She was most famous as “Truly Scrumptious” in “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”. She did some TV work, including “Mission: Impossible” and “Run For Your Life”.
She also did a fair amount of theater:
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Archive for December, 2021
Obit watch: December 22, 2021.
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021You’re going down in flames, you tax-fattened hyena! (#78 in a series)
Tuesday, December 21st, 2021This is a couple of days old, but I’ve been busy. I’ve also been going back and forth on posting this one, for reasons that I’ll get into directly.
Brian Downey, the deputy mayor of Airmont, New York (in Rockland County, population 8,628 in 2010) has been indicted.
But: most of these charges are gun charges, and the sort of gun charges that I’m not sure should be a crime in a free country, much less New York state.
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There’s a semi-meme in the gun community about people ordering “fuel filters” from Chinese vendors…and getting a knock on the door from the Feds. I wonder if that’s what happened in this case. (The only online reference I could find to this was on a site that I have a policy of not linking to or acknowledging in any way.)
Downey acknowledged that weapons were not licensed in an interview with federal agents, according to the complaint filed in federal court.
“He stated that he lacked any registration or authorization for controlled firearms, such as the short-barrel rifle or the sawed-off shotgun,” said Daniel Suden, a special agent with the US Department of Homeland Security.
Really, seriously, just shut the f–k up.
It sounds like he may have been planning on using an “only ones” exemption. Except…he wasn’t one of the “only ones”.
So I can’t gloat too much over the gun charges: after all, if I believe that silencers, modern sporting rifles, and normal capacity magazines should be legal, I can’t throw stones at this guy.
But fake law enforcement credentials? He deserves whatever he gets for that.
You’re going down in flames, you tax-fattened hyena! (#77 in a series)
Friday, December 17th, 2021This is a couple days old, but I missed it. Hattip to Mike the Musicologist.
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Six involve ongoing criminal indictments alleging Smith engaged in political favoritism and traded favors by leveraging her control over issuing concealed-carry weapons permits.
The seventh accuses her of failing to cooperate with the county law-enforcement auditor in an investigation into negligence allegations stemming from a 2018 jail inmate’s injury that led to a $10 million county settlement, the Mercury News reported.
The articles I’ve read don’t say, but I’m 99 44/100ths percent sure that this is related to the Apple scandal that I wrote about a while back.
Now, I am not a lawyer, I am not a California lawyer, and I am especially not Perry Mason. (They renewed that crap for a second season? What is wrong with people?)
But, as I understand it, the “civil grand jury” indictments are not criminal. The “civil grand jury” in California is chartered to investigate “actions or performance of city, county agencies or public officials.”
The jurisdiction of the Civil Grand Jury is limited by statute and includes the following:
- Consideration of evidence of misconduct against public officials to determine whether to present formal accusations requesting their removal from office
- Inquiry into the condition and management of public prisons within the county
- Investigation and report on the operations, accounts, and records of the officers, departments, or functions of the county including those operations, accounts, and records of any special legislative district or other district in the county pursuant to state law for which the officers of the county are serving in their ex officio capacity as officers of the districts
- May investigate the books and records of any incorporated city or joint powers agency located in the county
So this isn’t the equivalent of criminal charges, but it is a grand jury saying “We think you’re corrupt as fark”.
Count 1: Illegally issuing concealed carry weapon permits (CCW) to VIP’s
Count 2: Failing to properly investigate whether non-VIP’s should receive CCW permits
Count 3: Keeping non-VIP CCW applications pending indefinitely
Count 4: Illegally accepting suite tickets, food, and drinks at Sharks game
Count 5: Failing to report Sharks game gifts on financial documents
Count 6: Committing perjury by failing to disclose Sharks game gifts
Count 7: Failing to cooperate with internal affairs investigation surrounding treatment of Andrew Hogan
Where do we get such men?
Friday, December 17th, 2021I briefly touched the other day on the story of Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe, who was awarded the Medal of Honor on Thursday.
Sgt. Cashe was one of three soldiers who received the Medal of Honor that day. Task and Purpose has a good profile of all three men.
The other two are Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Celiz (who received the medal posthumously, along with Sgt. Cashe), and Master Sgt. Earl Plumlee (who is still alive, and currently serving with the US Army).
Obit watch: December 17, 2021.
Friday, December 17th, 2021John Mueller, one of the great Texas barbecue guys. He was only 52.
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Mueller built his reputation on sturdy but supple brisket cooked hot and fast, gargantuan beef ribs with a soft side that belied their imposing stature, and a mercurial personality that often burned with the same intensity as his off-set smoker.
