September 29th, 2008

Hey there friends and readers!

!t’s been a while since we dipped into the PCA mailbag and our inbox is overflowing with e-mails so I thought perhaps we’d take some time to read some reader mail this week.  Remember, we love hearing from your comments, memories, questions and opinions on everything we’ve covered here at PCA, as well as any other pop culture subject you’d like to talk about.  Also, I personally answer every e-mail sent, so always feel free to write us at popcultureaddict@gmail.com.

Okay.  So our first letter comes from Francisco Perez Mora from Chile who writes about our look at the music of Charles Manson.  Francisco writes:

"First of all, English it's my mother language. I'm from Chile.

I would like to thank you and congratulate you for the great article on Manson's music, I just downloaded the CD and it's such a beautiful piece of music.

I was talking' with some friends of Manson's music and they said I was crazy. I played  "Look At Your Game Girl" in a party, and the people just smile and keep smiling', After that I said, "that was Manson music, you know guys?", all was shocked up, LOL.

We shouldn't hero him that much, but sometimes the most beautiful things, grew up of the despair and the horror, I think the most demented human being have something to say or to teach, like a visionary of outer space or something. But only a few times, it comes in such wonderful forms. Anyway, Manson was a terrible human being after all.

Best,

Francisco Perez Mora.
from Chile."

Well Francisco, English may not be your native language but you nailed exactly the way I feel about Charles Manson’s music and you totally understand why I love his worlds, voice and melodies so much.  Yes, Charles Manson was one of the evilest men of the 20^th Century, but you can’t keep a good song down.    I am glad that through our article on Charles Manson’s musical career that people are still seeking his recordings out of curiosity, and discovering that they like them.

BTW – when I was in LA in August I took a fantastic tour of some of the more sordid locations that the city has to offer via Dearly Departed Tours and one of the locations that we went to was 3301 Waverly Drive where Charles Manson accompanied six members of his family, which resulted in the murder of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca on July 26^th, 1969 – one night after the murder of Sharon Tate and her friends.  As we drove away, tour creator Scott Michaels played Cease to Exist on the radio.  I can’t explain the eeriness of driving through the same residencal neighborhood where Charles Manson once stood, listening to his music.  It was a real experience.  I should also mention that Scott Michaels does a tour dedicated completely to the Manson murders called The Helter Skelter T our which I plan to go on when I return in 2009.  Anyhow, Scott’s tour was the best thing I did the whole time I was in LA, and anybody who is going to LA for a visit should check his tours out.  Pop culture fans WILL NOT be disappointed.

Anyhow, thanks again for your great letter Francisco, and I hope you’ll be in touch with us again.

Now we get letters about our popular Lamest Superheroes of All Time article all the time, but in our mailbag recently we got two that I particularly enjoyed.  The first one comes from Jeremy Patterson who is a regular writer to the PCA mailbag.  Jeremy writes:

"Here is one of those suggestions for the Lamest Superheroes of All Time lists!  U.S.1 This is another attempt of Marvel cashing in on fads.  This one debuted in 1983, a full five years after the CB.  radio fad peaked. The hero was a trucker who is chasing a madman for killing his brother. The madman sold his soul to the devil in order to have Satan power his rig. Our hero did have one minor superpower: Due to a head  injury that occurred at the exact same crash that his brother was killed in, he had to be saved by having his skull reinforced with a huge metal plate that also functioned as a C.B. radio. Marvel also had the identical Razorback around the same time!
 
I hope you like this morsel of lameness!
 
J.A.P"

Your right Jeremy.  That is indeed lame.  Sounds like Convoy meets Faust.  Now if it was actually put out in 1977 it might have been sort of cool, but 1983 was really late making it lame.  I wonder where U.S.1 is now.  Now that CB radios are obsolete, U.S.1. is probably just a bitter trucker with a metal plate in his head sitting in a truck stop somewhere in Omaha, drinking coffee and eating pie, listening to Red Sovine on a jukebox and saying to a waffle waitress names Flo  “I swear to you doll face!  I WAS a superhero!  I had a Two-In-One team up with the Thing and everything!”  Meanwhile Flo just snaps her gum and rolls her eyes and says “So if ya were a superhero an all, why haven’t the Skrulls tried to replace you?”  Poor U.S.1.  Anyhow, thanks for reminding us about this totally stupid creation Jeremy!  I hope you'll keep writing to us.

But while we focus on how lame U.S.1 is, a reader calling himself Cow Exploder (which sounds like a lame superhero itself) puts a new spin on Matter Eater Lad.  Cow Exploder writes:

"I came upon your site when I had an argument with someone this past week.  There have been a number of superhero movies that have come out recently, including Iron Man, The Hulk, Hancock, and of course The Dark Night.  I stated that one of my favorite superheroes was Matter Eater Lad, from planet Bismoll, because he had the most ridiculous power of any real superhero.  He said that I made it up ("...the name of his planet is what gave it away...") and I stated that it was real.  A Google search turned up your page (among many others, and thanks for helping me win five bucks) but it made me question your criteria for lamest superheroes.  I'll admit that Matter Eater Lad has every right to be on the list (even though he was in one of the only cool story arcs of the Legion of Superheroes, when they fought Omega).  Yeah, he could probably beat Kobayashi and Chestnut and Sonya Thomas in the hot dog eating contest every 4th of July, but it's not the greatest superhero power. Maybe if you're trying to break into the super villains' hideout and the door is indestructible...

Superman:  I can't break it down, even with my strength.  It must be magically shielded.

Dr. Fate:  Its magic is beyond my understanding.  There must be additional factors at work.

Dr. Strange:  The Eye of Agamotto reveals other powers that cannot be overcome by my skill.

