Thursday, March 17, 2011

Happy St. Pat & St. Joe Day

In honor of St. Pat’s/St. Joe’s Day a little recognition to a few great Irish, Italian and Polish-American artists. Their music and talent said it all. Bet you can remember every word and verse to so many of their great hits!

Danny Hutton - One of the three lead vocalists in the band, Three Dog Night.
Their first "Top Ten" hit was "One," 1969, and, "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)," reached #1 a year later.

"Joy to the World" became the group's biggest hit, in 1971, and their final #1, "Black and White," was in 1972.
Their final "Top Ten" song was in 1974, "The Show Must Go On." They had 21 hit singles, including 11 "Top Ten" hits, also 12 consecutive gold albums, from 1969 to 1975.

The Mc Guire Sisters - Biggest selling female vocal group of the 50's.
In 1957 they recorded "Sugartime" with Steve Allen at the piano and it became their signature song. The word "sugar" appears twenty eight times in the song’s two and one half minutes.

Phyllis retired in 1986. She is a Las Vegas’s leading hostess and its unofficial ambassador entertaining royalty, social and the business elite in her 50, 00 square foot French Provincial estate home. It is filled with expensive artwork and priceless memorabilia that span over four decades of her work in the world of entertainment.

Christine enjoys an active social life in Las Vegas and is an avid golfer.

Dorothy and her husband of forty years, Lowell Williamson, live in Scottsdale, Arizona, where they are also active in community affairs and philanthropic activities.



Jim Morrison, singer/songwriter of The Doors, reportedly had an I.Q. of 149.
Morrison was ranked number 47 on Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Singers of All Time"[ and is widely regarded as one of the most iconic frontmen in rock music history.


Mariah Carey
is the world’s best-selling recording artist of the 1990s and the best-selling female artist of the millenum. Over 63 million albums and counting.

In 2008, Carey earned her eighteenth number one single on the Hot 100, the most by any solo artist.] We Belong Together was awarded with the Song of the decade by Billboard . She earned five Grammy Awards and is known for her five-octave vocal range.



Rosemary Clooney"Come On-a My House" made her a star. A household name; she became known simply as "Rosie."

"Botch-a-Me" (a cover version of the Italian song Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccina ), "Mambo Italiano", "Tenderly", "Half as Much", "Hey There" , "This Ole House", and of course her famous movie “White Christmas” and later on to success as a jazz vocalist.
She battled demons all her life with bouts of depression and alcoholism especially after hearing about the death of her friend, Robert Kennedy, while campaigning for him.


Bing Crosby - the 20th century's first multi-media entertainer: a star on radio, in movies and in chart-topping recordings.

He had 38 No. 1 singles, which surpassed even Elvis Presley and The Beatles.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, his "White Christmas" has sold over 100 million copies around the world, with at least 50 million sales as singles.

Crosby played an important role in the post-war recording industry.In 1947, he invested $50,000 in the Ampex company, which built North America's first commercial reel-to-reel tape recorder. Became the first to pre-record his radio shows and master his commercial recordings onto magnetic tape.
He gave one of the first Ampex Model 200 recorders to his friend, musician Les Paul, and Paul invented multitrack recording method. Along with Frank Sinatra, Crosby was one of the principal backers behind the famous United Western Recorders studio complex in Los Angeles.





Judy Garland received a Juvenile Academy Award, won a Golden Globe Award, as well as Grammy Awards and a Special Tony Award and at 39, was the youngest recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in the motion picture industry.
In 1997, Garland was posthumously awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Several of her recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
In 1999, the American Film Institute placed her among the ten greatest female stars in the history of American cinema. America's sweetheart is remembered for teaming with Mickey Rooney in numerous 1940's movies, The Wizard of Oz and her great TV shows of the '60's. Se was never comfortable with her appearance and hid insecurities behind pills and alcohol til her last curtain call - an overdose.


