Summer Jobs

Sorry, I forgot to include the hint that would've made this puzzle a little easier. The device in the second panel is a television set. Got it now?

OK, how about this then; the guy at the far right was the first person to attempt to merge Jewish traditions into Greek culture. (Hey, do I know how to blend pop culture and history, or what?)



The answer is "Philo". I'm sure everyone recognized Clint Eastwood in his pugilistic role as Philo Beddoe, bareknuckle fisticuffs champeen of the back alleys and truck stops, as portrayed in the classic movie "Every Which Way But Loose." (Bonus personal trivia information for you: The motorcycle gang Clint encounters is called the "Black Widows", which happens to be the name of the patrol I belonged to when I was in the Boy Scouts. Is this a small world, or what?)

The genius featured in the second frame is Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, which enabled Gene Roddenberry to later bless us with the gift of Star Trek. (Of course, there's always someone who will take a wonderful thing and turn it to evil...but you can't blame Farnsworth for Dr. Phil and Jerry Springer, can you?)

Next we have Anthony Geary in his role as Philo, the disguised alien studio technician in the Weird Al classic "UHF". Geary is probably more famous for his role as "Luke" on the General Hospital soap opera, but his performance in UHF is arguably his best effort. And if you haven't seen the movie, you really should. It is ranked as one of the Top Twenty Films of All Time, and also features such notable thespians as Gedde Watanabe and Billy Barty. You can find a couple of my favorite clips here and here.

The last fellow is Philo of Alexandria, aka Philo the Jew. I'm sure most of you remember your Greek philosophical history in detail, but if not, you can brush up on it by Googling the guy. I can't prove it, but some people also believe that his portrait was one of the inspirations for the cartoon character Popeye.



The theme of this graphic is "Coleman." The first fellow is Denholm Elliot, in his role of Coleman the butler in the brilliant comedy "Trading Places". You may also remember him from "Raiders of the Lost Ark", too. As to why no one names their children "Denholm" anymore, I haven't a clue.

The second guy is Gary Coleman, known primarily as a politician, though he lost the California governor's race to Arnold Schwarzenegger. The irony here is that he played a character named "Arnold" on the TV show "Webster." (Wait, maybe it wasn't Webster. Family Ties, perhaps? Facts of Life? I can't remember for sure, but it was one of those sitcoms where most of the cast ended up as bums on drugs in real life. There were so many of those that I get them mixed up.) Sadly, Mr. Coleman passed away in 2010, but not before he appeared on The Simpsons.

The dude with the saxomophone is jazz legend Coleman Hawkins. He is credited as being one of the influential forces in the bebop movement that began in the 1940s. He even played with superstars like Django Reinhardt. Very cool.

The last panel features a Coleman lantern. Many a camper has enjoyed its warm glow and comforting thrum during dark nights in the woods. As you may be aware, the Coleman company began in Wichita, Kansas, which happens to be where I grew up. And as fate would have it, I spent a couple of summers working on an assembly line filling up empty cans with lantern and campstove fuel.

I'll tell that tale on my biographical history blog (www.heggy.blogspot.com) at some point, but for now will just say that there is NO WAY nowadays that OSHA would allow us to work under the conditions we did back then. There were times when the fuel distributor device would malfunction and flammable liquid would spray everywhere. The thought of sandal-wearing teenagers wading through puddles of freestanding gasoline in a 95° sweatshop would horrify modern parents -- but we were happy to do it for our $2.50 per hour wages. I bought a new color television set with my wages from that summer job, so I could bask in the glow of Philo Farnsworth's inventiveness when I went back to college in the fall. Anyway, when I get around to writing up my summer job memoirs on the other site, I'll be sure to post a note here.

In the meantime, here's a celebrity food quiz for you. Any idea what we would call these fruits and veggies?

Good luck, and have a great day!