Here are 10 things you should know about aquatic actress Esther Williams, born 97 years ago today. She’s one gal who quickly made a big splash in Hollywood.
We interviewed Ms. Williams some years ago, so after viewing the video, you might want to check out what we think is a pretty entertaining Q&A.
Here are 10 things you should know about Robert Taylor, born 117 years ago today. Though never a critical favorite, Taylor, one of the most handsome men to ever appear on the silver screen, was immensely popular at the box office.
There are precious few stars of the 1930s who are still with us today, and it is with sadness that we share the news that Mary Carlisle, born Gwendolyn Witter in Boston, Massachusetts, has passed at the age of 104.
The last of the WAMPAS Baby Stars, an annual promotional campaign sponsored from 1922-1934 by the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers that honored 13 young actresses (the number was 15 in 1932, the year Carlisle was honored) whose careers showed great promise, Carlisle was discovered in 1928 by studio executive Carl Laemmle, Jr. while dining at the Universal Studios commissary. She was just 14.
Some of Carlisle’s pictures could’ve been plugged right into John L. Sullivan’s filmography, titles like Hotel Haywire (1937), Ship A Hooey! (1932), and Handy Andy (1934), and we’d pay good money and line up early to see that triple feature tonight, if only some bijou were screening it.
Carlisle was wed to actor James Edward Blakeley (he would go on to become an executive producer at 20th Century-Fox) in 1942 and retired from motion pictures soon thereafter. But more than five dozen pictures is nothing to sneeze at, nor is living (and staying vital) to 104 years of age. What a rich, full life Ms. Carlisle enjoyed.
Rest in peace, Ms. Carlisle, and thank you.
This story originally appeared in a slightly different form on February 3, 2016.
Here are 10 things you should know about singer and actor Cliff “Ukulele Ike” Edwards, who was a much bigger star in his heyday than most would guess today.
Here are 10 things you should know about the legendary (and justifiably so) Judy Garland, born 96 years ago today. Hers was a complicated life and career, not easily summed up in 100 items, much less 10, so we’ve focused on the positives (it’s her birthday, after all) of her early career.