DCS: james karen

In 1947, James Karen made his acting debut on the Broadway stage in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire. He went on to appear in over 20 more Broadway plays and over 200 films and television shows, plus a stint plugging the Pathmark supermarket chain that spanned several decades. James passed away in October 2018 …

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DCS: george h. w. bush

George Herbert Walker Bush was the 43rd Vice-President of the United States. He was the longest living ex-president in the history of the United States. His downfall came when he famously asked the citizens of the United States to read his lips. Bush passed away in November 2018 at the age of 94. My annual …

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DCS: amy farris

Although classically trained, Amy Farris had a gift for improvisation of the violin. She confessed, “I just play what comes into my head.” Her improvisations caught the attention of guitarist-singer Alejandro Escovedo, who asked Amy to join his bare-bones tour. Amy, who was working in a law office at the time, told her co-workers that …

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DCS: peggy ann garner

Six films and and six years into her career, young Peggy Ann Garner hit the height of her success. She starred in 1945’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Peggy Ann was honored with a Academy Juvenile Award (a category that was discontinued in 1961, with 14-year-old Haley Mills as its final recipient). She achieved additional …

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DCS: louise brooks

Louise Brooks, starred in 25 films before retiring in 1938 at the age of 32. Years later, Louise chronicled her tumultuous life in her memoirs, Lulu in Hollywood. In the book, she related her various sexual conquests — both male and female — and her dislike of Hollywood and the film business. She summed her …

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DCS: whitey bulger

Look, I know Whitey Bulger was a despicable, violent killer. I know he was responsible for at least the 19 murders for which he was convicted, in addition to racketeering, drug dealing and money laundering. But it takes a special kind of evil to beat an 89-year old feeble, wheelchair-bound man to death with a …

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DCS: gail gilmore

At fifteen years of age, Gail Gilmore joined Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in her native Canada. Later, she taught ballet for a time in upstate New York. For a whirlwind three years, Gail enjoyed a successful acting career. In a short time, she made appearances on the popular television series Mr. Novak, My Three Sons, Perry Mason and Wagon Train. …

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DCS: boston corbett

As a young man, Boston Corbett began working in a hat factory in Troy, New York. He had regular exposure to mercury nitrate used in the production of felt. Boston showed signs of hallucinations, psychosis and twitching. After the death of his wife and child, he began drinking heavily. He was unable to hold a job until an …

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