Annette Funicello died in a Bakersfield, California hospital today at the age of 70. She had suffered from multiple sclerosis for the last 26 years.Her death was caused by complications from multiple sclerosis.
She could longer walk in 2004 and lost her speech in 2009.
Her last movie or television appearance was in Back To Beach film, which was released in 1987.
Longtime fans will remember her as Annette from the Mickey Mouse Club, which debuted in 1955. She starred in several beach movies with Frankie Avalon from Beach Party in 1963 till they co-starred on Back to the Beach 24 years later.
Annette recorded several albums and one of her songs Tall Paul peaked at No.7 on the Billboard charts. She recorded singles from 1958-1983.
I can remember watching Annette on Mickey Mouse Club many years ago and then saw many of her beach movies over the years.
Her husband Glen Holt survives her along with three children, from her first husband Jack Gilardi.
The Celebrity Net Worth website lists 80 year-old Petula Clark as being worth $10 million. Clark has now been singing for 74 years. When I think of Petula Clark I think of her hit song Downtown.
Fabian – $25 Million
Fabian Forte known only as Fabian by most rock and roll fans was 70 last February and although he may not have a lot of hit songs he made his mark in the movies, appearing in a total of 45 movies and TV shows from 1959-1996. Celebrity Net Worth lists Fabian’s net worth at $25 million.
Prince Michael Joseph Jackson – $100 Million
Prince Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. may be only 16, but he is already worth $100 million.. He may or may not have access to that money now, but his financial security is insured, if he doesn’t go through his money too fast.
Connie Francis – $25 Million
The net worth of Connie Francis is listed at $25 million despite the fact that she only had three No.1 hits in her 70 year career. The 74-year-old Francis had her first No.1 hit in My Heart’s Got A Mind Of Its Own in 1960. Her next No. 1 hit was released in 1961 when Together was No.1 on adult contemporary chart and her last No. 1 hit was Don’t Break The Heart That Loves You which reached No.1 on the Billboard charts in 1962. Francis has not even released an album since 1969. One of her best known songs was Who’s Sorry Now, but it peaked at No.4 for her first Top 10 hit in 1957.
Her biggest regret was not marrying Bobby Darin, after her dad chased Darin out of a building at gunpoint. He then said Darin was out of their lives, when the news of his marriage was broadcast on the radio. Francis said she wished their car had been filled with water, while driving in the Lincoln Tunnel and hoping her father would both be killed.
Gordon Lightfoot in 1967 – $30 Million
The 74 year-old Gordon Lightfoot is listed as being worth $30 million. Lightfoot has been singing since 1956 at the age of 18. Bob Dylan said Lightfoot was one of his favorite songwriters. He wrote Early Morning Rain, which was covered by many well-known singers including Elvis Presley.
His first No.1 song was If You Could Read My Mind, which reached No.1 in Canada in 1970. His other No. 1 hits on Canadian pop charts were Sundown in 1974 and The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald in 1976. Lightfoot had nine songs reach No.1 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary charts. Sundown was the only Lightfoot song to reach No.1 on the U.S. pop charts, but he placed four songs on the U.S. Adult Contemporary charts.
He released his last album All Live on Rhino Records in 2012. It includes most of his most well-known hits in this list from Wikipedia:
When I think of Henry Kulky I think of him playing Otto Schmidlap on Life of Riley television series in 16 episodes from 1953-1958.
Kulky was born Henry Kulakowich on August 11, 1911 in Hastings – on – Hudson, New York. He died February 12, 1965 in Oceanside, California at the age of 53.
He was a professional wrestler using the name Bomber Kulkavich, before he made his first movie. You would never guess it by looking at him, but he played the piano in San Clemente, California night spots.
Kulky was extra busy from 1953-1958, since he also appeared in six episodes of Ozzie and Harriet during those years.
His movie career started in 1947, when he appeared in A Likely Story. Kulky’s movie career really took off in 1949, when he appeared in nine films. He would add eight more films to his resume in 1950, with him appearing in 17 movies during 1949 and 1950. 1951 and 1952 were also busy years for Kulky with seventeen more film appearances. He also appeared in the Abbott and Costello, Racket Squad and Adventures of Superman shows in 1952. From 1947-1952 he had appeared in 39 movies and three television shows.
He continued to appear in films and television shows during the rest of the 50′s and would appear in six Red Skelton shows from 1956-1961.
Kulky is best known for his portrayal of Chief Max Bronsky in the Hennessey television series, which ran from 1959-1962, in which he appeared in 46 episodes. He appeared in 22 episodes of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea television series from 1964 till the year of his death in 1965. Kulky appeared in a total of over 80 movies, in only 17 years of being in the movies.
I had no idea that Kulky was such a prolific actor, before researching for this article.
This website has more info on the career of Kulky, but the wrestling numbers don’t jive, with one portion saying he was 172-3 as a wrestler, while another part says he wrestled in 7,000 matches.
For some reason my memory of the 1986-1990 period in my life is drawing a blank for the most part. Anyone with memories of what happened in Pineville-Alexandria during these years are welcome to comment.
1986 – Halley’s comet appeared in 1986 and won’t reappear till the year 2061. It had last appeared before 1986 in 1911. IBM launches the first laptop computer 27 years ago. Smoking was banned on all public transportation, in the United States which had to be tough for smokers on coast to coast airplane flights. The nicotine patch was invented in 1986. A Plymouth Colt could be purchased for $4,999. A gallon of gas only cost 89 cents. Average rent was $385 a month. Top Gun, Platoon and Crocodile Dundee were popular movies in 1986.
1987 – A Private First Class in the Army was earning $9,385.20 a year. When I joined the Army in 1962 a recruit earned $936 a year as a E-1. A gallon of gas was 89 cents, the same price as in 1986. The U.S. stock market crashed on October 19 with a 508 point drop. Fox Broadcasting made its debut 26 years ago. A seven-day Caribbean cruise cost $1195.
1988 – The price of a gallon of gasoline remained relatively stable, rising to only 91 cents, after being 89 cents the previous two years. Movie tickets were $3.50 and average rent was now $420. Yellowstone National Park had 250 separate fires in 1988 that destroyed 793,880 acres of the park, which was a third of the total acreage of the park. A Logitech mouse cost $89.99, while a Amiga 500 with a color monitor cost $849.
1989 – I had surgery in July of 1989 at Rapides Hospital. I would be off work for six weeks. I would then work from 1989-2004 at the Town Talk , while missing a total of one day of work and was in the hospital that day, after being admitted from emergency room, due to emergency room physician thinking I may had a blood clot, but it turned out to be a muscle tear. I think I got my work ethic from my dad who didn’t miss a day of work over a 40 year period.
That same month before the surgery I had gone to grocery store to get snacks to watch the 1989 All Star game. By the time I got back an earthquake had hit the San Francisco area and film was being shown of the players leaving the stadium with their families. Then we saw hours of coverage of the devastation in the area. Hard to believe 24 years have passed since that date.
Other big news in 1989 is that the Yugo cars went bankrupt. The Yugo is 39th on the list of worst cars in history. One feature was the rear window defroster, which kept your hands warm, while you pushed it. The car looked like it had been assembled at gunpoint. The article also has this to say about the Yugo:
The engines went ka-blooey, the electrical system — such as it was — would sizzle, and things would just fall off.
1990 – I think this is the year my son Steve played football for the Pineville High School Rebels. He played end and endured practices from summer till the end of the season, but only played in the last game of the season, for only one play and the worst thing is that his mom had left the stadium, by the time he played in the game and I was at work, so no family member was there to see him in that one play. I still respect his work ethic to stick with it all season, even if he didn’t get to play but in that one play.
Gasoline had skyrocketed to $1.34 by 1990. Today gasoline is in the $3.25 range in our area. A Super Nintendo cost $159. Cabbage Patch Kids were $29.99. A six volt Batman car could be purchased for $199 and had a top speed of 3 MPH. A Smith Corona Daisy Wheel Typewriter could be purchased for $179, while a cellular car phone could be bought for $325.
Michael J. Pollard may not be a household name, but anyone that ever saw him in a film or television show instantly will recognize his face.
He always reminded me of a kid that had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar and his face said that he knew no excuse to extricate himself from the situation.
Pollard was born Michael John Pollack Jr. in Passaic New Jersey on May 30, 1939. He has been acting since 1959 and is still active 53 years later in 2012.
He was married to Beth Howland, who television fans will remember her playing Vera on the Alice situation comedy. They were married from 1961-1969.
Since Pollard was only 5′ 6″ he had to play youthful roles into his 20′s.
One of the most hilarious shows I have seen him in is the April 30,1962 episode of Andy Griffith, when he played Barney Fife’s cousin Virgil who could do nothing right. He was 22 when this episode was filmed.
Fate intervened when he was cast as Jerome Krebs the weird cousin of Maynard G. Krebs on the Dobie Gillis Show, portrayed by Bob Denver, when Denver was going to be drafted in the Army. However, Denver soon returned when he was classified 4-F, which resulted in the dismissal of Pollard from the series.
Once again fate handed Pollard more bad news, when after starring as Hugo Peabody in the Broadway version of Bye Bye Birdie the role was given to Bobby Rydell, when the role was changed to require a singer.
Pollard played a 14-year-old despite being 27 in a Star Trek episode, when he played Jahn in the “Miri” episode.
He played C.J. Moss in the Bonnie and Clyde film in 1967 and would receive an Academy Award nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category.
Three years later he starred in Little Fauss and Big Halsey with Robert Redford. Another memorable role was when he played the homeless man who thought Bill Murray was Richard Burton in the 1988 film Scrooged.
This more recent photo of Pollard shows he is the same Michael J. Pollard, just a little older. He is still very busy at 73 having released Sunburnt Angels in 2011, completed The Woods this year and is filming The Next Cassavetes presently.
Even though Pollard is not that well-known, actor Michael J. Fox inserted the J in the middle of his name out of respect to Michael J. Pollard.
He made his first television appearance in 1959 appearing in the DuPont Show of the Month in the “Human Comedy” episode. He made his film debut the same year in It Happened To Jane but was uncredited.
This list compiled by the Internet Movie Database shows that Pollard has been a prolific actor for many years and his resume will bring back memories of the television shows we grew up with and a few of the movies we remember seeing him in.
James Byron Dean was born on February 8, 1931 in Marion Indiana. His father moved the family to California, but he sent James to live with an aunt and uncle in Indiana, when his mother died.
Dean appeared in five movies from 1951-1952, but they were all uncredited appearances. Meanwhile, he was appearing in many television series and in live theater television productions.
He also appeared in live drama productions on television, including I’m A Fool which was shown on GE Theater. The production also starred Natalie Wood, when it was shown on November 14, 1954.
Dean’s next movie East of Eden would be released in April of 1955. Dean who appearing in his first starring role as Cal Trask would be nominated, for Best Actor Award for his role. He was nominated posthumously, becoming the first actor ever nominated after his death.
James Dean and Julie Harris in a scene from East of Eden:
James Dean refused to attend the premiere of East of Eden, which almost caused him, to lose his lead role in Rebel Without a Cause. Dean beat out Paul Newman for the role of Cal Trask, when they both were in the same scene, during the screen test.
East of Eden was the only one of Dean’s best known movies to be released before his death.
Rebel Without a Cause
Later in 1955, Dean and Wood would be paired again in the movie Rebel Without a Cause. This movie made a huge impression on me, when I saw it on television. I can still remember the planetarium scene in the movie.
This first clip from Rebel Without a Cause shows James Dean and Natalie Wood:
Romantic scene with James and Natalie:
Natalie Wood is the starter for a chicken race between James Dean and the villain:
James Dean is remembered for his role in Rebel Without a Cause, but Natalie Wood would be nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Judy, while Sal Mineo would be nominated as Best Supporting Actor for his role as Plato.
Some interesting trivia about the movie: Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel) had submitted a script considered for the movie, but was rejected. Jayne Mansfield and Debbie Reynolds were both considered for the Natalie Wood role of Judy.
The three stars of the movie all met tragic deaths, with James Dean dying in a car accident, Natalie Wood dying in a drowning accident, which is still being investigated by the Los Angeles police and Sal Mineo who was stabbed to death. The policeman (Edward Platt) who knocks down Dean in the police station scene, would take his own life in later years. Platt is best remembered for his role as Control Chief on Get Smart television series.
