Charles Browning grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. He was a huge baseball fan and he was pals with his uncle, “Old” Pete Browning, a 3 time batting champ, who stole 103 bases in 1887. Charles’ Uncle Pete’s commissioning of a bat provided the start of the Hillerich & Bradsby bat company, famous for their Louisville …
Willie Best arrived in Hollywood by way of Sunflower, Mississippi as chauffeur for a vacationing couple. He began performing with traveling shows in California. He became a regular character actor in Hollywood after a talent scout discovered him on stage. Along with black actors like Lincoln Perry (better known as “Stepin Fetchit”), Willie was usually …
The inspirational word this week on Inspire Me Thursday is “Spain”. Once I was the King of Spain (Now I eat humble pie) Oh my unspeakable wife Queen Lisa (Now I eat humble pie) I’m telling you I was the King of Spain (Now I eat humble pie) Now I work at the Pizza Pizza …
The weekly challenge word currently on the Illustration Friday website is “blur”. Seven hours ago, Henry went to mail a letter. The rest is a blur.
As I watched the 2009 baseball postseason, I thought about my long association with the Philadelphia Phillies. As a kid, I was never a sports fan. My brother and father would park themselves in front of the television and rabidly watch anything that remotely resembled a sporting event. Depending on the time of year, our …
Alberta Nelson played “Puss,” one of the Rat Pack Gang members behind dim-witted leader Eric Von Zipper, as played by Harvey Lembeck, in seven “beach” movies produced by American International Pictures in the middle 1960s. Alberta, the tall, leather-clad blond, had only a few lines of dialogue, but she was the only actress to appear in …
This week’s challenge on Monday Artday is “chicken”. In 1930, Harland Sanders owned a gas station in Corbin, Kentucky. He would cook chicken dinners, using his own secret recipe, for travellers stopping to refuel. He served his customers in his living quarters in the service station. Through word of mouth, his local popularity grew, and …
The current word of inspiration on the Inspire Me Thursday website is “dark”. After a full night of crime fighting, The Dark Knight makes a quick stop for some snacks before heading back to the Bat Cave.
This week’s challenge word on Illustration Friday is “skinny”. “I’d fight Lincoln. Big guy, big reach. Skinny guys fight ’til they’re burger.” Tyler Durden in Fight Club (1999)
In 1968, John Lennon and Paul McCartney held a press conference to announce the formation of Apple Corps, their new multimedia conglomerate. John was asked to name his favorite American artist. He replied, “Nilsson”. Paul was asked to name his favorite American group. He replied, “Nilsson”. In the early 60s, Harry Nilsson pursued his song …
