Alabama History & Culture News: July 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!

Singing River Trail Brings History Alive with its First Executive Director Huntsville Business Journal ... former University of Alabama-Huntsville history professor Dr. John Kvach as ... and has traveled to 64 of 67 counties speaking on Alabama history.

A tradition lives on at Alabama's oldest restaurant

al.com

In 1989, Jimmy Koikos, the longtime co-owner of Bessemer's historic Bright Star restaurant, began an annual tradition that has become known as A ...

Find out how you can help the Alabama + Lyric Theatres [Photos + Video] Bham Now The Alabama Theatre has survived nearly a century in downtown Birmingham—but the COVID-19 pandemic is jeopardizing the future of this historic ...

Alabama HIV Activist Talks About His New 'Fictionalized Memoir' TheBody.com When Christon-Walker told us about the book, he said that everyone he knows who's read it so far has said it was unputdownable, and we have to ...

Alabama native had role of a lifetime as a Munchkin in 'Wizard of Oz' al.com Producers initially hoped to get “hundreds” of Little People to play Munchkins but managed only to hire about 125, according to the 2002 book “The ...

Unearthing history Old pottery kiln discovered on Alabama farm Meridian Star Brackner, who also wrote the book “Alabama Folk Pottery,” visited Limestone County this week to find out more about the site. “They would have ...

How John Lewis Built a Bridge to the Next Generation, in the Pages of a Comic Book KQED ... marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, and into ... He even left behind a comic book — the three-part graphic novel memoir ...

Have you seen Birmingham's Ghost Signs? [History + Photos] Bham Now [History + Photos] ... #birminghamalabama #alabama #inbirmingham #bhamnow #magiccity ... Address: 2121-2129 Morris Avenue, Birmingham AL.

Birmingham's McWane Science Center announces two new fossil shark discoveries

Alabama NewsCenter

Community. Alabama History@Home is an online window into state's past and more. Alabama Department of Archives and History has partnered with ...

65 Million-Year-Old Shark Found in Alabama Is New Species Newsweek "Our reanalysis of the teeth showed they instead belonged to an entirely new species," David Cicimurri, Curator of Natural History at the South ...

Alabama lynching memorial to open at night Alabama Public Radio Alabama lynching memorial to open at night ... the existing lynching memorial and museum that documents the history of racial inequality in America.

Story Behind The Song: Opposite Interpretations of Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Sweet Home Alabama' Wide Open Country In Lee Ballinger's Lynyrd Skynyrd: An Oral History, "Sweet Home Alabama" producer Al Kooper points to another line as proof that the band opposed ...

Flavors of Alabama's Black Belt highlighted with themed trails

Alabama NewsCenter

... cultural attractions and historical sites that make the Black Belt region of Alabama a truly special place.” Each color-coded trail includes a checklist of ...

"The Summer House" By: Lauren K. Denton Alabama Public Radio Don Noble's newest book is Alabama Noir, a collection of original stories by Winston Groom, Ace Atkins, Carolyn Haines, Brad Watson, and eleven ... [Newest novel by this Alabama author Lauren Denton is set in the state]

UAB painting alumna awarded Alabama State Council on the Arts fellowship

UAB News

Edwards is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where ... in the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Art and Art History.

Hamp Lyon to be inducted into Alabama Sports Hall of Fame

The Alexander City Outlook

His 1953 team was the first in school history to go undefeated and won the state championship. He served as athletic director from 1957 until he ...

Legendary Alabama Broadcaster Ralph Black Dead at 79 RADIO ONLINE "Ralph Black provided the soundtrack for many of the most memorable moments in the history of Troy University Athletics," said Troy University ...

A tribute to American hero John Lewis + his “good trouble” in Alabama Bham Now A tribute to American hero John Lewis + his “good trouble” in Alabama ... It's viewed as a tangible link to Alabama's history of enslavement and the ...

Freed slave gets grave marker after 125 years Gadsden Times Akin's obituary in the Piedmont Inquirer and reprinted in the The (Calhoun County, Alabama) Weekly Times of May 28, 1896, was quite impressive.

