A pithy comic strip about life, love, lust and puthy cats.

Est. 1985

Extra, Extra!

Forward to the Past

By Jimmy Johnson


Buy the new book, "Beaucoup Arlo & Janis!"Today's "Arlo & Janis!"
I scanned this old Sunday this morning, just for you. I drew a lot bigger back then! It took two passes on my 11X17 flat-bed scanner to get it all. That is the very reason I began drawing smaller, shortly after this cartoon appeared in 1995. It was about that time I started scanning the daily cartoons and digitally transmitting them to my editors in New York. I started drawing smaller so I could scan a cartoon in one pass of the scanner. It was sometime later before I began transmitting the Sunday cartoons, because they simply were too big to transmit by dial-up modem. As it was, I remember it would take 12 to 15 minutes to transmit six daily cartoons. Now, it takes about three seconds.

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314 responses to “Forward to the Past”

  1. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Biloxi, Mississippi. Fiesta at the Fiesta. Go-go girls in cages. Wearing go-go boots and hot pants. Band playing “Devil with the Blue Dress On.” Sexy bartender and older male customer (intoxicated) going through an obviously regular routine as she served him a drink. He: (with a leer) “Would you?” She: (with a smile) “Could you?”

    [Sorry; a little flash back there.]

  2. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Lily, in the 70’s and late 60’s I often wore bell bottom hip huggers and cropped tops that left your stomach and abdomen exposed.
    I had a friend in Weight Watchers who was trying to get small enough to wear something like that.

    When someone cautioned her against losing too much weight, it might kill her she replied “Yes, but aren’t I going to look lovely there in my coffin wearing those purple hip huggers and halter top?”

    You were probably wearing something like that.

    And yes, Ghost, I was a devoted member of Weight Watchers, knew Jean Neiditch and almost bought the franchise for Mississippi, which had no owner at the time, what with Weight Watchers being in their infancy. Talk about lost opportunity!

    We also almost bought a Weight Watchers restaurant franchise to open an approved restaurant, another early WW idea, but Mike and I decided people talked diet and ate fat! So, I got to meet the early WW chef and FB director way back then. It was HARD to do WW in 60-70 period because of the no carbs from breads, no frying stuff, all the substituting required and Mike decided it was just too hard to maintain the “legal” menu.

    Those very large Hawaiian ladies did not want to give up their poi and Spam and could not understand what a 5’2″ haole who weighed 103 # was doing at WW anyway?

    Love, Jackie

  3. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Jackie, I once saw a WW map that shows a franchise area of something like “Greater Mississippi, Southern Alabama and Northwest Florida”. Just think. Someone is probably pulling down some serious coin.

    My training flight in the AF was about half native Hawaiians. Crazy bunch of dudes but a lot of fun to be around.

  4. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Talk about flashbacks, we are having them! Remember the Southwest Airline stews in the hot pants and white go-go boots?

    I never owned white boots but did wear some leather ones as I recall and some dresses so short they look like shirts nowadays, barely cleared our tail feathers.

    How about Nancy Sinatra and “These Boots Are Made For Walking”? Mike got to serve her and dad, Frank, and entire family as they’d take a floor at Kahala Hilton for family time.

    Or Goldie Hawn on Laugh in?

    Bet Lily would wear those dirty ripped up jeans, crocheted vests and hippie blouses, bare feet and long stringy hair with a cigar box for the change tourists tossed (if they did at all, tourists not being too generous to hippies) Then police would tell her to get off the curb and move on!

    Love, Jackie

  5. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    I was asking myself when I typed that if the franchise hadn’t included Alabama as well but couldn’t honestly remember. As I recall it was going to cost me something like $20,000 and I cannot believe I did not do that! Think of how rich and thin I would be now!

    But in that time, that was a lot of money, which I had but wasn’t seeing what WW would become today. I got pregnant (that was from being skinny) and took a transfer back to Mainland and a promotion with government, thought we needed to be near the grandparents.

    Funny, we didn’t see what Disney World would become, so turned that one down and WW phenomena and turned it down. Youth is often wrong, remember that mantra Lilyblack!

    Love, Jackie

  6. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Jackie, today a 5’2″ female would have to weigh at least 115 pounds to even join WW, due, I’m sure, to concerns about individuals with eating disorders.

    Don’t feel too bad. Back in the 60’s, before I knew him, a former boss of mine had a chance to buy the KFC franchise for his area. He was a great business man, but he blew that one…he decided it would never be successful, because when people in the South wanted fried chicken, they just fixed it at home…of course. Last I heard, the man who got the franchise now owns about 20 stores in three states, and has airplanes, condos, a million-dollar motor home, etc.

