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I loved Bertie Higgins' Key Largo record. I liked the way he sang this one, too:

Casablanca
I fell in love with you watching Casablanca
Back row of the drive in show in the flickering light
Popcorn and cokes beneath the stars became champagne and caviar
Making love on a long hot summers night

I thought you fell in love with me watching Casablance
Holding hands 'neath the paddle fans in Rick's Candle lit cafe
Hiding in the shadows from the spies. Moroccan moonlight in your eyes
Making magic at the movies in my old chevrolet

Oh! A kiss is still a kiss in Casablanca
But a kiss is not a kiss without your sigh
Please come back to me in Casablanca
I love you more and more each day as time goes by

I guess there're many broken hearts in Casablanca
You know I've never really been there. so, I don't know
I guess our love story will never be seen on the big wide silver screen
But it hurt just as bad when I had to watch you go

Oh! A kiss is still a kiss in Casablanca
But a kiss is not a kiss without your sigh
Please come back to me in Casablanca
I love you more and more each day as time goes by
Oh! A kiss is still a kiss in Casablanca
But a kiss is not a kiss without your sigh

Please come back to me in Casablanca
I love you more and more each day as time goes by
I love you more and more each day as time goes by

and I shall let our Raggedy's song be my goodnight song.

"....the fundamental things apply as time goes by....."


From Letty with love

Hattie McDaniel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Born June 10, 1895
Wichita, Kansas, USA
Died October 26, 1952 (age 57)
Woodland Hills, California, USA
Spouse(s) Howard Hickman (1911-1915)
Nym Lankfard (1922-1938)
James Lloyd Crawford (1941-1945)
Larry Williams (1949-1950)
Academy Awards

Best Supporting Actress
1939 Gone with the Wind

Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1895 - October 26, 1952) was an African-American actress. She was the first performer of African descent to win an Academy Award. She won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939). McDaniel was also a professional singer, stage actress, radio performer and television star. Often criticized for playing stereotypical roles, McDaniel responded "I'd rather play a maid than be one." She was one of the most respected and highly paid performers in the African-American show business community.




Early life

McDaniel was born in Wichita, Kansas to a former civil war soldier Henry McDaniel and Susan Holbert, a singer of religious music. Her grandmother had been a household slave cook on a Virginia plantation, and her father was born into slavery as a fieldhand. Henry McDaniel served as a soldier for the Union Army during the Civil War. Hattie was born on June 10, 1895, the youngest of thirteen children. The family briefly lived in Fort Collins, Colorado at 317 Cherry St (which still stands) and Hattie briefly attended Franklin School. In 1910 she was the only African American participant in a Women's Christian Temperance Movement event in which she won a gold medal for reciting a poem entitled "Convict Joe." Winning the award was what started and sparked her dream of becoming a performer. She dropped out of high school after her sophomore year, traveling with a minstrel group started by her father and brothers Otis and Sam. In addition to performing, Hattie was also a songwriter, a skill she honed while working with Henry's minstrel show. After the death of her brother Otis in 1916 the family's minstrel group began to lose momentum, and it wasn't until 1920 that Hattie received another big opportunity. She joined George Morrison's "Melody Hounds" and received brilliant reviews.


Career

McDaniel was among the first African-American women to sing on the radio. In 1925 McDaniel began singing on KOA, a Denver radio station. Her radio job led to the recording of several songs, which she had written. She had the opportunity to tour many American cities, most frequently she was booked by the Theatrical Owners Booking Association, which was comprised of black theater owners. She was playing "Queenie" in Show Boat when the stock market crashed, and her company had to shut down. The only work McDaniel could find was as a washroom attendant at Club Madrid in Milwaukee. Despite the owner's reluctance to let her perform, McDaniel was eventually allowed to take the stage, and became a regular.

In 1931, McDaniel made her way to Los Angeles to join her brother Sam, and sisters Etta and Orlena. When she could not get film work, she took jobs as a maid or cook. Sam was working on a radio program called "The Optimistic Do-Nut Hour", and he was able to get his sister a spot. Her show became extremely popular, but her salary was so low that she had to continue working as a maid. In the early years of the 1930's she received roles in several films, often singing in choruses. Over the course of her career, McDaniel appeared in over 300 films, although she only received screen credits for about 80. She spent much of her career playing maids: "Why should I complain about making seven hundred dollars a week playing a maid? If I didn't, I'd be making seven dollars a week actually being one."[1]

1934's Judge Priest, directed by John Ford and starring Will Rogers, was the first film in which she would receive a major role. She got to sing several times, including a duet with Rogers. McDaniel and Rogers became friends during filming, and Rogers would credit her with the film's success.[citation needed]

McDaniel had befriended several of Hollywood's most popular white stars, including Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Shirley Temple, Henry Fonda, Ronald Reagan, and Olivia de Havilland and Clark Gable, with whom she would star in Gone with the Wind. It was around this time that she began to be criticized by members of the black community for roles she was choosing to take. 1935's The Little Colonel depicted black servants longing for a return to the Old South. Ironically, McDaniel's portrayal of Malena in Alice Adams angered white Southern audiences. She managed to steal several scenes away from the film star, Katharine Hepburn. This was the type of role she would be best known for, the sassy, sometimes outspoken, even opinionated maid.


It was one such role, that of Mammy in Gone with the Wind (see 1939 in film), opposite Vivien Leigh and Gable, that she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her the first African American to win an Oscar. She was also the first African-American ever to be nominated. George Clooney praised the Academy in his Best Supporting Actor acceptance speech for giving her the Oscar as striking a blow for civil rights. However, Molly Haskell noted during the July 1, 2006 GWTW screening on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) that officials made McDaniel sit alone at the back of the Cocoanut Grove during the ceremonies.