Hulk:  GRRRRRRR!!!!!

Matter-Eater Lad:  Sorry, must've dozed off...  you were saying...  Hey, I thought we were getting lunch!  Why's this door in the way?  Hmmmm.....  can you say...  appetizer!

Anyway, a few comments (and additions) I'll add to your lists...

Green Boy (my name, his name was never stated since he was only a rejected applicant for the Legion of Superheroes):"I injected chemicals into myself to make me and everything around me temporarily green!  It would be great for camouflage!"  (His only lines in comic-book history.)

Dishman:  The power to wash and dry dishes and teleport them to their proper places in the kitchen (possibly only one or two issues from an independent comic publishing company)

Elongated Man:  A second-rate Mr. Fantastic/Plastic Man.  DC invented him before they knew they had the rights to Plastic Man.  Basically, he's Mr. Fantastic without the brains, or Plastic Man without the sense of humor and the ability to change into different shapes.  Also, his powers aren't permanent; he has to eat a gingko fruit to maintain them.

Also, I liked Infectious Lass (I thought she was hot, and the idea of getting a disease from her that wasn't permanent was appealing).  The Greatest American Hero was cool because his girlfriend (Connie Selleca) was hot (she was also a doctor in the failed TV attempt to get Captain America off the ground).  Also, George Costanza on Seinfeld used "Believe it or Not" on his answering machine.  And, it's been rumored that Captain Caveman inspired the Phil Hartman sketches on Saturday Night Live with Caveman Lawyer (some of his last true classics).  "Your world is frightening!"

And of course, my power is the power to explode cows.

Cow Exploder "

Wow Cow Exploder.  You convinced me.  Matter Eater Lad just might be THE GREATEST SUPERHERO EVER CREATED!  Who would have guessed?  Its almost an injustice to comic fans everywhere that he has never gotten his own book.  Next time I'm talking to Paul Dini I'll make sure I mention this.

As to your additions, is Green Boy a real character?  When did he appear?  What year?  There is a character worth investigating.  He injected himself full of chemicals to turn himself green?  You know, there are words for people who inject themselves full of chemicals – junkies.  How much you wanna bet he shared a room next to Speedy in rehab.

And as for Elongated Man, there has been a lot of folks on the net saying Ralph Dibney was lame lately.  Now as a kid who grew up reading satellite era Justice League books I’ve always had a fondness for Elongated Man.  I mean, sure, he was a guy who was obsessed about being like the rubber men in freak shows and got his power from drinking a soda pop, and he did have a nose that twitched when he “smelt” a mystery, but I think I liked the old Elongated Men stories because he and his wife Sue reminded me a lot of Nick and Nora Charles of The Thin Man series, which could be my favorite film series of all time.  If I had a choice between Plas and Elongated Man, I’d pick Elongated Man every time.  Of course...that was before they killed them off.  Anyhow, thanks for your letter Cow Exploder.  I got a good chuckle out of it.  You got a knack at writing satire.  I hope we’ll hear from you again.

Finally, our last letter comes from Dawn Wakefield who writes to us about our interview with former Hardy Boy band member Norbert Soltysiak..  Dawn writes:

"Hi Sam,

Just went searching the Net for the 34^th time trying to figure out if there’s a source for locating one of Chicago music legends, Carl Bonafede…and your article came up first because Norbert Solystiak mentioned that Carl was the manager for the group he was in, The Delights. I enjoyed reading every line in your article because it also mentioned several of Chicago-area groups from the 60s music scene. Norbert did a great interview and I was really glad to read what was there. I remember several of the folks you’ve done stories on and it’s always great to read “the rest of the story”…I am a fan of Internet detectives to find out the facts rather than rely on the StickiWikipedia versions of the story, full of errors. You’re a solid researcher.

Wondered if Carl Bonafede was still alive and around Chicago, and the only person I can think to ask would be Norbert. Bonafede had hustle, enthusiasm, and was responsible for a lot of great music at the Holiday Ballroom. Would you mind helping me by passing on my question to Norbert regarding if he knows whether or not Carl Bonafede is still alive and well in Chicago and where I might be able to reach him for an interview?

Thanks so much,

Dawn Wakefield"

Well Dawn, I want to thank you so much for your letter and I hope that we might be able to help you.  Unfortunately I haven’t been in touch with Norbert “Nibs” Soltysiak in a number of years.  I sent him an e-mail with your letter, but the e-mail address I had is no longer in use and the e-mail was sent back.  Thus I am afraid that is a contact that I have lost.  I did a bit of my own research as well, but unfortunately there are a number of people in the US named Carl Bonafede - some both living and dead, so I am afraid my research wasn't much good.  However, I have sent your letter to a few other contacts that probably know more about the Chicago music scene, not to mention 60’s music in general, then I ever will in my life and hopefully they’ll know more information.  But, of course, if any of our readers have any information on Carl Bonafede please drop us a line and let us know.  Carl Bonafede was an important part of Chicago’s music scene in the 1960’s.  Chicago had a real unique music scene at the end of the decade with some really interesting bands coming out of the windy city with some of the most famous being The New Colony Six, The Buckinghams (which Carl Bonafede managed) and, of course, Chicago.  Carl Bonafede also managed a girls band called The Daughters of Eve which had a few regional hits, as well as Norb Soltysiak’s original band The Delights, which is featured on a brilliant CD called The Quill Records Story featuring some of the best recordings to come out of Chicago during that 1960s by bands that never really made it out of Chicago.  The Quill Records Story is a great CD and really worth looking at.  Anyhow, if anybody can help Dawn out with any information about Carl Bonafede please contact us.  And thanks again Dawn for your letter.  I’ll be in touch if I hear anything, and I hope you’ll visit our site again soon.

