Alabama History & Culture News: August 9 edition

For a number of years I've been posting links to just-published Alabama history and culture articles in the "alabamahistory" group at Yahoo!Groups. Most of the articles are from newspapers, with others from magazines and TV and radio websites. You can subscribe to the emails there if you wish; I send out two or three a week along with relevant meeting announcements and so forth. 

Here's the latest batch:

Scottsboro man selling 'Bear' Bryant's former car

WAFF

(WAFF) - A piece of college football history and Alabama history is in a garage ... “'Bear' Bryant was the head football coach at Alabama somewhere in ...

Former Banks High School has a long history in Birmingham CBS42.com A football game between Banks High and Woodlawn in 1974 is regarded by some as one of the biggest high school football games in Alabama history ...

On this day in Alabama history: Musician Charlie Stripling was born Alabama NewsCenter Charlie Melvin Stripling was born on this day in Pickens County. He acquired a fiddle as a teenager and became Alabama's most accomplished fiddler ...

On this day in Alabama history: Astronaut Jan Davis launched her last space flight Yellowhammer News Secretary of State John Merrill on Tuesday outlined the impact of Alabama Act 2019-507, which became effective on August 1 and establishes new ...

16th Annual Taste of 4th Ave. Jazz Festival

Birmingham Times

... Avenue Business District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, includes the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, The Colored Masonic Temple, ...

Old School Sing-a-long to go a long with Alabama's bicentennial celebration

Andalusia Star-News

To go along with the state of Alabama's bicentennial celebration, the Covington Historical Society is bringing back a favorite pastime for the local ...

Author and photographer to present work at Wild South event Sunday Moulton Advertiser His book, Alabama Outdoors: The Sky, the Sea, and All Between, offers a collection of photographs highlighting the state's diverse wildlife and ...

Weathering Life: the autobiography of James Spann Alabama NewsCenter As a youngster living in rural south Alabama, James Spann was fascinated by summertime thunderstorms and what lay behind them. “Almost every ...

Three generations of book authors: Mother, son and great-grandson share life experiences, stories Opelika Observer Authored by Auburn University graduate and Hartford, Alabama native Betty ... Those experiences gave her confidence in the book-writing world.

EPL puts Alabama, Enterprise history on display

The Southeast Sun

The Enterprise Public Library has set up an exhibit revolving around Alabama's and the city's history in celebration of the state's bicentennial and the ...

Alabama treasurer 'Honest Ike' stole $200000 and fled the state in 1883 AL.com He was praised for lowering Alabama's debt, perhaps earning him the ... according to the book, “AlabamaGovernors: A Political History of the State,” ...

On this day in Alabama history: Astronaut Jan Davis launched her last space flight Alabama NewsCenter Astronaut Jan Davis boarded her last flight into space on the Discovery, completing 189 orbits and traveling 4.7 million miles. She joined NASA in ...

Shah Rukh Khan's 'Zero' was shot in Alabama - Here's how you can explore it!

Zee News

A good portion of the movie was filmed in Huntsville, Alabama. ... In the center of Alabama are the historical cities of Birmingham and Montgomery.

Brittany Howard: “History Repeats” KCRW Brittany Howard is the driving force behind Alabama Shakes with her powerful voice, guitar style and presence. Inspired by a cross-country road trip ...

Tupper celebrates bicentennial with August events

Troy Messenger

Wills said he has traveled the entire state of Alabama, documenting ... “We invite all of those who are interested in Alabama's history to bring lunch and ...

Dread River is an Alabama Maker distilling spirits in style

Alabama NewsCenter

Dread River is an Alabama Maker distilling spirits in style ... is the largest distillery in Alabama, featuring a menu that celebrates Alabama's history.

Volunteers keep history alive in tiny Blountsville Alabama NewsCenter Indeed, in 2016 the Blountsville Historical Society was awarded the Small Town Preservation Award from the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation ...

Why are people leaving pennies on Harper Lee's grave?

AL.com

A simple granite stone marks the grave Alabama's most celebrated novelist, ... Another sister, Frances Lee Conner, is buried in Fairview Cemetery in ...

Possumhaw: Way back when

The Commercial Dispatch

R.C. White's book "Ten Million Kisses" turned over in my hands. ... Lois Cochran was a small-town girl from Alabama going to a nearby college.