When the date of the Atlanta premiere of Gone with the Wind approached, she informed director Victor Fleming that she was unable to attend due to illness; in actuality, she did not want to attend because of the racism that pervaded Southern society at that time, for fear of increasing racial hostilities. When Gable heard that McDaniel did not want to attend because of the racial issue, he threatened to boycott the premiere unless McDaniel was able to attend; he later relented when McDaniel convinced him to go.[citation needed]

The competition for Mammy had been almost as stiff as that for Scarlett O'Hara. Eleanor Roosevelt wrote to film producer David O. Selznick to ask that her own maid be given the part.[citation needed] McDaniel did not think she would be chosen, because she was known for being a comic actress. Gable wanted the role to go to McDaniel, and when she went to her audition dressed in an authentic maid's uniform, Selznick knew he had found Mammy.

McDaniel had prominent roles in 1935 with her classic performance as a slovenly maid in Alice Adams and a delightfully comic part as Jean Harlow's maid/traveling companion in China Seas, the latter her first film with Gable. She also attracted attention with a fine performance oppostite Paul Robeson in 1936's Show Boat and had major roles in Saratoga (1937) and The Mad Miss Manton (1938). In 1942's In This Our Life she had a dramatic role as a housewife whose son is framed in a hit-and-run accident. The following year, McDaniel drew on her musical background in leading a vivacious ensemble number, "Ice Cold Katie," in the film revue Thank Your Lucky Stars.

As the 1940s progressed, the servant roles McDaniel and other African-American performers had so frequently played were subjected to increasingly strong criticism by groups such as the NAACP. She made her last film in 1949 but was still quite active in her final years on radio and television, becoming the first major African-American radio star with her comedy series Beulah. She starred in the television version, taking over for Ethel Waters after the first season. She became ill during the show's run and was replaced by Louise Beavers.

Hattie McDaniel has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood: one for her contributions to radio at 6933 Hollywood Boulevard, and one for motion pictures at 1719 Vine Street. McDaniel was featured as the 29th inductee on the Black Heritage Series by the United States Postal Service. The 39-cent stamp was released on January 29, 2006.[2]


Marriages and off-camera activities

While McDaniel often played support in her films, she had a colorful personal life. She was married four times, George Langford (1922; he was shot and killed soon after their wedding), Howard Hickman (1938), James Lloyd Crawford (1941-1945), and Larry Williams (1949-1950). Her last three marriages ended in divorce. When she died, she left Williams one dollar.

In the book Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams, by Donald Bogle, it's referenced that in 1945, McDaniel happily informed gossip columnist Hedda Hopper that she was pregnant. McDaniel began buying baby clothes and setting up a nursery. Her plans were shattered when the doctor informed her she had a false pregnancy; McDaniel fell into a depression.

McDaniel was active in raising money for the troops during World War II.


Death

McDaniel died at age 57 in the hospital on the grounds of the Motion Picture House in Woodland Hills; her estate amounted to less than ten thousand dollars. Thousands of mourners turned out to remember her life and accomplishments. It was her wish to be buried in the Hollywood Cemetery on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, along with her fellow movie stars, but the owner, Jules 'Jack' Roth, refused to allow her to be interred there because she was black. She is interred in the Angelus Rosedale Cemetery, Los Angeles.

In 1999, Tyler Cassity, the new owner of the Hollywood Cemetery, who had renamed it Hollywood Forever Cemetery; wanted to right the wrong and have Miss McDaniel interred in the cemetery. Her family did not want to disturb her remains after the passage of so much time, and declined the offer. Hollywood Forever then did the next best thing and built a large cenotaph memorial on the lawn overlooking the lake in honor of McDaniel. It is one of the most popular sites for visitors to the cemetery.

McDaniel was also a member of Sigma Gamma Rho, one of four African-American Greek letter sororities in the United States.

In January 2006, McDaniel was memorialized by the U.S. Postal Service, when she was featured on a new stamp.[2]

Judy Garland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Birth name Frances Ethel Gumm
Born June 10, 1922
Grand Rapids, Minnesota, USA
Died June 22, 1969 (aged 47)
Chelsea, London, England
Years active 1929 - 1969
Spouse(s) David Rose (1941-1945)

Vincente Minnelli (1945-1952)
Sidney Luft (1952-1965)
Mark Herron (1965-1967)
Mickey Deans (1969)

Academy Awards

Academy Juvenile Award (1939)
Best Supporting Actress
Nominated:
1961 Judgment at Nuremberg
Best Actress
Nominated:
1954 A Star Is Born
Tony Awards

Special Tony Award (1952)
Golden Globe Awards

Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical/Comedy
1955 A Star Is Born
Cecil B. DeMille Award (1962)

Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922 - June 22, 1969) was an Oscar-nominated American film actress, considered by many to be one of the greatest singing stars of Hollywood's Golden Era of musical film, best known for her role as Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz. Garland's singing voice had a natural vibrato, which she was able to maintain at extremely low volume. The effects which she was able to project enabled her to convey a wide range of emotion when she interpreted a song.




Biography

Childhood and early life

Born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, Frances Ethel Gumm was the youngest child of former vaudevillians Frank Gumm and Ethel Marion Milne. Named for both her parents and baptized at the local Episcopal church, "Baby" (as Frances was affectionately called) shared the family's flair for song and dance. "Baby" Gumm's first appearance came at the age of two-and-a-half, when she joined her two older sisters, Mary Jane ("Suzy") and Dorothy Virginia ("Jimmie") on stage for a chorus of "Jingle Bells" in a Christmas show at her father's theater on December 26, 1924.

In 1934, the sisters, who were touring the vaudeville circuit as "The Gumm Sisters", performed in Chicago at the Oriental Theater with George Jessel. He encouraged the group to choose a more appealing name after "Gumm" received small laughter from the audience. They settled on "The Garland Sisters", and young Frances soon afterward picked the name "Judy" after a popular song of the day by Hoagy Carmichael.

