MAY 2025

VE DAY - 80th Anniversary

Saluting the Flying Fortress 

By Rev Protodeacon George A. Haloulakos

May 8th marks the 80th Anniversary of the Allied Victory that ended World War II in Europe.  In honor of this landmark event, we salute the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, perhaps the most impactful, iconic American bomber in the European Theater of World War II.  Although the B-17 did not end World War II (that distinction goes to the B-29 Superfortress), nor did it have the range, speed, or payload of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, or the firepower of the Royal Air Force Avro Lancaster (aka "The Dam Buster"), the Flying Fortress nevertheless holds legendary status as the preeminent symbol of America's aerial prowess during World War II.  This has been embedded into the consciousness of multiple generations with media productions such as "Twelve O'Clock High" (film & TV), "The Memphis Belle" and many others.

 

 

The B-17 Flying Fortress was a decisive asset for the Allies because of its workhorse status in dropping the most ordnance versus any other aircraft during the war - in the deepest, most well defended territories of the adversary - while also being able to sustain heavy damage in battle.  This latter attribute is the one that was most endearing to the pilots and crews of the Flying Fortress.  To borrow the advertising slogan from Timex Wristwatch, the B-17 Flying Fortress could really take a beating and keep on ticking!  While this was immortalized in newsprint cartoon format, the legend was based upon actual combat footage of many damaged B-17 bomber aircraft that endured severe punishment that destroyed most other aircraft.  The most well known group to fly the B-17 Flying Fort was the US Eighth Air Force (aka "The Mighty Eighth") based out of England.

 

 

The Allied Forces were able to maximize the B-17's defensive and offensive firepower with its Box formation: staggered three-bomber formations with squadrons staggered within the group.  Each group was headed by a lead bombardier, dropping their ordnance at the same moment while each aircraft stayed in formation.  Along with its combat durability, the B-17 had a reputation for being relatively easier to fly and taxi versus other bombers.  Having long range fighter escorts such as the P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang enabled the Flying Fortress to absorb brutal anti-aircraft attacks and return home with at least some of its crew members alive.  In all, 12,731 B-17 airframes were produced, making it the third-most produced bomber aircraft of all time, behind the B-24 Liberator and Luftwaffe's Junkers Ju-88.  As such, the Flying Fortress not only was a crucial capital asset in helping to achieve victory for the Allied Forces in Europe, but a technology and manufacturing driver for the American economy that produced enormous benefits and advancements for decades thereafter.

 

 

But the most impressive aspect of the B-17 Flying Fortress was the unparalleled courage of its pilots and crew members.  Despite the aforementioned capabilities and escort fighter support, the B-17s only had a 25% to 33% chance of surviving the 25 missions necessary to complete their tour.  With the average age for B-17 crew at 24 years or less, and being assigned to the busiest regions of the adversary, these brave young men pushed onward and did whatever was needed to complete their missions in the face of enormous odds.  All gave some, but many gave all by giving their last measure of full devotion in combat.  It is no wonder that after 80 years it remains difficult to fully express gratitude for the incalculable sacrifice given in defense of freedom that is symbolized by the Flying Fortress.

As a published author on military aviation, it has been my privilege and honor to have interviewed B-17 pilots and crew members who helped achieve Victory in Europe during World War II.  To those heroes who have now taken their final flight into Heaven, please join me in saluting them with heartfelt thanks and the call sign "CAVU" - Ceiling And Visibility Unlimited.  Do you have any special memories or thoughts concerning VE Day?  If so, please share them by either posting to the Galaxy FACEBOOK page or writing directly to me at: Haloulakos@gmail.com

Note: All photographs are from the Public Domain.

___

 

APRIL 2025

THE RITES OF SPRING 

AND COMING OF AGE

By Rev Protodeacon George A. Haloulakos

In the early 1990s, filmmaker Ken Burns included extensive interviews with Pulitzer Prize winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin for his documentary on the history of baseball.  Ms. Goodwin shared her childhood love for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the ensuing public interest provided the impetus for her 1997 memoir Wait Till Next Year.  In this unusually poignant and moving book, Goodwin harnesses her research and writing skills as a historian to recreate the post World War II era of New York City as she recounts growing up in love with her family and baseball.  Baby Boomers will recall this as a time when the neighborhood establishments (e.g., drug store, butcher shop, soda fountain, churches plus various other public venues) were the places to share stories while neighborhoods were equally divided between fans of the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees.  Children would gather in the neighborhood streets to play from daybreak to dusk. What makes this a compelling read is how Goodwin's personal history is woven into the tapestry of her family, friends, neighbors and fellow church goers with the major events of the 1950s along with the decade-long dominance by the three New York MLB teams (1947-1956) as a backdrop to mark the passage of time.

