Category Archives: popular culture

Spotlighting Communism & Hollywood in the papers of Sesame Street’s Mr. Hooper

Posted on April 18, 2018 by

One of the most recognizable figures of the first thirteen years (1969-1982) of PBS’s Sesame Street was Mr. Hooper the grocer, played by veteran actor Will Lee. He was one of the four original human characters on the show. Before … Continue reading →

Posted in Blacklisting, Cold War, Communism, Motion picture actors and actresses, motion picture history, Politics, popular culture, Social justice, television history, Uncategorized, World War II | Tagged | Leave a comment

Exhibit at the American Heritage Center honors Barbara Stanwyck, 1907-1990

Posted on March 2, 2018 by

The astounding and legendary life and career of Barbara Stanwyck began in Brooklyn, New York. The youngest of 5 children born to common laborers, Stanwyck was originally known as ‘Ruby Stevens.’ She became orphaned by the age of 4. After … Continue reading →

Posted in announcements, events, exhibits, Motion picture actors and actresses, motion picture history, popular culture, television history | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Celebrating Black History Month: The June Vanleer Williams Story

Posted on February 1, 2018 by

African-American journalist and editor June Vanleer Williams is not necessarily well-known, but what a rich life she led. Williams was an actress, a casting director, a journalist, a playwright, a poet, and an active member in Karamu House, which is the … Continue reading →

Posted in African American history, Authors and literature, Current events, found in the archive, Journalism, Motion picture actors and actresses, motion picture history, popular culture, Uncategorized, Under-documented communities, women's history | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

David Brown and Steven Spielberg: Through Thick and Thin

Posted on January 29, 2018 by

Film producer David Brown (1916-2010) began his career in 1951 heading the story department at Twentieth Century Fox. His success began early through his involvement with The Robe, an American Biblical epic film that received an Oscar nomination for Best … Continue reading →

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Carl Stalling, Music Animator

Posted on January 17, 2018 by

A chance meeting in the early 1920s at a Missouri movie theater led to some of the most beloved cartoons ever created. Carl Stalling was improvising on the organ while accompanying a silent film. A young Walt Disney was in … Continue reading →

Posted in cartoons, Composers, motion picture history, music, popular culture, television history, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Mary O’Hara: “My Heart is in Wyoming”

Posted on January 9, 2018 by

Could successful screenwriter and socialite Mary O’Hara exchange her glitzy lifestyle for that of a Wyoming ranch wife? Her friends didn’t think so. But by 1930 Mary had hit her mid-forties and was fed up with her gilded life. She … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors and literature, Children's literature, Local history, motion picture history, popular culture, Uncategorized, Western history, women's history, writers and poets, Wyoming history | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Comics Have Research Value!

Posted on December 28, 2017 by

Comic book writer Stan Lee turns 95 today, and he’s still at work. Providing evidence to all his decades of work in the comic book industry, and its expansion to other entertainment media such as film and television, is the … Continue reading →

Posted in Comic book history, motion picture history, popular culture, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment