UPPER DARBY SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL | Class of '76 knows that CLIFTON RULES

Remember This???

A little walk down memory lane, thanks to an email from Rene Flanagan. We put a few more ideas in there to trigger the memory banks....

We Wore:
Peasant Tops (early 70's) , Chain belts, Pea coats, Tight Levi Jeans, Jeans with fringe around the bottom, Over Alls, Elephant Bells, Painter Pants, Platform Shoes, Earth Shoes, Desert Boots, Clogs, Dr. Sholls, cheap Flip Flops, Army Jackets, Black High-Tops. Loves Baby Soft Perfume, Bonnie Bell Cosmetics, Watermelon and Bubble Gum Lip Gloss. Heaven Sent Perfume. Guys wore English Leather and ? Mid 70's: Halter Tops, Tube Tops, Thin plucked eye brows. Mirrored Sunglasses. Shag hair cuts. We called our bangs 'wings', as in "Gotta get my wings cut". Bad hair day? No problem, just wear a bandana. Farrah's style was all the rage.

Remember the Balcony in Upper Darby?

These platforms were my favorite shoes back in 1976. My mother's boyfriend (now husband) Rick, was a professional photographer. I can still hear him saying, "How can you walk in those things!!"

Hightop Keds and PF flyers - check out Edd's shoes on the basketball picture

Being born in 57" puts me growing up through the 60's and a teenager in the early 70's. Finally graduating in 76'. I have been trying to pass some of "our" era on to my kids, they can't beleive that we had some of the things they are getting into now. The hottest look for a girl then was "hip-huggers with wide bells and a wide belt, a halter top and cascading long hair, barefooted. Of course during the summer also those strings bikini, that just one tug and it was a show for the eyes. :p Of course bikinis also presented with problems when jumping off the high dive at Primos pool - when you hit the water, one would go up and the other down...

My first car was my 66' Nash Rambler. I had it painted, a gold flake Dark Green, I put air shocks on the back to jack up the rear end then put keystone classic wheels all around it. I know that a rambler just doesn't sound all that cool, but the best thing about my car was that the seats folded down flat,for some of that drive-in lovin', we always tried to get. Remember the Family Drive In Movie Theater on Baltimore Pike in Clifton Heights?

Working at two jobs and going to school was no big deal, going right after school at a local Mens wear store, was great because I got to dressed in some the newest styles out. I wore a Johnny Carson suit that was the talk of the town. It was red with white piping around the edges. it came with two pairs of slacks, 1 solid to match the jacket, and the other was a plaid pair so I could wear it as casual suit. Course, I look back now and wonder why I would have even wanted to wear such a thing but that was then. My other wardrobe was full of baggies with 2 inch cuffs, or shirts with bellowed sleeves and french cuffs. Bell bottom jeans were all we wanted, with platform shoes or clogs as we called them.

Remember the colors of the tuxedoes we wore to prom? Pale green, pale blue, even yellow were in fashion. We were studs.

Then after the store closed for the day, I run around the corner to the local movie house to work as a doorman, till I made Asst. Manager at 17. So I got to see all the movies that were new. "Billy Jack", StarWars, TrueGrit, The Grove Tube, Love Story, Up in Smoke, Smokey and the Bandit, The Love Bug, Towering inferino, Dirty Harry, All Bruce Lee's films, and so many others. The best part was I was getting paid to watch them.

It does seem like times were so much better then for kids. We were somewhat still naive to the worlds ways. Our older brothers or uncles told us of War. We knew that Russia was out to get us, as we were them, but we'd sit back and party with our "Billy Beer" and roll a doobie and let them alone, the goverment would just show off our it's toys of mass destrution at times so they knew just who they would be messing with if they did.

It always snowed more in the winter then. And if people wanted a guard dog a german shepard was the best to get. You would only have a gun to go hunting, not to protect. If we were going to get "Bombed" we go to a friends house and their parents would take away everybody's car keys so we wouldn't get to drive home drunk. If kids said that they were going to "kill somebody" it just meant that they were going to beat their football team at the game.

