Remembering the radiant Priscilla Lane

source unknown; colourised via ChatGPT

Iowa-born Priscilla Lane (12 June 1915 to 4 April 1995) earned a reputation in Hollywood as a warm and affable figure and was the youngest of the four Lane (née Mullican) sisters, each of whom found success before the cameras (Leota, Lola, and Rosemary being the others). Yet it was Priscilla whose fame proved the most enduring.

Priscilla enjoyed her greatest screen success during her years at Warner Brothers, where she was arguably best remembered for starring opposite two heavyweights, James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart, in the 1939 gangster epic The Roaring Twenties. She compiled a formidable résumé by sharing the screen with, among others, Cary Grant, Ronald Reagan, Wayne Morris, Jane Wyman, George Brent, and Jack Benny.

After departing Warner Brothers for a brief stint at Universal Pictures, she appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1942 thriller Saboteur, reportedly over the director’s objections, as he felt she was too much of a ‘girl next door’ type for the role.

Following the Second World War, she largely retired from the film industry and eventually settled with her New England-born husband, former US Army Air Corpsman Joseph Howard, in Andover, Massachusetts. For a spell in the late 1950s, she hosted a daytime television talk show on WBZ-TV (Channel 4) in Boston.

She was laid to rest beside her husband at Arlington National Cemetery, her life a testament to the fact that not every Hollywood story requires a tragic ending.

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Copyright 2026, Arthur Newhook.

In remembrance of Tim Wakefield, upon the second anniversary of his departure from this world

MediaNews Group/Getty Images

Yours truly, a Yankee partisan marooned behind enemy lines, is none too pleased with the Boston Red Sox this morning, having seen New York fall in the first contest of the best-of-three Wild Card series. Tonight must turn the tide, or the Yankees are finished. Yet amidst my ire, let us pause to recall Tim Wakefield—one of the most distinctive pitchers of his generation and in Boston franchise history—who departed this world two years ago today, aged only 53, claimed by pancreatic cancer. A master of the knuckleball, a philanthropist, and laureate of the 2010 Roberto Clemente Award: in short, a consummate sportsman and, by every account, a thoroughly decent man.

(alternate text) Tim Wakefield is captured mid-delivery, his motion frozen at the point just before release. Clad in the team’s iconic scarlet jersey with bold “RED SOX” lettering across the chest, he projects both intensity and composure, the hallmarks of his long career. His right arm is cocked, fingers poised delicately about the baseball—an image suggestive of his signature knuckleball, a pitch as elusive as it is unorthodox. His left hand, gloved in black leather, extends outward to balance the motion, while his gaze fixes unwaveringly on the target. Behind him, the blurred stadium and faintly discernible crowd set the stage without distracting from the clarity of his form. In this image, Wakefield embodies the paradox of his craft: effort harnessed into simplicity, a calm exterior concealing the unpredictable dance of the ball soon to leave his hand. It is at once a portrait of athletic precision and a testament to a pitcher defined by singular artistry.

Copyright 2025, Arthur Newhook. On X-TWITTER: @Sunking278 and @DollsFallen. BLUESKY - @arthurnewhook.bsky.social. REDDIT - https://www.reddit.com/user/SiberianKhatru278/. FULL LIST OF LINKS - linktr.ee/arthurnewhook. DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED on Cash App ($ANewhook) and PayPal (paypal.me/Sunking278), and also at https://tinyurl.com/ArthurNewhook.

David Pastrnak's OT goal to knock out the Maple Leafs: A great moment in Boston Bruins history

Canadian Press

David Pastrnak scores in OT to deliver game seven to the Boston Bruins; the B’s are on their way to Sunrise. {ESPN 5/05}

Verily, a standout amidst a throng of unforgettable moments. Maple Leafs fans are in mourning today, and I do extend sympathy to the wonderful city of Toronto. A proud and iconic franchise, its last taste of championship glory now 57 years past. For me personally, of course, this stands as one of the more gratifying sporting moments of recent years: David Pastrnak's overtime goal did secure the decisive game seven for the Boston Bruins on Saturday night at TD Garden, whilst goaltender Jeremy Swayman did deliver unparalleled brilliance throughout the series. The Bruins now embark upon Sunrise, FL, seeking redemption for last season’s epic playoff collapse against the Florida Panthers. Naturally, yours truly shall be fervently supporting them every step of the way towards what we do hope will culminate in a Stanley Cup-winning campaign.

Copyright 2024, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 and @FloydEtcetera on X, and at the same handles on FACEBOOK. MASTODON - @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world, BLUESKY - @arthurnewhook.bsky.social, and @arthurnewhook on POST. DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED at https://tinyurl.com/ArthurNewhook.

Easter fun with Mary Carlisle, 1914-2018

Mary Carlisle

Mary Carlisle, believed to have been born on 3 February, 1914, in Boston, MA. The last surviving of the ‘WAMPAS Baby Stars’ of 1932, this beautiful actress and pin-up model extends Easter greetings to one and all. While I prefer attributed photos, regrettably, this is one of those maddening circumstances where I cannot locate the credit; it is likely an MGM or Universal publicity shot. This lady starred in over sixty films before retiring from Hollywood at age 28, later managing a Beverly Hills beauty salon.

Copyright 2024, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 and @FloydEtcetera on X, and at the same handles on FACEBOOK. MASTODON - @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world, BLUESKY - @arthurnewhook.bsky.social, and @arthurnewhook on POST. DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED at https://tinyurl.com/ArthurNewhook.

#OTD 1760: The Great Boston Fire ravaged the city

Boston Public Library

It consumed 360 buildings in the vicinity of what is now Washington Street and Fort Hill, leaving over a thousand people homeless in its wake.

Copyright 2024, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 and @FloydEtcetera on X, and at the same handles on FACEBOOK. MASTODON - @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world, BLUESKY - @arthurnewhook.bsky.social, and @arthurnewhook on POST. DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED at https://tinyurl.com/ArthurNewhook.

#OTD 1770: The Boston Massacre

Illustration: ‘The Bloody Massacre,’ engraved by Paul Revere, via Wikimedia Commons

Today in 1870, an impassioned mob incited British soldiers to fire their weapons, driven by the sensationalistic and exaggerated rhetoric of the populist propagandist Samuel Adams. Said mob were outraged that colonists were being required to contribute to repaying war debts from the recent global conflict, the French & Indian War, from which British victory had spared these very folks from falling under French rule. Five of the insurrectionists were left dead, escalating tensions to a boiling point over the next few years. This culminated in an all-out revolution by 1775 and the eventual end of British colonial rule in the thirteen American colonies. The conflict resulted in millions of lives lost and displaced, with pressure tactics, otten pure terrorism, employed by patriots against fellow citizens loyal to the crown. The upheaval profoundly altered the global order, ultimately leading to the emergence of the United States of America as a global superpower, for both better and worse. Whether one loves or hates America - and I, and, verily, most of thee reading these words do reside in America - one should never be deluded into viewing the patriot forces as unequivocally righteous. The most zealous and ideological among them sought to impose their will on the general population. Today, there are striking parallels, as the country faces division, with movements like #Cult45 and Christian nationalism coalescing around a corrupt, charismatic leader driven by grievance and bloodlust. 

Copyright 2024, Arthur Newhook. Visit The Echo of a Distant Time, @FloydEtcetera on FACEBOOK and X; @arthurnewhook on POST. @arthurnewhook.bsky.social; and @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world.