Frank McRae, actor. He was in “License to Kill” and “Last Action Hero”, and did a few TV guest shots (“Quincy”, “Rockford Files”, etc.)
Pete du Pont, former Deleware governor and presidential candidate.
Archive for May, 2021
Obit watch: May 10, 2021.
Monday, May 10th, 2021“What you gonna do when you get out of jail?…” part 405
Monday, May 10th, 2021Military History Monday!
Here’s something that is a little more contemporary than I’ve been posting: “SAC: The Global Shield” from 1980.
Bonus: Something older, but for good reason: “The Air Force Missile Mission”, from 1959. The good reason: this is yet another military propaganda film featuring Brigadier General James Maitland Stewart.
“What you gonna do when you get out of jail?…” part 404
Sunday, May 9th, 2021Science Sunday!
My paternal grandmother was a teacher. There were always books and magazines around the house, many of which were appropriate for the younger set.
One book that I vividly remember (and wish I could find today) was a book published by Scholastic about the coelacanth: specifically, about how it was thought to be extinct, until a museum curator found one in the daily catch of a local fisherman.
I was fascinated by this. Still am: I haven’t found the original Scholastic book, but Samantha Weinberg’s A Fish Caught in Time: The Search for the Coelacanth (affiliate link) is a pretty swell book, and is targeted more at the adult reader. And I think my grandmother would have endorsed this (ditto).
(I was hardly a “reluctant reader”, but I believe the kids she taught sometimes fell into that category.)
“Diving With Coelacanths”. Be warned: the people in this video are doing highly technical diving at great depth. Which means mixed gasses. Which means they sound like Donald Duck. There are subtitles: but as some of the comments point out, what’s in the subtitles doesn’t always match up with what’s actually being said.
Bonus: Another one of the Scholastic books she had lying around was a biography of Clyde Tombaugh and how he discovered Pluto.
“Reflections on Clyde Tombaugh” from NASA.
And here’s an approximately 30 minute interview with Dr. Tombaugh from 1997, shortly before his death.
Bonus #2: This is borderline science and/or technology, but I have a reason for posting this. A week ago Saturday, for some reason, we got into a discussion of auto racing and racing technology. I mentioned, but could not recall the details at the time, that there was a gas turbine powered car that competed in the Indianapolis 500, back when you could still do stuff like that. You know, before everything became standardized and homogenized and experimentation was limited…
“The Silent Screamer”, a short-ish (17 minutes) documentary about Andy Granatelli’s turbine powered car at the 1967 Indy 500.
Obit watch: May 9, 2021.
Sunday, May 9th, 2021Tawny Kitaen, 80s figure.
She once described working with Paula Abdul, who was a choreographer at the time, on the set of one video.
As Ms. Kitaen recalled, Ms. Abdul asked her what she could do, and Ms. Kitaen showed Ms. Abdul some of her moves. Ms. Abdul then turned to the director, Marty Callner, and said, “She’s got this and doesn’t need me.” And then, Ms. Kitaen said, she left.
“That was the greatest compliment,” she said. “So I got on the cars and Marty would say, ‘Action,’ and I’d do whatever I felt like doing.”
…
Ed Ward, music critic. He wrote for “Crawdaddy” and “Rolling Stone”:
Mr. Ward’s review of the Beatles’ “Abbey Road” (1969) in Rolling Stone demonstrated his tough side: He called “Sun King” the album’s “biggest bomb” and its second side “a disaster.”
“They’ve been shucking us a lot lately and it’s a shame because they don’t have to,” he wrote. “Surely they have enough talent and intelligence to do better than this. Or do they?”
…
Mr. Ward was fired from Rolling Stone after a few months (he didn’t get along with Jann Wenner, the publisher), then became the West Coast correspondent for the rock magazine Creem, a post he held for most of the 1970s. He left in 1979 to write about the thriving music scene in Austin as a music critic at The American-Statesman.