Movies with Alabama Connections: Our Dancing Daughters

I've written before on this blog about two Alabama natives who went Hollywood, Dorothy Sebastian and Johnny Mack Brown. In this post I'm going to examine a 1928 silent film they made together, Our Dancing Daughters, a portrait of youth during the roaring, immoral twenties. The film also starred Joan Crawford, Anita Page and Nils Asther and was a financial success. Crawford's first film had been released in 1925; this one made her a star. 

The story unfolds among the parties, romances, and leisure activities of a group of young people moving in wealthy circles. Diana [Crawford] and Ann [Page] are best friends who meet the wealthy Ben [Brown] at one of their apparently frequent parties at the yacht club. Diana and Ben are immediately attracted to each other, but Ann soon makes her move. Diana has a "wild girl" reputation that sours Ben on her, and he marries the supposedly virginal Ann. We also watch the relationship between a third friend Beatrice [Sebastian] and another wealthy beau, Norman [Nils Asther]. Let's just say complications ensue. You can read Wikipedia's more detailed plot description here.

I enjoyed this film, which is only 86 minutes long. Watching Alabama natives acting in early Hollywood is always fun, and the story moves along at a rapid pace. I've seen enough silent films over the years that I'm comfortable watching them. 

Brown married Cornelia Foster in 1926, and they remained married until his death in 1974. They had four children. For more on him, see Beidler, Phillip D. "The Story of Johnny Mack Brown." Alabama Heritage 38 (Fall 1995): 14-25

Sebastian, on the other hand, cut a different path through Hollywood. She was married three times; the first husband was her high school sweetheart; that marriage ended in 1924. Husband number two was William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd; they married in 1930 and divorced six years later. The third marriage lasted until her death in 1957. She was briefly engaged to Clarence Brown, who just happened to operate a car dealership in Birmingham before his long career as a film director began. Sebastian also had an affair with Buster Keaton in the 1920's while he was married to Norma Talmadge. The affair may have resumed after she and Boyd were divorced. Sebastian was arrested for drunk driving in 1938 after a dinner at Keaton's also attended by her nephew.

See more comments below many of the stills. Reviews, commentary and more images related to the film can be found here. Brown and Sebastian both have stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

MGM tried to turn Brown into a leading man and went with the "John Mack Brown" name for a while. He made top of the line films with Mary Pickford, Joan Crawford and Jean Harlow for a few years, but then was replaced by some rising young star named Clark Cable. Brown, who had already made a few westerns, moved into that genre completely and had a career that lasted into the 1960's. He made over 160 films before he retired from the screen. Brown tested for the role of Tarzan in the 1932 film, but the director thought he was too short. 

In the opening scenes we see inside the house where Diana lives with her parents. Here they are talking in mum's bedroom before Diana heads out to yet another Yacht Club party. The Art Deco sets in this film are to die for....

At a massive party at the Yacht Club Diana cuts a rug or three. 

Meanwhile, Beatrice & Norman are outside in his car yakking. Norman wants to get married, Beatrice is resisting. This scene is the first time we see Sebastian in the film. Sebastian appeared in about sixty movies between 1925 and 1948, although most of those in the last decade or so used her in small roles. 

We have to wait a bit to find out why Sebastian is so reluctant. 

Ben lights up when he first sees Diana on the dance floor. 

Brown, of course, really did play halfback at Alabama and his performance in the 1925 Rose Bowl helped the team win a national championship. Brown's image on Wheaties cereal boxes soon followed, and he was invited to do a screen test in Hollywood in 1927. Brown was from Dothan, though, not Birmingham. 

Diana responds immediately when she sees Ben and learns his status.

There's lots of clever dialog in this film. 

Ben's initial interest in Diana is quickly overcome by Ann, the supposed "good girl" of the pair. Ben has no interest in the soiled dove Diana, who has a "party girl" reputation, so he ends up marrying Ann.

Oh, now we're back to Beatrice and Norman and their discussion in the car. 

Beatrice finally confesses--she had sex with other men before she met Norman!

Norman goes on to ask, "Were--they--of our crowd?" Beatrice is reluctant to answer, and then he declares he doesn't want to know. Then the kissing begins.

After a day of horseback riding with the gang, Diana and Beatrice have some fun with boots. 

