Antiques Roadshow (Monday, August 11, 2008)

A few weeks ago, my colleague Martina S. was watching The Antiques Roadshow on WVIA and heard a passing reference to Wilkes-Barre.

On the episode that aired Monday, August 11th, a woman exhibited a $75,000 chest that dated back to 1780. She said her relatives lives in Wilkes-Barre at one time and thought it was a Pennsylvania chest, but it was actually a Connecticut chest.

Thanks again to Martina S. for the reference.

Diary of the Dead (Screenplay by George A. Romero), July 2006

My colleague Brian Detrick, who works in our library's Technical Services Department and is a true horror buff (check out his awesome blog, Were80s Horror), recently showed me a copy of a screenplay he purchased of the recent horror flick George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead; he told he was shocked to see a reference to Scranton, PA in the dialogue.

In Diary of the Dead (a continuation of the zombie film series that Pittsburgh native George A. Romero began with 1968's Night of the Living Dead and continued with Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead and Land of the Dead), a group of young film students run into real-life zombies while filming a horror movie of their own.

The Scranton reference occurs early in the scripy (pages 18-19), when the filmmakers are riding in a van and filming introductions of themselves. The script is dated July 2006:

DEBRA

Debra Moynihan. I'm just trying to get home, too. Like Mary.

JASON (O.S.)

Where's home, Debra? Where are you trying to get to?

DEBRA

You know where I live.

JASON (O.S.)

Say it.

TONY (O.S.)

Say it, Debra. For the camera.

Tears well up in Debra's eyes as she SHOUTS...

DEBRA

SCRANTON! (Then, calming down) Scranton, Pennsylvania. That's my home. My parents' home, anyway. And my little brother's.

However, I'm not certain this was the final version of the script used in the 2007 film. According to the Internet Movie Database, the character of Debra--who actually says Scranton in the screenplay--is not listed as a character in the film.

If there are any readers of the blog out there who has seen Diary of the Dead and knows for certain if the Scranton reference was included in the actual film, please email me.

Thanks again to Brian Detrick for this truly terrifying Scranton reference. And check out Brian's Were80s Horror blog.

Check out the trailer for Diary of the Dead below:

http://diaryofthedead.com/

The New Yorker (January 28, 2008, Volume 83, Issue 45)

A couple of months ago, my colleague (and regular contributor to our blog) Evelyn Gibbons found a local reference in The New Yorker.

On page 25 of the January 28, 2008 issue of The New Yorker, there is an article by Ben McGrath titled Red Carpet Dept.: Step On It, from the magazine's popular The Talk of the Town section. The article discusses the eighth annual banquet of the Valera Global Limosuine Company and previous Chauffeur of the Year winner Souleymane Bah. The article highlights the fact that Bah lives in Blakeslee, Pennsylvania.

To read the full article, click here.

An abundance of the thanks to the sizzlin' Evelyn Gibbons for another great reference.

Entertainment Weekly (August 22/29, 2008, Issue #1007/1008)

Check out this week's double issue of Entertainment Weekly, the one with Harry Potter and the Fall Movie Preview on the cover.

On page 110 is The Ausiello Files, a column by EW writer Michael Ausiello that contains questions from readers requesting spoilers and such for their favorite television shows. One in particular caught my eye this week:

"Office news. You have it. I want it. Give it up! - Pamela

"Given all the tomfoolery that transpires at Dunder-Mifflin, it's kind of shocking to think that we've yet to meet this guy, but this season The Office will finally be introducing the paper company's head of HR. However, since he'll be heard before he's actually seen in Scranton, there's still time for Michael to remove that hidden camera in the ladies' room."

Mad Men, "Flight 1" (Season 2, Episode 2) (August 3, 2008)

My extra-ultra-groovy colleague Elizabeth Davis from the Lackawanna County Children's Library, a huge fan of the AMC original series Mad Men, was quite surprised when she was watching this week's episode and suddenly hear the words Wilkes-Barre, PA come out of one of the characters' mouths.

Mad Men, created by Matthew Weiner (The Sopranos), is the first original series from tevevision network AMC (American Movie Classics). Set in New York City, Mad Men takes place amid the changing social mores in the early 1960s and centers on the fictional Madison Avenue advertising agency Sterling Cooper and its high level executive Don Draper (Jon Hamm), as well as his colleagues.

In addition to winning the 2007 Peabody Award, Mad Men recently made history by being the first basic-cable series (it shares the honor with Damages) to be nominated for the Prime Time Emmy Award for Best Drama (just one of a total of 16 Emmy nominations).