Giant
James Dean would be nominated for Best Leading Actor Oscar posthumously, for his role as Jett Rink in Giant, while Rock Hudson also was nominated for Best Leading Actor. The film was nominated for ten Oscars, but only director George Stevens won an Oscar for Best Director.
James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor seen in a scene from Giant.
James telling Rock Hudson’s character and the others that he just struck oil:
Nick Adams provided the voice for Dean in some lines, due to Dean dying before production ended. Hudson had been given a choice, between Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor and chose Taylor.
Giant was the highest grossing movie for Warner Bros. until Superman was released. Sal Mineo who had appeared in Rebel Without a Cause was also cast in Giant.
Death
Dean was forbidden to race during the filming of Giant. He had been a successful car racer at the Palm Springs Road Races and had won some races and had placed in the top two in some other races.
He was eager to impress actor Alex Guinness with his new car, a 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder and showed the famous actor his car. Guinness was not impressed and made this prophetic statement and told Dean ”If you get in that car, you will be found dead in it by this time next week.” Dean was dead seven days later after having been hit in a head-on collision.
This is all that remained of James Dean’s Porsche after the September 30, 1955 accident that ended his life at the age of 24.
September 30, 1955 started off as a normal day for Dean, as he planned to put his Porsche on a trailer on way to racetrack, but his mechanic Walter Wutherich thought it would be better for Dean to drive it to Salinas, California, so he could get used to being in the driver’s seat. Dean was stopped at 3:30 PM PDT for speeding, since he had been driving 65 MPH in a 55 MPH zone.
It was at approximately 5:45 PDT that Dean noticed a 1950 Ford Custom coupe coming toward him at a high rate of speed. He tried to maneuver his Porsche to avoid a direct hit, when the driver Donald Turnupseed crossed the middle line, causing him to hit Dean’s car head-on.
Dean was pronounced dead on arrival at Pablo Robles Memorial Hospital, which was 28 miles from the crash scene. Surprisingly Turnupseed only suffered facial bruises and a bloodied nose from the accident. He was well enough to walk and hitch-hike on his way to Tulare, California.
Legacy
James Dean’s death at the age of 24 raised a lot of questions. Would he have went on to become one of the greatest actors in Hollywood history? We will never know the answer to that question.
What we do know is that is that from 1951-1955 he left behind memories of him being on Broadway, on television and in the movies. His most memorable movies were released in 1955 and 1956, when Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden and Giant were released.
Many actors never are nominated for an Academy Award in their entire career, yet Dean was nominated twice for two of the three movies he appeared in over a two-year span.
Rebel Without a Cause best exemplified for me the James Dean I remember, as a troubled youth in that movie, that couldn’t find happiness in a troubled world.
Ernest Borgnine has died in Los Angeles at the age of 95 due to renal failure. He was born as Ermes Effron Borgnino on January 24, 1917 in Hamden, Connecticut. His wife of 39 years Tovah survived him. Borgnine served in the U.S. Navy from 1935-1945. His mom talked him into pursuing an acting career and he appeared as a male nurse in Harvey on Broadway in 1951.
Ernest Borgnine as seen in a scene in From Here To Eternity.
Two years later Borgnine appeared in the movie From Here To Eternity in 1953 as Sgt. Fatso Judson. Borgnine had appeared in three movies in 1951, including China Corsair, The Whistle At Eaton Falls and The Mob.
He also made his television debut in 1951 in Captain Video and His Video Rangers. He appeared in many television programs includingtwo episodes of Waterfront in 1954.
Burt Lancaster introduces this trailer for the movie Marty that won Ernest Borgnine an
Academy Award.
Borgnine’s twelfth movie Marty would win him a Best Actor Oscar defeating much better known actors in James Cagney, James Dean, Frank Sinatra and Spencer Tracy. Marty was only one of six movies that Borgnine would make in 1955.
1956-1961 would be busy years for Borgnine as the free-lanced in television, while making movies on the side. Then he won the starring role in the television series McHale’s Navy. The show would run from 1962-1966 and the show’s popularity caused his marriage to Broadway star Ethel Merman to last only 32 days, since she couldn’t handle seeing him receive the adulation of the fans. She devoted a chapter of her life story, to her marriage to Borgnine which consisted of one blank page.
After McHale’s Navy ended he appeared in an episode of three different television shows, then acted in 12 consecutive movies before appearing in a TV movie The Trackers.
Ernest Borgnine describes his experiences filming Poseidon Adventure.
Borgnine appeared in the blockbuster Poseidon Adventure in 1972. Airwolf would be his next television series that lasted more than a few episodes, with Borgnine appearing in 55 episodes from 1984-1986.
He mostly acted in movies till he appeared in Single Guy which ran from 1995-1997.
One constant of Borgnine’s career was that he made a lot of movies from his first one in 1951 to his last one The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez, which was completed this year and is in post-production. His movie career spanned 61 years from his first movie to his last one.
This list of his movie and television appearances shows just how a prolific an actor, that Ernest Borgnine was:
One thing about Ernest Borgnine that most fans don’t know is that he was the first center square in the history of the Hollywood Squares television program.
Other interesting facts about Ernest Borgnine:
He is only actor to appear in all four Dirty Dozen movies.
Lives in same home that he bought in 1965, living there till his death 47 years later.
Earned only $5,000 for his role in Marty, which won him the Academy Award.
His wife Tovah who survived him was 25 years younger than Borgnine.
Just a few quotes from Ernest Borgnine at imdb.com
[on why he wanted to star in "McHale's Navy" (1962)]: Theater business was disappearing and so were night clubs, which I don’t like to play anyway because they keep me up too late. There were TV guest shots, but how many times can you play Ed Sullivan? My biggest pay was from industrial shows, but they don’t come along too often.
Where can we find the great actors we had yesteryear, guys like Spencer Tracy and Gary Cooper and Edward G. Robinson? You know, I was talking to Lee Marvin the other day and we agreed that we were the last of a breed. We’re the last who had the opportunity of working with these fine actors. I feel very humble. It makes me feel that I’ve got to try that bit harder.
Ernest Borgnine may have only won one Academy Award, but that doesn’t mean none of his other movies haven’t entertained theater goers, who saw his movies for the last 61 years and enjoyed watching McHale’s Navy on television.
His New York Times obituary tells more about the life of Ernest Borgnine:
The late Andy Griffith in a scene from No Time For Sergeants.
The first time I heard of Andy Griffith was when he appeared in the movie No Time For Sergeants. He played Will Stockdale a mountain boy, who is drafted into the U.S. Army. He had already played the part in the Broadway play by the same name three years, before the 1958 movie was released.
The funniest scene of the movie to me was when he was named PLO (Permanent Latrine Orderly). He rigged the toilet seats to stand up all at once, which shocked the inspecting officer to say the least. However, this scene of him being tested by a corporal for manual dexterity may be even funnier. Don Knotts plays the corporal, who is utterly frustrated by the way Andy’s character Will Stockdale puts the two links together. Don Knotts appears at about the 1:15 mark.
I hadn’t even known Andy Griffith had appeared in A Face in the Crowd in 1957, in a dramatic role unlike the Andy Griffith I had known in No Time For Sergeants and on the Andy Griffith show.
Andy received top billing in the movie portraying an Arkansas hobo Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes who becomes rich overnight. This is a scene from A Face In The Crowd:
Made Television Debut On U.S. Steel Hour
Andy had made his television debut on the U.S. Steel Hour when he played Will Stockdale on television. He played the role on Broadway, on television and in the movies, which probably has not been done very often, by any actor in the same role.
He also made the movie Onionhead in 1958, so it was a very busy year for him.
Danny Thomas Show Role As Sheriff
Andy got a big break when he appeared on a Danny Thomas episode in 1960, where Danny is given a ticket, by a small-town sheriff. Andy is perplexed when he finds out that Andy is not only the sheriff, but also the justice of the peace.
The Danny Thomas episode led to the formation of the Andy Griffith show which was shown that same year, on the CBS television network. 249 episodes later the Andy Griffith show would complete its run.
He appeared on Mayberry RFD for two years, then had two series fail in short order, when Headmaster lasted 13 episodes in 1970, followed by the New Andy Griffith show which lasted only 10 episodes. He didn’t return to another series until 1979 when Salvage One only last 19 episodes. He had appeared in three series since leaving Mayberry RFD, but only 42 shows were made of those three series combined.
Seven years later Andy tried again for a hit series and he struck gold with Matlock which ran from 1986-1995. He appeared in various television series and movies till he made his last acting appearance in Play the Game in 2009 at the age of 83.
Andy non only was an actor, but recorded gospel songs. This is Andy singing How Great Thou Art:
I looked at Andy Griffith and saw a role model, for the right way to live life.
My wife and daughter surprised me in 2006, when we went to Mt. Airy, N.C. to see Andy’s boyhood home. I didn’t know we were going to stay there that night and it was the surprise of my life, when I found out we were actually spending the night there. Hampton Inn rents out the home to tourists and it was something I will never forget. I even played baseball with my grandson in Andy’s backyard.
The late Andy Griffith’s boyhood home in Mt. Airy, NC.
Andy had also made some comedy records early in his career. I had the record that has him giving his impression of seeing his first football game. He said in his monologue that 5 or 6 convicts were running up and down the field blowing whistles. The game was played in a cow pasture and Andy concludes saying that the object of the game must be to keep from being knocked down or stepping in something.
The only remaining actors still alive from Andy Griffith are Jim “Gomer Pyle” Nabors and Betty “Thelma Lou” Lynn.
I was 15 when the first Andy Griffith show was televised in 1960 and was 23 when the last show aired, so have been watching Andy Griffith during the first eight original years and in 44 years of re-runs.
Andy Griffith died this morning at his home on Roanoke Island, North Carolina at the age of 86.
Death has taken another star of the Andy Griffith Show. George Lindsey who portrayed Goober on the show had passed away on May 6.
Andy Griffith’s character Andy Taylor was one of the most beloved characters on television. The show revolved around him and he saw early in the show’s run, that it would be better to play the straight man for off the wall characters like Barney Fife played by Don Knotts, Gomer Pyle who was portrayed by Jim Nabors, Otis Campbell being portrayed by Hal Smith and the aforementioned George Lindsey as Goober.
Life Lessons Taught
Andy taught his son Opie Taylor well, trying to bring him up without a mother in the home. Many shows dwelt on Andy telling Opie, how to deal with life’s problems the right way.
Whatever problem Opie may have been experiencing Andy always had the right solution , to any problem that might arise. This video from the show in which Opie killed a bird with a slingshot is an excellent example of how Andy taught his son to do the right thing.
The interplay between Andy and Barney Fife was a huge part, of the success of the show. Don Knotts suggested that the show needed a deputy and that move guaranteed the success of the show. Andy asks Barney about the Emancipation Proclamation, which shows how Andy could rile up Barney.
When Don Knotts left the show after five years, Andy proved he could still draw the fans. as the show’s ratings stayed strong, after the departure of Knotts.
I can remember watching Andy Griffith and Don Knotts in No Time For Sergeants movie, many years ago and we watched the movie three times in a row, since that was allowed in the 50′s.
We have lost an American icon in Andy Griffith, one day before the July 4th holiday. Andy Griffith represented everything, that is great about America. He leaves a rich legacy behind of television shows and movies, in which he appeared.
The Tropic Lightning patch represents the 25th Infantry Division and I wore that patch proudly from June of 1963 to May of 1966, when honorably discharged from the Army.
I had re-enlisted in the regular Army in May of 1963, after having served six months of active duty with the Army Reserve. Left Alexandria, Louisiana on a bus in October of 1962, headed for Leesville, Louisiana and eventually the final destination of Fort Polk, Louisiana.
One of the other recruits on the bus made a big mistake right off, after arriving at Fort Polk. He found out that yelling nutbrain at a sergeant, from a second story window was not acceptable behavior. That sergeant let him know in no uncertain terms, that that kind of behavior would not be tolerated from a soldier in the United States Army.
We went from the brutal October heat of Fort Polk, to freezing temperatures, while on bivouac in December during basic training. Without giving the gruesome details of basic training, will move ahead to finishing basic and going home for Christmas.
After Christmas I boarded a Missouri Pacific train in Alexandria, Louisiana for Indianapolis, Indiana and the ultimate destination of Fort Benjamin Harrison, where the Adjustant General’s School was located.
When the train rolled into St. Louis, it was snowing and snow covered the ground. It was amazing to see snow for a 18 year-old kid who seldom saw snow in Louisiana. Later on the train arrived in Indianapolis and I took a taxi to the base. The ground was covered with several inches of snow, when I arrived.