Anyhow folks, I’m starting to feel that run down feeling again and I think I’m gonna slug back to the couch and watch another movie. 

Stay tuned because there is more to come

Sam Tweedle

Pop Culture Addict

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

May 26th, 2008

Hey there friends and readers!

Lets dip back into PCA’s mailbag for another round of our popular reader’s mail column!  We get letters each and every week from pop culture fans all over the world, sharing ideas, memories and insights and part of keeping this pop culture journey alive is sharing those letters with you.  We always love hearing from you folks so always feel free to write in at popcultureaddict@gmail.com

Well one of the most popular letter topics we get is dedicated to our coverage of the Herman’s Hermit feud between front man Peter “Herman” Noone and drummer Barry Whitwam.  Our interview last month with Peter Noone about the feud got a fair amount of attention, and as usual, a fair amount of letters.  I’ve already devoted entire columns to Herman’s Hermits mail, but I would like to share this letter from Noonatic Beryl R. from England.  Beryl writes:

"Hi Sam,

I read with interest your article/interview with Peter. At the end you say it doesn't matter which Herman's Hermits you see it's the music that counts. Well I disagree! I have just been over to Florida to see Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone and had a fabulous time seeing them 12 times in 4 days at Busch Gardens. I saw Barry’s group a couple of years back in a 60's show here in the UK and I can tell you there is no comparison, Peter wins hands down. Barry's lot were out of tune and most of the music didn't even sound as it should for the songs I have known and loved since I was 13 back in the 60's.

Peter is a far superior entertainer. He is the only Herman and I think if Barry wants to perform under the name Herman's Hermits he should do as Peter does and add his name, then people can make an informed choice of who the are going to see and support.

Thanks for the articles.

Beryl (in the UK)"

Hi Beryl.  Thanks so much for writing. 

I am glad that you enjoyed my interview with Peter Noone.  I am very happy to be able to feature his thoughts and opinions on my web-site and I feel very privileged to have been able to feature two alternate points of view from two opposing Hermtis.  According to one music journalist that got in touch with me I am the only source thus far that has been able to do this.

You know, Peter Noone has some of the most devoted and passionate fans in the world, and the Noonatics have proven to be a very interesting and vocal group.  I’ve enjoyed the letters that they have written to me over the last year.

Anyhow, I think you may have misunderstood what I meant at the end of my interview with Peter Noone.  At the end I don’t say that “it doesn’t matter which Herman’s Hermits that you see.”  I say “It doesn’t matter to me who calls themselves Herman’s Hermits these days as long as we still have their music.”  This is in no way a judgment on who plays the songs better.  I saw Peter Noone in concert last summer, which was what sparked my interest that led to these interviews, and he does a great show.  It was the best concert I went to in the summer of 2007.  I have never seen Barry's band, but I can tell you that Barry Whitwam is a very nice and well spoken gentleman and I not only respect him very much, but I do believe many many parts of his story. 

My personal opinion on Herman's Hermits is this - there is no such thing as a band called Herman's Hermits anymore.  Herman's Hermits is something of the past.  Peter Noone is Herman, today, tomorrow and forever.  Peter Noone is the voice, the sound and the face.  There is no denying this fact.  However, the fellows who tour with him in his band, no matter how good they are (and they are fantastic musicians IMO) are NOT the Hermits.  The only Hermits are Barry, Keith, Karl and Lek.  I'm not sure why Peter feels he has to continue using the name Herman's Hermits instead of simply just being known as Peter Noone, or Herman.  Gwen Steffani doesn't call herself No Doubt.  Ozzy Osbourne doesn't call himself Black Sabbath.  See what I mean?  Peter Noone's name alone, or at least his moniker Herman,  should be big enough to draw a crowd.  Peter Noone is a bonafide 1960s icon, a brilliant performer and legend in the pop industry.  That will always belong to him.

However, on the other side of the coin, why I believe a lot of Barry's story (for instance, I have seen a scan of the high court order documents with my own eyes), Peter's words really hit home when he said "It is an agreement between me, Karl Green, Derek Leckenby and Keith Hopwood and NOT a lifetime permit for Barry Whitwam to call himself Herman's Hermits. It was a ten year deal between me and the four Hermits. Not me and Barry and whoever he wants the other three to be this week."  Nobody has EVER put it in better perspective then that.  Just as I don't believe that Peter Noone can claim to be Herman's Hermits without the Hermits, for Barry to call himself Herman's Hermits is just ridiculous.  Barry is a Hermit.  Barry is part of that legacy.  But he is a single Hermit.  With Keith and Karl he could be the Hermits and that'd be fair.  Only with Peter can he be Herman's Hermits.  I have nothing but the highest respect for Barry Whitwam and I think he is one of the nicest people I've ever interviewed.  I don't want to cheapen his legacy, and I believe a lot of his version of his story (not all of it, but a lot of it).  However, I agree the whole thing is daft.  For Barry to call himself Herman’s Hermits would be like Ringo Starr going on tour without Paul, George and John and calling himself the Beatles.  Barry is probably living in a dream world, but in his defense he is trying hard to hold on to his little niche in the pop world.  I can understand that and sympathize.

What I guess I mean when I say I don't care who calls themselves Herman's Hermits is the fact that there may no longer be a true version of the band, but we HAVE THE MUSIC!  The ULTIMATE Herman's Hermits are those original recordings that were produced by Mickie Most and created by Peter and Barry, along with Keith, Karl and Lek.  Without all five of them, in my opinion, the magic is gone. 