Remember Willie Wonka, Razzles, and dots on paper rolls? All the great candies. How about Big Mouth bubble gum? When you got it, you tried to put the whole piece at once in your mouth. How about when comics were only 12 cents? Gas was cheaper per gallon than a quart of oil. There was a great commercial about buying 25 cents of GOOD GULF...I'm pretty sure when I squeeze the trigger now, 25 cents have already passed into my gas tank before my hand even gets comfortable...

Remember when McDonald's first opened on Baltimore Pike? A McDonalds hamburger was 12 cents before the Big Mac, or happy meals. There really was a Burger King guy. And there was a contest to see if you could finish a whopper in ten minutes.

And speaking of Baltimore Pike, the Golden Mile...we can never forget The Bazaar of All Nations... a moment of silence is needed ...it was the most fantastic, get anything you ever wanted or needed, or didn't even know you wanted or needed... place in the whole entire world...best pretzels and sticky buns on the planet, Hands Down!

If someone asked, "Do ya party"? they meant are you cool. Fat Bottom Girls, Thank God I'm a Country Boy, Sweet Home Alabama, Boy Named Sue, Chick a boom...can you hear the tune in your head???

Then came Bronson, and long hair on guys. The only ones with tatoos back then were servicemen, and the only thing periced was girls ears...unless you were Bob Dilg. It was uncool to be a computer geek, of course back then we were using punch cards still....SO long ago....

The 70's!! Playing outside in the summer with all the nieghborhood kids. Ding-Dong Ditch, Spin the Bottle, Kick The Can, smoking cigarettes behind the garage! Riding our bikes everywhere! Quisp cereal, Sat. morning cartoons, AM radio, WFIL, WIBG, CB radio,

"Afternoon Delight"

what a great cheesy song! The big Bi-Centenial celebrations in 1976! Which teacher reminded us that those funny forefathers just didn't want to pay their taxes??? Feathered hair, clogs, Bass Shoes, Moon Shoes, drawing little mushrooms and smiley faces on our assignment notebooks. Going to "1st base" was a big deal, going to "3rd" meant you were a sleeze! Corkies sandals. "Boogie Checks!" 16 magazine. Shaun Cassidy, Parker Stevenson, John Travolta, Davey Jones, Bobby Sherman, Leif Garret, Donny Osmond, Tony DiFranco. Peter Frampton's "Come Alive " album. Flying in 747's that had the second level with a spiral staircase and you could get drinks and treats at the bar. Getting off the plane with those stairs on wheels they used to bring out to the airplane! Playing outside with friends and not coming inside for hours! Just hitting a tennis ball against the garage or playing basketball.(We played HORSE)Slathering ourselves in OFF bug spray and no one ever got sick from it! Laying out in the sun with baby oil and iodine and putting aluminum foil on our album jackets to help maximize the sun's rays! I loved it! What a great time it was!

According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the 60's, 70's and early 80's probably shouldn't have survived because:

Our baby cots were covered with brightly coloured lead-based paint which was promptly chewed and licked. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, or latches on doors or cabinets and it was fine to play with pans.

When we rode our bikes, we wore no helmets, just flip flops and fluorescent 'clackers' on our wheels.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or airbags riding in the passenger seat was a treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle and it tasted the same.

We ate chips, bread and butter pudding and drank fizzy pop with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing.

We shared one drink with four friends, from one bottle or can and no one actually died from this.

We would spend hours building go-carts out of scraps and then went top speed down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into stinging nettles a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We would leave home in the morning and could play all day, as long as we were back before it got dark. No one was able to reach us and no one minded.

We did not have Play stations or X-Boxes, no video games at all. No 99 channels on TV, no videotape movies, no surround sound, no mobile phones, no personal computers and no Internet chat rooms. We had friends we went outside and found them.

We played elastics and street rounders, and sometimes that ball really hurt.

We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones but there were no lawsuits.

We had full on fistfights but no prosecution followed from other parents.

We played knock-down-ginger and were afraid of the owners catching us.

We walked to friend's homes.

We also, believe it or not, WALKED to school; we didn't rely on mummy or daddy to drive us to school, which was just round the corner. (I'd like to add if they did drive a car it wasn't a huge off roader)

We made up games with sticks and tennis balls.

We rode bikes in packs of 7 and wore our coats by only the hood.

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law.

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

And you're one of them. Congratulations!

70's............slang

'Psyche'!!!
To trick someone. To b.s. someone. As if to psyche them out.