Learned that winter how brutal Indiana winters could be and even had a case of frostbite, while walking to a movie on base one night. School went well and graduated in April of 1963.
After returning home and attending a few Army Reserve meetings, decided I would rather serve a full three-year enlistment, rather than go to Army Reserve meetings for several years.
So in May of 1963 I re-enlisted for three years. I requested to be stationed in Germany or Hawaii and received orders for Hawaii. Boarded a plane for San Francisco and was helicoptered to the Oakland Army Terminal, where I would stay about eight days.
Finally we boarded a MATS plane for Hawaii and if I remember correctly it took nine hours to make the flight to Hawaii. We headed to Schofield Barracks, after leaving the plane and wish I could remember my first impression after arriving there, but that was 49 years ago and can’t recall now.
One of the things I do remember about Schofield Barracks were the quads, in which the soldiers were housed. The doors were left open at night, so each cot had a mosquito net to prevent mosquitoes, from ruining a night of sleep. James Jones was stationed at Schofield Barracks and when his book From Here To Eternity became a movie, scenes were filmed at Quad C of Schofield Barracks.
This photo of a quad where the soldiers stayed reminds me of the quad, where I lived for about two and-a-half years at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
Conroy Bowl an outdoor area holds many memories for me 49 years later, after seeing the Beach Boys in my first concert there. Saw the Christmas show with Hollywood entertainers, such as Julie Newmar and Stefanie Powers. It was a bittersweet experience though, hearing them sing Christmas songs while knowing I would be in Hawaii that Christmas.
I can remember they held a Battle of the Bands at Conroy Bowl and band after band played Louie, Louie by the Kingsmen. I was sick of that song by the end of the night.
Another highlight was Sue Thompson, known for Sad Movies Always Make Me Cry and Big Daddy’s Alabamy Bound shaking my hand, while singing the classic ballad You Belong To Me. A reminder of how long ago this was hit me, when I saw that she will be 86 on July 19.
It would be 16 months after arriving, before I would make my first trip home to Louisiana in October of 1964.
One of my favorite concerts at Conroy Bowl was when the Beach Boys entertained there, at the height of their popularity in the 60′s. Johnny Cash also appeared there, but seemed to be slurring his words, while singing and may have been still under the influence of drugs at this time in his life.
Several years before my arrival in Hawaii, Elvis Presley appeared in concert there in his last concert appearance for many years, before being drafted. It was over ten years before he would appear in concert again, after completing the filming of over 30 movies.
This website owned by Scotty Moore, who was with Elvis in the early days, shows many photos of Elvis at the Conroy Bowl. The website also tells how General John Schofield, who was a Union General in the Civil War foresaw the need, for the use of the Hawaiian Islands as a base to protect American interests. That was in 1872 which was 69 years before Pearl Harbor was attacked.
Visiting the Arizona Memorial was one of the most memorable events while serving in at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii and will never forget reading the names of those who had died on the Arizona. Oil was still coming up from the Arizona in 1963.
A night-time view of Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head seen in the background.
Spent many a weekend day at Waianae beach looking across the ocean and knowing California was on the other side while listening to songs like Surfer Girl.
I heard a lot of Hawaiian music during my time in Hawaii and these are some of the songs I remember best:
Beyond the Reef, one of my favorite Hawaiian songs being played on a lap steel guitar.
Hawaiian girls dancing to My Little Grass Shack
Mele Kalikamaka is Hawaii’s way to say Merry Christmas to you.
Hawaii is usually thought of as a tropical paradise, but I found out different, when sent to the Big Island (Hilo) on temporary duty. I was assigned to a post office at the Pohakuloa Training Area that was at a high elevation. We could see snow capped mountains from the post office.
Snow can be seen atop the Mauna Kea Mountain on the Island of Hilo.
All good things come to an end and my paid vacation to the tropical paradise of Hawaii came to a screeching halt when we received word, that our postal unit was being sent to Vietnam.
This photo was taken the same day that we boarded the USNS General Walker to Vietnam on a voyage which would take 14 days traveling 500 miles a day, before we disembarked in Vietnam.
I didn’t know the above photo even existed until today and was shocked to see it was a photo, of the 25th Infantry Division troops boarding the USNS General Walker, the same day that we boarded it.
Once the ship was on the way to Vietnam, I couldn’t help but wonder how many aboard that ship would never make it back home alive. We had too much time to think on the long ride to Vietnam, about what fate held for us once we left the ship in Vietnam.
We left one tropical paradise behind to go to another tropical paradise, that was a country 7,000 miles from Hawaii, in a country which offered only danger from a ruthless enemy, as we disembarked from the ship. I can remember how it took awhile to get used to being on land again, after two weeks of drifting across the ocean.
I can remember the stifling heat of Vietnam and how I drank several Coca-Colas to keep from being dehydrated, almost immediately after leaving the ship.
Memories of Hawaii
Hawaii was a distant memory, but 49 years later I think of the Hawaiian sunsets, the Hawaiian music and the musicians using their steel guitars to play songs like Beyond the Reefand My Little Grass Shack.
I can remember going to the service club and being entertained by various entertainers including the cowboy star of many westerns Jimmy Wakely.
I can remember like yesterday the beautiful sunsets on Waikiki Beach….the Service Club personnel taking on tourist excursions around the island seeing various attractions, that we may not have seen otherwise….the pecan twirls out of the vending machine at the service club….seeing the concerts at Conroy Bowl….the palm trees on the grounds of Schofield Barracks….working at the USARHAW post office and seeing the pro basketball player Terry Dischinger of Purdue and Detroit Pistons fame, who was working in the chemical department….working with the Hawaiians at the post office and how they freaked out when the temperature dipped to 59 degrees one day and showed up for work wearing jackets….remembering the day that JFK was assassinated, that I was substitute company mail clerk that day and listening to the news flash on the radio. I was the first to tell the company commander the news….also remember just missing seeing Lee Harvey Oswald shot by Jack Ruby on the television in the day room.
I also remember watching Shindig on my portable television seeing the musical greats of that era….spending Thanksgiving with Sgt. William Brannon and his family and wondering all these years, what happened to him after he left the Army….telling short-timers who had only a few days left, that I was going to be out soon myself….in 1,096 days….seeing the buildings at one of the airbases still showing damage from being hit during Pearl Harbor….meeting General Frederick Weyand, commanding general of the 25th Infantry Division, who was not happy with the direction of the war in Vietnam when he made this statement:
General Weyand, then commander of III Corps in Vietnam, was the unidentified high-ranking officer, who told Apple and Fromson (reporting the same story for CBS) that “I’ve destroyed a single division three times . . . I’ve chased main-force units all over the country and the impact was zilch.
I had often thought the war was not being fought conventionally. In past wars our military had swept across countries, instead of seeming to be going around in circles in Vietnam. However, that is just my opinion and others with more knowledge may be able to address that situation with more clarity.
Sorry from straying from the Hawaiian theme, but the encounter with General Weyand reminded me of the Vietnam situation.
I may never return to Hawaii again, because of the extremely high cost of being a tourist there, but it may be better that way, so I can remember it the way it was as those two years and eight months there were one of the happiest times of my life. I almost felt guilty being paid there, since it was such easy duty.
Jackie Gleason was best known for portraying Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners but also appeared on the big screen from 1941-1986.
Jackie Gleason grew up in Brooklyn, New York and didn’t have much of a childhood, with his father abandoning the family, when Gleason was eight years old. His mother died when he was 16. His brother Clemence had died when he was three, so Jackie was an only child during most of his childhood.
Jackie Gleason as he appeared in Larceny Inc. movie in 1942 at the age of 26.
Gleason’s first foray into the movies lasted only two years, but he appeared in nine movies in those two years, including Orchestra Wives and Larceny, Inc. Then he performed in nightclubs and appeared in some Broadway plays till he received his first television starring role in Life of Riley, portraying the title character. He was not really suited well for the role and it was cancelled, but revived when William Bendix, the voice of Riley on radio became the star of the show.
Jackie Gleason Orchestra Formed
Jackie Gleason saw there was a place for romantic music and formed the Jackie Gleason Orchestra. I have read that there was never an actual traveling Jackie Gleason Orchestra but this article proves that assumption is incorrect, since this review of a performance with Gleason proves they did travel to different venues. Music showed there was a serious side to Jackie Gleason. I was surprised to read that Gleason actually was conducting the orchestra. Bobby Hackett is the one playing the trumpet solos on most, if not all of his albums.
Music For Lovers, the debut album for the orchestra was a tremendous hit and showed their was a market for romantic music:
Gleason’s first album, Music for Lovers Only, still holds the record for the album staying the longest in the Billboard Top Ten Charts (153 weeks), and his first ten albums all sold over one million copies.[19]
I have his Best of Jackie Gleason and His Orchestra album and it includes these songs:
The now defunct Dumont Television network hired Gleason as summer host of Cavalcade of Stars. He handled the hosting duties so well, that he was named permanent host. He introduced his Ralph Kramden character during the series and the sketches would evolve into The Honeymooners in 1955.
Jackie Gleason and Audrey Meadows in a scene from The Honeymooners television series 1955-1956.
There is no doubt that The Honeymooners television series is what made Jackie Gleason a household word. The show centered around his character Ralph Kramden and the show was clearly focused on whatever hare-brained scheme, that he was planning at the time.
The Jackie Gleason Show was telecast from 1952-1957 and then revived again to run from 1966-1970. In between he also hosted the Jackie Gleason: American Scene Magazine from 1962-1966.
You’re In The Picture Bombs
Jackie Gleason did have one colossal failure, when he was the host of a new game show named You’re In The Picture in 1961. This article details the failure of the show the first week and how Gleason came back the second week with a new format:
1961 would see Gleason also have one of his biggest triumphs on the big screen in The Hustler. He played Minnesota Fats the pool hustler and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor but did not win. It was an awesome achievement, considering that he hadn’t appeared in a movie, since appearing in Desert Hawk in 1950.
He is seen with Paul Newman in this pool room scene from The Hustler:
The next year Gleason would return in Gigot, in which he played a mute and would be nominated for a Golden Globes Award as best actor. Gleason wrote the screenplay, starred and wrote the music for Gigot. Gleason was the only recognizable name in the entire cast of this movie. He is seen in this clip from Gigot:
Gleason also appeared in Requiem For A Heavyweight in 1962. He acted well in the movie, but failed to garner any nominations or awards, for his performance.
He appeared in Papa’s Delicate Condition and Soldier in the Rain in 1963 and wouldn’t appear in another movie, till he appeared in Skidoo in 1968. It is strange that he appeared in so many successful movies, than stopped his movie career for the next five years. He could be that filming his American Scene Magazine television show and appearing in movies was too much for him.
Next he appeared in How To Commit Marriage and Don’t Drink The Water in 1969, then took an eight year hiatus from making movies till 1977. He appeared in Mr. Billion and Smokey and the Bandit in 1977. I was going to include some clips of Gleason portraying Sheriff Buford T. Justice, but the dialogue was filled with so much bad language, that I decided not to use it, in case some kids were to watch it. He would go on to appear in Part II and Part III of the Smokey and the Bandit movies in 1980 and 1983.
Gleason also appeared in The Toy in 1982 and The Sting II in 1983, before appearing Nothing In Common in 1986, which would be his last movie. His movie career spanned 45 years from 1941-1986.
It is ironic that Gleason only won a Tony Award in his long career for Take Me Along, while never winning a Emmy, Grammy or Academy Award.
Jackie Gleason died of cancer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on June 24, 1987 at the age of 71. Gleason left his mark on Broadway, in the movies, on television and music. He truly was an entertainer of the first magnitude.
Dick Haymes seen singing I Wish I Knew in Diamond Horseshoe (1945)
Fans of music from the 1940′s remember Dick Haymes as the singer, who never reached the name recognition of his contemporaries, of Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, but still possessed one of the best baritone voices of that era.
Haymes was born September 13, 1918 in Buenos Aires, Argentina and died in Los Angeles, California on March 28, 1980 at the age of 61 of lung cancer.
His first big break was when he was signed as the soloist for the Harry James Orchestra in the early 1940′s. He went on to sing with the big bands of Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey.
Next he would become a major recording star and appeared in 13 movies in the 1940′s, while also having his own radio program.
While his career was going well, he encountered marital problems in all of his six marriages, including the last one to Wendy Smith. She didn’t even attend his funeral, since she had filed for divorce before his death.
