Emanuel Heilbronner emigrated from his native Germany in 1929, dropping the “Heil” from his surname to avoid any association with the Nazis. He begged his parents to follow him to the United States, but they refused. His last correspondence from his parents was in the form of a censored postcard reading: “You were right – …
“I wake up in the morning and read the paper. If I’m not in the obits, I eat breakfast.” — Carl Reiner Carl Reiner — writer, actor, comedian, director, producer, funny man — passed away on June 29, 2020 at the age of 98. He read the paper that morning.
James Booker was a talented and influential pianist, once described by Dr. John as “the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano genius New Orleans has ever produced.” The good doctor couldn’t have been more dead on. Born in New Orleans, the teenage James recorded a few songs under the guidance of famed producer Dave Bartholomew. …
We’ll meet again Don’t know where Don’t know when But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day Vera Lynn passed away on June 18, 2020 at the age of 103.
Christine Jorgensen began preparations for sex reassignment surgery just after a discharge the US Army. She started with hormonal therapy before proceeding with physical alternations. After several procedures, Christine was introduced to the world, via a front page story in the New York Daily News in December 1952, as the first sex change in history. …
Diana Sacayán came out as transgender when she was a teen. She became very active in the pursuit of maintaining human rights for her contemporaries. She was arrested and jailed at different times because of her leanings towards Argentina’s Communist Party. Once released from jail, Diana created the Anti-Discrimination Movement of Liberation in Argentina. The …
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” — James Baldwin (1924 – 1987)
Eric Campbell was performing in local theater in Scotland when he was recruited by entertainment impresario Fred Karno. Karno was a slapstick comedian in his own right and is credited with popularizing the “pie-in-the-face” gag. Karno had assembled a roster of entertainers, including Charles Chaplin and Chaplin’s understudy Arthur Jefferson, later known by the stage …
Fred Willard played the clueless fool the way a virtuoso plays the violin. He passed away in May 2020 at the age of 86.
A native of Hollywood, Julie Bennett found work as a character actress in radio and on television including bit parts on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Adventures of Superman, and Dragnet. She found her true calling, however, as a voice actress, a career she worked at for over fifty years. Julie was an in-demand voice …
