Looking at the Sunny Side of Life


Everybody sing!: "Always look on the briiiight side of life..." (Insert cheerful whistling here.)

Okay, phew!- now we've gotten that out of the way. (Because, y'know, I've been singing that song ever since I started scanning this booklet, and didn't want to be the only one.)

Here we are today, with The Sunny Side of Life Book from 1934! "To Keep Happy, Keep Well-- a new way of living!"

So, what is this new way of living, you ask? Is it... holding hands with your family members, while running around the backyard?


Er... okay, so yes, it does look that way, doesn't it? But mostly it's about keeping well! And how do you keep well?

The book tells us:

Millions of people "kept on the sunny side of life" last year. They kept themselves free from common constipation due to lack of "bulk" in the diet, an ailment that frequently tears down resistance to fatigue and infections. They kept themselves at the peak of health largely by eating the right kinds of foods!

Modern home makers know that diet plays a tremendously important part in maintaining the health and good spirits of the whole family. In the selection of meals from day to day, it is imperative that proper "bulk" be included in the foods that are served. Otherwise, the system fails to eliminate regularly. Common constipation, with its attendant evils, sets in.

Wives may lose their freshness and charm. Husbands become morose and irritable. All because they are really not well...


Of course, wives can keep their freshness if you store them in Tupperware, too, but perhaps that's another booklet.

So what have we learned so far? That the key to happiness is eating fiber! A totally and wholly unbiased helpful tip put out by.... er....


...W.K. Kellogg, the makers of All-Bran. Of course, pay no attention to that, that is a complete coincidence.

So... do you remember those old Bob Hope movies, The Road to Rio, The Road to Bali and the like? Well, here we have a lesser-known film...


The Road to Regularity! The happy housewife and terrier wave goodbye to Mr. Handsome Young Executive who, we know, will have a happy day like every other day because he started it with All-Bran and some quality time in the W.C.

Says W.K. Kellogg:

"You'll be surprised how much this influences your actions, your moods, your manner toward others, your whole outlook on life!"

Wow, now that's some powerful product marketing! But being happy isn't just about regularity. It's about keeping fit...


And do you keep fit through winning archery competitions? Or housecleaning? Or Swedish exercises?

NO! You keep fit by getting the iron and vitamin B you need in All-Bran. Also by making sure that meatloaf and tomato aspic salad you had last night doesn't spend much time in your body.

But did you know, the Kellogg company wasn't just savvy about nutrition? They knew a thing or two about beauty, too...


Beauty, they tell us, begins at home!...

And the path to that beauty begins with...

(And I know this is going to be a huge surprise to you all, so brace yourselves...)

Reducing constipation with All-Bran!..

Keep your beauty by keeping your health. Avoid common constipation-- the beauty-killer! It takes the sparkle out of eyes. Vitality is lowered-- and charm dissipated. Complexions may lose their loveliness-- take on a sallow, lifeless tone. Wrinkles and pimples may appear.


I had no idea constipation caused so many visible problems, did you?

Well, now we know why that family on the cover is all running around the backyard...

They're trying to make it into the house-- fast—due to the, er, happiness-inducing power of All-Bran!

Oh-- before we go today, I thought you all would also get a chuckle out of this recipe I found inside the Kelloggs' book...


"Boy, what a swell cake! Real caramel flavor!" exclaims the male disembodied head.

You know, we just don't use disembodied heads in our ads like we used to. Or the word "swell." Maybe, if we all band together, we can bring 'em back. What do you think? :)

Have a wonderful week!

13 comments:

Kris said...

I do believe I'm going to run right out and buy myself some all-bran. Who knew it is the modern day cure-all?

Great post.

Have a happy day

Kris

Melanie said...

We really need more floating heads in advertising these days. How cool would it be to see just a head advertising, Sham-wow for instance. Just a nice silent print ad! That would be.... just swell!!!

Melanie said...

Oops, sorry.

Jenn Thorson said...

Kris- Ah, their marketing power has hypnotized you, just as they planned! (insert evil laughter here). :)

Melanie- AH, ShamWow as a quiet little print ad... definitely. And Vince's noggin would really lend itself to that disembodied head styling, too.

Da Old Man said...

I have lost count, but it seems to be a recurring theme throughout the 30's and 40's that constipation was the challenge that most established our parents and grandparents as "the Greatest Generation."
Hitler and Stalin were nothing that fiber couldn't crush.
In fact, that may be why they were so cranky. A few bowls of All-Bran could have prevented WWII.

Jenn Thorson said...

Da Old Man- Unquestionably you are right-- if it wasn't castor oil, it was bran! All-bran. None of that partial bran.

You've gotta eat your bran if you want to defeat Hitler. :)

Unknown said...

Do you think maybe the bodies of the floating heads dissolved because of too much cake and not enough all-bran? And about that descriptive word, "swell" - the only people I remember using that term were those on commercials and the actors on the Leave it to Beaver Show. Ah, yes! Big brother Tony Dow was quite the dreamboat in those days.

Thrift Shop Romantic said...

Sher- Ah, good to know the reality of words like "swell"-- having watched my share of "The Beav" reruns, they sure did say it a lot there.

But it just didn't seem like quite the word to catch on for long.

ANDREA said...

Is that why I have this big, gross (NOT SWELL) pimple on my face today???? I'm heading for the cereal aisle today!

Janelle said...

I knew when I saw the first picture that we were headed for a constipation discussion. The people always look extra happy in the constipation ads.

I was going to ask if people were just extra-stopped up back then, but then I remembered Jamie Lee Curtis interviewing women about their bowel problems on those Activia commercials, and I realized we haven't come as far as I wish we had!

Unknown said...

Andrea- Um, only YOU can tell us that. You're on your own with that one. :)

Janelle- That made me laugh out loud. Yes, I suppose the shiny happy people might be a tip-off that it's a constipation ad. They were often shiny and happy in ads back then, though. Unnaturally so.

Now I think about it, I should do a montage sometime of ads of people getting just WAY too excited about their products.

Yes, those Activia ads do sorta carry on a very old tradition, don't they?

Redesign Diva said...

too funny! I am going to use some disembodied heads too! that way we can all stop focusing on the lower halves of our bodies...:)

Jenn Thorson said...

Kindle Marie- That was a benefit I never thought of before! :)