Mrs. Nellie Hayden from California: “My father
jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge (Steve Brodie)”
Brodie claimed to have jumped off the
bridge in 1886, though today there is a healthy amount of skepticism that it
actually happened. Still, the publicity
surrounding his claim gave him widespread fame that lasted long beyond his
death in 1901. So great was his fame
that half a century later, Cullen had no problem identifying him with few
clues. For a time, his name even entered
the vernacular. To “pull a Brodie” meant
to take a reckless and possibly suicidal gamble.
Cartoonist Ham Fisher: “Joe Palooka becomes a
father next Thursday”
Back when
newspapers were a major source of information, comic strips were a major form
of popular entertainment. The serialized
stories, such as Fisher’s strip about the good-hearted boxer, were followed as
closely as housewives would follow daytime soap operas. This Secret scoop delighted the studio
audience, who had presumably been following the pregnancy in the papers for
months. Fisher didn’t coin the word “palooka,” but his strip popularized the
word used today to describe an inept boxer.
This despite the fact that the fictional Joe was a heavyweight champ.
Special Guest Veronica Lake: “My feet are too
big”
Veronica Lake played a femme fatale in
a number of 1940s film noir pictures, but is best remembered today for her
peek-a-boo hairstyle which glamorously covered one eye. So famous was her look that the US government
urged her to change it in order to encourage women working in WWII factories to
adopt safer hairstyles themselves.
Whether changing her signature look harmed her professionally is a
matter of debate, but whatever the reason, her career never measured up to
those earlier roles. Throughout the
fifties, she only made sporadic appearances on television, such as this one
(wearing a stylish bob).
[Mrs. George Bergener] of NYC : “I am Laraine
Day’s cousin”
Not a close relative, as Day is
unaware of the connection. The specific
nature of the relationship is never revealed.
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