McKnittey Musings — History

  Hedy Lamarr was born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler November 9, 1914, in Vienna, Austria. Lamarr was considered notorious even by Hollywood standards for a few reasons:- Her physical appearance. The Hollywood press of the 1940's referred to her "the most beautiful woman in the world." - Her risqué first film, Ecstasy. She was 18 when the film was made, and the director filmed the nude scenes in itwithout her permission with a telephoto lens. She felt exploited by the German and turned to the stage.- Her six marriages. She left her first husband because of the emotional and verbal...

  Gail Russell was born September 21, 1924 in Chicago, IL as Betty Gale Russell.She was chronically shy which led to her drinking to cope with the stress of acting and maintaining a public life.  She dies at the age of 36 from the effects of alcoholism.She was married to Guy Madison who played Wild Bill Hickok in the TV series.She was in one of my favorite movies as a child, Angel and the Badman, alongside John Wayne.  I found her to have a very endearing presence onscreen.

No trip to Galveston would be complete without a trip to the Strand Historic District.   The Strand was originally Avenue B which ran parallel to Galveston Bay.  It was a merchant area near the wharf and the merchant there thought calling it "the Strand" gave it a more upscale sound.  Now the Strand encompasses many blocks downtown and is a shopping and entertainment district.

Very excited to be heading to sunny climes with Mrs.  Crosby.  As you may know, she is a purveyor of fine fibers and I was thrilled to be able to bring her along to Galveston, Texas and share some of favorite spots in this beautiful and historic Texas city.

Our lodging is at the Sally Trueheart Williams home on Broadway in the East End Historic District.   I would highly recommend it.  It was built in 1928 and it built in a Spanish Revival style.  The renovations to the interior are very comfortable while maintaining the integrity of this home.

One of my absolute favorite actresses, Carole Lombard. She was the highest paid Hollywood star in the late 1930’s. Her final film with Jack Benny and Robert Stack, “To Be or Not to Be”, was in post-production when she died in an airplane crash while on a World War II War bond drive.