Niki
Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011
Denise and I were trying to come up with the time period when our cat Niki first appeared in our lives and what we decided was that she first showed up, unannounced and unsolicited during the summer of 1985. It was most likely one of the summer holidays – possibly the Fourth of July or Labor Day. Denise recalls that she was playing outside with the Tangeman kids and stumbled upon this oddly-colored tortoiseshell tabby cat. She had splotches of black, orange, brown, and one odd patch of white on her chest. Read the rest of this entry »
Perhaps you’re wondering how a real life actress can get the credit as playing Tinkerbell in the 1953 Walt Disney animated classic Peter Pan, especially since Tinkerbell didn’t talk in the film. Well here’s how: In the early days of Disney animation, live actors were hired to pantomime the movements of their on-screen counterparts. Margaret Kerry was the actress who was tapped to be old Tink. But to solidify her presence in the actual film, she also provided the voice of one of the red-headed mermaid in the Neverland lagoon. But when I first met Margaret Kerry, I didn’t really know much about her involvement with Peter Pan. 
Knowing Virginia Karns Patterson was truly one of the most unique and fulfilling experiences in my life. I had met many celebrities – mostly in the Laurel & Hardy and Our Gang realm – up to that point, but never had I carried on a true friendship with any of them. Virginia was mostly known for her role as Mother Goose in the 1934 Laurel & Hardy film Babes in Toyland. She also had supporting roles in several other Hal Roach short subjects which included Four Parts (Charley Chase series), Soup and Fish (Todd-Kelly series), and Music in Your Hair (starring Billy Gilbert and Billy Bletcher). 
I was hoping for a white Christmas for 1986, mostly because I had a new sled. But hoping for and getting wasn’t always the same – as this Christmas proved. There was sickness a-brewing in my house. Denise had interrupted my movie-watching on the evening of Saturday, December 20, to let me know that she had thrown up all over her room. She spent the rest of the weekend recovering, but not before leaving the germs of a flu bug behind. By Tuesday, Dad was feeling ill and was having productive sessions over the toilet. 
Although I had met Della Lind, leading lady from the Laurel and Hardy feature Swiss Miss, six years prior (at the Hollywood ’80 convention, seen