Eleanor Roosevelt, Fashion Icon?

Former first lady, humanitarian, diplomat... and fashion icon?

America the Psychedelic

This unbelievably psychedelic (and campy) short film, made by San Francisco animator Vincent Collins, was funded with a Bicentennial Project Grant and produced by the United States Information Agency. Intended to celebrate America's 200th anniversary, this groovy animation ran on public TV though until July 4th, 1976. The original guideline for the project was simply "to animate symbols of USA," which Collin's piece certainly achieved.

Featuring images of Independence Hall, American Gothic, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Lincoln Memorial, the Liberty Bell, the Jefferson Memorial, Washington crossing the Delaware, Whistler's Mother, Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty and even Smokey the bear and KFC's Colonel Sanders, as well as numerous bald eagles, US flags, Ford Model T's, cheeseburgers and hotdogs -- this little animation packs quite a punch and should be considered quintessential Americana kitsch.

  

It certainly seems drug induced but whether Collins on hallucinogens at the time is not necessarily known --those with epilepsy should be forewarned, this is not for the light of heart and might have even made Hunter Thompson feel a little woozy after viewing. This should be comforting to those with young kids: Collins also produced various animations for Sesame Street. Far out!

Unfortunately for Collins, demand for these trippy projects vanished fast: "Somewhere in the 70's they [the government] stopped buying films - about the time everything sort of stopped for avant-garde underground scene," he said.

How did Nixon Relax? At the Beach!

Concerned with Richard Nixon's popular image as an uptight curmudgeon who was incapable of having fun, his campaign advisors hoped to portray the president as a "man of the people" during his reelection in 1972. As such, a photo shoot was arranged to showcase "Nixon the man" -- all the president had to do was take a casual stroll on the beautiful beach of San Clemente, California. These images would surely evoke the Kennedy-esque aura of camelot -- certainly Nixon was able to let his hair down from time to time?

Not exactly. The photo shoot backfired, and the result only further reinforced the stereotype that Nixon's people had hoped to avoid. Why? Because the president insisted on wearing his wingtip dress shoes as he meandered along the surf. Yes, shiny black wingtip oxfords, on the beach no less. Photo below:

Nixon's faux-pas was famously portrayed in the modern political comedy DICK in a scene where love-struck youngster Arlene, played by Michelle Williams, shares an intimate moment with the president: 

Flashback: Reagan Declares Candidacy in 1979

This should be required viewing for any republican considering a run for the GOP nomination in 2012. The text of this speech could be delivered today almost verbatim and the message would be equally effective... Text of the speech is available here.