Happy Birthday Helen Keller

On June 27, 1880 Helen Keller was born as a normal kid in Alabama - but due to an illness at 19 months, that was probably either scarlet fever or meningitis, she was left without the ability to see or to hear, and yet she lived one of the most amazing lives in the course of human history. As a young child, she was befriended by Martha Washington the 6 year old daughter of the family cook , who was crucial in the journey of Helen's life that allowed her to transcend the darkness of being blind, deaf, and unable to speak. We all know the name of Anne Sullivan, but no one seems to remember this lovely six year old child - so I will mention her name again - Martha Washington. As is often the case, people forget how important kids can be to others in life and it is never too early to start being a good person. Martha's friendship with Helen helped her to create a very simple sign language that allowed her to communicate with her family, and it seems pretty obvious that this played a vital role in Helen's life in years to come.

Helen's parents worked hard to do all they could to help Helen - searching for the right doctors, a visit to Alexander Graham Bell who was working with deaf children, and finally at age seven, Anne Sullivan came to the Keller house to help Helen learn how to communicate. Anne Sullivan, a young 20 year old who was also visually impaired, worked hard to teach Helen how to communicate by spelling words with her hand - simple formations that represented each letter of the alphabet. The big breakthrough came was Helen was able to spell the word - water, which was brilliantly portrayed in the movie - The Miracle Worker, starring Anne Bancroft as Anne Sullivan and Patty Duke as Helen.

Helen would go on to be the first blind deaf person to earn a college. She attended Radcliffe, which at the time was the "girl" sister school of Harvard. Many many more accomplishments were in store for Helen in her life, some of which are chronicled in the newsreel footage below. (from This day in History - June 1, the day Helen Keller died in 1968).

Embed:

But for me, her life's story is really the amazing part - in addition to some of the wonderful quotes she had regarding life. She was a very wise woman, having learned a great deal early in life, about how to live. I will leave you with just a few of my Helen Keller quotes. Think about these, next time you consider being such a fool, as to offer a Helen Keller joke. The joke is on you if your heart becomes so cold.

Life is an exciting business, and most exciting when it is lived for others. Helen Keller

Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light. Helen Keller

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold. Helen Keller


It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision. Helen Keller

Many more terrific Helen Keller quotes can be found here. Better still - check out Helen Keller's book - The Story of My Life - online at Project Gutenberg.

June Weddings Video Archive

Well - it's June again, and June is the month jam packed full of weddings. I will be out for the rest of the week in New York for a super duper, mondo NY wedding. So, in honor of this celebration of love - let me put offer a few suggestions of our best wedding related video content. Royal Wedding with Fred Astaire, Jane Powell and Peter Lawford is a classic - it's the movie where Fred dances on the walls and the ceiling, created in a special room that could rotate slightly with the best dancer of all time. And who could forget - Mountain Wedding, with Ernest T. Bass, Barney Fife dressed in a bride outfit and some killer jug band bluegrass with the Dillards. Need more? Check out the Woody Allen special for a vintage wedding musical classic, and if animation is your bag, look no further than Popeye in Bride and Gloom. PLUS some archive footage of Princess Grace Kelly at her wedding, Prince Charles and Lady Di, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor and much more. Just search for wedding and watch till your eyes get tired.

D-Day Remebered

While most of our users are pretty young, some of them are old enough to remember June 6, 1941 with the proper respect and the cost of the freedom we enjoy today. It is a price measured in blood and tears. I encourage our younger users to give up 60 seconds - and to watch this short video clip remembering the sacrifices of D-Day. LikeTelevision would like to thank you for what you went through. We give you respect and honor your place in history. With a humble heart, and great admiration - thanks.

Quai Chang & Koko

Yesterday was an especially tough day - as the world lost David Carradine and Koko Taylor, no relation to sheriff Andy Taylor. When i was a young wild man in my late teens, I had the chance to see Koko Taylor in a small bar in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, playing with a terrific back-up band called The Blues Machine. I remember the show like it was yesterday, and anyone who had the chance to see Koko Taylor perform live knows exactly why. She sang with such a passion it was unforgettable. Life changing, somebody get my jaw off the floor, WOW !!! Honestly, I never even knew people had that kind of passion within them until I saw Koko Taylor perform. She came on at 11pm and played ON FIRE - for over 4 hours. She was sweating like an Alabama work crew in 100 degree weather, and she was just one person. Honestly - sweat was literally flying off of her into the crowd, and not only did you not mind, you felt blessed by Holy Water. WOW !!! It was beyond anything Rod Serling of Twilight Zone could even imagine. She sang her brains out, and her heart out, and every cell of her body just screamed... YEAH! How do like that! If there was any doubt that Rock 'n Roll heaven has a hell of band... doubt no more.