Wikipedia lists his six marriages:
Edith Harper
(1939; annulled) annulled when Haymes found out Harper was not pregnant, after Harper had told Haymes she was pregnant, causing him to marry her. Joanne Dru
(1941-1949) Nora Eddington
(1949-1953) Rita Hayworth
(1953-1955) Fran Jeffries
(1958-1965)
Wendy Smith
(1966-1980)
The six marriages produced six babies with three of them coming from his marriage with Joanne Dru.
Fran Jeffries was divorced from Haymes at the age of 28 and is 75 today and never remarried. She is famous for appearing in the movie The Pink Panther singing Meglio Stasera in the following scene.
Haymes had a serious drinking problem that plagued him for years. Then when his career took a downturn he began experiencing financial difficulties, due to his record and film contracts being canceled.
No matter how bad things were going for him, Haymes continued to possess one of the best baritone voices, ever heard in American music in songs like these:
Dick Haymes singing The Nearness of You.
Dick Haymes singing The More I See You to Betty Grable in the movie Diamond Horseshoe.
Life didn’t always treat Haymes well, but he never lost that rich, golden baritone voice, that he used for almost 40 years to entertain on radio, records, appearing with big bands and in the movies.
The world lost a great singer when Haymes died, but we can listen to his albums like this one that I have in my collection.
Spotify users that like music from the 1940′s will find a long list of Dick Haymes music by just typing Dick Haymes in the search box.
If there is a listing for the word Easy Listening in the encyclopedia, it should be accompanied by a photo of Dick Haymes, since he best epitomizes what a easy listening singer should sound like.
His music is the kind of music you want to listen to after having a bad day, as you forget the troubles of the day and listen to the soothing music of Dick Haymes.
Dick Haymes may be gone, but he surely is not forgotten.
Audie Murphy who served in Europe for 27 months during World War II was awarded the Medal of Honor, plus 32 other awards by the United States and foreign countries.
Murphy was born June 20, 1924 in Kingston, Texas. He had to drop out of school in the fifth grade to support his family as a farm worker. He was a very good shot and said once, that if he didn’t shoot what he shot at that his family wouldn’t eat that day.
He tried to join the Marines, Army Air Corps and Navy, but they all said he was underweight at 110 pounds. The U.S. Army did accept him and after passing out during a basic training drill, the Army tried to send him to baker’s school, but he insisted on being assigned to an infantry unit.
It didn’t take long for Murphy to be promoted after shooting two Italian officers in Sicily, so he was promoted to corporal. Two months later he was promoted to sergeant after fighting his way out of a German ambush on the Italian mainland.
His most heroic action was when his unit only had 19 soldiers remaining out of 128 and he sent the 19 soldiers to the rear while he singlehandedly fought the Germans. Then when he ran out of ammunition, he jumped in a burning tank destroyer and starting firing on the German position. In addition, he also called in artillery strikes. Murphy then gathered the 19 remaining soldiers, as they drove the Germans from the battlefield. He had suffered a leg wound but continued fighting. His actions in this battle won him the Medal of Honor. His Medal of Honor citation credits Murphy with killing or wounding 50 German soldiers in that one battle.
Murphy joined the Texas National Guard after the Korean War began, but his unit was never called into combat.
He was a private first class when he was part of the invasion force entering Sicily in July of 1943, but by the end of 1944 he had been promoted to corporal, sergeant, staff sergeant and second lieutenant.
Starred in Movies, Television
Murphy moved to Hollywood and after struggling at first to find movie roles, was seen in 44 movies and is on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He played a copy boy in his first movie Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven in 1948 and was seen in 33 westerns. He did play himself in To Hell and Back which was based on his autobiography by the same name. He appeared as Jesse James in A Time For Dying which ironically was his last movie before his death.
The trailer from To Hell And Back the autobiographical movie about Audie Murphy.
The highlight of his television career was when he played the title character in Whispering Smith. Only 26 episodes were filmed of the series.
To see a complete list of his movie and television appearances:
Audie Murphy also was a country music songwriter. He was admitted to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1981. His most famous composition would be Shutters and Boards which is heard being sung by Jerry Wallace:
Jerry Wallace singing Shutters and Boards written by Audie Murphy.
Dies in Virginia Plane Crash
Murphy was flying in a private plane on May 28, 1971 with zero visibility, when it crashed into Brush Mountain near Catawba, Virginia. The pilot had 8,000 hours of flying time but no instrument rating.
He had requested before his death to have a simple headstone at Arlington National Cemetery, not wanting the customary gold leaf surrounding the headstone for previous Medal of Honor winners.
Murphy was a humble man who like most war veterans who experienced combat situations, suffered post traumatic stress upon returning from the war and worked to get special compensation for veterans experiencing it.
It was ironic that Murphy who risked his life many times on the battlefield would die on a plane, that probably shouldn’t have even been in the air.
Murphy was only 45 at the time of his death, but had more life experiences than most of us, who lived many years longer.
It is probably safe to say that Audie Murphy is the only person to have won the Medal of Honor, enshrined on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Audie Murphy was not only the greatest American soldier who was on a battlefield, but also a humble man who never seeked to capitalize on his acts of heroism. In fact he wanted Tony Curtis to play his part in To Hell and Back.
We need to keep the memory of Audie Murphy alive for generations to come. He faced adversity as a child and as a soldier on the battlefield, but he overcame adversity to become America’s greatest war hero. America needs more men like Audie Murphy today.
Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson and Robbie Robertson in this 1968 photo of The Band.
The Band may be the most original name for a band ever. They were referred to as the band, so they adopted the name, while touring with the legendary Bob Dylan and the not so legendary Tiny Tim.
The photo above looks like it could have been taken in the 1800′s, since this was a very scruffy looking band. They look more like an outlaw gang, than musicians in the photo.
Joined Ronnie Hawkins And The Hawks
All the members of The Band gradually joined Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, with the exception of Levon Helm, who already a member of the Hawks backing band.
It was in 1963, when the Hawks broke up with Ronnie Hawkins, because they were going in a different musical direction. It was odd that Ronnie Hawkins found himself out of his own group, which would be come Levon Helm and the Hawks. They also recorded under the name of the Canadian Squires during this time.
Touring With Bob Dylan
The Band began touring with Bob Dylan, first with only Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm, but then the entire band, would later join Dylan on the road.
By this time Dylan was trying to be more of a rocker, than a folk singer so The Band fit nicely into his plans to have an edgier sound. However some of the folk song purists were calling Dylan by the name of Judas, since they didn’t appreciate Dylan converting into a rock singer.
Made Woodstock Appearance
The Band made an appearance at Woodstock in 1969, but their appearance wasn’t shown in the movie Woodstock, due to legal ramifications.
Eric Clapton, George Harrison Influenced By The Band
The Band made a huge impact on other artists of that era, including Eric Clapton and George Harrison. Clapton was said to have wanted to join The Band. Clapton liked The Band’s Music From Big Pink album so much, that he said it changed his life.
Eric Clapton singing in The Last Waltz movie. Notice how The Band covers for Eric when his guitar strap becomes unattached. This is guitar playing at its best.
The Last Waltz Documentary
By 1976 Robbie Robertson, who apparently perceived himself the leader of The Band, decided he didn’t want to tour, any longer, so planned a huge retirement celebration for The Band on Thanksgiving Day of that year. Many of the biggest names in music were there and movie director Martin Scorsese filmed the concert.
Whether you like the music or not, the movie will bring memories flowing back ,of a long ago era, when hippies were still dominant in San Francisco, where the concert was filmed at the Winterland Ballroom. One musical memory from the night was the use of a tuba in the concert by the orchestra.
Levon Helm singing the Robbie Robertson composition The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, a song about the end of the Civil War.
Bob Dylan singing Baby Let Me Follow You Down in the voice we like to remember him by.
Levon Helm singing The Weight which was voted 41st best song on Rolling Stone’s list of Top 500 Songs.
My son Steve had told me about the Last Waltz movie being made about The Band. I really had paid no attention The Band and hadn’t heard of the movie.
Be forewarned that the language in this movie is not for kids, but the music is what really matters the most, plus the reminders of a different era.
The Eric Clapton video of him singing in Last Waltz, is only the beginning of the music from this movie.
This is Levon Helm singing Ophelia, my personal favorite from the movie.
Neil Young singing Helpless.
Neil Diamond singing Dry Your Eyes
Rick Danko singing It Makes No Difference
All the singers join in on I Shall Be Released
The Band would resurface in 1983, but without Robbie Robertson. Levon Helm feuded with Robertson who was credited as songwriter on most of their original songs, but Helm thought the songwriting was more of a team effort. Their feud prevented Helm from even attending, the group’s induction, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Helm also did not attend the night, The Band was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2008.
Richard Manuel 1943-1986
Tragic Death of Richard Manuel
Richard Manuel, the pianist/drummer for The Band had been a heavy drinker, earlier in his career, but later would suffer a relapse. He told fellow band member Garth Hudson thanks for 25 years of music, not long before hanging himself in a Orlando, Florida motel on March 4, 1986. He was 42 at the time of his death.
Rick Danko Dies in 1999
The death of Rick Danko from drug related heart failure on December 10, 1999 signaled the end of The Band. Danko had been taking prescribed morphine since a 1968 car accident, which left him in great pain, but he was still able to sing and play the guitar for the next 31 years.
His death came in his sleep in Marbletown, N.Y. home, which ironically was close to Woodstock.
Surviving Members of The Band
Levon Helm is still singing and drumming today at the age of 71.
Levon Helm has not retired from the music business, but is still going strong and also has some acting credits:
Robbie Robertson 68, is still active today and has done a lot of work, with movie soundtracks. He has been active in the music business for 51 years.
Garth Hudson muscial genius of The Band is 74.
Garth Hudson Still Recording Today
Garth Hudson was the resident musical genius of The Band who played the organ, piano, saxophone, accordion and electronic keyboards. Hudson is still active at 74. He has worked with music for movie soundtracks and has recorded five albums since 2000.
Music Chart Busts
The Band’s highest ranking single on the Billboard charts was Up on Cripple Creek which topped out at #25. Even The Weight did not sell well as it ended up at #63.
Last Waltz Movie Worth Watching
Martin Scorsese’s Last Waltz is worth watching if you haven’t seen it. It is also worth watching again, if you have seen it. It takes us back to a time a lot of us would like to forget, but also back to the music back then. There are not that many chances to see and hear a tuba being played in a band.
The street scenes shown at the first of the movie, will be especially enjoyed by those in San Francisco, who have walked those streets.
Jack Webb was born on April 2, 1920 in Santa Monica, California. He died at the age of 62 on December 23, 1982 in West Hollywood California.
His father left home before Webb was born and he never knew his dad. He joined the Army Air Force but asked for a hardship discharge after not making the grade in flight training.
Acted in Old Time Radio
Webb starred in an ABC radio comedy the Jack Webb Show in 1946. He then starred in several detective themed old-time radio shows. Pat Novak For Hire, Johnny Modero, Pier 23 and Jeff Regan, Investigator which were his best known radio programs prior to Dragnet.
His big break came when Dragnet was first broadcast on radio in 1949, then would run till 1954. Webb portrayed Sgt. Joe Friday as a no-nonsense detective, who didn’t mince words. The television version of Dragnet began televising in 1952 with Ben Alexander cast as Detective Frank Smith, concurrently with the radio version till 1954, when the radio series ended. The televised version would remain on the air till 1959. There was a radio or television version of Dragnet being heard or seen for ten continuous years.
Webb loved jazz and starred in Pete Kelly’s Blues which on radio for less than two months, but would be the predecessor to the film version, of Pete Kelly’s Blues released in 1955. Then Pete Kelly’s Blues was also shown on television in 1959, but only 13 episodes were aired, before it was cancelled.
Dragnet also had a presence in radio, television and movies and it was successful in all three forms of media. A new television version of the original Dragnet named Dragnet 1967 ran till 1970 with Harry Morgan portraying Officer Bill Gannon.
Jack Webb grew up with severe asthma yet was a heavy smoker as can be seen by this advertisement mentioning that he smoked two packs a day. Smoking two packs a day today would cost roughly $180 a month.
Webb became so involved in production, that he wasn’t seen on the television screen often. He created Adam 12 which ran from 1968-1975 and Ohara, U.S. Treasury which was shown from 1971-1972.
Julie London former wife of Jack Webb and her husband Bobby Troup on Emergency television program that aired on NBC.
