“This is originally a naval term, referring to the pole or area on the
mast of a ship where the flag is flown under way. This area is about
three flag widths tall above the ship’s main structure to allow for the
occasional two-flag display (the US flag always on top) and room for
lowering the flag to half mast. Because the mast area and the pole at a
ship’s stern are short, half mast is one flag width below the top. A
flag pole is not a mast, so the flag should not be flown half-way up a
tall pole. It is properly raised briskly to the block (top) and lowered
slowly one flag width to the “half-mast” position. This makes it clearly
not “two-blocked” and signals respect, but still keeps the flag high
enough to prevent fouling and the sloppy appearance of a “half-pole”
position, especially if the flag is very large. The flag, even at half
mast, should be fully visible and flying freely and proudly in the wind.”
- Richard Olsen
AFAIK, Arness had announced his retirement from the show, so CBS mapped over its slot. When Arness changed his mind, they were short a half-hour to slot it back in, so GI got the axe - unexpectedly and not because of any failing of the show or ratings.
I don’t have a cite but this resonates with other instructions I’ve read - it may be in the Bluejacket’s Manual or another naval reference.
In any case, the stories told about this shot are not “there’s a flag at half mast, therefore it must have been shot right after 11/22” but “these scenes were shot just after 11/22, and by the way…”
Possible, but not in the version I heard. According to Wiki (not the only place I’ve read this):
*In 1959, James T. Aubrey, Jr., became the president of CBS. Under Aubrey, the network became the most popular on television with shows like The Beverly Hillbillies and Gilligan’s Island. However, Paley’s personal favorite was Gunsmoke; in fact, he was such a fan of Gunsmoke that, upon its threatened cancellation in 1967, he demanded that it be reinstated, a dictum that led to the abrupt demise of Gilligan’s Island, which had already been renewed for a fourth season. *
I just watched the first season intro. While more than halfway up the staff (or mast; it could have been flying on a boat), the flag is definitely not at its peak, which is the normal position when not in mourning.
I’ve heard the 22 November story in interviews with Schwartz and the cast, and I believe it’s mentioned in the docudrama/biopic. So it’s not just referenced in third-party sites.
Not quite. Anyone can submit edits to IMDB. The staff decide which edits to include. Somebody has to decide that the edit is both credible and interesting enough to include. I’ve submitted several, and about half of them weren’t added.
“My understanding is that the flag is theoretically not flown at “half” mast, but one flag’s depth down from the masthead (in practice, it’s often more than that) to allow for the “invisible flag of death” to be flown at the top of the mast. The idea goes back to mediaeval times, I think.” https://flagspot.net/flags/xf-half.html#origin
I am at work, so I can’t watch the clip. Just wanted to contribute that if the staff has a crossbar, the rules state that the flag is at half-staff when the top of the flag is just below the crossbar. My command in Maine had a flagpole with a crossbar (I am an aviation sailor, I don’t remember the nautical terms). If we were at half-staff, would raise it all the way up, then lower it to a position just below the crossbar. Does the flagpole in the clip have a crossbar?
I read that last sentence as “one flag height down” - which is exactly where the flag in the GI credits is. Also comments about a higher hoist to avoid fouling, etc.
You’re apparently right. I checked my sources and I’ve apparently conflated some comments about Arness with an unclear reference about who was responsible for restoring the show to the list. It appears to be one of Paley’s famously unilateral decisions.
But it’s all BECAUSE Matt Dillon had a pair of clangers, right?
**Wrong. Here is a publication from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The flag is flown at “half-staff”. Notice the position of the flag at the beginning of the first page.
Not that it’s relevant to the question, but in AUS ‘half-mast’ is defined to mean ‘low enough so that it doesn’t look like it just sagged a bit’, and 1/3 down is the suggested position.
