Classic Hollywood #154 – Dolores Moran

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17-Year-Old Dolores Moran Takes Up Boxing To Stay In Shape – 1943

In 1941, Warner Bros. talent scout Solly Baiano went to an Elks Lodge picnic in Sacramento, CA. for a talent try-out for young people. As usual at events like these, there was no talent at the picnic. But as Baiano was walking back to his car he stopped in his tracks when he came upon Dolores Moran sitting near his path eating a hot dog. Baiano froze and just stared at Moran later saying she “struck me blind.”

Dolores Moran was just 15-years-old. She had not entered the talent contest thinking she was too young. At five foot seven and 123 pounds the well developed teen was just the type of talent Baiano was looking for. Continue reading →

The Politically Incorrect Postage Stamp

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U.S. Postage Stamp – “Retarded Children Can Be Helped”

Don’t dare call somebody retarded unless you want scorn heaped upon you.

In the twenty-first century the word retard has been put on a list of verboten words never to be uttered, unless you wish to appall your fellow conversationalist or intend to incur the wrath of the word police. It wasn’t always this way.

The United States Postal Service issued the Retarded Children Can Be Helped stamp October 12, 1974. Over 150 million Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #153 – Marilyn Monroe Wins An Award

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Marilyn Monroe, Charlton Heston and Rock Hudson At The 1962 Golden Globe Awards

Charlton Heston admires his Golden Globe Award for Most Popular Male Star as Marilyn Monroe is embraced by Rock Hudson who awarded Marilyn the Golden Globe’s Henrietta Award as The World’s Most Popular Female Star at The Beverly Hilton Hotel.photo: Golden Globe Awards, March 5, 1962

It may come as no surprise that Marilyn Monroe never won an Academy Award. She was never even nominated for one. Despite strong performances in Bus Stop and Some Like It Hot Marilyn was considered by many in the Hollywood community as a personality rather than a true  actress.

But Marilyn’s popularity with the public never waned, at least internationally. Continue reading →

Celebrating Armistice Day In New York – 1918

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New Yorkers Celebrate The End Of  The Great War

November 11 originally known as Armistice Day commemorates the formal end of World War I.

The Armistice which ended the Great War on November 11, 1918 was greeted with elation all over the world. In New York tens of thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate. The news slug says:

New York City – A cart filled with celebrants added the noise of their drums and cymbals to their cheers as they rode through the streets. photo: Wide World Photos November 11, 1918

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Old New York In Photos #160 – 38th Street Between 11th & 12th Avenues

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An Area Surrounded By Change, 38th Street Off 11th Avenue – 1934

This photograph taken by Percy Loomis Sperr on August 31, 1934 shows a mostly desolate section of the west side of Manhattan. 38th Street between 11th and 12th Avenues has still not been absorbed by the Hudson Yards building boom.

There has been great change, but there are many vacant lots and Incredibly nearly 90 years later, Continue reading →

This AC/DC Demo Turned Into One Of Their Most Iconic Songs

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AC/DC Rejected Dirty Eyes, Instead Using The Same Riff For Whole Lotta Rosie

Plus The Only Known Photograph Of The Real Life “Rosie”

AC/DC’s singer / lyricist Bon Scott once described himself not as a poet, but more a bathroom graffiti writer.

Though Bon Scott was self effacing, he could look at his own work honestly to see if there was room for improvement. Scott would frequently write and rewrite lyrics in notebooks and record on portable tape recorder he carried with him.

In one case he took a good rock song and made it a great song by completely changing the lyrics. Continue reading →

Not A Halloween Prop, Long Island Boys Find A Human Skull In A Torture Device

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Long Island Kids Dig Up A Real Skeleton Horror – 1934

This news photograph showing a skull that might be a prop from a Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi horror film, are the actual remains of an ancient criminal that were discovered two centuries after his demise.

The news slug explains: Continue reading →

When A Man Tried To Enlist In The Navy’s WAVES -1965

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A 1965 Civil Rights Test – For All The Wrong Reasons

In these peculiar times where rules (and logic) are constantly challenged when it comes to gender, sex and discrimination, we are often oblivious to historical precedents.

In 1965 the idea that a man could be a join an organization, team, or club exclusively comprised of women (and vice versa) was considered unacceptable by consensus. Today, the situation Continue reading →

Irish New York 1964 – From Earl Wilson’s New York

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A Vanished Irish New York Described By Columnist Earl Wilson

The Bronx, Gaelic Park, Irish Bars and Dance Halls

Earl Wilson (1907 – 1987) was a New York Post based nationally syndicated columnist (It Happened Last Night). Wilson also wrote several books during his nearly fifty year journalism career.

Among Wilson’s best books is an atypical guide book to New York called Earl Wilson’s New York (Simon and Schuster, 1964).

While Wilson covers some of the usual touristy things to do, such as where to stay and eat, he also writes about “Where To Find A Psychiatrist For Your Dog” Continue reading →

1969 World Series – Mets Manager Gil Hodges Gets A Call Overturned

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No Instant Replay, But Mets Manager Gil Hodges Convinces Umpire Lou DiMuro To Overturn A Call In Game 5 Of The 1969 World Series

If Gil Hodges wasn’t considered an honest man, the Mets might not have won game five of the 1969 World Series. Continue reading →