Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde: "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about" It’s fun to imagine Oscar Wilde at a university today. Dandified in a lavender jacket with a green carnation in the buttonhole, he might hang out with the Art History or English majors. He would surely be disdainful of any on-campus PC movements which emphasized political art over beauty, and he would certainly dismiss as ugly the confessional poetry with which such poets as Sylvia Plath garnered fame. Oscar Wilde believed in the supremacy of aesthetics in art, in concealing the artist, and in art free from heavy-handed morality. After all, he declared that "a little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal." Wilde wrote "The Importance of Being Earnest," "A Woman of No Importance," and "The Picture of Dorian Gray," in which he deployed a refined (and at times savage) wit to expose the contradictions and behavior of modern manners. He considered himself a living representation of beauty in art: "I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works." In the spirit of sensuality and outrageousness, he played the provocateur to society's so-called moral watchdogs. Stuffy Victorian England put up with him for a time, until he pissed off the wrong person in power. He had a scandalous affair with Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas, whose father, the Marquis of Queensbury, made sure that Wilde was brought to trial, defamed, and convicted on charges of "gross indecency." Oscar Wilde spent two years at hard labor in prison in Reading. After he was released, he spent the last three years of his life in Paris, where he tried to recapture his former decadent lifestyle, but incarceration had snuffed his artistic spirit. Despite a deathbed burst of wit ("My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go"), he died penniless on November 30, 1900, and was interred at Pere-Lachaise Cemetery. Suggested Sites... Oscar Wilde - official site of a genius of brevity and wit. Aesthetic Movement - an overview of the history and philosophy of a influential movement. Oscar Wilde Quotes - quotes from the master. An Introduction to Victorian England - what Wilde was up against. The Ballad of Reading Gaol - Wilde's poem about the effect prison had upon him.

Directory categories: Oscar Wilde, 19th Century People, British Artists, Aesthetics, Literary Fiction

Archived under: 19th Century, Anniversaries, Authors, Biographies, Celebrities, Dead Celebrities, England, Gay History, LGBT, Legal Cases, Men, Oscar Wilde, Prison, United Kingdom, Writers

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Jack Pierce makes up Karloff as the Frankenstein monster (Photo by Jhayne) When I was growing up, I loved horror movies -- especially monster movies. I don't mean the gorefests that populate the screen today; the ones that substitute shock for real psychological terror. No, I loved the Universal monster movies that featured the Wolf Man, the Invisible Man, Dracula, and, most of all, Frankenstein’s monster (or just "Frankenstein," as we called him in those days). Most of the reason for that love was Boris Karloff. In spite of how many people he murdered, tortured, or terrorized on camera, it was obvious that, behind the character, there was a decent and funny man who projected a real humanity. Karloff was born on November 23, 1887, as William Henry Pratt. As a child, it was expected he'd follow his brother into the British Foreign Service, but he developed a love of acting that took him first to Canada, then finally to Hollywood, where between gigs acting in silent films, he worked as a ditch digger and truck driver to pay the bills. When sound films came along in the late 1920s, his stage training (and British accent) helped him make the transition to talkies, but he was still mired in supporting roles like "Rev. T. Vernon Isopod" or "Sport Williams." Finally, in 1931, the role of a lifetime -- the Frankenstein monster -- came along, and even though he was unbilled at the time (the credits showed the Monster as being played by "?"), he had achieved screen immortality, becoming one of the few actors to be so well known as to be billed with just one name: "Karloff." It took Universal a bit of time to realize what an asset they had in Karloff. They lent him out to Warner Bros. for a memorable turn as a cadaverous gangster in the original "Scarface" and to MGM to star in the insidious Dr. Fu Manchu. But once the box-office returns came in ($12,000,000 -- nearly $200 million today... that's before adjusting for the 25 cents audiences paid in 1931!), they took full advantage of him in such classics as "The Old Dark House," "The Mummy," "The Black Cat," and (best of all) "The Bride of Frankenstein" -- some 42 features over the next ten years. In 1941, Karloff left Hollywood to appear on Broadway in the comedy "Arsenic and Old Lace," playing another homicidal maniac -- one who’d had plastic surgery and now looked like -- Boris Karloff. Over the next three decades, Karloff alternated between stage, screen, radio, and television, shifting easily between comedy and drama. His integrity and talent were such that, even after the many times he had kidded his "horror star" image, he was still utterly believable when he did a straight role that would scare the pants off audiences. When he died at the age of 81 in 1967, his name was still the gold standard for the genre, (an accomplishment that no one else -- in any film genre -- has ever matched) and for some of us, it still is. Suggested Sites... Karloff.com - official site of the Karloff family, dedicated to the memory of the Master of Horror. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" - excerpt from one of Karloff's last great roles, narrating and playing the Grinch. Celebrating Boris Karloff, the Monster and the Man - introduction to a retrospective of Karloff's film career. Universal Studios Monster Movies - overview of the studio's horror films of the 1930s. Frankenstein Films: The Universal Pictures Series - reviews and synopses of the series that rocketed Karloff to stardom.

