Pan Am (nbc, money, famous, Kentucky)

[Minervah]

Captain Bill, I am enjoying your commentaries immensely but I take the errors made on the show as typical Hollywood portrayal of a subject about which they do not know as much as they should. I worked in an office for many, many years and I can tell you that what is portrayed on TV showing office work is never accurate. Friends in the medical and legal profession tell me the same about what is shown about their occupations.

But I like the show and will forgive the errors. Please continue to set us straight on the facts.

I do have a question for you. I had always believed that the first stewardesses had to be nurses in case of medical emergency. Do you know if this is true?

[Marv101]

Captain Bill---thanks a lot for your stories and insight; I really appreciate it.

I also agree that that actor portraying the captain is far too young to be in that seat.

I know that there's no hard and fast rule, but most captains are a lot close to 50 years of age than to 35.

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by Minervah

Captain Bill, I am enjoying your commentaries immensely but I take the errors made on the show as typical Hollywood portrayal of a subject about which they do not know as much as they should. I worked in an office for many, many years and I can tell you that what is portrayed on TV showing office work is never accurate. Friends in the medical and legal profession tell me the same about what is shown about their occupations.

But I like the show and will forgive the errors. Please continue to set us straight on the facts.

I do have a question for you. I had always believed that the first stewardesses had to be nurses in case of medical emergency. Do you know if this is true?

Minervah, in the beginning Pan Am hired FA's that had nurse training, and a large percentage of them had.

As time went on, and the number of FA's grew, there were fewer with nurse training.

The "first stewardess" would be called the Purser. If they had a larger crew there would be a Sr. Purser and a Jr. Purser. I don't recall a requirement that either of them had to be a nurse. Perhaps before I went with them it was a requirement.

We had a fairly limited first aid supply and all the FA's would be trained in first aid. But the first thing they would do in an emergency medical situation is to ask if there is a doctor on board.

I understand that all shows, detective, cops, etc are going to be inaccurate and "made for TV". I see a lot of those inaccuracies in other shows and I get past them.

I'm particularly attached to Pan Am so naturally I see all the errors and feel like commenting on them. Sometimes I get long winded when I comment, and hope I don't spoil anyone's enjoyment of the show.

[NMNan]

I'm enjoying your comments Captain Bill

Somebody mentioned a height requirement several pages ago. Did anybody notice last night when they were walking around Berlin, how tiny Maggie (Christina Ricci) looked? Usually they try and shoot around her height, or position her closer to the screen to make her appeal taller. I guess the long pretty street shot was more important than making her appear taller.

I thought they skimped on the Collette story last night. I was interested in hearing more about her childhood when the Nazis raided her home town.

[taigagirl]

Originally Posted by RanchoNan

I'm enjoying your comments Captain Bill

Somebody mentioned a height requirement several pages ago. Did anybody notice last night when they were walking around Berlin, how tiny Maggie (Christina Ricci) looked? Usually they try and shoot around her height, or position her closer to the screen to make her appeal taller. I guess the long pretty street shot was more important than making her appear taller.

I thought they skimped on the Collette story last night. I was interested in hearing more about her childhood when the Nazis raided her home town.

I also noticed how small Maggie looked. The Collette story was very interesting, as she sang with some difficulty and disdain the German song which I am pretty sure was around during the Nazi era. I will have to check on that...my curiousity is piqued.

[tamiznluv]

I have a feeling that song Colette sang was Hitler's song about Germany. I think I've heard it in documentaries about the Third Reich. I, too, would like to hear more about Colette's story.

That hatred still runs deep in some people. Back in the 80's I worked with a kid whose g/father fought against the Russians and was hanged in St. Petersburg Sq. and that kid has so much hatred for the Russians that it just dripped from his mouth when he told me the story.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

Minervah, in the beginning Pan Am hired FA's that had nurse training, and a large percentage of them had.

As time went on, and the number of FA's grew, there were fewer with nurse training.

The "first stewardess" would be called the Purser. If they had a larger crew there would be a Sr. Purser and a Jr. Purser. I don't recall a requirement that either of them had to be a nurse. Perhaps before I went with them it was a requirement.

We had a fairly limited first aid supply and all the FA's would be trained in first aid. But the first thing they would do in an emergency medical situation is to ask if there is a doctor on board.

I understand that all shows, detective, cops, etc are going to be inaccurate and "made for TV". I see a lot of those inaccuracies in other shows and I get past them.

I'm particularly attached to Pan Am so naturally I see all the errors and feel like commenting on them. Sometimes I get long winded when I comment, and hope I don't spoil anyone's enjoyment of the show.