“Ed brought a reputation to Austin as an unflinching critic — Rolling Stone had a lot of clout — and he was not diplomatic in his writing,” said his friend and fellow writer Joe Nick Patoski, who described Mr. Ward as cantankerous and difficult. “Early on, there was a reaction to some of the things he wrote and it started a ‘Dump Ed Ward’ movement that had bumper stickers and T shirts.”
…
…
Ernest Angley, televangelist. Or, as I liked to call him, “the man who took over Rex Humbard’s soup kitchen“.
These last two by way of Lawrence: George Jung, cocaine smuggler.
Japanese composer Shunsuke Kikuchi. Among his credits: “Dragon Ball”, “Dragon Ball Z”, and several “Gamera” films.
“What you gonna do when you get out of jail?…” part 403
Saturday, May 8th, 2021There have been a couple of incidents recently involving old guys falling off boats into the water and dying.
I’m not making fun of them: mad props to these guys for being out there. But, as Lawrence put it: “Important safety tip: try not to fall off the boat.”
From the National Safety Council, circa 1972: “Find a Float”.
Bonus #1: in honor of the late Bobby Unser, “Hazards of Mountain Driving”.
Bonus #2: “Blasting Cap Danger” brought to you by the “Institute of Makers of Explosives” circa 1957.
I remember when I was young and reading “Boy’s Life”, every now and then they’d have a public service advertisement depicting various types of blasting caps and warning young Boy Scouts not to mess with them. My question was: why? Was there a real problem with people just leaving blasting caps lying around for kids to find?
Well!
Friday, May 7th, 2021Previous coverage of Corrine Brown.
More:
But the court’s majority found on Thursday that the judge who had presided over Ms. Brown’s case in U.S. District Court in Jacksonville had violated her constitutional right to a unanimous jury verdict when he removed a juror and replaced him with an alternate during the panel’s deliberations.
Shortly after deliberations had begun, the juror told the other members of the jury he had received divine guidance, prompting another juror to bring his comments to the attention of Judge Timothy Corrigan.
In a majority opinion, the appeals court wrote that Judge Corrigan had not had cause to dismiss the unidentified juror, known as Juror No. 13, whom he had questioned about the role of his faith in deliberations.
“We ask whether Juror No. 13’s religious statements amounted to proof beyond a reasonable doubt that he could not render a verdict based solely on the evidence and the law, thereby disqualifying him, despite substantial evidence that he was fulfilling the duty he had sworn to render,” the court’s majority wrote. “They did not.”
The decision was 7-4.
“What you gonna do when you get out of jail?…” part 402
Friday, May 7th, 2021Two videos on unrelated topics today. One short-ish, one admittedly long.
Short-ish: This is an episode of the old “True Adventure” TV show called…”Serpent Cult”, about snake handling religion in Kentucky. I possibly could have put this in last week’s travel entry, but it didn’t feel right there.
I actually kind of like the host’s introduction. When was the last time you heard someone on TV say:
- I was brought up religious.
- I believe in people’s right to worship as they please.
- I have a point of view on this, but I’m not going to force it on anybody else.
Long (about 70 minutes): “Raid on the Northfield Bank: The James-Younger Gang Meets Its Match”.
I wanted to link this for two reasons:
1. There’s a pretty good movie that the Saturday Night Movie Group watched not too long ago: “The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid”, which you can find on YouTube with a carefully crafted search or on Amazon (affiliate link). I don’t believe it is exactly historically accurate, but…
2. Massad Ayoob in “American Handgunner” actually devoted an “Ayoob Files” column to the “Great Northfield, Minnesota Bank Robbery”, concentrating on the role of armed citizens.
(I have also read, and can recommend, the book Ayoob cites: Shot All to Hell by Mark Lee Gardner. (Affiliate link.))
Obit watch: May 7, 2021.
Friday, May 7th, 2021This has been well covered locally (and on ESPN) but for the historical record: Jake Ehlinger, linebacker for UT, was found dead in his apartment yesterday. He was 20 years old.
