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Imperfect Union is the story about one of the most celebrated power couples in 19th century America, John and Jessie Fremont.
Fremont was a restless soul who became an explorer, soldier, and politician. Known as "the Pathfinder in the West," he led several expeditions, participated in the capture of California during the Mexican War, and he served as one of California's first US senators. In 1854, he was one of the founders of the Republican Party and, in 1856, he became the first Republican presidential candidate. He then served in the Civil War.
For every one of these exploits and adventures, his wife, Jessie Benton Fremont ( 1824-1902) was by his side. Well, figuratively anyway. She spent most of her life at home with illness and children, but that's where she worked her magic. She became Fremont's biggest supporter, his personal publicist. When he returned from an adventure, he dictated his stories to her, she applied the Jessie touch, and the books became popular bestsellers. While he was away, she also published numerous stories of her own, but most of her ink was dedicated to promoting her husband.
She knew about politics and life in politics because she was the daughter of one of the most powerful Senators in Washington, Missouri's Thomas Hart Benton, so she had a number of doors opened to her. Once the door was slightly ajar, she knew what to do to protect and promote her husband. He sometimes made rash decisions and had frequent clashes with other people in authority. As soon as she found any bad press, Jessie grabbed pen and paper and wrote letters to the editor and rebuttals that were published nationwide, and she often traveled to plead her husband's case in person, including one famous trip to see Lincoln himself.
When she wasn't defending Fremont, she was a devoted abolitionist, pushing him to take a stand, as well as writing articles herself, and hosting salons at which the topics of the day were discussed.
Place.
John C. Fremont was born in scandal in Savannah Georgia in 1813, the product of his mother's extramarital affair. His widowed mother moved them to Charleston when he was a child. It was because of his background that Sen. Thomas Hart Benton disapproved of John and Jessie's marriage at first, but he came around.
Some historians have argued that Fremont's scandalous birth and poor childhood fed his desire to be great and to do great things. Beginning in 1842, he led five mapping and scientific expeditions across the west, accompanied by famous scouts like Kit Carson and renowned cartographers and naturalists. The resulting maps and scientific documentation opened up the Oregon Trail and inspired many pioneers to follow in his footsteps. On his third expedition in 1845, he was responsible for the slaughter of hundreds of Native Americans, without provocation. He then claimed California as American territory as soon as the Mexican War began, purchasing the land seized from California's last Mexican governor. He grew quite rich as a result of the California gold rush when gold was discovered in his land, but he had lost his fortune by the time he served in his last government position, as governor of the Arizona Territory from 1878-1881, living in the last house pictured here. He died destitute in New York City in 1890.
John C. Fremont was born in scandal in Savannah Georgia in 1813, the product of his mother's extramarital affair. His widowed mother moved them to Charleston when he was a child. It was because of his background that Sen. Thomas Hart Benton disapproved of John and Jessie's marriage at first, but he came around.
Some historians have argued that Fremont's scandalous birth and poor childhood fed his desire to be great and to do great things. Beginning in 1842, he led five mapping and scientific expeditions across the west, accompanied by famous scouts like Kit Carson and renowned cartographers and naturalists. The resulting maps and scientific documentation opened up the Oregon Trail and inspired many pioneers to follow in his footsteps. On his third expedition in 1845, he was responsible for the slaughter of hundreds of Native Americans, without provocation. He then claimed California as American territory as soon as the Mexican War began, purchasing the land seized from California's last Mexican governor. He grew quite rich as a result of the California gold rush when gold was discovered in his land, but he had lost his fortune by the time he served in his last government position, as governor of the Arizona Territory from 1878-1881, living in the last house pictured here. He died destitute in New York City in 1890.
Thing.
Jessie Fremont was one of the first, if not the first, wife of a candidate to be featured in campaign materials and political cartoons. Supporters called her "Our first Presidentress," the first lady in the land," and the campaign slogan of "Fremont and Jessie too" was popular.
Jessie Fremont was one of the first, if not the first, wife of a candidate to be featured in campaign materials and political cartoons. Supporters called her "Our first Presidentress," the first lady in the land," and the campaign slogan of "Fremont and Jessie too" was popular.
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The Whip by Karen Kondazian is a work of fiction inspired by and based on the incredible life of Charley Parkhurst. Parkhurst, born Charlotte Parkhurst in Vermont in 1812, was orphaned as a girl. At 15, she ran away from her orphanage and went west. She developed a seemingly natural talent for handling horses and discovered that there were more opportunities as a man, so she became, and lived the rest of her life as, Charley Parkhurst. Charley became one of the most respected, admired, and renowned stagecoach drivers and teamsters in California during and after the gold rush. Nicknamed "One-eyed Charley" and "Six-Gun Charley," "he" could do things with wagons and horses that no one else could. Charley also tried his hand at farming and ranching. His secret was never revealed until his death in 1879, when friends went to "lay out" his body for burial. They were shocked to discover that Charley was a female. Also, the local doctor confirmed that she had given birth at some point, and a baby's dress was found in Charley's trunk.
