#mean Johnny barrows

[davealmost]

Mean Johnny Barrows

[movieposters1]

[visplay]

Chris: Mean Johnny Barrows is an action film with Fred Williamson as a man fresh out of the army and into a difficult world where he falls into crime, an average Willlamson flick so only for his fans, but Elliot Gould makes an appearance, and the best bit might be Roddy McDowell’s characters’s purple velvet suit, Watch: When Free.

[lboogie1906]

Frederick Robert Williamson (born March 5, 1938), known as The Hammer, is an actor and former defensive back who played mainly in the AFL during the 1960s. He is known for his film career, starring as Tommy Gibbs in the film Black Caesar and its sequel Hell Up in Harlem. He had other notable roles in other films such as Hammer, That Man Bolt, and Three the Hard Way.

Born in Gary, he was the oldest child born to Frank, a welder, and Lydia Williamson. Williamson attended Froebel High School, where he ran track and played football. He graduated in 1956. He left Gary to attend Northwestern University on a football scholarship. After playing college football for Northwestern in the late 1950s, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers. When during training camp he was switched to their defense, his attitude over the switch prompted him to play his position with too much aggression, and the coach of the 49ers asked him to quit “hammering” his players. Thus, “The Hammer” quickly stuck and became his nickname.

He acted in films such as Three the Hard Way (1974), Take a Hard Ride (1975), One Down, Two to Go (1982), Original Gangstas (1996), and On the Edge (2002). In October 1973, he posed nude for Playgirl magazine. His early television roles included a role in the original Star Trek episode “The Cloud Minders” (1969), in which he played Anka. He played Diahann Carroll’s love interest in Julia.

He has had another career as a director and producer. His first film as a producer was Boss Nigger (1975), in which he starred. His second film as a producer was with Mean Johnny Barrows (1976). He has since directed over 20 features. He relocated to Rome and formed his own company Po’ Boy Productions, which started to produce actioners including Adios Amigo (1976) and Death Journey (1976).

He has been married twice. His first marriage was to Ginette Lavonda (1960-1967). He married Linda Williamson (1988). He has at least three children. He has black belts in Kenpō, Shotokan karate, and taekwondo. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[b-movieenema]

Fred Williamson made a movie that was blaxploitation at heart but really also touched heavily on how rough it was for vets to come back from a war. All this equaled Mean Johnny Barrows which is a fairly decent flick.

[redrikki]

My Series Masterpost

Short and to the Mr. Pointy - (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) Collections of drabbles set in each season.

Short and to the Mr. Pointy - Season 1

Short and to the Mr. Pointy - Season 2

Short and to the Mr. Pointy - Season 3

Short and to the Mr. Pointy - Season 4

Short and to the Mr. Pointy - Season 5

Short and to the Mr. Pointy - Season 6

Short and to the Mr. Pointy - Season 7

Xander and Eshu's Wacky Road Trip - (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) While searching for Slayers in Africa, Xander hires an unusual guide, or, the god of the crossroads gets a new toy.

At the Cross Roads Well Met - The god Eshu meets an interesting man in a market in Benin or, for sixteen palm nuts, Xander hires an interesting guide. (Xander Harris, Eshu)

Goddess in the Water - Xander and Eshu find romance, a mystery and car trouble on the road, just not necessarily in that order. (Xander Harris, Eshu, OCs)

Jennifer Hailey, Vampire Slayer - (Stargate SG-1/Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossover) All Lt. Jennifer Hailey ever wanted was to travel the galaxy via a giant piece of alien technology, make some world changing scientific break throughs and show up Major Carter. Too bad destiny had other ideas.

