Minnie Pearl

 

"God has a plan for all of us, but He expects us to do our share of the work."

Minnie Pearl was born Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon in Centerville, Tennessee on October 25, 1912.  She was the youngest of five daughters born to a prosperous local family who made their fortune in the timber industry.

She graduated from what is today known as Belmont University in Nashville, where she majored in theater and dance.  After graduation, she joined a theatrical touring company based in Atlanta, where, in 1939, she developed the now-famous Minnie Pearl persona.  This led to her first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry just one later.  It would become a lifetime association.

The newly christened Minnie Pearl became a fixture on American television, starting with Ozark Jubilee in the late 1950s.  She later appeared on such long-running series as Hee Haw and Hollywood Squares.  She made the jump to the silver screen as well, appearing as herself in the 1979 feature film Coal Miner's Daughter.  She retired from public life following a stroke in 1991.

Minnie Pearl spent her final years at a Nashville nursing home before succumbing to a second stroke that ultimately took her life on March 4, 1996 at the age of 83.  She was laid to rest in the Cannon Family plot at Mount Hope Cemetery in Franklin, Tennessee.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Minnie Pearl, take a voyage to your public library or Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• While there is currently no dedicated Minnie Pearl Museum, you can find permanent exhibits at the Grand Ole Opry as well as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, both of which are in Nashville.
  
  
• While not known for her singing, Pearly did reach the Billboard Top 10 chart in 1966 with her song Giddyup Go Answer.  Check it out on YouTube.
  
  
• In the late 1960s, Pearl started her own fast-food restaurant chain called Minnie Pearl's Chicken, with the slogan "how-dee-licious!"  It failed to catch on, however, and is today seen as something of a marketing disaster.  Check out this documentary on YouTube.
  
  
• In the 1980s, Pearl did a series of commercials for Spic and Span cleaner.  Check out this one on YouTube.

Death With Louie

 

"I hope I'm not on 'E True Hollywood Story' 'til I'm dead."

Louis Perry "Louie" Anderson was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on March 24, 1953.  He was the tenth child born to father Louis, a trumpeter, and mother Ora Zelly, who could trace her ancestry back to the Mayflower.

Anderson was a gifted comedian from the start.  He made his professional debut in 1984, appearing on Rodney Dangerfield's Young Comedians Special on HBO.  That same year, he made his silver screen debut as well, appearing as a cab driver in the Dabney Coleman spy thriller Cloak and Dagger.  He would later famously appear opposite Eddie Murphy in the classic comedy Coming to America (1988) and its subsequent sequel Coming 2 America (2021).  I didn't see it either.

In 1999, Anderson assumed hosting responsibilities for the long-running game show Family Feud.  He was the third such comedian to host the program, following Richard Dawson and Ray Combs.  In 2002, he was replaced by Home Improvement alum Richard Karn.  He later predicted to the press that the show would be off the air in less than a year.  However, in 2017, he returned as a contestant on Celebrity Family Feud, now hosted by comedian and talk show host Steve Harvey.

Around 2010, Anderson was diagnosed with a lymphoma, a fact he kept private for more than a decade.  It ultimately took his life on January 21, 2022.  He was just 68 years old.  He was cremated, and his ashes were entombed at Acacia Park Cemetery in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.

Location: Niche #5, South, #R-3, #01

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Louie Anderson, take a voyage to your public library or Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• In 1986, Anderson was cast in the pilot episode of Perfect Strangers opposite Bronson Pinchot.  Executives felt they lacked chemistry however, and the role was recast with series lead Mark Linn-Baker.
  
  
• In 1997, Anderson won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for playing himself on the series Life With Louie.  Check out the intro on YouTube.
  
  
• That same year, Anderson began paying hush money to Richard John Gordon, who was blackmailing the comedian over a 1993 encounter at a casino in Hawthorne, California.  By 2000, Gordon had raised his rates, at which time Anderson finally reported him to the authorities.  Gordon subsequently spent two years in prison.
  
  
• Proving that they too had a sense of humor, former retail giant The Sports Authority hired Anderson to promote their products in a series of silly commercials, like this one.  Coincidentally, the brand filed for bankruptcy in 2016.

Fay Wray

 

"Every time I'm in New York, I say a little prayer when passing the Empire State Building.  A good friend of mine died up there."

Vina Fay Wray was born in Alberta, Canada on September 15, 1907.  She was born into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was the granddaughter of church pioneer Daniel Webster Jones.  The family lived in Salt Lake City for much of her youth before moving to Hollywood in the 1920s.

She began her acting career while still a teenager, appearing in the 1925 silent picture The Coast Patrol.  It led to a contract with Paramount Pictures and her first leading role in the 1929 Erich von Stroheim film The Wedding March.  She'd leave Paramount one year later, signing with rival studio RKO.

In 1933, she starred in the film that would define her career - King Kong.  Not only did the film launch Wray to super stardom, it also saved the studio itself, which was on the brink of bankruptcy.  Her film career spanned more than twenty years, and by the 1950s, she found steady work on television, putting in memorable guest appearances on such series as Perry Mason, 77 Sunset Strip, and The Real McCoys.  Her last credited role was the 1980 made-for-TV movie Gideon's Trumpet.

Fay Wray died in her sleep on August 8, 2004.  She was 96 years old. Two days later, the Empire State Building dimmed its lights for 15 minutes in honor of her memory.  She was laid to rest in a modest grave at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Location: Section #8 (Garden of Legends), Lot #2300, Grave #7

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Fay Wray, take a voyage to your public library or Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• While there is no dedicated Fay Wray museum, there is a memorial fountain in her hometown of Alberta, as well as local history displays.  You'll find them at the Courthouse and Heritage Museum.
  
  
• In 1997, Wray was offered the role of adult Rose in James Cameron's Titanic, later saying "I think to have done Titanic would have been a tortuous experience altogether."  The part eventually went to actress Gloria Stuart.
  
  
• During the 1998 Oscar awards telecast, host Billy Crystal ambushed Wray on live television declaring her the "beauty who charmed the beast."  Wray was caught completely off guard and seemed uncomfortable with the recognition.  Curious?  Check out this clip on YouTube.
  
  
• In 1993, Type O Negative released a tribute song entitled Fay Wray Come Out and Play.  Check it out on YouTube.