Dr. FeelGood By Richard A Lertzman And William J Birnes.

An exposé of the mysterious doctor who changed the course of history Doctor Max Jacobson, whom the Secret Service under President John F. Kennedy code named “Dr. Feelgood,” developed a unique “energy formula” that altered the paths of some of the twentieth century’s most iconic figures, including the President and Jackie Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis. JFK received his first injection (a special mix of “vitamins and hormones,” according to Jacobson) just before his first debate with Vice President Richard Nixon. The shot into JFK’s throat not only cured his laryngitis, but diminished the pain in his back, allowed him to stand up straighter, and invigorated the tired candidate. Kennedy demolished Nixon in that first debate and turned a tide of skepticism about Kennedy into an audience that appreciated his energy and crispness. What JFK didn’t know then was that the injections were actually powerful doses of a combination of highly addictive liquid methamphetamine and steroids. Author and researcher Rick Lertzman and New York Times bestselling author Bill Birnes reveal heretofore unpublished material about the mysterious Dr. Feelgood. Through well-researched prose and interviews with celebrities including George Clooney, Jerry Lewis, Yogi Berra, and Sid Caesar, the authors reveal Jacobson’s vast influence on events such as the assassination of JFK, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Kennedy-Krushchev Vienna Summit, the murder of Marilyn Monroe, the filming of the C. B. Demille classic The Ten Commandments, and the work of many of the great artists of that era. Jacobson destroyed the lives of several famous patients in the entertainment industry and accidentally killed his own wife, Nina, with an overdose of his formula.

It's both an honor and a privilege to have as my guest today New York Times best selling author William J. Birnes.

I thought the book was amazing. It put to bed for me personally a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the assassination of President Kennedy and the murder "suicide" of Marilyn Monroe.

I believe the book took several years to write. What was the reason behind you both getting together and writing the book in the first place?.

"The book started with Rick's investigation into the decline of actor Bob Cummings' career.  He contacted me because actor Dwayne Hickman, whom I represented for his memoir of Dobie Gillis, suggested Rick talk to me because both he and Cummings had worked for my godfather,  George Burns. The book took a long time to publish because publishers were afraid the JFK story and that it might offend the Kennedy Family. Also once we interviewed Dr Lawrence Hatterer about JFK at the Carlyle story, Dr. Hatterer made us not to publish until after his death so he wouldn't break his National Security Oath." 

Max Jacobson "Dr. FeelGood"

What are your most memorable interviews you conducted for research purposes for the book and how did you feel as the truth about the extent of Max Jacobs hold on such influential and high society figures emerged?.

"Dr Lawrence Hatterer who told us about JFK ran naked through the halls of the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan. The stories told to us by Samek about Jacobson, and Tony Bradlee, who talked about the mysterious appearance of CIA Counter-Espinage chief James Angleton in Mary Myer's house after her murder and his search for her diary containing stories about her liaisons with JFK."

Max Jacobson's "Dr FeelGood" actions could be seen as changing the course of American history. I suppose the question left now is what could have happened if all of these wonderful people, with everything to live for hadn't become embroiled with such a man?.

"Would C.B. Demille have completed "The Ten Commandments" without his Methamphetaimine  shots? Would JFK been rolled over by Krushchev at the Vienna summit and then would there have been a Cuban Missile Crisis? Would Mickey Mantle have won the home run Derby against Roger Maris? And would Eddie Fisher still be alive today?"

Dr FeelGood is taking the U.S by storm and is up for yet another award you both must be delighted, whats next on the agenda for both of you?.

"We are looking at a memoir about the founding of Disneyland and how Walt Disney was brought

into the world off television by one of his good friends, who was an actor in television

sitcoms in the 1950s 

Thinking about writing the Bob Cummings story as a complete biography, and talking to one

of the secret service agents who guarded the JFK first family about his years guarding Jackie."

Former First lady and Style Icon Jackie Kennedy Onassis

Best selling author William J. Birnes

William J. Birnes

Author

Wikipedia William J. "Bill" Birnes (born November 7, 1944) is an American author, editor, publisher and literary rights agent. A graduate of New York University, he holds a Ph.D in medieval literature (with a dissertation on Piers Plowman) from the same institution (1974) and later earned a J.D.degree from Concord Law School.^[1]

As a writer of popular nonfiction, he co-authored The Riverman with detective/academic Robert D. Keppel (1995), an account of serial killer Ted Bundy's involvement in the apprehension of Green River Killer Gary Ridgway. The book was adapted into a made-for-TV film (2004) on A&E. Following the publication of The Day After Roswell (1998), a collaboration with Philip J. Corso, Birnes has emerged as a prominent UFOlogist.

In his previous career as a literary scholar, Birnes served as a Lily Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and taught literature and linguistics at Trenton State College.

