Waldina
1,139 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 months ago -Become a Paid Subscriber: https://anchor.fm/waldina/subscribe
Transcriptions of the daily blog Waldina. We celebrate people, places, and things that inspire us. We celebrate classic radio plays.
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Episodes
Mrs. Pollifax-Spy (1971)
May 13, 2021 01:25 - 1 minute - 757 KBFifty years ago today, the film Mrs. Pollifax-Spy premiered. I actually watched this last night on Amazon Prime. It is just really great. It is Rosalind Russell’s last film and she even adapted the screenplay, credited under a pseudonym. You really must watch this. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Happy 117th Birthday Salvador Dalí
May 12, 2021 00:57 - 14 minutes - 8.48 MBToday is the 117th birthday of the artist Salvador Dali. My very favorite description of one of his pieces is that of the 1940 Painting “Daddy Longlegs of the Evening — Hope!” The painting depicts an elongated, seemingly molten human figure draped over a dead tree and trying to play a cello, while off to the left a horse is shot from a cannon. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Sen...
Happy 127th Birthday Martha Graham
May 12, 2021 00:53 - 4 minutes - 2.76 MBToday is the 127th birthday of Martha Graham. Her contribution to dance is absolutely unparalleled, unmatched, and priceless. Without her, the entire art form would not resemble what it does today. The world is a better place because of Martha’s place in it and Martha will always have a place in the world. A legacy that will live on forever. The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- ...
Happy 99th Birthday Nancy Walker
May 11, 2021 00:26 - 5 minutes - 2.9 MBToday is the 99th birthday of Nancy Walker. My natural draw to 70’s mystery detective TV dramas made it natural that I loved her on McMillan & Wife. Her entire resume reads impressively, the best TV shows of the time, she was on them, iconic TV shows of every decade, she guest starred. The world is a better place because she was in it and still feel the loss that she las left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/po...
Happy 122nd Birthday Fred Astaire
May 11, 2021 00:24 - 9 minutes - 5.56 MBToday is the 122nd birthday of Fred Astaire. Naming his best work is pointless, it is all flawless. Naming one of my favorite pieces is easy, I absolutely love the “Clap Your Hands” piece from Funny Face he performs with Kay Thompson (included below). Absolutely brilliant. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina...
Vertigo (1959)
May 09, 2021 15:19 - 5 minutes - 3.07 MBSixty-two years ago today, the film Vertigo premiered. There is a lot to love about this film: Alfred Hitchcock, James Stewart, Kim Novak, Edith Head, Saul Bass, San Francisco. When I was living in San Francisco, I used to set my walks places to include famous landmarks and/or locations of famous films. I would walk by Scottie’s apartment building whenever possible and it was fairly east to do because it is one block downhill on Lombard from the famous block. There’s a wall in front of it no...
Nowhere (1997)
May 09, 2021 15:16 - 6 minutes - 3.47 MBTwenty-four years ago today, the film Nowhere premiered. It is a black comedy drama, the third in Greg Araki’s Teen Apocalypse trilogy and described as ‘Beverly Hills 90210 on acid’. The film follows a day in the lives of a group of Los Angeles college students and the strange lives that they lead. If reading who is in the cast isn’t enough incentive to watch this movie, I don’t know what is. The soundtrack is a perfect group of songs that encapsulates that late 90s angst. You need to see th...
Happy 138th Birthday Carl Sammons
May 09, 2021 15:13 - 6 minutes - 3.92 MBToday is the 138th birthday of the artist Carl Sammons. His paintings of the California North and Central Coast landscapes are his most popular. I first experienced his art sitting at the kitchen table of a fourth generation Northern Coast Californian friend of mine. She casually mentioned that her mother had commissioned the paintings when he had come through the area on one of his painting tours. The soft, muted palate and calming vistas are very pleasing and in turn, very collectible. The...
Happy 95th Birthday Don Rickles
May 08, 2021 15:39 - 8 minutes - 4.83 MBToday is the 95th birthday of the actor and comedian Don Rickles. He is quoted as saying “I always pictured myself facing the audience as the matador.” which is easily translated into almost everyone’s life: show up, give them a performance, and dodge the bull. The man was brilliant. The world was a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/sho...
Happy 120th Birthday Gary Cooper
May 08, 2021 00:53 - 9 minutes - 5.41 MBToday is the 120th birthday of the actor Gary Cooper. You don’t have to be a fan of Westerns to be a fan of High Noon and of his. It changed the entire genre for me and broadened my understanding. Also, the man dated nearly every important Hollywood actress of that time, a lot of my favorites. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify...
