Friday, March 27, 2020

Hollywood Actress Marries Birmingham Dentist

I recently watched the 1945 film Flame of the West, one of the dozens of westerns Dothan native Johnny Mack Brown made during his long career. I'll skip any details since I plan a blog post soon about the movie. However, in addition to Brown there's another Alabama connection in this film.

One of Brown's two leading ladies is Lynne Carver. I wasn't familiar with her, so naturally I turned to Wikipedia. And what should I find but that connection.

A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Carver appeared in more than 30 movies between 1934 and 1948. She played Bess in the 1938 "A Christmas Carol" and Mary Jane in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" the following year. She also starred as Alice Raymond in two of the Dr. Kildare series of films based on Max Brand's novels. She made several movies with Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire.

Carver's birth name was Virginia Reid Sampson. Early in her Hollywood career she briefly dated Howard Hughes. Carver died age 38 on August 12, 1955, after a long battle with cancer. At the time she was married to her third husband, theatrical agent William Mullaney. 

Lynne Carver's first husband was Birmingham dentist Ralph Clay McClung [21 April 1907-25 February 1989]. As noted below, the two met at the 1935 Rose Bowl in Los Angeles. They were married at the court house in Selma on March 31, "accompanied by a party of friends who motored down from Birmingham." The engagement and marriage were kept secret for almost two months. Carver wanted to continue her film career, and McClung planned to keep his dental practice in Birmingham. By mid-December 1936 the couple were divorced; Carver married her second husband the following year.

On Anestry.com I found McClung's World War II draft registration card. He registered on October 16, 1940, when he was 33 years old. The card tells us that he had a light complexion, weighed 150 pounds, had brown hair and blue eyes and stood 5'11". 

The 1940 U.S. census at the same site notes that McClung lived in a rented house on Highland Avenue, where he was also living in 1935. Four women, two of whom were his sisters, also lived in the house. His marital status? "Divorced". Alabama marriage records show that he married Dorothy Greagan Hill on August 8, 1950. The 1959 Birmingham City Director has them living at 2918 Overhill Road in Mountain Brook. His office was at 2027 First Avenue North. He is buried in Elmwood Cemetery

His son, Ralph Clay McClung, Jr., is also a dentist

















Selma Times-Journal 5 May 1935

Source: Newspapers.com




On January 1, 1935, Alabama beat Stanford 29-13 in the Rose Bowl. Presumably the pair met at this game. 


Source: Newspapers.com 




Corpus Christie Caller-Times 14 December 1936

Source: Newspapers.com 
















Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Alabama History & Culture News: March 25 edition





Here's the latest batch of links to just-published Alabama history and culture articles. Most of these articles are from newspapers, with others from magazines and TV and radio station websites. Enjoy!


DON NOBLE: Must-read book has enlightening, disturbing moments
The heart of this book is the story of Walter McMillian of Monroe County, Alabama. In 1986, Stevenson, then in his late 20s, working at the Southern ...


Alabama bicentennial book spotlights black heritage
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama's bicentennial is over, but a new book will highlight 200 years of African American history in the state. A coffee ...

Anna Huey's New Book 'A Choice' is a Gripping Tale of a Suspenseful Plot of Murder on a Cruise ...
Anna Huey is a prolific writer from Alabama with a passion for reading, writing, spending time with animals, and baking cakes and cupcakes. She has ...

Selma Online Offers Free Civil Rights Lessons Amid Virus
... The first attempt of the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, ... so 500,000 children in 33 cities could see the historical drama for free.


Zora Neale Hurston's 'Barracoon' amplifies literary culture
Not even the town he helped found in Alabama — Africatown — which was renamed Plateau. An orator of the first order, Cudjo relayed the wisdom of his ...

Eufaula Pilgrimage canceled
For the first time in its 55-year history, the Eufaula Pilgrimage, Alabama's oldest our of homes, has been canceled. The Eufaula Heritage Association ...

Documentary explores blues in West Alabama
Filmmakers set up in the historic county courthouse in Carrollton to do an interview for an upcoming documentary on Alabama's racial history and its ...


College Football Hall of Fame 'a long time coming' for EJ Junior
Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa has made a career of documenting the history of sports at the University of Alabama, namely football. However, one ...

New Facility to House Clotilda Artifacts in Africatown
The plan for the facility was announced Tuesday (March 10) by the Alabama Historical Commission, which said the History Museum of Mobile also will ...

Historic renovation bringing new life to downtown Foley
historic building renovation in a South Alabama town is being credited with potentially bringing new life to its Main Street. The Foley Bakery ...