There's yet another famous stagecoach driver whose life is screaming to be movie-fied: Mary Fields, nicknamed "Stagecoach Mary" or "Black Mary." Fields was born enslaved around 1832 in Tennessee. She moved to Montana in the late 1880s and worked at a school for Native American girls run by the Catholic church. There, she cooked, cleaned, gardened, and did maintenance. Her temperament and profanity got to be too much for school officials, and she was fired. After trying her hand at running a tavern, she applied to be a contractor for the US mail, at age 60. She did that for 8-9 years, never missing a day. If the snow was too deep for horses and wagon, she made her route in snowshoes, carrying the mailbag on her back. In the town of Cascade, schools were closed every year to mark her birthday. When Montana passed a law forbidding women in saloons, the mayor gave her a special exemption. (Died1914)
The Whip by Karen Kondazian is a work of fiction inspired by and based on the incredible life of Charley Parkhurst. Parkhurst, born Charlotte Parkhurst in Vermont in 1812, was orphaned as a girl. At 15, she ran away from her orphanage and went west. She developed a seemingly natural talent for handling horses and discovered that there were more opportunities as a man, so she became, and lived the rest of her life as, Charley Parkhurst. Charley became one of the most respected, admired, and renowned stagecoach drivers and teamsters in California during and after the gold rush. Nicknamed "One-eyed Charley" and "Six-Gun Charley," "he" could do things with wagons and horses that no one else could. Charley also tried his hand at farming and ranching. His secret was never revealed until his death in 1879, when friends went to "lay out" his body for burial. They were shocked to discover that Charley was a female. Also, the local doctor confirmed that she had given birth at some point, and a baby's dress was found in Charley's trunk.
There's yet another famous stagecoach driver whose life is screaming to be movie-fied: Mary Fields, nicknamed "Stagecoach Mary" or "Black Mary." Fields was born enslaved around 1832 in Tennessee. She moved to Montana in the late 1880s and worked at a school for Native American girls run by the Catholic church. There, she cooked, cleaned, gardened, and did maintenance. Her temperament and profanity got to be too much for school officials, and she was fired. After trying her hand at running a tavern, she applied to be a contractor for the US mail, at age 60. She did that for 8-9 years, never missing a day. If the snow was too deep for horses and wagon, she made her route in snowshoes, carrying the mailbag on her back. In the town of Cascade, schools were closed every year to mark her birthday. When Montana passed a law forbidding women in saloons, the mayor gave her a special exemption. (Died1914)
Place.
While not a character in The Whip, "Stagecoach Mary" Fields first ventured west around 1884, to care for Mother Mary Amadeus, an Ursuline nun who was sent to Montana Territory, near Cascade, to run a school for Native American girls, the St. Peter's Mission school (in attached pictures).
There, Mary became nurse, cook, cleaner, laundress, gardener, and handyman, among other roles. She was loved and respected there, but her habitual profanity became a problem for church officials. In 1894, after several complaints and an incident involving a male employee and gunplay (not sure of those details), Mary was dismissed, leading to her stagecoach career.
While not a character in The Whip, "Stagecoach Mary" Fields first ventured west around 1884, to care for Mother Mary Amadeus, an Ursuline nun who was sent to Montana Territory, near Cascade, to run a school for Native American girls, the St. Peter's Mission school (in attached pictures).
There, Mary became nurse, cook, cleaner, laundress, gardener, and handyman, among other roles. She was loved and respected there, but her habitual profanity became a problem for church officials. In 1894, after several complaints and an incident involving a male employee and gunplay (not sure of those details), Mary was dismissed, leading to her stagecoach career.
Thing.
The first crude depiction of a coach was in an English manuscript from the 13th century. The first recorded stagecoach route in Britain started in 1610 and ran from Edinburgh to Leith.
In the 19th century American West, stagecoach lines were the connections between towns, transporting passengers, goods, and mail. The stagecoach was the most reliable link to the outside world before railroads, and that reliability was challenged by breakdowns, weather, floods, blizzards, and bandits, among other things.
Daring drivers like Charley Parkhurst and Mary Fields became folk heroes.
The Whip is an enjoyable ride.
The first crude depiction of a coach was in an English manuscript from the 13th century. The first recorded stagecoach route in Britain started in 1610 and ran from Edinburgh to Leith.
In the 19th century American West, stagecoach lines were the connections between towns, transporting passengers, goods, and mail. The stagecoach was the most reliable link to the outside world before railroads, and that reliability was challenged by breakdowns, weather, floods, blizzards, and bandits, among other things.
Daring drivers like Charley Parkhurst and Mary Fields became folk heroes.
The Whip is an enjoyable ride.
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Are you, like me, a fan of the HBO show The Gilded Age? One of the minor characters is architect Stanford White. White was one of the most acclaimed American architects around the turn of the century and traveled in the highest circles of society. Every move generated newspaper interest, but none of his works created as much interest as the love triangle he found himself in that led to his death, and the first "trial of the century."
The object of the triangle was Evelyn Nesbit (1884 or 1885- 1967). Nesbit was the first supermodel in history, starting out as an artists' model in Philadelphia and then moving to New York. She continued posing for all of the great artists of the day as well as for newspapers, magazines, and advertising. She became the first "pin-up" girl. Her looks got her work in Broadway chorus lines with promises of making her a star.
That's where she earned the notice of White, three times her age at 48 and married with a son. After a period of grooming the 16 year old and paying her bills, he drugged and raped her. White remained a presence in her life, more out of the desire to control than to have a relationship. She went on to have a relationship with actor John Barrymore. Then she met Harry Thaw, a mentally unstable and abusive millionaire. They married in 1905.
