One of the real estate casualties over the past 10+ years is the movie memorabilia store. Once plentiful, they are few and far between these days in Dealville. Some of that is that the storefronts themselves usually covered more square feet than items sold. (A visit would invariably show dust mites or other small crawling insects of some sort) The people who owned and worked in these shops often looked it and before closing, what accompanies this is the "everything must go" sale. A fellow college football fan surprised me with this: for just a quarter. "Thought you'd like this" was what he said. A half century later, to the day, here we are!
USC hosts Oregon State for Homecoming. One would have to guess that the Oregon schools were often the Homecoming games for many others in the Pac 8. At the start of this game, USC was 4-1 and ranked #7. Oregon State was 1-5, coming off a close victory over Cal. Over 53,000 fans came to the Coliseum that afternoon to watch the game, and for just $1 (roughly $6 today), you could get this program. It is also a "touchdown illustrated" program, which will help with filler articles that were likely used all season long. I also don't know if it was the school or "touchdown illustrated" that made all the deals for liquor advertisements: they dominate this magazine. The very first thing opposite the cover is an ad for Carlo Rossi's Burgundy wine. Maybe I'm forward thinking looking back, but wouldn't it be advantageous (pun intended) to maybe focus on the booze college kids drink, like beer?
By the way, the first local ad is for a Ford dealership in Culver City which, half a century later, is a building touting something called "creative office space for lease." Since 50 years is such a long time, and that southern California rarely lets land sit still, I'll keep a running tab on ads of places that are still here today.
Where was I? Ah yes, another curio from sports broadcasting of the 70's:
KNXT Channel 2 airs EVERY USC game...in late night. Back then, the NCAA still controlled who was on TV and how often. ABC was the only one (outside of bowl games) who could broadcast live, and while the network had some say on who and when, the NCAA limited schools to, I believe, 3 TV appearances at the most each season. So, for those games even on ABC, Channel 2 here in LA had their own crew for those late night replays. Hey fans, no need to sit through halftime!
For being a top-ranked team, that USC's first game live on TV in 1976 was the annual game of games against UCLA seems unfathomable in today's day & age. Thank Georgia and Oklahoma for their lawsuit in the 80s. In my opinion, there's no such thing as too many college football games on a Saturday. (I don't need it in August, though)
USC follows this up with "Goals for Century II" - this was their marketing for the 70's as the school would be 100 years old in 1980. Once in the 80's, they kept up the "Century II" vibe. If you didn't live out here or go to USC, this likely made no sense at all. To go toward Century II, the school of Dentistry needs over $6 million. Give when you can.
In a bit of a prediction for the future, UCLA played both Arizona and Arizona State, who'd join the conference in 2 years. The following page advertises Webster's 2-volume dictionary and also advertises its weight (9 lbs.) as a positive.
John McKay had taken on the challenge of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so John Robinson returned to become the head coach. Some familiar names on the staff:
Paul Hackett - An assistant coach in college and the NFL, he becomes the head coach of Pittsburgh and leaves to return to the NFL having achieved a 13-20-1 record with the Panthers over 3 seasons. His work with the Chiefs must have impressed USC to bring him back as head coach, where he went 19-18. He was followed up by Pete Carroll, and (for better or worse) was never spoken of again.
"Norval" Turner - Where hasn't he coached? In time, he followed Robinson to the Rams.
Bob "Holy" Toledo - Ended up as head coach of both UCLA and Tulane, making him my real-life spirit animal in video game plays.
There's also apparently a man whose checks read "Skip Husbands"
When you're looking for leisure suits and leisure separates, head downtown to Tobias. His future is so strong, he needs to lean back to look forward.
What follows is another syndicated filler piece, "How to Beat the Weather" - a multi-page "story" where players and coaches alike share what it's like to play in various environments. Nothing is learned. Another is "Those Pac-8 Mascots!" which sounds like a TV special from back then with Dick Clark interviewing each one. Did you know that the first vote to give Stanford a new nickname included a referendum and they remained the Indians until 1975? Or that the top 3 choices from students for a replacement (once Indians was officially removed) were Robber Barons, Sequoias, and Trees, and the school turned down all 3?
After more generic articles, we get to learn more about Oregon State: the school, its athletic department, and finally, the team:
"Beavers on Parade" was a VHS that Laura owned when I met her. No idea where that is now. The hair on these players is glorious. The 2nd page includes some impressive afros as well. Further along in the program they call out "Defensive Beavers to keep your eyes on." I bet.
Looking at the USC roster, off the top of my old head, I recognize at least a half dozen guys who ended up in the pros including a Hall of Famer.
The generic articles continue with, I swear to God, "The Evolution of Football Equipment". About the only thing this article has going for it is the swanky 70's font. At today's $6 or 1976's $1, I'd start thinking about getting my money back. This hard-hitting journalism is followed by "The Fullback: How his role has changed over the years." What else are we missing?
"The Great Debate: Stripes or no Stripes on the Ball?"
"Oh Those Goalposts of the Pac 8"
"How Modern Cleats Changed the Game"
"Will the Big Ten ever try passing?"
"A Salute to the Kicking Tee"
Enjoy keeping score at baseball games? Why can't the fun continue at football games? "Don't score two-point conversion attempts after touchdowns as rushing or passing plays." Got that, hermit?
In sum: Advertised Business that still exist
#1: Hollywood Palladium ("Completely Remodeled" "Home of TV Awards")
#2: Casey's Bar & Grill, downtown LA ("Hearty Beer on Tap")
...and that's it.
There was a time when talented illustrators were hired.
"First, I wanna have a still life of a meal at Burger King. OK. Secondly, we need a sketch of a family. They're dressed well, naturally: they're at Burger King, after all. Are the parents eating? Good question. Maybe not for this one. The kid will be having a Whopper and a milkshake. The other one will be eating french fries, and maybe...he could be taking that kids fries? Should he be ashamed? Or is that his thing? Well, either one: you choose."
(2 weeks later)
That's perfect. Larry, let's run with it.
Final Score
Oregon State 0
USC 56