TUSCALOOSA 200 MOMENT IN HISTORY: Papermaking in Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa News Papermaking in Tuscaloosa. The Tuskaloosa Paper Company began in 1849 as one of only two nineteenth-century Alabama papermills. The plant ...

Alabama bicentennial book has strong Houston County presence Dothan Eagle Alabama's newly released bicentennial book, benefitting fourth-grade ... spent over two years creating this unique book in Alabama's literary history.

On this day in Alabama history: Hamilton Cleverdon was born Alabama NewsCenter Cleverdon grew up with music in his Washington, D.C., home. When the family moved back to Birmingham he applied to the Alabama School of Fine ...

Mary's Antiques, Gifts & Beads in Huntsville

While in Huntsville recently to visit my mother Carolyn Shores Wright, Dianne and I decided to make a pilgrimage to Mary's Antiques, Gifts & Beads near downtown on Pratt Avenue. This trip was our second one to the shop, and probably won't be the last. Since Dianne makes jewelry, she was mostly interested in the beads available. Me? I like to wander through all the other stuff crammed into what was once a fairly large two-story home. 

More comments are below. 

OK, who's eaten Wheaties from that box and Premium Saltines from that tin container? 

Just enough room here to squeeze in a crucifix. 

One of the cool lady mannequins lurks in the upper right of this photo.

Naturally Coca Cola material has its own display area. One of my uncles once worked for a Coca Cola distributor, and his home was filled with such items up to and including dispensing machines. 

The store has lots of Christmas goodies scattered around. Many cobalt blue bottles, vases, etc, also...

What would a place like this be without pink flamingos? 

Here you can see some of the jewelry that hangs all over the store. Up front as you come in are bins of beads and such for jewelry making. 

Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara are locked in permanent embrace on the wall in the upper left.

As you might expect, the shop has narrow pathways throughout.

That box in the bottom middle contains black and white film stills mostly from 1970's releases. 

I spent a good bit of time examining several boxes of old postcards on shelves above these baby shoes. In among the postcards were some old photographs most with no individual identification and even some old photos AS postcards. Ah the humanity, the whole shop filled with detritus from other lives...

The Luzianne company started in Louisiana in 1902; the brand continues today on coffees, teas and other products. Betty White appeared in TV commercials for the brand in the 1950's, and Burl Ives did so for the tea in the 1970's and 1980's. 

I don't know how long Luzianne used this image; some more examples are here. 

Canada Dry Water?

Alabama History & Culture News: August 4 edition

For a number of years I've been posting links to just-published Alabama history and culture articles in the "alabamahistory" group at Yahoo!Groups. Most of the articles are from newspapers, with others from magazines and TV and radio websites. You can subscribe to the emails there if you wish; I send out two or three a week along with relevant meeting announcements and so forth. 

Here's the latest batch:

Creature: breathing new life in old Birmingham AL.com But, why are all these historic buildings still in Birmingham? Pamela King, former professor of history at the University of Alabama, said Birmingham ...

On this day in Alabama history: Selma Army Air Base became active

Alabama NewsCenter

What is now known as Craig Field Airport and Industrial Complex was initially known as Selma Army Air Base. The facility became active on this day in ...

Old Cahawba holds True Crime Walking Tour Selma Times-Journal Bell's grave is located in Cahaba's “New” Cemetery. ... lawyer George W. Gayle advertising in an Alabamanewspaper during the Civil War soliciting ...

What will happen to the last slave ship in the US?

Ars Technica

A team of archaeologists from the National Geographic Society, the Alabama Historical Commission, private firm Search, Inc., and other institutions ...

Road Scholar Announces Inaugural Civil Rights Conference In 2020 Yahoo Finance During this seven-night conference, participants will visit monuments, museums and historical sites in Montgomery, Selma and Birmingham, Alabama.

Montgomery, Ala., churches part of city's 200-year history of slavery, civil rights Religion News Service (RNS) — Connections between Christianity, Confederacy and civil rights — and the history of slavery — are in plain sight here in Alabama's capital.

Camp Aliceville housed thousands of German POWs in Alabama during WWII Alabama NewsCenter Aliceville Museum showcases Alabama city's history, from pop to patriots to ... A historic marker is near what was once the camp's main entrance.