As I said in my conclusion, I believe in parts of Barry and Peter's story.  People need to make their own decision, and the fans will decide who to side with.  Personally, I'd see a Peter Noone concert before a Barry Whitwam one, but it doesn't mean that Barry's voice should be silenced, nor that his version should be ignored.  Thanks again Beryl, and I hope you’ll wish everybody in the Noonatic community the fondest wishes from myself and everyone at PCA.

Herman's Hermits isn't the only popular topic.  Over the last month we’ve also received an astonishing amount of mail on our feature about the sensational and tragic Hollywood deaths of three entertainers the world never got to know – Peg Entwistle, Karyn Kupcinet and Danny Lockin.  Two of the letters in particular were quite fascinating.  The first comes from Kathy Mechan who runs Danny Lockin’s website at http://dannylockin.com in which I used heavily during my research on Danny’s life.  Since our article about Danny went up Kathy and I have had a delightful correspondence and Kathy has been very kind in sharing new information and exchanging pictures.  In one letter Kathy wrote to me she outlined the origins of her own interest in Danny’s life, as well as offered more information about this tragic dancer.  Kathy writes:

"Hi Sam!

I'm glad to hear that I helped out on Danny's story-just to let you know I have a bit more I am going to be putting on the site.

Unfortunately, I never met Danny; but I became a fan of his, after my son played Barnaby in his school play and I later saw Danny play Barnaby in Hello Dolly!  It was absolutely amazing, the amount of talent he had!  He was the best part of the movie, in my opinion. I became a huge fan right then and there!  When I looked him up, to my utter astonishment, I found next to nothing, except he'd been horribly murdered in 1977. So I decided to help him out, so to speak. After some determined hunting, I found his uncle and took a chance and wrote to him.  He was awfully nice and even though he's in his 70's and just got out of the hospital, he sent me a packet of all the pictures and news clippings he had of Danny, some of which I have put up on the site. He said he was guessing on some of the facts and didn't want to be quoted.

Danny's father, Joe, grew up in Iowa, and went to college at Univ of California.  His mother Jean, was the daughter of a doctor from Nebraska.  She taught dance lessons all over Sioux City Iowa for 5 years, until she married Joe in 1937. Right after they were married, they moved to Honolulu, where Joe worked in management at a Dole pineapple plantation. Eventually, they moved to the smallest island, Lanai, where Danny was born in 1943. Joe died in Anaheim 2 years after moving to California, in 1961.  Jean left Anaheim sometime after Danny died, but stayed in Orange County, moving to a town called Fountain Valley, a short distance away. Maybe she moved to a nursing home, I don't know for sure. She died May 26^th, 1990 in Fountain Valley Medical Center, aged 78, of pneumonia.  Not that it matters too much, but there appear to be several Lockins in the LA area, it seems they were cousins who moved from Iowa and Wisconsin in the 30's. So, it wouldn't have been a strange thing for Danny's parents to move to LA when they did...family was already there, and Joe having lived there to go to college. Also, I found a little trivia on Danny...he was in gymnastics in high school, and did quite well, scoring 2nd in tumbling in a big tournament against another Omaha team.  Watching Hello Dolly, you can plainly see his gymnastic ability in action! When I watched the movie I noticed his moves, and having done gymnastics in HS myself, I thought...Wow! He would have been a great guy to have on someone's gymnastics team!...And sure enough! And in tumbling!  It all makes sense now!

It's too bad about his losing his drivers license! He said his favorite down-time activities were swimming and driving. It must have been hard to go back to being driven around.   I wonder how many times you get caught DWI in California before they take your license away?

Another thing that Danny's uncle told me and I found strange, is that Danny's mom Jean did not tell him how Danny died until a couple of years after he was killed.  She told him he died in a car accident. Variety magazine also reported it as an auto accident immediately after Danny was murdered but changed it to murder a few days later.

I have tried to attach the picture of The Two Checkers. They are in their costumes behind big dark glasses. Let me know if it came thru OK.  I have another one of them in just sitting back to back for a publicity photo. I will also be putting both of them on my site soon. Aren't those the silliest costumes?  Definitely good for a comedy team!  Danny and Neal played in the greater Omaha area, and sometimes had a hard time getting work, because of the race thing. I don't know if you can read the newspaper clipping on my site, but Danny said they actually were flown out to NY for an audition for a TV show, and were basically laughed out of the room because of Neal's race!  A couple of years later, they were called back and got the same reaction.. must have been hard for little kids to understand.

I intend to try to contact other actors who worked with or knew Danny, and hope they can recall stuff about him.  There's lots to be done to piece his life back together.

I totally agree with you...Danny was more than an actor that was gruesomely murdered.  He had a life and left so many wonderful memories for so many people. He deserves to be remembered, and that's the main reason I started the site.  He was fading away into obscurity.  No pictures. No wikipedia page. No real, informative websites.  Now he has my site, another smaller one, a myspace page        AND your wonderful article about him!  I intend, when the website is finished, to do a wiki-page and update all the sites which don't seem to have any info on him.

Thank you again for helping me keep Danny's story alive.     

Best wishes,

Kathy"

Once again, I want to thank Kathy for all the information she has shared with us, not to mention for maintaining a site like www.dannylockin.com.  I first began researching Danny’s story in 2006 and at that time there was barely anything about Danny’s life on the internet for the exception of details of his murder.  While that was interesting, no celebration of his life existed.  It has been through Kathy’s hard work and dedication to an actor she never even knew that Danny’s memory is being kept alive.  It’s dedicated people like Kathy who are the true everyday heroes of the pop culture journey.  Make sure to check out her site for more information and photos celebrating the life of Danny Lockin.