Tim McGraw, American singer (both parents have Irish ancestry)
Eleven consecutive albums debut at Number One on the Billboard albums charts.
Over 40 million in album sales.
Twenty-one singles hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country 100 chart.
Three singles became the No. 1 country song of the year ("It's Your Love", "Just To See You Smile", and "Live Like You Were Dying"), 3 Grammys, 14 Academy of Country Music awards, 11 Country Music Association (CMA) awards, 10 American Music Awards, and 3 People's Choice Awards. His Soul2Soul II Tour with Faith Hill is the highest grossing tour in country music history, and one of the top five among all genres of music.

Frankie Valli, (Francis Stephen Castelluccio), lead singer of The Four Seasons, one of the biggest music acts of the 1960s and carried on to the ‘70’s Disco period til today.

Valli scored 29 Top 40 hits with The 4 Seasons, one Top 40 hit under The 4 Seasons' alias 'The Wonder Who?', and nine Top 40 hits as a solo artist. As a member of group
Valli's number one hits included "Sherry", "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Walk Like a Man", "Rag Doll" and "December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)".
As a solo artist, Valli’s number one hits with the songs "My Eyes Adored You" and "Grease". "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" reached number two in 1967.
"You're Ready Now," a Valli solo recording from 1966, became a surprise hit in Great Britain as part of the Northern soul scene and hit number eleven on the British pop charts in December 1970.
Valli is a supporter of heritage-related causes, particularly the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). In 2006, he received the NIAF Lifetime Achievement Award at the Foundation's Anniversary Gala. In 2008, NIAF presented a scholarship in his name to an Italian American music student during the Foundation's East Coast Gala.

Perry Como - recorded many albums of songs exclusively for the RCA Victor label between 1952 and 1987, and is credited with numerous gold records. Como had so many recordings achieve gold-record status that he refused to have many of them certified.

Between 1944 and 1958, Perry Como had 48 hits on Billboard's charts
Fourteen songs treached #1 on at least one of the three Billboard charts (sales, disc-jockeys, jukeboxes): "Till The End Of Time" (1945); "Prisoner of Love" (1946); "Surrender" (1946); "Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba" (1947); "A - You're Adorable" (1949); "Some Enchanted Evening" (1949); "Hoop-De-Doo" (1950); "If" (1951); "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes" (1952); "No Other Love" (1953); "Wanted" (1954); "Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)" (1956); "Round And Round" (1957); and "Catch a Falling Star" (1957).

His famous recording of “Ave Maria” was produced in a church. Perry wanted it to be truly authentic religious experience for his listeners and asked the parish priest be present during recording to insure every word of the song was a true prayer. During concert tours he was frequently asked to sing it, but out of respect to the virgin Mary would always say “this is not the time nor the place”.

Dean Martin (Dino Paul Crocetti,) singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "Mambo Italiano", "Sway", "Volare" and smash hit "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?".
Nicknamed the "King of Cool",he was one of the members of the "Rat Pack" and a major star in four areas of show business: concert stage/night clubs, recordings, motion pictures, and television.
Dean didn’t think motion pictures were his best format. He loved entertaining a live audience both in Vegas and on TV and fostered a great and sometimes skeptical reputation of making the song sound better with the help of a drink.
Audiences agreed with his style, the look of an angel, with a touch of the devil and a scotch.



Pat Benatar (Patricia Mae Andrzejewski ) singer and four time Grammy winner. During the 1980s, Benatar had two RIAA-certified Multi-Platinum albums, five RIAA-certified Platinum albums, three RIAA-certified Gold albums and 19 Top 40 singles, including "Love Is A Battlefield", "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", and "We Belong". Benatar was one of the most heavily played artists in the early days of MTV.

Peter Paul Cetera, singer, songwriter, bassist, producer of "Chicago”

After leaving the group, his first single, "Glory of Love" (the theme to the movie The Karate Kid, Part II), was a US No. 1 hit in 1986. It went on to win an ASCAP Award for Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures.

