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Ginger Rogers
(July 16, 1911 –
April 25, 1995)
dancer, actress,
Independence
Winning a dance contest in Texas launched the 14-year-old Virginia Katherine McMath on her acting career and eventful personal life, episodes, emotions and dialogue from which she recreates here in exhaustive detail. Now 79, this devout Christian Scientist recalls her early vaudeville days in a determinedly upbeat tone, as well as her stage and film hits, including the 10 musicals-- Top Hat , Swing Time , etc.--in which she and Fred Astaire co-starred. Also discussed is Rogers's Oscar-winning Kitty Foyle and acclaimed roles in Hello Dolly and Mame . The author brightens an uninspired narrative style with backstage and Hollywood anecdotes and names, and tells of her five husbands--and of her romances with the likes of Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart and Howard Hughes. She also encountered political figures--from U.S. presidents to the shah of Iran and Juan Peron. Recommended for fans who cherish every scrap of trivia about their idol. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. Ginger Rogers Books
Ginger Rogers Movies |
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Charles M. Russell
(March 19, 1864, St.
Louis, Missouri—October 24, 1926)
painter, artist St. Louis
Charlie Russell, whose art combined documentation and romance, played a large part in establishing cowboy culture. Son of one of the leading families in St. Louis, he had dime-novel fantasies about the West. In 1880, aged 16, Russell left home for Montana Territory to be a cowboy. For the next 15 years, he led a devil-may-care existence as a wrangler, drinking heavily, womanizing, pleading for credit. Journalist Taliaferro brings the artist and the frontier to life in this sparkling biography. By 1887, Russell had gained local recognition for his art but was reluctant to push his career. All changed when he married a fiery young woman half his age in 1896. Wife Nancy became his promoter and business agent, arranging exhibitions and sales nationwide. By all accounts, Russell was a charmer; much of his success as a painter, says the author, must be attributed to his appealing personality. He died in 1926. This is an important book for Western buffs. Charles M. Russell Books |
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Nellie Tayloe Ross
(November 29, 1876 -
December 19, 1977)
first woman elected governor
of a state, Saint Joseph
"Governor Lady" is the fascinating story of one of the most famous political women in America. Nellie Tayloe Ross was born and reared near St Joseph, Missouri. In 1892, she moved with her family to Omaha, Nebraska, where she trained to become a teacher. She taught kindergarten in Omaha for four years before moving, in 1902, to Cheyenne, Wyoming, with her new husband, lawyer William B Ross. In 1922, he was elected governor of that state. When Ross died in 1924, Nellie was asked to complete her husband's term as governor. She reluctantly accepted, and that year Nellie was elected governor of Wyoming, making her the first female state governor. Following her defeat for reelection in 1925, Nellie embarked on a career of writing and speechmaking on the national Chautauqua circuit. In 1928, she was appointed vice chairman of the Democratic National Party. Nellie Tayloe Ross Books |
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Ted Shawn (21 October
1891 — 9 January, 1972),
dancer,
choreographer, Kansas City. The Men Who Danced presents the story of the first all-male dance company in the US. It includes historic footage of the company performing in the 1930's, capturing the beauty and rigor of Shawn's choreography. This film highlights interviews with eight of the original Shawn dancers at a 50-year reunion at The Pillow in 1982, as well as rare archival dance footage of these historical dances. The 20th Anniversary DVD release of The Men Who Danced has been digitally enhanced and includes additional segments of never before seen footage. John Gruen of Dance Magazine called this film "One of the most authentic records we have of a most remarkable chapter in dance history." And The New York Times stated, "Shawn's passionate interest in everything about him is paid homage to..." This expanded DVD version of The Men Who Danced is an essential addition to college dance and performance collections as well as for dance enthusiasts. Ted Shawn Books |
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Casey Stengel
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(July 30, 1890 –
September 29, 1975),
baseball player, Kansas City
When Casey Stengel was named the manager of the Yankees in 1949, baseball wags were stunned. What had Stengel ever done? His work managing the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves had been long on personality and remarkably short on success. They thought the Yankees would never be able to compete with the Red Sox or Indians with that broken-down old man in charge. At the All-Star break, the Yankees looked like a banged-up bunch of also-rans, not like a team about to embark on five straight championships. Yet Stengel seemed confident of success. As Steven Goldman explains, people had forgotten that Casey knew how to come back. Casey Stengel Books |
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Gladys Swarthout
- soprano,
Deepwater, Missouri
(December 25, 1900
- July 7, 1969, Florence, Italy) was an American contralto opera singer.
