Was watching Make Room For Daddy today and it reminded me of the tragic death of Rusty Hamer:
Rusty Hamer pictured with Danny Thomas on Make Room For Daddy television show on which he played Rusty Williams.
Rusty Hamer portrayed Rusty Williams on Make Room For Daddy from 1953-1964 and 371 episodes of the program were aired.
He was born in Tenafly, New Jersey on February 15, 1947.
Danny Thomas and Marjorie Lord as Danny and Kathy Williams on Make Room For Daddy.
Make Room For Daddy was one of the longer running situation comedies, to be shown on network television. It debuted in 1953 and would run till 1965. Danny Thomas is the only one to appear in all 334 episodes. His first wife on the show was Jean Hagen who played Margaret Williams from 1953-1956. Hagen tired of playing a mother after four seasons and left the show.
She was replaced in 1957 by Marjorie Lord who played Kathy Williams for the last eight years of the show.
Penny Parker would play Terry Williams after Sherry Jackson left the show. Danny Thomas had turned down Mary Tyler Moore, for the role because she didn’t look like she could be his daughter.
Marjorie Lord, Angela Cartwright, Danny Thomas on first row with Rusty Hamer and Sherry Jackson on second row and appeared on Danny Thomas Show Jackson left the show during 1958..
I checked the schedule for Cozi TV and saw that Make Room For Daddy was on at 3:30 PM Central Time. It had been shown in the early morning hours, so it was good to be able to watch the show yesterday. It brought back a lot of memories, since this show was on television, before we even had a television.
Make Room For Daddy goes back to the golden days of television. Two old-timers Sid Melton and Pat Carroll played Charley and Bunny Halper on the show.
Who can forget Hans Conried playing Uncle Tonoose in 24 episodes of the show? Other well-known actors often seen on the show were Mary Wickes, Sheldon Leonard, Pat Harrington Jr. (later known for playing Schneider on One Day At A Time.
Bill Dana was Jose Jiminez on the show and Gale Gordon appeared in seven episodes.
Other stars appearing on the show included Bob Hope (5 episodes) and Annette Funicello (5 episodes).
Scrolling down the cast list is like a walk down memory lane, as you see some of the faces (if IMDB.com has them available) and some of the names, of stars who went on to fame on their own.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045410/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast
One of the most famous shows in the series is when Danny travels through Mayberry, North Carolina and encounters a hick sheriff named Andy Taylor. This episode would lead to the Andy Griffith show being shown on CBS.
Danny Thomas was not too fond of Jean Hagen, who played his first TV wife as evidenced by this statement:
Danny Thomas was forced against his will to have Jean Hagen as his TV wife. He could not stand her attitude or what he considered her slovenly appearance. During one rehearsal he is said to have have shouted “For God’s sake, Jean, put on a little lipstick”. She left after the third season and, at the beginning of the fourth season, to assure that she could not come back he had her character die.
Primary Actors
Danny Thomas born as Amos Alphonsus Muzyad Yakhoob on January 26, 1912 in Deerfield, Michigan. He died February 6, 1991 at the age of in Los Angeles, California.
Jean Hagen who played his first wife Margaret on the television show was born Jean Shirley Verhagen in Chicago, Illinois on August 3, 1923 and died on August 29, 1977 of throat cancer at the age of 54 in Los Angeles, California.
Marjorie Lord was born Marjorie Wollenburg on July 26, 1918 in San Francisco, California. She will be 96 in July.
Rusty Hamer was born as Russell Craig Hamer in Tenafly, New Jersey on February 15, 1947. He would die of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in DeRidder, Louisiana on January 18, 1990 at the age of 42.
Sherry Jackson was born coincidentally the same date as Hamer on February 15 of 1942, in Wendell Idaho some five years earlier. She is now 72 years old.
Angela Cartwright was born as Angela Margaret Cartwright on September 9, 1952 in Altrincham, Cheshire England UK and will be 62 in September.
Make Room For Daddy debuted on television 61 years ago and the last show aired 49 years ago.
I am reblogging this post since someone who actually saw Eddie Albert at Tarawa Beach during World War II added a comment yesterday, which is after the article. This was originally posted in December of 2009.
Eddie Albert: War hero at Tarawa Beach
Edward Albert Heimberger (better known as Eddie Albert)
Dan Blocker 1928-1972
Dan Blocker may have passed away 42 years ago, but his memory is still alive for viewers of Bonanza, which is still being shown 55 years, after the first episode was shown on NBC in 1959.
Blocker was born as Bobby Don Davis Blocker on December 10, 1928 in De Kalb, Texas. Reports say that Blocker was the heaviest baby, ever born in Bowie County at 14 pounds. Blocker would attend college at Hardin-Simmons and Sul Ross State Teacher’s College. He also played on the football team for both institutions. He graduated from Hardin-Simmons with a degree in English, then earned his master’s degree at Sul Ross in dramatic arts.
Bad things happened whenever Hoss made this face.
He reportedly lifted a car off a man, after a jack had fallen and pinned the man. Blocker served during the Korean War as an infantry sergeant and was awarded the Purple Heart for combat wounds.
Blocker taught and acted, while being a history teacher at Sonora High School in Sonora, Texas from 1953-1958. He did appear on Broadway and made his first television appearance Sheriff of Cochise in 1957. He was extremely busy from then till he was chosen as a cast member for Bonanza. The following website will show all of his acting roles on television and in the movies. He appeared in 415 episodes of Bonanza, with only Lorne Greene and Michael Landon appearing in more episodes, with 430 and 426 episodes respectively.
Bonanza was on NBC for 14 years from 1959-1973.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0088779/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm
Then he received his big break, when he took his family to California, with plans to earn his Ph.D from UCLA. However, he was spotted in a phone booth, in western garb and was spotted by an agent. He then received the role of Hoss on Bonanza and that was the end of his plans for a Ph.D.
I learned just last week than Dan Blocker had started the Bonanza Steak House business in 1963.
Blocker ballooned to 365 pounds at one point and it is no surprise after seeing what he ate at one breakfast:
Dan Blocker Breakfast
Dozen eggs
Two loaves of bread
Two quarts of milk
So it was no wonder, that Blocker had a serious weight problem.
Dan Blocker was buried at Woodmen Cemetery in De Kalb, Texas.
Life came to an end for Dan Blocker on May 13, 1972 in Los Angeles, California. He died of a pulmonary embolism after gall bladder surgery. Dan Blocker was 43 at the time of his death.
Lorne Greene sat with Dan’s wife Dolphia in the Blocker home, after his death and Greene couldn’t stop crying. – The Show Must Go On: How the Deaths of Lead Actors Have Affected Television …by Douglas Snauffer
The St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was founded in 1962 by actor/philanthropist Danny Thomas. He promised St. Jude Thaddeus that he would build a shrine to St. Jude, if he would help him support his family financially.
He was able to amass a fortune and kept his promise and the shrine he built for St. Jude was St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which Thomas founded in 1962.
Roman Catholic Cardinal Samuel Stritch of Tennessee suggested, that Thomas build the hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. 52 years later the hospital has played a part in saving the lives of many children, who may have died without the medical care provided at St. Jude.