The Wilkes-Barre reference occurs about halfway through Flight 1, the second episode of the second season which had its premiere on Sunday, August 3rd. which first aired on Sunday, August 3rd. The character of Sis is talking to Peggy (Eilzabeth Moss) about how their mother lies about Peggy's activities to save face in front of her gossipy neighbors. Mom tells the nosy neighbors that the reason Peggy is is never seen at their church is because she is always out of town on business and even makes up a fictitious church that she attends in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

To watch the complete "Flight 1" episode of Mad Men online, click here.

A big ol' holla to Elizabeth Davis for this reference.

www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/

Louis Teicher, Pianist (Ferrante & Teicher) (1924-2008)

Regular blog contributor (and my gorgeous esteemed colleague) Evelyn Gibbons left an article from this morning's Citizens' Voice on my shelf this afternoon; the article announced the passing of Louis Teicher, a pianist best known as one half of the legendary piano duo Ferrante & Teicher. My parents had several of the duo's LPs in their collection when I was a child (including an album with a sexy 1960s era model posed against a gold background on the cover and a killer samba-like version of Chopsticks on the vinyl), so I have known of them as a child in the 1970s. But I have absolutely no idea that Louis Teicher was a Wilkes-Barre native until I read that he passed away this past Sunday (August 3rd) of heart failure.

Louis Teicher was born in Wilkes-Barre on August 24, 1924; he lived there until he was 5 years old, but he continued to spend his summers and even took his first piano lessons in W-B. Furthermore, his first concert was at the age of 8 at what is now Wyoming Seminary.

A child prodigy, Teicher attended the Juilliard School of Music at a mere 6 years of ageand receivied his diploma at the age of 16. He joined the Juilliard faculty when he was a mere 20 years old.

Teicher met his musical partner Arthur Ferrante (b. September 7, 1921) at Juilliard and began performing together while still in school, where Ferrante also became a faculty member.

The two pianists officially launched their professional partnership as Ferrante & Teicher in 1947. They became famous for their film themes (such as The Apartment and Exodus) and toured extensively for over 50 years, even playing several concerts in Scranton.

Sadly, Louis Teicher passed away on Sunday, August 3, 2008 from heart failure at his summer home in Highlands, North Carolina. He was 83 years old.

To read the article from the Citizens Voice, click here. For the article in the Times Leader, click here. Click here to read his obituary from the New York Times.

The Lackawanna County Library System includes 2 CDs by Ferrante & Teicher in our collection. Feel free to place holds on either 1990's The Greatest Love Songs of All or 1997's reissue of their 1959 album Blast Off! (featuring another sexy version of Chopsticks).

A great big THANK YOU to the incandescent Evelyn Gibbons for this reference.

Also, a special thank you to Mark Anthony Ferrante for clarifying via email the place where Mr. Teicher passed away.

www.ferranteandteicher.com/

Blondie (Friday, August 1, 2008)

Comic Courtesy of King Features

Don McKeon, who I can always count on for some good Scranton references, emailed me on Sunday about a reference to Scranton in a recent Blondie comic strip:

"Hello!

It's been a while but I came across a mention of "Scranton" in the comic section of Friday's Aug. 01, 2008 Scranton Times. Dagwood, from the Blondie comic strip, is looking for some perfume as a gift for his wife but all the "fancy" selections are too costly. He finally settles on just the right item, a cologne costing $6.50 an ounce called "Ned McGillicutty of Scranton". It's cute. Take care."

Created by Chic Young, the popular Blondie comic strips have been published in newspapers around the country since September 8, 1930.

The Blondie comic with the Scranton reference can be seen in full by either clicking on the image above or visiting the Official Blondie and Dagwood web site; a direct link to the Scranton comic can be viewed by clicking right here.

Much thanks again to the eternally observant Don McKeon for another great Scranton reference. Keep 'em comin'!

http://www.blondie.com/

Request for Information Regarding W-B Based Film Companies "De Frenes and Company" or "BDF Films"

A reader of this blog, Mike Champlin, recently sent me a question that I need your help with. He writes:

"Hi Bill-

"I saw your blog and thought you might be the right person to ask about this company 'De Frenes and Company, Wilkes-Barre, PA' which produced films from 1920 to well into the 1950s.

"Is there any institution in Wilkes-Barre that may have information about this company, or its sister company 'B.D.F Films'?

"I am doing research on a film this company produced in 1921 'A Movie Trip Through Film Land'. The goal would be to research what became of the production company and to discover if any of their records or production materials survive. Thank you for taking the time to read this and considering my request. Any help would be most appreciated.

Best,
Mike Champlin"

I did refer Mike to both the Osterhout Free Library in Wilkes-Barre and the Luzerne County Historical Society. BUT I need your help, too. If there are any local history or movie buffs out there who are familiar with either De Frenes and Company or BDF Films (both now defunct, but originally based in Wilkes-Barre, PA), will you PLEASE help Mike by emailing me with any information you have? Or you can even leave me a message in the Meebo box on the lefthand side of the blog.

