Do we take for granted that Airstream trailers appear on television programs, in movies, and in advertisements today? Perhaps. During the middle of the 20th century, things were a little different.
Today, Airstream has proliferated as a “rock star.” But in those days, Airstream trailers appeared in Life, Look, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and in numerous other magazines. There were Airstream Wally Byam Caravans traveling across five continents, with newspapers and periodicals covering the Airstream adventures.
But movies, television, and advertising hadn’t adopted Airstream as a movie star just yet.
Then NBC scheduled a new series in 1959, The Troubleshooters, starring a 24′ Land Yacht and two actors, Keenan Wynn and Bob Mathias.
Keenan Wynn was the son of beloved comedian Ed Wynn. His full name is a mouthful: Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn. Wow! He had a full life in the movies and on TV.
Bob Mathias came from a small farming community in Tulare, California, in the San Joaquin Valley. In high school, he showed his excellence in sports, later winning Olympic gold medals in the decathlon in London (1948) and Helsinki (1952). He went on to serve in the Marine Corps and later to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Troubleshooters was an adventure series where the characters traveled the world, solving constructions problems in out-of-the-way locations.
Unfortunately the program was short-lived, lasting just 26 half-hour episodes and running from September 1959 to April 1960.
The director, Robert Altman, started out in television before directing feature films, including MASH, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, and Nashville. He was considered to be an idiosyncratic maverick.
Is the Airstream legendary? Or is it the Airstream’s iconic design that makes it so everlasting?
Actually, it is both. Today, Airstream is that shining silver bullet, born to be recognized by an entire media spectrum.
Airsteram offers the travel enjoyment that tens of thousands of owners have enjoyed since 1931. Today’s Airstream offers 21st century enjoyment, with models, floorplans, and coordinated colors to satisfy even the most discriminating traveler.
See you on the road!
by Dale Schwamborn
