josh pincus is crying

Even as a youngster, Jesse Belvin was interested in music. He joined several bands as a vocalist early in the 1950s. Even an brief stint in the army didn’t hinder Jesse’s songwriting. His composition “Earth Angel” was a hit for The Penguins in 1955 and became one of the first songs to successfully make the cross over from the segregated Rhythm and Blues chart to the mainstream Pop chart.

In 1956, Jesse signed a contract with Modern Records, although he continued to record under pseudonyms for other labels. He co-wrote and recorded “Goodnight My Love”, on which the piano parts were played by an 11-year-old Barry White. The song reached #7 on the R&B chart and was used as the closing theme for Alan Freed’s popular radio broadcasts. In 1959, Jesse recorded an album of songs with a more sophisticated style, influenced by Nat “King” Cole. (The album was later cited as itself being influential for Sam Cooke.)

In February 1960, Jesse (along with Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson) performed in the first concert played before an integrated audience in Little Rock, Arkansas. The show was protested and halted twice by whites yelling racial slurs at the black performers and attendees. Community members interrupted and screamed for the white teenagers to go home. The performers even received several death threats prior to the concert. After the show, Jesse and his wife were killed in a head-on car collision. It is speculated that the vehicle was tampered with, but no proof has ever surfaced. Jesse was 27 years-old.

On December 7, 2009 at 12:30 am, Josh Powell packed up his two young sons and set out for an impromptu camping trip in a remote area near the family’s Salt Lake City home. Susan Powell, Josh’s 28-year-old wife and mother of the boys, was still asleep in bed. Josh returned home with the boys sixteen hours later and Susan was not there. Her purse and cellphone were in the house. Her car was parked out front. There was a damp spot on a piece of carpet in the home, but otherwise, she was gone without a trace. A police investigation revealed little. Josh and his four-year-old son were interviewed and the camping story was confirmed.

And that was the story Josh stuck with for two years.

Josh became a “person of interest” in connection with Susan’s disappearance, but he was never charged. He repeatedly proclaimed his innocence and denied any involvement. He believed she had run off with another man, suggesting a likely candidate was Salt Lake Tribune  journalist Steven Koecher, who mysteriously disappeared the same week as Susan. Susan’s parents countered this theory as “impossible”, explaining her intense devotion to her children. Josh’s interviews grew less frequent and his cooperation with investigating authorities lessened as well.

In January 2010, Josh moved into his father’s home in Puyallup, Washington. Police in Utah continued to search for Susan, following all leads and all of them leading nowhere. One day in daycare, Josh’s son Braden drew a picture of a van with three people in it, explaining to his teacher that “Mommy is in the trunk”.

In September 2011, Josh’s father Steven was arrested on multiple charges of voyeurism and child pornography. Police produced evidence of Steven having secretly videotaped numerous young women, including his daughter-in-law Susan Powell. Several explicit photographs of Susan were discovered in a search of Steven’s personal items. After his arrest, Steven told of how his daughter-in-law came on to him and how he happily obliged her offer. With questions about the level of safety the home provided, Susan’s parents were awarded temporary custody of her sons while an investigation into Josh’s possible involvement in the child pornography took place. Josh still proclaimed innocence and denied any knowledge of or participation in his father’s interests. He maintained that he was a good and fit father.

In January 2012, Josh was ordered to undergo psycho-sexual analysis and custody of his children was awarded to his in-laws in the interim. Josh would be permitted supervised visits with his children. A few days before the weekend of the most recent scheduled visit, Josh donated his sons’ toys to Goodwill and withdrew seven thousand dollars from his bank account. On Sunday February 5, a Childrens’ Services worker arrived at Josh’s house to drop off the children . Little Charlie and Braden entered the home and Josh slammed the door in the agency representative’s face. Before the door shut, she got a whiff of the unmistakable scent of gasoline. Moments later, as she frantically called 911, Josh’s house exploded in flames.

An investigation of the charred rubble left from the fire revealed two five-gallon containers of gasoline and a hatchet near the three bodies. It is believed that Josh tried to kill his sons before setting the house on fire, but was overcome by smoke. The two boys had numerous wounds on their heads and necks, although the official cause of death for all three was “smoke inhalation”.

Twenty minutes before his children arrived, Josh — the man who had once told ABC News “I would never harm my children” — left a voicemail message for his church’s pastor and an email to his attorney, explaining that he could not live without his boys. He also detailed where his money could be found and gave instructions to turn off his home’s utilities. He ended the call by saying “I’m sorry to everyone I’ve hurt.”

For eleven years, Rusty Hamer traded barbs with showbiz heavyweight Danny Thomas on the popular sitcom Make Room For Daddy.  Most often, Rusty got bigger laughs than his veteran co-star. For a kid, his comedic timing was impeccable and rivaled that of actors with many times his experience. Shooting had to be halted quite often of the set, as Danny was constantly reduced to uncontrollable laughter by the deadpan delivery of his young castmate. Rusty’s popularity led to guest appearances on variety shows and even a cross-over episode on The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour  reprising his role of “Rusty Williams”.

