Riden' the Rails (in long red flannel Underwear)

This past year, I read a wonderfully entertaining book by Michael Crichton, an outstanding author, now deceased. His 1975 novel was based on a true 1855 incident in London. His book is titled The Great Train Robbery.  I learned he subsequently wrote the screenplay too, first released in England in 1978. Upon completion, the film co-starred one of my very favorite actors, Donald Sutherland. Sutherland played Robert Agar, a petty crook and pickpocket. The film starred Sean Connery too as Edward Pierce, the main character. Starling Films produced this movie which was distributed by United Artists. 

The real life Pierce was actually a well known 19th century socialite. He was never convicted of planning and executing the theft of a very large gold shipment from a major British railroad. His was an elaborate scheme to obtain that immense treasure.

Part of the procedure was to smuggle his acquaintance, Agar, into the baggage car where the gold was stored. He convinced Agar to hide within a coffin which would be dispatched to a train, placed inside the baggage car with mail, packages and, most importantly, the prearranged gold shipment. Pierce was to secure a place within an elegant and comfortable private train car cabin. 

On the train trip transferring the gold, Pierce climbed up and out of his cabin window, made his way rapidly across the top of several train cars, and back finally to the baggage car. For his trouble, he was covered from head to toe in soot from the coal fired engine. By the time he got to his destination, his clothes were ruined.

After great effort, he was able to ingeniously break into the baggage car from the outside. He broke the exterior lock, hanging from the side of the train. He then slid aside the door joining Agar, who by then held the baggage attendant at gun point. The malefactors quickly replaced the gold with bars of lead. They then threw the bags of gold out through the car doors to the ground at a predetermined country place. The train continued to the town of their destination. Pierce and Agar planned to return later to retrieve their bounty. But...

...it dawned on Pierce that he could not return to his cabin in ruined clothes. So, he told Agar he'd need to give up his clothes to him in order to complete the theft without drawing suspicion from the other passengers and authorities. Hagar cursed Pierce, but then reluctantly stripped off his attire, leaving him in nothing but a red union suit for the remainder of the trip. 

 

 

With help from Agar which involved using a rope inside the baggage car, Pierce exited the area, closed the door, and made his way back to safety with Agar's clothes securely bundled under his arm.

Assisted by the guard who promised not to divulge the grand larceny, 

Agar climbed back into his coffin, wearing now only his long red underwear:

 

 He lay down and awaited the end of the line 

while the coffin lid closed down upon him.

My thanks to Starling Films and United Artists for producing this very entertaining film. You'll want to see this one.

Rural Long Johns

After posting Ian Sanderson's memoir and family pictures of him as a little boy in rural Wyoming this past December 10, 2024, I heard from several of you. Seems a fair number grew up on farms and ranches, wearing union suits to bed rather than pajamas, just like Ian. 

For example, Barry from rural Johnson County, Iowa emailed that he wore union suits as a boy on his family farm. He wore them "around the clock," a good part of the year, including to bed. Barry mentioned he remembered seeing a farmer in his union suit in the original Back to the Future film. The farmer and his family were awakened late at night when Marty's DeLorean accidently crashed into their barn!

Although I had forgotten this farm scene in the original movie, I surmised that Marty McFly was not the first person to appear in a union suit in the classic Back to the Future trilogy.  Here he is having just woken up in the old west, practicing for a shoot out after climbing out of bed in this long-handled union suit: Back to the Future III (see my posting of October 31, 2023):

In the original Back to the Future, the farmer before rushing out of his farm house, threw on a bathrobe over this red union suit. The family accompanied him out the door in their various forms of night time dress. 

Duane suggested I work up a posting based on this scene in one of his favortite films. With a little research, I captured a few shots of the family's night time adventure as they appeared in the 1985 Universal Pictures' classic, written and directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd.

Marty, having jumped in Doc's DeLorean, in haste left the JC Penney parking lot after being chased by terrorists. He ended up himself "back to the future" - 1955. He raced down a country highway and into farm land, running into a barn before he could get the DeLorean under control! The loud commotion woke up the farm family who shortly came running out of the house. 

 

The farmer's son was the first one out of the house. Before, he ran outside, the boy had thrown on his overalls over his yellow plaid nightshirt, under which he wore a union suit. The farmer took time to pull on his bathrobe and boots before following his son out the front door towards the barn. His wife and daughter soon followed the men folk to see what woke them up. 

The four of them carefully made their way to the barn.... 

 

What's this?!?!  

 

Secure in his bathrobe and long red underwear, the farmer held 

his lantern up high and gazed with the family into the barn...

Oh my gosh....Ahhhhhhhh!!!?!

Could it be an alien from outer space?! 

Or a space zombie from Pluto?!

This scene for many, including me, has been long forgotten unless you've happened to have viewed this movie recently. If you haven't seen it lately, take another look.  You'll catch a glimpse of rural life in the 1950's.

A Special Thanks to Universal Pictures, the director and actors, 

and to Barry for bringing this to Union Suit Fan.

Young at Heart sing "Winter Underwear" on Youtube

According to your emails, a number of you enjoyed my December 7th posting of those Dad's Walkin' in Their Winter Underwear! Several sent me other renditions of "Walkin'" including Kyle of Olympia, Washington. 

He emailed Jim Digguns' "Young at Heart sang Winter Underwear at the Devil Mountain Chorus Christmas Show in 2019" on Youtube.

To see the guys in action, Copy and Paste their Performance:

https://youtu.be/ouNumt3WBKY?t=3

...more

Union Suit Wearin' Dancin' Dads in the Limelight!

