Stanley Myron Handelman was born in Brooklyn in 1929. He worked as a stand-up comic and gag writer as a young man. But for nearly ten years, he was a fixture on variety showcases and late-night talk shows. He made numerous appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Flip Wilson Show, The Merv Griffin Show and The Tonight Show. …
Before Gidget… Before Frankie and Annette… There was Esther. A competitive swimmer in her teens, Esther Williams set numerous records as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club’s swim team. Due to the outbreak of World War II, Esther was unable to participate in the 1940 Summer Olympics. Instead, the anxious 19 year-old joined Billy …
Back in 1870 just beneath the Great White Way/Alfred Beach worked secretly Risking all to ride a dream/His wind-machine “Sub-Rosa Subway” by Klaatu (1976) Alfred Beach and his partner bought the rights to Scientific American magazine, and began its publication in 1845. Alfred, a patent attorney and inventor, was interested in scientific advancements. He …
When I was young I’d listen to the radio Waitin’ for my favorite songs When they played I’d sing along It made me smile.
With aspirations of stardom, Rita Johnson set out for Hollywood after two years of acting on Broadway. She made her motion picture debut in 1937’s London By Night, a lighthearted mystery starring George Murphy, long before he was elected to the US Senate. Rita continued to be cast in films throughout the 30s and 40s. …
Ben Raleigh was writing songs as far back as the 1940s. His songs were recorded by Eddie Fisher, Dinah Shore and Nat King Cole among others. In 1946, Sammy Kaye and his Orchestra had a Top Ten hit with Ben’s composition “Laughing on the Outside (Crying on the Inside).” Pop singer Leslie Gore recorded Ben’s “She’s a Fool” and song stylist Johnny Mathis had a …
In 1946, Abe Saperstein, enjoying success from his exhibition basketball team The Harlem Globetrotters, decided to try his hand at baseball. In the same fashion, he assembled a squad of barnstorming all-stars called the Cincinnati Crescents. He signed 6′ 4″ Luke Easter to play first base. Luke was thrilled, as he was only able to …
Mary Fuller began making one-reelers for Vitagraph Studios as an eighteen year-old. Soon, she joined the cast of Edison Studios’ 1910 production of Frankenstein, playing the notorious doctor’s fiancée. This was the first filmed version of Mary Shelley’s horror classic. By 1914, Mary Fuller was a bona fide movie star, rivaling top box-office draw Mary …
As a teenager, multi-talented Ernest Crowdus performed as a singer, dancer, musician and comedian in traveling minstrel shows. He changed his surname to “Hogan” to capitalize on the high regard for Irish singers. In 1895, he wrote a comedic song called “Pas Ma La,” based on an exaggerated dance he made up while touring with …
This week, the Illustration Friday word is “wings”. Jimmy McCulloch looked like he was headed in the direction of super-stardom. At fifteen, he was recruited by Who guitarist Pete Townshend to be a part of a group that would record songs he wrote but would not be released by The Who. Jimmy, along with “Speedy” Keen and …