Directory categories: Boris Karloff, Horror Movies, Classi Hollywood Actors, Frankenstein, Actors

Archived under: 1930s, 1940s, Actors, Biographies, Birthdays, Boris Karloff, Celebrities, Entertainment, Horror, Horror Films, In Character, Monsters and Creatures, Movies

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"I tell you, Ike; Mamie's a looker, but she's no Annette." I recently found out that Nikita Khrushchev and I have at least one thing in common: Disneyland figured into our first trips to the United States -- though not for the same reasons. (Rest assured we didn't go to the "Magic Kingdom" together) My own story is pretty short and really not worth a line in history books: when I was 14, I came from France to "discover" the U.S. I was expecting I'd visit national parks and see the wonders of nature. Instead, the family I was staying with took me to Disneyland, even though I hate roller coasters and rides. I give them a lot of credit, though, for thinking that was the best "American" experience for a little foreigner like me. Apparently, Khrushchev had much higher expectations regarding Disneyland: he asked specifically to visit the amusement park during his first trip to the U.S. in September 1959. The then-Prime Minister of the Soviet Union landed in Washington, DC on September 15, and embarked for a snapshot tour of America, with stops in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Des Moines. (Des Moines?) Khrushchev spent only one day in the City of Angels, but still managed to trigger a major diplomatic incident. After a pleasant visit to the 20th Century Fox studios and a lunch with such famous attendees as Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Bob Hope, Gary Cooper, and Charlton Heston, the General Secretary expressed his desire to go to Disneyland. The amusement park had opened in 1955, giving many celebrities and politicians the chance to stroll through the Magic Kingdom and meet with a giant mouse, but the Chief of the LAPD refused to be held responsible for the security of the convoy to Disneyland, arguing that Anaheim was in Orange County, and therefore, out of his jurisdiction. Needless to say, Khrushchev was not happy, and threw a tantrum in front of a baffled crowd: "What is it? Is there an epidemic of cholera there? Have gangsters taken hold of the place? Your policemen are so tough they can lift a bull by the horns. Surely they can restore order if there are any gangsters around. I say, 'I would very much like to see Disneyland.' They say, 'We cannot guarantee your security.' Then what must I do, commit suicide? For me, such a situation is inconceivable. I cannot find words to explain this to my people." Fortunately, he didn’t bang his shoe to show his anger, keeping that trick for his trip to the United Nations the following year. A film based on the incident was in the works, with Peter Ustinov playing Khrushchev, but the Disney Studio cancelled the project after Walt Disney died in 1966. Too bad, since they would have had the perfect title: "The Bay of the Three Little Pigs Invasion." (*"No, you can't go to Disneyland.") Suggested Sites... Nikita Khrushchev Goes to Hollywood - a detailed report on the Soviet Prime Minister's visit to Los Angeles. The Incident -- According to Walt Disney - what the father of Mickey Mouse had to say about Khrushchev being barred from his park. More Parks That Khrushchev Missed - for his own good?

Directory categories: Nikita Krushchev, Disneyland, The Cold War, Soviet Union, Soviet Leaders

Archived under: 1950s, Amusement Parks, Ancient History, Anniversaries, Bob Hope, California, Celebrities, Censorship, Communism, Communists, Dictators, Disney, Disneyland, History, Hollywood, In Character, Los Angeles, Marilyn Monroe, Men, Presidents, Russia, United Nations, United States, Urban Legends

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Poor Charles II of Spain (Doesn't he look a little like a King Charles Spaniel?) What is it about royals and their relationships that just makes them so scandal-prone? In the last quarter century alone, divorce, affairs, and poor fashion and costume choices have made the British Royal Family the poster children for family dysfunction and real-life soap opera. But their issues are relatively tame compared to the kings and queens of past generations, many of whom can trace their problems to one source: royal intermarriage. This trend, where the various European royal families married only members of other European royal families, was designed to preserve dynastic bloodlines and protect property considerations. This was most commonly achieved through the marriage of first or second cousins. Over time, this so severely limited the gene pool that the effects of inbreeding were the result -- and often had tragic consequences. The Habsburg family is the most notorious example of royal intermarriage. Beginning in the mid-16th century, this family (whose members included the Royal families of Spain and Austria) married only their own relatives -- including several cases of uncle-niece marriages. This led to the sad case of Charles II of Spain. While most people have eight biological great-grandparents, poor Charles had only four (his mother married her uncle, and his four grandparents were all cousins). Charles was thus born physically and mentally handicapped: a jaw deformity left him unable to chew his food; he learned walk at eight; and never fully learned to read or write. He was also impotent, so despite two marriages, he never produced any offspring, a flaw that would ultimately result in the War of the Spanish Succession, a major conflict that lasted nearly 15 years and gripped all of Europe. Peace came at a heavy price, but Charles’ inbred genealogy died with him. Royal intermarriage during the 19th century also created problems for the Russian Royal Family, the Romanovs. Inbreeding led to the onset of the genetic disorder hemophilia, which afflicted the son and heir of Tsar Nicholas II. The Tsar's wife turned to the supposed mystic Grigori Rasputin, which only increased the unpopularity of the Romanovs among the Russian nobility and common people. The culmination of this discontent would be the murder of the entire royal family (including the infamous Anastasia) and the rise of various leaders who would eventually form the Soviet Union. To a lesser degree, royal intermarriage is still somewhat common among European royalty: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are second cousins; Prince Charles and Princess Diana were seventh cousins, while Charles and current wife Camilla are eleventh cousins. Even Prince William and girlfriend Kate Middleton possibly share a common ancestor. So while the days of royal kissin' cousins may be over, the legacy lives on a whole new generation of bluebloods. Suggested Sites... Raucous Royals - learn all about those crazy royals, their affairs, crimes, and other scandalous adventures. Alexander Palace Time Machine - explore the final home of the Romanovs, with images, letters, and information about Russia's last Tsar and his family. Cousin Marriage - the debate over marriages between cousins continues in light of new scientific research.