And speaking of people with some interesting stories to tell, I received another letter about both Danny and Karyn from actor David Dillon who has his own “two degrees of separation” from both of these tragic figures.  However David’s letter offers us a lot more stories to ponder that goes beyond even my article.  David writes:

"Hi, Sam,

I was flipping channels tonight and watched a bit of "Hello, Dolly!" and I recalled that an old friend of mine had told me that Danny Lockin had been murdered.   So, I Googled him and came across your website.

The pieces about Danny, Peg Entwistle and Karyn Kupcinet were very interesting.   (I knew who Peg was and knew the story of her death, but never knew she was Brian Keith's step-mother ... very interesting.)   I thought you might be interested in a couple of things regarding Lockin and Kupcinet.

I knew Karyn Kupcinet's parents well.   I worked in Chicago theatre and P.R. for many years, and had a lot of contact with Irv as a result.   But, it was his wife Essee I knew better.   She was one of my "Moms" in Chicago theatre and was very supportive of my work and helped me out a number of times by working on benefits, lending her name to events, being on Boards, etc.

When I was just starting out, I saw Irv and Essee interviewed on TV and Essee made the statement that in her work supporting the theatre, she tried never to say "no" to anyone.   I heard a "ding" go off in my head.  So, I found her home phone number, called her up, introduced myself and told her I was starting a theatre company.   A few days later, we had lunch together and thus started two decades of interaction with her.   I asked her about the never saying no statement, and she explained that she made a vow to herself when Karyn was murdered to always support up and coming theatre artists.   She kept that vow to her death and many, many of us in Chicago theatre owe her a debt.

She had a wonderful sense of humor and for a society lady, she never minced words.   Once, she got Shelley Winters to agree to do a show for us and we had a planning lunch at the Monroe Yacht Club with Essee and Heather Morgan Bilandic (of the J.P. Morgan family and former first lady of Chicago married to Mayor Michael Bilandic.)   I was about to head to Delaware to teach for the summer and upon my return, Shelley would be in Chicago and Essee would arrange our first meeting.   After lunch, Essee pulled me aside and said "And YOU had better look out!!"   I wondered why she would say that ... was Shelley difficult??   She continued "Because Shelley's gonna WANT you!!"   For some reason, Essee was convinced Shelley would want to jump my bones.   Now, this was 1981 or so, several years after "The Poseidon Adventure."   I froze.   I spent the entire summer agonizing over what to do when Shelley came on to me.   I was 24 at the time and terrified.   I finally resolved that I would sacrifice myself for the good of the show and if Shelley wanted me to do her, I would.   When we met that September, she hardly gave me a second look and I was enraged.   I thought "What am I, chopped liver??"   Essee and I always laughed about that in later years.   As it turned out, Shelley was unable to do the show when we needed her because of some family problems, but I encountered her many times after that and adored her.  

Anyway ... Essee told me once that she knew before anyone else ever uttered the rumor, that Peter Lawford was in Marilyn Monroe's apartment the night she died and that there was indeed a major cover up involving the Kennedy family and Miss Monroe's death.   I told her she should write a book and she told me she was often asked, but that she never would.  She felt that all the people she had known had trusted her with their confidences and she would never think of betraying them.

The thing is, whether or not they ever said it officially, she and Irv always believed it was Andrew Prine who murdered Karyn.   In fact ... and I might be wrong about this ... Irv wrote a book late in his life and I believe he stated his theory in that book.   You might want to read it.   It is an interesting chronicle of times gone by when the gossip columnist was indeed a confidant.   I read it, of course, and as I said, it is my memory that he finally DID go on the record about his belief that Prine was guilty.

Regarding Danny Lockin ... this is just a bit of trivia which I think you might like being a pop culture fan.   The friend who had told me he'd been murdered was Georgia Engel of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Everybody Loves Raymond," etc.   I produced a production of "Nunsense" in Chicago starring Georgia and we became dear friends.   That friendship lasted a number of years, until I wrote a hit off Broadway play about being gay in which there were seven naked men onstage.    Being a devoted Christian Scientist, Georgia always had problems with homosexuality.   She could deal with gay people as long as it was not discussed.   Once I did such an openly gay thing, I no longer existed to her.   Be that as it may, Georgia's very first professional job was as Minnie Fay in the Broadway production of "Hello, Dolly!" starring Ethel Merman and in which she played opposite Danny Lockin.   Not sure you knew she was his costar.   She always spoke of his remarkable talent, but had a difficult time with knowing he was gay and lived on the edge.   If I am not mistaken, she told me he had trouble with recreational drugs.   I always suspected his death involved gay sex and possibly alcohol, drugs or kinky sex simply from what a difficult time she had discussing it and the obvious judgment in her tone about him.

Anyway ... just thought you might be interested in these little tidbits.

Good luck with the site ... pop culture is a fascination of mine as well ... not so much current stuff as the vintage stuff and legends.  

Be well,

David Dillon"

Hi David,

Thank you so much for such an informative and interesting letter full of trivia, insight and grit.  It isn’t very often we receive letters such as yours.  You really have met some interesting people and have plenty of interesting stories to tell.  For you to share them with us is a real treat.

I am charmed by your friendship with Karyn Kupcinet’s mother Essie.  It must have been awful for Essie to have lost her daughter so tragically at such a young age, and then to have her daughter’s memory be tainted with rumors of conspiracy.  However, it’s good to know that her death didn’t destroy Essie’s spirit nor involvement in the community of Chicago.  She sounds like a very dear lady. 

