLE-SNAPPING is a switch on the old ducking-for-apples game and it's much dryer! Suspend a strong cord from the ceiling. Tie the end to the middle of a yardstick. On one end of the stick hang an apple on a string; on the other hang a thin cloth bag of flour. Twirl the stick. Together the boys, hands behind them, try to bite the apple. Those you do will 'make money' in the future. Those whose faces get snapped with flour will have fun. For the girls, the apple means 'a husband,' the flour means none.
MURDER. Before the party, make a pile of as many playing cards as you have guests, and be sure that the ace of spades and the jack of hearts are among them. Ask each guest to draw a card without letting anyone else see it. Tell them that the person who draws the ace of spades will be the 'murderer' and that the one who draws the jack of hearts will be the 'detective.' After everyone has drawn a card, explain that you will turn out the lights, and that after a moment the murderer will choose a victim and 'kill' him by pretending to choke him. Then the murderer will move away from the scene of the crime, and the victim will scream before dropping down 'dead.' The detective will rush to turn on the lights and try to discover the murderer by asking questions of everybody. All except the murderer must answer truthfully, and the questions continue until the detective spots the man."

MENU - Baked Ham, Jamboree Baked Beans, Assorted Relishes, Corn Muffins, Pumpkin Tarts, Apple Juice or Cider

Ladies, let me know how your apple-snapping turns out for you! Happy Halloween from Curly Wurly!!!

Crafts from the Crypt and Beyond!

There's still time! There's still time to scare the bejeezus out of the entire neighborhood, to put the last touches on your costume, and to start laying out the rest of your pre-Christmas holiday decor! Highlights for Children suggests a few ideas on how to add that last ooky touch to your holiday in their JUMBO Holiday Handbook (1963).

Actually, this is the Pumpkin King. The Jointed Pumpkin Man is credited as Tim Burton's major inspiration for both the utilitarian Edward Scissorhands and Jack Skellington.


This headpiece (Rabbit With the Whirlabout Smile -- doesn't that sound like a Decemberists song or the title of some twee indie rock album?) is meant to be an Easter craft, but the possibilities are endless. If you're struggling to come up with some sort of creepy headpiece for Halloween night, you might want to give this concept a whirl! The first picture looks more like some disturbing headgear with a large moustache. The second illustration shows the back of the mask as modeled by Michael Stipe.


Oscar, the Owl looks much like Peppy, the Wise Owl. While this would make a good Halloween decoration, it's also perfectly appropriate decoration for the rest of the season.


Never too early to get started on disturbing Thanksgiving crafts! We live in a country that likes to glitzify everything from jewelry to denim to teeth, so why not bestud your turkey wishbones with rhinestones or the like? It's not hideous, it's ingenious. I would like to submit this craft idea to Amy Sedaris. (These last two crafts are taken from another book, Don't Throw It Away! ('a treasury of unusual craft projects ... turn household throwaways into objects of lasting value') by Vivian Abell, copyright 1973)


To the right is the "Nutty" Centerpiece and a Coffee Mug Recipe Holder. We can tell that these are especially nice because they have attracted a flocked woodland creature figurine. If you look closely, you can see that there is a googly-eyed mouse peeking out of the mug.

- - -

Speaking of googly eyes, yesterday's Martha Stewart Show taught us how to make googly-eyed bangle bracelets, a 'clever accessory for Halloween.' The promo for the googly-eyed bangles also showed googly-eyed bowties (because googly eyes shouldn't just be a girl thing) and, as you can see in the photo above (copyright Martha Stewart Omnimedia), googly-eyed platform shoes for the fashionista. She also decorated gourds with googly eyes in lieu of traditional facial carving! I had no idea Martha was such a proponent of googly eyes, but I approve wholeheartedly! You can watch the clip (from the October 25 episode) online. Thank you, Martha, for your ghoulgly-eyed ideas!

Fortnight Of A Thousand Faces

Feeling lonely? It's easy to make friends! Let Curly Wurly and Highlights Magazine show you how! Whether you want to make friends out of organic materials like walnuts; dehydrated apples; and eggs (or egg shells) or trash including old paper cups; burnt-out lightbulbs; kitchen utensils; and balloons, you can be the center of attention in your home in no time! Get started now, and you can have your house completely covered in staring eyes by Halloween! Click on images for craft directions.