Hailey Thinks - All Lt. Jennifer Hailey ever wanted was to travel the galaxy via a giant piece of alien technology. Too bad destiny had other ideas. Now she has a whole lot to think about. (Jennifer Hailey, Xander Harris)

The Lost Tribe - Being a Slayer never meant much to Lt. Jennifer Hailey, but between a crisis off-world and a prophecy, it may mean a lot. (Jennifer Hailey, Jack O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, Sam Carter, Teal'c, Xander Harris, Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenberg, Rupert Giles, OCs)

Houses Alike In Dignity - Downton Abbey Hogwarts fusion AU

Snakes and Lions - In Thomas, Jimmy finds that courage isn't exclusive to Gryffindors. Now if only he could find some himself. (Jimmy Kent/Thomas Barrow)

The House Elf and the Lioness - "Honestly Sybil, he's practically a house elf," Mary exclaimed when she caught them kissing in the stacks. (Sybil Crawley/Tom Branson, Mary Crawley)

The Owl & the Son-of-a-Squib - Matthew and Isobel Crawley were quite shocked when an owl swooped down and dropped an envelope on their breakfast table. (Matthew Crawley, Isabel Crawley, Mary Crawley, Joseph Molesley)

Queen of Lower Chelsea - (Ultimate Spider-Man comics) Jessica Drew may not be a real girl, but she's trying to build a real life.

Stop Clicking Your Red Heels - Jessica Drew takes a shower and her first steps into her new life. (Jessica Drew. OCs)

And Everybody Used to Call You Lucky - Peter can afford to do the right thing, but Jessica doesn't have that luxury. (Jessica Drew)

Fingertips that Might Ignite - Peter is straight like a straight thing. Jessica isn't sure what she is. (Jessica Drew/Johnny Storm, Jessica Drew/OFC)

Bursts of Stardust - (Star Wars films) Collection of short stories.

Bursts of Stardust 1

Bursts of Stardust 2

Bursts of Stardust 3

Second Verse - (A Song of Ice and Fire) Theon Greyjoy leapt off the walls of Winterfell and ended up in his own past. Second verse, same as the first, a little bit louder and a little bit worse.

Second Verse - Theon Greyjoy leaps from Winterfell's walls and ends up in his past. Can he save the Starks from themselves? More importantly, does he even want to? (Theon Greyjoy, Stark Family)

Little Bit Louder, Little Bit Worse - In a world where the War of the Five Kings goes very differently, Asha Greyjoy sails north to retrieve her brother. (Asha Greyjoy, Theon Greyjoy, Robb Stark)

Tango Verse - (Supernatural/Dollhouse crossover) Sam decides the best way to help his brother recover from Hell is to wipe his memory. It does not go as planned.

Obliviate - Sam paves a road with good intentions and some advice from Harry Potter. After all, Hermione erased her parent's memories to protect them. How is it any different if Sam does it to help Dean? (Sam Winchester, Ruby)

A Tango Dance Dance Revolution - The latest Active is a tall white guy with green eyes, pouty lips and ridiculous cheekbones. Wiping him is just another day at the office. (Topher Brink, Dean Winchester)

Two to Tango - Nothing stays buried; not memories, not guilt, not the demon apocalypse. They always claws their way back up to bite you in the ass. (Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Castiel, Ruby, Adelle Dewitt, OCs) Abandoned WIP

[patheticblorbloscholar]

Top nine favorite shows here we go *cracks knuckles*

1. Smallville- This came on when I was 11 and it fundamentally changed me as a human.

2. Downton Abbey- British aristos and basically a British period drama soap opera featuring one of the first queer characters I have ever seen on television and my blorblo Thomas Barrow

3. Queer as folk[U.S version] The show for queer content from the early 2000s and still has me in a chokehold today

4. Shera and the princesses of power- absolutely amazing and spectacular animation with an amazing queer cast

5. Bob's burgers- one of my many comfort shows. I feel seen when I watch this disaster of a family.

6. The O.C- perfect amount of drama with an adopted son that is near and dear to my heart-Ryan Cohen means the world to me.

7. The Fosters- I am drawn to the found family and the queerness of the show.

8. Cobra Kai- I still don't know why but I love the show that's in my head more than on my screen but Johnny lawrence, Robby Keene, Lawrusso and found family theme keeps me rewatching it occasionally.