The Chili’s restaurant chain donated $50 million toward the construction of the Chili’s Care Center in 2007, which added 24 labs and 16 beds to the campus.
Sterling Jewelers opened a lounge area named Kay Kafe. It has become a place where families and staff can relax, when the children were not undergoing treatments.
Marlo Thomas, the daughter of Thomas is the National Outreach Director for St. Jude. His son Tony is also very involved in the administration of St. Jude.
The survival rate of acute lymphoblastic leukemia has improved from 4 percent in 1962 to 94 percent today.
Families of the patients only pay what is covered by insurance and no family without insurance is turned down for treatment. Patients are also provided with a place to stay, while the children undergo treatments, to lessen the financial burden for families.
Many corporations like CVS/pharmacy, Dollar General and Kay Jewelers assist in finances for the hospital, in addition to too many others to name them all.
Wikipedia tells about a million dollar winner of the McDonald’s Monopoly game donating their winning card to St Jude:
In 1995, St. Jude received an anonymous letter postmarked in Dallas, Texas, containing a $1 million winning McDonald’s Monopoly game piece. McDonald’s officials came to the hospital, accompanied by a representative from the accounting firm Arthur Andersen, who examined the card under a jeweler’s eyepiece, handled it with plastic gloves, and verified it as a winner.[36] Although game rules prohibited the transfer of prizes, McDonald’s waived the rule and has made the annual $50,000 annuity payments, even after learning that the piece was sent by an individual involved in an embezzlement scheme intended to defraud McDonald’s.[37]
Danny Thomas
1912-1991
Founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Danny Thomas along with Jerry Lewis are the best known celebrities, who have shared their fortune and time, to help less than fortunate children, who are battling health problems at a time, when they should be out playing, with the other kids in their neighborhood.
Thomas was born as,Amos Muzyad Yakhoob Kairouz in Deerfield, Michigan on January 6, 1912. He would later change his name to Amos Jacobs, then later to Danny Thomas.
He would make his radio debut on March 5, 1944 on the Radio Hall of Fame program. He could be heard in 61 episodes of radio programs from 1944 to 1983.
Marlo Thomas
His daughter, Marlo Thomas went on to have her own acting career and was best known for her series That Girl (1966-1971). Actress Loretta Young was the godmother of Marlo, who also became very involved with the work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and can be seen on commercials for St. Jude today.
Thomas was a standup comedian and also acted in movies and television. His first movie appearance was in The Unfinished Dance which was released in 1947, when Thomas was 35 years old. He became a major star, his show Make Room For Daddy debuted in 1953 and would be on network television till 1964.
He would make his last appearance as an actor in the Empty Nest in 1991, which was the same year as his death.
Thomas was a producer or executive producer in many well-known television series, which included Andy Griffith, Real McCoys, Joey Bishop Show, Dick Van Dyke, Rango, Guns of Will Sonnett and Mod Squad.
He was a founding minority owner in the Miami Dolphins professional football team.
His only marriage was to Rose Marie Mantell in 1936 and they remained married till his death 55 years later in 1991.
Mary Tyler Moore was chosen by Thomas to co-star in Dick Van Dyke show.
This quote by Thomas personifies the way he lived his life “Success has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.”
Danny Thomas died of heart failure on February 6, 1991 in Los Angeles, California. He and his wife both were buried on the grounds of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Most of us will remember Danny Thomas portraying Danny Williams on the Danny Thomas Show, but his most lasting contribution was the founding, of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. There are a lot of children laughing and playing today in their homes, because Danny Thomas cared enough to build a hospital, that treated their cancer and best of all never turned anyone down, because they didn’t have money to pay, after the insurance had paid their portion or had no insurance at all.
If only more of us could leave a legacy like Danny Thomas, who may have died 23 years ago, but his promise to build a shrine, which turned out to be the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has brought hope to families, who had no hope by providing a hospital for their children, where they can be treated for cancer.
Thank you Danny for caring about the children with cancer.
Filed under: Classic Movies, Classic TV, Comedy, Doctors, Entertainment, Family, Health, Movies, Nostalgia, Radio, Television Tagged: Danny Thomas, St. Jude's Hospital 
Red Skelton 1913-1997
Red Skelton was born as Richard Bernard Skelton in Vincennes, Indiana on July 18, 1913. He could be heard in 349 radio episodes of his own show and other shows. He first was heard in 1939 on the Avalon Time radio program, of which he was in the starring role. He appeared in vaudeville at the age of 15.
Red Skelton and Esther Williams who starred in some movies together.
Red Skelton appeared in his first movie in Having A Wonderful Time in 1938.
He appeared exclusively in movies until 1955, when he appeared on the television series Climax. When his movie contract ended Red Skelton would start the long run of the Red Skelton Hour which would be seen on NBC from 1951-1953, then was shown on CBS from 1953-1970.
One of my favorite parts of the show was when Skelton would ad-lib unexpectedly and it was fun to see the reaction of his co-stars in that episode. My father watched almost no television, but on Tuesday nights he would make a point of watching Red Skelton.
I always enjoyed seeing Skelton portray his many famous characters like Freddie the Freeloader, Clem Kaddidlehopper, San Fernando Red, Cauliflower McPugg and George Appleby.
Bobby Rydell portrayed cousin Zeke Kadiddlehopper in 10 episodes from 1959-1969. Even Don Knotts appeared in five episodes as Steady Fingers Ferguson.
The following cast lists includes almost everyone in show business it seems:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043224/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast
Skelton married Edna Stillwell in 1931 and they divorced in 1943, which caused Skelton to be drafted, since he was no longer eligible for the married exemption. He married Georgia Davis in 1945 and they remained married till 1971 for a 26 year marriage.
His last marriage would be to Lothian Toland in 1973 till his death in 1997. He was married to his three wives for a total of 62 years.
Life dealt Skelton and his wife at the time Georgia Davis a tragic blow, when their son Richard was diagnosed with leukemia and given a year to live. They took him to London, so he could some of the world. The British papers mentioned their son’s impending death, which when found out by his son Richard caused Skelton to end the trip. He died on May 10, 1978 just 10 days before his tenth birthday.
18 years after her son’s death Georgia Davis shot herself and died and Skelton took the loss of his ex-wife very hard.
Fittingly, Red Skelton would make his last television appearance appearing as Freddie the Freeloader on Standing Room Only in 1981. He would not appear on television again the rest of his life.
Skelton died on September 17, 1997 in Rancho Mirage, California, with death caused by pneumonia.
Skelton was the son of a former circus clown, which explains his lithographs drawn of circus clowns. He started his career as an artist in 1943 and his artwork was valued as high as $80,000. Skelton himself said that he earned $2.5 million a year from his artwork.
“Getting back to school, I remember a teacher that I had. Now I only went, I went through the seventh grade. I left home when I was 10 years old because I was hungry. (laughter) And .. this is true. I worked in the summer and went to school in the winter. But, I had this one teacher, he was the principal of the Harrison school, in Vincennes, Indiana. To me, this was the greatest teacher, a real sage of..of my time, anyhow.