  7. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Talk about youth, just read today’s A and J, for Monday. Mary Lou is off on the bistro. I used to have a favorite saying when I did stage shows for florists, over 250 before I quit counting! It was being a “little florist” or part time florist was like being a little bit pregnant. You were going to have to carry the baby to full term and things were going to be the same, there was no such thing as what Mary Lou thinks can happen!

    Love, Jackie

  8. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Not saying I was without eating disorders as a young person, Ghost. When I was really young I mostly lived on Cokes, which were NOT diet then, and almost no food. Ditto in college, Cokes, cigarettes and almost no food. Gave my meal tickets away to some fortunate male friend and never ate in cafeterias.

    I probably ate better with WW then I did on my own, I joined in New Orleans before my weight got down again. I married Mike at about 110 lbs. at most and size 6=ish, then blew up like an inflatable raft when I began to cook and eat!

    Bleeding ulcers got me skinny, skinny again, but before that I had lost weight thru serious medical dieting and exercise daily at gym.

    Lilyblack, I understand your eating and exercising girl! Been there, done that too!

    Love, Jackie

  9. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Jackie, your mention of floral stage shows reminded me of once years ago when the friend I mentioned with a hair care products distribution business put on a big stage show, featuring some big name stylist he had flown in from Dallas. I worked door security (in a tux no less) and spent the whole day on my feet, for no pay.

    But I did get to meet and spend most of the day with all the cute little hair models that had been recruited for the stylist to use on stage. As I said, some jobs don’t pay well but have other benefits. πŸ˜‰

  10. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Good night, Munchkin.

    Good night, Jackie.

    Good night, Ghost.

    Good night, John Boy.

  11. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Good morning, Debbe πŸ˜‰

  12. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Whatever happened to Virgin Mindy? Do you suppose she finally had to change her name? πŸ™‚

  13. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Glamour life, fly-drive into some city, ride in a delivery van to wholesaler, work for 72 hours straight creating fantasy floral designs that about 6 people in audience could do. Change in a bathroom to go on stage looking “dressed” and hope deodorant works. Do same thing next weekend, eight hours often onstage, all day shows.

    Unless it was in a hotel or a big wedding show, pretty much same glamour except working in a big conference room of flowers to get a stage show done in too little time.

    I did do hair show modeling a little in college, recruited by my hairdresser/designer who was a show designer himself. My current hair dresser in our tiny town here worked for such a big company down in Florida and traveled doing shows. She burned out really fast and works out of tiny shop alone but she is still fast, fast, fast and I know she isn’t kidding about what she used to do.

    Love, Jackie (who has read all the comics for Monday and is heading to bed again)

  14. Lilyblack Avatar

    Hum, Ghost, you must have have been exposed to some pretty uptight Sunday School classes. Unlike mine, I assure you. Gotta go to be, now. Shhhh

  15. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Suzie, Ghost is Southern Baptist unless I misread my religions!

    Jackie

  16. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Suzie, Ghost is Southern Baptist unless I misread my religions!

    Jackie

  17. Steve from Royal Oak, Mi Avatar

    Thanks to modern technology, I was able to “see” Pope Francis deliver his Sunday address at Sr. Peter’s Square. I brought a decent camera to Rome and I was able to use the zoom feature. The Mass inside was in Italian, but we were able to kind of follow along due to the universal nature of it. At the sign of Peace, I was able to shake hands with 3-4 nationalities

  18. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    Good morning Villagers….

    Steve, I’m excited for you and yours. To be in a throng of so many people with a common love for their Savior. Also, I went back and double checked your link of your sister’s artwork…eggcellent job done! Stay safe.

    Good morning GR πŸ˜‰ thanks for the link….Bonnie also does a good re-endition of Winwood’s “Can’t find my way home” There’s a link to that song on that link you posted. Forward to three minutes, that’s where it gets good. The first three minutes are comprised of tuning and chatting.

    AND I do remember Dave! And Sister Mary Elephant. And so on….. Common joke around the chicken houses is that the soon to be ex-son-in-law’s name is Dave (I’ve known that young man since he was a child) Any hoo, The Boss would phone in and ask if I’ve seen Dave….and you guessed it “Dave’s not here.”

