Kansas City, MO
Another actor named Harrison Ford has gained fame in movies since the 1970s.
Harrison Ford (March 16, 1884 – December 2, 1957) was an American actor in the silent film era of the 1910s and 20s.
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Harrison Ford began acting on stage and made his Broadway debut in 1904. He turned to film beginning in 1915 and moved to Hollywood. He became a leading man opposite early stars such as Constance Talmadge, Norma Talmadge, Marie Prevost, Marion Davies, and Clara Bow.
Ford’s acting career ended with the advent of talkies, making his final film in 1932. He only made one talking picture, “Love in High Gear”. He returned to acting in the theatre afterwards. He also directed productions at the Little Theater of the Verdugos in Glendale, California.
During World War II, he toured with the United Service Organizations (USO). In the early 1950s, he was struck by a car while out walking. He never recovered from the severe injuries received and died in 1957 in the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. He was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale.
Waterloo, IA
On November 13th, 1942 the USS Juneau was hit by a Japanese torpedo and sunk off the coast of Guadalcanal. Five brothers from Waterloo, Iowa who served on the ship were killed in the attack. The death of the Sullivan brothers helped reinforce the Navy’s polices about brothers serving on the same ships and influenced the other branches of the Armed Forces to do the same. Later, in 1944, the four Niland brothers fromTonawanda, New York seemed to be headed for a similar fate. Two of the brothers were killed in the invasion on Normandy just a month after the third went M.I.A. and was presumed dead. Sergeant Fritz Niland was sent home to his family where he served the balance of the war as an MP. These two stories, along with the approaching fiftieth anniversary of D-Day, served as an inspiration for screenwriter Robert Rodat to develop his incredible World War II epic. With the support of Mutual Film Company’s Mark Gordon and Gary Levinsohn, Rodat spent the next year assembling what would become Saving Private Ryan.
Omaha, NE (Part Two)
Counting Crows – Omaha
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFrDGkLKiAc]
Omaha, NE
The Historic Pottawattamie County Jail, better known as the Squirrel Cage Jail in part because of its interior appearance, is one of three human rotary jails still in existence. The jail was designed to provide “maximum security with minimum jailer attention.” The jail is essentially a three-story cylinder with each level of the cylinder divided into small, pie-piece-shaped cells.
The patented design allowed one jailer to rotate the entire, three-story cylinder (and all its prisoners) around in a circle using just a hand crank. The jail held 63 prisoners who could not leave their cells unless their cell was cranked around to the doorway. Built in 1885 for about $30,000, safety concerns eventually led the jail to be modified away from the original rotary configuration. The county quit using the jail altogether in the 1960s. Today the structure is a historic museum open to public tours.
Music I Wish I Had Written. (Continued)
Ben Folds – Still Fighting It
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRlgq59dsFQ]
Place Your Bets
My wife, Kristin has started taking bets on when the newest member of our family will decide to show up. The doctor (and ultrasound) says November 12th. There isn’t anything for the winner, but the winner will be able to walk away with the satisfaction of knowing you completely pulled a number out of the sky and it worked out for you. Keep in mind, there’s a little boy in there, which may affect your guesses on weight. Also on Kristin’s Blog, you can find pictures of our other two boys to (again, randomly) guess what this little guy will look like. So head over there and start the guesses, and in a month or so we’ll see what happens.
Dayton, OH
In addition to being home of the Wright Brothers, Dayton, OH has more patents per capita than any other city in the nation. Some of these inventions include the cash register, the stepladder, microfiche, waterproof cellophane, pop top beverage cans, the movie projector, space food, parking meters, the aircraft supercharger, the automobile self-starter, gas masks, and the parachute.
The first All-American Soap Box Derby was held in Dayton on August 19, 1934.
The Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner, is from Dayton in the Marvel Comics universe. This was his original comic book version, and not necessarily his tv show, movie, or Ultimate comic book version.
Chicago, IL (Part Two)
Today we are here. The building apparently cost around $40 million, however there was no way to fit showers into the budget. The building is amazing, but has a certain “my grandmother was an interior decorator for a funeral home” type vibe. Nice, but going to get ruined.
The stage – white carpet.
The loading dock – white marble.
The sound check – during a wedding.
