After a stint as a backup singer on for Leonard Cohen on an early 70s European tour, Laura Branigan knew she wanted a career as a professional singer. Impressed by her four-octave range, Atlantic Records chief Ahmet Ertegun signed Laura to a contract. She released her debut album, a collection of up-beat pop songs and ballads, …
Almost a full year before Jan nearly screwed up Mom and Dad’s anniversary gift when she misunderstood that the engraving on a silver platter was 85 cents a letter, not for the entire thing, she almost screwed up another anniversary gift. Under Dad’s suggestion, the Brady kids secretly gather to have a photographer take a formal …
Marc Feld was in love with rock and roll. The former child catalog model was obsessed with the music of Eddie Cochran, Chuck Berry and Gene Vincent. At 12, he bought a guitar and formed a skiffle trio with future British pop singer Helen Shapiro. Marc played with dozens of bands and went through just as many …
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In 1950, Brandon deWilde became the talk of Broadway when he debuted in Member of the Wedding at the age of 7. Three years later, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his heart-rending performance as Joey Starrett opposite star Alan Ladd in Shane. Based on his popularity, Brandon was …
soon turned out to be a pain in the ass
Everyone (of a certain age) remembers Gale Gordon, the eternal curmudgeon, easily excitable and forever exasperated by the likes of Dennis Mitchell and Lucy Carmichael. Gale was a master of the “slow burn” — his temper rising, his brow furrowing, until he blasted forth with “gale-force” anger. His career spanned seven decades, starting out in …
A career in Hollywood was the natural choice for pretty, petite blond Wanda Hawley. Beginning in 1917 with her debut in the drama The Derelict, Wanda crammed an astounding 84 film appearances into fifteen years. She proved her versatility and was adept at both comedy and drama. Wanda shared the screen with forgotten stars like Bryant Washburn …
Gene Tierney’s career and critical acclaim began when she carried a bucket of water across a Broadway stage in 1938’s What a Life! A critic for Variety proclaimed “Miss Tierney is certainly the most beautiful water carrier I’ve ever seen!” She took bigger, more substantial roles on the stage until Darryl F. Zanuck, the head …
“I still got the moves, Blue.” Paul Williams took his own life in August 1973. He was 34. David Ruffin died in 1991 from an adverse reaction to cocaine. He was 51. Eddie Kendricks died from lung cancer in 1992. He was 52. Melvin Franklin was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in the 1960s. Regular cortisone treatments …
Debralee Scott kicked off her career as a nude corpse in the Clint Eastwood cop thriller Dirty Harry. Two years later, she was sidling up to Harrison Ford in his “piss yellow-puke green” hot rod in George Lucas’ American Graffiti. In 1974, the feisty, freckled redhead with the adorable overbite landed a regular supporting role …
