Word Origins

 

*DAISY

One can hope coming generations will show imagination and poetry in the coining of names as in the past in the likes of such words as telephone, automobile, airplane, radio, or television. But consider the common field plant, the daisy. Even a thousand years ago it was observed that the white rays of its flower opened with the rising sun, exposing its golden disk through the day, and folded again in the evening. They called it daeges eage, “day’s eye,” (especially in Australia). Quoting the great philosopher, Drew Barrymore, who once quipped, “Daisies are like sunshine to the ground.”

*Inspired by Charles Funk (1881–1957)

A Household Face

 

Allan Melvin (1923-2008) was a versatile actor, voice-over artist and a surprisingly good impressionist of some mega-stars of Hollywood's "golden age." He was also adept in “tough guy” roles, further showcasing his range as an actor. The Kansas City native developed a nightclub act and broke into radio winning Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts radio show competition. His big break came in 1955 as a regular on The Phil Silvers Show as Corporal Henshaw. He was back in the Army as Sgt. Snorkle in Beetle Bailey, 1963.

Melvin's characters ranged from comical to obnoxious with equal success. He worked extensively with Sheldon Leonard and Aaron Ruben on CBS where he became a household face. Still in the television Army, he had the plum role as Staff Sgt. Hacker on Gomer Pyle, USMC. His devious set-ups with Frank Sutton, aka Sgt. Carter, was a highlight of both characters. He was the "go-to" actor for several episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show (as an old Army buddy) and The Andy Griffith Show. By this time, Melvin added to a long list of voice-overs for various cartoon characters which continued into the Nineties. 

Melvin is also remembered for supporting roles as Sam Franklin, the owner of a local butcher shop and boyfriend of the Brady's housekeeper, played by Ann B. Davis on The Brady Bunch, and Barney Hefner, Archie Bunker's neighbor and friend on All in the Family.

Pictured above with Melvin is fellow co-star, Ronnie Schell, on Gomer Pyle USMC.

Woodward Avenue Nostalgia

 

Michigan highway 1 (M-1), commonly known as Woodward Avenue, is a north–south state trunkline highway in the Detroit Metro area. The highway, called "Detroit's Main Street", runs from Detroit north-northwesterly to Pontiac. Woodward Avenue was created after the Detroit Fire of 1805. The thoroughfare followed the route of the Saginaw Trail, an Indian trail that linked Detroit with Pontiac, Flint, and Saginaw. The Saginaw Trail connected to the Mackinaw Trail, which extended north to the Straits of Mackinac at the tip of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.

Today, Woodward Avenue is most famous for its "Woodward Dream Cruise" held each August. Founded in 1995 as a fundraiser for a soccer field in Ferndale, it takes place on Woodward Avenue between Pontiac and Ferndale. But there is a long history of crusing Woodward Avenue. In 1848, young carriage drivers raced one another along the avenue after the roadway was converted from logs to planks. By 1958, the roadway was used for unofficial street racing with cars. The wide width, median and sections lacking a large commercial presence attracted a reputation for the competition. 

The above photos compare the intersections of Woodward and Farnsworth in 1901 and today.

Word Origins

*KNICKERBOCKERS

The word seems to date back to the days of Peter Stuyvesant, when the Dutchmen on Manhattan Island all wore flaring trousers called knickerbockers. Though the name of this garment is often credited to Washington Irving, we really owe it to the British caricaturist George Cruikshank, who, in the 1850s, illustrated an English edition of the satire A History of New York, written by Irving in 1809 under the pseudonym “Diedrich Knickerbocker.” The garments of the alleged author, in these illustrations, led to the adoption of knickerbockers for any kind of knee-length pants for sports or horseback riding. In certain circles or cultures, the knickerbockers have never completely disappeared but now with a unisex, everyday casual approach. Nearly akin to wearing pajamas to the local convenience store. 

*Inspired by Charles Funk (1881–1957)

Richard Kimble's Brief Encounters

A terminally ill man tries to help Kimble elude Gerard but his wife's suspicions come into play.

Somebody to Remember, 1964

Guest stars: Gilbert Roland, Madlyn Rhue

Word Origins

 

*GAZEBO

If the eighteenth-century inventor of this term had known, he might have had a chuckle over the struggles of later scholars. From what source did he obtain it? Some think it is from some unknown Oriental source, but the general consensus is that he just made it up. As he wanted a term for a structural lookout, he may have taken the ordinary word gaze and, under the pretense that it was from a hypothetical Latin verb, gazeo, produced the future form, gazebo, “I shall see.” Which worked out fine for the 1959 film, The Gazebo, the dark comedy starring Glenn Ford and Debbie Reynolds.

*Inspired by Charles Funk (1881–1957)

Zenith Chromacolor

 

In the late 1950s, many electronic manufacturers, such as RCA, General Electric and Admiral, were changing from hand-wired metal chassis in their radios and televisions to printed circuit boards. While circuit boards save time and errors in assembly, they are not well suited for use with vacuum tube equipment, in which high temperatures are generated that can break down boards, eventually causing the boards to crumble if one attempts to remove a tube. Zenith, and to a lesser extent Motorola, avoided this problem by continuing to use hand-wired chassis in all their vacuum tube equipment. Zenith kept circuit boards out of their televisions until the Chromacolor line of the early 1970s, and even then used them only with solid state components, mounting the four tubes used in the Chromacolor "4 tube hybrid" on the steel chassis. Zenith began using circuit boards in radios when they converted to solid-state in the late 1960s, but even Zenith's early transistor radios were completely hand-wired with socketed transistors. For many years, Zenith used its famous slogan, "The quality goes in before the name goes on." Due to the use of this chassis construction and high-quality components, Zenith televisions and radios of the 1950s to 1970s found today are often still working well, needing little work to restore them to like-new operating condition. 

~ edited from Wikipedia

Television Talkers

 

Jim Lang (1932-2014) was an American game show host and disc jockey. He began his radio broadcasting career in the Twin Cities after winning an audition as a teenager. Upon graduation from the University of Minnesota and serving in the Marines, Lange moved to San Francisco, making his Bay Area broadcast debut as "The All-Night Mayor" on KGO in 1960.

Lange's network television career began in San Francisco with The Ford Show in 1962, where he was the announcer and sidekick to host Tennessee Ernie Ford. Three years later he would sign on to host The Dating Game (1965–1980). He hosted numerous other game shows during those years and adopted a hairpiece best described as a helmet during the early 1970s. Lange appeared as himself on several sitcoms, including Bewitched, Laverne & Shirley, and Moesha among others.