Paired with Mitch DeWood, comedian Marty Allen worked as an opening act for such popular stars as Sarah Vaughan, Eydie Gormé, and Nat King Cole. They played major clubs including the famous Copacabana in New York. The pair split in 1958 and Marty teamed up with singer Steve Rossi. Allen and Rossi were wildly successful. …
Virginia O’Brien was at the very top in the 1940s. She was featured in 17 films, most of which showcased her comedic ability and lovely singing voice. But, what made Virginia stand out among her contemporaries was her style. And her style was deadpan. In numerous featured performances, whether fronting a big band or at …
Glenda Farrell was the epitome of the snappy-talking blonde, so popular in 1930s Hollywood. She was often cast as confident women in films, including I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang and Lady for a Day. She appeared alongside Edward G. Robinson in Little Caesar and a succession of film noirs to great success. …
With a sketchy background story involving a family lineage link to Finnish athlete Paavo Nurmi, Maila Nurmi moved from her native Massachusetts to New York to pursue an acting career. While seeking her “big break,” the striking and statuesque Maila posed for pin-up photos as well as for artists like Antonio Vargas and the notorious …
Everett Sloane was bitten by the acting bug in elementary school. But it wasn’t until a salary cut as a runner on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange prompted Everett to pursue acting as a career. His initial role as sidekick to title character Bulldog Drummond led to thousands of roles in radio. …
Tanya Roberts enjoyed a pretty successful career. Sure, she wasn’t a huge star and not even a household name, but she was more successful than a bunch of other starry-eyed hopeful actresses that you never heard of. Tanya began as a model, appearing as a pretty accompaniment to the products in commercials for toothpaste and …
In the summer of 1979, director Ruggero Deodato took a small crew and a group of Italian and American actors to an Amazon rainforest near Leticia, Colombia. Principal production began for what would become one of the most controversial films in movie history, the notorious Cannibal Holocaust. Ruggero was no stranger to over-the-top gore. His …
As a pre-teen, pretty Diane McBain started her career modeling for print as well as in television commercials. She was signed to Warner Brothers Studios as a contract player and made her acting debut in 1955 at the age of 17 in an episode of the TV Western Maverick opposite James Garner. She went on …
For five years now, I have been participating in the year-end Faces of Death Drawing Project. This online gathering of artists from all over the world honors those of notoriety who have passed on during the previous year. So, this is right up my alley! My first year, I drew actor-dancer Ken Berry. The next …
I will not pretend that Doyle Hamm wasn’t a piece of shit. He was. He was also a human being. Born on Valentines Day in 1957, Doyle’s father and six older brothers had all served prison terms for multiple crimes. Doyle, himself, struggled in school ― dropping out in the ninth grade and turning to …
