6 Facts You Never Knew About John Wayne

Football career

John Wayne was 6’4″ tall. His massive size helped him on the football field. The Duke had a football scholarship to the University of Southern California where he was an offensive tackle.
His coach got him a job at Fox Studios as a laborer. When Wayne badly injured his shoulder while body surfing, the coach removed him from the first string and denied him meals. This forced Wayne to drop out of school and focus on his job at Fox, forever changing his life.

Stalin Ordered His Assassination

Joseph Stalin was enraged that John Wayne’s films were anti-communist. The Soviet dictator ordered a hit on the movie star. He even sent two KGB assassins to the United States to kill Wayne in 1951. The FBI stopped the hitmen before any attempt was made. The KGB also ordered a sniper attack on Duke when the star visited Vietnam in 1966.
When Wayne met Nikita Khruschev, the Soviet apologized for the assassination attempts. “That was the decision of Stalin in his last mad years. I rescinded the order,” the dictator said.

The Truth About His Name

Marion Robert Morrison was his given name at birth. His parents later changed his middle name to Mitchell because they wanted to name his younger brother Robert.
Young Marion took his Airedale Terrier named Duke with him everywhere. Local fireman started calling Marion “Little Duke” and the nickname stuck. He preferred this as he didn’t like the name Marion.

What The Hair?

John Wayne wore a toupee on film. His hair began thinning in the 1940s. He preferred wearing a hat on screen rather than a toupee.
When he wasn’t doing the Hollywood thing, Duke wouldn’t skip the phony hair. “If I wasn’t in show business, I wouldn’t even wear the damn thing.” He simply saw it as a prop.
He never was embarrassed about his hair line. In 1974 while speaking at Harvard, a student asked “Where did you get that phony toupee?” The star replied, “It’s not phony. It’s real hair. Of course, it’s not mine, but it’s real.”

The Chess Player

John Wayne was an avid chess player. He always had a chess game going on movie sets.
Duke would use his huge hands to secretly move chess pieces when playing Robert Mitchum. When Mitchum finally confronted Wayne on the cheating, Wayne said, “I was wondering when you were going to say something. Set ’em up, we’ll play again.”

Medal Recipient

John Wayne was awarded the Congressional Medal in 1979 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980.
Upon posthumously awarding the Medal of Freedom to Wayne, President Carter stated, “John Wayne was both an example and a symbol of true American grit and determination. Through his countless film roles, ‘The Duke’ still leads millions on heroic adventures on behalf of fairness and justice. He embodies the enduring American values of individualism, relentless bravery and perseverance in pursuit of what is right. He was the quintessential patriot, and will especially be remembered whenever our Nation faces a challenge calling for steadfast courage.”

Superstitious

Duke was very superstitious. He wouldn’t get angry often, but his superstitions would get the best of him. If someone left their hat on a bed, they were sure to earn a tongue lashing from Wayne.
He also was superstitious about salt! He wouldn’t allow anyone to pass him salt. They had to set it down ow the table and then he would pick it up.

source == > https://www.tmn.today/2017/06/john-wayne-facts/

8 Of The Most Popular Trends Of The '70s

The 1970s were a time of disco and hippies. But it is also known for its interesting fashion trends. These trends include tie-dye, bell-bottoms, and clogs. This lifestyle and fashion are showed on popular TV and movies such as That '70s Show and Dazed and Confused.

1. Platforms

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These popular shoes were a popular choice among women throughout the 1970s and made a comeback a couple of decades later.

2. Clogs

A popular choice in footwear. You could often find women walking around school or the disco in these shoes.

3. High Waisted Jeans

This style made a comeback in the past couple of years. This was a very popular style back in the 70s.

4. Bell Bottoms

This is a style of pants where the bottoms are flared. This was an extremely popular type of pants in the 70s.

5. Chevron Stripes

This was a very popular geometric pattern of the 1970s which consists of V-lines.

6. Hot pants

This was a trend of short shorts that seemed pretty provocative for the time period.

