WTVS News

Archive for the ‘People’ Category

Lots of people understand very well that Washington, DC is the center of politics in the United States, being the place where all the decisions get made.  It’s got an enormously vibrant energy to it, with a very lively urban population.  It’s a very diverse place, with many cultures, perspectives, and economic backgrounds, that make it an ongoing conversation that’s always in process.  It’s been that way for quite awhile.  Checking into a DC luxury hotel is just the beginning of the introductions to this rather fabulous place.

It’s a pretty splendid introduction, too.  There are plenty of opportunities to be blown away by conveniences, amenities, and excellent hospitality.  Then it’s time to dig into DC culture.  Learning the history of the place is as fascinating as any place, but it’s rather surprising to some to discover that so many influential people have lived here, or live here now.  The usual suspects, always, are the politicians, but there are a number of artists and actors, including the movie veteran Alan Hale, Sr.

He’s from DC, and his career may have been a second mate, but his legacy is first-rate.  He is the character actor who played alongside Errol Flynn in dozens and dozens of films.  He’s one of the old-school greats, that generation of distinguished gentlemen to make films about swashbuckling heros.  He played alongside Humphrey Bogart, Douglas Fairbanks, Clark Gable, and James Cagney.  He was one of the big players in making the notion of hearty men being naturally brave heros an icon for generations to come.  He died of liver failure before he was 60.   He was also famous for his role as Little John in the Robin Hood films of the 30s.  He is also remembered by later generations as the father of Alan Hale, Jr., who is remembered by many as the captain of the SS Minnow on Gilligan’s Island.

It seems that most people who are born and raised in New York City have a story to tell, many stories to tell in fact.  One woman born in New York, has used her talent for story telling, not only for beginning and maintaining one of the most diverse and enduring careers in Hollywood and on Broadway, but she has used this gift for the betterment of society and the human condition, focusing on education, the homeless, children and many other causes and charities that she donates funds and her time.

Whoopi Goldberg had moved from New York to San Diego, where she worked extensively in improvisation and theatre.  It was during this time that her characters came to life, the ones that would fill her one woman performance, “The Spook Show”.  This show landed Goldberg a spot on Broadway, a Grammy Award, and a special on HBO. Her career was begun in fine fashion.  Although she began her career on stage, Goldberg moved quite quickly into the worlds of film and television.

Her first screen performance was a dramatic and emotional role in the “The Color Purple“, the adaption of Alice Walker’s novel.  She was honored with a nomination for an Academy Award and did win the Golden Globe award that year.  As with so many actors who begin on stage, they can never quite leave the theatre all together.  When ever you journey to city, as the concierge of your hotel in NY, for a listing of what is running currently on Broadway, or check it out online ahead of time.

For just as Goldberg has returned many times to the stages of Broadway, so to have many other stars and celebrities of today.  Seeing the work of such fine actors live, in a play or a musical, is seeing them at their finest, as there are no cuts, no edits, it is just those on stage bearing their raw talent.  Theatre is exciting as you never really know what may happen, and in New York, on Broadway, you find some of the best of the best.