Vintage shots from days gone by!

Three completely different roofs out of four cars on these Chevies....talk about havin it your way!

 

Well-known screen presence James Arness passed away at 88 of natural causes in L.A. on June 3.

Born in Minneapolis in 1923, the 6', 7" Arness led a larger than life career. Severely injured during the Anzio invasion in WWII, he carried around bullet fragments the rest of his life. Some may remember a slight limp to his gait -- not an in-character affectation but the toll of his battle injuries. His decorations included a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman (Rifleman) Badge, World War II Victory Medal, and European-African-Middle-Eastern Campaign Medal.

He's best remembered for his career as an entertainer, actually spanning all or part of six decades! Beginning as a radio announcer, Jim quickly transitioned to work on the big and small screens, his first film role being with Loretta Young and Joseph Cotton in 1947's "The Farmer's Daughter." Though largely identified with Westerns, Arness starred in not two but THREE science-fiction movies early on: "Two Lost Worlds," "The Thing" and "Them!" His best-known role, however, came by the graces of his good friend, John Wayne, one version holds. Because he lacked faith in the new medium of television, Wayne declined the role as Marshall Matt Dillon, suggesting the towering Minnesotan, instead.

Though the long-running "Gunsmoke" series would define his career, Arness actually starred in some 40 feature films, as well -- many quite notable movies. One of my personal favorites is the exceptionally realistic and gritty "Battleground," 1949, with James Whitmore and John Hodiak. And there's 1950's John Ford Western, "Wagon Master with Ward Bond, Harry Carey, Jr., and Ben Johnson, the film that eventually spring-boarded Bond (another Wayne buddy) into the role of Major Seth Adams leader of TV's "Wagon Train" series.

[Note: All the theatrical poster images here are THANKS to Wikipedia and are shown for illustration purposes only, in tribute to the life and career of James Arness. The original copyright holders, of course, retain all rights to these posters.]

Key Gunsmoke cast: Dennis Weaver, Amanda Blake, Jim Arness
and Milburn Stone in 1961. Photos are THANKS to InternetMovie-
Database, IMDB.



IN MEMORIAM

James King Arness (Aurness)​

 

Seems like an awful lot of work to make something that ugly!

 

Cool

 

#26450 = Perfection

 

Dow Air Force Base F-84s, Bangor, 1948



Item 9545 zoom Description

A flight of new P-84Bs from the 14th Fighter Group at Dow Air Force Base, Bangor.

The 14th was stationed at Dow from 1946-1949 and was the first unit in the USAF to receive the P-84B. Note that none of the aircraft have yet been painted with the diagonal stripes on the vertical stabilizer, which all 14th Group Thunderjets later received.

The second aircraft from bottom is flown by Maj. Herbert Hawes, who later died in a crash on Chick Hill in Amherst.

The 14th's pilots were a who's who list of WWII aces.

 

Hey, man, which sweetie are you talkin' about? Oooops! Never mind. You meant the COMBO!
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man.....I'm third generation okie and wasn't born until 1969 but when I see these pix it still makes my hind-end pucker up and suck butter millk. I see these and I hear my grandparents and great uncles in my head talking about loading their Model As, Ts, etc with their few meager belongings and heading west to look for work. the economy ain't great right now but boy it ain't got nothin' on dustbowl era Oklahoma -shudder-.

 

A guys gotta wonder if that thing would turn, there doesn't appear to be a lot of clearance in the front wheel house, maybe that's what the later patch work is all about, making it turn.

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I'm guessing one of the little tackers in the back wasn't feeling all that flash

 

1947 Dinuba California

 

LA CA