Word Origins

*SUBTLE

Light as a feather—or better, thin as gossamer. Either of these expressions describes fairly accurately the gentleness which is characteristic of true subtlety, but "gossamer" is a close translation of the Latin word from which subtle originates. Subtle was brought into English from the Old French soutil with the meaning of "thin (rarefied), fine, delicate" (the dragonfly above). But the French word came from the Latin subtilis, a contraction of subtexilis, "finely woven" (literally, "underwoven"), from sub, "under," and texare, "to weave." For many years an alternate spelling of the English word, subtile, existed in parallel with the presently accepted spelling, this being based directly on the Latin ancestor.

*Inspired by Charles Funk (1881–1957)

This is Jim Rockford

 

It's Dr. Soter's office again, regarding that root canal? The doctor's in his office...waiting. He's beginning to dislike you ...

Jim's answering machine: Piece Work, 1976
Guest star: Michael Lerner

Television Talkers

 

As an aspiring actor and opera singer, Gene Rayburn (Eugene Peter Jeljenic, 1917-1999) made the move to New York City but was unable to find stage work. He landed a job as an NBC Studios page and tour guide at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Before television fame, Rayburn was a radio performer, announcing at various radio stations before enlisting in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He chose the stage name "Rayburn" by randomly sticking his finger in the phone book.

Making use of his talent, Rayburn took the lead role in the Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie after Dick Van Dyke left to star in The Dick Van Dyke Show. He began a long association with game show producers Mark Goodson and Bill Todman in 1953. After hosting several game shows, he hit pay dirt with The Match Game in 1962-1969. The show was revived in 1973 simply as Match Game and ran for another decade. During this time one of Rayburn's trademarks was his long, skinny microphone that he was able to hold near his waist. 

Note: Rayburn's last game show hosting duties were on Break the Bank in 1985.

Word Origins

*FIGUREHEAD

It was ornamental only, usually carved from wood into the figure or bust of a person, sometimes quite imposing, and it was placed at the very bow of a ship, directly above the water line. Whatever the country or port, it led the vessel. But it had no function. However beautiful the carving, however emblematic the design, the vessel could have been handled just as well without it. And so it is with him or her who accepts an appointment or position that carries neither duties nor responsibilities. The imposing name of such a figurative figurehead lends prestige to the enterprise or organization.

*Inspired by Charles Funk (1881–1957)

Bethlehem

 

My design and construction for a contemporary Christmas promotional graphic. The entire unit is approximately 36" wide and made from white foamcore board, then airbrushed. There are four linear sections cut out and each attached to one another by half-inch adhesive foam pads. The photographer and I placed a blue background sheet behind the design. Using a single light source between the layers, it was shot in various exposures to get the desired effect. The red "sand wave" was entirely by accident due to the dark exposure setting.

Richard Kimble's Brief Encounters

 

A former patient returns home after a nervous breakdown to discover her father has remarried. Her stepmother wants to force her back into a sanitarium. Kimble discovers what is going on.

The Homecoming, 1964
Guest stars: Shirley Knight, Richard Carlson, Gloria Grahame

Television Talkers

 

John Lewis Gilbert III (1928-) aka Johnny Gilbert, was originally a nightclub singer and entertainer. He has worked mainly on television game shows as far back as the 1950s. He is known primarily for his work as the announcer and audience host for countless game shows. Gilbert was selected by Mark Goodson to replace Don Pardo as the announcer and audience host for the original version of The Price Is Right when it moved from NBC to ABC in 1963. Merv Griffin's quiz show Jeopardy! was reintroduced to television in 1984. Its new host, Alex Trebek, convinced Griffin to hire Gilbert as the announcer. His list for hosting game shows is staggering and can be found elsewhere online.

Gilbert's voice was heard on the CBS ceremonies, the People's Choice Awards and Emmy Awards. In addition, he added his distinct voice to episodes of the animated series, The Angry Beavers and Johnny Bravo.

Above, Gilbert was Dinah Shore's announcer and sidekick for Dinah!, beginning in 1974.

Word Origins

 

*TERRIER

Hunting dogs are used for different purposes, according to their several natures, and the peculiar property that distinguishes the clan of terriers is their ability to dig out burrowing animals from their lairs. It is this earth-moving attribute that has given the class its name. Terriers were originally bred to search for and destroy vermin. Most hunted rats, mice, and other rodents, but some larger breeds were used to hunt foxes, rabbits, and other large game. An old name was terrier dog, which is a half-translation of the French chien terrier. If fully translated, we would have had burrow dog, for the French word terrier has the meaning "a burrow, a hole in the ground." It comes from their terre, "earth," which is from the Latin terra, "earth."

*Inspired by Charles Funk (1881–1957)

Word Origins

 

*JOLLY ROGER

The earliest of pirates' flags displayed were no more likely than a plain black sheet. Later, commercial artists pirated designs of grinning skull and crossbones in white, and by the mid-nineteenth century, such was the general appearance. To the English, about the middle of the eighteenth century, the black flag of pirates became known as a Roger, eventually a Jolly Roger. No writer of the period gives a reason for such designation. Roger, perhaps then pronounced with a hard “g” among members of the underworld—the "canting crew," as they were called—had long been a term applied to a beggar or “rogue.” Jolly, of course, meant "carefree." It would follow, therefore, that the Jolly Roger would represent the flag of carefree rogues.

A jolly Roger Miller, above, talented Nashville singer, songwriter, musician, and actor, is not the same thing. 

*Inspired by Charles Funk (1881–1957)

Television Transition

 

Don Dubbins (1928-1991)

The television medium offered a career shift for some movie character actors. Many were kept busy, becoming a household face if not a name.

Don Dubbins was an American television actor in westerns and dramas from the early days of the medium throughout the 1980s. His film credits after signing with Columbia Pictures are sparse but James Cagney took a liking to him and he garnered roles in two of his films, one being, Tribute to a Bad Man. He made a quick transition to the small screen where his boyish good looks provided the best benefits. As he matured, his roles were varied, working non-stop throughout his forty-year career.

The Brooklyn-born Marine veteran typically made single appearances on most shows in such classics as Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Wanted: Dead or Alive, The Twilight Zone, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Rockford Files, and Murder, She Wrote. Additionally, he also appeared in other popular series ranging from the comedy Mork & Mindy to the police drama Hunter. However, Dubbins spent extra time with Perry Mason for seven appearances, and five roles each for Dragnet 1967 and Barnaby Jones.

A Man of Value

 

Tom Bergeron was born of French Canadian and Irish descent in 1955. He became a popular radio DJ, playing comedy records along with music and offbeat interviews. One of his first jobs on television was as host of a local game show. Bergeron was always on the move. He landed in Boston's giant, WBZ radio, where he remained through the Eighties. His national television work in the Nineties lead to hosting duties of Hollywood Squares from 1998 to 2004 for which he won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host in 2000. Bergeron had already been host of America's Funniest Home Videos since 2001. He remained there for another fourteen years. He also overlapped duties as host for Dancing with the Stars from 2005 to 2019. Among this non-stop pace, Bergeron had time for acting, appearing on Star Trek: Enterprise and the mystery series, Castle, among others, sometimes as himself. Bergeron is destined to be in demand for many more years.