BELIEVE ME [...] THE AURORA WILL SHINE YOUR WAY...

Well, the multitude assembled
And tried to make the noise
Them black blind poet generals
And restless loud white boys

Time's grew thin and the axis
Grew somehow incomplete
Where instead of child lions
We had aging junkie sheep

Well, how many wasted have I seen signed:
"Hollywood or bust"
And left to ride the ever ghostly Arizona gusts
Cheerleader tramps and kids with big amps
Sounding in the void
High society vamps, ex-heavyweight champs
Mistaking soot for soil

So break me now, big Mama
As Old Faithful breaks the day
Believe me, my good Linda
The aurora will shine the way
The confederacy's in my name now
The hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm
Do you feel your muscles play?

Well, the doorstep blanket weaver
Madonna pushes bells
From house to house I see her
Giving last kisses and wishing well

To every gypsy mystic hero
That the kids might find a place
Who get lost forever their mom and pops
On their weekends out in space

Well, sons they search for fathers
But the fathers are all gone
The lost souls search for saviors
But saviors don't last long

Those nameless, questless renegade brats
Who live their lives in song
They run the length of a candle
With a goodnight whisper, then they're gone

So break me now, big Mama
As Old Faithful breaks the day
Believe me, my good Linda
The aurora will shine the way
The confederacy's in my name now
The hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm
Do you feel your muscles play?

Well, the missions are filled with Hermits
They're looking for a friend
The terraces are filled with cat-men
Just looking for a way in

Those orphans jumped on silver mountains
Lost in celestial alleyways
They wait for that old tramp Dog Man Moses
He takes in all the strays

Now don't you grow on empty legends
Or lonely cradle songs
Billy the Kid was just a bowery boy
Who made a living twirling his guns

The night she's long and lanky
And she speaks in a mother tongue
She lullabies the refugees
With amplifier's hum

So break me now, big Mama
As Old Faithful breaks the day
Believe me, my good Linda
The aurora will shine the way
The confederacy's in my name now
The hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm
Do you feel your muscles play?

The confederacy's in my name now
The hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm
Do you feel your muscles play?

 

 So break me now big mama
As old faithful breaks the day
Believe me, my good linda,
The aurora will shine your way

 

Bruce Springsteen

IT'S JUST YOUR GHOST MOVING THROUGH THE NIGHT...

I hear the sound of your guitar
Comin' from the mystic far
Stone and the gravel in your voice
Come in my dreams and I rejoice

It's your ghost moving through the night
Your spirit filled with light
I need, need you by my side
Your love and I'm alive

I can feel the blood shiver in my bones
I'm alive and I'm out here on my own
I'm alive and I'm comin' home

Old buckskin jacket you always wore
Hangs on the back of my bedroom door
Boots and the spurs you used to ride
Click down the hall but never arrive

It's just your ghost moving through the night
Your spirit filled with light
I need, need you by my side
Your love and I'm alive

I can feel the blood shiver in my bones
I'm alive and I'm out here on my own
I'm alive and I'm comin' home

Your old Fender Twin from Johnny's Music downtown
Still set on ten to burn this house down
Count the band in, then kick into overdrive
By the end of the set we leave no one alive

Ghosts runnin' through the night
Our spirits filled with light
I need, need you by my side
Your love and I'm alive

I shoulder your Les Paul and finger the fretboard
I make my vows to those who've come before
I turn up the volume, let the spirits be my guide
Meet you, brother and sister, on the other side

I'm alive, I can feel the blood shiver in my bones
I'm alive and I'm out here on my own
I'm alive and I'm comin' home

Yeah, I'm comin' home

Alive, I can feel the blood shiver in my bones
I'm alive and I'm out here on my own
I'm alive and I'm coming home

Bruce Springsteen

FORGET ABOUT THE OLD FRIENDS AND THE OLD TIMES...

 There's a light on yonder mountain
And it's callin' me to shine
There's a girl over by the water fountain
And she's askin' to be mine
And Jesus is standing in the doorway
In a buckskin jacket, boots and spurs so fine
Says, "We need you, son, tonight up in Dodge City
'Cause there's just too many outlaws
Tryin' to work the same line"

Now if Jesus was a sheriff and I were a priest
If my lady was an heiress and my mama was a thief
If papa rode shotgun on the Fargo line
There's still too many bad boys
Tryin' to work the same line

Well sweet Virgin Mary runs the Holy Grail saloon
With a nickel she'll give ya whiskey
And a personally blessed balloon
And the Holy Ghost is the host with the most
He runs the burlesque show
Where they'll let you in for free
And they hit you when you go
Mary's serving Mass on Sunday
And she sells her body on Monday
To the bootlegger who paid the highest price
He don't know he got stuck with a loser
She's a stone junkie, what's more she's a user
She's only been made once or twice
By some kind of magic

If Jesus was a sheriff and I was the priest
If my lady was an heiress and my mama was a thief
And papa rode shotgun on the Fargo line
There's still too many outlaws
Tryin' to work the same line

Well things ain't been the same in heaven
Since big bad Bobby came to town
He's been known to down eleven
Then ask for another round
Me, I got scabs on my knees
From kneeling way too long
It's about time I played the man
Took a stand where I belong
Yeah, forget about the old friends and the old times
There's just too many new boys
Tryin' to work the same line

Well, if Jesus was a sheriff and I were the priest
If my lady was an heiress and my mama was a thief
And papa rode shotgun on the Fargo line
There's just too many outlaws
Tryin' to work the same line

Well there's a light on yonder mountain
And it's calling me to shine
There's a girl over by the water fountain
She's asking to be mine
Jesus is standing in the doorway
Six guns drawn and ready to fan
Said, "We need you tonight son, up in Dodge City"
Told him I was already overdue for Cheyenne

Yeah, if Jesus was the sheriff and I was the priest
If my lady was an heiress and my Mama was a thief
And Papa rode shotgun on the Fargo line
There's still too many bad boys
Tryin' to work the same line

If Jesus was the sheriff and I was the priest
If my lady was an heiress and my mama was a thief
And papa rode shotgun on the Fargo line
There's still too many bad boys
Tryin' to work the same line
Yeah, if Jesus was the sheriff and I was the priest

 Now there's a light on yonder mountain
And it's calling me to shine

Bruce Springsteen 

FOLKS NEED TO BELIEVE IN SOMETHING SO BAD, SO BAD...