This one is for Lawrence: Milva. I’d never heard of her, either, but she was apparently a very prominent Italian singer.
Her deep, powerful voice garnered attention. But her short brown hair and slight build were far from the thick manes and full hourglass figures then in demand.
To compensate, she padded her bras and thickened her legs with three pairs of stockings. An agent recommended that she dye her hair red, a color that became her trademark and earned her the nickname La Rossa, or the Redhead.
“What you gonna do when you get out of jail?…” part 401
Thursday, May 6th, 2021Travel Thursday!
Do you like kids? Do you like trains? Do you like kids on trains?
“Big Trains Rolling”, from the Association of American Railroads. This dates to either 1946 or 1955: YouTube contradicts itself.
Is it just me? Am I an old man? Or do those two kids seem awfully young to be taking a train trip alone?
Bonus: I can’t believe I haven’t used this one, but it doesn’t come up in a search, and I had it bookmarked…
“Wings to Guatemala” from those wonderful folks at Pan Am.
“What you gonna do when you get out of jail?…” part 400
Wednesday, May 5th, 2021This popped up in my feed, and you know I had to post it here: “TRS-80 Color Computer: Radio Shack’s $399 Micro from 1980!”
It me. Mine had 4K of memory: not 4 GB, or 4 MB, but 4,096 8-bit bytes of memory, and used cassette tape for storage.
Bonus #1: I’m marginal about using this one, but it calls back to an earlier blog entry: “The Norco Shootout, 40 Years Later”.
Not officially part of the content here, but: the “Behind the Badge” channel posted the Norco documentary in one (54 minute) chunk. I linked to that in my previous Norco post, but that version divides the video up into three chunks.
Bonus #2: Here’s something we hope you really like (especially you, RoadRich): a video on “Use of Force” from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC).
Bonus #3: This is short, but I thought it was worth putting up here. Simon Sinek on “The Most Toxic Person In The Workplace”.
Obit watch: May 5, 2021.
Wednesday, May 5th, 2021Playing catch up once again:
He also won the Indianapolis 500 three times. Yes, three:
Jason Matthews. This is a guy I’d never heard of, but am now intrigued by. He was a former CIA officer who wrote three spy novels (affiliate link) that are highly praised for their realism.
Johnny Crawford. He was one of the original Mouseketeers, and later played Mark McCain, son of Lucas McCain, on “The Rifleman”.
Billie Hayes. Yes, “Witchiepoo”, but also “Mammy Yokum” in “Li’l Abner” (she replaced Charlotte Rae on Broadway, and played the role in the 1959 film version and the 1971 TV movie version).
“What you gonna do when you get out of jail?…” part 399
Tuesday, May 4th, 2021And now for something completely different.
“The Lumberman”, a 1971 film from the good folks at Encyclopedia Brittanica. It was part of a series called “Our Changing Way of Life”.
Bonus #1: When was the last time you thought about rice? For me, it was last night. But I am somewhat food obsessed.
Phil Robertson says “America Doesn’t Know How to Cook Rice Anymore”.
In addition to Romans 12:13, I am also reminded of Luke 24:42, where the risen Jesus appears to the apostles and asks, “Hey, you guys got any food up in here?” ‘Cause you never know when Jesus might show up, and who wants to be placing an order from Domino’s while Jesus is hanging around?
(If it comes to that, though, I have to warn you: the Bible is very clear that just introducing the delivery guy to Jesus is no substitute for a tip. You still need to tip your delivery driver, and I’d suggest 25% under normal circumstances. Do you really want Jesus to think you’re a cheapskate?)
(Also, if it comes to that: Jesus likes the meat lover’s pizza, or whatever your local equivalent is. Acts 10:15: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”)
Walter White Alton Brown discusses his “fast and foolproof” method for rice cooking.
Bonus #2: Okay, the quality on this isn’t great, but it is short. And this is the “Month of Mayberry” according to MeTV. Don Knotts advertising the Dodge Tradesman van.
“What you gonna do when you get out of jail?…” part 398
Monday, May 3rd, 2021Military History Monday!
