Since May, 2016, an entertaining blog featuring men's and boys' long one-piece underwear aka union suits. Considered old-fashion by some but known to be warm, comfortable, and fun to wear by those of us who swear by 'em! ... Check out my companion blog, UNION SUIT FANS IN THE LIMELIGHT, by simply going to the Red Dancing Long Johns below and click or tap on "Union Suit Fan." At the top of the next page under "My Blogs," click or tap on "Union Suit Fans in the Limelight."
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Friday, September 19, 2025
Buttoned Up for Another Football Season!
College Football is in full swing and who better to help us kick off the season in Union Suit Fan than our ole buddies, Stanley Steamer (Georgia Fan) and RC (Nebraska Fan).
And, the Cornhuskers handily beat Houston. The Nebraska game wasn't televised. So RC couldn't watch his team. Instead he joined best buddy, Stan, to cheer the Dawgs to victory!
You can rightfully call these fellas superstitious because they are absolutely convinced that donning red long johns on game days ensure a successful outcome. Some of you wear lucky jerseys or hats or maybe you don't change your socks as long as your team keeps winning. But Stanley and RC are convinced that it's their long red underwear that puts their teams over the top. And, I can't disagree.
Their union suit attire surely had to be at least partially responsible for their team wins last Saturday. The final scores prove it:
Georgia (3-0) 44 Tennessee (2-1) 41 in Overtime
Nebraska (3-0) 59 Houston (1-2) 7
Nebraska (3-0) plays Michigan (2-1) this Saturday, Yikes! RC better double up on his luck by wearing two red union suits for his Big Red team to win! And you can bet Steamer will be wearing his red long underwear, the ones with the buttoned escape hatch in the rear, when Georgia (3-0) plays Alabama on September 27th.
Thanks for the photos, fellas, good luck this season. Keep 'em buttoned....Chris
Saturday, September 13, 2025
Farmers are Union Suit Fans
My two granddads and my two great granddads and, I suppose, their dads, midwest farmers all, wore union suits while they farmed, six days a week, and wore them to church on Sundays. A couple of them wore their union suits seven days a week, year round. It's been a farmer thing for a century and a half to wear warm, comfortable one-piece, long underwear. My dad and uncles, as boys, grew up on farms and, you guessed it, wore union suits.
From them, I've come to love union suits, happily having worn them as long as I can remember. And, I'm not even a farmer. But, farming runs deep in my blood as does my inclination to wear their style of long johns!
Clem recently sent along a photo and story of a modern day farmer who, like my ancestors and me, chooses to wear union suits. Sometimes, apparently, that is all he wears as he, well, farms....
The caption reads:
Monday, September 1, 2025
Labor Day Reminds Me of Labor Unions which Remind Me of Union Suits,
and union suits and labor unions and labor day remind me of two prior postings of mine, one from my originial blog, Union Suit Fan, and the other from my companion blog, Union Suit Fans in the Limelight.
In 1941, textile union workers in Knoxville, TN went on strike having stripped first to their union suit underwear. You long time followers, may remember this post in Union Suit Fan on December 4, 2020.
YesterYear - Strident Strikers Strip
In April, 1941, textile workers walked a picket line in front of the closed Appalachian Mills garment factory in Knoxville, Tennessee. There were no less than thirteen textile mills operating in Knoxville then with most of them producing underwear and socks. Millions of men's and boys' union suits were made here.
A strike was called because a number of union men were fired from the plant. The striking picketers stripped to their own union suits in a demonstration of unity. Several of the men, some wearing hats, others carrying U.S. flags, but all wearing union suits, carried signs that read: “I Lost My Pants at Appalachian Mills.”
On December 14th, I received this email from Billy of Knoxville, TN:
"Chris: Even when I was a little boy, kids my age knew underwear of all types like my briefs and undershirts was made in Knoxville my hometown. Maybe my socks too, can't remember for sure. My grandpas and daddy wore union suits made here, uncles and older cousins too. Not year round but much of the year.
I followed 'suit,' pardon the pun, when I was about twelve years of age. But now my union suits are made in far away places like Indonesia or Honduras. The last two I bought were Duofolds made in India. I often wonder what the men and women who live in warmer climates and make our union suits these days must think of our western long underwear... 'Crazy Americans!' ...Billy"
Stripped to Strike!
And then, on June 4, 2018 in Union Suit Fans in the Limelight, an even older post, I featured striking workers in 1949 marching down Market Street in San Francisco in their union suits. The celebrated musician and funny man, Spike Jones, and his band, City Slickers, dressed in union suits and hats. The long-handled, one piece underwear wearing men, playing instruments and juggling, supported their local musicians' union:
Spike Jones and Friends, Union Suit Fans in the Limelight!
In June 1949, Spike Jones and his City Slickers, as his band was known along with some other buddies, marched in a parade right up Market Street in San Francisco all the way to the Curran Theater in their long underwear. They played musical instruments as they strutted around in public.
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Along the way, they met up with James C. Petrillo who at the time was the Musician's Union president. |
Spike Jones, a great band director as well as a satirical funny man, thought it a great idea for him and his band to appear in their "Union Suits" in support of the musician's "Union." For some reason, Spike wore an Indian headdress as well as a cowboy gun and holster over his long underwear.
All agreed, it was not a normal day in San Francisco when Spike Jones was around!
To see the video of Spike Jones' Petrillo Parade in 1949 San Francisco, highlight, copy and paste:
I wish to thank Stan the Man from Southern Arizona for introducing me to the Spike Jones parade. Stan is a movie fan so I have a feeling this blog will receive more posting suggestions from him in the coming months! Thanks, Stan!
Spike found a great deal of humor in one-piece long underwear. On another occasion he appeared with Marilyn Monroe and Ken Murray at the 8th annual Los Angeles Times Charity Football Game in 1952. This time Spike wore a red Union Suit while providing half-time entertainment to a large crowd. Proceeds from this charity event went to the Boys Club of Los Angeles.
Check out this YouTube Knoxville Local News10 video regarding the history of making men and boys' underwear. Forty-three million garments per year made Knoxville "The Underwear Capital of the World":
https://youtu.be/SC3CLnlh49M
So this Labor Day, Union Suit Fans, STRIKE a pose in your union suit underwear and email me a photo or two and help continue making the Union Suit Fan the number one union suit blog of the world!
Happy Labor Day, Union Suiters!