The 1971 documentary, Millhouse: A White Comedy, followed Richard Nixon’s political career from 1946 when he was elected to the US House of Representatives from California’s 12th district to 1968 when he defeated his main opponent, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, and elected as the 37th President of the US.
The documentary’s title is a play on Nixon’s middle name, spelled Milhous, with no “E” and only one “L”.
Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a recurring character in The Simpsons. According to Matt Groening, he was named after President Richard Milhous Nixon and is the most unfortunate name given to a child. In an earlier comic, Life In Hell, entitled “What to Name the Baby”, Groening listed Milhouse as a name “no longer recommended.” “Mussolini” was added as a punchline, and “Van Houten”, like many of the other names given to characters in The Simpsons is a street name in Portland, OR.
The flag of Houten, Netherlands is one of the rare ones to have squirrel hair (known in heraldry as vair) represented on it.
According to wiki, vair is the second-most common fur in heraldry, after ermine.
According to some commentators, Cinderella’s glass slipper was originally a squirrel fur slipper. The French for squirrel fur, vair, was supposedly mistranslated as verre, glass.
Walt Disney’s 1950 animated adaptation of Cinderella received three Academy Awards: Best Original Score, Best Sound, and Best Original Song (“Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo”).
The first Oscar won by Walt Disney was in 1932 for his animated film “Flowers and Trees”. The award was for Animated Short Subjects, which was the first ever for that category.
To date, only two actors have declined to accept the Best Actor Award: Marlon Brando (The Godfather) and George C. Scott (Patton).
George C. Scott played U.S. military generals in at least three movies: Dr. Strangelove, Patton and Taps. Scott served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1945-49, seeing no combat during World War II. His rank at discharge was sergeant.
Roger Waters’ semi-biographical opus The Wall begins with his serviceman father being killed in battle in Europe during WWII. From there it delves into personal traumas dealing with his mother and public school, and relationships both with love and fame, culminating in his character becoming fascist cult of personality before being disgraced and exiled.
The recording of the children’s voices in Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 took place at the Islington Green School, a public school near the studio. In exchange for performing vocals, the children received tickets to a Pink Floyd concert, an album and a single.
Roger Waters’ father, Eric Fletcher Waters who died at the Battle of Anzio, was memorialized directly in two songs. When the Tigers Broke Free that describes the battle wherein he died and the use of his name in The Fletcher Memorial Home.
Roger the Shrubber was played by Eric Idle in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Idle, who is now 81, also played Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir Lancelot, Peasant #1, the Non-Understanding Stupid Guard at Swamp Castle, Sir Lancelot’s servant Concorde, the Plague Dead Collector and Brother Maynard, keeper of the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. Brother Maynard was later eaten by the Black Beast of Aaaaargghh.
The stage musical Spamalot is based on the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It was adapted for the stage by Eric Idle (one of the members of Monty Python), along with composer John Du Prez.
The show’s original Broadway cast included Tim Curry as King Arthur, along with David Hyde Pierce, Hank Azaria, Michael McGrath, Christopher Sieber, and Sara Ramirez.
Pierce-Arrow manufactured cars in Buffalo NY from 1901 to 1938. They were known for expensive luxury cars, but they also manufactured commercial trucks, fire trucks, boats, camp trailers, motorcycles, and bicycles.
The 1919 Pierce-Arrow Model 66 A-4 was one of the best cars available in 1919. It had a straight six engine, which Pierce-Arrow favored and used often. The Model 66 was the flagship of the range, and was one of the biggest and most powerful cars of the era. The ultimate version of the series was the 66 A-4.
Franklin Pierce, 14th President of the United States, is generally recognized by historians as one of the worst presidents. He supported slavery and opposed abolition, which he believed would tear the country apart.
He had a lengthy military career, but was also a heavy drinker, leading his opponents to comment that he was “the hero of many a well-fought bottle”.
Six men with the first name of James have been President of the United States. It is the most popular first name of that office. Four men named William have been presidents, as have four men named John. There have been three presidents named George, two named Thomas, two named Andrew, and two named Franklin. Eight men, including the current president, have a unique name of all the men who have held that office.
Of the 46 (soon to be 47) POTUS, only five had surnames beginning with a vowel: Three As (Adams, Adams, Arthur), one E (Eisenhower), and one O (Obama).
Martin Van Buren was the only president with a surname consisting of two words.
Van Buren was also the namesake of the Van Buren Boys, a street gang with whom Kramer and George both had encounters.
Kinderhook NY, is where Martin Van Buren was born, and also where he died. The Martin Van Buren National Historic Site is not 2 miles from Stuyvesant Falls NY, where my grandson’s grandmother lives, and I was there two months ago, visiting. I did not go to the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site. I’ll have to go back.
Martin Van Buren and LBJ are the only two presidents to die in the same towns they were born in. LBJ was born in Stonewall TX, and he also died in Stonewall, but at his LBJ Ranch.
When Jimmy Carter passes away, he’ll likely be in Plains GA where he was also born.
Jimmy Carter is the only graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. to be elected President of the United States. Per Wiki, “He graduated 60th out of 821 midshipmen in the Class of 1947 with a Bachelor of Science degree and was commissioned as an ensign.” He served in the Navy through 1953, resigning after his father’s death to take over the family peanut business in Plains, Ga.