I have another doctor’s appointment early this afternoon, and didn’t have a chance to set this up yesterday, so I’m being shorter than usual today.
“Target Toyko”:
Extra bonus: the narrator is Ronald Reagan.
Bonus #1: “Position Firing”, an animated 1944 Army Air Corps film about hitting moving targets.
Extra bonus: “Trigger Joe” is voiced by Mel Blanc.
Bonus #2: “Arctic Mission”. This is yet another Bell System (actually Western Electric) propaganda film, but I think it more appropriately belongs here: it covers the construction of the DEW Line, and specifically deals with the difficulties of construction and transport above the Arctic Circle.
Obit watch: May 3, 2021.
Monday, May 3rd, 2021Getting caught up:
Pete Lammons, tight end for the New York Jets. He was 77, and participating in a fishing tournament in East Texas.
Olympia Dukakis, for the historical record. THR. Variety.
Jill Corey. This was a little before my time, but still an interesting story. She grew up in Avonmore, Pennsylvania (literally a coal miner’s daughter) but was discovered at 17 and went on to a career in music.
Before the end of the decade, Ms. Corey had a spot on the “Johnny Carson Show” (a variety show precursor to his late-night talk show) and the NBC series “Your Hit Parade,” in which a regular cast of vocalists sang the top-rated songs of the week.
For a time Ms. Corey even had her own show, 15 minutes of song that followed the news once a week, a programming format that placed many popular singers in similar slots across the networks.
She recorded many records and performed at Manhattan nightclubs like the Copacabana and the Blue Angel. (Mr. Miller, in tight control of her career, turned down Broadway roles for her because her nightclub work was more lucrative.) And she was courted by heartthrobs like Eddie Fisher and Frank Sinatra (as he and Ava Gardner were divorcing).
She also made a “terrible movie,” in her words, called “Senior Prom” (1958).
In one of those odd cases that seem so common during that decade, where the line between “romance” and “creepy stalking” becomes blurred, she was pursued by Don Hoak of the Pittsburgh Pirates (even though she was already engaged) and married him in 1961. She gave up singing, but Mr. Hoak died in 1969 and she went back to performing.
“What you gonna do when you get out of jail?…” part 397
Sunday, May 2nd, 2021Science Sunday!
Have you ever asked yourself, “Self, I wonder how light bulbs are made?” Specifically, incandescent lights, not LED bulbs: the latter are probably also interesting, but that’s not today’s subject.
Really, how often do you think about light? I’ve been thinking about it a fair amount recently: throughout the whole history of man, we have really only had the ability to control lighting for about 150 to 170 years now. If you want to get an idea of what things were like in the days before, pull a Samuel Pepys. Go into the smallest windowless room in your house (a bathroom is fine) with a book and a candle. Light the candle: just one candle, because candles cost money in Pepys day. Now try to read the book. Now imagine doing that every night for the rest of your life.
This is a vintage GE documentary about the making of their “Mazda” brand light bulbs.
Bonus #1: Perhaps I am fudging the definition of “science” a bit here, but you’ve heard the expression “build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door”, right?
“West Germany vs. East Germany Mouse Traps. Mousetrap Monday”.
Also, this gives me a chance to retell the classic Soviet joke (which I think was used in “Chernobyl”): “What’s as big as a house, burns 20 liters of fuel every hour, puts out a shitload of smoke and noise, and cuts an apple into three pieces? A Soviet machine made to cut apples into four pieces.”
Bonus #2: Let’s get back to something that is at least a close approximation to science. Plus bonus fun!
“Shaking Buildings Over a Mile Away!” from “Tech Ingredients”. Basically, this involves igniting decently large amounts of hydrogen mixtures.
“Let’s bring everything in soon so if the cops come there’s nothing here.” That’s my kind of science.
Bonus #3: I wanted to do some biology last week, but compromised. Here’s something that comes closer to what I wanted to do: a 1954 film about the virtues of antibiotics.