Part of a continuing weekly series on Alaska history by local historian David Reamer. Have a question about Anchorage or Alaska history or an idea for a future article? Go to the form at the bottom of this story.

On Dec. 14, 1970, the portly, hirsute Sebastian Cabot, star of the long-running “Family Affair” sitcom, exited his plane and entered the Anchorage airport where a throng of waiting fans immediately engulfed him. The actor was in town to record a commercial for the Hotel Captain Cook, and his arrival had been trumpeted for days with large advertisements printed in the local newspapers.

Anchorage had been the largest city in Alaska since its 1940s military buildup and construction boom, but cultural relevance was something apart and slower to obtain. In 1970, Anchorage had only just begun to acquire some of the touchstones long since familiar to significant Outside cities. The first live satellite broadcast here was the Apollo 11 mission to the moon in 1969. The next such live broadcast was a Jan. 3, 1971 NFL playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. The first McDonald’s here opened in the summer of 1970, but the first local multi-screen movie theater was still two years away. It would be more than a decade before Anchorage had an arena nice enough to entice major performing artists, those not content to play at a high school. So, a visiting TV star was like an unexpected holiday in 1970 Anchorage.

The London-born Cabot had acted for years before unexpectedly finding popular acclaim with a television comedy. There were minor movie roles and guest appearances on shows like “Bonanza,” “Beverly Hillbillies,” “My Three Sons,” “Red Skelton Hour,” and “The Twilight Zone.” Then he won the breakout role on “Family Affair,” which aired from 1966 to 1971. Longtime residents might recall it playing on KTVA Channel 11. He played Mr. French, an effete manservant for a committed bachelor. When the bachelor’s nephew and two nieces are sent to live with him, Mr. French became a combination butler and nanny. Heartwarming comedy ensued.

The Mr. French role was of a once common trope, the butler or nanny to an extended or found family. Later examples include Robert Guillaume as Benson on “Soap” and its spinoff “Benson,” Christopher Hewett as Mr. Belvedere on “Mr. Belvedere,” and Fran Drescher as the nanny on “The Nanny.” Indeed, television butlers were once so prominent on sitcoms that it raises the question: were butlers ever common in upper middle- and higher-class American families? Long ago, yes. In recent decades, including when these shows aired, not so much.

Younger media consumers are more likely to recognize Cabot from his voice. He was Sir Ector and the narrator in the 1963 animated Disney feature “The Sword in the Stone,” which was coincidentally playing at the Fourth Avenue Theatre when the 1964 Good Friday earthquake struck. Arthur was not pulling Excalibur from the stone when the quake hit, despite an enduring urban legend. Cabot was also Bagheera in the 1967 “Jungle Book.” And he was the narrator for several 1960s and 1970s “Winnie the Pooh” films.

Cabot was in Anchorage, his first visit to Alaska, to shoot a commercial for the Crow’s Nest restaurant at the Hotel Captain Cook. Management there chose Cabot for two main reasons. First, his urbane public persona mirrored the sort of mannered, high-end clientele they sought. In other words, they wanted the rub, the positive association with some as obviously cultured as Cabot. He had already recorded several radio commercials for the hotel. Second, he was willing to travel to Anchorage in December. Preferences and practicalities rule all our lives.

The Hotel Captain Cook was constructed in a downtown Anchorage devastated by the 1964 earthquake. The original building and the Crow’s Nest opened in 1965. The second and third towers were completed in 1972 and 1978.

Upon Cabot’s arrival, fans noted he seemed notably older in appearance and shorter than expected. The quality of television broadcasts then hid many a blemish and wrinkle. And production magic continues to make many actors seem taller than they are in reality. More importantly, he acted like a generous star, professional and kind to everyone he met.

He landed Monday evening with his wife Kay and their 13-year-old daughter Yvonne. On Tuesday, he appeared at the Jesse Lee Home and elsewhere around town. On Wednesday, he and family enjoyed a flight to Talkeetna where they lunched. Back in Anchorage that afternoon, he signed more than 1,000 autographs at a public event in the hotel’s Discovery Room. That evening, he charmed the local press at a cocktail party. The event featured hors d’oeuvres personally prepared by Cabot, who had worked as a chef before the acting career took off. He also shopped for some of the ingredients and was shocked at the fresh vegetable prices.

His Wednesday schedule focused on the commercial shoot, but he found time to try mushing. Unsurprisingly, he struggled and was dumped on his rear at the first turn. His daughter, however, ran her six-dog team around the course with little issue. Work and fun concluded, the family returned home that Thursday.

