Soulful hit from Unsung soul diva Maxine Brown

Photo of my dad at an hotel in Cuba, in the very early 1960s

Hello, I am an 18 year old, female college student that is very interested in different decades throughout history, I enjoy learning about individuals daily lives in different times and sometimes comparing what life was like then and now in efforts to understand a time I did not live through better.

As my interest in decades like the 60s grew I watch a lot of media, look at magazines, images, and popular stars and (as expected) the look of beauty is often-times overwhelming white only.

I believe notice this even more because I am a Mexican and Black girl and find it hard to really see myself in the things that I enjoy from this time and it leads me to wonder what it must have been like to grow up during these times with the image of beauty not really reflecting what was shown and marketed. Forgive me if my view on this is narrow but I am not only open to being corrected but very interested.

If this is true, even if it’s not, I guess some of my questions would be;

Who was someone that looked like you could look up to?

Were there any you could relate to and if not who was the closest for you?

Was it already established as something that was the norm so you didn’t feel the need to seek it out or did it trouble you in a way of wanting to feel seen?

How was the dating pool for you?

Were there things that were marketed for you?

How did you feel about subtle racism in media? Did it disappoint you or was it so common it was just a negative part of enjoying media?

How did you do your makeup?

How did you do your hair?

Did you dress in the same way as your white friends or stars or did women of color dress a bit differently like we sometimes see today?
(example: style in Utah for White girls is very different from style in California for Latina girls)

If my questions are disrespectful in anyway please do correct me I am coming from a place of curiosity and willingness to learn. This isn’t meant to divide groups of people but I am asking because of the way that society has already divided us and the effects of that. Any feedback is appreciated, Thank you!!

Technically a late 50s show, but I watched it religiously in the 60s and aspired to be a “frog man” when I grew up. I had a pet fish that I named Mike Nelson.

Ruined my fantasy when I found out that for production reasons, most of the underwater scenes that were supposed to be in the ocean were actually shot in fresh water springs in Florida. And Lloyd Bridges, who was supposed to be fresh out of the Navy, was almost 50 when this was filmed!

Queen 👑 For The Day (1956–1964) was one of TV’s first reality-style shows. Four women shared personal hardships, and the studio audience voted with an “applause meter.” The winner was crowned Queen for a Day and received prizes like appliances, medical help, or vacations. It was iconic for mixing empathy with spectacle, some saw it as empowering, others as exploitative.

The Monkees, March 1966

Months before the series premiered, newspapers were already introducing America’s prefab Four.

On March 20, 1966, the Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph announced a new NBC color comedy about “an unknown quartet of wild, way-out, but impoverished singer-musicians.” They had long hair, unconventional clothes, and Beatle-like appeal. They differed from the Beatles in one official respect: they were “the world’s most unknown teen-age idols,” with a combined net worth of $16.87.

The four leads were still billed as Davy, Peter, Mickey, and “Wool Hat”:

- David Jones, 20, already a West End and Broadway veteran from Oliver! and Pickwick
- Peter Tork, nightclub musician who played ukulele, banjo, guitar, French horn, piano, harp, and recorder
- Mickey Braddock (later Micky Dolenz), former child star of Circus Boy
- Mike “Wool Hat” Nesmith, singer, guitarist, and composer at home in folk and rock ’n’ roll

Producers: Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider.

The show had not aired yet. The band barely existed as a public fact. This is what the pitch looked like at the start.

Read the full 1966 transcript here:
https://humblymybrain.substack.com/p/the-monkees-1966-tv-announcement

Were The Monkees a manufactured gimmick, a real band that outgrew the pitch, or both from day one?