Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel (March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991), better known by his pen name, Dr. Seuss, was a famous American writer and cartoonist best known for his children’s books, particularly The Cat in the Hat. He also wrote under the pen names Theo. LeSieg and Rosetta Stone.
Postage stamp honoring Dr. Seuss and depicting him along with several of his creations, such as The Cat in the Hat and The Grinch (courtesy of the United States Postal Service).
Google’s 2009 Tribute to Dr. Seuss
Posted in Because I Can, Literary
Philip K. Dick (December 16, 1928 – March 2, 1982)
Philip Kindred Dick was an American science fiction novelist and short story writer. He often drew upon his own life experiences and addressed the nature of drug use, paranoia and schizophrenia, and mystical experiences in novels such as A Scanner Darkly and VALIS.
In addition to his novels, Dick wrote approximately 121 short stories, many of which appeared in science fiction magazines. Although Dick spent most of his career as a writer in near-poverty, nine of his stories have been adapted into popular films since his death, including Blade Runner, Total Recall, A Scanner Darkly and Minority Report. In 2005, Time Magazine named Ubik one of the one hundred greatest English-language novels published since 1923. In 2007, Dick became the first science fiction writer to be included in The Library of America series.
Posted in Because I Can, Literary, The Big Screen
Jeff Healey (March 25, 1966 – March 2, 2008)
Norman Jeffrey Healey, known professionally as Jeff Healey, was a blind Canadian jazz and blues-rock guitarist and vocalist. Healey was most widely known for his appearance as the blind guitar player in Roadhouse, and for his distinctive way of playing his guitar laid flat across his lap.
Healey was blind; he lost his sight when he was one year old, due to retinoblastoma, a rare cancer of the eyes which he suffered from throughout his life and which ultimately killed him.
Posted in Because I Can, Music
The series premiered on September 17, 1972, and ended 30 years ago today, February 28, 1983, with the finale becoming the most-watched television episode in U.S. television history at the time.
“Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” was the final episode of M*A*S*H. Special television sets were placed in PX parking lots, auditoriums, and dayrooms of the US Army in Korea so that military personnel could watch that episode; this in spite of 14 hours’ time zone difference with the east coast of the US. The episode aired on February 28, 1983, and was 2½ hours long.
Posted in Because I Can, The Little Screen (Television)
Johnny Cash (February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003)
Johnny Cash, born J. R. Cash, was a Grammy Award-winning American country singer-songwriter. Cash is widely considered to be one of the most influential American musicians of the 20th century.
Cash was known for his deep, distinctive voice, the boom-chick-a-boom or “freight train” sound of his Tennessee Three backing band, his demeanor, and his dark clothing, which earned him the nickname “The Man in Black”. He traditionally started his concerts with the simple introduction “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.”
He sold over 90 million albums in his nearly fifty-year career and came to occupy a “commanding position in music history”.
Posted in Because I Can, Music
Charles Martin “Chuck” Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Brothers cartoon studio.
In 1966, he produced and directed the TV special How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
He directed the Rudyard Kipling book adaptation of “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi“, which was released on January 9, 1975.
Posted in Because I Can, The Little Screen (Television)
My Word! It comes with great sadness to announce that Shirley (Curly Top, Little Miss Marker, The Little Rebel and the Little Colonel) Temple has passed away at the young age of 85.
Shirley Temple Black (April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) in Curly Top (1935)
Shirley Temple was an American film and television actress, singer, dancer and public servant, most famous as a child star in the 1930s. As an adult, she entered politics and became a diplomat, serving as United States Ambassador to Ghana and later to Czechoslovakia, and as Chief of Protocol of the United States.
Temple began her film career in 1932 at the age of three. In 1934, she found international fame in Bright Eyes, a feature film designed specifically for her talents. She received a special Juvenile Academy Award in February 1935 for her outstanding contribution as a juvenile performer to motion pictures during 1934, and film hits such as Curly Top and Heidi followed year after year during the mid-to-late 1930s. Licensed merchandise that capitalized on her wholesome image included dolls, dishes, and clothing. Her box office popularity waned as she reached adolescence, and she left the film industry in her teens. She appeared in a few films of varying quality in her mid-to-late teens, and retired completely from films in 1950 at the age of 22. She was the top box-office draw four years in a row (1935–38) in a Motion Picture Herald poll.