7. Tie-Dye

This trend never seems to fade. Kids always have fun making tie-dyed shirts in the summer and buying tie-dyed clothing.

8. Jumpsuits

This trend has come back in style recently but Back in the 70s it was common to wear jumpsuits with funky patterns to the discos.

source ==> https://www.theodysseyonline.com/8-of-the-most-popular-trends-of-the-70s

Britain in the 1970s

The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979

It was the decade of the Space Hopper, the Ford Cortina, Raleigh Chopper bikes, the record player and cassette recorder.

Events

It was a decade of strikes - postal workers, miners and dustmen. It ended with the 'winter of discontent' in 1979 when ITV went off the air for five months. A three-day week was imposed during February 1972 to save on electricity at the start of the miners strike.

During the summer of 1976 the weather turned so dry that water supplies reached critical low levels.

In 1977, the whole nation celebrated the Queen's Silver Jubilee with street parties.

Household Goods

64% of homes had a washing machine

1974 - First domestic microwave cooker was sold

1978 - VHS video recorder went on sale

1979 - Sony began selling the Walkman personal stereo

Television

People could now watch television programmes in colour. Three stations had began broadcasting in colour between 1967 and 1969.

1971 - 91% of families had a TV

1972 - Newsround started
Money

In 1971 Britain went decimal. Before this there was 12d in a shilling, and 20 shillings in a pound.
Find out more about old money

Population

1971 - Population of Britain = 54 million

70s Fashion

Platform shoes and flared trousers.

In the early 1970s hot pants for women were popular.

• 1970 Hippie chic
• 1971 Platform boots
• 1972 Quiffs
• 1973 Glam rock
• 1974 Birthday suits
• 1975 Perms
• 1976 Punk
• 1977 Flares
• 1978 Lycra
• 1979 Designer jeans

70s Toys

Barbie, Sindy and Action Man dolls became very popular.

• 1970 The Stylophone
• 1971 The Space Hopper
• 1972 Roller Skates
• 1973 The Chopper bike
• 1974 Pong
• 1975 Monopoly game
• 1976 Stunt Kites
• 1977 Skateboards
• 1978 Star Wars figures
• 1979 Trivial Pursuit

70s Music

The first big new sound of the 1970s was “Glam Rock”, the main figures of this were David Bowie, Elton John and of course Gary Glitter. In the bleak political backdrop, these larger that life British bands and characters brought a welcome relief with their platform boots, sequins, nail varnish and colourful hair.

punkPunk
The punk movement of the late 1970s began in England. Great British bands of this scene were The Sex Pistols and The Clash. The Punk style was Mohicans, bondage clothes, safety pins, piercings and bovver boots. 
1970 Edison Lighthouse 
1971 T Rex
1972 The New Seekers
1973 Slade
1974 Abba
1975 David Bowie
1976 Abba
1977 Donna Summer
1978 Boomtown Rats
1979 Art Garfunkel

Transport

The era of global travel began in 1970 when the first Pan Am Boeing 747 jet landed at Heathrow. Air travel became cheaper and now it is easy to take a holiday in almost any part of the world.

After years of trials, the fastest passenger aeroplane in the world called Concorde, came into service in 1976. It was built by Britain and France. It could fly at about 2,100 kilometres per hour.

Popular cars were the Aston Martin, Triumph TR7, two door Capri and MGB GT (1978)

Coal / Electricity

Many coal mines closed because the need for coal in Britain was no longer as great as it had once been. Electricity was now generated by power stations burning oil or gas from the North Sea or in some cases by the use of nuclear energy.

source ==> http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/war/1970s.html

2 Things You Didn’t Know About Burt Ward

Holy Raisin Bran, Batman, have we got some scoops for you!

Earlier this year, we had a long and lovely phone conversation with Burt Ward. You know him best as the Boy Wonder, Robin, a.k.a. Dick Grayson. For three seasons, from 1966–68, the California native portrayed the iconic DC sidekick on Batman.