Thaw became focused on ruining White. Finally, at a rooftop restaurant on top of Madison Square Garden in 1906, Thaw drew a pistol and shot White three times in the head and back from two feet away, shouting that White had ruined his wife. Thaw's first trial ended in a deadlock. At the second trial, he was found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity and placed in an asylum until 1915, and he and Nesbit divorced. She then performed in Vaudeville, burlesque, and cabaret shows, briefly ran a tea room, and became a sculptor.
Are you, like me, a fan of the HBO show The Gilded Age? One of the minor characters is architect Stanford White. White was one of the most acclaimed American architects around the turn of the century and traveled in the highest circles of society. Every move generated newspaper interest, but none of his works created as much interest as the love triangle he found himself in that led to his death, and the first "trial of the century."
The object of the triangle was Evelyn Nesbit (1884 or 1885- 1967). Nesbit was the first supermodel in history, starting out as an artists' model in Philadelphia and then moving to New York. She continued posing for all of the great artists of the day as well as for newspapers, magazines, and advertising. She became the first "pin-up" girl. Her looks got her work in Broadway chorus lines with promises of making her a star.
That's where she earned the notice of White, three times her age at 48 and married with a son. After a period of grooming the 16 year old and paying her bills, he drugged and raped her. White remained a presence in her life, more out of the desire to control than to have a relationship. She went on to have a relationship with actor John Barrymore. Then she met Harry Thaw, a mentally unstable and abusive millionaire. They married in 1905.
Thaw became focused on ruining White. Finally, at a rooftop restaurant on top of Madison Square Garden in 1906, Thaw drew a pistol and shot White three times in the head and back from two feet away, shouting that White had ruined his wife. Thaw's first trial ended in a deadlock. At the second trial, he was found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity and placed in an asylum until 1915, and he and Nesbit divorced. She then performed in Vaudeville, burlesque, and cabaret shows, briefly ran a tea room, and became a sculptor.
Place.
If Evelyn Nesbit was the first "It" girl ("It" was a euphemism for sex appeal; sex or sexy were vulgar.), Stanford White was the "It" architect of his day, creating mansions for Vanderbilts and the like, the nouveau riche especially. He also designed Edwin Booth's private club, The Players, the Washington Square Park Arch, and the Madison Square Garden (the second of four buildings to carry that name, and the one on top of which White was murdered), and the column commemorating the American prisoners who died on board British ships during the Revolution, just to name a few. His work definitely left a mark on New York City. The question is, does it match the mark of his scandals?
If Evelyn Nesbit was the first "It" girl ("It" was a euphemism for sex appeal; sex or sexy were vulgar.), Stanford White was the "It" architect of his day, creating mansions for Vanderbilts and the like, the nouveau riche especially. He also designed Edwin Booth's private club, The Players, the Washington Square Park Arch, and the Madison Square Garden (the second of four buildings to carry that name, and the one on top of which White was murdered), and the column commemorating the American prisoners who died on board British ships during the Revolution, just to name a few. His work definitely left a mark on New York City. The question is, does it match the mark of his scandals?
Thing.
One of the artists that Evelyn Nesbit posed for in New York was Charles Dana Gibson, who saw her as the epitome of classic American beauty. She was the muse that inspired the Gibson girls lines that he famously created and that made him famous. Nesbit's image became inescapable, used in advertising and illustrations in newspapers and magazines across the country.
One of the artists that Evelyn Nesbit posed for in New York was Charles Dana Gibson, who saw her as the epitome of classic American beauty. She was the muse that inspired the Gibson girls lines that he famously created and that made him famous. Nesbit's image became inescapable, used in advertising and illustrations in newspapers and magazines across the country.
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Today's person, place, and thing book tics so many Women's History Month boxes. The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore is the story of the creation of the most famous female superhero, her male feminist creator, and the two women that inspired her creation. Also, it's written by one of my favorite historians of late, Jill Lepore.
Wonder Woman first appeared in All Star Comics #8, published in October 1941, and got her first feature in January 1942's Sensation Comics #1. Wonder Woman, of course, is really Princess Diana of Themyscira, an island of Amazon women, who returns US intelligence officer Steve Trevor to DC and then sticks around as Diana Prince in Order to fight Axis power baddies, alongside Justice League co-founders Batman and Superman. ( Although, in her early JL days, it seems that she is tasked with minding the Hall and doing some filing.)
WW was created by Dr. William Moulton Marston, who was inspired by strong feminist figures his whole life, starting with American and British suffragists and Margaret Sanger. In 1915, upon graduation from Harvard, he married his childhood sweetheart, Sadie Elizabeth Holloway (Betty), and he begins teaching, first at American University, then at Tufts. At Tufts, he fell in love with Margaret Sanger's niece, Olive Byrne. (Olive's mother and Sanger were sisters, and had worked together.) The three of them then began a polyamorous or multiple marriage, a menage a trois. He fathered two children by each woman, and they all lived together in one household. A 2017 film, "Professor Marston and the Wonder Women," was made about their lives.
Today's person, place, and thing book tics so many Women's History Month boxes. The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore is the story of the creation of the most famous female superhero, her male feminist creator, and the two women that inspired her creation. Also, it's written by one of my favorite historians of late, Jill Lepore.
