THE ECHO OF A DISTANT TIME - 'Wine, women and song'. Girly pics, history, nostalgia, Golden Age of Hollywood, and more. Not always SFW, but always in good taste.
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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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| photo: Alfred Cheney Johnston, c. 1924. colourised via ChatGPT |
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At the time of this photo still, she was the richest and most famous actress in the world, described by a contemporary writer as ‘the best known woman who has ever lived, the woman who was known to more people and loved by more people than any other woman that has been in all history’.
Virtually forgotten today, partially due to having become a recluse later in life and partially due to the simple passage of time, which is sinful given that she was more than a mere actress, but a pioneer in the young film industry, co-founding United Artists in 1919 alongside (future husband) Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, and D.W. Griffith. All household names of the time themselves, though — best I can tell — only Charlie Chaplin might be recognised by a majority of folks today, and even then maybe only a majority of older people, as very few younger ones would know or care.
I sometimes wonder whether that contributed, among many other factors, to Miss Pickford's depression in later life: knowing that even the most beloved public figures are eventually forgotten by the audiences that once adored them.
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| Columbia Pictures |
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| public domain |
It was a fiercely partisan era, yet Areopagitica is the work of a man of nuance and integrity—the very sort of soul who is rare in any epoch, and indispensable in times such as those of seventeenth-century England. Indeed, such men and women are just as vital in our own age of omnipresent technology, nuclear armament, and zealots as unenlightened now as they were in 1644 (or perhaps worse).
Family tradition long held that John Milton was among my ancestors, and though I have found the name ‘Milton’ in my lineage, I have traced it only as far back as the early nineteenth century, in northern Maine and the Maritimes. Doubtless, the line originated somewhere in England—I have confirmed ancestry from virtually every corner of the old country. No matter; I cannot say with certainty that he is a forebear of mine. Yet, I offer humble thanks to the man for what he bestowed upon humanity: ideas that still resonate in certain circles today (amongst the dwindling numbers who still think, that is). I rather suspect he would be appalled at the state of our world today.
Copyright 2025, Arthur Newhook.
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| Getty Images |
Having moved California at some point in childhood, Barbara Kent commenced her professional life, aged 17, by being anointed Miss Hollywood of 1925—the very quintessence of her generation’s ideal: soft of voice yet lambent of presence, her allure founded not upon contrivance but upon an exquisite equipoise—an innocence quickened by intelligence, a modesty irradiated by quiet certainty. The diadem secured her passage to the studios, where her cultivated stillness proved eloquent in a medium that conversed through silence alone.
Her big break arrived almost immediately. In Flesh and the Devil (1926), she was cast opposite Greta Garbo and John Gilbert—colossi of the silver screen—yet she did not vanish beneath their conflagration. Her performance served as counterpoint: tender, irreducibly human, the necessary cantus firmus beneath Garbo’s grand operatic blaze.
Over the next five or so years, she graced numerous productions—perhaps most memorably as the benignant Rose Maylie in the 1933 adaptation of Oliver Twist—negotiating the advent of the talkies with unblemished poise (a feat not universally achieved by many of contemporaries). She adapted, endured, and then, with characteristic reticence, withdrew almost entirely from acting following her marriage to the talent agent Harry Edington in late 1932.
To recall Barbara Kent—or those kindred souls who shared her brief effulgence—is to glimpse once more the dawn of cinema itself, when the alchemy of light and motion still shimmered with the shock of creation, and a young woman from the boundless Canadian prairies might step into that radiance and, for one breath of eternity, shine as bright as the sun. —Arthur Newhook, 13 October 2025.
Copyright 2025, Arthur Newhook. FULL LIST OF LINKS - linktr.ee/arthurnewhook. DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED on Cash App ($ANewhook).
In truth, I have little justification for including the blue-shaded regions—France, Belgium, and the Netherlands—since my known lineage from those lands is extremely minimal and dates back to just a scant few select ancestors from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries who assimilated into German families. But I included them anyway. Could have also included Canada and the United States itself, as I have ancestors who were among the original Puritan founders of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York, and whose descendents were Loyalists who fled to the Maritimes after the American Revolution. ‘Canadian’ and ‘American’, however, are not really ethnicities unless one is of native blood (I am not). There is also the possibility that, through my maternal line, I may possess some measure of Eastern European ancestry. My mother was adopted as a young girl and never knew the identity of her father, though her birth mother claimed he was of Polish origin. My mother, however, has ever doubted the truth of this assertion, regarding herself as of purely English and Irish descent. A DNA test I once undertook disclosed no trace of Eastern European heritage (putting aside that Saxons, Celts, et al. all originated in areas in and around the Kievan Rus’ thousands of years ago); yet I harbour some doubt as to the accuracy of those things, despite the results aligning precisely with the findings of my own research and what I feel in my being.