He had such wisdom. We were all reciting the Pledge of Allegiance one day, and he walked over. This little old teacher … Mr. Lasswell was his name. He said:
“I’ve been listening to you boys and girls recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester and it seems as though it is becoming monotonous to you. If I may, may I recite it and try to explain to you the meaning of each word?
I
me, an individual, a committee of one. Pledge
dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity. Allegiance
my love and my devotion. To the Flag
[of the]
our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom. Wherever she waves, there’s respect because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts freedom is everybody’s job. United
that means that we have all come together. States
[of America]
individual communities that have united into 48 great states. 48 individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose, all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that’s love for country. and to the Republic
For Which It Stands
Republic … a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people. One Nation
One Nation … meaning, so blessed by God. Indivisible
incapable of being divided. With Liberty
which is freedom, the right of power to live one’s own life, without threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation. And Justice
the principle or qualities of dealing fairly with others. For All
For all … which means, boys and girls, it’s as much your country as it is mine.
Inducted into International Clown Hall of Fame in 1989
Inducted into Radio Hall of Fame in 1994
Despite playing a drunk Freddie the Freeloader he never drank and was in fact allergic to alcohol.
Disliked blue humor and wouldn’t let it be used on his show. This quote explains how he felt about off-color humor:
I think most of today’s comedians are victims of laughter…they get nervous and resort to an insult or a four-letter word for a quick, cheap laugh. That goes on night after night until the whole act is cheapened. But that doesn’t last. Usually, a couple of years later they are remembered only as the old what’s-his-name who used all the dirty words.
He never forgave CBS for cancelling his show and may be why we are not able, to see Red Skelton shows in re-runs, even though it ended 44 years ago.
His birth year is usually listed as 1913, but he reportedly told associates, that his true birth year was 1906.
These two quotes by Red Skelton sum up his life nicely:
I always believed God puts each one of us here for a purpose and mine is to try to make people happy.
If I can make people smile, then I have served my purpose for God.
A young Tony Bennett who sang in 1962 at Carnegie Hall.
Tony Bennett was born as Anthony Dominick Benedetto on August 23, 1926 in Astoria, Queens, New York City.
Bennett first sang for money at the age of 13 and this August will make 75 years in show business, when he turns 88 years old.. He also was an artist at an early age and still is painting today. He was first heard on radio in 1950 and would be heard on radio 25 times.
Artwork of Tony Bennett
Bennett became a pacifist, after being in the infantry in last days of European Theater in World War II in France and Germany in World War II. He said being in the infantry was akin, to having a front seat in hell.
He would receive a demotion to the Graves Registration Service, while in Germany for dining with a black friend, at a time when white soldiers were not to be seen with black soldiers.
Bob Hope saw Bennett singing with Pearl Bailey and changed his name to Tony Bennett.
Tony Bennett Discography
Because of You was the first No.1 hit for Bennett in 1951 and it would be followed by another No.1 hit in Cold, Cold Heart. Both songs became gold records.
Rags to Riches would be his next No.1 hit in 1953. His signature song I Left My Heart in San Francisco only went to No. 19 on the charts, but it did sell enough copies, to be awarded a gold record.
Who Can I Turn To and Time For Love both went to No.3 on the Adult Contemporary charts in 1965. Surprisingly, he has never had another song go as high as No.3 in the last 49 years.
Bennett has released three duet albums, with Duets: An American Classic released in 2006, Duets II in 2011 and Viva Duets in 2012.
His next album Cheek to Cheek, a collaboration with Lady Gaga was to be released in January, but is now being targeted, for a September 2014 release date.
Tony Bennett in his later years.
Zen of Bennett On Netflix
I have been watching the Zen of Bennett being shown on Netflix now. The documentary takes you behind the scenes, as Bennett records duets with such stars, as Carrie Underwood, John Mayer, Michael Buble and Norah Jones.
Bennett tells of a Thanksgiving when he was growing up, when his mom said it was Thanksgiving Day and they had no food for Thanksgiving. It just so happened there was a raffle and Bennett entered and won and the prize was a turkey.
This is a very interesting film, since you get to see Bennett singing and also doing some of his artwork.
The following link will take you to eBay and will show a painting of Bennett’s, that is currently in an auction, for the staggering price of $1.5 million.
Bennett has been married three times:
Patricia Beech (m. 1952, sep. 1965, div. 1971)
[children D'Andrea (b. 1954), Daegal (b. 1955)]
Sandra Grant (m. 1971, sep. 1979, div. 2007)
[children Joanna (b. 1970), Antonia (b. 1974)]
Susan Crow (m. 2007)
Tony Bennett fans might be interested in buying this box set: Fifty Years: The Artistry Of Tony Bennett (5CD) [Box set, Original recording remastered]
It may not be close to being a complete set, but to be able to buy this album for as little as $23.00 new and $10.70 used is a real bargain. This album is a good representation of his work.
This set of 73 CD’s and 3 DVD’s by Tony Bennett leaves out 28 songs, according to a Bennett collector. However, the album is price prohibitive, except for the wealthiest collectors. There are only two new albums available at Amazon, but the cheapest is $544.90.
Struggled After Losing Record Label
The last years of the 1970′s were not kind to Bennett. His Improv record label was out of business. That left him without a recording label to record his music on. He almost overdosed on cocaine and the IRS was trying to take his Los Angeles home. His second marriage saw him separate from his wife Sandra Grant in 1979, but they wouldn’t divorce until 28 years later in 2007.
The 80′s would see Bennett begin to connect with younger audiences and in 1986 he re-signed with Columbia Records. His 1994 appearance on MTV Unplugged sparked even more interest in his music.
Looks like Bennett hasn’t even thought, about retiring since he showing no signs of slowing down, even though he will be 88 in August.
If anyone has seen it all it is Tony Bennett. He grew up in the Great Depression, since his father passed away, when Tony was only 10 years old.
He has received 17 Grammy Awards, over a 49 year time period.
He has had his shares of ups and downs, over the years but he is still going strong today.
If there was ever a consummate professional singer it would be Mr. Tony Bennett. May he sing for many more years to come.
A young Loretta Lynn early in her career
Loretta Lynn was born Loretta Webb on April 14, 1932 in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky. Loretta was named after actress Loretta Young. She was born to coal miner Melvin Webb and his wife Clara Ramey.
Childhood home of Loretta Lynn
She married Oliver Vanetta Lynn at the age of 15 in 1948. They moved to the state of Washington and she began, to sing while living in Washington. Her sister Crystal Gayle also became a well-known country artist. She was also related on her mother’s side of the family to Patty Loveless.
Lynn became a grandmother by the age of only 29 and it is hard to believe, but she will be 82 next month.
Loretta Lynn with the prettiest blue eyes that I remember seeing when talking to her after a concert in Alexandria, Louisiana in the 1960′s.
I was fortunate enough, to see Loretta Lynn in concert at Rapides Parish Coliseum in Alexandria, Louisiana when she and Ernest Tubb were a duo. She was very gracious to me, when I asked for her to autograph one of her greatest hits albums. I was struck by her beauty and dazzled by her blue eyes.
