More Union Suit Fan Coming in May, 2024.  

See you back here then!!

Montana Cowboy Dressed Down

The following email and photo of her brother was received from Dora this past week depicting more proof of a cowboy's favorite underwear.

Chris: In your blog recently, we saw a drawing of you along side your photo wearing a cowboy hat and long underwear. So, I wanted to share with you a family story about my brother's long underwear.

My kid brother, John, and I grew up on our parents' ranch in central Montana. When he was a little boy, about 10 or 11 years old, he wanted our mom to buy him long underwear like our two ranch hands wore. He'd see Pete's and Kory's long underwear hanging out on the clothesline, drying on wash days. And, sometimes he would visit them in a sort of bunk house where they stayed, wandering over early mornings. He'd occasionally see them, still in their union suits, drinking coffee, preparing for their day. 

It wasn't long before John receive a couple union suits for Christmas, mom granting his wish just to get him to stop bugging her. That morning, not that long ago, he opened his gifts of underwear, immediately pulled off his pajamas and put on one of the union suits. After opening the rest of our presents, John pulled on his boots and ran over to the bunkhouse in his union suit to show Pete and Kory. They laughed and told him he was a "real cowboy now, for sure." John wore that long underwear the entire day, went to bed in them that night, and as far as I know, he's never worn pajamas since. 

Recently, I was home for a visit. John has remained on the family ranch. One morning while there, I accompanied him to a western store near us. He purchased a new red union suit and hat, tried them on, and came rambling out of the dressing room in his new underwear, allowing me to take a picture of him.  Here's my brother, John:

He's a real cowboy right down to his, well you know!

Love your blog, Dora (Billings, Montana) 

Dora!  Thanks!  I agree with your ranch hands, real cowboys wear union suits. I've posted a number of photos of cowboys undressed, appearing in only in their union suits and boots, found over the years in Union Suit Fan. 

Appreciate you sending me the photo of your brother, John, and his story ....Chris

This Ain't No April's Fool Joke!

Retro Jeff returned to earth with his memory back. He gives a full accounting below of his hair raising other-worldly encounter.  Read on....

"Now that I seem to be out from under scrutiny by the authorities, I feel safe in coming forward with the full account of my recent traumatic experience that began with a late afternoon alien encounter in early March. Being afraid to speak out before, I only "leaked" the previous photos of my attack to Chris in an attempt to alert Union Suit Fans to the potential danger they are exposed to when wearing union suits out of doors. Those photos were presented in his March 16th posting, including this one:

Now, I can reveal three more disturbing photos captured by my intrepid neighbor with the camera that evening before he finally fled for the safety of his own home. The "death ray" blast I received was apparently only meant to stun me as I have no recollection of being drawn, senseless, up into the bowels of the mother ship.    

My neighbor said the ship then hovered above the tree tops for another 15 minutes or so, until the sky was fully dark... 

before taking off with me on board!   

Inside the space craft, my memories of being on the ship are mostly foggy and dreamlike. I remember being stretched out under bright lights of an unearthly hue and intensity that seemed to keep me in a state of suspended animation.   

There were horrible, inquisitive faces staring down at me from all angles but I soon realized that I was not their primary interest. It was the red union suit I was wearing that had their attention!    

As they thoroughly scrutinized every inch and detail of my union suit I could tell that they were favorably impressed. Finally, one of the aliens, I believe their leader, demanded to know why all earthlings are not so attired. I wasn't sure if the question was actually spoken or delivered via mental telepathy. I remember feebly mumbling something about all earthlings not being born with good common sense. I continued to drift in and out of consciousness throughout this ordeal and my final memory aboard ship was of two aliens engaged in a kind of tug of war, over MY union suit!!  When I regained full consciousness, I found myself in my own back yard, numb with cold and without my union suit! The aliens had kept it! Dawn was just breaking as I slinked into the house, hopefully unseen by my neighbors. I quickly slipped into my warmest, red, duofold union suit and crawled into bed.             

Unbeknownst to me, old Mrs. Wilkins had been out walking her cat early that morning and had witnessed the return of the mother ship. On her phone she had captured  photos of the ship hovering above my backyard in the early dawn sky and beaming me back to earth, unceremoniously, but safely. (My face was union suit red when she texted me these photos a day or two later.)   

