Happy Anniversary, Elvis!

On this date in 1954, the Memphis airwaves debuted a singer.  And rock and roll was never the same. The singer was Elvis Presley. WHBQ played his rendition of That’s All Right on July 7, 1954.  Recorded two days prior in Sam Phillips’ Sun Records studio,...

The Other Lone Ranger

Clayton Moore is synonymous with the Lone Ranger.  He played the character in The Lone Ranger television series that aired on ABC from 1949 to 1957.  But he wasn’t the only actor to do so. Moore departed the series after the second season, only to be rehired a...

The Lone Ranger and American Heritage

The Lone Ranger represents the American ideals of justice, strength, and courage.  His ruggedness, a staple of the hero prototype in American westerns, parallels John Wayne’s film characters, James Arness’ Matt Dillon of Gunsmoke, and the Cartwright boys...

“Brooklyn Bridge”

To be a Brooklyn Dodgers fan in the 1950s was to realize that Brooklyn is a heritage thing, rooted firmly in the cornerstone of family. Throughout the borough, several generations of a family lived in the same neighborhood.  In some cases, they lived in the same...

Paul Newman’s World Series Pranks and Franks

As dusk anticipated relieving the sun of its duties during the twilight of October 3, 1956, Paul Newman hustled through the stage entrance of the Mansfield Theatre, an august Broadway institution on West 47th Street in Manhattan.  Yes, that Paul Newman. Newman was...