This is more about the album that she autographed for me:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loretta_Lynn%27s_Greatest_Hits
Her husband would die in 1996, which was 48 years after their marriage.
Loretta Lynn had this to say about their marriage: ”He never hit me one time that I didn’t hit him back twice”.
The Wilburn Brothers helped her get her a recording contract with Decca Records. However, they also helped themselves, by gaining publishing rights to her material. She fought to have the publishing rights in her name, but when that fail she stopped writing songs in 1970.
Loretta Lynn joined the Grand Ole Opry on September 25, 1962 and has remained a member for the last 52 years.
Loretta Lynn Discography
I’m A Honky Tonk Girl was her debut single in 1960 and it climbed to #14 on the country charts.
Don’t Come Home A’ Drinkin (With Loving On Your Mind) would be her first #1 hit I 1966. Fist City would go to #1 in 1968 and Woman of the World (Leave My World Alone) was #1 in 1969.
The 1970′s would see eight more of her songs take the top spot on the country music charts:
1970 – Coal Miner’s Daughter
1971 – One’s On The Way
1972 – Rated X
1973 – Love Is The Foundation
1974 – Trouble In Paradise
1976 – Somebody Somewhere (Don’t Know What He’s Missin’ Tonight)
1976 – She’s Got You
1977 – Out Of My Head And Back In My Bed
She has not had another #1 hit since 1977, which encompasses 37 years.
Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty
Loretta Lynn – Conway Twitty Studio Albums, Singles
Loretta Lynn would team up with Conway Twitty to release 11 studio albums from 1971-1988. Four of the studio albums would be #1 on country charts.
Five of their singles would chart at the #1 position on the Billboard Country charts.
1971 – After The Fire Is Gone
1971 – Lead Me On
1973 – Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man
1974 – As Soon As I Hang Up The Phone
1975 – Feelins
Movie Released
The Coal Miner’s Daughter would be released in 1980 and it told the story of Lynn’s rise to stardom and how she and her husband traveled to radio stations plugging their songs.
Loretta Lynn is 81 today and has been a grandmother for 52 years.
The Voice
American Idol started Season 13 back on January 15, 2014. 15.19 million viewers tuned in, to watch the 2014 premiere of the long-running singing competition show. By the time Episode 17 aired on September 6 the ratings had fallen to 9.76 million viewers, which was a drop of 5.43 million viewers from the premiere episode.
The Voice opened Season 6 with 15.86 million viewers and by the time the sixth episode had aired on March 11 the ratings had fallen to 13.51 million viewers. That was a drop of 2.35 million, which made The Voice the winner in attracting viewers so far this season with The Voice holding on to more of the viewers from their premiere, than the American Idol was able to do.
It is too early in the season to tell which show has the better singers, but right now I would give a slight edge to The Voice, since they have 48 singers still in the competition, while American Idol is down to 11 singers left.
The blind audition rounds to me are what really interest me, since it is always fun to watch the coaches turn around or not turn around for a contestant. It is fun to watch the interplay between coaches Adam Levine, Shakira, Usher and Blake Shelton, as they unashamedly beg the contestants to pick them as their coach.
I think the current panel of coaches is the best, since there seems to be better chemistry, when Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green (who won’t be returning) are not on the show.
The Voice begins the battle rounds on Monday, March 17 and they will end on March 25. I have never been a fan of the Battle Rounds, since it seems to me, to be more of a contest, to see who can hit the highest note. The battle rounds can eliminate contestants, because they may have to sing a song, that doesn’t best showcase a particular singer.
So once the Battle Rounds are over and the live shows began will begin to watch The Voice again. I dislike the fact that a singer chosen by a coach in the first episode of the Blind Auditions might not even be seen,, till 8 or 9 weeks later.
If The Voice returns this fall it won’t face any other competition, from other singing shows, since X-Factor won’t be returning this fall.
American Idol
American Idol to me better promotes their contestants, with them being on every show, after the Final 13 have been chosen. We learn the contestants easier, because we see them singing week after week. After next Thursday’s results show on March 20 there will be only 10 contestants left.
I don’t think American Idol could have hired better judges than the trio of Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr. You can see the compassion the judges have for the contestants. Harsh Harry as Harry Connick Jr. has been called seems to be the sterner of the three judges.
Jennifer Lopez will reportedly have her own detective show on NBC next year, so that will probably mean she won’t be returning for Season 14 next January. Ryan Seacrest contract for three years for $45 million will end after the last show airs in May. It remains to be seen if he will return, or if American Idol will even return for Season 14.
American Idol has lost its invincibility factor, as The Voice has proven it can draw more viewers consistently. American Idol attracted 10.11 million viewers last night, which was only bettered by Criminal Minds with 10.72 million viewers.
While American Idol may be slipping in the ratings it still is drawing well, when compared to the viewers watching shows on the other networks.
The Voice is outdrawing American Idol by three or four million viewers, so they are the king of the singing competition shows, unless American Idol can reverse its downward trend in the ratings.
Filed under: American Idol, Entertainment, Music, Reality TV, Rock and Roll, Television, The Voice Tagged: American Idol, The Voice 
Donna Reed, Paul Petersen, Carl Betz and Shelly Fabares shown in a scene from the Donna Reed Show.
Donna Reed Show was one of the few family sitcoms, that featured the mother. The show debuted on September 24, 1958 and the last show aired on March 19, 1966.
Reed who was Donna Stone in the series was the wife of pediatrician Dr. Alex Stone played by Carl Betz. Paul Petersen who was Jeff Stone and Shelly Fabares portrayed Mary Stone in the series.
Donna Reed 1921-1986
Donna Reed
Donna Reed was born Donnabelle Mullenger on January 27, 1921 in Denison, Iowa. Her first movie role was in 1941, when she appeared in The Getaway. She would act in two other films that year.
1942 was a busy year for Reed, since she appeared in seven movies that year including The Courtship of Andy Hardy. She is remembered for co-starring with James Stewart in It’s A Wonderful Life in 1947, which has become a Christmas classic.
Reed would also appear in From Here To Eternity in 1953. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in the movie.
Her first television appearance was in an episode of Ford Television Theatre in 1954. Reed appeared in six more movies and made appearances in three television shows, before she took the role of Donna Stone in the Donna Reed Show.
After the show ran from 1958-1966 she wouldn’t appear on-screen again, till 1979 when she appeared in a TV movie, which was named The Best Place To Be. Reed was last seen as Ellie Ewing in Dallas, in 1984 and 1985 before her death in 1986.
Donna Reed died of pancreatic cancer on January 14, 1986 at the age of 64 in Beverly Hills, California.
Carl Betz 1921-1978
Carl Betz
Carl Lawrence Betz was born on March 9, 1921 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Betz portrayed Collie Jordan on the Love of Life soap opera in 1951 in his first television role. Betz would appear in his first credited movie The President’s Lady in 1953.
He then appeared in five more movies in 1953, then wouldn’t appear in another movie till 1966, when he appeared with Elvis Presley in Spinout. He had barely finished his last episode of the Donna Reed Show, when he was in the cast of Judd For The Defense from 1967-1969. He appeared in 50 episodes of the series as Clinton Judd. Betz appeared mostly in various television series till the end of 1977.
