If Ronald Colman had his way, Gone With The Wind star Vivien Leigh would have played opposite Colman in The Light That Failed, (1939) not Ida Lupino. Continue reading
Greatest July 4th Parade In History of U.S., Held On Fifth Avenue
General view of the great parade proceeding up Fifth Avenue, New York City. photo: Underwood & Underwood July, 4, 1918
There was a time when July 4 did not mean merchandise sales, and a three or four day weekend with barbecues. Continue reading
This magic lantern slide came with absolutely no identifying information.
What can you glean from the photograph?
This early boxy type engine runs on steam and is named “Kingsbridge.” It is almost certainly named after the Bronx neighborhood. Many of the early engines had names like “Brooklyn” and “Spuyten Duyvil.”
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It’s not what you might think. There was no Pride Day 100 years ago. These two members of the armed services shown in the poster above are definitely sharing a moment. But it was not intended to be depicting a gay moment.
Asking for a fag may not be in the parlance of Americans, but to Brits the meaning is very clear. “Do you have a cigarette?” Continue reading
The Original Movie Vampire Learns Intricate Chinese Game
Theda Bara the original movie vampire learned a new game yesterday, while at the Westchester-Biltmore Club. It is called Pung-Chow, the Royal Game of China, played for thousands of years in the land of Confucius, the mystic charm of the East, combined with the excitement and entertainment which Americans demand, and a game for young and old. The game is even more intricate than chess and Miss Bara had the pleasure of being instructed by these two fair Chinese experts. photo: Wide World Photos 12/7//1922
Theda Bara (born Theodosia Goodman 1885-1955) is virtually unknown today because she was a silent star and only six of her films are extant. People usually recognize publicity stills of Bara without necessarily knowing her name as the title character in Cleopatra (1917). That film is lost, as are 40 of Bara’s other movies.
A huge star earning $4,000 per week when there was practically no income tax, Bara slowed down after making dozens of films in the nineteen teens. From 1920-1926 Bara made only more three films.
In 1921 Bara married Continue reading
Willie Mays died June 18, 2024 at the age of 93. The accolades and remembrances will pour in over the next few days. We’ll let two photos and a video serve as a microcosm of a brilliant career that writers will try to summarize but will undoubtedly fall short.
Mays was that good.
If Willie Mays was not the all around best baseball player of all-time he certainly ranks as one of the top five.
The above view of Mays’ 1954 World Series catch was taken by United Press photographer Sid Birns.
The original news slug says: Continue reading
Crowd gathered around the recovered body of a child from the General Slocum, North Brother Island, New York City, June 1904 photo George Ehler Stonebridge / NY Historical Society
This year marks the 120th anniversary of a tragedy that has been mostly forgotten, the General Slocum Disaster.
If you are unfamiliar with the General Slocum and the inferno that killed over 1,000 people, we previously wrote about it here.
Delving deeper into full length accounts of the General Slocum, you have several choices.
A total of eight books and two government reports are solely devoted to the tragedy and encapsulate the story thoroughly. Continue reading
From an approaching boat we see a busy waterfront and the budding skyline of lower Manhattan. Our photo comes from the Detroit Publishing Company archive.
The ship the photographer is aboard is pulling in, and the ferry Stapleton is about to head to Staten Island. Other boats with passengers are docked at their moorings.
The most notable building Continue reading
Yankees second baseman Alfred Manuel “Billy” Martin had a tough childhood growing up in Berkeley, California. A small boy with a large nose, Billy was picked on by the other kids. Billy learned to fight back and hit hard and never back down. But it would cost Martin. He was thrown off his high school basketball and baseball teams for fighting.
Martin’s toughness carried over to the major leagues, fighting players such as Cubs pitcher Jim Brewer, Red Sox outfielder Jimmy Piersall and others who he felt had provoked him. Martin’s most famous fights were with Clint Courtney, a fiery scrapper and the first major league catcher to wear eyeglasses.
This photo above shows their first confrontation, as the news slug describes:
Cut-Up On The Diamond
New York: After a heated exchange of punches, Clint Courtney (right) and Billy Martin of the Yanks continue their brawl in close-quarter action as Joe Collins (41) rushes to break up the fracas. The Brownie catcher, claiming he had been tagged hard on the head, charged at Martin after being thrown out at second base on an attempted steal in the 8th inning of the July 12th game at the stadium. Courtney was ejected from the game after the fight was broken up, but Martin was allowed to remain. Yanks scored a 5-4 victory. photo: Arthur Rickerby United Press International 7-12-1952
Though it’s not mentioned in the news slug, Yankees starting pitcher Allie Reynolds knocked Continue reading
Ringo & Sellers At A Party
Peter Sellers and Beatle drummer Ringo Starr are seen playing roulette at a party at Les Ambassadeurs in London. The party was to celebrate the completion of the film “The Magic Christian” in which they co-star. Among other guests at the party were Beatle John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono who have just bought a 72 acre estate and mansion at Tittenhurst Park, near Ascot, Berks. photo:Syndication International (Daily Mirror) May 5, 1969
One does not necessarily associate Peter Sellers with The Beatles. But strange casting for a strange film brought the two stars of different genres together. Continue reading
