A descendant of Hewahewa, the high priest of King Kamehameha I and his successor Kamehameha II, Eddie Aikau took up surfing at a young age. He dropped out of high school and took a job at the Dole pineapple cannery in O’ahu. With his first paycheck, he bought his own surfboard. At 22, he was …
Philadelphia-born Jim Bailey honed his singing voice at the city’s Conservatory of Music. As a teen, he appeared regularly on The Horn and Hardart Children’s Hour, a variety show broadcast in Philadelphia and New York showcasing child performers. The show was a springboard for such future talents as Frankie Avalon, Rose Marie, Bernadette Peters, Rosemary …
Tallulah Bankhead often broke ranks with her staunch Southern political family. Her liberal views and advocacy for civil liberties cause grief for her US Senator grandfather and Congressman father. But, Tallulah often marched to the beat of her own drummer. She was a successful stage actress, known for her husky voice, unusual good looks and …
Stephen Donaldson was a troubled kid. He had regular run-ins with police, mostly due to his confrontational behavior. He was an outspoken advocate for bisexual rights in a time where homosexuality was classified as a crime. He campaigned and wrote about homosexuals being unjustly, inhumanely and savagely discriminated against by large segments of American society. …
John le Carré wrote 27 novels. Eleven of them were made into movies. I’m sure he made enough money to buy a whole lot of bouillon cubes. John le Carré passed away in December 2020 at the age of 89.
Elise Cowen was born in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. A quiet girl, she found personal solace in writing poetry, using the works of Emily Dickinson, T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, and Dylan Thomas as inspiration. While working as an office typist, Elise was introduced to beat poet Allen Ginsburg. The two began a …
While Julie London was crying a river and Peggy Lee had a fever, Rusty Warren was calling on women nationwide to heed her battle cry of “Knockers up!” Ilene Goldman studied music at the New England Conservatory of Music. She performed in small clubs in and around the Boston area and even claimed Boston Pops …
Seven year-old Virginia Bosler was enrolled in dance school by her mother, hoping to correct her daughter’s poor posture. She stayed with the program for three years until the family moved from New York to Connecticut. Virginia resumed her dance instruction with the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow dance studio, where she made an impression on founder …