Parched crops dying 'neath a dead sun
We've been praying but no good comes
The dog's howling, home's stripped bare
We've been worried but now we're scared

People come for comfort or just to come
Taste the dark sticky potion or hear the drums
Hands raised to Yahweh to bring the rain down
He comes crawling 'cross the dry fields like a dark shroud

Rainmaker, a little faith for hire
Rainmaker, the house is on fire
Rainmaker, take everything you have
Sometimes folks need to believe in something
So bad, so bad, so bad
They'll hire a rainmaker
(Rainmaker)

Rainmaker says white's black and black's white
Says night's day and day's night
Says close your eyes and go to sleep now
I'm in a burning field unloading buckshot into low clouds

Rainmaker, a little faith for hire
Rainmaker, the house is on fire
Rainmaker, take everything you have
Sometimes folks need to believe in something
So bad, so bad, so bad
They'll hire a rainmaker
(Rainmaker)

Slow moving wagon drawing through a dry town
Painted rainbow, crescent moon and dark clouds
Brother patriot, come forth and lay it down
Your blood brother for king and crown
For your rainmaker

They come for the smile, the firm handshake
They come for the raw chance of a fair shake
Some come to make damn sure, my friend
This mean season's got nothing to do with them

They come 'cause they can't stand the pain
Of another long hot day of no rain
'Cause they don't care or understand
What it really takes for the sky to open up the land

Rainmaker, a little faith for hire
Rainmaker, the house is on fire
Rainmaker, take everything you have
Sometimes folks need to believe in something
So bad, so bad, so bad
They'll hire a rainmaker

Rainmaker
Rainmaker
Rainmaker

 People come for comfort or just to come
Taste the dark sticky potion or hear the drums
Hands raised to Yahweh to bring the rain down
He comes crawling 'cross the dry fields like a dark shroud

Bruce Springsteen 

WE'LL LIGHT UP THE HOUSE OF A THOUSAND GUITARS...

The blood moon shines across the vale
Bells ring out through churches and jails
I tally my wounds and count the scars
Here in the house of a thousand guitars

The criminal clown has stolen the throne
He steals what he can never own
May the truth ring out from every small town bar
We'll light up the house of a thousand guitars

Well it's alright yeah, it's alright
Meet me darlin' come Saturday night
All good souls from near and far
Will meet in the house of a thousand guitars

Here the bitter and the bored
Wake in search of the lost chord
That'll band us together for as long as there's stars
Yeah, in the house of a thousand guitars

Well it's alright yeah, it's alright
Meet me darlin' come Saturday night
Brother and sister wherever you are
We'll meet in the house of a thousand guitars

So wake and shake off your troubles my friend
We'll go where the music never ends
From the stadiums to the small town bars
We'll light up the house of a thousand guitars
House of a thousand guitars, house of a thousand guitars

Brother and sister wherever you are
We'll rise together till we find the spark
That'll light up the house of a thousand guitars

Well it's alright yeah, it's alright
Meet me darlin' come Saturday night
All the souls from near and far
We'll meet at the house of a thousand guitars

A thousand guitars, a thousand guitars
A thousand guitars, a thousand guitars
A thousand guitars, a thousand guitars
A thousand guitars, a thousand guitars

 So wake and shake off your troubles my friend
We'll go where the music never ends
From the stadiums to the small town bars
We'll light up the house of a thousand guitars

Bruce Springsteen 

I AM REACHING FOR HEAVEN, WE WILL MAKE IT THERE...

Dreamy afternoon 'neath the summer sun
We'd lie by the lake 'til the evening comes
I run my fingers through your sun streaked hair
Baby, that's the power of prayer

Summer nights, summer's in the air
I stack the tables with the chairs
It's closing time and you're standing there
Baby, that's the power of prayer

It's a fixed game without any rules
An empty table on a ship of fools
I'm holding hearts, I play the pair
Darling, it's just the power of prayer

It's a fixed game without any rules
An empty table on a ship of fools
I'm holding hearts, I play the pair
I'm going all in 'cause I don't care

They say that love, love comes and goes
But darling, what, what do they know?
I'm reaching for heaven, we'll make it there
Darling, it's just the power of prayer
Baby, it's just the power of prayer
Darling, it's just the power of prayer

Last call, the bouncer shuts the door
"This Magic Moment" drifts across the floor
As Ben E. King's voice fills the air
Baby, that's the power of prayer

 Summer nights, summer's in the air
I stack the tables with the chairs
It's closing time and you're standing there
Baby that's the power of prayer

Bruce Springsteen 

COUNT THE NAMES OF THE MISSING AS COUNT OFF TIME

Faded pictures in an old scrapbook
Faded pictures that somebody took
When you were hard and young and proud
Backed against the wall, running raw and loud

Snakeskin vest and a sharkskin suit
Cuban heels on your boots
Kick in the band and side by side
You take the crowd on their mystery ride

Knights of Columbus and the Fireman's Ball
Friday night at the union hall
Black leather clubs all along route nine
You count the names of the missing as you count off time

Rock of ages lift me somehow
Somewhere high and hard and loud
Somewhere deep into the heart of the crowd
I'm the last man standing now
(I'm the last man standing now)

Out of school and out of work
Thrift store jeans and flannel shirts
The lights go down as you face the crowd
The last man standing now

Lights come up at the legion hall
Pool cues go back up on the wall
You pack your guitar and have one last beer
With just the ringing in your ears

Rock of ages lift me somehow
Somewhere high and hard and loud
Somewhere deep into the heart of the crowd
I'm the last man standing now
(I'm the last man standing now)
I'm the last man standing now

Faded pictures in an old scrapbook

Faded pictures that somebody took
When you were hard and young and proud

Back against the wall running raw and loud

 

Bruce Springsteen

WELL JANEY'S GOT A PRIEST FROM HIS MARBLE PULPIT

Well Janey's got a doctor who tears apart her insides
He investigates her and silently bates her sighs
He probes with his fingers but knows her heart only through his stethoscope
His hands are cold and his body's so old
Janey turns him down like dope

Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter like me on her side
Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter man who knows her style
The way that I know her style

Well Janey's got a priest from his marble pulpit he smiles
He provides consolation and he hears her confession at any time
In the pages of his bible he holds from what Janey hides
And with her doors open wide she begs, "Come inside"
But he's been frozen so long on the outside

Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter like me on her side
Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter man who knows her style
The way that I know her style, yeah

Well Janey's got a cop who lives 'round the block and checks on her every night
The skin turn pale as the siren he'd wail outside when he knew I was inside
Janey's small and sometimes he scared her
So I held her real close, she was more saint than a ghost
And told her I so long had been prepared for her

Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter like me on her side
Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter man who knows her style
Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter like me on her side
Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
A man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
A man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
A man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
A man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
A man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
A man who knows her style
The way that I know her style

 Well Janey's small and sometimes he scares her

So I held her real close she flowed like a ghost
And I told her bye, so long, I can't play that dope.

 

Bruce Springsteen

WE WHISPERED OUR BLACK PRAYERS, ROSE UP IN FLAMES

Zero's my number
Time is my hunter
I wanted you to heal me
But instead you set me on fire

We were out over the borders
I washed you in holy water
We whispered our black prayers
And rose up in flames

Take me on your burnin' train
Take me on your burnin' train

White sun burnin'
Black wings beatin'
I ran my fingers 'cross the hollow of your stomach
As you lay breathing

With our shared faith
Rising dark and decayed
Take me and shake me from this mortal cage

Take me on your burnin' train
Take me on your burnin' train

Something's shining in the light 'neath your breast
The thick smell of you on my chest

Your bed of thorns
I brought you shining gifts
Wiped the sweat from your brow
And I touched your lips

Sheets stained with sweat
Outside the endless rain
Darlin' I'm blessed in your blood
And marked by Cain

Take me on your burnin' train
Take me on your burnin' train
Take me on your burnin' train

 With our shared faith, rising dark and decayed
Take me and shake me from this mortal cage

Bruce Springsteen

TRIED TO SUMMON ALL THAT MY HEART FINDS TRUE...