Your statement about Peter Lawford is particularly intriguing.  You know, I have been researching Peter Lawford and his Rat Pack  cohort Frank Sinatra’s involvement with the Kennedys for a number of years, and I have a few of my own controversial theories about the Rat Packers doing some of the Kennedys' dirty work.  I truly believe that their involvement in JFK’s campaign was even a factor in his eventual assassination, although totally unintentionally.  One day I hope to publish my own theories in either an article or perhaps a book, although my biggest fear is either being sued by the Sinatra estate, or having two thugs named Bubba and Rocko at my door with brass knuckles and a crowbar that want to talk to me about my controversial ideas. 

I also feel that the statement about Andrew Prine being the true killer of Karyn Kupicent is quite bold, but you are not the only reader who has contacted me and said the same thing.  Perhaps we’ll never know the truth, but it’d be interesting to know if Andrew Prine sleeps at night.

Finally, while it is indeed fascinating that Georgia Engle played Minnie Faye opposite of Danny Lockin, it is very sad and unfortunate about her feelings with homosexuality and that she'd allow it to end a friendship.  I suppose a lot of that may be a generational thing.  Engle's is from a generation where homosexuality was not talked about nor accepted, thus perhaps it is still a taboo and uncomfortable subject for her.  I find that many people who grew up prior to the 1970s still have issues with homosexuality.  It's not right, but they haven't adapted to our modern way of thinking.  However, despite this, there is no room for homophobia in our modern world, and especially when it comes to the world of show business.  Many of my personal favorite pop culture icons were/are gay including Brian Epstein, Jodie Foster, Robert Reed, Richard Chamberlain, Jack Larson, George Takei (who I am pictured with on our home page), Clive Barker, The Village People, Lesley Gore, Matthew Waterhouse, Raymond Burr, Liberace, Anthony Daniels, T.R. Knight, Rufus Wainwright and Johnny Mathis.  This also is true for my two literary idols, Truman Capote and Roland Barthes.  I have also heard stories from a number of celebrities and individuals in show business that I have encountered and interviewed about other major celebrities that are huge in show business today who are not yet out of the closet, but whose identities I have promised to not reveal publicly.  This, of course, is only a very small list of important gay contributors to the pop culture journey.  The gay community has had so much to offer entertainment and the history of pop culture.  Its such a shame that today there are still people in the industry that can’t accept this. 

Anyhow David.  Thanks so much for sharing your stories and I hope that we’ll hear from you one day again.  Its stories like yours that keep this journey alive, and keeps the history of pop culture flowing.

Finally I received a letter from a reader who only identified himself as “R’ in regards to my 2004 article about obscure scream queen Fawn Silver, start of Ed Wood’s and AC Stephens’ cult classic Orgy of the Dead.  Fawn Silver has been a figure who has intrigued many visitors over the years to our site because of her mysterious disappearance from the pop culture radar in the late 1960s.  Anyhow, R does some searching of his own and writes:

"Sam,

Hi.  I read your piece on Fawn Silver and was prompted to do some research.  Some sources indicate that she was aka Fawn Silverton.  She was an exotic dancer states one source.  She appeared in pictorials (e.g., "Heiress of the Month" in Millionaire Magazine ca. 1966).  Some say she was on the television show Batman more than once.   

Keep researching!

 --R."

Well perhaps this is time for me to open a huge can of worms.  The majority of the information you’ve provided to us R. is true.  Fawn Silver did go by the name Fawn Silverton and she did do a pictorial for Millionaire Magazine and was an extra in at least one episode of Batman (I am not sure which one unfortunately).  Fawn Silver, however, was never an exotic dancer.  How do I know this?  Well…about a year ago I successfully tracked down Fawn Silver’s whereabouts.  Through some research, some luck, and some detective work I managed to find a trail to the mysterious actress which led me to a phone number and an address.  After building up enough courage I called Ms. Silver and spoke very briefly to her, however I was quickly passed over to her husband who cross examined me about how I discovered the whereabouts of his wife.  After explaining in full detail I was told, basically in not so many words, that Ms. Silver was not interested in talking to me, nor was she interested in being found.  I have never written about this encounter because I wasn’t sure how to up until to now.  Furthermore, I feel that Fawn Silver keeps a fair bit of romantic mystery by people not knowing where or who she is.  Sort of the same way that the cult of Bettie Page grew over the decades until she came out of hiding.  I am sure that Ms. Silver has her own reasons for wanting to keep her anomonity and not to share those incredible stories that she has to tell, and I feel it is such a shame that she does not embrace her place in the pop culture journey.  She has no idea the legion of fans that she has, nor the people who honesty do care and remember her short film career.  Yet, out of respect for Ms. Silver and the privacy of her family I will not reveal any information about her identity nor her whereabouts.  Perhaps one day it is a story I can tell, and one day I hope the time will come when I can reveal all.  However I will tell you that Fawn Silver is alive and, I believe, made a good life for herself outside that of a B movie actress.  Her story did not end in romantic tragedy, but that doesn’t make her any less interesting.  Fawn Silver is still a B movie actress who is awaiting her place as a major cult figure.  Unfortunately, without people knowing her story there is yet to be a story to be told.  Believe me when I tell you that I find it torture to know the way the story ends but not be able to reveal it.  That is one of the hardest things I’ve had to deal with on the pop culture journey, but what makes me different from the scum  that disguise themselves as entertainment journalists is that I respect the privacy of the people I write about, and I respect their wishes.  Thus, for the time being, Fawn Silver’s story will sit under my hat.

However thanks for the letter R., and thank for finally allowing me an outlet to tell this story.

Anyhow folks, there is plenty more mail I’d like to get to but this column has gotten longer then usual.   Please, keep those letters coming in to us.  You keep the pop culture journey alive by writing to us and I personally read and reply to every e-mail. 

