Bathing Beauty Photographed By Charles Gates Sheldon
Charles Gates Sheldon was a “pretty woman” illustrator and one of the best at his craft, active in the 1920’s and 30’s, primarily working for many movie magazines such as Photoplay and Movie Classic. Above is one of his photographs featuring an unknown model in a bathing suit with a mink coat!
Cary Grant And Rosalind Russell Accept Awards
Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell co-starred together in only one movie. The film, Howard Hawks His Girl Friday (1940), is one of the zaniest and funniest screwball comedies of all-time.
The two stars are seen here on December 23, 1942, 70 years ago today, receiving the Women’s Press Club of Hollywood Most Cooperative Golden Apple Prize.
Incredibly, Cary Grant never won an Academy Award for Best Actor. He was awarded an Honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1970.When he accepted the award he said “You know that I may never look at this without remembering the quiet patience of directors who were so kind to me, who were kind enough to put up with me more than once, some of them even three or four times. I trust they and all the other directors, writers and producers and my leading women have forgiven me for what I didn’t know. You know that I’ve never been a joiner or a member of any particular social set, but I’ve been privileged to be a part of Hollywood’s most glorious era.”
The talented Rosalind Russell was also nominated by the Academy multiple times for Best Actress and never won. She was ultimately given the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by the Academy in 1973, three years prior to her death in 1976. Interestingly Cary Grant introduced Russell to her future husband Frederick Brisson and Cary was best man at their wedding.
Russell once said, “It’s fine to have talent, but talent is the last of it. In an acting career, as in an acting performance, you’ve got to have vitality. The secret of successful acting is identical with a woman’s beauty secret: joy in living.”
New York State Commission For The Blind Christmas Fundraiser 1929
This news photograph reads:
Helen Keller “Sees” And “Hears” Al Smith — World Famous Blind Deaf-Mute Meets Ex-Governor For First Time At Sale Benefiting The Blind
New York City – Photo Shows: Helen Keller, remarkable and world-famous blind deaf-mute “seeing” and “hearing”former Gov. Alfred E. Smith, who is greeting her with his famous smile and a word of cheer at the annual Christmas sale for the benefit of the New York State Commission for the Blind. Witnesses at the meeting of the famous people said that Miss Keller’s words could be understood. – December 19, 1929
Helen Keller was deaf and blind from infancy. She was born in Alabama on June 27, 1880. Early in her childhood Miss Anne Sullivan was employed to instruct her, and so well succeeded that by means of touch she was able to communicate knowledge of the world that was closed to her understanding through the usual senses.
Helen Keller’s sense of touch was so acute that she was capable of understanding the speech of another merely by the placing of her fingertips upon their throat. Through the aid of Miss Sullivan, Keller became a highly educated young woman, earning a degree at Radcliffe College. She would go on to write 12 books and many magazine articles. She devoted her life advocating for people with disabilities.
Keller’s childhood story and that of her teacher Anne Sullivan, was told quite dramatically in the Broadway smash The Miracle Worker which ran for 719 performances from 1959-1961. The show won five Tony awards in 1960 including Best Actress in a Leading Performance for Anne Bancroft. The1962 movie version featured the Broadway stars reprising their roles; Patty Duke as Helen Keller and Anne Bancroft as Anne Sullivan. Each won an Academy Award for their performances; Bancroft for Best Actress and Duke for Best Supporting Actress.
Alfred E. Smith was born December 30, 1873 on the lower east side of New York. He was elected Governor of New York, 1919-1920 and again from 1923-1928. In 1928 he became the first Roman Catholic to run for President and was defeated soundly by Herbert Hoover. After the election Smith became president of Empire State, Inc. the firm that built the Empire State Building.
Al Smith died on October 4, 1944. Helen Keller passed away June 1, 1968.
James Cagney Grabs Lunch At Grand Central
In the days before air travel became popular, almost everyone took the train to get around the United States. On February 6, 1945 before boarding the Twentieth Century Limited for Chicago, James Cagney stopped in at a restaurant at Grand Central Terminal for a bite to eat. It appears he was enjoying a cup of coffee and a danish. Then he glanced up to see a photographer snapping this picture.
The difference between the “old days” and today is that movie stars of the golden years were not hounded by what has come to be known as the paparazzi – ruthless parasites, who violate every modicum of human decency. Yes, the old newspapers and magazines would send their photographers out to capture celebrities and news events. But there was a mutual quid pro quo back then, even if the celebrities dd not enjoy the attention, they knew the press generally helped their careers and would accommodate them. The press also kept somewhat of a respectful distance. Those days are long gone.
Karras, Famous For Stellar NFL Career, Will Always Have A Place in Movie Comedy History
Alex Karras died in Los Angeles at the age of 77 on October 10, 2012 due to kidney failure and other health complications.
