JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

Leaf through any mid-20th century general interest magazine and you'll fine tons of booze ads. For example, many 1950s American publications provide an education in just how many varieties of bourbon were available, targeted to every class and taste preference.   This edition of the New Yorker is chock full of booze ads, many of them with a holiday theme.  Ready to wander through a 1970s ad executive's cabinet as you open the Christmas cards slipped through your mail slot? Let's go! (DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible if you decide to sample each of these fine liquids while browsing this collection of ads. This post only contains ads related to the holidays or nearly related to the holidays. Trust me, there were plenty of non-Christmas booze ads in this issue.) O Tanqueray Gin tree! O Tanqueray Gin tree! How lovely are thy bottles! Then as now, you might choose to give a nice bottle of scotch in a fancy gift box. Some brands, like J&B, went for historical illustrations...

This post offers supplementary material for an article I recently wrote for TVO , which you should read before diving into this post.  Here's a sampling of the ads that were discussed in the piece. Note the rise and fall of the ghoulishness factor, especially among the Christmas-centric ads. Click on the images for larger versions. Barrie Examiner, December 31, 1959. Barrie Examiner, December 24, 1960. Barrie Examiner, December 30, 1960. Barrie Examiner, December 23, 1961 . Barrie Examiner, December 30, 1961 . Barrie Examiner, December 31, 1962 . Barrie Examiner, December 30, 1963 . Barrie Examiner, December 24, 1964. Barrie Examiner, December 24, 1965. Barrie Examiner, December 31, 1966. The Weekly, December 20, 1967. I tried to find similarly ghoulish ads in other Ontario newspapers, and discovered this safety campaign from Toronto Township (present-day Mississauga) which ran during the mid-t...

This post offers supplementary material for an article I recently wrote for Torontoist , which you should read before diving into this piece. Globe , December 12, 1921 Ontario implemented prohibition of liquor sales via the Ontario Temperance Act in 1916. It was about as successful as such things go, which is to say, people still wanted to drink. Its repeal began in 1924 (after which weaker beer was allowed), then replaced entirely in 1927 by the creation of the LCBO. A follow-up to Mr. Jennes's transgression appeared in the Globe five days later. Along the line, his last name lost an "e": Fred Jenns, bartender at the Brunswick Hotel, was fined $50 and costs or 10 days for obstructing  the police. Jenns held on to an officer when he entered to look for liquor. The explanation was that Jenns kept a little liquor for his own use, and that he did not mean to obstruct the police.

This installment of my "Ghost City" column for  The Grid  was originally published on   May 14, 2013. Last week, an onsite time capsule was opened . Globe , September 10, 1915. The Canadian Pacific Railway was tired of arguing. Negotiations with government bodies over the development of a replacement for the existing Union Station were heading nowhere fast. Fatigued by squabbling, in 1912, the CPR moved several passenger routes from downtown to a line it controlled in the north end of the city. While a train station already existed on the west side of Yonge Street near Summerhill Avenue, it hardly matched CPR executives’ visions of grandeur.

Saturday Night , December 1976. With tonight being New Year's Eve, the time seems right to post a pile of booze ads with drink suggestions which were tucked away in a mid-1970s edition of Saturday Night magazine. Don't fret if you don't have a magnifying glass, as you can click on any of the images for a larger version. Feel free to substitute your favourite brand, which may be unavoidable for long-gone labels.

This post offers supplementary material for a recent Ghost City column written for The Grid , which you should read first before diving into this post. Source: The Globe , September 10, 1915. Besides Mayor Tommy Church, at least two other people spoke during the September 9, 1915 cornerstone ceremony for the Canadian Pacific Railway's new North Toronto station. CPR general manager A.D. MacTier thanked everyone for their assistance in initializing the project: “I hope that through this gathering I may be able to get to know your city officials, businessmen and the public generally, believing as I do that only by much personal friendship and knowledge of each other’s aims and needs can that mutual understanding and respect be created, without which the proper amicable relations between a large public utility and the people of a great city can neither be created nor maintained.” Also speaking was jurist William Mulock, who referred to the ongoing conflict in Europe. Accord...

Labatt's probably had good intentions in providing the public with tips on becoming a better driver. I know I would have lined up to try their fancy mobile testing unit at the CNE or any country fair. A crucial element of being a better motorist is missing, one that the brewer might not have wanted to publicize for fear of lost sales: drinking and driving.

Click on photos for closeup. One useful task accomplished while resting at home over Labour Day weekend was a long-overdue cleaning-out of the family liquor cabinet. We're not known for overindulging in booze, so bottles of alcohol tend to stick around for years. Mom was certain that a few bottles near the back predated me, possibly back to the late 1960s. Among the ancient treasures we found was a bottle of Marie Brizard creme de menthe of indeterminate age. If any liquor historians can date this bottle based on the pictures above, I'd love to hear from you.