While studying at the Bush Conservatory of Music in Chicago, a group of friends arranged an audition for her with the Chicago Civic Opera Company. Much to her surprise, she ended up with a contract, though at the time she didn't know a single operatic role. By her debut a few months later, she had memorized 23 parts and participated in over half of the season's operas. She sang for the Ravinia Opera Company of Chicago for three seasons. In 1929, she made her debut with the New York Metropolitan Opera Company, where she was a participant for several decades. Gladys Swarthout Books
Gladys Swarthout Discography |
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Sara Teasdale
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poet, Saint Louis
Sara Teasdale (August 8, 1884 – January 29, 1933), was an American lyrical poet. She was born Sarah Trevor Teasdale in St. Louis, Missouri.
Throughout her life, Teasdale suffered poor health and it was only at age 9 that she was well enough to begin school. In 1898 she went to Mary Institute and to Hosmer Hall in 1899 where she finished in 1903.
In 1913 Teasdale fell in love with poet Vachel Lindsay. He wrote her daily love letters, but nevertheless she married Ernst Filsinger in 1914 when she was 30; he was a rich businessman. Teasdale and Lindsay remained friends throughout their lives.
In 1918, her poetry collection Love Songs won three awards: the Columbia University Poetry Society prize, the 1918 Pulitzer Prize for poetry and the annual prize of the Poetry Society of America. She was not happy in her marriage, becoming divorced in 1929. In 1933, she committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. Her friend Lindsay had committed suicide two years earlier.
The poem "There Will Come Soft Rains" from her 1920 collection Flame and Shadow inspired and featured in a famous short story of the same name by Ray Bradbury.
Sara Teasdale Books
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Virgil Thomson
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(November 25, 1896 -
September 30, 1989)
composer, Kansas City
Virgil Thompson is universally recognized as one of the dominant music critics whose unique sensibility was informed by his groundbreaking work as a composer of the mid twentieth-century. Whether writing for a daily newspaper or an academic journal, Thompson brought wit and erudition to a literary form that is often staid. Not suffering fools gladly, unwilling to kowtow to the powers that be, Thompson and his writing remain remarkably relevant and entertaining today. This essential reader includes his essays on making a living as a musician; his articles on classic composers; his relation to his contemporaries; his articles on newcomers in the music world, including John Cage and Pierre Boulez; his autobiographical writings and commentary on his own works. Virgil Thomson Books
Virgil Thomson Discography |
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Harry S. Truman
(1884 - 1972) The 33rd
President of the United
States; born in Lamar.
An estimable biography that portrays Truman, the patron saint of beleaguered pols, as an ordinary American but an extraordinary president. As narrative, this biography cannot begin to compete with David McCullough's Truman (1992). However, historian Ferrell (Indiana Univ., Bloomington; Ill-Advised, 1992, etc.) partly makes up for this with his mastery of Truman sources (he has written or edited eight previous books on the president) and his shrewd analysis of the workings of executive power. He shows how Truman, with his Missouri twang and his background as the product of Kansas City's Pendergast machine, seemed smaller than life, even grubby, compared to the patrician FDR. But he believes that Truman surpassed his predecessor in decisiveness, veracity, and stamina. Unpretentious and optimistic, Truman was temperamentally well equipped to lead the nation as it was being challenged by communism abroad. Yet Truman, now one of our most beloved presidents, saw his approval rating dip to only 23% a year before he left office--one point lower than Richard Nixon's when he resigned. Harry S. Truman Books |
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Kathleen Turner
Actress born
in Springfield.
(born June 19, 1954) is an American actress. She came to fame during the 1980s, after roles in the Hollywood films Body Heat,, Peggy Sue Got Married, Romancing the Stone, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Prizzi's Honor. She is currently guest starring in Californication on Showtime.
