Actor and Teacher

 

Cliff Osmond (Clifford Osman Ebrahim 1937-2012) was an American character actor, screenwriter, and drama teacher. He appeared in a few films, most notably in four Billy Wilder comedies, but he was most visible from his over 100 appearances on television. Though few knew his name. A veteran acting teacher in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and nationwide, he also operated his own scene study studios for decades while conducting seminars throughout the US.

Osmond was active in television from 1962 to 1996. His first small-screen appearance was in The Rifleman playing a vengeful blind man. That same year he was cast in "The Gift", an episode of The Twilight Zone. He later appeared on six episodes of Gunsmoke and he played a lieutenant and personal aide to an Indian Princess on Have Gun -- Will Travel. The 6' 5" actor was in countless dramas and comedies from the Sixties to the Eighties, typically as a heavy, a sheriff, or a slow-witted strongman. Given his facial features and command of dialects, there were few ethnic characters he could not play.

A Noted Television Theme

 

Dick DeBenedictis (1937-) is an American pianist and composer of music for numerous television series. The ten-time Emmy nominated musician composed music for Police Story, Columbo, Father Dowling Mysteries, The Rockford Files, Hawaii Five-O, Phyllis, and two Matlock spin-offs, Jake and the Fatman and Diagnosis: Murder. Upon retirement, he began a teaching career at universities in Los Angeles and New York City. 

He wrote the theme to Andy Griffith's second hit series, a composition that is easy to remember but difficult to forget: http://www.televisiontunes.com/Matlock.html

An Electrolux Vacuum And Laser Weapon

 

The Electrolux Model 30 canister vacuum, designed by Lurelle Guild, originated in 1937 and was one of the most popular high-end vacuum cleaners in its day, setting an industry standard. It sold for around $70 or about $1,100 today. A considerable amount of money in any decade. The sturdy model was the first American-only Electrolux and produced until 1954. A modified Electrolux was famously used as a laser weapon by the underground creatures in the film, "Superman and The Mole Men" (1951). Those familiar with the hour-long film will not be surprised it was shot in twelve days.

Electrolux Corporation USA was founded in 1924 by Gustaf Sahlin, a Swedish businessman who emigrated to the United States. Aerus LLC, Dallas, Texas, is the successor to Electrolux USA. The Electrolux name is again used in the U.S. by the Electrolux Group of Sweden, which until 2016 also manufactured Eureka vacuum cleaners.