During his two and a half seasons on the Cincinnati Reds, Willard Hershberger primarily served as the back-up catcher for Hall-of-Famer Ernie Lombardi. Though not an everyday player, he had a .316 lifetime batting average and even had two at-bats with an RBI in the 1939 World Series. However, Willard holds a singular, albeit dubious, distinction among ballplayers, …
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The Monday Artday challenge word this week is “monarch”. On June 1, 2001, King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya of Nepal were hosting a formal dinner party for Nepal’s royal family. 29 year-old Prince Dipendra arrived drunk at the party and his father, the King, ordered him to be removed from the festivities. He was taken …
With initial plans to become a writer, Yvette Vickers took an acting class at UCLA and enjoyed it so much, she switched her major to drama. While still a student, she began making commercials. During a trip to New York, she was cast as “The White Rain Girl” in hairspray ads and commercials. She soon …
Billy Booth made a handful of appearances on television in the early 1960s, including an uncredited role in the classic Twilight Zone episode “A Stop at Willoughby.” Soon, Billy was cast in the role for which he was best known. He played Dennis’s best friend “Tommy” in 112 installments of the sitcom Dennis the Menace. …
The Illustration Friday challenge word this week is “lesson”. “Dreams do come true, even for someone who couldn’t speak English and never had a music lesson or much of an education.” Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk couldn’t wait to get the hell out of North Dakota. He was the sixth of eight children born to …
Donald Turnupseed inherited his father’s electrical contracting business, turning it into a multi-million dollar enterprise known all over parts of California. He married twice, had three children and five grandchildren. He passed away from lung cancer in 1995 at age 63. When Donald was 23 he was a student at California Polytechnic State University. On …
Hollywood is a fickle, fickle place. As presented countless times in this blog, the entertainment business can be cruel, heartless, unrelenting and unforgiving. Beginning way back in the infancy of the motion picture business, hundreds and hundreds of eager young actors and actresses have had their dreams dashed and have been cast aside when the …
Karen Bach had just finished studying communications and business when she married a DJ from her native Lyon, France. At her husband’s insistence, she began appearing in adult films in an effort to help alleviate the couple’s debts. Using the name “Karen Lancaume” (a play on the renowned French cosmetic company), she made over 40 …
A heart ailment forced 53 year-old Barney Doyle into an early retirement. A life long New York Giants fan, he would now be able to attend more games. On Independence Day 1950, Barney went to an early Mass, had a quick breakfast and picked up a friend’s son, Otto Flaig, to make good on a …
Karyn Kupcinet, the daughter of popular Chicago columnist Irv Kupcinet, was a young and aspiring actress. She was given access to producers thorough her father’s connections. Using the name “Tammy Windsor”, she landed a small role in the campy Roger Corman original Little Shop of Horrors. In 1961, she was offered a small role in …
