Actors in WW2 – The final word.

December 30, 2015 admin 3

  Brilliant actor Sir Alec Guinness, who will probably (and unforgiveably) be best remembered by the general public for his portrayal of Obi-Wan-Kenobi in the Star Wars series of films, saw a lot of action during World War Two. This gentlest of men joined the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve in […]

Actors’ real life war records.

December 28, 2015 admin 0

    Caine in Korea (standing second from left) Here are a few more stories about actors who participated in one or more of the conflicts of the 20th century. I will add a second segment in a couple of day’s time. Sir Michael Caine was called up for national […]

More old TV show trivia.

December 26, 2015 admin 2

  William Boyd made Hopalong Cassidy famous by depicting him in 66 movies throughout the 30s and 40s, and then for five years on television between 1949 and 1954. A smart businessman, Boyd purchased the rights to the movies, then pruned them into half-hour and full-hour television episodes. When these […]

Merry Christmas everyone.

December 25, 2015 admin 2

  Hi everyone. My son Peter is the IT hotshot here. I just write stuff. He tells me we have a lot of regular visitors to the site, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for showing an interest in our site, and to wish […]

‘I Love Lucy’ & ‘Gunsmoke’ – iconic TV history.

December 24, 2015 admin 0

  Lucille Ball attended John Murray Anderson’s Dramatic School in New York City at the same time Bette Davis was enrolled there. Bette was the star pupil. Lucy, on the other hand, who would one day become the most loved comedienne in America, courtesy of her record-smashing TV hit show […]

David Niven – a true gentleman.

December 22, 2015 admin 5

  David Niven’s first wife, Primula Rollo, (known as Primmie) died in a tragic household accident several months before he made The Bishop’s Wife in 1947. The couple had been married since 1940 and were visiting Tyrone Power’s home when a game of ‘hide and seek’ was suggested by someone. […]

More old TV shows trivia.

December 20, 2015 admin 2

  To baby-boomers the name Honor Blackman conjures up two distinct and memorable images – Cathy Gale in all of the first 43 episodes of the hit TV series The Avengers –  and Pussy Galore in the 1964 James Bond classic Goldfinger. In August 2015, the wonderful Honor Blackman turned ninety […]

Tragic Hollywood – Who killed funnyman Ted Healy?

December 18, 2015 admin 8

  Wallace Beery won the Oscar in 1931-2 for The Champ, even though he actually scored one less vote than Fredric March that year. The rules of the previous year awarded Oscars to performers who finished within three votes of the winner. Presenter Conrad Nagel, unaware that the regulations had […]

Gay Hollywood in the studio days.

December 16, 2015 admin 2

  I read recently that ‘gay-gossip is the newest and most clever form of homophobia’. Nice try, but I’m not buying it.  I am neither homosexual nor homophobic, but I am interested in subterfuge and in exposing old-time movie studios that made an art form out of gulling the public. […]

Hollywood – tales from the dark side.

December 14, 2015 admin 8

  Mabel Normand was one of the wildest of the silent stars whose off-screen antics ultimately wrecked her career and contributed to her early death. Mack Sennett credited her with inventing the pie-throwing gag that came to be used extensively throughout the silent picture era, claiming she threw one in […]