Vic Cianca Directing Traffic | Historic Pittsburgh

1975

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Title
Vic Cianca Directing Traffic
Creator
Beal, Bill
Identifier
1187
Source Identifier
bb.vic
Description
Shown here working at the intersection of 6th Avenue and Grant Street, Vic Cianca developed an unusual traffic-directing style that earned him local and nationwide notoriety. Bored by the monotony of directing traffic, Cianca developed his distinctive style to keep himself and commuters alert during rush hour. Cianca's antics led to a spot on a 1964 episode of Candid Camera, which turned out to be one of the series' most popular segments. Cianca's appearance led to requests for television and radio interviews, as well as invitations to direct traffic in other towns. He also had a cameo role in the 1983 movie Flashdance. The traffic at this busy intersection includes not only cars and buses, but also trolleys. Pittsburgh once had one of the most extensive trolley systems in the country, with over 600 miles of track connecting the city with its outlying suburbs. During the 1960s, the Port Authority of Allegheny County began replacing trolley service with buses, leaving streetcars only on routes that used the Mt. Washington Tunnel to service the South Hills. Some of the trolleys in this clip would be eventually replaced by Port Authority's light rail service.
Type
moving image
Genre
motion pictures (visual works)
Contributor
Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center
Collection
William G. Beal Moving Images
Rights Information
In Copyright. This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).. Rights Holder: Senator John Heinz History Center
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Copyright Note
The Senator John Heinz History Center is the copyright owner of this material. The clips presented on this site are for personal, research and educational purposes only. Duplication of any of these images for commercial purposes is expressly prohibited.
Rights Holder
Senator John Heinz History Center