Blank, Ed

Ed Blank hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he was born in 1943.  He was the youngest sibling in his family, and he grew up following in the footsteps of his older brothers and sisters – scouting, college and the ROTC.  The family lived a good life, replete with the luxuries of the 50s, including a Westinghouse TV, though Ed preferred the movies in a theatre, something that became a lifelong passion and career.  Like so many men of his generation, Ed volunteered for the military, and he began active duty in August 1965, and was shortly thereafter deployed to Vietnam.  Ed had been assigned to the Signal Corps, so it was his job to set up and maintain communications networks, especially the telephone lines that were critical to military operations.  Ed was able to get through his year without major incidents, and he returned home ready to pursue his interests; time in NYC came first, where he got caught up on the world of entertainment.  He then headed home to Pittsburgh, where he made his way into the career that had been his lifelong dream and ambition:  film review.  He fell into the rhythms of his new life in Pittsburgh, reconnecting with that silver screen.  Ed Blank was interviewed by Scott Masters during the pandemic winter of 2020; we thank the Veterans’ Breakfast Club for the connection!