Passing the lake in Central Park a few days ago you could see it was partially frozen. There were no skaters, as skating on lakes is now forbidden in New York City Parks. Continue reading
“Next!” Says Make-up Artist Buddy Westmore
Screen and radio character actress Agnes Moorehead has been properly aged for her role of a 105-year-old woman in Walter Wanger’s “The Lost Moment,” by Buddy Westmore, Universal-International make-up head. The transparent lightweight facial appliance required four hours to apply and one hour to remove. The Lost Moment stars Robert Cummings and Susan Hayward and was directed by Martin Gabel. Photo: Universal International June 30, 1947
Maybe Moorehead’s face looks 105, but not her legs.
Agnes Moorehead (1900-1974) did not gain movie notoriety until she was 41. Her first film was quite memorable – Citizen Kane. Moorehead’s enduring fame to a younger generation was for playing Samantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery) mother Endora on the television show Bewitched.
In a strange twist, Agnes Moorehead’s mother Mary Mildred McCauley Moorehead died June 8, 1990, sixteen years after her daughter. She was 106-years-old.
If you look at the credits on classic films you may notice the name Westmore appearing frequently. Continue reading
Photograph shows where New York City’s Equitable Building was struck by an anti-aircraft shell. March 13, 1942 Photo: AP
The old Equitable Building at 120 Broadway was destroyed by fire January 9, 1912.
A different sort of accident occurred thirty years later to the new Equitable Building.
On Friday, March 13, 1942 during World War II, eight anti-aircraft shells were mistakenly launched by the army from the East River. The Equitable Building was hit by one of the 37 millimeter shells. Continue reading
Old-Timers To Make Comeback Try
Hollywood, Calif – This young sextet of “old-timers” of the movies are no doubt familiar to you. In case they’re not, photo shows, (left to right): “Our Gang’s” Alfalfa Switzer; singer Bobby Breen; infant star Baby Sandy; Jane Withers; Spanky McFarland; and Bobby “Sooky” Coogan, Jackie Coogan’s brother. They are all playing in one picture with Jane Withers, each trying to make a comeback in his own right. credit: Acme 1942
The motion picture referred to is a 1942 feature film, Johnny Doughboy.
Actress Jane Withers died on August 7, 2021 at the age of 95. Continue reading
This is one of those bizarro publicity shots put out by the movie studios to get your attention. It got ours. The caption says: Continue reading
Baby Ruth Pontico Ringling Bros Circus Fat Lady 1941 photo AP
Weighing 16 pounds at birth does not necessarily mean you will become the Fat Lady of the circus. But during a time in history when people enjoyed staring at human oddities, its better to be paid for having people gawk at you.
Ruth Smith was born on February 8, 1902 in Kempton, Indiana. At age one her weight was fifty pounds. By age ten she was 300 pounds. Continue reading
Bobby Brown 1946. photo Acme
Bobby Brown (Oct. 24, 1924- March 25, 2021) the golden boy Yankee star whose brief career in pinstripes bridged two star-studded Yankee eras, died Thursday March 25 in Fort Worth, TX.
After batting .341 in 148 games at Newark in his only minor league season, Brown was a late September 1946 call-up to the Yankees, playing in only seven games for the big club that year. In this brief stint, Brown made quite an impression with his sure fielding and batting .333 by going 8 for 24.
There’s probably few players more qualified than Red Sox superstar Ted Williams to point out a rival’s strengths .
After playing the Yankees, Ted Williams honed in on how good Brown and another Yankees call-up, Yogi Berra were. In the September 26, Boston Daily Globe Williams wrote:
“Of the new Yankee players I’ve seen the last couple of days, the one who has impressed me the most as a bright prospect, is Bobby Brown, the shortstop. And I’ve seen quite a few of their new players: pitchers Al Lyons and Karl Drews, catcher Larry Berra whom the call “The Yogi,” and he has the facial appearance to fit the name; third baseman Joe Bockman and outfielder Frank Coleman.
Berra is a little man who seems to be all muscles. He looks like he can hit a ball a long way if he connects. The others didn’t show too much, except for Brown. He looks the part of a ballplayer. I thought so when I first saw him in uniform before he even made a play or hit a ball.
The thing I liked best about Brown is that he will make the right play all the time. He showed me something in two games I haven’t seen all season. Twice he came up with a hard hit ball and threw out one of our runners trying to make third from second base. That is one of the most difficult plays for a shortstop to make and he did it twice in as many games as though he had been doing it all his life,
Bobby has a swell pair of hands. He can run well. Up at bat he reminds me of Red Rolfe. I think he hits at a ball the way the Yankee coach and old third baseman did. He takes a sharp cut at the ball.”
Bobby Brown played alongside the 1930s-40s era Yankee greats; Joe DiMaggio, Continue reading
No news caption is attached to explain this 1943 publicity photograph of bandleader Benny Goodman “singing” and crooner Frank Sinatra “playing” the clarinet. Continue reading
Greer Garson (1904-1996) was a fine and talented actress. Anyone seeing her deeply moving performances in Goodbye Mr. Chips or Mrs. Miniver can attest to that.
Garson won the Academy Award for her portrayal as the title character in Mrs. Miniver. Six additional Academy Award nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role affirm that her colleagues appreciated Garson’s acting skills.
But according to Craig Tennis, a former talent coordinator of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson from 1968-1976, Greer Garson was not great when it came to spontaneity. Continue reading
Columbus Circle 1947 photo: Keystone-Mast Collection, UCR/California Museum of Photography
Our scene shows Columbus Circle looking south from Broadway and 60th Street towards 8th Avenue.
In the foreground are two examples of the iron and glass subway kiosks providing graceful entrances and exits to the original subway. By the late-1960s all the ornamental kiosks were removed by the city. Continue reading
