Master of the Hat

Slayton Underhill (1913-2002) was an "under the radar" commercial illustrator, perhaps best known for his portraits and his Stetson contract featuring Hollywood celebrities. It earned him the moniker, "Master of the Hat," something the more famous Norman Rockwell would never achieve.

Underhill's early works appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, Redbook, Collier's, and Life. Two of his portraits were chosen for the covers of Time magazine. The artist was also behind advertising campaigns for Viceroy cigarettes and Lincoln and Mercury automobiles. The clever 1948 ad above suggests there are (at least) two Bing Crosbys depending on his choice of hat, like the brown "Flagship" echoing the American Airlines Flagship airliners in the background. Across the bottom (L-R) are Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Bob Hope, David Niven, and Dana Andrews.

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.

Late Career Confusion

There was somewhat of a facial morphing that happened between William Prince (1913-1996) at left, and George Macready (1899-1973) in their senior years. The American actors also had similar career paths on stage, early notable films, and frequent television roles. Prince guest-starred on Dallas in 1986 and Macready was a cast member on Peyton Place nearly twenty years before.

Yours Truly, Robert Bainter Bailey

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar was one of the longest-running drama series on radio. Running from 1948 to 1962, it is regarded as one of the greatest in radio history. Dick Powell starred in the 1948 audition show but left the role for other projects, including his famous "Richard Diamond" radio series. The series went through several leads, among the more notable were Edmond O'Brien (1950-52) and John Lund (1952-54). Radio regular, Gerald Mohr, had the lead for the 1955 audition show, but Bob Bailey (above) settled into the title role for nearly 500 episodes, and his tenure is considered the best of the series. 

Bob Bailey (1913-1983) was exceptionally good, making Dollar more sensitive and thoughtful in addition to capturing realism with his voice inflections. Imperative without any visuals. He made the character his own and it separated him from the melodramatic radio detective, like the aforementioned Gerald Mohr. Tough and streetwise but not overly cynical, he was a 4-year Marine veteran, a police officer for a decade then changing careers to insurance investigation for the Universal Adjustment Bureau, Hartford, Connecticut. Dollar usually stuck to business, but the occasional romance would arise when getting too emotionally involved in the case. Episodes often included his girlfriend Betty Lewis, played suberbly by the sultry voice of the versatile Virginia Gregg. 

During the Bailey years, the announcer opened each episode with, "The man with the action-packed expense account, America’s fabulous freelance insurance investigator, Johnny Dollar." Each episode began with a phone call from an insurance executive asking him to work on an unusual claim. Upon hearing the assignment, Dollar could occasionally get a little irate with his superior. It might require him to journey across the US or sometimes overseas. Each case’s title was referred to as a "matter" as in, "The Forbes Matter." The show featured a stock company of supporting actors, including Harry Bartell, Vic Perrin, Mary Jane Croft, Lawrence Dobkin, Stacy Harris, Parley Baer, Howard McNear, Betty Lou Gerson, Barney Phillips, and others. 

Fishing was Dollar’s first recreational choice. On numerous episodes a client might use fishing as bait, convincing him to take on a job because of the excellent nearby fishing locations. He had a streak of impatience, and would occasionally not fully listen to a witness and rush off on a tangent before realizing his mistake. As the story progressed, Dollar would mention each expense item, and provide the audience with his remarks about the current case when filling out his expense account. There were no incidental expenses too small for Dollar to itemize, such as buying a 10-cent bottle of Aspirin with a sardonic comment, “I needed them." The series title is Dollar's salutation at the end of his written report, closing the case and episode.

Note: In 1960, CBS Radio shut down production on the west coast and moved its radio drama unit to New York. Bob Bailey, unwilling to relocate, gave up the role. The last Johnny Dollar, Mandel Kramer, remains a close second in popularity to Bailey. 

Television Talkers

 

Dave Garroway (1913-1982) was an American television personality best known as the founding host and anchor of NBC's Today show from 1952 to 1961. Garroway began his broadcasting career at NBC as a page in 1938 before landing a job at Pittsburgh radio station KDKA in 1939.  He became known as the "Roving Announcer" with a reputation for finding a good story, even in unusual places. After WW2, His fellow disc jockeys voted him the nation's best in the 1948 and 1949 Billboard polls. He won the award again in 1951.

Garroway's relaxed, informal style, as well as his humor, became part of his television trademark, to say nothing of his eyeglasses and bow tie. He possessed no false jollity or witticisms. On the contrary, he was pleasant, serious, and scholarly-looking. Trustworthy. His popular "cohost" on Today was a lovable chimpanzee by the name of J. Fred Muggs who helped take the edge off some more serious news moments. Garroway was one of the broadcasters who introduced conversational style and tone to television, beginning some broadcasts as though viewers were sitting in the studio with him. As an example, "And how are you about the world today? Let's see what kind of shape it's in; there is a glimmer of hope." His ability to clearly explain abstract concepts earned him the nickname "The Communicator" and eventually won praise from critics and viewers alike. Garroway was known for his signoff, saying "Peace" with an upraised palm. Many late sixties hippies owed him a debt for that.

More at Garroway at Large.

Note: Unknown to viewers, Garroway's easygoing and relaxed style -- the epitome of poise -- hid his lifelong battle with depression, which is better diagnosed today.