Betz also died of cancer on January 18, 1978 in Los Angeles, California at the age of 56.
Paul Petersen
Paul Petersen
Paul Petersen was born as William Paul Petersen on September 23, 1945, in Glendale, California. Petersen recorded a song She Can’t Find Her Keys during the time he was on the Donna Reed Show. Petersen made his first television appearance at the age of 11 on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color in 1956 in the Along the Oregon Trail episode.
He would appear in all 275 episodes of the Donna Reed Show and was the only one besides Donna Reed to appear in all the episodes filmed. He appeared in 83 more episodes than Shelley Fabares, who played his sister Mary.
Peterson appeared in numerous television series, after the show ended its run in 1966.
He will be seen in The Executive which is currently filming and Kathy Garver, who portrayed Cissy on Family Affair will also be in the cast.
The role of Jeff Stone later would cause Petersen much anguish, because he wasn’t being taken seriously, when looking for more mature roles. He had been an original Mousketeer on the Mickey Mouse Club at the age of 8 in 1955.
Petersen would start an organization named A Minor Consideration, which was a child actor support group.
When he couldn’t find work as an actor Mickey Rooney talked him into attending college.
This quote from Petersen explains why he became a child actor:
“I became a child actor because my mom was bigger than I was.”
Petersen was not happy when actor Bill Bixby took his wife: [on losing wife Brenda Benet to Bill Bixby] I was so angry I couldn’t see straight, and what doubled this pain was that Bill was really visible. You know, he was going great guns and I was going in the toilet.
He has reached out to many former child stars, who needed emotional support from someone like him, who had been under the same stress as they were experiencing.
It is hard to believe that the teenage Jeff Stone will be 70 next year.
Shelley Fabares
Shelley Fabares
Shelly Fabares was born as Michele Marie Fabares on January 19, 1944 in Santa Monica, California.
Fabares has 90 acting credits in her acting resume and continued to receive many acting roles, after Donna Reed Show had left the air.
She was in her first movie The Girl Rush in 1955 and also acted in three television series that year.
Her first major role was when she appeared in 15 episodes of Walt Disney Presents: Annette in 1958. That same year would see her appear in her first episode of the Donna Reed Show. She went straight from making her last appearance on the show in 1965 to appearing in three Elvis Presley movies. She appeared with Elvis in Girl Happy in 1965, Spinout in 1966, and was also in his 1967 movie Clambake.
Then she appeared in 47 episodes of the Brian Keith Show which aired from 1974-1976. Fabares would appear in 27 episodes of The Practice 1976-1977. She would appear in One Day At A Time 1978-1984 in 23 episodes.
Coach would be her next big show, in which she appeared in all 198 episodes from 1989-1997.
Since then Fabares has acted very infrequently with mostly voice roles since then. Her only acting job since 1997 was Playing to Win: A Moment of Truth Movie (TV Movie) which was shown in 1998, so she has not been seen on a television or movie screen in the last 16 years.
She was married to record producer Lou Adler from 1964-1980, then married Mike Farrell of M
She is the niece of actress/comedienne Nanette Fabray who is now 93 years old.
Fabares would have a #1 Billboard hit with Johnny Angel.
One of her major movie roles was in Brian’s Song 1971 when she appeared as the wife of Brian Piccolo.
Carl Betz portrayed her father on both the Donna Reed Show and in the movie Spinout.
Filed under: Classic Movies, Classic TV, Comedy, Elvis Presley, Entertainment, Family, Movies, Music, Nostalgia, Rock and Roll, Television, Uncategorized Tagged: Donna Reed Show 
Released 1995 on Capitol
Spotlight on Vic Damone is the kind of album, that might not seem that special at first. However, after really listening to it you can hear just how good of a singer Damone was and how great the song selections are on this album.
The album starts off with the Cole Porter classic In The Still Of The Night a song which was released in 1937. Damone effortlessly sings this classic and gets the album off to a rousing start. Laura is the kind of song you think of, when thinking about easy listening songs. I first think of Dick Haymes singing Laura on records from the 1940′s, but Damone in my book does an even better job 50 years later on this album.
Shangri-La from 1946 is an easy listening song, that is not recorded as much, as some songs from that era. However, Damone does such a great job on it, that you want to hear it again and again. Close Your Eyes was written 81 years ago in 1933. You won’t even think of how long ago the song was written, when Damone sings it, since you won’t care how old it is, when you hear his smooth styling.
The next three songs Let’s Sit This One Out, Diane and After the Lights Go Out are not that well-known but Vic Damone’s voice make you like all three songs instantly. Ebb Tide was written in 1953 and Damone had one of the most popular versions of the song. It is a great song that will live on for years.
Is You Or Is You Ain’t (Ma’ Baby) is the most up tempo song on the album. It almost seems out-of-place, since it is so much faster than the other songs on the album. It is the one song on the album, that I wouldn’t have minded seen left off. When most of us think of There! I’ve Said It Again we think of the Bobby Vinton version, but Damone more than holds his own on his version. It was originally recorded by Vaughn Monroe in 1945.
The next four songs Little Girl, Poinciana (Song of the Tree), Change Partners and I Could Write A Book are not songs, that we think of often, but after listening to Damone’s interpretation of the songs we will have an appreciation for all four songs.
The next song is a personal favorite of mine in Ruby. Damone sings it as well, as I have ever heard it sung. The Hawaiian Wedding Song is a special song to me, since I lived in Hawaii for over two-and-a-half-years, so I have heard it sung a lot over the years and Damone’s version makes me feel like I am in Hawaii again.
Let’s Face The Music And Dance is an Irving Berlin classic which is a little up tempo, but Damone is up to the challenge. He ends the album with another slow song Make This A Sad Goodbye. It may be another of the lesser-known songs on the album, but Damone gives it the same attention, as the better-known songs on the album.
Summary: Spotlight on Vic Damone may not have all of his greatest hits, but it gives a sampling that reminds us, why we like Vic Damone so much. This album is a great example of why Frank Sinatra said once, that Vic Damone had the best pipes in the business. This album may not have this effect on other music fans, but for me it made me want to add to my collection of Vic Damone music.
For information purposes only, since I have no financial connection with Amazon: Spotlight on Vic Damone can be bought as an MP3 album for $11.49 for the 18 songs, or can be bought new for $129.89 from an Amazon partner or can be bought used for $1.59 plus $3.99 shipping from an Amazon partner. I bought my copy used and have had no problems.
Dean Martin 1917-1995
Dean Martin was born Dino Paul Crocetti on June 7, 1917 in Steubenville, Ohio. He didn’t speak English until he was five years old. Then he dropped out of school in 10th grade and delivered bootleg liquor, dealt cards as a blackjack dealer and did some boxing as a welterweight. He made this comment about his boxing ability ”I won all but 11.”[, which was nothing to brag about since he was only in 12 boxing matches. His boxing name "Kid Crochet" probably didn't help his boxing career.
