Young Tula Finklea enrolled in ballet lessons to strengthen her legs after a bout of polio. At 14, she auditioned for and danced with Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo . During a European tour, 22 year-old Tula met a former dancing partner, Nico Charisse, and the couple were married in Paris in 1939.

Now using the name “Cyd,” based on a nickname her brother had given her when he had difficulty pronouncing “Sis,” she made her film debut in an uncredited role in the 1941 film noir Escort Girl. From that point forward, Cyd danced in numerous Hollywood musicals. She performed alongside Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire (offering praise upon both). Cyd danced and danced and danced.

Until she stopped.

In the late 1950s, as movie musicals began to fall out of favor, Cyd hung up her dancing shoes. However, she continued to act in films and, later, television.

Not wishing to rest on her laurels, Cyd made her Broadway debut in 1992 at 70 years old.

In 2008, Cyd suffered a heart attack and passed away at the age of 86. Following a traditional Methodist funeral service, she was interred at a Jewish cemetery in California, at the request of her husband, singer Tony Martin.

My mom loved Cyd Charisse. Whenever she would see a Cyd Charisse movie on TV, my mom would proudly assert that “Cyd Charisse had legs that went all the way up her ass!”

Indeed she did!

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A free spirit from a very young age, Alice Pelkey learned a love of cooking from her mother. After dropping out of college, Alice married Ray Brock, a woodworker and craftsman over ten years her senior. A gift from her mother allowed the couple to purchase an old church in Stockbridge, Massachusetts that was used as a residence and gathering spot for friends. Alice and her husband got jobs at the Stockbridge School. It was here that Alice met aspiring singer Arlo Guthrie. They bonded over common interests in counter-culture and the fact that they each had a Jewish parent.

Alice pursued her love of cooking and opened a restaurant in Stockbridge called, fittingly, “Alice’s Restaurant.” Though modestly successful, the establishment stayed open for just a year. Her friend Arlo was inspired to write a song based on Alice and the restaurant. Later, he expanded the song, adding verses alluding to a real-life incident involving dumping trash on Thanksgiving and a subsequent arrest.

In 1969, Arlo was approached to adapt the song into a film. With an expanded story, Arlo was cast as himself, along with a mix of actors and real-life counterparts taking the other roles. Arlo asked Alice to appear in the film and she refused. She earned a minimal amount of compensation for promotional appearances to promote the film. However, Alice was furious with director Arthur Penn’s addition of “fabricated incidents” inserted into the storyline. Alice asserted that she was not promiscuous, as depicted in the film, and that she never slept with Arlo Guthrie. She distanced herself from the film and claimed it afforded her unwelcome fame. She did endorse a cookbook published in conjunction with the film, claiming that the recipes went invented by her with her mother’s assistance.

She made an attempt at franchising “Alice’s Restaurants,” but the venture failed after the first location closed abruptly. A second, stand-alone “Alice’s Restaurant” was successful, despite a constant battle with local zoning ordinances. A third restaurant — Alice’s at Avaloch — was a victim of logistic nightmares, mismanagement and unreliable employees. After filing for bankruptcy, Alice was able to keep one memento from the restaurant — the table on which Arlo Guthrie wrote the song “Alice’s Restaurant.”

Later in life, Alice turned to artwork. She painted and drew. She even illustrated a children’s’ book written by her friend Arlo. Sadly, heath issues prevented her art career to further. A 2020 collection for assistance for medical bills netted Alice $180,000. She also recorded a series of radio promos to be aired before annual broadcasts of the song “Alice’s Restaurant.”

Just prior to Thanksgiving 2024, it was reported that Alice Brock passed away while in hospice. She was 83.

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In January 2025, when the announcement of Anita Bryant’s death was made public (nearly a month after the actual occurrence), most people thought that she had already been dead for a long time. That’s because her career died in the late 1970s.

Anita Bryant enjoyed a lot of success in the late 50s and early 60s. She released a number of popular albums and her takes on the songs “Paper Roses” and “Till There Was You” were certified gold. She accompanied comedian Bob Hope on USO tours of Vietnam and was awarded the Silver Medallion by the National Guard for outstanding service by an entertainer. Anita was a frequent guest on television variety shows and her nightclub performances drew large crowds.

In the 1960s and 70s, Anita was the spokesperson for the Florida Citrus Commission. She sang “Come to the Florida Sunshine Tree” (written by Disney songwriters Robert and Richard Sherman) in commercials featuring the Disney-designed Florida Orange Bird. Anita hoisting a big ol’ glass of orange juice while reminding everyone “Breakfast without orange juice is like a day without sunshine” was a ubiquitous image in 60s & 70s television advertising. In addition to orange juice, Anita shilled for Coca-Cola, Holiday Inn, Kraft and Tupperware. She sang at Super Bowl V, as well as at the funeral of President Lyndon Johnson. She also co-hosted the Orange Bowl Parade for almost a decade.

Then the proverbial shit hit the fan.

In 1977, Dade County, Florida passed an ordinance that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. An outraged Anita Bryant formed the Save Our Children Coalition and tirelessly campaigned to repeal the ordinance. At public rallies, she warned of homosexuals “recruiting” unsuspecting children and “risks of molestation if homosexuals are allowed to teach our children.” Sadly, the Anita Bryant-led campaign was the first organized opposition to gay rights that spread across the nation.