Goodwin found that sharing her experience as a baseball fan could not be shared without telling about her life as a young girl reaching adolescence during the decade popularly remembered as the "Fabulous Fifties."  In this first person narrative Goodwin enables the reader to meet her wonderful parents: her mother who instilled in her a lifetime love for reading but was largely housebound due to a debilitating illness, and her father who taught her the joy of baseball (including how to keep a written record of fandom with score books) while encouraging her to be self-reliant while respectfully bringing her voice to any conversation anywhere at anytime!  The reader also gets to know Goodwin's two sisters, schoolmates, friends, neighbors, teachers and storekeepers.  Wait Till Next Year definitely evokes a "you are there" feeling but without being overly nostalgic.  What emerges is that Goodwin's childhood paralleled the ten-year career of her favorite player, Jackie Robinson, spanning 1947-1956.  Goodwin observed that the news of Jackie Robinson's retirement in January 1957 left her feeling empty as his career had been her childhood.  But this feeling of emptiness would soon give way to deep personal grief.  The passing of Goodwin's mother shortly after Robinson's retirement marked not the only end of her own childhood but occurred at the closure of a classic baseball era as the Dodgers (along with the Giants) left New York to relocate to the West Coast that very same year.  

  

Like every Baby Boomer, there are moments of joy, sadness, wonderment, frustration and all the feelings connected with coming of age that are all recounted in a personal but respectful tone.  For Goodwin, it was a time when neighbors formed an extended family, television was young and the street a common playground while the great festivals of the Roman Catholic Church and the seasonal imperatives of baseball combined to produce in her a lifelong passion for history, ceremony and ritual.  There is much more, but hopefully this may inspire you to read Wait Till Next Year as a way to celebrate Springtime along with yet another new season of baseball.  Goodwin's memoir is a unique time capsule that provides context for her childhood adventures at a very special time and circumstance in our nation's history.  In a sense, her story becomes our story, and we are all the better for having experienced it through her masterful narrative.

NOTE: Photos are from the public domain.

 

MARCH 2025

BABY BOOMERS 

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Meet Colleen MacFarlane

By Rev Protodeacon George A. Haloulakos

Baby Boomers provide a living bridge between vastly different worlds.  Childhood was spent largely outdoors (often without in-person adult supervision) with neighborhood friends creating their own entertainment and developing life skills based on imagination plus hands-on, physical activity that included bike riding, playing ball, making handcrafts as well taking care of family pets (dogs, cats, guinea pigs and even exotic pets such as turtles).   As Boomers came of age, there were no mobile phones or Internet access for mass markets.  Personal computers (PCs) were in the very early stages of being introduced into the workplace.  No DVDs or streaming, but video cassette tapes, recorders and players were starting to emerge as "must have" consumer products in the 1980s.   Boomers were fully immersed into carving out significant corporate careers, and then following up with creating their own business enterprises or reinventing themselves several times over by starting entirely new professional and personal pursuits while building households, raising families and caring for aging loved ones.  Now fifty years later, we are a generation that has helped usher our parents into that "long day's journey into night," have seen children grow up and move on with their own lives while we now approach the end of our careers and our young selves are gone forever.  Yet Boomers have remained resilient by preserving time-honored traditions from the past while also helping to advance the future by passing along wisdom acquired through lifelong experiences.  This is the overarching theme addressed in this special Blog and accompanying GNN podcasts.

 

 

This month, Galaxy Nostalgia Network features two podcasts in which we interview published author Colleen MacFarlane.  Through the prism of Colleen's published work, we are able to reconnect with fun, meaningful pastimes we enjoyed as children while also gaining deeper insights and clarity on life issues that were often shrouded in mystery, misinformation or both.  Colleen's lifetime reflects a treasure trove of experience and wisdom that she has successfully translated into deeper, practical understanding about a wide variety of subjects: people with disabilities, genealogy, how our precious pets become part of our family, financial literacy, fun with a purpose through solving puzzles and word games, giving of herself by helping other aspiring authors, and connecting with people of different backgrounds and generations through sharing recipes plus do-it-yourself arts and crafts.

 

As one who has read much of Colleen's work (my personal favorite is Ivy's Epilepsy -- a story that helps us understand about people with disabilities and how pets can improve our overall well being) and given the honor to lead these conversations, I can fully attest that you will truly enjoy listening to her keen insights and humble testimony on how we can all make a difference through kindness to others.  The takeaway or realization from Colleen's testimony, is that learning never stops and life abounds with opportunities for each of us to be at our personal best.  Please join us for these very special podcasts featuring our conversations with this truly extraordinary person, Colleen MacFarlane.

