Short Hoppers

Ozark Air Lines began public operation in the US in 1950, operating from their headquarters located at Lambert–St. Louis Municipal Airport. Ozark purchased Douglas DC-3s from the defunct Parks Airline with regular flights between St. Louis and Chicago, including short hops along the way, and to Tulsa and Memphis. By 1955, the airline used its thirteen DC-3s to serve thirty-five cities between Sioux City, Indianapolis, Wichita, and Nashville. By 1960, turboprop Fairchild F-27s (above) replaced the aging DC-3s with its first Douglas DC-9-10 jets introduced in 1966. Ozark Airlines was unable to compete in the airline price wars and in 1986 was purchased by Trans World Airlines, itself unable to sustain profitability and was purchased by American Airlines in 2001. 

Note: The three swallows in Ozark's logo represented on-time flights, referring to the legend of the swallows that return to the Mission San Juan Capistrano, in California each year. 

Broadcast Pioneers

Westbrook Van Voorhis (1903-1968) was a radio broadcaster and narrator for television programs and movies. He is perhaps best known for his work on the Blue Network's "March of Time" radio and newsreel series. His trademark was his powerfully strong voice which led to his becoming known as the "Voice of Doom" depending on the news' subject. His oft-parodied booming catchphrase, "Time...marches on!" was another trademark.

Van Voorhis became a radio broadcaster late in the 1920s, working for station WOR and the CBS and NBC networks. Based on Van Voorhis' "March of Time" radio news series from 1931 to 1945, it became a fifteen to thirty-minute newsreel series that aired prior to the theater's main feature to keep American audiences abreast of select news stories. Sponsored by Time Inc., the series ran from 1935 to 1951. He narrated each episode of the 1954–1956 NBC series Justice, and the narration for the 1957 television series Panic!. 

Van Voorhis was originally scheduled to be the announcer for The Twilight Zone television show but only narrated the television pilot, "Where is Everybody?." His narration was however revoiced before broadcasting by the show's creator and writer, Rod Serling. 

Visual Morphings

Consider the perceived likeness of Jack Nicholson (1937-) and James Garner (1928-2014) in their later years. That's not all. The Chinatown film and The Rockford Files television series first appeared in 1974. To top it off, Jake Gittes and Jim Rockford were in harm's way on a regular basis and were both licensed California private investigators. 

Over time, Jan Smithers (July 1949-) and Lindsay Wagner (June 1949-) appear to have become at least related. Reality does not make them sisters or twins, however, being born about a month apart. Both actresses are deceivingly tall, with Smithers at 5' 7" and Wagner towering in at 5' 9".

Small Wheels Keep On Turnin'

The first patented roller skate (1760) was by Belgian, John Joseph Merlin. His skates replaced the ice skate blade with tiny wheels, the predecessor to today's roller blades. James Plimpton's 1863 4-wheel style went mainstream, the basis for today's roller skates. Patin Bicyclette Road Skates, invented by Richard-Choubersky in 1896, used small, spoked wheels (above). Vertical extensions could be strapped to one's calves or shoes slipped into a large boot.

More detail can be found here.

When Penmanship Counted

Walter A. Sheaffer founded Sheaffer, designer and manufacturer of writing instruments in 1913. He created a clean fountain pen-filling system that uses a lever device. Sheaffer was a leader in the luxury pen market by the 1930s. Read a historical profile here.

Broadcast Pioneers

Lowell Thomas (1892-1981) was an American writer, actor, radio broadcaster, and traveler remembered for publicizing T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia). Thomas was a relentless self-promoter, and he persuaded railroads to give him free passage in exchange for articles extolling rail travel. When he visited Alaska, he hit upon the idea of the travelogue, movies about faraway places. He pioneered the use of motion pictures in reporting news with his multimedia shows on the First World War. Working with a new form of journalism—movie newsreels—was a natural step for him, specifically, Fox Movietone News in the 1940s.

Thomas helped establish the broadcast news format. The newscast’s steady factual style reflected his newspaper experience which was distinct from the sensational staccato of his contemporary, Walter Winchell whose background was from Broadway’s vaudeville. With clear elocution—owing to his doctoral degree in speech —and a worldly air, he calmly delivered the news along with nonpartisan commentary.

