Fantastic Tiki Photo in Swimming Pool Brochure.

I'm lucky to have a friend like Doctor Z. Knowing how much I like Tiki Postcards and Paper Ephemera, he picked up this brochure for me at the local swapmeet.:down:

It's a large-format brochure from the Anthony Pools Company in Covina, California, dated 1966. The brochure is just packed with gorgeous photos and artist's renderings of swimming pools, modern architecture, and beautiful girls in vintage bathing suits:

Lo and behold, there's also this photo of a Polynesian apartment building in San Diego:

That's interesting in itself, but then you open to the centerfold of this brochure and are greeted with this stunning photo.:down:

This photo is huge! (approx 14" x 20"). No indication as to where it was taken, but the text reads: *"DREAMS DO COME TRUE. This fascinating pool party dramatizes the way a pool enriches your enjoyment of life. Whether it is a luau by the light of tiki torches reflected in a shimmering turquoise pool-or a barbeque and plunge for relatives on a hot Sunday afternoon-your pool creates an exotic setting. A pool magnifies the fun-things, the carefree things of life.

Today a pool is well within the dreams of most familes who understand the value of togetherness, of healthful excercise, and of well-earned relaxation. When you plan your pool, a magnificent setting like that pictured above is an example of what you can attain. You will be able to put yourself and your family into such a picture. It is much easier than you may think, and much more fun.

Most often, people who plan to build dramatic pool settings, select Anthony Pools because of Anthony's reputation for fine craftsmanship and choice of exclusive, high-style accessories. If you dream of owning a pool of exquisite beauty, please call us-making dreams come true is our business!"*

To me, this photo captures perfectly that ideal "tiki lifestyle" we imagine from the 1960s. We all give lip-service to the fact that people were creating their own backyard Bali-Hai's after the war - This photo proves again that it was true. I apologize for the slight bluriness of the photos and I'll try to get you a better close-up that shows you the tiki faces on the torches. Here are some larger photos of the tikis themselves and and a creative hanging wicker basket full of orchids:

Thanks again to Doctor Z for the great early Christmas present!

Sabu

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy 2005-12-11 02:57 ]

Awesome score Dr. Z! Sabu, you are indeed lucky to have such a friend. The size of the brochure is great so the pictures are big, not the usual tri-fold advertising brochure with the tiny pics.

The size of the tiki pool looks like a personal residence.My initial thought is that the backyard was specifically 'tikified' for the photo shot, but what a fantastic photo it turned out to be.

Now, about that San Diego apartment complex, what is it called and where is it?.......

Great piece to add to your already incredible collection.

I love those pictures! The blond coming out of the watre with the perfect hair... Never gets wet! Amazing!

excellent pictures. Thanks Sabu and doctor Z

Super cool! Thanks.

Wow Sa-bdul,
That is like a trip down memory lane for me, without the terrifying recollections of "nights in the box" for being a bad little midnite. My Dad, the Sarge, was a WWII combat Marine, PT. He came back from the Marianas Is. and never completely gave up the love of islands/tropical life...or a good knife fight for that matter. He was responsible for getting me into "tiki"...although he never would have known it by that term.

We lived in So Cal and had an Anthony pool at one house. He never did the full on tropical jungle tiki look, but we did do the fish trap, floats, net decor. Later in life it was "artillery punch" and a rather serious pool game called "Take that beach, Marine!". I always had to play the last-standing and terminally hapless Japanese soldier.

Great Stuff Sabu and Doc Z!
midnite

ps them some big-assed playing cards that couple is using.

Sabu & Dr. Z...

Wow! Stunning find... a really incredible photo!

Sabu!
What are you doing up at 0251 am? I get off work at 0230! Night owls unite!

Seriously dude, I gotta give you major props. I very much appreciate the time it takes you to post the cool stuff you do. I enjoy reading all your posts and I think I speak for a lot of folks out here.... keep em coming!

..mmmmm.....kidney pools....

Cool! I have the mod steel lawn chair with cushion (2 of them), located in the background of the pic. along with matching chaise lounge. I'd been wondering the exact vintage and this narrows it down. Incidentally it's now siting by the 18 by 36 ft redwood indoor pool room of my 1959 "Futurama House" by storybook homes. Thx for the awesome pix.

Great pictures, how fun it would be to be able to actually live like that: no work, a tropical drink in hand, being skinny again, no worries, cool tikis around the pool, yeah, wake me up.

Amazing! Congrats to that find! As I have mentioned to Sabu before, the hardest images to come by are those of Tikis AND contemporay folk in one picture. There are tons of postcards of empty restaurants, or 50s Luau partyers having fun sans Tikis, but such a combination is precious!

To me they are among the most memorable in the BOT: The three graces at the Tropics with the hairdo Tiki, the In crowd at the Pompano Beach Luau bar, Hefner with the Witco masks...the human element/scale really sells the absurdity of it all.

The only thing harder to come by is images of 50s/60s Americans holding Tiki mugs!

Needless to say, I would be absolutely thrilled to borrow that pool pic for my upcoming book, and also the night shot of the A-frame.

Aloha! First let me say that this is a super cool website. I flipped out when I saw your Anthony Pools catalog and I'm ashamed to admit that I'm extremely jealous. I grew up swimming in a "baby olympic" Anthony Pool in my childhood home of Anaheim which was built around 1955. My parents made the heartbreaking decision to move when I was 21 and 17 years later I contacted the new owners of the home and asked if I could visit the house. I can't tell you how integral that pool was to my everyday life as a child and adolescent. When I saw it again I got teary-eyed because it was as breathtakingly beautiful and enormous as I remember. A pool that size was really rare back in those days and even though the home is now in a "dubious" area of Anaheim, the owners said they will ask over 1 mill for home because of the pool. I've done some research, and sadly Anthony Pools (which is now Anthony & Sylvan Pools Corporation) has a very BAD reputation. Too bad.

The picture is so awesome I really want to spend time with the whole image. Love the bathing suits. Thanks for posting!

[ Edited by: jpmartdog 2006-07-07 08:35 ]

[ Edited by: jpmartdog 2006-07-07 08:36 ]

Check out picture #3...

"You know you're a success with an Anthony Swimming Pool and GIANT playing cards!"

I think it's funny that they have all those beautiful photos of the pools, but they use an "artist's interpretation" of their sales office. I grew up in Covina, and I know the area didn't look anything like that picture.

Number 4 pics - NEXT to Anthonys picture thats MY pool sorta kidney like - except my ladder is on the same side as the stairs.

Sweet stuff - the broucher - I even got to hold that one once!

thanks for postin sabu!