Are you High Brow, or Low Brow (TIME Magazine 1949)

[Oexmelin]

Looks like charades.

Yes, charades were called "the Game" in postwar USA, probably imported back from France.

[fromtia]

This is a joy. "Western Movies"!

[merithyn]

And apparently only men can define the rank.

[Monoriu]

Clothes: online
Furniture: IKEA
Useful objects: desktop computer
Entertainment: anime
Salads: potato salad
Drinks: sweet wine and apple juice
Reading: languish
Sculpture: none
Records: anime sound track
Games: Fallout, EU, Civilization, Elder Scrolls
Causes: Mono Retirement Fund

[Legbiter]

Records: anime sound track

[Oexmelin]

Out of curiosity, I leafed through the whole issue. There is a case about a divorce, in 1949 - with everything you'd expect from 1949: a man who makes up stories about his wife infidelity, and beats her, and the kids up. But shock! horror! the wife's parents' house has alcohol in it. That can't possibly be a good house for the kids! So the judge digs up an old tricycle that he produces in court, and sickeningly, smugly pats himself in the back for contriving this metaphor of their failed marriage before sending them back on their merry way to work up their differences.

The day following the publication of this story in Life, the guy sets fire to the house where his wife had taken refuge.

[Barrister]

The day following the publication of this story in Life, the guy sets fire to the house where his wife had taken refuge.

I'm not doubting you, but I'm very curious how you found that bit of information.  News stories from 1949 are unlikely to be on the internet.

[Oexmelin]

I'm not doubting you, but I'm very curious how you found that bit of information.  News stories from 1949 are unlikely to be on the internet.

They usually are not. But they are often in university digitized collections. The guy's name, Ballard D. Turner, was unusual enough that it was a quick search. It was in the Terre Haute Star, April 13.

[The Brain]

Library Use - success. I hope you got a nice handout.

[Barrister]

I'm not doubting you, but I'm very curious how you found that bit of information.  News stories from 1949 are unlikely to be on the internet.

They usually are not. But they are often in university digitized collections. The guy's name, Ballard D. Turner, was unusual enough that it was a quick search. It was in the Terre Haute Star, April 13.

Neat.   (I mean - not the arson, but how you could find that so easily)

Were the wife and kids inside?

[Oexmelin]

Were the wife and kids inside?

Fortunately not.

Apparently she died three years ago. https://www.jonesfamilymortuary.com/memorials/Wiley-Gladys/2900341/obituary.php

[PDH]

Ballard D. Turner

Guy with a lowbrow name like that was bound to be a wife-beating arsonist.

[Barrister]

Were the wife and kids inside?

Fortunately not.

Apparently she died three years ago. https://www.jonesfamilymortuary.com/memorials/Wiley-Gladys/2900341/obituary.php

Okay - now how the FUCK did you manage to find that?  Teach me your mad skillz. 

The details all seem to check out - right part of the world, right age, name of Gladys, son's name is Robert Turner...  but I didn't see her maiden name anywhere in the life article, and there's no mention of the first husband (understandably so given the arson).  And all of those names are relatively common.

And of course now I want to know if Col Joe Wiley was the neighbour from two doors down she was accused of having an affair with.  Gladys did get married the following year in 1950 to him.

[Oexmelin]

Okay - now how the FUCK did you manage to find that?  Teach me your mad skillz. 

Many years of reconstructing the details of 18th century families between three continents... 

(Note that two of her sons changed their names to Wiley, and one kept Turner, and the predeceased son was the one who was mentioned in the article as having died in infancy)

[merithyn]

Which Life article is this? I'm flipped through the magazine, but didn't see this. Is it the High-Brow/Low-Brow article?