Public Transportation for The Isolated

 

The Union Traction Company of Indiana (1897-1930) operated 410 miles of interurban trackage making it the largest interurban system in the state. Charles Henry, a prominent attorney and politician from Anderson, acquired the “mule car” streetcar system in Anderson in 1891. The interurban lines alleviated the isolation of rural Indiana, running first from Anderson to Alexandria, then to Indianapolis, Marion, Muncie, and Kokomo. The company also ran 44 miles of streetcar lines in Anderson, Elwood, Marion, and Muncie. The UTC was acquired by Indiana Railroad in 1930. They also purchased several other interurban lines creating a new system, running for an additional ten years. By the end of 1941, interurban service was abandoned.

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.

Richard Kimble's Brief Encounters

Lt. Gerard tops off his gas tank for a cross-state journey after Kimble's fingerprints show up on his office wire. Kimble has been arrested following a minor traffic accident but he and a cellmate, Fatso, break jail before Gerard arrives. The friendly, slightly mentally challenged cellmate may have been falsely accused of a past crime he did not commit. Something that resonates with the pediatrician.

Fatso, 1963

Guest star Jack Weston as Fatso

Man Cannot Predict The Future

 

Anticipating this date in 1959, Lawrence Earl Flint, Jr. must have been astonished by the advancements in aviation in less than twenty years. Entering the United States Navy he was soon designated a Naval Aviator two days before the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7. Farthest from his mind at the time would be his future opportunity to set three FAI World Altitude Records by flying to the edge of space in a McDonnell YF4H-1 Phantom II.

Accelerating from level flight at 47,000' with afterburner to Mach 2.5, Commander Flint pulled up into a 45° climb and continued to 90,000'. He had to shut down the Phantom’s two jet engines to prevent them from overheating in the thin atmosphere. He continued on a ballistic trajectory to 98,556 feet'. At the time, this was just short of the 100,000' feet that delineated the beginning of space. Diving back through 70,000', Flint restarted the engines and flew back to Edwards AFB, California.

A Christmastime Tradition

 

On this date in 1964, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer premiered on NBC in the United States. The stop motion animated special was produced by Videocraft International, Ltd., later known as Rankin/Bass Productions. It was sponsored by General Electric under the umbrella title of The General Electric Fantasy Hour. Burl Ives narrated the film as the animated Sam the Snowman and the music was written by Johnny Marks. The adventure classic still captivates young children thanks to a swift pace and the encounters with a variety of characters. Since 1972, the special has aired on CBS. More at RUDOLPH.

A Noted Television Theme

 

Robert David Grusin (1934-) is an American composer, arranger, producer, and jazz pianist. He has composed scores for feature films and television and won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, including ten Grammy Awards. Grusin has scored nearly 100 films, including his Oscar win for best original score for The Milagro Beanfield War, as well as Oscar nominations for The Champ, The Fabulous Baker Boys, The Firm, Havana, Heaven Can Wait, and On Golden Pond.

His television work is equally expansive with music for numerous series from the Sixties through the Eighties. His themes for The Name of The Game and It Takes a Thief, both 1968, were particularly cool in their day. Though not the arrangement heard on the series, Johnny Gregory aka Chaquito is the definitive version for the Robert Wagner series here.

16,000 Hours of Flight Time

 

Lieutenant Colonel Fitzhugh Lee "Fitz" Fulton, Jr. (1925-2015) stands next to fellow test pilot, Colonel Joseph Cotton, with the North American Aviation XB-70A Valkyrie in the background at Edwards AFB, California in the Sixties. Upon his retirement from NASA, Fulton had flown more than 16,000 hours in 235 aircraft types. But his flying days started much earlier during World War II. 

In 1946 Fulton participated in Operation Crossroads, the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. He made 225 sorties flying a Douglas C-54 Skymaster four-engine transport during the Berlin Airlift, and then the Douglas B-26 Invader light attack bomber during the Korean War. Fulton graduated from the Air Force Test Pilot School in 1952. He served as project test pilot for the Convair B-58 Hustler supersonic bomber and flew it to a World Record Altitude of 85,360.66 feet during 1962. He flew the B-52 “mother ships” for the X-15 Program from Edwards, AFB.

Fulton continued as a research test pilot for NASA, flying as project pilot for the YF-12A and YF-12C research program. He flew all the early test flights of the NASA/Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft that carried the space shuttle prototype, Enterprise.