 

 

We also invite you to learn more about Colleen by visiting her website at:  https://www.colleenbooks.com/

 

FEBRUARY 2025

ROD SERLING AT 100 

"The Loner"

A Very Special Tribute

By Rev Protodeacon George A. Haloulakos

In this month's Blog, we belatedly pay tribute to Rod Serling (December 25, 1924 - June 28, 1975) in honor of recently marking the centennial of his birth.  As many Galaxy Nostalgia Network audience members already know, Mr. Serling has not only been the subject of several monthly GNN Blog columns over the years, but also several GNN podcasts including two dedicated specifically to his classic TV show The Twilight Zone.  In this Blog, we are paying special tribute with a Serling-like twist: instead of focusing on the popular, time honored classics associated with the man, we honor Rod Serling by showcasing an underrated and perhaps largely forgotten TV Western series he created that aired one season (September 1965 - March 1966) with 26 half-hour episodes on the CBS network every Saturday night.  It was the one of the last CBS series broadcast in Black-and-White and had alternating sponsorship by Phillip Morris and Procter & Gamble.

Nearly fifty years after his passing, Serling is renowned if not legendary for his award winning TV programs (Patterns, The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery) and critically acclaimed full-length movies (Requiem For a Heavyweight, Seven Days in May, Planet of the Apes, A Storm in Summer and The Man).  A deconstruction of any of these aforementioned TV shows and movies would demonstrate Serling's mastery as a storyteller noted for clarity, concision and penetrating insights into the human condition.  Ironically, these unique skills, while on full display in The Loner, did not translate into commercial success for this short-lived TV series.  Yet a reappraisal of this almost forgotten prime-time TV Western drama not only affirms Serling's integrity as well as superior understanding of humanity, but illustrates that he was way ahead of his time.  In today's digital world of streaming limited series via the Internet or Cable TV, The Loner would be a perfect fit.  Instead, it was a series that in the days where there were only three major TV networks and its creator was in a constant battle to stop network executives from tampering with his scripts, it unintentionally became a short-lived series that was not given time to gain popularity or achieve commercial success.

The Loner featured Lloyd Bridges as the title character, William Colton, a former Union cavalry captain who journeyed throughout the American West in search of a new life immediately following the American Civil War.  It was an adult western written for a mature audience as each week it tackled such issues as the horrors of war, pacifism, prejudice, survivor's guilt and other such topics not generally found in other Western themed TV shows in the 1960s.  It was not a typical shoot-em-up or straight morality storyline with a neat, tidy ending. The Loner often had ambiguous or unresolved endings leaving it to the viewer's imagination.  The lead character, Colton, was shown to be a complex, thoughtful individual whose wartime experience influenced his relationships and actions when dealing with difficult situations.  The show was noteworthy for having stellar performances by legendary guest stars that included such luminaries as Anne Baxter, Sheree North, Katherine Ross, Brock Peters, Leslie Nielsen, Burgess Meredith, Jack Lord, James Whitmore and Whit Bissell.  As a mid-1960s entry, The Loner was televised exactly 100 years after the American Civil War, thereby providing Serling an opportunity to transfer his creative writing style from The Twilight Zone into a Western genre to examine the divided loyalties that existed in the immediate aftermath of The War Between the States.  Despite the very high quality production values, The Loner did not achieve the ratings or commercial success desired by CBS.  In retrospect, Serling's mature, adult TV Western was more suitable as a specialty niche type program rather than for a mass market viewing audience.  In today's digital world chock full of lots of viewing portals from Cable TV to Internet streaming services, The Loner would likely be packaged as a thought-provoking limited series targeted to an adult or mature audience.  Like Rod Serling himself, The Loner was way ahead of its time as it approached its subject in a more subtle, less ostentatious style than its competition.

In celebrating the centennial of Rod Serling's birth, The Loner, while not having the commercial success or notoriety of other more well-known Serling projects, is a worthwhile watch to celebrate the creative genius of a writer whose body of work gave us a deeper understanding of humanity while setting a standard of excellence revered to this day.  What are your memories and thoughts about Rod Serling and his amazing record of accomplishment in both TV and film? Please share them by either posting to the Galaxy FACEBOOK page (and liking us) or writing directly to me at: Haloulakos@gmail.com

NOTE: Sources for photos are from the public domain.

 

JANUARY 2025

M*A*S*H (TV Series) 

"A War For All Seasons"

Happy New Year!

