Pullman Porter Video Update

Lee Wesley Gibson, 100, (pictured) is not the oldest surviving Pullman Porter. Ben Isaacs, 105, is.

That's the Los Angeles Times update to its touching video profile of Gibson, which was recently showcased on KobreGuide: Pullman Porter and Family Patriarch.

Mel Melcon's audio slideshow detailed how working for Union Pacific Railroad for 38 years enabled Gibson to create his most cherished legacy -- his multi-generational family.

But when that story appeared, it prompted Andrew Isaacs to call the newspaper's attention to his older brother Ben, whose railroad career spanned the years 1936 to 1968... and is now 105.

The 100-year-old Gibson said he was pleased to learn that Isaacs — a man he once knew — was still alive.

"I had no idea," he said. "I've had no contact with him since we retired."

You can read about Isaacs' story here ... but unfortunately there's no video to accompany it!

If you thought this blog update was a thinly veiled ruse to call your attention to the original terrific video about Gibson, you're right! So go look!

9 Weddings in 9 Minutes, 9/09/09, 9 Guests Each, at a 99 Cents Store

Sure, it's a publicity stunt for the 99 Cents Only store in Hollywood -- inviting nine couples to get married in consecutive ceremonies that each lasted nine minutes, on September 9, 2009.

But the Los Angeles Times took the opportunity to create an upbeat, if slightly surreal, audio slideshow of the event. It gives new meaning to "walking down the aisle."

The images are cleverly accompanied by only the voice of the non-denominational minister conducting the ceremonies. All other info must be gleaned from the accompanying text:

Each couple was allowed to bring nine guests. The couples were supplied with a wedding cake, drinks and fruit after the morning ceremonies. A limousine was provided for the couples and their guests, taking them to the Griffith Park Observatory. The couples were also given a $100 bill in exchange for a penny, and a one-night stay with dinner and breakfast at a hotel in Brentwood.

We would have liked to hear more from the couples themselves -- how they got wrangled into this, what their friends and family think about it, whether they registered at the store. Perhaps the Times will be industrious enough to revisit the couples and see how their marriages are progressing -- next July 11 at a 7-Eleven!

Watch it here.

Photography and audio by Mel Melcon, produced by Bryan Chan.