Frank Sinatra

At Miami Airport: The Beatles, Bob Hope, Ava Gardner & more

 

Earlier this week, Miami International Airport shared a very short sample of the longer reels of film clips now showing on old-style flight display monitors in Concourse F at the airport.

The reels were put together by the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives at Miami Dade College and the reel filled with celebrities arriving at MIA from the 1950s through the 1980s is especially fun to watch.

Looks for Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner, Liberace, Ed Sullivan, Susan Hayward, The Beatles, Bob Hope, Jane Mansfield, Eleanor Roosevelt, Spiderman, Sylvester Stallone, and Elizabeth Taylor, among others.

 

By showing this reel of clips – and the other below, “We are hoping that passengers and airport staff would be delighted to see how the airport and city looked years ago. It’s a real treat to contemplate, through these images, that Miami has a long history of aviation and airports, especially when you consider that Miami is a relatively young city – founded in 1896,” said Gendry Sherer, MIA Fine Arts and Cultural Affairs Director, “Also, I think it’s quite enjoyable to see for instance the Beatles, Frank Sinatra and all these other celebrities arriving and departing from MIA, but most interesting is just seeing everyday people at the airport or seeing families enjoy a day at the beach – normal activities locals and travelers still enjoy today.”

Delta toasts Sinatra’s 100th birthday with whiskey

1950-Frank-Sinatra

Here’s a nomination for airline amenity of the week:

On Saturday, December 12, in honor of what would have been Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday, Delta Air Lines will be pouring complimentary tastes of Jack Daniel’s – the crooner’s favorite whiskey – on all flights departing JFK to LAX.

And not just any Jack Daniel’s. Passengers in all cabins will be able to sample Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Century, a special-edition 100-proof whiskey sold in a special collector’s box for about $500 (at duty free stores and elsewhere) that includes a 1 liter bottle, a small hardbound book about Sinatra and his music and a replica Sinatra tie clip you can plug into your computer that plays a concert recording of Frank at The Sands Hotel and Casino in 1966.

Drink up! And let’s hope they serve seconds…

Sinatra Jack Daniels

Fun, photo-rich timeline celebrates Air Canada’s 75th birthday

What do Frank Sinatra, Gina Lollobrigida, Louis Armstrong, Chubby Checker, Warren Beatty, Peter Fonda, Ronald Reagan and Bob Hope all have in common?

They were all passengers on Air Canada or its predecessor, Trans Canada Air Lines (TCA), sometime during the past 75 years.

As part of a slew of activities to mark its 75th anniversary, Air Canada has launched a great on-line timeline with more than 300 pictures, videos and vignettes that tell the story of the airline and of the evolution of Canada’s aviation industry.

Don’t worry if you’re not really interested in Air Canada’s story. Spend a little time poking around the timeline and you’ll see some really great celebrity photos, including the Beatles posing with their wax replicas in 1965 and, from 1941, Babe Ruth.