Popular Entertainment - Overview
This Museum's popular entertainment collections hold some of the Smithsonian's most beloved artifacts. The ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz reside here, along with the Muppet character Kermit the Frog, and props from popular television series such as M*A*S*H and All in the Family. But as in many of the Museum's collections, the best-known objects are a small part of the story.
The collection also encompasses many other artifacts of 19th- and 20th-century commercial theater, film, radio, and TV—some 50,000 sound recordings dating back to 1903; posters, publicity stills, and programs from films and performances; puppets; numerous items from World's Fairs from 1851 to 1992; and audiovisual materials on Groucho Marx, to name only a few.
"Popular Entertainment - Overview" showing 66 items.
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Bee Gees Lunch Box
- Description (Brief)
- This metal lunch box was manufactured by Thermos in 1978. The lunch box depicts the three Bee Gees on front lid, Robin Gibb on the rear panel, and various song titles are written on the side. The Bee Gees mainly consisted of the brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, and each one had their own lunch box. The Bee Gees first achieved international fame in the 1960s as a rock group, but the height of their success occurred in the late 1970s, with their soundtrack to the hit movie Saturday Night Fever becoming one of the best selling soundtracks of all time.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1978
- maker
- Aladdin Industries
- King Seeley Thermos
- ID Number
- 2001.3099.01
- nonaccession number
- 2001.3099
- catalog number
- 2001.3099.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Get Smart Lunch Box
- Description (Brief)
- This tin lunch box was manufactured by Thermos in 1966. The box features artwork from the television series Get Smart on the lid, back and sides. Get Smart ran from 1965-1970, the first four years on NBC, and the last on CBS. It featured the adventures of Maxwell Smart as the bumbling Agent 86, and his female companion Agent 99. Created by Mel Brooks, Get Smart was a satiric take on the spy genre, poking fun at popular spy shows and movies like James Bond and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1966
- maker
- King Seeley Thermos
- ID Number
- 2001.3100.03.01
- nonaccession number
- 2001.3100
- catalog number
- 2001.3100.03.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Get Smart Thermos
- Description (Brief)
- This thermos was manufactured by Thermos in 1966, as the companion to lunch box object number 2001.3100.03.02. The box features artwork from the television series Get Smart, and is a repetition of the image on the back of the lunch box. Get Smart ran from 1965-1970, the first four years on NBC, and the last on CBS. It featured the adventures of Maxwell Smart as the bumbling Agent 86, and his female companion Agent 99.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1966
- maker
- King Seeley Thermos
- ID Number
- 2001.3100.03.02
- nonaccession number
- 2001.3100
- catalog number
- 2001.3100.03.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Disco Fever Lunch Box
- Description (Brief)
- This tin lunch box was manufactured by Thermos in 1980. It features a blue plastic snap for a hinged lid and a collapsible blue plastic handle. The box is titled “Disco Fever” and is red and blue overall, and features images of disco dancers dancing in a dance hall on the front side, and the back side is dancers dancing in a dance hall wearing roller skates.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1980
- maker
- King Seeley Thermos
- ID Number
- 2001.3100.05.01
- nonaccession number
- 2001.3100
- catalog number
- 2001.3100.05.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Disco Fever Thermos
- Description (Brief)
- This square plastic thermos bottle has a screw-on, blue plastic cup lid and a screw-on, white plastic stopper with movable yellow pouring spout. The bottle is the companion piece to object number 2001.3100.05.01, and features an image of the couple dancing and the text “Disco Fever.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1980
- maker
- King Seeley Thermos
- ID Number
- 2001.3100.05.02
- nonaccession number
- 2001.3100
- catalog number
- 2001.3100.05.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Lawman Lunch Box
- Description (Brief)
- This tin lunch box was manufactured by Thermos in 1961. It has a metal snap for a hinged lid and a collapsible red, plastic handle. The box features images from the television series Lawman, which ran from 1958-1962 on ABC. The show focused on the town of Laramie, Wyoming, and the action that happened around the Birdcage Saloon. Produced by Warner Brothers, Lawman had several crossover episode with other Warner Brother westerns like Maverick and Cheyenne.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1961
- depicted
- Russell, John
- Brown, Peter
- maker
- King Seeley Thermos
- ID Number
- 2001.3100.11.01
- nonaccession number
- 2001.3100
- catalog number
- 2001.3100.11.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Lawman Thermos
- Description (Brief)
- This thermos bottle was manufactured by Thermos in 1961, and is the companion piece to lunch box object number 2001.3100.11.01. The bottle is made of tin, plastic and glass and has a screw-on, red plastic cup lid and a screw-on red and tan plastic stopper. The bottle is yellow with drawings of cowboy clothing, equipment and firearms around the sides.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1961
- maker
- King Seeley Thermos
- ID Number
- 2001.3100.11.02
- nonaccession number
- 2001.3100
- catalog number
- 2001.3100.11.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Lunch Box
- Description (Brief)
- This tin lunch box was made by Thermos in 1966. It has a metal snap for a hinged lid and a collapsible black, plastic handle. The box has a yellow and red design with colorful action drawings from the television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. on the lid, sides and back. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ran from 1964-1968 on NBC, and focused on the espionage activities of two agents from the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1966
- maker
- King Seeley Thermos
- ID Number
- 2001.3100.12.01
- nonaccession number
- 2001.3100
- catalog number
- 2001.3100.12.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Thermos
- Description (Brief)
- This tin, plastic and glass thermos bottle was manufactured by Thermos in 1966. It has a screw-on, red plastic cup lid. The bottle is the companion piece to the lunch box with object number 2001.3100.12.01. The bottle has action drawings from the television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., the art is the same as the front of its companion box.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1966
- maker
- King Seeley Thermos
- ID Number
- 2001.3100.12.02
- nonaccession number
- 2001.3100
- catalog number
- 2001.3100.12.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Julia Thermos
- Description (Brief)
- This tin, plastic and glass thermos bottle was made by Thermos in 1969. It has a screw-on, green plastic cup lid and a beige and red screw-on, plastic stopper. The bottle has colorful drawings from the television show Julia on the side of the thermos.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1969
- maker
- King Seeley Thermos
- ID Number
- 2001.3100.18
- nonaccession number
- 2001.3100
- catalog number
- 2001.3100.18
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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