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.

Caterpillars Masquerading As Earthworms

 

Earthworm Tractors is a 1936 American slapstick romantic comedy film starring Joe E. Brown and June Travis. The film is based on characters created by William Hazlett Upson in a series of stories that appeared in The Saturday Evening Post. The series featured Alexander Botts (Brown), a natural-born [incompetent] salesman with the Earthworm Tractor Company. His girl, Travis, wants him to start selling something that will make a name for himself. Brown does so by making shambles of several buildings and cars due to his lack of know-how in operating the tractor. He also drives Travis' father, the slightly deaf Guy Kibbee, nuts. Brown was approaching a slow descent from his career peak of Elmer, the Great (1933), and Alibi Ike (1935) but there are some hilarious moments to savor in this one.

The film was inspired in part by Upson's actual work experience with the Caterpillar Tractor Company. In 1910, Caterpillar opened their plant in East Peoria, Illinois while the "Caterpillar" name was trademarked in 1911. Caterpillar Inc. is an American corporation that designs, develops, engineers, manufactures, markets, and sells machinery, engines, financial products, and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. It is the world's largest construction equipment manufacturer. The Peoria headquarters were moved to Deerfield, Illinois in 2017.