Tag Archives: Entertainment

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 →

Remembering “Satchmo” Louis Armstrong’s Funeral July 9, 1971

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Fifty Two Years Ago Today Was The Funeral Of Louis Armstrong

Is “Satchmo” Remembered Today?

Louis Armstrong funeral July 9, 1971 photo: Globe

It is impossible to say who will be remembered by the multitudes years after their passing. I would hope Louis Armstrong will be among those whose name and music goes on for eternity.

Louis Armstrong brought love and joy everywhere he went. And the world universally returned that love.

On July 6, 1971 Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong died at the age of 69 of a heart attack in his home in Corona, Queens. Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #149 – Mae West & Alice Cooper

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Mae West In A Revival & Hitting On Rock Star Alice Cooper

Mae Today
One of Mae West’s most noted successes – a role with which she is now a bit bored – is as a high-living lady in “Diamond Lil”. The play is still being revived. In a New York dressing room in 1949, Miss West puts on some “prop” diamonds – valued at $2,000 – which she wears in the play. photo: Wide World Photos 8/4/1952

Mae West remained in the public eye for decades. First in vaudeville, then the legitimate stage, followed by movies and radio. Topping off her stardom, there were whispers and rumors throughout her career that Mae West was not actually a woman. Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #148 – Linda Watkins Broadway Star Who Despised Films

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1931 – Linda Watkins Who Gave Up A Promising Film Career at Age 24

If you have never heard the name of Linda Watkins, you can easily be forgiven. But you might recognize her face with appearances in many television programs and a few movies from the 1950s through the 1970s.

Heralded to become a major star with a very strong performance in her 1931 film debut, Sob Sister, Watkins then made only five more films before taking a 17 year screen hiatus. Continue reading →

1945 – The Future Is Television, Including Home Shopping

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Post WWII – Television Is Coming To Your Home

In late Summer 1945, with total victory secured, manufacturers could soon begin producing consumer products rather than armaments. With the transition would come amazing technological advances. Continue reading →

Old New York In Photos #152 – 6th Avenue 31st Street & Eva Tanguay 1911

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A Typical Busy Day On Sixth Avenue While Eva Tanguay Performs Uptown

There is nothing extraordinary happening as we look north up Sixth Avenue from 31st Street.

There’s lots of horse manure in the street and there’s some construction and workers beneath the Sixth Avenue El. The bar on the corner has western saloon style doors and advertises Triple X German Liquors on its sign. A high pressure fire hydrant is on the corner, a sight rarely seen today as the city removed most of them almost three decades ago . The tallest building on the left between 32nd and 33rd Streets is Gimbels Department Store.

As much as we’d like to put an exact date on the photo we cannot. It is uncredited and labeled 1911. There is one intriguing clue however. It’s blurry but if you look at the roof of the building on the left you can see a billboard ad for Eva Tanguay (1878-1947) appearing at The Colonial Theatre. Continue reading →

I Dream Of Jeannie – Where Major Nelson Lived In Cocoa Beach

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Where In Cocoa Beach, FL Did Major Nelson Live?

Plus A Bit Of Deep Trivia – What  Was Dr. Bellows Address?

The home of Major Anthony Nelson on I Dream of Jeannie

Recently visiting me was my friend’s daughter a recent college graduate, and her friend Stephanie who was born and raised in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Cocoa Beach’s renown comes from The Kennedy Space Center, home of NASA during the 1960s. Continue reading →