A rumor persists that Jessel came up with the last name Garland after Carole Lombard's character Lily Garland in the film Twentieth Century, which was playing at the Oriental; another rumor is that the sisters came up with the surname Garland after drama critic Robert Garland,[1] though Lorna Luft stated in her book Me and My Shadows that her mother chose the name when Jessel announced that the trio of singers "looked prettier than a garland of flowers". Still another variation would surface in 1963 when Jessel guested on Garland's television show. He claimed on air that he had sent actress Judith Anderson a telegram containing the word "garland" and it stuck in his mind; Judy agreed. However, it's entirely possible that after twenty-nine years, even Jessel and Garland may have forgotten exactly how she was named.


MGM

1935 - 1939

In 1935 Garland was signed to a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, supposedly without a screen test; she had actually done a test for the studio several months earlier. Garland's first notice by studio executives came after singing an arrangement of "You Made Me Love You" to Clark Gable at a birthday party held by the studio for the actor; her rendition proved so popular that MGM placed Garland and the song in their all-star extravaganza Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937). On November 16, 1935, at the age of 13, Garland suffered a terrible blow while doing a radio performance on the Shell Chateau Hour. Her beloved father who was hospitalized with spinal meningitis, took a turn for the worse, and died November 17 (see Ancestry section below). Her song that evening was her first professional rendition of "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart", a song which would become a standard in many of her concerts.[2]


After a string of minor roles, she landed the leading role of "Dorothy" in the MGM film The Wizard of Oz (1939) at the age of 16, and has been associated ever since with the song "Over the Rainbow." She received an honorary Academy Award for her performance in the film. After Oz, Garland became one of MGM's most bankable stars, proving particularly popular when teamed with fellow juvenile star Mickey Rooney in a string of backstage musicals. The duo first appeared together in the 1937 b-movie Thoroughbreds Don't Cry. They became a sensation and they teamed up again in Love Finds Andy Hardy, and then soon after in Babes in Arms. Garland eventually would star with Rooney in nine films.

To keep up with the frantic pace of making one film after another, Garland, Rooney, and other young performers were constantly given amphetamines, as well as barbiturates, to take before bedtime.[3] For Garland, this constant dose of drugs would lead to addiction and a lifelong struggle, as well as her eventual demise. In her later life, she would resent the hectic work and she felt that her youth was stolen from her by MGM. Despite her ability to fill concert halls worldwide, critical praise, successful film and recording careers and several awards, throughout her life she was plagued with self-doubt and required constant reassurance that she was talented[4]. Oscar Levant would later remark that ""At parties, Judy could sing all night, endlessly… but when it came time to appear on a movie set, she just wouldn't show up."[5]


Garland (aged 16) was becoming one of the most recognizable child stars at MGM by this time.Garland's physical appearance created a dilemma for MGM, and she felt unattractive. At only 4 foot 11 inches, Garland's cute girl-next-door looks did not exemplify the sexy or glamorous looks required for leading ladies of the time, and her appearance caused her anxiety. As she aged, Garland went through a transformation process throughout her film career. During her early years at the studio, she was photographed and dressed in plain garments, or frilly juvenile gowns and costumes to match the girl next door image that was created for her - and also to disguise her budding figure [6] [7].


1940 - 1950

In 1940, she starred in three films; Andy Hardy Meets Debutante, Strike up the Band and Little Nellie Kelly [8], playing her first adult role, a dual role of mother and daughter. The project was purchased from George M. Cohan as a vehicle for Garland to assess both her audience appeal and her physical appearance. The role was a challenge for the young actress requiring the use of an accent, her first adult kiss and her first (and subsequently, only) death scene [9]. The success of these three films-and a further three films in 1941- secured her position at MGM as a major property. In 1942, noticeably thinner, she was given the lead role in For Me and My Gal alongside Gene Kelly in his first screen appearance. She was top billed over the credits for the first time and effectively made the direct transition from teenage star to an adult actress.

By 1943, at the age of 21, she was finally given the "glamour treatment" in Presenting Lily Mars, in which she was dressed in "grown-up" gowns and her lightened hair was pulled-up in a stylish fashion. Years later when reflecting on her mother's film image, Liza Minnelli stated that in her opinion her mother looked "the most beautiful in this film". However, no matter how glamorous or beautiful she appeared on screen or in photographs, she was never confident in her appearance and never escaped the girl next door image that had been created for her [10].

By 1944, Garland was given a new make-up artist specifically requested by Vincente Minnelli. Dorothy Ponedel refined Judy's appearance in several ways, including extending and reshaping her eyebrows, tweezing her hairline, modifying her lipline and getting rid of the unnecessary nose discs [11]. Judy appreciated the results so much that Ponedel was written into her contract for all her remaining pictures at MGM. Interestingly, MGM's attempts to "glamorize" Garland stopped in 1948, at which time her appearance was natural yet refined. Publicly, Garland stated that she was never quite happy with her appearance on screen except in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and The Clock (1945).

One of Garland's most successful films for MGM is the 1944 classic Meet Me in St. Louis, in which she introduced three standards: "The Trolley Song", "The Boy Next Door", and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". The Clock (1945) was her first straight dramatic film; she starred opposite Robert Walker. Though the film was critically praised and did earn a profit, most movie fans expected her to sing. Therefore, it would be many years before she acted again in a non-singing dramatic role.

Garland's other famous films of the 1940s include The Harvey Girls (1946) (in which she introduced "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" which was the Academy Award winning song for that year), The Pirate and Easter Parade (both 1948).

During filming for The Pirate, in April 1947, Garland suffered a nervous breakdown and had to be led away from the set.[12] After this, Garland had a number of other breakdowns that would lead to her departure from MGM; it would also reveal the emotional turmoil that Garland suffered. Two months later, Garland made her first suicide attempt.

