Category Archives: On This Day

“As long as politics is this confused and evil, turning away from it would be cowardly.” — 20th century hero Sophie Scholl

Posted on May 9, 2026 by sheila

“I am, now as before, of the opinion that I did the best that I could do for my nation. I therefore do not regret my conduct and will bear the consequences that result from my conduct.” — Sophie Scholl … Continue reading →

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“He sold his soul to the devil to get to play like that.” – Mississippi bluesman Son House on Robert Johnson

Posted on May 8, 2026 by sheila

It’s Robert Johnson’s birthday. “[Robert] Johnson has created a mood so delicate and bleak one feels he cannot possible get out of his song alive.” – Greil Marcus Recently, I was walking through Times Square and suddenly Robert Johnson’s “Hellhound” … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, On This Day | Tagged | 8 Comments

“You can’t study comedy; it’s within you. It’s a personality. My humor is an attitude.” — Don Rickles

Posted on May 8, 2026 by sheila

It’s his birthday today. When Don Rickles died, John Stamos and Bob Saget couldn’t stop talking about him. Rickles, famously cantankerous, had loved both of them like sons. The stories they told about Rickles, on the late-night talk-show circuit were … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, On This Day | 7 Comments

“A lot of people try to equate me with guys like Frankie Avalon and Fabian, but in the old days I sold a lot of records over a period of time, and you can’t sustain that by being just another pretty face.” — Ricky Nelson

Posted on May 8, 2026 by sheila

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (Nelson) was a popular radio show in the 1940s, and an even more popular television show in the 1950s. It was a family affair. Their son Ricky was a beautiful child, and he grew … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, On This Day | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

“You are not acting so much as being. The result is realism.” — Gary Cooper

Posted on May 7, 2026 by sheila

It’s his birthday today. Cary Grant had a funny theory about Hollywood and how stardom was being like a crowded streetcar. Peter Bogdonavich asked Cary Grant to elaborate. Grant said: Becoming a movie star is something like getting on a … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day | 14 Comments

“I started at the top and worked my way down.” — Orson Welles

Posted on May 6, 2026 by sheila

It’s his birthday today. When Orson Welles was just a teenager, he traveled to Ireland. And although it seems improbable (perhaps not, because this is Orson Welles we’re talking about), he decided to audition for the newly-formed Gate Theatre, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Directors, Movies, On This Day, Theatre | Tagged , | 18 Comments

“Is there any virtue, for literature, for poetry, in the simple continuity of a tradition? I believe there is not.” — Thomas Kinsella

Posted on May 4, 2026 by sheila

The Dolmen Press, operated out of Dublin, was founded in 1951 by Liam Miller, and played a crucial part in the development of Irish poetry in the mid-20th century. It was a strictly nationalist operation; before The Dolmen Press, poets … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, On This Day, writers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“I’ve always had everything I wanted, and I never wanted a great deal. ” — Aline MacMahon

Posted on May 3, 2026 by sheila

“I pass emotions through a filter not generally used by actresses. I find the ground to meet my characters and am able to move from one feel to another. It is real stuff — no tricks, simply expressed.” — Aline … Continue reading →

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“I was never totally involved in movies. I was making someone else’s dream come true. Not mine.” — Mary Astor

Posted on May 3, 2026 by sheila

“The reminder that there are people who have worse troubles than you is not an effective pain-killer.” — Mary Astor It’s her birthday today. Her memoir is great, by the way. Her story was told – by everyone else – … Continue reading →

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“Fear and the absence of hatred may go well together.” — Niccolò Machiavelli

Posted on May 3, 2026 by sheila

Prologue, The Jew of Malta, by Christopher Marlowe, written in 1589. Machiavelli died in 1527. You can see his posthumous reputation had ballooned, just 60 years after his death. Enter MACHIAVEL. MACHIAVEL. Albeit the world think Machiavel is dead, Yet … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, On This Day, writers | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments