The books used to compose this podcast included:
“The Rosenberg File: A Search For The Truth,” by Ronald Radosh and Joyce Milton.
“Ethel Rosenberg: An American Tragedy,” by Anne Sebba.
“The Brother,” by Sam Roberts.
The music used in this podcast included in order: “69 Bronco,” “The Sound of a Dollar,” “The Loner,” (all by DJ Williams) and “Before I Go,” by RKVC
A uniquely American institution.
Columbia quickly designated “Women Haters” as the Stooges first project. They play travelling salesmen who vow never to get married or even romantically involved. This predictably does not last very long with each Stooge eventually charmed by actress Marjorie White and Larry married to Marjorie. The studio was encouraged enough by this production to green light additional films.
Of the six individuals who eventually comprised the Three Stooges, three members came from the same family. The fourth oldest brother from this family, Moses Harry Horwitz was born on June 19, 1897. Adopting the stage name of Moe Howard, he was the ringleader of the Stooges both during their act and in the various business affairs and negotiations that were an integral part of any autonomous show business enterprise.
Born Louis Feinberg, in Philadelphia on October 5, 1902. Aka, Larry Fine, this individual started his career as a talented violinist who Ted Healy signed up for his revue. Eventually, Larry stopped performing as a musician and teamed up comedically with the two Howard brothers.
Although legend has it that because of a lack of experience, Moe was not initially enthusiastic about Jerome, nicknamed “Babe,” by his family as the youngest of the five Horwitz brothers, joining the Stooges, in fact he suggested his brother to Healy. Although Babe had no real acting or comedic experience, he did spend most of his free time watching his brothers rehearsing and performing and he was quite familiar with their act. When Ted Healy was approached about this potential addition, he suggested that Jerome shave off his wavy hair and full mustache and assume the name Curly. Somewhat quiet and reserved, Jerome Howard quickly became a mainstay of the Stooges, improvising strange mannerisms and vocal sounds that established his unique identity and popularity.
Although Moe did not rule out Curly’s eventual return, he immediately floated the idea of replacing him with Shemp Howard. Shemp was in the midst of a reasonably successful career as a contract player appearing in numerous studio produced comedies, most notably in The Bank Dick with WC Fields but he quickly agreed to replace his brother in what was initially supposed to be a temporary fix. As stipulated in their original agreement, Moe submitted a letter to Curly, formalizing Shemp’s temporary replacement which was signed in September of 1946.
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A uniquely American institution.
Conversely, Columbia was rather cold hearted, quickly billing Moe, Larry and Shemp as the Original Three Stooges, a designation that was actually historically accurate. From a production perspective, although unable to duplicate the unique persona of Curly, Shemp was an experienced and disciplined actor who was always prepared and professional. And he would do anything for a laugh.
One of the most iconic Stooges efforts ever, Brideless Groom, filmed shortly after Shemp replaced Curly, featured non stop violence directed mostly in his direction. The plot concerns his efforts as a vocal instructor, Larry serving as pianist for an especially untalented and unattractive Miss Dinklemayer. After Shemp’s tutorial ends and the unfortunate Dinklemayer exits, he is suddenly confronted by Moe who tells him that his Uncle Caleb has died and left him $500,000, providing that Shemp is married within 48 hours of reading Caleb’s will.
A telegram underlines that Shemp actually has only seven hours to make the deadline. Sequentially, after Shemp admits to having a black book filled with female telephone possibilities, both Moe and Larry grab him by the scalp and drag him towards a phone booth on their hotel floor. When these calls lead to failure, Moe intercedes, only to hopelessly entangle the both of them to near strangulation. Escape occurs by destroying the phone booth completely. With time running out, the Stooges return to their hotel room, discovering that a remarkably attractive woman is checking in across the hall. To make a realistic proposal, it is decided that Shemp needs an immediate makeover. Moe and Larry prepare shemp’s wardrobe, a process that includes furniture broken cranially, sewing needles thrust into Shemp’s calves, and boiling water equally distributed facially.
Appearing before a justice of the peace, Moe receives a telephone call warning him that all of the women who Shemp phoned earlier have read about Shemp’s potential inheritance. They are due to arrive at the Justice’s locale at any minute. When asked to produce the ring Shemp manages to inadvertently toss it into the interior of a nearby piano. Predictably, before the jewelry is retrieved, the lid is repeatedly dropped on Shemp’s head by an impatient Moe. Eventually, Shemp is propped up and ready to procede. With an enthusiastic, “Join hands you lovebirds,” the JP prepares to begin the ceremony, only to be abruptly interrupted by five women who are now also intent on marrying Shemp. In the ensuing fracas, one especially aggressive female prevents the Justice from continuing by slamming an occupied bird cage over his head, knocking him insensate. She then places Shemp’s head in a vise, demanding that he marry her. With each refusal she gleefully tightens the device, Shemp eventually reluctantly succumbing to her demands.