'Neath a crown of mongrel trees
I pulled that bothersome thread
Got down on my knees
Grabbed my pen and bowed my head
Tried to summon all that my heart finds true
And send it in my letter to you

Things I found out through hard times and good
I wrote 'em all out in ink and blood
Dug deep in my soul and signed my name true
And sent it in my letter to you

In my letter to you
I took all my fears and doubts
In my letter to you
All the hard things I found out
In my letter to you
All that I've found true
And I sent it in my letter to you

I took all the sunshine and rain
All my happiness and all my pain
The dark evening stars
And the morning sky of blue
And I sent it in my letter to you
And I sent it in my letter to you

In my letter to you
I took all my fears and doubts
In my letter to you
All the hard things that I found out
In my letter to you
All that I found true
And I sent it in my letter to you
I sent it in my letter to you

 In my letter to you
I took all my fears and doubts
In my letter to you
All the hard things I found out

Bruce Springsteen 

ONE MINUTE YOU'RE HERE, NEXT MINUTE YOU'RE GONE

 Big black train comin' down the track
Blow your whistle long and long
One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone

I lay my penny down on the rails
As the summer wind sings its last song
One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone

Baby, baby, baby
I'm so alone
Baby, baby, baby
I'm coming home

Autumn carnival on the edge of town
We walk down the midway arm-in-arm
One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone

I thought I knew just who I was
And what I'd do but I was wrong
One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone

Red river running along the edge of town
On the muddy banks
I lay my body down
This body down

Footsteps cracklin' on a gravel road
Stars vanish in a sky as black as stone

One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone
One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone
One minute you're here

One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone

Bruce Springsteen

RMS OLYMPIC, THE LEAD SHIP OF THE WHITE STAR LINE

Today, The Grandma has been reading about the RMS Olympic, the British ocean liner that was launched on a day like today in 1910.

RMS Olympic was a British ocean liner and the lead ship of the White Star Line's trio of Olympic-class liners. 

Olympic had a career spanning 24 years from 1911 to 1935, in contrast to her short-lived sister ships, RMS Titanic and the Royal Navy hospital ship HMHS Britannic. This included service as a troopship with the name HMT Olympic during the First World War, which gained her the nickname Old Reliable, and during which she rammed and sank the U-boat U-103.

She returned to civilian service after the war and served successfully as an ocean liner throughout the 1920s and into the first half of the 1930s, although increased competition, and the slump in trade during the Great Depression after 1930, made her operation increasingly unprofitable. Olympic was withdrawn from service on 12 April 1935, and later sold for scrap, which was completed by 1939.

Olympic was the largest ocean liner in the world for two periods during 1910-13, interrupted only by the brief service life (six-day maiden voyage in April 1912) of the slightly larger Titanic, which had the same dimensions but higher gross register tonnage, before the German SS Imperator went into service in June 1913. Olympic also held the title of the largest British-built liner until RMS Queen Mary was launched in 1934, interrupted only by the short career of Titanic; Britannic, intended as a liner, instead served as a Royal Navy hospital ship for her 11-month life (December 1915 to November 1916), sinking when she hit a mine.

Built in Belfast, Ireland, Olympic was the first of the three Olympic-class ocean liners –the others being Titanic and Britannic. They were the largest vessels built for the British shipping company White Star Line, which was a fleet of 29 steamers and tenders in 1912.

The ships were built in Belfast by Harland & Wolff, who had a long-established relationship with the White Star Line dating back to 1867.

On 1 April 1911, Olympic was pulled into Thompson Graving Dock as part of its opening ceremony. Here, her hull was cleaned and painted. It was also the place where she received her propellers.

Olympic was driven by three propellers. The two three-bladed wing propellers were driven by two triple-expansion engines, while the four-bladed central propeller was driven by a turbine that used recovered steam escaping from the triple-expansion engines. The use of escaped steam was tested on the SS Laurentic two years earlier.

Olympic was designed as a luxury ship; Titanic's passenger facilities, fittings, deck plans and technical facilities were largely identical to Olympic, although with some small variations.

The first-class passengers enjoyed luxurious cabins, and some were equipped with private bathrooms. First-class passengers could have meals in the ship's large and luxurious dining saloon or in the more intimate A La Carte Restaurant. There was a lavish Grand Staircase, built only for the Olympic-class ships, along with three lifts that ran behind the staircase down to E deck, a Georgian-style smoking room, a Veranda Café decorated with palm trees, a swimming pool, Victorian Turkish bath, gymnasium, and several other places for meals and entertainment.

The second-class facilities included a smoking room, a library, a spacious dining room, and a lift.

Finally, the third-class passengers enjoyed reasonable accommodation compared to other ships. Instead of large dormitories offered by most ships of the time, the third-class passengers of Olympic travelled in cabins containing two to ten bunks. Facilities for the third class included a smoking room, a common area, and a dining room.

Following completion, Olympic started her sea trials on 29 May 1911 during which her manoeuvrability, compass, and wireless telegraphy were tested. No speed test was carried out. She completed her sea trial successfully. Olympic then left Belfast bound for Liverpool, her port of registration, on 31 May 1911. As a publicity stunt the White Star Line timed the start of this first voyage to coincide with the launch of Titanic. After spending a day in Liverpool, open to the public, Olympic sailed to Southampton, where she arrived on 3 June, to be made ready for her maiden voyage. Her arrival generated enthusiasm from her crew and newspapers. The deep-water dock at Southampton, then known as the White Star Dock had been specially constructed to accommodate the new Olympic-class liners, and had opened in 1911.

In 1934, the White Star Line merged with the Cunard Line at the instigation of the British government, to form Cunard White Star. This merger allowed funds to be granted for the completion of the future Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. When completed, these two new ships would handle Cunard White Star's express service; so their fleet of older liners became redundant and were gradually retired.

By the time of her retirement, Olympic had completed 257 round trips across the Atlantic, transporting 430,000 passengers on her commercial voyages, travelling 1.8 million miles.

More information: Titanic and Co.

 If you want to build a ship, 
don't drum up people to collect wood 
and don't assign them tasks and work, 
but rather teach them to long 
for the endless immensity of the sea.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

J'ATTENDS, J'ATTENDS DEPUIS DES LUNES, MON TOUR...

J'en vois défiler des fantômes, des grandes vitesses
Des corails
Quand ils sont passés où qu'ils aillent, tous me laissent
Sur la paille
Mais qu'est ce qu'il a ce train trois
À se faire attendre comme ça?

