Groovy Flashbacks From The ’70s That’ll Take You Back In Time
While it’s true that the ’70s had more than its share of troubles, many of them were inherited from the ’60s and showed improvement as the decade went on. With the exception of the gas crisis and the Watergate scandal, there wasn’t quite as much to upset Americans after U.S. forces pulled out of Vietnam in 1973.
That makes it a lot easier to be nostalgic for a time that feels so warm, earthy, and sunny in retrospect. Indeed, even those who don’t like disco will find something to reminiscence about.
He’s Hard To Recognize, And Many Didn’t Know Him At All
Whether they know him from Caddyshack or Community, most people nowadays have a specific image of Chevy Chase in their mind. However, this was indeed him when he played a rocker character on his star-making gig, the then-revolutionary Saturday Night Live.
Although the young actor and comedian wasn’t a household name when the show first got off the ground, that would change quickly as he and his fellow Not Ready For Prime Time Players captured America’s heart.
A Familiar Face On An Unfamiliar Show
Considering how long Alex Trebek hosted Jeopardy!, it’s not hard to assume that he was the show’s original host. However, his breakout hosting gig on American television was actually another popular game show called High Rollers, which had a similar trivia format but used an oversized set of dice.
Interestingly, Jeopardy! had already existed for a decade by then, but it was started by Merv Griffin and hosted by Art Fleming when this photo was taken in 1974.
Her Powerful Voice Became More And More Well-Known
Although Tina Turner and her former husband Ike had been seeing success since 1960, they started the 1970s with a bang by riding the wave of their ingenious cover of the Creedence Clearwater Revival song “Proud Mary.”
Naturally, Turner’s soulful but powerful voice stood out in the act and she found continued success in future decades after finally getting away from Ike and eventually revealing how tumultuous their relationship had been by 1986.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Had A Special Bonus
One thing that TV viewers during the ’70s noticed was that a talk show or special event didn’t seem complete without a group of designated dancers in coordinated outfits.
Some things just go in and out of style, and exuberant dancers were definitely the in thing. So, while the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has traditionally made the massive balloons its biggest spectacle, these cowgirl dancers had a special performance to themselves in 1975.
An Impressive Aircraft That Was Too Cool For Its Time
This was the Boeing 733 Supersonic Transport, which was capable of transporting up to 227 passengers at speeds of 1,800 miles an hour, or Mach 2.7. In 1971, two prototypes existed, and then-president Richard Nixon showed great interest in the project.
However, that was also the year the project would be cancelled. Between concerns that its flights would deplete the ozone layer, make overwhelming “sonic boom” noises at airports, and cost too much in a fairly limited market, this fascinating craft simply had too many strikes against it.
’70s Fashions Were Something Else
While any decade had some fashions with a way of baffling younger generations, there was something unique about the styles that looked cool for only a brief moment in time during the ’70s.
Indeed, this one was even more niche because it was regionally popular. Crocheted full-body outfits like this were made in Ireland but they were all the rage in Scotland at the time.
Brown Seemed To Be The Colour Of The Times
When people think of ’70s decor, they tend to picture a lot of wood paneling. However, the studio for NBC’s enduring news program Today showed that even when wood wasn’t an option, brown was still very much in vogue.
This wasn’t just a classic era for Today in a decorative sense, as Jane Pauley and Tom Brokaw were among the program’s most well-known anchors. Indeed, Brokaw would remain a prominent news broadcaster at NBC until his retirement in 2021.
Johnny Carson’s Final Broadcasts On The Tonight Show
Although Johnny Carson was far from the first person to host The Tonight Show, the legendary comedian was considered its most popular host over the course of his 30-year tenure.
While he remained popular even beyond his retirement in 1992, Carson had considered leaving in 1979 before NBC arranged for a new contract under an adjusted schedule. At the time, Carson’s presence was responsible for 17% of the network’s pre-tax profits.
They Had To Do Something Before The Advent Of CGI
While movies and television have been making the impossible seem possible for decades, special effects teams before the digital age really had to flex their ingenuity to make a concept like the Supertain from the eponymous 1979 drama work.
