St. Valentine’s Day and the Fall of Al Capone
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For very good reason, the gravestone is unremarkable. Not elegant, subtle or in any manner imposing. Otherwise, it would be more of a target for thieves than it already is. The simple grave in section 35 of Mt. Carmel Catholic Cemetery, fourteen miles west of downtown Chicago, south of the confluence of Dwight Eisenhower Expressway […]
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Words That Matter After Death
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“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” Those wry words from Groucho Marx resonate on many levels. In his typical incorporation of humor and wisdom, Marx strikes a contemporary universal chord — sometimes the power of the written word and the devoted love […]
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Carol Channing and Her Dying Wish
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Outside the venerable St. James Theater in New York City on the night of January 16, 1964, the temperature plunged into the mid-20’s. Inside, the atmospherics were considerably warmer. A genuine, five alarm, red hot triumph, “Hello, Dolly,” was blazing through its Broadway debut. The most revered theater critic of his time, perhaps all time, […]
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Guessing About John Wayne and The Bomb
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Two time Academy Award winning screenwriter, William Goldman, passed away in November of 2018. He left behind a notable body of work and an immortal quote about the biggest secret in Hollywood. “Nobody knows anything,” Goldman said. “Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what is going to work. […]
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Glory Is Fleeting, Ask Howard Hughes
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The late General George Patton liked to tell a story about the ancient Roman conquerors victoriously returning home from battle. Parades were held, the conquerors rode in triumphant chariots, the world at their feet. At one such event, a slave, about to place a golden crown on the head of the hero, whispered in his […]
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