Producing another No. 1 hit single, "The Next Time I Fall," a duet with Amy Grant, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. In fact, Solitude/Solitaire outsold Chicago 18 (#35), the first Chicago album without him.
"One Good Woman" and "Save Me," the original opening theme for the television show Baywatch.
In 1992- "Restless Heart", as well as two other successful singles: "Even a Fool Can See" and a duet with Chaka Khan, "Feels Like Heaven."


John Curulewski , nicknamed "JC," was one of the original members of Styx.
The band is best known for the hit songs "Lady" 1975, "Come Sail Away" 1977, "Babe" 1979, "The Best of Times" 1981, "Too Much Time On My Hands" 1981, and "Mr. Roboto" , 1983. Other hits by the band include "Show Me the Way" , 1990, "Don't Let It End", 1983 and "Renegade", 1978. The band has four consecutive albums certified multi-platinum by the RIAA.



Julius Frank Anthony Kuczynski , known professionally as Pee Wee King, was an American country music songwriter and recording artist best known for co-writing "The Tennessee Waltz".
King's other songs included "Slow Poke" and "You Belong to Me". His songs introduced waltzes, polkas, and cowboy songs to country music.
King refused to change his band's sound at the Grand Ole Opry, over the years being the first to introduce drums, horns, the accordion, and electric instruments including the pedal steel guitar to country music. His band also introduced Nudie Cohn's customized 'rhinestone cowboy' outfits to the Opry which later became popular with Nashville and country musicians, including Elvis Presley.
He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1974.


Eugene Bertram Krupa , the youngest of nine children in the family of Bartlomiej Krupa and Anna (née Oslowski).
Krupa.was an influential American jazz and big band drummer and composer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style.
Many consider Krupa to be one of the most influential drummers of the 20th century.
One of his pupils was Kiss drummer Peter Criss
The 1937 recording of Louis Prima's "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)" by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra featuring Gene Krupa on drums was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
In 1978, Gene Krupa became the first drummer inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame.



Wladziu Valentino Liberace , better known by only his last name Liberace , was a famous entertainer and pianist. During the 1950s–1970s he was the highest-paid entertainer in the world.
His New York City performance at Madison Square Garden in 1954, earned him a record $138,000 for one performance.
By 1955, he was making $50,000 per week at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and had over 200 official fan clubs with a quarter of a million member fans. An unheard of $1,000,000 per year from public appearances, and millions from television during his early career.


Raymond Daniel Manzarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek,
musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, and The Doors of the 21st Century (renamed Manzarek-Krieger) since 2001. He is the oldest former member of the Doors.

Although The Doors' active career ended in 1973, their popularity has persisted. According to the RIAA, they have sold over 32.5 million albums in the US alone. The band has sold 90 million albums worldwide.


Bobby Vinton
is an American pop music singer of Polish origin.
Billboard Magazine called Bobby Vinton "the all-time most successful love singer of the 'Rock-Era'". From 1962 through 1972, Vinton had more Billboard #1 hits than any other male vocalist, including Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.

Vinton found his first hit single literally sitting in a reject pile. The song was titled "Roses Are Red (My Love)."
His most famous song is 1963's "Blue Velvet", followed by “There I’ve Said it Again”, “Mr. Lonely”, “L-O-N-E-L-Y Lonely Nights”, “Please Love Me Forever”, “I Love How You Love Me”.
The "Polish Prince" continued to hit the Top 40, notably with "Ev'ry Day of My Life", and “Sealed With a Kiss”
Vinton spent $50,000 of his own money on a self-written song sung partially in Polish: "My Melody of Love". After Vinton was turned down by seven major labels, ABC Records bought Vinton's idea, resulting in a multi-million selling single that hit #3 on the Hot 100, #2 on the Cashbox Top 100 chart, and #1 on the AC chart in 1974.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Soundtracks of your Mind

A sampling of some of the top 100 Rock-n-Roll songs of all times. Do you count these among the "soundtracks of your mind" to quote our OGR Disc Jockies?


