Nine-year-old Inger Stensland moved to the the United States from Sweden after her parents divorced. At 18, she worked in New York City’s Garment District and took drama classes with Lee Strasberg of the Actors Studio. Inger married her agent, Anthony Soglio, who changed her last name to the more American “Stevens.” Their marriage, however, …
This week’s challenge on Illustration Friday is “germs”. Howard Hughes was an innovative aviator, engineer, industrialist, film producer and director, philanthropist, and one of the wealthiest people in the world. Marvel Comics founder Stan Lee used Hughes as the inspiration for playboy Tony Stark, the alter-ego of Iron Man. Hughes also suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder …
Clara Bow was born in a Brooklyn slum. She was the third child; the first two, also daughters, died in infancy. Between 1905 and 1923, the Bows lived at at least 14 different addresses. Aside from being a weak provider, Clara’s father, Robert was often gone, leaving his family without means to survive, forcing Clara’s …
In 1957, Susquehanna Road was a narrow country lane in the sparsely settled Fox Chase section of northeast Philadelphia. A driveway providing access to the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, a religious order which operated a school for “wayward girls,” adjoined Susquehanna Road on the north near Verree Road. Directly across the street from the …
The current challenge on the Illustration Friday website is “pattern”. ” I thought if only we could take this play pattern and three dimensionalize it, we would have something very special. “ — Ruth Handler In 1945, Elliot Handler and Harold “Matt” Matson founded a small toy company. They called their new venture “Mattel” by combining part …
Jeffrey Dampier Jr. won a $20-million Illinois Lotto jackpot in 1996. He bought houses and cars for his siblings and parents. In 2001, he bought a half-million dollar home near Tampa, Florida. He also purchased a townhouse for his parents close by. Several family members followed Jeffrey to the Florida Gulf Coast because he liked …
Oliver Sipple stood in the crowd. He was no different from the other 3,000 people gathered outside San Francisco’s St. Francis Hotel hoping to catch a glimpse of President Ford. As the President emerged from the building, Oliver looked and saw the woman next to him pull out a .38-caliber pistol and aim it at …
In his thirteen season career, Donnie Moore posted a 43-40 record and a 3.67 ERA. He was even selected to the All-Star team in 1985. Donnie’s downfall came on October 12, 1986. He was pitching for the Angels in Game 5 of the 1986 American League Championship Series in Anaheim. The Angels held a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven …
Bobby Driscoll was Walt Disney’s Golden Child. He was the typical cute, scrappy All-American boy and Disney Studios milked that image for all they could. Bobby starred in a string of classic live-action pictures for Disney, including Song of the South, So Dear to My Heart and Treasure Island. He was also provided the voice for …
In 1919, eighteen year-old Ub Iwerks was working for the Pesman Art Studio in Kansas City, Missouri. It was here he met another eighteen year-old, a fellow artist named Walt Disney, who would become his oldest and best friend. Disney and Iwerks moved on to work as illustrators for The Kansas City Film Ad Company. …
