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Is there anybody gone to listen to my story
All about the girl who came to stay?
She's the kind of girl you want so much
It makes you sorry;
Still, you don't regret a single day.
Ah girl! Girl!

When I think of all the times I've tried to leave her
She will turn to me and start to cry;
And she promises the earth to me
And I believe her.
After all this times I don't know why.
Ah, girl! Girl!

She's the kind of girl who puts you down
When friends are there, you feel a fool.
Didididi..
When you say she's looking good
She acts as if it's understood.
She's cool, cool, cool, cool,
Girl! Girl! [Was she]

Was she told when she was young the pain
Would lead to pleasure?
Did she understand it when they said
That a man must break his back to earn
His day of leisure?
Will she still believe it when he's dead?
Ah girl! Girl! Girl!
Girl

The Beatles

Good morning, WA2K folks.

edgar, that song by the fab four says a lot about a relationship, buddy. Thanks for the reminder.

Today is Helen Reddy's birthday. I had no idea that she was Australian. Hope the hawkman is all right, but until we look up and see his wings in flight, we will do a photo and song.



An old favorite, listeners.

Delta Dawn what's that flower you have on?
Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?
And did I hear you say he was a meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky-eye

She's 41 and her daddy still calls her baby
All the folks 'round Brownsville say she's crazy
Cause she walks downtown with her suitcase in her hand
Lookin' for a mysterious dark-haired man

In her younger days they called her delta dawn
Prettiest woman you ever laid eyes on
When a man of low degree stood by her side
Promised her he'd take her for his bride

Delta Dawn what's that flower you have on?
Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?
And did I hear you say he was a meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky -eye

Delta Dawn what's that flower you have on
Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?
And did I hear you say he was meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky-eye

Delta Dawn what's that flower you have on?
Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?
And did I hear you say he was a meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky-eye

Delta Dawn what's that flower you have on?
Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?
And did I hear you say he was a meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky-eye

Delta Dawn what's that flower you have on?
Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?
And did I hear you say he was a meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky-eye

Georges Bizet

Georges Bizet (October 25, 1838 - June 3, 1875) was a French composer and pianist of the romantic era. He is best known for his opera Carmen.




Biography

Bizet was born in Paris, France at 28 rue de la Tour d'Auvergne. He was registered with the legal name Alexandre-César-Léopold Bizet, but was baptized Georges Bizet and was always known by the latter name. He entered the Paris Conservatory of Music a fortnight before his tenth birthday.

His first symphony, the Symphony in C Major, was written there when he was seventeen, evidently as a student assignment. It seems that Bizet completely forgot about it himself, and it was not discovered again until 1935, in the archives of the Conservatory library. Upon its first performance, it was immediately hailed as a junior masterwork and a welcome addition to the early Romantic period repertoire. A delightful work (and a prodigious one, from a seventeen-year-old boy), the symphony is noteworthy for bearing an amazing stylistic resemblance to the music of Franz Schubert, whose work was virtually unknown in Paris at that time (with the possible exception of a few of his songs). A second symphony, "Roman" was not completed.

At the Conservatoire Bizet studied under Fromental Halévy, whose daughter Genéviève he later married. On Halévy's death in 1864 Bizet made a completion of his last, unfinished, opera Noé, but in the event this was not performed until 1885, ten years after Bizet's own death. Bizet's son by Genéviève, Jacques Bizet, became a school-friend of Marcel Proust, who used Genéviève (who became a noted society hostess in her second marriage) as a model for the Duchesse de Guermantes in his roman fleuve A la recherche du temps perdu.

In 1857 a setting of the one-act operetta Le docteur Miracle won him a share in a prize offered by Jacques Offenbach. He also won the Music Composition scholarship of the Prix de Rome, the conditions of which required him to study in Rome for three years. There, his talent developed as he wrote such works as the opera Don Procopio. Apart from this period in Rome, Bizet lived in the Paris area all his life.

His mother died shortly after his return to Paris. He composed the opera Les pêcheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers) for the Theatre-Lyrique in 1863, which was an initial failure. He followed it with La jolie fille de Perth (1867),and Jeux d'enfants (Children's games) for the piano.

The popular L'arlésienne were originally produced as incidental music for a play by Alphonse Daudet, first performed in 1872. He also composed a romantic opera, Djamileh, which is often seen as a precursor to Carmen, 1875. This latter opera is Bizet's best-known work and is based on a novella of the same title written in 1846 by Prosper Mérimée. Bizet composed the title role for a mezzo-soprano.