Little Pecan-head Dolls | Paper Cup People


Apple-head Dolls | Light-bulb Creatures


Easter Eggs (make one that looks just like Spring Byington!) | Puppet


Crazy Faces (Karl Malden and Dr. Phil or Harpo and Groucho?) | Papier-mâché Wall Masks (didn't this guy fall off the wall in the Brady Bunch Goes To Hawaii episodes?)


A Mask (a perfect Lady Elaine Fairchild!) | Mr. Egghead With a Crewcut

Mary Alden's Hall Of Oats

Oats. They're one of the most stable and wholesome breakfast and dessert ingredients to have on hand, but, even so, Mary Alden's My 40 Favorite Recipes (Quaker Oats Co., 1959) offers some surprising suggestions to spice up one of the most mundane of the pantry mainstays.

Tradition and ingenuity meet on the front cover. An inviting bowl of be-peached oatmeal holds its own between a post-modern hors d'oeuvre platter and holiday field hockey cookies.


The 'it' meat: Baby meat loaves were the food of the late 1950s!


Don your grass skirt and light up the tiki torches! Your luau isn't complete without island-inspired Tropicana Kabobs made with ham balls!


I wonder how Chicken Timbales compare to the greatest of diner dishes, Chicken Croquettes.


Frosted Meat Loaves: They're Grrrrr-eat! Can you spot the face in the tomato?


A good looking Stuffed Acorn Squash


Mmm, Baked Tuna Ring heaped with buttery lima beans! If you clean your plate, you can have dessert!


... Hmm, apparently no-bake cookies were Mary Alden's specialty.


Twenty-four hour Party Cookies and the Happy (Squirrel) Sundaes. (Those squirrel cookies are extremely cute; much cuter than the children-of-the-damned lollipop cookies)


Delicious Desserts Squared


Paradise Meringues: It sounds like the name of an MTV reality show.


A sight for sore eyes: The best looking dish of the book just might be the most simple, Peach Oatmeal.


They call it "Breakfast in -a- glass ...!". I'm not so intrigued about this being in -a- glass so much as that fact that this is a non-yogurt, all-oatmeal smoothie made using a rotary beater.

Young Moderns

If Curly Wurly was pressed to name its favorite writer, Mary Lee Taylor would be a contender for top prize. I've covered so many Taylor pamphlets here that she actually has her own tag. The most recent acquisition to the CW/Taylor archive is 1957's Cookbook For Young Moderns. What sets this cookbook apart from her earlier publications is her befuddling attempt at appealing to a younger generation. The result is a confused amalgamation of the old (stark wartime black and white photos of unappetizing mystery dishes) and the new (sumptuous colors and playful illustrations).

(Note: I'm trying out a different photo upload site. Let me know if you encounter problems viewing these images or the larger versions to which I've linked! This is only a test. BEEEEEEEEP!)

The front cover has some whimsical illustrations of kitchenware that looks like it's ready to dance right off the page! Also, have you tried the upside down cake?


PET Milk is, as always, a 'favorite "sparkle and vitality" drink for young moderns.' I can't help thinking this duo has to be more excited about something than the fact that the milk is Instant, though.


The drinks of the day at the Korova Milk Bar.


I'm sure any Frenchman would be offended by the notion of the 'Meaty French Cheese-Bake.' Especially since its main ingredients are the very American gummy white Wonder bread, processed American cheese, and canned luncheon meat!


PET Milk makes a Whipped Topping that is practically parfait in every way


FANCY FRANKS! This is the dance-that-could-have-been from the 'Tapioca' scene in Thoroughly Modern Millie.


There can't be too much of a demand for tutu-wearing potatoes! Not even among Fluffy Mashed Potato fanatics!


The Littlest Meat Loaves

Armour's Theatre Presents...: The Sequel

The last batch of Armour's Theatre films will hit your local cinerama screen by Christmas 2010! (Pictures actually from Armour's Meal of the Month File -- undated, though possibly 1950)

(HONEY GLAZED HAM with Fruits)
A still from a documentary about Buckminster Fuller's latest constructions presented in startling 3-D IMAX, Honey Glazed Ham Future.


