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They Were Once Familiar Faces:
 Iron Eyes Cody, the "Crying Indian" whose tearful face in 1970s television commercials, shown in the Americas, became a powerful symbol of the anti-littering campaign, died in Los Angeles. He was in his 80s or early 90s.
Cody, whose acting credits date back to silent movies and include dozens of films and television shows, was best known for the ads from the group Keep America Beautiful that showed him shedding a single tear as he watched people litter.He was born in Oklahoma, but the exact date of birth was not known. Reference books give various dates, from 1904 to 1915. Based on his credits, his most likely date of birth was 1907.
Cody followed his Cherokee Indian father, Thomas Long Plume, as a performer in circuses and Wild West shows and made his first film appearance as an extra in the 1919 silent "Back to God's Country." Cody went on to appear in more than 80 films in Indian roles; often his character was listed as simply "Indian," "Indian Chief" or "Indian Joe." In one film, "Perils of Nyoka" in 1942, he had an uncredited role as "Arab."
His other credits included "Sitting Bull" in 1954, "The Great Sioux Massacre" in 1965, "Nevada Smith" in 1966, "A Man Called Horse" in 1970 and "Ernest Goes to Camp" in 1987.
Cody also served as a technical adviser on Native American matters in films. In television, he had guest appearances on "Bonanza," "Gunsmoke" and "Rawhide."
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"You Can't Take it With You!"
 | Throughout their careers, film stars earn huge amounts of money, however when the die, they don’t always leave it to a worthy cause. Here are a few facts about five famous stars whose money caused people problems:
JAMES CAGNEY left nearly all his estate to his wife, to whom he’d been married for 60 years, and nothing to the rest of his family. He was quoted as saying, “I have intentionally made no provision for any grandchildren of mine. I believe it is the obligation of each parent to adequately provide for his own children during the parents’ lifetime, just as I have done, and just as I believe my children should do for their children”.
Although James had no natural children, he adopted two, but became estranged from them both, and did not even attend his son’s funeral in 1984.
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Diana Dors
 DIANA DORS cut her husband Alan Lake out of her will, because she loved him too much! She thought he would only survive if he stood on his own two feet but, unfortunately, this was not the case - he couldn’t live without Diana, and shot himself within weeks of her dying of cancer. |
Carry on Ken:
 | KENNETH WILLIAMS, ‘Carry On’ film star, was devoted to his elderly mother, 87 year old Louisa, but as he fully expected to outlive her, she was not a beneficiary in his will. Instead he left half of his estate to his long standing friend Paul, and the rest to his godson Robert, who was only 12 at the time. Kenneth who had been suffering a stomach ulcer and had overdosed on painkillers, left £534,000, some personal treasures, and a flat near Regent’s Park, London.
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They had their own careers:
 After famous film star HENRY FONDA died of a heart attack, his actor children, Jane and Peter, were stunned to find that they’d been left out of his will, because he felt they were financially independent. He left over £100,000 to his adopted daughter, Amy, and everything else to his fifth wife Shirlee.
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'Ooh, you were awful, but they liked you!:
 With five wives behind him, at the age of 64, DICK EMERY set up home with 35 year old showgirl Fay Hiller. Three years later he died and left Fay the bulk of his £127,000 estate. His widow Joe, contested the will, accusing Fay of manipulating her husband, and the Judge ordered the will to be changed giving Jo a much larger share. |
Virginia Mayo:
 | Virginia Mayo's popularity as a musical comedy star as well as an accomplished dramatic actress and comedienne spans several generations of film and theatergoers. In terms of film (she has starred in over 45 motion pictures), today's youthful audiences are fully acquainted with such great Mayo performances as the tough gun-moll in "White Heat" (opposite James Cagney): the errant young wife in Samuel Goldwyn's "The Best Years Of Our Lives" (which boasted an All-Star cast and captured 9 Academy Awards); the burlesque queen in the delightful musical comedy "She's Working Her Way Through College"; Lady Barbara Wellesley in "Captain Horatio Hornblower" with Gregory Peck and those wonderful musical Comedies she did with Danny Kaye for Samuel Goldwyn.
Virginia was born Virginia Clara Jones in St. Louis, Missouri and got her show business start at the age of six by enrolling in her aunt's "School of Dramatic Expression". Even at the early age of six, Virginia planned to become a star and this determination and natural talent led to a prestigious role with the St. Louis Municipal Opera Company. She soon toured the United States in a musical comedy act called "Pansy the Horse" and changed her last name to Mayo.
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Popular Star:
 Soon after she joined nightclub kin, Billy Roses's new revue at his famed Diamond Horseshoe notary and was spotted by visiting Hollywood mogul, Samuel Goldwyn. Goldwyn was so impressed with Virginia's talent and beauty that the legendary producer immediately signed her to a contract. During her tenure with Goldwyn Studios she appeared opposite Danny Kaye in a series of totally charming musical comedies. These included "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", "The Kid From Brooklyn", Wonder Man and " A Song Is Born"
Among her personal favorites made for Warner Brothers, where she was that studios top money making star for several years (ans in the national box office Top 10) are "She's Back On Broadway", "She's Working Her Way Through College", opposite her frequent dancing co-star Gene Nelson, "Colorado Territory" with Joel McCrea, the aforementioned "White Heat" and "The Iron Mistress" opposite Alan Ladd. Most were in color, providing the ideal setting for Virginia's hazel green eyes, golden blonde hair, and porcelain complexion.
