(Plea: can we try to keep pro- or anti-smoking partisanship out of this?)
I was just thinking “my how things have changed”. My wife was telling me the other day that when she worked for an airline, some of the older women there were saying that they used to smoke behind the check-in desks. Then I was remembering, when I used to go to visit my dad’s office at Johnson Space Center in the 70s, the smell of the place that I recall was stale cigarettes and Wrigley’s gum. People used to smoke in the museum, too. Then I saw some clips of the first Candid Camera in the 1960s, and the guy was smoking a pipe while he was presenting the show. Chat-show hosts used to puff away with their guests, too. The hardware store I worked in before I went to university allowed customers to smoke while browsing.
So, anyone else remember any places where smoking used to be totally acceptable, but seems totally ludicrous now? Doctors smoking while writing your prescription? Did newsreaders used to smoke on camera as well?
I’ve seen a movie (B+W) where a woman goes to a doctor for advice on her husband (can’t remember the details) but the doctor opens a cigarette holder on her desk, offers her a cigarette. she declines at first, but the doctor offers her one again, saying “It’ll be good for your nerves”. Then he lights it for her.
I have a copy of an old Abbot & Costello radio show that was sponsored by Camel cigarettes. There are two commercials that really caught my attention. One of them said that “four out of five doctors that smoke - smoke Camel cigarettes.” The other commercial told about how many free Camel cigarettes were distributed to “our fighting boys” during WWII. The same commercial then gave a long list of veterans’ hospitals where cigarettes were distributed for free.
My Grandma once told me of a friend of hers. She went to the doctors about a soar throat (A VERY long time ago). The doctor advised her to have a few cigarettes, and told her it would help!
I remember working in an office where the smoke hung so thick you could hardly breathe. (Of course, I was contributing to it in those days, so I can’t complain.) And smoking on airplanes. And in grocery stores. And in doctors’ offices. And restaurants. And nonsmokers didn’t complain – I have no idea why!
I’m grateful those days are over. It’s nice not to walk around smelling like an ashtray all the time.
In discussing the changing views of what society views as deviant, a sociology prof once pointed out that thirty years ago he would have been smoking and so would most of us students.
I was last on a smoking flight in 1996. My friend’s mom worked for an airline, so we were placed wherever there was room, and I was stuck on the smoking row from Paris to Houston. I’m not a rabid anti-smoker by any means, but ew.
In Germany it’s still like that. We all started smoking in the Baggage claim of the airport for christ sake. 90% of shops allow smoking there.
Last time I was on a smoking flight was in 93 when I flew from Atlanta to Auckland, New Zealand. It’s a 24 hour flight, so if they don’t allow this anymore, I can never go to Australia again.
Hey, I’m a smoker, and ew! In fact, what I did was get seats in non-smoking, and then go back to the smoking section to have a cigarette (there were lots of spare seats). Selfish, but there you go. The people I really felt sorry for were the ones in the non-smoking row just in front of the smokers. Gross.
They used to smoke on sit-coms. Even when they couldn’t show a belly button on TV and Rob and Laura Petrie slept in twin beds, but they all smoked. There was an episode of Rosanne where she was trying to quit. Her and Jackie are sitting on the couch talking about how they were almost doomed to smoke cuz it was all over TV when they were young. “Rob smoked, and Laura, Buddy, Sally, Ricky and Lucy, …”
Approximately 1/3 of the dialogue in old movies is: “Cigarette?” Drinking takes up about a third of screen time as well. I love how all the big-wigs have a full bar in their office at work too. Wow! (You will also on occasion see a drunk driving scene played for big laughs. Those wacky drunk drivers!)
In the '50s, Mike Wallace used to smoke while interviewing people on-air. It made for good dramatic pauses. I believe he even did commercials for them between interviews…
Yeah, I think it’s like that all over the continent.
On one of my trips to Spain within the last couple years I encountered an Immigration officer who was checking passports with one hand, smoking with the other.
I remember flying with my son who was then 5 many years ago, and they’d screwed up our seats and put us in smoking. I refused to allow him to be seated in smoking, and fortunately the counter agent agreed with me, so we got put in first class instead.
I was on a smoking flight two years ago. LHR to Athens on Olympic. Very strange.
Back in the 70’s as young engineers Hubby and I were the only non-smokersin in large groups of smoking engineers. We could tell when the other had to go to a meeting because we came home smelling like ash-trays (run for the shower). I think that in the 70’s it was almost universal for engineers to smoke, then in a rapid change-over, 5-10 years at most, engineers seemed to almost all quit smoking. At least in the US. Anybody else note this phenom?
I was on a smoking flight two years ago. LHR to Athens on Olympic. Very strange.
Back in the 70’s as young engineers Hubby and I were the only non-smokers in large groups of smoking engineers. We could tell when the other had to go to a meeting because we came home smelling like ash-trays (run for the shower). I think that in the 70’s it was almost universal for engineers to smoke, then in a rapid change-over, 5-10 years at most, engineers seemed to almost all quit smoking. At least in the US. Anybody else note this phenom?
Engineers. Back in the '70’s my Dad worked for a local manufacturing company. My mom did too, on and off. They both smoked. Dad and everyone else was allowed to smoke at his desk, but ALL the women were forbidden to smoke, not lady-like I guess…
Back in the '70’s my Dad worked for a local manufacturing company. My mom did too, on and off. They both smoked. Dad and everyone else was allowed to smoke at his desk, but ALL the women were forbidden to smoke, not lady-like I guess… 