Ward co-authors book of Alabama profiles Daily Mountain Eagle Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill and former Walker County resident ... She asked me if I would write a different kind of Alabama history book.

On this day in Alabama history: Constitutional Convention delegates finish work Alabama NewsCenter The U.S. Congress selected Huntsville to host the first Constitutional Convention of Alabama. Delegates to the convention drafted the document in ...

Moulton's “Reading in The Garden” sparks new career for local women Moulton Advertiser They worked along with several other authors, as a project to get these short, historical, biographical novels in schools all over Alabama. The books for ...

Itty Bitty Scavenger Hunt celebrates history of Auburn

Auburn Villager

"It's a big way for families and kids to learn about the history of Auburn. A lot of kids don't know that Alabama is turning 200 this year, so this is a way to ...

UAB kicks off oral history project to celebrate 50 years of dreams and discoveries WBRC UAB kicks off oral history project to celebrate 50 years of dreams and ... (WBRC) - The University of Alabama at Birmingham turns 50 this year, and ...

Was Hannah the best 'Bachelorette' in show's history? AL.com Joining Kaitlyn Bristowe, Emily Maynard, JoJo Fletcher, Rachel Lindsay and -- dare we say -- Trista Sutter, Alabama's own Hannah Brown officially ...

Movies with Alabama Connections: Murder at the Vanities

Dear readers, in this post we're going to look at a film that has it all. Two murders by two different killers, for one thing. Lots of high concept musical production numbers, including one at the end featuring Duke Ellington and his Orchestra. Lots of nearly naked cuties in those production numbers. The introduction of a classic big band tune, "Cocktails for Two." The introduction of another song that may not be a classic in the same way, but still--"Sweet Marijuana". All from a film made in 1934 and featuring not one but TWO Alabama connections. Let's investigate.

On September 12 1933, a musical revue/murder mystery opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City. "Murder at the Vanities" was just one of many "Vanities" mounted by producer Earl Carroll over the years. One secret of his success was the fact his shows featured the most scantily-clad singers and dancers on Broadway. This particular show ran until early November before moving to the Majestic Theatre and finally closing on March 10, 1934. I scanned the lengthy cast list for this production; the only name I recognized was Bela Lugosi. 

On May 18, 1934, Paramount Pictures released a film version. The movie barely  beat the July 1 final implementation of the Hays Code, which severely restricted subject matter in Hollywood films. Murder was thus one of the last Pre-Code films, those made from 1930 when the code was first accepted by the studios until that final deadline. Many of these films are still striking today in their depictions of drug abuse, crime of all sorts, abortion, prostitution, infidelity, promiscuity, homosexuality and the display of copious amounts of bare female flesh. 

Murder at the Vanities takes place during a performance of a musical review of that title. Danish actor and singer Carl Brisson plays Eric Lander and actress/singer/future game show panelist Kitty Carlisle is Ann Ware; the two are the stars of the show. Ware has replaced Rita Ross (Gertrude Michael) as both the female lead of the show and in Lander's heart. The pair are getting married the next day. Naturally Rita is not too happy about this situation, since she loves Lander, too. 

The film has an interesting structure, alternating between the production numbers and the police investigation going on backstage. Thus the entire film happens in real time except for a few flashbacks near the end. Other stars include Jack Oakie as producer Jack Ellery and Victor McLaglen as police lieutenant Bill Murdock. 

I'm sure by now, dear readers, you're thinking, "This is all very nice, but what are those Alabama connections?"

Those connections are Gertrude Michael and Gail Patrick, both natives of the state. Michael was born in Talladega and graduated from Talladega High School. She started at the University of Alabama, but soon left and spent several years studying music in South Carolina, Cincinnati and Italy. By 1929 she was on stage back in Cincinnati, and Broadway soon followed. She made her first film in 1932. Other films and then television shows followed until her death on Christmas Eve in 1964. 

Patrick's first film was also in 1932. Born in Birmingham, she graduated from Howard College. On a lark she entered a Paramount Studios beauty contest and did not win, but was awarded train fare to Hollywood. She appeared in numerous films, including such well known ones as Brewster's Millions and My Man Godfrey. She retired in 1948, but keep busy with other projects. For instance, she served as executive producer for the entire television run of Perry Mason from 1957 until 1966. She died in 1980. 