Thanks for your question, Mike, and I'll do my best to seek an answer for you. But if you find it first, please email me too so I can post the info here in the blog.

Thanks :-)

Entertainment Weekly, (July 25, 2008, Issue #1003)

On page two of this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly (the Letters Page), is a brief box detailing this past weekend's The Office Games, which were held in Scranton, PA, hosted by cast member Mindy Kaling. It begins, "Beijing's got nothing on Scranton, PA." Readers were also invited to log on to EW's PopWatch Blog to put in their suggestions for The Office Games. To read the EW blog entry (some of the comments are quite funny), click here.

David Lepore, Set Designer and Emmy Winner for "Come On Over"

David Lepore of Wilkes-Barre recently won an Emmy Award from the Michigan Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The Emmy was for Best Graphic Arts-Set Design for the regional children's show Come On Over, filmed and televised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Lepore shares the award with co-set designer Bob Phillips.

Come On Over won a total of 5 Emmy Awards on June 7th,

Click here to read the article from the Citizens' Voice.

Congratulations, David. Well done!

Thank you to Evelyn Gibbons for this reference.

"Kelly" from "The Office" To Visit Scranton July 19th; "Kevin" in The Electric City the 25th and 26th

UPDATED 7/11/08

I have good news to report for fans of NBC's The Office--not one, but TWO cast members have planned visits to Scranton, both scheduled for July.

Mindy Kaling, who portrays Kelly, will be in Scranton on Saturday, July 19th at The Mall at Steamtown to celebrate the release of The Office Official Board Game and The Office Official DVD Board Game. This will be Mindy's second visit to Scranton (her first being The Office Convention last October). Mindy will also officiate “The Office Games” all day, starting with a 2k Fun Run and ending with a beet-eating contest. In between, there will be trivia contests and an autograph signing session. Proceeds from the day's events will benefit United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania in Scranton.

On Friday, July 25th, Brian Baumgarten (who portrays Kevin on the show), will be in Scranton to visit local landmarks. Baumgarten is also scheduled to attend The Counting Crows/Maroon 5 concert (with Special Guest Sara Bareilles of "Love Song" fame) at the Toyota Pavillion at Montage Mountain on Saturday, July 26th. It's not too late to purchase tickets for the concert by clicking here. This will be his third visit to Scranton in the past 2 years.

For more information on these two upcoming visits, click here. To register, click here.

UPDATE 7/11/08 - On a related note, my colleague Martina S. sent me the following email:

"Bill,

I don't know if this works for your blog, and maybe you already read the article on the Scranton Times website about The Office cast members winning 50,000 dollars for the Children's Advocacy Center of Northeastern PA on the Celebrity Family Fued. I didn't see the show, but usually they discuss the charity at the beginning of the show."

Click here to read the article in the Scranton Times.

Kudos, Martina!

Crawford O. "Bob" Swartz, Composer of "Home on the Range" (1855-1932)

It's a piece of American music that brings back memories of a nostalgic time and a simpler life. It was President FDR's favorite song. You may know this timeless tune as Home on the Range, but the original title was "Colorado Home" (Prospectors' Song)--and the composer was Scranton native Crawford O. "Bob" Swartz.

Crawford O. "Bob" Swartz was born in Scranton on March 26, 1855 and lived with his family (his parents and his sister Laura) on Grandview Street. In his late teens/early twenties, Swartz set out for Leadville, Colorado to seek his fortune as a gold prospector.

During a stormy winter in 1885, Swartz would gather with a group of friends and musically-inclined fellow prospectors at a local shanty he nicknamed the Junk Lane Hotel. It was there where Swartz composed the music and lyrics for a song he titled Colorado Home, or Prospector's Song. The song began with the lyrics "Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam, and the deer and the antelope play."

In a letter to his folks back home in Scranton, Swartz wrote how excited he was of his composition; he also admitted that "everyone helped make it up. If it keeps on going, it will become a popular western song." This letter, which included the lyrics to the first verse of the new song, would become a significant piece of evidence years later when the song's authorship came into question.

Swartz returned east a few years later and resided on Grandview Street in Scranton; he also worked for several years at the Lackawanna Round House. and sang Prospectors' Song to his parents and sister. Though all loved the song, nothing more was thought of it--that is until a few years later when a new and very familiar-sounding melody titled Home on the Range began to become a fixture on a brand new invention called radio. Though the melody and the lyrics of the first verse was exactly the same as Shwartz's Colorado Home, the remaining lyrics of the song were completely changed from the perspective of a gold prospector to a cowboy's point-of-view.

