The Echo of a Distant Time: August 2026

Sunday, August 23, 2026

Rest in Peace, Shelley Fabares

A black-and-white publicity photograph shows Shelley Fabares posing beside a tranquil tropical shoreline in a floral two-piece swimsuit with a halterneck top and high-waisted bottoms. Seated sideways upon a rough timber beam, she extends one leg towards the foreground whilst bending the other, resting her hand lightly against her temple. Her short blonde hair is styled in a neat bouffant, and she smiles brightly towards the camera. A palm frond enters dramatically from the upper left, while calm water and a distant tree-lined shore form the uncluttered background, lending the portrait the sunny, wholesome glamour characteristic of early-1960s Hollywood publicity photography.

photo: source unknown

A fond farewell to the great actress and singer Shelley Fabares. Now among the angels. 19 January 1944 to 22 August 2026.

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Friday, August 21, 2026

Queen of Noir

A black-and-white MGM publicity portrait of Marie Windsor reclining across a bed in a dark, form-fitting dress. She lies on her stomach with her legs raised behind her, displaying high-heeled shoes with decorative detailing, while resting her head casually against one hand. Windsor wears her dark hair in a glossy, shoulder-length bob with short, blunt fringe, complemented by dark lipstick and precisely defined brows. Her relaxed pose and faint, knowing smile lend the photograph the sophisticated sensuality and slightly dangerous glamour for which the statuesque actress became particularly associated in film noir.

Miss Dimension of 1946 and ‘Queen of the B’s’: TCM’s featured star of the day, Marie Windsor, in an MGM publicity photograph from in all likelihood right around 1946. A femme fatale extraordinaire and, at five feet nine inches, one of Hollywood’s most statuesque leading ladies.

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Monday, August 17, 2026

Yvonne Craig: a light that time could never dim

A colour portrait of Robert De Niro standing against a dark, weathered industrial backdrop. His silver-grey hair is swept neatly back, and he looks directly towards the camera with a restrained, contemplative expression. He wears a charcoal-grey tailored jacket over a black collared shirt, creating an understated monochromatic appearance. A metal mesh partition occupies the left edge of the frame, while scratched and mottled wall panels extend behind him. Soft natural light illuminates his face and accentuates its age-lined features, contrasting with the sombre textures and muted tones of the surrounding environment.

photo: source unknown

The fabulous actress and ballerina of yore, Yvonne Craig. 16 May 1937 to 17 August 2015.

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Robert De Niro, born on this day in 1943

photo: Emilio Madrid, c. 2024

Wishing one of the world’s finest actors, a great American, and one of my favourite people on this planet, Mr Robert De Niro, a very happy 83rd birthday.

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Remembering Hayden Panettiere

photo: Michael Sterling Eaton

Hayden Panettiere, 21 August 1989 to 16 August 2026. {ABC News 17 August}

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/articles/hayden-panettiere-dies-at-36-030552157.html

A colour glamour photograph of Hayden Panettiere posing beside a vivid pink upright piano in a softly illuminated room. Her long blonde hair falls in loose waves as she kneels upon the matching piano bench, leaning forward with her arms resting across the instrument and looking back towards the camera. She wears a fitted black sleeveless crop top and a short pleated tartan skirt. An open sheet of music rests above the keyboard, while the predominantly pink-and-white surroundings create a playful, feminine atmosphere reminiscent of a stylised fashion editorial.

source unknown

Rest in Peace, Hayden Panettiere. Taken from this world following an apparent heart attack, at merely thirty-six years of age. Apart from coming across a few pin-up images here and there, I cannot lay claim to any degree of familiarity with either her career or person, apart from what I have only just come to learn. Obviously, though, she was undeniably beautiful and still in the prime years of life. Show business is demanding even for the resolute and most level-headed of individuals; for those living with depression or addiction, it is all but impossible to endure. Marilyn was also thirty-six when her life came to its tragic end, and a great many others have succumbed earlier still. The ‘27 Club’ of musicians is all but one example. Godspeed.

photo: Ellen von Unwerth, GQ Nov. 2007

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Friday, August 14, 2026

Remembering Dorothy Stratten

Dorothy Stratten, 28 February 1960 to 14 August 1980. Playboy's Playmate of the Month for August 1979, she met a horrific end that hath been extensively documented elsewhere. We pause here simply to commemorate a young woman who appeared, for a time, to hold the world within her grasp. She merits remembrance for the promise of her life, and not solely for the violence that brought it to an end.

