The S.S. United States

Another picture of the S.S. United States, in 2000, on the Philadelphia waterfront.

(Photograph copyright Jenny Lynn)

The S.S. United States

The S.S. United States, one of America's legendary ocean liners, is today docked on the Philadelphia waterfront. The ship--more than one hundred feet longer than the Titanic--stopped carrying passengers in 1969. Today it is in disrepair, and is largely gutted. It was purchased in 2003 by the Norwegian Cruise Lines company, and will presumably, at some point, be seaworthy again.

The S.S. United States plays a part in The Lucky Strike Papers. In June of 1952, days before the ship's maiden voyage, the last telecast of Your Hit Parade, for the 1951-1952 season, took place on the ship. The telecast from the ship, it turned out, was my mother's last appearance on the program.

The Lucky Strike Papers features a number of photographs, taken on the ocean liner in 1952 , during rehearsals for the Hit Parade broadcast.

Seen here: the United States in 2000. (Photograph copyright Jenny Lynn)

A TV Magazine

Here's an issue of TV Showtime, called "The Midwest's Own Television Magazine," for the week of June 7th through June 13th, 1950.

Featured on the cover (left to right): Marion Bye and Sylvia Textor, two of the singers in the vocal group The Honeydreamers. The group was featured, during this time, on Kay Kyser's College of Musical Knowledge.

Sylvia Textor was known as Sylvia Michaels while singing on Kay Kyser's program; her husband, Keith Textor, was another of the group's singers, and the group's founder. Later, when the Textors left the group, they appeared as a duo on Fred Waring's TV show, and then sang on Your Show of Shows for the program's final several months.

Also in The Honeydreamers, during its time on The Kay Kyser Show: Bob Davis (married to Marion Bye), and Lew Anderson.

In 1954, Anderson took over the role of Clarabell The Clown on the Howdy Doody program, remaining with the show until it went off the air in 1960.

The Lucky Strike Papers (subtitled Journeys Through My Mother's Television Past) is now available. It can be purchased directly from the publisher, BearManor Media, at:

http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com/id281.html

It is also available through amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Strike-Papers-Andrew-Fielding/dp/159393128X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196742434&sr=1-1

I hope you'll consider getting a copy!