Save your eyes.
I remember the same Public Service Announcement (PSA) that Bob mentioned in the previous post. I, too, thought it an odd announcement. It seemed to me that it didn't make sense, that it wasn't relevant in my world. Blasting caps? I had never seen one. I almost felt deprived and wanted to go and actively search for blasting caps. Then I could tell the police where I found them and I would be a hero, 'The Boy Who Found the Blasting Cap'. It would probably get in the Branson Beacon and you could never get in the Branson Beacon enough.
The other thing that always caught my eye was the baseball action, of course, featuring Willie Mays. I was young, but I knew who Mays was. I seemed to understand that this blasting cap issue must be a big deal because Mays was telling us about it.
But mostly I noticed the halting and stiff delivery of his lines. I wondered if Willie Mays really talked like that and, if so, that was strange. Now I know that he was obviously reading his lines and it was probably filmed in about two takes. It's hard to tell color on the old footage, but Mays is wearing a uniform that says 'San Francisco' instead of one saying 'Giants', so I would guess it was before a road game. The presence of a significant crowd in the background would also suggest that it was nearing game time and they were just trying to get Mays to say the lines. I would say Los Angeles or New York would be likely spots for filming.
Anyway, the cadence for "but you protect your arms and hands and legs, and save your eyes" always struck me a really odd and I remember listening for it, especially 'save your eyes', as if it was the highlight of the spot.
Say hey.
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2 comments:
Hey you probaly don't remember this but our Dad used to work with dynamite on an almost daily basis,in the early days of white river electric. I can remember mom shuddering when he would pull in with the "dynamite trailer" behind the truck. I don't recall any specific blasting cap incidents although I remember that PSA as well. SCARY love d
Dolores,
That reminds me of a story our Uncle Buddy told about your Dad, about him blowing up some tree stumps for Poppy on the farm. Apparently this was during a short time, maybe early 1950's, when they had pigs on the farm (I have no memory of the pigs, myself).
Each time before your Dad would set off the dynamite, he'd holler "FIRE IN THE HOLE"! Then the blast. I guess this was at some distance from where the pigs were, but they'd run anyway.
Buddy said the pigs got to where they'd recognize the words, and all you had to do was shout "FIRE IN THE HOLE", and they'd run.
I wonder who tested that...
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