With no fear or thought of the possible repercussions, unlike my more discreet  neighbor with the camera, Mrs. Wilkins had immediately called the authorities after snapping her photos. A short time after turning in at dawn (it seemed to me like minutes but must have been an hour or two), my well needed sleep was disturbed by unrelenting pounding at the door.  Getting out of bed,  in my union suit,  I staggered half asleep to the door and unlocked it. The door immediately burst open, nearly knocking me down. Two men in black suits and sunglasses charged in and took me into custody. I was hustled into a limousine, blindfolded, and taken to an unknown location. During the drive I could only think, "Oh my God!  There really are Men in Black!"      

I underwent hours of interrogation in what seemed to be an abandoned warehouse. They placed me on a stool under an intense light and demanded to know every detail of my alien encounter.  

I was too embarrassed to admit how the aliens had relieved me of my union suit aboard ship. That I was not going to tell!  Finally, after giving them my very best "deer in the headlights" look in response to their continual questioning, they decided I had nothing more to tell so took me home. I wonder what the neighbors thought seeing me exit a limousine that afternoon wearing only a bright red union suit? Good grief!  

In the aftermath of this encounter, I am now very cautious and alert when working outdoors in my union suit, especially at dusk or dawn. My neighbor with the camera? He seems to go out of his way to avoid me now. And old Mrs. Wilkins? After texting me the photos she had taken that morning, she seems to have disappeared. No one has seen her out walking her cat. A rumor is going about that she is now downstate, a "resident" of Happy Haven.

As the days passed following this strange occurrence, I was slowly coming around to believing that it had all been just some kind of a terrible, bizarre dream. But still, there's the troubling fact that my underwear drawer is indeed short, one red union suit. 

Then the other evening, on the news, I saw where NASA had released some "unusual and inexplicable" photos captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. They depict an alien, seemingly dressed in a red union suit!

Well I can certainly explain it!  And I have to say that alien looks pretty pleased with himself, sporting MY red union suit!  So now you all know the truth of the matter. You can never tell who, or what, is watching you!  Whatever precautions, if any, you should decide to take while going about your outdoor activities, dressed in your union suits, is entirely up to you. I've performed my duty.            

.....Retro Jeff"

Talk About March Madness!

The February 20, 1938 Life Magazine featured a Detroit semi-pro basketball team who played their games wearing only union suits with sneakers. How's that for March Madness? Bet you won't see this in the 2024 NCAA Basketball playoffs!

The team was called "The Original Undies."  Really, no joke!  Their team leader boasted they were "the only basketball team in the world" to play in their one-piece, short-sleeved, button-down long underwear. Nearly laughed off the court in their union suits each game, these boys managed to win a few! No joke!  The well dressed Harlem Globe-Trotters had nothing on them!

Thanks to Joe of New York City for sending me this appropriate basketball playoff photo and article as another college March Madness has gotten underway. These union suited basketball players aren't the first atheletes to make the cut in Union Suit Fan for playing sports in their union suits. Here are others in my earlier Madness postings....

Get Your Game On! (From October 28, 2022)

For most of the U.S. and Canada, it's time to unpack those union suits you put away for the summer and pull them on for the cold weather! Get moving!

And From October 10, 2022 A Bike Enthusiast....

Biker Boy

From July 3, 2021:

It's a Boy's Life

After Bailey of Grand Rapids, MI emailed me music covers of George M. Cohan's song, Over There, and included an ad for boy scout union suits, Cory of Waterville, Maine emailed me additional boy scout ad posters and Boys' Life magazine covers like these boys boxing in their BVD underwear, having stripped off their scout uniforms:  

and this cover of a boy scout taking a swing, dressed in his baseball uniform wearing a union suit underneath: 

Union suited Acrobats of Cirque Costume, posted on February 14, 2021:

This Olympic Cowboy nails a perfect landing, posted on September 16, 2020... 

And from October 9, 2017, my autobiographical story with help from my friend, Solid Jackson:

A Very Forgetful Boy

Once there was a forgetful boy, a very forgetful boy. It was not unusual for him to run out of his house early morning and race to the bus stop without his lunch bag. Occasionally, he would forget his belt and had to hold his pants up with one hand all day long. One time the boy ran out of the house and was half way down the sidewalk in the rain before he realized he had no shoes on. His socks were soaked before he could turn around and run back to his room to change them. In school he would have invariably forgotten a text book or two, maybe pencils and, of course, his homework now and then. Participating in boy scout camp outs he would frequently forget his sleeping bag, or his jacket, maybe a flashlight or change of underwear. At other times he would forget to take his bible to Sunday school.