J'attends, j'attends depuis des lunes, mon tour
J'attends, j'attends depuis des jours, voie une

J'en vois s'envoler des adieux lorsque je passe,
Doucement
Quand ils sont posés sur le sol, je les ramasse,
J'en ai tant
Je regarde mes pieds, de cent pas ils font des lignes,
Et des ronds
Quand je lève le nez toujours rien à l'horizon,
Pas de signe
Mais qu'est ce qu'il a ce train trois
À se faire attendre comme ça?

J'attends, j'attends depuis des lunes, mon tour
J'attends, j'attends depuis des jours, voie une

Je me laisse aller à rêver de ce vieux trains trois,
Il est beau
Il est rouge je crois ressemble à
Un vélo
Mais qu'est ce qu'il a celui là
À se faire attendre comme ça?

J'attends, j'attends depuis des lunes, mon tour
J'attends, j'attends depuis des jours, voie une

Je vais m'en aller, mon grand âge ne me permet plus
De rester
J'ai usé le quai avec mes pas, rien n'est venu
Me chercher
Mais qu'est ce qu'il a ce train trois,
Peut-être n'existe-t-il pas ?

J'attends, j'attends depuis des lunes, mon tour
J'attends, j'attends depuis des jours, voie une
J'attends, j'attends depuis des lunes, mon tour
J'attends, j'attends depuis des jours, voie une

 

I see ghosts passing by, high speeds
Corals
When they've passed, wherever they're going, they all leave me
Breaking the bank
But what's wrong with this train 3
To keep me waiting like this?

I've been waiting, I've been waiting for ages, my turn
I've been waiting, I've been waiting for days, see one

I see farewells flying away as I pass,
Gently
When they're lying on the ground, I pick them up,
I have so many
I look at my feet, from a hundred steps they make lines,
And circles
When I look up, still nothing on the horizon,
No sign
But what's wrong with this train 3
To keep me waiting like this?

I've been waiting, I've been waiting for ages, my turn
I've been waiting, I've been waiting for days, platform one

I let myself dream of that old train 3,
It's beautiful
It's red, I think, looks like
A bicycle
But what's wrong with that one
To keep us waiting like that?

I've been waiting, I've been waiting for ages, my turn
I've been waiting, I've been waiting for days, platform one

I'm going to leave, my old age no longer allows me
To stay
I've worn out the platform with my feet, nothing has come
To get me
But what's wrong with that train 3,
Perhaps it doesn't exist?

I've been waiting, I've been waiting for ages, it's my turn
I've been waiting, I've been waiting for days, see one
I've been waiting, I've been waiting for ages, it's my turn

I've been waiting, I've been waiting for days, see one

  

 

J'attends, j'attends depuis des lunes, mon tour
J'attends, j'attends depuis des jours, voie une
J'attends, j'attends depuis des lunes, mon tour
J'attends, j'attends depuis des jours, voie une

 

  I've been waiting, I've been waiting for ages, it's my turn
I've been waiting, I've been waiting for days, see one
I've been waiting, I've been waiting for ages, it's my turn
I've been waiting, I've been waiting for days, see one

 

Amélie-les-Crayons

ASTÉRIX THE GAULOIS & THE GLADIATOR, ALEA JACTA EST

Joseph de Ca'th Lon and Claire Fontaine have just arrived to Lyon when they are going to meet with The Grandma who has not arrived yet. She is on the way. Altogether, they are going to see the Northern Star, who is going to shine near this amazing city today.

During her trip, The Grandma has been reading a new adventure of the most popular gaulois, Astérix the Gaul, an amazing adventure with the Gladiator.

Astérix the Gladiator, in French Astérix Gladiateur, is a French comic story, written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. It is the fourth story in the Astérix comic book series, and was originally published by Dargaud as a serial for Pilote magazine in 1962, before later being released as a comic album in 1964. The story focuses on Astérix and Obelix heading to Rome to rescue their village's bard, Cacofonix, which culminates in them having to infiltrate the gladiatorial games in order to save his life.

Astérix and the Gladiator received positive reviews following its publication, with its plot being later combined with the story from Astérix the Legionary for the 1985 animated film, Astérix Versus Caesar.

Prefect Odius Asparagus, while travelling around Gaul, makes a stop at the camp of Compendium in Armorica. There, he informs Centurion Gracchus Armisurplus, the camp's commander, that he intends to gift Julius Caesar with one of the Gauls from the village that resists Roman rule. Relunctantly, Armisurplus orders his men to kidnap Cacofonix the bard, who is deemed the easiest to abduct despite his bad singing. When the village is alerted to this by one of its children, the Gauls assault Compendium. When Astérix confronts and interrogates Armisurplus, he learns that Asparagus took Cacofonix before the attack, and is on his way to Rome on his personal galley. Asterix and Obelix decide to go after them, and secure passage onboard a ship owned by Ekonomikrisis, a Phoenician merchant.

Although the merchant plans to sell them as slaves at their destination, Ekonomikrisis has a change of heart when the Gauls help defend them against a band of pirates. Upon arriving in Rome, the pair visit a restaurant owned by a Gaulish chef named Instantmix, who offers to help them find Cacofonix, but request they discuss the matter privately at his home in the evening. To pass the time, Astérix and Obélix visit the public baths of the city, where they unknowingly catch the interest of Caius Fatuous, a prominent gladiator trainer, who considers them perfect candidates for the upcoming games at the Circus Maximus. When evening arrives, the pair meet with Instantmix, who reveals to them that Cacofonix was imprisoned in the Circus and is set to be fed to the lions in the games -Caesar having decreed this after Asparagus presented the bard to him, who was then examined by Fatuous over his fighting skills.

The next day, the Gauls attempt to rescue Cacofonix from the Circus but discover he was moved to a secure cell, mainly due to his singing proving problematic for the Romans. Deciding they need to enter the games in order to save him, Astérix and Obélix attempt to seek out Fatuous. Unaware the trainer has sent his men to capture them, whom they thwart unknowingly, and later issue a bounty on their head, the Gauls present themselves to Fatous at his gladiator school. Upon being sent for training, the pair irritate Fatuous by having the other gladiators take part in a guessing-game rather than in combat. On the eve of the games, after having Fatuous give them a guided tour of Rome, Astérix and Obélix visit Cacofonix in his cell, informing him of their plan to free both him and the gladiators they met.

On the day of the games, Astérix and Obélix substitute themselves into a chariot race and win it with ease, while Cacofonix manages to frighten the lions when he decides to sing. Annoyed, Caesar orders the gladiators to begin their fight, but becomes infuriated when they instead choose to play the guessing game they were taught. At Astérix's insistence, a cohort of Caesar's own guard is sent into the Circus, only for Astérix and Obélix to defeat them, much to the delight of the audience. Surprised by their reaction, Caesar releases the Gauls and hands them Fatuous to be their prisoner. The Gauls soon have him row them back to their village on Ekonomikrisis' galley, whereupon they ask the merchant to return him back to Rome. Once home, the villagers throw a banquet in honour of Astérix and Obélix's latest adventure, though with Cacofonix bound and gagged as usual to prevent him singing.

Key Lessons From Astérix The Gladiator

-The importance of unity and teamwork. Throughout the book, the Gauls face various challenges, but they always manage to overcome them by working together and utilizing each other's strengths. This highlights the significance of unity and teamwork in achieving success.

-The power of intelligence and strategy. Astérix and his friends demonstrate their intelligence and wit when facing the Romans in the gladiator games. They use their strategic thinking and resourcefulness to outsmart their opponents, emphasizing the idea that brains are just as important as brawn.

-The value of perseverance. Despite being captured and forced into becoming gladiators, Asterix and Obelix never lose hope and continue to fight for their freedom. Their determination and refusal to give up teach readers the importance of perseverance and resilience in the face of adversity.

-The rejection of violence. Despite being in a gladiator arena where violence is expected, Asterix and his friends always search for non-violent solutions. They rely on their intelligence and quick thinking rather than resorting to unnecessary aggression, promoting the idea that peaceful methods can be just as effective.

-The celebration of diversity. The book includes characters from various backgrounds and nationalities, highlighting the richness and beauty of diversity. The Gauls and other inhabitants of the village showcase the importance of embracing and accepting different cultures, promoting tolerance and understanding.

Download Astérix The Gladiator by R. Goscinny & A. Uderzo

 A Gaul must know how to make 

his enemy respect him!

Abraracourcix

ROADS OF BATTLES. PATHS OF VICTORY. WE SHALL WALK.

The trail is dark and dusty
The road, it's kinda rough
But the good road is a-waiting
And boys it ain't far off

Trails of troubles
Roads of battles
Paths of victory
We shall walk

I walked down to the valley
I turned my head up high
I seen that silver linin'
That was hangin' in the sky

Trails of troubles
Roads of battles
Paths of victory
We shall walk

The evenin' dust was rollin'
I was walking down the track
There was a one-way wind a-blowin'
It was blowin' at my back

Trails of troubles
Roads of battles
Paths of victory
We shall walk

The gravel road is bumpy
It's a hard old road to ride
But the clear road's up yonder
With the cinders on the side

Trails of troubles
Roads of battles
Paths of victory
We shall walk

The morning train was movin'
The hummin' of its wheels
Told me of a new day
Comin' across the field

Trails of troubles
Roads of battles
Paths of victory

We shall walk

 

 

Told me of a new day
Comin' across the field

Bob Dylan 

THE CARDIFF GIANT, THE MOST FAMOUS AMERICAN HOAX

Today, The Grandma have received great news of her friends Joseph de Ca'th Lon and Claire Fontaine, who are travelling from Sankt Pölten in Austria to Trnava in Slovakia. They continue scouting young football players, and enjoying formative football matches in this part of Europe.

After talking with her friends, The Grandma has been reading about the Cardiff Giant, one of the most popular American hoaxes of all time, that was discovered on a day like today in 1869.

The Cardiff Giant was one of the most famous archaeological hoaxes in American history. It was a 3.0 m purported petrified man, uncovered on October 16, 1869, by workers digging a well behind the barn of William C. "Stub" Newell, in Cardiff, New York. He covered the giant with a tent and it soon became an attraction site. Both it and an unauthorized copy made by P. T. Barnum are still being displayed.

The giant was the creation of a New York tobacconist named George Hull. He was deeply attracted to science and especially to the theory of evolution proposed by Charles Darwin. Hull got into an argument with Reverend Turk and his supporters at a Methodist revival meeting about Genesis 6:4, which states that there were giants who once lived on Earth. Hull, a skeptic, being the minority party, lost the argument. Angered by his defeat and the credulity of people, Hull wanted to prove how easily he could fool people with a fake giant.

The idea of a petrified man did not originate with Hull, however. During 1858, the newspaper Alta California had published a fake letter claiming that a prospector had been petrified when he had drunk a liquid within a geode. Other newspapers had also published stories of supposedly petrified people.

In 1868, Hull, accompanied by a man named H. B. Martin, hired men to quarry out a 3.2 m block of gypsum in Fort Dodge, Iowa, telling them it was intended for a monument to Abraham Lincoln in New York. He shipped the block to Edward Burkhardt in Chicago, a German stonecutter. Burkhardt hired two sculptors named Henry Salle and Fred Mohrmann to create the giant. While it is not clear if Burkhardt was aware of Hull's intentions, it is reported that they took steps to cover up their work during the carving, putting up quilts to lessen the sound of carving.

The giant was designed to imitate the form of Hull himself. Hull consulted a geologist and learned that hairs would not be petrified, so he removed the hair and beard from the giant. The length of the giant was 3.162 m and it weighed 1,360 kg.
Various stains and acids were used to make the giant appear to be old and weathered. In order for the giant to look ancient, Hull first wiped the giant using a sponge soaked with sand and water. The giant's surface was beaten with steel knitting needles embedded in a board to simulate pores. The giant was also rubbed with sulphuric acid to create a deeper, vintage-like color. During November 1868, Hull transported the giant by railroad to the farm of his cousin, William Newell. By then, he had spent US$2,600 for the hoax.

On a night in late November 1868, the giant was buried in a hole in Newell's farm. Nearly a year later, Newell hired Gideon Emmons and Henry Nichols, ostensibly to dig a well, and on October 16, 1869, they found the giant. One of the men reportedly exclaimed, I declare, some old Indian has been buried here!

More information: Live Science

The hoax is the very absence of truth, 

which usually means art is absent, too 
-hoaxes regularly substitute claims of reality 
for imagination, facts for form, 
acting as if artifice is the antithesis of art.

 

Kevin Young

WEITER UND WEITER EIN LEBEN LANG, FÜR IMMER...

Wir sind zum Mond geflogen
Hab'n Pyramiden gebaut
Hab'n nie die Neugier verlor'n
Und sind durch Meere getaucht
Wir haben Tränen vergossen
Wir haben gelacht und geweint
Wir haben Frieden geschlossen
Und uns wieder vereint

Doch all diese Dinge sind so klein
Denn das Größte, was wir könn'n, ist Mensch zu sein

Und wir gehen den Weg von hier
Seite an Seite ein Leben lang, für immer
Denn wir gehen den Weg von hier
Weiter und weiter ein Leben lang, für immer

Wir haben Welten entdeckt
Die wir vorher nicht kannten
Wir haben sprechen gelernt
Und uns Liebe gestanden
Wir haben Lieder geschrieben
Wir haben getanzt und gesungen
Wir haben Geister gerufen
Und Dämonen bezwungen

Es ist nicht immer einfach zu verzeih'n
Doch das Größte, was wir können, ist Mensch zu sein

Und wir gehen den Weg von hier
Seite an Seite ein Leben lang, für immer
Denn wir gehen den Weg von hier
Weiter und weiter ein Leben lang, für immer

Wir sind sicher nicht perfekt
Doch wer will das schon sein?
Wir haben alle kleine Fehler
Und sind damit nicht allein, nicht allein, nicht allein

Und wir gehen den Weg von hier
Seite an Seite ein Leben lang, für immer

Und wir gehen den Weg von hier
Seite an Seite ein Leben lang, für immer
Denn wir gehen den Weg von hier
Weiter und weiter ein Leben lang, für immer
Und wir gehen den Weg von hier
Seite an Seite ein Leben lang, für immer
Denn wir gehen den Weg von hier
Weiter und weiter ein Leben lang, für immer
Und wir gehen den Weg von hier
Seite an Seite ein Leben lang, für immer

We have flown to the moon,
Have built Pyramids,
Never lost curiosity,
And dived into seas.
We've shed tears,
We've laughed and cried,
We've made peace
and reunited.