9. Supernatural- I don't know why, it ended horribly but I love castiel with all my heart.

10. Spartacus- queer gladiators. I love it with all my heart.

Top Nine Favourite Shows

(off the top of my head, and surprising absolutely no one)

Tagged by @ablazenqueen thank you <3

Haikyuu you all know how I feel about my volleybabies <3

Goblin for all your romantic/depressive crying needs

The IT Crowd it's just a classic, you know?

The Terror but season 1 specifically

Until We Meet Again Love is stored in the food. Also I'm a sucker for soulmates

Yuri!!! On Ice "See you next level" WHEN Kubo-sensei???

Black Books because who doesn't like bitter binge-drinking bastards?

Gravity Falls this is just what having siblings is like

Loveless catboy BL, fighting with a bondage aestethic? Does it hold up? Possibly not, but this shit came out when I was 16 and Peak target audience and I keep crying over it so I will accept no critiscism

Tagging @silversoulstardust @imaginarydragonling @hobbitsus @krippe90 @tbiris @wanderingwistfulness and anyone else who wants to play

[patheticblorbloscholar]

I posted 21,281 times in 2022

That's 4,979 more posts than 2021!

113 posts created (1%)

21,168 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@bestieswithmydarkthoughts

@spongebobssquarepants

@cas-as-in-ass

@manesalex

@klaushargreeveses

I tagged 3,323 of my posts in 2022

#cobra kai - 469 posts

#johnny lawrence - 188 posts

#lawrusso - 162 posts

#our flag means death - 140 posts

#daniel larusso - 137 posts

#terry silver - 124 posts

#thomas barrow - 120 posts

#ofmd - 110 posts

#destiel - 108 posts

#cobra kai spoilers - 91 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#thomas felt like the walls were slowly closing in. his breathes rapid as he swayed on unsteady feet. he gripped the newest letter in his ha

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Love how they brought hays code queer love back just for us.

We are special to these writers.

83 notes - Posted January 2, 2022

#4

If they just had gay sex it would fix the entire narrative.

88 notes - Posted November 28, 2022

#3

If this show was written by queer writers this show would have went full queer. No queer subtext that shit would have been TEXT

95 notes - Posted October 1, 2022

#2

What's a super without their Luthor?

See the full post

168 notes - Posted September 3, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

No no dude listen Cobra Kai is super gay. It is a queer story but the writers are scared to say gay because they listen to their right wing fans and are still stuck in the mindset that queer characters will drive the audience away.

372 notes - Posted August 18, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[michaelcosio]

The Rum Diary - Official Trailer (2011)

Aug 26, 2011

Based on the debut novel by Hunter S. Thompson, "The Rum Diary" tells the increasingly unhinged story of itinerant journalist Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp). Tiring of the noise and madness of New York and the crushing conventions of late Eisenhower-era America, Kemp travels to the pristine island of Puerto Rico to write for a local newspaper, The San Juan Star, run by downtrodden editor Lotterman (Richard Jenkins). Adopting the rum-soaked life of the island, Paul soon becomes obsessed with Chenault (Amber Heard), the wildly attractive Connecticut-born fiancée of Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart). Sanderson, a businessman involved in shady property development deals, is one of a growing number of American entrepreneurs who are determined to convert Puerto Rico into a capitalist paradise in service of the wealthy. When Kemp is recruited by Sanderson to write favorably about his latest unsavory scheme, the journalist is presented with a choice: to use his words for the corrupt businessmen's financial benefit, or use them to take the bastards down.

Filming began in Puerto Rico in March 2009. It is currently set to be released on October 28, 2011.

Production Hunter S. Thompson wrote the novel The Rum Diary in 1961, but the novel was not published until 1998. The independent production companies Shooting Gallery and SPi Films sought to adapt the novel into a film in 2000, and actor Johnny Depp was signed to star and to serve as executive producer. Nick Nolte was also signed to star alongside Depp. The project did not move past the development stage. During this stage, Hunter S. Thompson became so frustrated as to fire off an obscenity-laden letter calling the process a "waterhead fuckaround".

