GOOGIE IN POP-CULTURE
Googie's spirit reached beyond architecture and pervaded most of the popular culture. There were many films, books, comics and TV shows that captured the spirit of the space age. Once you're aware of what you're looking for, you'll start seeing it everywhere. The following are some related images.
Click on pictures to enlarge
|
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Dr. Morbius' home is a dome surrounded by lush gardens and craggy rocks. Panoramic windows encircle the building. Inside, open metal stairs, low tables, exposed metal support beams and confusing technical equipment make this a model home for the future. (Click image to see interior.) |
|
|
The Jetsons (1962 premiere)
This animated TV series placed an average sitcom family in the 21st Century. The gadget-filled future depicted by The Jetsons was a parody of science fiction and the future we envisioned for ourselves. The show included flying cars that folded into briefcases, robotic servants, video phones and dome-shaped glass homes. |
|
|
Pulp Fiction (1994)
The coffee shop in the first and last scenes of
this movie is actually Hawthorne Grill (originally known as Holly's) in
Hawthorne, California. Also, Jack Rabbit Slim's restaurant was supposedly based loosely on John Lautner's coffee shop designs.
|
|
|
Gleaming The Cube (1989)
Parts of this Christian Slater action film were shot in and around the Cosmic Age Motel in Anaheim,
California.
|
|
|
The Big Lebowski (1998)
This film shows googie surviving into the 1990s. The central characters hang out in googie bowling alley and in a variety of googie-era coffee shops. |
|
MUSIC
Here are a few CDs that set the stage perfectly for all things
Googie
- Scamp Record's Music for TV Dinners: This is the production music you've heard in commercials, educational films and Ren & Stimpy. Mostly written in the UK during the 1950s, these peppy songs are the PERFECT soundtrack for any tour of Googie architecture.
- Forbidden Planet
soundtrack: Classic! This was the first all-electronic film score. It is both spooky and evocative of robots and rockets.
- Capitol Record's Ultra-lounge series: Start with the first compilation disc, which comes in a fake leopard-skin case. The name is misleading -- this isn't just lounge music -- it's a collection of many kitschy genres of music from the 1950s and 60s.
- Disneyland now has kiosks where you can make your own
Disneyland Forever CDs. The available tracks include the narration from Monsanto's House of the Future and music from most of the original Space Age attractions.
BACK TO
THE
GOOGIE GALLERY
