That's Old News! (#12)

Below are links to ten historic entertainment news articles:

• "Merle Oberon's Marriage Stranger Than Fiction"

St. Petersburg Times - July 29, 1945

Source

Famed columnist Louella Parsons didn't seem too enthusiastic about Merle Oberon's marriage to cinematographer and DP, Lucien Ballard. This union was Oberon's second marriage. Click the link above to read the article.

• "Hal Boyle Writes...Cantinflas Explains What Makes a Comedian" 

The Nevada Daily Mail - September 20, 1960

Cantinflas with Bing Crosby in Pepe (1960) - Source

Just as the article's title says, comedy legend, Cantinflas, explains to Hal Boyle what makes a good comedian. He also explains why he never took on a "serious role". 

• "You Can't Help Liking Ethel Waters, Her Hearty Laugh, Sparkling Eyes"

Ottawa Citizen - February 23, 1954

Accompanied photo in Ottawa Citizen

Radio and television editor for the Ottawa Citizen, Claude Hammerston, made a trip to Toronto just to interview the legendary Ethel Waters. He had a nice chat with her about her career, her opinion on television, her religion, and more. 

• "Howe Observes His 50th Year"

Toledo Blade - December 31, 1967

Source

James Wong Howe celebrated his 50th year as a Hollywood cinematographer while shooting The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1967) in Selma, Alabama. 

• "Eartha Kitt Casts Strange Spell On Stage"

Palm Beach Daily News - December 26, 1954

Even at the age of 26, Eartha Kitt had a confidence, frankness, and maturity that was well beyond her years. Click the link above to read her rags-to-riches story as originally told to the International News Service.

• "Sunshine Sammy: He Tells How He First Got Into the Movies"

The Afro American - February 4, 1933

Accompanied photo in The Afro American

Ernest "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison not only told The Afro American how he got his start in movies, but also how he got the nickname "Sunshine Sammy". He also talked about his love for the stage and what (at the time) kept him from returning to Hollywood. 

• "Theresa Harris on "Hollywood Hotel""

The Afro American - August 28, 1937

Source

Singer/actress Theresa Harris was a busy woman in 1937! Not only did she appear in four films released that year (one, Bargain with Bullets, aka Gangsters on the Loose is mentioned in the article), but one could also hear her voice in a radio adaptation of One Mile from Heaven. 

• "Nicholas Brothers: 50 Years of Footwork"

Schenectady Gazette - June 20, 1987

Source

Click the link above to take a short journey through Fayard and Harold Nicholas' 50-year career in show business.

• "New York to Call Anna Chang In Spring"

The Gridley Herald - November 19, 1924

Anna Chang pictured with Cary Grant in Singapore Sue (1932) (Source)

The Gridley Herald reported that the "Chinese Songbird of San Francisco", Anna Chang would be joining Irving Berlin's Music Box revue in Spring of 1925! Get all of the details in the link above.

• "Spencer Williams Back to Hollywood"

Washington Afro-American - January 24, 1950

Source

After spending ten years in Texas making independent pictures, Spencer Williams made his return to Hollywood in 1950. It's possible that he was returning to prepare for his new role in the Amos 'n' Andy TV series. Click the link above to view the small news story!

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I hope you found this installment of "That's Old News!" to be very informative! :)

The Nicholas Brothers: Appreciation Post

From Theatre Dance, Fayard (in the air) and Harold Nicholas

I...love...The Nicholas Brothers. I love them. If I were a dancer, I would aspire to be like them. In my opinion, they were, are, and forever will be the greatest dancers to ever walk this Earth--period. If you don't know who The Nicholas Brothers are...

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First off, here are some links for you to check out:

Official Website

The Nicholas Brothers' IMDb/Wikipedia pages

Fayard Nicholas' IMDb/Wikipedia pages

Harold Nicholas' IMDb/Wikipedia pages

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Now, here's the good stuff:

Biography Channel documentary 

[Youtube]

We Sing, We Dance (Documentary)

[Youtube]

Check out young Fayard and Harold performing in the musical short, Pie, Pie Blackbird (1932).

Watch the dynamic duo a few years later in The Black Network (1936). Actress Nina Mae McKinney starred in both of these shorts, by the way.

Watch The Nicholas Brothers in a scene stealing (and uncredited) performance in Down Argentine Way (1940).  

Harold Nicholas performs with his big brother and fiancée (Dorothy Dandridge) in this "Chattanooga Choo Choo" routine from Sun Valley Serenade. 

Below is THE greatest dance routine of ALL time--the infamous and incomparable "Jumpin' Jive" number in Stormy Weather (1943).

Here they are performing on The Colgate Comedy Hour in 1952...

...and at the Hollywood Palace in 1965!

Harold Nicholas is the fifth "challenger" in red in this scene from the 1989 movie, Tap. However, I highly recommend that you watch the entire clip!

Now, watch Fayard Nicholas perform Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" at Los Angeles' famed Improv in August 2002. 

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There are many more clips and links available to us through a click of a mouse. Please share this post and continue sharing the legacy of the late, great Nicholas Brothers.

Great Teams!

We all the know of Classic Hollywood's dynamic duos (and some trios): Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, The Three Stooges.

Here are some other great teams that I'd like for you all to check out:

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Above are two clips of Mantan Moreland and Ben Carter bringing their hilarious vaudeville act to the screen in Charlie Chan films.

Mantan Moreland was one of the most popular comedians of the 1930's and 1940's. He is probably best remembered as Birmingham Brown, the chauffeur in the Charlie Chan series.

Ben Carter was also a comedic actor as well as Black Hollywood's premier agents. He cast the black performers in A Day at the Races and those (except for Hattie McDaniel, Butterfly McQueen, and Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson) in Gone with the Wind.

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Here is "Buck and Bubbles" (Ford L. "Buck" Washington and John William Sublett) in Varsity Show (1937).

The music-and-comedy team worked in about 14 films together, appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1931, and were the first black artists to perform at Radio City Music Hall.

Unfortunately, the duo came to an end when "Buck" Washington passed away in 1955.

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I'm a HUGE fan of The Nicholas Brothers and a big fan of their "Jumpin' Jive" routine from Stormy Weather, but check out how great these brothers were even as kids. This number is titled "Lucky Number" from a musical short titled "The Black Network". 

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Check out this amazing trio--The Miller Brothers and Lois. This is the only footage I've ever seen of this group (from the 1947 Cab Calloway film Hi-De-Ho). They're right up there with The Nicholas Brothers with me.