STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: RED SKELTON

 April 10, 1958 – "The Day Red Skelton’s World Shattered" was the headlines in the paper. This sad photo I almost didn't publish. More than 65 years after it was taken you can still feel the pain and heart ache.For a man who made the world laugh, this was the day that brought him to his knees. On this day, Red Skelton lost his beloved son, Richard, to leukemia. He was just 10 years old.

Red had searched the world for a cure, hoping that his fame and fortune could save the life of his little boy. But even the greatest love a father could give wasn’t enough to stop the inevitable. The same man who brought joy to millions now faced a sorrow no words or stage could ever heal.

From that day forward, his laughter carried a quiet pain, his performances masking a grief that never left him. Though the world remembers Red Skelton as a legendary comedian, those who truly knew his story remember him as a father whose heart broke on April 10, 1958. A man who, despite unimaginable loss, continued to bring light to others—even hile carrying darkness within.

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: ANN-MARGRET

 Here is the still beautiful Ann-Margret at The Hollywood Show in Burbank, California. It is amazing that the actress will be 84 years old this year. This photo is from January 12, 2025...

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: VERA-ELLEN

 Here is an interesting photo. Upon looking at it, it might not mean much to many people. It's a mother and her daughter. However, that daughter would become the wonderful dancer Vera-Ellen. The White Christmas actress was a long way from Hollywood. The picture was taken in 1939, when Vera-Ellen was 18. Her mother Alma was 48...

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: MONTGOMERY CLIFT & ALLA NAZIMOVA

Here is an 18- year old Montgomery Clift (1920-1966) and Alla Nazimova (1879-1945) in the Broadway play, The Mother. Left with few options, she gave up on the film industry....

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: AL JOLSON

Here is a new photo I discovered of the funeral procession of Al Jolson. He died on October 23, 1950 at the age of 64. Photograph caption dated October 26, 1950 reads, "The casket bearing the body of the mammy singer is shown arriving at the temple. The 10 active pallbearers were Harry Brand, Harry Cohn, Harry Akst, Martin Fried, Louis Epstein, Nathan Kramer, Arthur Stebbins, Johnson Steinberg, Maurice Aroff and Al Goetz, some of the singer's closest friends."

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: VERA-ELLEN

Here is a picture of talented dancer Vera-Ellen on her wedding day on November 19, 1954. She was marrying Victor Rothschild, who was an oil man and millionaire. Unfortunately, their marriage would not last. A daughter Victoria, was born on March 3, 1963, but the baby would die tragically on June 20, 1963. The couple were divorced in September of 1966.

This photo did not show the heart ache that would follow after their wedding day...

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: LUCILLE BALL AND DESI ARNAZ

After Lucille Ball (1911-1989) and Desi Arnaz (1917-1986) divorced in 1960, you did not see them together. They led fairly separate lives, but they always had a bond together. Here is a rare picture of the ex-Hollywood couple from their daughter's Lucie Arnaz's wedding day to 2nd husband Laurence Luckinbill on June 22, 1980...

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: BOB CROSBY

I like this picture of band leader Bob Crosby (1913-1993) and his family. He had three boys and two girls through his marriage to June Kuhn. The couple were married on October 9, 1938 when the bandleader was 25 and June was only 19. It was the second marriage for Crosby. The Crosbys stayed together until the bandleader's death in 1993. The marriage was seemingly happy, but there was a rough patch in the 1950s when the couple talked about divorce, and June was arrested for trying to stab the bandleader.

From the Los Angeles Times:
"Nov. 10, 1959: June Crosby stabs her husband, Bob, with a 10-inch letter opener during a fight.

She tells Beverly Hills police that she grabbed the letter opener to fight him off after he pushed her down during a violent argument. Her husband says she fell when they were struggling over the letter opener.

"We've had family arguments before," the bandleader says. "I guess this one just exploded. She seemed to go into a rage. She was so hysterical. The first thing I knew she came at me with both her fists." 

Hopefully this was just a small rough patch of their marriage, and they remained happy for the rest of their lives together...

A DEAN MARTIN MEMORY

Today would have been Dean Martin's 98th birthday. There is not a day that goes by that I don't listen to something by Dino. I love the personal stories about Dean that is all around the internet. Here is one story I found that I thought was especially good...

I remember my family going to see Dean Martin sing at the Riveria Hotel in Las Vegas back in the 1960's. I had just turned 15, and my older brother, mom and day had taken a family vacation, driving to see Las Vegas from our house in Houston, Texas. We were lucky to get tickets (they didn't check my age) and were seated in about the middle of the place. I remember being in awe of Dean. He was so relaxed and had a voice that was the best I ever heard. The one thing I remember most of all, was that I laughed hard because Dean was so funny with jokes and one-liners. He even bantered back and forth with the audience, which endeared him closer to everyone. 

