The Terrible Catsafterme

Jane Wyman has an incredible and illustrious career that included an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as a deaf-mute rape victim in Johnny Belinda, three Oscar nominations for The Yearling, The Blue Veil, and The Magnificent Obsession, the Walt Disney classic Pollyanna, a starring role in the Academy Award for Best Picture winner The Lost Weekend, and even a role in the Alfred Hitchcock film Stage Fright. After her retirement from the films, she even made a notable return in the early 1980’s in the primetime soap Falcon Crest. Read the rest of this entry »

Abraham Lincoln is perhaps the most famous, effective, and beloved of all of the United States Presidents. His legacy really needs no introduction as he is most assuredly best known as the President who saw the country through the Civil War, bringing the North to victory in 1865. Just days later he became the first President to be assassinated. It is difficult to imagine the tumultuous times that both he and the country went through during this era. And if that isn’t quite enough, he’s the first United States President to have a beard on his face.   Read the rest of this entry »

Of the many times I have been to California and trod the sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard, gaping at the many stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, I seldom took any photos of the area – even during recent visits. In fact, the best I did was a lone photo of me in front of the lion statue at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (which was known as Mann’s Chinese Theatre at the time) and some shots of the stars without me in them from 1988 ! So after we finished up with our lunch with Adam Sadowsky on Monday, October 6, 2008, Jimmy drove me over to the Walk of Fame area where we parked the car and simply browsed the area. Read the rest of this entry »

Our 18th United States President was a prime example of a military hero being elected into office without the proper credentials to exercise the office of Commander-in-Chief. Ulysses S. Grant held office from 1869-1877 and was the first President to serve two full consecutive terms since Andrew Jackson forty years earlier, but his most notable achievement came before office, when he led the North to victory as General of the Union army during the Civil War. It was based on this popular public reception that soon catapulted him into the job. At the time, he was the youngest man to assume the Presidency and had never held public office before in his life. Read the rest of this entry »