Ruger's "History Of The Gun" Video Series

This is another fascinating collection of videos by Ruger; I think there are ten of them.  I will start out with two this week, and we will look at more later.

Another Monday, Coming Right Up

Back To The Old Grind!

I Did, Did You?

I did my part for National Ammo Day; if you forgot, run out today and buy at least 100 rounds!

Not My Victrola

EdmundusRex posted this great record by Ted Lewis, and his notes are copied here for your edification:
"Theodore Leopold Friedman, better known as Ted Lewis (June 6,1892 - Aug.25,1971),

was an American entertainer, bandleader, singer, and musician. He led a band presenting a combination of jazz, hokey comedy, and schmaltzy sentimentality that was a hit with the American public. He was known by the moniker "Mr. Entertainment"

Born in Circleville, Ohio, Lewis was one of the first Northern musicians to start imitating the New Orleans jazz musicians who came up to New York in the teens. He first recorded in 1917 with Earl Fuller's Jass Band, who were making an energetic if somewhat clumsy attempt to copy the sound of the city's newest sensation, the Original Dixieland Jass Band. At the time, Lewis didn't seem to be able to do much on the clarinet other than trill. (Promoting one recording the Victor catalog stated:"The sounds as of a dog in his dying anguish are from Ted Lewis' clarinet"). He improved a bit later, forming his style from the influences of the first New Orleans clarinetists to reside in New York, Larry Shields, Alcide Nunez, and Achille Baquet.

By 1919 Lewis was leading his own band, and had a recording contract with Columbia Records, which marketed him as their answer to the Original Dixieland Jass Band who recorded for Victor records. At the start of the 1920s he was considered by many people without previous knowledge of jazz (that is to say, most of America) to be one of the leading lights of hot jazz. Lewis's clarinet playing never evolved beyond his style of 1919 which in later years would sound increasingly corny, but Lewis certainly knew what good clarinet playing sounded like, for he hired musicians like Benny Goodman, Jimmy Dorsey, and the wonderful (and, unfortunately, largely forgotten) Don Murray to play clarinet in his band. For years his band also included jazz greats Muggsy Spanier on trumpet and George Brunis on trombone. Ted Lewis's band was second only to the Paul Whiteman in popularity during the 1920s, and arguably played more real jazz with less pretension than Whiteman, especially in his recordings of the late 1920s.

Lewis's band got cornier and schmaltzier as the Great Depression wore on, but this seemed to match the general public's taste, as he kept commercially successful during an era when many bands broke up. Through it all he retained his famous catch-phrase "Is everybody happy?". Lewis adopted a battered top hat for sentimental, hard-luck tunes (he called himself "the high-hatted tragedian of song"). Frequently he would stray from song lyrics, improvising chatter around them. This gave the effect of Lewis "speaking" the song spontaneously: "When ma' baby... when ma' baby smiles at me... gee, what a wonderful, wonderful light that comes to her eyes... look at that light, folks..."


Ted Lewis And His Band - Harmonica Harry (1930)"

Here is "When My Baby Smiles," which is refferred to in the notes above. This song was recorded in 1938, and was re-issued on a Decca 45 in the 1950's. Posted on YouTube by boyjohn.

Project Valour-IT Totals

Many thanks to all who contributed to Project-Valour-IT during the Veterans' Day fundraising competition. You can look at the totals raised by the teams HERE. The competition between the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines is all in fun for a noble cause, and more than $94,000 dollars were contributed to help our wounded heroes. Thank You for helping!

Weekend Steam: Sad News

Mrs. True Blue Sam and I did not get to travel to many steam shows and collect raw video for you this year as we normally do, and this is the last steam video that I have to share until next summer. Oh Well; I have pulled out my stash of old Iron Men Album magazines (Which go back into the 1940's), so I will come up with some good still photos to share with you, and there are other YouTubers with good steam video. Weekend Steam will continue, and maybe next year I can come up with more of my own videos.

This video shows a very pretty, homebuilt double-simple engine at Pinckneyvile. The proud owner is a gentleman from Coulterville, Illinois. I wish I knew the significance of Elmer Fudd on the smokebox door.

I Have Been Accused...

...of keeping all the deer out behind the barn, and while that really isn't true, I won't be doing anything to disturb this fellow's happy home while road hunters are circling.

Things To Do Today:

Buy at least 100 rounds!

Firearm Deer Season: Safety First!

Firearm deer season begins this Friday in Illinois.  Most hunters have been through a hunter safety course that covers basic gun safety and deer stand safety, but there are other hazards out there that most people don't know about.  Much of the good deer habitat in Southern Illinois is abandoned farmland, and in the not-too-distant past, much of Southern Illinois and other parts of the Midwest had a home on every 40 acres.  Every home had at least one well or cistern, and there are still lots of them out there trapping dumb animals that don't know to look out for them.  I have been lucky, because the worst ones I've seen weren't the first ones I saw.  This one, for instance, has a sandstone cap with a hole too small for a human to fall through.  It's the exception to the rule.  Many have water and straight sides, so if you fall in you might climb out.  I have seen many that are bell shaped, deep, and dry.  If you fall in one of those you are a goner.  I was out with a buddy one day, and he stopped suddenly after he had dodged around a tree.  If I had been following too closely I would have run into him, and both of us would have fallen down a 20' deep well with a dry bottom.  Anyway, as you go to your favorite hunting spot in the dark pre-dawn hour, be on the lookout for dark spots that don't seem to have a bottom.  The main trick I use to spot these hazards in my part of the country is to look for walnut trees on upland sites.  Most homes had walnut trees planted around them, and now the descendants of those trees still mark the old homesites.  Your part of the world may have its own signs; learn them and stay safe!

Cleopatra In A Former Life

This scene immediately brought to mind Cleopatra on her barge, showing her Rudder Guy where she wanted to go, as the slaves toiled away at the oars.  Ride Like An Egyptian!