But all these things are so small,
Because the biggest thing we can do is be Human.
 
And we're on the way from here,
Side-by-side, a lifetime forever.
Because we're on the way from here,
On-and-on, a lifetime forever.

We've discovered worlds,
Which we didn't know before
We've learnt to speak
And confessed our love.
We've written songs,
We have danced and sung,
We've called spirits
And conquered Demons.
 
It is not always easy to forgive,
But the biggest thing we can do is be Human.

And we're on the way from here,
Side-by-side, a lifetime forever.
Because we're on the way from here,
On-and-on, a lifetime forever.

We're surely not perfect,
But who really wants to be?
We all have little errors
and are (with them) not alone, not alone, not alone
 
And we're on the way from here,
Side-by-side, a lifetime forever.

And we're on the way from here,
Side-by-side, a lifetime forever.
Because we're on the way from here,
On-and-on, a lifetime forever.
And we're on the way from here,
Side-by-side, a lifetime forever.
Because we're on the
On-and-on, a lifetime forever.
And we're on the way from here,
Side-by-side, a lifetime forever.

 

Doch all diese Dinge sind so klein
Denn das Größte, was wir könn'n, 

ist Mensch zu sein

 

But all these things are so small,
Because the biggest thing we can do

is be Human.

 

Christina Stürmer

1888, LOUIS LE PRINCE FILMS ROUNDHAY GARDEN SCENE

Today, The Grandma has received some news of her friends Claire Fontaine and Joseph de Ca'th Lon, who have just arrived to Sankt Pölten, the beautiful Austrian city, where they are going to spend three days visiting it and enjoying an amazing football match.

Claire loves photography and cinema and she has been talking with The Grandma about Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince, the French artist who filmed the first motion picture, Roundhay Garden Scene, on a day like today in 1888.

Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince (28 August 1841-disappeared 16 September 1890; declared dead 16 September 1897) was a French artist and the inventor of an early motion-picture camera, and director of Roundhay Garden Scene. He was possibly the first person to shoot a moving picture sequence using a single lens camera and a strip of (paper) film. He has been credited as the Father of Cinematography but, due to his disappearance in 1890, his work did not influence the commercial development of cinema.

Le Prince was born on 28 August 1841 in Metz.

In October 1888, Le Prince filmed moving-picture sequences of family members in Leeds, in the 1888 short film Roundhay Garden, and of his son Louis playing the accordion, using his single-lens camera and Eastman's paper negative film. In the next eighteen months, he also made a film of Leeds Bridge. His work appears to precede the inventions of his contemporaries, such as Friese-Greene and Donisthorpe as well as being years ahead of the Lumière brothers and Dickson (who did the moving image work for Thomas Edison).

Le Prince disappeared on 16 September 1890. Numerous conspiracy theories emerged about his disappearance, including murder, disappearance in order to start a new life, and suicide. However, no conclusive evidence was found for any of these theories.

In early 1890, Edison workers had begun experimenting with celluloid film to capture moving images. The first public results of these experiments were shown in May 1891. Le Prince's widow and son, Adolphe, were keen to advance Louis's cause as the inventor of cinematography.

In 1898, Adolphe appeared as a witness for the defence in a court case brought by Thomas Edison against the American Mutoscope Company, in which Edison claimed to be the first and sole inventor of cinematography, and thus entitled to royalties for the use of the process. Film shot with cameras built according to Le Prince's patent were presented. Eventually, the court ruled in Edison's favour, however, a year later that ruling was overturned, but Edison reissued his patents and succeeded in controlling the US film industry for many years.

Seven years after his disappearance, Le Prince was declared dead on 16 September 1897.

In September 1890, Le Prince was preparing for a trip to the United States, supposedly to publicly premiere his work and join his wife and children. Before this journey, he decided to return to France to visit his brother in Dijon. Then, on 16 September, he took a train to Paris, but having taken a later train than planned, his friends in Paris discovered that he was not on board. He was never seen again by his family or friends, nor was the luggage he was traveling with ever found. The last person to see Le Prince at the Dijon station was his brother. The French police, Scotland Yard and the family undertook exhaustive searches, but never found him. Le Prince was officially declared dead in 1897. A number of mostly unsubstantiated theories have been proposed.

On 10 January 1888, Le Prince was granted an American patent on a 16-lens device that he claimed could serve as both motion picture camera (which he termed the receiver or photo-camera) and a projector (which he called the deliverer or stereopticon). That same day he took out a near-identical provisional patent for the same devices in Great Britain, proposing a system of preferably 3, 4, 8, 9, 16 or more lenses. Shortly before the final version was submitted he added a sentence which described a single-lens system, but this was neither fully explained nor illustrated, unlike the several pages of description of the multi-lens system, meaning the single-lens camera was not legally covered by patent.

This addendum was submitted on 10 October 1888 and, on 14 October, Le Prince used his single-lens camera to film Roundhay Garden Scene. During the period 1889-1890 he worked with the mechanic James Longley on various deliverers (projectors) with one, two, three and sixteen lenses. The images were to be separated, printed and mounted individually, sometimes on a flexible band, moved by metal eyelets.

The single lens projector used individual pictures mounted in wooden frames. His assistant, James Longley, claimed the three-lens version was the most successful. Those close to Le Prince have testified to him projecting his first films in his workshop as tests, but they were never presented to anyone outside his immediate circle of family and associates and the nature of the projector is unknown.

In 1889, he took French-American dual citizenship in order to establish himself with his family in New York City and to follow up his research. However, he was never able to perform his planned public exhibition at the Morris-Jumel Mansion in Manhattan, in September 1890, due to his disappearance.

In France, an appreciation society was created as L'Association des Amis de Le Prince (Association of Le Prince's Friends), which still exists in Lyon.

More information: Science Media Museum

Roundhay Garden Scene is a short silent motion picture filmed by French inventor Louis Le Prince at Oakwood Grange in Roundhay, Leeds, in Yorkshire, England on 14 October 1888. 

It is believed to be the oldest surviving film. The camera used was patented in the United Kingdom on 16 November 1888.

According to Le Prince's son, Adolphe, Roundhay Garden Scene was made at Oakwood Grange, the home of Joseph and Sarah Whitley, in Roundhay, Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, on 14 October 1888.