Lookin' Back to the posting I featured on December 16, 2018:

Driving home from work yesterday, I heard a parody of a famous holiday song on a local radio station that we kids enjoyed singing around the campfire on boy scout camping trips. The song is sung to the tune of the famous holiday classic, “Walking in a Winter Wonderland.” Over the years some wag had changed the title and lyrics to those that appealed especially to young boys: "Walkin' in My Winter Underwear!" We scouts thought it a riot and sang the song with gusto. In our best rendition we sang like true Swedes: “Valkin' in me Vinter Undervare!” 


Over the years I had forgotten many of the words to this parody. We boys use to sing about “scratchin' up here and itchin' down there” and then “goin' up the trap door into my winter underwear.” So, after being reminded of the song heard on the radio, I searched the web for additional lyrics.

Well, in that search, I found not only several stanzas of the lyrics I had forgotten but a fine 2010 rendition by “Dancin' Dads” performing a really well done choreographed number in their union suits. Take a look:

Just Click on the Following orbCOPY and Paste!  This is Great!!.....

                          https://youtu.be/lXcy8pukLsc


Sing along if you care to:

Sleigh bells ring and I'm listening,

But I'm turning and twisting.

'Cause I'm itching up here,

And I'm scratching down there,
I'm walking in my winter underwear.

Now, the front is all battered,
And the back is all tattered,
But when I'm cold to the core,
I walk through the "trap door",
And up into my winter underwear.

Well, I don't care if it rains or snows or freezes.
I am so warm I just don't give a hoot.
I put on all the socks that I can muster,
And I wear two pair of trousers with my suit.

But then I start to perspire
And then it sets me on fire.
'Cause I'm itching up here,
And I'm scratching down there,
I'm walking in my winter underwear.

Winter snow is white and glistening,
But I'm turning and twisting.
I gotta scratch a little here,
I gotta scratch a little there.
I'm walking in my winter underwear.

Through rain and snow and ice I do not worry.
When winter comes, I just don't give a hoot.
My coat, hat and socks keep my cozy
And I wear a long red flannel union suit.

I put my bathing suit away in moth balls,
And now I've got to dodge snow balls.
Then I can't scratch my back;
I throw myself all aback.
I'm walking in my winter underwear.
Then to cope to other clothing,
Well, the thing that I am loathing,
Is when my face turns blue,
And contortions I go through,
Walking in my winter underwear.

They're from Sears-Rooobuuuck....
Walking in my winter underwear!

Sleigh bells ring and I'm listening, 
Winter's here, snow is glistening 
It's cold outside and
There's no place to hide 
Got to change into my winter underwear 

I need to dress for the weather 
Dress in layers cause it's better 
You just can't go wrong 
Just as long 
As you start with your winter underwear. 

Well, I don't care if it rains or snows or freezes. 
I'm so warm I just don't give a hoot. 
I put on all the socks that I can locate, 
And wear two pair of liners in my boots 

Building snowmen, figure skating 
Boys are cross country skiing 
It don't matter a bit 
Cause they got a good fit 
They're walking in their winter underwear. 

Hockey Games, tobaggan riding 
It is so fun, slipping and sliding 
They will not complain 
It's all just a game 
When they're walking in their winter underwear. 

Through rain, snow and ice I do not worry. 
When winter comes, I just won't make a fuss 
My coat, hat and socks keep my cozy 
But my long johns are the key to happiness 

My underwear is not a topic 
I discuss very often 
But just in this case 
I can say with out haste 
I love my red flannel underwear 

When I'm Walking - in my winter - underwear!!! 

Speaking of Making Music

Lookin' Back: On June 4, 2018, I featured my favorite union suited band video. Here's a re-run....

Panic at the Disco are Union Suit Fans in the Limelight!

Panic at the Disco is a Las Vegas, Nevada rock band founded in 2004 by Brent Wilson, Brendon Urie, Ryan Ross, and Spencer Smith, boyhood friends. Their first demos were actually produced while the boys were still in high school. The band's first studio album was “Fever you Can't Sweat Out” in 2005.

The accompanying photos, however, are taken from the group's first single entitled “Nine in the Afternoon” from their second album, “Pretty Odd.” A video by the same name was filmed on December 20 and 21, 2007 and released on January 28, 2008. During one of their lengthy practice sessions, someone asked the time. Spencer said that it was seven in the afternoon. This was later change to nine in the afternoon to match other song lyrics.

"The concept of the video for the song is a series of bizarre yet fundamentally recognizable events with the band members," according to the release. Forty extras were used in their video. There are different period shots, wardrobes, looks and hair changes. MTV reported at the time, "...in the video there are gratuitous fake mustaches involved and a rather bizarre parade being led by the members of the band, who are dressed in what could only be described as Sgt. Pepper's meets ice-fishing attire with lots of epaulettes and long thermal underwear. "

In addition to their Union Suits, the boys also wear sashes featuring the phrase 'Pretty Odd'. The current members of Panic at the Disco and extras performed as a marching band within the video. Their marching attire consisted of band hats,  boots, and one-piece button-down long underwear. At times during the video they wear animal masks. 

Several scenes within the video relate to the Beatles including a scene in which the boys run from screaming girls reminiscent of “A Hard Day's Night.” The animal masks were taken from the Beatle's video, “I am the Walrus.” MTV premiered the music video of "Nine in the Afternoon" on February 10, 2008 at 9:00pm to wide acclaim! 

 

Watch this great video (just save and paste):

 https://youtu.be/yCto3PCn8wo

Panic at the Disco
with Their Clothes On