Carmen was not initially well-received but praise for it eventually came from well-known contemporaries including Claude Debussy, Camille Saint-Saëns and Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Their views proved to be prophetic, as Carmen has since become one of the most popular works in the entire operatic repertoire. However Bizet did not live to see its success, as he died from angina at the age of 36 a few months after its first few performances, on his third wedding anniversary. He was buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

Bizet's music has been used in the twentieth century as the basis for several important ballets. The Soviet-era "Carmen Suite" (1967), set to music drawn from Carmen arranged by Rodion Shchedrin, gave the Bolshoi ballerina Maya Plisetskaya one of her signature roles; it was choreographed by Alberto Alonso. In the West the "L'Arlesienne" of Roland Petit is well-regarded, and the "Symphony in C" by George Balanchine is considered to be one of the great ballets of the twentieth century. It was first presented as Le Palais de Crystal by the Paris Opera Ballet in 1947, and has been in the repertory there ever since. The ballet has no story; it simply fits the music: each movement of the symphony has its own ballerina, cavalier, and Corps de Ballet, all of whom dance together in the finale.

Richard Evelyn Byrd
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Richard Evelyn Byrd
October 25, 1888-March 11, 1957 (aged 68)


Place of birth Winchester, Virginia
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Navy
Years of service 1912
Rank Rear Admiral
Awards Medal of Honor
Navy Cross
Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Flying Cross
Legion of Merit

Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, USN (October 25, 1888 - March 11, 1957) was a pioneering American polar explorer, famous aviator and a recipient of the Medal of Honor.





Early Years

Richard Evelyn Byrd was born into one of Virginia's First Families in Winchester, Virginia, and is a direct descendant of Pocahontas and John Rolfe. His parents were Richard Evelyn Byrd and Eleanor Bolling Flood. A descendant of William Byrd II of Westover Plantation (founder of Richmond, Virginia), his brother was Harry Flood Byrd who became a Governor of Virginia and U.S. Senator. He has no relationship to West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd.

Richard E. Byrd attended the Virginia Military Institute and the University of Virginia before financial circumstances inspired his enrollment and graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 1912. He learned to fly in World War I during his tour with the United States Navy. He developed a passion for flight, and pioneered many techniques for navigating airplanes over the open ocean including drift indicators and bubble sextants. His expertise in this area resulted in his appointment to plan the flight path for the U.S. Navy's 1919 transatlantic crossing. Of the three flying boats that attempted it, only Albert Read's aircraft the NC-4 completed the trip; becoming the first ever transatlantic flight.


North Pole flight, 1926

On May 9, 1926, Byrd and pilot Floyd Bennett attempted a flight over the North Pole. Byrd claimed to have achieved the pole, Floyd denied this[1] . This trip earned Byrd widespread acclaim, including being awarded the Medal of Honor, and enabled him to secure funding for subsequent attempts on the South Pole.

Norwegian-American aviator and explorer Bernt Balchen cast doubt on Byrd's claim based on his personal knowledge of the airplane's speed; Balchen speculated that Byrd had simply circled aimlessly while out of sight of land.[2]

The discovery of Byrd's diary of the flight in 1996 revealed erased (but still legible) sextant sights that sharply differ with Byrd's later typewritten official report. Dennis Rawlins has concluded on that basis that Byrd did travel most of the way to the Pole before turning back.

An alternate reading of Byrd's notes suggests that a tailwind may have been possible in both directions, allowing the distance claimed to be covered in the time claimed.[3] This suggestion has been refuted by Dennis Rawlins.[4]

It is claimed that Byrd confessed his failure to reach the North Pole during a long walk with Dr Isaiah Bowman in 1930.[5]


Trans-Atlantic flight, 1927

Byrd was one of several aviators who attempted to win the Orteig Prize in 1927 for making the first nonstop flight between the United States and France. Once again Byrd named Floyd Bennett as his chief pilot, with support from Bernt Balchen, Bert Acosta, and George Noville. During a practice takeoff with Bennett alone at the controls, the Fokker Trimotor airplane, America, crashed, severely injuring Bennett. As the plane was being repaired, Charles Lindbergh won the prize. But Byrd continued with his quest, naming Balchen to replace Bennett as chief pilot. Byrd, Balchen, Acosta, and Noville flew from Roosevelt Field East Garden City, New York on June 29, 1927. Arriving over France, cloud cover prevented a landing in Paris; they returned to the coast of Normandy, crash-landing without injury on July 1, 1927.[6]


First Antarctic expedition, 1928-1930

In 1928, Byrd began his first expedition to the Antarctic involving two ships and three airplanes. A base camp named "Little America" was constructed on the Ross Ice Shelf and scientific expeditions by dog-sled, snowmobile, and airplane began. Photographic expeditions and geological surveys were undertaken for the duration of that summer, and constant radio communications were maintained with the outside world. After their first winter, their expeditions were resumed, and on November 29, 1929, the famous flight to the South Pole and back was launched. Byrd, along with pilot Bernt Balchen, co-pilot/radioman Harold June, and photographer Ashley McKinley, flew the Floyd Bennett to the South Pole and back in 18 hours, 41 minutes. They had difficulty gaining enough altitude, and they had to dump empty gas tanks, as well as their emergency supplies, in order to achieve the altitude of the Polar Plateau. However, the flight was successful, and it entered Byrd into the history books. After a further summer of exploration, the expedition returned to North America on June 18, 1930.