Wonder Woman first appeared in All Star Comics #8, published in October 1941, and got her first feature in January 1942's Sensation Comics #1. Wonder Woman, of course, is really Princess Diana of Themyscira, an island of Amazon women, who returns US intelligence officer Steve Trevor to DC and then sticks around as Diana Prince in Order to fight Axis power baddies, alongside Justice League co-founders Batman and Superman. ( Although, in her early JL days, it seems that she is tasked with minding the Hall and doing some filing.)
WW was created by Dr. William Moulton Marston, who was inspired by strong feminist figures his whole life, starting with American and British suffragists and Margaret Sanger. In 1915, upon graduation from Harvard, he married his childhood sweetheart, Sadie Elizabeth Holloway (Betty), and he begins teaching, first at American University, then at Tufts. At Tufts, he fell in love with Margaret Sanger's niece, Olive Byrne. (Olive's mother and Sanger were sisters, and had worked together.) The three of them then began a polyamorous or multiple marriage, a menage a trois. He fathered two children by each woman, and they all lived together in one household. A 2017 film, "Professor Marston and the Wonder Women," was made about their lives.
Place.
Themyscira was an ancient Greek town, probably located on the southern coast of the Black Sea. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the Amazons, the fierce women warriors who fought and conquered throughout the region. In myths, the town was visited at various times by heroes Heracles, Theseus, and Jason and the Argonauts.
Themyscira was an ancient Greek town, probably located on the southern coast of the Black Sea. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the Amazons, the fierce women warriors who fought and conquered throughout the region. In myths, the town was visited at various times by heroes Heracles, Theseus, and Jason and the Argonauts.
Thing.
Besides her great physical strength, invisible jet, and bullet-deflecting bullets, what is Wonder Woman famous for? The Lasso of Truth, of course. Bound by the Lasso of Truth, everyone is compelled to tell the truth. That lasso may be the most meaningful object in the entire comic book universe, in terms of relationship to its creator, William Marston.
Firstly, Marston was not just a professor or a comic book creator. He also invented an early polygraph or lie-detector test. You can see the physical resemblance to the Lasso of Truth.
Secondly, Marston was dedicated to feminism, to equal opportunity for women. Wonder Woman is bound by ropes or chains more often than any other superhero, and she always manages to escape --- symbolically breaking the chains that bind women to second-class subservience to men.
Finally, the earlier "Persons" post revealed that Dr. Marston and his wives did not live conventionally, that, in fact, they had a plural marriage. Not only that, but Marston also had a bondage fetish, so it was only natural that that part of his life is reflected in his creation.
Besides her great physical strength, invisible jet, and bullet-deflecting bullets, what is Wonder Woman famous for? The Lasso of Truth, of course. Bound by the Lasso of Truth, everyone is compelled to tell the truth. That lasso may be the most meaningful object in the entire comic book universe, in terms of relationship to its creator, William Marston.
Firstly, Marston was not just a professor or a comic book creator. He also invented an early polygraph or lie-detector test. You can see the physical resemblance to the Lasso of Truth.
Secondly, Marston was dedicated to feminism, to equal opportunity for women. Wonder Woman is bound by ropes or chains more often than any other superhero, and she always manages to escape --- symbolically breaking the chains that bind women to second-class subservience to men.
Finally, the earlier "Persons" post revealed that Dr. Marston and his wives did not live conventionally, that, in fact, they had a plural marriage. Not only that, but Marston also had a bondage fetish, so it was only natural that that part of his life is reflected in his creation.
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Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald was born in 1900 in Montgomery Alabama, the youngest of six children and daughter of an Alabama state supreme court justice. From a prominent southern family, she had a great uncle and a grandfather who had served as US Senators.
She met aspiring writer F. Scott Fitzgerald when he was a soldier stationed near Montgomery. She immediately became his muse; he even lifted expressions and passages from her letters and diary and included them in his books, along with thinly veiled and slightly changed incidents from their own lives. They got engaged, saw the publication of This Side of Paradise, and married in New York City, all within a month in 1920, despite her family's concern over his alcoholism and catholicism.
The high society, and society columns, of NYC immediately made them celebrities, known for their high jinks, partying, and public drunkenness which got them kicked out of all the best places. She also tried her hand at writing and publishing short stories, and they co-wrote a play, but their celebrity and shenanigans got more attention. Of course, the 20s were the age of the Flappers, young women who broke all the rules of "decent" society. Scott called Zelda "the first flapper," and few observers and historians doubt her status as at least the most prominent flapper.
Their marriage was tempestuous and alcohol-driven. Zelda grew more bored, erratic, and restless. Scott drank more. In 1930, Zelda was diagnosed as schizophrenic; later, it probably would have been called bipolar disorder. She spent the rest of her life in and out of institutions and treatment, She died in a fire, along with nine others, at an institution in Asheville, NC in 1948. She had been locked in a room awaiting electroshock treatment when fire spread from the kitchen.
Flapper, by Joshua Zeitz, is an interesting look at the world of the Flappers.
Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald was born in 1900 in Montgomery Alabama, the youngest of six children and daughter of an Alabama state supreme court justice. From a prominent southern family, she had a great uncle and a grandfather who had served as US Senators.
She met aspiring writer F. Scott Fitzgerald when he was a soldier stationed near Montgomery. She immediately became his muse; he even lifted expressions and passages from her letters and diary and included them in his books, along with thinly veiled and slightly changed incidents from their own lives. They got engaged, saw the publication of This Side of Paradise, and married in New York City, all within a month in 1920, despite her family's concern over his alcoholism and catholicism.