The commercial thankfully survives as a record of this time. A young, fashionable couple visiting the hotel for a meal at the Crow’s Nest enter and encounter Cabot several times. He is exiting an elevator when they arrive. At the entrance to the restaurant, he is the maître d’. As the increasingly bewildered couple is led to the table, they pass Cabot as the bartender and are then greeted by Cabot as the waiter. The commercial cuts to the kitchen to reveal Cabot as the chef.

Cabot, of course, narrates. “There are some of us who simply do not enjoy the barbarism of rolling up our shirtsleeves and digging into a meal as if it were an excavation site.” Instead, Cabot suggests, “Take your regal appreciations to the Crow’s Nest of the Captain Cook Hotel. Besides the lavish dinner and wine menu, the Crow’s Nest offers a kind of aestheticism that you simply don’t often find in the colonies.” Yes, the term “colonies” stands out for its inclusion in a scripted commercial intended for an American audience.

Mike Ellis Advertising and Public Relations produced the commercial. While four and a half hours were scheduled for Cabot’s scenes, the crew completed shooting in less than half that. The director, Darrell Comstock, said, “Cabot was high professional. Many times we did just one take of a scene. He knew what was wanted and did it.” The Daily News quoted an unnamed crewmember: “Very pleasant, professional, not stuffy, competent, a real guy.” The couple there for dinner in the advertisement were filmed separately, later.

Most local commercials, particularly from before the internet, are now lost media, perhaps more so in Alaska than elsewhere. Copies, if they exist, are forgotten in closets and basements, or incidentally captured on similarly forgotten VHS recordings. More likely, any copies were long since trashed, taped over, or taped over and trashed. Anchorage’s lost media treasures currently include commercials for No Frills furniture and Mafia Mike’s Pizza Parlor, the original version of the local Pizza Hut jingle (“337-2-3-2-3”), the legendary 1989 match between Mr. Perfect and Bret “The Hitman” Hart at the Sullivan Arena, or anything Cal Worthington got up to. If you are sitting on a stash of local broadcast recordings, please reach out.

Still, there are the occasional surprise discoveries. The Cabot commercial for the Crow’s Nest was found on a VHS tape recovered from a dumpster and sold on Facebook, making its way to Elizabeth Kell and Kevin Allen of the YouTube channel Taku for Two, which is devoted to recovering and archiving analog media on Alaska. Kell and Allen digitized and preserved this odd little moment of local cultural history. Thus, old memories are recovered and new experiences are made.

• • •

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Colony High School students in the choir, orchestra and marching band rehearsed for the last time before flying to Ireland for a long-awaited trip.

Dr. Jamin Burton, Band Director at Colony High School, said making this trip happen has required years of planning and fundraising. This isn’t the first big step his music students have taken – Colony musicians have played at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and in Normandy, France.

Inside the Anchorage dome the marching band ran through several of the songs they’re set to play in multiple performances during their trip, marching on the field preparing to keep their form while on foreign streets.

“Band is just such a great thing for everyone to be a part of because it teaches you, teamwork teaches you responsibility,” high school sophomore and snare drum player Kourtney Allen said. Allen’s sister was part of the group that went to France in 2019, and this time her parents are coming along too. Allen expected the trip to be work intensive to make their performances shine, but Allen said that’s part of the fun.

Bridger McIntosh, a senior trumpet player planning to study music theater at the University of Montana School of Music said this was the first time the band has performed together in several months. “It’s kind of awesome to see the band back together,” McIntosh said. “I just feel like we’ve really bonded, and I feel like we keep going doing that going forward.”

The groups are going to hit the ground running upon arrival, Burton said their plan is to go directly from the airport to their first performance and wake up the next morning for another event – but he felt ready for the pace.

“All the logistics are done. The passports are in, the music’s ready, I’m feeling pretty confident now… if you asked me that 24 hours ago, it would have been a different story,” Burton said, “but feel like we’re there now.”

Burton said he believes their groups were chosen for their reputation – Colony students have proven they’re able to hold up under the pressure.

″When you go to those types of events and you perform well and logistically, when you’re organized,“ he said, “then people are like, ‘Oh, that’s a group that can handle the stress, the preparation, the logistics and the fundraising,’ and then it all comes together.”

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March is not the typical month to start thinking about summer travel.

But this is not a typical March. With little to no snow on the ground, travelers are itchy to make plans for a great adventure.

Springtime is officially “early season” too. Still, it’s hard to imagine that next month is the beginning of cruise season in Alaska.

Norwegian Cruise Lines offers some solid deals on the first cruises of the year aboard the Norwegian Jade.