The yellow-marked nations denote the principal sources of my bloodline, England above all and Germany not too far behind; yet Denmark—and, indeed, Ireland—*perhaps* ought likewise to be shaded yellow. One of my grandmothers, the aforementioned neglectful mother of my own, was born in Galway, Ireland in 1910 (raised in County Mayo), while a great-grandmother—my paternal grandmother’s mother—was born near Copenhagen in the 1890s. The Irish-born grandmother was at least half English and may have possessed Scottish ancestry as well. My paternal great-grandmother was indisputably Danish (her brother, my great-uncle Julius, visited us for a spell when I was but a very young boy, circa 1982; he was, of course, quite advanced in years and by then entirely blind.); yet, as the Danes are a Germanic people, I tend to regard my Danish heritage as an extension of my considerable German lineage, much as I see my Irish and Scottish heritage as twin branches of the same Celtic tree. Rightly or wrongly, I suppose. To be honest, I really do not feel very Irish in my soul, though maybe a tad Scottish; another story for another day.
Anyhow, whether I ought to be impressed by ChatGPT’s aptitude in this regard or faintly disquieted, I cannot say. AI shall prove both a blessing and a curse, ushering in remarkable progress yet also certain horrors—much like the Industrial Revolution itself, I suppose. Still, with such tools now at our disposal, few can claim legitimate cause for boredom, and ignorance has ever fewer excuses in an age where so much knowledge lies at our very fingertips. —Arthur Newhook, 11 August 2025.
Copyright 2025, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 on X-TWITTER, and at the same handle on FACEBOOK. BLUESKY - @arthurnewhook.bsky.social. REDDIT - https://www.reddit.com/r/StopTheIdiocracy/new/. DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED at https://tinyurl.com/ArthurNewhook.
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| 'Stepping Stones of American History', 1904. Via the Library of Congress |
I harbour mixed feelings about the Puritans and their motivations. A substantial part of me wishes that none of my ancestors—English or otherwise—had ever set foot on this land, especially in light of current circumstances. Nevertheless, it is impossible to speculate on the state of the world today had it not been for centuries of mass emigration from Europe. Would I be living in England, Germany, or elsewhere? Would I even exist?
So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving and the adage that the ‘grass is not always greener on the other side’, I am grateful to my Puritan ancestors for their role in establishing, most notably, Massachusetts, and for their positive contributions to society. They were far from perfect, yet there were many positive aspects to their faith—such as their steadfast commitment to literacy and knowledge; their appreciation of music and the arts; their charitable missions, including, at certain times and in specific circumstances, toward the Native Americans; dare I say, their fashion sense; and their deep, passionate devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Arthur Newhook, 28 November 2024
Copyright 2024, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 and @FloydEtcetera on X, and at the same handles on FACEBOOK. MASTODON - @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world, BLUESKY - @arthurnewhook.bsky.social. DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED at https://tinyurl.com/ArthurNewhook.
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Photo: a vintage illustration from 1928, featuring actors Estelle Brody and Jameson Thomas in a promotional image for the film ‘Weekend Wives’, produced by British International Pictures. Estelle Brody, adorned in a voluminous pink gown with soft ruffles, exudes a playful allure as she holds a small bouquet of flowers. Dark curls, entwined with floral adornment, frame her face. Jameson Thomas, dressed in a formal black tuxedo with a white shirt and bow tie, gazes affectionately at Brody. The caption at the bottom of the image reads, ‘The Coquette’, further emphasising Brody's flirtatious persona in the film.
Copyright 2024, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 and @FloydEtcetera on X, and at the same handles on FACEBOOK. MASTODON - @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world, BLUESKY - @arthurnewhook.bsky.social. DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED at https://tinyurl.com/ArthurNewhook.
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| Illustration via the New York State Military Museum |
At Queenston Heights and Lundy's Lane our brave fathers, side by side
for freedom, homes, and loved ones dear, firmly stood and nobly died.
And those dear rights which they maintained, we swear to yield them never.
Our watchword evermore shall be, the Maple Leaf forever!
Copyright 2024, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 and @FloydEtcetera on X, and at the same handles on FACEBOOK. MASTODON - @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world, BLUESKY - @arthurnewhook.bsky.social. DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED at https://tinyurl.com/ArthurNewhook.
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| MGM |
Copyright 2024, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 and @FloydEtcetera on X, and at the same handles on FACEBOOK. MASTODON - @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world, BLUESKY - @arthurnewhook.bsky.social. DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED at https://tinyurl.com/ArthurNewhook.
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| Barbara Ann Scott. Photo: Getty Images |
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.
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| Canadian Press |
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.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/886318992990373/ After a protracted ordeal, the Broken Dolls and Fallen Angels group is back up and runnin...