At yet another Yacht Club party--ho, hum--the two Alabama natives have a chance to get together for a little talking. I wonder what interesting conversations they had on the set during filming. 

After Bea & Norman are married, Diana goes to visit. Some of Bea's exes tag along.

"Here's to the husbands--of the girls we love."

After breaking a glass, Norman offers a toast of his own: "Here's to the lovers--of the girls we marry." Bea is embarrassed, Diana embarrassed for her, and the exes make a quick retreat.

"Norman--you must forget--trust me!" They kiss and make up, but Norman declares, "I love you--then I hate you--then I love you again--" 

Diana comforts Bea by telling her that Norman will be back. Bea says "Yes--and all through our lives together--he'll be coming back--then leaving me again." Then she tells Diana to thank God she hasn't done "anything that can come back afterward and punish you." 

In much of the rest of the film we follow the marriage of Ben and Ann as it spirals downward. "Good girl" Ann is a lush and cheats on Ben continuously. In the end, however, Ben becomes free to marry his true love--the real good girl Diana. 

The four photographs below are publicity stills for the film. 

Sebastian and Asther made the cover of True Romances for November 1932. I'm not sure what it appeared four years after the movie. 

Source: Nils Asther fan blog

Sebastian and Asther in a photo by Ruth Harriet Louise, portrait photographer at MGM. Look familiar?

Source: Nils Asther fan blog

Sebastian made the cover of the Alabama Alumni Magazine spring 2008 for Catherine Gwaltney's article "So You Want to Be In Pictures" which examined Sebastian and Johnny Mack Brown's lives and careers in Hollywood. Sebastian briefly attended the University of Alabama before marrying Allen Stafford in Nobvember 1920.

Alabama History & Culture News: July 19 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!

Huntsville leader's book details brushes with history and death al.com Grainger and other Alabama editors were invited to the White House for a luncheon to discuss solving racial problems in the South. Four days later the ...

Troy reacts to Passing of HOF Radio Voice, Ralph Black

Alabama News Network

Black was responsible for many historic calls during his 26 years as the ... build the Troy State Sports Network into one of the largest of its kind in Alabama, ... of the most memorable moments in the history of Troy University Athletics.

John Lewis, civil rights icon and congressman, dies at 80 PBS NewsHour 21, 1940, outside the town of Troy, in Pike County, Alabama. ... avid reader, and could cite obscure historical dates and details even in his later years.

Themed Trails Launched to Highlight Flavors of the Black Belt WTVY, Dothan Press Release: Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association ... cultural attractions and historical sites that make the Black Belt region of Alabama a truly ...

Unearthing history: Old pottery kiln discovered on Limestone County farm News Courier Landowner Tommy Mitchell, right, and Joey Brackner, a folklorist for the Alabama State Council on the Arts, discuss the history of the kiln. Bracker, who ...

SPIRIT OF ALABAMA: MAN SHARES HIS LOVE OF TRACTORS WITH PASSERS-BY wvua23.com So most people who were raised on farms have a healthy appreciation for the history of tractors. Well, Sorrell Fleming got hooked on tractor collecting, ...

State: Clotilda preservation work to advance in October al.com The Alabama Historical Commission announced Thursday that with $1 million in funding from the state, it will begin to move forward soon with the ...

State of Alabama commits $1 million to Clotilda preservation WKRG News 5 MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WKRG) — The state of Alabama appropriated $1 million to the Alabama Historical Commission to preserve the Clotilda, the last ...

Àbáké: America's Last Slave Ship Survivor Denied by the System and Betrayed by History The African Exponent Àbáké (meaning “born to be loved by all”) was only two years old when she arrived in Alabama in 1860. Her facial tribal marks—which are preserved ...

Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church exhibits tell story of hurting, healing Alabama NewsCenter 1 draw for visitors to Alabama right now and our tourism ministry, as we refer to it, helps us share our role and our history. “This is good because when ...

Coronavirus and the history of voter suppression in Alabama

Alabama Public Radio

Alabama has a long history of voter suppression, and the COVID-19 pandemic has become a new platform for change. The battle for voting rights ...

