This 1933 promotional still of Fay Wray (b. 1907) from King Kong was taken by RKO Pictures studio photographer Ernest Bachrach.
The Alberta, Canada native began her career in the movies during summer vacations while attending Hollywood High School. Fay Wray was already appearing in bit parts in films at the age of 16. Talent was abundant in Wray’s family. Her grandfather, Daniel Jones was a prominent author. Older sisters Willow and Vaida were both professional singers, but neither would pursue film careers. Fay Wray was signed to the stock company of Hal Roach Comedies in 1924.
This undated publicity photograph from the 1940s shows Alexis Smith in a sultry pose.
There have been movie stars with the last name Smith. But the big studios encouraged promising actors named Smith to change it to something else.
The most successful Smith actor of all-time was arguably Gladys Smith. But she changed her name to the more glamorous sounding Mary Pickford. Continue reading →
Sometimes we run across photographs with no logical explanation. When there is no news slug we are left to speculate – what is going on here? This is one of those cases.
Besides being identified on the rear as Rita Hayworth and a United Press International photo, there was nothing else written identifying the action or location.
Fortunately entering “Rita Hayworth” and Penguin in a search engine can solve a mystery. Continue reading →
Undergarments For Women From James McCreery & Co. 1919
The two illustrations seen here are excerpts from a full page ad. This advertisement comes from the April 27, 1919 New York Sun daily newspaper. Shown is an array of intimates of the late teens that a fashionable woman would wear beneath their clothes.
The uptown location of James McCreery & Co. at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street Continue reading →
5 Great 1980s Hard Rock Bands That You Should Know, But Never Made It Big
Fastway 1983 (l-r) Jerry Shirley, Fast Eddie Clarke, Dave King
If there is one common theme to a band not making it big it is wrong place, wrong time. The public’s shifting and fickle tastes in music often conspire against success. But that’s not the only reason.
You can’t underestimate luck in the success formula.
Many talented hard rock bands were left by the wayside for no other reason except that they were unlucky.
The other reasons for not making it? Bad management, an indifferent record label, poor distribution, a lack of exposure and personnel turmoil within the band. Also in the late 1980s an oversaturation of the market with a lot of bands sounding indistinguishable from one another. Finally, the rise of grunge / alternative was the coup de grace for hundreds of hard rock bands.
With the exception of Badlands, where the band imploded and the singer died in 1993, we present here five 1980s bands that should have been huge but never got there.
Zebra
I can say positively that Zebra’s music is unknown to the vast majority of rock fans. With one possible exception – the 1983 hit, Tell Me What You Want.
From 1983 on, their record label, Atlantic Records, dropped the ball and did nothing right in promoting Zebra. Continue reading →
Our Detroit Publishing Co. photograph is from 1906 and shows Eighth Avenue looking north. It is at this juncture the Ninth Avenue elevated completes its turn from Ninth avenue to Eighth Avenue at 110th Street and proceeds uptown.
As usual there was a postcard issued that almost certainly came from this photograph. The advertising and perspective are exactly the same, but the postcard contains many alterations.
River Phoenix With Marlee Matlin At Ed Debevic’s Restaurant – 1988
River Phoenix and his date Marlee Matlin at Ed Debevic’s Restaurant in Beverly Hills for their first birthday party and a sixth anniversary bash in honor of The Starlight Foundation. September 22, 1988. Photo: John Paschal Celebrity Photo
A few weeks ago when my daughter and her college age friends were searching for a movie to watch I asked if they had ever seen Stand By Me (1986)? The answer was a resounding no. And when describing the film I asked a silly question: if they had ever heard of River Phoenix? Continue reading →
Lauren Bacall & Son Stevie Visit Humphrey Bogart On The Set – 1951
Bogy, Baby & Boy
Humphrey Bogart’s wife, Lauren Bacall, known to the public as “Baby”, and their son Stevie, pay Bogart a visit on the set at 20th Century-Fox where he is starring in the newspaper story, “Deadline U.S.A.” Little Stevie takes an active interest in movie production, since he plans to be a movie star like his daddy when he grows up. credit: 20th Century-Fox December 27, 1951
When Humphrey Bogart made Deadline U.S.A. for 20th Century-Fox he was on loan from Warner Bros. to Fox. Maybe that is why the Fox publicity department did not care if they spelled Bogart’s nickname, “Bogey” correctly or not. In September of 1953 Bogart finally ended his long association with Warner Bros. having previously formed his own production company, Santana Productions to make independent productions including six films with Columbia Pictures between 1949 – 1951.
Steohen Humphrey Bogart (born January 6, 1949) did not follow in his father’s footsteps. Continue reading →
Older sisters Willow and Vaida were both professional singers, but neither would pursue film careers. Fay Wray was signed to the stock company of Hal Roach Comedies in 1924.