Half a century later, Ward has returned to the role, voicing Robin in the 2016 animated reunion film Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders. A sequel is on the way. As a side note: Our chat occurred before the passing of Adam West. Ward told People magazine, “Adam and I had a special friendship for more than 50 years. We shared some of the most fun times of our lives together; our families have deep love and respect for each other. This is a terribly unexpected loss of my lifelong friend, I will forever miss him.”

Ward is filled with fascinating stories. Thus, we figured we’d let him tell his side of his story. To celebrate his birthday, here are some things you might not know about Burt Ward, as told to us by the man himself.

1. HE WAS JUST AS SURPRISED AND DAZZLED BY ‘BATMAN’ AS WE WERE WHEN IT FIRST PREMIERED.

“On the day Batman premiered, I worked all day at the studio. It was a weekday, Wednesday, January 12, 1966. Because the show was coming on, they let us off work to go home to be able to see the show. You gotta understand, when you’re working as an actor, you’re making little tiny pieces of things. You have no idea what it’s going to look like when it’s assembled. So, when I went home, I didn’t know what to expect. We would have a dialogue like, ‘Ok, Robin, let’s go!’… ‘Right, Batman!’ It would take 45 minutes to light that and shoot those two sentences. You don’t really know! When Batman came on, first of all, I had never heard the music. I had never seen the opening. And I was blown away. This is really good! Neal Hefti’s music! That theme! I saw my name and my caricature and I was blown away. And then the color. You have to understand, not everybody had a color TV. Color was pretty new. And here our color was bright and bold. And then of course, you had the dialogue and the costumes and the Batmobile and villains that were shot at an angle. I thought, ‘There must be something wrong with our camera crew. They can’t even keep the damn camera straight!’ I found out later, they did it on purpose. I asked, ‘Why would you turn the camera on an angle?’ They said, ‘Because the villains are crooked!’

2. HE BEAT OUT 1,100 ACTORS TO WIN THE ROLE OF ROBIN.

“There were 1,100 young actors that tried out for this role. That’s pretty big competition. When they selected me. They first asked me, ‘Would you like to know why we selected you out of 1,100 people?’ Yeah, I’d love to know. They said, ‘The reason we selected you, Burt, was in our minds, forgetting television for a minute, if there was really, in real life, a Robin, in our mind, you personally would be it. We don’t want you to go out and act. What you are is exactly what we want. The only things we want you to do is be yourself and be enthusiastic.’ Well, there’s no shortage of enthusiasm with me! Everything you saw that I did, whether it be hitting my fist into my palm, jumping over the car door into the Batmobile… all of these things were mine and nobody told me to do them. They were all concerned with the lighting. They basically left me alone. The direction was basically just, ‘Be here when you say that.'”

source ==> http://www.doyouremember.com/38206/12-things-didnt-know-burt-ward-told-burt-ward

7 Fun Facts About Jim Henson

You probably know Jim Henson best as the creator of the Muppets, and the visionary behind such iconic characters as Kermit the Frog (who Henson also voiced), Big Bird, Miss Piggy, Grover, Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster. The brilliant puppeteer also had a prolific career as short film creator and commercial producer. Read on for seven fascinating facts about the creative genius.

1. Henson Had Help From This Longtime Collaborator

Frank Oz was Henson’s longtime collaborator, performing characters including Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Cookie Monster, Bert and Grover. He also directed several Henson productions, including “The Dark Crystal” and “The Muppets Take Manhattan.” On their longtime relationship, Oz had this to say about Henson: “Jim was extraordinary in that he would always allow me to voice my opinion. I think he should’ve fired me many times. He was extraordinarily patient. There was a closeness there that I can’t explain.”

2. Kermit Was Henson’s Alter Ego…But Wiser

Many people assumed Kermit the Frog was Henson’s alter ego. Henson somewhat agreedwith the comparison, with a caveat: “I suppose that he’s an alter ego,” Henson said. ”But he’s a little snarkier than I am—slightly wise. Kermit says things I hold myself back from saying.”