Whatever Happened to Actress Gail Strickland?

I assume this Birmingham native and actress with many film and television credits from the late 1960's until the late 1990's has retired. Let's investigate.

Strickland was born in the Magic City on May 18, 1947, to parents Theodosia and Lynn Strickland. Her father owned a tire shop. You can see his ad in the 1945 Birmingham Yellow Pages at the end of this post. Presumably she attended schools in Birmingham, and as noted below went to Florida State University. 

In 1969 she made two appearances as Dorcas Trilling on the daytime series Dark Shadows. Four years later she turned up in a Broadway production that closed after six previews and one performance, "Status Quo Vadis". In that same year she had a role in an episode of The Mary Tyler More Show and so began a string of frequent appearances in films and television that lasted until 1999. 

Her films include The Drowning Pool [1975] with Paul Newman; Bound for Glory [1976] with David Carradine; Who'll Stop the Rain [1978] with Nick Nolte;  Norma Rae [1979] with Sally Field; and Uncommon Valor [1983] with Gene Hackman. Strickland was extremely active on television for three decades with appearances on Police Story, Hawaii Five-O, Bob Newhart, Kojak, Lou Grant, MASH, Hill Street Blues, Cagney and Lacy, Dallas, Law and Order, ER, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Seinfeld, JAG, and many others. 

She also had recurring roles in several TV series. These include The Insiders [1985-86], What a Country 1986-87], HeartBeat [1988-89], Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman [1993], and Melrose Place [1994-98]. You can find more details about many of her roles at FilmReference.com

On April 20, 1988, ABC premiered HeartBeat, a medical drama that focused on the  staff and patients of a women's clinic. The founders were two female doctors and a nurse practitioner. One of the doctors was played by Kate Mulgrew, later to captain a star ship in Star Trek: Voyager. Gail Strickland played the nurse practitioner,  Marilyn McGrath, who was a lesbian and the first such main character in a U.S. television prime time program. Her partner Patty appeared in a few episodes.

Ahead of the premier of the show People magazine ran a nice profile of Strickland by Susan Toepfer and David Hutchings that reveals some things about her background. Lynn and Theodosia raised their five children in a Baptist household. It's worth quoting a bit from the article:

Strickland may have inherited her independence from Theodosia. In 1957, when Gail was 11, her father, Lynn, died of a heart attack. Theodosia took over his tire business and managed it successfully enough to put all five children through college. “My dad’s death was terrible for all of us,” Gail says, “but it pulled the family together.”

A tall, athletic kid, Strickland wore a size-12 dress at age 12. “I played football with my brothers,” she says, then refines the memory: “Often, I was the football.” That posed a problem as she entered her teens. “When boys started looking differently at girls,” she says, “I wasn’t one of the ones they looked differently at.” Struggling for attention, she wrote plays and performed them in front of friends. At Florida State University, she made her mark as a gymnast and clown. “I didn’t know what Broadway was,” she says, “but I knew it was my goal.”

She reached it in 1973, in Status Quo Vadis, which had a short run. Such films as The Drowning Pool, Norma Rae and Protocol followed, along with countless TV guest shots. Still, says Strickland, “before Heartbeat, had you ever heard of me? That’s frustrating.”

In the article Strickland mentions a long-distance relationship with Neil Baker, a marketing consultant  from Boston and their plans to marry in December 1988. I have been unable to find further information about that event. 

According to the IMDB, Strickland's final credit was the 2008 film My Apocalypse. Her only other credits after 1999 were thirteen episodes of the series First Monday in 2002 in which she played a conservative justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

More comments below. 

Strickland and Paul Newman getting a bit wet in The Drowning Pool [1975], based on one of Ross Macdonald's Lew Harper novels. 

She seems dryer here.

A scene from Norma Rae. Strickland was able to return to her native state for this one, largely filmed in Opelika. 

From the "Voice of Thunder" episode of The Rookies, first broadcast December 9, 1975 

Source: Aveleyman.com 

The cast of HeartBeat

I think this image has Strickland and Gina Hecht in their roles as lovers Marilyn McGrath and Patty on HeartBeat but the source did not say. 

Birmingham Yellow Pages, 1945