Once and for all, Mama Cass Elliot did not choke to death on a ham sandwich in 1974. Stop saying that she did. Born in Baltimore, the former Naomi Cohen adopted the name “Cass Elliot,” while in high school, taking her first name either as a tribute to actress Peggy Cass or Ziegfeld comedienne Cass …
In her native Cuba, Luisa Cira Castro Netto worked as an accountant. She left Cuba amid the political upheaval of the early 1960s, arriving in New York City with aspirations of a career in acting. Wanting to disassociate herself from Fidel Castro, a distant relative, she adopted the surname “Moritz,” from the Hotel St. Moritz. …
On September 30, 2019, The Waycross Journal-Herald ceased publication. Its publisher, Roger Williams Jr. made the announcement to his distraught staff. The paper had been in the Williams family since Roger’s grandfather Jack purchased it in 1916. Roger Williams Sr., Jack’s son, served as publisher until his death in 1957. Jack Williams Jr. took over …
Bill Macy earned a living as a Brooklyn cab driver for over a decade until he landed a spot on Broadway. Well… sort of. He was cast as Walter Matthau’s understudy in the 1958 production of Once More, With Feeling. In the 60s, he landed a small role of a cab driver in the soap …
Joshua Norton came to the United States during the Gold Rush of 1849. He landed in San Francisco and dove headfirst into the real estate business. He was successful at first, but he got greedy. He hatched a plan to take advantage of a rice shortage in 1853. However, when huge shipments of the grain …
All the home run hitters want to pitch a perfect game and all the pitching aces want to hit a grand slam.
I drew this picture to give to Diahann Carroll when I met her at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in 2018. She was among a group of celebrity guests that were attending the show to meet fans and sign autographs. I had been collecting autographed photos of “celebrities” for almost thirty years before stopping in 2017. …
Irwin Jacobs was a shrewd investor. He had an uncanny ability to spot an opportunity to make money. In the middle 1970s, Irwin purchased the Grain Belt Brewing Company. He tried to make the failing brewery profitable, sinking nearly $200,000 a month into the company. After eight months, he called it quits, but sold the …
If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung Would you hear my voice come through the music? Would you hold it near as it were your own?
I knew a few Eddie Money songs, but I would not consider myself a fan. He was just another average, innocuous singer on the radio… like Huey Lewis or Bob Seger. Eddie Money was one of those singers that made me think “every singer is someone’s favorite singer.” I remember regularly hearing “Two Tickets to …
