The Apollo 11 Astronauts Return Home, Heroes!

On July 24, the astronauts returned home aboard the command module Columbia just before dawn in the Pacific Ocean 2,660 km (1,440 nm) east of Wake Island, or 380 km (210 nm) south of Johnston Atoll, and 24 km (15 mi) from the recovery ship, USS Hornet.

Initially the command module landed upside down but was righted in several minutes by flotation bags triggered by the astronauts. The first NAVY diver from the helicopter hovering above attached an anchor to the command module to prevent it from drifting. Additional divers attached additional flotation collars to stabilize the the module and position rafts for astronaut extraction. Though the possibility of bringing back pathogen from the lunar surface was considered remote, it was not considered impossible and NASA took great precautions at the recovery site. Astronauts were provided Biological Isolation Garment (BIG suit) by divers which were worn until they reached issolation facilities onboard the Hornet. Additionally astronauts were rubbed down with a sodium-hypochlorite solution and the command module wipped with betadine to remove any lunar dust that might be present. The raft containing decontamination materials was then intentionally sunk.

A second Sea King helicopter hoisted the astronauts aboard one by one where a NASA flight surgeon gave each a brief physical check during the half mile trip back to the Hornet. After touchdown on the Hornet, all crew existed the helicopter, leaving the flight surgeon and 3 crew. The helicopter was then lowered into hangar bay #2 where the astronauts walked the 30 feet to the Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF) where they would begin their 21 days of quarantine, a practice that continue for the next 3 Apollo missions before the moon was proven to be barren of life and quarantine process dropped for Apollo XV through XVII.

President Richard Nixon was aboard the Hornet to personally welcome the astronauts back to Earth. He told the astronauts: “As a result of what you’ve done, the world has never been closer together before.” Years later, it was publicly revealed that Nixon had prepared a speech to be given if the mission resulted in death. The lunar module had not been tested to assess if it could launch from the moon surface. After Nixon departed, the Hornet was brought alongside the 5 ton command module where it was placed abord by the ships crane, placed on a dolly and moved next to the MQF. The Hornet steamed for Pearl Harbor where the command module and MQF were airlifed to the Johnson Space Center.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhISvjoc6Gk

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A classic never goes out of style!

Born Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis to a Greek father and a Puerto Rican mother, he was raised in Manhattan’s then-notorious Hell’s Kitchen.

Tony Orlando’s musical career started with The Five Gents, a doo-wop group he formed. His first success came when he recorded the hits Bless You and Halfway To Paradise in 1961. After becoming general manager at Columbia Records, he was tempted back to a recording career when he was asked to record a demo record of Candida. The label liked the demo so much that Tony’s performance was released, under the band name Dawn (named after a record executive’s daughter). After Orlando discovered that there were six touring groups using that name, Dawn became Dawn featuring Tony Orlando (which changed to Tony Orlando and Dawn in 1974).

Joining Tony were Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson, and the trio scored a string of #1 hits with Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree, Knock Three Times, and He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You). With a successful recording career, Orlando then set his sights on television which resulted in his highly rated weekly variety series Tony Orlando and Dawn Rainbow Hour on CBS. The popular and successful show ran for four seasons on CBS from 1974 to 1976.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3ouKAhxZbQ

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A classic never goes out of style

One of my favorite slices of Americana is “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late),” a song written by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. (a.k.a. David Seville) in 1958.  Although it was written and sung by Bagdasarian (in the form of a chipmunk voice), the singing credits are given to The Chipmunks, a fictional singing group consisting of three chipmunks by the names of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore.

The song was very successful, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, becoming The Chipmunks’ first (and only), as well as David Seville’s second and final, #1 single. It has the distinction of being the only Christmas record to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart. The single sold 4.5 million copies, according to Ross Bagdasarian, Jr.

Between 1959–1962, the single managed to re-enter the Hot 100, peaking at #41 in 1959, #45 in 1960, and #39 in 1962. (Starting in 1963, Billboard would list re-current Christmas songs on a separate chart.)

“The Chipmunk Song” is the last Christmas song to make #1 on any US single record chart totaling performance of all available records, a record that may never be equaled.

I’m including the memorable animated video to the song from The Chipmunks 1960s animated series, as well as their live-action version from their 2007 film Alvin and The Chipmunks, as well as their popular 2007 remix of the song!  Enjoy!

• ‘Rudolph’ causes stir at school
• ‘Down Santa Claus Lane’ by Hilary Duff
• “The Gift of the Magi” by way of Lorne Greene
• Merry Christmas 2008
• Have A Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives
• Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

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Now, thank goodness that from the looks of things, she had a lot of material to work with!  Kudos to you, Nicky Arsenault!

