DCS: phyllis lyon

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pride

Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon met in 1950, became lovers in 1952, and moved in together on Valentine’s Day 1953 to an apartment in San Francisco. Both activists, they cofounded the Daughters of Bilitis, the first social and political organization for lesbians in the United States. Together, they were president and editor of The Ladder, the regular publication of the organization. Later, they became the first lesbian couple to join the National Organization for Women. Del and Phyllis worked together to form the Council on Religion and the Homosexual, an organization to persuade ministers to accept homosexuals into churches. The eventual goal was to decriminalize homosexuality in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Del and Phyllis married on February 12, 2004, just one day after same-sex marriages were declared legal. It was the first ceremony of its kind to take place in San Francisco. However, the marriage was voided by the California Supreme Court just six months later. They married again in 2008 when the California Supreme Court changed the ruling. Sadly, Del died from complications related to a bone fracture just two months later.

Phyllis Lyon passed away in April 2020 at the age of 95.

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DCS: mary louise weller

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A one-time Ford model and spokesperson for  Jean Naté perfume, Mary Louise Weller was cast in several small roles in films like Hail!, The Evil and Serpico. She was given the script for a raucous, frat party comedy called Animal House in 1978. Her friend Brandon Stoddard, who was head of ABC at that time, correctly predicted the film would be wildly successful and warned the actress “it would be the movie [she] would always be known for.” He was right. Mary embodied the role of stuck-up sorority girl “Mandy Pepperidge,” the secret crush of deviant Delta brother “John Blutarsky,” as played by John Belushi. The film’s epilogue revealed that Mandy would go on to marry Blutarsky who would become a US Senator.

I remember when I saw Animal House, as well as on subsequent viewings, I marveled at the success all of the young cast members had achieved as their respective careers progressed. Actors like Tim Matheson, Peter Riegert, Karen Allen, Kevin Bacon, Mark Metcalf, Martha Smith, James Widdoes, Bruce McGill – everyone but that girl who played “Mandy Pepperidge.” How wrong I was!

Mary Louise Weller was in a ton of projects — films, plays, television roles. She was cast in numerous guest spots on popular episodic television like Fantasy Island, BJ and the Bear, Baretta, Kojak, CHiPs, Starsky & Hutch and many others. On the big screen, Mary costarred in The Bell Jar, Blood Tide (with my internet pal Lydia Cornell) and one of my favorite, very underrated horror films, Larry Cohen’s Q – The Winged Serpent. She wrote a play that was performed at the Greenhouse Theater in Pasadena, California, under a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. She trained with the US Equestrian Team and beloved actor-comedian Danny Kaye, a family friend, was her godfather.

Mary eventually left show business in the late 80s. She passed away after a brief illness just one day before her 80th birthday.

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inktober 2026: week 5

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The final entry in JPiC’s Inktober 2026 is Bad Ronald.

In the 1970s, Scott Jacoby was everywhere. So, when it came time to cast the title role for a made-for-television movie about a quirky boy, Scott was the obvious choice. The award-winning teen actor starred as the titular Bad Ronald in 1974, an unsettling, yet totally implausible, story of a socially-awkward young man who accidentally kills a neighborhood girl. After confessing his crime to his equally-eccentric  mother, she hides him within the walls of their house by creatively building false walls and covering accessways with wallpaper. The charade works for a while, until Ronald’s mother dies and the house is sold… with Ronald still hidden inside. I remember this movie being the talk of the schoolyard in 1974.

Scott Jacoby went on to play Bea Arthur’s son in several episodes of The Golden Girls before kissing his show business career goodbye. He has no IMBD credits beyond 1991. Bad Ronald also featured Kim Hunter, Dabney Coleman and Pippa Scott in supporting roles. It was directed by veteran director Buzz Kulik who helmed over 70 films including the beloved Brian’s Song. Bad Ronald was based on a 1973 novel that was far more graphic and dealt with themes of rape and pedophilia, which were heavily edited for the made-for-television movie.

This concludes JPiC’s Inktober for 2026. Thanks for playing and happy Halloween.

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DCS: tony demeur

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Tony de Meur formed The Fabulous Poodles with his friend poet/lyricist John Parsons in the late 1970s. Jumping on the budding “new wave” bandwagon, The Fabulous Poodles’ songs were  filled with humorous, often sarcastic. lyrics and very “hooky” riffs. Their first album was produced by Who bassist John Entwistle, who was a fan and played bass on several tracks.

In 1979, a compilation album – consisting of songs from the The Fabulous Poodles first two British releases – came out ion the United States. The band embarked on a small US tour as the opening act for The Ramones and Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. During a stop in Philadelphia, the band paid a visit to Temple University. Their tour manager led them to the office of The Temple News, the on-campus publication. The only person in the office that day was my brother, who was the paper’s sports editor. The tour manager explained to my brother who these bewildered young British gents were. My brother jogged his memory and said, “I think my brother has your album.” Tony spoke up and announced, “Well, let’s give him a call!” Sure enough, the phone in the Pincus house rang and I was speaking to Tony de Meur. I remember being very excited. I also remember not understanding too much of what he said through his thick British accent.

