Archive of Stories________________________________________________

Listings In Rough Alphabetical Order
by Title or Main Topic

Title & Link	Yr/Period	Main Topics & Selected Categories
“A Star is Born”	1910s	Early film studios create first movie stars and  “celebrity culture;” Florence Lawrence featured.
“American Bandstand”	1956-2007	American Bandstand television show and rise of rock ‘n roll; Dick Clark, music business, music marketing, DJs & “payola,” and more.
“Apple, Rising”	1976-1985	Two guys in a garage help launch the PC revolution — technology, culture & business.
“At The Hop”	1957-1958	A Philadelphia street-corner group, Danny & The Juniors, scores a few national rock ‘n roll hits.
“Babe Ruth & Tobacco”	1920s-1940s	History & examples of Babe Ruth promoting tobacco products in newspaper & magazine ads.
“Bandstand Performers”	1957	Day-by-day listing of musical guests appearing on American Bandstand, 1st national season.
“Baseball, 1929″	1929	Jimmie Foxx — one of baseball’s finest in the year of the Great Crash.
“Baseball Stories”           ( Topics Page )	1900s-2000s	A sports category “topics page” with thumbnails and links to 12 baseball stories at this website.
‘$2.8 Million Baseball Card’	1909-2008	Honus Wagner baseball card, baseball history, baseball card trading, Pittsburgh Pirates, e-Bay, Christie’s, etc.
“Basketball Dollars”	2009	“Final Four” basketball:  NCAA playoffs as part of  a growing media /entertainment buisness…
“Early Beach Boys”	1962-1966	The five guys who created “Sunshine Pop” and rode the “surf sound” to the top of the charts.
“Early Beach Boys, Pt. 2″                   ( Six Songs )	1962-1966	Sampling of early 1960s’ Beach Boys music — gorgeous harmonies & imaginative composition.
“Beatles in America”	1963-1964	A new rock ‘n roll group from the U.K. brings “pop explosion” in music, business & culture.
‘Beatles’ Closed-Circuit Gig’	1964	The Beatles’ first-ever U.S. concert is filmed by CBS and later becomes a pay-per-view, closed-circuit concert shown in selected U.S. theaters.
Beatles History: 10 Stories                 ( Topics Page )	1960s-2012	A topics page listing ten Beatles’ stories at this website with thumbnail descriptions & links.
“Be My Baby”	1960s-2010	The Ronettes & Phil Spector produce a game- changing new sound.
“Big Chill” Marketing	1980s & 1990s	How a 1983 movie named The Big Chill, sparked the use of original rock ‘n roll music in TV ads.
“Big Chill Promo”(Video)	1983-1998	Trailer for 1983’s The Big Chill provides overview of story, music & characters.
“Bill Bradley”	1960s-2009	He rose to the U.S. Senate & Presidential politics by way of his sports celebrity & “basket- ball values”–a sports-to-politics story.
“Brian’s Song: C-SPAN”	1977-2012	The Brian Lamb & C-SPAN story: Congress, public affairs TV, Book-TV, and lots more…
“Of Bridges & Lovers”	1992-1995	History of best-selling book & film, The Bridges of Madison County; publishing history, popular reception vs. critics, Oprah Winfrey role, etc.
“The Bourne Profitability”	1980-2007	History & buisness empire of Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne character — books, film, TV series, video game, actor  Matt Damon, etc.
“The Most Beautiful Girl…”	1993-2006	Gisele Bundchen; celebrity supermodel, career,  advertising success, Tom Brady & more.
“Candle in the Wind”	1973 & 1997	Elton John’s famous, top-selling song for Marilyn Monroe & Princess Diana; music business,  Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album, etc.
“Celebrity Buffett”	1960s-2010	Billionaire investor Warren Buffett leverages his wealth & fame to good ends.
“Legs: Cyd Charisse”	1950s-1990s	Statuesque beauty of Hollywood-MGM musicals was the better half of those Gene Kelly & Fred Astaire dances.
“Bette Davis Eyes”	1981	History of 1981 pop hit song “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes & continuing popularity in later years, with Bette Davis photos & film history.
“Dear Prudence”	1967-1968	The history of a beautiful Beatles’ song and a productive retreat in India that helped provide material for The White Album.