In 2002, a new producer sought the project, and Benicio del Toro and Josh Hartnett were signed to star in the film adaptation. The second incarnation also did not move past the development stage. In 2007, producer Graham King acquired all rights to the novel and sought to film the adaptation under Warner Independent Pictures. Depp, who previously starred in the 1998 film adaptation of Thompson's novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, was cast as the freelance journalist Paul Kemp. Amber Heard is reported to have won the role out over Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley. Bruce Robinson joined to write the screenplay and to direct The Rum Diary. In 2009, Depp's production company Infinitum Nihil took on the project with the financial backing of King and his production company GK Films. Principal photography began in Puerto Rico on March 25, 2009. Composer Christopher Young has signed on to compose the film's soundtrack.

The alcoholic Robinson had been sober for six-and-a-half years before he started writing the screenplay for The Rum Diary. The filmmaker found himself suffering from writer's block. He started drinking again, a bottle of alcohol a day until he finished the script and then he quit drinking again. He spent a year filming in Puerto Rico, Mexico and Hollywood and resisted drinking until they arrived in Fajardo. Robinson remembers, "It was 100 degrees at two in the morning and very humid. Everyone's drenched in sweat. One of the prop guys goes by with a barrow-load of ice and Coronas. I said: 'Johnny, this doesn't mean anything.' And reached for a Corona." … Some savage drinking took place. When I was no longer in Johnny's environment I went back to sobriety."

[grindhousecellar]

[toddjurgess]

Mean Johnny Barrows (one of four films directed by Fred Williamson in 1976)

[feigeroman]

My NRM Visit

The other day, me and my mum embarked on a grand adventure to the National Railway Museum. Having previously tried and failed to visit on two previous occasions, we naturally made the most of our day there. I in particular took many, many photos, and there now follows but a small sample of these:

It wouldn’t be a Tumblr post without a crab, and so we start with an LMS Crab 2-6-0 - this is in fact the first of the class, LMS #13000 (later #2700).

LMS Royal Saloon #799. Originally built in 1941 as an armoured saloon for the Queen Mother, who used it to travel around the country to boost morale during the War. This saloon was used by the Royal Family right up until 1977, when the present royal train came into service.

GNR J13 0-6-0ST #1247. This was the first steam engine ever to be privately purchased direct from British Railways, in 1959. Mum for scale.

Waterloo Station 1967 by Terence Cuneo. Exactly what it says on the tin. As with all of Cuneo’s paintings, this one is crammed with all sorts of little details and cameos (including his trademark mouse, who is sitting on top of the Johnnie Walker advert to the right).

SECR D Class 4-4-0, #737. Not a whole lot to say about this one that hasn’t been said already. I just included it here to provide context for the next photo. Speaking of which:

Pullman coach Topaz, with whom #737 currently shares exhibition space. Rather than the traditional chocolate-and-cream, this Pullman carries its original crimson livery, which seems to have been the inspiration for that worn by the Pullmans seen in Thomas.

BR (SR) Merchant Navy 4-6-2 #35029, Ellerman Lines. As you can see, she’s been cut in half to more easily demonstrate how a steam locomotive works. Which is pretty neat, even if it does make for a rather grisly spectacle.

Furness #3 0-4-0, Coppernob. Also known as that engine who used to be on display in Barrow-In-Furness, and still carries literal battle scars from a 1941 air raid on that town. Also also known as Nobby, if you’re @mean-scarlet-deceiver​ or any of their followers.

LNER A4 4-6-2 #4468, Mallard. I couldn’t not take a photo of the world’s fastest steam engine (whose 126mph record was quantified by the dynamometer car just visible in the background).

And finally, the little blue bugger himself - specifically an RG Mitchells kiddie ride from about 1994.

[fielran]

A (not so) Brief Guide to Titles and Prefixes on Downton Abbey

Married vs Unmarried Women

All downstairs characters should be either Miss or Mrs. The prefix Ms. did not come into common use until the late 1960s and so is anachronistic -- it is not a shortened version of Miss, but rather a marital-status neutral alternative to the other prefixes in use.

"Miss" denotes an unmarried character, regardless of age.

"Mrs" or "Misses" denotes a married or widowed character, or rarely, an upper female servant. Remember the exchange from S1--

Joe Burns: I notice you call yourself Misses.

Mrs Hughes: Housekeepers and cooks are always Misses. You know better than anyone I haven't changed my name.

Joe Burns: Well, I know you wouldn't change it to Burns when you had the chance.

Miss or Mrs are also used for any middle or upper class characters who do not have titles, including courtesy titles.

Use of Prefixes for Servants

The lower servants, including maids and footmen, are referred to by first name only, both by upstairs and downstairs characters.

Lady's maids, valets, and male upper servants are referred to by prefix and last name by downstairs characters, but by only last name by upstairs characters. For example, Mrs. Hughes says "Miss O'Brien" but Cora and Robert say only "O'Brien". Female upper servants get the prefix from everyone, even Lord Grantham:

Mrs Patmore: I promise you, milord, if I could just be allowed a bit more time--

Robert, Earl of Grantham: Mrs Patmore, I've not asked you here to give you your notice.

For example, Thomas Barrow starts as a footman, and everyone calls him Thomas. During the war, he is Corporal or Sergeant Barrow, then he is called Thomas again after, as a footman. When he becomes Robert's valet, he is Mr Barrow downstairs, or Barrow upstairs, and remains that way throughout his remaining promotions. He is also called Mr Barrow by the children. It may be this is a peculiarity, or the children may be expected to refer to unrelated adults using their title.

Anna is a bit of a strange case - she properly ought to be Mrs. Bates downstairs and Bates upstairs after she becomes a lady's maid, but perhaps to avoid confusion with her husband who is also Bates upstairs, the change never happens.

Phyllis Baxter is Baxter upstairs, Miss Baxter downstairs. If Mrs Hughes retires and Phyllis takes her place, she would be Mrs. Baxter. If she actually gets around to marrying Molesley at some point, with no promotion, she would be Mrs Molesley downstairs, Molesley upstairs.

Tom Branson as chauffeur is called Branson by both upstairs and downstairs characters - at least those who are not in a relationship with him. After his marriage to Lady Sybil, he is called Mr Branson by those outside the family.

Daisy is called by only her first name as a scullery and kitchen maid. There are no other undercooks to compare, so I am unsure whether she ought to be Mrs Mason. If Mrs Patmore retires and she becomes the cook, she should become Mrs Mason (or Mrs Parker, if she actually gets around to marrying Andy by then).

Titles for Nobility

There are 2 main types of titles used by the 'nobility': Substantive titles, and courtesy titles.

Substantive titles are for those who hold titles in their own right. This includes hereditary peers, like Lord Grantham, as well as life peers. The title holders have seats in the House of Lords.

Courtesy titles are for those connected to title holders - wives and widows, children, and other male-line heirs. Wives and widows hold legal, though not substantive, titles. Children of title holders are considered socially as nobility; however, legally speaking they are commoners and can be elected to the house of commons.

Lord Grantham is the only member of the Crawley family with a substantive title during the time of the series. All the others use courtesy titles. As the wife and widow of title holders, Cora and Violet are Lady [title], in this case Lady Grantham.

Legitimate daughters of a hereditary Marquess, Duke, or Earl or his direct male-line heirs are Lady [first name]: Lady Sybil, etc. They retain this styling if they marry someone without a title. In Pride and Prejudice, Darcy's aunt Lady Catherine, daughter of an Earl, had been married to Sir Lewis de Bourgh, who held only a knighthood and no title, so she remained Lady Catherine. Violet Crawley married Robert's father, the Earl of Grantham, and so her married title of Lady Grantham took precedence over any title she used previously, even if her father had higher precedence.