FORGOTTEN ALABAMA: Capturing the past to benefit the future
And, what better place for Wills' photography show than the JCA, which is chiseled in the cornerstone of Troy's downtown history. Wills was right at home ...

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Alabama Victory Ships in World War II

I seem to be doing a series on this blog about ships with names connected in some way to Alabama. This post fits that group. In previous items I've discussed the 1898 USS Alabama battleship, the USS Birmingham and early flight, the effort to save the World War II USS Alabama battleship, and the SS Selma, a concrete ship. This time let's look at Victory ships named for Alabama cities. 



During World War II various United States shipyards produced 531 ships of the Victory class, cargo ships that were an improved design over the older Liberty class. Five types were constructed across two main categories; 414 were standard cargo ships and 117 were attack transports. You can find a list of the ships here and by building shipyard here.  

Many of the Victory ships were named after U.S. cities. In my research I discovered seven vessels named after Alabama locations. As you'll see I found little information on four and more on three of them. I've included the shipyards where they were built.


SS Anniston Victory Permanente Metals, Richmond, California delivered Feb 21, 1945

SS Bessemer Victory California Shipbuilding Corporation, Los Angeles delivered Aug 30, 1945. Had some commercial service in Vietnam, remained in the National Defense Reserve Fleet and berthed on the James River in Virginia until sold in the late 1980's and finally scrapped in India in 1991

SS Dothan Victory Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation, Portland, delivered Nov 7, 1945

SS Eufaula Victory Bethlehem Steel, Baltimore, delivered Dec 12, 1944

SS Selma Victory California Shipbuilding Corporation, Los Angeles, delivered July 29, 1944

USS Talladega Permanente Metals, Richmond, California, delivered Oct 31, 1944. The Talladega was the only attack transport I found among the Victory ships with Alabama connections. The vessel worked various areas of the Pacific during the war, including the Battle of Iwo Jima. Here's the details on that from the Wikipedia entry:

Talladega sortied from Saipan as a unit of Task Group 56.2, the Assault Group, on 16 February, and arrived off Iwo Jima on the morning of 19 February, "D-day".[4] Four Marines pictured in Joe Rosenthal's famous flag-raising photograph debarked from Talladega to climb Mt. Suribachi on Iwo JimaIra HayesFranklin SousleyHarlon Block, and Mike Strank.[2] After landing her troops, she remained off the beaches embarking combat casualties for six days before heading back toward Saipan.[4]

His Wikipedia entry notes this information about Hayes, a Native American:

He was the subject of an article by journalist William Bradford Huie, which was adapted for the feature film The Outsider (1961), starring Tony Curtis as Hayes. The movie inspired songwriter Peter La Farge to write "The Ballad of Ira Hayes," which became popular nationwide in 1964 after being recorded by Johnny Cash. In 2006, Hayes was portrayed by Adam Beach in the World War II movie Flags of Our Fathers, directed by Clint Eastwood.

Sousley, Block and Strank are all portrayed in the 2006 film Flags of Our Fathers. William Bradford Huie, a Hartselle native, was a well-known novelist and journalist at the time. 

The Talladega also participated in the Korean and Vietnam wars and was finally scrapped in 1982. You can find many more details and a photo gallery about her here.

The city of Talladega has honored the ship with a monument on the courthouse square.



Photo taken by Rivers Langley 27 October 2011


Source: NavSource

SS Tuskegee Victory Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation, Portland, delivered June 5, 1945. The ship spent seven years in commercial service after the war, then returned to the National Defense Maritime Fleet in 1952. In 1958 she was refitted as a Bowditch class oceanographic survey ship for the Navy and rechristened the USNS Dutton. She served in that capacity until February 1980; the vessel was scrapped in September 2007.



.

SS Selma Victory and six other ships of the class being outfitted at the California Shipbuilding Corporation in Los Angeles in June 1944 




USS Talladega a Victory class attack transport ca. 1945

Source: Wikipedia



SS Tuskegee Victory after its conversion to the USNS Dutton

Source: Wikipedia 




Red Oak Victory in 2013, at that time the only operational vessel of the class

Source: Wikipedia











Friday, March 13, 2020

Alabama History & Culture News: March 13 edition




Here's the latest batch of links to just-published Alabama history and culture articles. Most of these articles are from newspapers, with others from magazines and TV and radio station websites. Enjoy!



Sawmill Days puts focus on rich North Baldwin history, traditions
STOCKTON, Alabama — The Stockton Heritage Association is teaming up with the Baldwin County Department of Archives and History to host this ...

