Smokey’s debut poster (above) is considered his anniversary date. Overseen
by the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention Campaign, the first campaign poster
was illustrated by Albert Staehle.

Also in 1944, Forest Service worker Rudy Wendelin became the full-time artist
for the campaign. He was considered to be Smokey Bear’s "caretaker" until he
retired in 1973.

Rudolph "Rudy" Andreas Michael Wendelin (1910–2000)

General George Washington awarding The Badge of Military Merit

The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the
name of the President to those wounded or killed, while serving with the
U.S. military.

The original Purple Heart, designated as the Badge of Military Merit, was
established by George Washington—then the commander-in-chief of the
Continental Army – by order from his Newburgh, New York headquarters
on August 7, 1782. The Badge of Military Merit was only awarded to three
Revolutionary War soldiers.

From then on as its legend grew; so did its appearance. Although never
abolished, the award of the badge was not proposed again officially until
after World War I.

Warner Brothers introduced Vitaphone, a sound film system, in New York with
the release of the silent feature Don Juan starring John Barrymore. The film 
had been retrofitted with a symphonic musical score and sound effects.

A Vitaphone projection setup at a 1926 demonstration. Engineer E. B. Craft
is holding a soundtrack disc. The turntable, on a massive tripod base, is at 
lower center.

      Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997)

Mitchum was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut where he attended McKinley
Grammar School.  After being expelled from high school, he traveled the
country on railroad cars, taking odd jobs to support himself. He became
a boxer and was forced into a chain gang, which he escaped from.

Determined to break into the movies, he got an agent who found work for
him in the Hopalong Cassidy westerns then filming at UA. Playing bits and
often unbilled, Mitchum appeared in seven of the films and soon found
additional work at other studios.

It was 1944’s “When Strangers Marry”, directed by William Castle, that
gave him a role in which he attracted the attention of critics and producers
alike. This led to his being cast in MGM’s 1944 film “Thirty Seconds Over
Tokyo” starring Spencer Tracy.

    
 
  Robert Mitchum in “Night of the Hunter” (1955)

Sandy Kozel