Apologies if this has been posted before...

Here's a cool BPAA promotional film from 1955. It features Ned Day and Marion Ladewig, and even includes a short segment on duckpins.

Part 1

Part 2

I loved that they bowled in long sleeves and a tie. Bowling was so formal back then, and a "wholesome, entertaining sport in a safe and friendly environment".
They haven't been to some of our centers of today.

Tell CoachJim, the film says you could learn bowling in just a couple of minutes.

Good job.

That is why it took 30 minutes just to tell us about it.

I think it is funny how the duck pin bowler could probably still score well in today's game, where Ned Day would have to unlearn that figure 8 release in order to be competitive.

I also think it was funny how Marion Ladewig showed how to push away with the arm locked out in front of the bowler, but the woman she showed it to managed to start the ball properly without locking the arm out in front, this makes you chase after the ball which causes fast feet.

I also like the part where Fred and Ethel got into it a little and Fred popped her one right in the mouth, then Fred pulled out his flask and calmed down a little ahhh the good old days. You know when people showed up to bowl in ties and fur coats without those darned PETA people throwing blood on them.

I don't feel comfortable taking bowling instruction from the duck and cover announcer from the old hide under your desk during a nuclear attack movies they used to show us in school. I hate that authoritative voice, it makes me think the room is filling up with b.s.

Nice Find. Very intresting. Wow how times change you hardly seem people dressed like that when they go out anymore.

Yep, I always said I was born in the wrong Decade.

This video is just dying for the Mystery Science Theater treatment. I miss that show, but then I am a closet geek...

You would have liked watching it with me Chubbs, I sat here and made comments the whole way through, and cracked myself up, shame nobody was here with me.

I like the line where they say "If you want to buy your own ball and shoes, see the desk man. He is qualified to fit you quickly and accurately."

Must have been before my time. I only started in 1962 and always went to the "pro" shop.

Yeah, these days you can barely trust the desk people to turn on the lanes much less attempt to fit someone for a ball.

I like the part where they go to the front desk and ask for help and right then and there two hall of famers spring into action, like every bowling center has hall of fame bowlers standing by just waiting to help you out, and are paid by the center, so no extra fee is needed either. Talk about the good old days, this is like the never was days, in dream world.

We have one guy in our whole area that bowled on tour, Richard Wolfe, and he is only available 3 days a week if that anymore. As far as I know there aren't many Silver level coaches in my area either. The point is that many of the centers don't even employ bowlers, so the people who work the desk don't even bowl or know anything about the game and could care less about helping you learn how to bowl.

AMF's policy is that everyone needs to know how to bowl before they work there. So they put them on a lane and have them throw a few games and then say they know how to bowl, and some of those people actually believe they are bowlers at that point. That fits in pretty good with this video. I find that the bowlers that work at centers either bowled before working there or with a few of them working at the center got them interested in it but that's a rarity.