A Brief History On July 22, 1932, Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. died in Hollywood, California, ending a wonderful career in entertainment, known especially for being the creator of The Ziegfeld Follies.  Flo, as he was called, was a German-American (father’s side) though his mother was Belgian.  Ziegfeld is one of many great German-American entertainers, and here we list 10 notable examples of Great German-American Entertainers.  (See our July 22, 2014 article, German-Speaking Actresses in English-Speaking Roles, Part 1.)   Digging Deeper 1. Flo Ziegfeld, Impressario and Producer.   A Broadway legend, Ziegfeld is famous for his Follies and also for producing Show Boat.  A member of The American Theater Hall of…

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A Brief History On July 21, 2017, the major motion picture, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, makes its debut in theaters for fans of the European science fiction comic series Valerian and Laureline.  Although based on the Franco-Belgian comics, the film is entertaining enough that people totally unfamiliar with the comics will quickly identify with the main characters and enjoy the movie. Digging Deeper The main two words you can say about the film (which we previewed on July 19, 2017) are simply “Eye Candy.”  Vivid and detailed, the screen is almost always filled with an incredible array of objects and “people,” many…

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A Brief History On July 20, 2017, we eagerly await the mass release of the major motion picture, Dunkirk, the story of the evacuation of over 300,000 British troops from the Dunkirk beach in France in 1940.  The Germans had pushed British and French forces into a pocket around Dunkirk on the English Channel, and it seemed these forces would be killed or captured with no hope of survival.  A miracle was needed.  On Monday, July 17, 2017, we were privileged to see an advance screening of this historical war film. Digging Deeper The film, Dunkirk, shows us that miracle in incredible fashion, taking…

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A Brief History On July 20, 1971, The Raiders held the top spot on the Rock and Roll charts with “Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian).”  Although the word “reservation” appears in the song’s lyrics, nowhere in the song is the title mentioned.  Here we list 10 major hit songs that also do not have their title in the lyrics, sometimes making for awkwardness when trying to look up the song or talking about it. Digging Deeper 1.  “Indian Reservation”, The Raiders, 1971.   Formerly known as Paul Revere and the Raiders, the band actually recorded the song as a lead singer Marc Lindsay…

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A Brief History On July 19, 1814, Samuel Colt was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and although he lived only to the age of 47 became rich and famous as the man that made the repeating firearm a practical reality.  Here we list 10 of the most important designers of firearms and their components (no significance to the order listed). Digging Deeper 1. Samuel Colt, Revolver. The familiar revolving cylinder pistol is the legacy of Mr. Colt, the man about which it is said, “God created men, and Sam Colt kept them equal.”  The revolver is so closely associated with Colt, that…

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