“Dempsey vs. Carpentier”	1921	Dempsey-Carpentier boxing match is first radio broadcast to a mass audience; beginning of sport as “big business” entertainment.
“Dinah Shore & Chevrolet”	1951-1963	“See-The-U.S.A.” tune helps define a celebrity and America’s “car culture.”
“Disney Dollars”	1930s	Walt Disney, Mickey Mouse  & animated film- making help beat the Depression, becoming  harbinger of “entertainment economy.”
“Disney’s Movie Vault”	1984-1999	Walt Disney Co. animated film classics, emerging home video market, Disney marketing strategies, etc.
“Do You Love Me”	1962 & 1988	1962 hit song by The Contours of Berry Gordy’s Motown gets a second life in the late 1980s with the movie Dirty Dancing & its soundtracks.
“Dream Lover”	1958-1973	Bobby Darin’s singing, songwriting & acting career… Sandra Dee, Bobby Kennedy campaign, social protest, Las Vegas performer, etc.
“Elvis on the Road”	1955-1956	Elvis Presley, rock ‘n roll, music business & period history; 1955 performance itinerary w/various record sleeve covers.
“FDR & Vanity Fair”	1930s	Magazine cover art & political caricature during Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal.
“Fingertips – Pt.2”	1963	Early career of Stevie Wonder with harmonica; Motown & music industry history, civil rights movement, etc.
“Four Dead in O-hi-o”	1970	A protest song on the Kent State shootings recalls America’s darker days during the Vietnam War.
“The Frost-Nixon Biz”	1977-2009	The 30-year, multi-media business history of the David Frost / Richard Nixon interviews.
“Ava Gardner”	1940s-1950s	Film & Celebrity: North Carolina country beauty becomes Hollywood box office gold.
“Gifford For Luckies”	1961-1962	Frank Gifford, New York Giants football star, does Lucky Strike cigarette ads.
“The Green Berets”	1965-1968	Amid music of the Beatles & Rolling Stones, an unlikely hit song of military valour in Vietnam.
“When Harry Met Petula”	April 1968	Harry Belafonte & Petula Clark make civil rights history challenging sponsor Chrysler over a televised touching scene.
“Hello Stranger”	1963-1966	Barbara Lewis brings a “smooth jazz” sound to the 1960s.
“Dennis Does Ameriprise”	2006-2008	Celebrity advertising: Dennis Hopper TV ad for Ameriprise Financial Corp.; marketing to baby boomers with Spencer Davis music.
“I’m A Dole Man”	1996	A popular 1960s’ soul song becomes Bob Dole’s political campaign music.
“I Guarantee It”	1960s-1970s	Joe Namath of the New York Jets helps transform pro football — game, image & Big Biz.
‘I Only Have Eyes for You’	1959	Annals of Music: A 1959 remake of an old standard in the “doo-wop” style by The Flamingos has resonance for the ages.
“I Won’t Back Down”	1989-2008	A Tom Petty rock ‘n roll tune becomes a favorite for political campaigning.
“The Jackson Statues”	1995	Nine giant Michael Jackson statues help promote a pop star & his music.
“JFK’s Early Campaign”	1957	Following near VP nomination in 1956, JFK’s “unofficial” campaign for 1960 begins.
“JFK’s Early Campaign”	1958	Big Senate re-election win helps JFK prez plan, as 2nd year of “unofficial” campaign continues.
“JFK’s Early Campaign”	1959	Third year of “unofficial” campaign finds JFK on the stump in at least 27 states…
“JFK, Pitchman?”	2009	A popular ex-President is used in print & TV ads to help sell Omega watches.
JFK’s Profiles in Courage	1954-2008	Best-selling book helps JFK; VP bid at 1956 DNC;  Profiles’ subsequent influence & legacy…
“JFK’s Texas Statue”	1963 & 2012	JFK’s warm reception in Ft. Worth, 22 Nov 1963, and tribute site installed there in 2012.
“The Jack Pack,” Pt.1	1958-1960	Frank Sinatra, JFK & “Rat Pack” entertainers who helped JFK in 1960 presidential bid.
“The Jack Pack,” Pt.2	1961-2008	Rat Pack/JFK cont’d — inauguration gala & early  1960s; Sinatra jilted, later supports Reagan.
