Hey you Boomers. There was a time when tv studios in Florida were making out Miami--Ft Lauderdale to be the Hollywood of the east. We had all kinds of programming--Flipper, Surfside Six, Everglades, Gentle Ben, Whirly Bird...usually Ivan Tors had the special effects with the aquatic scenes and there was some swingin' stuff goin' on with the 77 Sunset Strip wannabees at the Fountainbleau. or maybe it was the Eden Roc.
I was just a little cadet then, and my heroes have always been a little on the super side. Lincoln Vail was the police/ranger for the Everglades County Department. He was sooooooo cool. But the star of that show, really all the shows, was Florida. Route 66 had an episode set at Weeki Wachee, which I recently viewed courtesy of former Mermaid Barbara Wynns. It was Fabulous. The boys in the corvette go to Weeki and meet a real mermaid. I actually swam in that water!!! George Maharis and Martin Milner. Wow. But then again, it was really all about the Spring. What I loved about those shows was how natural Florida looked --it had a really different identity. A bit of a mystery there. You would never know it now....
Florida. Yeah. Let's hope Weeki Wachee State Park keeps that old Florida flavor. Something between an orange creamsicle and smell of new cut grass....
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