Byrd, by then an internationally recognized, pioneering American polar explorer and aviator, served for a time as Honorary National President (1931-1935) of Pi Gamma Mu, the international honor society in the social sciences. In 1928, he carried the Society's flag during a historic expedition to the Antarctic to dramatize the spirit of adventure into the unknown, characterizing both the natural and social sciences.


Byrd's later Antarctic expeditions

Byrd undertook four more expeditions to Antarctica from 1933-35, 1939-40, 1946-47 and 1955-56.

As a senior officer in the U.S. Navy, Byrd, performed national defense service during World War II (1941-45), mostly as a consultant to the U.S.N. high commanders.

On his second expedition, in 1934, Byrd spent five winter months alone operating a meteorological station, Advance Base, from which he narrowly escaped with his life after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning from a poorly-ventilated stove. Unusual radio transmissions from Byrd finally began to alarm the men at the base camp, who then attempted to go to Advance Base. The first two trips were failures due to darkness, snow, and mechanical troubles. Finally, Dr. Thomas Poulter, E.J. Demas, and Amory Waite arrived at advanced base, where they found Byrd in poor physical health. The men remained at advanced base until October 12 when an airplane from the base camp picked up Dr. Poulter and Byrd. The rest of the men returned to base camp with the tractor. In late 1938, Byrd visited Hamburg and was invited to participate in the 1938/1939 German "Neuschwabenland" Antarctic Expedition, but declined.

Byrd's third expedition was his first one on which he had the official backing of the U.S. government. The project included extensive studies of geology, biology, meteorology and exploration. Within a few months, in March 1940, Byrd was recalled to active duty in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. The expedition continued in Antarctica without him. From 1942 to 1945 he headed important missions to the Pacific, including surveys of remote islands for airfields. On one assignment he visited the fighting front in Europe. He was repeatedly cited for meritorious service and was present at the Japanese surrender.

The fourth culminating expedition, Operation Highjump, was the largest Antarctic expedition to date. Conspiracy theorists specializing in alleged Aryan or Nazi activities in Antarctica have extensively speculated about this mission. In 1946, US Navy Secretary James Forrestal assembled a huge amphibious naval force for an Antarctic Expedition expected to last six to eight months. Besides the flagship Mount Olympus and the aircraft carrier Philippine Sea, there were thirteen US Navy support ships, six helicopters, six flying boats, two seaplane tenders and fifteen other aircraft. The total number of personnel involved was over 4,000. The armada arrived in the Ross Sea on 31 December 1946, and made aerial explorations of an area half the size of the United States, recording ten new mountain ranges. The major area covered was the eastern coastline of Antarctica from 150 degrees east to the Greenwich meridian. The expedition was terminated abruptly at the end of February 1947, six months early, the entire remaining armada returning immediately to the United States. The early termination of the mission was never explained.


Awards, decorations, honors

By the time Richard Byrd died on March 12, 1957, he had amassed twenty-two citations and special commendations, nine of which were for bravery and two for extraordinary heroism in saving the lives of others. In addition, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, the Congressional Life Saving Medal, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Navy Cross, and had three ticker-tape parades. He preferred to dwell on the substance of his global adventures, and the stories of those that had gone awry as lessons learned.

In 1927, the Boy Scouts of America made Byrd an Honorary Scout, a new category of Scout created that same year. This distinction was given to "American citizens whose achievements in outdoor activity, exploration and worthwhile adventure are of such an exceptional character as to capture the imagination of boys...". The other eighteen who were awarded this distinction were: Roy Chapman Andrews; Robert Bartlett; Frederick Russell Burnham; George Kruck Cherrie; James L. Clark; Merian C. Cooper; Lincoln Ellsworth; Louis Agassiz Fuertes; George Bird Grinnell; Charles A. Lindbergh; Donald Baxter MacMillan; Clifford H. Pope; George P. Putnam; Kermit Roosevelt; Carl Rungius; Stewart Edward White; Orville Wright. [7] Also in 1927, the City of Richmond dedicated the Richard Evelyn Byrd Flying Field, now Richmond International Airport, in Henrico County, Virginia. Byrd's Fairchild FC-2W2, NX8006, "Stars And Stripes" is on display at the Virginia Aviation Museum located on the north side of the airport, on loan from the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Mount Byrd on Ross Island, Antarctica and Lunar crater Byrd are named after him, as was the United States Navy dry cargo ship USNS Richard E. Byrd (T-AKE-4) and the now decommissioned Charles F. Adams-class guided missile destroyer USS Richard E. Byrd (DDG-23)

In Glen Rock New Jersey there is Richard E. Byrd school which was dedicated in 1931. The Polar Research Center at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio was named in honor of Admiral Byrd in 1984.

