February's Hy Hintermeister's

     Boy and His Grandpa posting.... 

Boots, jeans, flannel shirt and, like grandpa, sleeves rolled up 

showing off long red underwear underneath.

Added March 3, 2022: I received the following email from Samuel of Boston, Mass yesterday....

"Hey, Chris. In that photo of you standing in your flannels and jeans, it looks like summer time with the green leaves in the background. Do you have on union suit underwear? I have to ask, do you wear your long underwear year round?

I live in Boston, work outside and wear union suits a good part of the year... Samuel."

Hi Samuel: Coincidentally, my wife took that photo in Vermont near the Appalachian Trail while we were hiking in late May a couple of years ago. Yes, I was wearing a union suit. I wear only union suits (I don't own any two piece thermals) a good part of the year back at my home outside Sandpoint, Idaho, not too far south of the Canadian border. Typically, although it can vary depending on cooler weather, I pull on my long johns in late September and wear them 24/7 through May and many times into the first week or two of June. Because I live on a lake in the mountains, I generally wear lighter weight union suits to bed all summer long as we leave the windows open all night for that cool, mountain air. 

However, last summer, August was so very hot and smoky due to wild fires in the west, we had to have our windows closed. Since we don't have, or usually need, central air-conditioning, no union suits to bed. Then, I wore just a pair of boxer shorts, as I haven't worn pj's since I was a little boy. 

So, there you have it. Thanks for viewing my blogs and checking in.. Chris

Added March 20, 2022: I received the following email from Samuel of Boston, Mass:  

"It is suppose to reach a balmy high of 40's (fahrenheit) today, crawling into the high 50's later this week. So, I'll confess to wearing my union suits for awhile longer. Then its hit or miss in the month of April. By May, I may still pull on a union suit but expect to also be wearing boxer shorts some days. Like Buckeye Mike, I wear athletic cut undershirts in the late spring and summer."

The main thing is to stay warm and comfortable, Sammy Boy. Thanks for checking back with me.... Chris

Union Suit Fans, I received this email yesterday from James of Burbank, California, a place he has lived his whole life, and who is famous for appearing in his underwear:

Mr Ayers: Decades ago, more years than I care to remember, I was chosen to be in a nationwide underwear advertising campaign for Stedman's Underwear Company. I know you run a long john / union suit site but thought you and the readers of your blog might be interested in my contribution to the underwear world. Now, here in southern California, I'm not too often in need of long underwear, but I do own a couple of red union suits for wearing when I ski Big Bear and Reno Nevada area ski resorts. 

Anyway, I've been a fan of Union Suit Fan for several years now and I know occasionally you allow your contributors and emailers to showcase other underwear types, so thought I would contact you with mine. 

As a young teenager, my mom got me an appointment in response to an ad she ran across of an underwear company needing boys to advertise their product. She told me I could earn some money to be set aside for college. I wasn't too keen on the idea when I first heard that I would actually have to model underwear! Couldn't it be jeans or a nice shirt. Underwear?! But I came around finally.

Yes, eventually I agreed to at least go with her to try out. I was one of four boys chosen for Stedman's ads and later TV commercials. The theme, I suppose, was that up-and-coming boys headed to the corporate world wore upscale underwear, Stedman's, of course. And what mom wouldn't want underwear for her boy that "fits better, wears longer, and costs less." Right?

Here is a photo of the ad which appeared in Life, Ladies Home Journal, and some other magazines. I'm the oldest boy standing at the back of the elevator in what then was called a "mid-length brief" and an "athletic" undershirt. I was fourteen years old but hadn't reached my full height. I wasn't too much taller than the younger boys, so seemed to have been chosen for my ability to fit in with them.

There must have been a couple of hundred boys who showed up with their moms or dads to apply. For doing so, all the boys  were given Stedman briefs and undershirts for the initial session. About half of us were chosen to continue. Those not, were thanked and sent away with new underwear. 

The rest of us went on to give it our best shot. We changed into their underwear to continue the process. Ninety some odd boys were not chosen as it turned out and were paid by getting three packages of white briefs and three packages of white undershirts, plus the new shoes and socks they were given and wore for the audition. We four finalists got about two years worth of underwear and socks, all white, and a nice paycheck that I did end up saving and using for college. I guess Stedman's didn't manufacture color underclothes.

That's my story, If you feel like it, you are welcome to add it and the accompanying photo to your postings. I've lived in Burbank all my life but don't tell anyone I switched to boxers a long time ago! 

Thanks, James

First off, James, I'm Chris not Mr. Ayers. Ha!  As an underwear guy, my first name is more appropriate and less formal than a "Mr so-and-so." After all, I oversee a long underwear blog, not a tuxedo one. LOL. No formality is needed. Anyway, new friend, I appreciate you taking the time to email your experience and am happy to add your most interesting story to my blog. Their are probably a bunch of us who grew up wearing white briefs. All the best... Chris

Back in the day, Munsingwear was big on appealing to mothers for their husband's and boy's underwear too.

Added March 12, 2022 from Ohio's Buckeye Mike:

Imagine financing your schooling by being an underwear model. I would do that in a heartbeat now, but at 14 years old would most likely would need being talked into it.... Buckeye Mike (Ohio)

Buckeye Mike

More modeling underwear from Kenny of Kankakee, IL:

 Super Bowl Un-bound 

To Tom's great disappointment, his beloved Kansas City Chiefs will not be super bowl bound this year, although they gave it a mighty effort in losing a couple of weeks ago to the Cincinnati Bengals.  Kansas lost that great game in overtime, 24 to 27. But what great football that turned out to be...one of the best! Football fans can only hope this Sunday's super bowl game is as good. And, perhaps, the commercials will be much better than last year's offerings.