Happy 126th Birthday Rudolph Valentino
May 07, 2021 00:42 - 7 minutes - 4.43 MBToday is the 126th birthday of silent film star Rudolph Valentino. His rise to stardom and untimely death is as incredible as it is tragic and compelling. He falls into the timeframe of Hollywood that I find most fascinating, I spent this morning down an internet rabbit hole looking at photos of his home. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left. This episode is also available as a blog post --- Send in a voice message: https://podcast...
Happy 107th Birthday Tyrone Power
May 06, 2021 00:04 - 7 minutes - 4.29 MBToday is the 107th birthday of the actor Tyrone Power. Witness for the Prosecution and The Razor’s Edge are my favorite films of his. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Happy 92nd Birthday Audrey Hepburn
May 05, 2021 01:18 - 5 minutes - 3.36 MBToday is the 92nd birthday of Audrey Hepburn. Have you seen Charade, How to Steal a Million and Funny Face lately? Then watch Wait Until Dark and your mind will be blown. The woman is more than an actor, she makes you care for her well being. You forget that she is playing a character and you simply want to protect her. There is no surprise everyone loves her. The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left. This episode is also available as a ...
Happy 105th Birthday Dick Proenneke
May 05, 2021 01:16 - 7 minutes - 4.19 MBToday is the 105th birthday of Dick Proenneke. Who doesn’t love a recluse? Especially one that is not writing a manifesto and sending letter bombs, but is simply building a log cabin in the Alaska wilderness and talking to himself. A lot. I will watch this series on PBS whenever it is on, it is my “Law and Order,” so to speak. The take away from Dick’s story is that he did all this after he retired, so it is never too late to follow your dreams. The world is a better place because he w...
Happy 63rd Birthday Keith Haring
May 05, 2021 01:13 - 3 minutes - 2.22 MBToday is the 63rd birthday of the artist and activist Keith Haring. He is someone whose work you know. You have seen it everywhere from MTV in the early days to yesterday on the side of a bus. His influence and legacy are far-reaching with no visible end in sight. I remember I bought a Keith Haring shirt one summer in Traverse City Michigan, it must have been 1990. It depicted a snake getting cut in half with the words “End AIDS” running under it. I loved that shirt, it made me feel powerful...
Happy 82nd Birthday Paul Gleason
May 05, 2021 01:11 - 7 minutes - 4.36 MBToday is the 82nd birthday of the actor Paul Gleason. You know him from The Breakfast Club. He has some of the most-quoted lines in the film. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Sixteen Candles (1984)
May 05, 2021 01:08 - 4 minutes - 2.56 MBThirty-seven years ago today, the film Sixteen Candles premiered. I have a fondness for any film that has John Hughes in the credits, partially because they were released at pivotal points in my life and spoke directly to my core friend group and partially because of the soundtracks. The music introduced me to bands that would become some of my favorites. You need to see this film. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/...
Gaslight (1944)
May 05, 2021 01:05 - 6 minutes - 3.53 MBSeventy-seven years ago today, the film Gaslight premiered. It has a topnotch director and cast and a horribly disturbing plot that will live in the back of your mind for the rest of your life. The psychological term gaslighting, which describes the form of psychological abuse in which the victim is gradually manipulated into doubting their own sanity, originated from the play and its two film adaptations. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https...
Happy Birthday Ann B. Davis
May 04, 2021 01:25 - 6 minutes - 3.81 MBToday is the birthday of the actress Ann B. Davis, Alice from The Brady Bunch. She so encapsulated her role that it wasn’t until much later when I was watching an interview with her and she mentioned that every year that she was on the show, she would buy herself a new Porsche 914. That didn’t track with all that I new about her and I realized that she was a real person outside of the role she played. The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has lef...
Happy 74th Birthday Doug Henning
May 04, 2021 01:23 - 4 minutes - 2.34 MBToday is the 73rd birthday of the magician and friend of the Muppets Doug Henning. I loved his TV specials when I was a kid. Those teeth, those leotards, that mustache? It’s a lot to process, but so worth it. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Happy 115th Birthday Mary Astor
May 04, 2021 01:21 - 7 minutes - 4.32 MBToday is the 115th birthday of the actress Mary Astor. Have you seen Red Dust, The Palm Beach Story, The Maltese Falcon, and Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte? You need to. For so many reason, if not only for Mary Astor. The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962)
May 04, 2021 01:17 - 3 minutes - 1.8 MBFifty-nine years ago today, the film The Brain That Wouldn’t Die premiered as half of a double bill with Invasion of the Star Creatures. Due to a flawed copyright notice, it has always been in the public domain and has had several versions, one three minutes longer that advertised extra gore and an extended stripper catfight scene. It’s been featured on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, adapted into at least four musicals and one satirical film, and Jack Nicholson’s character goes ...