Directory categories: Royalty, The Habsburgs, The Romanovs, The Windsors, Human Genetics

Archived under: Austria, Celebrities, England, Europe, European History, Germany, Grigori Rasputin, History, Mental Health, Royalty, U.K. History, United Kingdom, marriage

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The King holding court at the 1982 San Diego Comic-Con (Photo by Alan Light) How did a kid from the Lower East Side of New York grew up to become the "King of Comics," and have an immeasurable impact on the world’s popular culture? That’s the story of Jacob Kurtzberg, better known as Jack Kirby, who was born on August 28, 1917. As a child, Kirby was likelier to get into fistfights than study art, but he was captivated by such masters of the comic strip as Alex Raymond ("Flash Gordon"), Hal Foster ("Prince Valiant"), and Milton Caniff ("Terry and the Pirates"). He enrolled at the Pratt Art Institute, but soon left because they wanted him to linger over his work, and he wanted to "get things done." His imagination was so full and his creativity so profound that he rarely lingered over anything, turning out dozens of pages of brilliant comic art every week. From Pratt, he went to the Fleischer animation studios (working on their "Popeye" cartoons), but left because of the "production line" way the movies were turned out). He then tried creating a number of comic strips (under an equal number of pseudonyms: Curt Davis, Fred Sande, Jack Curtiss, Ted Grey, and even just "Teddy"). While his work was good, nothing stuck until he met fellow writer and artist Joe Simon. With Simon, he created the character Captain America for Timely Comics (the precursor of today's Marvel Comics), and the rest was history. Simon and Kirby became one of the top teams in comics history, but when they suspected they were being underpaid, they moved to DC Comics, revitalizing such characters as Manhunter and The Sandman, and creating The Guardian and The Boy Commandos. After World War II, the duo went back to work, creating the classic "Boys’ Ranch," the tongue-in-cheek "Fighting American," any number of crime comics, and even found time to invent the romance comic genre. But good things can last only so long, and the partnership split up. Kirby went back to DC, where he created "The Challengers of the Unknown." But after another legal battle, he returned to Marvel, where he began an unparalleled run that saw him co-create scores of characters, including The Fantastic Four, The Hulk, The X-Men, The Avengers, Thor, The Silver Surfer, Dr. Doom, and The Black Panther, mainstream comics' first black superhero. His muscular and dynamic style was credited by the New York Times as creating "a new grammar of storytelling and a cinematic style of motion ... Even at rest, a Kirby character pulsed with tension and energy in a way that makes movie versions of the same characters seem static by comparison." But the comics business being what it is, and Kirby being Kirby, following a dust-up over creator's rights and original art, he again went back to DC, creating the "Fourth World," a series of characters (The Demon, Mister Miracle, The New Gods, and Darkseid, DC's ultimate supervillain) and storylines that were nothing less than cosmic in scope. After only four years, though, he was back at Marvel yet again, leaving only three years later to work in animation (becoming an inadvertent footnote in the Iran Hostage Crisis of the 1980s). But ink was always in Kirby's blood, and after another brief stint at DC, he went to smaller publishers that allowed him not only full creative freedom, but also the ownership of his characters -- something he'd always craved. He died in 1994, never having lost any of his talent or creativity. It's hard today to find a comics artist -- or even a film director -- who has not been influenced in some way by Kirby's dramatic and dynamic style. He set the standard, and even 15 years after his death, he is still "the King." Suggested Sites... Jack Kirby Museum and Research Center - promoting and encouraging the study, understanding, preservation, and appreciation of the work of Jack Kirby. Jack Kirby - really nice analysis of Kirby's style and influence. Marvel Comics Database: Jack Kirby - detailed biography, with links to massive galleries of Kirby covers, characters, and interior art. Grand Comics Database: Jack Kirby - 60 years of comics, catalogued and categorized. Wikipedia: Jack Kirby - extensive biography of the King.

Directory categories: Jack Kirby, Comic Book Artists, Comic Books, Marvel Comics, DC Comics

Archived under: 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, Animation, Artists, Arts, Biographies, Birthdays, Captain America, Cartoonists, Celebrities, Comic Books, Comic Strips, Comics, Entertainment, History, Men, Popeye, Science Fiction, Superheroes, Villains, Writers

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