In watching movies from the 30's and 40's I have noticed (besides the fact that everyone smoked) that when one lit a cigarette with a match, they just threw it right down on the ground - inside a house, hotel, or wherever. When they finished the cigarette they also threw that right down as well. Did people really do this?
That is a good question. I always look for the tossed match in films.
Workwear is the new Black.
I have noticed the same thing. I have wondered it myself. I do know that most places did not have wall to wall carpeting then. bare floors were either wood or tile. area rugs were used, the more afluent, the more rugs. area rugs were made of wool then. Unlike todays nylons and other synthetic rugs, wool rugs do not catch on fire. a match or other buring item will only synge not burn (the scene in Indy/last Crusade with the burning carpet is impossible)
Old smoker..
My Dad was an old smoker - Phillip Morris, unfiltered. I watched a lot of smoking as a kid. One thing to remember is most homes, hotels and public buildings had ashtrays everywhere. Many were free standing and had large bowls. Others rested on end tables and counters - they were plentiful! It might seem as though matches and butts were being thrown willy-nilly, but I'm betting there is an ashtray very close by.
My Dad used to talk about spitoons being as plentiful as ashtrays when he was younger too.
-dixon cannon
Love is the international understanding that each and every one of us have exactly the same problems to fight. - Lord Buckley
Good point Dixon.
In The Maltese Falcon they toss smokes and matches all over the place.
.
.
A sense of the fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth. - Fitzgerald
.
I was about to cross the road yesterday and saw the strip of dirt and grass between the pavement and the road was littered with cigarette butts, literally hundreds of them. The problem's got so bad that it's now a littering offence with a fine of (if I remember correctly) $200 if a smoker is caught throwing a butt down in the street.
Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value - Albert Einstein
I still have the 1950s-era cigarette lighter and cigarette holder (holds about 20 cigs) that was left on the two-tiered coffee table in my grandparents' home. It was a part of the culture in a big way, with cigarettes even placed in WWII soldiers' K and C Rations, but I'm thinking it was prevalent before that, too.
Two more things:
Whatever happened to "Lucky Strikes" green wrapper? During WWII, the slogan was "Lucky Strike Green has gone to war", because the green dye was needed in war materials production, yet when the war ended, Luckys were still white. Does this mean that Lucky Strike Green was K.I.A? Just joking, but it did vanish!
Secondly, what ever happened to those "strike anywhere" matches? They seemed plentiful in the movies.
I guess I will start looking for the ashtrays next time I watch an old movie.
Anyone know why they didn't go back to green?
You need Ohio "Strike Anyhwere" matches. They're in grocery stores here. They were called Ohio Blue Tip - but the tip is red now. Still by Diamond brands.
You can friction light them on the seam of your jeans, like a regular cowpoke!
.
A sense of the fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth. - Fitzgerald
.
Glad to hear it! Although the jeans seam would be cool, I'm thinking thumbnail like Sterling Hayden in The Asphalt Jungle!Originally Posted by scotrace
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote