Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Doris Day History ~ Peanut Butter & Banana French Toast Bake ~ Black Cat Appreciation Day

 

 

Good 64º dark cloudy morning. 

 

 

Yesterday we topped at 113º.

 

 

Picture of the Day...bunny tree!

 

 

 

Interesting about Doris Day...........

 

Day was born Doris Mary Kappelhoff on April 3, 1922, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter of Alma Sophia (née Welz; 1895–1976) and William Joseph Kappelhoff (1892–1967). Her mother was a homemaker, and her father was a music teacher and choirmaster. Doris was named after actress Doris Kenyon. Her maternal and paternal grandparents were German; her paternal grandfather Franz Joseph Wilhelm Kappelhoff immigrated to the United States in 1875 and settled in Cincinnati which had a large German community with its own churches, clubs, and German-language newspapers. For most of her life, Day stated she was born in 1924; it was not until her 95th birthday – when the Associated Press found her birth certificate, showing a 1922 date of birth – that she stated otherwise.

 

The youngest of three siblings, she had two older brothers: Richard (1917–1919), who died before her birth, and Paul (1919–1957). Due to her father's infidelity, her parents separated. She developed an early interest in dance, and in the mid-1930s formed a dance duo with Jerry Doherty that performed in competitions throughout the United States. On October 13, 1937, while riding with friends, the car Day was in collided with a freight train, breaking her right leg and curtailing her prospects as a professional dancer.

 

Early career (1938–1947)

While recovering from her car accident, Kappelhoff started to sing along with the radio and discovered a talent she did not know she had. "During this long, boring period, I used to while away a lot of time listening to the radio, sometimes singing along with the likes of Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey, and Glenn Miller", she told A. E. Hotchner, one of Day's biographers. "But the one radio voice I listened to above others belonged to Ella Fitzgerald. There was a quality to her voice that fascinated me, and I'd sing along with her, trying to catch the subtle ways she shaded her voice, the casual yet clean way she sang the words."

 

During the eight months she was taking singing lessons, Kappelhoff had her first professional jobs as a vocalist, on the WLW radio program Carlin's Carnival, and in a local restaurant, Charlie Yee's Shanghai Inn. During her radio performances, she first caught the attention of Barney Rapp, who was looking for a female vocalist and asked if she would like to audition for the job. According to Rapp, he had auditioned about 200 singers when Kappelhoff got the job.

 

While working for Rapp in 1939, at his suggestion she adopted the stage name "Doris Day". Rapp felt that "Kappelhoff" was too long for marquees, and he admired her rendition of the song "Day After Day". After working with Rapp, Day worked with bandleaders Jimmy James, Bob Crosby, and Les Brown. In 1941, Day appeared as a singer in three Soundies with the Les Brown band.

 

^{While singing with the Les Brown band and for nearly two years on Bob Hope's weekly radio program, she toured extensively across the United States.}

 

Having become primarily recognized as a musical-comedy actress, Day gradually took on more dramatic roles to broaden her range. Her dramatic star turn as singer Ruth Etting in Love Me or Leave Me (1955), with top billing above James Cagney, received critical and commercial success, becoming Day's biggest hit thus far. Cagney said she had "the ability to project the simple, direct statement of a simple, direct idea without cluttering it", comparing her to Laurette Taylor's Broadway performance in The Glass Menagerie (1945), one of the greatest performances by an American actor. Day said it was her best film performance. Producer Joe Pasternak said, "I was stunned that Doris did not get an Oscar nomination." The soundtrack album from that movie was a No. 1 hit.

 

Day starred in Alfred Hitchcock's suspense film The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film) oposite James Stewart. She sang two songs in the film, "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and "We'll Love Again". The film was Day's 10th movie to be in the Top 10 at the box office. Day played the title role in the thriller/noir Julie (also 1956) with Louis Jourdan.

 

In 1959, Day entered her most successful phase as a film actress with a series of romantic comedies. This success began with Pillow Talk (1959), co-starring Rock Hudson who became a lifelong friend, and Tony Randall. Day received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actress. It was the only Oscar nomination she received in her career. Day, Hudson, and Randall made two more films together, Lover Come Back (1961) and Send Me No Flowers (1964).

 

Along with David Niven and Janis Paige, Day starred in Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960) and with Cary Grant in the comedy That Touch of Mink (1962). During 1960 and the 1962 to 1964 period, she ranked number one at the box office, the second woman to be number one four times, an accomplishment equalled by no other actress except Shirley Temple. She set a record that has yet to be equaled, receiving seven consecutive Laurel Awards as the top female box office star.

 

After her third husband Martin Melcher died on April 20, 1968, a shocked Day discovered that Melcher and his business partner and "adviser" Jerome Bernard Rosenthal had squandered her earnings, leaving her deeply in debt. Rosenthal had been her attorney since 1949, when he represented her in her uncontested divorce action against her second husband, saxophonist George W. Weidler. Day filed suit against Rosenthal in February 1969, won a successful decision in 1974, but did not receive compensation until a settlement in 1979.

 

Day also learned to her displeasure that Melcher had committed her to a television series, which became The Doris Day Show.

