Lynne Marie Stewart Passes On

Lynne Marie Stewart, who played Miss Yvonne on  Pee-wee's Playhouse and Charlie's mom Bonnie on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, died on February 21 2025 at the age of 78.

Lynne Marie Stewart was born on December 14 1946 in Los Angeles. She began her career as one of the legendary comedy troupe The Groundlings, which is where she met Paul Reubenes (best known for his character Pee-Wee Herman) and Phil Hartman. She made her film debut in 1971 in the movie Drive, He Said. In the Seventies she appeared in the movies American Graffiti (1973), Your Three Minutes Are Up (1973), I Wonder Who's Killing Her Now (1975), Tunnelvision (1976),l I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977), Cracking Up (1977), Loose Shoes (1978), and The Last Married Couple in America (1980). She was a regular on the short-lived sitcom Husbands, Wives & Lovers.  She appeared on the TV shows Temperatures Rising; The F.B.I.;, Karen, Hawaii Five-O; M*A*S*H; Quincy, M.E;, Alice;, America 2-Night;and CHiPs.

It was in 1980 that she originated the role of Miss Yvonne, the Most Beautiful Woman in Puppet Land, in Paul Reubens's stage show The Pee-wee Herman Show. HBO taped The Pee-wee Herman Show and aired it as a special the following year. The Pee-wee Herman Show would lead to the development of the live-action, Saturday morning show Pee-wee's Playhouse on which Lynne Marie Stewart once more played Miss Yvonne. She also played Miss Yvonne in the TV special Christmas at Pee-wee's Playhouse. In the Eighties she was a voice regular on the Saturday morning cartoons The Ri¢hie Ri¢h/Scooby-Doo Show, Laverne & Shirley in the Army, Superman, and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo..  She was one of the cast of the sketch comedy show On the Television. She guest starred on the shows Madame's Place, One Day at a Time, Laugh Trax, Laverne & Shirley, The Jeffersons, American Playhouse, The Duck Factory, Dynasty, Remington Steele, TV 101, A Peaceable Kingdom, Night Court, and The Golden Girls.

During the Eighties Lynne Marie Stewart appeared in the movies Pandemonium (1982),Young Doctors in Love (1982), Weekend Pass (1984), Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1986),\Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986), Summer School (1987), The Running Man (1987), Moving (1988), and  Big Top Pee-wee (1988).

In the Nineties she was a regular on the show Night Stand. She was a voice on the animated cartoon Life with Louie. She guest starred on the shows WIOU, Empty Nest,  In the Heat of the Night, Batman: The Animated Series, Reasonable Doubts, The Ring of the Musketeers,  Herman's Head,  Hope & Gloria, The Tick, Dream On, Suddenly Susan, Caroline in the City, The Secret World of Alec Mack, Alright Already. Almost Perfect, Working,  and The Brian Benben Show. She appeare din the movies Double Trouble (1992), Clear and Present Danger (1994), Twin Sitters (1994), The Crazy Sitter (1994), Dunston Checks In (1996), Guinevere (1999), and Silicon Towers (1999).

It was in 2005 that Lynne Marie Sewart began playing Bonnie Kelly, Charlie's mom, on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Earlier in the decade of the Naughts she was a regular on Son of the Beach. She guest starred on the shows Spin City, The Brothers Garcia, According to Jim, Arrested Development, Significant Others, Grey's Anatomy, The Bad Girl's Guide, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Very Funny Show, American Body Shop, and State of the Union. She appeared in the films Enough (2002) and 50 Ways to Lose Your Lover (2004). She was a voice in the animated movie Barnyard (2006). She appeared as Miss Yvonne in the 2010 revival of The Pee-wee Herman Show on Broadway.

In the Teens she continued to appear on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. She appeared on the shows Dating After Divorce, Austin & Alley, Good Luck Charlie, Child of the '70s, Benched, 2 Broke Girls, Go-Go Boy Interrupted, Comedy Bang! Bang!, Nobodies, The Cook Kids, and AJ and the Queen. She appeared in the movies Bridesmaids (2011), Sparks (2013), We've Got Balls (2013), and Hickey (2016)/. She was the voice of Aunt Harriet in the animated movies Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016) and Batman vs. Two-Face (2017). In the 2020s she continued to appear on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Lynne Marie Stewart was an incredibly funny woman, one of the funniest comedic actresses to work in television and on film from the Eighties to the 2020s. She was wonderful as Miss Yvonne, consistently cheerful while at the same time engaging innuendo (although they were toned down for Pee-wee's Playhouse. Among her other roles was Barbara, the cheating girlfriend of Squiggy in two episodes of Laverne & Shirley and a nun in an episode of The Golden Girls She had a gift for playing characters who, no matter how briefly they appeared, were always memorable. She was a fantastic talent.

