DCS: sergio franchi

Sergio Franchi. What a melodic, romantic sounding name! It was very fitting for the Italian tenor with the robust voice and charming demeanor. Sergio Franchi! Throughout the 70s, he sang on The Ed Sullivan Show, filled the big showrooms in Las Vegas and toured the country, enchanting audiences that were mostly comprised of suburban American …

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DCS: wilford brimley

I met Wilford Brimley at a collector and autograph show in 2017. While some of the other celebrities had long lines at their individual tables and were engaging in lively conversation with adoring fans, Wilford Brimley sat alone at a small folding table, its surface displaying a few stacks of color photographs depicting scenes from …

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inktober52: puppet

Paul Winchell was an unusual character. He was an accomplished ventriloquist, taking up the hobby to overcome a pronounced childhood stutter and to bide his time while confined to bed as he battled polio. He eventually returned to school, where he constructed a ventriloquist dummy in exchange for class credit. He cobbled together jokes and …

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DCS: joan staley

I am not embarrassed to admit that one of my all-time favorite movies is The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. The film was released in 1966 and starred comedian Don Knotts who had just left a five season run on The Andy Griffith Show. Knotts played nervous deputy “Barney Fife,” a role which earned him (incredulously) …

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DCS: carol lynley

Carol Lynley started off her career as a child model, eventually transitioning to actress in such films as the controversial Blue Denim  with Brandon deWilde and Otto Preminger’s Bunny Lake is Missing. She is best remembered for her role as ingenue “Nonnie Parry” in The Poseidon Adventure, wherein she sang (actually lip-synched another actress’s voice) …

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IF: folklore

This past weekend celebrated the 50th anniversary of the legendary Woodstock music festival that took place over three days on Max Yasgur‘s 600-acre dairy farm in upstate New York. Thirty-two acts performed at various — sometimes drastically-postponed — set times, filling the days and nights with an eclectic mix of folk, rock and blues. The …

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