It was awful. I was really, really not very well when Marty [Melcher] passed away, and the thought of going into TV was overpowering. But he'd signed me up for a series. And then my son Terry [Melcher] took me walking in Beverly Hills and explained that it wasn't nearly the end of it. I had also been signed up for a bunch of TV specials, all without anyone ever asking me.

— Doris Day, OK! magazine, 1996

 

Animal welfare activism

It was during the making of The Man Who Knew Too Much, when she saw how camels, goats, and other "animal extras" in a marketplace scene were being treated, that Day began actively preventing animal abuse. She was so appalled at the conditions the animals used in filming were kept in that she refused to work unless they were properly fed and cared for. The production company had to set up "feeding stations" for the various goats, sheep, camels, etc., and feed them every day before Day would agree to go back to work.

 

In 1971, she co-founded Actors and Others for Animals, and appeared in a series of newspaper advertisements denouncing the wearing of fur, alongside Mary Tyler Moore, Angie Dickinson, and Jayne Meadows.

 

Death

Day died at her home in Carmel Valley, California, on May 13, 2019, at the age of 97, after having contracted pneumonia. Her death was announced by her charity, the Doris Day Animal Foundation. Per Day's requests, the Foundation announced that there would be no funeral services, grave marker, or other public memorials.

 

 

^{If you want to read more, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Day}

 

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

This recipe was inspired by Elvis, who had a love for all things peanut butter, bananas, and bacon! 

We may not be able to perform rock 'n' roll like our good friend, Terry Buchwald, but our Peanut Butter & Banana French Toast Bake is our way of paying tribute to the King. One bite of this and we know you're going to be "all shook up" in the delicious flavors!

 

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 8 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 loaf French bread, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 3 bananas, sliced
• 4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
• 1 cup peanut butter

 

1. Preheat oven to 400º. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. 
2. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon, set aside. (This will prevent the cinnamon from floating when combined with the egg mixture.) In a large bowl, combine eggs, half and half, vanilla, salt and the cinnamon-sugar mixture; beat until well combined.  Add bread cubes and banana slices; toss until coated. 
3. Chill 15 minutes then remove bread mixture from refrigerator, toss again, and chill an additional 15 minutes. Pour into baking dish. 
4. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until the mixture is set and the top is golden. Remove from oven, sprinkle with crumbled bacon, and place back in oven 5 minutes. 
5. Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe bowl, warm peanut butter 15 seconds. Stir until smooth and pourable. If necessary, continue to microwave in 10 second intervals until desired consistency. (Make sure you don’t over heat it.) Immediately spoon over the French toast bake and serve. 

For More Elvis Inspiration

 

• Having the amazing Terry Buchwald in the Test Kitchen was an honor. Find out more about this talented Elvis tribute artist, including his upcoming appearances, by checking out his website and Facebook!

 

 

 

Historically this date...........

1907 – Pike Place Market, a popular tourist destination and registered historic district in Seattle, Washington, opened.

...............I loved going here!!!

 

1969 – Category 5 Hurricane Camille hits the U.S. Gulf Coast, killing 256 and causing $1.42 billion in damage.

 

 

1998 – Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. On the same day he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship.

 

2008 – American swimmer Michael Phelps becomes the first person to win eight gold medals in one Olympic Games.

 

 

And births this date include...

1786 – Davy Crockett, American soldier and politician (d. 1836)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1893 – Mae West, American actress (d. 1980)

 

1920 – Maureen O'Hara, Irish actress and singer (d.2015)

 

1929 – Francis Gary Powers, American pilot (d. 1977)

 

 

1933 – Glenn Corbett, American actor (d. 1993)

   ...born in El Monte!

 

1943 – Robert De Niro, American actor

 

 

 

1960 – Sean Penn, American actor and director

 

 

 

 

 

All I know. Nuff said. Have a good Thursday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

Black Cat Appreciation Day on August 17th aims to dispel all myths surrounding black cats.

Superstitions aside, cats are simply adorable, even black ones. These feline creatures in their sleek, black coats may carry an air of mystery. However, most cats do. Along with that, their ability to find mischief or to avoid you equals that of tabbys, cinnamons, gingers, calicos, whites or grays.

One black cat fact is that they are less likely to be adopted. Just like black dogs, this variety of cat gets shunned at shelters. However, black cats respond to love and attention no differently than other felines.

So, let a black cat cross your path. They aren’t witches. More than likely, adopting a black cat will help keep the mouse population down around the place. Expect the number of cuddles in your life to increase, too!

HOW TO OBSERVE

Consider adopting a black cat. Overcome your fears.

BLACK CAT APPRECIATION DAY HISTORY

This day exists to dispel myths and fears of Black Cats.

In 2011, Wayne H. Morris created Black Cat Appreciation Day in honor of his sister and her 20-year-old black cat, Sinbad. His sister and Sinbad both passed away that year. Morris created the day with the hope of dispelling myths associated with black cats. Since 2011, the observance has grown annually.

 

 

 

I sure miss my Bruiser! He was a Tuxedo Cat. Black and white, like a radio car! LOL. When I worked at ELA Station, whenever a black and white animal came into the parking lot, the deputies would call them Radio Car! When I got Bruiser I thought that back east they call their radio cars "cruisers"... hmmmmm... cruiser.....bruiser! He was a sweetheart!