After 325 episodes, Danny decided to end the show, as he had grown tired of the role and wished to pursue other projects. Rusty appeared in a few installments of The Joey Bishop Show  (a spin-off of Make Room for Daddy ) and later the ill-fated Make Room for Grand Daddy,  but he soon discovered difficulty in landing more acting jobs.

Rusty had entered show business at age 6 and spent his entire childhood on a sound stage. He was tutored on-set and once Make Room for Daddy  ended, he found that he was not prepared and that he lacked skills to function in a non-show business lifestyle. He bounced around menial labor jobs. He worked briefly on an off-shore oil rig, as a messenger and eventually, as a short order cook in his brother’s DeRidder, Louisiana cafe.

On January 18, 1990, 42-year-old Rusty, depressed and living in poverty in a Louisiana trailer park, shot himself in the head.

Twenty-three year-old Debbie Boostrom auditioned, alongside hundreds of anxious and hopeful young ladies, to become the coveted 25th Anniversary Playboy Playmate. Debbie was unsuccessful, but a little over a year later, she was presented in the magazine as Miss August 1981. In the following months, she appeared in several Playboy videos and participated in some of Hugh Hefner’s celebrity events at the Playboy mansion. Eventually, with her brief, minimal fame fading, Debbie married and settled in Kansas with her husband. When her marriage failed, Debbie returned to her Florida roots and started a small business designing jewelry. Although she acted in a handful of infomercials, for the most part, she stayed out of the public eye.

On July 29, 2008, Debbie, now 53 and diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, put a gun to her head and shot herself.

(HERE’S my original sketch of Debbie.)

Alexa Kenin began acting as a child, landing her first role opposite Academy Award-winning actor Jason Robards in the 1972 TV movie The House Without a Christmas Tree. She appeared in several more TV productions, including five Afterschool Specials.

The 80s brought Alexa her big-screen debut in the Tatum O’Neal-Kristy MacNichol teen camp film Little Darlings. After more guest roles on episodic television, Alexa found herself in a supporting role alongside Clint Eastwood in Honkytonk Man  in 1982.

Soon, Alexa was cast in her most-remembered role as Jenna in Pretty in Pink  with Molly Ringwald. Just after Pretty in Pink  wrapped production, 23-year-old Alexa was found dead in her Manhattan apartment. Although still officially classified as an unsolved crime, the belief is that she was murdered by a jealous ex-boyfriend.

Teenage aspiring dancer Beryl Heischuber answered a casting call ad and landed a role in the 1928 production of Vanities  at the Earl Carroll Broadway theatre. Using the more accessible (and more pronounceable) name “Wallace”, Beryl appeared amid dozens of other young dancers billed under the umbrella title “the most beautiful girls in the world”. She performed in six more variations of Vanities  at Earl Carroll’s venue, most notable for their risqué premises, scantily costumed females and full nudity for the first time on Broadway.

Beryl began a relationship with theatre owner Earl Carroll, who was 16 years her senior. When Carroll opened his Hollywood location of the Earl Carroll Theatre on Sunset Boulevard in 1938, the building’s facade boasted a 20-foot high portrait of Beryl in neon. Beryl was featured in small roles in several “B” Westerns with co-stars like Tom Keene and Roy Rogers, but her primary job was star performer at Earl Carroll’s Theatre.

On June 17, 1948, Beryl and Earl Carroll were aboard United Airlines Flight 624 from New York City to Los Angeles when the flight crew received warning of a fire in the cargo hold. Although it turned out to be a false alarm, procedure dictated that CO2 be released into the area to extinguish the flames. However, relief valves were not opened and carbon dioxide seeped back into the cockpit, incapacitating the crew. The aircraft was put into an emergency decent. It struck a high voltage power line, burst into flames and crashed into a wooded hillside near Aristes, Pennsylvania. All 39 passengers, including Beryl Wallace and Earl Carroll, were killed.

The Earl Carroll Theatre continued operation after its founder’s death. In the 1950’s, it fell on hard times and was purchased and re-opened as The Moulin Rouge nightclub. Later, the TV game show Queen for a Day  was broadcast from the theatre during its nine-year run. Once again, the venue changed hands and became the Hullaballoo Rock and Roll Club, capitalizing on its popular TV namesake. In the 1960s, it was renamed “The Aquarius Theatre” and was home to the long-running musical Hair  during its West Coast run.  The Doors even performed there in 1969. In the 80s, the theatre served as the studio for nine seasons of Star Search  and for many Jerry Lewis Telethons. In the early 90s, it was once again renamed, this time ”The Chevy Chase Theatre” for five weeks, until the comedian’s disastrous talk show was canceled. More recently, the location is known as “Nickelodeon on Sunset” and is the filming location for current shows like iCarly  and Victorious,  as well as past favorites like All That  and Drake & Josh.  Although a reproduction is displayed at Universal Hollywood’s CityWalk, the original neon portrait of Beryl Wallace vanished decades ago.