In 1977, Florida approved a measure to ban gay adoption. It was an early victory for Anita’s campaign. (It was repealed thirty years later as unconstitutional.) At an October 1977 rally, Anita spoke passionately, noting repeatedly, that she “loves homosexuals, but hates their sin.” Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, gay activist Thom Higgins slammed a pie in Anita’s face as she stood at the podium. Speaking through a face full of broken crust and whipped topping, Anita snidely quipped “At least it’s a fruit pie,” before bursting into tears.

Gay activists, with the vocal support from a number of celebrities, launched a nationwide boycott of Florida orange juice. Gay bars all over the country stopped serving screwdrivers, substituting vodka and apple juice, dubbed the “Anita Bryant Cocktail,” with proceeds from the concoction going towards funding their fight against Anita’s agenda. Anti-Anita buttons, bumper stickers, and T-shirts began to pop up all over. Anita was a regular target of ridicule from Johnny Carson, Saturday Night Live, a slew of sitcoms and other comedians.  Anita’s rallies and live appearances were picketed.

Anita continued to rally for the repeal of local anti-discrimination ordinances. Liberal organizations, with the support of California Governor Jerry Brown and Presidents Carter, Ford and even Reagan, raised awareness and ultimately defeated Anita’s efforts.

By 1978, Anita’s life and career was a shambles. She was dropped from consideration by the Singer Corporation as a product spokesperson. Other companies which employed Anita as a spokesperson ended their contracts. She opened Anita Bryant’s Music Mansion in Branson, Missouri to miserable results. Her show, combining songs from her musical catalog with preaching of her fundamental Christian belief, was not popular. She could not meet payroll and creditors went unpaid. Anita filed for bankruptcy in 2001. Another failed musical venture in Arkansas ended in bankruptcy in that state as well, with debts in excess of $172,000.

In 2021, after coming out on her 21st birthday, Sarah Green, Anita Bryant’s granddaughter, married a woman.

Anita Bryant passed away in December 2024. She said she never regretted what she did.

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I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I love watching television. I grew up in a time before cable, before video-on-demand, before streaming services. When I was a kid there were three networks and you watched programs even though you didn’t like them. If you didn’t watch shows you didn’t like, you’d have to do chores, or homework or… God forbid … read a book. One without pictures!

I remember watching Alice from the time it premiered in 1976. I sort-of remembered series star Linda Lavin from a handful of episodes of Barney Miller, a show I watched with my mom and really liked. However, Alice…. I did not like. I had never seen Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, the 1974 film on which the sitcom was based. I watched the TV series, but I did not like it.

In hindsight, I liked Linda Lavin. It was the rest of the cast I didn’t like. Everyone, except for Linda Lavin, was a one-dimensional cartoon character spewing the same stupid one-liners week after week after week. The supporting cast was annoying and certainly not funny. There was Flo, the brassy, outspoken redheaded waitress who barked her catchphrase “Kiss My Grits” on every single episode! That was a “thing” in 70s sitcoms. Every show had a character catchphrase that had to be heard on every episode and had to receive thunderous applause for the studio audience. (Think of “Dyn-O-Mite!,” “Sit on it!,” “Na-Nu Na-Nu!” and countless others.) There was Vera, the dimwitted other waitress, whose over the top stupidity would prohibit her from a waitressing job in the real world. There was Mel, the overbearing, angry, sexist owner of the diner, who berated his staff, made lousy food and scowled through every scene.

The storylines were contrived and thin. It was typical 70s sitcom fare, featuring outrageous situations, more outrageous resolutions and terrible acting. But I watched… because I liked Linda Lavin. I kind of felt sorry for her. She was obviously talented, but she appeared to be stuck in a situation that suppressed her talent. At the height of Alice‘s popularity, Linda Lavin hosted a couple of holiday specials and appeared in a few made-for-TV movies. Without the distractions of her sitcom co-stars, Linda’s talents sparkled (after all, she was a star on Broadway prior to he foray into television).

There was another show I felt the same way about — I Love Lucy. Except my feelings were sort-of inverted. I loved everyone in the cast except for Lucy. Coincidentally, Linda Lavin played I Love Lucy writer Madelyn Pugh in the 2021 film Being the Ricardos.

After Alice ended its nine-season run, Linda moved on to other series, though not as successful. She made guest appearances and took small roles in theatrical films. At the time of her death, she had just wrapped up filming on a Golden Girls-like series for Hulu.

Linda passed away in December 2024 at the age of 87.

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Clarence Henry began playing piano at the age of five. He was heavily influenced by New Orleans legend Professor Longhair and often imitated the piano wizard when he performed in local talent shows. In 1955, a scout from Chess Records heard Clarence sing “Ain’t Got No Home,” changing the sound of his voice with each verse, including his soon-to-be signature “croak” in the final verse. Clarence made a recording of the song and, with heavy promotion from a local DJ, it rose to Number 3 on the nation-wide R&B charts and Number 20 on the Pop charts. He earned himself the nickname “Frogman,” and sang the song for the rest of his career to the delight of fans.

After some early touring, including 18 shows as the opening act for The Beatles, Clarence became a staple on the New Orleans music scene, performing regularly on Bourbon Street for nearly 20 years. He was scheduled to appear at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the time of his death. Clarence was 87.

“Ain’t Got No Home” was used in a number of films including The Lost Boys and Casino.

This illustration was done for the Faces of Death Project, an internet-wide illustration project started by Michael Hambouz in 1997. This is my seventh year of participation.

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