Innovari: Innovations With Steel

During U.S. Steel's 1966 automotive presentation of "Innovations in Steel" to officials of the motor car industry, the Jack Brokensha Quartet and the Lenore Paxton Trio provided a distinctive jazz background for the occasion.  Their particular jazz style is high-lighted in the theme selection, "Steel Blue" which was created especially for the show as a musical tribute to U.S. Steel's concept-in-steel, Sports Station Wagon, Innovari.

We like the originality of "Steel Blue" so much that we invited the two groups to a recording session so that this album could be made for you.  We hope you enjoy it.

UNITED STATES STEEL
Recorded January 11, 1967
Detroit, Michigan

U.S. Steel really put a lot into their 1966 and 1968 Innovari & Innovan campaigns. The autos never saw production but the company sure did make a good case for their concepts.

Innovari I::

'Innovari is an experimental sports station wagon. It was innovated by U.S. Steel to show steel's unlimited design potential for automotive uses.'

'Style, stamina, and a preview of things to come.'

Innovari II::

In 1968 U.S. Steel brought back their favorite Innovari music makers, The Jack Brokensha Quartet and the The Lenore Paxton Trio with the album, Holiday Innovations. The album has fifteen holiday tunes including an original piece by Lenore Paxton and Loretta Balowski written exclusively for US Steel - Trimming The Tree At Christmas.

The foldout album cover design featured the Innovan II - this time using a taxicab concept to demonstrate the versatility and cost savings of designs in steel...'Because a taxicab has to behave like a car, and wear like a truck.'

An unusual limousine-type look: alligator-grain embossed steel sheets for the textured roof and wide easy open doors on a single stamped steel hinge.

'The 'interior styling creates a completely functional "people" package designed to provide the utmost in rider convenience, comfort and safety.'

As always, Syd Mead's  prototype illustration makes the Innovari a symbol of elegance and success. (From Mead's book, Steel Couture - Syd Mead - Futurist Sentinel.) Originally created for the U.S. Steel book, Innovations (1968).

(Images via Luis Casar on Facebook)

A Quick Jump To The Retro-Tech 1990s And Stereolab's 'Miss Modular'

Miss Modular by Stereolab. Tune from the band's 1997 album, Dots and Loops.

'Lune Fin de Siècle' - A Wonderful End of the 19th Century Automaton

The wonderful and very rare 'Lune Fin de Siècle' (The End Of The Century Moon) Musical Smoking Automaton by Vichy, c. 1891:

Depicting a young man with large full moon face leaning against a fluted column, a cigarette between his lips and a walking cane in his right hand, with plaster-composition head, articulated brown glass eyes and wire monocle, dressed in burgundy satin tailcoat, cream silk waistcoat, yellow tie and pointed shoes.

The figure tilts his head from side to side, rolls his eyes and twirls his cane as he inhales from a lighted cigarette placed in the holder and blows the smoke out through his nose.

The 'Lune Fin de Siècle' - one of Vichy's most recognisable automata - draws on the popularity of the moon as a motif in French literature and visual culture during the late 19th and early 20th century.

Gustave Vichy and his son Henry both used the face of the 'Lune Fin de Siècle' as a registered trademark on the company's letterheads, labels and advertising. The original model may have been sculpted by Henry Vichy himself. Certainly the figure shows signs of Henry's influence, including the shapely modeling of the slender body and a sense of the unexpected in the large round head that appears to rest upon it. Another indication of Henry work is the pencil date "9.12.91" found on the figure's bedplate (sic?).

'Lune Fin de Siècle' was part of the Atracciones Apolo, an indoor amusement park opened by Josep Vallés Rovira on Parallel Avenue, Barcelona, in 1935. Atracciones Apolo was a popular destination and featured in two films: 'Apartado des Correos 2001' (1950) and 'El fugitivo de Amberes' (1955). Alongside the magic grotto, the 'Autogruta' ghost train and other rides, the park also contained the 'Museo las Maravillosas Figuras en sus Dioramas' (Museum of Marvellous Figures in their Dioramas) featuring automata exhibited as scenes in floor-standing cabinets.

The marquee of Atracciones Apolo is pictured in the right center.

All operated from electric motors but many (including the 'Lune Fin de Siècle') also retained their original clockwork motors inside the cabinets. According to an article published by 'Edición del Domingo' on 19 August 1990, the automata exhibit closed in 1957. The park closed its doors to the public in around 1991 and the bulk of the building was demolished. The Apolo's collection of automata and mechanical effects was eventually dispersed amongst La Fira bar in Barcelona, the Museu de Joguets i Autòmats in Verdú and a well-known antique doll specialist in the South of England. The automaton [shown] here has been restored to full mechanical function at the House of Automata in Forres, Scotland.

Side views show the magical charm of this fantastical figure.

To read a bit more about this outstanding automaton, as well as view pics of the clockwork and pneumatic system, click this link to get to the Invaluable auction listing. On 7 November 2015 this Lune Fin de Siècle sold for €135,264 ($145,004). Below is a video of the fine Dandy at work.



- Original descriptions and photos found in the Invaluable Auction listing -

Protective Wear For The Well-Dressed Interplanetary Traveler

Future Space Suits
Science Fiction Plus magazine, May 1953
Art by Frank R. Paul

Front Cover Artwork by Frank R. Paul

The Burroughs B205 Control Console: A Star Of Film and Television

The iconic Burroughs B205 computer control console.

The B205 was first introduced in 1956 and was considered one of the industry leaders in computer science.

The flashing lights, shiny knobs, and toggle switches on the control console made it ideal for 1960s era sci-fi films and television programs. Most notably in the television series, Lost In Space, beginning in 1965:

The flight controls for the Jupiter 2 - the Burroughs B205 figure prominently on deck.

The B205 was also the favorite control console in Batman, the original television series beginning in 1966.

Robin does something at the Navigational Aid Computer - the B205 looks busy as well.

The B205 was multifunctional in Batman - here it's used as the Voice-Control Batmobile Relay-Circuit

Before the Burroughs B205 debuted in the Lost In Space television series it appeared in the 1959 sci-fi horror/adventure film, The Angry Red Planet.

Here the B205 slumbers aboard the M-1 spaceship surrounded by the crew of the first mission to Mars.

The Burroughs B205 was also used as one of a time machine's main control consoles in the 1964 sci-fi action/romance film, Time Travelers.

Overeager Steve Connors (Philip Carey) prepares for countdown to a time machine test with the B204 at his fingertips.

Burroughs' B205 system was designed specifically to cope with the full range of electronic computing problems in the fields of business industry, science and government.

The Burroughs B205 business office set up.

The B205 employed for use by the United Gas Corporation

The researchers and developers at the U.S. Naval Ordnance Laboratory in Corona, CA also utilized the B205 in their work.

So there you have it - the Burroughs B205 command console as film and television star. There were more appearances for this computer icon which also included the just as recognizable B205 tape drive. The Burroughs' design seemed to encapsulate the general vision of the computerized future at the time. While in reality it may have turned out a whole lot different, the B205 inspired generations of creative and curious people to pursue serious careers in computer science.

The ELECOM 110 - The $62,500 General Purpose Digital Computer

The ELECOM 110 - A General Purpose Digital Computer

Scientific American September 1952

Not too shabby for $62K in 1952, this thing operates at .12Mhz has roughly 2K of memory and each tape holds around 360K.
Plus for all you case modders, it already comes with 200 glowing tubes. Try to beat that with your little LEDs. - Modern Mechanix.

(Image via Modern Mechanix, h/t Nemojp Dante)