Tsutomu Yamaguchi worked as a draftsman designing oil tankers for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki. Japanese industry was suffering as a result of World War II. Resources and materials grew more and more difficult to come by. Tsutomu, like many Japanese, felt Japan should have never started a war. He became despondent over his homeland’s situation and considered secretly poisoning his family if Japan was not victorious at the war’s end.

In 1945, 29-year old Tsutomu went on a three-month business trip to Hiroshima for his employer. On August 6, he and two colleagues were preparing to return to Nagasaki when Tsutomu realized he had forgotten his hanko  (a printing stamp used instead of a signature to authorize documents in most Asian countries). As Tsutomu hurried back to his workplace to retrieve his stamp, American bomber Enola Gay  was dropping an atomic bomb on the center of Hiroshima just under two miles away. There was a great flash and the subsequent explosion ruptured Tsutomu’s eardrums, burned him on the left side of his body and left him temporarily blind. He crawled to shelter and, after resting for a bit, set out to find his colleagues. He was happy to find that they, too, had survived and the three spent the night in an air-raid shelter where they received proper medical attention. They returned to Nagasaki the following day. Tsutomu was given additional treatment. Despite being heavily bandaged, he returned to work on August 9th.

At 11 am, while Tsutomu was describing the horrific ordeal he experienced in Hiroshima to his supervisor, American bomber Bockscar  dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, just under two miles from Tsutomu’s workplace. This time, Tsutomu was unharmed in the explosion. His bandages, however, were damaged and contaminated. In the following days, he suffered a high fever from infection.

In later years, Tsutomu became a vocal opponent to nuclear arms, actively campaigning for disarmament. He participated in a documentary about nijū hibakusha  (double atomic bomb survivors). Although there were approximately 165 claims of double atomic-bomb survival, Tsutomu is the only one officially recognized by the Japanese government.

Although he lost his hearing in one ear, Tsutomu led a relatively healthy life. He experienced health issues much later in life and eventually succumbed to stomach cancer in 2010 at the age of 93.

Tom Forman was a prolific “triple threat” in the early days of Hollywood. He was an actor in over 50 films beginning in 1913. He wrote seven screenplays and he was a sought-after director, calling the shots on over twenty-seven films. He directed top stars of the day including Lon Chaney and Mary Astor.

In November 1926, Tom was scheduled to direct the Columbia production of The Wreck.  The night before filming was set to begin, Tom shot himself through the heart. He left no explanation. Tom was 33 years old.

It was through his piano-playing stepsister that Leon “Chu” Berry was introduced to music at a young age. He stuck with it, playing alto saxophone through high school. He later switched to tenor sax after hearing jazz virtuoso Coleman Hawkins. (Although cited as an influence, Coleman Hawkins considered Chu an equal).

Chu began his professional career at the age of 21, playing with Sammy Stewart, the first of many swing bands. He moved on through several more swing bands, sticking around for two or so years each. He played with Fletcher Henderson before joining up with the great Cab Calloway in 1937. Along the way he gained popularity and respect as a sideman, backing up such musical luminaries as Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and Lionel Hampton. The riff from Chu’s original composition “Christopher Columbus” made its way into Jimmy Mundy’s famous arrangement of “Sing Sing Sing” as performed by Benny Goodman.

In October 1941, Chu was travelling between gigs in Ohio and Toronto on a night that was thick with fog. Just outside of Conneaut, Ohio, with poor visibility, the car in which he was a passenger skidded and crashed at the end of a bridge. Chu suffered a skull fracture and other internal injuries. He was taken to a hospital where, due to the severity of his injuries, Chu passed away three days later. He was 33 years old. His funeral was attended by over a thousand mourners, among whom some of the greatest names in jazz and swing were represented.

The term “Chu Berry Sax” is used in reference to any saxophone made by the C.G. Conn Company from 1910 through the mid-1930s, including soprano, alto, baritone and C melody models — none of which Chu ever played. The moniker is misleading since there is no definitive style or model to which it refers.

Over thirty years, Sammee Tong appeared in over seventy movies and television shows as houseboys, cooks, waiters and other stereotypical roles that Hollywood offered Chinese-American actors. Sammee worked regularly in Westerns and the Charlie Chan  and  Mr. Moto  detective series. He even tried his hand at comedy as a laundry owner in the madcap It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World  in 1963. On television, Sammee was a regular cast member, playing “Peter Tong”, houseboy to playboy attorney Bentley Gregg (played by John Forsythe), on five seasons of the sitcom Bachelor Father.  When Bachelor Father  was canceled, Sammee was again cast as a houseboy, this time on the new ABC sitcom Mickey  starring Mickey Rooney. The show faced tough competition in its Wednesday night time slot, as it was opposite the popular Dick Van Dyke Show  on CBS. ABC executives debated whether to renew the series. Sammee, a heavy gambler, depended on a regular salary to pay off his serious gambling debts. Fearing the show’s cancellation, Sammee committed suicide on October 27, 1964, effectively ending ABC’s dilemma.