Money
Pink Floyd Its considered a hit if your record was on the chart for 15 weeks... Floyd's lasted 15 years!!



Life in the Fast Lane
Eagles brought fame to the Hard Rock Park, Myrtle Beach, SC in 2008 - this song had a roller coaster named after it.

Foreplay / Long Time Boston Who needs air guitar? Wanna turn your desk into an air Hammond Organ just turn up the speakers and GO!!!!




Brown Sugar
The Rolling Stones If your young grandchildren ask, tell 'em its a Martha Stewart song about baking sweet treats.


Down on the Corner
Creedence Clearwater Revival Everything there to put a smile on your face including a cow bell and catchy sing-along vocals.


Brown Eyed Girl
Van Morrison --- Van Morrison once told Time Magazine he's written 300 songs better than this one. I think NOT!!


Pinball Wizard
The Who A rock opera about a deaf, dumb and blind kid who can play pinball?




American Woman
Yep - believe it or not...The Guess Who really spend the first minute of the song spelling out the title.


Beast of Burden
The Rolling Stones Mick Jagger' self-imposed penance identifying himself as the ultimate jackass.


Nights in White Satin
The Moody Blues prove their diversity with rock and roll. It's a haunting classic.


Sunshine of Your Love
Cream Reportedly one of Jimi Hendrix's favorite records, as he frequently included this song at his own concerts


Smoke on the Water
Deep Purple Perhaps one of the easiest guitar tunes to learn - sometimes "KISS" ("keep it simple stupid") is the best.


Don't Stop Believin'
Journey Another great example of a rock song making a big impact on a classic series, this case, the Sopranos' finale.

More Than a Feeling
Boston Toll booths across the country should blast this 24/7.

House of the Rising Sun
The Animals The earliest recording of this folk song is from 1933, but historians think it might date back to the 1600s.




Another One Bites the Dust
Queen Queen bassist John Deacon proves he can easily transition to the '70's Disco sound.





Kashmir
Led Zeppelin Repeatedly in interviews, Robert Plant saidthis is one of his favorite Zeppelin songs. No one can argue that!!


Free Bird
Lynyrd Skynyrd Five song jukebox domination plan: 'Free Bird,' 'Life's Been Good,' 'Kashmir,' 'Stairway,' and 'Stranglehold.'

Ciao for now!! Winnie

Thursday, February 10, 2011

HEARTS TO YOU


Here’s a partial list of “Heart” Songs compliments of who-sang-that-song.com.
See how many you remember. If you are truly adventurous make a wager with your Valentine - no one is a loser on this one.

1954
Gang That Sang 'Heart Of My Heart', The Four Aces
Heart Of My Heart - Max Bygraves
Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight - McGuire Sisters
Young-At-Heart - Frank Sinatra
Heartbeat - Ruby Murray
Heartless - Frankie Vaughan
Hearts Of Stone - Charms
Hearts Of Stone - Fontane Sisters
If I Give My Heart To You - Doris Day
If I Give My Heart To You - Denise Lor
If I Give My Heart To You - Joan Regan

1955
Forgive My Heart - Nat King Cole
Heart - Eddie Fisher
Two Hearts - Pat Boone

1956
Can You Find It In Your Heart - Tony Bennett
Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley

1957
Heart - Max Bygraves
Your Wild Heart - Joy Layne
With All My Heart - Jodie Sands
With All My Heart - Petula Clark

1958 - Not one Heart song

1959
(All Of A Sudden) My Heart Sings - Paul Anka
Broken-Hearted Melody - Sarah Vaughan
Heart Of A Man, The - Frankie Vaughan
Heartaches By The Number - Guy Mitchell
Heartaches By The Number – Ray Price
Heartbeat – 1959/1960 Buddy Holly
Just Ask Your Heart - Frankie Avalon