By Rev Protodeacon George A. Haloulakos

The M*A*S*H television series, which aired on the CBS network from 1972-1983, boasted an all-star ensemble of actors in both regular and guest starring roles while chronicling the Korean War in both serious and comedic terms.  During its award winning 11-year prime-time run, M*A*S*H was innovative in a variety of ways that have been widely documented and discussed.  One example of its innovation occurred in "A War For All Seasons," its 6th episode of Season 9, which was also the 204th overall series episode.  Typically, a M*A*S*H episode ran in a 30 minute time slot to include commercials.  Without commercials, each episode ran about 23-minutes.  What makes "A War For All Seasons" both unique and timely for our New Year's celebration, is that in a span of 23 minutes this episode covers the entire year of 1951 while starting and ending with 12 midnight New Year's Eve on both ends of the episode.  Essentially, the year 1951 is viewed in retrospect through the prism of various characters that are an integral part of the 4077th M*A*S*H unit.

 

 

It is yet another example of clarity and concision found in classic TV.  As the year 1950 comes to a close, the members of the 4077th  M*A*S*H unit express hope that 1951 will be a better year and that everyone will soon go home.  In the ensuing 23 minutes, the viewing audience is able to experience all four seasons of the year as Father Mulcahy (portrayed by William Christopher) plants a garden and painstakingly nurtures it through bad weather and good, Nurse Margaret (Loretta Swit) starts knitting a scarf that over the course of the year will become a bed sheet, while bets are being made by various M*A*S*H staff members on the outcome of the famous six-month Giants - Dodgers National League Pennant race.  During the year the ubiquitous SEARS catalog is a recurring source of acquiring various items to improve quality of life such as gardening and knitting supplies, portable radios, baseball equipment, and even the basic tools for building a makeshift, functional kidney machine!  As summer gives way to autumn, the Giants - Dodgers playoff series takes center stage culminating with Bobby Thomson's epic home run shot "heard 'round the world" that wins the National League Pennant for the Giants.  Baseball helps to mark the passage of time, even within this "half-hour" calendar year.  The Holiday Season soon follows, with several M*A*S*H patients benefiting from the life-saving kidney machine constructed by Drs. Pierce (Alan Alda) and Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell) from parts acquired via the SEARS catalog.  We learn that these patients are to be discharged and will be able to make plans for celebrating New Year's Eve at home!

The episode ends with the M*A*S*H unit ringing in 1952 with the very same toast as the prior year, but in a far more quiet, subdued if not somber tone.  On both of these New Year's Eve commemorations, Col Potter (Harry Morgan) portrays Father Time in making the toast.  In the span of a half-hour we are reminded of the joy from simple, everyday pleasures while at the same time experiencing the horrors of war.  As the snow falls in the closing moments, it is an affirmation in more ways than one, as to why The Korean War was often referred to as "The Coldest Winter."  New Year's is both an end and a beginning.  While it can be a time of sadness, it is also a time of joy and renewal.  This notable M*A*S*H episode which portrayed the half-way mark of the 20th century also shows that wistful farewells which lead to prayerful optimism is a human characteristic that remains constant throughout the passage of time.

 

On that note, we at Galaxy Nostalgia Network wish each of you, the members of our wonderful GNN audience, a Happy New Year.  What are your special memories or recollections of New Year's Eve as shown in various classic TV programs?  Please share your memories and thoughts on this month's blog by either posting to the Galaxy FACEBOOK page (and liking us) or writing directly to me at: Haloulakos@gmail.com

NOTE: Sources for photos are: (1) 20th Century Fox for the TV title screen shot and (2) Sitcoms Online for the group/cast picture.

__________________________________________________________________

 DECEMBER 2024

"SCROOGE" (1951 Film)

A Holiday Favorite

Merry Christmas!

By Rev Protodeacon George A. Haloulakos

Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol (1843) has been portrayed on film and stage in many variants.  This timeless classic story of businessman Ebenezer Scrooge finding spiritual renewal through a mystical transformation at Christmas has featured both men and women (!) portraying the protagonist.  Film buffs and classic TV fans will recall seeing George C. Scott, Patrick Stewart, Henry Winkler and others as Scrooge while female variants of this character have been portrayed by Cicely Tyson, Susan Lucci and Vanessa Williams to name just a few.  Yet when it comes to naming the favorite or most well regarded, most Baby Boomers cite the 1951 British film "Scrooge" (released as "A Christmas Carol" in the United States).  New York Times Critic A.O. Scot cited this film as the best adaptation of the Dickens classic.  Patrick McNee (star from the 1960s TV show "The Avengers") portrayed a young Marley (Scrooge's business partner) in this film and later in life hosted special screenings annually on television that helped create increased popularity as McNee was quoted as saying it "truly seems to capture the essence of the Dickens novel."