Virginia has appeared opposite some of the greatest leading men in cinema history. Rex Harrison in "King Richard and the Crusaders", Paul Newman in "The Silver Chalice, Robert Stack in "Great Day in the Morning", Bob Hope in "The Princess and the Pirate", Burt Lancaster in "The Flame and the Arrow", Kirk Douglas "Along the Great Divide" and of course Ronald Reagan in "The Girl from Jones Beach". The list is seemingly endless!
Theatergoers of all ages have delighted in her musical an comedy performances during productions of "No No Nanette", "Barefoot in the Park", "Forty Carats", Hello Dolly", "Butterflies Are Free", "Move Over Mrs. Markham". Prior to his untimely passing, Virginia and her husband , actor Michael O'Shea (of Jack London film fame) co-starred in such hits as "Tunnel of Love, "Ficrello", and "George Washington Slept Here". She has also starred in "Cactus Flower", "How the Other Half Loves". and the musical comedy, "Good News".
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Such a Nice Person:
Virginia has appeared on many television shows including: Police Story, Night Gallery, Merv Griffin, Dinah Shore and Mike Douglas shows as well as numerous variety specials. Other television appearances include featured roles on Remington Steele, Murder She Wrote, The Love Boat and a 12 episode run on the notorious daytime soap "Santa Barbara".
When at home in Thousand Oaks, California, Virginia Mayo pursues her other avocation: Painting , working primarily in oils and watercolors, the three favorite men in her life are her adorable grandsons and she says the role of "loving grandmother" is truly challenging.
Virginia is the subject of a new book which I will be reviewing shortly, watch out for it!
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Making Gable Dance for the Movies:
 Compiled from articles in the Detroit Free Press of 15-1-1939.
‘From He-Man Hero to Hoofer in 40 or 50 Not-So-Easy lessons - An Amazing Story’
Song and Dance Man Clark Gable was thumping and clumping to a wheezy recording of "Putting on the Ritz." At that precise moment, one of Southern California's pleasantly exhilarating little earthquakes happened, and Gable paused disgustedly. He was tossing his 190 pounds around as a vaudeville hoofer in preparation for his "Idiot's Delight" role of Harry (Personality) Van. Gable was not born to dance. All of his life, he made it a point to keep his feet planted firmly on solid ground, and he was self-conscious about his feet. Gable had made a hurried trip to New York with Director Clarence Brown to see Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, in their Broadway hit, "Idiot's Delight." "That Harry Van part is made to order for you," Brown said. Gable was sold, too. "Sure," he said, "but how about that dance stuff? It's not in my line." "Forget it" Brown answered. "It's only a flash."
The play was purchased by MGM for Gable with Norma Shearer selected as his co-star, reuniting them for the first time since "A Free Soul" and "Strange Interlude." Every time he thought about hoofing, Gable got the jitters. Dancing looked so simple when Fred Astaire did it. Gable was handed the completed script of the Pulitzer Prize play by Robert F. Sherwood, and told to report the next day for dance rehearsals.
They not only had him doing a song-and-dance act with six chorus girls that ran for 15 pages of script, but they added a couple of jokers. One was a vaudeville routine, with him dancing the Buck-Schottische, (a kind of barn dance). After two days of hoofing, he was creaking like a rusty gate, and he-man Gable went as temperamental as a Prima Donna, but before his Metro debut, he put a policeman at the door of the rehearsal stage, with strict orders to keep snoopers out. Carole Lombard sent Gable a ballet costume, accompanied by 11-C ballet slippers, and he received a dozen gag offers for vaudeville engagements. Humorists had a field day. Gable took it good humoured, and naturally, laughed at his own ineptness and dug in. The dances King created for Gable dated back to the early 1920s, and they had a burlesque flavor. "Burlesquing a dance number is not as simple as it looks," said King. "To start with, Clark learned the dance straight, until he could do it in his sleep. Then we added the jitterbug touches”
The girls he was to dance with were Virginia Grey, a Hollywood dancing teacher when she was 16, and one of the movies most promising young players Paula Stone, daughter of Fred Stone, the famous stage and screen comedian. Virginia Dale, a girl who was discovered in a New York Night Club, and Bernadena Hayes; who was selected as the Most Beautiful Radio Artist when she was a blues singer on the radio. Also in the dance was Lorraine Krueger, who got her start in the chorus, and Joan Marsh, who hailed from Porterville, California. King suggested a finale to dance, in which Gable tosses away his hat and cane, jumps into the arms of the girls, and they carry him off the stage.
Brown's approval was sought. "Great," said the director. "But," Gable asked, "Suppose they should drop me." "That's all right," declared Brown. "We’ll shoot the final scenes first. Then if they should drop you, it won't matter."