1960
He Will Break Your Heart - Jerry Butler
Heart Of A Teenage Girl - Craig Douglas


1961
Breakin' In A Brand New Broken Heart - Neil Sedaka
Breakin' In A Brand New Broken Heart - Connie Francis
Every Beat Of My Heart - The Pips
Heartaches - The Marcels
Wooden Heart (Muss I Denn) - Joe Dowell
Wooden Heart - Elvis Presley
Heart And Soul - Cleftones
Three Hearts In A Tangle – Roy Drusky


1962
Don't Break The Heart That Loves You - Connie Francis
Dear Lonely Hearts - Nat King Cole
Your Cheatin' Heart - Ray Charles
When The Boy In Your Arms (Is The Boy In Your Heart) - Connie Francis
Unchain My Heart - Ray Charles


1963
Half Heaven-Half Heartache - Gene Pitney
Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Hearts - Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans

1964
Anyone Who Had a Heart - Cilla Black
Anyone Who Had a Heart - Dionne Warwick
The Door Is Still Open To My Heart -Dean Martin


1965
Can't You Hear My Heartbeat - Herman's Hermits
Don't Bring Me Your Heartaches - Paul and Barry Ryan
Evil Hearted You - The Yardbirds
Heart Full Of Soul – The Yardbirds
Heart Of Stone - The Rolling Stones
Your Cheating Heart - Elvis Presley
You're Breakin' My Heart - Keely Smith

1966
Breakin' Up Is Breakin' My Heart - Roy Orbison
Love's Just A Broken Heart - Cilla Black
What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted - Jimmy Ruffin

1967
Expressway To Your Heart - Soul Survivors


1968
Heartache - Roy Orbison
Me The Peaceful Heart - Lulu
Breakin' Down The Walls Of Heartache - Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon

1969
Bless Your Heart – Isley Brothers
Heartbreaker - Led Zeppelin



1970
Achy Breaky Heart - Billy Ray Cyrus
Affair Of The Heart - Rick Springfield

1971
How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - Bee Gees

1972
Heartbroken Bopper – The Guess Who
Heart Of Gold - Neil Young

Be Still My Beating Heart - Sting
Beat Of My Heart, The – Foreigner


1973
Heart Of Stone - Kenny

1974
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) - The Rolling Stones

1975
Heartbeat - Showaddywaddy

1976
Don't Go Breaking My Heart - Elton John and Kiki Dee
Good Hearted Woman – Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson
Heart On My Sleeve - Gallagher and Lyle

1977
Look Into Your Heart – Aretha Franklin

1978
You're In My Heart - Rod Stewart

1979
Broken Hearted Me - Anne Murray
Heart Of Glass - Blondie



1980
Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes) - Mint Condition
Deep Inside My Heart – Randy Meisner
Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen

1981
Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart) - Ottawan
Heart Like A Wheel – Steve Miller Band

1982
Crying My Heart Out Over You – Ricky Skaggs
Harden My Heart - Quarterflash
Heart Attack - Olivia Newton-John
Heart Of Stone – Suzi Quatro
Heartlight - Neil Diamond
Someone Could Lose A Heart Tonight - Eddie Rabbitt

1983
Heart And Soul - Huey Lewis & the News
Heartache Avenue - Maisonettes
Heart To Heart - Kenny Loggins
Heartbreaker - Bee Gees
Heartbreaker - Dionne Warwick
I've Got A Rock 'N' Roll Heart - Eric Clapton

1984
Foolish Heart - Steve Perry
Heart Of Rock & Roll - Huey Lewis & the News
Young At Heart - Bluebells
When You Say You Love Somebody) In The Heart - Kool and the Gang