'Bogue'
Used to describe something offensive or an unrealistic idea. "That's so Bogue" or "That's Bogue" or "Bogue, man..."

'Dream On'
a term used to get someone down to earth, or tell them they are being unrealistic about something, e.g. when someone would say, "I'm getting a brand new car!" you'd respond, "Yeah, right; dream on man!"

'In Your Face!' (or simply, 'Face!')
I have succeeded in embarrassing or up-staging you

'You Know'
This was said at the end of nearly every sentence :)

'like'
Beginning every sentence with "like". "Like we went to the mall and like I saw him looking at me."

'Bad'
Good, nice, good looking, cool.

'Bogart'
to hog something, keep it for yourself.

'Boo-yah'
Excited term of joy and happiness

'Bread'
Money; Cash. "Do you have any bread?"

'Bummer'
bad news, not good,

'Burn Out'
a regular user of drugs

'Catch My Drift?'
get it?

'Chill' 'be Cool'
relax, man!

'Check ya later'
See you later.

'Decent'
Very cool, something you are excited about. "The Kiss concert is going to be so Decent!" also shortened to "Deece."

'Don't Bogart'
Don't be selfish

'Get Real'
means to simply get a life or get out of site

'Heavy'
meaning: intense

'I'll Call You Out'!
Let's fight!!

'IYD'
In your Dreams

'Jump Back'!
meaning, "are you serious? Wow!

'Keepin' It Real'
it means you are keepin it cool.

'Later'
See you at another time.

'Let's Book'
let's leave this place

'My Mellow'
MyFriend

'Let's Book'
let's leave this place

'My Mellow'
MyFriend

'Peace Out'
gotta go

'Pigs'
cops

'Rad' / 'Radical'
Cool

'Real'
Cool, hip, with it. Also, "It's been real", said either genuinely or sarcastically at the end of an event or a rendezvous. "It's been real, see you on the flip side."

'Rip-off'
something that was less than the promised value..."what a rip-off"

'Sike'
When you told some thing untrue as a joke or faked someone out you would say "Sike" ( might just be a southern thang)

'Sit On It'
Shut up; get lost; i.e. "Sit on it, Potsi

'Smell Ya'
means see you later

'Split'
To Leave. "I'm gonna split"

'Solid'
Cool "Thats pretty solid"

'Stash'
Your personal supply of contraband.

'Sweet'!
so awesomely cool, dude.

'Take A Chill Pill'
Calm down, cool out. You're too hysterical.

'That's Cool'
sure why not or no thanx

'Totally'
definatetly

'Veg Out'
to relax

'WBS'
appeared at the end of notes you passed in high school. Write Back Soon

'Whats Happening'
interchangable with "Hows it going"

'Yank My Chain'
To mislead someone. To waste their time. To be dishonest. "Dont yank my chain buddy."

'Yo 'sup'?
hi,what is going on??

'Your Mother'

someone telling someone else that they had sex with someone elses mother. the statement is of course not meant to be taken seriously, but is used as a bad comeback.

Oh, I remember it well.....the question is, do you?

Ode to The Reunion

THE CLASS REUNION

Every ten years, as summertime nears,
An announcement arrives in the mail,
A reunion is planned; it'll be really grand;
Make plans to attend without fail.

I'll never forget the first time we met;
We tried so hard to impress.
We drove fancy cars, smoked big cigars,
And wore our most elegant dress.

It was quite an affair; the whole class was there.
It was held at a fancy hotel.
We wined, and we dined, and we acted refined,
And everyone thought it was swell.

The men all conversed about who had been first
To achieve great fortune and fame.
Meanwhile, their spouses described their fine houses
And how beautiful their children became.

The homecoming queen, who once had been lean,
Now weighed in at one-ninety-six.
The jocks who were there had all lost their hair,
And the cheerleaders could no longer do kicks.

No one had heard about the class nerd
Who'd guided a spacecraft to the moon;
Or poor little Jane, who's always been plain;
She married a shipping tycoon.

The boy we'd decreed "most apt to succeed"
Was serving ten years in the pen,
While the one voted "least" now was a priest;
Just shows you can be wrong now and then.

They awarded a prize to one of the guys
Who seemed to have aged the least.
Another was given to the grad who had driven
The farthest to attend the feast.