Martin sang with the Ernie Kay Orchestra and then was drafted by the Army in 1944 and served in Akron, Ohio. He appeared in his first full length movie in 1949, when he appeared in My Friend Irma.
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Lewis is now 88 years old.
Dean Martin first team up with Jerry Lewis at the 500 Club in Atlantic City, New Jersey on July 24, 1946. The first show did not go well and the owner threatened to fire them, if they couldn’t do better in their second act. That is when they came up with the act, where Martin tries to sing a serious song, while Jerry is doing everything possible to distract from his singing. The act went over big and began their run as a team.
They were heard on radio from 1948 to 1953 on the Martin and Lewis Show. The pair would go on to star in movies that seemed to feature Lewis more than Martin, because of his madcap actions on the big screen. Martin was incensed when a Look magazine cover only showed Lewis, since Martin had been cropped out of the photo.
Their association ended ten years exactly, from their first appearance in Atlantic City. Their friendship was really never the same, until Frank Sinatra brought Martin on stage at the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon in 1976, which was 20 years, after their 1956 breakup. They remained friends, until the death of Martin in 1995.
Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Joey Bishop and Dean Martin who comprised the Rat Pack.
Martin was part of the Rat Pack that included Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop. They would entertain audiences with their mixture of singing and comedy.
He was also active in acting in motion pictures, with his appearances in Young Lions (1957), Rio Bravo (1959) and would appear in Cannoball Run (1981) and Cannonball II (1984).
This was an active time for Martin as he was appearing on stage, recording record albums, appearing in movies and in 1965 he would start appearing on the NBC show Dean Martin’s Comedy Hour, which would remain on the air until 1974. 263 episodes were filmed of the show and hope they can be seen somewhere on a television network 49 years, after the first show debuted on television. Martin also hosted many Dean Martin Celebrity Roast shows in later years.
Made Impact As A Singer
1958 would see his recording of Return to Me top out at #4 and Volare peak at #12. It may have been able to climb higher on the charts, but it had been recorded many times, before Martin released his version of Volare.
Surprisingly his song You’re Nobody Till Somebody Love You was only #25 on pop chart, but reached #1 on adult contemporary chart. This was the year the Beatles hit America, so that probably had something to do with it.
The year 1967 would see his last two #1 hits, which only went to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, when In the Chapel in the Moonlight and In the Misty Moonlight would take the #1 spot.
Dino: The Essential Dean Martin Collection has 30 of his biggest hits and can be found at Amazon.com for one cent, plus shipping if you buy a used copy of the collection.
http://www.amazon.com/Dino-The-Essential-Dean-Martin/dp/tracks/B00021LPIS/ref=dp_tracks_all_1#disc_1
Dean Martin may be one of the most successful school dropouts ever. He became successful as part of the Martin and Lewis comedy act, singing as soloist for big bands, recorded for many years, acted in many blockbuster movies and hosted a successful television show for nine years.
Perry Como 1912-2001
Perry Como was born as Pierino Ronald Como on September 18, 1912 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. His parents Pietro and Lucia Como had immigrated from Italy in 1910. Perry was the first of 13 children to be born in America and was the seventh son of a seventh son. Ironically, he would have 13 #1 songs.
He was only 11 when he began his career as a barber and by the age of 14 had his own barber shop. He would receive his first break when offered a job by the Freddy Carlone Orchestra. He had to choose between earning $28 a week with the orchestra or keep drawing the $125 a week he was earning as a barber. His dad talked him into accepting the singing job, since Perry would never know if he would be a success as a singer, until the gave it a try and began traveling with the orchestra in 1933.
His big break would come when bandleader Teddy Weems signed him to sing with his orchestra in 1936.
Perry Como early in his career.
Como now was in the big money going from $28 a week, with the Freddy Carlone Orchestra, to $50 a week with the Ted Weems Orchestra. Perry almost got fired when with the Weems Orchestra, because the listeners couldn’t understand the words he was singing. He corrected the problem and kept his job. By 1940 he was earning $250 a week.
1942 was a fateful year for Perry who would quit the Ted Weems band and return home to become a barber again. However, before he could negotiate a lease, for his barber shop he was offered a CBS radio program. He went on the radio program for CBS in 1943. Later that same year he would be offered a recording contract with RCA Records. The relationship would last for 44 years, which is longer than any other major artist.
A Perry Como Christmas album that was in my collection at one time.
Perry Como was part of a revolutionary broadcast on April 5, 1946, when the Chesterfield Supper Club was broadcast from 20,000 feet in the air. He had to use handheld mike, which became very heavy due to cabin pressure.
Como in Movies and Television
Perry was seen in only five theatrical movies from 1943-1948 and never acted in another movie the last 53 years of his life.
He first appeared in his own television show in Perry Como’s Kraft Music Hall from 1950-1966. I can remember Dream Along With Me being his theme song and the Sing to Me Mr. C. part of the show. Another memory of his show was when the singers sang ” We get letters, stacks and stacks of letters.” It would be great to see some of those old shows again if they even still exist.
Perry Como Christmas 1974 Christmas special.
Perry’s Christmas specials were a treat during the years they were shown. His Christmas show became as big of a part of Christmas and the Bob Hope Christmas special. He sang Ave Maria on the specials, but never sang it during a live performance, since he said it is a special song that had to be sung at the right time and at the right place.
Some interesting trivia about Perry from IMDB.com:
Perry Como was a short man who was only 5 foot 6.
He sold over 50 million records and was so humble, that he never asked for certification of most of his records that achieved gold record status.
His only marriage was to Roselle Beline, whom he was married to from July 31, 1933 till her death on August 10, 1998.
Was signed to RCA Records from 1943-1988.
He was the godfather of Debby Boone.
This quote by Perry Como signifies his humbleness: I’ve done nothing that I can call exciting. I was a barber. Since then I’ve been a singer. That’s it.
Perry Como died on May 12, 2001 at Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida. He was suffering from Alzheimer’s at the time of his death.
Perry Como was reportedly as casual as he appeared on television. However, he did not like wearing sweaters, even though he was seen wearing sweaters on television.
A list of 587 songs recorded by Perry Como:
http://www.whosdatedwho.com/tpx_25003/perry-como/songs
When I think of his song Round and Round I think of hearing it played at roller skating rink and it was the perfect song for roller skating.
His first #1 song was Till The End of Time in 1945 and his last #1 song was And I Love You So in 1973.
The complete list of his songs that charted:
http://musicvf.com/Perry+Como.art
This album has 100 of Perry’s hits at a reasonable price and a great way to augment your Perry Como collection, without buying several albums.
Who is old enough to remember Burma Shave signs along American highways?
These signs helped pass the time on long trips across the country and kept the passengers amused by the funny sayings on the signs. Wikipedia.com breaks down the signs into different time periods: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma-Shave
More Burma Shave signs.
Since then we have found more signs from that era including these:
http://www.fiftiesweb.com/burma1.htm
David “Stringbean” Akeman was born July 4, 1916 in Annville, Kentucky and died in Ridgetop, Tennessee on November 10, 1973. His friend and co-star of Hee Haw Grandpa Jones found him and Stringbean’s wife Estelle murdered the next morning. Stringbean had been shot and killed inside the house, while his wife was found dead outside.
