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The Famous Glen-L Poster Girl!
This week’s history photos are of the Glen-L poster girl. A couple of these are used on our website in the “About Us” section and the “About our Plans & Patterns” page.
Today you’re going to get the “rest of the story” as Paul Harvey liked to say…
First off, we don’t know our poster girl’s name. My dad had a friend named Bill Holden who was a photographer and he referred him to the model shown in the photos.
Dad said he had to pick her up and drop her off near where she lived in Hollywood.
She met him on the boulevard because she didn’t want people to know where she lived. Smart girl.
She handed my dad her portfolio when he picked her up and it did include some nudes she had done as well.
The photos were all taken at Bill’s studio with an 8×10 view camera. I’ve 
always wondered about the poses where it looks like she has a secret and it turns out that it’s just how Bill told her to pose. It’s cute at any rate.
My dad remembers that she was married to an airline pilot and she was very nice.
The photos were taken in the early 50’s at the very beginning of Glen-L.
You may remember History Photo #4 where I talked about the very first Glen-L office and our dealer program. The display that was provided to our dealers had the poster girl on them.
These photos would obviously have been pretty edgy for the 1950’s and dad did say that he got a couple of complaints from his dealers.
He can’t remember why he hired a model and had photos done. I don’t think it would be a stretch to say that as a young business man starting out, he understood that a pretty, scantily clad woman would draw his target market like bees to honey. Yes, that would be men.
And of course, my father was a 35 year old man who most likely enjoyed looking at pretty women too!
At any rate, I really wish we knew her name becaue I would have loved to interview her today. I’m sure she has some stories to tell…
So, that’s the rest of the story… enjoy the photos!
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12 Responses to Glen-L History Photo #6
It does look like Gayle
Love ya brad
Builder in the corn
Gayle, you still look good, was it cold to pose for those pictures, no probably not Southern Cal. and all….Dwain the Skiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGG..
Ha ha Dwain–I wasn’t even close to being born when these photos were taken!
It seems to me that I remember those ads appearing in “Mechanix Illustrated” in the 50’s when I was just a boy. Pretty girls were always an attraction of course and I loved the magazine.
Glen-L continues to be the best of boat building sites on the web. Thanks to you and your dad for the memories.
I love the old pictures Gayle. Keep sending them
Jeff
I can remember as a young boy seeing some of those pictures in advertisments. My Father was thinking of building a boat at that time. I had such a crush on that girl…. I was maybe 10 or so…. So wow, now I suddenly have a renewed interest in building boats…. 🙂
Usually I don’t comment on lines, but her keel and shear lines come together so well that I can’t help but wonder how much PoxyShield was used???
I think all that epoxy is going to your head!
NAH! I was always like this…
Hi Gayle,
(Sorry this is a little long winded but I felt I needed to say it)
Your dad sounds like a very clever and savvy man. I aint no prude and your husband and yourself sound like you both aint either. But I know when my 2 girls were growing up I wouldn’t like to have explained, why the pretty young ladies were on the publicity material. Awkward questions and stuff better avoided.
Change the subject or sidestep the question or answer a question with a question is a good ploy all our Politicians have used in the past and will continue to in the future. These tactics have met with good success for them in there business and a few photos in night clubs with pretty young ladies does the young up and coming politician or businessman no harm at all, so yes your dad was a very clever businessman of his time in the 50’s when I was growing up.
If it was a good enough tactic for Ford, GM and Chrysler to name but a few and it sold cars. Then his attitude of, if it is good enough for them and it sells cars then it’s good enough for me. If I managed to hit my product target market and it put food on the table for my family I think I could stand the flack from a few people and a few of my dealers. Your dad sold a good idea and good product and if it the pretty young lady photo gave him an edge then good, it bought you an extra present at Christmas.
Your edge in this day and age is reaching the maximum number of people with some snazzy pics of beautiful boats in some really beautiful settings and I reckon the internet is your edge and your “pretty young lady”.
As they say in Northern Ireland where I hail from, you are real easy on the eyes as well (as is my gal of 35 years) and your pic on your web site does your web site no harm at all. As I said before the internet is your edge if it wasn’t I wouldn’t be writing this now.
Regards
Geoff Burrows
Thanks for your feedback Geoff–yes, I think my dad’s pretty sharp! Thanks for your kind comments 🙂
I wonder where those girls are today?