Following her work on The Pirate, Garland would complete three more films with MGM; Easter Parade, In the Good Old Summertime, and her final film Summer Stock. Garland was cast in the movie adaptation of Annie Get Your Gun in the title role of Annie Oakley but after various issues Garland was fired from the production and shortly thereafter removed from MGM Studios.[citation needed]


Renewed stardom on the stage and television

In 1951, Garland divorced Vincente Minnelli and married Sid Luft, her manager at the time. In 1952, a daughter, Lorna Luft, was born. 1951 was a milestone year for Garland and established what was to become her performing style for the rest of her life. She turned to live concert appearances and took her new act to Britain, where she played to sold out audiences throughout England, Scotland, and Ireland [13] [1]. This first European tour was an enormous success, and she appeared at the famous London Palladium for the first time. Shortly afterwards, Garland appeared at New York's Palace Theatre, also for the first time. For this, she received a special Tony Award. She also appeared on various television specials during the early 50s.

In 1954, she made a notable cinema comeback for Warner Bros. with A Star Is Born, and was nominated for Best Actress. This film is considered by many critics to be her finest performance. Directed by George Cukor and produced by her husband Sid Luft (through Garland and Luft's Transcona Enterprises), it was a large undertaking in which Garland fully immersed herself. It was also a physically demanding role that had Garland on edge and, for the most part, constantly worried. Upon its release, the film was cut by almost 30 minutes amid fears it was too long.

In the run-up to the 27th Academy Awards, Garland was believed to be the most likely winner for Best Actress. She could not attend the ceremony because she had just given birth to her son Joseph Luft; a television crew entered Garland's room with cameras and wires, in the hope that Garland would win the Best Actress award, to televise Garland's award speech. However, the Oscar went to Grace Kelly for The Country Girl (1954). Many fans hold that Garland was "robbed" of her Oscar, and should have won the award (Groucho Marx sent her a famous telegram after the awards, stating that it was "the biggest robbery since Brinks"). However she did win the Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Musical that year.

Garland and Luft's original contract with Warner Bros. was for three pictures; however, Jack Warner was upset with cost and schedule overruns on "A Star is Born", and Garland and Luft made no more films for the studio.

Although she made no other films in the 1950s, Garland's films after A Star Is Born include Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) (for which she was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role), the animated feature Gay Purr-ee (1962), A Child Is Waiting (1963, co-starring Burt Lancaster), and her final film, I Could Go On Singing (1963, co-starring Dirk Bogarde), which mirrored her own life in the story of a world famous singing star.

In November 1959, Garland was diagnosed with acute hepatitis and told that she "would never sing again" [2]. However, Garland successfully recovered and returned to both films and television; her concert appearance at Carnegie Hall on April 23, 1961, was a considerable highlight, called by many "the greatest night in show business history."[14] The 2-record live recording made of the concert was a best-seller (certified gold), charting for 73 weeks on Billboard (13 weeks at number one), and won five Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and Best Female Vocal of the Year. The album has never been out of print.

After hugely successful television specials and guest appearances in the early 1960s, CBS made a $24 million offer to Garland for a weekly television series of her own, The Judy Garland Show, which was deemed at the time in the press to be "the biggest talent deal in TV history." Her television series was critically praised, but, for a variety of reasons-including the fact it was placed in the same time slot opposite Bonanza on NBC-the show lasted only one season, and went off the air in 1964, after 26 episodes. Despite this, the show won four Emmy nominations and included many notable performances by Garland. The demise of the series was personally and financially devastating for Garland, and she never fully recovered from its failure.


Her final years

With the demise of her television series, Garland returned to the stage and made various television appearances. Most notably, she performed at the London Palladium with her then 18-year-old daughter Liza Minnelli in November of 1964. The concert, which was also filmed for British station ITV, was one of Garland's final appearances at the venue. Garland, having divorced Sid Luft, continued to make concert appearances and also appeared on television specials. She made guest appearances on the The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, The Hollywood Palace, The Merv Griffin Show (of which she guest-hosted an episode) and many others.

A 1964 tour of Australia was largely disastrous. Although the reviews for the Sydney concert were positive [3], she could no longer hide the effects of alcohol and medication abuse. She forgot the lyrics to songs, slurred some lines which she remembered, and it was obvious she was ill or under the influence of medication. The Melbourne performance ended after only twenty minutes and created significant bad press for Garland [4].

In February 1967, Garland was signed to appear as "Helen Lawson" in Valley of the Dolls for 20th Century Fox. The character of "Neely O'Hara" in the book by Jacqueline Susann, and subsequent movie, was rumored to have been based on Garland, though the role in the film was played by Patty Duke. During the filming, Garland missed rehearsals and was fired the next month. She was replaced by Susan Hayward. She did record one song for the film, "I'll Plant My Own Tree," which has never been officially released, although it is available on several bootlegs. There is also surviving footage of her wardrobe tests. Barbara Parkins, one of the film's stars, commented in the 2006 DVD of Valley of the Dolls that she believed Garland was frightened by the thought of actually being the aging star she was supposed to play, and that she "freaked" when she realized the similarities between the storyline and her own life.

Returning to the stage, Garland made her last appearances at New York's Palace Theatre in July, a sixteen-show tour, performing with her children Lorna and Joey Luft. Garland wore a sequined pants-suit onstage for this tour, which was part of the original wardrobe for her character in Valley of the Dolls.

By early 1969, Garland's health had deteriorated rapidly. She performed in London, at the Talk of the Town nightclub for a five-week run, and made her last concert appearance in Copenhagen during March 1969.


Death

The shortcomings of Garland's childhood years became more apparent as she struggled to overcome various personal problems, including weight gain, weight loss, and serious drug addiction. She was found dead in her London home, in her bathroom by her last husband, Mickey Deans, on June 22, 1969. The stated exact cause of death by coroner Gavin Thursdon was accidental overdose of barbiturates; her blood contained the equivalent of 10 1.5-grain Seconal capsules.[15] Garland had turned 47 just over a week prior to her death. She was residing in a rented house with her husband in the Chelsea area of London at the time of her death.

