FREE SPAIN

Liberation is always just a court proceeding away.

This photo from today in 1958, part of the University of Southern California’s archive of Los Angeles Examiner shots, shows actress Fay Spain in Los Angeles divorce court slashing marital bonds to her first husband John Falvo, who she had married when she was sixteen. However, Wikipedia lists her as divorcing Falvo in 1954 and marrying John Altoon in 1959, so somebody on the internet is—shockingly—wrong. We think it’s Wikipedia. We trust the data filed with photo negatives at USC and the written notation on the photo itself (see below) over Wikipedia, which sourced its info from the 1996 book Films of the Golden Age. Possibly Spain separated from Falvo in 1954 but didn’t divorce him until later, but four years is a long time to put that off. It’s another minor mystery. In any case, a free Spain was probably big news for Hollywood’s single males. You can see a collection of L.A. divorce photos here.

Los Angeles, Los Angeles Examiner, University of Southern California, Fay Spain, John Falvo, John Altoon

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

January 17

1950—The Great Brinks Robbery Occurs

In the U.S., eleven thieves steal more than $2 million from an armored car company’s offices in Boston, Massachusetts. The skillful execution of the crime, with only a bare minimum of clues left at the scene, results in the robbery being billed as “the crime of the century.” Despite this, all the members of the gang are later arrested.

January 17

1977—Gary Gilmore Is Executed

Convicted murderer Gary Gilmore is executed by a firing squad in Utah, ending a ten-year moratorium on Capital punishment in the United States. Gilmore’s story is later turned into a 1979 novel entitled The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer, and the book wins the Pulitzer Prize for literature.

January 16

1942—Carole Lombard Dies in Plane Crash

American actress Carole Lombard, who was the highest paid star in Hollywood during the late 1930s, dies in the crash of TWA Flight 3, on which she was flying from Las Vegas to Los Angeles after headlining a war bond rally in support of America’s military efforts. She was thirty-three years old.

January 15

1919—Luxemburg and Liebknecht Are Killed

Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent socialists in Germany, are tortured and murdered by the Freikorps. Freikorps was a term applied to various paramilitary organizations that sprang up around Germany as soldiers returned in defeat from World War I. Members of these groups would later become prominent members of the SS.

January 14

1967—Summer of Love Begins

The Human Be-In takes place in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park with between 20,000 to 30,000 people in attendance, their purpose being to promote their ideals of personal empowerment, cultural and political decentralization, communal living, ecological preservation, and higher consciousness. The event is considered the beginning of the famed counterculture Summer of Love.

DON GIOVANNI

Giovanni Benvenuti was one of Italy's most prolific paperback cover artists. His unique style is on display in multiple collections within our website.

WALKING AFTER MIDNIGHT