Like so many later-comedians, Bill Cosby described himself in school as “the class clown”. Born in 1937, William Henry Cosby worked at several different jobs growing up, including selling produce, stocking shelves in a supermarket, and apprenticing in a shoe repair store. He served four years in the U.S. Navy and later entered Temple University on a track and field […]
Read more
In the autumn of 1901, Booker T. Washington, the great educator, author, and orator, was on a speaking tour. In Mississippi, he received a telegram from President Theodore Roosevelt. (President William McKinley had been assassinated less than two months before, an event which led to Roosevelt being sworn in as President.) The telegram asked Washington to come to the capitol […]
Read more
“They can’t say that a gay man can’t play in the Majors, because I’m a gay man and I made it.”- Glenn Burke Major League Baseball has been going strong now for well over a century. Many thousands of players have taken the field since the beginning of organized professional baseball, but only one, Glenn Burke, ever “came out of […]
Read more
O.K., I know you might be asking yourself, “Who the devil is Eddie Deezen?” And if you do happen to know who I am, the question might be, “Who cares?” 😉 Look, I know I usually write these “10 things you may not know about” articles on Frank Sinatra or Elvis or Abraham Lincoln or some such august cultural icon. […]
Read more
Jim Al asks: Why did the Beatles break up? Well Jim, most failed marriages didn’t end because “I found Bill wearing my dress,” or “Sam lost the kids’ college fund in a poker game,” or “I discovered Amy in bed with my best friend Rick.” Some do, I’m sure, but most breakups, on any level, occur over a period of […]
Read more
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis formed the most electric comedy team in the history of show business. Joining together in the summer of 1946, their act caught on like wildfire. A combination of Dean Martin’s smooth, cool, baritone-voiced suave and Jerry Lewis’s incredible, creative, explosive, comedic brilliance, Dean and Jerry were the top act in all of show biz from […]
Read more
It all happened over half a century ago on January 6, 1957. One of the more famous, and by today’s viewpoint bizarre, acts of “censorship” in television history. Elvis Presley was deliberately filmed from the waist up only. Why all that fuss over a 22-year-old, fully clothed, young man’s lower half? It is a bit hard for our generation to […]
Read more
Paul Glee Waner played baseball in the big leagues for 20 seasons, from 1926 to 1945. They called him “Big Poison” despite Waner being a small man at 5 ft. 8 1/2 in. in height and never weighing more than 153 pounds. Despite his somewhat diminutive stature and the fact that he thought that he played better slightly drunk or […]
Read more
John Lennon was the leader and founding member of the Beatles. Whether as a singer, composer, musician, writer, or actor, John was a true original. Not only was he a great artist, but he was a truly fascinating man. (And yes, it has now been over 32 years since John Lennon was gunned down senselessly; my how the time has […]
Read more
The Beatles arrived in Manila to give two concerts in early July of 1966. This was to be one of their gigs on their 1966 final-ever tour; they had just finished a few very pleasant gigs in Germany. There were “bad vibes” almost from the word “go” as the boys arrived at the Manila airport. Ringo: “I hated the Philippines. […]
Read more
For those not familiar, the “First Lady” is a title which refers to the official hostess of the White House. Although it is not a firm prerequisite for the title, the First Lady is commonly thought to be the wife of the President. But who was actually the first-ever “First Lady”? If you guessed the logical answer, you, of course, […]
Read more
Bob Young was born in Bakersfield, CA., on January 15, 1916. As a relay runner, he was to compete in the 1936 Olympics and would go on to win a silver medal. But despite these two historic (and very cool) accomplishments, Bob Young’s “coolest ever” accomplishment was a very unique one. He gave the finger to Adolf Hitler. Bob was […]
Read more
Joseph Samuels (some sources list his surname as “Samuel”) was an English criminal, born in 1780. After being arrested for robbery at the age of 15, Samuels was eventually convicted and shipped to Australia in 1801. At the time, Australia had a penal colony at Sydney Cove. Security in these early penal settlements was reinforced by the isolation of the […]
Read more
Much of the genesis of the Beatles is a bit nebulous and is often argued, but most Beatles historians cite the date, July 6, 1957, as the official beginning of the Beatles. John Lennon, a neighborhood guitar-player (local trouble-maker, part-time shoplifter and full-time egomaniac) had been playing around at a few local gigs in the area for a year or […]
Read more
On April 15, 1912, the legendary, ill-fated ship RMS Titanic sank. It remains, to this day, the most famous disaster in maritime history. There were approximately 2,223 passengers aboard the ship, of which 1,502 perished. (Some sources site the figures at 2,228, with 1,503 dying.) Besides humans, a dozen dogs were aboard the ship on its luckless maiden voyage. Just […]
Read more
It was 1949, then as now, countless thousands of young actresses in Hollywood were unemployed. Many give up the struggle. Others take a wrong turn and make decisions they will later regret. A certain unknown, very small, percentage persevere. That songbird they are all chasing, called “success”, inevitably proves elusive. But this article isn’t about the countless scores of would […]
Read more
What can you say about the great comedic genius Mel Brooks? He has given us some of the funniest movies in history, such as “The Producers”, “Blazing Saddles”, “Young Frankenstein”, and “Space Balls”. A brilliant writer, director and performer, Mel is a true comedy immortal. For your reading pleasure, here are a few Mel Brooks facts you may not know: […]
Read more
Contrary to popular belief, “Rock Around the Clock” was not the first Rock ‘n’ Roll record to be recorded. In fact, it wasn’t even Bill Haley’s first Rock record. “Rock Around the Clock” was, however, the first-ever Rock ‘n’ Roll song to hit the #1 spot on the pop charts. It transformed rock from a novelty and a curiosity to […]
Read more