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Thursday, August 13, 2026

H.G. Wells on the manner in which the world shall meet its end

A black-and-white portrait of British author H. G. Wells seated at a desk, photographed by Kurt Hutton circa 1940. Wells wears a dark three-piece suit and spotted bow tie, his receding hair neatly combed and his distinctive moustache carefully trimmed. He gazes towards the camera with a grave, contemplative expression while holding his spectacles in one hand and a pencil in the other. Papers and an open book lie across the desk before him, while a shaded lamp illuminates stacked books at left. Dramatic chiaroscuro isolates Wells against the shadowed study, lending the portrait an austere, intellectual atmosphere.

photo by Kurt Hutton, c. 1940

“Mankind which began in a cave and behind a windbreak will end in the disease-soaked ruins of a slum.” — H.G. Wells, 21 September 1866 to 13 August 1946. Quote from The Fate of Man, ch. 26 (1939).

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

The tragic life and death of Willy Rey, Playmate of the Month for February 1971

Playmate of the Month for February 1971, the flame-haired Dutch-Canadian model Willy Rey (née Wilhelmina Rietveld) was born in the Netherlands in August 1949 and emigrated to Canada whilst still a child. Characterised in contemporaneous accounts as ‘vivacious’, ‘sweet and innocent’, and ‘totally honest’, the young lady briefly achieved her long-cherished aspiration of modelling fame in the early 1970s, appearing in the pages of Playboy and across a range of print advertisements, including extensive work in Japan. By August of 1973, however, something had gone terribly awry, and Willy Rey succumbed to a fatal overdose of sleeping medication at her family's residence near Vancouver, a mere twenty-four years of age.

In an obituary published by the Canadian Press, her father was quoted as saying: “I wish there had never been a Playboy. She would not have become famous and I would still have my daughter.” In the months preceding her passing, she had, by various accounts, consulted ‘several’ psychiatrists, and was said to have ‘experimented with hard drugs’ and become ‘deep into God-Devil worship’ (the precise nature of which is anybody’s guess). I pray her father and loved ones found some measure of consolation in the years following her death. Whatever ultimately led to Willy Rey's tragic demise — and whilst deeper information about life and background proved elusive in my research — her beauty and her name endure through the body of work she left behind; and she merits remembrance as considerably more than merely the circumstances attending her final days.

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

In remembrance of Loretta Young, 6 January 1913 to 12 August 2000. Photographed by Ruth Harriet Louise, circa 1928

Among Hollywood's most enduring leading ladies, Loretta Young enjoyed a career of truly remarkable longevity, spanning no fewer than seventy-three years. She entered the motion-picture industry as a child during the silent era, negotiated the arrival of talking pictures with seemingly effortless assurance, and ultimately appeared in well over one hundred films across four decades before embarking upon a career in television. Few performers navigated the relentless upheavals of twentieth-century entertainment with such grace or consistency.

Ms Young is, perhaps, most vividly remembered for winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in recognition of her performance as Katy Holstrum in The Farmer's Daughter (1947). Throughout her career she cultivated a reputation for elegance, professionalism — qualities that, taken together, established her as one of the most respected and enduring luminaries not merely of Hollywood's Golden Age, but of American cinema itself.

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

"Come and have a look"

A vintage colour publicity photograph of actress Yvonne Romain reclining beside a sunlit swimming pool beneath tropical foliage. She wears a black-and-white gingham two-piece swimsuit and gazes directly towards the camera with a poised, composed expression. Her dark bouffant hairstyle and understated make-up reflect early-1960s fashion, while one arm rests behind her head and the other supports her relaxed pose. Bright afternoon sunlight casts soft highlights across her figure, with palms and lush greenery forming a tranquil backdrop that evokes the glamour of a classic Hollywood poolside portrait.

photo: British actress Yvonne Romain; source unknown

I should like to invite the regular posters from the presently dormant Broken Dolls and Fallen Angels Facebook group — should any of you happen to see this — to join me over on Reddit at r/DollsFallen. The community is now up and running, and new contributors are welcome. Please do take a moment to familiarise yourselves with the posted rules before commenting or submitting content. My thanks to one and all, and I very much hope to see some familiar faces there.

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Monday, August 10, 2026

Norma Shearer: Hollywood's First Lady in velvet

photo: Alfred Cheney Johnston, c. 1924. colourised via ChatGPT

Forever the patron saint of The Echo of a Distant Time and Broken Dolls and Fallen Angels. Goddess of the silver screen, Queen of MGM, and an enduring paragon of elegance whose intellect equalled her beauty. Norma Shearer was a pioneer before her time, remembered for luminous sophistication, quiet fortitude, and the timeless glamour that characterised cinema's Golden Age. Wishing the lady the happiest of heavenly birthdays; born in Montréal in August 1902.