Meet John Doe (1941)
May 04, 2021 01:13 - 4 minutes - 2.48 MBEighty years ago today, the film Meet John Doe premiered. The ‘Every Man’ story was where Frank Capra excelled, but adding Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck to it is extraordinary. You should watch this movie. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
May 02, 2021 17:48 - 7 minutes - 4.22 MBSeventy-four years ago today, the holiday favorite Miracle on 34th Street premiered. I too was initially confused why a Christmas movie was released in May, but learned that studio head Darryl F. Zanuck insisted that it be released in May, arguing that more people go to the movies in warmer weather. In 2005, Miracle on 34th Street was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically signific...
Happy 127th Birthday Norma Talmadge
May 02, 2021 17:46 - 16 minutes - 9.44 MBToday is the 127th birthday of the silent film actress, movie producer, and Buster Keaton’s sister-in-law Norma Talmadge. One of the legends of how Grauman’s Chinese Theatre started casting hands, feet, and even legs in concrete is that Norma accidentally stepped in a patch of wet cement. The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/p...
Happy 75th Birthday Lesley Gore
May 02, 2021 17:43 - 5 minutes - 3.34 MBToday is the birthday of the singer Lesley Gore. Her songs are icons of the 60s. The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Happy 76th Birthday Bianca Jagger
May 02, 2021 17:40 - 8 minutes - 7.51 MBToday is the 76th Birthday of Bianca Jagger. She wore a red off-the-shoulder Halston dress and has been incorrectly reported that she rode a white horse into Studio 54 at her 30th birthday party. Technically, she walked into the discotheque with Mick Jagger and once inside, there happened to be a horse. Why do people even bother to celebrate birthdays after that? With all her recent humanitarian work, the world is a better place that she is in it. This episode is also available as a blog ...
Citizen Kane (1941)
May 01, 2021 23:18 - 2 minutes - 1.52 MBEighty years ago today, the film Citizen Kane was released. It was a box office flop and openly booed at the Academy Awards that year, but it received Best Picture at the New York Film Critics Circle Award and Best Film from the National Board of Review. Not until RKO sold it’s library to television in 1956 and it started appearing in people’s homes and the rerelease in theaters did the recognition of the film start to change. It is continually on the top, if not the top of every best film o...
Desk Set (1957)
May 01, 2021 23:15 - 3 minutes - 2.95 MBSixty-four years ago today, the film Desk Set premiered. This a very perfect mid-century film (even with it’s 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating), the sets, the clothing, the actors. It is just one of the most wonderful experiences to view. I also think it is a great holiday film. You must see it. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Happy 116th Birthday Leila Hyams
May 01, 2021 23:12 - 7 minutes - 4.42 MBToday is the 116th birthday of the silent film actress, model, and vaudevillian Leila Hyams. The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1988)
May 01, 2021 00:01 - 4 minutes - 2.74 MBThirty-three years ago today, the film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story premiered. Often bootlegged, this film is a cult classic for several reasons. A toy company, a record label, and a family all sued to have the film pulled. It worked in halting the formal showings, but failed in halting the cult status. The entire film is posted below. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Happy 121st Birthday David Manners
April 30, 2021 23:59 - 7 minutes - 4.11 MBToday is the 121st birthday of the actor David Manners. He had ten exceptionally productive years in Hollywood and then walked away. Great story. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Happy 95th Birthday Cloris Leachman
April 30, 2021 23:56 - 10 minutes - 6.04 MBToday is the 95th birthday of the actress Cloris Leachman. She has had a life and is still grinding. You have to love and appreciate longevity. The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Happy 88th Birthday Rod McKuen
April 29, 2021 23:52 - 3 minutes - 1.9 MBToday is the 88th birthday of the poet Rod McKuen. Anna Cottage requested we celebrate his life and I am more than happy to oblige. He was prolific. His words are part of the American cultural collective. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Happy 122nd Birthday Duke Ellington
April 29, 2021 23:50 - 4 minutes - 2.52 MBToday is the 122nd birthday of the musician Duke Ellington. His music is the soundtrack to the American experience. You know more Duke Ellington songs than you know. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Happy 113th Birthday Oskar Schindler
April 29, 2021 03:24 - 6 minutes - 3.44 MBToday is the 113th birthday of of a rebel, a saint and a Righteous Gentile: Oskar Schindler. How do you calculate the number of lives that exist today because he was brave enough to save the lives of 1,100 Jewish people from World War II. How many lives have been changed by his example of standing up for what is right? The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: ht...
Happy 93rd Birthday Yves Klein
April 29, 2021 03:21 - 6 minutes - 3.69 MBToday is the 93rd birthday of the French artist Yves Klein. His influence in the minimalist discipline is undeniable. His vision has pushed the art world forward. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Happy 95th Birthday Harper Lee
April 29, 2021 03:19 - 4 minutes - 2.82 MBToday is the 95th birthday of the author Harper Lee. She is an essential part of the American experience through her book To Kill A Mockingbird, it resonates with so very many people, including me and probably many of you reading this right now. She is an American treasure, we are very fortunate to have her in our lives and the world is a better place because she is in it and still feels the loss that she has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice mess...
