Pat Suzuki: Miss Pony Tail

Most people probably remember Pat Suzuki for originating the role of Linda Low in the Broadway production of Flower Drum Song. She had a successful recording career, and also appeared on movies and on television. She has a place in American entertainment history as one of the earliest Japanese American performers to enter the mainstream.

Pat Suzuki was born Chiyoko Suzuki on September 22, 1930, in Cressy, California. Her father was a musician who specialized in traditional Japanese instruments and also operated a farm. Pat Suzuki took to singing while very young. Sadly, after World War II began, like many other Japanese American families, Pat Suzuki's family were sent to an internment camp. Initially they were interred at the Mercy Assembly Centre in California. Later they went to Granada War Relocation Center in Colorado.

Although she would become a singer, Pat Suzuki majored in education in college. When she ran out of money for her schooling in New York, It was while the production was in Seattle that she got a job at The Colony. She appeared at the club for three years. It was while she was ar The Colony that she earned the nickname "Miss Ponytail."

Bing Crosby caught one of her performances at The Colony, and she made such impression on him that he got her a recording contract with RCA Victor. Her first album, The Many Sides of Pat Suzuki, was released in 1958. She frequently appeared as a singer on various variety TV shows in the late Fifties and early Sixties, including The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, The George Gobel Show. The Frank Sinatra Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, and others. She also appeared on the interview show Person to Person and the game shows What's My Line? and The Match Game.

It was an appearing on Tonight Starring Jack Paar that Richard Rogers offered her the role of Linda Low in Flower Drum Song. She turned the role down before accepting it. For her performance, she received a Theatre World Award. She would not play the role in the movie, which would go to Nancy Kwan (whose singing voice was dubbed by B. J. Baker). As it was, Pat Suzuki couldn't have played the role in the movie, as she had given birth to her son not long before the movie started shooting. 

After her son was born, Pat Suzuki semi-retired from the entertainment business, with appearances become rarer. She guest starred on such shows as The Red Skelton Show and Charlie's Angels, and was a regular on the short-lived sitcom Mr. T and Tina. 

At 95 years of age, Pat Suzuki no longer performs, but she is hardly forgotten. Her cover of "How High the Moon" was used in the movie Biloxi Blues (1988). On top of her career as a singer, Pat Suzuki was also a pioneer with regards to East Asian American performers, particularly Japanese American performers. She paved the way for other East Asian performers to come.

Here is her version of "How High the Moon" from her debut album The Many Sides of Pat Suzuki.

Firefox Should Let Users Disable Searching from the URL Bar

I have never searched from the URL bar on Firefox. I don't want to search from the URL bar on Firefox. To me, the URL bar should be exclusively for visiting websites. For that reason, I have always disabled searching in the URL bar. Unfortunately, I learned today that it has been re-enabled. Every way I tried to disable it again failed.

To me, this is a case of Mozilla doing a disservice to Firefox users. I know I am not the only one who dislikes searching from the URL bar. Indeed, it can cause problems. Too many times I have typed a URL in the URL bar only for it to launch a Google search. Beyond that, one of the many reasons people use Firefox is that it is more customizable than Chrome or Edge. Take away the customization and Mozilla might find themselves losing users.

Regardless, I hope in the next update that Mozilla returns the ability to disable search in Firefox's URL bar. I really won't be too happy with Mozilla until they do.

Godspeed Ann Robinson

Ann Robinson, best known for starring in the sci-fi classic War of the Worlds (1953), died on September 25, 2025, at the age of 96. Her death was not made publicly known until the past few days.

Ann Robinson was born on May 25, 1929 in Los Angeles. Her father worked at the Bank of Hollywood, located in the Equitable Building of Hollywood at Hollywood and Vine. Her father started teaching her to ride horses when she was only three and she became an accomplished rider. She attended Hollywood High and Sacred Heart Academy in La Canada Flintridge.

Ann Robinson broke into film as a stunt rider in the film Black Midnight (1949). She was the stunt double for June Havoc in The Story of Molly X (1949) and Shelly Winters in Frenchie (1950). She joined the Circle Theatre in Hollywood. Paramount signed Miss Robinson for $125 a week. In addition to performing stunts in Black Midnight, she also had an uncredited part as a girl serving punch at a square dance. She appeared in similar uncredited parts in such films as The Damned Don't Cry (1950), I Was a Shoplifter (1950), Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950), A Life of Her Own (1950), and All About Eve (1950). She was an extra in A Place in the Sun (1951), and director George Stevens gave her one line of dialogue.