Admiral Richard E. Byrd Middle School, located in Frederick County, Va was opened in 2005. The school is decorated with pictures and letters from Byrd's life and career.There is a Richard E. Byrd Middle school in Sun Valley, California.


Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Commander, U.S. Navy. Born: 25 October 1888, Winchester, Va. Appointed from: Virginia. Other Navy awards: Navy Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit with gold star, Distinguished Flying Cross.

Citation:

For distinguishing himself conspicuously by courage and intrepidity at the risk of his life, in demonstrating that it is possible for aircraft to travel in continuous flight from a now inhabited portion of the earth over the North Pole and return.

Family

Admiral Byrd was married (20 January 1915) to the former Marie Donaldson Ames [he named a region of Antarctic land he discovered "Marie Byrd Land"] and had four children - Richard Evelyn Jr., (grandchildren Leverett S. Byrd, Ames Byrd and Harry Flood Byrd II); Evelyn Bolling Byrd Clarke (grandchildren Evelyn Byrd Clarke, Marie Ames Clarke, Eleanor Clarke & Richard Byrd Clarke); Catherine Agnes Byrd Breyer(grandchildren Robert Byrd Breyer & Katherine Ames Breyer); and Helen Byrd Stabler (grandchildren David Stabler & Ann Blanchard Stabler).

Leo G. Carroll
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Born October 25, 1892(1892-10-25)
Weedon, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
Died October 16, 1972 (aged 79)
Hollywood, California, U.S.

Leo G. Carroll (October 25, 1892-October 16, 1972) was a British character actor, best known for his roles in several Hitchcock films and The Man from U.N.C.L.E..

He was born in Weedon, Buckinghamshire to a wealthy Catholic family, who named him after the reigning pope Leo XIII. Carroll made his stage debut in 1912, and played in London and Broadway until he moved to Hollywood in 1934 to start a career in film. Once there he soon made his film debut in Sadie McKee (1934). More parts followed, often playing doctors or butlers. He made notable appearances as Marley's ghost in A Christmas Carol (1938) and as Joseph in Wuthering Heights (1939). In the 1951 film The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel, he played a "sanitized" Gerd von Rundstedt - the film did not mention any of the war crimes Rundstedt was later charged with, instead presenting him as a tragic, resigned figure completely disillusioned with Hitler.

In the twenties, Carroll played the lead in a successful Broadway play, The Green Bay Tree, and in 1941 starred with Vincent Price and Judith Evelyn in the smash hit Angel Street, which ran for three years at the Golden Theatre on 45th Street. After that closed, he starred in the title role in J.P. Marquand's The Late George Apley.

Carroll is perhaps most well-known for his roles in six of Alfred Hitchcock's films. As with earlier roles he was often cast as doctors or other figure of authority, such as the spymaster The Professor in North by Northwest. He was also popular on television as the befuddled banker Topper (1953-56) and later as spymaster Alexander Waverly on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964-68), echoing his earlier work for Hitchcock. Several U.N.C.L.E. films followed, and a spin-off The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (1966). He was one of the first actors to appear in two different television series as the same character. He is also remembered for his role as the frustrated banker haunted by the ghosts of George and Marion Kirby, in the 1950s television series Topper which also starred Anne Jeffreys, Robert Sterling and Lee Patrick.

In 1972 he died in Hollywood of pneumonia brought on by cancer and was interred in the Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Minnie Pearl
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Background information

Birth name Sarah Ophelia Colley
Also known as Minnie Pearl
Born October 25, 1912
Origin Centerville, Tennessee, USA
Died March 4, 1996 (aged 83)
Genre(s) Country Music
Comedian
Occupation(s) Country comedian
Years active 1939 - 1996
Members
Country Music Hall of Fame
Grand Ole Opry

Minnie Pearl was the stage name of Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (October 25, 1912 - March 4, 1996). She was a country comedian who, along with friend Roy Acuff, was an institution at the Grand Ole Opry, and on the television show Hee Haw from 1969 to 1991 . She was known for wearing a big hat with a price tag that read "$1.98" hanging off the side.





Early life

Sarah Ophelia Colley was born in Centerville, in Hickman County, Tennessee about 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Nashville. She graduated from what was then Nashville, Tennessee's most prestigious school for young ladies, Ward-Belmont.

