But takes a few sips too many…
Leave it to screen legend Orson Welles to make a few extra bucks here and there by shilling for all sorts of stuff. In this case, he was taking a check from Paul Masson Champagne for just a few words endorsing their product.
Needless to say, the people at Paul Masson got more than they bargained for!
“Hell yeah, I’d do it again”
Just got word that one of my own personal heroes of World War II, Brigadier General Paul Tibbets, has passed away today.
Personal History
Tibbets was born in Quincy, Illinois, and was the son of Paul Warfield Tibbets and Enola Gay Tibbets, and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where his father was a confections wholesaler.
On February 25, 1937, he enlisted as a flying cadet in the Army Air Corps at Fort Thomas, Kentucky. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1938 and received his wings at Kelly Field, Texas. Tibbets was named commanding officer of the 340th Bomb Squadron, 97th Heavy Bomb Group flying B-17 Flying Fortresses in March, 1942.
Based at RAF Polebrook, he piloted the lead bomber on the first Eighth Air Force bombing mission in Europe on August 17, 1942, and later flew combat missions in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations until returning to the U.S. to test fly B-29 Superfortresses.
In September 1944 he was selected to command the project at Wendover Army Air Field, Utah, that became the 509th Composite Group, in connection with the Manhattan Project’s Project Alberta.
On August 5, 1945, Colonel Paul Tibbets formally named B-29 serial number 44-86292 Enola Gay after his mother. On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay departed Tinian Island in the Marianas with Tibbets at the controls at 2:45 a.m. for Hiroshima, Japan.
The atomic bomb, codenamed Little Boy, was dropped over Hiroshima at 8:15 a.m. local time. It was the first use of an atomic weapon in the history of warfare.
The Hiroshima mission has been described as tactically flawless, and Enola Gay returned safely to its base on Tinian to great fanfare on the base.
The first atomic bombing was followed three days later by another B-29 nicknamed Bockscar, piloted by Major Charles W. Sweeney, which dropped a second nuclear weapon, “Fat Man”, on Nagasaki.
On that mission the Enola Gay, flown by Crew B-10 under Capt. George Marquardt, aircraft commander, was the weather reconnaissance aircraft.
No Regrets
Throughout his entire life, Tibbets expressed no regret whatsoever regarding the decision to drop the atomic bomb.
In a 1975 interview he said: “I’m proud that I was able to start with nothing, plan it and have it work as perfectly as it did… I sleep clearly every night”.
In March 2005, he stated “If you give me the same circumstances, hell yeah, I’d do it again.”
Thank you for your great service to the United States, Brigadier General Paul Tibbets. Millions of Americans salute your memory.
As a special bonus, please enjoy this great newsreel footage of the heroic crew of the Enola Gay, Real American Heroes one and all!
So Long, Mr. Goulet
Just got word on the passing of the talented and gracious Robert Goulet.
Robert Goulet was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts as the only son of French Canadian parents, Joseph Georges Andre Goulet and Jeanette Gauthier. In Edmonton, he attended the famous voice schools founded by Herbert G. Turner and Jean Letourneau, and later became a radio announcer for radio station CKUA. Upon graduating from high school, Goulet received a scholarship to Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music.
In 1959, Goulet was introduced to librettist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe, who were having difficulty casting the role of Lancelot in their stage production Camelot. Lerner and Loewe, impressed by Goulet’s talent, signed the virtual newcomer to play the part, opposite Richard Burton’s King Arthur and Julie Andrews’ Queen Guenevere.
Camelot, of course, was a huge hit, and Mr. Goulet would remain in the public eye with many wonderful stage and screen performances, as well as many successful record albums.
So long, Mr. Goulet. Thank you for all you gave, and you shall be missed.
I’ve seen the future, and it’s Curly
Today would have been the 104th birthday to one of the alltime great movie funnymen, Jerome Howard, better known to fans around the world as Curly of The Three Stooges.
Curly was born Jerome Horwitz in Brooklyn, New York in 1903, the youngest of the five Horwitz brothers, hence his nickname ‘Babe,’ which brother Moe would usually use to refer to him.
In 1928, Jerry gained some notability in the entertainment business as a comedy musical conductor for the Orville Knapp Band, and Moe later recalled that Jerry’s performances usually overshadowed the band.
Meanwhile, brothers Moe and Shemp, along with Larry Feinberg (Fine), were working as ‘stooges’ for popular funnyman Ted Healy. Their success took them to Hollywood, but in 1932 Shemp left the act and Moe called in for their brother, Jerry – now dubbed Curly.
The rest is history.
The Three Stooges would go on to make 190 short films for Columbia in 23 years, though the roster over that period had different incarnations. They have consistently been popular, particularly after their shorts began running on television in the late 1950s. They remain iconic funnymen to this day.
Thanks for all the laughter, Jerry! You will live in the hearts of your fans forever!
So Long, Joey Bishop
I’m sad to report that Yahoo News is reporting that Rat Pack comedian Joey Bishop has passed away.