At Garland's funeral, The Wizard of Oz co-star Ray Bolger commented, "She just plain wore out".[16] Garland is interred in Ferncliff Cemetery, in Hartsdale, New York [5].


Marriages

Of Garland's five marriages, the first four ended in divorce. Her children are Liza Minnelli (singer and actress) born March 1946, Lorna Luft (also an acclaimed singer), born November 21, 1952 and Joey Luft (a scenic photographer), born March 29, 1955 in Los Angeles, California).

David Rose; married 1941-1945
Vincente Minnelli; married 1945-1952; one daughter, Liza Minnelli
Sidney Luft; married 1952-1965; one daughter, Lorna Luft, and one son, Joey Luft
Mark Herron; married 1965-1967
Mickey Deans; married March 1969-June 1969

Ancestry

Garland's family tree [6] can be traced back to the early colonization of the United States (on both her paternal and maternal family lines).

Her earliest paternal ancestor was George Marable (1631 - 1683), who traveled to Virginia from Kent, England, circa 1652 and was one of the first colonists settling in what is now Jamestown, Virginia. The Marable families [7] of the southern United States all derived from the aforementioned George Marable [17].

The Marable family were wealthy southern aristocracy and as such were slave owners. By the time of the Civil War, the Marable family of Jamestown, Virginia, had spread across the South. Marables are named in the rosters of units from at least nine of the Confederate States including units from Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, and were among the dead at Gettysburg. In Virginia, Edward W. Marable of the Charles City Southern Guard served aboard the Confederate ship Patrick Henry during the engagement of the Merrimack (C.S.S. Virginia)with the Federal fleet at Hampton Roads. John H. Marable of the 13th Virginia Cavalry served as a courier for Gen. J. E. B. Stuart [18].

It is from Benjamin Marable (1710 - 1773), who traveled to Tennessee, that the Gumm family is descended. The Gumm name can also be found in the registers of soldiers who fought for the Confederacy throughout Rutherford County, Tennessee [19].

Garland's father was Francis Avent Gumm, the fourth of six children born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee on March 20, 1886. He died on November 17, 1935, in Los Angeles, California. His parents were William Tecumseh Gumm (1854 - 1906) and Elizabeth Clemmie Baugh (1857 - 1895). The Gumm family was a mixture of English, Irish, Scottish, French Huguenot and German [20].

Frank Gumm married Ethel Marian Milne, who was born on November 17, 1893 in Michigamme, Michigan. She died January 5, 1953 in Los Angeles, California. Ethel was the eldest of eight children born to Eva Fitzpatrick (born on January 4, 1865 in Messina, New York) and John Milne (born October 15, 1865 in Ontario Canada). His parents were Charles Milne (born in 1829 in Arbroath Scotland) and Mary Kelso (born 1837 in Kilmarnock Scotland)[21] (reference: The Golden Years by Rita Piro).

Eva Fitzpatrick-Milne was the daughter of Hugh Fitzpatrick (1838 - 1908), whose family arrived in the United States from Smithtown, County Meath, Ireland in the 1770s and Mary-Elizabeth Harriot (born December 23, 1841 in Dublin, Ireland). Mary, one of thousands of orphans as a result of the Irish Famine, was raised in a Dublin convent;[22]. In 1858, at the age of 17, she married Hugh Fitzpatrick (an Irish-American) who was visiting Dublin. That same year, the newlyweds sailed to America. They had ten children. Mary died on January 24, 1908 in Detroit, Michigan. The Fitzpatrick family fought on the side of the British during the Revolutionary War and as a result, Peter Fitzpatrick (1752 - 1812) son of Patrick Fitzpatrick (1727) was sentenced to be hung as a spy, but this was not carried out and the family moved across the border into Canada;[23] (reference: The Golden Years by Rita Piro).

Eva Fitzpatrick-Milne lived with Judy Garland until her death on October 17, 1949 at the age of 84. She is buried with Garland's father in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale CA. Garland's mother is also buried nearby in a separate grave[24] (reference: The Golden Years by Rita Piro).

A family link between Garland and the 18th United States President Ulysses S Grant has often been incorrectly stated. Garland's great, great grandfather Hugh Fitzpatrick (1809 - 1878) was married twice; his second wife was Catherine Grant, a first cousin of Grant. However, Garland is descended from a son, also named Hugh (born 1838), from his first wife (Margaret Ross, 1807 - 1845), therefore there is no blood link [25].

When commenting on her ancestry, Garland described herself as Irish and Scottish and referred to herself during a 1963 press conference as "just an Irish biddy"[26]. In her autobiography Lorna Luft states that her family had an "Irish charm" and that "often the family survived on charm alone".[27]

Lionel Jeffries
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Born June 10, 1926 (1926-06-10)
Forest Hill, London, England, UK
Notable roles Grandad Potts
in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Lionel Charles Jeffries (born June 10, 1926 in Forest Hill, London, England) is an actor, screenwriter and film director.




Life and work

He attended the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wimborne and then trained at RADA after his World War II service. He then went into repertory at the David Garrick Theatre, Lichfield for 2 years and appeared in early British television plays. The Colditz Story (1955)as Harry Tyler He built a successful career in British Films mainly in comic character roles and as he was prematurely bald he often played characters older than himself. His acting career reached a peak in the 1960s in leading roles in films like Two-Way Stretch (1960), The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960), First Men in the Moon (1964), Camelot (1967) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968).

In the 1970s he turned to writing and directing children's films, including the celebrated 1970 version of The Railway Children. He belongs to the British Catholic Stage Guild, formerly headed by the late actress Patricia Hayes.


Trivia

In the 2004 Programme on ITV 'After They Were Famous' Lional Jefferies was the only main, original character, of those still alive, who failed to appear in the 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' reunion episode.