The high society, and society columns, of NYC immediately made them celebrities, known for their high jinks, partying, and public drunkenness which got them kicked out of all the best places. She also tried her hand at writing and publishing short stories, and they co-wrote a play, but their celebrity and shenanigans got more attention. Of course, the 20s were the age of the Flappers, young women who broke all the rules of "decent" society. Scott called Zelda "the first flapper," and few observers and historians doubt her status as at least the most prominent flapper.
Their marriage was tempestuous and alcohol-driven. Zelda grew more bored, erratic, and restless. Scott drank more. In 1930, Zelda was diagnosed as schizophrenic; later, it probably would have been called bipolar disorder. She spent the rest of her life in and out of institutions and treatment, She died in a fire, along with nine others, at an institution in Asheville, NC in 1948. She had been locked in a room awaiting electroshock treatment when fire spread from the kitchen.
Flapper, by Joshua Zeitz, is an interesting look at the world of the Flappers.
Place.
The "place" most associated with Flappers is, of course, the speakeasy, aka a blind pig or a blind tiger, the worst kept secrets in American history. During Prohibition, 1920-1933, practically every town and city in America had illicit bars that served illegal alcohol and often housed, or were connected to, illegal gambling and prostitution operations as well. Yes, some of them used secret codewords or knocks that were required to gain entry. Some may have even had built-in hiding places and mechanical devices for getting rid of evidence in the event of a read. However, for the most part, one could find a speakeasy pretty quickly, just by asking a couple of people or looking for well dressed "guys and dolls" lined up or heading into a nondescript storefront.
Once inside, one would likely find crowds, including police chiefs and politicians, drinking, dancing, and listening to jazz. In the middle of it all would be young women called flappers by the older generation (the nicest word used probably) who were dancing, smoking, drinking, and kissing with no shame, wearing dresses that barely reached their knees and even bared their arms and short boyish haircuts. Oh, The Horrors!
The "place" most associated with Flappers is, of course, the speakeasy, aka a blind pig or a blind tiger, the worst kept secrets in American history. During Prohibition, 1920-1933, practically every town and city in America had illicit bars that served illegal alcohol and often housed, or were connected to, illegal gambling and prostitution operations as well. Yes, some of them used secret codewords or knocks that were required to gain entry. Some may have even had built-in hiding places and mechanical devices for getting rid of evidence in the event of a read. However, for the most part, one could find a speakeasy pretty quickly, just by asking a couple of people or looking for well dressed "guys and dolls" lined up or heading into a nondescript storefront.
Once inside, one would likely find crowds, including police chiefs and politicians, drinking, dancing, and listening to jazz. In the middle of it all would be young women called flappers by the older generation (the nicest word used probably) who were dancing, smoking, drinking, and kissing with no shame, wearing dresses that barely reached their knees and even bared their arms and short boyish haircuts. Oh, The Horrors!
Thing.
And just what kind of flapper would you be if you didn't hide your alcohol in your garter flask?
Not only did bootleggers and moonshiners come up with ingenious methods to smuggle their illegal alcohol, but the average citizens came up with methods to satisfy their daily requirements. There were many flasks, of course, but also hollow walking sticks and flask-concealing fake books. And coats and wraps can conceal quite a lot, too.
And just what kind of flapper would you be if you didn't hide your alcohol in your garter flask?
Not only did bootleggers and moonshiners come up with ingenious methods to smuggle their illegal alcohol, but the average citizens came up with methods to satisfy their daily requirements. There were many flasks, of course, but also hollow walking sticks and flask-concealing fake books. And coats and wraps can conceal quite a lot, too.
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Persons.
When one is discussing the most beloved, famous, important, historic, and accomplished women of the 20th century, Lucille Ball has to be very near to the top of the list. There are a great number of books and documentaries about Lucy and Desi,their marriage, and how they transformed - created- television. There's a great Turner Classic Movies Podcast out and a new documentary out soon. (I haven't watched "Being the Ricardos" yet; frankly, what I've seen of the prosthetic faces scares me.) Laughs, Luck, and Lucy is their story told from the pov of their long, longtime collaborator, Jess Openheimer.
So, most know that Ball started as a sexy B-movie star, then moved into radio and TV comedy, that she wasn't inherently funny but repeatedly rehearsed every single line and move, that Desi cheated, that they always loved each other, that Desi innovated television production, and that she became the first woman head of a Hollywood production company.
But let's get to her greatest co-star, the second half of one of the greatest teams ever, Vivian Vance (1909-1979). Vance was born and raised in Kansas and then moved to Albuquerque NM, where she began acting and singing in local theater. When Lucille Ball's first two choices for Ethel Mertz didn't pan out, a director suggested Vance to play her landlady / partner-in-crime. The two became fast friends and played off each other like few comedy teams ever achieved, working together off and on until Vance's death in 1979. She turned down a Fred and Ethel spinoff mostly because she and William Frawley, who played Fred, absolutely loathed every single thing about each other. Although she made several movie and tv appearances following "I Love Lucy" and "The Lucy Show," nothing matched that magic.