Sam Tweedle

Pop Culture Addict

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

January 22nd, 2008

Hi there friends and readers,

I have stayed home from my day job with a miserable cold today, so I thought that I would bundle up with a hot bowl of soup, pull my housecoat a bit closer and bring the box of Kleenex over to my computer and go through a bit of readers mail.  It's been a long time since we last did a reader's mail column, and we've had a lot of great letters in the last number of months.  Unfortunately, because it's been so long, a few of them are badly outdated, and a few real gems have gone missing through the cracks.  However, before we get to the mail, there are a few other things to take care of.

First up is a letter by a regular writer to the PCA Mailbag who goes by the moniker Jan.  Jan writes us pretty much every week, although I'm not sure if she likes us or loathes us.  Whatever the deal is, Jan's letters are always well written, thoughtful, clever and a lot of fun to read...although most of the time I feel like it's all a big part of some large joke that I've played into and not sure what the punch line is.  I've saved many of Jan's letters for this section, but her latest today really hit a subject close to my heart.  Commenting on my 2004 article, Nancy Drew's Biggest Mystery: Why Hollywood Can't Successfully Bring Her to the Silver Screen, which I wrote before Hollywood successfully brought Nancy Drew to the silver screen last summer, Jan writes:

"Hi Sam

I reread the piece you did about Nancy Drew and the difficulty of bringing her adventures to the big screen.  I agree with your assessment.  For me, Nancy is always Nancy and does what Nancy does best; hiding behind couches, opening locked trunks, and peeking through windows.  Unlike Charlie's Angels, Nancy never posed as a cocktail waitress, a race car driver, or a ballet dancer.  She also never had anyone throwing knives at her in a traveling circus.
A group of friends and I once wanted to have a ladies' weekend away.  I wanted to dress as Nancy.  All I needed was a sensible skirt and a plain button down shirt with darts. You know the ones. They point the boobs in the right direction.  Unfortunately, mine don't obey traffic signs.  And of course, I needed a flashlight for a prop.

Nancy's clothes are timeless, all those smart suits, side zippered pants, and lovely scarves.  My favorite outfit is the one on the cover of The Clue in the Jewel Box.  It is a cute pink number trimmed in silver.  Why don't others appreciate Nancy's good taste in clothes?  Are Ned and I the only ones who pay attention to Nancy's trim?  Tim Gunn should use Nancy as the inspiration for the next challenge on Project Runway. What do you think?
 
Yours truly,
Jan"

Well Jan, I couldn't agree with you more.  You probably wouldn't be surprise you that Nancy's original artist, Russell H. Tandy, was actually a fashion illustrator.  Honestly, I would probably be much more attracted to a woman dressed like Nancy Drew then many of the latest fashion trends that are popular today.  Mind you, I am much more into retro fashion.  In fact, one of the things that I noticed in the Nancy Drew movie last summer was the amazing outfits that Emma Roberts was dressed in.  Although I didn't expect that Nancy Drew would be nominated for any of the major categories for the upcoming Oscars, I was disappointed earlier today when I saw that Jeffery Kurland was not nominated for his designs for Nancy's outfits.  Such a shame.  BTW - after a long wait, Nancy Drew will finally be being released on DVD on March 11th.  I have been patiently awaiting the release of this movie, being one of my guilty pleasures of 2007.  As a long time fan of the teen sleuth, I loved it, and I do hope that all the people that didn't see it in theatres will rent it as a lazy afternoon watch.  Anyways Jan, thanks again for writing, and I am sure it wont be long until I hear from you again.

Next is an e-mail from John J. Roe of Audubon, PA who wrote in about my recent obituary to horror host Malia "Vampira" Nurmi.  John writes:

"Dear Sam,

Thanks once again for another thought-provoking essay, this time on the late Vampira.  Reading it made me think of other horror hosts I came to know over the years.

Strangely, growing up in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area in the 70's and 80's, I don't recall any such personality.  Late-night movies were hosted by the sponsor (usually a local car dealership).  One time, they were hosting a showing of Superman and the Mole Men promising an actual appearance by the Man of Steel himself.  "Superman" turned out to be a guy sticking his face into a hole where Christopher Reeve's face would have been in an oversized poster.  That, more than anything else, should tell you of the overall quality of the hosting segments.

My first encounter with a for-real horror host came when I moved to the Pittsburgh area in 1986 and came across "Moana", host of the show Moana's Place.  She was pretty clearly stealing Elvira's act, but her show was pretty funny, as she went through the usual paces of mocking truly bad horror movies.  One thing I remember about the show was how the host segments acknowledged (even reveled in) the fact of their own miniscule budget, using it as fodder for a lot of the jokes.

I watched the show every chance I got, but it was off the air within the year.  Whether due to low ratings or discovery by Elvira's lawyers, I never found out.

A few years later, when I was a soldier and taking training at Fort Gordon, Georgia, near Augusta, I found "Professor Nigel Raven".  His shtick was to chew on a pipe with a book in his lap, and feed the audience bits of trivia about the evening's movie (one I remember was The Black Sleep with Basil Rathbone and a non-speaking Bela Lugosi), occasionally throwing in a sinister laugh.  Aged, overweight, and wearing what looked like a lacquered toupee, on paper the Professor seems a bit tragic.   But bless the old ham, he really threw himself into his role and seemed to relish it (something Rathbone should have tried in The Black Sleep).

By then Mystery Science Theater 3000 was in vogue, and the horror hosts of old were a dying breed.  Really, I haven't seen one since then, and to be quite frank, I miss them.

Thanks for letting me bend your ear again Sam.  As always, keep up the great work.