Elizabeth Hurley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Birth name Elizabeth Jane Hurley
Born June 10, 1965 (1965-06-10) (age 42)
Basingstoke, Hampshire, England
Spouse(s) Arun Nayar (2 March 2007 - present)
Notable roles Vanessa Kensington in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
The Devil in Bedazzled

Ann Beamer in Double Whammy

Elizabeth Jane Hurley (born 10 June 1965) is an English actress, fashion model, producer and designer.





Early life

Elizabeth Hurley was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England in 1965.[1] Hurley's father, a lapsed Catholic of Irish descent, was a British Army major, while her mother, an Anglican, was a schoolteacher at Kempshott Infant School.[1] She has an older sister, Debbie, and a younger brother, Michael.

Hurley took ballet classes as a child. She went to Kempshott Junior and Infants school, and the Harriet Costello School now known as Costello Technology College. Hurley later attended Queen Mary's College, Basingstoke, for one year, followed by Basingstoke College of Technology and won a scholarship to the London Studio Centre.[2]

Whilst in her teens and before she was in the public eye, she became involved with punk fashion, where she dyed her hair pink and pierced her nose.[3] She associated with New Age Travellers who, typically, sat under The Buttercross monument and the grounds of the Cathedral in Winchester, near to where she lived.


Career

A start in Hurleys' career came in the late 1980s, when she won a Face of the Year competition at a local newspaper in Winchester, and gained a year's modelling contract with a prestigious London firm as the first prize. She made her first film appearance in Aria in 1987[1] and attracted some attention with the Dennis Potter-directed UK TV movie Christabel in the late 1980s, and appeared in several low budget English and Hollywood films, including the 1992 thriller Passenger 57, in which Hurley played a stewardess. She also appeared on television on both sides of the Atlantic, appearing in the British series Rumpole of the Bailey and the George Lucas-produced The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

In 1994 Hurley attended the London première of the film Four Weddings and a Funeral starring her then-companion Hugh Grant. Hurley's appearance in a black plunging Versace dress held together with gold safety pins gained her considerable media attention. It has often been referred to simply as "that dress"[4] and is credited with the launch of her high profile career.[3] Following Versace's murder in 1997, the London Times' obituary cited it as the thing for which the subject was best known.

In 1995 Hurley began working with top cosmetics company Estée Lauder as their main spokes model.[3] Within her first month with the company, Hurley launched the best-selling perfume, Pleasures. In 2007 Hurley's contract with Estée Lauder was renewed for the 13th year with a subsequent contract extension.


Hurley and Grant had previously joined forces to create Simian Films, a production company, during their relationship. Through this joint venture Hurley produced two films starring Grant, Extreme Measures (1996) and Mickey Blue Eyes (1999).[3] She also produced the 2004 film Method in which she starred. In 2006 the company was dissolved as both Hurley and Grant focused on other projects.

Hurley was cast as the female lead as Vanessa Kensington in the hit Mike Myers spy comedy Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery in 1997 which gained her further crucial exposure in the film industry.[3] After the success of that film, she reprised the role of Vanessa in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me in 1999 and appeared in several more high-profile films, including EdTV, Bedazzled, Double Whammy and 2002's Serving Sara, which was her last American film to date. Hurley also hosted the first season of the British reality series Project Catwalk featuring novice fashion designers.

Hurley became a favourite with the press again in 2000 when she fell foul of US acting unions. She had filmed an advertisement for Estée Lauder which broke a five-month strike. She was subsequently fined £70,000 by the Screen Actors Guild. She apologised for breaking the strike but said she had been unaware that it was going on as she had been based in the UK and the union had not informed her of the industrial action. She was confronted by a protest of angry actors at the US première of her film Bedazzled in October where protesters brandished banners stating "Elizabeth Scably".[5]

In 2005 Hurley's beachwear line Elizabeth Hurley Beach debuted in select Saks Fifth Avenue stores in the United States, Harrod's in the UK, various other locations worldwide and through her website.[6] In 2006, the line expanded its distribution among Europe, the Middle East, Australia and Asia. In 2007, Hurley was voted best "British Body Idol" in New Woman magazine. 5,000 women cast their votes on which British woman they thought was the best body idol.[7]


Charity work

Since she signed with Estée Lauder, Hurley has taken an active role in the company's breast cancer charity. Hurley revealed that her grandmother died from breast cancer because for a number of years she refused to reveal the existence of a lump.[8] By the time this was revealed, it was too late to save her life. Hurley was the Mistress of Ceremonies at "The Hot Pink Party" at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City to mark the tenth anniversary of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Additionally, Estée Lauder created a lipstick named "Elizabeth Pink" after Hurley; proceeds from the sale of every tube of "Elizabeth Pink" benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.[9]

Hurley has also acted as mistress of ceremonies for The Prince's Trust, a charity founded by Prince Charles which aids youth in Great Britain. She has also helped cricketer and friend Imran Khan with his cancer hospital in Pakistan. Ironically, Imran's ex-wife was the girlfriend of Hurley's ex boyfriend, Hugh Grant, connecting all four together.


