Born in Philadelphia, Dorothy Dare began singing in church and made her stage debut at the age of seven. When she got older, she was spotted during a performance by an impressed Florenz Ziegfeld. The famed producer gave Dorothy a place in his stage show. Soon, she was appearing in a series of Vitaphone musical …
“When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.” — John Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) I support the movement to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in honor of John Lewis. …
Corinne Griffith was regarded as one of the most beautiful actresses of the silent film era. A biographer’s research revealed that the phrase “the camera loves her” was coined for Corinne. She was praised by critics for her acting abilities, as well. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1929. He …
Dark-haired with a brilliant smile, Mikki Jamison embodied Hollywood’s vision of “the girl next door.” She made numerous guest appearances in black & white series in the early days of television. From her 1962 screen debut in Hawaiian Eye, Mikki popped up in episodes of Dennis the Menace, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The …
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 alterations. 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 …
