MUSIC BREAK: BARNEY MARTIN - MISTER CELLOPHANE

Does anyone remember that Barney Martin introduced this song in the original production of Chicago in 1975? He was more famous for playing Jerry Seinfeld's father in the television comedy "Seinfeld". Barney was a great actor and does a great job on this song. It's one of my favorite songs from the production...

CELEBRITY DEATH CERTIFICATES: BIX BIEDERBECKE

Here is the death certificate of jazz great Bix Biederbecke who tragically died young on August 6, 1931 at the age of  28...

A MOMENT WITH MARTIN BALSAM

While starring on an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," Alfred Hitchcock was so impressed by Martin Balsam's work that he offered him a key supporting role of Detective Milton Arbogast in "Psycho" (1960).

According to Hitchcock, a series of shots with Arbogast going up the stairs in the Bates house before he is stabbed were done by assistant director Hilton A. Green, working with storyboard artist Saul Bass' drawings only while Hitchcock was incapacitated with the common cold. However, upon viewing the dailies of the shots, Hitchcock was forced to scrap them. He claimed they were "no good" because they did not portray "an innocent person but a sinister man who was going up those stairs". Hitchcock later re-shot the scene, though a little of the cut footage made its way into the film. Filming the murder of Arbogast proved problematic owing to the overhead camera angle necessary to hide the film's twist. A camera track constructed on pulleys alongside the stairway together with a chairlike device had to be constructed and thoroughly tested over a period of weeks.

The shot of Arbogast falling backward down the stairs was a process shot of Balsam sitting stationary and waving his arms, as if losing his balance, in front of a screen projecting a previously filmed dolly shot moving down the stairs.

Balsam also performed the original voice of the HAL 9000 computer in "2001: A Space Odyssey". After his lines were recorded, director Stanley Kubrick decided "Marty just sounded a little bit too colloquially American," and hired Douglas Rain to perform the role for the released film...

FROM THE ARCHIVES: GENE KELLY & VERA-ELLEN

Gene Kelly's widow Patricia recently posted this telegram from Vera-Ellen to Gene. Such great memorabilia from March 28, 1949...

HISTORY OF A SONG: JUNE IN JANUARY

The year was 1934, and America was deep in the grip of winter—and the Great Depression. Yet, in the midst of cold winds and economic hardship, a melody drifted through radios and theaters that promised warmth and hope. It was called June in January, and it carried the magic of summer into the frostiest season.

The song was born on the silver screen in the Paramount film Here Is My Heart. Bing Crosby, already a rising star, crooned the tune with that effortless charm that made him a household name. Written by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin, the lyrics painted a picture of a clouded moon and sighing winds, only to transform the bleak January night into a blossoming June—all because of love.

When Crosby recorded the song on November 9, 1934, with Georgie Stoll’s orchestra, it was an instant sensation. The record climbed to number one and stayed there for seven weeks, becoming Crosby’s biggest hit of the year. For listeners struggling through hard times, the song was more than music—it was a promise that warmth and beauty could bloom even in the coldest days.

Other artists quickly embraced the tune. Richard Himber’s orchestra recorded the first version, and soon Little Jack Little, Ted Fio Rito, and Guy Lombardo added their interpretations. Each brought a different shade to the melody, but Crosby’s version remained the definitive one—a voice that could melt snow.

As decades passed, June in January never faded. Jo Stafford, Julie London, Dean Martin, and even jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery gave it new life. Crosby himself revisited the song twice: once in 1954 for his musical autobiography and again in 1977 for his album Seasons, just months before his passing. It was as if he knew the song’s message was eternal.

Why does it endure? Perhaps because it speaks to something universal—the way love can turn winter into summer, darkness into light. Nearly a century later, June in January still plays on vintage playlists and in the hearts of those who believe in love’s transformative power.

So next time January feels too cold, let Bing Crosby’s voice remind you: somewhere in the music, it’s always June...

THE BOX OFFICE STARS: 1958

With more competition than ever from television, younger movies stars were appearing on the silver screen in 1958. Here are the top ten stars of that year...

1. Glenn Ford
2. Elizabeth Taylor
3. Jerry Lewis

4. Marlon Brando

5. Rock Hudson
6. William Holden
7. Brigitte Bardot
8. Yul Brynner
9. James Stewart
10. Frank Sinatra

RIP: SIDNEY KILBRICK

Sidney Kibrick, the second-to-last surviving child star from the Our Gang series of movie shorts, died January 2, according to friends. He was 97.

Born July 2, 1928, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kibrick moved with his family to Los Angeles at age five. He was discovered at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, where a film producer scouting children for the Our Gang comedies spotted him. Created by Hal Roach — who also produced films starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, and other comedians of that era — the Our Gang shorts (later syndicated on television as The Little Rascals) were produced from 1922 to 1944, spanning the transition from the silent era to early sound.

Kibrick’s earliest screen appearance was a brief, non-speaking role as an extra in the feature film Dead End. He made his uncredited film debut in Out All Night in 1933 and appeared in several additional uncredited roles before being cast as a regular in the Our Gang series in 1935.

Initially unnamed, his character was later identified as “Woim,” the sidekick to the neighborhood bully Butch, played by Tommy Bond. Kibrick appeared in 27 Our Gang shorts. At the time, the featured Our Gang players included George “Spanky” McFarland, Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas, Eugene “Porky” Lee, Darla Hood, and Darwood “Waldo” Kaye.

After leaving Our Gang, Kibrick made a handful of uncredited appearances in other films before retiring from acting. As an adult, he worked as a real estate developer.

Former child actor Peggy Lynch, who appeared in three Our Gang shorts, is now the last surviving cast member from the classic film series...