Thank you for your response. No you are not at all spoiling anything by letting us know about the inaccuracies. It makes it all the more interesting.

I now remember that I first heard that the first Flight Attendants were taken from the nursing profession on of all places the Mickey Mouse Club. That was the first Mickey Mouse Club shown in the 50's.

A young girl went through flight attendant school with the real students to show the audience how it was done. They showed the history of FA schools and mentioned the nursing requirement.

I also remember the girl, who was about 12 or so had beautiful long hair. She was afraid it would have to be cut short to meet the appearance requirements but they told her she could keep it. They braided it and tucked it under her cap. The real FA candidates had to have regulation cuts.

The series showed actual classes and explained how things were done. At the end the girl got her honorary wings and was asked to return when she actually made the age requirements. I wonder if she ever did.

[taigagirl]

Originally Posted by tamiznluv

I have a feeling that song Colette sang was Hitler's song about Germany. I think I've heard it in documentaries about the Third Reich. I, too, would like to hear more about Colette's story.

That hatred still runs deep in some people. Back in the 80's I worked with a kid whose g/father fought against the Russians and was hanged in St. Petersburg Sq. and that kid has so much hatred for the Russians that it just dripped from his mouth when he told me the story.

You are right. The song was the German national anthem.

[Minervah]

I really liked the bits of history thrown in to the story line. I remember Kennedy's "Ich Bin Ein Berliner" speech. It made headlines througout the world.

Collette's reaction to being in Germany was so heartbreaking. This show is on the top of my "must see" list for this season. It is more than just the adventures of flight attendants and pilots. It's history, intrigue and adventure with some fun thrown in.

[Captain Bill]

I enjoyed Sunday nights show, but I do have to make a couple comments.

The crew was at the party in their uniform. If they were making an official visit that Pan Am had planned for them, wearing the uniform would be appropriate. Of course they used the uniforms to crash a party, trying to imply that it was an official visit. Of course that could have gotten them all arrested; and fired in real life.

Pilots and FA's never go out in their uniforms, and to drink while in their uniforms would get them fired. The only time I would have my uniform on after arriving at the hotel is when I've already packed, ready to leave the hotel to go to the airport, and having breakfast in the hotel restaurant.

There has always been an FAA rule prohibiting having a drink within 8 hours of flight. We never got alcohol checks, but if someone in operations suspected we may be under the influence, they could have us checked.

At the party someone asked the Captain if they weren't flying out that night, and they were, and he said, "it's just a little champagne". I felt that was a bad choice for the producers to make. It wasn't necessary in their story line. No crew member in uniform at a function like that is going to have a drink, and especially if they were going to fly that night.

Unfortunately, alcohol is present in the flying profession just as it is in any other profession, and Pan Am had a very strict policy and would fire people for alcohol abuse. The union developed a program that Pan Am accepted, to give offenders a second chance.

They required the abuser to attend a program (don't know if it was AA or a private program). If they fell off the program and/or were caught drinking again, then it was an automatic dismissal.

Here's a true story: A pilot had been caught drinking and Pan Am and the Union (ALPA) placed him in the "program".

At this time we did all of our training and 6-months checks in Miami at the Pan Am Training Center. From San Francisco we deadheaded first class (if available) to MIA for the check, then back.

This pilot was on his way back from his 6-months check and was seated in first class. Apparently he had been drinking before getting on the plane. By the time he finished dinner on the plane he began showing signs of being drunk, so the FA's cut him off.

For some reason, (I don't recall why) he got into an argument with a female passenger sitting across the aisle from him. The argument became heated to the point where he stood up, unzipped his pants and pee'd in her coffee.

She happened to be a cop. She got up and subdued him, and the crew handcuffed him to his seat. Naturally his career with Pan Am was over. I guess one could call that segment "The Last Pee".

It's only funny looking back on it. It is a true story, and actually very sad that an alcohol addiction cost him a career.

One other point, the FA would not have been able to get anywhere near the President's airplane. In that case, coming up there with the cigars, she would probably have been arrested, and the cigars would have all been tested for explosives.

But it makes for good TV suspense.

When I have a little more time, I'll provide some information on the Berlin Corridor that we had to stay within when flying into Berlin. I was only there a few times. One was around 1990 after they were tearing the wall down. Near the Brandenberg Gate, there were many booths selling historical items and pieces of the wall. I bought a piece of the wall approximately 8 inches square, and it also came with a post card photo of a section of the wall.