Personal life

Hurley had a high profile 13-year relationship with actor Hugh Grant, spanning from 1986-2000.[3] After their relationship ended, the two reportedly remained cordial. Hurley's romantic relationship with American billionaire Ted Forstmann is also thought to have begun in 2000.[10] After dating, the two remained friends. In October 2000, Hurley began a relationship with multi-millionaire American film producer Stephen Bing. In 2001 the then 35-year old Hurley was dating 63-year old Colombo crime family capo Dominic Montemarano[1] Elizabeth met Dominick Montemarano a.k.a. "Donnie Shacks", on the set of Liz's boyfriend Steve Bing's movie, Night At The Golden Eagle. A spokesman for Hurley said, "Elizabeth has an actor friend called Donnie who has a part in the film. That is all we would like to say." Once a capo in the Colombo crime family, Montemarano was released from prison in 1996 after serving a sentence for racketeering and extortion. It is not known if Hurley is aware of Montemarano's extensive career in organized crime in the past and ongoing friendship with Gennaro Langella. Montemarano was still under a federal supervision order until 2003. An associate of Montemarano said, "Donnie just loves being around Liz. There is no question of it being a sexual affair, but they are certainly very good friends. He may seem an odd choice of friend, but he is definitely a better man to have on your side than against you." Some old court documents and FBI transcripts indicate that Montemarano can be very charming. In 2001 Hurley revealed that she was pregnant with Bing's child, but the couple had already separated after 18 months together, before the announcement was made.[11] Bing publicly questioned the paternity of the child and disputed Hurley's description of a faithful relationship.[3] On 4 April 2002, Hurley gave birth to a son, Damian Charles Hurley. In June 2002 DNA test conducted four months after the child's birth vindicated Hurley, and Bing was proven to be the father after much dispute.[3] Hugh Grant is one of Damian's godfathers. Hurley is thought to have negotiated a $2.1 million deal for the first photos with her son.[12]

According to the Daily Mail in 2004, Hurley has earned £13 million through her career.[13] Elizabeth Hurley maintains three homes: in London; in Ampney Crucis, a village in Gloucestershire; and in Beverly Hills, California.


Wedding

On 2 March 2007, Hurley married Indian businessman Arun Nayar in a secret service at Sudeley Castle, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.[14] The couple were due to get married on March 3, 2007, but decided to keep the ceremony private so held it one day early[15] but with only the guests being informed of this change in date. Hurley contracted an exclusive magazine deal with magazine Hello!, thought to be worth £2 to 5 million with the overall cost of the wedding being estimated at a total of £2 million.[16] Many famous celebrities attended the wedding ceremonies and other celebrations. Some included Elton John (who gave her away [17]), David Furnish, Elle Macpherson, Donatella Versace, Patsy Kensit, Trinny Woodall, Susannah Constantine, Tamara Mellon, Eva Herzigova, Janet Street-Porter, Valentino, Tracey Emin, Prince Pavlos, Marie-Chantal Miller, Tom Ford, Flavio Briatore, Tania Bryer and Leonard Lauder.[18][19][20][21]

The wedding festivities continued in Mumbai, India where they joined a private celebration held at Juhu Beach before moving on to Jodhpur, India. In Jodhpur, they held a private Hindu ceremony held at Umaid Bhawan Palace,[22][23] where she wore couture sari made especially by her designer friend Donatella Versace.[24] On the eve of the Hindu marriage, the couple held a sangeet, a traditional night of music, at the Nagaur Fort, 90 miles outside the city, where Hurley had her hands and feet decorated with intricate henna designs.[22] Hurley performed the sangeet with close friends Trinny Woodall and Janet Street-Porter.[25] The ceremony followed by private candle-lit reception on March 8 at Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur. The whole fort was decorated with lights for the function. On Hurley and Nayar's arrival outside Mehrangarh fort in Jodhpur, a fight broke out between reporters and security guards when reporters tried to block the celebrity couple's Bentley as it entered the venue for a dinner. The journalists and paparazzi then chased the car into the fort, forcing a lockdown.[26]

An old couple was just settling in to bed one night when the phone
rang.

The husband got out of bed and went into the living room to answer
the phone. His wife could hear him say, "Hello?" Then he said, "Sure
is."
He hung up the receiver and went back to bed.

A minute later the phone rang again. The husband got out of bed
and went into the other room and his wife could hear him say,
"Hello?" and then he said, "Sure is." He hung up the receiver
and went back to bed.

The wife asked who it was.

The man said he didn't know.

A minute later the phone rang again. The husband got out of
bed and went into the other room and his wife could hear him
say, "Hello?" Then he said, "Sure is." He hung up the receiver
and went back to bed.

The wife asked again about the caller.

The man said he didn't know who it was.

The wife then asked, "Well, what did the person say?"

He said, "It's odd, a woman just keeps saying,
'Long distance from Chicago..'"

Good morning, WA2K listeners and contributors.

Well, Boston Bob, I see you are up early today. Thanks for the bio's, and I think we know most of them.

I recall having read a book some time back called A FUNNY THING HAPPENED TO ME ON MY WAY TO THE GRAVE. It has been awhile, but Jack Douglas, author, married a Japanese girl and remarked that the only thing he knew in the Japanese tongue was Sessue Hayakawa-funny, folks.

Will await our Raggedy to do her collage. (nobody does it better) and then will comment. Until then, here is a song from Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang in which Lionel Jeffries starred.

Every bursted bubble has a glory!
Each abysmal failure makes a point!
Every glowing path that goes astray,
Shows you how to find a better way.
So every time you stumble never grumble.
Next time you'll bumble even less!
For up from the ashes, up from the ashes, grow the roses of success!
Grow the roses!
Grow the roses!
Grow the roses of success!
Oh yes!
Grow the roses!
Those rosy roses!
From the ashes of disaster grow the roses of success!

Good morning WA2K.

Thank you, Letty.

Interesting bios.

There she is, listeners. What a great quintet today, Raggedy.

We're looking at Sessu, Hattie, Judy, Lionel, and Elizabeth.

Here's a song inspired by GWTW, folks.

Gone With The Wind
Horace Heidt (#1 in 1937)
- written by Herb Magidson and Allie Wrubel

Gone with the wind
Just like a leaf that has blown away
Gone with the wind
My romance has flown away
Yesterday's kisses are still on my lips
I had a lifetime of heaven at my fingertips
But now all is gone
Gone in the rapture that thrilled my heart
Gone with the wind
The gladness that filled my heart
Just like a flame
Love burned brightly, then became an empty smoke dream that has gone
Gone with the wind

Many of you may not remember Olen, but I learned from Miller and Jes that he died last month. He was a combat veteran in WWII and flew in both the Pacific and European theaters.

