Pete Ham formed his first band at the age of 14. The band evolved over the next few years, experiencing personnel changes until they gained local notoriety as The Iveys in 1965. The Iveys caught the attention of Mal Evans, personal assistant to the Beatles, and they were soon signed to Apple Records. Changing their …
In the late 70s, Glenn Shadix left his Bessemer, Alabama roots behind him and headed to New York City with dreams of a career in show business. While working as a production assistant at the St. James Theater in Manhattan, Glenn began a friendship with legendary playwright Tennessee Williams. Young Glenn spent long hours at the …
Michael Dunn wasn’t going let a little thing like dwarfism stand in the way of his career aspirations. A veritable child prodigy (reading at one; spelling bee champ at 13), Michael also began to develop his entertainment skills as a youngster. He would often gather small audiences on street corners and give an impromptu singing …
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 …