CNNews reports…

Bra-very in a snap

By DAVE DORMER, SUN MEDIA

CALGARY — Using her bra to stop the bleeding, a Calgary woman is being credited with helping save the life of a man beaten unconscious outside a southwest nightclub.

Nicky Arsenault, 19, was leaving the Back Alley Nightclub with friends early Sunday morning when they saw two men who had been left unconscious and bleeding heavily on the sidewalk.

A nursing assistant at Bowcrest Care Centre, Arsenault jumped into action along with friend Paul Fitzgerald, a welder in the Canadian military.

“There were 20 or 30 people standing around but nobody was doing anything,” she said.

“I saw he had a deep laceration on the left side of his head, but he was laying on the left side so the blood was pouring out.

“I got two people help me turn him to the recovery position, otherwise he would have bled out, then I took off my bra because nobody had anything else to use, and I held it against the laceration.”

While Arsenault helped one victim, Fitzgerald helped the other — a 24-year-old male who had a broken right arm.

While she was performing first aid, Arsenault said the man she was helping stopped breathing at one point.

“He was breathing through his nasal passage but it was so blocked, it was really shallow, almost like snoring then he stopped,” she said.

“So I opened his throat and cleared out as much blood as I could so I wouldn’t have to give him CPR.”

It was at that point, she said the man’s pulse dropped from 80 to 60 BPM.

“That’s pretty bad,” she said.

Their actions garnered kudos from EMS spokesman Stuart Brideaux.

“Certainly any time anyone sees an opportunity to try to help the well-being of a patient before EMS arrives, we’re very appreciative of them,” he said.

“It’s very noble for someone to stop to help when they can — in a patient’s mind … if someone is there helping, they are not alone and are being looked after.”

Arsenault said bystanders told her the unconscious pair had been flirting with the girlfriends of another group of men who took offence and laid a beating on them.

“They just turned around and started beating on them,” she said.

“Once the guys were on the ground, one of them got booted in the head and that’s what caused the lacerations, from the cement.

“Then the other guys just jumped in their car and left.”

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Well, I had some fun yesterday with the newest superhero on the scene, Barack America!  So I got to thinking a bit and realized I haven’t written an entry in the Greatest Comic Covers series since May 13, 2008!

Since the next entry in that series would be the milestone 25th entry, I decided to get on it posthaste!

It’s common knowledge that I am a big Silver Age Marvel fan.  In fact, I consider that era in comics to be the Rolls Royce of comics – it’s doubtful we will ever see that kind of creativity and synergy in comics ever again.  Under the sure hand of Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Jack Kirby, the Marvel Universe was born and comics would never be the same.

That being said, quite a bit of new talent hit the scene in that era.  One of the most notable is the legendary Jim Steranko.  His run on Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD was groundbreaking, but he also contributed quite a bit to the legend of Captain America, too.  That brings us to the classic cover of Captain America #111, Tomorrow You Live, Tonight I Die!”

In the issue, Captain America survives a Hydra assassination attempt and then gets to work training Rick Jones for his role as the new Bucky. Rick is unfortunately kidnapped by Hydra and used to bait Captain America into a trap, but Rick escapes in time to witness the apparent demise of Captain America at the hands of Hydra agents!

They just don’t make them like this anymore.  Enjoy!

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Dragnet: The Missing Realtor

Enjoy this great episode of Dragnet 1968 – some good legwork by Joe & Bill, as a missing person’s case slowly becomes a murder case.  Keep an eye out for the legendary Scatman Crothers (sporting some stylish hair)!

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I came across this wonderful article about Mr. Jack Webb, from the 1950s Hollywood gossip magazine TV People. Honestly, in many ways it reads like a press release, and was probably published to soften his image a bit. I still dig it!

The article was reproduced by the great folks at the website that honors Mr. Webb and Dragnet, Badge 714.

AT LONG LAST! The JACK WEBB Story That MUST be Told

by BEN ALEXANDER (from TV People, October 1957)

I have just completed a six-week swing around the country.

Personally meeting swarms of fans is a most gratifying experience, of course. But here and there a grating note crept in.

Several long-time followers of “Dragnet” and “Badge 714″ asked me, “Is it true that Jack Webb is a moody, unapproachable person in real life?”

And my categorical answer to them is this: Nothing could be further from the truth!

Whether he’s a police sergeant or Marine sergeant, Jack doesn’t change the stripes of his character. And, you can take it from me, that means he’s the same swell guy I met for the first time six years ago.

This sort of stuff has been going on for the past several years, and I don’t understand why.

The truth is that Jack works hard. Very hard. But he does not work so hard in order to escape from unhappiness, as some writers hint. He works hard just because he likes to work!

