It seems somewhat fitting, as the Memorial Weekend approaches, for my hand to find Kate Smith’s Favorite Recipes, a vintage baking booklet featuring the famous singer & General Foods Corporation’s Swans Down Cake Flour and Calumet Baking Powder — sponsors of Smith’s radio shows.

Why? Because Kate Smith was the one who, on Armistice Day, November 10, 1938, (the twentieth anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I), introduced Americans to Irving Berlin’s God Bless America.

The song quickly became a new, if unofficial, national anthem and if Kate’s introduction of the song, subsequent recording, and continued performances of it on nearly every radio broadcast through December 1940 (during the temporary “ban” of public performances of ASCAP songs) didn’t leave her indelible mark on the song as “hers,” temporary exclusive performance rights to the song sure secured it.

Kate’s rendition of God Bless America also made her a permanent part of hockey history — at least as far as the Philadelphia Flyers are concerned.

Anyway, if Kate doesn’t seem “All American” enough for you, consider the typical qualities of this booklet, copyrighted in 1939. It features the popular singer along with the to-be-expected recipes, baking tips, & true corporate greed — product placements for Swans Down Cake Flour & Calumet Baking Powder in photographs as well as specific recipe ingredients. That’s to be expected, right? But still, there’s something a bit weirder than that…

And I don’t just mean the comedic use of what I call “too many roll-y poll-y Kate heads” to remind the bakers (and now, we collectors) that this booklet was a Kate Smith affair either.

This vintage baking cookbook doesn’t have single pie recipe. That’s weird. At least to me. Until you consider that General Foods Corporation, makers of Swans Down Cake Flour & Calumet Baking Powder, didn’t want folks to think of making pies — and therefore other baking products. Then my Easy Bake oven light goes on.

But still, that’s not as American as things get with this vintage booklet.

Kate was a big catch in this promotional marriage. And I don’t just mean her body size, but her popularity with Americans (millions listened to her radio shows). However, you certainly can’t ignore her physical size either.

“I know I’m fat and I know my hair is straight, but I can sing,” Kate Smith admitted on more than one occasion. That statement was more than acceptance of her non-pinup body-type in a culture which has always placed a premium on looks. Especially with its female pop sensations. Even if radio was the dealio back then. Understandably, Kate didn’t want to be dismissed as the butt of fat jokes — but she didn’t seem to mind making belittling jokes at her own expense once her huge talent was recognized. Even if her big stature was used to milk promotional dollars. …Maybe she just enjoyed the delicious irony of getting paid to hawk what the skinny girls couldn’t?

But you have to wonder how the amply-endowed Smith felt being photographed surrounded by a bevy of baking beauties…

Or how the single Smith felt pandering to “typical female instincts” by posing with her business partner, Ted Collins, with text discussing how to “make men rave” with baked goods…

OK, so maybe Kate just had a really good sense of humor. Or a very high tolerance for BS. Maybe she even had both. But you can’t ignore the irony of a woman who would die of diabetes pushing baked goods.

And that, to me, seems to be about as American as it gets. Even Especially in 2009.

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Article Tags: advertising collectibles, American, baking, CBS, ephemera, general foods, god bless america, kate smith, memorial day, Vintage cookbooks, weight, women

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This entry was posted on Monday, May 18th, 2009 at 5:42 am and is filed under flea market finds. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.