A Look Back

On June 11, 2016, a couple years before I began my second blog, Union Suit Fans in the Limelight featuring actors in movies and theatre in their long one-piece underwear, I posted the following in my first blog, Union Suit Fan. It was taken from a Saturday morning television show. I thought it worth repeating here....

Jack and the Beanstalk 

As reported in my previous posting, Ryan posed the question as to whether I had seen a televised theatre presentation of "Jack and the Beanstalk" wherein Jack, a poor boy, climbed the stalk and had adventures in his red Union Suit. You know the story which scholars date back (in some fashion) 5,000 years. Thanks to the emails sent to me by Shane, Gary, and others, I was able to identify this play presented by Fairie Tale Theatre in 1983. It was shown September 8, 1983, Season 2, Episode 4. It starred Elliott Gould as the boy-eating giant and his wife, Jean Stapleton. The boy, Jack, was played by Dennis Christopher. Jack did indeed climb the beanstalk in his long underwear having been awaken by its growth in to the sky. Following are photo clips of Jack and his adventure courtesy of Fairie Tale Theatre in 1983: 

The rustling noise of the magical vine wakes up Jack:

He peers out his attic bedroom window in the bright morning sunshine....

 

And decides he should find out just where this beanstalk goes and so begins climbing without getting dressed. 

Up Jack goes in his nightclothes, long red union suit underwear: 

He climbs seemingly forever:

Jack wearing only his Union Suit
wonders to where he has climbed.

A Fairy warns Jack about the Boy-Eating Giant.

Soon, Jack confronts the Giant's Wife who answers the front door of their cottage:

Unfazed and seeminly unaware he is in his underwear,
 Jack speaks to the Wife.

Jack Tells the Giant's Wife He is Hungry
and is Allowed to Enter

Once inside, Jack steals the Sleeping Giant's Gold:

Having barely escaped from the Giant and back home
arriving with the Giant's gold,
Jack, still in his Union Suit Underwear,
describes his adventures to Mother.

Jack is triumphant! He and his Mother are rich!


To enjoy this Fairie Tale with your kids copy and paste:

https://youtu.be/XyjKnWtLB_A?t=790 

                                                                     My Favorite Suit  

Union Suit Fans in the Limelight is devoted to those individuals who entertain us by performing in their union suits. Famous and not so famous, actors and singers, musical instrument players and, at least in one case, a public speaker. That’s right, a guy who delivers delightful discourses to his audiences. One memorable night he gave a speech commemorating his favorite suit. 

When I was a young boy, I was faced with having to appear on stage in our school auditorium in front of fellow students, parents and teachers. I was to give an account on the life of the great inventor, Thomas Edison. At 14 years old, I was a mess. I was anxious, to say the least, of speaking in front of a hundred people. 

Fortunately for me, my dad was a member of the local Toastmasters club, a support group focused on helping people, scared to death of public speaking. You know the type; perhaps you are one. A lot of people are.

The one thing I've remembered about my toastmastering dad was that nervous newcomers to Toastmasters were encouraged, when giving speeches, to think of themselves as the only person in the room who was wearing clothes. And, to imagine their audience sitting there in just their underwear. 

So the night of my speech, my plan was to see myself with all my clothes on and everybody else, young and old, would be sitting there in only their underwear: boxer shorts, long johns, tighty whites (called briefs back then) and even union suits like grandpa wore! And the little girl that I had a crush on? Well, that night she was fully dressed, not in her unmentionables. That would come later as we grew older. And you know what? It worked! It actually worked! Oh, sure, I was nervous but not nearly as I would have been if the audience hadn't been sitting there in their underwear, listening to my little speech. 

So when Lonestar Mike emailed me a Toastmaster video, it not only struck my funny bone, it hit home.

The orator, Craig Hadner, was the president of the Pikes Peak Toastmasters, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. One memorable evening, he gave a speech titled "My Favorite Suit."

 

As one of the leaders, his job was to teach and encourage members of his club to speak in front of audiences. Many members had joined to get over nervous tension in order to give a better, more comfortable talk.