In 1945, Thomas received the Alfred I. duPont Award. In 1971, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. Five years later, President Gerald Ford awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1989. The Thomas Mountains in Antarctica are named for him.

Models First

These rather obscure actresses had similar career paths and appearances. If you are a fan of B-movies or the early days of television, you may confuse them. From left are Merry Anders (1934-2012) and Barbara Lawrence (1930-2013). As was the case for many actresses, both were noticed as models first. Lawrence had bit parts in movies but her televised work dominated. She only had a dozen years of acting before retiring. Anders, on the other hand, continued working for nearly fifty years, mostly in television. She was most visible in the television comedy, How To Marry A Millionaire for fifty-two episodes (1957-59).

Anonymous Versatility

Norma Crane (Norma Anna Bella Zuckerman 1928-1973) was an American actress on stage, in film, and a frequent performer on television. She had the ability to transform into multiple characters to the extent one might not readily recognize her. Her supporting roles in television never made her a household name, however. Throughout the 1950s, she appeared in a variety of live television dramas. One of her earliest appearances was a five-episode stint as a fellow teacher on the live Mr. Peepers comedy show starring Wally Cox in 1952. In 1956, she appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Gunsmoke, and four times in Have Gun - Will Travel. Crane found steady work on nearly every major television series in the 1950s into the 1970s such as The Untouchables, The Fugitive, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and The Flying Nun, just to name a few. Most were single appearances. Though she did little on the big screen, she landed roles in the films, Penelope (1966), They Call Me Mr. Tibbs! (1970), and most famously as Golde in Fiddler on The Roof (1971).

Nebraska's Official Soft Drink

Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins (1889-1961) in Hastings, Nebraska in 1927. As a boy working in his family’s general store, Perkins became interested in a new powdered dessert mix named Jell-O and persuaded his father to carry it in the store. Kool-Aid's predecessor was called Fruit Smack, a bottled soft drink concentrate in six flavors. All of Perkin's experiments took place in his mother's kitchen. To reduce shipping costs, Perkins discovered a way to remove the liquid from Fruit Smack, leaving only a powder. Perkins moved his production to Chicago in 1931 and Kool-Aid was sold to General Foods in 1953. A yearly summer festival in Hastings celebrates with Kool-Aid Days on the second weekend in August in honor of their city's claim to fame. It is Nebraska's official soft drink.

Additional Kool-Aid details can be found here.

Something Else Altogether

Upon its introduction in 1958, the futuristic Philco Predicta was the world's first swivel-screen television. It was designed by Catherine Winkler, Severin Jonnaffen and Richard Whipple. The picture tube (CRT) could be separated from the rest of the cabinet. There were several cabinet or pedestal model options. The Philco Predicta Princess model cost around $180. However, the Philco Predicta Pedestal version (above), sold for a whopping $460. Needless to say, only the wealthy could afford one. The Pedestal cabinet was created by Winkler and Whipple. The sets could be had as 17" or 21" screens. Ford Motor Company purchased Philco at the end of 1961. Philco is now the Philips brand.

Broadcast Pioneers

Marvin Kalb (1930-) is an American journalist who spent thirty years as an award-winning reporter for CBS News and NBC News. Kalb was the last newsman recruited by Edward R. Murrow to join CBS News, becoming part of the new generation of the "Murrow Boys." At NBC, he served as chief diplomatic correspondent and host of Meet the Press for two years in the mid-eighties. During Kalb's tenure at both networks, his brother Bernard Kalb worked alongside him. Kalb has authored or co-authored several nonfiction books, a few published by the Brookings Institution Press. His latest book, published in 2021, is "Assignment Russia." Kalb is the Edward R. Murrow Professor Emeritus at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and is currently a nonresident senior fellow with the Foreign Policy program at Brookings.