When one is discussing the most beloved, famous, important, historic, and accomplished women of the 20th century, Lucille Ball has to be very near to the top of the list. There are a great number of books and documentaries about Lucy and Desi,their marriage, and how they transformed - created- television. There's a great Turner Classic Movies Podcast out and a new documentary out soon. (I haven't watched "Being the Ricardos" yet; frankly, what I've seen of the prosthetic faces scares me.) Laughs, Luck, and Lucy is their story told from the pov of their long, longtime collaborator, Jess Openheimer.
So, most know that Ball started as a sexy B-movie star, then moved into radio and TV comedy, that she wasn't inherently funny but repeatedly rehearsed every single line and move, that Desi cheated, that they always loved each other, that Desi innovated television production, and that she became the first woman head of a Hollywood production company.
But let's get to her greatest co-star, the second half of one of the greatest teams ever, Vivian Vance (1909-1979). Vance was born and raised in Kansas and then moved to Albuquerque NM, where she began acting and singing in local theater. When Lucille Ball's first two choices for Ethel Mertz didn't pan out, a director suggested Vance to play her landlady / partner-in-crime. The two became fast friends and played off each other like few comedy teams ever achieved, working together off and on until Vance's death in 1979. She turned down a Fred and Ethel spinoff mostly because she and William Frawley, who played Fred, absolutely loathed every single thing about each other. Although she made several movie and tv appearances following "I Love Lucy" and "The Lucy Show," nothing matched that magic.
Place.
Since "I Love Lucy" has really never stopped running somewhere in the world, you will recognize these photos as the sets of the show, colorized. These sets at Desilu Studios, Los Angeles are where it all happened.
Besides being Lucy's straight man, Desi proved that he was a gifted television producer and director, an innovator. He introduced new ways of doing television shows that forever changed the industry. Their show was one of the first shows ever filmed in LA, as opposed to New York. It was one of the first shows to be filmed on high quality film, paid for by Arnaz and Ball (which meant they physically owned the shows, also a first); other shows at the time were only live or the film was recorded over again and again. This also made Arnaz the inventor of reruns, ensuring huge audiences. It was among the first to do a Christmas special. It was the first show shot with multiple cameras in front of a live audience, as if it was a play. He made licensing deals generating "I Love Lucy" products.
Desilu was probably the most important television production company in the 1960s, with multiple shows on the air at any given time, including lots and lots of westerns and "Star Trek " Desi was mostly responsible for creating that, and, after the divorce, Lucy ran it.
Since "I Love Lucy" has really never stopped running somewhere in the world, you will recognize these photos as the sets of the show, colorized. These sets at Desilu Studios, Los Angeles are where it all happened.
Besides being Lucy's straight man, Desi proved that he was a gifted television producer and director, an innovator. He introduced new ways of doing television shows that forever changed the industry. Their show was one of the first shows ever filmed in LA, as opposed to New York. It was one of the first shows to be filmed on high quality film, paid for by Arnaz and Ball (which meant they physically owned the shows, also a first); other shows at the time were only live or the film was recorded over again and again. This also made Arnaz the inventor of reruns, ensuring huge audiences. It was among the first to do a Christmas special. It was the first show shot with multiple cameras in front of a live audience, as if it was a play. He made licensing deals generating "I Love Lucy" products.
Desilu was probably the most important television production company in the 1960s, with multiple shows on the air at any given time, including lots and lots of westerns and "Star Trek " Desi was mostly responsible for creating that, and, after the divorce, Lucy ran it.
Thing.
This is the very first issue of TV Guide, a staple at supermarket checkout stands, and in my house, for nearly fifty years. On April 3, 1953, the cover featured Lucille Ball and her 75 day old second child, Desi Arnaz Jr, and it sold for $0.15.
Everyone knows that it was a struggle to work Lucy's real life pregnancy into the show, not even being allowed to use the word pregnant. ((Older child Lucie was born a few months before the show premiered.) With Desi Jr, they did, however, and the couple scheduled a C-section for January 19, 1953, the same day that the episode of Lucy giving birth to Little Ricky aired. The first edition sold over 1.5 million copies in just 10 cities, and 70% of TVs in America tuned into the show that night. Unfortunately, for Desi Jr, the publicity stunt timing caused people to confuse him with Keith Thibodeaux, the actor who played Little Ricky, for decades. The two boys did become friends, and Desi Jr and Lucie played Lucy's children in "Here's Lucy" from 1968 to 1974.
This is the very first issue of TV Guide, a staple at supermarket checkout stands, and in my house, for nearly fifty years. On April 3, 1953, the cover featured Lucille Ball and her 75 day old second child, Desi Arnaz Jr, and it sold for $0.15.
Everyone knows that it was a struggle to work Lucy's real life pregnancy into the show, not even being allowed to use the word pregnant. ((Older child Lucie was born a few months before the show premiered.) With Desi Jr, they did, however, and the couple scheduled a C-section for January 19, 1953, the same day that the episode of Lucy giving birth to Little Ricky aired. The first edition sold over 1.5 million copies in just 10 cities, and 70% of TVs in America tuned into the show that night. Unfortunately, for Desi Jr, the publicity stunt timing caused people to confuse him with Keith Thibodeaux, the actor who played Little Ricky, for decades. The two boys did become friends, and Desi Jr and Lucie played Lucy's children in "Here's Lucy" from 1968 to 1974.
Persons.
While most of the books I feature in #personplaceandthing posts are books I enjoyed and think others would appreciate, there will be a few that may be difficult for some to get into. They Fought Like Demons is not "narrative nonfiction"; it's no Erik Larson book. It's drier, and it can seem pretty academic, but there is a lot of good research and information in the book.