They took a class picture, a curious mixture
Of beehives, crew cuts and wide ties.
Tall, short, or skinny, the style was the mini;
You never saw so many thighs..

At our next get-together, no one cared whether
They impressed their classmates or not.
The mood was informal, a whole lot more normal;
By this time we'd all gone to pot.

It was held out-of-doors, at the lake shores;
We ate hamburgers, coleslaw, and beans.
Then most of us lay around in the shade,
In our comfortable T-shirts and jeans.

By the fortieth year, it was abundantly clear,
We were definitely over the hill.
Those who weren't dead had to crawl out of bed,
And be home in time for their pill.

And now I can't wait; they've set the date;
Our fiftieth is coming, I'm told.
It should be a ball, they've rented a hall
At the Shady Rest Home for the old.

Repairs have been made on my hearing aid;
My pacemaker's been turned up on high.
My wheelchair is oiled, and my teeth have been boiled;
And I've bought a new wig and glass eye.

I'm feeling quite hearty, and I'm ready to party
I'm gonna dance 'til dawn's early light.
It'll be lots of fun; But I just hope that there's one
Other person who can make it that night.

Author Unknown

__._,_.___

IF YOU WERE A LITTLE GIRL IN THE 70'S......

You had that Fisher Price Doctor's Kit with a stethoscope that actually worked.

You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it.

You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that had metal wheels.

You thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute (admit it!)

You had nightmares after watching Fantasy Island.

You had either a "bowl cut" or "pixie", not to mention the "Dorothy Hamill".
People sometimes thought you were a boy.

You had rubber boots for rainy days and Moon boots for snowy days.

YEAH! You owned a "Slip-n-Slide", on which you injured yourself on a sprinkler head more than once.

You owned "Klick-Klacks" and smacked yourself in the face more than once !

Your Holly Hobbie sleeping bag was your most prized possession.

You wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers.

You begged Santa for the electronic game, Simon.

You had the Donnie and Marie dolls with those pink and purple satiny shredded outfits, or the sunshine family

You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze. The swing set tipped over at least once.

You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color. (Oh yeah!) < B>

You had a pair of Doctor Scholl's sandals (the ones with hard sole & the buckle). You also had a pair of salt-water sandals.

You wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really bad; you wore that Little House on the
Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high neck in at least one school picture;
and you despised Nellie Oleson!

You wanted your first kiss to be at a roller rink!

PONG! ("video tennis" ) was the most remarkable futuristic game you've ever heard of !

Your hairstyle was described as having "wings" or "feathers" and you kept it "pretty"
with the comb you kept in your back pocket.
When you walked, the "wings" flapped up and down, looked like you were gonna "take off"

You know who Strawberry Shortcake is, as well as her friends, Blueberry Muffin and Huckleberry Pie.

You carried a Muppets lunch box to school and it was metal, not plastic.
With the thermos inside some were glass inside and broke the first time you dropped them.

You and your girlfriends would fight over which of the Dukes of Hazzard was your boyfriend.

YOU had Star Wars action figures, too!

It was a big event in your household each year when the "Wizard of Oz" would come on TV.
Your mom would break out the popcorn and sleeping bags!

You often asked your Magic-8 ball the question: "Who will I marry.
Shaun Cassidy, Leif Garrett, or David Cassidy?"

You completely wore out your Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and Fame soundtrack record album.

You tried to do lots of arts and crafts, like yarn and Popsicle-stick God's eyes, decoupage,
or those weird potholders made on a plastic loom.

You made Shrinky-Dinks and put iron-on kittens on your t-shirts!

You used to tape record songs off the radio by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker.

You had subscriptions to Dynamite and Tiger Beat.

You learned everything you needed to know about girl issues from Judy Blume books.
(Are you there God, It's me, Margaret.)

You thought Olivia Newton John's song "Physical" was about aerobics. (?? its not??)

You wore friendship pins on your tennis shoes, or shoelaces with heart or r ai nb< FONT face=Arial color=purple> ow designs.

You wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer.

You drowned yourself in Love's Baby Soft - which was the first "real" perfume you ever owned.

You glopped your lips in Strawberry Roll-on lip-gloss till it almost dripped off.