Yes, Virginia, There Are Two

From left are Virginia Christine (1920-96) and Virginia Gregg (1916-86). Both enjoyed a lengthy careers in radio dramas, film, and television. Both were talented voice actresses as well. Both were Midwest-born yet both died in California. They started their film careers in the mid-1940s, often uncredited. Gregg was a busy radio actor and worked frequently with Jack Webb's Dragnet radio and television series among many other shows. Christine became widely known as the matronly Mrs. Olson, the Folgers coffee spokesperson on television commercials for twenty-one years. Her hometown of Stanton, Iowa, honored her by transforming the city water tower to resemble a giant coffee pot.

A Natural Talent

Frank Overton (1918-1967) was an American actor of stage, film and television. He had the ability to project an air of authority into his diverse roles with a countenance and pointed vocal delivery. He is well known for the roles as Sheriff Heck Tate in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) and General Bogan in Fail Safe (1964).

But Overton is best known for his many television roles from the early 1950s through the 1960s, from Westerns to contemporary dramas. In a standout episode, he appeared in an episode of The Twilight Zone with Gig Young, called "Walking Distance" in 1959 (pictured above with Gig Young). His sensitive and compassionate portrayal anchored his character in reality. Other work included The Fugitive, 1963, and two guest appearances on the drama series Perry Mason playing a priest and a deputy. Overton appeared six times on The United States Steel Hour and in four episodes of Route 66. In ideal casting, he played Major Harvey Stovall in the series Twelve O'Clock High. One of his last television roles was on a Star Trek episode in 1967. The entertainment world lost a great talent much too soon.

Freezing Entrepreneur

Clarence Birdseye (1886-1956) is known for much more than frozen peas. He was an American inventor, entrepreneur, and naturalist, considered the founder of the modern frozen food industry. 

In 1922, Birdseye conducted fish-freezing experiments and eventually established his own company, Birdseye Seafoods Inc. His experiments found that rapid freezing, at lower temperatures, gives crystals less time to form and thus does less damage than being frozen slowly. His company went bankrupt in 1924 for lack of consumer interest. That same year, he developed an entirely new process for commercially viable quick-freezing: packing fish in cartons, then freezing the contents between two refrigerated surfaces under pressure. Birdseye created General Seafood Corporation to promote this method. By 1929, Birdseye sold his company and patents for $22 million to Goldman Sachs and the Postum Company, which eventually became General Foods Corporation which founded the Birds Eye Frozen Food Company. The "Birds Eye" name remains a leading frozen-food brand. In 1949, Birdseye won the Institute of Food Technologists' Babcock-Hart Award.

Learn more about this inventor here.

Formal Wear Icon

What became known as After Six, the formal wear brand was originally named S. Rudofker’s Sons in 1903 by Sam Rudofker. In 1923 it began its long history of formal innovation when sons Morris and Max introduced the “Rudo Tux”, the first ready-to-wear tuxedo. A 1930s story has the After Six name emerging during a late-running brainstorming session. Max suddenly exclaimed, “Oh no, I’ve got to get home for dinner. It’s after six!” It is in reference to the tradition of wearing formal wear only after 6:00 p.m. An excellent history of the company's current status and a look at how the logo changed over the decades here.

Broadcast Pioneers

Walter Cronkite (1916-2009) was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the CBS Evening News from 1962 to 1981. Cronkite received numerous honors including two Peabody Awards, a George Polk Award, an Emmy Award, and in 1981 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Jimmy Carter. He was the only non-NASA recipient of an Ambassador of Exploration award. Cronkite is vividly remembered for breaking the news of the assassination of John F. Kennedy and reporting into the wee hours on the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Cronkite reported many events in his career, including bombings in World War II, the Nuremberg trials, combat in the Vietnam War, Watergate, the Iran Hostage Crisis, and the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, civil rights pioneer Martin Luther King Jr., and Beatles musician John Lennon. He was also known for his extensive coverage of the U.S. space program. Considered universally the dean of broadcast news, he is known for his departing catchphrase, "and that's the way it is", followed by the date of the broadcast. The phrase was often used in parody.

Perhaps due to his low register voice, his mustache, and his comforting tone, in certain circles, he was affectionately referred to as "Uncle Walter." Cronkite served in an era when politically biased reporting was kept under wraps. His political leanings became a bit more forthcoming after leaving his anchor post.