Jack Webb showed he had no animosity toward his former wife Julie London, by hiring her and her husband to appear in his Emergency television program. They appeared in but two of the 133 episodes that were aired.
Webb was married to Julie London from 1947-1953. He then married Dorothy Towne from 1955-1957, Jackie Loughery from 1958-1964. He widowed his last wife who he was married to from 1980-1982.
Jack Webb was working on a third television version of Dragnet with Kent McCord from Adam 12 lined up to be his partner, but died of a heart attack at 62.
Chief Daryl Gates of the Los Angeles Police Department retired Badge 714 after his death and Mayor Tom Bradley ordered all flags to flown at half-mast in his honor. He would be buried with a replica Badge 714.
Jack Webb’s tombstone is typical of Webb. There is no huge ornamental tombstone, but a plain tombstone, with his name and his life span.
This article written by Ben Alexander, gives us a better idea of what the real Jack Webb was like. This paragraph tells me all I need to know about Jack Webb. I am inserting it here for those who may not have time to read the article:
Look at Victor Rodman. He had been disabled in an accident, and one of Jack’s joys about creating “Noah’s Ark” was the chance it gave him to employ Victor in a role that didn’t require walking around. Jack was thrilled with “Noah’s Ark” because it gave Victor a chance to prove what a fine actor he is. And a big reason Jack is eager to revive the show is that Victor will be working again.
The Internet Movie Database biography includes some interesting trivia about Jack Webb:
Was buried with full honors befitting a LAPD detective, including a 17-gun salute.
Had just over 6,000 jazz albums in his private collection.
At the height of “Dragnet’s” popularity, people would actually call the LAPD wanting to speak to Webb’s character, Sgt. Joe Friday. The Department eventually came up with a stock answer to the large volume of calls: “Sorry, it’s Joe’s day off.”
Was a huge baseball fan, and chose badge number 714 for Sgt. Friday because it was the number of home runs Babe Ruth hit.
Jack Webb has created a lot of shows since Dragnet, but will always remember him, telling us what department he was working out of in the police department.
The color version of Dragnet was good, but there was something special, about the black and white version of the 50′s. Those shows seemed to be more simple. Who can ever forget the show, about the boy who got a rifle for Christmas and accidentally shoots his friend? This is the three-part The Big .22 Rifle For Christmas episode. Part 3 is very emotional as the father talks to his dead son, telling him what he would have received for Christmas. Then to make it even more emotional, the father of the boy killed,then gives the presents for his son, to the boy who shot his son.
Jerry Lewis has lambasted American Idol contestants according to a New Orleans Times-Picayune article.
Jerry Lewis is currently promoting an Encore documentary on his life and while promoting the upcoming special, he has expressed his concern for the state of television today.
American Idol contestants got the worst of the criticism when he made this statement:
“It’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous. And kids, they get on ‘American Idol.’ They’re all McDonald’s wipe-outs. They’ve all been dumped. They’ve worked there and now they’re doing that. And of course they all play a guitar, which takes the place of music. – Jerry Lewis
I don’t think his vitriolic statement was necessary, since the American Idol contestants work as hard, if not harder than any television star, back when Lewis was in television.
As for the guitar taking the place of music, that statement makes no sense, guitar music can be some of the best music heard today.
He has his right to his opinion, but has no right to belittle the American Idol contestants, who keep a grueling schedule during weeks of rehearsals, filming commercials and choosing the right song. Only two or three from any given year, reach the top of the music business.
One thing I agree with him is his objection to movies being seen on telephones. He mentions Lawrence of Arabia as a movie not meant to be shown on a phone with the following statement.
“The motion picture industry now is no longer, as far as I’m concerned. And we can fix it. But it’s no longer, because they put all of their product on the phone. You’re going to put ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ on that stupid (device)? That gets me crazy, pal. That gets me crazy.” – Jerry Lewis
Having never owned a smart phone, I can only imagine, what watching a movie on a phone would be like. However, it seems like a movie like Star Wars would not even be close to what it would be, if seen on a wide-screen in a theater with the huge speakers.
The 85-year-0ld Lewis seems to have lost touch with the times. I don’t know how he could expect things to be the same, as they were when he was a television and movie star, in the 50′s and 60′s.
These are just some of my memories of the good old days:
When the ice man brought ice to place in your icebox.
When milkmen brought your milk to the house with cream at the top of the bottles.
When attic fans were the only way of getting any air in a house.
When we would walk on the Murray Street Bridge and see the Red River below, when there were missing slats.
When we were hot and didn’t think about it being hot because it was all we knew since nobody had air conditioners then.
When television shows didn’t come on till 3:30 PM. Howdy Doody and Pinky Lee started the telecast day on KALB-TV in Alexandria, Louisiana in the 50′s.
When we listened to old time radio shows like Dragnet and Breakfast Club on the radio, while my mom listened to her soap operas like Just Plain Bill, Stella Dallas, Lorenzo Jones and Guiding Light.
When people would go to local appliance store at night and watch television through the display window at Jimmie Walker’s Appliances on Main Street in Pineville.
When we would come home from school and watch our cowboy heroes in action.
When nativity scenes could be seen in public places before ACLU raised such a fuss, that you can’t find one in a mall today.
When stores like Penneys, Sears and Montgomery Ward were located in free standing stores, before the advent of the shopping centers and malls.
When kids would trick or treat until 10PM at night, filling grocery bags full of candy, with no special Halloween bags.
When families went to drive-in movies together, while teenagers would sneak a extra kid in the trunk, to avoid paying for them.
When theatergoers would throw tomatoes at the movie screen if they were upset with a bad movie.
When Larry McHale of KALB – TV was advertising cigarettes and started coughing, but regrouped and said “Just thinking of those other brands makes me cough.”
When eating TV dinners were more popular than fast food.
When McDonald’s had 15 cent hamburgers.
When you could get a haircut for less than a dollar.
When it cost a dime to see a movie.
When it cost a dime for a school lunch in 1950 at Pineville Elementary in Pineville, Louisiana.
When kids collected baseball cards and put them in bicycle spokes.
When families would go on picnics at the city park, letting the kids play on the playground equipment.
When going to stores we would see white and colored water fountains. One black man tried both kinds and said they tasted the same.
When we watched No Time For Sergeants three times in a row at the movie theater. (One of the funniest movies ever, with Don Knotts being a dexterity expert, that became discombobulated by Andy Griffith’s character.)
When we used to drink Hawaiian Punch and Delaware Punch.
When we used to pay a nickel for a 6 ounce coke out of a machine. Now they charge over a $1.50 for a 20 ounce coke, when in the old days a 24 ounce coke would cost 20 cents.
When we walked a mile to school everyday for the entire 12 years of elementary and high school.
When there was no middle school back in the 50′s.
When Gov. Earl K. Long of Louisiana gave free chickens to voters during a gubneratorial election.
When going fishing meant taking a cane pole and not a expensive rod and reel.
When I bought a $6.50 Nokona baseball glove for $6.00 when the hardware store owner found out I didn’t have enough money to pay the full price.
When we celebrated Christmas by running around with sparklers.
When we would see the miniature church on the city square in Alexandria every Christmas.
When Christmas music was played downtown during the Christmas season.
When we used to play marbles in school.
When playing with a yo-yo was cool.
When hula hoops were the hot fad.
When high school kids rode bikes to school instead of driving cars.
When familes went to church together.
When families actually ate dinner together at a table, instead of in front of the television.
When kids made money by delivering newspapers on bicycle.
When we drank grapefruit juice at breakfast even though we didn’t like it.
When we ate Wheat Chex at breakfast even though we didn’t like it.
When we used to get excited about another school year starting.
When we went to special Christmas Eve services on a cold night in December and watching Christmas movies on television when we got home.
When we had a train set over our bed as a kid.
When we took a trip in 1957 and saw the Howard Johnson restaurants with the orange roofs.
When we got together as a family to hear mother read from the Bible.
When we used to listen to records on the record player.
When homemade ice cream was better than any ice cream bought in a store.
When pizza was delivered to the house the first time.
When mom and pop stores went out of business because of Wal-Mart.
When there used to be neighborhood groceries scattered around in residential neighborhoods.
Based on the comments by the judges, Haley Reinhart should be the most concerned among the eight remaining singers on American Idol.
The three judges totally trashed her singing and if Haley goes home it will be because of the comments by the judges. It is like they want Lauren Alaina Suddeth to be only female singer remaining.
Casey Abrams version of the 64 year old song Nature Boy may be great for a lounge act, but can’t see anyone going out and buying an album with that song in it.
My personal opinion is that Haley, Paul and Stefano will be in the bottom three but wouldn’t be surprised to see Jacob in the final three, because of Paul receiving the votes of legions of Twilight fans.
The poll question asks to check the singer most likely to go home on Thursday night based on their performance and the judge’s reaction to their performance on Wednesday night:
Doris Day celebrated her 89th birthday earlier this week.
Doris Mary Ann Von Kapplehoff was born on April 3, 1922. She is better known to her fans as Doris Day.
She hasn’t been seen on television except as a guest or in the movies since the Doris Day Show ended in 1973. For the last 38 years she has lived a low profile life.
When her third husband, Martin Melcher died in 1968, she claimed to not know he had planned a television series the Doris Day Show before his death.
She did the series and it was successful, which was the last time she appeared on television in a regular series of her own.
Her fear of flying probably was a huge factor in retiring, since she probably wouldn’t have consented to fly to movie or television locations.
She never liked anyone swearing around her and once required anyone that swore to place a quarter in the “swear box’ during a recording session.
Day surprisingly believes a couple should live together before being married as she stated in her 1975 autobiography:
[In her 1975 autobiography] You don’t really know a person until you live with him, not just sleep with him. Sex is not enough to sustain marriage. I have the unfortunate reputation of being Miss Goody Two-shoes, America’s Virgin, and all that, so I’m afraid it’s going to shock some people for me to say this, but I staunchly believe no two people should get married until they have lived together. The young people have it right. What a tragedy it is for a couple to get married, have a child, and in the process discover they are not suited for one another! If I had lived with Al Jorden for a few weeks, God knows I would never have married him. Nor would I have married George Weidler. But I was too young and too inexperienced to understand any of this. Now my heart was busted and I had lost my way.
She didn’t think much of Elizabeth Taylor’s penchant for wearing expensive jewelry saying it could have been better used:
[about Elizabeth Taylor's diamonds] When I see Liz Taylor with those Harry Winston boulders hanging from her neck I get nauseated. Not figuratively, but nauseated! All I can think of are how many dog shelters those diamonds could buy.
Max Baer Jr. portrayed Jethro Bodine, the nephew of Jed Clampett on the Beverly Hillbillies. He couldn’t find work for the first three years after Beverly Hillbillies finished its run on television in 1971.
He finally found himself an acting job by producing Macon County Line in 1974. The movie grossed over $18 million according to Box Office Mojo with a budget of $225,000.
However, the Internet Movie Database shows the movie earning $35 million with an initial investment of $100,000.
Max Baer Jr.'s father Max was the World Heavyweight champion from June, 1934 to June, 1935.
Max Baer, his father, was recently the subject of the movie Cinderella Man in which a ring opponent Frankie Campbell loses not only the match, but his life in a match with Baer.
Baer Jr. said his father cried over the death of Campbell and sent the kids of Campbell to college. The movie angered him and he was upset with Ronny Howard portraying his father that way in the movie.
It makes me wonder what other movies are not telling the truth about the characters in that movie.
This following articles tell about the movie with the second article directly referring to Baer being upset with Howard.
Elizabeth Taylor has died at the age of 79 in Los Angeles of congestive heart failure.
She first appeared in a motion picture in 1942 when she acted in There’s One Born Every Minute. Her next movie was Lassie Come Home (1943) which was nominated for an Oscar.
National Velvet (1944) would be her next movie, which co-starred Mickey Rooney. It would be one of the best known movies, she would appear in during her career.
She appeared in both Father of the Bride and the sequel Father’s Little Dividend in 1950 and 1951 respectively.
Other noteworthy movies she appeared in were Giant (1956), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Butterfield 8 (1960), Cleopatra (1963) and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966).
It was ironic that she would portray Pearl Slaghoople, in The Flintstones theatrical release in 1994. She had not appeared in a movie for 17 years before her death.
This lengthy N.Y. Times obituary tells in detail about her career and her life away from the big screen:
The Conqueror was shot in Utah and starred John Wayne and Susan Hayward.
Five of the first six actors listed in the cast of The Conqueror, at the Internet Movie Database were diagnosed with cancer.
