Friday, May 25, 2018

The Famous Smoke-Ring Blowing Billboard on the North-East Corner of State and Randolph Streets in Chicago.

The famous Winston smoking billboard was on the northeast corner of State & Randolph streets in Chicago. Circa 1967. A billboard like this was featured in the movie "Take the Money and Run (1969)," where the smoke rings were blown directly into Woody Allen's apartment window.
Take the money and run.
Smoking Billboard Scene at 3:45

If I recall correctly, this sign was a steaming cup of coffee advertising a brand of canned coffee before it was the Winston sign. The same principle as Leave it to Beaver's Steaming Bowl of Soup Billboard.
Leave it to Beaver
Steaming Bowl of Soup Billboard Scene 

Note the Magikist Rug Cleaners Sign.
Note the Mattel Lighted Animated Sign Board on top of the Walgreens.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

6 comments:

  1. Such great accounts of our city with photos to recall a simpler time. Thank you Neil!

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  2. I vaugely remember...but at least I remember it! :)

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  3. These are great photographs! The first thought I had was the Leave it to Beaver episode with the cup of coffee!!!

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  4. Wonder how much light bulbs that Mattel display took. Reminds me of the 'EPOK' billboard in New York's Times Square as in operation spanning 1940-1977. A shame that 'news zipper' didn't last past Life magazine, though . . . the bitmapped type font was exactly same as used on One Times Square's zipper from 1965 to 1971 (when Life operated that scrolling news display as well).

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  5. P.S. The EPOK billboard advertising Mattel took up 5,246 bulbs in a layout of 86 columns and 61 rows. That was a bit more bulbs and "real estate" than the Times Square EPOK.

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