According to “Zippy’s mom” Carole Womack, Zippy the Chimp was “discovered” by Bob Smith, “Buffalo Bob” of the long running and famous “Howdy Doody Show” while on vacation in New Orleans. Zippy stole a cherry out of Bob’s drink and was rewarded with a five year contract.
[…] Besides The Ed Sullivan Show [1953], Zippy The Chimp was on the Captain Kangaroo, Gary Moore and Jackie Gleason television shows. He also played the role of Cheetah in the Tarzan movies and appeared in numerous television commercials.
There are conflicting stories about Zippy; “he” may have been a 4 year old female named Debbie. When she grew too large to handle, she retired from performing and was sent to the Bronx Zoo in 1960.
In reality there were many performing chimpanzees named Zippy, and most of them were trained by Lee Ecuyer. In 1953, Ecuyer and Buffalo Bob Smith published Zippy the Chimp, a children’s book with photos of young Zippy.
An apartment is left exposed where a corner of the residential building collapsed in the Bronx borough of New York, on Dec. 11, 2023. Yuki Iwamura/Associated Press.
Built in 1927, an inspection in 2020 found cracked brick and loose, damaged mortar on the seven story building’s facade; repairs were underway prior to the collapse. All residents survived.
[Image with story found here. The photo also appears in a Russian website photo collection titled “Everyday Life In The USA“. Right-click the top image and open in a new tab to view full size.]
Any Way The Wind Blows, Los Brujos (1996)
From Unmatched – Tributo A Zappa Vol. 1, a collection of covers of Frank Zappa songs, de grupos y artistas españoles. There are 9 such compilations in the series.
Gospel, soul, blues and jazz singer Ruthie Foster began her career singing at churches in rural Texas, described herself as a “little Black girl with a guitar.” After college, she joined the US Navy where she began singing in the naval band Pride, playing pop and funk hits at recruitment drives. Since then, she’s won numerous Blues Music Awards and earned three Grammy nominations.
“Austin, Texas, doesn’t have a Trombone Shorty, the Subdudes or Dirty Dozen Brass Band like New Orleans does but they do have Mingo Fishtrap, and they’re just as funky and soulful as those bands with a healthy dash of Motown tossed into their pot.” –Something Else Reviews
From Oakland, The California Honeydrops cover Wilson Pickett. “The California Honeydrops…evoke the greasy rumble of Booker T. and channel the spiritual ecstasy of Sly and the Family Stone.” -Rolling Stone
It seems the news machine has skipped the soak, wash and rinse cycles and is stuck on spin with a noisy unbalanced load. It’s just about time to fire up the porch and take it for a sit. See you there.