When I’m not portraying Frank Smith, no one is happier than I am when I’m at my Ford Agency, selling…. I just love to sell! Jack just loves to work on TV and movies. That’s all. It’s an all-absorbing passion with him.

Let me tell you a few things about Jack Webb, as he really is, and not as some papers and magazines have painted him.

First of all, Jack is not a morose guy. I was with him New Year’s Eve when news came through that the sponsor had dropped his other show, “Noah’s Ark.” “Noah’s Ark” meant a lot to him for many reasons.

But he said “Okay,” and that night he and Dorothy showed up, as scheduled, for the party at Leo Durocher and Laraine Day’s house. Dean and Jeanne Martin, Gordon MacRae and Sheila, and Lesley and I were there, too. Jack joined in the fun, and he certainly wasn’t morose. I have seen Jack handle himself through a lot of trouble, and he can manage it with dignity. He doesn’t sulk. He is a man of great interest and intense sensitivity to the world around him … and he always keeps busy. He just couldn’t stand still, ever. He’s too dynamic.

He’s been called moody many times. It’s not that he’s moody. It’s just that he’s strictly business, and concentrates fiercely on the job at hand. He’s not aloof . he’s only preoccupied. He has a big job to do, and wants to do it efficiently, quickly. Jack is incredibly efficient. After all, he has produced, directed, created and starred in 204 half-hour films of “Dragnet,” and is working on 78 more. During that period, he made a couple of movies for Warner Bros. (“Dragnet” and “Pete Kelly’s Blues”). And his latest, of course, “The D.I.” He also produced the “Noah’s Ark” TV series.

His efficiency enables him to make pictures faster than anybody I know. We can turn out “Dragnet” so quickly because we have all the sets, and Jack is the boss, who makes decisions and knows just what he wants.

Most half-hour TV films are turned out in four days out of each week. But we do two-and-a-half and sometimes three full “Dragnets” a week, for three weeks in a row, and then rest one week.

It’s a terrific schedule, but it runs along smoothly. Of course, it keeps Jack completely tied up in work. And perhaps that explains some of the misunderstandings about him in the I press. When a reporter comes on the set of most of the TV shows, the star usually has moments between scenes to talk to the reporter. But when a reporter arrives unannounced on the set of “Dragnet,” Jack may not be able to stop work to talk more than a few minutes.

We might finish one “Dragnet” at 11 A.M.” and by 11:15 we’re working on the next “Dragnet.” Also, when Jack the star finishes a scene, he becomes Jack the director, or Jack the producer, or Jack the film cutter. He’s always busy, and this man can do anything! If a scene calls for the police to draw a composite picture of a criminal suspect, Jack draws the picture. He’s a fine artist, too. Jack will always schedule interviews with the press, but he’s on a spot when writers walk in without warning. They seem to suspect he’s avoiding them. But the fact is Jack never backs away from any question, and he’s not even the kind who gives “yes” or “no” answers. He’ll give precise, detailed explanations.

The fact that he has no time, on the set, for unscheduled interviewers does not mean Jack has no sense of public relations. He has. He keeps two secretaries busy with correspondence and he tries to answer inquiries that require answers. He’s on the phone a lot. He reads his press clips. He knows what’s going on. But the big problem is time. He just doesn’t have enough of it.

There’s a lot of misunderstanding about his home life. The papers imply there’s something weird about a guy who’s working day and night. Well, Jack does live a life that isn’t typical of most people. But it’s the kind of personal life that fits his drive and his work. For instance, Jack lives in the same building where he works. He built a $450,000 modern building for his Mark VII Ltd. offices on the Republic Pictures lot, and installed a luxury apartment.

That is where he now lives. It contains a dining alcove, kitchen, living room, bedroom, etc., and is furnished in Early American, much of the furniture having been designed by George Montgomery, Dinah Shore’s husband. Jack says he put so much money into this building because he, and some of his employees, spend more time there than they do in their own homes.

Jack has a Filipino boy, Freddie, who cooks for him. The apartment has TV sets, tape recorders, a hi-fi set, a big collection of records. He likes music, and has it playing all the time. Of course, he’s a great student of TV, and is the kind of guy who switches around to all the stations, looking for unusual moments. He’s the kind who can watch TV and listen to his records, and talk at the same time . . . and know exactly what’s going on.

The rest of us go home at 6, but Jack can stick around and run off tapes, check the sound, edit scripts, cut film. On Friday nights, he often invites his friends to stay around while he screens two or three new movies. He keeps up to date on films, and knows all the new gadgets, new techniques, new experiments. Jack is enormously interested in sound, and hears sounds-that are imperceptible to me. He knows music, too, although I don’t believe he can play a musical instrument.