This courtesy title does not carry on to their children. Sybbie Branson cannot claim her mother's courtesy title, and her father Tom Branson has no title of his own, so she will be Miss, not Lady. Under formal etiquette, she and any future siblings would be styled like the Bennets - Miss Branson for an adult Sybil, as the eldest unmarried daughter, Miss [first name] for any additional unmarried daughters. However, they would not necessarily follow such protocol unless they are active socially in the upper class - if Mr Branson marries Lucy and she inherits, for example. The middle and lower class, especially more radical members thereof, did not hold closely to this tradition by the time Sybbie would be an adult.

The eldest son and heir of the hereditary holder of a title in the top 3 ranks - duke, marquess, or earl - can use one of the title holder's subsidiary titles as a courtesy title. We don't know if Grantham has a subsidiary title, because nobody alive during the show is entitled to use it. If there is one, Robert would have used it prior to his father's death; however, James was not Robert's son and therefore could not use the title, nor could Patrick or Matthew. George, although he is Robert's grandson and heir, cannot use the title because he is inheriting through Matthew rather than Robert.

The younger sons of Dukes and Marquesses are given the courtesy title Lord [first name]. The younger sons of Earls without subsidiary titles, as well as all sons of other nobles, are styled The Honourable [first name] [last name], as: "The Honourable Evelyn Napier, son and heir to Viscount Branksome." Tim Grey is also "The Honourable", although he will not inherit if Larry has any legitimate sons.

Adopted children were not entitled to a courtesy title at the time Downton Abbey takes place, so there will be no title for Marigold even if Bertie adopts her or Edith acknowledges her.

Young Children

Young children of higher standing than the speaker should be referred to as Master or Miss, regardless of actual titles. So in Downton's nursery we have Master George, Miss Sybbie, Miss Caroline, and Johnny.

So What Does That All Mean for Whoever I'm Writing About?

Robert would have been Master Robert as a child, Viscount Something - the wiki says Viscount Downton - as a young man, prior to his father's death, and of course is Lord Grantham in the time of the show. Had he had a son while his father was still living, that son may have used another subsidiary title, if one exists, or have been styled "The Honourable". Any brothers Robert had would also be styled "The Honourable".

Cora would have been Miss Levinson prior to her marriage, Viscountess Something after, then finally Duchess of Grantham. She may one day become the Dowager Duchess of Grantham.

Mary would remain Lady Mary after both marriages, as neither Matthew or Henry has a title. However, had Matthew lived to become Earl of Grantham, she would have become Countess of Grantham at that time. Carson may have called her Miss Mary as a child.

Sybil Crawley would remain Lady Sybil, though she would use Branson's last name.

Edith would change from Lady Edith to the Marchioness of Hexam on her marriage. Her illegitimate daughter Marigold would have no title, even if adopted by Lord Hexam. Her firstborn son would use a subsidiary title, and younger sons would be called Lord [first name]. The firstborn son of her firstborn son would also likely have a subsidiary title. Additional daughters would be Lady [first name].

Bertie went from an untitled Mr Pelham to the Marquess of Hexam. His mother did not gain a title and is called Mrs Pelham.

Sybbie Branson is Miss Sybbie now, and will be Miss Branson. She will not have a title unless she marries into one.

George Crawley is Master George now, and will be Mr Crawley until he inherits the title Earl of Grantham. He is not Viscount Downton.

Marigold is Miss Marigold, and will be Miss whatever-last-name-they-decide-to-use. I don't know what that is, and there isn't one listed on the wiki. Miss Pelham if Bertie adopts her.

Caroline is Miss Caroline, and will be Miss Talbot.

Evelyn Napier is The Horourable Evelyn Napier. He is addressed directly as Mr Napier. After his father's death, he will be Viscount Branksome.

Anthony Foyle is Viscount Gillingham. Prior to his father's death, he was an Honourable.

Larry and Amelia Grey are styled The Honorable Mr and Mrs Larry Grey. They will be Baron and Baroness Merton on his father's death.

Let me know if there are any other characters you aren’t sure of, and I’ll try to add them.