“Al Jolson & Luckies”	1928-1940s	Al Jolson is one of the first Hollywood stars to do cigarette ads, opening the doors to a flood of film-star tobacco ads in the 1930s & ’40s.
“Selling Janis Joplin”	1995	Janis Joplin, rock ‘n roll music & use of music in advertising; Mercedes-Benz, music & marketing.
“Joplin’s Shooting Star”	1966-1970	Janis Joplin’s last five years; her music, her life & her legacy.
“…Keeps on Ticking”	1950s-1990s	John Cameron Swayze & popular sports stars help sell Timex watches with “torture tests” in classic TV and magazine ads.
“The Kefauver Hearings”	1950-1951	Televised Congressional hearings, national politics & careeer of U.S. Senator Estes Kefauver, organized crime, television & politics, etc.
“LBJ’s Atomic Ad”	1964	President Lyndon B. Johnson, advertising, negative political advertising, nuclear weapons, Barry Goldwater, Doyle Dane Bernbach, John F. Kennedy, Time magazine.
“Let The River Run”	1988-1989	Carly Simon’s rousing song for the film Working Girlbecame an inspiration for many.
“The Loco-Motion”	1962-1988	Pop dance song over three decades: Little Eva, Grand Funk Railroad & Kylie Minogue.
“Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'”	1964-1965	‘Blue-eyed soul’ boys, the Righteous Brothers, turn out ‘most-played’ radio song, provide memorable hits, & popular film music.
“Madonna’s Pepsi Ad”	1989	Music & advertising, Madonna’s career, Pepsi, music business, TV advertising, “Like a Prayer” video & recordings, video controversy, church & family group protests, etc.
“Mantle’s Griffith Shot”	1953	Mickey Mantle hits a monster 500-foot home run at Washington, D.C.’s Griffith Park.
“Memory & Cats”	1981-2010	Grizabella’s poignant song from Cats is one for the ages — from T.S. Eliot & Andrew Lloyd Webber.
“Mia’s Metamorphoses”	1966-2010	Mia Farrow’s life changes: actress-to-activist and using her fame to help others.
“Michael & McCartney”	1980s-2009	Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, and some history on the battle to own the Beatles’ 1960s song catalog.
“Mickey Mantle’s 535th”	1968	Mickey Mantle near the end of his injury-plagued career and “what might have been.”
“Motown’s Heat Wave”	1963-1967	Martha & the Vandellas’ dance music captures teens & boosts Motown’s music biz.
“Murdoch’s N.Y. Deals”	1976-1977	Rupert Murdoch, Australian media baron, acquires NY Post and New York magazine.
“Newsweek Sold!”	1961	Phil Graham, The Washington Post, Ben Bradlee, Eugene Meyer, Katharine Graham, newspaper business, civil rights, Vietnam War.
“Nike & The Beatles”	1967-1969	Nike finds the ideal song to promote its athletic shoes & the Beatles file a lawsuit.
“Anna Q. Nilsson”	1920	Anna Q. Nilsson, silent film era, Photoplay magazine, magazine illustration, immigrant experience.
“Nixon’s Checker’s Speech”	1952	Richard Nixon, set to be VP with Eisenhower on the 1952 ticket, is mired in a campaign scandal & uses the ‘new medium’ of TV to bail himself out.
“Paint It Black”	1966-2002	Rock ‘n roll song from the Rolling Stones has a long history & market life as popular recording, TV series soundtrack & video game music.
“…Pawn in Their Game”	1963	Bob Dylan’s 1963 appearance in Mississippi & his ’60s civil rights music.
“Person to Person”	1953-1961	Edward R. Murrow, television history, CBS, celebrity television, news vs. entertainment, Joe McCarthy, “See It Now,” etc.
“1968 Presidential Race”                    (Democrats)	1966-1968	Politics & celebrity: Paul Newman and others from Hollywood, television and sports lend support to Democratic candidates: Gene McCar- thy,  Bobby Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey.
“1968 Presidential Race”                 (Republicans)	1964-1969	Politics & celebrity: John Wayne and others from Hollywood, television and sports lend support to Republican presidential candidates Richard Nix- on,  Nelson Rockefeller, Ronald Reagan.
