1960's Adorn Hairspray Commercial

Not only does this vintage TV commercial sum up what I love most about the 60's (the mod hairstyles, the groovy fashion)... it's totally pink to boot!

Caution: the jingle will stay in your head all day!

Crowded Day Routine at Expo 67

On this day in 1967, the attendance at Expo 67 was 315,490 visitors!

From Expo Inside Out, what to do at Expo during especially crowded days:

"When there are more than 250,000 people on the Expo site, it's crowded. And on holiday weekends, especially, that's the way it is. So remember:

If you must see a pavilion, head for it, line up, and stay in line. Wandering from line-up to line-up is frustrating and pointless.

Canada, Ontario, India, Mexico, the African Nations, and the U.S.S.R. are best-bet national pavilions. They can absorb large crowds, and their line-ups move fast.

Man the Provider and Man the Producer are best-bet theme pavilions, for the same reasons.

Taking a walk... through parks, through the sculpture garden, or around the site, with an eye to the architecture, is not settling for second best. Much of Expo's atmosphere, beauty, and interest is on the outside, and it helps to bear that in mind.

Don't try restaurants - especially the big, posh ones, at regular meal hours. Bring a lunch.

Wait until evening to take the minirail."

images: (top) personal collection
(bottom) image source unknown

The Hélène de Champlain Pavilion

Heads of state and important visitors to Expo 67 were greeted with dignity and esteemed Montreal hospitality at the Hélène de Champlain pavilion. Located on Île Sainte-Hélène near the U.S. pavilion, the reddish-brown stone structure was built in the Anglo-Norman manor style.

Originally completed in the late 1930's, the building lay dormant during the war years before becoming the Hélène de Champlain municipal restaurant in the early 1950's. During Expo 67, the restaurant was closed to the public and reserved for official receptions. Only those with invitations to these state functions had the opportunity to visit the pavilion.

For Expo, Hélène de Champlain was renovated under the supervision of Claude Hinton, president of the Interior Decorators' Society of Quebec and one of Montreal's foremost interior decorators at the time, in co-operation with architects from Montreal's Public Works Department. The newly-refurbished pavilion contained a broad, bright foyer, a formal banquet hall, 2 large dining rooms as well as 2 smaller reception areas.

Weather permitting, the dining halls could be extended outdoors onto the broad balcony, offering distinguished guests a view of the St-Lawrence Seaway, the south shore, and, of course, the impressive Expo grounds.

A suite of living quarters was also at the disposal of visiting dignitaries, tastefully furnished and decorated by the Danish Government.

The Hélène de Champlain restaurant remains today, still considered one of the city of Montreal's most prestigious addresses...

The main entrance evoked Quebec's past with paintings, sculpture and furniture.

The formal banquet hall could seat up to 90 guests.

Special guests and dignitaries gathered in this elegant foyer.

The pavilion's main reception area: le grand salon.

A small, private reception area (I love the ultra-mod seating!).

View of the broad balcony and rose garden, on the south side of the pavilion.

images: personal collection (from Montreal '67)

Charlie's Angels

"Once upon a time there were three little girls

who went to the police academy... and they were
each assigned very hazardous duties. But I took
them away from all that and now they work for me.
My name is Charlie..."

One of my favorite TV shows of all time is Charlie's Angels.

Charlie's Angels aired on ABC from 1976 to 1981. The first program of its kind to showcase an all-female leading cast, Charlie's Angels also ushered in the era of "jiggle TV". Though a smash success from the beginning, critics and feminists ripped it apart, comparing the often scantily-clad girls to glammed-up prostitutes, with the elusive Charlie as their pimp.

The original cast featured Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Jaclyn Smith as smart and sexy private detectives. The girls would become media icons: their faces (and bodies) were plastered on magazine covers, posters, lunch boxes and loads of other toys and related merchandise.

Farrah Fawcett's stint on the show lasted only one season, while Kate Jackson left after the third. Cheryl Ladd successfully picked up where Fawcett left off (she became one of Charlie's most popular angels), but Jackson's departure proved to be the beginning of the end of the series...

Whether Charlie's Angels ultimately helped or hurt female portrayals on TV remains debatable. But as pure camp, the show is a cult classic.

As Charlie, himself, would say: "Good work, Angels"...

images: (1) image montage by author
(2-3) charliesangels.gr
(4) libreopinion.com

The Nature of Things Intro, 1983

Just over 30 seconds of footage, but, what a wave of childhood memories!

About the Expo 67 Symbol

From the official Expo 67 guide:

"The theme of Expo 67 was inspired by the philosophy
of French airman and author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
as developed in a book widely read across the world
of which the English title is - Man and his World.

As graphic symbol for this concept, Expo 67 adopted
a design that drew its inspiration from one of the
oldest known drawings of Man. Eight identical groups
of twin figures represent mankind in unity
encircling the world."

images: (top) montage by author
(bottom) library and archives Canada

The World Festival

The Nutcracker, performed by the New York Ballet and the Royal Ballet.

The World Festival was staged as part of Expo 67.

Arguably the greatest program of arts and entertainment ever presented in one city over a 6-month period, the World Festival made Montreal the art lover's place to be in 1967. Many of the world's leading opera, ballet and theatre companies, orchestras, popular singers, chamber music ensembles, comedians and athletes all performed during Expo's World Festival... In all there were 672 events involving about 25,000 participants from 25 countries, and over 5 million tickets!

The interior of Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier during Expo 67.

For its largest and most prestigious performances, Expo 67 had rented Place des Arts for its 6-month duration. While the 3000-seat Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier was completed in 1963, 2 additional theatres were completed just in time for Expo: Théâtre Maisonneuve (1300 seats) and Théâtre Port-Royal (800 seats), known today as Théâtre Jean-Duceppe.

Carol Channing in front of Expo Theatre.

Various popular entertainment, special shows and film festivals were presented in the 2000-seat Expo Theatre, a stone's throw away from Place d'Accueil, Expo's main entrance.

The Garden of Stars at La Ronde.

La Ronde's Garden of Stars, a multi-purpose triangular building on the banks of Dolphin Lake, became an exciting international nightclub for the World Festival. The large scale spectacles at the Autostade were also part of the World Festival programme.

The Cité du Havre art gallery entitled Man the Creator.

Fine arts was likewise a major feature of the World Festival. The International Fine Arts Exhibition at the Cité du Havre art gallery showed nearly 200 works from from 40 countries (aside from the masterpieces already being shown in Expo's national pavilions).

The sculpture garden on Île Sainte-Hélène.

The Garden of Sculpture was an open-air show on Île Sainte-Hélène featuring some 50 works of contemporary sculpture. Exhibitions such as the International Design Exhibition and the International Photography Exhibition attracted amateurs and professionals alike.

On-site performers entertained crowds throughout Expo 67.

Thousands of performers took part in a major on-site free entertainment program. Four motorized troubadour units made up of singers, dancers, clowns, magicians and musicians entertained visitors lining up for pavilions (queues for major pavilions were hours long, in some cases!). Where lineups were thinner, these performers drew crowds.

A wide variety of activities were offered in the pavilions as well, allowing visitors to Expo 67 to truly immerse themselves in culture...

Marlene Dietrich was just one of many international stars to perform at Expo 67.

images: (1-2-3-6-7-8) library and archives Canada
(4) alalmedainfo.com
(5) dchillier.com