06.06
I am going to use this post as a permanent location for recording the answers which I will post a week from whenever I ask the question.
Mystery Girl #10
Mystery Girl #10 is Cindy Walker, and I suppose some might say — Cindy Who? A Country Music Hall of Fame writer, she was signed by Decca as a singer, and as a singer had a single hit record in 1944, a song not even her own. But as a writer of popular Country Music, with numerous pop cross-overs, she has few rivals. With top ten hits in the next five decades. “It has been estimated that more than 500 of Walker’s songs have been recorded and that her songs made the top-forty charts (country or pop) more than 400 times.”
Bing Crosby, who helped start her career, got a hit out of “Lone Star Trail”, another song, “Distant Drums”, was recorded by Roy Orbison and Jim Reeves. Unassuming and working in the background; it was Eddie Arnold who gave her the idea for, and the name of, the song of her’s that I remember best. The one I think for which she is most well known, the ironically titled — “You Don’t Know Me”.
Mystery Girl #9
Mystery Girl #9 Eleanor Powell “was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. A dancer since childhood, she was discovered at the age of 11 by the head of the Vaudeville Kiddie revue, Gus Edwards. When she was 17, she brought her graceful, athletic style to Broadway, where she starred in various revues and musicals. During this time, she was dubbed “the world’s greatest tap dancer”
In Broadway Melody of 1940, Powell starred opposite Fred Astaire. It featured an acclaimed musical score by Cole Porter. Together, Astaire and Powell danced to Porter’s “Begin the Beguine”, which is considered by many to be one of the greatest tap sequences in film history. According to accounts of the making of this film, Astaire was somewhat intimidated by Powell, who was considered the only female dancer ever capable of out-dancing Astaire. In his autobiography Steps in Time, Astaire remarked: “She ‘put ‘em down like a man’, no ricky-ticky-sissy stuff with Ellie. She really knocked out a tap dance in a class by herself.”
Mystery Girl #8
Wife of a son of Theodore Roosevelt, Mystery Girl #8 was Eleanor Butler Alexander-Roosevelt. She married on 29 June 1910, at New York City, Presbyterian Church, to Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., son of President Theodore Roosevelt, later a Brigadier General who was awarded the Medal of Honor and was the only general officer to land in the first wave on D-Day. During her husband’s service as Governor of Puerto Rico and Governor-General of the Philippines, she served during three years as First Lady of Puerto Rico (1929-1932) and the Philippines (1932-1933). Follow the links in the article for a truly American story of the families courage and dedication to all those things that made this country great.
Mystery Girl #7
Hope Lange
Hope Lang Mystery Girl #7 the Wiki tells us, “came to prominence in her first film role in “Bus Stop” with Marilyn Monroe and Don Murray, whom she married on April 14, 1956. Murray said that Monroe grew jealous of another blonde being hired for the movie and asked the studio to dye Lange’s blonde hair light brown.” She appeared as Elvis Presley’s psychologist love interest in “Wild in the Country” and as the wife of Charles Bronson in “Death Wish”.
A long running TV series, “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” and numerous made for TV movies. Here last work of note was in 1994′s “Clear and Present Danger”. She died in 2003 at the age of 70.
Mystery Girl #6
Ginger Rogers
Mystery Girl # 6 is Ginger Rogers. Her career began “when the traveling vaudeville act of Eddie Foy came to Fort Worth and needed a quick stand-in.” At 19 her Broadway theater debut was in a musical called Top Speed. “Within two weeks of opening in Top Speed, Rogers was chosen to star on Broadway in Girl Crazy by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. . .” Within a year, “at the age of 19 in 1930 she was signed by Paramount to a seven-year contract.”
“Rogers was most famous for her partnership with Fred Astaire. Together, from 1933 to 1939, they made nine musical films at RKO: Flying Down to Rio (1933), The Gay Divorcee (1934), Roberta (1935), Top Hat (1935), Follow the Fleet (1936), Swing Time (1936), Shall We Dance (1937), Carefree (1938), and The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939) (The Barkleys of Broadway (1949) was produced later at MGM). They revolutionized the Hollywood musical . . .” — Read the rest at the Wikipedia link.
Mystery Girl #5
Kite Surfer
Mystery Girl #5 is Lilian Tintori wife of Leopoldo Lopez once mayor of Chacao Venezuela, now in opposition to Hugo Chavez, Lopez is considered to be “an early frontrunner for the 2012 opposition Presidential nomination.” The Associated Press calls Lopez “the man who is challenging President Hugo Chavez’s grip on power.” In recent polling, Lopez has finished ahead of Chavez in a hypothetical presidential matchup, the first time any opposition figure has done so.
As was Eva Peron, Lilian is more than a typical South American politicians wife. She is an outstanding athlete as well. For an article about her in competition as a champion “Kite Surfer”, follow the link.
Mystery Girl #4
Some like it hot
Yes, Mystery Girl #4 was none other than Marilyn Monroe. She was married, her first, and working at the Radioplane Company owned and founded by Reginald Denny when the photo at the left was taken. Though a stage and screen actor himself, Denny was not responsible for Marilyn’s entry into show biz.
The photo at left was taken by David Conover, a photographer for Yank magazine, who advised her of the Blue Book Modeling Agencey. Born Norma Jeane Mortenson; she was known as Norma Jean Baker when signed. The three included links make for interesting reading.
Mystery Girl #3
Mystery Girl #3, our video mystery, is Judith Durham, the voice behind the Seekers. The photo to the left is from her Wiki article. Like most every aspiring singer she worked as a secretary at the J Walter Thompson advertising agency and there met account executive Athol Guy, a member of the folk group Judith became part of.
She left the group in mid 1968 for a solo career. Under the name of the New Seekers a different group with a different vocalist there was one more hit. The thoroughly annoying I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing Coke commercial.
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Mystery Girl #2
Mystery Girl #2 is Jane Asher, one time girlfriend of Paul MacCartney. Who with her brother Peter acted in the 50′s TV series Robin Hood. While living at the Asher home at 51 Wimpole St. MacCartney gave Peter a few of his musical castoffs and the duo of Peter and Gordon became a success.
A number of MacCarney’s songs, including Here, There, and Everywhere, were inspired by her. A falling out due to another woman and we hear little of her in the US afterwards. With the demise of his career as a live performer Peter went on to produce both Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor.
For bonus credit what other famous personage lived on Wimpole Street sometime around the end of the 19th century.
Mystery Girl #1
Mystery Girl #1 is — Eva Perón or more completely María Eva Duarte de Perón, From a poor background she started out as a “B” movie actress before being elected Union President and ending in politics. Somewhat like a US President we all know about. Like a number of women I’ve known she became blonder as she grew older.
The link goes to her Wiki entry with many more photos and makes for fascinating reading.