Discover America on The Lincoln Highway

 

The Lincoln Highway is the first road for automobiles across the United States of America. Conceived in 1912 by the president of Prest-O-Lite Company of Indianapolis, Indiana, Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 1913, the Lincoln Highway runs coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City west to Lincoln Park in San Francisco. Originally running through New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California, in 1915 the "Colorado Loop" was removed, and in 1928 a realignment relocated the Lincoln Highway through the northern tip of West Virginia.

The first officially recorded length of the entire Lincoln Highway in 1913 was 3,389 miles. With realignments over the years, the Lincoln Highway was gradually replaced with numbered designations after the establishment of the U.S. Numbered Highway System in 1926. After the Interstate Highway System was formed in the mid-1950s, the former alignments of the Lincoln Highway were largely superseded by Interstate 80. Detailed state chapters can be found HERE.

Not Aiming for Subtle

Robert Strauss (1913-1975) was an American Broadway and film character actor arguably best known for his prolific television work. But he hit instant stardom in 1953 on the big screen as Stanislas "Animal" Kuzawa in Stalag 17 —a role he created in the original Broadway production two years earlier—for which he garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His character set the stage for numerous quirky military roles to follow, like Kelly's Heroes or M.A.S.H. The year before he played CPO Lardoski in Sailor Beware and Sgt. McClusky in Jumping Jacks, for the Martin and Lewis comedies. In 1954, he was back in the military for The Bridges at Toko-Ri, then joined Mickey Rooney as half of the lame-brained duo in the wacky comedy, The Atomic Kid here. By the late Fifties, mobster roles became more common. Even in comedies.

For being such a bombastic performer, it seemed logical to spread his work all over living rooms in America where he made the small screen seem bigger. From television's early days of anthology series such as Studio One, or The Alcoa Hour, viewers found him difficult to forget. He made appearances on Medic, hosted and sometimes starring Richard Boone, and was naturally in uniform for The Phil Silvers Show. Westerns somewhat broke any Strauss stereotypes, and he guest-starred on Wanted: Dead or Alive, Stagecoach West, Bat Masterson, and Wagon Train, to only name three. By the Sixties, silly comedies included Strauss in The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, and others. He was a cast member on Mona McCluskey, opposite Juliet Prowse and Denny Miller, as Sgt. Stan Gruzewsky. Strauss finished out the decade guesting on comedies in the likes of Get Smart, Mr. Terrific, and The Monkees.

By 1975, it was back to the silver screen for the post-apocalyptic film, The Noah. Not only was it his last performance it was also a rare starring role as the last human on earth, the title character. Strauss is the loan performer in this incredibly forgotten film. A tough assignment any way you slice it. However, his career had long since solidified him as one of the most famous and polarizing character actors of his era.

Note: Above photo of Robert Strauss, William Holden, and Harvey Lembeck in Stalag 17.

A Noted Film Composer

 

Though Jerome Moross (1913-1983) is best known for his film and television music, the American composer also composed works for symphony orchestras, chamber ensembles, soloists, and musical theater, as well as orchestrating scores, usually uncredited, for other composers. 

Moross created distinctive themes featuring syncopation and percussion instruments that stress the ostinato rhythm. This soon became the signature element of his scores for many westerns. His best-known film score is that for the 1958 movie The Big Country, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score. He expertly captured the wide-open spaces of the unchartered old west. His theme for television's short-lived 1966 series, Lancer, is reminiscent of that score. His other works include the music for the films The Mountain Road (1951), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960), The Cardinal (1963), The War Lord (1965), Rachel, Rachel (1968), The Valley of Gwangi (1969).

Where Rust Doth Not Corrupt

 

On this date in 1913, a relative newcomer to the materials science world, stainless steel, was invented by Harry Brearley of Sheffield, England. Brearley stumbled upon this discovery while trying to solve the problem of erosion of the internal surfaces of gun barrels for the British army during the onset of the First World War. The secret to the success of stainless steel is its incredible physical and chemical properties. Stainless steel has high corrosion resistance, heat resistance up to 2,192°F, formability and weldability, durability, and rustproof. It is also inexpensive compared to specialist, non-corrosive alloys. Between the years 1919 and 1923, the use of stainless steel was adapted to manufacture surgical scalpels, tools, and cutlery in Sheffield. In the 1930s, the first stainless steel train was built in the USA and by 1935, stainless steel kitchen sinks were widely used. In the 1980s, stainless steel was used to build the longest movable flood barrier in the world on the river Thames.

The Ubiquitous Dixon Ticonderoga Pencil

 

Joseph Dixon introduced the yellow No. 2 Ticonderoga pencil In 1913. It was originally manufactured with brass ferrule, but it was temporarily changed to green plastic due to a metal shortage during World War II. The now-iconic color scheme continued after the war on a metal ferrule. The Czech company, Koh-i-Noor Hartdmuth, is credited with starting the yellow colored pencil trend at the World’s Fair in 1889 by painting its pencils. They patented the first pencil lead made from a combination of kaolin and graphite, a technique that allowed for the hardness of the graphite to be varied. Pencil makers everywhere were able to classify a pencil's graphite core. The US uses a number system while the EU uses a lettering system where HB equals a No. 2.