After The Fabulous Poodles broke up, Tony adopted the stage name “Ronnie Golden” and began performing stand-up comedy. He became a well-known and familiar face on the BBC. His comedy career was very successful, bringing Tony/Ronnie accolades for over four decades.

On September 26, 2026, Tony’s live-in girlfriend reported that Tony had suffered a fatal heart attack while she was out walking the dog. Tony was 78 years old.

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inktober 2026: week 4

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This is the fourth week of JPiC’s Inktober 2026, and today’s featured made-for-television movie in Dark Night of the Scarecrow.

By the time the 80s rolled around, made-for-television movies had worn out their welcome. Home video, specifically “direct to video” features, were coming into their own. The production values were slightly higher and distribution was more wide spread. But that didn’t stop CBS from entering the burgeoning “slasher” trend that was gaining fans with films like Halloween and Friday the 13th.

Just in time for the 1981 Halloween season, Dark Night of the Scarecrow premiered on CBS. Charles Durning at his “asshole-iest” played mean-spirited postal worker “Otis Hazelrigg,” the ringleader of a band of small town miscreants out to make life miserable for mentally-challenged gentle soul Bubba Ritter (played by typecast Larry Drake). When Bubba is falsely accused of killing little “Marylee Williams,” Hazelrigg and his cohorts set out to lynch the hapless Bubba. Bubba’s mother hides her son in a field in the guise of a scarecrow. But the Hazlerigg’s posse discovers him and shoots him to death.

But, of course, it doesn’t end there.

The spirit of Bubba exacts revenge and each member of Hazlerigg’s gang meets a horrible demise. The movie was pretty intense and slightly more gory than previous for a made-for-television entry. However, it was far tamer than its theatrical contemporaries. Dark Night of the Scarecrow was well-received by the horror community and has come to be a cult favorite. The film featured Marlon Brando’s sister Jocelyn and Alice Nunn (best remembered as “Large Marge” in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure) in supporting roles. Larry Drake, as Bubba, made a career playing mentally-challenged characters beginning with his Emmy-winning portrayal of “Benny Stulwicz” on L.A. Law.

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inktober52: hooray

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Billion Dollar Babies, the 1973 release by Alice Cooper, kicks off with a dark, bombastic performance of Canadian singer-songwriter Rolf Kempf’s “Hello Hooray.” The song, with its glam-rock roots and its plaintive anticipation of an evening’s performance is actually a cover.

In 1968, popular folk singer Judy Collins began her seventh album with the song, only she performed it as it was intended — as a folky ballad. Judy’s version is a wistfully light-hearted descant, more upbeat and far less foreboding than Alice Cooper’s take.

The song became a signature concert opener for Alice, introducing the shock-rocker to the stage over 600 hundred times.

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DCS: yale gracey

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Yale Gracey joined the Walt Disney Company in 1939 as a layout artist, working on Disney’s second feature-length motion picture Pinocchio. He contributed to many Disney classics like Fantasia and The Three Caballeros. Taking the newly-coined title of “Imagineer,” Yale designed some of the more memorable effects seen in attraction is Disneyland. He developed the realistic “fire” effect used in Pirates of the Caribbean. It was so effective that the Disneyland fire department requested an emergency switch to turn it off in case of a real fire. The character of “Master Gracey” in The Haunted Mansion was named in his honor. After a long and successful career, Yale retired from his position at The Walt Disney Company in 1975 to spend more time with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

On September 5, 1983, just two days after turning 73, Yale and his wife Beverly were asleep in their cabana at the Bel Air Beach Club, an exclusive private club in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. An intruder broke into the vacation residence, shot the sleeping couple and fled towards the beach. Yale died and the case still remains unsolved. Beverly, who survived the shooting, passed away in 2017 at the age of 95.

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inktober 2026: week 3

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Week Three of JPiC’s “Inktober 2026” spotlights The Legend of Lizzie Borden.

After nine seasons of playing America’s favorite witch, Elizabeth Montgomery was looking to explore more challenging roles. In 1972, she tried her hand at a sort-of sequel to the popular theatrical film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Taking over the role played by Katherine Ross on the big screen, this made-for-television endeavor showed Elizabeth as a feisty, determined “Etta Place” seeking a reunion with her beloved Sundance in Mrs. Sundance. 1974 brought A Case of Rape, another made-for-television drama, with Elizabeth giving a brutally realistic portrayal of a rape victim. The role earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination.

Later in 1974, Elizabeth brought the notorious Lizzie Borden to life in a surprisingly well-made take on the New England spinster accused (but acquitted) of murdering her parents. The made-for-television movie co-starred Fritz Weaver, Katherine Helmond, Ed Flanders and Hayden Rorke, but it was Elizabeth Montgomery’s captivating performance that made the movie so memorable. The presentation of the actual murders showing a strategically-shot nude Lizzie wielding a hatchet was unforgettable in the minds of viewers — especially 14-year old boys. The spattered blood, the look of  frustrated anger on Elizabeth’s face and her blasé, post-killing attitude earned her additional recognition from the Emmy Award board.  Although it was a made-for-television movie, The Legend of Lizzie Borden was released theatrically in Europe where it ran for four additional minutes and featured heretofore hidden nudity.

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