Professional career

Her family, relatively affluent by the standards of the area and the day, was scandalized by her entry into show business. Her first professional position was with the Wayne P. Sewell Production Company, producing and directing plays and musicals for local organizations in small towns throughout the Southeast.

While producing an amateur musical comedy in Baileyton, Alabama, she met a young mountain woman on whom she based her onstage persona, "Cousin Minnie Pearl". Her first performance onstage as Minnie Pearl was in 1939 in Aiken, South Carolina.

Her catch phrase was always, "Howdeeee! I'm jest so proud to be here!" delivered at what seemed to have been the top of her lungs. Once she was an established star, her audience almost invariably shouted "Howdeeee!" back to her.

Pearl's monologues almost always involved her comical relatives, notably "Uncle Nabob" and "Brother", who was simultaneously both slow-witted and wise. Her frequent exit line to applause was "I love you so much it hurts!" She also sang comic novelty songs, some of which were released as singles, such as "How To Catch A Man."

As a performer, Pearl's comedy was always a gentle and loving satire of her hometown of Centerville, which, in her act she called Grinder's Switch, a real location just outside of Centerville that consisted of little more than the eponymous railroad switch. Those who knew her recognized that the characters were largely based on real residents of Centerville. So much traffic resulted from fans and tourists looking for the hometown she described that the Hickman County Highway Department was finally motivated to change the designation on the "Grinder's Switch" road sign to "Hickman Springs Road". Attempts over the years to develop a Grinder's Switch theme park have proven futile.

Her character was always presented as a man-hungry spinster willing to settle for almost anything in the way of male companionship. In real life, she was happily married for many years to Henry Cannon. They had no children.

In the late 1960s, Mrs. Cannon and African-American gospel singer Mahalia Jackson were convinced to allow their names to be associated with a chain of fried chicken restaurants in competition with Kentucky Fried Chicken by Nashville entrepreneur John Jay Hooker. At first the stock price of this venture soared; later it collapsed amid allegations of accounting irregularities and stock price manipulation. This affair was thoroughly investigated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mrs. Cannon and Ms. Jackson were found to have been completely uninvolved in any alleged wrongdoing, but were considerably embarrassed by the negative publicity surrounding their names. (A small number of these restaurants actually survived into the 1980s in the Middle Tennessee area; one Mahalia Jackson outlet still exists in North Nashville where it has considerable local fame, particularly among students of Tennessee State University.)

As noted above, Mrs. Cannon portrayed the "Minnie Pearl" character for many years on the perennial Saturday night television cornfest Hee Haw, both on the original network and subsequent syndicated versions. This may have been less taxing than it would appear; the program was shot entirely in Nashville and totally out of sequence, so that each performer could record all of his or her appearances for an entire television season in a matter of a few days or parts of days. When asked why the cornball program was so popular, Cannon explained that it took viewers to a place where there was "no war, no cancer."

Her final regular national television appearances came on Ralph Emery's nightly Nashville Now country-music talk show on the former Nashville Network cable channel. She and Emery performed a weekly feature, "Let Minnie Steal Your Joke," in which viewers could send in jokes for Minnie to read on the show, with prizes for the best joke of the week.



Influence

Mrs. Cannon was fairly influential in the lives of many older country music singers taking something of a maternal interest in them, especially Hank Williams, but also many of the younger generation of female singers; she had seen many of the inequities in the treatment of women in business in general, and women in the country music industry in particular, firsthand. She was also a close friend of Paul Reubens and the legendary Dean Martin.

She was also a trailblazer for rural humorists. Among those who followed in her footsteps were Jerry Clower, Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Carl Hurley, David L Cook, Chonda Pierce, Ron White and Larry the Cable Guy.


Cancer Research

In her later years, she lived in a prestigious Nashville neighborhood next to the Governor's Mansion, where she befriended several of the governors. After surviving breast cancer through aggressive treatments including a double mastectomy and radiation therapy, she became a spokeswoman for the medical center in Nashville where she had been treated and somewhat for cancer survivors in general. She took on this role as herself, Sarah Ophelia Cannon, not desiring the "Minnie Pearl" character to be associated with such misfortune, although a nonprofit group, the Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation, has been founded in her memory to help fund cancer research. The center where she was treated was later named the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center, and has been expanded to several other hospitals in the Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky area. Her name has also been lent to the affiliated Sarah Cannon Research Institute.


Death

Her death at the age of 83 was brought on by complications due to a stroke. During her time in the nursing home, she was visited frequently by numerous country music industry figures, notably Chely Wright, Vince Gill and Amy Grant. She is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Franklin, Tennessee.

Marion Ross
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Birth name Marian Ross

Born October 25, 1928 (1928-10-25) (age 79)
Albert Lea, Minnesota, U.S.

