Sinatra: From Donkey to Elephant

Singer and film star Frank Sinatra (1915-1998) grew up poor and lower class in Hoboken, New Jersey. Once he made it big in showbiz (thanks to help from his Mafia cronies), he obsessed about fitting in with the upper class. He wormed his way into politics, using his Hollywood star power to campaign and fundraise [...]

Read Full Post »

General MacArthur Had a Helicopter Mom

“Overparenting had been around long before Douglas MacArthur’s mom Pinky moved with him to West Point in 1899 and took an apartment near the campus, supposedly so she could watch him with a telescope to be sure he was studying.” (1) Prior to his acceptance at West Point in 1898, Douglas MacArthur had been rejected [...]

Read Full Post »

Frida Kahlo: Prisoner in a Corset

For her entire adult life, artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) suffered unbearable pain from her spine and foot. (See “Frida’s First Bad Accident.”) She endured over thirty surgeries to correct the problem (in both Mexico and the U.S), was subjected to batteries of tests, X-rays, and spinal taps, given blood transfusions, physical therapy, and strong medicine [...]

Read Full Post »

Frida Gets Dressed

“Frida was often heard to say, ‘I look like a lot of people and a few things,’ as if everything that made up her personal appearance was a matter of chance. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Dressing each day was an almost ceremonial affair during which she would try innumerable combinations of blouses [...]

Read Full Post »

Frida Kahlo: An Accidental Artist

“I am not sick. I am broken. But I am happy as long as I can paint.” To Julien Levy, who prepared Frida Kahlo‘s 1938 New York art exhibition, Frida wrote (in English): “I never thought of painting until 1926, when I was in bed on account of an automobile accident. I was bored as [...]

Read Full Post »

Elizabeth Taylor: Burton Called Her “Lumpy”

There’s a delicious new Elizabeth Taylor biography on the market: How to Be a Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood by William Mann. I’ve been reading juicy excerpts online. The book is so good, so rich in scandalous detail, that I’ve ordered a copy to be sent to my doorstep. I’m devouring the chapter on the [...]

Read Full Post »