The probable cause of the cancer epidemic, which resulted in 91 of the 220 cast and crew members, was that eleven U.S. atom bomb tests had taken place in Yucca Flats, Nevada in 1953.
After the testing, the radioactive fallout drifted to the site close to St. George, Utah where the movie was shot, exposing the cast and crew to the radioactivity, for 13 weeks.
To further strengthen the thought, that the radioactive fallout caused the cancer, half the citizens of St. George had contacted cancer during the next thirty years.
46 of the movie cast and crew that had contacted cancer died from various forms of cancer.
Dr. Robert Pendleton, professor of biology at the University of Utah, stated that 30 people, diagnosed with cancer out of a group of 220, would be closer to the normal number, of cases for that many people.
He also thinks, because of the tie-in of cancer with the movie, that anyone wishing to file suit would have a good case in a courtroom.
John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Agnes Moorehead, John Hoyt and Pedro Armendariz all died with cancer. Armendariz would be diagnosed with cancer four years after movie was completed and shot himself when he found out his case was terminal.
Smokers among the victims, including John Wayne and Agnes Moorehead were heavy smokers which made them even more susceptible to cancer from the radioactivity.
We may never be 100 percent sure, that the radioactive fallout caused the cancer of 91 cast members and crew of The Conqueror, but there is plenty of circumstantial evidence.
This article from The Straight Dope website, gives more information on the links between the filming of the movies and the resulting cases of cancer.
Mickey Rooney testified before Congress about senior abuse and his passionate testimony told of how he personally has been abused himself.
From the news reports I have read, there has been no mention of him naming his son-in-law Chris Aber as the one who abused him but Aber is under a restraining order preventing him from being in close proximity to Rooney.
Aber’s attorney John O’Meara has stated that these charges of abuse are untrue. However he is saying that more than likely on his talks with Aber who isn’t going to say he abused Rooney. Therefore, O’Meara’s statement can be taken with a grain of salt.
I can’t believe Rooney would go before Congress making up a story about his son-in-law. I am sure Rooney’s testimony will be backed up in a court of law soon.
Mickey Rooney testifying before Congress as he tells how senior abuse left him with no control over his life.
After seeing his testimony it makes me feel terrible knowing that man who entertained us for about 70 years wasn’t enjoying his golden years because a family member allegedly has taken away control of his life leaving him a helpless 90 year old man.
He may have been Andy Hardy to us for many years back in the 30′s and 40′s but today he is a man reduced to nothingness because of senior abuse.
May God grant Mickey Rooney and others like him a peaceful life in the years remaining for them on earth. It is not asking much to be treated with respect and love because that is all Rooney and the other victims of abuse are asking for.
Jane Russell has died at the age of 89 at home in Santa Maria, California of respiratory failure.
Jane Russell has died at the age of 89 with her family beside her in Santa Maria, California. The actress who was discovered by Howard Hughes when she was 19 and working in a doctor’s office.Hughes would cast her in The Outlaw in her first movie appearance. She appeared in nineteen movies between 1943 and 1957. She would only appear in four more movies, with her last movie appearance coming in 1970 in Darker Than Amber. She was 49 the year her last movie was filmed.
Russell was born in Bemidji, Minnesota on June 21, 1921. Her family moved back to United States from Canada so she would be born a U.S. citizen.
She co-starred with Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1953. Then in 1955 she received top billing in Gentlemen Marry Brunettes.
Television appearances were few and far between for Russell as she appeared in only seven television appearances with her last appearance being in a 1986. She hadn’t acted in movies or television in the last 25 years of her life.
Russell would pursue a singing career that started in 1947 but she was more famous for her movie career. She did have a very listenable voice which was very soft. She was part of this singing group that included big band singer Connie Haines and actress Rhonda Fleming:
Jane Russell singing One For My Baby.
Allmusic.com has short clips of many of her songs:
While going to church she became involved in singing with a group that included big band singer Connie Haines and would later include Rhonda Fleming another famous Hollywood actress.
Her first husband Bob Waterfield was a football player who won the Heisman Trophy and would later play quarterback in the NFL for the Cleveland Rams and Los Angeles Rams. He would be inducted later into the NFL Football Hall of Fame. Their marriage lasted twenty four years.
Roger Barrett an actor was her next husband but died only three months after their wedding. She next married John Peoples in 1974 and they would be married till his death in 1999.
Russell battled a drinking problem that got worse after his death but eventually conquered alcoholism and she had this to say about her reliance on God in the last paragraph of her New York Times obituary:
A higher power was always there, she wrote, “telling me that if I could just hold tough a little longer, I’d find myself around one more dark corner, see one more spot of light and have one more drop of pure joy in this journey called life.”
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1989.
Roy Rogers was born as Leonard Franklin Skye November 5, 1911 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He claimed to have been born at second base at Riverfront Stadium since he lived on the site of the stadium early in his life. He joined the Sons of the Pioneers singing group and changed his name to Dick Weston.
He appeared in many of his early movies as a member of the Sons of the Pioneers starting in 1935. Then he received his big break when Gene Autry walked off the set of a movie he was making and Leonard Slye became Roy Rogers for the first time in a starring role in Under Western Stars in 1938.
Rogers had been married twice before marrying Dale Evans. He was married to Lucille Ascolese from 1933-1935 and married in 1936 to Grace Wilkins who died in 1946 due to complications after giving birth to Roy “Dusty” Rogers Jr.
Dale Evans appeared in her first movie with Rogers in Cowboy and the Senorita in 1944. They would marry after the death of his wife in 1947 and remained married till the death of Rogers in 1998.
In addition to appearing in movies he also could be heard on old time radio for ten years in the 40′s and 50′s. One of the most important old time radio sellers online lists only 77 shows remaining from the ten year run for sale.
He bought his famous horse Trigger in 1938 according to Wikipedia and he trained Trigger to do 60 tricks since he had grew up training animals. B-westerns.com contends that he bought Trigger in 1943 for $2,500. The 1943 date is probably the accurate one since B-westerns.com has seen the bill of sale.
His last credited appearance as Roy Rogers was in the 1951 movie Pals of the Golden West in which he portrayed a border patrolman.
The Roy Rogers television series aired from 1951-1957 and 100 episodes were filmed. When I think of cowboy western stars that appeared on television his show is the one I remember best.
Mackintosh and T.J. released in 1975 would be his last movie appearance. He played a ranch hand and a drifter since by now he was in his 60′s.
He played himself in his last television appearance on The Fall Guy in 1984.
Fourteen years later Rogers died of congestive heart failure on July 8, 1998 in Apple Valley, California at the age of 86. Three years later his wife Dale Evans died at the age of 88.
Gravesites of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.
It was interesting to see on the graves the birth names of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans along with their birth names.
Not only were they were radio, television and movie stars they were also excellent role models who personified America at its best.
Roy Rogers is shown in this photo after getting out of his motorboat on the Red River in Alexandria, Louisiana and would stay at Hotel Bentley that night.
I was there the day Roy Rogers arrived in Alexandria. We must have known ahead of time he was coming because we were there when he arrived. I can remember my mom taking photos of the event.
Hotel Bentley was in its heyday then and was on the other side of the Red River levee so Rogers had a short walk to the hotel.
The world lost two of my favorite people in Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Their memory will live on though through the old time radio shows, movies and the Roy Rogers television shows they left behind.
Archive.org will keep a reader entertained for hours.
Archive.org is probably the best source for audio and video online this side of YouTube. The home page for the website as I write this article has a link to an audio version of a Grateful Dead concert at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum at New Haven, Connecticut on May 11, 1981.
The concert is only one of 803,305 audio recordings at the website. There are 2,214 old time radio related links to old time radio shows and magazines that were printed during the height of the popularity of old time radio.
One Roy Rogers episode has been downloaded 74,882 times showing that the website is available for downloading many of the old time radio shows we grew up with.
Old time radio fans will love looking at list after list of old time radio shows available for downloading including some of the more obscure shows which have very few episodes in existence.
The live music archive features 88,813 archives while the moving image archives total 451,934.
Avid readers will enjoy knowing that there are 2.694,639 texts including books and ebooks. The new Bookreader at the site includes Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin and is the example shown of how the Bookreader works.
There is an audio version of some books but the one I listened to was not of the best quality and seemed to be a computer generated voice which probably would be tiring to listen to for an entire book.
Most readers may not enjoy the voice and instead opt to read the books without sound. For those that like the audio they should enjoy the feature that highlights the portion of the book being read by the voice.
The Mega Reader iPhone app provides access to the 1.8 million free books at archive.org so they each iPhone user can have their own personal reader.
Each volume of the Warren Report investigation of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy is available to read.
The site is an excellent source of reading material for educators and students who are looking for books that are no longer copyrighted.
One word of caution: it could take hours just to look at what is available at archive.org. This website may have the most content of any website online and is worth going to the website to see for yourself what is available.
Mickey Rooney’s attorneys have secured a restraining order to prevent his stepson Chris Aber from coming closer than 100 yards to Rooney after the attorneys said that his stepson was preventing him from eating and taking his medicine.
Rooney is claiming to be living in fear of his stepson who is alleged to have done the following in this statement to the court:
“Chris is verbally abusive toward Mickey,” the court filing states. “He yells and screams at Mickey. He threatens, intimidates, bullies, and harasses Mickey.
“Mickey is effectively a prisoner in his own home,” the filing states.
His attorneys also took steps to protect his financial interests.
It is sad that the 90 year old actor couldn’t live his golden years in peace without the alleged abuse from his stepson.
My question is how this could have happened with his eighth wife Jan Chamberlin living in the house or did the abuse happen while she was away from home. It makes me wonder if she was being terrorized too and scared to report this. Another question is how long this has been going on.
This story reminds me of other Hollywood celebrities who were physically and/or financially abused by a relative or a caretaker.
It reminds me of Erin Fleming and the way she mistreated Groucho Marx before his death. This paragraph from her Wikipedia page is an example of the way she treated Marx:
In the years leading up to Marx’s death in 1977, his heirs filed several lawsuits against her. One allegation leveled against Fleming was that she was determined to sell Marx’s favorite car, a Cadillac, against his wishes. When Marx protested, it was said, Fleming threatened, “I will slap you from here to Pittsburgh.”
Now many years later Mickey Rooney is enduring the same kind of treatment that Marx received. After all the years that Rooney entertained his fans in his movies 70 years ago while making the Andy Hardy movies he deserves a better fate than to be terrorized by a stepson.
It will be interesting to see what happens at the February 24 hearing that could extend the restraining order. It is a mystery to me how this could go on without his wife notifying someone about the abuse.
Mickey Rooney deserves to live his last years in peace and hopefully the restraining order will be the first step in assuring him that the alleged abuse is over.
The following article from the Baltimore Sun and a video from KTLA in Los Angeles give more details. The stepson is shown in the video denying the charges of abuse.
One of Rooney’s attorneys said that his client had to sneak out of the house at night to meet with the attorneys and showed them an empty wallet with no money or any forms of identification.
When the name Pat Brady is mentioned most Roy Rogers fans instantly think of Brady and Nellybelle his jeep.
Pat Brady was born on December 31, 1914 in Toledo, Ohio as Robert Ellsworth Patrick Aloysious O’Brady. When the Sons of Pioneers hired him to replace Roy Rogers he was hired and agreed to change his name to Pat Brady.
Brady appeared in his first movie Outlaws of the Prairie in 1937 as a singing ranger. He made several movies as a singing cowhand or singing rancher and was seen in many films that the Sons of Pioneers sang in.
Pals of the Golden West was his last movie which was released in 1951. That same year he appeared in his first Roy Rogers television program and never acted in movies again.
He was known for saying “Whoa Nellie” when driving the Willys CJ 2A jeep.
He played himself in the series from 1951-1957 and appeared in 100 episodes over that span. The Find A Grave website has this tribute to Brady:
If it were not for this man I would not be on this earth as he saved my fathers life during WWII. This man will always be a Hero to me.
- Rick T
Added: Jan. 10, 2011
He received two Purple Hearts in Germany and served with General Patton’s 3rd Army.
After leaving Roy Rogers television series Brady was only seen in one episode of four different western themed television shows making his last appearance in 30 Minutes at Gunsight in 1963.
For even more information and photos related to Pat Brady this website is an excellent source:
This trailer from It Happened One Night shows Clark Gable giving Claudette Colbert tips on how to get drivers to pick up a hitchhiker.
