Classic Hollywood #7

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Fred Allen, Mary Martin and Jack Benny – 1940

I believe Jack Benny was one of the funniest comedians of all time. Benny could elicit more laughs with a look, gesture or single utterance than other comedians could with an entire monologue.  He became a star in vaudeville and was one of the few entertainers who made the transition to radio, film and eventually television successfully. Although Jack Benny has been dead for over 37 years, he is still fondly remembered by millions of fans.

Radio comedian Fred Allen is almost completely forgotten today. His sharp, acerbic wit Continue reading →

New York City, Traffic Enforcement Agents And Some Rain

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In Honor of Labor Day – A Photographic Essay in Hard Work

Date – July 2011

Time – Morning Rush Hour

Weather – On and Off Light Drizzle

Lots of traffic coming off the FDR Drive and many vehicles moving northbound on York Avenue. The NYC traffic enforcement agents are usually directing traffic here.

61st Street and York Avenue

 

Yet on that same corner – 61st Street and York Ave. It’s dry under here.

Shooting the breeze.

One block away on 61st Street and First Ave.

and finally – 60th Street and First Avenue…under the Queensboro Bridge.

‘Nuff said.

Happy Labor Day.

Death By A Fly Bite

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115 Years Ago, A Boy Mysteriously Dies and a Fly is to Blame

In 1896 you could die at a moment’s notice. There were no antibiotics.  Doctors and scientists were slowly discovering how diseases were spread. Then, as now, the medical and scientific community gets stymied.

For instance, imagine  hundreds of people sharing a glass or cup to drink from a public place where healthy and sick people alike could spread their germs. Yes, people actually did that. And in the U.S. thousands every year got sick or died from that practice. The impetus to invent a disposable cup – to stop spreading disease via communal drinking apparatus led to the Dixie Cup which came on the market in 1907.

But in 1896, before West Nile Virus or Ebola Virus was discovered, something strange and horrible occurred Continue reading →

Ghost Video At Smith Building In Corpus Christi, Texas

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Why Are Ghost Videos Always Poor Quality?

If you are going to record paranormal activity you should remember three things:

1- Have good video equipment, preferably with a good lighting system.

2- Don’t run away if you encounter something strange.

3- Don’t scream.

It always seems that  people who claim to have video proof of ghosts, always have poor evidence. Continue reading →

Old New York in Photos #9 – Coney Island Ring The Bell

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Hit Bell, Win Prize

Coney Island July 5, 1946.

Before the mall-ification of New York, Coney Island had lots of things to do besides the rides. One was this common amusement which was found at lots of carnivals and amusement parks. To test your strength you would swing a large mallet, hitting a levered board with a weight attached to a pole. Hitting it as hard as you could would drive the weight up the pole. If you hit it hard enough, the weight would go the top, anywhere from 10-15 feet from the ground and strike a bell. Doing so would entitle you to a prize.

It was a great way to impress a date, Continue reading →

The Vocal Twin of Geddy Lee of Rush

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Not Geddy Lee – But It Sure Sounds Like Him

They say everyone has a person somewhere in the world who looks just like them, a doppelgänger. But what do you call someone who sounds just like another person?

Tribute bands have proliferated in recent years and they can make a good living performing the works of successful bands present and past.

I’m not into tribute bands, as good as some of them might be. But I ran across this video of the Rush tribute band 2112 performing live. Continue reading →

Q: Where Can You Buy Hires Root Beer? A: Nowhere. Killing A Product – The Demise of Hires

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Hires – The First Root Beer, Dying A Slow, Prolonged Death

(This article is from 2011 and has updates at the end through 2025)

I know soda isn’t good for you. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and many nutritionists would like to slap a soda tax on sugary beverages.

I try not to drink a lot of soda, but I have a sweet spot in my heart for Hires Root Beer. I love the stuff. It is by far the best root beer ever made and I have tried many of them:  IBC, Stewart’s, Mug, A&W, Dr. Brown’s and about a dozen or more other smaller regional brands, and none compare to the unique, smooth taste of Hires.  But I have not had a sip of Hires in over six years.

I did not forsake Hires.  Instead the brand has slowly been vanishing off the shelves of supermarkets in an ever widening circle over the past 20 years. It is now unavailable in most portions of the United States and Canada.

How did the oldest continually produced soft drink and for many years, most popular root beer Continue reading →

Lou Gehrig Beats The Throw Home

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Solving A Photographic Mystery

People have asked where we get the photos for this web site.  Mostly the online resources at various libraries and eBay have been used.  Sometimes they are part of the contributors photo collections.

This phenomenal photo of Lou Gehrig sliding into home plate is one of millions of photographs available at the Library of Congress web site.  In the old days the photographers were allowed to be on the field during baseball games. There were no Continue reading →

Old New York in Photos #8 Fifth Avenue North From The Plaza 1930

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Fifth Avenue Looking North from The Plaza (59th Street) 1930

Two way vehicular traffic is probably a shocking thing to see on Fifth Avenue, but in 1930 it was the norm.  We’re looking north from 59th Street. The Sherry-Netherland Hotel is on the right. Continue reading →

Starting On Defense For The Chicago Blackhawks…#4 Bobby Orr

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What’s Wrong With This Picture?

(Bobby Orr – October 9, 1976 –  Blackhawks vs. Islanders)

Contrary to any record book, hockey encyclopedia, photographic evidence, existing video or first hand account, Bobby Orr never, ever  played for any other team but the Boston Bruins. This was just a bad dream.