12th Street & Meighan

There is no image for this post. For this particular one, there is no need. Years after the Merita Bread plant closed - it's doors chained and rusted - I would still get a wift of that aroma. I can't explain it. Perhaps ghosts of previous employees were still baking bread in there.

I am sure my senses were being tricked after all those years, rolling down my window every day I drove by that place to breath deep that heavenly aroma of thousands of loaves of bread being baked. I can not describe that incredible warm aroma that would fill ones nostrils and soul. The intersection at 12th and Meighan has always been a busy one. No one likes being stopped at a stop light, but this particular light, allowed the traveler to enjoy a few minutes of bliss. Here one couldn't help but breath deep and sigh.

The old white building was demolished years ago and there in it's place is a car lot. Unfortunately my mind no longer plays it's tricks on me. The ghost aroma from the old factory no longer haunts my olfactory.

the lighter side of military

Television also offered military comedies such as Hogan's Heroes, McHale's Navy, Gomer Pyle USMC, Sgt. Bilko (aka: The Phil Silver's Show). I am sure I'm leaving one or two out.

I loved McHale's Navy as a kid because I always had a love for PT Boats. I also enjoyed the play between Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway.

Hogan's Heroes was a show that dad and I would watch together. Hogan's Heroes had an excellent cast and was pretty formulaic. There is a movie Stalag 17, that Hogan's Heroes was based. Stalag 17 though wasn't a comedy, but had it's humorous moments. The writers of the book Stalag 17 actually sued and won a settlement against the network CBS for infringement.

An interesting note, Werner Klemperer who played Colonel Klink was a wartime refugee. His family was Jewish and had to escaped Nazi Germany in 1935. When offered the role in Hogan's Heroes, Klempere agreed to play the part so long as his character portrayed someone that was an absolute fool that could never succeed at anything. The part was his.

Garrison's Gorrilas (1967-68) replaced Combat! - but was MIA after the first season. I just learned that the pilot episode of this show was actually used as a Combat! episode. ABC took the scenario of the movie The Dirty Dozen and released prisoners into combat. This show had more of the feel of Mission Impossible instead.

Garrison's Gorrilas had the same gunfire and background music as Combat!. So it's a little strange watching different characters act in the Combat! environment. You can tell that the producers were getting kind of lax with the WWII era wardrobe, hair styles, and makeup. The women were not dressed to adorned to fit the era. Garrison's Gorillas gives the impression that WWII was fought during the 1960's. I half expected The Monkees to get up and start playing I'm A Believer during the meeting in this sequence. The show only ran a season and was replaced by The Mod Squad.

Rat Patrol

The opening credits of this show is the reason I love old Willys jeeps. The Rat Patrol (1966-68) was a fun great ride. Seeing those jeeps fly over dunes with guns blazing each week was always something to look forward to. The English audiences took some offense to this show seeing how the Americans fought in Africa for six months, while the British had already been sweating it out over there for two years. There were four Rats on those Jeeps, three Americans and one Brit. The name Rat Patrol refers to the nicknames given to some of the British Commonwealth forces in the North African campaign - Rats of Tobruk / Desert Rats. The show was pulled from television in England because of the casts American dominance. This didn't seem to bother us kids here in good ol' U.S. of A. We all enjoyed sitting around watching this show smoking our Camels.

12 O'clock High

12 O'clock High (1964-67) was yet another one of those WWII wartime drama that dominated the airwaves during the sixties. The show was based on the movie of the same name. Though the character names were the same, the television series had a completely different feel to it. I can't really compare the two.

The first season remains my favorite, because of Robert Lansing. Lansing's role as Brigadier General Frank Savage, commander of the 918th Bomb Group. Lansing's character had a rough edge, and commandeering presence. To the surprise of little boys everywhere, General Savage was killed off the first few seconds of the first show of the second season. You didn't even see him get it. There was just a body slumped over the controls during a bomb run. It wasn't by Nazi flack or Nazi bullet that did him in - but because studio executives wanted a younger looking lead for the show. Paul Burke replaced Robert Lansing, but get this, Lansing was two years younger than Burke. Burke was prettier than Lansing. I read where studio execs wanted to attract more females to the war watching so they hired on Paul Burke. I also read where Quinn Martin said that Lansing was difficult to work with and that's what got him killed. I missed Lansing nevertheless.

Some of the shows from the second season were pretty good - but that first season, that Savage season is memorable. The series soon went to living color and thus the stock war footage (which was relied upon heavily) had to be colorized. It looked kind of cheesy. I guess there was only so much WWII B-17 footage available at the time, because you saw the same footage from episode to episode. One got very familiar with each stock clip.

I've got a lot of these shows of VHS. One day I'd like all three seasons on DVD. Even though many of these shows are formulaic, they are still very enjoyable to watch.