1985
Fortress Around Your Heart - Sting

1986
Captain Of Her Heart, The - Double
Each Time You Break My Heart - Nick Kamen
Every Beat Of My Heart - Rod Stewart
Heart Of Gold - 1986/1987 - Willie Nelson

1987
Change Of Heart - Cyndi Lauper
Cross My Broken Heart - The Jets
Half Past Forever (Till I’m Blue In The Heart)– T.G. Sheppard
Heartache - Pepsi and Shirlie
Open Your Heart - Madonna

1988
Everything Your Heart Desires -Daryl Hall & John Oates
Heart - Pet Shop Boys
Heart Turns To Stone - Foreigner

1989
Dial My Heart - Boys
Hand On Your Heart - Kylie Minogue
Hide Your Heart - Kiss


1990
Groove Is In The Heart - Deee-Lite
Hard Rock Bottom Of Your Heart – Randy Travis
Heart Of Stone - Cher
Heart Of Stone - Taylor Dayne
Heart-Shaped World (trouble) - Chris Isaak

1991
Every Heartbeat (belongs to you) - Amy Grant
Explain It To My Heart – Chicago

1992
Hold On My Heart – Genesis

1993
Can’t Break It To My Heart -Tracy Lawrence

1994
Don't Go Breaking My Heart - Elton John and Ru Paul

1995
Open Your Heart - M People

1996
If He Should Break Your Heart - Journey

1997
Here In My Heart – Chicago

1998
Heartbeat - Steps

1999
From The Heart - Another Level

2000
From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart - Britney Spears
Hammer To The Heart - The Tamperer featuring Maya
Heart Of Asia - Watergate

Happy Valentine's Day!
Winnie

Friday, January 14, 2011

This Month's Musical History Oldies

1948: The Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour debuts on the Dumont network, a spinoff of Major Bowes' popular radio series. Teresa Brewer and Pat Boone, among others, are discovered via the program.


1965:
Paul Simon drops out of law school to pursue music full-time.


1968: At a White House luncheon to discuss the rise in urban crime, Eartha Kitt gets into a notorious spat with First Lady Claudia Taylor "Lady Bird" Johnson, declaring, "Vietnam is the main reason we are having trouble with the youth of America. It is a war without explanation or reason." Although accounts of the entire argument differ, Kitt is subsequently blackballed in America.

1973: The Rolling Stones
hold a benefit concert at the Los Angeles Forum for victims of the recent Nicaraguan earthquake, raising over $200,000 for the cause. (Lead singer Mick Jagger personally contributes an extra $150,000.)

1974: The sitcom
Happy Days starring Ron Howard and Henry Winkler premiers

1975: Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago officially declares today Bobby Vinton Day.

1977: President Jimmy Carter's Inaugural Concert takes place the night before the swearing-in, featuring performances by Linda Ronstadt and Aretha Franklin, among others. John Lennon and Paul Simon are among those spotted in the crowd.
And again in 2009 Aretha sang the National Anthem at President Obama's Inauguration.

1985: USA Today readers select Cleveland, OH, as their choice for the permanent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

1990: Eric Clapton
kicks off an unprecedented eighteen-night concert stay at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

1996: Lisa Marie Presley files for divorce from Michael Jackson.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Medal of Honor





Courage.

You're a 19 year old kid.

You're critically wounded and dying in
the jungle somewhere in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam .


It's November 11, 1967 .
LZ (landing zone) X-ray.

Your unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense from 100 yards away, that your CO (commanding officer) has ordered the MedEvac helicopters to stop coming in.


You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns and you know you're not getting out.

Your family is half way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again.

As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day.

Then - over the machine gun noise - you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter.

You look up to see a Huey coming in. But... It doesn't seem real because no MedEvac markings are on it.

Captain Ed Freeman is coming in for you.


He's not MedEvac so it's not his job, but he heard the radio call and decided he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire anyway.



Even after the MedEvacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway.


And he drops it in and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 3 of you at a time on board.

Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses and safety.