Tom can take some consolation in the fact that after a two year hiatus, he and RC found themselves in another union suit wager...

RC Gets Pinged Again

             by Guest contributor, Tom Moss

Unlikely as it seems, RC was ready to take me on in another Broncos-Chiefs wager. Blame it on Covid brain, boredom, or forgetting he has lost 4 of our 6 previous wagers over the past 12 years. For whatever reason, he was ready to make a rather dismal Denver Broncos season a bit more exciting. So, it was, that we bet on the just past January 8th game. We two rivals bet on our rivals. 

The game was a bit too close for my comfort with the two teams trading touchdowns, extra points and field goals all afternoon. In fact, I had moments when I thought the Chiefs might just loose to the usually hapless Broncos. I was prepared, at times, to be reduced down to my red underwear.

RC and I, who once worked together, now live 1500 miles apart. This has not deterred us from staying in touch and, as I have pointed out, wagering once every so often. If you have read about our other football and political wagers in previous postings to Chris' blog, you know that the looser must strip down to his long union suit underwear, always red, to do something fun and funny. 

Just prior to the game, RC had told me that he and his wife would be joining their friends, Rob and Joannie, over at their house for beer and football. He had a strong feeling that the Broncos were going to pull it out in this, their second game with the Chiefs this year. RC confided they always play table tennis when the four of them get together, and that if he lost our wager, he would play a few games of ping-pong wearing nothing but his union suit and Broncos cap. 

True to his word, that's exactly what happened. After Denver losing and him imbibing two or three beers, RC undressed down to his underwear to take on his hosts in an hour or two of hitting a little white ball around, mostly on the table, sometimes on the floor, to laughter and his embarrassment: 

Thanks, Tom and RC. We love those wagers of yours and never tiring of getting updates of RC in those red long johns of his! And kudos to his wife and friends for putting up with him running around in his underwear.

Union Suit Fans, if you would like to view other articles and photos of these waging wags aka betting boys, scroll to Tom's previous guest contribution's dated: January 11, 2020, February 1, 2018, and June 23, 2017... Chris

Added February 15, 2022:

Buckeye Mike emailed a couple days ago asking the following: 

Good Monday morning to you Chris. I just have to ask if RC was reduced to his union suit over the super bowl. I did watch the game with my middle son and a friend of his but there was no betting involved... Mike 

RC replies: "no betting with Tom in regard to the super bowl because neither Denver nor Kansas City were involved." He added: "maybe next year a wager when I reduce Tom to his union suit! Chris, tell Buckeye Mike he needs to get going and produce some union suit wagers. Games or elections are much more exciting if you have your underwear on the line! You have said Mike is from Ohio, if he would have bet on the Bengals, he would have won and made someone run around in their union suit. Yours truly, RC" 

And this from an email received from Cory, Waterville, Maine: 

Chris, for years I have enjoyed Tom and RC's wagers and RC getting wanted or unwanted attention in his bright red union suits every couple of years. And I read that Tom has lost a couple of wagers to RC but I don't remember seeing anything about Tom's losses and him in his red underwear. Did I miss something?

Cory: In one wager loss that Tom has mentioned in a previous posting of his, RC made him ride around town for an hour on a bicycle wearing only his red union suit. Photos do exist of that. Another time, Tom lost and was made to jog around a city park. Tom reports that those photos are lost to history. I believe those are the only times in six wagers that Tom has lost. Seems RC has a knack for having to strip down to his long red underwear. I'll search to get Tom's bike photos and post them here or get him to send them... Chris

Added February 18, 2022:

Cory:  Here's a couple of blog file photos of Tom after RC made him ride around town in his union suit after losing a bet to him.....Chris

These boys and girls must sure be anxious to get to school!!

Hey Union Suit Fans, Have you ever pushed a stalled school bus in your underwear? How about your Long Johns? Union Suit? I didn't think so. Well, neither have I but these junior high school kids did and their efforts were captured in this photo. I've no idea just where they were going to or from school, to start or end their day or, perhaps, on their way to an extracurricular activity. 

But I do know they were junior high school exchange students* living and enjoying school in Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada, one relatively mild winter day. Truro is one of the few places on earth I'm aware of where it's perfectly fine to run around town in your “combinations” underwear as they are called up there in the north country. 

You'll fine young and old out and about in their long underwear and, quite often, in their Stanfield's union suits like the ones these youngsters are wearing. The town even has one weekend per year devoted to touting their long, red one-piece underwear. 

They call it their “Winter Long John Festival!” They even have a mascot called Johnny Long John, named after John Stanfield.

You see, Stanfields is a manufacturer of thousands of red union suits. Other warm long underwear is also made right there in Truro. There extremely proud of their union suits so at least once a year you can find the fair citizens of this northern cold climate city sporting publicly their long red underwear!

Th Long John Festival is about to get underway up north. I will report on this latest, fun festival... 

Stay tuned.... Chris

* International Students Kicking Off Long John Festival

CCRCE News Report: 

Friday, February 3, 2017

 Bible Hill Junior High international students are wearing their union suits to kick off the Long John Festival in Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada!

From February 4-12, the Winter Long John Festival will be taking over Truro. The next nine days will be filled with fun winter activities for everyone to enjoy. The start of the Winter Long John Festival will begin tomorrow at the civic square in Truro with outdoor skating on the new ice surface, refreshments, live entertainment and horse and wagon rides!