In addition to playing Sylvia Van Buren in War of the Worlds, for the remainder of the Fifties, Ann Robinson appeared in the movies Goodbye, My Fancy (1951), Callaway Went Thataway (1951), I Want You (1951), The Cimarron Kid (1952), Son of Ali Baba (1952), City Beneath the Sea (1952), The Glass Wall (1953), Bad for Each Other (1953), Dragnet (1954), Gun Brothers (1956), Julie (1956), Gun Duel in Durango (1957), Damn Citizen (1957), and Imitation of Life (1959). On television, she guest starred on the shows Biff Baker, U.S.A.; The Web; Racket Squad; The Ford Television Theatre; Rocky Jones, Space Ranger; Waterfront; Passport to Danger; Stage 7; Studio 57; It's a great Life; Fury; The Bob Cummings Show; The Millionaire; Schlitz Playhouse of Stars; Mike Hammer; Man and the Challenge; Johnny Midnight; The Texan; Shotgun Slade; Goodyear Theatre; Perry Mason; Bachelor Father; Rawhide; and Manhunt.

The Sixties saw Ann Robinson appearing exclusively on television. She guest starred on the shows The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp; Dante, Sugarfoot, Peter Gunn, Hawaiian Eye, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Surfside 6, Ben Casey, The Roaring 20s, Death Valley Days, 77 Sunset Strip, and Gilligan's Island.

In the Seventies, Ann Robinson appeared on the shows Police Woman and Days of Our Lives. In the Eighties, she reprised her role as Sylvia Van Buren on the TV show War of the Worlds. She also guest starred on The New Adam-12. She appeared in the movie Midnight Movie Massacre (1988). She had a cameo in the movie My Lovely Monster (1991). She played a character named Dr. Sylvia Van Buren in the movie The Naked Monster (2005) and in the same year had a cameo in the movie War of the Worlds (2005). She appeared in the movies Tales of Frankenstein (2018) and The Last Page of Summer (2020)

Chances are very good Ann Robinson will always be best remembered for War of the Worlds. She told author Tom Weaver in his book Attack of the Monster Movie Makers, "I’ve gotten more mileage out of War of the Worlds than Vivien Leigh did on Gone With the Wind." While that may be true, she did play many more roles in her career. In the movie Dragnet (based on the radio and TV show of the same name), she actually played a police officer. In the Perry Mason "The Case of the Slandered Submarine," she played the wife of a Naval commander in charge of a submarine project, whose father owns an electronics company providing technology for the project. In the Rawhide episode, "Incident of the Challenge," she played a woman reputed to have magical powers. Ann Robinson was always a welcome presence on the big and small screen, and she played a wide variety of roles.  

Donald Gibb Passes On

Donald Gibb, perhaps best known for playing the hulking but none-too-bright Ogre in Revenge of the Nerds (1984), died on May 12, 2026, at the age of 71. The cause was complications from cancer.

Donald Gibb was born in New York City on August 4, 1954. He grew up in California, where he attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks. He attended the University of New Mexico on a basketball scholarship and then University of San Diego, where he was on the football team. He played in the NFL in the San Diego Chargers before an injury from an auto accident curtailed his professional football career.

Given his size, early in his career Donald Gibb primarily played heavies. He made his movie debut in 1980 as a henchman in Any Which Way You Can. He made his TV debut in 1981 in the unsold TV pilot Nichols & Dymes. It would be Revenge of the Nerds in 1984 that would change the trajectory of his career. With casting directors discovering Donald Gibb had a gift for comedy, he began appearing in more and more comedy movies and TV shows. During the Eighties, he appeared in the movies Stripes (1980), Conan the Barbarian (1982), Meatballs Part III (1984), Lost in America (1985), Transylvania 6-5000 (1985), Jocks (1986), They Still Call Me Bruce (1987), Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise (1987), Amazon Women in the Moon (1987), and Bloodsport (1988). On television, he was a regular on the HBO sitcom !st & Ten. He guest-starred on the shows Alice, Simon & Simon, Hardcastle & McCormick, The A-Team, Just Our Luck, Magnum P.I., Knight Rider, Otherworld, Benson, The Facts of Life, 227, Hunter, My Two Dads, Dear John, Night Court, and Doctor Doctor. He also appeared in a few TV movies.

In the Nineties, Donald Gibb reprised his role as Ogre in the television movie sequel Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love. He guest starred on the shows Sons and Daughters, Amen, MacGyver, True Colors, Quantum Leap, Stand by Your Man, Cheers, Harry and the Hendersons, Dark Justice, Renegade, The X-Files, Daddy Dearest, Hearts Afire, Empty Nest, Boy Meets World, Muddling Through, Seinfeld, Murphy Brown, Kirk, Unhappily Ever After, Weird Science, Homeboys in Outer Space, Pacific Blue, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, Days of Our Lives, Arli$$, The Steve Harvey Show, Secret Agent Man, Early Edition, and Veronica's Closet. He appeared in the movies Missing Pieces (1991), Breakfast of Aliens (1993), Magic Kid II (1994), Broken Bars (1995), Bloodsport 2 (1996), American Tigers (1996), High Voltage (1997), U.S. Marshals (1998), and Durango Kids (1999).

