Vintage

The Art of Alley Cat

CB Radio

I have been bad. When I started this blog back in October (10-4 to be exact) I intended to share equal amounts ephemera and CB radio history. However, over the past few months I got distracted by the other stuff in my collection and ignored a big part of my obsession.

Starting today I will hopefully have a regularly occurring featuring showcases some of the hired artists of CB radio QSL cards.

QSL cards were used by CBers to confirm their two-way radio contacts with each other. Each amateur has their own card which is exchanged with the other amateur or ‘station’ in that two-way contact.

CB radio cards have been a part of my life ever since the summer of 2011 when I discovered them by accident on eBay and now I have over 30,000 cards, have had several art shows covering the era, been showcased in magazines and on CBC radio about my research.  I have even written a booklet available here and am currently working on a major project regarding QSL.

QSL cards were a big part of 1970s CB radio culture and they have been essentially lost to time. It’s my goal to share some of the forgotten artists of the era.

The first artists is Bob Barnes, aka Alley Cat. Barnes was located in Tulatin, Oregon – about 25 minutes south of Portland. Barnes was never a major name in the field and probably produced fewer than 100 cards in the mid 1970s – the actual number is unknown.

There are no articles about Bob Barnes and information is non-existant. If you know anything about Alley Cat please drop me a line at cardboardamerica at gmail.com or leave a message.

Newport Resort Motel – Miami Beach, Florida

Cardboard America, Cardboard Motels, Cookbooks, Pamphlets, Brochures

The Newport Resort Motel in the Sunny Isles area of Miami Beach opened in 1967. From the beginning, the Newport was designed with the hip, young crowd in mind. The verso on their first postcard says:

A swingin’ new way of life! C’mon down to the “in” place…it’s the lively one.
21″ Color TV & refrigerator in every room – 1000-foot fishing pier – 2-block private beach – 2 heated pools – restaurant – coffee shop – nightclub – tot’n teen programs – free self-parking.
On the Ocean at 167th St. – Miami Beach, Fla. 33154

Their early advertising smacks of late 1960s design and colors. This brochure shows of the Miami Beach sights.It also mentions the Newport’s multiple on sight eating & drinking establishments including: Dover Coffee Shop, The 7 Seas Nightclub & Lounge, The Pub Restaurant and the Rhum Rooms.

Entertainment was provided nightly from 9:30pm to 5pm. Joe Cavalier Revue provided the “Girls a La Mod” showcase. Music from Sheila MacRae dazzled while Jessie Ferguson & His Gospel Jazz Singers and The Treniers provided more upscale music, and Mike Vetro and His Brothers and Tom & The Craftsmen brought the party tunes. But the swingingest show was Pirates a Go-Go featuring the beautiful treasure chests .

The Newport wasn’t just for food, drinks and partying, there were brand new basketball and tennis courts.

You could fish or play mini-golf on their pier.

The Newport catered to newlyweds with their honeymoon packages and their new, world class amenities.

These die-cut rate schedules provide a glimpse of how the rates fluctuated from season to season. This one is from Spring/Summer/Fall of 1967

This one is from Winter/Spring of 1968:

The Newport is still open. There have been major renovations done to modernize the space and it looks like a great place to stay. I doubt the beautiful treasure chests are still there.