Author Archive

Jonny Quest cartoon

The Original 1964-65 Jonny Quest Cartoons

Among the best of the 1960s animated television programs is Jonny Quest (often mis-spelled as “Johnny Quest” and often referred to as The Adventures of Jonny Quest), a short-run series from 1964-65, produced by Hanna-Barbera. Jonny Quest had everything going for it — action, adventure, suspense, comedy… and the creators of the program were obviously [...]

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Esther Williams

Esther Williams, Dies at 91

Esther Williams, the swimming champion turned actress who starred in glittering and aquatic Technicolor musicals of the 1940s and 1950s, has died. She was 91. “Esther Williams had one contribution to make to movies — her magnificent athletic body,” the film critic Pauline Kael wrote. “And for over 10 years MGM made the most of [...]

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Deanna Durbin

Remembering Deanna Durbin

by Leonard Maltin. Deanna Durbin, a star whose songs and smile made her one of the biggest box-office draws of Hollywood’s Golden Age with fans that included Winston Churchill, has died. She was 91. The only people who don’t like Deanna Durbin, it seems to me, are people who’ve never seen her movies. Possessed of [...]

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Jonathan Winters

Jonathan Winters, Dead at 87

Jonathan Winters, the cherub-faced comedian whose breakneck improvisations and misfit characters inspired the likes of Robin Williams and Jim Carrey, has died. He was 87. The Ohio native died Thursday evening at his Montecito, Calif., home of natural causes, said Joe Petro III, a longtime family friend. Petro said Winters died surrounded by family and [...]

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Julie Newmar as Catwoman

Julie Newmar, the original Catwoman

“Tell me I’m beautiful, it’s nothing. Tell me I’m intellectual – I know it. Tell me I’m funny and it’s the greatest compliment in the world anyone could give me.” – Julie Newmar   Julie Newmar is widely remembered for her role as Cat Woman on the iconic television series, Batman. Film buffs know her [...]

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Annette Funicello

Annette Funicello, Mouseketeer, dies at 70

Paul Anka wrote the song “Puppy Love” about his romance with her. When she was cast in her first beach movie, Walt Disney asked her to not wear a bikini and instead wear a one-piece swimsuit because she had an image to uphold… she agreed. “The Disney studio wasn’t like other studios. It was just [...]

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Audrey Totter

2013 Seminar Schedule

THURSDAY 9:00 am, YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR A Deeper Look at the Radio Program John C. Abbott, author of The Who is Johnny Dollar Matter, will present a closer look at the radio program that continues entertaining old-time radio buffs today. Johnny Dollar (1949-1962) was a freelance insurance investigator who proved to have more lives [...]

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Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert, Film Critic, dead at 70

With his fellow reviewer and sometime sparring partner Gene Siskel, Roger Ebert could make or break the financial success of a motion-picture with their trademark “two thumbs up,” a catch phrase that was spoofed on In Living Color, Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons… and became a catch phrase on movie posters and television commercials promoting [...]

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