Joey Bishop, the stone-faced comedian who found success in nightclubs, television and movies but became most famous as a member of Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack, has died at 89.He was the group’s last surviving member. Peter Lawford died in 1984, Sammy Davis Jr. in 1990, Dean Martin in 1995, and Sinatra in 1998.
Bishop died Wednesday night of multiple causes at his home in Newport Beach, publicist and longtime friend Warren Cowan said Thursday.
The Rat Pack became a show business sensation in the early 1960s, appearing at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas in shows that combined music and comedy in a seemingly chaotic manner.
Thanks for the laughter and great memories, Joey!
Always nice to hear what Stan has to say!
On October 8tn, 2007, Dennis Miller did a quick interview with Stan Lee on his relatively new radio show. Dennis has a great sense of humor and his radio show is really taking off. Last week, a caller just casually suggested that he invite Stan on the show, and Dennis’s people got on it quickly and made it happen just a few days later!
Stan discusses some memories of Nick Fury, flatters Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, covers the 1960s Marvel Comics creative process, and manages to mention the new Iron Man and Hulk films.
Dennis is a genuine fan of Stan and Silver Age Marvel Comics, so it’s clear that this interview is a genuine treat for him. Enjoy!
Pen pal with a comedy legend
Cinema comedy legend Stan Laurel is in the news today, as the Scotsman.com News reports. I am sure this collection of letters is filled with fascinating information and insights from one of the true icons of silver screen comedy.
Read on…
A COLLECTION of 18 personal letters sent by comedy legend Stan Laurel to an Edinburgh housewife who became his pen pal have sold for £2900 at auction.Walterina Hunter first wrote a fan letter to Laurel, one half of Laurel and Hardy, in 1952.
For ten years they exchanged letters, discussing everything from the weather to Laurel’s poor health and the death of his comedy partner Oliver Hardy.
Among the bundle there were 18 letters and three photographs, most of which were signed by Laurel, with one photograph also signed by Hardy.
The letters were written on headed notepaper from luxurious hotels where the comedian was staying while on tour, with others on Laurel’s own paper from his California home.
English-born Laurel suffered a nervous breakdown after Hardy’s death, and later confided in one of the letters: “I don’t visit the studios anymore because I don’t know anyone there and would feel like a stranger.”
Alex Dove, book specialist at auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull in Edinburgh where the letters were sold yesterday, said:
“Quite a friendship was built up and that was reflected in the content of the letters. He made a lot of time to sit down and write to her wherever he was.”
The pair met only once, in 1954, when Laurel and Hardy toured the UK and sent tickets to Mrs Hunter for their Edinburgh show.
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Wisdom From The Bench
Newstalk radio host Laura Ingraham interviewed her former boss at the US Supreme Court, Justice Clarence Thomasm on October 4th, 2007. Sit back and enjoy!
I’ve seen the future, and it’s Fine
Today would have been the 105th birthday to one of the alltime great movie funnymen, Larry Fine (Louis Feinberg) of The Three Stooges.
Thanks for all the laughter, Larry! You shall live forever in the hearts of your fans!
Old Man Can’t is Dead
Our friends at 60 Minutes did a great extended interview with Justice Clarence Thomas this past Sunday. I missed it as my Tivo was recording PBS’s ‘The War,’ but luckily the video is available at the link above.
He is the court’s only African American, and it’s most conservative member. He is arguably the most influential black man in the country, yet he is reviled by many in his own race for his opposition to government programs intended to help minorities.
Most people know very little about him, their opinions shaped by his bitter confirmation battle in which he was accused of sexually harassing a former employee named Anita Hill. Now, 16 years later, he has written a memoir called “My Grandfather’s Son,” which lays bare a remarkable life and the events that shaped it.
Watch the interview – you’ll be glad you did!
Thomas is an impressive gentleman, and the 60 Minutes interview makes that very clear. He is often belittled in legal circles because he is notorious for not asking any questions during oral argument, which some legal eagles see as evidence of a lesser intellect. Of course, that’s a dubious conclusion, but when the liberal elite gets an idea in their fertile minds, they tend to not have the adaptive skills to modify it.
Funny how liberal types tend to consider themselves very caring about the poor and underprivileged, but when a poor and underprivileged guy like Thomas becomes a success, they just can’t stand him.
Of course, they have no sincere affection for people in power who dare to disagree with them, or who have a different world view. It has nothing to do with being poor – if you sign on to their agenda, you’re ok. If you don’t, they belittle you at best and try to destroy you at worst.
I don’t really mind that so much. but I’d rather they were just honest about it. Reminds me of people you encounter in life who insist that they are independent and don’t care what anyone else thinks, but when they run into a genuine independent person who really doesn’t care what people think, they tend to hate him or her.
Fakes, phonies, & frauds, as Mr. Bob Grant would say!
By the way, radio host Laura Ingraham interviewed Clarence Thomas on her radio show this week. Check it out here in its entirety!
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