Marion Ross (born October 25, 1928) is a Golden Globe-nominated American actress.

Born Marian Ross in Albert Lea, Minnesota, she grew up there, and in nearby Waconia and Willmar. At the age of 13, she changed the spelling of her name from "Marian" to "Marion" because she thought it would look better on a marquee. After completing her sophomore year in high school, she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota and worked as an au pair while studying drama at the MacPhail Center for the Arts, and attending Southwest High School. A year later, her family moved to San Diego, California.

Ross enrolled in San Diego State College, where she was named the school's most outstanding actress. After graduation in 1950, she performed in summer theater in La Jolla, California. The director was impressed by her talent, and recommended that she try for work in cinema.

Ross made her 1953 film debut in Forever Female, starring Ginger Rogers and William Holden. She found steady work in film, appearing in The Glenn Miller Story (1954), Sabrina (1954), and Operation Petticoat (1959).

Her career on television began in 1953, when she played the Irish maid on the series Life With Father for two years. Her list of credits spans the history of classic TV, from The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Love Boat and Night Court. Ross' most famous role was in the long-running series Happy Days from 1974 to 1984, in which she played "Marion Cunningham", Ritchie, Chuck and Joanie's mother, also known as "Mrs. C." She later starred in the short-lived but critically acclaimed drama Brooklyn Bridge, which ran on CBS in the early 1990s.

Ross has acted on Broadway and on film, but she prefers doing TV. In recent years, she played recurring roles as Drew Carey's mother, on The Drew Carey Show; as evil Bernice Forman on That '70s Show; and as Lorelai "Trix" Gilmore, on The Gilmore Girls. She also frequently appears on Hollywood Squares and did voiceovers for "Grandma SquarePants" on SpongeBob SquarePants.

In an episode that aired on January 21, 2007 she guest starred as Nora (Sally Field) and Saul's not-so-loving mother, Ida, who makes an unwelcome visit to celebrate a milestone in her daughter's life on the ABC drama Brothers and Sisters.

Ross lives in Los Angeles, California with actor Paul Michael. Her two adult children also work in entertainment: Jim Meskimen's credits include How the Grinch Stole Christmas and appearances on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and Ellen Plummer was a writer/producer on Friends.

Anthony Franciosa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Birth name Anthony Papaleo
Born October 25, 1928(1928-10-25)
New York City, New York
Died January 19, 2006 (aged 77)
Los Angeles, California
Spouse(s) Beatrice Bakalyar (1952-1957)
Shelley Winters (1957-1960)
Judy Balaban (1961-1967)
Rita Thiel (1970-2006)
[show]Awards
Academy Awards
Nominated: Best Actor
1957 A Hatful of Rain
Golden Globe Awards
Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
1960 Career

Anthony Franciosa, born Anthony George Papaleo, Jr., (October 25, 1928 - January 19, 2006), was an American actor, usually billed as Tony Franciosa during the height of his career.

Born in New York City to Italian-American parents, raised by his mother and aunt, Franciosa was his mother's maiden name (see [1]).




Acting career

In 1948 he joined the Cherry Lane Theatre Group off Broadway which also included actress Beatrice Arthur. Before becoming successful at acting, he worked a variety of jobs which included being a waiter, dishwasher, day laborer, and messenger boy. Several years later he garnered rave reviews and a Tony Award nomination for his Broadway performance of the play A Hatful of Rain.

When he reprised his role in the film version in 1957, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He followed that with roles in several major films, including Elia Kazan's A Face in the Crowd with Andy Griffith and Patricia Neal, Career with Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine, The Long Hot Summer with Paul Newman and Orson Welles, Period of Adjustment with Jane Fonda, The Pleasure Seekers with Ann-Margret and Carol Lynley, The Drowning Pool with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, and Rio Conchos with Richard Boone and Stuart Whitman.

Eager to act in any medium he became a series lead in Valentine's Day, The Name of the Game (and its pilot TV-movie Fame Is the Name of the Game), and Matt Helm. In the 1980s he starred in the Aaron Spelling produced series "Finder of Lost Loves".

During his career, his behavior on movie productions became the subject of Hollywood gossip. The stories alleged fiery disputes with directors, sulking in his dressing room, and outbursts with other actors.


Personal life

He was married four times, and had three children. His most famous wife was Oscar-winning actress Shelley Winters; they were married from May 4, 1957 until their divorce in 1960. They had no children.

His first wife, Beatrice Bakalyar, was a writer. They were married for five years from 1952 to 1957. The marriage ended in divorce.

His third wife, the former Judith Balaban, is the author of the book "The Bridesmaids," about her friend Princess Grace of Monaco, in whose wedding she served as a bridesmaid. This marriage produced Franciosa's only daughter, Nina.