Crawford O. Swartz died in Scranton on March 12, 1932.

Though he never enjoyed any success or credit for Colorado Home during his lifetime, his sister Laura published the song in 1934 as Swartz originally penned it. After an Arizona couple, William and Mary Goodwin, filed lawsuit against use of what they considered their composition of Home on the Range, Laura (with the letters Swartz send in the late 1800s as proof), won the lawsuit, thus giving Swartz credit for the music of the song, as well as for co-writing the lyrics to what we now know as Home on the Range (with Swartz sharing lyric credit with Bill McCabe, Bingham Graves, et. al. for the additional and/or verses not originally included in Colorado Home).

However, controversy over the authorship of Home on the Range is still disputed today. The song, which is the state song of Kansas, is often solely credited to Dr. Brewster M. Higley.

The Mineral Information Institute also includes information about Swartz and Home on the Range on their website. To read more, click here.

Click on any of the following links to reserve CDs by a variety of artists that have recorded Home on the Range: Frank Sinatra; Peter, Paul & Mary; Roy Rogers; Mannheim Steamroller; and local recording artists The Lyric Consort.

A GREAT BIG THANKS to B.R. Francis from Broomfield, Colorado. B.R. is a relative of the late Crawford O. Shwartz, and she visited Scranton a few months back to do research on him.

In addition, much information for this blog entry is credited to an article titled "Scranton Man Wrote Familiar Melody," which appeared on the front page of Section II of the Wednesday, March 18, 1936 edition of The Scranton Republican. A copy of the article is in the "Music" Local History Vertical File in the Reference Department.

Dallas native Robert May's Latest Film "Bonneville" Released on DVD

The latest film by producer and Dallas, Pennsylvania native Robert May, whose previous films include the critically acclaimed The Station Agent and The Fog of War, has just been released on DVD.

May's most recent film is Bonneville and stars Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Joan Allen, Tom Skerritt and Christine Baranski. Originally released in 2006, Bonneville tells the story of three friends who come of age for a second time on a trip across the great American West.

To place a hold on the DVD of Bonneville, click here.

To read a previous entry on Robert May, click here.

Live With Regis & Kelly (Wednesday, June 18th, 2008)

Steve Carrell from NBC's The Office was a guest on this morning's Live With Regis & Kelly to promote his new film Get Smart, which opens Friday, June 20th.

During the interview, Regis Philbin brought up both last year's Office Convention (held in Scranton) and the original idea to use Scranton, Pennsylvania as the location of the fictional Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company.

Carrell stated that he heard from his fellow actors on the shows that the convention was incredible, and he himself definitely plans to attend the next Office Convention. He also stated that the producers of the hit show didn't choose Scranton, PA as a locale to make fun of the city--he said they were simply looking for an "honest town" and "a normal place where normal people work."

Kudos, Steve!

The Office will return on Thursday, September 25th at 9 PM for a one-hour season premiere.

To place a hold on the library's DVD of The Office: Season 4 (which will be released September 2nd, 2008), click here. In the meantime, you can catch up on the show and place holds on Season One, Season Two, and Season Three.

Scranton Native Lauren Weisberger's New Novel: "Chasing Harry Winston"

Scranton native and bestselling author Lauren Weisberger (The Devil Wears Prada; Everyone Worth Knowing) has a new novel titled Chasing Harry Winston. The book tells the story of a trio of best friends in Manhattan who agree to change their lives in the most personal and dramatic way possible -- and within one calendar year.

To place a hold on Chasing Harry Winston, click here.

Lauren visited Scranton last year and was a presenter as part of the Lackawanna County Library System Lecture Series.

For more information, check out Lauren's official website and a previous blog entry.

www.LaurenWeisberger.com

Wilkes-Barre native Douglas Carter Beane nominated for "Best Book of a Musical" Tony Award for Xanadu

Updated Monday, May 19th, 2008

Congratulations to playwright and Wilkes-Barre native Douglas Carter Beane, who was nominated this morning for a Best Book of a Musical Tony Award for the surprise hit Xanadu.


Xanadu was nominated for a total of 4 Tonys, including Best Actress (Kerry Butler), Best Choreography (Dan Knechtges), and Best Musical.


The Tony Awards air Sunday, June 15th at 8 PM on CBS. For a complete list of 2008 Tony nominees, click here.


For more information on Douglas Carter Beane from a previous blog entry, click here.


Good luck, Douglas!!!!! We're all rooting for you.


And don't miss Xanadu on Broadway! It's an excellent show (I'm going to see it for the THIRD time at the end of May--YES, IT'S THAT GOOD!!!).

www.XanaduOnBroadway.com

Updated Monday, May 19th, 2008: Last night, Douglas Carter Beane won the award for Outstanding Book of a Musical for Xanadu at the 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards. For a complete list of last night's winners, check out the Official Drama Desk Awards site. Congratulations, Douglas!!!!