(BAKED STAR HAM with Cinnamon Orange Slices)
Delicatess N., the invisible charcutière of the rue jambon


(BAKED CORNED BEEF HASH -- Egg and Pickle Garnish)
I saw it over the rim of my cup of joe. It made my eggs, sunny side up, look quaint by comparison. I eyed its egg and pickle garnish, and it eyed me right back with a look that told me that it was not just any old dish of corned beef hash. Yes, I knew this one was different. Sure, I knew better. I could tell that this one was bad. That this one was dangerous and would leave me with nothing but regret. I knew I couldn't trust it farther than I could throw it. But, I've always been a sucker for pickles. And this dish was just my type. Sam Spatula in: I Ate It At Gifford's.


(BAKED STAR HAM SLICE WITH CRUSTED PEARS)
Take me to your roaster! Close Encounters of the Toque Kind


(STAR BACON AND FLUFFY CLOVERBLOOM EGGS)
It's like catnip to every cat in town. Dial CLoverbloom-254, a sultry drama from the writer of Hot Dog and a Tin Roof Sundae. Straight from Broadway to the silver screen.


(ARMOUR'S STAR HAM "MEDITERRANEAN")
Marcello! Salvation and prosciutto don't lie within four walls. Marcello?


(BARBECUED STAR FRANKFURTERS and Star Bacon)
All singing, all dancing, some eating, and no adults!! Beach Afghan Hotdog starring that fab teen couple Frank and Sandy!

Armour's Theatre Presents...

Dipping into the Armour's Meal of the Month File (undated, though the experts of the internet seem to agree that it's from 1950), a collection of savory meat notions, I found that the recipe cards reminded me of these authentic movie posters from the same era. Just try to add these movies to your Netflix queue! What follows is a selection of the meaty movie posters and either the copy from the movie poster or the original voice-over scripts for the film trailers.

The Armours are a family like any other. Mr. Armour is the town's affable fishmonger. Mrs. Armour is an international hand model with exquisite digits. Little Chip Armour is president of McKinley High's philately club, and his older sister Sylvia Armour was voted prettiest in her class. But what their friends and extended family... and each other... don't know is that they are all spies! What you are about to see is classified. Armour's Meal of the Month File: Marie Gifford's Tested Recipes


(STAR SAUSAGES with French Toast Sandwiches)
No one knew what built them or what they meant... Was it some ancient civilization or aliens reaching out for human contact? No one could say... Because only the people of Irrational Fearsville, Nebraska knew that these strange structures even existed! This September, stay away from Glowing Sepulchres!


(BROILED STAR PURE PORK SAUSAGES and Peaches)
Scientists speculated that no living organisms could possibly survive in those murky depths... They were wrong! From the people who brought you That Thing From The Ocean Floor, here's The Thing With Eighteen Legs! Coming to a Red Lobster table near you this fall -- It tastes good with those cheddar cheese buns!


(Star Bacon and Chopped Steak Grill on Toasted Round Buns)
Back in those days before he became a legend, they called him Charr Montgomery. Lone Starr Charr. This is his family's oil refinery way out west. It was his grandaddy's land, and then it was his daddy's land. They say everything's bigger out west, but the west wasn't big enough for Charr. When it came time for him to take over, he sold his family's oil to head out to bigger and brighter things in Hollywood. If there's one thing Lone Starr Charr learned, it's to not sell your land before you actually land a movie role. Lone Starr Charr: it'll make Giant seem downright tiny. Based on a book by Edith Ferber, Edna's younger sister.


(BARBECUED HAM SLICES)
(sung by a chorus of Welsh children): Look to the end of the rainbow and you shall find him there, Hurry to the edge of the rainbow before he vanishes into thin air (He's rare!)! He has a little frog-like body and he has no hair! Look to the end of the colorful arc and you shall find him there! Cecil, the Happiest Monster!


(STUFFED STAR FRANKFURTERS -- STAR BACON)
FRANKS! lights! FRANKS! robots! FRANKS! androids! FRANKS! humanoids! FRANKS! mechanical! FRANKS! brain! FRANKS! Coming soon to a universe near you.


(STAR BACON MEAT ROLL -- Olive Stuffing)
Join the high-spirited adventurers aboard the Nereia in this new sight - sound - and smell extravaganza! Watch as the camera captures the enigmas of the high seas! Hear the gurgling of the ocean waves! Take a whiff of dinner aboard the corsair! Learn from Chef Edward Teach how to prepare this gaping fellow in a step-by-step tutorial that will satisfy every Hungry Buccaneer! Rove the cove then shove in the oven in under 90 minutes (serves 5-6)!

These are only half of the Armour's Theatre movies opening in 2010! Tomorrow you can preview the movies you may anticipate seeing in time for Christmas!