Temple returned to show business in 1958 with a two-season television anthology series of fairy tale adaptations. She made guest appearances on television shows in the early 1960s and filmed a sitcom pilot that was never released. She sat on the boards of corporations and organizations including The Walt Disney Company, Del Monte Foods, and the National Wildlife Federation. She began her diplomatic career in 1969, with an appointment to represent the United States at a session of the United Nations General Assembly. In 1988, she published her autobiography, Child Star.
Temple was the recipient of awards and honors including Kennedy Center Honors and a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. She ranks 18th on the American Film Institute‘s list of the greatest female American screen legends of all time.
Thank you, Shirley for many evenings with my wife watching your works of art…
Posted in Because I Can, Events, News, The Big Screen, The Little Screen (Television)
This is awesome!
Mexico City illustrator John Raya used his creative skills to reimagine every NFL team’s football helmet with an awesome Star Wars theme. You can view more of John’s National and American Football Conference Star Wars helmets on Behance.
American WEST. Coruscant, Vaders
Posted in Because I Can, Sports
As I grew up, I spent many a night watching animated specials. I always looked forward to the Christmas season (for many reasons wink-wink) for the shows on TV like Rudolph, Frosty, The Little Drummer Boy and such.
Well, Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass were the creators of them, as well as 1977’s The Hobbit.
Arthur Rankin passed away January 30th of this year, and I just heard about it. Thank you for a million memories.
Posted in Because I Can, News, The Little Screen (Television)
On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry on its 28th mission; all seven crew members aboard perished.
Columbia launches on its final mission, STS-107.
The crew of STS-107. L to R: Brown, Husband, Clark, Chawla, Anderson, McCool, Ramon.
Columbia STS-107 Mission Patch.
Posted in Because I Can, On This Day, Patriotic, Planes Trains and Automobiles
Alan Alexander Milne, also known as A. A. Milne, was a British author, best known for his books about the teddy bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, and for various children’s poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work.
Alan Alexander Milne (January 18, 1882 – January 31, 1956)
Posted in Because I Can, Literary, The Little Screen (Television)
On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds into its flight after an O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster (SRB) failed at liftoff. All seven astronauts on board were lost.
Challenger launches on its final mission, STS-51.
The crew of STS-51. Front row, from left to right: Smith, Scobee, and McNair. Back row, from left to right: Onizuka, McAuliffe, Jarvis, and Resnik.
STS-51 mission patch.
Posted in Because I Can, On This Day, Patriotic, Planes Trains and Automobiles
Ray Stevens (born Harold Ray Ragsdale) is an American country music and pop singer-songwriter known for his novelty songs. His two most-popular songs are “Everything Is Beautiful” and “The Streak”.
Harold Ray Ragsdale (January 24, 1939 – )
Posted in Because I Can, Humor, Music
Alfred Hawthorn Hill, better known as Benny Hill, was a prolific English comic, actor & singer, best known for his television program, The Benny Hill Show. Since its debut in 1955 his television show has been sold to over 140 countries worldwide, with viewership in the billions.
Alfred Hawthorn Hill (January 21, 1924 – April 20, 1992)
Posted in Because I Can, Humor, The Little Screen (Television)
Edgar Allan Poe was an American poet, short story writer, editor, critic and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of the macabre, Poe was one of the early American practitioners of the short story and a progenitor of detective fiction and crime fiction. He is also credited with contributing to narrative forms of the emergent science fiction genre.
Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849)
Posted in Because I Can, Literary
Curly Howard (October 22, 1903 – January 18, 1952)
Jerome Lester “Jerry” Horwitz, better known by his stage name Curly Howard, was an American comedian, part of the “3 Stooges.”
Posted in Because I Can, Humor, The Little Screen (Television)
Alan Alexander Milne, also known as A. A. Milne, was a British author, best known for his books about the teddy bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, and for various children’s poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work.
Alan Alexander Milne (January 18, 1882 – January 31, 1956)
Posted in Because I Can, Literary, The Little Screen (Television)
