Wally Cox hated the role that made him famous. After beginning his career as a stand-up comedian, he starred for three seasons as mild-mannered science teacher Robinson Peepers in “Mr. Peepers”, an early sitcom that co-starred Tony Randall, Jack Warden and Marion Lorne. In interviews, Wally constantly argued unsuccessfully that he was nothing like the shy and timid character he …
This week’s Illustration Friday challenge word is “slither”. The remarkable Prince Randian was one of the most successful sideshow performers of the 1930s. He was brought from his native British Guyana to the United States by showman P.T. Barnum in 1889. Despite being born with no arms and no legs, Prince Randian demonstrated his ability …
In 1999, former child actress Dana Plato committed suicide at the age of 34. It was the culmination of a tumultuous life that went from starring in a popular weekly television series to robbing a video store and forging a prescription for Valium. The day before her suicide, an upbeat Plato appeared on The Howard …
Kam Tong Chun’s teacher misunderstood his name and taught him to write Kam Fong Chun. Later in his life, he had his name legally changed to Kam Fong Chun. In the early 1930s, his family was broken apart when it was discovered that his father had an affair. His parents divorced and his mother raised …
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William Darby, the son of a freed slave, was born in 1796 and orphaned as a child. As a youngster, he joined up with William Batty, the owner of a small travelling circus. The young Darby quickly picked up numerous acrobatic skills. Soon after, he trained with another circus owner, Andrew Ducrow, under whose guidance …
A small role as the young George Jorgenson in the controversial Christine Jorgenson Story led ten-year-old Trent Lehman to be cast in the sitcom Nanny and The Professor in 1970. Trent co-starred opposite Juliet Mills as mischevous middle son Butch Everett. Fifty-four episodes of the popular show were filmed and it held a coveted time slot on ABC …
In the fall of 1964, Elizabeth Hartman was offered the leading role of Selina in A Patch of Blue, with Sidney Poitier and Shelley Winters. The role won Elizabeth widespread critical acclaim and the crew at the Youngstown Ohio playhouse, where she got her start, were especially proud. Twenty-two year-old Elizabeth received an Academy Award …
Oliver Reed had no aspirations to become an actor while serving in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He took work as an extra in the early 1950s in mostly comedies. The more extra work he got, the more it looked like this was the career for the young Reed. He was featured in several films …
This week’s Monday Artday challenge word is “friendship”. Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole met in 1976 in a Jacksonville, Florida soup kitchen and they became instant friends and eventual lovers. Lucas, the son of an alcoholic father and an abusive prostitute mother, served prison time for armed robbery and had murdered his mother and …
This week’s Illustration Friday challenge word is “linked”. “There have been people who have tried to take advantage of me. They want to be linked to me just because I’m Ethel Merman.” Ethel Merman That quote from Ethel Merman, about herself, is baffling. One would think a more charismatic celebrity with a more compelling …