City of Alexander City sorts millions of pages of documents
So far Bryan has sent requests to the Alabama Department of Archives and History to destroy 130 boxes of records. Of the records sorted since mid- ...

Historic hotel hopes to welcome visitors to Selma after refurbishment
For now, remembrances of Selma's Civil Rights past may be the big drawing card for visitors to this city along the Alabama River. Gamble said the ...



Lenz, president of the LaGrange Living History Association, said the University of North Alabama studied the cemetery and found three graves about ...


Robin Boylorn on the Legacy of Henry Harris
Wendell Hudson was the first African American scholarship athlete in The University of Alabama's history. Last month, he made history, again, ...

Alabama Power connects Auburn University students with city of Tallassee
They discussed the history of Tallassee, issues facing the community and ... Tallassee is home to Alabama Power's historic Yates Dam and Thurlow ...

Johnson: Time to teach all our children the full breadth of Alabama's history, sordid as it may be
Taught them what happened. What really happened? What if we taught them the real, sometimes hard truths of history? Our state's history. All of it. Not ...

Elliott to be guest speaker for historical society
Her work has been utilized by the Library of Congress, the Alabama Department of Archives and History, Manassas National Battlefield Park and other ...


Birmingham author to speak to Historical Commission
“I don't think many people know that marble is the state rock of Alabama,” said Cook. Her book provides a comprehensive narrative on the history of ...

Andalusia City Officials Announce Major Purchase of Historical Buildings
Mayor Johnson says those public meetings will be held within the next few weeks. Everyone is invited to attend. Categories: News, South Alabama. Tags ...

Alabama to exhibit artifacts from last US slave ship
The Alabama Historical Commission, in a statement, said an exhibit named for the slave ship Clotilda is set to open this fall in Mobile, where the ...

Greta Lambert reprises role as 1959 librarian with integrity
... on everyone's minds, especially a certain state senator who wants to ban the children's book “The Rabbits' Wedding” from Alabama libraries. Why?

Young King and Young Queen Books by local author/mentor Justin Sims
... Queen Young Queen” that are creating buzz across the state of Alabama. Sims was inspired to write the children's books from his personal ... “Roughly 11% of book authors are African American in this country and less than 7% of ...

Author shares insights into book about Birmingham Black Barons baseball team
He also wrote high school football histories of Shelby County and Clarke County, as well as a history of the Alabama High School Athletic Association ...

Kaufmann to present 'Historic Tower Clocks and Bells of Alabama' lecture on March 25
On Wednesday, March 25, Thomas Kaufmann, author of the book “Historic Alabama Bells,” will share the story of Alabama's historic tower clocks and ...

'Alabama Story' brings stories of censorship and love in 1959 Montgomery
There are several stories within “Alabama Story,” one of which is “The Rabbits' Wedding," an actual children's book where two rabbits - one black and ...


Alabama to Exhibit Artifacts From Last US Slave Ship
The Alabama Historical Commission, in a statement, said an exhibit named for the slave ship Clotilda is set to open this fall in Mobile, where the ...

New book examines racial conflict in 1960s Birmingham
... that plagued the black community in early 1960s Birmingham, Alabama — the site of as many as 50 bombings over the two decades following World ...


Charles Barkley is selling memorabilia to build affordable housing in his Alabama hometown
“If I could sell all that stuff, it would just be a really cool thing for me.” AD. In 2015, Barkley explained his history with the community, telling the ...


Students visit Legacy Museum
... of the historical implications surrounding race, class and gender in Alabama through history,” instructor and Associate Dean Ashley Kitchens said.

Miss Tallulah Bankhead as "Black Widow" (2)

This post is the second one in which I examine Tallulah Bankhead's appearances in two episodes of the 1960's television show Batman. You can read my opening commentary and the details of the first episode here





Batman and Robin manage to escape the giant spiders, but they still must face the Black Widow and her merry men.



Ever the polite hostess, BW offers Batman some champagne. 



Batman quickly informs her he only drinks milk, and she replies that there may be some around somewhere. 



One of her men, Trap Door, produces a half gallon carton.




Black Widow manages to drink some milk, but she's not happy about it 




During their little tete-a-tete over milk, Bankhead gets to unleash her raucous laughter.






Black Widow's next nefarious plot is to send a Batman robot and the real Robin to fetch some money from another bank. 




BW and her men are very happy with the idea, but the joy doesn't last long. 






The Chief of Police Miles O'Hara and some of his men show up to capture the gang.





When next we see BW and her men, they are undergoing some brain therapy in jail.







Black Widow emerges very happy with the results, and all is well in Gotham City until next week's villain shows up!