Toma Begets Baretta

 

Tony Musante told producer, Stephen J. Cannell, that he was only going to do one season of Toma, no matter how popular the show. The series concerned the exploits of real-life undercover New Jersey cop, David Toma, an unconventional, street-wise cop, single, with a decidedly funky lifestyle. Musante was not kidding. He left the show with Robert Blake as the desired replacement. But rather than be tied to a low-rated series, Cannell "moved" the character to California to become the popular four-season series, Baretta (1975-78). Blake's natural quirkiness and sense of humor made a huge impression. He was given creative control in most aspects of production. It led Blake to create some popular and often parodied catchphrases like "You can take dat to da bank" and "And dat's the name of dat tune." Anthony Vincenzo "Tony" Baretta knew the city inside and out. Though a master of disguise undercover, he was usually in a T-shirt, jeans, and his trademark newsboy cap. His roommate was his pet cockatoo, Fred. The show's gimmicks burned out rather quickly, however.

The theme song, "Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow," was written by Dave Grusin and Morgan Ames. Initially, an instrumental, lyrics were added in later seasons, sung by Sammy Davis, Jr., which includes another catchphrase, "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time." The "Baretta" theme, performed by the Latin-influenced rock band, El Chicano, was a huge hit in many countries.

Note: Roy Huggins created Toma and developed most of its stories. He valued Mustante's input and the star thought one concept would better fit a private detective. Huggins agreed. In the meantime, James Garner was wanting to do another television series. Huggins reworked the concept and it became The Rockford Files.

Word Origins

 

*SLOGAN

It is very unlikely that advertising copywriters, who must spend many sleepless nights trying to devise catchy phrases to describe their wares, realize that the resulting slogans are direct descendants of ancient Gaelic battle cries. But the original was just that, for the origin of slogan is sluagh-ghairm, literally, “the cry of the host,” from the Gaelic words sluagh, “host,” and gairm, “a cry or shout.” For the most part, these battle cries consisted chiefly or solely of the name of the clan or of the leader of the host, repeated over and over by the body of soldiers, in unison, as they moved into battle. This part of the technique at least is retained by today’s slogan writers, who try, if at all possible, to work the name of their product into their phrases. Maxwell House's "Good To The Last Drop" is a long-serving slogan.

*Inspired by Charles Funk (1881–1957)

The Right Components for Success

 

Foote Bros. Gear & Machine Company, manufacturers of gears, motor drives and gearboxes for a variety of industries, can be traced back to prominent Chicago businessman, Charles Plamondon, president of Plamondon Manufacturing Company, a machinist, and foundryman. This was well before the dawn of the airplane and many mergers and acquisitions later, now Derlan Industries, officially changed its name in 2002 to Northstar Aerospace to focus on the aerospace business. Northstar has become North America’s leading independent manufacturer of flight-critical gears and transmissions.

Note: While celebrating their 36th wedding anniversary aboard the S.S. Lusitania, Charles Plamondon and his wife lost their lives after the ocean liner was sunk by torpedos in 1915 off the coast of Ireland.

Richard Kimble's Brief Encounters

 

Kimble contacts a Chicago newspaper columnist who supported his innocence. Plus, the one-armed man is in the city. But the columnist is more interested in his literary glory.

Search in A Windy City, 1964
Guest star: Pat Hingle

The Cloverleaf Interchange

A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which all turns are handled by slip roads. This makes them well-suited for the intersection of two freeways. The cloverleaf possesses advantages such as linking ramps safely in order to accommodate left turns. Many cloverleafs today have been highly modified into a complex maze of overpasses in some sprawling cities. 

Though the first cloverleaf interchange was patented in the United States in 1916 by Arthur Hale, a Maryland civil engineer, the first, Woodbridge Cloverleaf, did not open until 1929 at the intersection of the Lincoln Highway, Route 25 and Amboy, Route 4 in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. Those highway routes have long since been renumbered. The first cloverleaf west of the Mississippi River opened in 1931 at Watson Road and Lindbergh Boulevard near St. Louis, Missouri, as part of an upgrade of Route 66, which utilizes the bridge in the above photo.

