Silver Spurs - 9-26

The 1936 film Silver Spurs stars Buck Jones as Jim Fentriss, the wealthy cattleman waiting out rustlers led by Robert Frazer's Art Holden.  Accused of cowardice by leading lady Muriel Evans, Fentriss waits until the end of the film before stepping up to fight for justice.  This western also stars "Gabby" Hayes, which should be enough for fans of the golden age of film to search this film out.  The poster for this movie is available to admire on the wall of the Music Room at the ATT.  Another film named Silver Spurs was released seven years later starring Roy Rogers as a man set-up for a murder he did not commit.

Question:

George "Gabby" Hayes was a character actor who performed in almost two hundred films between the late-1920s and 1950.  He became closely associated with westerns, often as the sidekick to the main man, including Roy Rogers, John Wayne, and Randolph Scott (although, ironically, he was not in the Rogers' version of Silver Spurs).  What was the name of the television show Hayes hosted after he retired from films?

a)  The George Hayes Show

b)  Gabby

c)  The Gabby Hayes Show

d)  Westerns a la Mode

e)  Mr. Hayes, I Presume?

Answer Below

Today in History

The importance of events that occurred on this date in 1789 has often been overlooked by history; however, the very first president of the United States, George Washington, appointed many of the original founding fathers in positions of authority in his new government, the first major republic in the modern world:  Thomas Jefferson became his first Secretary of State, John Jay the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and Edmund Randolph was appointed the first Attorney General.  The strength of the federal government would rely on the authority of the men and women who would hold these - and other Cabinet - positions.

Today in 1973 was the first time the Concorde made the transatlantic flight across the Atlantic Ocean, making record time.  It could travel from New York City to London in less than three hours, more than half that of a traditional flight.  For thirty years, the Concorde represented human technology at its finest, the final flight being scheduled for 2003.  The collective expenses of fuel and maintenance, as well as the disruption in flying inspired by the September 11th terrorist attacks, compelled the planes to be retired.  

Births

Lewis Hine was born in Oshosk, Wisconsin on this day in 1874.  Hine became famous  as one of America's prominent photographers, often concentrating on the plight of the working man, including in this image of an

American power house mechanic working on a steam pump.  His images devoted to child laborers served to evoke sympathy to help protect and provide education for the exploited young.  Although largely unappreciated during his own lifetime, Hine's photographs serve as compelling reminders of the conditions under which workers toiled in the first quarter of the twentieth century.

It has taken long enough for the ATT blog to celebrate the birth of an important American composer, but we need hold our breath no longer.  George Gershwin was born in 1898, the son of Russian Jews who emigrated to the United States in the effort to avoid antisemitic hostilities in the homeland.  Growing up in New York City, Gershwin was exposed to music on Tin Pan Alley as a "song plugger," playing music in stores to inspire sales of sheet music, until he started writing his own music.  Gershwin became a highly accomplished composer prior to his untimely death at the age of 38, and one of America's favorites.

Quote

If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera.  -- Lewis Hine

Answer:  c)