- John J. Roe"

John, it is always a pleasure to hear the stories and memories of our readers!  Thanks for such a great letter!  The late night horror host is becoming a dying breed in our current entertainment industry as most local television stations no longer run late night films as a result of the monopoly held by cable movie networks.  Still, these hosts remain in the minds and hearts of the people who watched them.  I know I owe a lot to the my own personal movie watching habits to these campy and comical hosts.  They are the ones who shaped my love for the bizarre and interesting films that I prefer over recent blockbusters.  Obviously, Elvira was the earliest host that I encountered, which Global TV out of Toronto ran on Saturday nights after Saturday Night Live.  I watched her show throughout most of high school.  A number of years ago I actually met Cassandra Peterson, who is not only one of the loveliest women I've met, but one of the only celebrities I've met where I broke down and lost my cool, instantly turning into a babbling fan boy.  Cassandra Peterson was very nice to me, and put up with my verbal diarrhea without making me feel like a total twat.

Later on, in the 1990's, I began watching Off Beat Cinema which was aired out of WKBW-TV from nearby Buffalo, New York.  Hosted by Maxwell Truth and his band of beatniks from the Hungry Ear Cafe, Maxwell and friends gave me my first exposure to classic B-movies, and introduced me to a lot of my favorite film makers including Roger Korman and Ed Wood.  Off-Beat Cinema had a huge impact on me, especially as I entered university to do a minor in film studies.  Off-Beat Cinema still airs and is now available on a number of other stations around the US.  You can check out there web-site at http://www.offbeatcinema.com.   Anyhow, thanks for your letter John, and sharing your memories with us.  I hope you'll write us again, because it's letters like yours that keep the pop culture journey alive.

Now our next letter is a bit out of date, but I still absolutely love it, and I want to feature it anyways.  Joe Busby, commenting on our look at former child star Danny Bonaduche, writes:

Dear Mr. Tweedle

I just saw a clip of a guy jumping on Danny, wrapping his legs around him. Then Danny threw the guy over his head , Landing on his head , the guy is supposedly going to press charges against Danny ?  I think he deserved what he got ! I would have done the same . After seeing that , Danny is now my all time Movie Star HERO !  You Go Danny ! You're  the only person I know of that don't take SHIT !  and can justify it. " caught on tape"  LMAO  I Love it ! 

Danny you are an inspiration to us all!  Thanks  Danny    YOU ROCK !

Your BIGGEST fan , 

Joe Busby

Well, as we know by now, the guy that jumped Danny was Survivor contestant Johnny Fairplay at the Reality TV channels first annual Reality TV Awards last October.  Fairplay did attempt to charge Danny with assault, but Danny was quickly cleared because he, obviously, acted in self defense.  However, I think Joe Busby pretty much sums up what makes Danny Bonaduche special.  Danny Bonaduche doesn't take shit from anybody.  That's why I like him.  Danny Bonaduche makes no apologies for who he is.  He not only accepts himself as a screwed up former child star, but he uses that role to his advantage.  Danny Bonaduche says it like it is, does what he has to do and doesn't care about any sort of fall out.  Danny Bonaduche doesn't need a spin machine.  Danny Bonaduche is what Danny Bonaduche is, and we love him for it.   Thanks for your letter Joe. 

Finally, I want to share a special letter from Sheena Buelow, who wrote about my correspondence with Bobby Curtola's manager Robert Hubbard in The Pop Culture Addict vs. Bobby Curtola.  Although this article is not a popular one here at PCA, proving that hardly anybody really gives a damn about Bobby Curtola, the article remains to be a favorite amongst us at PCA.  Anyways, Sheena writes:

How’s it going?  I found your emails with Robert Hubbard extremely amusing. I can’t stop giggling.  Anyway, do you have his email address?  I know that seems weird but, umm, he is my uncle and I haven’t talked to him in forever.  I would greatly appreciate it if you give it to me.  I also promise not to freak out and send you hate mail if you cannot!  I will understand and move on with out harsh feelings.   Lol!  You weren’t kidding about passionate…..really, really passionate!  Hope you have a good day. Thanks for your help.

Sheena Buelow

Well, in an attempt to help Sheena locate her Uncle Robert, I was forced to take another dark walk through Bobby Curtola's world and discovered that I still can't stand the guys music.  To protect Sheena and Robert Hubbard's privacy I wont reveal any of the contact information I sent back to Sheena, but I did find a strange, and amusing, business venture that Robert and Bobby have been working on that I thought I'd share with you.  Apparently, Robert Hubbard is "making pizza for the world" and calling it Bobby Curtola Pizza!  That's right, because I know every time I eat pizza I immediately think about the music of faded Canadian teen sensation Bobby Curtola, and suddenly filled with a dose of suicidal tendencies.  Mmmm mmmmm good.  Anyways, Bobby Curtola Pizza seems to be being sold primarily in the Philippians, which must obviously have a HUGE Bobby Curtola fan base.  Whatever the case, you can visit the official Bobby Curtola Pizza web-site at http://bobbycurtolapizza.com for more information.  And Sheena, I hope that we were able to help you find your uncle, and thanks for having such a sense of humor about our article.  Of course, as always, we wish Robert Hubbard and Bobby Curtola all the luck.

Anyhow folks, that's it for tonight.  However, don't forget that we read and reply to each and every letter and your letters are what makes this site thrive.  Always feel free to share your thoughts, comments and memories at popcultureaddict@gmail.com.  I hope that we'll here from you soon.

So stay tuned because there is more to come.  Damn.  I suddenly got the craving for some pizza.  I wonder if Bobby Curtola will deliver some to me.....

Sam Tweedle

Pop Culture Addict