Tag Archives: Entertainment

Classic Hollywood #12 – Lili Damita

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Lili Damita in Fighting Caravans 1931

The beautiful Liliane Marie Madeleine Carré also known as Lili Damita poses for Eugene Robert Richee, one of Hollywood’s great glamor photographers.

Lili was in the process of filming Fighting Caravans, a Western based upon a Zane Grey book, co-starring Gary Cooper.

Born in France in either 1901 or  1904 (sources are unclear), Lili was briefly married to director Michael Curtiz (Casablaca,  The Adventures of Robin Hood, Mildred Pierce, etc. ) from 1925-1926.

Lili announced her engagement on May 1, 1929 to the Crown Prince of Germany, Louis Ferdinand, who was only 21 at the time. They would be married, Lili declared “when he makes a success.” The marriage never took place.

Lili is best known today not for her movies, but for her marriage in 1935 to a then virtually unknown Errol Flynn. Lili was several years older than Errol and their marriage would be complicated, contentious and filled with wild love-making and even wilder fights. As Lili said in a 1939 interview:

“Being married to Flynn is exactly like living on top of a volcano. I like that. A volcano which does erupt. Constantly – yes, but daily! We are always just arriving or just leaving. Flynn and I. As the term is generally understood, Flynn is not a ‘good husband’ at all. But he is an exciting person to live with. And that makes him, for me, a very good husband. Because I like to live dangerously, unpeacefully.”

While Lili’s movie carrer ended in 1937, Errol’s career skyrocketed and the hedonistic Flynn was indulging just too much for Lili’s taste. After many separations and reconciliations, Lili sued for divorce on November 7, 1941.

Their only child, Sean Flynn born May 31, 1941, tried acting, became a photographer, and was captured in Cambodia in 1970 by communist guerillas. Lili spent the remaining years of her life having investigators search for her missing son. He was never seen again.

Lili married Eskimo Pie executive Allen R. Loomis in 1962. That marriage ended in divorce in 1983.

Lili Damita died in Palm Beach, FL on March 21, 1994 from complications of Alzheimers.

The Birth Of The Movie Palace, Roxy, and The Best Deal Ever For A Screenwriter

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The Strand Theatre Opens, April 11 1914

When the Strand Theatre opened on April 11, 1914 in New York at 47th Street and Broadway, it marked the beginning of a new era in the exhibition of motion pictures; the age of the movie palace.

The Strand seated an astounding 3,500 people and was the largest and most ornate theatre ever built exclusively to show movies. The Strand covered 20 city lots and had a frontage of over 155 feet on Broadway and over 277 feet on 47th Street.

Innovations in design Continue reading →

The Best Woman Presidential Candidate Ever

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Comedienne Gracie Allen Enters The 1940 Presidential Race

In this newswire photograph, Gracie Allen, the zany half of the Burns & Allen comedy team “tosses her hat into the ring” to run for President in 1940.

Gracie put out a very funny book after her tongue-in-cheek Presidential run entitled How To Become President (Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1940) which has enlightening chapters such as:

Government Jobs Pay Big Money

How Not To Offend Anybody

Buying A Good Used Platform

Secrets of Unsuccessful Speechmaking

Even though the candidacy was a plot line for the Burns & Allen weekly comedy radio show, Gracie did a whistlestop tour by train and over 300,000 Americans came out to hear her make campaign speeches in cities along the route.

After “dropping out” of the race in the middle of 1940, Gracie still ended up receiving over 42,000 write-in votes in the November election.

The forgotten story of her candidacy was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered. Click here to listen.

Unbelievable Looney Tunes Cartoon From 1933

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You’ll Never See This Cartoon On Saturday Morning

Decades before South Park, Warner Bros. put this cartoon out in theaters. Bosko’s Picture Show, from 1933 features this incredible scene.

Here is the entire original cartoon and at about 5:50 in, is the offensive portion. Or just watch the 3 second clip below.

Language warning here – play in front of children at your discretion: Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #10 – Gary Cooper & Babe Ruth

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Babe Ruth Shows Gary Cooper The Finer Points of Gripping A Baseball Bat

In the 1942 film The Pride of The Yankees which tells the life story of Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth took his role of playing himself very seriously.  He also wanted to make sure Gary Cooper got it right as well.

Babe shows Cooper where the trademark should be when holding a bat so it won’t shatter should he make contact. Continue reading →

50th Anniversary Of the Death Of Ernie Kovacs

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Ernie Kovacs Is Killed In A Car Accident January 13, 1962

Ernie Kovacs would have turned 93 on January 23 and today I’ll be remembering him.

Kovacs was a brilliant comedian who was killed in a car crash 50 years ago today on January 13, 1962 at the age of 42.

Kovacs was an author, radio, television and movie star.  Most of all he was a true genius in an industry that bandies about that word rather loosely. Had Kovacs lived he would have surely gone on to greater heights.

Because he died at a relatively young age and most of his TV work is gone forever, many people unfortunately have never heard of, or seen Ernie Kovacs. Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #9 – James Cagney & Brother William Cagney With Their Wives

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The Cagney’s Arrive At The Academy Awards Ceremony March 12, 1938

From left to right are: William Cagney, producer and manager, Boots Mallory (William’s wife),  Frances (“Bill”) Cagney (James’ wife) and James Cagney, actor extraodinaire.

In 1938 the Cagney family had no nominations for any awards, and that is an unlikely reason for the dour looks on everyone’s faces. Maybe they had a fight on the way over to the ceremony.  We’ll never know, but they certainly don’t look happy.

The following year James Cagney would be nominated for a best actor award for Angels With Dirty Faces. He lost to Spencer Tracy in Boys Town.

James Cagney would win a best actor Oscar in 1942 for his portrayal of George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy.

Below, a great speech by James Cagney accepting the lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute in 1974.

Ritchie Blackmore Explains The Origin of Some Of Deep Purple’s Greatest Songs

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Is Anything Original?

In this fascinating interview with guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, he briefly explains and demonstrates how he came up with the riffs to some of Deep Purple’s greatest songs, including Mandrake Root, Black Night, Speed King, Smoke On The Water, Lazy and Highway Star.

Musicians and public alike look at Blackmore and see a complicated and private man who has an immense talent for songwriting.

What Blackmore acknowledges in this interview (which I wish was complete) is that previous works by others can play a big part in your own creativity.

Inspiration can come from anywhere. From Mozart to Jimi Hendrix.

UPDATE 2025

Unfortunately the original video was taken down> Here is a truncated version where Blackmore discussion of Mandrake Root and Lazy have been edited out.

But  below that we have added Blackmore discussing Child In Time. A song that was clearly “borrowed” from the band, It’s A Beautiful Day.

 

 

Jimmy Savile, Long Time “Top of the Pops” Host (& Pervert) Is Dead at 84

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Jimmy Savile, Zany British TV Host & PERVERT
(see update at end of article.)

Jimmy Savile was found dead at his home in Leeds October 29. He was just two days shy of turning 85.

In the United States Jimmy Savile is a relatively unknown name except to die-hard music fans or those who might have spent time in the United Kingdom.

In the UK you could not help but know Jimmy Savile. For twenty years, from its inception in 1964, Savile hosted Top of the Pops, a television music countdown show featuring hit singles.   Think of a British version of a cross between Casey Kasem’s radio program American Top 40 and Dick Clark’s television show American Bandstand and that was, Top of The Pops. Savile ended his reign as a regular host in 1984. Continue reading →