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R.I.P. Charles J. Ouda
Sudden death always feels like a sucker punch, sometimes more than others. I just got the word that Kenyan actor Charles J. (“Charli”) Ouda has passed away at the age of 38. I had the happiness to...
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James Dean: Young Man in a Hurry
You see what I did there, right? It wasn’t easy. Just TRY to find an unglamorous photograph of James Dean (1931-1955). Naturally, to focus my search, I went to “as old man in Giant“, calculating that...
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A Jumble of James Murrays
I categorically discourage this sort of thing but an acquaintance recently approached me and asked whether the James Murray he saw in some vintage advertising for a vaudeville bill that featured Bob...
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Carmen Miranda: The Brazilian Bombshell
Today’s post on Carmen Miranda (1909-1955) goes out to another Carmen M, my friend Carmen Mofungo (Michele Carlo), one of the many performers influenced and inspired by the Brazilian star. (Michele...
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Harry Beaumont: From Main Street to Maisie
Harry Beaumont (1888-1966) is not regarded today as a great cinematic auteur, and perhaps he shouldn’t be in terms of such matter as camera placement, shot composition, and so forth (and to be fair,...
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On the “Camel Caravan” and Related Expeditions
The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company was incorporated on this day in 1890. I’m not here to celebrate or endorse their product, but RJR did leave a camel print in the shifting sands of show business and...
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The Sad Saga of the Other David Steinberg
I say “the other” because the better known David Steinberg was a Canadian stand-up comedian who was popular in the 1970s. The one who concerns us today was David J. Steinberg (1965-2010). This David...
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A Century Ago Today: The Premiere of “Rhapsody in Blue”
I’ve little original to say upon the the topic, but I cannot let it go unobserved: today marks 100 years since George Gershwin premiered his Rhapsody in Blue at Aeolian Hall in New York (February 12,...
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A Proper Post on George Segal
According to the master calendar that makes this blog happen, there are numerous new people I could be writing about on this Fat Tuesday — but I find I want to talk some more about George Segal...
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For National Ferris Wheel Day: On Some Big Wheels
Something appropriate there is about the fact that National Ferris Wheel Day and Valentine’s Day are one and the same. I can’t think of a more romantic date activity than a ride on one of those...
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Jack Benny is “The Medicine Man” (1930) — Or IS He?
And though it is Jack Benny’s birthday, and I am developing a longish piece about Benny’s movies, the precipitating cause of this post is that February 14 ALSO happens to be the birthday of Eva Novak...
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150 Years Ago: The Birth of Ernest Shackleton
150 years ago today: the birth of Polar Explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922). It gives me particular pleasure to write about him on the day after Valentine’s Day, for Shackleton was one of many...
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The Murder of Hokum W. Jeebs
On this day in 2011, Professor Hokum W. Jeebs (Robert Stabile, b. 1951) breathed his last. This is a story of the New Vaudeville, but sounds for all the world like something from the Very Old...
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The Mel Welles Centennial
For a goodly stretch there, when I was about 20 years old, my very favorite movie in all the world was Roger Corman’s original 1960 Little Shop of Horrors (which is one of the many reasons I’ve never...
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The Other Little Caesar
Though we have been writing about lots of corporate brands of late, we regret to advise that today’s post is not about the pizza chain. Nor even the 1931 gangster movie with Edward G. Robinson. But it...
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Hope Hampton: The Duchess of Park Avenue
A few words on the brief career of Hope Hampton (Mae Elizabeth Hampton,1897-1982). Hampton was a Philadelphia beauty pageant queen who was spotted by pioneering producer Jules Brulatour while working...
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William Dunlap: One Eye on the Future
It is our pleasure this morning to tell you about Early American Renaissance Man William Dunlap (1766-1839). Dunlap’s most significant contributions were in the theatre, but he was also a noteworthy...
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The Travalanche Hall of Presidents
Happy Presidents Day! Young people may not know this, but ostensibly this is not a day for ALL the Presidents, just Washington and Lincoln. We used to celebrate them each as separate holidays but they...
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Little Gloria…Happy At Last
Gloria Vanderbilt (1924-2019) was born 100 years ago today. Hers is a name that has meant something different to every American generation. Contemporary people may or may not recognize her as the...
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The Other Charles King
It amuses me especially to title this post “the OTHER Charles King” since it’s likely that precious few readers have ever heard of the first one we wrote about here. As it happens, today’s Charles...
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