So what is it about an 87-minute Black & White film released over 70 years ago that has made it an enduring Holiday viewing favorite?  Here are a few thoughts:

> Clarity and concision.  At less than 1-1/2 hours, viewers are able to view a person's entire lifetime told in flashbacks while bearing witness to a miraculous spiritual transformation that leaves the audience filled with joy, optimism and love.

> Film Noir look.  The Black & White film provides a somber look at human suffering and the harshness of the world as described by Dickens.  Positive and negative aspects of humanity are shown with equal sharpness.

> Time Travel.  This was cleverly done by Dickens on the printed page and it translated well into film.  The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future enable Scrooge to travel back-and-forth in time so he is able to understand the missteps he has made during his life's journey while still offering hope for finding renewal in the Spirit of Christmas.

> Excellent Music. The time travel sequences are greatly enhanced by the Christmas and Holiday themed music (singing and instrumental) heard in the background.  "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" in the opening credits, "I Saw Three Ships," "Silent Night," plus the English country dance "Sir Roger de Coverley" and the tragic folk song "Barbara Allen."

> Superb Acting.  Alistair Sim as Scrooge and Glyn Dearman as Tiny Tim are inextricably connected with these characters.  The depth and conviction of these portrayals literally jump off the screen and into our hearts and minds as we get to know them both.  To see Scrooge transformed into a kind, generous soul and become a second father to Tiny Tim -- thereby saving the child's life who otherwise would have died prematurely -- clearly touches our hearts deeply.  We, the viewers, are also transformed by witnessing Scrooge finding renewal in Christmas and filled with the Holiday Spirit as Tiny Tim proclaims "God bless us every one!" exemplifying the kindness and love that is truly Christmas.

We at Galaxy Nostalgia Network join Tiny Tim in expressing this very same sentiment to each of you, the members of our wonderful GNN audience.  What are your special memories of watching different film versions of "A Christmas Carol"?  Please share your memories and thoughts on this month's blog by either posting to the Galaxy FACEBOOK page (and liking us) or writing directly to me at: Haloulakos@gmail.com

 NOVEMBER 2024

"FATHER KNOWS BEST"

Happy Thanksgiving!

By Rev Protodeacon George A. Haloulakos

This year marks the 70th Anniversary of "Father Knows Best."  This classic TV show, which which aired on NBC from 1954 to 1960, featured Robert Young (Jim), Jane Wyatt (Margaret), Billy Gray (Bud), Lauren Chapin (Kathy) and Elinor Donahue (Betty).  Interestingly enough, after the first-run episodes concluded in 1960, the show was still broadcast in reruns on primetime during the early to mid-1960s, thereby creating a multi generational following.  During its first run episodes and repeats on primetime, "Father Knows Best" aired on all three of the major TV networks of that time. This series ranks among the very best family shows of all time as many of its episodes dealt with topics that are still relevant today.  It is available for purchase on DVD and the entire series can be viewed on demand for free from various streaming services.

 

Like so many other family shows from the 1950s and 1960s, "Father Knows Best" featured numerous Holiday themed episodes.  The first Holiday episode aired during Season One on Sunday, November 21, 1954 with focus on the family's preparation for Thanksgiving Day.  In this episode it appears that the family will forgo gathering together for Thanksgiving dinner due to scheduling conflicts.  But in the end the parents and children decide that sitting down together to share a Thanksgiving dinner is the best way to celebrate.  The closing moments feature a rather poignant, touching scene in which the family sits around the kitchen table as the father leads them all in prayer.  In wishing all of you, our wonderful GNN audience, a Happy Thanksgiving, here is that wonderful prayer said by Robert Young that affirms the eternal truths of faith, family and love.

 

"Oh Lord, we give thee thanks from the depths of our humble hearts for all the blessings thou has seen fit to bestow upon us. We thank thee for the food, which graces our table, the roof, which covers our head.

"We thank thee for the privilege of living as free men in a country which respects our freedom and our personal rights to worship and think and speak as we choose.

"We thank thee for making us a family, for giving us sincerity and understanding.

"But most of all, dear Lord, we thank thee for giving us the greatest gift a family may know--the gift of love for one another. Amen."

What are your special memories of Thanksgiving? Is there something in particular that you are grateful for?  Are there any particular endearing recollections of watching "Father Knows Best" or other family 1950s-1960s sitcoms?  Please share your memories and thoughts on this month's blog by either posting to the Galaxy FACEBOOK page or writing directly to me at: Haloulakos@gmail.com