Tenny Runners (tennis shoes) (1965)

[hpst@earthlink.net]

Wilson,

Back in southern Illinois we either called them tennies of chucks though
some of us wore Keds which were highly advertised as I recall on the backs
of comic books.

The odd thing if I remember it correctly was that shoes for playing tennis
were low cut and advertised as such while tennies which were for the
basketball crowd extended above your ankles. Low cuts, however, appealed
mainly to the girls and most boys would not be caught dead wearing them.

They were looked down on by the parents and school teachers who thought
them in bad taste but we wore them none the less. At least it was a less
personally harmful way of expressing our rebellion, as were blue jeans,
than putting holes in ourselves or getting tatooed.

The other thing I remember is that although it was prestigious to own a
good pair they were cheap footware and only cost about 3 bucks a pair. In
other words no one in their right mind would try to steal them from you.

Take that, Nike.

Page Stephens

> [Original Message]
> From: Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Date: 9/22/2006 9:53:41 AM
> Subject: Re: [ADS-L] Tenny Runners (tennis shoes) (1965)
>
> "Tennies" was popular in Los Angeles in the 'Sixties, as was "chucks,"
> from Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars. An Australian friend that I met
> in the '70's has always claimed that "sand shoes" is the term
> preferred Down Under. In BE, the "tinnis shoes" of my youth have been
> pretty much replaced by "bastitbawl shoes."
>
> -Wilson
>
>

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