Word Origins

 

*BLINDMAN’S BUFF

I remember it as "blindman's bluff." I was misled. William Shakespeare probably played this when he was a boy. At least he could have; the children of his day did play it, and were, perhaps, no more gentle in the sport than those in the Twentieth Century. One youngster would consent to be blindfolded and attempt to grab one of the other players, each of whom would push or jostle him/her or, especially, give them a buffet—a slap upon the rump with an open hand. And that, in the language of the period, was a buff, hence the name of the game. 

*Inspired by Charles Funk (1881–1957)

Reel Character Series

 

Ian Wolfe (1896-1992) was an American character actor with nearly 400 film and television credits spanning fifty-six years, beginning in 1934. His last screen credit was as the Forger in 1990's Dick Tracy. He appeared in countless films, often uncredited, including  Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), The Prince and The Pauper (1937), You Can't Take It with You (1938), Mrs. Miniver (1942), Saboteur (1942), Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Witness for the Prosecution (1957) and THX 1138 (1971) among many other lesser-known films. The face of "what's his name" could be either sad, kindly or menacing and he could easily slip into the role of a minister, a clerk, a store owner, a doctor, or a professor. 

His television credits were equally impressive. One could find him on Perry Mason, or the Rev. Leighton on The Andy Griffith Show. He also appeared in two episodes of the original Star Trek series. Wolfe would show up in sitcoms of the day including Barney Miller, Soap, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He gained newfound fame as Mama Carlson's doddering, sarcastic butler "Hirsch" in several episodes of WKRP in Cincinnati. His dramatic television credits on popular shows spanned the Fifties through the Eighties, as well. 

An Endless Furrowed Brow

 

If one were to identify Robert Simon (1908-1992) it would probably be his appearances in a multitude of television westerns. But he knew few limitations, though seemingly always with a perpetual furrowed brow. Popular dramas of the Fifties and Sixties and playing the straight man in situation comedies were also staples. The Ohio-born character actor honed his craft in theater during the Forties before breaking into notable films such as The Buccaneer (1958), Compulsion (1959), The Last Angry Man (1959), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) in which he played Handy Strong. 

Simon's credits in television seem endless. Just a sampling of his dramatic roles was for episodes of Medic, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, State Trooper, The Millionaire, M Squad, and with three appearances on Perry Mason. Many were not surprised to see Simon pop up in the popular sitcoms of the era. He portrayed Darren Stephens' father on Bewitched, and appeared in McHale's Navy, Get Smart, and The Andy Griffith Show, among others. He made three guest appearances as hard-nosed General Mitchell on M*A*S*H. His modern roles continued in the Seventies through the mid-Eighties in countless police dramas, but it was the television western where he may be best remembered or disliked. Simon became nearly typecast with authoritarian figures, often as a general, sheriff, doctor, journalist, an attorney, or an angry land owner with an uncompromising disposition. One could almost count on one hand how many times Simon's characters smiled, coming in second only to actor, Charles McGraw.

More details can be found at https://wikimili.com/en/Robert_F._Simon

Speed Queen

 

On this date in 1970, Colonel Jacqueline "Jackie" Cochran, United States Air Force Reserve, was presented the Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious conduct in service to the United States. Following the presentation, her retirement orders were read, bringing an end to her twenty years of service in the Air Force Reserve. 

Cochran was endlessly establishing new records as early as 1938 when she became the only woman to compete in the Bendix Race. She worked with Amelia Earhart to open the race to women. She set a new women's world speed record that same year, becoming known as the best female pilot in the US. Cochran was the first woman to break the sound barrier on 18 May 1953. Sometimes called the "Speed Queen", at the time of her death, no other pilot held more speed, distance, or altitude records in aviation history than Cochran.

Read about her full career at: https://wikimili.com/en/Jacqueline_Cochran

The Brothers Narz

 

Jack (John) Narz Jr., (1922–2008), above left, was an American radio personality, television host, and singer. After his military service, Narz broke into radio as an announcer for various California stations and first achieved television fame in 1952 as the on-camera announcer and narrator of the sitcom, Life with Elizabeth, starring Betty White. By 1955, Narz served as the announcer and sidekick on daytime's The Bob Crosby Show, where he would also occasionally sing with the band. But Narz is probably more widely known as the host of the game shows, Dotto, Now You See It, Concentration, and Beat the Clock. His last national television hosting duty was on Password Plus.