And, he kept coming back!! 13 more times!!
Until all the wounded were out. No one knew until the mission was over that the Captain had been hit 4 times in the legs and left arm.


He took 29 of you and your buddies out that day. Some would not have made it without the Captain and his Huey.


Medal of Honor Recipient,Captain Ed Freeman, United States Air Force, died last Wednesday at the age of 70, in Boise, Idaho.


May God Bless and Rest His Soul.



I bet you didn't hear about this hero's passing, but we've sure seen a whole bunch about Lindsay Lohan, Tiger Woods and the bickering of congress over Health Reform.

Medal of Honor Winner Captain Ed Freeman

Monday, December 27, 2010

Holiday Movie Trivia for the OGR-ers

Tis the season.

Oh, holiday parties and family gatherings

And yes, those few moment where you find yourself in a conversation lull before the spiked eggnog takes effect or the dreaded mistletoe spotted. So if a “silent night” moment hits when talking with your boss or weird uncle, here’s a bit of useful trivia to entertain the whole gang.


Miracle on 34th Street:
Even though "Miracle on 34th Street" is one of the ultimate Christmas movies, studio boss Darryl F. Zanuck insisted on a May release because he believed more people saw movies during the summer months.

The studio’s PR department was given the difficult task of marketing a movie about Santa Claus while trying to keep the fact that it was a Christmas movie secret.
Zanuck not only insisted on a Summer release of this holiday movie but wasn’t fond of the project to begin with because it was so corny and wouldn’t attract an audience.

Well, prove Darryl wrong and it ended up nominated for a Best Picture Oscar won the Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay, among others.

It’s a Wonderful Life:
Actor, Cary Grant, not Jimmy Stewart was originally cast for the staring role. But when Frank Capra came on board, he rewrote the part for Stewart.

And thanks to Kellogs and the 1940s, the movies effects departments routinely used corn flakes painted white as snow. One hitch though, when actors walked through the "corn snow," the crunching of the flakes was so loud that dialogue couldn't be recorded. Frank Capra wanted live dialogue in his snow scenes, so he called upon the effects department at RKO Studio to create a new kind of artificial snow. The result: a new chemical snow, blown through a wind machine, for a truly silent night.

"Wonderful Life" was a box office flop in 1946 and couldn’t recoup its production costs. Over the next 30 years and as TV sets invaded household America, networks searched for family oriented holiday programs and “It’s a Wonderful Life” became an annual holiday program.
A Christmas Story:

"A Christmas Story" is considered one of the most beloved Christmas movies around, but its existence is entirely because of the success of director Bob Clark’s previous effort "Porky’s" -- a teen sex comedy that's far less beloved.

Jack Nicholson wanted the role of The Old Man, but the studio wouldn’t consider the actor's fees, which would have doubled the budget.

In 2005 the original home of "A Christmas Story" went up for sale. Avid fan Brian Jones bought it on eBay for on eBay for $150,000. Then added another $500,000 in exterior restoration to make it look exactly like the movie. Turned it into a museum and bought the house next door for a gift shop.
Home Alone:
Joe Pesci kept kept forgetting he was staring in a family movie and not “Goodfellas”. He kept dropping the F-bomb during production. Director Chris Columbus told Pesci to say the word "fridge" instead of that other word.

Daniel Stern agreed to have that tarantula crawl on his face for only one take. He had to pantomime the scream, though. Screams tend to freak out the spiders,  and it's never a good idea to do that when they're on your face.
Elf:
If you look quickly, you’ll see that Peter Billingsley makes a cameo as the elf Ming Ming at the beginning of the film. He is, of course, better known for playing the lead in another Yuletide yarn: "A Christmas Story."

The twelve-second belch Buddy busts loose after downing a two liter bottle of Coca-Cola is real, dubbed by voice actor Maurice LaMarche. That’s some serious talent.

From Winnie and the OGR staff, we wish you and your families, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.