Stringbean acquired his nickname when the star of a show he was in introduced him as Stringbean and he has been known as Stringbean ever since.
He made a homemade banjo as a child out of a shoebox and thread. Then later he would barter two chickens, for a real banjo and then really began to learn how to play the banjo in the old style.
The Depression would cause Stringbean to find work, with the Civilian Conservation Corps and he built roads and planted trees, as part of that work.
Bill Monroe signed Stringbean as one of the Bluegrass Boys. Monroe had discovered Stringbean when he was playing semi-pro baseball. Earl Scruggs would later replace Stringbean as the banjo picker in the Bluegrass Boys band.
He married Estelle Stanfill in 1945.
Even though he had been playing music and singing since the 1930′s he didn’t record his first album till the 1960′s.
Stringbean might have been an inspiration for the sagging britches fad, as can be seen in the photo on the right. The only difference was that Springbean wouldn’t wear that outfit once he stepped off the stage. That outlandish outfit by itself was enough to draw laughs from the audience.
He never did learn to drive a car so his wife Estelle did all the driving. Grandpa Jones had to clean his guns for him, since he didn’t know how.
His first television appearance was when he appeared on the Porter Wagoner Show in 1963 and was on another show in 1970. He made one appearance on the Johnny Cash Show in 1971. His big break came when he started appearing on Hee Haw and would be seen in 92 episodes from 1969-1974. The 1974 shows had been filmed previously, before his tragic death in November of 1973.
There were rumors that Stringbean didn’t believe in keeping his money in banks, since he grew up in depressions and saw how many had lost their life savings, when the banks failed. He was known to flash his cash around and apparently John and Marvin Brown, who were 23 year old cousins decided to try finding that money, while Stringbean and his wife were at the Opry.
Apparently, they didn’t time it right and the Akemans returned from the Opry, on the night of November 10, 1973, before they thought they would or perhaps they were laying in wait for them, so they could rob them of more cash and both Stringbean and his wife Estelle were shot by the intruders. Ironically, they found only $250 and also stole only a chain saw and some firearms. Stringbean probably drew his gun, but was shot before he could shoot the intruders. By shooting him they didn’t have a chance to question Akeman, about where the money was being hid.
They didn’t notice the $3,000 in his overalls pocket or the $20,000 hidden in a chimney. The $20,000 wouldn’t be found till 23 years later. The money had deteriorated so badly, that it was unusable.
Grandpa Jones would find Stringbean’s wife outside and he found Stringbean also dead inside the house. Stringbean was only 57 at the time of his death. Archie Campbell another co-star, from Hee Haw said that he never heard Stringbean say an unkind word about anyone.
To make things worse for Grandpa Jones the tabloids insinuated that Jones had been having an affair with Stringbean’s wife.
John and Marvin Brown, who committed the murders of Stringbean and his wife were each sentenced to 198 years in prison. Marvin Brown died in Brushy State Prison in Petros, Tennessee in 2003, which was 30 years after the murders. John Brown has served 41 years of his sentence. He applied for parole in 2011 and won’t be able to apply again till 2017.
This is what John Brown had to say about the murders: He has a devoted wife who had married him shortly before he was arrested, and she says, “John says that he hopes David and Estelle are in heaven, looking on his life and saying that something good did come of this.”
Country music fans have lost an icon in Stringbean. He grew up dirt poor during the Depression and had to struggle to make it in the world of country music. Then when he finally makes the big money he can’t help but show it off. He had come a long way from having nothing in the 30′s to living comfortably in the 70′s, but his life came to a tragic halt on November 10, 1973. He died at 57 which is young for country music performers, who sometime perform into their 80′s like the great Ray Price who recently died.
City Confidential television show filmed an episode in 2003 about the murders of Stringbean and his wife.
The world of country music lost one of its biggest stars on November 10, 1973, but his memory will live on for years to come among fans of country music.
Lawrence Neville Brand was born on August 13, 1920 in Griswold, Iowa. He enlisted with the U.S. Army on March 5, 1941. He was sent to the European Theater in December of 1944 and arrived there on December 16, 1944. He was a much decorated World War II hero as outlined in this article, which gives more details of his accomplishments in World War II:
http://jodavidsmeyer.com/combat/military/neville_brand.html
Brand has been credited as the fourth most decorated soldier in World War II, but that claim has never been proven.
His first credited movie role was in 1950, when he appeared in D.O.A. He would be seen on television and in movies often from 1950-1958. One of his best known roles would come, when he portrayed Al Capone in The Untouchables
in the “Big Train” two parter.
Brand starred in Laredo from 1965-1967, when he portrayed Reese Bennett. He would appear in many westerns mostly, but also appeared in TV movies, free-lanced as an actor in other television series and acted in movies till 1985, which would be his last appearance on either television or movies. His last movie was Evils of the Night.
He was an avid reader and had a huge book collection of over 30,000 books, in his Malibu home, but a fire destroyed most of his book collection, along with other mementoes in 1978.
He died at the age of 71 from emphysema on April 16, 1992 in Sacramento, California. His ashes were stored in a vessel shaped like a book that showed the years that he lived.
The world lost not only a great actor, but more importantly a World War II hero, when Neville Brand died but his memory will go on due to the the many television shows and movies he appeared in during his lifetime.
Mickey Rooney 1920-2014
Mickey Rooney has died at the age of 93 in his North Hollywood home with his family present, at the time of his death.
He was born Ninian Joseph Yule Jr. on September 23, 1920 in Brookyln, New York City, New York. He died on April 6, 2014 in North Hollywood, California.
Rooney was only 17 months when he made his first appearance on stage, with the vaudeville act of his father and mother in 1922. His death ends what probably is the longest career of any entertainer.
His first movie appearance was in the 1926 movie short Not To Be Trusted the last year of the silent movies , before talking movies started in 1927. Rooney who would only grow to be 5 foot two inches high never let his height slow him down. on his road to stardom.
His next role was as Mickey McGuire in a series of movie shorts, in which he appeared from 1927-1934.
Then he began to appear in the Andy Hardy movies in 1937, with his appearance in You’re Only Young Once. That would be followed by 13 more Andy Hardy movies, with the last one Love Laughs At Andy Hardy being released in 1944.
26 years after his first movie appearance Rooney would appear on television, for the first time on Celanese Theater in the Saturday’s Children episode.
Later in 1954 Rooney would star in the Mickey Rooney Show in all 33 episodes. He alternated in movie and television. He made his last appearance in a TV movie the Empire State Building Murders in 2008. He was appearing in Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde movie at the time of his death. He had two other movies in pre-production also, so was very busy at his advanced age.
Mickey Rooney was married eight times, with the first marriage being to Ava Gardner in 1942. He married his last wife Jan Chamberlin, in 1978 and they were still married 36 years later at the time of his death. Wikipedia lists his marriages below:
|
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| Children | 9 |
|---|---|
| Parents | Joseph Yule, Nellie W. (née Carter) |
| Awards | Juvenile Academy Award, Academy Honorary Award, Emmy, 2 Golden Globes |
| Website | |
| mickeyrooney.com | |
It is amazing that Rooney has been in show business from 1922 till 2014. He has appeared in movies, in ten consecutive decades.