Michael Patrick King, Sex & The City (Director/Writer/Producer) (1954- )

Scranton native Michael Patrick King, center, is the Director/Writer/Executive Producer of the highly anticipated summer movie Sex & the City: The Movie. The film stars (from left) Kim Cattrall, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon. Sex & the City: The Movie opens nationwide May 30th.

This reference is from my longtime friend and colleague Evelyn Gibbons, who called me tonight all excited to give me this info:

Check out the Summer Movies (MT) section of this past Sunday's (May 4, 2008) New York Times and, on page 4, you will find a lengthy profile of the upcoming Sex and the City: The Movie. The article features both a profile of and an extensive interview with the movie's director/writer/producer Michael Patrick King, a native of Scranton.

Michael Patrick King was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania on September 14th, 1954. In the 1980s he moved to New York City, where he worked as a playwright and stand-up comedian.

King's impressive career in television spans over two decades. He first worked as executive producer of a 1989 show called The Sweet Life, which featured host Rachel Sweet introducing short clips of movie comedies. Of interesting note is that The Sweet Life aired on a new and fledgling network called The Comedy Channel, which only years later morphed into Comedy Central.

In the early 1990s, King served as writer for the hit sitcom Murphy Brown. He went on to write and executive produce several episodes of Will & Grace. He also served as writer/director/executive producer of the short-lived HBO show The Comeback starring Lisa Kudrow.

King is best known for his work on the smash HBO series Sex & the City, which he served as writer/director/executive producer from 1999 to 2004. He was won a Best Director Emmy Award for the episode The Reel Me in 2002.

Sex & the City: The Movie, one of the most highly-anticipated movies of the Summer 2008 movie season, opens nationwide Friday, May 30th, 2008.

The New York Times article, written by Ginia Bellafante, is titled Back to the City, for More Than Just Sex. To read the article, click here.

Also of note is that the bottom of the first page of the Summer Movies section reads:

4

HIS OWN VELVET ROPE

How Michael Patrick King got

himself from Scranton

to "Sex and

the City."

Seasons 1-6 of Sex & The City are available to borrow from libraries throughout the Lackawanna County Library System.

Muchos gracias to the phenomenally groovy Evelyn Gibbons for this reference.

UPDATED May 10th: Someone Meeboed me a question regarding Mr. King:

" I just found your blog after reading the NY Times article about Sex and the City. Do you know which "small college in Pennsylvania" Michael Patrick went to?"

After a little digging, I discovered that Michael Patrick King attended Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA, according to GoErie.com

Baby Mama (2008)

UPDATE SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13th, 2008

My colleague Michele L. was soooooooo excited coming to work tonight because she was anxious to tell me that she saw the movie Baby Mama this weekend and it included a reference to Scranton.

Baby Mama tells the story of Kate Holbrook (Tina Fey), a single and successful businesswoman who badly wants to be a mother. When she discovers she's infertile, Kate hires trashy Angie Ostrowiski (Amy Poehler) to be her surrogate, whose crazy antics turns her life upside down.

About halfway through the movie, Kate and Angie are discussing their past relationships. Angie mentions her relationship with a guy before she met her current husband Carl. The previous boyfriend dumped Angie to attend the University of Scranton.

Michele L. told me the audience collectively gasped at that line of dialogue.

Thanks again to Michele L. for this reference.

www.babymamamovie.net

UPDATE: Baby Mama is now available on DVD. To place a hold, click here.

UPDATE SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13th, 2008: I bought Baby Mama on Blu-Ray this past week and absolutely loved it. Below is the exact Scranton reference in the film, which takes place as Kate (Tina Fey) and Angie (Amy Poehler) are walking and eating ice cream after Lamaze class:

Angie

I had one good boyfriend before Carl.

Kate

Really?

Angie

Uh huh. Donny Landis. We used to work at Blimpie together when we were sixteen. We'd sit and eat pickles in the back. He waited a whole month before he touched my boobs. Then he went to the University of Scranton and I never saw him again. He was my Justin Timberlake.

Charm! A Novel by Kendall Hart (2008)

This particular surprise reference was a find of my mother's, Mary C. Mary is a life-long fan of the ABC soaps, particularly All My Children. Mary is also new to the internet and has proudly placed her second order from Amazon.com this past week. Her selection, you ask? A novel written by a fictitious character on All My Children which has crossed over into a general release for soap fans. When the novel, Charm! by Kendall Hart (Erica Kane's illegitimate daughter on the show, originated by Buffy the Vampire Player star Sarah Michelle Gellar and now played by Alisha Minshew), arrived in the mail yesterday, I glanced through it out of curiosity. Randomly opening to page 25, I was quite surprised to see the words Wilkes-Barre. Exploring further, I happily discovered that Wilkes-Barre appears a total of 12 times (on eleven pages) in the novel.

