MORE RECENTLY UNEARTHED BITS & PIECES ABOUT CROTON NOTABLES: OSCAR LEVANT & HAROLD GRAY

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton -- our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools -- in short, EVERYTHING CROTON. 

SOME MORE RECENTLY UNEARTHED BITS & PIECES ABOUT CROTON NOTABLES: OSCAR LEVANT and HAROLD GRAY. Click on the photos and links.

First up, Croton's Oscar Levant and a fab movie still from 1953's THE I DON'T CARE GIRL with Mitzi Gaynor and David Wayne.  It's the story of vaudeville performer Eva Tanguay (Mitzi Gaynor)...Her former partner Eddie McCoy (David Wayne) tells how they met. Recently widowed, he discovered Eva as a waitress, hearing her sing and offering her a job after she's fired. Eva falls for singer Larry Woods (Bob Graham), although piano player Charles Bennett (Oscar Levant) also has eyes for her. READ MORE ABOUT THE FILM HERE.

Another great Levant find--courtesy of our Flickr Friend Classic Film--a Vintage Vinyl LP Cover: Levant Plays Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue, Oscar Levant, Andre Kostelanetz Orchestra, Model Suzy Parker on Cover, 1955. Read and see more here.

And check out this Youtube video of Levant  from the movie "An American in Paris" based on compositions by George Gershwin. Levant in the role of a jobless concertmaster dreams about his performing 3rd Movement (Allegro Agitato) from Gershwin's "Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in F Major"; more here
 

Next up, from Croton's Harold Gray, creator of LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE--the "Little Orphan Annie ‘Some Swell Sweater’" Pin back Button, 1928, 1.25”.

ThE pin was given away with the purchase of her licensed sweater.

It's also the first year "Annie" was involved in any product endorsements--and comes to us courtesy of Croton's own SERIOUSTOYZ.

It sold at auction in 2017 for $47.20.  Read more about SeriousToyz in this 2013 article from Antique Toy World here.

And finally from the 1980 Sears Christmas Catalog, a set of character watches which includes one for Little Orphan Annie.  See the entire 1980 Sears catalog, scanned for your viewing pleasure, from our friend Wishbook Jason at  https://bit.ly/2vArfqO

FOR THE LAST EDITION OF MORE RECENTLY UNEARTHED BITS & PIECES ABOUT CROTON NOTABLES MARGARET MAYO, LILLIAN NORDICA, JACKIE GLEASON and GLORIA SWANSON, CLICK HERE

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