Brideless Groom went on to be one of the most famous Stooges episodes in the group’s career. The comedy not only featured one of the first appearances by character actor Emil Sitka as the Justice of the Peace, it also was one of four Stooge films that inadvertently entered into the public domain when a copyright was not properly renewed. For several decades television stations repeatedly ran the episode across America, generating unusually constant exposure and eventual status as a quintessential Stooge classic. With these types of efforts, Shemp Howard was able to help the trio to successfully continue after Curly’s sudden departure. This was fortunate as Curly proved unable to ever return, appearing only in two brief cameos, the latter appearance in 1949 so poor that it was cut from the film Malice in the Palace. A second stroke initially put him in a wheel chair and while a partial recovery allowed him to become ambulatory, any resumption of his film career was unthinkable. His health continued to deteriorate and institutionalization, first at the Motion Picture hospital and then in a succession of nursing homes selected by Moe. On January 18, 1952, bedridden and no longer able to even speak, Jerome (Curly) Howard passed away at a local that sounded like a fictional setting in one of their films, the Baldy View Sanitarium in San Gabriel, California. He was only 48 years old.
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The information used to compose this podcast came from the books:
“The Three Stooges Scrapbook,” by Jeff Lenburg and Joan Howard Maurer and,
“The Three Stooges: An Illustrated History,” by Michael Fleming.
Music used during this podcast included:
“Pouring Out,” by Asher Fularo, “Smoked Kielbasa Polka,” by Doug Maxwell and Jimmy Fontanez,” “Put On Your Dancing Pants,” by Reed Mathis, and “Kazoom,” by Quincas Moreira
After searching the Valley of the Kings for decades, for a tomb that every other expert in Egyptology declared nonexistent, Howard Carter eventually discovered the most important archeological find of the 20th century.
From the age of 17, Englishman Howard Carter worked in Egypt in the field of archeology. In the late nineteenth century with color photography as yet unavailable Carter was Initially hired as an artist in October of 1891 to paint and sketch the discoveries of the archeological excavations of the period. Eventually trained as an Egyptologist, Carter quickly became prominent and by the age of 25 was named an inspector general of the Egyptian Antiquities Service.
George Herbert, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon. The Earl initially spent time in Egypt to escape the damp British climate which exacerbated a lung condition. He became interested in archeology but quickly recognized that as an amateur he needed to partner with an expert in the field. Initially, this relationship was fruitful and Carter’s excavations near Luxor produced many items of value and interest.
The funeral mask of Tutankhamen, one of the most remarkable objects ever discovered on the planet Earth
After Carter determined how to separate the second coffin from the third and last coffin shell, he was confronted by an object, similar in design to the first two but constructed entirely of gold. It weighed over eight hundred pounds and contained the mummy itself. Inlaid semi precious materials colorfully delineated the facial features, ceremonial beard and vulture and cobra festooned crown of Tutankhamun.
“At last, have made wonderful discovery in Valley; a magnificent tomb with seals intact; recovered same for your arrival; congratulations.”
In anticipation of accessing the tomb upon Carnarvon’s arrival, Carter completely reburied the staircase and placed giant boulders on top of the location. Knowing that information about his discovery undoubtedly would reach all sorts of entities intent on exploiting such a potential treasure, armed guards were also stationed at the location. Carter went to Alexandria, awaiting Carnarvon’s arrival and by November 23rd both Carnarvon and his daughter arrived back in Egypt.
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After searching the Valley of the Kings for decades, for a tomb that every other expert in Egyptology declared nonexistent, Howard Carter eventually discovered the most important archeological find of the 20th century.
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The books used to comprise this podcast include:
“The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun,” by Howard Carter and A.C. Mace.
“The Shadow King,” by Jo Marchant
“The Complete Tutankhamun,” by Nicholas Reeves.
The part one intro is, “Islabonita,” by An Jone, the part one outro is, “Six Seasons,” by the Unicorn Heads. The part two intro is, “Bohemian Beach,” by Chris Haugen and the outro is, “Time to spare,” by An Jone.
Fletcher Christian and William Bligh are permanently linked to the Mutiny on the Bounty. Listen to the true story of this infamous incident.
Initially, Fletcher Christian was not destined for a naval career. He was Born on the 25th of September, 1764 in the Cumbrian village of Eaglesfield. His father, Charles, was a wealthy attorney originally from the Isle of Man. Descended from several generations of Manx judiciary, it was the senior Christian’s original aim that all three of his sons get an education and pursue the law. Ann Christian, Fletcher’s mother, had brought her ancestral home of Moorland Close into the marriage and initially the family lived a prosperous existence as landed gentry. Unfortunately, Charles Christian died when Fletcher was four years old and his mother continued to spend and live lavishly, despite the lack of any meaningful income. Eventually, despite being bailed out a few times by wealthy relatives, Ann Christian fled to the Isle of Man, where she subsisted on a small annuity, safe from any prosecution for the massive debt she accrued during Fletcher’s childhood.