    Had some loose hens running around at the end of one the aisles…where there’s a big opening down into the pit. Two cage doors were left open. Counted the one left in the cage and the ones running loose made four hens (there’s 5 in a cage)…leaned over and peered down into the pit and there lay a hen, drowned in chicken poop….I don’t like loosing hens that way. But much to my surprise, one of the ‘hens’ I grabbed was Mr. Rooster….I knew he was somewhere back in the back as I could hear him crowing. Now he is happily on the top tier…where I can keep an eye on him.

    Mark…sorry to hear your vacation didn’t turn out as well as you wanted, but I hope room service was good.

    Today’s grin…..and I’ve done this too…. https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/8313077760/h310F7310/

    Ya’ll have a blessed day…and GR, don’t spread yourself too thin this week…..keep us posted on your mom’s well being and BIL.

    Indy Mindy….I have a throw blanket just like that πŸ™‚ With the cooler weather now, the cats have to get on my lap on top of my blanket…..

  19. emeritus minnesota biologist Avatar
    emeritus minnesota biologist

    New Yorker orgy cartoon in Sun. school? Why not? I once used a beer bottle to illustrate a point in a sermon. When I showed it, I said [approx.], “Most of you will forget what I said today, but will remember that I brought a beer bottle to church.” They still let me attend, and do stuff, even help serve communion.

    As you might figure, I cannot now remember what sermon that was, but may be able to find it and report back.

  20. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Debbe πŸ˜‰ Obviously, cats are easily amused. Well, they will sit and watch dust motes in sun beams, so…

  21. emeritus minnesota biologist Avatar
    emeritus minnesota biologist

    I found it. Sermon was the Sun. before Labor Day, 2001, and the sermon was on work, incl. James 2:18, a favorite verse of mine. One paragraph of a 15-18 min. sermon:

    “The [UMC] Social principles also hold that consumption of goods and services should be restrained, and should involve minimal damage to the environment. That last raises some difficult issues. Sometimes protecting the environment may mean the loss of jobs, or so it is claimed. (Often, it turns out that creative measures incorporated into environmental protection can avoid job loss, or even create jobs.) Here is an example, a non-returnable beverage bottle. (Often one hears that a sermon was good, but people cannot remember what was said. They will remember, however, that he brought a beer bottle to church.) This bottle’s glass is too thin to stand the jostling that would occur if it were repeatedly refilled. Nonetheless, there is a deposit on it in some states. Its label says, “CT-ME-VT-DE-MA-NY-IA 5 cents, MI 10 cents REF; CA cash refund.” (I presume California’s law has a variable clause built-in to cover inflation.) Such laws are designed to prevent littering with throw-aways, and they work; there is less roadside littering of beverage containers in these states. They also encourage recycling of the glass; you can melt these down to make more brown bottles. But that’s only 9 states out of 50. How come MN is not there? Every attempt to get such a law through the MN legislature has been defeated because of fear of loss of jobs.”

    They liked it. None of us knew what was going to happen in lower Manhattan, D.C., and PA several days later.

  22. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    One of my favorite sermons, which I wish I still had, was delivered by a favorite professor, a Unitarian. “John Donne and the Flea”. He gave me a copy, I still remember it and him but not HIS name!

    He said I was a born Unitarian.

    Love, Jackie

  23. Lilyblack Avatar

    Good morning, Villagers. Jackie, well, that explains a lot. I was of course, speaking on John 2:10: ” Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.”

    Had a great run this morning. I could get used to this weather, but I know it’s gonna change, thei is Texas, after all.

  24. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Like Lily, I became an Episcopalian, not an easy thing to accomplish. You have to take classes and study, unlike some religions that are easy to convert to.

    Once during a fund raiser we were raising money for the building fund and it began to rain. We moved the event into the sanctuary which was only place that would hold crowd. After a few minutes of thoughtful prayer, priest decided we could serve the donated wine there as well. We raised record amounts for the church, so we had the bottles AND the beverage in church!

    Shouldn’t have been surprised but saw lots and lots of Anglican churches on trip to east coast last month. I prefer Anglican services or “high church” and would have loved to have visited some of them.

    Love, Jackie

  25. Trapper Jean Avatar
    Trapper Jean

    Ghost, don’t worry, I understand. πŸ™‚ When I was in high school and taller than the captain of the basketball team I realized that even if a boy did get up the courage to ask me out (which did not happen) I would most likely have said no because I preferred intelligent men even then, and not a boy who could only discuss the football game. College was better. At least the guys wanted to be there and learn something. Some of them still had the problem of being a bit afraid to ask The Amazon to a movie, though.