His mom, dad, teachers, and scout master were regularly exasperated. Pleading, reminders, even threats seemed to have no positive affect on this boy and his memory. Yet this forgetful boy did very well in his school subjects. He excelled in mathematics and science and recalled history and geography details. But as he graduated to high school he remained oh so forgetful. The boy's mom commented as many moms do about their sons, "if his head were not screwed on tightly he would forget it as well."

As a high school sophomore the boy continued getting excellent grades despite being his forgetful self. During this year he tried out and was chosen for the school's basketball team. True to form, arriving for practice he would, on any given day, forget clean socks, on another day his shorts, on another day his jockstrap. He was simply inept at remembering. His coach grew more and more impatient.

One cold Monday morning, the boy forgot his entire uniform. He had taken it home to be washed but left it in the laundry room in his rush to catch the school bus. Upon arriving at the boys' locker room for practice, the coach had had enough. "You are not going to play in your street clothes and shoes," he told the boy. "Today, you'll practice in just your underwear and socks!”

No amount of pleading or promising to do better could change the coach's mind. "Strip and hit the court," he commanded. And so, the boy did - reluctantly.

It was mid-January so like other men and boys, his winter underwear consisted of a long-handled union suit. Hanging up his clothes and storing his shoes, he proceeded to the gym wearing only his long woolen underwear and socks.

The other boys laughed heartily at seeing their distressed team mate in his union suit. They chided him with diversionary comments such as "You forgot to button your flap" and "Look! His face is as red as his underwear!" Another team mate chortled, “Wait until the girls see you at our next game in just your union suit!”

Teenage boys, then as now, have no mercy. Good nature teasing each other is a favorite past time. Blowing his whistle, the coach finally stopped the chatter bringing some semblance of order to practice. The boys were soon concentrating upon basketball rather than the forgetful boy, ignoring the discomfort of one of their own.

Despite his embarrassment the boy did his best to persevere on the court, slipping and sliding around the gym in his socks, sweating in his woolen underwear. Yet he managed to hit some layups and a couple of hook shots. After a while he thought no more of having to run around in his underwear.

The hour passed and the boy returned to the locker room in his soggy union suit. The other boys continued razzing their unfortunate colleague. But the boy could give as good as he got. He had composed himself and offered some zingers of his own. Finally, after the other boys finished showering and dressing, they left for home tired but exhilarated.

The forgetful boy promised his coach he would do better to remember. It turned out the boy learned his lesson for he never forgot his uniform again. 

I wish I could tell you that he became less forgetful from that day forward but some things never change. The boy became a man and now forgets where he places his car keys, his anniversary date, and the ages of his children.

Solid Jackson appears in his
Long Red Woolen Union Suit
to the Amusement of His Team Mates
and to the Consternation of His Coach

Special Thanks to The Kilroys, America's Funniest Family!, a popular 1940's comic book family, who featured a boy by the name of Solid Jackson. Solid was a zany friend of the Kilroys' teenage son, Natch. Solid always seemed to find himself in the wackiest of predicaments such as his mom requiring him to wear his long red woolen underwear to his high school basketball games so he wouldn't catch cold. Solid Jackson was the perfect foil to align with my "forgetful boy" story.

The Kilroys stories and art: by Dan Gordon and others. His comic books featured various teen-ager hijinks.

Sprung For Spring (Cleaning) 

It's the first full day of Spring, 2024 and good heavens! The last I saw of Illinois' Retro Jeff, he had just been sucked up into an Alien Spacecraft. So, what thuh?!?!  Retro appears to be back at home, decked out in his favorite clothes (union suit underwear), doing what a lot of us need to start... getting down and dirty in his Spring Cleaning! 

What gives? How did he get back from space or where ever he was taken?  He looks pretty normal to me, sweeping and mopping and waxing and polishing. Hmmmm... 

 

 

Rest assured, Union Suit Fans, I will do my best to figure out just how and why ole Retro got back; and now, working away as if nothing happened a mere few days ago....Chris