The Detroit Lions All-Pro defensive tackle will be remembered by many as a great football player who played from 1958-1970. But I, along with many other people, will remember his acting career which stretched from 1968 -1998. Mel Brooks comedy fans especially loved Karras’ portrayal as the monosyllabic ruffian cowboy, Mongo, in Brooks brilliant 1974 western satire Blazing Saddles.
Karras did not have many scenes in the movie, but they were all very funny.
This scene below is the one that shocked audiences: Karras’ one punch knockout of a horse. As an fyi -Karras did not actually hurt the horse and people would later come up to him and ask how he could do such a horrible thing. “I thought it was hilarious, but I didn’t want to hurt that horse at all, believe me,” Karras said in a 2011 interview with the “Sports and Torts” Internet radio show. “I’m not the type of person to do that.”
Smiley Lewis
There are controversies over what song marks the birth of rock’ roll. Rather than engage in a protracted debate or discussion, I thought it would be good to just take a look at one under-appreciated classic R&B song that seems to qualify as one of the first rock songs. I Hear You Knocking was written by Dave Bartholomew and Pearl King in 1955 and performed the same year by New Orleans musician Smiley Lewis.
It is definitely a lesser known progenitor of what sort of music would become popular during the magical year of 1955 with artists such as Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Little Richard and Elvis Presley all emerging onto a national stage performing early rock n’ roll.
Click here to listen to Smiley Lewis’ version of I Hear You Knockin’.
Few people are familiar with Smiley Lewis’ version of the song, as it was popular during a time when radio was segregated and R&B artists did not get their songs played on many stations. However the song did make it to number two on the Billboard R&B charts.
There are at least thirty other versions of the song by other popular artists, but I Hear You Knocking was really rescued from oblivion by the great Dave Edmunds when he covered the song in 1970 and it became a number one hit in the United States and England. Edmunds version is still played regularly on many classic rock stations, perpetuating the popularity of this catchy, R&B/early rock classic. Below is a video of an uncharacteristically wasted-looking Edmunds, lip-synching his hit in 1971 in front of a freaky looking audience that one youtube commenter noted, “I didn’t know the Manson Family had a variety show.”
UPDATE 2022 Unfortunately in the intervening years since this story was first written, Warner Music has pulled the video. Below is Edmunds live version, unfortunately without the 1971 stoned audience.
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Forty-five years ago, on September 17, 1967, The Doors performed for the first and last time on The Ed Sullivan Show. The variety program which had introduced America to The Beatles three years previously, was consistently one of the most watched shows in America and could help establish a successful career for a comedian, singer, band or any entertainer.
Before singing their hit Light My Fire, live on national television, the band was warned by a Sullivan show staff producer not to sing the word “higher” when the phrase “girl we couldn’t get much higher,” came up. It was suggested Morrison the poet, come up with another word; “flier”, “wire”, it didn’t matter, just not sing “higher.” The band was told the word “higher,” could imply illegal drug use and was inappropriate for a family program like The Sullivan Show. The Doors were furious and argued their point, but eventually relented and told the producer they would alter the lyric. As soon as the producer left the room, The Doors lead singer Jim Morrison declared to the rest of the band “We’re not changing a word.”
The Doors first performed “People Are Strange” and then launched Continue reading
One of the more infamous publicity incidents in Hollywood history captured in photographs, took place on April 12, 1957 at a party held at Romanoff’s Restaurant, 240 South Rodeo Drive, to welcome Sophia Loren to Hollywood.
Loren, the Italian beauty, was sitting at a table with gossip columnist Louella Parsons and film star Clifton Webb.
Then Jayne Mansfield walked in. Continue reading
Times Square featuring The Times Tower 1908 – click to vastly enlarge (six megabytes!)
Times Square is burgeoning with activity in 1908 and there is so much to see in this picture.
This photograph of Times Square was part of The Detroit Publishing Company collection, now housed at The Library of Congress. The company made picture postcards from these original photographs at the turn of the century.
The area formerly known as Longacre Square became Times Square after the New York Times opened their iconic flagship office building in 1905 at what would become known as “the crossroads of the world,” the southern end of Times Square, the triangular intersection of 42nd and 43rd streets where Broadway and Seventh Avenue diverge.
Flatiron Building in 1903
The Times Tower Building design is reminiscent of the Fuller Building, which became popularly known as the “Flatiron Building” soon after it opened in 1902 between 22nd and 23rd Streets where Broadway and Fifth Avenue intersect. The two buildings don’t look alike at all. But because they were each built on irregular plots of land, the triangular buildings both resemble flatirons.
The original Times Tower Building was a Gothic structure of beautiful light limestone and featured intricate terra-cotta and granite on the facade. More about the building later in the article. Continue reading
Before Robert Morse became known to a generation of television viewers as Mad Men agency head Bertram Cooper, he had a distinguished stage and movie career. The Loved One (1965) a disturbing black comedy about the funeral industry has Morse at his best. Continue reading