His last wife (from November 27, 1970 until his death in 2006) was Rita Theil, by whom he had two sons, Marco and Christopher. Christopher Franciosa is an actor. Marco Franciosa is an organic farmer. Rita, when asked about Anthony's hair-trigger temper said, "He was never taught how to control his temper...I changed him a lot....We still have good fights once in a while, but I can scream back at him." Source: People Weekly, March 18, 1996 v45 n11 p73

Tony, reflecting about Rita's influence on him, said; "It took years of therapy and simply Iiving through things to finally accept and enjoy myself. My wife Rita's influence has been profound in that process. Her family was a product of The Great Disaster -- World War II. She emerged from the flames with a remarkable buoyancy. Each day she rises with an optimism, a serenity toward life that is certainly contagious. Does that sound romantic? If so, so be it." Source: TV Heaven

During his later years, Tony lived in Brentwood, a district in West Los Angeles.

In Tom Waits song "Goin' Out West" from his Bone Machine album, a lyric states "Tony Franciosa used to date my ma".


Death

On January 19, 2006, Anthony Franciosa died at age 77 at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California after suffering a massive stroke. His death came only five days after that of his ex-wife Shelley Winters. He is survived by his wife, Rita, his children, Nina, Christopher and Marco and his grandchildren, Ruby and Cassius Franciosa.

On the first day of school a first grade teacher explains to her class that
she is a Yankees fan.

She asks her students to raise their hands if they, too, are Yankees fans.

Wanting to impress their teacher, everyone in the class raises their hand
except one little girl.

The teacher looks at the girl with surprise,

'Janie, why didn't you raise your hand?' 'Because I'm not a Yankees fan,'
she replied.

The teacher, still shocked, asked, 'Well, if you are not a
Yankees fan, then who are you a fan of?'

'I am a Red Sox fan, and proud of it,' Janie replied.

The teacher could not believe her ears. 'Janie, why pray tell are you a Red Sox fan?'

'Because my mom is a Red Sox fan, and my dad is Red Sox fan, so I'm a Red Sox fan too!'

'We ll,' said the teacher in a obviously annoyed tone, 'that is no reason
for you to be a Red Sox fan. You don't have to be just like your parents
all of the time. What if your mom were an idiot and your dad were a moron, what would you be then?'

'Then,' Janie smiled, 'I'd be a Yankees fan.'

Let's hear it for Janie, folks. Love it, Bio Bob, and once again we do appreciate your famous folks' background.

Your PD has been engaged in work business, but I am delighted to see that all is well in Boston. We have done Carmen from Bizet several times before so....

Until our Raggedy arrives, here is a miniature of two people we know and a theme song for that show.



"Happy Days" by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox
Happy Days theme

Sunday, Monday, Happy Days.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days.
Thursday, Friday, Happy Days.
The weekend comes,
My cycle hums,
Ready to race to you.

These days are all,
Happy and Free. (Those Happy Days)
These days are all,
Share them with me. (oh baby)
Goodbye grey sky, hello blue.
There's nothing can hold me when I hold you.
Feels so right, it can't be wrong.
Rockin' and rollin' all week long.

Sunday, Monday, Happy Days.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days.
Thursday, Friday, Happy Days.
Saturday, What a day,
Groovin' all week with you.

These days are all,
Share them with me. (Those Happy Days)
These days are all,
Happy and Free. (oh baby)
These Happy Days are your's and mine.
These Happy Days are your's and mine, Happy Days.

Thanks, Bob. Once again you are forgiven. I did not know that Helen had addison's disease nor that she was a hypnotherapist. Want to check out The Mystery of Edwin Drood as well.

Love this one because it seems so positive.

You and Me Against the World

Helen Reddy
(Tell me again Mommy...)

You and me against the world
Sometimes it feels like you and me against the world
When all the others turn their backs and walk away,
you can count on me to stay.

Remember when the circus came to town...
and you were frightened by the clown,
wasn't it nice to be around someone that you knew?
Someone who was big and strong and looking out for

You and me against the world
Sometimes it feels like you and me against the world
and for all the times we cried,
I always felt that God was on our side

And when one of us is gone,
and one of us is left to carry on
Then remembering will have to do
Our memories alone will get us through
Think about the days of me and you,
You and me against the World

And when one of us is gone,
and one of us is left to carry on
Then remembering will have to do...
Our memories alone will get us through

Think about the days of me and you...
You and me against the world

(I love you Mommy....)
(I love you too Baby.)

I love that song. (You and Me Against the World) I have a recording of it by the composer, Paul Williams.

Loads of bios today.

Here are: Leo G. Carroll; Minnie Pearl; Billy Barty and Tony Franciosa.





Have a great day.

Thank you, dear Raggedy, for the wonderful photo's for our radio gallery.

