As a teenager, Joan Shawlee had aspirations to become a ballet dancer. In her 20s, she was appearing in Broadway productions. She made the jump to films, with roles in a number of Jack Lemmon/Billy Wilder vehicles. Joan played band member “Sweet Sue” in Some Like It Hot, “Sylvia” in The Apartment and “Amazon Annie” in Irma la Douce. She even appeared in Wilder’s final film, Buddy Buddy.

Joan enjoyed a abundance of guest roles on television, including three times as “Pickles Sorrell,” the usually unseen wife of comedy writer “Buddy” (played by Morey Amsterdam) on The Dick Van Dyke Show.

In the early 1960s, Joan teamed up with writer-comedian Mitzi McCall for a nightclub act. The strikingly tall Joan (at 5’9″) was a noticeable contrast to the short McCall (4’10”), causing entertainment columnist Dorothy Kilgallen to note the pair “caused quite a stir.”

Joan was diagnosed with breast cancer and passed away in 1987 at the age of 61, leaving behind a successful career that lasted forty years.

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Italian-born Adolfo Bresciano began his professional wrestling career in Canada the 1970s. Using the name “Dino Bravo,” he joined up with various organized wrestling alliances, becoming one of Canada’s most popular wrestlers. With his flamboyant manner, his bleached blond hair, his trademark fleur-de-lis gauntlets and his “pro-Canada” bravado, he was a fan favorite. He worked with the mighty WWF (now WWE) group as part of a tag-team with Dominic DeNucci. In the early 1980s, Dino was scheduled for a title match against the renowned Hulk Hogan. The match was to be held in Montreal, Dino’s adopted hometown. But the match was soon canceled, as promoters didn’t want hometown fans to cheer for Dino.

Dino retired from the ring in 1992 and began working with a notorious Canadian crime syndicate. Dino confided to several colleagues that he believed his days were numbered. He was allegedly involved in a risky and dangerous racket of cigarette smuggling. On March 10, 1993, Dino was found dead in his Quebec home. He was hit with at least 17 bullets and the surrounding walls were riddled with additional evidence of gunfire. Dino was 44 years old. His murder remains unsolved.

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In post-World War II England, Philomena Lynott found work as a nurse in Manchester. She met and began dating Cecil Parris, a young man from British Guiana. Although their relationship didn’t last long, Philomena discovered she was pregnant after Parris was transferred to London. She moved into a group home for unmarried mothers with her son whom she had named Philip. Though not in the picture, Parris regularly sent a small amount of money to Philomena to help support Philip.

Philomena was subjected to criticism and prejudice from her housemates and other people because of Phillip’s mixed race. She decided to send the infant to live with her parents in Dublin. She only saw Phil sporadically and their relationship was cordial, but not much like mother and son.

In 1964, Philomena purchased the Clifton Grange Hotel in Whalley Range, Manchester with Dennis Keely, a man with whom she was in a new relationship. The hotel became well known as a welcome haven for touring musicians who could not find accommodations at larger, more conservative hotels. One of the bands that frequented the Clifton Grange Hotel was Thin Lizzy, whose lead singer was Phil Lynott. According to guests, Philomena acted like “everyone’s mother.” Brian Robertson, Thin Lizzy’s guitarist, asserted that Philomena insisted on washing his hair before performances.

Philomena and Dennis eventually moved into a house in Dublin — one that was purchased for them by Phil. She and Phil were rebuilding their relationship, but Philomena was unaware of Phil’s extensive and long-term drug abuse. He was discovered unconscious by his mother at his home in December 1985. She was with him when he passed away from sepsis a few weeks later.

After Phil’s death, Philomena fell into a depression, but, after being approached by a publisher to write her memoir, she turned the experience into a reexamination of her and her son’s life. She became active in an effort to erect a bronze statue of Phil Lynott in Dublin — which became a reality in 2005. She spoke out against Presidential candidate Mitt Romney using “The Boys are Back in Town” at his campaign rallies. She was a frequent guest at Thin Lizzy fan events right up until her death in 2019 at the age of 88.

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