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.

Strip both names from it, for neither merits the honour: a reflection upon the ‘Trump–Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’

Cecil Stoughton/Lelands Auction

{WP 19 December} ‘Kennedy Center adds Trump’s name to building, despite legal concerns’

The Trump–Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: I confess I indulged in no small measure of sentimental reverence for the Kennedy dynasty over many years, but it is time—well past time, in truth—for such nostalgia to be laid to rest. Howsoever towering John F. Kennedy may appear when set beside the present holder of the office—and I do freely acknowledge his true heroism in war—we must at last reckon with the full measure of the man: he was corrupt; his fumbling hand brought the United States perilously close to the brink of a third world war (albeit he was not the architect of that crisis); and he behaved appallingly toward Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, toward Marilyn Monroe, and toward Heaven knoweth how many other women.

The dynasty’s moral deficiencies did not begin nor end with him. Joseph Kennedy, the family patriarch, held an admiration for Hitler. Ted Kennedy, lionised by many, bore responsibility for a woman’s death. And today we behold Robert F. Kennedy Jr., dragging American public health discourse back unto the intellectual standard of the colonial age—an erstwhile advanced medical system now obliged to genuflect before a man whose understanding is, at best, mediæval.

For generations there hath existed an almost tribal fealty toward the Kennedys within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, most especially among the predominantly Irish Catholic working class. Yet these have never been my people. As a nominal Protestant of largely English and German descent, I understood from childhood—keenly and unforgettably—that I did not belong, nor was I welcome, within my overwhelmingly Catholic community situated scarcely ten miles north of Boston. (Think somewhere in the vicinity of Spot Pond). It was no phantom of my imagination; I was told so in the plainest, most wounding terms on countless occasions—most vehemently by the Irish kids, and, to a lesser but still palpable degree, by the Italian ones. Why, then, have I spent so many years idealising the Kennedys, a clan whose mythology I was never invited to share? Only Jacqueline ever embodied genuine grace or dignity.

So let us say it plainly: enough of the Kennedys, and curse the cult built around them. And as for Trump—his name, and that of his brood, deserveth no sanctified place in the public square. Strip both names from the façade. We are not the Soviet Union, and no civilised republic ought to plaster the monuments of its cultural life with the surnames of dubious dynasties.

—Arthur Newhook (pen name), somewhere in the vicinity of the Middlesex Fells and severely pissed-off, 19 December 2025.

Copyright 2025, Arthur Newhook.

A few thoughts on my English Puritan ancestors on this day of gratitude in Massachusetts Bay Colony

'Stepping Stones of American History', 1904. Via the Library of Congress

Heartfelt wishes of gratitude to all those celebrating Thanksgiving in the US. May everyone, everywhere, take the opportunity to count their blessings on this day. While I cannot definitively claim any Mayflower ancestry, many of my forebears were among the original English Puritan settlers of New England and New York. My primary lineage traces back to a gentleman who emigrated to Prince Edward Island, Canada, from West Yorkshire in the very early 19th century. However, extant family lines dating back as early as the 1630s reveal extensive English ancestry throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maine, and, eventually, the Canadian Maritimes, most of whom were exiled there following the American Revolution.

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.

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.

#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.