THE LEICA FREEDOM TRAIN
GERMAN CAMERA-maker Ernst Leitz II and his daughter Elsie Kühn-Leitz quietly rescued hundreds of Jews by smuggling them out of Nazi Germany during the 1930s. Their efforts came to light … Continue reading
ENGLAND AT WAR: TWO NOTEWORTHY BOOKS
MY PRIMARY source for yesterday’s SimanaitisSays item on the Jane comics (http://wp.me/p2ETap-23p) is the book Little Friends. Plus, Go To It! is another worthy book in a similar genre. The … Continue reading
JANE’S WARTIME ADVENTURES
WINSTON CHURCHILL called her “Britain’s secret weapon” and, indeed, her marriage became one of World War II’s better kept secrets. I’m talking about Jane, the leggy, curvaceous blonde scatterbrain seen … Continue reading
ROUND, BLACK, STICKY—AND ARTFUL
AUTOMOTIVE TIRES are said to be “round, black and sticky,” yet they’re also objet d’art, especially when portrayed by some of the world’s greatest poster artists. What’s more, Bruce Halle, … Continue reading
IN PRAISE OF FILM AND ITALIAN CUISINE
A MOVIE can be inspiring. Wife Dottie and I enjoyed Turner Classic Movies showing of Big Night and, the next thing I knew, I was devising a new recipe for … Continue reading
ON ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSES
IT’S GREAT fun watching the PBS series Downton Abbey. And one of my favorite mystery movies is Gosford Park. What’s more, through friendship with Rob Walker and his wife Betty, … Continue reading
OPERA CHAOS IV
IT’S TIME—ta da!—to share more operatic madness. As Peter Ustinov noted, opera “rides the razor edge of absurdity,” and it’s good fun to read about the occasional hysterics of this … Continue reading
JUDY AND THE SAN FRANCISCO CABLE CAR
FROM TIME to time, I have an image of a lovely Judy Garland hanging off a San Francisco cable car as she sings “The Trolley Song.” Ah, but the mind … Continue reading
FOR SALE—WITH STORIES ATTACHED
ONE OF the high points of my career as an automotive journalist was enjoying Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks with friend and Grand Prix driver Innes Ireland as we … Continue reading
LIZZIE BORDEN TOOK AN AXE—OR DID SHE?
ONE OF the most notorious crimes in American history has never been completely resolved. It has, however, given rise to a skipping-rope rhyme, a folk legend, a bevy of books, … Continue reading
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