Through family connections, Christian approached Lieutenant William Bligh, also currently relegated to commanding ships involved in the rum and sugar trade of the Caribbean. Although Bligh was underemployed in his current position, he had a reputation as a skillful navigator who had served with Captain Cook, during Cook’s third and final voyage.
just before dawn on April 28, 1789, four men entered Bligh’s cabin while he was sleeping and quickly subdued and tied the Lieutenant’s wrists behind his back. Christian, along with Charles Churchill, John Mills and Thomas Burkett were armed with weapons removed from the ship’s armory and they dragged Bligh on deck. Although told to keep quiet, Bligh began yelling, waking other officers, including John Fryer who was warned by the armed group not to leave his cabin. On deck Bligh continued shouting at the various crew members who were either mocking their commander or anxiously hoping to accompany him, regardless of the uncertainty. Initially, Christian now brandishing a bayonet to intimidate those who might attempt to physically subdue him, lowered a small boat that could hold only Bligh and a few other men. Unseaworthy and unable to hold all of the men who demanded to leave, Christian then agreed to put the Bounty’s launch into the water. This craft was 23 feet long, about seven feet wide and allowed for a sail that gave its occupants some ability to navigate. Normally designed for at most fifteen occupants, 18 crew members squeezed into the launch, with Bligh eventually forced to join them.
Within hours, two other men, Peter Heywood and George Stewart emerged from the island and boarded the Pandora. All three men denied any responsibility for the mutiny, Coleman previously identified by Bligh himself as one of the crew members who was loyal but forced to stay behind. Heywood asked Hayward to absolve him of any blame but Hayward was noncommittal. The ruthlessness of Edwards was underlined by his subsequent order to immediately confine all three men in irons. He maintained that it was not up to him to render a judgement on guilt or innocence in the matter, that was the responsibility of a subsequent court martial upon the Pandora’s return to England.
Smith, a former deserter whose real name was John Adams, relaxed when Folger explained that he actually was not from England but from America. The captain of the Topaz was correct in that Smith aka Adams had no idea what America was but he opened up about what had happened once the Bounty arrived on Pitcairn. The nine mutineers divided up all of the land and expropriated most of the women as their wives. The six Tahitian men were treated as slaves and eventually rebelled and killed five of the mutineers, including Fletcher Christian. Because many of the Tahitian women were romantically involved with the dead mutineers, they were angry and subsequently murdered all of the Tahitian men.
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Fletcher Christian And William Bligh are permanently linked to the Mutiny on the Bounty. Here is the true story of this infamous incident.
The Pandora, towing a launch constructed by the mutineers during their stint on Tahiti, reached the vicinity of the Great Barrier Reef in late August. Whether he was careless or stupidly sailing in the dark, Edwards struck a reef on the 29th, the collision so severe that the ship took on four feet of water in five minutes. Throughout the night, desperate efforts were made to save the vessel and three of the men classified by Bligh as blameless in the mutiny, Coleman, McIntosh and Norman were let out of the enclosure. They helped with attempts to pump water out of the ship to no avail. The other trapped mutineers, hearing sounds of the crew abandoning ship, attempted to get out of their manacles and screamed for help. Only the last minute personal intervention of a crew member allowed any of the remaining eleven prisoners to escape.
The two ships, the HMS Briton and the HMS Tagus, were searching for the American ship USS Essex. This American raider, not to be confused with the whaler Essex of Moby Dick fame, was in the process of terrorizing British merchant and whaling ships in the region to the extent that the Royal Navy was forced to deploy several warships to put a stop to this War of 1812 US rampage. On September 17, 1814, as the two ships and their captains Sit Thomas Staines and Philip Pipon puzzled over the unidentified rock in front of them, they could see some natives launching their canoes into the surf. Like Folger before them, they were stunned when the canoe pulled alongside the boat and an occupant who turned out to be Thursday October Christian, now 24 years old, hailed them in English. He and another teenager, George Young, the son of Bounty mutineer, Edward Young came on board and were asked to join the officers for a meal. Dressed in minimal Polynesian garb, Fletcher Christian’s son further astonished and ingratiated himself by breaking into Christian prayer before dinner was served.
It is believed that in Bligh’s library, Christian stumbled upon a 1773 journal written by English naval explorer Philip Carteret which gave the location of an obscure island, Pitcairn Island. Almost four months after leaving Tahiti, the Bounty arrived at the supposed location of Pitcairn but there was nothing there. Figuring that Carteret may have made a navigational error, Christian sailed along the same latitude, assuming that the longitude was incorrect. Within days, the rocky, frequently inaccessible and uninhabited island was sighted, on January 15, 1790, approximately 190 miles east of Carteret’s faulty designation.
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The books used in this podcast included: “The Bounty,” by Caroline Alexander and “Lost Paradise,” by Kathy Marks.
Music sampled during this episode included, “Hard Times Come Again No More,” by The Westerlies, (Intro, Part One) “The Take Down,” by DJ Williams (Outro, Part One) and True Art Real Affection Part 2, by Noir Et Blanc, (Both intro and outro, Part Two)