While the earliest of the Star Wars movies made their fantastical worlds look real with gorgeous matte paintings, production crews also made use of realistic looking models like this and shot them from convincing perspectives.
Rollerskating Picked Up Speed As The Decade Went On
While millions across the country certainly loved getting down to disco in traditional dance clubs throughout the late ’70s, it turned out that it was also the perfect soundtrack for groovy nights at the roller rink as well.
It may have been a little trickier to dance while on roller skates — which is probably why these friends are steadying each other — but those who could do it were sure to dazzle everyone around them.
Mellowing Out In A New Decade
After the tumult of the ’60s, so many Americans throughout the early ’70s were eager to let things calm down, and the easy positivity of a lot of pop culture reflected that.
It was similar to the vibes encouraged by the hippies but without the serious political engagement or overly hedonistic lifestyles. The Jack In The Box slogan “take life a little easier” promoted by child actor Rodney Allen Rippy (pictured) fit threaded that needle perfectly for the time.
1976 Was A Massive Year For America
This elaborate parade of marching bands taking to the streets in front of the Capitol building in Washington D.C. was selected to lead the huge nationwide celebrations of America’s Bicentennial.
Considering how many state-ending crises threatened the nation during its first 100 years of independence, the fact that there was even a nation to celebrate 200 years after the historic Declaration of Independence was a cause for celebration in and of itself. Naturally, it was a jubilant year for the United States.
McDonald’s Was Becoming A Global Phenomenon
Although Ray Kroc had been pushing to make McDonald’s a household name in America since buying out the original McDonald brothers in the early ’60s, the ubiquity people associate with the brand today didn’t quite become a reality until the ’70s.
For instance, this photo from 1976 captured a location in London, England, shortly after it had opened. The golden arches would only reach further as the years progressed.
This Was The Place To Be If You Could Get In
It was hard to think of a place that encapsulated the glamor and wild hard-partying hedonism of the disco era more than New York City’s famous nightclub, Studio 54.
As famous for its “anything goes” approach to debauchery — especially when it came to narcotics — as for its ruthless exclusivity, Studio 54 was the star-studded envy of New York until severe financial mismanagement and the wrath of the IRS brought it down in February of 1980.
You Definitely Don’t See This Anymore
the ’70s were hardly the only area to feature chokers, as they were a big part of women’s fashion during the ’90s and made a more recent comeback as well.
That said, one key difference between the ’70s trend and the ones that followed is that none of the ’90s or present-day chokers are crocheted. Coziness doesn’t tend to be the goal of alternative aesthetics, after all.
A Beloved Venue That The Punk Community Mourns
CBGB had a long, strange journey before it hosted its final performances in 2006, as it started life as a dive bar, became a biker bar, and then was primarily regarded as a music venue.
Even so, the fact that its name stood for “country, bluegrass, blues” means that it wasn’t always intended for punk. Nonetheless, bands like the Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie, and The Damned (pictured) all got their starts at this humble venue.
A Picturesque Day At The Beach
Although people don’t tend to imagine England as a beach hot spot, that didn’t make this day at the beach town of Perranporth any less lovely on this day in 1970.
However, the equipment these beachgoers brought with them suggests that while that day was nice, it was also very windy. To keep their stuff from blowing away, they set these windbreakers up.
The Rise Of Music Festivals
Although Woodstock was more of a logistical nightmare than people remember, the iconic experience that nonetheless persisted inspired a gaggle of other young rock and rollers to try and put their own versions together.
As this photo from the French Riviera shows, that also meant that existing music festivals started attracting more hippie-adjacent crowds. For instance, this was the Riviera Jazz Festival in 1976.
New York City Was A Very Different Place In The ’70s
Although New York City has been a bustling Metropolis in all of our lifetimes, the character of that bustle and density has changed significantly over the years. Although Midtown Manhattan is an incredibly expensive and sleek place now, it was far more grimy in the ’70s.