I've done a blog post on Patrick in my series on film actresses from Alabama before 1960. I'm planning one on Michael in the future. 

As you might imagine, this film has been discussed by various film bloggers over the years. Some like it for its sheer inventive craziness, others can't seem to wrap their heads around it. You can read some of those takes at The Mystery File, Pre-Code.com, and Random Pictures Blog. The film is 89 minutes long. 

I really enjoyed Murder at the Vanities. The costumes and sets are jaw dropping and the dialog is often snappy and funny. Of course, you have to overlook the silliness of the whole thing in order to enjoy it. Something I did notice is that we hear their applause but never see the audience in the theater.

Murder at the Vanities sort of strikes me as what might have resulted if Samuel Beckett and Busby Berkeley collaborated on a murder mystery musical. Or something.

The full length video of the film is available on YouTube but for some reason is  awkwardly cropped. However, if you watch it you can follow the action pretty well. Murder is also available on the 2009 six disc set "Pre-Code Hollywood Collection." 

More comments are below some of the images. 

A number of posters seem to have been created for this film. 

The film's title card

The film is full of elaborate production numbers featuring numerous young women. This scene appears in the long opening number, "Where Do They Come From and Where Do They Go?" which is sung by Kitty Carlisle wearing a floor-length dress. 

This scene appears in another number in which Carlisle is barely covered by a few strategically placed leaves. That's Kitty lounging at the top of this photo with Carl Brisson. During the number they discuss the need to delay their wedding in the wake of the first murder. 

The sets on this film are something else. Somewhere in the large chorus of young ladies in these production numbers danced future stars Lucille Ball and Ann Sheridan.  

Gail Patrick plays Sadie Evans, private detective, the first of two murder victims. 

Gertrude Michael as Rita Ross in a non-singing moment

And here's Gertrude Michael in the big set and production for "Sweet Marijuana".

Gertrude really gets to make her feelings known in this number. I was pleasantly surprised by her voice, which I like much better than that of Kitty Carlisle. 

"Sweet Marijuana"

Music: Arthur Johnston / Lyrics: Sam Coslow

Soothe me with your caress Sweet marijuana, marijuana Help me in my distress Sweet marijuana, please do You alone can bring my lover back to me Even though I know it's all a fantasy And then you put me to sleep Sweet marijuana, marijuana (Instrumental Break) You alone can bring my lover back to me Even though I know it's all a fantasy And then you put me to sleep Sweet marijuana, marijuana

Source: International Lyrics Playground

The song titled "Marahuana" was recorded in 1976 by Bette Midler for her Songs for the New Depression album.

Oh, wait, in the midst of all this musical excitement, a murder mystery is going on behind the scenes. At the end of "Sweet Marijuana" blood from the first victim Sadie Evans drips from the rafters onto one of the ladies atop a cactus. 

Here's Duke Ellington in the midst of his number near the end of film.

This number, "The Rhapsody, the Rape and the Revenge" is shall we say very strange. Eric Lander, in a white suit sitting at a white piano, sings while dancers in vaguely 18th century wigs and costumes cavort. Before long Rita Ross is singing and Duke Ellington and his Orchestra are playing as a chorus and black and white women sing and cavort wildly. The original classical sounding music is transformed into a very uptempo big band number. 

Eric Lander singing and playing "The Rhapsody"

This spectacle must have jarred movie audiences since blacks and whites were performing together on the same stage. Alas, Lander soon reappears with a machine gun and mows down the offending dancers and musicians, including Rita Ross. As things turned out, Ross has really been killed with a revolver shot. 

These dancers in the Ellington number seem to be wearing someone's idea of erotic maid outfits.

Reality intrudes in a few places in the film. There is Helene Smith, the wardrobe woman working at her sewing machine. Norma, who is dressed like a maid, helps the lovelies get ready for their numbers, and is treated terribly by Rita Ross. And then we see this cleaning lady working under a sign that reads, "Through These Portals Pass the Most Beautiful Girls in the World."  

Gertrude Michael with an accessory in a scene from another film

Gail Patrick a bit later in her film career