A little Mozart to start.
Keeping it simple.
Happy Mother’s Day.
This is life-affirming. Fred Astaire b. May 10, 1999.
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in animals, chexy's saturday matinee, daydream believer, legends, musicFrom the category archives:
music
“Fiesta comes from the old Spanish word, ‘fiesta,’ which means fiesta.” Great Technicolor from 1935.
Nat King Cole… en Espanol!
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. 1966.
Carmen Miranda’s outfits!
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in chexy's saturday matinee, cinema, holidays, music, oddities, stuff I like
Viva Las Vegas. Note the fab backup dancers. Happy 71st to Ann-Margret.
Her 1961 screen test.
Cartoon Matinee Today! Love Mr. Scruff.
This is dreamy.
for E.
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in chexy's saturday matinee, dancing with the stars, music, stuff I like
Today’s Friday Face is singer Johnnie Ray, born in Oregon in 1927 and died of liver failure at Cedars-Sinai in 1990. Johnnie liked to drink. He had his first hit in 1951 with the appropriately titled “Whiskey and Gin.”
He was arrested twice for soliciting men for sex. Imagine that. The below article from L.A. Times, 1959.
He was found not guilty. Journalist and friend Dorothy Kilgallen supported Ray during the ordeal.
In 1952, he gained international fame with his hit “Cry,” and the flip side, “The Little White Cloud That Cried.” He unleashed a torrent of emotion in his singing, the likes of which had never been heard. Some say he made it possible for singers like Elvis Presley to break through.
His father was a fiddler and his mother a pianist. He lost his hearing in one ear after an accident, and then became nearly deaf after a surgery in 1958.
Check out the creepy flasher choreography in this clip.
Ray performed as Judy Garland’s opening act in 1969, at her last concerts in Denmark and Sweden. Here he is in a clip new to YouTube, with Patti Page on the short-lived 1958 TV show, “The Big Record.”
Cry for Johnnie Ray, today’s Friday Face.
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in Friday Face, gays, little known facts, music, stuff I like
Milton Berle and RuPaul… when legends collide. 1993.
And now, this commercial, courtesy of Milton Hershey.
Uncle Milton Ant Farm time lapse.
Milton “Shorty” Rogers was born on this day in 1924. Let’s get really groovy. Listen to this as you go on about your internet business.
(Shorty Rogers and his Giants. Lou Levy piano, Gary Peacock bass, Larry Bunker drums, Gary Lefebvre woodwinds, Shorty Rogers flugelhorn.)
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in advertising, chexy's saturday matinee, gorgeousness, legends, music, remembering, stuff I like
Feeling green? If you’re looking for a dress for your prom, or a wedding, or just something to stir up the masses at the Piggly Wiggly, here it is.
Nothing quite enhances beauty like head-to-toe checkerboard. Wear it uptown or downtown. And here’s Petula Clark now.
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in Chexy's Objects, chexy's fashion report, music
Happy 68th birthday to Patti LaBelle.
This was a hit… 46 years ago…
Thinking about a new car?
“Let’s build a giant pinball machine and have Eleanor Powell dance through it!”
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in advertising, birthdays, chexy's saturday matinee, dancing with the stars, music, techno
Today is the birthday of Nat King Cole, who left us too soon… he was only 45 when he died of lung cancer in 1965. He smoked three packs of Kools a day.
Cole was simply one of the best singers ever. Here’s a sampling.
Paper Moon
When I Fall in Love
Nature Boy (for Porgy)
Tenderly (one of my favorite songs)
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in birthdays, chexy's saturday matinee, gone, legends, music, stuff I like, unfortunate
“Places for the Dream number, everybody!” (Watch for Hedy Lamarr!) Tony Martin sings.
Jellyfish… fascinating. Music by Koop.
Send in the clowns.
And some more clowns.
for you
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in chexy's saturday matinee, cinema, music, remembering, stuff I like
Let’s go with Hazel Scott…
It’s amazing this even exists… Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle. 1923. The sound and film quality improves after the first minute or so.
Chubby Checker, the sensation.
The Supremes, live.
In memory of Olivette Miller
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in chexy's saturday matinee, cinema, legends, music, remembering