At First Glance

The Twilight Zone Matter

Depending on their roles, Patricia Barry (Patricia Allen White 1921-2016) and Elizabeth Allen (Elizabeth Ellen Gillease 1929-2006) shared similar facial features, height, and figure. But not voice nor persona. Both actresses had numerous stage credits, but each was more visible in film and television. Barry spent over fifty years on television and had a few lightweight films to her credit. Similarly, Allen was a cast member on five television series and starred in a few large-budget, notable films. Both appeared in The Twilight Zone series.

The Taylor-Medina Matter

Joan Taylor (1929-2012) at left, and Patricia Medina (1919-2012) had confusingly similar facial appearances depending on their roles. Born ten years apart but died the same year. Both actresses did some modeling, in between their film work and television transition on a few Westerns. Arguably, Medina's large-budget film projects overshadowed that of Taylor. Taylor was married to television producer, Leonard Freeman, from 1953 until his death in 1974. Similarly, Medina's second marriage to actor Joseph Cotton was from 1960 until his death in 1994.

Never Pigeonholed

Madlyn Rhue (Madeline Roche 1935-2003) was an American film and television actress. She created her stage name by adapting the title of the film 13 Rue Madeleine (1947). Though well known for her television work, from the 1950s to the 1980s, she appeared in some twenty films, including Operation Petticoat, The Ladies Man, A Majority of One, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, and Stand Up and Be Counted. She was never pigeonholed. On the contrary, she was somewhat of a chameleon in front of the camera depending on the role, costume, or studio wig.

Rhue guest-starred in dozens of television series, including the westerns Cheyenne, Bonanza, Have Gun–Will Travel, and The Rebel. Her modern-day appearances brought her notoriety in such classics as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Route 66, The Untouchables, Perry Mason, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and The Fugitive. Rhue had regular roles in Bracken's World (1969–70) and Executive Suite (1976–77). It was at this time she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, though she continued her role on Days of Our Lives. But by 1985, she was unable to move about without a wheelchair. She was offered intermittent roles that did not require her to walk or stand, sometimes incorporating the wheelchair as part of the character. Angela Lansbury created a recurring role for her on her hit show, Murder, She Wrote, considered her last television appearance.

Endorsed by Marcus Welby

As one of the earliest decaffeinated coffee varieties, Sanka (derived from the French words sans caféine) was first marketed initially in 1923 only at two Sanka Coffee Houses in New York. They soon went into retail and over decades their advertising soared to new heights. From 1976 to 1982, veteran actor Robert Young, coming off his popular character on Marcus Welby, M.D., was a Sanka television spokesman. During the mid-1980s, Lena Horne was featured in Sanka's television commercials. More about Sanka's ad campaigns and product placement here.

Mr. Ferris and His Wheel

Although early "pleasure wheels" may go back as far as the 1500s, the first commercially successful Ferris wheel was designed and constructed by the Galesburg, Illinois native and engineer, George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. (1859-96) for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Ferris owned a company that tested iron and steel for railroads and bridges. He used his knowledge of structural steel to design an immense steel structure 264' tall that would amaze the visitors to the fair. It was the most popular structure at the fair. In the first five months after its debut in 1892, more than 1.4 million people rode the world's first Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel was dismantled and then rebuilt in Lincoln Park, Chicago, in 1895, and dismantled and rebuilt a third and final time for the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. It was ultimately demolished in 1906. Modern versions have been called Observation Wheels, the tallest being the 820' Ain Dubai, which opened in late 2021 and is located in the United Arab Emirates.  

A George Ferris biography can be found here.

Permanently Numbered

In 1929 the New York Yankees became the first major league baseball team to make numbers permanent on the backs of their jerseys. The numbers were handed out based on the batting order in the lineup. Babe Ruth was the first Yankee to hit a home run in a stylish new number-plated #3 jersey. But the Yankees have never had names emblazoned on their uniforms. The one exception was the 2017 MLB Players Weekend which used nicknames on special jerseys. MLB has been making money ever since. A 2010 opinion about the uniforms here.