And when I was a kid, I will always remember waiting all day Wednesday for Kung Fu to come on. There were so many amazing episodes - my favorites included the one where the the bad guy wanted a gold chalice from the poor Catholic church and attacked grasshopper with some massive chains. And the one with a 18 or 19 year old Don Johnson as an American Indian was also very memorable. I think my favorite was the episode featuring a very young Jodie Foster whose name was Alethia, which Quai Chang told her meant truth. One of those - perception is reality things going on, and she had to tell the truth. And her truth was based on her angle of vision, where it sure looked like grasshopper shot a guy. Anyway, it was very sad to hear of his death and worse, the circumstances surrounding his death. If you are a David Carradine fan - check out this bizarre 1970s classic preachy movie called Maybe I'll Come in the Spring, and learn why the hippy dippy generation was such a load of crappola. Like peace, love and wow man, I got no money - let me steal some tacos (watch it, it'll make sense). But, that said - well the George Carlin as the Hippy Dippy Weatherman was awesome! We also offer a bunch of movies with David Carradine's famous thesbian father - John Carradine.

Sara Takes a Dive

On Sunday - May 31st, my dear friend Sara and I felt compelled to jump out of a plane with no parachute. Yes - we obviously survived, this is Wednesday after all. For me, this was my third trip to Skydive Carolina(1-800-SKYDIVE) and once again, B.B. King was nowhere to be found - the thrill is NOT gone. (for a trip down memory lane, see Jump 1.0 and Jump 2.0)

Embed:

At some point - I will add this video to the video database, but right now we are slammed like a pizza delivery kid on Friday night. Soon come, as they say in Jamaica.

Lawrence of Arabia Motorcycle Crash, May 18, 1935

On May 19, 1935, T.E. Lawrence, an avid biker who favored Brough Superior bikes, died in a motorcycle accident near his cottage in Dorset. He was just 46 years old, and he died as he swerved to avoid hitting 2 boys on bicycles, lost control and went over the handlebars. Check out this newsreel, with some brief footage of T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia. (ed. note - oddly enough, I was also in a bad motorcycle accident as a 46 year old, trying to avoid a young kid who was making an illegal left turn on a side street into oncoming traffic... me :~) And thankfully, I didn't die, but it was really close. And years before that, I wrote a song called funky motorcycle(mp3 download) produced by Frank Random in my garage circa 1995.)

If you'd like to learn more about T.E. Lawrence, check out wikipedia's extensive entry, or better still, read one of his books, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. This book was edited by his friend, George Bernard Shaw. And David Lean's movie, Lawrence of Arabia is a great film, sorry - an amazing film, one of the best but not the best source to learn about the man.

Also of note today, May 19 - a young girl named Janet Gaynor cleaned up on the first Oscar night, winning three Academy Awards in one evening, for her role in A Star is Born.


LikeTelevision Embed Movies and TV Shows

New Frank Sinatra Movie

How cool! Martin Scorsese is planning on directing a new movie about one of Hollywood's greatest stars - Frank Sinatra. And in a rare twist - it seems this film has gotten the okay from the Sinatra Estate as Tina Sinatra, Frank's youngest daughter (not to be confused with Nancy, these boots were made for Walking, Sinatra) will be an executive producer on the project. Now - who will play old blue eyes? hmmm. Tough shoes to fill there buddy.

So - why not get ready for the new movie by checking out some timeless classics starring Frank Sinatra. My personal favorite is The Man with the Golden Arm starring Kim Novak and Eleanor Parker. In addition to a killer sound track by Elmer Bernstein, you get Arnold Stang in a classic role as Frankie Machine's sidekick. Another awesome Sinatra movie is Suddenly - where Frank plays a would be assassin looking to kill the President in a quiet little town called Suddenly. Great film! Need more? got it. Check out a TV special starring Frank Sinatra, Joey Bishop, Sammy Davis jr. and others saying hello to Elvis Presley as he returns home from the US army, sponsored by Timex, the watches that can take a licking and keep on ticking in ye olde John Cameron Swayze days. Also recommended highly - Till the Clouds Roll By, a movie tribute to the great composer Jerome Kern that features a ton of amazing artists including Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Lena Horne.

And there's more video clips too in addition to the Frank Sinatra movies. Just search for Frank Sinatra and check it out if you are a Sinatra fan like we are.