The 1934 movie was released 77 years ago yet the trailer is a high quality clip considering how old it is.
Both Gable and Colbert would win best actor Oscars for the movie while director Frank Capra would win the Best Director award and the film received best picture award in 1935.
They would later appear on radio in the same roles for a radio version of It Happened One Night on Lux Radio Theater.
Ward Bond who later would star in the television series Wagon Train portrayed a bus driver in the movie.
Claudette Colbert said after completing the movie that she had just made the worst movie ever but it turned out to be a huge hit showing she knew more about acting than the business side of making movies.
Bob Steele was born Robert Adrian Bradbury on January 23, 1907 with his twin brother William Curtis Bradbury in Portland, Oregon.
From 1933 to 1945 Steele would appear in a staggering 104 movies which averages out to eight movies a year with him appearing in nine movies in 1935 and 11 movies in 1941.
Starting with the Under Texas Skies in 1940 he would portray Tucson Smith in 19 westerns from 1940-1943.
During 1943 and 1944 he would play himself in six movies but after 1944 he would never appear as himself again.
He would sign a contract with Mongram in 1932 in which he was to appear in eight movies a year at a salary of $500 a week which totaled $26,000 a year. Compared to today’s stars it is a very small sum but with the country in the throes of a severe depression it was more money than most people made if they were fortunate to have an income of any kind.
Steele would continue to make movies but with the advent of television he could be seen in both mediums. 1955 would mark the start of his television career with an appearance in Screen Director’s Playhouse as a deputy sheriff.
Later that year he could be seen in Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. This would lead to appearances in several of the westerns which were very popular at this time. He acted in Cheyenne, Colt .45, Sugarfoot, Have Gun Will Travel, Cimarron City, Tales of Wells Fargo, Maverick, Death Valley Days, The Californians, Lawman, The Rebel, The Deputy, Hotel de Paree, The Texan, Overland Trail and Rawhide.
He continued to appear in Rawhide, National Velvet TV series, Whispering Smith, The Wide Country, Temple Houston, F Troop, Then Came Bronson and made his last television appearance in Family Affair in 1970.
While making all those guest appearances on television he was also seen in movies in some of the better known movies of the time like Rio Bravo, Pork Chop Hill, The Longest Day (as a paratrooper), McLintock, Rio Lobo and his last movie Nightmare Honeymoon in 1974.
Bob Steele appeared in his first movie in 1920 and his movie career ended in 1974 after making 234 appearances in either television or movies.
Fourteen years after his appearance in Nightmare Honeymoon he would die on December 21, 1988 in Burbank, California from emphysema.
Because of his lengthy career there is much more information and many photos about Bob Steele at this website:
Tim McCoy and John Wayne seen in Two Fisted Law in 1932 in the first part of the movie. Wayne was 25 at the time of the filming and another veteran actor Walter “Real McCoys” Brennan was 38.
Tim McCoy was born on April 10, 1881 in Saginaw, Michigan as Timothy John Fitzgerald “Tim” McCoy. He was the son of an Union soldier and served in World War I and World War II.
McCoy appeared in 20 films during the silent movie era. 1927 would find him in five movies, six movies in 1928 and he made nine movies in 1932.
At one stretch from 1926 to 1936 he made 26 movies and was paid $4,000 for each movie. This was during the height of the depression earning $104,000 during that span.
The Internet Movie Database lists McCoy as having been in 91 movies during film career spanning from his debut in The Thundering Herd in 1925 till his last movie appearance 40 years later in 1965 in Requiem for a Gunfighter.
During various points in his career McCoy would appear in a circus and different wild west shows one which he had a financial interest in lost $300,000 according to McCoy.
He married Inga Arvad in 1945 after divorcing his first wife Agnes Miller in 1931. Arvad had a very controversial past before marrying McCoy.
Arvad who was a Danish journalist had been investigated for being a possible Nazi spy since she was seen with Adolf Hitler at the 1936 Olympics. She been married several times before their marriage.
She had enough connections with Hitler henchmen Hermann Goring and Joseph Goebbels to be the first to scoop the news of the wedding of Goring and arranged through Goebbels an interview with Hitler. In her article after the interview she stated about Hitler:
”You immediately like him. He seems lonely. The eyes, showing a kind heart, stare right at you. They sparkle with force.”
Her being shadowed because of her Nazi connections led to her being discovered that she was having an affair with John F. Kennedy in 1942. FBI director had the couple photographed and had hidden microphones installed in the bedroom but they apparently knew they were being taped since they would sometimes say “whoever is listening.”
It is a mystery of how a Danish journalist who had been seen with Hitler and had an affair with John F. Kennedy would wind up marrying a cowboy hero in Tim McCoy. She died of cancer in Nogales, Arizona in 1973.
Tim McCoy died on January 29, 1978 at the age of 86 in Fort Huachuca, Sierra Vista, Arizona.
McCoy was another of the early cowboy stars who appeared in both silent films and talkies. B-westerns.com has an excellent website with pages and pages of information and photos about Tim McCoy.
Lash LaRue was born on either June 14, 1921 according to Wikipedia and on June 15, 1917 according to the Internet Movie Database and there is a question about his birthplace but he is generally listed as having been born in Gretna, Louisiana but Michigan has also been mentioned as a possible birthplace for LaRue.
He was known for using a bullwhip in his movies although his first attempts to use one resulted in several lash marks on his body before he was trained by Snowy Baker an expert with the bullwhip.
He had been told by director Robert Tansey who looking for an actor for his movie Song of Old Wyoming that he needed someone that knew how to use a bullwhip so LaRue lied and said he had been using one for years while in fact he had never used one in his life.
When Tansey saw the scars from LaRue futile attempt to learn on his own was when the PRC studio hired Baker to teach LaRue the tricks of the trade.
He was credited as Al LaRue in Song of Old Wyoming and Jennifer Holt the sister of western star also appeared in the movie with LaRue playing the Cheyenne Kid in the movie.
First Movie Credited as Lash LaRue
Three movies later in Law of the Lash he was credited as Lash LaRue for the first time. He once stated that he changed his name to Lash and his mother called him Lash.
LaRue did his own stunts since the PRC studio was famous for its penny pinching so they were paying LaRue for being an actor while probably not paying him any extra for doing his own stunt work.
Re-Used Scenes From Previous Movie
Scenes from Frontier Revenge were re-used in his next movie The Black Lash saving the studio money. He continued to star in movies until 1952.
He then portrayed seven different characters in seven episodes of the Judge Roy Bean television show in 1956.
Then from 1958-59 he played Sheriff Johnny Behan on the Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp television show. That would be his last appearance on television in a series.
Like most actors LaRue had a couple of movies he would rather not have appeared in like Alien Outlaw and Dark Power. He used the bullwhip to fight zombies in Dark Power which influenced one reviewer of the movie at Amazon.com to toss their DVD of the movie into Tampa Bay.
The movie’s claim to fame, the casting of Lash LaRue, was yet an additional painful addition. It was as if someone found a washed out drunk at a biker bar (no offense to Harley enthusiasts), threw a whip in his hand and said “go nuts”–and he did, with no attention to content, directive or acting. But then, he was tied for worst actor in the film…with every other actor involved.
It’s not that this movie was bad. It’s that it was so bad that it made me want to take the chopsticks (with which I was eating while suffering through this film), jam them in my eyes, swirl them all around, and force them through to my brain to end the suffering.
I will offer one olive branch to those who may disagree with me. I am someone who knows that, when watching B-movies, one should surround himself with friends and adult beverages. I did not do this (a rookie mistake for which I would normally scold others) and, as a result, I side-armed this dvd like a discus off my balcony into Tampa Bay. To my credit, however, normally I can identify those which would be good drinking movies under any circumstances and there are simply too many other options to consider Dark Power. (I guess I just stomped on that olive branch–sorry)
Baptized in Shreveport, Louisiana
This paragraph from Wikipedia tells about how LaRue came to be baptized in Shreveport, Louisiana and also about him being in Alexandria:
He was a born-again Christian who was baptized at ShreveportBaptist Tabernacle by pastor Jimmy G. Tharpe. Tharpe initially met La Rue inAlexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish, when LaRue was visiting the home of his daughter. He and another minister, Don Chelette of Alexandria, were at the time knocking doors to win souls to Jesus Christ, when they met LaRue and his daughter. Tharpe thereafter declared a “Lash LaRue Day” at his church at which LaRue gave his Christian testimony: “He came, and we had a wonderful service in our gymnasium. There were thirty-seven people saved in the gym that day. He cut paper from the mouth of Debbye, my daughter, with his whip. We all rejoiced over Lash LaRue and his testimony. I introduced Lash to others, and several churches invited him to give his testimony, and he accepted.”[3]
New York Times Obituary
The New York Times obituary for Lash LaRue stated that he had died on May 21, 1996 at Burbank California and that he had recently undergone triple bypass surgery and had suffered from emphysema. The obituary also noted that when he took a screen test for Warner Brothers that he been rejected because he too closely resembled Humphrey Bogart who was already signed by Warner Brothers.
The article also tells of how he was arrested in 1966 for vagrancy with only 35 cents in his pocket. His wife at the time of his death Frances Bramlet LaRue said that he didn’t the names of his family disclosed upon his death but he did claim at one time that he had been married ten times.
For those interested in learning more about the life of Lash LaRue can find more information and photos at:
Sunset Carson was born Winifred Maurice Harrison on November 12, 1920 in Gracemont, Oklahoma. Having been stuck with a first and middle name that could only bring grief he couldn’t have been too heartbroken to have his name changed to Sunset Carson after being signed to a contract with Republic Pictures.
The date of his birth is questionable since no birth certificate has been found but the family Bible lists the Nov.12, 1920 as of above but when he applied for a Social Security card he listed his birthdate as Nov. 12, 1918 while his death certificate lists his birthdate as Nov. 12, 1926.
It is still a mystery as to his true birthdate since other publications and documents have also listed 1922, 1924 and 1927 as the year of his birth with 1927 on his driver’s license. So with a total of six different years being called his year of birth it is very questionable as to which is the correct year.
In 1940 he traveled to South America to ride in rodeos for two years after having earlier appeared in a western show owned by the first king of the cowboys Tom Mix.
Those who have seen the 1943 movie Stagedoor Canteen may remember Carson playing a soldier named “Dakota” in the part where soldiers spend some time at the local stagedoor canteen before shipping out for overseas duty.
His first western was Call of the Rockies which was released in 1944. He played the part of Sonny “Sunset” Carson. He appeared in five movies in 1944 and six more in 1945.
Republic executive Herbert G. Yates personally fired Carson when he showed up for a party of the studio’s western stars inebriated and with an underage girl.
Smiley Burnette appeared in some of the early Sunset Carson movies playing Frog Milhouse the name he used in many different movies. It is strange he used the same character’s name in movies with Gene Autry and Sunset Carson but used his own name for many of his other movies.
Carson last film for Republic was Red River Renegades released in 1946. Another cowboy star Bob Steele played Carson’s brother in the film.
His career was all but over after leaving Republic with his leading role coming in the 1950 movie Battling Marshal.
Carson wouldn’t appear on the big screen again till 1972 in the Marshal of Windy Hollow which also starred western stars Tex Ritter and Ken Maynard but Carson did appear on television in an episode of Tales of Wells Fargo portraying the legendary Kit Carson in 1957.
His last movie was Alien Outlaw released in 1985 which ended Sunset Carson’s 42 year movie career. Somehow aliens and Sunset Carson just don’t mix well.
The film is currently being sold new at Amazon by a dealer for $2.63 for those that would want to see the extra added feature of Sunset Carson interviewing western star Lash LaRue who was also in the film.
This reviewer at Amazon minced no words while stating their opinion of the movie:
This review is from: Alien Outlaw (DVD)
HORRIBLE, TERRIBLE!! QUITE POSSIBLY THE WORST PIECE OF JUNK I HAVE EVER SEEN. DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY, YOU CAN HAVE MINE FOR FREE!!
The reviews get worse but you get the idea.
Sunset Carson appeared in wild west shows and bwesterns.com relates how good of a shot Carson was:
Sunset was introduced by his driver (assistant/manager?), and he essentially talked to the audience about his movie experiences. His act consisted of placing a safety background in front of the screen and then moving back about 20 rows in the aisle (there was only the middle aisle in this theatre) and having someone hold a piece of chalk between his fingers whereupon Sunset would shoot the chalk out of the holder’s fingers with a .22 calibre rifle. I can assure the kind readers that this was not a trick shot of any kind. He actually shot a standard piece of chalk out of my hand — the only negative aspect was that as the chalk exploded, my front of my “black outfit” was covered with chalk dust. There is no question that he was a “crack shot”. The show was a success in that the people loved him and his act, and I still have all my fingers.