Sail on April 28 from Whittier all the way to Vancouver, B.C., for as little as $492 per person, double occupancy. That’s the price for an inside cabin. It’s $50 more for an oceanview cabin. Do you want a balcony? That’s a little more: $712 per person.

Something wonderful is happening to cruise prices this year, thanks to a new law in California. The Consumer Legal Remedies Act requires companies operating in the state to include all mandatory taxes and fees in the initial price.

Previously, cruise companies could advertise super-low prices, then tack on hundreds of dollars in fees, taxes and port charges later. That scheme is no longer allowed: Prices must be all-inclusive.

Three more sailings in May on the Norwegian Jade are available for $518-$542 per person, double. Ports of call for the Jade include Vancouver, B.C., Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait (Hoonah) and Whittier. Travelers are responsible for their own airfare to or from Vancouver.

One cruise offer for Alaskans really stands out. Alaskan Dream Cruises, based in Sitka, operates a fleet of small ships, for 40-89 passengers. Instead of sailing to or from Seattle or Vancouver, the ships cruise between Juneau and Sitka, taking in out-of-the-way sights and spending more time in places like Glacier Bay.

For the past few years, the company has offered an early-season discount for Alaska residents. This spring, Alaskan Dream Cruise has four sailings in May at 70% off.

Because the ships are smaller, the regular prices are more: exceeding $5,000 for a weeklong itinerary. The price includes accommodations, all activities (including kayaks and guided excursions to beaches along the way) and meals. With the discount, prices start at $1,529 per person. Sure, that’s more than a cruise on the big ships. But with fewer people and a smaller ship, travelers get a little more elbow room.

There are three itineraries available at the Alaska resident rate. Sailing dates range from May 17 and May 30. Ports include Petersburg, Sitka, Auke Bay (near Juneau) and the company’s private lodge at Orca Point, on Colt Island.

Travelers can go to the website and check out the itineraries, but no online booking is permitted. The Alaska resident special only is available over the phone: 855-747-8100.

Alaska is not the only destination where cruise companies are offering specials. But the Alaska specials are a good excuse for travelers along the Railbelt to explore the beautiful Inside Passage, including Juneau and Ketchikan.

Carnival Cruises offers a good deal on the Panorama between Long Beach and Baja California. Prices start at $503 per person, departing May 18. Ports include Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas. All taxes and fees are included in the price.

There are other specials on cruises that stay closer to shore.

Both Kenai Fjords Tours and Major Marine Tours are offering four-hour cruises of Resurrection Bay from Seward. Watch for gray whales as well as birds and wildlife on the shore. There might even be some sea lions on the rocks.

Kenai Fjords Tours offers a “Kids Sail Free” special. Adults can sail for as little as $99 and two kids (age 2-11 years) can cruise free through May 15. A hot lunch is included on the cruise.

Major Marine Tours offers Alaska residents a 20% discount on all cruises, including summertime sailings on the six-hour national park cruises. If travelers choose to book a hotel stay at Harbor360 Hotel, Major Marine will offer a 25% discount on both the hotel and the cruise (through April 30). To receive the Alaska resident special, travelers must call to book: 907-224-8030. Proof of residency is required at check-in.

For a land-lubber’s getaway, check out Alyeska Resort, where they offer Alaska residents up to 30% off the base rate.

The Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, which now opens in March for spring and summer stays, offers a 30% discount for travelers who stay between March 27 and May 4. Use the coupon code “SPRING.” The regular price is $225 per night, plus $28 in taxes. Using the coupon brings the total to $186.38 per night.

If you’re traveling from Anchorage to the Kenai Peninsula by air this summer, there are changes in the works.

Between Anchorage and Homer, Ravn Alaska has ended its daily service. That leaves Aleutian Air the only operator, with two flights each day on the Saab 2000 aircraft. Aleutian charges $145-$180 each way.

Between Anchorage and Kenai, the situation is a little different. Grant Aviation offers 22 flights per day. Kenai Aviation has another five flights per day. Both carriers use planes that can accommodate nine passengers.

Beginning June 6, Aleutian Air will start operating twice each day, using the Saab 2000 aircraft, which seats 50 passengers. Initially, Aleutian plans two flights each day. Right now, Aleutian is just matching the fare charged by the other carriers: $145 each way.

On June 9, Aleutian resumes its seasonal service between Anchorage and King Salmon with two flights each day. Alaska Airlines also flies the route twice each day.

Special rates for Alaskans to explore the state take the sting out of high travel costs. Just as important: The deals offer residents a chance to see a slice of their own backyard … vast as it is.