Lena Horne joined the chorus line at Harlem’s famed Cotton Club in the fall of 1933 when she was just 16. By the spring, she was a featured performer at the club, eventually touring as a vocalist with bandleader Charlie Barnet. Not a fan of life on the road, Lena returned to her native New …
Frederick Douglass was a one-time slave who, secretly, taught himself how to read a write. He eventually escaped his inhumane treatment, fleeing to the North and settling in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He became an outspoken proponent for freedom as a firm believer in equality for all people. He was an advocate for voting rights for women and …
Henry Heimlich, a thoracic surgeon and medical researcher, wrote a piece for the trade publication Emergency Medicine, extolling the virtues of his abdominal thrust method of rescuing victims of choking. The procedure, used to success by a Bellevue, Washington restaurant owner on a choking patron, was embraced and promoted by both the American Heart Association and The American …
Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?
Miguel Ferrer passed away yesterday at the young age of 61. When I posted the announcement of his death on Facebook, I noted his well-known acting roles: NCIS Assistant Director “Owen Granger” in NCIS: Los Angeles, “Vice President Rodriguez” in Iron Man 3, and FBI forensic pathologist “Albert Rosenfield” in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks. He even voiced several …
He was a gentle bit of jocularity among the meatball surgery.
Before this river Becomes an ocean Before you throw my heart back on the floor Oh oh baby I reconsider My foolish notion Well I need someone to hold me But I’ll wait for something more
After several silent films in her native Mexico, Lupita Tovar signed with Universal Pictures. She starred in 1930’s La Voluntad del Muerto, a Spanish-language version of The Cat Creeps. The atmospheric horror film was shot at the same time as its English counterpart, using the same sets. Luptia was then cast as “Eva” in a …
I met Carrie Fisher a few years ago at a horror and science-fiction convention in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. It’s a convention that I have attended on-and-off over the past fifteen years. While I am amused by the various costumed attendees and the unusual items of memorabilia on display, I mostly go to add to my …
Bernard Fox was one of those “Oh! That guy!” actors, despite having a career that spanned six decades. He made his acting debut at 18 months, launching a career that touched both television and films in both drama and comedy. He was featured in numerous films, mostly broad comedies like Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, …