The subways were absolutely covered in graffiti and the streets were far more dangerous, but adult movie theaters like these were a common sight on 42nd Street. If you haven’t heard of these films, that’s either because of your age or your innocence.
One Of New York’s Most Enduring Landmark Institutions
It’s hard to think of a nightclub more iconic than New York’s famous Copacabana, and the others that rival its legendary status haven’t lasted nearly as long.
Although it was founded in 1940, it’s hard to picture a hotter time to be there than the late ’70s, as Barry Manilow’s famous song made the club the subject of an international top ten hit. Naturally, a surge of attention soon followed.
This Was The Time To Ride Low And In Style
Although heavily modified Cadillac El Dorados like this were often associated with some rather sordid and illegal trades, that doesn’t make those modifications any less stylish and nostalgic.
After all, one didn’t need to sell anything illicit to appreciate the appeal of turning heads in a fresh low rider with a cool scorpion painted on the back. That famous song by War exists for a reason.
Cher Always Knew How To Make An Entrance
Although Sonny and Cher attained their first big hits in the ’60s, the ’70s were something of a career renaissance for them due to their successful TV show.
Throughout the course of that show (which returned even after their divorce in 1975), Cher was known for making a big impression with elaborate costumes like this Isis-inspired one. Thankfully for the production crew and her guests, they didn’t typically incorporate a falcon.
Disco Fever Was Sweeping The Nation
Although disco was already an established phenomenon in Black and LGBTQ+ spaces by the mid-’70s, the public caught on in a major way by the time the decade was out.
After the white-hot success of Saturday Night Fever turned disco into a national phenomenon in 1977, dance clubs like this weren’t complete without a dazzling disco ball on the ceiling.
They Years Of Glory Before It All Went Wrong
When American baseball player Pete Rose took this photo in 1978, he was not only a historic star of the Cincinnati Reds but in the midst of a 44-game hitting streak that was only surpassed by Joe DiMaggio’s record of 56 games.
Yet, while he was a record-breaking player in multiple ways, a long-term sports betting scandal while he managed the team during the ’80s would not only earn him a lifetime ban from baseball, but render him permanently ineligible for the Baseball Hall Of Fame.
A Complicated Time For Basketball
Looking back, inter-league competition and other factors led people to regard the ’70s as a fairly dark time for professional basketball, as ratings were down, game attendance was down, and the league was overall in decline.
However, that doesn’t mean that basketball itself had become unpopular, as these teens at a housing project in Chicago’s South Side were playing just as passionately as their parents would have before.
Picnics Got A Little More Entertaining
While the widespread adoption of televisions throughout the 1950s had a profound impact on American family life, technology kept marching on through the ’70s and that similar family time was possible in other settings.
For instance, the task of sorting out everything this family needed for their picnic became much less tedious when they could do it in front of this portable television. Before then, watching TV outside would have seemed like a fantasy.
A Cozy Resort Was Getting Bigger At The Time
Although the famous ski resort at Colorado’s Aspen Mountain had been around since 1946, its prestige and prominence made it possible for the facilities to get a major facelift by 1971, which included the expansion of chair lifts.
However, those who wanted to try the then-relatively new phenomenon of snowboarding there would be disappointed, as the practice was banned from Aspen until 2001.
Star Wars Mania Was In Full Swing From The Beginning
Although few in the movie industry had faith in Star Wars while it was being made, it didn’t take long before the iconic 1977 film became a massive cultural phenomenon.
Indeed, its stranglehold on pop culture at the time was intense enough that when Mark Hamill presented an award at the 1978 Oscars, he did so in the company of C3PO and R2-D2.
The Beginnings Of A Venerable Institution
This 1975 photo shows the original cast of the prestigious Acting Company, a touring professional institution founded by Oscar-winning actor John Houseman in three years earlier to employ drama graduates.
Indeed, his plan worked well, as the company still exists and this photo alone features future stars in Broadway legend Patti LuPone and veteran stage and screen actor Kevin Kline.
