Solly Drake had dreams of becoming a professional baseball player. So did his younger brother Sammy. As a teenager, Solly played for the Elmwood Giants, a minor league team, before he was signed to the farm system of the Chicago Cubs. In 1956, the wiry, switch-hitting outfielder made his major league debut with the Cubs, …
King Charles VII ruled France from 1422 until 1461, with his wife Queen Marie d’Anjou. The King, however, had a little something on the side. And that “little something” was Agnès Sorel. Agnès was a 20 year-old “social climber,” who was known as Dame de beauté (Lady of Beauty). As was common at the time, …
In 1939, four-year old Jo Ann Marlow was discovered by a director from Warner Brothers Studios while on a family vacation to Hollywood. Star struck, her family relocated to Southern California and little Jo Ann made her motion picture debut in Yankee Doodle Dandy playing a younger version of Jeanne Cagney’s character “Josie.” She would …
When I try to sleep at night/I can only dream in red Steve Biko only wanted what was right. As a student at University of Natal, he was an active participant in anti-apartheid rallies and demonstrations organized on campus and beyond. He was at the forefront of the Black Consciousness Movement, a vocal opponent of …
Angus Scrimm was best remembered for his portrayal of “The Tall Man” in Don Coscarelli’s Phantasm and its four sequels. With his imposing height and menacing scowl, Angus was the perfect choice for the role of the mysterious, supernatural undertaker that was the center of the film series. But, Angus was the opposite of his …
Pretty Janis Dremann headed for New York City after graduating college in her native Cleveland. She adopted her grandmother’s easier to spell and pronounce surname “Carter” and dreamed of becoming an opera star on the New York stage of the Metropolitan Opera. Unfortunately, a case of the nerves at her audition dashed her singing dreams. …
At 20 years old, Vanessa Marquez made her acting debut in the 1988 drama Stand By Me. She landed guest roles in television series and several forgettable movies before securing the part of “Nurse Wendy Goldman” in the popular medical drama ER. Later, she took a turn at comedy in a recurring role on the …
Mariska Veres was something of a child prodigy. Her father was a noted violinist and young Mariska would often accompany him on piano for performances. Teenage Mariska bounced around a number of different pop bands in her native Netherlands. She sang, played guitar and keyboards and enchanted her audiences with her exotic dark looks and …
I have been drawing since I was a little kid. Much to my parents’ chagrin, I decided to make art my chosen career. I went to art school and I have made a living as a professional artist — in one capacity or another — for over 40 years. Unlike a lot of my colleagues …
Robin Williams was funny, manic, inspired, hysterical and troubled. Rather than put himself and his family through the potential turmoil that awaited upon his diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease, Lewy Body Dementia, increasing paranoia and continued depression, he took his own life. Robin Williams committed suicide on August 11, 2014 at the age of 63. (My …