In the Naughts, Donald Gibb guest starred on the TV shows Black Scorpion, Philly, She Spies, and The Young and the Restless. He appeared in the mini-series The Fantastic Two. He appeared in the movies Grind (2003), Lightning Bug (2004), Window Theory (2005), The Biggest Fan (2005), 8 of Diamonds (2006), and Hancock (2008). He appeared on the TV show Secret Mountain Fort Awesome in 2011 and the movie Hands in 2026.

Donald Gibb certainly had a flair for comedy, so that it is little wonder that he may be best remembered as ogre in the Revenge of the Nerds movies. It also little wonder that he appeared in many comedy movies, including Lost in America (1985), Transylvania 6-5000 (1985), Jocks (1986), They Still Call Me Bruce (1987), and Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), and such sitcoms as Benson, 227, Night Court, and Cheers. Of course, he could play other roles. His second best known role may be Ray "Tiny" Johnson in both Bloodsport (1988) and its sequel. In the X-Files episode "Conduit" he played Kip, a bartender who apparently had an encounter with aliens. In the MacGyver episode "Split Decision," he played Herman the German, a boxer who also serves as a thug for fight organizers. Of course as mentioned earlier, Donald Gibb played many heavies throughout his career. Regardless of what role he played, whether comedy or drama, whether nice guy or thug, Donald Gibb always gave a good performance.

Near Myth: The Oskar Knight Story Now Available on Prime Video

Long-time readers may recall that I reviewed Near Myth: The Oskar Knight Story back in 2022. The movie is a mockumentary, but it's also so much more than that. This documentary-style Hollywood biopic is written and directed by Scott Fivelson. It centres on Oskar Knight, a director (utterly fictional), once critically acclaimed, who holds the record for having been nominated for an Academy Award more times than any other director in history.  I have said more than once that  Near Myth: The Oskar Knight Story is a movie that deserves to be seen. If you enjoy films about the history of Hollywoood and a life in the movies, I'd call it a must-see. And, now you can see it, as it is available on Amazon Prime Video in the United States, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

For those of you who interested in watching the movie, here are the links below: 

Prime Video in the US:

Prime Video in the UK

Prime Video in Australia

Prime Video in New Zealand

"She" by The Monkees

It was 59 years ago today that the album More of The Monkees hit no. 1 on the UK album chart. More of The Monkees was the brainchild of then music supervisor of The Monkees, Don Krishner, meant to cash in on the band's popularity. He chose the songs for the album and released it with neither their consent nor their knowledge. The Monkees wouldn't learn of the album until, while on tour, they were browsing a music store only to find a Monkees album none of them had either seen or heard. Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork, in particular, were unhappy that an entire album had been released without their knowledge or consent. Michael Nesmith even went so far as to refer to the album as "the worst album in the history of the world." 

While More of the Monkees does leave a lot to be desired, I have to disagree with Michale Nesmith that it was "the worst album in the history of the world." In my humble opinion, it's not even the worst Monkees album. Indeed, it features some of my favourite Monkees songs, including "Mary, Mary," "(I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone," "The Kind of Girl I Could Love," and my all-time favourite Monkees song "She." "She" was written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, the two songwriters most identified with The Monkees and the ones responsible for their first hit, "Last Train to Clarksville." Without further ado, here is "She" by The Monkees.

I Will Be Glad When Tree Pollen Season is Over

Since about mid-April I have been miserable. Quite simply, it is tree pollen season and I have the usual array of symptoms: itchy eyes, nasal congestion, itchy throat, and the inevitable allergy fatigue. I really haven't felt like doing much of anything the past few weeks, not even making posts to this blog.

Given I experience this every year from about mid-April to late May, it has always surprised me that allergies don't figure in pop culture larger than they due. When they due, they are usually part of a murder mystery or crime story, where the allergy plays a role.  The first thing that comes to my mind is the Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Deadly Double," where a woman with Dissociative Identity Disorder has one alter who is allergic to fur and one who is not. Another TV episode in which an allergy plays a role is "Tear Down the Walls," in which penicillin is used to murder a preacher who is allergic to the drug. In the CSI: Crime Season Investigation episode, a juror had his peanut allergy used against him. 

As often as allergies are used in murder mysteries and crime shows, off the top of my head I can't recall seasonal allergies being used in the plots of TV shows and movies. This seems unusual given how common seasonal allergies are. According to the Allergy and Asthma Foundation, 82 million Americans experience allergic rhinitis due to pollen or mold. One would think that in some TV show episode or movie, there would be at least one individual suffering from seasonal allergies, even if it is central to the plot. I am sure there must be TV shows or movies that feature someone experiencing seasonal allergies. If there is, please let me know.