But tonight, ToastMaster Craig turned the tables on my dad’s face saving advice by giving his speech to an audience who remained fully clothed while he stood before them in his underwear, his long underwear, his “favorite suit"….  

 

Union suits were Craigs favorite suit (and underwear for that matter) 

for three reasons...

It's Fashionable!

It's Warm!

And, It's Very Functional!

Craig had worn his union suit so often, he had lost buttons on the front of his suit as well as from the rear flap...  

...but his union suit was still fashionalbe, warm and functional!  

Congrats Craig on a speech well done delivered in front of an in-house, appreciative audience and thanks for sharing your fashionable long-handled underwear on YouTube and with us on the Union Suit Fans in the Limelight blog.

You'll want to see Craig's entire video on YouTube. click below and enjoy...

https://youtu.be/0KxjYUkOTdM?si=TJUCR8xwx2pBdOX4  

A big shout out to Lonestar Mike who introduced us to Toastmaster Craig and his favorite (Union) Suit, Thanks Mike!  

More TV Trivia:

One of the more popular postings from time to time in Union Suit Fan and Union Suit Fans in the Limelight is "Trivia."  I'll show a scene or two from older, many times classic, television series or movies. You give it your best shot answering the questions posed. Then me email or comment at the bottom of the posting. No prizes are given except for the satisfaction of being the first to identify the show, scene, actors, etc.  (Answers in Blue from various Union Suit Fans were added several days after Trivia was posted and played)

Here's another one for you.... 

From what popular TV show was this picture taken? Little House on the Prairie

Name the Episode in which in these kids run around in their long underwear.         1979's The Lake Kezia Monster, Season 5, Episode 19

What is there relationship to the old woman?  Their new friend, Kezia, who lives by herself on the outskirts of Walnut Grove

Identify the kid actors by their names in the show. From left to right: Albert Quinn Ingalls, Andrew "Andy" Garvey, Laura Ingalls

Bonus Questions:

Which kids are related to each other in real life. The boys: Matthew and Patrick

What are the kid actors' real life names.  Matthew Labyorteaux and Patrick Labyorteaux, Melissa Gilbert

Thanks to all who participated in "TV Trivia," including Retro Jeff, Georgia Boy, Andrea of Duluth MN, Rhode Island Randall, Trevor of Shamrock TX, Ian of Cody WY and all you others who sent emails. Georgia Boy had the most correct answers. Great Job!

Watch for more scenes coming soon from this great episode of Little House on the Prairie.

In the meantime if you missed it, check out last year's April 7, 2023 posting, Little House On the Prairie, Episode 12 in Season 4, "Here Come the Brides." 

Starsky and Hutch: Land Snakes Alive!

Later in Satan's Witches after the girl guests depart, Starsky, ends up on the kitchen floor on his butt, still wearing an apron over his red union suit. 

He had gone to the refrigerator only to find a rattler inside ready to strike! 

Frozen in fear, he finally finds his voice and shouts for Hutch to come and rescue him. After all, what's a friend for if not to risk his life when you're to scared to get up and run!  Hearing Starsky's panicky voice, Hutch heads back to the cabin as fast as his legs will carry him.  

Reaching the kitchen, he spies the trouble....

 The snake has made it's way between Starsky's splayed legs...  

Fast thinking Hutch grabs a blanket and deftly throws it over the snake as Starsky finally jumps to his feet....  

Hutch throws the snake out the window and watches it slowly crawl away.  

Back in the kitchen, the boys retrack the last hour. Could the girls have planted the snake in hopes it would do real damage?  They seemed so nice...   

Suddenly, they bolt for the door and outside they go with Starsky still in his long red underwear and that ridiculous apron!     

 

Their vacation just gets stranger and stranger...

What thuh?!?!?

To find out, view this episode on Plex, Dailymotion, YouTube and other. See why this just might be this show's strangest of them all.

Thanks to ABC television network, Spelling-Goldberg Productions and Columbia Pictures Television for bringing this show to U.S. television audiences since the 1970's.