The footage features Adolphe, the Whitleys, and Annie Hartley leisurely walking around the garden of Oakwood Grange. Sarah is seen walking  -or dancing- backward as she turns around, and Joseph's coattails fly as he turns also. Joseph (1817-1891) and Sarah (née Robinson, 1816-1888) were the parents of Elizabeth, Louis Le Prince's wife, and Hartley is believed to have been a friend of the Le Princes. Sarah Whitley died ten days after the scene was filmed.

Oakwood Grange was demolished in 1972 and replaced with modern housing; the only remnants of it are the garden walls at the end of Oakwood Grange Lane. The adjacent stately home, Oakwood Hall, still stands, and is now a nursing home.

Roundhay Garden Scene was recorded on Eastman Kodak paper base photographic film using Le Prince's single-lens camera. 

In the 1930s, the Science Museum in London produced a photographic glass plate copy of 20 surviving frames from the original negative before it was lost. The copied frames were later printed on 35 mm film. Adolphe Le Prince stated that the film was shot at 12 frames per second (fps), but analysis suggests that it was shot at 7 fps. 

The First Film, a 2015 documentary about Louis Le Prince, shows it at 7 fps.

More information: Garden of Memory

 In conclusion, I would say that Mr. Le Prince 
was in many ways a very extraordinary man, 
apart from his inventive genius, 
which was undoubtedly great. 
He stood 6ft. 3in. or 4in. in his stockings, 
well built in proportion, 
and he was most gentle and considerate and, 
though an inventor, of an extremely placid disposition 
which nothing appeared to ruffle.

Frederic Mason

THE MAGELLAN SPACECRAFT ENDS HIS VENUS MISSION

Today, The Grandma has continued enjoying time with her friend Joseph de Ca'th Lon. They have been talking about the Magellan spacecraft, the robotic space probe, that burnt up in the atmosphere of Venus on a day like today in 1994.

The Magellan spacecraft was a 1,035-kilogram robotic space probe launched by NASA on May 4, 1989. Its mission objectives were to map the surface of Venus by using synthetic-aperture radar and to measure the planetary gravitational field.

The Magellan probe was the first interplanetary mission to be launched from the Space Shuttle, the first one to use the Inertial Upper Stage booster, and the first spacecraft to test aerobraking as a method for circularizing its orbit. Magellan was the fifth successful NASA mission to Venus, and it ended an eleven-year gap in U.S. interplanetary probe launches.

Beginning in the late 1970s, scientists advocated for a radar mapping mission to Venus. They first sought to construct a spacecraft named the Venus Orbiting Imaging Radar (VOIR), but it became clear that the mission would be beyond the budget constraints during the ensuing years. The VOIR mission was canceled in 1982.

A simplified radar mission proposal was recommended by the Solar System Exploration Committee, and this one was submitted and accepted as the Venus Radar Mapper program in 1983. The proposal included a limited focus and a single primary scientific instrument. In 1985, the mission was renamed Magellan, in honor of the sixteenth-century Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, known for his exploration, mapping, and circumnavigation of the Earth.

The objectives of the mission included:

-Obtain near-global radar images of the Venusian surface with a resolution equivalent to optical imaging of 1.0 kilometre per line pair.

-Obtain a near-global topographic map with 50 kilometres spatial and 100 metres vertical resolution.

-Obtain near-global gravity field data with 700 kilometres resolution and two to three milligals of accuracy.

-Develop an understanding of the geological structure of the planet, including its density distribution and dynamics.

Magellan returned data to perform three so called experiments:

-Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), already covered above while discussion the RDRS instrument;

-Gravimetry, consisting on detailed measurements of the Venus gravitational field, with the principal investigator being Georges Balmino from Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales;

-Magellan Radio Science Occultation Experiment (ROCC), consisting on measurements of the atmospheric density and radio occultation data on the atmospheric profile. The principal investigator was Jon M. Jenkins from NASA Ames Research Center.

Magellan was launched on May 4, 1989, at 18:46:59 UTC by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from KSC Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis during mission STS-30. Once in orbit, the Magellan and its attached Inertial Upper Stage booster were deployed from Atlantis and launched on May 5, 1989 01:06:00 UTC, sending the spacecraft into a Type IV heliocentric orbit where it would circle the Sun 1.5 times, before reaching Venus 15 months later on August 10, 1990.

On September 9, 1994, a press release outlined the termination of the Magellan mission. Due to the degradation of the power output from the solar arrays and onboard components, and having completed all objectives successfully, the mission was to end in mid-October. The termination sequence began in late August 1994, with a series of orbital trim maneuvers which lowered the spacecraft into the outermost layers of the Venusian atmosphere to allow the Windmill experiment to begin on September 6, 1994. The experiment lasted for two weeks and was followed by subsequent orbital trim maneuvers, further lowering the altitude of the spacecraft for the final termination phase.

On October 11, 1994, moving at a velocity of 7 kilometers/second, the final orbital trim maneuver was performed, placing the spacecraft 139.7 kilometers above the surface, well within the atmosphere. At this altitude the spacecraft encountered sufficient ram pressure to raise temperatures on the solar arrays to 126 °C.

On October 13, 1994 at 10:05:00 UTC, communication was lost when the spacecraft entered radio occultation behind Venus. The team continued to listen for another signal from the spacecraft until 18:00:00 UTC, when the mission was determined to have concluded. Although much of Magellan was expected to vaporize due to atmospheric stresses, some amount of wreckage is thought have hit the surface by 20:00:00 UTC.

More information: NASA

Venus and Mars are our next of kin: 
they are the two most Earth-like planets 
that we know about. 
They're the only two other very Earth-like planets 
in our solar system, 
meaning they orbit close to the sun; 
they have rocky surfaces and thin atmospheres.

David Grinspoon

DIANE HALL KEATON, THE GREAT CHAMELEONIC ACTRESS

Sad news comes to us from the USA. Diane Keaton, one of the best actresses in the history of cinema, has said goodbye to us and we do not have enough words to express our sadness for the news and our admiration for a person who played unforgettable characters who will continue to be present in our memories.

May the earth be light for you, Diane.

Diane Hall Keaton (born January 5, 1946) is an American actress and filmmaker.

Known for her idiosyncratic personality and dressing style, Keaton has received an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and the AFI Life Achievement Award.

Keaton began her career on stage and made her screen debut as an extra in Lovers and Other Strangers (1970). She rose to prominence with her first major film role as Kay Adams-Corleone in The Godfather (1972), a role she reprised in its sequels The Godfather Part II (1974) and The Godfather Part III (1990). But the films that most shaped her career were those with director and co-star Woody Allen, beginning with Play It Again, Sam (1972). Her next two films with Allen, Sleeper (1973) and Love and Death (1975), established her as a comic actor. Her fourth, the romantic comedy Annie Hall (1977), won her the Academy Award for Best Actress.

To avoid being typecast as her Annie Hall persona, Keaton became an accomplished dramatic performer, starring in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) and Interiors (1978), and received three more Academy Award nominations for playing feminist activist Louise Bryant in Reds (1981), a woman with leukemia in Marvin's Room (1996), and a dramatist in Something's Gotta Give (2003).