Despite his weeks of practice, Gable had a few bad moments before Brown called "Camera," and the dance was on. The star had expected some privacy, but word got around the lot and the stage was packed. There were there 21 members of the cast on the set – a few of them were Miss Norma Shearer, Charles Coburn, Edward Arnold, Joseph Schildkraut, Pat Paterson, Burgess Meredith and others - but parked in a front row seat was Miss Carole Lombard. Brown had tipped her off. "It was too late to bow out, then," said Gable, "I just set my feet into motion. The rest was automatic." After the first take, two bell boys appeared, each bearing huge bouquets of flowers for Gable, from Miss Lombard and Miss Shearer. "I've seen it, "said Miss Lombard, "but I still don't believe it - that can't be Gable!”
Miss Lombard turned to King and congratulated him. "You're a miracle man." she said. "I think so, too." Gable added, "I was dancing on King's feet." The entire dance required two days to film, with boom shots and close-ups. On the screen, the audience saw only 350 feet. The Buck-Schottische and chorus boy number add another 200 feet of dancing to Gable's hoofing chores in the picture. When the dance numbers were filmed, Gable was asked whether or not he intended to do any more hoofing before the cameras. "Not this Flat-Foot Floogie," he cracked, "I'm all out of Floy, Floy!"
However Clark Gable rejected his wealth later in life. ‘THE LOS ANGELES TIMES’ reported: During an auction of Hollywood memorabilia, an unidentified buyer shelled out more than $850,000 for Clark Gable's only Academy Award, and a copy of the script that "The King of Hollywood" consulted in the making of "Gone With the Wind." Gable's 12-inch-tall gold-plated Oscar for his leading role as a wisecracking newspaper reporter in 1934's best picture, "It Happened One Night," went for $607,500. “Gable is still the leading man for many people," said Vredy Lytsman; even Gable's old passport fetched $10,000. All of the items were sold by Gable's estate as part of a daylong auction of Hollywood artifacts that raised more than $1.8 million.
In 1993, a bidder paid $510,000 for the gold-plated statuette given to Vivien Leigh. Both she and Gable were nominated for their performances in leading roles in "Gone With the Wind"; she won, he didn't. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had sued to keep Gable's Oscar off the auction block, but a judge ruled that the academy did not give proper notice of the hearing to Christie's, and did not notify Gable's son, John, also named as a defendant. The academy claims that, two years before his death in 1960, Gable signed a standard contract giving it first right to buy the statuette for $10 if it was ever sold. Christie's claims the signature on the agreement was a fake. Christie's vice president who took the winning bids for both the Oscar and the script over the telephone, declined to identify the victorious bidder. "I think the buyer is thrilled--pretty, pretty thrilled," she said. The $607,500 included a "hammer price" of $550,000 plus the auction house commission.
© Film Guy Ernie - JANUARY 2004
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When Richard Met Ann-Margaret:
 | Ann-Margaret in Viet Nam
Richard, (surname with-held), never really talked a lot about his time in Viet Nam other than he had been shot by a sniper. However, he had a rather grainy, 8 x 10 black and white photo he had taken at a USO show of Ann Margaret with Bob Hope in the background that was one of his treasures.
A few years ago, Ann Margaret was doing a book signing at a local bookstore. Richard wanted to see if he could get her to sign the treasured photo so he arrived at the bookstore at 12 o'clock for the 7:30 signing.
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Just a Photo:
 When I got there after work, the line went all the way around the bookstore, circled the parking lot and disappeared behind a parking garage. Before her appearance, bookstore employees announced that she would sign only her book and no memorabilia would be permitted.
Richard was disappointed, but wanted to show her the photo and let her know how much those shows meant to lonely GI's so far from home. Ann Margaret came out looking as beautiful as ever and, as second in line, it was soon Richard's turn.
He presented the book for her signature and then too k out the photo. When he did, there were many shouts from the employees that she would not sign it. Richard said, "I understand. I just wanted her to see it."
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So important:
She took one look at the photo, tears welled up in her eyes and she said, "This is one of my gentlemen from Viet Nam and I most certainly will sign his photo. I know what these men did for their country and I always have time for 'my gentlemen.'"
With that, she pulled Richard across the table and planted a big kiss on him. She then made quite a to-do about the bravery of the young men she met over the years, how much she admired them, and how much she appreciated them. There weren't too many dry eyes among those close enough to hear. She then posed for pictures and acted as if he was the only one there.
Later at dinner, Richard was very quiet. When I asked if he'd like to talk about it, my big strong husband broke down in tears. "That's the first time anyone ever thanked me for my time in the Army," he said.
That night was a turning point for him. He walked a little straighter and, for the first time in years, was proud to have been a Vet. I'll never forget Ann Margaret for her graciousness and how much that small act of kindness meant to my husband.
I now make it a point to say "Thank you" to every person I come across who served in our Armed Forces. Freedom does not come cheap and I am grateful for all those who have served their country.
This story may help others to become aware of how important it is to acknowledge the contribution our servicemen continue to make.
Richard finally meets Ann-Margaret.
Now please choose another page.....
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