Hollywood
-
Stewart’s draft number was 310, and when he appeared before Draft Board No. 245 in West Los Angeles in February 1941, the 6’3” actor weighed just 138 pounds—five pounds under the minimum requirement. He was rejected for service. Undeterred, Stewart took matters into his own hands. Aware he was nearing the age limit for flight…
-
The highlight of the year for the movie industry is without a doubt, or at least it used to be. But when did it all start? In 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) was established by Louis B. Mayer, the founder of the Louis B. Mayer Pictures Corporation, which then would…
-
Vidal Sassoon is a name synonymous with revolutionary hairstyling, but his lesser-known past as an anti-fascist activist with the 43 Group reveals another dimension of his life. Born in 1928 in Hammersmith, London, to Jewish parents of Greek and Ukrainian descent, Sassoon grew up in the impoverished East End. His early life was marked by…
-
I pride myself to be a bit of a movie buff, but to my amazement I had never heard of this Oscar nominated and ‘Photo Play-Medal of Honor’ winner. Today marks his 140th birthday. He has been credited for directing at least 124 movies and shorts, which is an amazing feat by any measure. Herbert…
-
On January 2, 1941 The Andrew Sisters recorded “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” which became a major hit for The Andrews Sisters and an iconic World War II tune that was written for the Abbott & Costello comedy film, Buck Privates.
-
On September 15, 1971, NBC aired the first official episode of Columbo: Murder by the Book. What could have been just another detective drama instead became a genre-defining moment. With Peter Falk stepping fully into the role of Lieutenant Columbo, a script by legendary writer Steven Bochco, and direction by a then-unknown Steven Spielberg, the…
History of Sorts 