For you, Olen, as I suspect that you are flying high into the sun.

Off we go into the wild blue yonder
Climbing high into the sun
Here they come, zooming to meet us yonder,
Atta boy give 'em the gun.

Down we dive spouting our flame from under
Off with one terrible roar,
We live in fame,
Of go down in flame,
For nothing can stop the army air corps.

It is difficult for me to believe that WWII was the last war declared by Congress.

I remember olan, but was not well acquainted with him. It's sad news when any a2k member dies. My condolences to friends and survivors.

THE WALLFLOWERS

"The Beautiful Side Of Somewhere"

Tomorrow is gonna make you cry
It's gonna to make you kneel
Before it breaks you from inside
Still pressing on
Arm over arm
Still trying to get both feet back onto the ground
They are harvesting these fields in autumn.
We're different now than when we started

I am ready to wake up
There in the exodus
On the beautiful side of somewhere baby

There on the pavement
Underneath the yellow moon
I think of you
And just how easily we bruise
The folded address in my pocket i have stuffed
Trying to believe for you
That the bottom didn't drop
I am on the platform
Covered with dust
I pray they take the both of us

I am ready to wake up
There in the exodus
On the beautiful side of somewhere baby
I am ready to come down
To see us both somehow
On the beautiful side of somewhere someday

You know, edgar and all. I had a strange feeling on D-Day. When I was watching the local news on TV, A WWII veteran appeared and his name was identical to my brother's name.

Here is an answer to your song, Texas.

The Statler Brothers

I keep hearing you're concerned about my happiness
But all that thought you're giving me is conscience, I guess
If I were walking in your shoes I wouldn't worry none
While you and your friends are worrying 'bout me, I'm having lots of fun

Counting flowers on the wall
That don't bother me at all
Playing solitaire till dawn with a deck of 51
Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo
Now don't tell me I've nothing to do

Last night I dressed in tails pretended I was on the town
As long as I can dream it's hard to slow this swinger down
So please don't give a thought to me I'm really doing fine
You can always find me here and having quite a time

Counting flowers on the wall
That don't bother me at all
Playing solitaire till dawn with a deck of 51
Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo
Now don't tell me I've nothing to do

It's good to see you, I must go, I know I look a fright
Anyway my eyes are not accustomed to this light
And my shoes are not accustomed to this hard concrete
So I must go back to my room and make my day complete

Counting flowers on the wall
That don't bother me at all
Playing solitaire till dawn with a deck of 51
Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo
Now don't tell me I've nothing to do.

They also did a very funny album called Road Hog Moran and the Cadillac Cowboys

Third Rate Romance
Amazing Rhythm Aces

Sittin' at a tiny table
In a ritzy restaurant
She was starin' at her coffee cup
He was tryin' to keep his courage up
By applying booze
The talk was small
When they talked at all
They both knew what they wanted
There was no need to talk about it
They were old enough to scoff it out
And keep it loose
She said, you don't look like my type
But I guess you'll do
Third rate romance
Low rent rendezvous
He said, I'll even tell you
That I love you
If you want me to
Third rate romance
Low rent rendezvous

---- Musical Interlude ----

And they left the bar
They got in his car
And they drove away
He drove to the Family Inn
She didn't even have to pretend
She didn't know what for
Then he went to the desk
And made his request
While she waited outside
And he came back with the key
And she said, give it to me
And I'll unlock the door

She kept sayin'
I've never really done
This kind of thing before
Have you
Third rate romance
Low rent rendezvous
And he said, yes I have
But only a time or two
Third rate romance
Low rent rendezvous
Third rate romance
Low rent rendezvous
Third rate romance
Low rent rendezvous

Aha, edgar. That was inspired by Setanta, right?

Here's another inspiration, folks.


Song: Let's Kiss And Make Up Lyrics

I didn't mean to
start any scene to,
Make you sigh
or to lie.
It's most immoral
for us to quarrel.
Why can we
both agree?
Don't you know Ben Franklin
wrote about this thing at length?
On the proposition that
in union there is strength.
Why raise a storm up
if we'll just warm up?
We'll be much stronger
and live much longer.
Let's kiss and make up,
Come on, let's wake up
For I need you
and you need me.
Let's kiss and make up,
No use to break up
when we can work in harmony.
I'll give you your way
You'll give me my way
and out the doorway
our cares will fly away.
If we'd be happy
the way is clear
Let's kiss and makeup
no use to break up
We need each other, dear.

Alabam
Pat Boone

Well, I went to a
Turkey roast down the street
The people down there
Eat like wild geese

I'm on my way
I'm going back to Alabam

Talk about your people
Have a whale of a time
Eatinh up the chicken
And drinking their wine

I'm on my way
I'm going back to Alabam

Pick it for me one time, Jim

Now some folks say that
A tramp won't steal
But I caught three
In my corn field

I'm on my way
I'm going back to Alabam

One had a bushel
The other had a peck
And one had a roasting ear
Tied around his neck

I'm on my way
I'm going back to Alabam

Now just put a little
Knuckle grease in there
That gets it

There comes Sal
Walking down the street
With the run down shoes
Tied on her feet

Good morning, honey
My, don't you look casual
You just stand there
And let me look at you

Hello Sal, why, I know you
With a run down slipper
And a tore up shoe

I'm on my way
I'm going back to Alabam

I'll be right back, Jim
Don't go way

When I get ready
To leave this earth
I'm gonna look on
My money's worth

I'm on my way
I'm going back to Alabam
I'm going back to Alabam

here is billie holiday singing for us . perhaps the title could just us well have been : "I'm gonna do just what I want to " - isn't that what we all do - at least sometimes ? but billie says : "Ain't Nobody's Business " .
hbg

and here is mose allison saying :
"Next week I could be over the hill " .
lucky son of a gun - he has at least another week to go !
he better enjoy it while he can !
hbg