3. ‘Fraggle Rock’ Was The First HBO Original Series

Henson’s ’80s classic, “Fraggle Rock,” was the first HBO original series. Yep. Before “The Wire” and “Game of Thrones,” there were these quirky inhabitants of an underground civilization. Another fun fact about the show? Reportedly, the series was supposed to teach children about world peace and international understanding. In a 1987 documentary, Henson said, “By seeing how the various groups in the world of ‘Fraggle Rock’ learn to deal with their differences, perhaps we can learn a bit about how to deal with ours.”

4. Henson Received An Oscar For Something Without Any Muppets

Although he was nominated and won a number of awards throughout his career, including Grammys and Emmys, perhaps his highest honor was being nominated for an Oscar in 1966 for his short film “Time Piece.” The film was a rare departure from puppetry. Featuring live actors, it explored time as a philosophical concept.

5. Henson Had Five Children Of His Own

The creator of characters beloved by children worldwide, Henson had five of his own children—John, Lisa, Cheryl, Brian and Heather. His children went on to hold prominent positions in their father’s company, with Brian acting as Chairman and Lisa as CEO.

6. Big Bird Performed At Jim Henson’s Funeral

Before his sudden death in 1990, Henson set out clear instructions for his memorial service. He didn’t want anyone to wear black and asked that a Dixieland jazz band end the service with “When the Saints Go Marching In.” His loved ones complied with his wishes and more. At the end of the service, Caroll Spinney performed “It’s Not Easy Being Green” as Big Bird.

7. Henson Wanted In On The Nightclub Biz

Henson’s ambitions and talents went beyond puppetry and film. He once dreamed of opening a dome-shaped nightclub called Cyclia. The sales brochures claimed that Cyclia would be “a sensational glimpse into the inner contents of our time—a vital, living, expanding experience that consumes its audience. It is total involvement, total communication … Cyclia is the entertainment experience of the future—theater of the year 2000.” Far out!

source  ==> http://www.doyouremember.com/38252/7-fun-facts-jim-henson-legacy-left-behind/

Top 10 John Wayne's films

Here, then, are 10 of his best films, most of them Westerns that, when taken together, nevertheless show a surprising range within a limited scope.

“Stagecoach” (1939): Wayne’s breakthrough role came in this landmark John Ford Western playing the Ringo Kid. He got second billing (to Claire Trevor), but he’s the moral and visual center of the film, an outlaw with generous human impulses. The first shot of Wayne – a rapid dolly shot in to a close-up as the actor cocks a rifle – is among the most famous in cinema. The barest of plots serves Ford’s purpose, a study of character and class, played out in the interior of the stagecoach and in cramped way stations. Wayne’s character is typically laconic, gentlemanly but not polished, strong, impervious. He is a defender of the low (he befriends Trevor’s hooker) and a speaker of the truth to the stuffed shirts and prigs also in attendance.

“They Were Expendable” (1945): Another Ford picture, this one leisurely, with an ensemble cast. It follows the life of a PT boat unit in World War II, hardly a flag-waver (it’s actually about a defeat in the Philippines), but rather more of a slice of the grinding life of the crews, on land and sea. Wayne again gets second billing, behind Robert Montgomery this time, and gives an understated and charming performance. His eulogy for a fallen comrade, restrained, is particularly effective, as is the comic scene when a nurse asks him for his pants in a hospital.

“Red River” (1948): One of Wayne’s rare roles as a villain (Tom Dunson), the Captain Bligh of an epic cattle drive staged memorably by Howard Hawks in the great outdoors. Wayne’s barely sympathetic, a tough-as-nails taskmaster ready to kill to have his way, but his performance is gripping, leopard-eyed and jaw-clenching. Montgomery Clift and Walter Brennan are his co-stars, as is a terrible Joanne Dru. The movie has its silly moments, but it’s impossible not to watch. Wayne’s indomitable stride through a herd of cattle on his way to kill Clift is iconic.