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Rhonda Fleming: born to shine in Technicolor

A colour publicity portrait of actress Rhonda Fleming reclining on a sunlit sandy rock formation while wearing a white one-piece swimsuit with a softly pleated skirt. Her signature auburn hair falls in carefully styled waves around her shoulders as she smiles directly towards the camera with relaxed confidence. Seated barefoot with one arm supporting her on the sand and the other resting beside her, she is framed by warm-toned coastal rocks that create a simple, natural backdrop, emphasising the understated glamour and elegance characteristic of Hollywood studio photography of the early 1950s.

Queen of Technicolor: Celebrating the esteemed Rhonda Fleming, born 10 August 1923. Seen in her starring role as the female pirate Captain Rouge in The Golden Hawk (1952, Columbia).

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Sunday, August 9, 2026

Announcement concerning the Broken Dolls and Fallen Angels group on Facebook

photo: Marilyn Monroe by Bert Stein, 1962

Sorry, folks, but the Broken Dolls and Fallen Angels Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/886318992990373) is on pause until further notice — probably at least through the remainder of August and all of September. Facebook’s bots have been playing games with me, on and off, for the better part of two years, never once offering any explanation, and despite the fact that I have not knowingly posted a single thing that violated the platform’s bloody guidelines.

At present, I cannot even post in this very group, despite being its creator and administrator. More absurdly still, over the past several days I have also been rendered unable to approve posts submitted by certain users. Some I can approve; others I cannot. Once again, no explanation has been forthcoming.

I have simply reached the end of my patience, and so the group is being placed on pause.

My sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed here and helped Broken Dolls and Fallen Angels grow to more than 3,000 members. Somehow, we'll be back. Until then, I hope you'll continue following my work over at The Echo of a Distant Time: facebook.com/FloydEtcetera.

{photo: Marilyn Monroe by Bert Stein, 1962}

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Facebook: waiting for the exit

Editorial-style portrait of Cara Delevingne kneeling on a red carpet in a softly lit interior while looking back over her shoulder towards the camera with an intense expression. She has tousled dark hair, several small tattoos visible along her side and arm, black high-heeled shoes with red soles, and black bikini-style bottoms embellished with decorative pins. Her back is uncovered, with partial side exposure visible. Behind her, a doorway displays a collage of photographs, while the minimalist room features pale walls, built-in cupboards, and warm, muted lighting.

model Cara Delevingne for Playboy’s Summer 2026 edition

My patience with Facebook hath nearly reached its absolute limit. The bloody platform is no longer allowing me to approve posts submitted by certain users in my own group — Broken Dolls and Fallen Angels — and without explanation as to why. Even more absurdly, I myself have been rendered incapable of posting in said group (or in any FB group) since June — despite being its bloody creator and moderator. Again, Facebook hath never once condescended to furnish a reason. Bots are controlling everything, and are making simple existence increasingly difficult for human beings.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, I am at the brink of dissolving the group altogether, and I continue to harbour the hope of leaving Facebook entirely by the middle of 2027. It is a wretched company, yet for the present it is still where the greater part of my audience resides. I pray they seek me out elsewhere. The sooner we each begin extricating ourselves from this putrid s**thole, the better for all concerned.

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Robby Albarado, champion jockey: 11 September 1973 to 4 August 2026

Getty Images, c. 2020

A fond farewell to one of the great jockeys of our time: Robby Albarado dies, aged 52, following heart procedure. Fourth in all-time wins at Churchill Downs, among numerous other accolades. {Bloodhorse 4 August; photo: Getty Images}

https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/293579/albarado-who-guided-curlin-to-two-top-campaigns-dies

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Monday, August 3, 2026

An evening with Jean Hagen

Black-and-white publicity still of actress Jean Hagen singing into a large vintage microphone in a nightclub scene from Side Street (MGM, 1949). She wears a sleeveless evening gown and gazes upward with an expressive, wistful look as though performing a heartfelt ballad. Soft studio lighting highlights her face and carefully styled shoulder-length hair, while musicians and patrons remain out of focus in the dimly lit background, creating the intimate atmosphere of a late-1940s nightclub performance.

Jean Hagen as nightclub singer Bella in Side Street (MGM, 1949).

Chicago-born starlet of the Golden Age Jean Hagen, 3 August 1923 to 29 August 1977. A versatile actress who ran the gamut from film noir to family sitcoms, she is perhaps best remembered for her Academy Award-nominated performance in Singin' in the Rain (1952), as well as for playing Danny Thomas's first wife on Make Room for Daddy. After overcoming alcoholism during her forties, Hagen appeared poised for a significant professional resurgence during the 1970s. Fate, however, proved unkind. She died of oesophageal cancer in 1977 at the age of just fifty-four.

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