Turner was born in Springfield, Missouri, the daughter of Patsy (nιe Magee) and Allen Richard Turner, who was a U.S. Foreign Service officer and schoolteacher; who grew up in China (where Turner's great-grandfather was a Methodist missionary). A diplomat, her father had been imprisoned by the Japanese for four years during the Second World War. As a child, Turner lived in Canada, Venezuela, the United Kingdom and was living in Cuba, at the time Castro came to power. Turner has two brothers and a sister. While attending high school in London, she was a gymnast and also took classes at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Kathleen Turner Books
Kathleen Turner Movies
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Dick Van Dyke
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Richard Wayne “Dick” Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is best known for his starring roles in the films Bye Bye Birdie, Mary Poppins, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and the television series The Dick Van Dyke Show and Diagnosis Murder. Van Dyke was born in West Plains, Missouri, to Loren (nickname "Cookie") and Hazel (nιe McCord) Van Dyke, but grew up in Danville, Illinois. He is the older brother of actor Jerry Van Dyke, who is best known for his role on the TV series Coach.
Van Dyke married Margie Willett in 1948. They had four children: Christian (Chris), Barry, Carrie Beth, and Stacy. They divorced in 1984 after a long separation. Dick Van Dyke lived with longtime companion Michelle Triola for more than thirty years until her death in 2009. Van Dyke's son Barry Van Dyke and grandson Carey Van Dyke are also actors; both, along with other Van Dyke relations and grandchildren, appeared in various episodes of the long-running series Diagnosis: Murder. All of Van Dyke's children are married, and he has seven grandchildren. His son Chris served as district attorney for Marion County, Oregon in the 1980s. Among his cases was the so-called I-5 Killer, Randall Woodfield. Dick Van Dyke Books
Dick Van Dyke Films
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Dennis Weaver
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actor,
(June 4, 1924 –
February 24, 2006)
Joplin
Though millions recognize Dennis Weaver for his roles in the long-running television series "Gunsmoke" and "McCloud" and, more recently, as the host of the Western Channel, the most important work of his life has not been performed in front of a camera. Since the early 1980s, he has dedicated himself to serving humanity and the environment. Now, Weaver shares the story of his life--his childhood and military years, his career as an entertainer (which includes a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood), and his more recent success as a spokesperson and role model for social annd environmental concerns. His ultimate goal: to remind us that only through collective spiritual growth and understanding the interrelationship of all living systems, will humanity consciously step forward to preserve our world for future generations. Dennis Weaver Books
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Pearl White
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(March 4, 1889 – August
4, 1938)
actress, Greenridgewas an American film actress, the so-called "Stunt Queen" of silent films, most notably in The Perils of Pauline.
White was born in Green Ridge, Missouri, and lived on a farm with her four brothers and sisters. Her parents, Edgar and Inez White, moved to Springfield, Missouri, where she grew up with an interest in the theater. She began performing with the Diemer Theater Company, located on Commercial Street, while in her second year of high school. In 1907, at age 18, she went on the road with the Trousedale Stock Company, working evening shows while keeping her day job to help support her family. She was soon able to join the company full time, touring through the American Midwest. That year she married fellow actor Victor Sutherland, but they soon separated and eventually divorced. Pearl White Books
Pearl White Films
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Roy Wilkins Leader of the
National Association for the
Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP); born in St.
Louis.
(August 30, 1901 – September 8, 1981) was a prominent civil rights activist in the United States from the 1930s to the 1970s. Wilkins most notable role was in his leadership of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Wilkins graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in sociology in 1923.
He worked as a journalist at The Minnesota Daily and became editor of St. Paul Appeal, an African-American newspaper. After he graduated he became the editor of the Kansas City Call. In 1929 he married social worker Aminda "Minnie" Badeau; the couple had no children.
Between 1931 and 1934 Wilkins was assistant NAACP secretary under Walter Francis White. When W. E. B. Du Bois left the organization in 1934, he replaced him as editor of The Crisis, the official magazine of the NAACP. From 1949–50 Wilkins chaired the National Emergency Civil Rights Mobilization, which comprised more than 100 local and national groups. Roy Wilkins Books
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