[lboogie1906]

Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (June 14, 1932 – March 9, 2004) was an innovative composer whose interests spanned the worlds of jazz, dance, pop, film, television, and classical music. He was named after Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

He attended the High School of Music and Art in New York City. After graduating from high school, he attended NYU. He transferred to the Manhattan School of Music. He received a BA and an MA from the Manhattan School of Music. He studied at Princeton University. He was on the faculty of Brooklyn College and studied conducting in the summers in the Netherlands with Franco Ferrara and Dean Dixon and learned to conduct at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.

He co-founded the Symphony of the New World and became its Music Director. He was the Music Director of Jerome Robbins’s American Theater Lab and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He composed a ballet for Ailey entitled For Bird, With Love.

He wrote a great deal of classical music but was well-versed in jazz and popular music. He served as pianist for drummer Max Roach’s quartet and wrote arrangements for Roach, Marvin Gaye, and Harry Belafonte. He composed music for films such as The McMasters, Together for Days, A Warm December, Thomasine & Bushrod, The Education of Sonny Carson, Amazing Grace, Mean Johnny Barrows, and the documentary Montgomery to Memphis about Martin Luther King. He wrote incidental music for at least one episode of the TV show Room 222.

His music has a blend of Baroque counterpoint; American Romanticism; elements of the blues, spirituals, and Black folk music; and rhythmic ingenuity. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[tcm]

Just Give Her the Spotlight - The Marvelous Mrs. Miller By Constance Cherise

In 1987 at the age of 64, legendary tap dancer Ann Miller performed “Shakin’ the Blues Away” on the television special Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood. In 1988, Miller performed a medley from the nine-year running production “Sugar Babies” on the Palladium stage along with Mickey Rooney, and in 1989 she performed the tap dance routine from 42ND STREET (‘33) for the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park Grand Opening television special.

While recently watching these productions, I feared that I was going to witness a frail elderly woman, who was still convinced she “had it,” either embarrass or hurt herself. Thankfully, my future 64-year-old self is encouraged to say I was utterly wrong.

I watched each performance with unblinking eyes, in complete shock and jaw-dropping disbelief. Generally, mature performers are surrounded by dancers and ornamentation as distraction, while the older dancer waves their arms and kick their feet a time or two then get whisked off stage. Not so with Ann Miller. It’s true, a bevy of tap dancers joins her, but they are only for Broadway effect. She owns every performance, complete with her rapid-fire footwork and powerful Broadway belt (and when I state the term “belt,” I do not mean she sang well for her age, I mean “where did that voice come from Ethel Merman belt”). Miller claimed she never had to practice vocalizing, that her power came naturally. I suppose being used to many stars that were dubbed, I never questioned whether Miller’s voice was actually being used during her performances. I was too busy dissecting her dazzling costumes, lavish sets and trying to figure out how she could possibly execute gun-machine taps and appear as if her feet did not leave the ground.

Houston-born Johnnie Lucille Collier (her father anticipated a boy) aka Ann Miller was enrolled in dance school from the age of six. And, after confronting her philandering father who was caught red-handed with a nude woman in his bed, Miller and her mother of Cherokee descent, Clara, moved to California.

The naturally adept Miller eventually won a contest where she appeared for two weeks at the Orpheum Theatre. At 13 years old while performing at a supper club, Miller was discovered by talent scout Benny Rubin and comedienne Lucille Ball, who suggested she test with RKO. Required to prove her age, Miller enlisted her father, a criminal lawyer whose clients included Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker (yes, that Bonnie and Clyde), to provide a false birth certificate stating she was 18 years old. As she began quite young in films, her mother Clara was her constant companion and protector, a memory that Miller would speak fondly of. The two remained close until Clara’s passing. Miller worked for multiple studios including RKO, Columbia and MGM, toured with major Broadway productions and had numerous television appearances.

Her debut was an uncredited role in ANNE OF GREEN GABLES (‘34). She performed on Broadway at age 16, and after a two-year stint she returned to Hollywood. She mainly appeared in B films until she auditioned for MGM’s EASTER PARADE (‘48), where she performed the entertaining number “Shaking the Blues Away.” In an interview with Robert Osborne, Miller admits to performing the number in a brace, due to her former husband’s physical abuse where in a drunken rage, he threw her down a flight of stairs breaking her back. Miller, who was nine months pregnant at the time, gave birth to her daughter, who tragically survived for only a few days.