Godspeed Olga James

Olga James, who played Cindy Lou in the movie Carmen Jones (1954), died on January 25 2025 at the age of 95.

Olga James was born in Washington, DC on February 16 1929. Her father was a saxophonist while her mother was a dancer. Her parents separated while she was still young and she was raised by her grandparents. She attended the Julliard School of Music, where she studied opera. Her first professional role came in 1952 when she performed in a production of Four Saints in Three Acts at a festival in France. She toured the Untied States with the all-Black revue Smart Affairs.

Olga James was the third member of the cast of Carmen Jones (1954) to be hired, after Harry Belafonte and Pearl Bailey. She made her television debut in 1955, singing at halftime during a game between the Harlem Globetrotters and the Washington Generals. She appeared on The Steve Allen Show and Sunday Night at the London Palladium. She appeared on Broadway in Mr. Wonderful in 1956. During the Fifties she was very much in demand as a nightclub performer.

In the late Sixties and early Seventies Olga James had a recurring role on The Bill Cosby Show. In the Seventies she was the voice of Mrs. Thomas on the animated series Sealab 2020. On stage she appeared in a production of A Raisin in the Sun in London and a tour of The King and I in 1963. In the Sixties and Seventies she appeared in Inner City Cultural Center productions in Los Angeles.

Olga James started training as a therapist in 1983. In 1989 she received a master's degree in psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles.

I am convinced that had Olga James been born in a later time she would have been a major start. She was certainly an incredible talent. She had a high octane voice capable of great range, making her performances in Carmen James particularly impressive. Olga James also had considerable charisma. Personally I found Cindy Lou more appealing than Carmen Jones. While Olga James might not have had a career filled with credits, she will certainly be remembered as a great talent.

Julian Holloway Passes On

Julian Holloway, who appeared in  several "Carry On... films" and  appeared in a number of television shows, died on February 16 2025 at the age of 80 following a brief illness.

Julian Holloway was born on June 24 1944 in Watlington, Oxfordshire. His parents were actors Sterling Holloway and Violet Lane. He grew up in Penn, Buckinghamshire. He attended Harrow School in London, after which he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He was still at RADA when he made his film debut in Dentist on the Job (1961) and his television debut in an episode of The Avengers.He also guest starred on the American shows Fair Exchange and Our Man Higgins.

In the Sixties he appeared in the revue All Square, including a run in the West End at the Vaudeville theatre. He played a small role in The Beatles' movie A Hard Day's Night (1964) as Adrian, the assistant to the clueless ad man Simon Marshall (Kenneth Haigh) who tries without success to tell his boss that it is George Harrison to whom he is speaking. He also appeared in a small part in the Dave Clark Five movie Catch Us If You Can (1965). He made his first appearance in a "Carry On..." film in Carry On Doctor in 1967. He also appeared in the films Five to One (1963), Nothing But the Best (1964), The Knack...and How to Get It (1965), The Pleasure Girls (1965), The Jokers  (1967), Follow That Camel (1967), I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967), Carry On...Up the Khyber (1968), Hostile Witness (1969), The Last Shot You Hear  (1969), Carry On Camping (1969), Scream and Scream Again (1970), and Carry On Loving (1970).

During the Sixties Julian Holloway also appeared on stage in When Did Your Last See My Mother? which was performed by the English Stage Company at the Royal Court and then the Comedy Theatre. He played Corky in the TV series Ukrdige. He guest starred on the shows Our Man at St. Marks, The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre, First Night, The Saint, The Valiant Varneys, Gideon's Way, Pardon the Expression, King of the River, Before the Fringe, The Informer, The World of Wooster, ITV Play of the Week, City '68, The Liver Birds, Parkin's Patch, NBC Experiment in Television, W. Somerset Maugham, and Menace.