Just some of the trivia about Rooney at imdb.com:
His parents divorced in 1923 when he was 3 years old.
Was considered for role of Archie Bunker on All In The Family.
He was married longer to his last wife Jan Chamberlin longer, than his other seven wives combined.
Only silent movie actor to still be acting in the 21st century.
During World War II he served 22 months in the U.S. Army, five of them with the Third Army of Gen. George S. Patton. Rooney attained the rank of Sergeant, and won a Bronze Star, among other decorations.
Rooney did not have any kind words for Ernest Borgnine: [on his feud with Ernest Borgnine] All the Oscars in the world can’t buy him dignity, class and talent. I don’t know why he is famous and why he is a star. Talk about a lucky jerk
America lost another icon yesterday who has entertained in vaudeville, stage, movies and television. He has left behind a rich legacy of work since his first film in 1926.
Turner Classic Movie cable network is probably at work right now, with a tribute to Mickey Rooney, who epitomizes the golden days of Hollywood. TCM showed many Esther Williams movies, after she passed away and I am positive they will pay tribute to Mickey Rooney by showing many of his Andy Hardy movies and other movies he starred in.
This New York Times obituary gives even more details of the life of Mickey Rooney:
American Idol Season 13 bottomed out this season with only 7.63 million viewers for their Top 8 results show last Thursday. Season 13 drew 15.19 viewers for their debut this season. That is a drop of approximately 7.5 million viewers 27 shows into the season.
The 2003 Season 2 finale drew the largest audience for a premiere or finale, by attracting 38.06 million viewers. Compare that with the 7.63 million viewers last Thursday and that is a drop of almost 31 million viewers.
January 13, 2009 was the last time that a premiere, final performance or season finale show drew over 30 million viewers.
The May 23, 2012 finale was the last time American Idol attracted more than 20 million viewers.
March 12, 2014 was the last show to draw over 10 million viewers for a Season 13 episode.
I think one problem this season is that Season 13 has few good singers. I look for Caleb Johnson to be the next American Idol. If not him, then it might be Jena Irene or Jessica Meuse. C.J. Johnson will probably go home on Thursday night, unless he has a superb performance on Wednesday night.
The judges this season Harry Connick, Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban have been refreshing, after the feud between Mariah Carey and Nicky Minaj took the focus off the contestants in Season 12.
This could be the right time to end American Idol. Ryan Seacrest will probably not be paid $15 million a season again and Jennifer Lopez is scheduled to do a cop show, so can’t see her having time to do American Idol, due to the filming schedule of a weekly series. Seacrest is probably ready to move on to other jobs and American Idol ties him down during the auditions and regular season and he sure doesn’t need the money.
It is time to end the show before its ratings fall even further behind those of The Voice.
The premiere of The Voice was shown on April 26, 2011 and drew 11.78 viewers. Season 2 drew 37.61 million viewers due to Super Bowl lead-in. Season 3 attracted 12.8 million viewers for premiere. The Voice drew about a million more viewers, for each year and this year attracted 15.86 million for the premiere.
Season 4 finale night for the June 18,2013 drew 15.59 the most ever for a finale.
The finale night for Season 5 on December 17, 2013 fell to 14.01 viewers, so it will be interesting to see if Season 6 finale ratings fall below that number.
Season 6 ratings have fallen from a season high of 15.86 million, for the premiere of the Blind Auditions on February 24, 2014. Last Tuesday’s episode drew 11.08 million, which is a dropoff of about 4.78 million viewers.
If The Voice and American Idol were aired in the same time slot, then it would be almost a certainty that American Idol would be clobbered.
The interplay between coaches Blake Shelton, Shakira, Usher and Adam Levine has been, in my estimation a big part of the success of The Voice. It is fun to watch them beg for the contestants to choose them, as their coach and belittling the other coaches in the process.
It is a more of a fun show than American Idol. I haven’t watched during the battle rounds and playoff rounds, so I can’t say how good the singers on The Voice are. I will resume watching when they start the live shows and will get a better idea of who the best singers are.
The Voice is the king of the singing competitions and may find itself the only singing competition, if American Idol ends its 13 year run after this season.
Bobby Rydell
Bobby Rydell was born Robert Louis Ridarelli on April 26, 1942 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He will be 72 years old tomorrow.
It doesn’t seem possible that 55 years have passed, since he had his first hit song, with the release of Kissin’ Time in 1959.
Before that he had won a talent contest and became a member of the cast of Paul Whiteman’s TV Teen Club. Whiteman had difficult pronouncing his last name Ridarelli, so changed his last name to Rydell.
He joined the Rocco and the Saints band at the age of 16 and the band also had a soon to be famous trumpet player in Frankie Avalon.
First Million Selling Single
We Got Love, which was his first million selling album peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Wild One was his next million selling single and it reached #2 on the charts and it was released in 1960. My personal favorite Bobby Rydell song Volare was also released in 1960 and went to #4 on the charts. Sway also did well for Rydell in 1960 going to #14 on the charts. Swingin’ School also reached the charts in 1960 and peaked at #5.
Sadly, Rydell only had one more Top Ten hit, when he released Forget Him in 1963, which peaked at #4 on the music charts.
His last new song to make the Billboard Hot 100 charts was Diana, which barely made it onto the charts at #98 in 1965.
It has been 49 years, since he had a song that made the Billboard Hot 100.
More recent photo of Bobby Rydell
Failing Health
He had to cancel a 2012 tour to Australian because of health problems. Rydell would have his liver and kidneys replaced in a double organ transplant. The transplant took place at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia in July of 2012.
After recovering for six months Rydell performed in a three night engagement in Las Vegas.
With the health problems behind him Rydell has been very active. He has appeared in international concerts, which included a 2014 tour in Australia. He also has appeared as part of a stage act, with fellow Philadelphian rock and rollers Fabian and Frankie Avalon.
Interesting Trivia From IMDB.com
Rydell High School in Grease was named after Rydell.
He was married to his first wife Camille Quattrone Ridarelli from 1968-2003 until the time of her death. He remarried in 2009 to Linda Hoffman.
Started playing drums at the age of six.
The city of Philadelphia named Bobby Rydell Boulevard after him.
He was a victim of the British invasion, as his recording career was never the same after the Beatles hit American shores.
Has Remained Active
Bobby Rydell has remained active after his recording career more or less ended, by hitting the night club circuit and appearing in concert. However, he did appear in the movie Bye Bye Birdie in 1963, at the height of his popularity.
He has appeared in Time-Life infomercial for Malt Shop Memories.
It was sad that his recording career fizzled out at the age of 23, but he was too talented and too young to walk away from the music scene.
When he turns 72 tomorrow he can reflect on a long career in music and has been a fine representative for the city of Philadelphia.
Dick Clark played a part in the success of Bobby Rydell, by having him appear on American Bandstand.
He may have not had the long recording career, of some recording artists, but that has only made his fans treasure, more than ever, those years in the 60′s, when he was making memories for all of us.
