Marjorie Guthrie began performing in her native Winnipeg at the tender age of 8. She was part of a group of child entertainers in a troupe that toured throughout Canada. As a teenager, Marjorie traveled to San Francisco to take a stab at vaudeville. She partnered with Thelma Wolpa as a comedy duo under the names …
Granny: Elly May done popped the buttons off her shirt again. Jed: Elly May carries herself proud with her shoulders throwed back. Granny: It ain’t her shoulders that have been poppin’ these buttons. — The Beverly Hillbillies Doris Smith, a pretty Southern tomboy, was voted Miss Baton Rouge in her home state of Louisiana. The …
Thomas Edison is a beloved figure in the history of science, technology and invention. But, boy, what a jerk. In 1882, Nikola Tesla emigrated to the United States to work for Edison. An innovative electrical engineer in his native Serbia, he was hired to redesign Edison’s inefficient motor. At the time, Tesla was paid a salary …
Barely a teenager, Miroslava Šternová fled her native Czechoslovakia with her adoptive parents as the country was on the verge of war in 1930. The family headed to North America and settled in Mexico. Young Miroslava entered and won a beauty contest and briefly visited Los Angeles to try her hand at acting. Her exotic …
Elisa Lam last called home on January 31, 2013. Then, she disappeared. Soon, some guests in the Cecil Hotel began to complain about low water pressure. The front desk of the Los Angeles Skid Row hotel received additional calls about black water when faucets or showers were turned on. After nearly three weeks (coinciding with Elisa Lam’s disappearance), a …
It was Thanksgiving weekend 1981. Natalie Wood and her husband, actor Robert Wagner had asked fellow actor Christopher Walken, Natalie’s co-star in her current film Brainstorm, to join them aboard their yacht the Splendour. They would sail to Catalina Island, dine at Doug’s Harbor Reef, the only restaurant in Isthmus Cove on the northern end …
A talent scout from 20th Century Fox spotted dark-haired Vogue model Cathy Downs and brought her to Hollywood. After a few uncredited roles , including State Fair and a biopic about The Dolly Sisters, Cathy was cast in the titular role in the John Ford Western My Darling Clementine, a mostly inaccurate account of the …
“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” ― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross As a young student of psychiatric medicine, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross was shocked by the hospital treatment of patients in the United States …
Despite a stint on the high school cheerleading squad, Shannon Wilsey was not happy. Her parents divorced when she was only two and she was shipped off from her Texas home to live with her grandparents in southern California. While still in high school, the willowy blond began dating rock star Gregg Allman, who was …
I think on-stage nudity is disgusting, shameful and damaging to all things American. But if I were 22 with a great body, it would be artistic, tasteful, patriotic and a progressive religious experience. When 22-year old Shelley Winters made her motion picture debut in What a Woman!, she was just one of many Hollywood “blonde …