Franklin Barbecue owner Aaron Franklin worked briefly for Mueller in 2006, cutting onions and helping with other prep work, and says that the Taylor native had a talent that could not be taught.
“He spent all those years hanging out in Taylor learning from his dad. The guy really just had such a natural gift for cooking barbecue,” Franklin said. “I’d be surprised if there was anyone else in the world who has cooked more briskets than that guy.”
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Mueller would play up the caricature of “the dark prince of Texas barbecue,” a moniker bestowed on him by Texas Monthly, later in life, blending barbs with banter that made him an unpredictable if entertaining presence at his businesses.
But despite his love for giving people grief and straddling the line between famous and infamous, Mueller at his heart was a classic Central Texas barbecue man who took the lessons from his father and then burned his own path through the barbecue scene.
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John Lewis worked briefly for Mueller at his South First trailer before going to serve as pit boss at La Barbecue. Lewis, who now runs the lauded Lewis Barbecue in Charleston, S.C., says that despite his reputation as an ornery cuss, Mueller could be an affable guy who loved to share a laugh.
“He was a really, really kind guy. He had a huge heart and I didn’t really get to know that until we worked side by side,” Lewis said. “He would act really tough but the next second he is goofing on you. He had a great sense of humor.”
Additional coverage from the Dallas Morning News (by way of archive.is).
Edited to add 12/18: Texas Monthly tribute.
(Crossposted to The Logbook of the Saturday Dining Conspiracy.)
Obit watch: December 16, 2021.
Thursday, December 16th, 2021Elfrida von Nardroff, historical footnote.
She kept a low public profile for much of her life, but back in the 1950s, she was on television. Specifically, the quiz show “Twenty-One”.
Of course, you know where this is going, right?
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Mr. Stone delved into Ms. von Nardroff’s claims of deep research and found them dubious. He saw little evidence for her claim that she had analyzed “Twenty-One” topics so extensively that she had filled numerous notebooks.
He sent investigators to the main branch of the New York Public Library at 42nd Street, where they showed her picture to see if anyone recognized her from all the time she said she had spent there. They did not. (Ms. von Nardroff said she had taken out books but did not do research at the library, Mr. Stone recounted.) She admitted that the article in This Week was only “impressionistically true.”
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For the historical record: bell hooks.
Shad don’t like it…
Thursday, December 16th, 2021Urban Meyer out as Jacksonville Jaguars coach after 13 regular season games.
His record was 2-11.
The final straw seems to have been yesterday’s report that Meyer kicked Josh Lambo, a former kicker with the Jaguars. I’m just gonna go out on a limb here and say physically assaulting your employees is not a good idea.
Meyer couldn’t deliver as speculation persisted that he treated players like kids instead of grown men. He appeared to be too caught up in having control and power instead of having the right answers to win football games.
This past weekend NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported, citing sources, that Meyer had multiple run-ins with players and coaches that had developed into an ongoing tension at the Jaguars facility for months.
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And Shad Khan is looking for tax money to upgrade the stadium and improve “the fan experience”.
To quote a comment at Field of Schemes:
You know what would “fundamentally change the fan experience” for Jags fans?
Not losing 10+ games each and every year.
Art (Acevedo), damn it! watch. (#AI of a series)
Wednesday, December 15th, 2021CNN had an opening, now that they’ve canned Fredo. So who better to hire?
Excited to join @CNN team to continue being part of the discussion on law enforcement and criminal justice. #RelationalPolicing pic.twitter.com/BNsnRSDepF
— Chief Art Acevedo (@ArtAcevedo) December 15, 2021
I missed this, probably because I don’t pay much attention to that network. Thank you to Gun Free Zone for tipping me off.
Responsible use of category tags.
Wednesday, December 15th, 2021I hate to link to Crimereads two days in a row, but this is another one of those articles I feel like I have to link. Especially since it lets me tick off multiple categories from my list:
“Fireworks at Graceland: How Elvis Spent His Last Christmas Before Boot Camp“.
I’m not going to add it to my wish list yet, but Christmas with Elvis (affiliate link) sounds like it could be a fun book.
Obit watch: December 15, 2021.
Wednesday, December 15th, 2021Frank “Frankie” Little Jr., a guitarist and songwriter with the O’Jays.
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Little was only with the band for a short time, The O’Jays said in a statement to Rolling Stone. He worked with Levert on a handful of songs, including 1964’s “Do the Jerk” and 1966’s “Pretty Words.”
“He came out with us when we first ventured out of Cleveland and traveled to Los Angeles, but was also in love with a woman in Cleveland that he missed so much that he soon returned back to Cleveland after a short amount of time,” the band said.