Tom Kennedy (James Narz 1927-2020) was a popular American television game show host. While attending college, he was a radio announcer in Missouri before moving to California. Kennedy's biggest hits were Password Plus, Split Second, Name That Tune, and You Don't Say!, but he hosted many other game shows as well. As an actor, he made guest appearances on such shows as Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Cannon and Hardcastle and McCormick. Kennedy retired in 1989.

Note: The Narz brothers made occasional joint television appearances. Each wanted to avoid the perceived conflict of having two announcers with the same last name promoting competing products. The brothers were co-recipients of the Game Show Congress's Bill Cullen Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2005. Cullen was a brother-in-law to both.

Iconic Disruption

 

Completed in 1963, the Pan Am Building (currently the MetLife Building) is a skyscraper at Park Avenue and 45th Street, north of Grand Central Terminal, in Midtown Manhattan of New York City. Though it was just a matter of time before a building would obscure the Central Park view, many Manhattan "lifers" were initially upset at its location, shutting off Park Avenue to create a canyon of sorts in glass, brick, and steel. 

Westinghouse Electric Corporation manufactured 65 elevators and 21 escalators for the Pan Am Building, which at the time was the largest order of elevators. One bank of 6 elevators was able to travel 1,600 feet per minute, the fastest elevators in the world at the time of their installation.

Word Origins

 

*HOOSEGOW

Though the spelling was changed to preserve the American phonetic pronunciation, the Mexican term is juzgao, derived from Spanish juzgado, a tribunal. But to the ordinary Mexican or the classic western film buff, the slang term means jail. Literary use did not appear before 1920 but probably found its way into colloquial Western speech a dozen or more years earlier.

*Inspired by Charles Funk (1881–1957)

Reel Character Series

 

Evelyn Ankers (1918-1985) was a British-American actress who made over fifty films between 1936 and 1950. She often played a cultured young lady in the early American horror films, in particular, The Wolf Man (1941), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), and The Mad Ghoul (1943). She soon became the "Queen of The Scream." Her B-movie credits continued with forgettable films such as Jungle Woman (1944), the lead role in a murder mystery, The Fatal Witness (1945), a passenger in the crime drama, Flight to Nowhere (1946), and opposite Gerald Mohr in, The Lone Wolf in London (1947). She appeared in the [unintentionally amusing] crime noir, Parole, Inc. in 1948.

Another notable bit of trivia is that Ankers married the respectable B-movie actor, Richard Denning, in 1942. The couple starred together in Black Beauty (1946). Her transition to television in the 1950s offered her a variety of roles, most notably as a guest star on Denning's show, Mr. & Mrs. North (1952), as the feisty Constance Noble. The couple again starred together in the film short, No Greater Love (1960) and it would become her last role. They remained devoted to each other until her death. 

This is Jim Rockford

Hey, Jim, it's Frank. Me and Ellie's down here for our convention. Can't wait to see you. [Hiccups] We should be over at your place around 1:00 a.m. Bonzai, buddy!

Jim's answering machine: The Family Hour, 1976

Guest stars Burt Young, Ken Swafford, and Kim Richards

Word Origins

 

*ARENA

Thanks to the fact that the citizens of ancient Rome liked to see gory contests—gladiators combating one another to the death, or starved wild animals turned loose upon human victims—the ground of the amphitheaters was always liberally covered with sand to soak up spilled blood. And the Latin word for sand is arena. An “arena” today merely denotes a scene of physical, mental, or even figurative contest.

*Inspired by Charles Funk (1881–1957)

Fun At The Sink

 

Dishmaster got its start in Pontiac, Michigan in 1948. Before the automatic dishwasher dominated kitchens, the Dishmaster was an innovative system for everyday washing, a hand-held dishwasher in essence. By the time most people scrape, rinse and load their automatic dishwasher, they could have already finished with a Dishmaster. Large family gatherings excluded. The convenient wand delivers hot soapy water and detergent at the touch of a button. Simply release the button for a clear water rinse. Scrape, wash, rinse, done in one easy motion. Given its Michigan automotive influence, the first Dishmaster M-76 had the appearance of a late Forties automobile dashboard radio. The inventor also had a factory in Southern California and the faucet was initially marketed in those locations. As loyal Dishmaster owners retired to Florida, Arizona or Nevada, they took the faucets with them, literally and figuratively. Manville Manufacturing, the original company that made Dishmaster Faucets was purchased by SilverStream LLC in 2004. The small factory makes authentic retro Dishmaster kitchen faucet units in Mitchell, Indiana.