“RFK in Brooklyn”	1966-1972	A Robert F. Kennedy memorial and the history of some 1960s help for Bedford-Stuyvesant.
“Rocker Supreme”	1958-2008	Tina Turner — her tough times, amazing comeback, and her global fan base.
“The Rocky Statue”	1980-2006	A 20-year fight in Philadelphia over the location of a beloved Hollywood pugilist.
“Rosie The Riveter”	1942-1945	A WWII-era image becomes an icon for the ages — and women’s rights symbol.
“Babe Ruth Days”	1947-1948	Babe Ruth, baseball, sports business, period history, sports celebrity & national honors, commerical endorsements & sports agency.
Babe Ruth Newsreel                (Video)	1947-1948	Short video includes scenes from Babe Ruth Day in 1947, Ruth’s funeral in 1948, and shots of various VIPs attending his funeral.
“Shine a Light”               (Video)	2008	Movie trailer for Martin Scorsese film on the Rolling Stones shows them to be very much alive and still making good rock ‘n roll.
The Sinatra “Riots”	1942-1944	Frank Sinatra, “teen idol,” music history, business & celebrity, Paramount Theater, Tommy Dorsey, FDR.
“Sixteen Tons”	1955-1956	Tennessee Ernie Ford’s coal-mining song tops the charts; depicts tough mine life.
“The Sound of Money”	2009	A Dutch pension fund & media company buy up Rodgers & Hammerstein.
“All Sports, All The Time”	1978-2008	Founding & history of ESPN Sports Television Network, cable television business, ABC-TV, Disney, ESPN Zone restaurants, ESPN Magazine, ESPN Radio.
“Start Me Up”	1995	Bill Gates at Microsoft uses a Rolling Stones tune to launch his Windows 95 software.
“Steinbeck to Springsteen”	1939-2006	John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, Woody Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen, Dust Bowl, Great Depression, “The Ghost of Tom Joad”, publishing, film & music.
“Sting & Jaguar”	1999-2001	Rock star Sting uses a Jaguar TV ad to raise the visibility of his music — “Desert Rose,” a song that radio DJs initially would not play.
Sting: “Russians”	1985	A song about the Cold War’s nuclear threat finds a pop audience.
“Stones Gather Dollars”	1989-2008	The Rolling Stones’ concert tours create a new music industry model & make business history.
“The Story in Your Eyes”	1971	A Moody Blues song of hope, love and concern for the future.
“Streets of Philadelphia”	1993-1994	Bruce Springsteen’s haunting song for the film Philadelphia captures the tragedy of AIDs.
“Streisand Rising”	1961-1965	Barbra Streisand’s early career, Jack Paar, Mike Wallace, Johnny Carson, Billboard hits; music & Broadway celebrity, TV specials.
“Talkie Terror”	Late 1920s	Silent film stars and all of Hollywood struggle with the new “talking pictures” sound technology.
“Taylor Swift, Rising”	2003-2009	Music, Celebrity & Business: A 19-yr-old singer/ songwriter storms the music charts …and more.
“Ted Turner & CNN”	1980s-1990s	Media pioneer shakes up news & entertainment while doing good.
U2 Song – “One”	1992	Irish rock group, chasing their muse, creates one of the 1990s’ top songs.
“Vines For Camels”	1934-1935	Ellsworth Vines, athlete & tennis star of the 1930s, in a magazine ad for Camel cigarettes.
“Vuitton’s Soccer Stars”	June 2010	Pelé, Maradona & Zidane help Vuitton sell luxury bags in their foosball magazine ad.
“Wall Street’s Gekko”	1980s-2010	Fictional Wall Street hustler, Gordon Gekko, made popular by the 1987 film, lives on in the culture, sending mixed messages over the years.
“Wayne For Camels”	1950s	John Wayne, the highly-popular Hollywood film star and heavy smoker, appeared in 1950s print & TV ads for Camel cigarettes.
“Wheaties & Sport”	1930s	A Midwest cereal-maker begins using sports stars to help make its breakfast product a cultural icon.
Pearl White	1910s-1920s	Silent film star & daredevil actress Pearl White & career; Perils of Pauline, Hearst newspapers, Photoplaymagazine cover.