“Fort Apache” (1948): Ford’s fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Little Big Horn, with Henry Fonda as a martinet commander (in the Custer role) who will not listen to the reason of his second in command, Wayne. The actor pulls off a fine balance of toughness, truth-telling and ineffectuality. The film is the first of Ford’s celebrated cavalry trilogy, which also included “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” and “Rio Grande,” both with good Wayne performances.

“The Quiet Man” (1952): Wayne is the title character in this film set in Ireland, an ex-American boxer who has killed a man in the ring. “Wayne’s pugilist does one of the slowest burns in movie history – the fuse smolders for two hours,” writes critic Michael Sragow of the film, as Wayne’s character gradually gets sucked into the Irish community around him, which includes Maureen O’Hara as his love interest. Ford’s Technicolor photography captures the emerald greens and small-town life. Wayne’s restraint is perfect, a fish out of water.

“Hondo” (1953): An early production of Wayne’s own company, Batjac, “Hondo” was one of the most successful films of its time shot in 3D. It’s a fairly lean Western, though, as a lone man, part Apache (Wayne), shows up out of nowhere at the ranch of a mother and her young son in the middle of Indian territory. There are echoes of “Shane” here, as Wayne and stage actress Geraldine Page, oddly but effectively cast, gradually fall in love. Their courting is a delicate and fraught dance; Wayne plays the scenes with a surprising touch of vulnerability. He was also in probably the best physical shape of his career for the film.

“The Searchers” (1956): Is “The Searchers,” John Ford’s epic widescreen Western, a mess or a masterpiece? I think it’s both, a truly magnificent film with plenty of flaws to go around. What everyone seems to agree on though is that Wayne’s performance as Ethan Edwards is his greatest. He plays a racist veteran of the Confederacy who embarks on a yearslong search for his niece, kidnapped by Comanche who also massacred her parents. Ethan has an uneasy and edgy relationship with everyone in the crowded film, and intends to kill his niece (played by Natalie Wood) when he finds her. It’s a searing, scowling acting job – “What do you want me to do? Draw you a picture?” – held in check by powerful undercurrents of doubt.

“Rio Bravo” (1959): One of Wayne’s greatest comic performances, typically quiet and light on its feet. He plays a sheriff in charge of a prisoner that a powerful gang wants to break out. In a spin on “High Noon,” in which Gary Cooper couldn’t get any help from the townsfolk, director Howard Hawks has a motley bunch of co-stars (including Dean Martin as a drunkard, a pretty, sharp-shooting Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan as an old, cranky cripple and a flirty Angie Dickinson) line up to help Wayne, who wants none of it but can’t stop them. It’s completely ridiculous and just as completely fun.

“True Grit” (1969): As Rooster Cogburn, Wayne won his only Oscar. His roisterous performance is a send-up of his upstanding film image; he plays an old, worn-down, unscrupulous marshal, drunk, eye-patched and not always using the best judgment. The acting is hammy and lovable; he’s having fun with the wheezy geezer. His line readings are melodious growls. Bad guy: “I call that bold talk for a one-eyed fat man!” Cogburn: “Fill your hand, you son of a bitch!”

“The Shootist” (1976): In this, Wayne’s last film, he plays an aging gunfighter dying of cancer, trying to go out with dignity. Don Siegel (“Dirty Harry”) directs it with an autumnal feeling (also nicely captured by Elmer Bernstein’s score) that seems to know its star is dying, too. He takes a room in a boarding house run by Lauren Bacall, whose son, played by Ron Howard, idolizes him. Wayne fills the role with tenderness, wisdom and resignation, looking truth in the face without sentimentality.


source ==> http://www.ocregister.com/2014/08/19/reclaiming-john-wayne-the-dukes-10-best-films/

8 of the Greatest Bands and Musicians of the 1970s

British rock band Led Zeppelin | Hulton Archive/Getty Images

In many ways, American music reached its peak in the 1970s, as artists from every genre drew upon the innovations in rock, soul, and pop music of the previous decade to perfect their own sounds. Then the sounds became too perfect, to the point where rock music began to sound like a factory-produced commodity made for arena audiences to sing along with, thus spawning the reactionary new wave and punk rock movements. There was plenty happening in music throughout the 1970s, and we’ve done our best to condense an eventful decade into just eight artists who helped to define the genres of the time while laying the foundation for decades to come.

1. Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin began its career unofficially aping old blues tunes and adding its own otherworldly heaviness to them in order to make them new. But it didn’t take long for the band to expand its sound in all directions, as the members used subsequent albums to dabble in (or even help to invent) hard rock (Led Zeppelin II), folk rock (III) and psychedelia (Houses of the Holy). Thanks to the contributions of all four skilled band members, each album has a core sound that could only come from these veritable rock Gods.

2. David Bowie

David Bowie had a long and storied career before his recent death and it’s not controversial to say he released much of his best material in the ’70s, which saw the chameleon-like singer-songwriter disappear into several different phases of his career beginning with the title character from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. He mined the same vein of glam rock majesty and dramatics for the follow-ups Aladdin Sane and Diamond Dogs before trying his skilled hand at soul (Young Americans) and art rock (Station to Station) while inhabiting his other great character, the Thin White Duke. Finally, he closed the decade out with his audacious Berlin trilogy, combining his own hitmaking instincts with fascinating krautrock and atmospheric techniques.

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3. The Clash

Punk rock was far more a major cultural movement in the U.K. than in the U.S. The Clash managed to survive beyond the brief cultural moment and continued to expand without losing its angry political awareness (for the most part) beyond the raw energy of its self-titled debut. By the time of its decade-closing and career-defining third LP London Calling, the band had expanded its sound to include elements of reggae, dub, funk, and rockabilly. It seemed to collect influences from around the world, but at the core of its songs are the members’ own talents for writing great melodies with lyrics that feel just as vital.

4. Parliament/Funkadelic

George Clinton amassed quite a roster of talent around him, particularly during the 1970s, when his easily-confused bands Parliament and Funkadelic released many of their best records. Using mythology-building, outrageous humor, group vocals, audacious funk rock, and experimental soundscapes, the bands (which often consists of more than a dozen members) invented their own genre dubbed P-Funk and released albums that were as sonically interesting as they were just plain fun: They ran the gamut from rousing funk anthems like “Give Up the Funk” to the psychedelic weepy soloing of Maggot Brain‘s title track.

6. Pink Floyd

Progressive rock bands sought to elevate the world’s most popular music genre to the realm of art with sprawling concept albums and tracks that morphed in much the same way as classical music did. Pink Floyd transcended the trappings of the genre because its albums and songs are more deeply felt than they are intellectual, thanks primarily to the open-hearted songwriting of Roger Waters. Waters penned both personal (The Wall) and political (Animals) songs within the confines of concept albums while his bandmates Dave Gilmour, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason gave every song the musical prowess it deserved to make every lengthy musical break as emotional and transcendental as Waters’s lyrics.

7. Talking Heads

New wave developed alongside punk rock as a sort of alternative to the sanitized arena rock that dominated radio stations by the late ’70s. Talking Heads dealt in jagged riffs and yelping paranoia rather than sing-along choruses, led by its nervous-sounding frontman David Byrne who had a habit of writing songs about things as innocuous as “Paper” or “Air.” Though the band’s greatest album (Remain in Light) wouldn’t come until 1980, its first three releases present perhaps the most creative new wave band as it expanded beyond arty anxiety to include hypnotic atmospheres and afrobeats, especially on its stellar third release Fear of Music.

8. Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen drew inspiration from the socially conscious folk music of Woody Guthrie to make rock music that appealed to and directly addressed the struggles of America’s working classes and frustrated youths. But The Boss’s talents extend far beyond his lyrical storytelling, as evidenced on his magnum opus third album Born to Run. The 1975 effort consists of eight tracks concerning trapped city kids dreaming of escaping their oppressive lives, scored with a monolithic backdrop of guitar, drums, and saxophone all merged into one great musical wall of sound. Springsteen continued to mature as a songwriter throughout the decade, addressing shattered dreams and economic woes on subsequent releases.

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Top 10 selected 70s photos