Happy Missouri Day! I was not born in Missouri but I count myself fortunate to have grown up there, moving to the Show-Me State from Kentucky when I was four and staying until I was sixteen. Of course, I ended up moving west (St. Louis is the Gateway to the West after all) to the great … Continue reading Show-Me Hollywood — Missourians in Hollywood on Missouri Day
In recognition of Missouri Day, here’s a brief breakdown on Missouri’s second most famous couple (after the fictional Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher), a real-life couple usually referred to as Frankie and Johnny. After Frankie caught her man in flagrante delicto with another woman, Alice Pryor, and shot him dead, it was commemorated in numerous songs and … Continue reading The Story of Frankie & Johnny — Happy Missouri Day
Stagger Lee is one of Missouri‘s most celebrated characters in song. Loads of people have sung about the seemingly amoral anti-hero, but here are the facts, ma’am. Lee “Stag” Shelton was born on March 16, 1865. As a young man he drove a carriage cab and pimped. He also operated a “sporting club,” the Modern … Continue reading The Story of Stagger Lee — Happy Missouri Day
Some folk that know me know I have to see dang near err movie that’s filmed in, set in or tied to Missouri (whurr I grew up). With the Bourne Trilogy, those ties were somewhat tenuous… Badass Jason Bourne is merely informed that his real name is David Webb and he’s from Nixa. No wonder … Continue reading Show me the Mo Movies!!! – Missouri in Film and Television
Pendersleigh & Sons Cartography‘s Map of Missouri Missouri’s nickname, the “Show Me State,” first appears in print in the words of congressman, William Vandiver, who declared in 1889, “I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats. Frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got … Continue reading Sounds of the Show-Me State — Happy Missouri Day
MISSOURI DAY The 3rd Wednesday of the October, this year the 15th. Pendersleigh & Sons‘ Official Map of Missouri In my experience, when you’ins tell people you’re from Missouri, most people reply self-satisfiedly with “don’t you mean Missouruh?” or, alternately, “where is Missouri? I don’t think I’ve ever been there.” Whether Missouri is Lower Midwestern or Upper Southern (or … Continue reading Happy Missouri Day! – Yup, It’s aready been a yurr since the last’n
INTRODUCTION The other day, Mike Morgan — a frequent companion in my neighborhood explorations — asked whether or not I’d like to explore a neighborhood… or to maybe go to a museum. He asked, too, what community was currently topping the California Fool’s Gold readers’ poll. I informed him that Torrance still occupies the top … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Miracle Mile
Los Angeles and Southern California‘s mountains have been in the spotlight as of late. The mountains are always there, of course, but a seemingly endless barrage of drizzle, rain, freezing rain, hail, graupel, sleet, and snow have painted our semi-arid landscape with brilliant strokes of green and swathes of blinding white. The unexpected precipitation has … Continue reading Mist & Iron — The Mountains and Hills of Metro Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION The other day, I thought it might be nice to submit a story for the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council newsletter for Black History Month. I figured I’d flesh it out and publish it here — a story about three culturally and historically significant black residents of the neighborhood. Silver Lake, in its early years, … Continue reading Black Pioneers of Silver Lake
In early January, Una and I headed north over to San Francisco to visit my sister, who was in town for a conference. I figured it might be a nice opportunity to share some thoughts about “the City.” Since first visiting in 1998, I’ve been to San Francisco many times — and yet, for some … Continue reading Where Fools Fear To Tread — A Snapshot of San Francisco
Eric Brightwell 