Here's a song from the movie, Long, Hot, Summer that starred Tony Franciosa, and it's done by Jimmy Rodgers, folks.

The Long Hot Summer
seems to know everytime you're near.
And the sound of a breeze
seems to stir all the trees
and a bird wants to please my ear.
The Long Hot Summer
seems to know what a flirt you are.
Seems to know your caress
isn't mine to possess.
How could someone possess a star?
Then you may long for me
long before the Fall,
long before the winds announce
that Winter's come to call.
And meanwhile I'll court you.
And meanwhile I'll kiss you.
Meanwhile my lonely arms
will hold you strong.
And meanwhile
The Long Hot Summer
slowly moves along.
Oh so slowly moves along.

Buffy Sainte-Marie
Until It's Time For You To Go

You're not a dream
You're not an angel
You're a man
I'm not a Queen,
I'm a woman,
Take my hand
We'll make a space
In the lives that we planned
And here we'll stay
Until it's time for you to go

Yes, we're diff'rent worlds apart
We're not the same
We laughed and played
At the start like in a game
You could have stayed
Outside my heart
But in you came
And here you'll stay
Until it's time for you to go

Don't ask why,
Don't ask how
Don't ask forever,
Love me now

This love of mine
Had no beginning
It has no end
I was an oak,
Now I'm a willow
Now I can bend
And tho' I'll never
In my life see you again
Still I'll stay
Until it's time for you to go

Thanks, edgar. I had forgotten about Buffy Sainte-Marie. Time and tide, right, Texas?

You know folks, I did get curious about The Mystery of Edwin Drood and found that Charles Dickens never completed the book. Others did it for him. A lot of creative people just stop. The same way with Schubert's Unfinished Symphony.

Interesting group Styx, and we know about that river.


Unfinished song
Styx


Written by Dennis DeYoung
Lead vocals by Dennis DeYoung

Where am I going
How do I get there
What should I bring along
Are people kind there
Is peace of mind there
Will I finally belong

Cause you know ships sail their courses
And heroes ride horses
They know where they belong
But I travel in circles
Quickly to nowhere
Singing my unfinished song

Some poets say that
There'll come a day that
I'll find a place for me
Why aren't I there yet
Why can't I share yet
Why can't my heart be free

Cause you know ships sail their courses
And heroes ride horses
They know where they belong
But I travel in circles
Quickly to nowhere
Singing my unfinished song

Goodnight everyone...

Van Morrison

On a golden autumn day returning
Where each moment never is the same
Sometimes pure joy it comes with patience
When I'm waiting on, waiting game
When I'm waiting on, waiting game

There must be reason for all this inaction
Does it mean that everything must change
Sometimes I'm looking for perfection
When I'm waiting on, waiting game
When I'm waiting on, waiting game

I am the observer who is observing
I am the brother of this snake
I am the serpent filled with venom
A god of love and a god of hate

There is a presence deep within you
Sometimes they call it higher flame
And the leaves come tumbling down, remember
I'll be waiting on, waiting game
I'll be waiting on, waiting game

I am the observer who is observing
I am the brother of this snake
I am the serpent filled with venom
A god of love and a god of hate

There is a presence deep within you
Some people call it higher powerin flame
When the leaves come tumbling down, remember
I'll be waiting on, waiting game
I'll be waiting on, waiting game.....


From Letty with love

Oh baby dont it feel like heaven right now
Dont it feel like somethin from a dream
Yeah Ive never known nothing quite like this
Dont it feel like tonight might never be again
We know better than to try and pretend
Baby no one could have ever told me bout this

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

Well yeah I might have chased a couple of women around
All it ever got me was down
Then there were those that made me feel good
But never as good as I feel right now
Baby youre the only one thats ever known how
To make me wanna live like I wanna live now

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more ca rd
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

Dont let it kill you baby, dont let it get to you
Dont let em kill you baby, dont let em get to you
Ill be your breathin heart, Ill be your cryin fool
Dont let this go to far, dont let it get to you

The Waiting
Tom Petty

Above You
The Whitest Boy Alive

In the battle for belonging
Every doorbell has its code
With a stare it can be opened
Now you have it now you don't

There are buildings there are people
Walk around and look up to
Every swallow has its season
Every gallow has its noon

By the rythm of your language
By the sparkle in your stride
Talk in riddles or be candid
With a shield or open wide

The lesson you must learn
No one could ever teach
Open up and reach for the stars

Above you
Above you

If you have a way of knowing
Every river can be crossed
Lose the sparrow that had landed
For the one that never was

There's a song for every dreamer
As they climb over this fence
Trading roses for the real world
As the second week commences

Where no one has control
Where the young clipse the old
Predjudice and wisdom
All the same

I want you
I want you