Penelope’s Loom

  Pretty intense looking, isn't he? William Desmond Taylor was found shot dead, in his bungalow, on February 2, 1922, by his chauffeur Henry Peavey (who found him, OK?).  He was lying on his back, in the middle of the living room of his bungalow.  Who had done the dastardly deed to a man nicknamed in Hollywood, "the gentleman director"? No one was ever conclusively proven to be his killer, and it remains officially unsolved to this day.  However, I don't believe that any murder can ever be characterized as such.  So, let us begin by looking at his life. First of all, his name wasn't William Desmond Taylor.  He was, in fact, born William Cunningham Deane-Tanner.  Whoa, that's a looooooong handle, eh? He apparently grew up in County Carlow, Ireland, the son of retired officer, Thomas Kearns Deane-Tanner.  Jesus, it seems that everyone in his family had these 10 gallon hat hyphenated names.  As a young man, Taylor (for clarity, I am gonna stick with his 'stag

                                   It's time to demythologise an era and build a new myth from the gutter to the stars. It's                                                   time to embrace bad men and the price they paid to secretly define their time.                                                   ―  James Ellroy,  American Tabloid I sure hope Mr. Ellroy doesn't mind my quoting some of his work.  It's just that I have the highest respect for him as an author, and an historian.   To my way of thinking, only Ellroy, and Raymond Chandler ever truly captured the spirit of the city that I love.                         *        *        *        *        *        * The Zoot Suit Riots in L.A., began on June 3rd, 1943, finally ending on June 8th.  The riots involved primarily off duty servicemen, and Latino youths, and occurred in the aftermath of the Sleepy Lagoon Murder Trial.  What is interesting (and important) to note, is that the riots in L.A. were not an isolated i

This week, I'd like to discuss riots that occurred in LA (my home town) from 1942 to 1943.                                                      *        *        *         *        *        * But, first, we have to learn about the Zoot Suit. Whaaaat? What in H E double hockey sticks, do clothes have to do with the riots that swamped the city during WW2?  Ahhh.  Well, let's see, shall we? A Zoot Suit?  Take a look at this: ...and this is actually a pretty conservative example. The immortal Cab Calloway.  This was the 'suit' at its' more extreme form. But, to really 'see' the zoot suit, you have to experience it, and there is really no other way, than to see Calloway in action.  Take a look! There was also a 'look' for female 'hep cats:' OK.  We now know what the suit looked like, but what about its' origin? Well, that question is a tad mysterious.  I was able to uncover a book by historian Kathy Peiss,  https://www.amazon.com/Zoot-Suit-Eni

So, OK I'm a little obsessive, and I've already written about Sherlock.  But, how much do you know about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, his creator? Would you believe that Doyle believed in spiritualism (and faeries)? No, seriously.                                                                 *        *        *        * Alright, here are some of Doyle's basics: His middle name was Ignatius. Yeah, I know, right? Born in May, 1859;  died in July, 1930. As a young man, he was educated by the Jesuits.  Seven years, no less! In 1868, Doyle entered into medical school in Edinburgh.  He ultimately earned a bachelor's degree in medicine, as well as a Master of Surgery. One of the more important intellectual influences on Doyle, was his instructor, Dr. Joseph Bell--who was noted for the accuracy of his diagnostic skills (i.e. his mastery of deductive reasoning).  Ole Joe was so good in this particular ability, that he provided the main inspiration for Doyle's literary creation,

Who the f*&k is Philleas Fogg? Good ole Philleas was the main character in a novel written by Jules Verne.  It was originally published in January, 1872, and was received with a moderately healthy response, by the reading public in France.  But the books' debut was during the Franco-Prussian War--a short, but brutal conflict.  It's understandable, I suppose, that it took a while to "catch on".  But, it was not until the work was translated into a bunch of different languages, that it reached the status of an iconic story of the period.   Who the f*%k was Jules Verne? Oh, come on!! Nah, I don't want to make you feel bad, Dear Reader.  I was only funnin' ya. Jules Verne was a famous 19th century author, who gave mid-20th century film makers great fodder for movie scripts.  Captain Nemo! My man.  20,000 leagues under the sea!  Around the World in 80 Days! Five Weeks in a Balloon! Mysterious Island! From the Earth to the Moon! (No, damn it, not  the TV series