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.