by Peter Cates Eli Oberstein Recording producer Eli Oberstein (1901-1960) was mentioned some months ago in a column about early 78 and LP budget labels. Oberstein had worked for Victor during the 1930s and helped start its 35 cent Bluebird label with country music artists and then bandleaders Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw, which was […]
by Peter Cates Roberta Chester Still living in her 80s, poet Roberta Chester has written articles for different newspapers in Maine and taught English at UMO, College of the Atlantic and in Israel. With respect to the Pine Tree State, she wrote the following in the 1989 Maine Speaks anthology: “Now that I live in […]
by Peter Cates Dana Andrews Actor Dana Andrews (1909-1992) had considerable screen presence in such classic 1940s films as The Ox-Bow Incident, Laura, State Fair, The Best Years of Our Lives and, a special favorite of mine more for Susan Hayward (1917-1975) than for Andrews, the 1949 My Foolish Heart. 1956 brought Beyond a Reasonable […]
by Peter Cates Jascha Heifetz Violinist Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987) held a series of televised master classes at UCLA in 1962; I recently watched the first one on YouTube and was quite fascinated by his personality and teaching style for its entire 1 hour. He had a half dozen students sitting with what seemed to be […]
by Peter Cates Clifton Fadiman In his 1941 anthology Reading I’ve Liked, editor Clifton Fadiman (1904-1999) wrote why he felt that so many children’s books are terrible: “The trouble with these juveniles is that their authors are greatly interested in children and not at all interested in themselves.” Having enjoyed many of the Golden Books, […]
by Peter Cates Richard Himber A two LP set, Richard Himber and his Ritz-Carlton Hotel Orchestra Featuring Joey Nash (RCA Bluebird, AXM-5520, released 1975) contains 32 recordings from the 1934-35 years of 78s that were originally released on the ten-inch discs of that decade by RCA Victor’s subsidiary 35 cent Bluebird label. Prior to the […]
by Peter Cates Leonard Bernstein Bradley Cooper’s Maestro gave a somewhat superficial depiction of the marriage of Leonard and Felicia Bernstein while biographies of David Ewen, John Gruen and Joan Peyser filled in some facts and personal, at times biased observations, Gruen providing fascinating interviews as well. I am going to provide a list of […]
by Peter Cates Carlo Maria Giulini Italian conductor Carlo Maria Giulini was born May 9, 1914, and passed away June 14, 2005. He displayed talent by the age of five on the violin, but took up the viola as an adolescent, was gainfully employed in Italian radio orchestras, and had priceless opportunities to observe an […]
by Peter Cates Edna St. Vincent Millay Camden/Rockland native Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950) has been written about in this column previously. However, I wish to commemorate her during this Memorial Day week for her switch from being an anti-war pacifist during World War I to supporting the U.S. government’s entry into World War II […]
by Peter Cates Smith Ballew Native Texan Smith Ballew (1902-1984) had a dance orchestra with which he recorded batches of 78s back during the 1930s. One was a 1935 ten inch shellac (Conqueror 8441) containing a very expressive performance of a Great American Songbook standard, Isle of Capri, in which he also sang as lead […]