from my sketchbook: olive thomas

Twenty-year old Olive Thomas entered and won “The Most Beautiful Girl in New York City” contest in 1914. A year later, she made her Ziegfeld Follies debut. She became the star of the risqué Midnight Frolic show, an after hours production that catered to wealthy male patrons. Olive was showered with gifts from her admirers, including …

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from my sketchbook: vincent price

Can you imagine my joy when, in 1975, I brought home a newly-released copy of Alice Cooper’s Welcome to My Nightmare album, popped it onto my turntable and heard a deliciously creepy introduction by none other than the “King of Modern Macabre” — Vincent Price? It was (if I may borrow a word not particularly popular in …

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from my sketchbook: rhea mitchell

While still a teenager, Rhea Mitchell performed on stages across the Pacific Northwest. It was during one performance in Vancouver, British Columbia, that she was noticed by a talent scout from Hollywood. She began her film career – one that would span five decades – with a short subject called The Hidden Trail in 1912. …

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from my sketchbook: sean flynn

Sean Flynn, the only child from the marriage of silver-screen swashbuckler Errol Flynn and French actress Lili Damita, seemed to be destined to follow in his father’s footsteps. A brief role in a segment of TV’s The Errol Flynn Theatre and a background part in his friend George Hamilton’s film Where The Boys Are in 1960, led …

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from my sketchbook: ruth steinhagen

Nineteen-year-old Ruth Steinhagen went to a Chicago Cubs game in 1947 and was never the same. She became obsessed with Eddie Waitkus, the Cubs’ good looking, young first baseman. Ruth began to gather every bit of information she could on Waitkus. She sought out photos and newspaper clippings about him. Her room in her parents’ …

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