Mr. Little died sometime around or prior to February of 1982, but his death was not announced until recently, when his remains were identified.
The partial remains — first discovered in February 1982 in a garbage bag behind a now-shuttered business in Twinsburg, Ohio — were identified as Little’s using DNA provided by a close relative, police said in a statement Tuesday.
“In October 2021, the DNA Doe Project provided the names of potential living relatives, who were able to provide Frank’s name,” Twinsburg police said, adding that Little’s identity was later confirmed by a medical examiner who ruled his death a homicide.
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Cara Williams, actress. 55 credits in IMDB.
High points include “The Defiant Ones”, “We Go to Monte Carlo”, “The Man From the Diners’ Club”, and the wife of Harry Morgan’s character in “Pete and Gladys”.
Look! I made a thing!
Tuesday, December 14th, 2021Well, I followed through on at least one of my threats:
Onion dip, made from scratch using Alton Brown’s recipe.
I was genuinely surprised at how much liquid the onions gave up after I added the brown sugar, salt, and baking soda and let them sit for about 15 minutes. I was also a little surprised at how long it took to cook them down.
How does it taste? Well, in keeping with our Jeremy Clarkson theme…(warning! Language!)
Tweet of the day.
Tuesday, December 14th, 2021— Ƒʉͫcͧкͭιͪηͣ 𝙶𝚛𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚙𝚊 👴 (@th3v0t4ry) December 14, 2021
There’s a backstory to that tweet.
Matthias said he was struck by how well Cashe knew his soldiers — their strengths, weaknesses, and whatever challenges they were facing — and how much he cared for them. He “talked about them like they were his children,” he said. Dodge who was a squad leader under Cashe, recalled once having marital problems while he was deployed to Iraq. While they had some — very rare and brief — down time, Dodge said Cashe “called my wife from Iraq and talked to her at length.” He then came and told Dodge to call her as well.
“‘I know you’re having problems, and I want you to have your head clear while you’re out here doing stuff,’” Dodge recalled Cashe telling him. “At the time I was kind of angry because I was tired, I just wanted to sleep. But he had taken his time when he could have been sleeping … to try to take care of me. And that’s something I’ll never forget.”
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Department of I Am Required To Blog This.
Tuesday, December 14th, 2021Even though (as I have said in the past) I find CrimeReads 50% worthwhile and 50% pretentious annoying crap. This falls on the worthwhile side:
“Mannix Was Vintage TV’s Perfect Savvy PI“.
I particularly approve of the author calling out Gail Fisher’s contribution, and his mention of the recurring “old Army buddy” trope.
Very quick note on film.
Tuesday, December 14th, 2021I initially wasn’t going to blog this, but decided to throw it up here just for the sake of discussion:
The 2021 list of films added to the National Film Registry.
My quick takes: I like “Stop Making Sense”, and it is a great concert film, but is it of “cultural, historic or aesthetic importance”?
I approve of “Strangers on a Train”, but I haven’t seen that since the days UT had a film program…
“The Long Goodbye”? Seriously? Do not get me started on that one.
I have never seen “Pink Flamingos”, and I’m not really that interested in John Waters films in general. But I’m reminded of Roger Ebert’s review:
True crime watch.
Tuesday, December 14th, 2021The Maund Automotive Group runs a lot of automobile dealerships, many in the Austin area. Erik Charles Maund is a partner in the group.
Erik Charles Maund has been indicted on murder for hire charges.
Allegedly, he asked a former girlfriend in Nashville if he could see her while he was in the area. Her new partner replied back and tried to blackmail Maund (who is/was married).
As a result, Maund is accused of hiring Peled and Brockway, in addition to North Carolina resident Adam Carey, 30, to help him deal with the threats and demands. Peled is a former member of the Israeli Defense Forces and owns the Austin-based Speartip Security services business. The DOJ says the business advertised it helped clients respond to extortion demands.
The department says Maund withdrew $15,000 from his account on the same day an “intelligence report” was prepared and given to Peled. Next, the department says Carey and Brockway traveled to Nashville to watch Williams and Lanway.
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The indictment says Maund transferred around $750,000 via wire from his bank account to an account controlled by Peled — as payment for the kidnapping and murder of Williams and Lanway.
According to the arrest affidavit, Brockway and Carey murdered Lanway and Williams with several gun shots to the head before disposing of them at a construction site.
Of course, Mr. Maund and the other parties involved are entitled to the presumption of innocence. But the news coverage of this should be interesting to watch…