Charm! tells the story of Avery Wilkins, a young Wilkes-Barre native who moves to New York City in the hopes of creating her own perfume line, chasing her dreams while running away from her past:

p. 15
"'It's perfect---elegant yet modern. You're a class act, kid,' Justin said.
A class act. Avery loved hearing those words. In that dingy little house at 9 Mayflower Street in Wilkes-Barre, taste, tact, and black cocktail dresses were in short supply."

p. 25
"Her mother suffered from alcohol-related Alzheimer's disease, lived in a group home in Wilkes-Barre, and was incapable of using a telephone."

p. 41 (Avery is asked to tell her boyfriend Brad about her childhood)
"'Oh, my childhood was pretty uneventful. Middle-class, Wilkes-Barre, PA, usual milestones: ice skating, braces, boys.' There were no ice skates, no braces, no boys."

p. 63 (Avery meets her long-lost sister Lucy)
"She has a famous mother and a sister who went to private schools. She was more than just a girl from the wrong side of the tracks in Wilkes-Barre."

p. 67
"'Where did you grow up? Any siblings?'
'I grew up in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania...very middle-class, ordinary, no siblings.'"

p. 94 (with her boyfriend Brad at the Hotel de Crillon in Paris)
"It was all so lovely and romantic, but Avery felt out of place, as if a mistake had been made and someone was going to knock on the door and tell her the girls from Wilkes-Barre weren't welcome at the Crillon."

p. 122 (meeting Lucy's mother)
"'I'm serious. I want your answer to that question. if I was just some housewife living in Wilkes-Barre, would you have bothered?'"

p. 179
"She reached the outskirts of Wilkes-Barre...As a child, Avery couldn't wait to get out of Wilkes-Barre, but today she was glad to be back."

p. 183 (visiting her mother at the Rhinehart Home)
"But like all of Wilkes-Barre, it had seen better days."

p. 186 (talking to her mother)
"'And that day you told me to get out of Wilkes-Barre. Do you remember that day?'"

p. 215 (Avery wants to move her mother closer to NYC)
"Avery stood on the lovely landscaped lawn, took out her cell phone, and called the Rhinehart Home in Wilkes-Barre."

Charm! by Kendall Hart is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System. Click here to place a reserve; click here to place a reserve on the Large Print Edition.

Much thanks to my mom Mary C. for this reference.

Wet Hot American Summer (2002)

Me with four-time Emmy Winner (for his role as Niles on Frasier) and the 2007 Tony Winner for Best Actor in a Musical David Hyde Pierce after a performance of Curtains in New York City this past Saturday (April 19th, 2008). Pierce also starred in 2001's Wet Hot American Summer, which was filmed on location at Camp Towanda in Honesdale, PA.

In May and June of 2000, Hollywood came to Honesdale, PA, where an impressive cast set up camp (no pun intended) at Camp Towanda to film the comedy Wet Hot American Summer.

The film stars David Hyde Pierce (4x Emmy Winner for his role as Niles on Frasier, and a 2007 Tony Winner for Curtains), Janeane Garofalo (Reality Bites, The Truth About Cats & Dogs), Saturday Night Live alums Molly Shannon and Amy Poehler (from the upcoming comedy Baby Mama), Christopher Meloni (Law and Order: Special Victims Unit), Paul Rudd and Bradley Cooper--who, in 2006, starred together with Julia Roberts in Broadway's Three Days of Rain, which featured set designs by Wilkes-Barre native Santo Loquasto.

Wet Hot American Summer is set on the last day of Camp Firewood's 1981 season. It follows a group of counselors who are each trying to complete their unfinished business before the day ends, and it's everyone's last chance for romance, self-realization, and of course the Big Talent show.

Wet Hot American Summer was first shown at 4 sold-out screenings at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. After playing at various film festivals throughout the US, the film was released theatrically on July 27, 2001. The film was also a hit on the midnight movie circuit in 2003 and 2004.

Click here to reserve the DVD of Wet Hot American Summer,

www.wethotamericansummer.com

IM Me from the Scranton/W-B in Entertainment Blog

I recently added Meebo to the blog. This will allow anyone who logs on and checks out the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in Entertainment blog to IM me right from this blog---feel free to let me know about a Wilkes-Barre or Scranton reference I missed, or tell me about your own connection to the area, or to just say hi.

If it says splrefdept is online, I'm here. If it says splrefdept is offline, you can also leave a message.

