It’s always fun to find out thing about popular people, celebrities, sports stars, etc. that we didn’t know. There are some very interesting, fun and very informative stories here. So here is Part 1 with seven we think you will enjoy and even be surprised by.
- Vanna White, TV personality – Long before fame and fortune came her way, Vanna was a struggling model and actress. In 1980 she played a stripper in the movie “Gypsy Angels” showing a lot of skin in her role. Also in 1980, Vanna was a contestant on “The Price is Right” with Bob Barker. She didn’t win the big prizes then, but in 1982 she auditioned for a new game show and got the job and the “Wheel of Fortune” would certainly change her life.
- Tom Glavine, baseball player – Today he is a Hall of Famer for his brilliant pitching career mainly with the Atlanta braves, but could he have been in another Hall of Fame? Tom was also a top tier hockey player. Glavine was drafted by both the Los Angeles Kings in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft in the 4th round two rounds ahead of future National Hockey League Hall of Famer Brett Hull and the Atlanta Braves in the 2nd round of the 1984 amateur baseball draft. Glavine elected to play baseball and the rest as they say is history.
- Sid Caesar, TV comedian – This popular comedian from TV’s early days had no idea what the future held. After getting out of the Navy at the end of WW II, Ceaesar, also a musician, hooked up with the Claude Thornhill Orchestra playing in the sax section. But his comedic ways were eventually spotted by early TV execs during the band’s breaks. With the dawning of TV in the 50’s Caesar was offered to head a new show call “Your Show of Shows” with a new comedienne named Imogene Coca, and the rest, as they say, is history.
- Charles G. Dawes, VP of US – He was a banker, diplomat and also served as the Vice President under President Calvin Coolidge. He was also an amateur song writer, composer and a classical musician and in 1911 wrote piece called “Melody in A Major”. Years later it was rediscovered, lyrics were added to make it into a popular song. In 1958 “It’s All in the Game” became a #1 hit for Tommy Edwards. It is the only No. 1 single in the U.S. to have been co-written by a U.S. Vice President, a record that may never be matched.
- Tom Selleck, actor – Long before Magnum P.I. made him a household name and took women’s breath away Tom Selleck made 2 different appearances on the 60’s TV show “The Dating Game”. Unfortunately neither appearance went well as Tom was not picked by the ladies to go on a date with on either show. You have to wonder what those two women thought years later after his success.
- Moe Berg, baseball player – He was a second string catcher for the Dodgers, White Sox, Indians and Red Sox in the 20’s and 30’s. Berg, who was Jewish, was also a very private man who spoke a number of languages and was recruited by the U.S. government to work as a spy against the Nazis and their attempts at building an atomic bomb in WW II for the OSS, which was a forerunner of the CIA. He received the Medal of Freedom for his work. His exploits as a major league ballplayer and spy were made into a movie titled “The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg”. The film had its world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
- Steve McQueen, actor – He was one of Hollywood’s most popular actors and lost his life too soon. What many people may not know is that because McQueen did most of his own driving stunts in films, he was also an inventor. McQueen invented the bucket seat for automobiles. Because he wanted something more comfortable and reliable to sit in doing the stunts he invented the bucket seat. That new seat would go on to become a staple of sports cars around the world.