The book is about the hundreds of women who dressed as men and served in the Civil War. The authors scoured military records, and their research indicates that it may well have been hundreds ( conservative estimates are 400-750), but then we only know the ones who were discovered or who admitted it. There were likely many more, but still a relatively small percentage of the actual 3 million "men" in arms.
The book talks about many of these women, their motives, how they did it, and their fates.
Albert Cashier was born Jennie Hodgers in Ireland and had been forced by her family into being a boy in order to find factory work. S/he lived as a man before enlisting, saw service as a man, and continued to live as a man after the war.
Frances Clayton's story has been disputed, and it is not supported by military records. She claimed to have enlisted along with her husband, who was killed at the Battle of Stones River. However, neither she nor her husband can be found in military records under any of the names she claimed they used.
Loretta Velasquez's story is also disputed. Her claims of service in the Confederate army,case a Confederate spy, and as a double agent all appear in a 600 page autobiography published in 1876. Unlike Clayton and others, her claims were attacked immediately upon publication, and her book was called complete fiction. In 2016, William C. Davis published a biography that asserts she was a thief, prostitute, swindler, and con artist who lied about everything in her life, including her alleged Cuban birth.
While most of the books I feature in #personplaceandthing posts are books I enjoyed and think others would appreciate, there will be a few that may be difficult for some to get into. They Fought Like Demons is not "narrative nonfiction"; it's no Erik Larson book. It's drier, and it can seem pretty academic, but there is a lot of good research and information in the book.
The book is about the hundreds of women who dressed as men and served in the Civil War. The authors scoured military records, and their research indicates that it may well have been hundreds ( conservative estimates are 400-750), but then we only know the ones who were discovered or who admitted it. There were likely many more, but still a relatively small percentage of the actual 3 million "men" in arms.
The book talks about many of these women, their motives, how they did it, and their fates.
Albert Cashier was born Jennie Hodgers in Ireland and had been forced by her family into being a boy in order to find factory work. S/he lived as a man before enlisting, saw service as a man, and continued to live as a man after the war.
Frances Clayton's story has been disputed, and it is not supported by military records. She claimed to have enlisted along with her husband, who was killed at the Battle of Stones River. However, neither she nor her husband can be found in military records under any of the names she claimed they used.
Loretta Velasquez's story is also disputed. Her claims of service in the Confederate army,case a Confederate spy, and as a double agent all appear in a 600 page autobiography published in 1876. Unlike Clayton and others, her claims were attacked immediately upon publication, and her book was called complete fiction. In 2016, William C. Davis published a biography that asserts she was a thief, prostitute, swindler, and con artist who lied about everything in her life, including her alleged Cuban birth.
Place.
People sometimes wonder how it was possible for women to keep up their male disguise in Civil War army camps. . It really wasn't that difficult.
Firstly, bear in mind that some women may have had physical characteristics that were stereotypically more male, less curves, etc. Also, boys (and girls) on average went through puberty later than now, so it would not have been that unusual for a soldier claiming to be 18 and not showing the physical characteristics of puberty, like the deepening of his voice or growing facial hair. Women could wrap their breasts, cut their hair, and use various tricks and mannerisms to appear more masculine.
Secondly, physical examinations at induction were usually cursory, to say the least. Doctors and medics usually were only concerned with glaring physical irregularities. However, the long-told tale that the only requirement was to have two opposing teeth ( in order to tear open paper cartridges) is largely a myth.
Finally, soldiers were just not naked around each other that much. They were in uniform much of the time. When nature called, women in uniform learned to be secretive as they went to the bathroom. Soldiers had little opportunity to bathe, and on those rare occasions when there was a creek or a pond, a woman soldier might volunteer for some duty or make some other excuse for not joining in.
Interesting note: there were at least three female prisoners at the notorious Andersonville prison. One unknown woman was discovered only when she died. One was discovered after she died at another prison camp, following a transfer. The third was discovered when she gave birth inside the prison camp; she was pregnant when captured.
People sometimes wonder how it was possible for women to keep up their male disguise in Civil War army camps. . It really wasn't that difficult.
Firstly, bear in mind that some women may have had physical characteristics that were stereotypically more male, less curves, etc. Also, boys (and girls) on average went through puberty later than now, so it would not have been that unusual for a soldier claiming to be 18 and not showing the physical characteristics of puberty, like the deepening of his voice or growing facial hair. Women could wrap their breasts, cut their hair, and use various tricks and mannerisms to appear more masculine.
Secondly, physical examinations at induction were usually cursory, to say the least. Doctors and medics usually were only concerned with glaring physical irregularities. However, the long-told tale that the only requirement was to have two opposing teeth ( in order to tear open paper cartridges) is largely a myth.
Finally, soldiers were just not naked around each other that much. They were in uniform much of the time. When nature called, women in uniform learned to be secretive as they went to the bathroom. Soldiers had little opportunity to bathe, and on those rare occasions when there was a creek or a pond, a woman soldier might volunteer for some duty or make some other excuse for not joining in.
Interesting note: there were at least three female prisoners at the notorious Andersonville prison. One unknown woman was discovered only when she died. One was discovered after she died at another prison camp, following a transfer. The third was discovered when she gave birth inside the prison camp; she was pregnant when captured.
Thing.
