Lee Van Cleef, Official Badass and Savior of Little Dogs

Lee Van Cleef, Kansas City Confidential

Everybody knows the Lee Van Cleef of late 1960s spaghetti Westerns. So why should I put him in the category of People You’ve Never Heard Of? Because there are two sides to him that many people don’t know about. The first one–Van Cleef as a film noir tough–is not known to most people who only… Continue reading Lee Van Cleef, Official Badass and Savior of Little Dogs

Boeing Stratocruiser Cutaway, 1952

Click Image For Full 1636 x 781 px Size In 1952, the 67.5 ton Boeing Stratocruiser cost a (then) whopping $1.5 million.  With a 3,000 mile range, this craft–first delivered to PanAm–offered up luxury as few commercial passengers had seen before:  a galley, a lower-deck lounge, sleeping berths, a forward stateroom, and more. Truly a case… Continue reading Boeing Stratocruiser Cutaway, 1952

The Day Mission: Impossible Invaded The Brady Bunch House

One of the best things about fictional environments is that we can project our dreams on them.  And kids of the 1970s universally projected dreams onto The Brady Bunch house. We all wanted to live there.  It was grander, fancier, and more modern than our own houses.  Even that oh-so-fake backyard, with its Astroturfed lawn… Continue reading The Day Mission: Impossible Invaded The Brady Bunch House

Triple Deck Auto Transport Plane Cutaway, 1952

  A lovely 3-color cutaway by Popular Science stalwart, technical illustrator Ray Piotch, of the Blackburn Universal Freighter (“BUF”). The BUF had two lower freight decks that could accommodate 6-8 autos, depending on size, and an upper deck for 42 passengers. This hulking beast wasn’t known for its speed, though, reaching a maximum of 180… Continue reading Triple Deck Auto Transport Plane Cutaway, 1952