Thirteen-year-old Bobby Fuller loved Elvis Presley from the very first time he heard him. Bobby practiced playing the guitar and singing, trying his best to emulate The King. In the early 60s, Bobby formed a band with his brother and a revolving door of sidemen. They played local clubs and recorded a few songs in …
Character actor Louis Calhern started off as a bit player and prop boy in touring burlesque companies. After a stint in the service in World War I, Louis returned to the stage, using his experience as a springboard to film. He worked in silent pictures for innovative and controversial director Lois Weber, one of Hollywood’s …
Hollywood sure loves dumb blondes. But, no matter how hard it tried, Hollywood just couldn’t find one in Joi Lansing. Joi was born Joyce Brown and, after her divorced mother remarried, she took her stepfather’s last name – Loveland. At the young age of 14, Joi was signed to a contract with MGM and altered …
In its 130 year history, The Philadelphia Phillies have had their share of high points and low points. They have made it to the World Series several times, including two wins. Their line-ups have featured such celebrated players as Chuck Klein, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt and the always controversial Pete Rose. Their …
I don’t believe there is such a thing as a “guilty pleasure.” I think if you like something, you like it and you should enjoy it and not be embarrassed by the fact that you enjoy it. I am proud to say that I am the owner of the Frankie and Annette “Beach Party” DVD …
Stanley Myron Handelman was born in Brooklyn in 1929. He worked as a stand-up comic and gag writer as a young man. But for nearly ten years, he was a fixture on variety showcases and late-night talk shows. He made numerous appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Flip Wilson Show, The Merv Griffin Show and The Tonight Show. …
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Back in 1870 just beneath the Great White Way/Alfred Beach worked secretly Risking all to ride a dream/His wind-machine — “Sub-Rosa Subway” by Klaatu (1976) Alfred Beach and his partner bought the rights to Scientific American magazine, and began its publication in 1845. Alfred, a patent attorney and inventor, was interested in scientific advancements. He …
With aspirations of stardom, Rita Johnson set out for Hollywood after two years of acting on Broadway. She made her motion picture debut in 1937′s London By Night, a lighthearted mystery starring George Murphy, long before he was elected to the US Senate. Rita continued to be cast in films throughout the 30s and 40s. …
Ben Raleigh was writing songs as far back as the 1940s. His songs were recorded by Eddie Fisher, Dinah Shore and Nat King Cole among others. In 1946, Sammy Kaye and his Orchestra had a Top Ten hit with Ben’s composition ”Laughing on the Outside (Crying on the Inside).” Pop singer Leslie Gore recorded Ben’s “She’s a Fool” and song stylist Johnny Mathis had a …
In 1946, Abe Saperstein, enjoying success from his exhibition basketball team The Harlem Globetrotters, decided to try his hand at baseball. In the same fashion, he assembled a squad of barnstorming all-stars called the Cincinnati Crescents. He signed 6′ 4″ Luke Easter to play first base. Luke was thrilled, as he was only able to …