In the Seventies Julian Holloway was a regular on the TV show The Punch Review and he had a recurring role on Harriet's Back in Town. He appeared in one episode of the mini-series Elizabeth R. He guest starred on the shows Take Three Girls, The Shadow of the Tower, The Man from Haven, Dead of Night, The Edwardians, Conjugal Rights, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads, Ooh La La!, Bowler, Black and Blue, Helen: A Woman of Today, Marked Personal, BBC Play of the Month, Bedtime Stories,  Wodehouse Playhouse, Warship, Centre Play, Z-Cars, The Sweeney, Public Eye, Wodehouse Playhouse, Ten from the Twenties, Play for Today, The New Avengers, Jubilee, Seven Faces of Woman, Crown Court, BBC2 Play of the Week, Angels, The Professionals, A Horseman Riding By, Tilford's Change, and Keep It in the Family. He appeared in the mini-series Rebecca and the Christmas special Carry On Christmas. Julian Holloway appeared in the movies Carry On Henry (1971), Carry On at Your Convenience (1971), Young Winston (1972), The Stud (1974), The Hostages (1975), Carry On England (1976), Sammy;s Super T-Shirt (1978), Porridge (1979), The Great Rock 'n ' Roll Swindle (1980),  and Rough Cut (1980). Because of star Horst Janson's thick accent, Julian dubbed the voice of the title character in the movie Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974).

In the Eighties Julian Holloway guest starred on the TV shows Plays for Pleasure, Misfits, Minder,      Hallelujah!, BBC Play of the Month, Give Us a Break, Tall Tales & Legends, The Bill, Doctor Who, and The Chief, He appeared in the mini-series Nancy Astor, If Tomorrow Comes, The Endless Game, and A Season of Giants.

In the Nineties Julian Holloway was the voice of the villain Odlaw on the animated series Where's Wally? (Where's Waldo in the United States). He was also a regular voice on the animated series James Bond Jr. and Captain Zed and the Zee Zone. He guest starred on the shows Beverly Hills, 90120; Casualty; The Vet;; and Remember WENN.

In the Naughts he was the voice of Digby on the animated series Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future. He was also a regular on the animated series Father of the Pride. He was a voice in Disney's animated feature film A Christmas Carol (2009). In the Teens he had a recurring voice roles on the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Regular Show. He guest starred on the TV series Summer of Rockets. He appeared in the movie The Rum Diary (2011).

He also provided voices for various video games.

He was the father of model and actress Sophie Dahl with actress Tessa Dahl, the daughter of author Roald Dahl and actress Patricia Neal.

I think it is safe to say that Julian Holloway will remain best known for his various roles in the "Carry On..." films, where he played everything from a licentious bus driver in Carry On Camping to a military medical officer in Carry On England. And while he had a gift for comedy, he could play other roles.While Horst Janson may have provided the face and body of swashbuckling vampire hunter Captain Kronos, it was Julian Holloway who provided his voice. In the New Avengers episode "Gnaws," he played one of two scientists who steal the growth serum they developed from a government lab (while considered one of the worst episodes of the series, Julian Holloway is good in it). Julian Holloway was certainly a talented actor and one who was welcome in any movie or TV show episode, no matter how small his role.

"Ball of Confusion (That's What the World is Today)" by The Temptations

While they worked in another styles, The Temptations remain best known for such love songs as "My Girl," "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," and "I Wish It Would Rain." Regardless, one of their most remarkable songs was not a love song, but a protest song instead. "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World is Today)" remains one of the best known protest songs released by Motown, alongside "What's Going On' by Marvin Gaye.

"Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" was written by Motown legends Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. Together Messrs. Whitfield and Strong had already written such hits as ""Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got" for Jimmy Ruffin,  "I Heard It on the Grapevine" for Gladys Knight and The Pips (Marvin Gaye's version would be a huge hit for Motown),  "I Wish It Would Rain" (with Rodger Penzabene) for The Temptations, and "Cloud Nine" by The Temptations. Individually or with others, they wrote many more hits for Motown.

It was with their previous songs such as "Cloud Nine" and "Runaway Child" that The Temptations had begun to move away from the love songs they had recorded into a new sound that would be called "psychedelic soul." "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" was the fifth single to be released using this new sound.

Of course, as can be heard in "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today," The Temptations changed not only their overall sound, but their lyrical content. Instead of love and heartbreak, their songs now covered the issues of the day such as civil rights, poverty, drugs, and the Vietnam War. "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" embraced many issues, given it addressed the general state of the United States in the late Sixties and early Seventies. The song makes reference to segregation, pills, taxes, unemployment, and many other topics of the day.

"Ball of Confusion (That's What the World is Today" was recorded at Hitsville U.S.A. in Detroit on April 12 and 14 1970. The instrumental track was recorded by The Funk Brothers, the group of session musicians who preformed the music on nearly all of Motown's songs from 1959 to 1972. They recorded nearly eleven minutes worth of music, although ultimately only four minutes was use for the single. The entire instrumental track could later be heard on The Undisputed Truth's cover of the  song on their self-titled debut album.

