Friday Music

Composed by Mancini for the television show of the same name the song was the opening track on the original soundtrack album - The Music from Peter Gunn.  Released in 1959 it reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 12 on the R&B chart.  Mancini went on to win an Emmy Award and two Grammys for Album of the Year and Best Arrangement.

Over a couple of decades this song has earned three posts here at the Platz (Yes, you can read/watch them by searching under Peter Gunn) and I figure it's about time to add one more to make it four.

Emerson, Lake and Palmer issued a live album - In Concert - recorded at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, August 26, 1977.  Following ELP's breakup it was released by Atlantic Records in November of 1979.  It was subsequently repackaged and re-released as Works Live in 1993 to include three tracks recorded in Wheeling, WV in November of 1977.  This was one of them.

Turn-up the volume for a really fun iteration of the Peter Gunn theme...

Highway Patrol

Yup, Wisconsin State Patrol pays a visit; again.

This time with a 1956 Chevrolet 210 4-door sedan including dark blue on white paint and the still-familiar door badge.  In the 1950s Wisconsin was transitioning from motorcycles and under powered patrol cars to V8-driven high speed patrol and pursuit vehicles.  Chevrolet was a natural fit as a consequence of their reliable small block V8 motors, availability of a statewide maintenance network and a lower fleet cost than Chrysler or Ford.  

click on image for a closer look

This vehicle was identical in virtually all respects with the Chevy Bel Air; hosting the same drive train (engines and transmissions) chassis and suspension.  As a trim line the Bel Air sported costlier chrome and flashier trim.  Police agencies eschewed such extravagance and opted for the less-ostentatious utilitarian appearance of the 150 and 210 models.  

Our State Patrol rolled courtesy of a 265 cu. in. V8 equipped with a 2-barrel carburetor rated at 170 HP.  A few vehicles in the fleet were upgraded to the 4-barrel Power Pack 205 HP model.  A 3-speed manual transmission was standard for patrol duty.  Naturally, this was a vehicle with rear-wheel drive and equipped with fleet specification rear axles, heavy duty springs, shocks and reinforced frames.

Standard equipment included a single rotating red gumball roof beacon, a driver's side spotlight, a roof-mounted whip radio antenna, hi-output fender-mounted siren and painted steel wheels including dog-dish hubcaps.

Notable in this photo is the absence of the trooper's ubiquitous Smokey Bear hat.  That's because he is outfitted in winter kit including a cold weather fur service cap and his Sam Browne belt. 

You're probably wondering if there was a Motorola radio lurking in that cruiser.  The answer is of-course.  By the mid-1950s Motorola enjoyed a virtual monopoly on law-enforcement radio contracts.  Motorola radio technology enjoyed operability across agencies, exceedingly reliable rural coverage and factory support based in Chicago and other major population centers.  By the time 19655-56 rolled-around, virtually all state patrol sedans nationwide were equipped with Motorola radios.

And if you're a bad guy fleeing the long arm of the law you may have a fast set of wheels; but you can't outrun Motorola.... 

1955 Chevy in LAPD Livery

 

New Species!

We're excited to share about a new exotic species that now calls the the Great Lakes system home.  

The rare spotted catfish is genuinely one of a kind. This elusive freshwater creature has never been seen by most, some even argue its existence.

Spotted catfish tend to have a docile temperament until you try to touch them, which is when they will bite you and swim away with a smug demeanor.  They have been known to eat other fish and will chase bright, shiny lights in the water.

 

Bedtime

Just back from taking doggo out to tinkle before bedtime.

 

It’s quiet here in flyover country; yet now that the solstice is past things are coming to life.  Yes, even when you live halfway between the equator and the North Pole.

The Pink Moon is almost full.  The ducks are chuckling and quacking down at the big pond.

And we heard the first plaintive peents from the returning timber doodles.

Spring peepers are defrosting in the on deck circle…..
 

April Astronomy

If you are reading this you have ample notice about tomorrows' full moon - called the Pink Moon. 

The term ‘Pink Moon’ actually does not imply that the moon is pink.  The term derives from the spring appearance of native ground phlox and their pink blooms that coincides with the April full moon.  I recommend that if viewing conditions are good tomorrow night that you step outside around 9 PM so you can witness the moon at its largest.  

The April full moon is also known as the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon and the Fish Moon.  The Algonquin people knew this as the Breaking Ice Moon while the Dakota identify this as the When The Ducks Come Back Moon.  These native tribal names ring true around here.

More here from the Old Farmer's Almanac... 

A Day In The Life Of A Retired Guy

 

Started my day with making the dough.  

Easy peasy.

Braised and deboned a couple wild turkey hindquarters for soup, assembled a batch of Lenten tuna salad, prepped for Wednesday’s class and closed with that dough.

Daily Bread!

Entirely possible my kitchen likely smells better than yours...

American Culinary Dominance

The TV dinner represents a major shift in our 20th Century lifestyle - the moon shot  moment the aluminum-plated frozen meal met the living room.  To be clear, I haven't had a TV dinner in more than five decades; however eating in the living room persists as a cultural shift.

Believe it or not, this uniquely American gastronomical contribution to our rich culture heritage has an origin story involving C.A. Swanson & Sons.  Seems that following Thanksgiving in 1953, the company found itself with 260 tons of unsold frozen turkey sitting in ten refrigerated rail cars.  

Gerry Thomas, a Swanson salesman, inspired by the tiered aluminum trays used by airline commissaries envisioned a complete frozen meal that could be heated and consumed smack dab in front of a television.  In 1954 Swanson launched the TV Dinner and sold 10 million turkey dinners that year.  The original price was 98 cents. 

Naturally, this coincided with the launch of the space race and all things aluminum and before too long menu offerings included entrees like fried chicken, Salisbury steak, meatloaf and eventually a fourth compartment featuring a dessert such as a brownie or fruit cobbler.  Swanson ditched the 'TV Dinner' name from their packaging by 1962; nevertheless, just like Kleenex tissues the name stuck as part of our vast genericized American cultural lexicon.

With the proliferation of microwave ovens, by the mid 1980s plastic and paperboard packaging conspired to deliver your frozen gourmet feast in less than ten minutes!  

Sure, I'm being modestly snarky because I'm a food snob but I admit that this mash-up of industrialization and frozen food technology was a boon to working families struggling to get dinner on time and on the table.  Trust me, I've eaten my share of frozen Banquet turkey pot pies served at the temperature of molten lava on the surface of the planet Mercury.   You might have too.

Anyway, the Chopped Sirloin of Beef (hamburger) swimming in a ubiquitous brown gravy highlighted a partnership between Swanson and Pepperidge Farm featuring a blueberry muffin in the fourth compartment thus elevating the culinary experience to the level of festive celebration.  Mad Men advertising brilliance!

Between you and me the inclusion of crinkle-cut fries and buttered peas is a monument to the pinnacle of American industrial processed food know-how, sodium content and poor food pairings.  The birthday candle and even the smiling cat screams domestic tranquility.

Dammit; this is the Right Stuff.  This is what Made America Great!  

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