The following morning we were all eating lunch in the restaurant at the hotel, when I looked beyond where my father was seated across from me, and Dean Martin had walked in through the door. He wasn't being seated, and looked uncomfortable waiting there with another man. I didn't even tell my parents or brother, and quickly bolted up from my seat to go greet him.

He was most gracious, asking how I liked the show, after I told him I saw it. Then I told him that my family drove all the way from Texas to have a vacation, but almost didn't make it because my Dad had just lost his job the day before- but decided to take us all anyway. 

Dean asked where we were sitting, and immediately walked over to greet my family, who were flabbergasted, to say the least. After a short minute, a host from the restaurant came over and handed Mr. Martin a bag , which he said were a couple of muffin's to go. As he graciously said goodbye to my family, he asked me to follow him to the front table, which I did right away. He told the person behind the counter that the meal we were having was to be put on his tab, and then he turned to me, reached in his pocket and handed me a (what I thought was, at the time) coin.

I returned to my seat with a smile as big as the state where I came from... and no one could believe that Dean Martin himself came over and spoke to us, and even paid for our lunch!

I had forgotten all about that coin Mr. Martin gave to me, because I was so excited and I just dropped it into my shirt pocket. Later that evening, when my family was in our hotel room, packing to go home, the coin dropped out, and I picked it up. I remember shouting to my Mom that Mr. Martin also gave me a coin to keep. When I handed it to her, she froze without blinking. A few seconds later she exclaimed, "Paul! Do you know what this is?!?". Dean had given me a $1000.00 gambling token from the tables! What a blessing in disguise, since my father had lost his job, and we were going to be struggling to make ends meet for quite some time.

Now that I have grown up, and am pretty successful in my own business, I often remember the excitement, but mainly kindness, that Dean Martin has shed on me and my family in a time of need. I have chosen to follow in that incident that affected me, and two or three times a year I do the same when I see a loving family who could use the "extra" boost to help them in this world. It's a real good feeling, and one that always keeps me in line with "reality" in this very selfish world.

I am sending you my name, but I wish that you not print it. I don't want the "fame", I just wanted to relate my story. Thank you for the opportunity, and a special thanks to Dean Martin up there looking down on all of us.

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: BING CROSBY'S FUNERAL

On October 14, 1977, the world lost its greatest singing legends when Bing Crosby died. Bing was a private man, and he wanted his funeral private as well. When the funeral of his first wife, Dixie Lee Crosby, got mobbed by reporters in 1952, Bing never wanted to have that public nuisance again.

On October 18, 1977 was the private funeral mass for Bing. The early hour (6 a.m. Los Angeles time) eliminated what Crosby did not want -- a clamorous Hollywood funeral. There were no fans on the quiet side street.

The mourners included a few of Crosby's companions from show business -- Bob Hope and his wife, Mrs. Dolores Hope; Rosemary Clooney, who sang with Bing in his final concerts, and her son by Jose Ferrer, Miguel; Phil Harris, comedian and his wife Alice Faye, and Bob Crosby, Bing's singer-brother.

The rest were Crosby's business associates, fishing companions and personal friends, including his secretary, Ms. Nancy Briggs; Richard Bergen, his attorney; Basil Grillo, producer; Buster Collier, former actor, and Alan Fisher, his butler. Crosby's sister, Mrs. Mary Rose Pool, and Mrs. Crosby's sister, Mrs. Frances Meyer, also were present.

Crosby's six sons, including Gary, Dennis, Phillip, and Lindsay, acted as pallbearers. Burial was in Holy Cross Cemetery near the graves of Crosby's parents and first wife, Mrs. Dixie Lee Crosby, who died of cancer in 1952. The grave is on a hillside overlooking the graves of other family members, about 150 yards inside the cemetery's entrance...

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: FUNERAL OF GRACIE ALLEN

 

Here is the sad procession following the death of the great Gracie Allen on August 27, 1964 at the age of 62. Following casket of Gracie Allen in funeral procession at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park are husband, George Burns, holding handkerchief to face. Holding his arms are grandchildren, Laura, left, and Melissa Wilhoite. Behind them is Burns' son, Ronald. Among celebrities acting as pallbears are, from left in foreground, Jack Benny, Edward G. Robinson, Bobby Darin...

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: BING CROSBY

On January 4, 1943 the 20-room Hollywood mansion of Bing Crosby was destroyed by fire after a short circuit caused a blaze to break out while the family was taking down its Christmas tree. Bing Crosby was not at home at the time. Crosby lived on the Toluca Lake property from 1936 until the fire...

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: BORIS KARLOFF

Here are some amazing vintage photographs of the great Boris Karloff becoming one of cinemas most famous movie monsters, Frankenstein. Karloff was 45 when this photo was taken as the actor was waiting to begin the long process of becoming Frankenstein for 1935′s, “Bride of Frankenstein“. Karloff would spend up to four hours sitting while the make up was applied. I have never seen this pictures before and they are amazing...