Sports, Cars & Other Pastimes

The Early Days of Football: Far Removed from the Super Bowl

My grandfather was the quarterback for the University of Colorado in 1917. This photo hangs in our home and never ceases to catch the attention... continue »

Will Rogers (1879-1935): His Wisdom Still Applies Today

Will Rogers was a part-Cherokee American who grew up in Indian Territory and began his career in vaudeville doing rope tricks; he went on to... continue »

Jack LaLanne: Father of The Fitness Movement

Jack LaLanne (1914-2011) is considered the Father of the American Fitness Movement. He was among the first to recognize the importance of healthy eating and... continue »

Think Today’s Game of Football is Tough?

When the Falcons and the Patriots take the field for the Super Bowl in 2017, their uniforms and protective gear differ markedly from the gear... continue »

Before the Rose Bowl There was the Tournament of Roses

What we know as the Rose Bowl Parade dates to 1890 and was conceived by the Valley Hunt Club of Pasadena. Members decorated their horse-drawn... continue »

Stimulating Retail Sales in Stores 100 Years Ago

At holiday time, a special treat for the family often involved a trip downtown (or to the nearest big city) to see the store windows,... continue »

World War II and Hollywood: Participating in the War Effort

During World War II the movie-making business in Los Angeles continued but was changed by the fact that the nation was at war. Like other... continue »

Skippy: Asta from The Thin Man

In the 1930s, Skippy (Asta) was a huge dog star. He lifted the hearts of people during the Depression, and everyone loved him. But Skippy... continue »

The Indy 500: Early Start in Racing

The Indianapolis 500 started in 1911. That's only three years after Henry Ford introduced the Model T (1908). The cars in these races were early,... continue »

Rock ‘N’ Roll Billboards of the Sunset Strip–New Book Presents Iconic Billboards

In the early days of rock ‘n’ roll, before MTV and the Internet, iTunes and Spotify, record companies began to gravitate to advertising their musical... continue »

The Story of Toto/Terry

The 1939 film of The Wizard of Oz is memorable for many reasons, and one of them is certainly the presence of Dorothy’s adorable dog,... continue »

Dog Training for the Early Movies

Dog trainer Carl Spitz (1894 –1976) was a German immigrant who made his way to Los Angeles where he founded the Hollywood Dog Training School... continue »

«1 2 345 6 7 8 »