A believer in the metaphysical, Miller wrote a book, Tapping Into the Force, about what she concluded were her psychic gifts. She would recall during the opening night of “Sugar Babies” in New York while standing alongside Rooney: "In the middle of the number, I felt this force hit me! It almost knocked the breath out of me. All of a sudden I started singing like I'd never sung before!” When returning backstage, her earring, which was securely fastened, fell from her ear landing near a piece of scenery with the letters “J-U-D.” Miller stated, “This inner voice I have said...Ann it's me, Judy!” In explaining her supernatural experience to Rooney, Miller revealed to Rooney, "Judy was on the stage with us tonight,” to which Rooney replied…“I know it.”

Big hair jokes aside, there really is something absolutely adorable about Miller that is hard to place your finger on. Beams of light still seemed to emanate from her face in her elder years. Not only was she the consummate professional, exuberant and entertaining with the mind of a steel trap, she was an essential keeper of the flame of all things Golden Age.

Her performances in KISS ME KATE (‘53), EASTER PARADE (‘48), LOVELY TO LOOK AT (‘52) and HIT THE DECK (‘55) were showstoppers, and those are only from her MGM years. Even her Stan Freberg directed Great American Soup commercial was one-minute and three-seconds of camp genius. If you are a musical fan and have not seen this commercial, stop reading now and look it up...don’t worry, I’ll wait. The way she rips her apron off to reveal her glittering costume as if she has been desperately awaiting this chance for her entire life, the overwhelming expression of sheer unadulterated rapture on her face, how she tosses her top hat with dynamic gusto, performing her signature twirls returning to the set of the kitchen— there is even a touch of Busby Berkeley for good measure. It simply could not be more gloriously MGM-musical perfect.

“It’s funny I never studied a lot of acting, I just thought acting was being me!”-Ann Miller

Usually, I have no issue detailing my favorite performances, however, with Miller I simply cannot. Each performance is consistently perfect and sure-footed with precise accuracy—it's almost impossible to choose one over another. Although she was not a Hollywood leading lady, she was showbiz through and through. Miller did, however, state in a 1990 interview with Bob Thomas, “Sugar Babies gave me the stardom that my soul kind of yearned for.'' If you watch her in interviews and her performances, you will find there is no line of delineation. Miller was a willing, fully assembled readymade pre-packaged star born for the spotlight. From her earliest performance to her last, one thing is resoundingly true—Ann Miller was not created for Tinseltown, Tinseltown was created for Ann Miller.

[hiddenwashington]

@softsliders19​ said : This is such a hard decision for me to make but I think I'm going to have to leave the group. My personal life is just such a mess right now and I just don't think it's fair to all of you. I've loved my time here and once everything is sorted I'm definitely going to try and come back but for right now I have a lot of things to sort out. I love you all and I wish you all the best!

hi katherine , we’re totally going to miss you , but we completely understand as well ! we hope things get better for you in the near future because we wish you the absolute best , my love ! if you ever wish to return , we’ll be here to welcome you back , but thank you for lending us your talents for so long regardless ! we’re glad you’re doing what’s best for you , even if that means us no longer having you around here in hidden. good luck with all your future endeavors , angel ! but with that being said : alec hardison , aziraphale , basira hussain , clare devlin , david haller , david rose , din djarin , dirk gently , eleanor crain , eleventh doctor , emma perkins , eve polastri , glenn rhee , guillermo de la cruz , jean-ralphio saperstein , jim hopper , johnny lawrence , josh washington , kimiko miyashiro , lisa minci , louis de pointe du lac , lu hendrich , marceline , miles morales , patricia williamson , phoenix wright , richie tozier , ron weasley , samwise gamgee , sophie hatter , & thomas barrow are now reopened , please unfollow.