Spotlight – Olivia de Havilland

We throw the Ron’s Amazing Spotlight on actress Olivia de Havilland. She was born July 1, 1916 and her career spanned from 1935 to 1988. Here is the amazing part, she is one of the last surviving stars at age one-hundred, from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Olivia appeared in forty-nine feature films. She is best known for her early screen performance in one of my favorite films of all time, The Adventures of Robin Hood in 1938. She was also in a tiny little film in 1939 called Gone with the Wind. That film only won twelve academy awards including best actress in a supporting role – Olivia de Havilland. Oh, in case you were wondering, best actress in a leading role was won by Vivien Leigh star of Gone with the Wind.

Olivia was born in Tokyo to English parents. She and her younger sister, actress Joan Fontaine, moved to California in 1919. They were raised by their mother Lillian, a former stage actress who taught them dramatic art, music, and elocution. De Havilland made her acting debut Reinhardt’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1935. She began her career playing demure innocent women opposite popular leading men, including Errol Flynn, with whom she made nine films. They became one of Hollywood’s most popular romantic on-screen pairings.

After romantic relationships with Howard Hughes, James Stewart, and John Huston, Olivia married author Marcus Goodrich, with whom she had a son, Benjamin. In 1953, she moved to Paris and married Pierre Galante with whom she had a daughter, Gisèle. Olivia and Joan Fontaine are the only sisters to have won Academy Awards in a lead acting category. A lifelong rivalry between the two resulted in an estrangement that lasted over three decades. Joan died in 2013 and won her Academy Award for best actress for her role in Suspicion in 1941.

This Week’s Podcast:

On this week’s podcast we present Olivia de Havilland in one the golden age of radio’s best plays, The Scarlet Pimpernel. You can listen to this podcast this Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

August 11, 2016 – Jim Harold’s Trip to Cypress Canyon (RAS255)
August 18, 2016 – 1,000 Years! (RAS256)
September 01, 2016 – Jubilation U.S.A.! (RAS257)
September 08, 2016 – Sincerely, Iris Interview (RAS258)
September 15, 2016 – Three Different Stories (RAS259)
September 22, 2016 – The Scarlet Pimpernel (RAS260)
September 29, 2016 – (RAS261)
October 01, 2016 – Beginning of the month of Spooky (RAS262)

RAS #259 – Three Different Stories

On this amazing episode we have three different stories. Debra Yates join us to update us about her book release and read a passage from, Woman of Many Names. Then we have one from Suspense, and we follow that up with a skit from me called ‘A Simple Sunday Morning’. So press that play button, you know you want to.

On our OTR story for this episode of Ron’s Amazing Stories – A timid, henpecked husband dreams of being a tough-guy gangster, and when his idol comes to town, he seeks him out to help him deal with his domineering wife. You might be saying what the heck kind of story is that? Well, one that is actually pretty good!

We Revisit Debra Yates and Nancy Ward’s World.

A few months ago we had Debra Yates on the podcast. She came on and told us some amazing stories about her 7x great grandmother Nancy Ward (Nanyehi). Her book, Woman of Many Names is now available on Amazon in hardcopy and paperback. It will soon be coming to the Kindle.

RAS 245 - Yates Cover — Cover art for the book Woman Of Many Names created by Dawn Fisher.

Nanyehi was a Beloved Woman of the Cherokee, which meant that she was allowed to sit in councils and to make decisions, along with the chiefs and other Beloved Women. She believed in peaceful coexistence with the European-Americans and helped her people as peace negotiator and ambassador. She also introduced them to farming and dairy production bringing substantial changes to the Cherokee society.

Debra’s book is a deeper look into a woman who helped shaped the history of our Nation. Nancy Ward had ties to Daniel Boone and George Washington, including having saved the latter’s life. She has been memorialized in Benton, Tennessee, by a federal historical marker.

This Week’s Podcast:

Suspense! Yes we have another one from that classic show. Also, Debra Yates will join us and update us about her book release and read a passage from, Woman of Many Names. You can listen to this podcast this Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

August 11, 2016 – Jim Harold’s Trip to Cypress Canyon (RAS255)
August 18, 2016 – 1,000 Years! (RAS256)
September 1, 2016 – Jubilation U.S.A.! (RAS257)
September 8, 2016 – Sincerely, Iris Interview (RAS258)
September 15, 2016 – Debra Yates Reprise! (RAS259)
September 22, 2016 – (RAS260)
September 29, 2016 – (RAS261)

RAS #258 – Sincerely Iris Interviewed

Sincerely Iris Interviewed A few weeks ago I did a special tribute to Mark Twain. While doing the research for that show I ran across a song about Twain called 1,000 Years by Sincerely, Iris. I contacted them and got permission to play the song as part of the tribute. Since then I have had the good fortune to meet the founder of the group, Todd Murray and he is here to share his music, tell some stories and tell us all about Road Trip music. This is a very cool episode of Ron’s Amazing Stories!

Sincerely Iris Interviewed -show links:

Website
Facebook
Official Video for Just Like a Dog
Cover of AC/DC’s – Done Dirt Cheap & Thunderstruck

Program Note – All of the music used in today’s show was approved by Todd Murray and Sincerely, Iris. Ron’s Amazing Stories appreciates Todd for allowing us to play his music, but hold no rights to these works and any questions about their usage should be directed to Todd Murray <todd@sincerelyiris.com>.

Spotlight – Sincerely Iris (Todd Murray)

On this edition of Ron’s Amazing Stories – The Blog we throw the spotlight on Todd Murray founder of Sincerely Iris.

A few weeks ago I did a special tribute to Mark Twain. While doing the research for that show I ran across a song about the man called 1,000 Years by Sincerely, Iris. I contacted them and got permission to play the song as part of the tribute to Mr. Twain. Since then I have had the good fortune to interview the group and will play that chat on this week’s podcast.

Sincerely, Iris consists of singer/songwriter Todd Murray. He has a sound that can be summed up best as “road trip music.” It’s a style that’s always changing, and always moving along. Whether it be gypsy-esque or like Kerouac’s beat up old truck, shaking down the road at midnight, it is at once comforting, and somewhat unknown. Sincerely, Iris draws upon influences from Jeff Buckley all the way to Billie Holiday. He is sponsored by Breedlove Guitars.

Todd recently completed his new album, “Trouble.” This is his 5th album under the name Sincerely, Iris. Iconic stories of Mark Twain floating on a riverboat or Bonnie and Clyde running from law enforcement weave their way into the writings of Todd Murray’s newest EP, “Trouble.” Murray has always referred to his songs as road trip music, and his latest highly anticipated album is no exception – a sort of vintage Americana. His last experimental blues album “License Plate Sessions,” which was recorded almost entirely with his homemade 4-string slide guitar, marked a new direction for Sincerely, Iris, but that style seems to have seeped into the music permanently on “Trouble.” From the cold winds of Chicago and the risk of going out on your own to the vastness of the Rocky Mountains, this album takes a look at the bumpy road that is The American Dream.

This Week’s Podcast:

On the the podcast this week we sit down with Todd Murray the founder of group Sincerely, Iris. We will hear examples of Todd’s work and maybe even a surprise or two. So tune in this Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.