The Meebo IM chat box in on the left hand side of the blog, right underneath the archives.

http://www.meebo.com/

Lady of Burlesque (1943)

UPDATED NOVEMBER 13, 2008

I am a HUGE fan of Barbara Stanwyck. Her performances throughout her incredible career in classic films from the Golden Age of Hollywood are unforgettable--from the self-sacrificing mother in 1937's Stella Dallas, to the femme fatale Phyllis Dietrichson in the film noir Double Indemnity, to the petty thief Lee Leander who finds love on her way en route "to Scranton or Pittsburgh" in 1940's Remember The Night, to her notorious performance as a backstreet girl who literally sleeps her way to the top of a New York City bank (floor-by-floor) with zero remorse in 1933's Baby Face (the catalyst that most critics agree was the film that was single-handedly responsible for the creation of 1934's Production Code). I was surprised by the Scranton reference (by another actor) in Remember the Night, but I was was absolutely shocked (and embarrassingly giddy) to hear Barbara Stanwyck herself say the words "Wilkes-Barre" in the 1943 classic tale of strippers and murder, Lady of Burlesque.

Based on the novel The G-String Murders by Gypsy Rose Lee, and directed by William A. Wellman (who also directed Stanwyck in 1931's pre-Code shocker Night Nurse; he also directed 1927's Wings, the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture), Lady of Burlesque tells the story of The Old Opera House, a 1920s era theater transformed into a successful house of burlesque (and a target of the fuzz). Amidst the bum comics and cheap strippers that work at The Old Opera House is Dixie Daisy (Barbara Stanwyck), the reigning queen of burlesque. However, life takes a turn for the worst as strippers start turning up dead, strangled by their own G-strings.

Eleven minutes into the film, an unnamed burlesque dancer enters the shared dressing room of the strippers and complains of the bathroom facilities at The Old Opera House:

Stripper:

That settles it! We GOTTA have a new one!

Dixie:

New what?

Stripper:

(gestures towards the off-stage ladies' room)

Dixie:

Oh, the museum piece. I haven't seen one like that

since the Wilkes-Barre Regal.

The Lackawanna County Library System does not presently include Lady of Burlesque in our collection; even more unfortunate is the fact that Lady of Burlesque is a film in the public domain, meaning that inferior and unremastered copies of the film are widely available on a number of DVD releasing companies (for as little as $4.98); to purchase a copy from Amazon.com, click here. Hopefully, the film will be available sometime in the future from MyLibraryDV, an awesome library service that includes other public doman films for free online viewing.

But you can still catch some essential Barbara Stanwyck in a number of films on DVD circulating throughout the Lackawanna County Library System--click on any title to place a hold on Double Indemnity, Stella Dallas, Sorry Wrong Number, or the "so-notorious-it-has-to-be-seen-to-be-believed" Baby Face (part of the excellent pre-Code collection Forbidden Hollywood).

UPDATED NOVEMBER 13, 2008 - Because it is in the public domain, the entire film of Lady of Burlesque is available online at YouTube. At the two-minute mark in the clip below, you will find the Wilkes-Barre reference made by Barbara Stanwyck in the film.

Entertainment Weekly (April 11, 2008, Issue #986)

If you happen to catch a glimpse at this week's Entertainment Weekly (the one with Ellen DeGeneres on the cover) check out the cover story, The Ultimate TV Trivia Quiz. Jump to question number 12:

12. Kevin from The Office's Police tribute band is called...

a. King of Penn(sylvania)

b. Scrantonicity

c. Pennyatta Mondatta

d. Roxanne Roll

To take the full EW quiz online, click here; to jump right to the Scrantonicity question, click here.

Don't forget The Office returns with brand new, post-strike episodes THIS THURSDAY, April 10th at 9 PM.

Marion Lorne, Actress (1883-1968)

West Pittston native Marion Lorne appears as Aunt Clara opposite Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York in an episode of the classic 1960s sitcom Bewitched. Lorne won a posthumous Emmy Award for her role 10 days after her death in 1968.

She was a gifted and lovable star of the Broadway stage, the "brand new box" called television, and the silver screen. She was directed by Hitchcock in her film debut. She was the aunt of a loveable witch on one of TV's best-loved sitcoms. And to top it all off, she was a friend of that infamous cougar Mrs. Robinson in a film classic. She is Marion Lorne and she's a native of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area.

Marion Lorne MacDougall was born in West Pittston on August 12, 1883.

After studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, she made her Broadway debut as Marion Lorne in 1905's Mrs. Temple's Telegram. She appeared in many other plays in the early days of Broadway.

She married playwright Walter Hackett (Captain Applejack; The White Sister) and moved to London, where they founded the Whitehall Theater. Following Hackett's death in 1944, she returned to the US and starred as Vera in the original Broadway production of Harvey.