One woman documented in the official military records was Mary Scaberry, alias Charles Freeman, Fifty-second Ohio Infantry. Scaberry enlisted as a private in the summer of 1862 at the age of seventeen. On November 7 she was admitted to the General Hospital in Lebanon, Kentucky, suffering from a serious fever. She was transferred to a hospital in Louisville, THREE DAYS LATER, hospital personnel discovered "sexual incompatibility [sic]." In other words, the feverish soldier was female. Scaberry was discharged from Union service.
They Fought Like Demons documents several similar records of women discharged due to "sexual incompatibility."
One woman documented in the official military records was Mary Scaberry, alias Charles Freeman, Fifty-second Ohio Infantry. Scaberry enlisted as a private in the summer of 1862 at the age of seventeen. On November 7 she was admitted to the General Hospital in Lebanon, Kentucky, suffering from a serious fever. She was transferred to a hospital in Louisville, THREE DAYS LATER, hospital personnel discovered "sexual incompatibility [sic]." In other words, the feverish soldier was female. Scaberry was discharged from Union service.
They Fought Like Demons documents several similar records of women discharged due to "sexual incompatibility."
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Person.
The Great Depression of the 1930s inspired my favorite novel, The Grapes of Wrath, and my favorite nonfiction work, Let Us Now Praise Men. While James Agree and Walker Evans were creating the latter, and Dorothea Lange was documenting the Depression's effects in photos like Migrant Mother, novelist Erskine Caldwell and photographer Margaret Bourke-White created You Have Seen Their Faces, also a book of prose and photos of southern poverty.
Margaret Bourke-White (1904-1971) is too often overshadowed by Dorothea Lange. She began the hobby of photography as a child in the Bronx, following her father's enthusiasm for cameras. She started at Columbia majoring in herpetology, and then switched back to studying photography at several schools before graduating from Cornell. A year later, she moved to Cleveland and began specializing in architectural and industrial photography.
She then became a photojournalist, the first Western photographer allowed to enter the USSR in 1930. She also documented the rise of Nazism. In the mid-1930s, she traveled across the South with Erskine Caldwell, and they published You Have Seen Their Faces in 1937. She and Caldwell were married from 1939-1942.
During WWII, she became the first known female war correspondent and the first woman allowed to work in combat zones. She was active in North Africa and Italy, becoming the first female journalist to fly in a combat mission. She accompanied Patton in the spring of 1945, documenting the liberation of Buchenwald Concentration Camp.
She also documented the India-Pakistan partition violence of the late 1940s, interviewing and photographing Gandhi hours before his assassination, and she covered the Korean War for Life Magazine.
She died of Parkinson's Disease in 1971.
The Great Depression of the 1930s inspired my favorite novel, The Grapes of Wrath, and my favorite nonfiction work, Let Us Now Praise Men. While James Agree and Walker Evans were creating the latter, and Dorothea Lange was documenting the Depression's effects in photos like Migrant Mother, novelist Erskine Caldwell and photographer Margaret Bourke-White created You Have Seen Their Faces, also a book of prose and photos of southern poverty.
Margaret Bourke-White (1904-1971) is too often overshadowed by Dorothea Lange. She began the hobby of photography as a child in the Bronx, following her father's enthusiasm for cameras. She started at Columbia majoring in herpetology, and then switched back to studying photography at several schools before graduating from Cornell. A year later, she moved to Cleveland and began specializing in architectural and industrial photography.
She then became a photojournalist, the first Western photographer allowed to enter the USSR in 1930. She also documented the rise of Nazism. In the mid-1930s, she traveled across the South with Erskine Caldwell, and they published You Have Seen Their Faces in 1937. She and Caldwell were married from 1939-1942.
During WWII, she became the first known female war correspondent and the first woman allowed to work in combat zones. She was active in North Africa and Italy, becoming the first female journalist to fly in a combat mission. She accompanied Patton in the spring of 1945, documenting the liberation of Buchenwald Concentration Camp.
She also documented the India-Pakistan partition violence of the late 1940s, interviewing and photographing Gandhi hours before his assassination, and she covered the Korean War for Life Magazine.
She died of Parkinson's Disease in 1971.
Place.
For their book, You Have Seen Their Faces, Erskine Caldwell and Margaret Bourke-White traveled across the American South documenting the extreme poverty that was only exacerbated by the Great Depression.
For their book, You Have Seen Their Faces, Erskine Caldwell and Margaret Bourke-White traveled across the American South documenting the extreme poverty that was only exacerbated by the Great Depression.
Thing.
Even when most photographers were switching to lighter 35mm cameras, Margaret Bourke-White still insisted on using big cameras and equipment, weighing up to a total of 600 pounds, even in combat zones. Some male photographers apparently harbored a little resentment that she used her feminity to get soldiers, generals, and even Stalin himself to help carry her equipment.
Among her most famous photos was this one of Mahatma Gandhi at his spinning wheel, taken just minutes before he was assassinated.
Even when most photographers were switching to lighter 35mm cameras, Margaret Bourke-White still insisted on using big cameras and equipment, weighing up to a total of 600 pounds, even in combat zones. Some male photographers apparently harbored a little resentment that she used her feminity to get soldiers, generals, and even Stalin himself to help carry her equipment.
Among her most famous photos was this one of Mahatma Gandhi at his spinning wheel, taken just minutes before he was assassinated.
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