Death Race 2000 (1975)
April 28, 2021 00:32 - 5 minutes - 2.89 MBForty-six years ago today the science fiction sports film Death Race 2000 premiered. The film takes place in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, where a murderous transcontinental road race has become a form of national entertainment. It is really giving you more than you even knew you needed. The film was given one and even zero stars when it was released, but over time the critics have grown to appreciate it and universally considered a cult classic. This episode is also availa...
Happy 149th Birthday William Desmond Taylor
April 26, 2021 22:41 - 17 minutes - 9.78 MBToday is the 149th birthday of the film director and unsolved murder victim William Desmond Taylor. He is one of the most famous classic Hollywood unsolved mysteries and the true crime junkie in me is fascinated with the story. Just the fact that it happened 99 years ago and there are seven possible murderers and it never got solved is enough to be the subject of numerous documentaries and podcasts. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podca...
Happy 81st Birthday Giorgio Moroder
April 26, 2021 22:37 - 4 minutes - 4.33 MBToday is the 81st birthday of the music producer Giorgio Moroder. One word: LONGEVITY. He worked with Donna Summer in the 70s and Kylie Minogue two months ago. He is the living/breathing example of doing what you love and continuing to grow and learn and create for your entire life. The world is a better place he is in it. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Happy 104th Birthday I. M. Pei
April 26, 2021 22:35 - 8 minutes - 4.84 MBToday is the 104th birthday of the architect I.M. Pei. I first witnessed his work in person with the I. Magnin on Pine Street in Seattle, the store is long gone and windows have been chopped into the previously clean and sleek white stone facade, but you can still see a hint of his vision. You just have to know where to look. I have gone on to appreciate and become a fan of his work. Adding beauty to utilitarian things is a service to the world. His longevity is admirable. The world is ...
Happy 104th Birthday Ella Fitzgerald
April 25, 2021 21:05 - 7 minutes - 4.43 MBToday is the 104th birthday of the singer Ella Fitzgerald. I have included some of my favorite songs of hers below. The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Happy 147th Birthday Guglielmo Marconi
April 25, 2021 20:57 - 5 minutes - 3.15 MBToday is the 147th birthday of the inventor Guglielmo Marconi. If you are reading this, you can thank him for it. His work created the foundation for everything you cannot live without in your life today: connectivity. His likeness is on money. I rest my case. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Happy 165th Birthday Granville T. Woods
April 24, 2021 01:58 - 4 minutes - 2.37 MBToday is the 165th birthday of the inventor Granville T. Woods. It is most likely that you needed something today that was based off of his inventions. All I have to do is mention third rail and those of you that know, know. Thomas Edison sued him for patent infringement and lost (so maybe Edison should be known as White Granville T. Woods?). The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send...
Happy 89th Birthday Halston
April 24, 2021 01:55 - 3 minutes - 2.28 MBToday is the 89th birthday of Halston. He is one of the first luxury designers to produce a mainstream main street line that let everyone woman in America feel glamorous. His townhouse at 101 East 63 Street is one of my not so secret obsessions (photos below). The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Happy 93rd Birthday Shirley Temple
April 24, 2021 01:52 - 7 minutes - 4.51 MBToday is the 93rd birthday of the child actor and adult diplomat Shirley Temple. We used to watch her films whenever they were on TV. The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message
Happy 457th Birthday William Shakespeare
April 24, 2021 01:49 - 14 minutes - 8.48 MBToday is the 457th birthday of William Shakespeare. Did you know he is thought to be responsible for the quote All that glitters is not gold? I didn’t until I was reading up on him. The volume of his work is impressive, the conspiracy around it 400+ years after his death is impressive. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loos that he has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/sh...
Something’s Got to Give (1962)
April 24, 2021 01:44 - 8 minutes - 5.05 MBFifty-nine years ago today, production started on the film Something’s Got To Give, but was never completed. It was to be a remake of the Irene Dunne Cary Grant screwball comedy My Favorite Wife (1940), staring Marilyn Monroe, Dean Martin and Cyd Charisse. It was Monroe’s last work, but from the beginning its production was disrupted by her personal troubles, and after her death on August 4, 1962, the film was abandoned. Most of its completed footage remained unseen for many years. This epi...
Happy Earth Day
April 23, 2021 03:44 - 1 minute - 1010 KBIf you Google “Earth Day Quiz” the first result is a quiz to find out what animal you are. I was a giant squid because I can achieve anything to which you put your mind and/or my massive tentacles. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/waldina/message