Lorne's film debut came at the young age of 68 in 1951's Strangers On A Train, directed by legendary Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock; her character was Mrs. Anthony. Following the film's success, she turned to television in the recurring role as the lovable-but-hopelessly-confused Mrs. Gurney on the sitcom Mister Peepers from 1952 to 1953. She also appeared in the 1955 Rosiland Russell vehicle The Girl Rush, also starring Fernando Lamas.

Follwoing a number of guest appearances on various television shows, Lorne was cast as the doorknob-obsessed, lovable witch Aunt Clara on the wildly popular 1960s sitcom Bewitched, co-starring Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York. The show was a phenomenal success and helped Lorne reach a whole new audience.

In 1967, Lorne appeared as Miss Dewitte, a friend and party guest of Mrs. Robinson's in Mike Nichols's 1967 film debut The Graduate, starring Anne Bancroft and Dustin Hoffman. The film was a huge hit and ushered in the "film school generation" of directors.

Sadly, during the fourth season of Bewitched, Marion Lorne suffered a heart attack and passed away in New York City on May 9, 1968 . She was 84 years old. Ten days after her death, Lorne was posthumously awarded the Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role on Bewitched--her friend and colleague Elizabeth Montgomery accected the award for the late actress.

Several items featuring Marion Lorne are available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System--including the first 3 seasons of Bewitched, the VHS or DVD of The Graduate, and the VHS or DVD of Strangers on a Train. Click on any of these links to place a reserve.

Much thanks to the savvy Michele L. for this reference. And thanks to Erin from Childrens for the correction :-) I originally incorrectly identified Elizabeth Montgomery as Barbara Montgomery :-(

Allan Jones, Actor and Singer (1907-1992)

John Fortuna, one of our library's patrons and a true movie aficionado of the lives of movie stars, recently inquired about an actor from the Golden Age of Hollywood named Allan Jones. To my surprise, I discovered that Allan Jones was not only a prolific actor and tenor, but he was also an Old Forge and Scranton native.

Allan Jones was born Ocotber 14, 1907 in Old Forge, Pennsylvania, the son of a coal miner. He grew up in Scranton, PA.

After moving to Hollywood in the 1930s, Jones starred in several Hollywood films now regarded as classics. His credits include the Marx Brothers comedies A Night at the Opera in 1935 (as Ricardo, he was the tenor in the performance of Il Trovatore which was the film's centerpeice opera referred to in the title) and 1937's A Day at the Races (where he played a race horse owner); 1937's The Firefly with Jeanette MacDonald (which introduced his tremendously popular rendition of the song Donkey Serenade); and 1940's The Boy From Syracuse with Martha Raye and Irene Hervey (who was his wife from 1936 to 1957).

Perhaps Jones's best and well-known performance was as gambler Gaylord Ravenal opposite Irene Dunne in the 1936 musical film Show Boat. In 1942 he co-starred with Scranton native Gloria Jean in When Johnny Comes Marching Home.

Jones continued to act and sing in films until 1970.

His son Jack Jones was also a popular singer in the 1960's, whose hits included Friends & Lovers.

Jones died of lung cancer in New York City on June 30, 1992.

Several films featuring Allan Jones are circulating throughout the Lackawanna County Library System: reserves may be placed on the VHS or DVD of A Day at the Races; the DVD of A Night at the Opera; and The Marx Brother Collection (featuring both A Day at the Races and A Night at the Opera) on DVD.

The Reference Department also includes Local History Newspaper Clippings Files on both Allan Jones and his son Jack Jones.

Thanks again to John Fortuna for this reference.

Local Resident Filmed for Upcoming "Daily Show" Interview

Producers from Comedy Central's The Daily Show With John Stewart recently visted Scranton and interviewed 82 year-old Hazel Price, who watched Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton grow up as a child.

Click here to read Scranton Times-Tribune writer Charles Schillinger's article "Price's Next Interview is on Comedy Central," which was published in this past Sunday's (April 23, 2008) Times.

No date has been announced for when the interview with Hazel Price will air.

Thanks to Evelyn Gibbons for this reference.

James Thomas Martin III (1985 - )

Yesterday's Citizens' Voice published an article about James Thomas Martin III, a Forty Fort native who recently appeared in the hit film Step Up 2 the Streets.

Martin was also featured in Flo Rida's music video for Low.

Click here to read the full article.

The video for Low is below via YouTube.

Dallas, PA Resident Wins $27,000 on NBC's Deal Or No Deal (March 5, 2008)

Congratulations to Dallas, PA resident Chris Higdon, who won $27,000 on Wednesday's episode of NBC's Deal Or No Deal.

To read the article from Citizens' Voice, click here.