It was his avid interest in jazz that led him into the “Pete Kelly’s Blues” radio series and the feature movie.

Jack is like a sponge in that he is always absorbing information. He has a remarkable talent for recalling things and people and talk. During a scene, for instance, he might say, “I once heard an old man on a street car say, the spleen was the oil can of the system. It’s a good line, and I think Frank should use it right here.”

His apartment reflects his varied interests. It’s full of records, paintings, collections of badges (gifts from police departments), collections of miniature models of animals (part of the research that went into “Noah’s Ark”), collections of guns, etc. You can see how close his personal life and his business life are. They’re intertwined, and it explains why he prefers to live on the lot so he can work when he wants to.

He gets a lot of invitations to parties that he cannot accept. He hasn’t the time. He is completely fascinated with his work. And, being young, strong and alert, he enjoys working hard. You’ll never hear Jack talk about retirement!

Hating to be diverted from his work, he doesn’t go out much, but he does go to Ray Heindorf’s house, and they’ll listen to a lot of music. Ray was musical director of Jack’s “Pete Kelly’s Blues” movie, and he and Jack are good friends.

And let’s not forget that Jack is a great producer. He knows how to produce fine stories that make money. His feature movie, “Dragnet,” is the nation’s 17th biggest grosser of all time, and it cost only a half million dollars to make. Obviously, it’s made a load of profit.

Jack has inherent good taste. He never has trouble with censors, and never will. He knows the rules, and he can achieve dramatic effects without offending anyone. Everything he’s ever done has been for a family audience. Our “Dragnet” show usually starts after the crime has been committed, so we have no violence. There might be a bit of physical encounter when the criminal is caught, but that’s all.

Around the set, Jack is quiet. He’s not the practical joker kind, although he enjoys a good story and can tell one, too. But he has no time for time-wasting horsing around. We know we’re there for business, and we have a film to make, so we concentrate. There are no long delays, for the simple reason that Jack is the boss and everything is laid out efficiently for us. He’s patient, when need be, but he makes quick decisions. Only once in over 200 pictures do I remember him sending an actor home and replacing him.

He is a perfectionist, and will take a scene over and over again if he is not getting what he wants.

He is really a genius, for he has turned out a tremendous amount of film on a sound financial basis. You’ve got to be a superb businessman to be able to do that.

Much has been written and said about Jack’s supposedly being coldblooded with his associates. Let me cite a few examples. Start with me, Ben Alexander. Playing Officer Smith on “Dragnet” has been a great thing for me—financially, emotionally, and in many other ways. But I can’t take credit for whatever success I’ve had with the role. The role was created by Jack, and the script gives me the lines, and I say them.

Look at Victor Rodman. He had been disabled in an accident, and one of Jack’s joys about creating “Noah’s Ark” was the chance it gave him to employ Victor in a role that didn’t require walking around. Jack was thrilled with “Noah’s Ark” because it gave Victor a chance to prove what a fine actor he is. And a big reason Jack is eager to revive the show is that Victor will be working again.

Our second assistant director was a San Francisco actor who was not doing too well and had been forced to take a job in May’s department store. Jack put him to work for six months, so he could apply for his card in the Directors’ Guild.

Eddie Coleman, our cameraman, is now a member of the American Society of Cinematographers because Jack liked him, and got him into the union.

Herm Saunders was a pianist at the Bantam Cock Restaurant when Jack walked in one night and told him, “You like people and you’ll make a good casting director.” And Jack gave him the job.

And let me tell you something about Jack and me. About three years ago, I went to Jack and told him that my doctors had advised me to lose 40 pounds, but I was worried what that would do to my characterization of Officer Smith, who had been established in the series as a fat guy.

I explained that losing weight, the doctor had told me, might enable my wife and me to have children. It had something to do with metabolism and the chemistry of my body.

Jack said if it was that important, of course I should go ahead and lose weight. And he said he’d write my dieting right into the script. That’s what he did, and as a result, Lesley and I now have two lovely children: Lesley Beth and Webb.

Yes, that’s Jack Webb. A man of many facets, many talents, much compassion. A man much misunderstood and much maligned.

I don’t say he’s perfect. Nobody is. But he is a man in every fine sense of the word.

He’s got a job to do, and he does it the best way he knows. His brain has created jobs for hundreds of people, entertained millions of folks, and made some people rich … and certainly nobody poorer.

He fought his way up from poverty. And, in enriching himself, he has enriched many others, too—including moviegoers and TV fans.

He may not be an ordinary guy, but he’s certainly a swell guy.

And those are the facts, ma’am.Similar Posts:

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