Zurlon Tipton was a running back for Central Michigan University. Although he was not picked in the 2014 NFL Draft, he was signed by the Indianapolis Colts. He was waived in September 2014, but re-signed to the team’s practice squad. He eventually made the active roster and scored his first touchdown in a game against …
Born in Detroit, the ninth of fifteen children, Florence Ballard was introduced to music by her father. An auto worker by trade, he was an amateur musician and he taught his daughter to sing as he accompanied her on guitar. She and her high school friend Mary Wilson joined up with Betty McGlown and a petite …
Janet Waldo’s big break came courtesy of Bing Crosby. A talent scout brought the perky teen in for an audition for the crooner and she was signed to a contract soon after. Janet played a slew of vivacious teenage girls on a variety of radio shows, including The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and The …
Dick Kallman got a break when he joined the touring company of How to Succeed in Business (Without Really Trying), replacing Warren Berlinger, Milton Berle’s nephew. After appearing in several more stage productions and guest shots in television shows, Dick landed a starring role in his own sitcom. Hank premiered in 1966. Dick, as the …
Betsy Palmer had a long and illustrious career in films, television and on the stage. She was featured in the original teleplay of Paddy Chayefsky’s Marty in 1953, two years before its big screen adaptation. She originated the role of “Alma” in Tennessee Williams’ The Eccentricities of a Nightingale. She was Williams’ personal choice for the role. In …
A life member of the prestigious Actors Studio, Madeleine Sherwood was featured in over a dozen Broadway productions, including the Tennessee Williams’ dramas Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Sweet Bird of Youth. She reprised her roles in the film versions of both plays. On television, she appeared on several soap operas, including two different stints …
Pete Maravich had a close relationship with his father. The elder Maravich introduced the fundamentals of basketball to seven-year old Pete. He spent long hours drilling Pete with rigorous passing, long shots and tricks. On his high school team, the accomplished Pete was averaging 33 points per game. His unorthodox style of shooting the ball from his …
After three attempts, Ron Hughes finally passed the California Bar exam. He had never tried a case when he met with Charles Manson in December 1969, just after warrants had been issued and arrests had been made for the August 8 murders of five people at the home of actress Sharon Tate and the murders …
A 1940 newspaper article called Sheila Ryan “an actress whose alluring curves alone might have disqualified them from screen careers not so long ago.” The petite, dark-haired beauty made 60 films during her thirty-year career. She innocently auditioned for a small role in a locally-produced show for LA station KCBS. She got the role immediately. Sheila went on …
Debbie Stone’s celebrity status is of an unfortunate nature. The 18 year-old Santa Ana High School graduate holds the distinction of being the first Disneyland cast member killed while working in the theme park. At the end of the summer of 1973, The Carousel of Progress, Disney’s innovative and entertaining chronology of technological advancement was packed up …