Carson died May 1, 1990 in his hotel room in Reno, Nevada at the age of 69 assuming the birth year of 1920 found in the Carson family Bible is correct.
For Sunset Carson fans who want to read several more pages of information and photos at bwesterns.com:
Click on next at bottom of front page of Sunset Carson page at bwesterns.com. It may not show up on some screens so pull scroll bar to bottom of page and it can be seen.
Gene Autry and Roy Rogers both appeared in the 1935 movie The Old Corral. According to imdb.com it was only the second movie Roy Rogers appeared in.
The movie is unusual in that Autry is the good guy while Rogers is reportedly a bandit in the movie. The following summary of the plot tells about Rogers robbing a bus.
From the clip it seems like Chicago gangsters are fighting with cowboys.
I have been following the career of Gene Autry for many years but only today did I know his first name was Orvon and that he was Orvon Eugene Autry when he was born on September 29, 1907 in Tioga, Texas.
His family moved to Oklahoma in the 1920′s and after becoming a telegrapher for a railroad company he would practice singing especially after midnight. Will Rogers overheard him singing and told him he should be a professional singer.
He signed his first recording contract with Columbia Records in 1929 and three years later he recorded his first hit song That Silver-Haired-Daddy of Mine. Back in the Saddle Again was another of his early hits.
Autry not only received a Gold Record for That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine but it was the first Gold Record received by any recording artist according to his official website.
Although Autry is known for singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer he wrote the Christmas standard Here Comes Santa Claus.
He would make his movie debut in 1934 in the movie In Old Santa Fe with Smiley Burnette who would be his sidekick portraying Frog Milhouse and Burnette also wrote many of the songs sung in the Autry films. He appeared in 80 of the Gene Autry westerns.
Pat Buttram would later replace Burnette in his movies when Autry returned from fighting in World War II since Burnette had found other employment. However, Burnette played a lot of different characters in the Autry films having different names in most of the movies.
Burnette did return to appear in the last six Gene Autry films which were released in 1953 after being in 56 films with western star Charles Starrett in the Durango Kid movies.
Not only was Gene Autry a recording star and western movie star but he also served in the Army Air Force from July of 1942 till October of 1945 during the height of his movie career. He was a flight officer flying planes in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
Autry also was an old time radio star appearing on his Melody Ranch radio program from 1940 to 1956. His horse Champion also had a radio show Adventures of Champion.
He wrote the Cowboy Commandments for his young listeners of the radio program:
Never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage;
Never go back on his word, or a trust confided in him;
Always tell the truth;
Be gentle with children, the elderly and animals;
Not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas;
Help people in distress;
Be a good worker;
Keep himself clean in thought, speech, action and personal habits;
Respect women, parents and his nation’s laws;
Be a patriot.
Autry’s films were loaded with action and singing and he was one of the first of the singing cowboys in the movies.
The town of Gene Autry, Oklahoma was named for him in 1941 and the 2000 census shows a population of 99 for the town. He bought a 1,200 acre ranch named the Flying A Ranch in 1939 near Berwyn, Oklahoma.
He also appeared on television on the CBS network and even had a Golden Book for children written about him.
Another first for Autry is that he was the first recording artist to sell out Madison Square Garden. He also received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his accomplishments in five categories with stars in five different locations.
Dell Published printed a million copies of Gene Autry comic books in 1948 showing again how popular Gene Autry was in radio, television, movies, childrens books, comics and later as a baseball owner.
Even with all that was going on with his career Autry he also found time to provide stock for rodeos and was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame for his participation as a stock contractor.
He bought several radio stations and television stations and owned the broadcast rights to the Los Angeles Angels baseball team and became the owner of the team. He not only was the first owner of the Angels was the vice president of the American League.
Among his other accomplishments were his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1969, the Angels retired No.26 in his honor even though he never played professional baseball and was honored for his work to preserve the memory of the old west days. Major league teams have 25 player rosters so that is how the No.26 became his number since he was regarded as the 26th man.
His entry into the restaurant business was short-lived when he refused to pay the Chicago mafia a fee to open his business. Gangsters showed up on opening night and ordered the staff to leave and then destroyed the restaurant. That ended Autry’s foray into the restaurant business.
However money was never a problem for Autry as he was on the list in Forbes magazine of the 400 Richest Americans for many years and his fortune was valued at $320 million in 1995 which by then was not enough to be in the top 400 richest.
Surprisingly Gene Autry was the musical inspiraton for Beatle Ringo Starr who made this quote about his interest in Autry:
Gene Autry was the most. It may sound like a joke – Go and have a look in my bedroom, It’s covered with Gene Autry posters. He was my first musical influence. Ringo Starr
Gene Autry’s life ended on October 2, 1998 due to lymphoma dying at his home in Studio City, California. His death came less than three months after the death of his contemporary singer-cowboy Roy Rogers.
It can said that Gene Autry was a success at everything he attempted in life except for the restaurant business but nobody could have succeeded under those conditions.
Gene Autry died extremely rich but was buried in a grave with a simple marker with all the others in the cemetery. This tells me he never thought he was special but he will be special to those of us who remember seeing his movies and listening to his recordings especially the Christmas songs.
This memorial at the Find A Grave website reminds me of how much I loved him singing Christmas songs:
Santa Claus comes tonight! Thanks, Gene for all you did for us kids of yesteryear. May you rest in peace, and may God be with you always.
- K. Williams
Added: Dec. 24, 2010
What a tribute to a great man who was such a great role model for kids and adults alike.
Johnny Mack Brown was born on September 1, 1904 in Dothan Alabama. He was an All America running back for the University of Alabama in the 20′s and was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1957.
He had been a featured actor in movies with the leading females stars of that time such as Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford but is best known for his westerns.
By 1935 Brown appeared almost exclusively in western films until his last movie Apache Uprising in 1965. His popularity extended to appearing in a series of Johnny Mack Brown comic books.
He died of heart failure on November 14,1974 at the age of 70 due to heart failure.
For those wanting to read more about Johnny Mack Brown this link will take you to one of the most extensive websites I have seen on the internet for anyone. It includes many photos.
Western movies were often seen on television in the afternoon when school kids arrived home. On our local television station KALB-TV the first show to come on in the afternoon was Howdy Doody followed by the Pinky Lee Show.
Then western movies which had been made in the 30′s and 40′s were telecast and we grew up watching western stars like Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and many lesser known stars.
This is not a complete listing of those stars since there were too many western stars to include them all but this article will bring back memories of the ones we still remember 60 years later.
These movies led to 26 western television series being shown during prime time hours at the height of their popularity in 1959.
Tom Mix was an early pioneer in television westerns but only appeared in nine talkies since he appeared in his first movie short in 1909 in The Cowboy Millionaire. His last movie was released in 1935 which was 26years after his film debut.
Despite appearing mostly in silent films Mix earned $6 million during his movie career. If he had been born 10 to 20 years later he may have been one of the best known western actors and he appeared in 315 films during his career.
He reportedly was a pallbearer at Wyatt Earp’s funeral.
His own life ended tragically when he was reportedly driving 80 MPH in his 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton between Tucson and Phoenix in Florence, Arizona when he couldn’t brake in time to avoid construction barriers and rolled into a gully.
An aluminum suitcase filled with money, traveler’s checks and jewels slid off a shelf behind him and hit him in the back of his head killing him instantly.
Tom Mix may not be mentioned much today since he died 70 years ago but he was the first king of the cowboys.
Today’s article starts a series profiling western movie stars and will include singing cowboys like Roy Rogers, Rex Allen, Tex Ritter and Gene Autry plus will include articles on western stars of the past like William Boyd better known as Hopalong Cassidy, Johnny Mack Brown, Ken Maynard and Sunset Carson.
The 1924 Macy's Christmas Day Parade was later called the Thanksgiving Day Parade and this year's parade will the 84th annual parade despite the parade starting in 1924.
The 84th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade will be shown on NBC starting at 9AM EST and will conclude at 12PM EST and will be shown from 8AM CST till 11AM CST in the Central time zone.
The parade was suspended from 1942-1944 because the rubber and helium used for the balloons were needed for the war effort.
The 2010 parade will feature Jessica Simpson and Kanye West and many lesser known names. The official website gives history and the parade lineup tomorrow morning:
http://social.macys.com/parade2010/#/home My dad was 10 years old when the first parade was held and will be 96 on Friday so he has been alive for the entire run of the parade.
Happy Thanksgiving to all readers of Nostalgia and Now.
The parade is featured in Miracle On 34th Street and was the first major film in which Natalie Wood appeared. She was nine years old when the movie was released.
Frances Bavier shown on lower right in photo with Ron Howard on her left and Don Knotts and Andy Griffith in the back row had a big part in the success of the Andy Griffith Show which is celebrating its 50th birthday this year.
Frances Bavier was born in New York City on December 14, 1902. She appeared in vaudeville, in old time radio in an episode of The Lone Ranger on March 24, 1955, on Broadway, in the movies and on television.
She made her first Broadway appearance in 1925 in The Poor Nut and her last appearance was in 1951 in Point of No Return with Henry Fonda.
Her first movie appearance was in Girls About Town which was released in 1931. She also appeared in The Day the Earth Stood Still twenty years later in 1951. Aliens invaded earth in the movie and earthlings were told to live peaceably or be destroyed.
One of Bavier’s co-stars in the movie was Billy Gray best known for his portrayal of Bud on Father Knows Best.
Her first television appearance was in Racket Squad in 1952. The first show I remember her from was It’s A Great Life which co-starred James Dunn, William Bishop and Michael O’Shea.
Frances Bavier is shown at the 1:49 mark in this video from Eve Arden Show which left the air in 1958.
Two years later she would appear in her most well known role as Aunt Bee Taylor in 175 episodes of the Andy Griffith Show. Bavier was in the show the entire length of its eight year run on the CBS television network that started on October 3, 1960 till April 1, 1968.
She made her last television appearance in 1970 when she appeared in 24 episodes of Mayberry R.F. D. Her last movie appearance was in 1974 when she played the lady with the cat in Benji.
When she retired in 1972 she chose to live in Siler City, North Carolina because it reminded her of Mayberry. Siler City had been mentioned in some episodes of the show.
Siler City is also known as the place where Colonel Sanders first introduced the taste of Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1939.
She was known to be difficult during the run of the show but did apologize to Andy Griffith for being so hard to work with shortly before her death.
When she first moved to Siler City she worked with charitable causes but when fans wouldn’t let her have her privacy she withdrew and became a recluse.
The following article tells about her living with 14 cats and her estate being valued at $700,000.
Annette Funicello as she appeared as an original Mousketeer on the Mickey Mouse Club after being discovered by Walt Disney and would later star in movies with Frankie Avalon.
While looking at the birthdays next week saw where Joanie of Happy Days will be 50 next week and that Jeanie C. Riley of Harper Valley PTA fame will reach retirement age of 65 next week. Pam Dawber who portrayed Mindy on Mork and Mindy will be 60 next week.
The name that really jumped out at me though was Annette Funicello who will be 68 next week.
Annette was discovered by Walt Disney at a dance recital in Burbank, California and was chosen to be on the original Mousketeers on the Mickey Mouse Club which made its debut in 1955.
Annette Funicello singing her hit Tall Paul which topped out at No.7 on the record charts.
Annette and Frankie Avalon sing a medley of songs in this 1965 video.
Annette singing I’ll Never Change Him in Beach Blanket Bingo in 1965.
Annette announced in 1992 that she had multiple sclerosis. She had kept it a secret since 1985 but when some people think her inability to walk was caused by alcoholism she revealed her illness to the world.
In addition to combating her illness she lost her mother Virginia Funicello at the age 86 in 2007 and her father Joe Funicello at the age of 93 in 2009.
Her last featured movie appearance was Back to the Beach with Frankie Avalon in 1987. She did make a cameo appearance in Troop Beverly Hills in 1989 which was her last movie appearance.
Annette and Frankie Avalon appeared in a Full House episode in 1991.
Annette dancing on a Mickey Mouse Club episode demonstrating her ballet skills which caused her to be discovered by Walt Disney.
We may never see Annette again in a television show or on a movies due to her multiple sclerosis but we have memories in the videos and movies she left behind.
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