Keaton's other popular films include Manhattan (1979), Baby Boom (1987), Father of the Bride Part I (1991) and Part II (1995), Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), The First Wives Club (1996), The Family Stone (2005), Morning Glory (2010), Finding Dory (2016) and Book Club (2018).

More information: Instagram

Diane Keaton was born Diane Hall in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Dorothy Deanne (née Keaton; 1921–2008), was a homemaker and amateur photographer; her father, John Newton Ignatius Jack Hall (1922–1990), was a real estate broker and civil engineer. Keaton was raised a Free Methodist by her mother.

Her mother won the Mrs. Los Angeles pageant for homemakers; Keaton has said that the theatricality of the event inspired her first impulse to be an actress, and led to her wanting to work on stage. She has also credited Katharine Hepburn, whom she admires for playing strong and independent women, as one of her inspirations.

Keaton is a 1964 graduate of Santa Ana High School in Santa Ana, California. During her time there, she participated in singing and acting clubs at school, and starred as Blanche DuBois in a school production of A Streetcar Named Desire. 

After graduation, she attended Santa Ana College, and later Orange Coast College as an acting student, but dropped out after a year to pursue an entertainment career in Manhattan. Upon joining the Actors' Equity Association, she changed her surname to Keaton, her mother's maiden name, as there was already an actress registered under the name of Diane Hall.

For a brief time she also moonlighted at nightclubs with a singing act. She revisited her nightclub act in Annie Hall (1977), And So It Goes (2014), and a cameo in Radio Days (1987).

Keaton began studying acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. She initially studied acting under the Meisner technique, an ensemble acting technique first evolved in the 1930s by Sanford Meisner, a New York stage actor/acting coach/director who had been a member of The Group Theater (1931–1940).

Keaton said she produced her 1987 documentary Heaven because I was always pretty religious as a kid... I was primarily interested in religion because I wanted to go to heaven. When she grew up, she became agnostic.

More information: Today

As an actress, I'm drawn to emotion and expressing
the human condition in all its forms,
and I'm fortunate to have thoughts
and feelings at my fingertips.

Diane Keaton

LEONARD 'CHICO' MARX, A CHAIN OF GAGS & SLAPSTICKS

Today, The Grandma has been watchong some classic films interpreted by Chico Marx, one of the Marx Brothers, who dies on a day like today in 1961.

Leonard 'Chico' Marx (March 22, 1887-October 11, 1961) was an American comedian, actor, and pianist. He was the oldest brother in the Marx Brothers comedy troupe, alongside his brothers Arthur ('Harpo'), Julius ('Groucho'), Milton ('Gummo'), and Herbert ('Zeppo'). His persona in the act was that of a charming, uneducated but crafty con artist, seemingly of rural Italian origin, who wore shabby clothes and sported a curly-haired wig and Tyrolean hat. On screen, Chico is often in alliance with Harpo, usually as partners in crime, and is also frequently seen trying to con or outfox Groucho.

Leonard was the oldest of the Marx Brothers to live past early childhood, the first-born being Manfred Marx who died in infancy. In addition to his work as a performer, he played an important role in the management and development of the act in its early years.

Marx was born in Manhattan, New York City, on March 22, 1887. His mother Miene ('Minnie') Marx (née Schoenberg) was from Dornum in East Frisia. Around 1880, the family emigrated to New York City. His father, Samuel ('Sam' or 'Frenchy'; born Simon) Marx, was a native of Mertzwiller, a small Alsatian village, and worked as a tailor. Minnie and Sam married on January 18, 1885. Their first child, Manfred, died of tuberculosis; Leonard was their second, and was followed in turn by Arthur, Julius, Milton, and Herbert.

By the age of nine, Leonard was a gambler, and by the age of eleven, he would stay out all night hustling pool. He lost his first job, in 1899, for playing craps on premises, and, in other jobs, would routinely gamble his money away on payday. In his mid-teens, with pressure from his parents to stop gambling, he left home, supporting himself by playing piano in nickelodeons and whorehouses. He also briefly toured with a circus as a wrestler, and later, a flyweight boxer.

By 1907, Chico was working at music publishing firm Shapiro, Bernstein & Co.. When the founder of that company, Maurice Shapiro, died in 1911, Chico quit immediately, convincing a young tenor, Aaron Gordon, to tour with him in vaudeville. At the time, there was a successful vaudeville act called The Two Funny Germans, starring Bill Gordon and Nick Marx; with Minnie's encouragement, Aaron Gordon and Chico Marx adopted Italian accents (Chico's reputedly based on that of his barber) and toured as Marx and Gordon. Gordon, who later said that he never saw a salary because Chico gambled away their earnings, left the act in the fall of that year.

It was during Chico's time in vaudeville that he acquired his nickname (during a card game). During Groucho's live performance at Carnegie Hall in 1972, he states that his brother got the name Chico because he was a chicken-chaser (early 20th century slang for womanizer). Chico's nickname was originally spelled Chicko. A typesetter accidentally omitted the k, so his name became Chico.

While the Marxes typically pronounced Chico as Chick-oh, others sometimes mistakenly pronounced it Cheek-oh. Numerous radio recordings from the 1940s exist in which announcers and fellow actors mispronounce the nickname, but Chico does not correct them. As late as the 1950s, Groucho used the wrong pronunciation for comedic effect. A guest on You Bet Your Life told the quizmaster she grew up around Chico, California, which is pronounced Cheek-oh. Groucho responded, I grew up around Chico myself. You aren't Gummo, are you? In most interviews, Groucho is heard correctly pronouncing it Chicko, as in an episode of The Dick Cavett Show with Groucho talking to Dan Rowan.

When they later made films, as manager, Chico negotiated with the studios to get the brothers a percentage of a film's gross receipts -the first deal of its kind in Hollywood which has become common practice today.

The Marx Brothers' film, A Night in Casablanca (1946), was produced after the team had officially retired and was made largely for Chico's financial benefit. Chico had filed for bankruptcy a few years prior. At around this time, the rest of the Marx brothers, finally aware of Chico's out-of-control gambling, took full control over his finances; they took all money away from Chico as he earned it and put him on an allowance to curb his constant betting and gambling. Chico stayed on the allowance until his death.

Through the 1950s, Chico occasionally appeared on a variety of television anthology shows and some television commercials, most notably with Harpo (and a cameo appearance by Groucho) in The Incredible Jewelry Robbery, a pantomime episode of General Electric Theater in 1959. This was the final appearance of the three Marx Brothers. Chico's last public appearance was in 1960, playing cards on the television show Championship Bridge. He and his partner lost the game.

As well as being a compulsive womanizer, Chico had a lifelong addiction to gambling. His favorite gambling pursuits were card games, horse racing, dog racing, and various sports betting. His addiction cost him millions of dollars by his own account.

Chico died at the age of 74 on October 11, 1961, at his Hollywood home. He was the eldest brother and the first to die and is entombed in the mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

More information: Factinate

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Chico Marx