When you need a friend, Lonesome Charlie is there. Nothing suits a romantic ballad in a grassy field or a sunset stroll than a cheap fruit-flavoured wine beverage. All that's missing is easier-than-easy listening music. Source: 1978 Blue Jays Scorebook Magazine  

If you have thirty-one more suggestions, let us know. Source: The New Yorker , November 13, 1971

Once upon a time, Ontario's alcohol regulations stipulated that bars were split into separate rooms for men and women , though the odd "escort" was allowed with the ladies. Though these rules evaporated by the 1970s, traces may found in older watering holes that kept the signs for decorative use. Amy and I found this well-preserved example on a recent roam around Windsor, at the Victoria Tavern in Walkerville. Photo taken June 28, 2008

John and Mary Haines often smiled at each other whenever Dr. Frank Jones and Professor Morris Goldie came over to play checkers. They knew that Frank tended to down one too many bottles of Molson Golden, causing him to visualize Morris's wild mane of hair, well-trimmed beard and dignified bearing as the features of a lion. Morris won 95% of the matches, but Frank didn't mind as long as the professor provided literary odes to their favourite beer. Source: Maclean's , April 16, 1955. 

On Sunday, along with two intrepid explorers, I headed down to Buffalo to check out Doors Open Niagara. A full post is coming ( Squiddity has a nifty take on the day ), but here's one of the weirdest moments of the trip. While walking towards Buffalo City Hall, we noticed an odd combination of items on the sidewalk: One empty bottle of booze, one partly-squeezed lime, one dead bird. Coincidence or connected? If the latter, the line of tragic events is easy to follow: 1) The bird had a rough day and finds solace in a flask left behind on the sidewalk. 2) The bird notices a barely-used lime slice and decides it would add a nice twist. 3) Either the bird realizes too late that booze, lime and birds don't mix, or decides in his alcoholic haze to end it all by slamming into the Statler building at MACH 3. The fatal wedge of lime? I apologize to Leonard Cohen for the last words on this tragedy... Like a bird on a bender Like a butterfly in a fender He felt pain On h...

Bud Man has rubber face with no place to breathe! OH YEAH! Bud Man has chin like Brian Mulroney! OH YEAH! We called Duffman for a comment on the man who possibly inspired him, but the only reply we received was "Duffman doesn't talk for free! OH YEAH!" Apparently Bud Man has fought for truth, justice, fermented barley and large breweries since 1969. OH YEAH! Source: Sports Illustrated , June 10, 1991

Here we have a nice, WASPy, suburban middle-class BBQ at the dawn of the 1960s. Mrs. Early has worked all day preparing her famous Bourbon-Style Salad. She taste-tested the dressing several times during preparation, hence her stare into a void, not at Mr. Early in the doorway. Mr. Early occasionally casts a bemused glance towards Henderson and Miss Jones. He suspects they may be having an affair. This doesn't bother Mr. Early, since it leaves him more time to spend with the lovely Mrs. Henderson. Where is Mrs. Henderson? She's at home watching Tommy, who's recovering from a bout of recalcitrant plebney. Henderson's expression tells you all you need to know about what's going down with Miss Jones, though he is puzzled why she spends an extraordinary amount of time with his sister Hilda. Early Times was smooth stuff alright. Mr. Early had secured a case for the BBQ, which was emptied. Many secrets were revealed, one marriage ended, many hand and facial burns re...

This week's trip back in time via Detroit: A Young Guide to the City takes us not to Motown but a place to stand, a place to grow, Ontari-ari-ari-o. While Windsor may now be a haven for underage boozers, back then cross-border tipplers had to deal with our crazy blue laws. Regulated glass sizes and servings, gender-specific drinking rules, liquor stores akin to a Sears Catalogue counter with less decor and bottles given to you with a shameful look in a brown paper bag (oooooh, you're buying booze...shame, shame!). Here's what the guide had to say about our drinking rules: It is one of Ontario's dubious distinctions to have some of the most confusing liquor laws ever devised...under no circumstances may alcoholic beverages be consumed anywhere other than one's residence or on licensed premises. For legal purposes, a "residence" has recently been redefined to include temporary residences; therefore, motel rooms, tents, etc. can now be considered le...

An indication of how much beer advertising has changed in the past 20 years. Don't think I've ever heard anyone wax poetic about the clean, clear outdoorsy feeling that comes over them while knocking back a Blue. Take a gander at that bottle...were stubbies still in production in '84, when this ad appeared? Or did Canadians keep them in the Great White North? Note that the importer was located in suburban Buffalo. Was Blue western New York's #1 imported beer? Many memories of the 1984 Tigers , the last edition of the team to go to the World Series. They stayed in first place all season long, driving the growing number of Blue Jays fans crazy (the Jays were less than a decade old). Watching Jack Morris throw a no-hitter on the NBC Game of the Week. Going to see my second baseball game at Tiger Stadium (forget the results). WDIV sportscaster Al Ackerman's catchphrase that stuck to the team: "Bless You Boys". My beloved Tigers jacket from Montgo...