"Ball of Confusion (That's What the World is Today)" was released on May 7 1970. It peaked at no. 2 on the Billboard R&B chart and no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It did well in Britain as well, where it reached no. 7 on the UK singles chart. Although inspired by the events of the late Sixties and early Seventies, "Ball of Confusion ((That's What the World is Today") remains all to relevant today.

Miss Topsy: African American Burlesque Star

When people think of the stars of burlesque, they tend to think of dancers like Gypsy Rose Lee, Lili St. Cyr, Tempest Storm, and Blaze Starr. All of these performers were white, but even in the mid-20th Century there were burlesque stars of other ethnicities. Among the most legendary burlesque dancers was Miss Topsy, one of the earliest Black women to become an international star in the field.

Sadly, while there are quite a few pictures of Miss Topsy to be found online, there is little in the way of information. What little I know abut her I found in social media posts by photographer Neil "Nez "Kendall, a few blog posts, and old newspaper articles found on Newspapers.Com and Newspaper Archive.

Miss Topsy was born Mary Elizabeth Thompson in St., Louis around 1942. She had been a secretary to the assessor in St. Louis prior to moving to Hollywood where she became a pin-up and lingerie model there. She was dancing at a Los Angeles Club when a saxophone player introduced her to talent agent Coralie Jr., who was well-known for launching the careers of offbeat performers. It was not long before Miss Topsy became a star in burlesque.

So popular was Miss Topsy that she was even able to tour the Deep South when many Black performers were not always welcome there. She even performed overseas. She had a long residency at the Raymond Review Bar in London in 1963. In 1964 she performed at the Gay 90s in Minneapolis and even had an article about her published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. In 1968 Miss Topsy performed at the Yum Yum in Kansas City, Missouri. She even danced in such places as France, much of Europe, and Japan. She also continued to be a popular pinup model in many men's magazines of the era. It was in 1973 that she decided to retire. and settle down. She died in 2021

I honestly wish I knew more about Miss Topsy. First, she was born in my home state of Missouri. Second, she was a true pioneer. She was a Black woman who made a name for herself and became a success when  racial segregation was a none too distant memory and discrimination was still a standard practice. She blazed a trail for other African Americans when it came to performing in burlesque. Finally, as one can see from her pictures, she was seriously pretty. I can easily understand why she was so popular.

Lobo, the First Black Western Comic Book Hero

When people think of Black comic book characters, they might think of The Black Panther, Green Lantern John Stewart, The Falcon, or Cyborg, but before any of these characters there was Lobo. Unlike the aforementioned characters, Lobo was not a superhero, but instead a gunslinger in the Old West. He was the very first Black character to have his own title.

Lobo first appeared in Lobo no. 1 (December 1965), published by Dell Comics. Lobo was a wealthy, African American gunslinger who was given the name "Lobo" by the villains in the first issue of the title. Lobo would leave a gold coin with the images of an "L" and a wolf on the foreheads of the villains he defeated.

Lobo was created by writer Don "D. J." Arneson and artist Tony Tallarico, although the two men disagreed on the character's creation.. Mr. Arneson has said that Mr. Tallarico only illustrated the comic book. He denies that Mr. Tallarico created the character, and has said that he plotted the stories and wrote the scripts. According to D. J. Arneson, he had read the book  The Negro Cowboys by Philip Durham and Everett L. Jones and used that as inspiration for the character.  Tony Tallarico claims that he approached D. J. Arneson with the idea.

Unfortunately, Lobo only lasted two issues: Lobo no. 1 (December 1965) and Lobo no. 2 (September 1966). Not only did D.J. Arneson and Tony Tallarico disagree on the creation of Lobo, but they also disagree on why the title came to an end.. According to Tony Tallarico, distributors were returning bundles of the comic books unopened. He claims that after some investigating he discovered that many sellers opposed the idea of an African American Western hero. D. J. Arneson's explanation for the cancellation of Lobo is much simpler. It was simply discontinued because of sales.

While Lobo's title was cancelled after only two issues, the character would not disappear completely. In 2017,m over fifty years after his last appearance, Lobo was revived in All New Popular Comics no.1, which sought to revive many of Dell Comics' characters. In 2018 the collection Fantastic 4N1 included a novella featuring Lobo. 

Although not as well known as The Black Panther, Falcon, or John Stewart, Lobo was historic. He was the first Black character to have his own title and the first Black Western comic book hero. Lobo also indicated the direction that Western comic books in the late Sixties onward would take.  In the Western titles of late Sixties and Seventies, African Americans would play a bigger role, having largely been absent from the Western comic books of the Forties, Fifties, and Sixties.