He has appeared on the History Channel's television documentary series: UFO Files (2004-2007), Ancient Aliens (2009-2013), and I Know What I Saw. He starred in UFO Hunters (2008-2009) as leader of an investigative team of fellow ufologists.^[2]

Bibliography[edit]

• The Day After Roswell (1998) with Philip J. Corso ISBN 0-671-00461-1
• Star Trek Cookbook (1999) with Ethan Phillips
• Unsolved UFO Mysteries (2000) with Harold Burt
• The UFO Magazine UFO Encyclopedia (2004)
• Space Wars: The First Six Hours of World War III (2007) with William B. Scott, Michael J. Coumatos ISBN 0-7653-1087-2
• Worker in the Light: Unlock Your Five Senses And Liberate Your Limitless Potential (2008) with George Noory
• Serial Violence: Analysis of Modus Operandi and Signature Characteristics of Killers (2008) with Robert D. Keppel
• The Haunting of America: From the Salem Witch Trials to Harry Houdini (2009) with Joel Martin & George Noory
• Journey to the Light: Find Your Spiritual Self and Enter Into a World of Infinite Opportunity (2009) with George Noory
• Counterspace: The Next Hours of World War III (2009) with William B. Scott & Michael J. Coumatos
• UFO Hunters (2009)
• George Noory's Late-Night Snacks: Winning Recipes for Late-Night Radio Listening, with George Noory (2013)
• The Haunting of Twenty-First-Century America with Joel Martin (2013)

Author Richard A. Lertzman

Richard A. Lertzman Richard A. Lertzman studied as a film student as an undergraduate at Case Western Reserve University and sought his masters degree in film at the University of Southern California. As a film historian, Mr. Lertzman was the publisher and editor of Screen Scene Magazine and Film World. Mr. Lertzman has studied and has contributed to several tomes on film comedy teams. He is also the Chairman of the Quest Media Group that has worked to legalize casinos in Ohio. The Quest Gaming Group are partners (with Quicken Loans and Caesars) in the casino resorts in Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio. Rick is the co-author (with William J. Birnes) of a new book, Dr. Feelgood that was published in May 2013 by W W Norton/Skyhorse Publishing. He is also creating the Classic Television Network with his partner William J. Birnes in conjunction with NBC/Universal. This will be the first 24/7 streaming internet television network featuring many programs from the “Golden Age” of television. Rick has also contributed a chapter to the Stooges book, Stooges Among Us, by Lon Davis (Bear Manor). Rick's upcoming book is a biography of the amazing a sad life of actor Bob Cummings. Rick and his late wife Sandy have two sons and founded the AnimalRightsFoundation.com that rescues distressed animals. Mr. Lertzman resides in Moreland Hills, Ohio and Marina Del Rev, CA.

The Dr. Feelgood book is selling in hardback worldwide by W.W. Norton/Skyhorse books, is on Kindle, Amazon Audible Audio books, Brilliance audio books (CD's) and will soon be released in paperback by Norton/Skyhorse. It is being sold worldwide. The book was featured in front page stories in the New York Post, Daily News, London Mail, Star Magazine, National Enquirer, etc. We have done interviews for the book with Geraldo Rivera (on Fox and ABC Radio), Lou Dobbs (on Fox Business on Lou Dobbs Live), The Doctors TV program, with Dick Morris on CBS Radio, Coast to Coast Radio and countless others. We are still doing book tours nationwide. The book has been nominated for several awards including for the Los Angeles Times Book Award for Biography.

http://drfeelgoodbook.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Feelgood-Book/631759793517756

http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Feelgood-Shocking-Treating-Prominent/dp/1620875896/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393446621&sr=1-1&keywords=dr+feelgood+the+doctor+who+influenced+history

For more of Dr. FeelGood Follow Richard Lertzman on Twitter @ricklertzman

LAST CHANCE! Don't miss the encore broadcast "MY SANTA" this Sunday, December 22, 5:00 PM, on the ION Television network! 

"MY SANTA" stars: 
Samaire Armstrong (THE O.C., DIRTY SEXY MONEY, ENTOURAGE) 
Matthew Lawrence (MRS. DOUBTFIRE)
Julie Brown (THE HOMECOMING QUEEN'S GOT A MUSICAL, STRIP MALL)
Jim O'Heir (PARKS AND RECREATION, STRIP MALL)
Ben Gavin (SUPER 8 )
Channing Chase (MAD MEN)
Paul Dooley (BREAKING AWAY)

Directed by Sam Irvin (director of ELVIRA’S HAUNTED HILLS, co-executive producer of the Academy Award winner GODS AND MONSTERS; author of KAY THOMPSON: FROM FUNNY FACE TO ELOISE)

Here's the 5-star review in the Examiner:
http://www.examiner.com/review/review-my-santa-directed-by-local-valley-guy-sam-irvin

Here's a link to the trailer:
http://iontelevision.com/holiday-movies/my-santa

Here's the interview Sam Irvin did with Fiona McAndrew about the movie:
http://fiona-fionamcandrew.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/sam-irvin-talks-about-his-latest-movie.html

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Catherine Daniel, Artist And Author Of 'Wanton Fairies For Beginners'




Elderberry



My guest today is the wonderfully, talented, Artist and Author of 'Wanton Fairies For Beginners', Catherine Daniel.




 

Catherine painting at her allotment garden.



 

 

 

 

Catherine has painted and sculpted all her life, covering a wide range of subjects in watercolour, acrylic and bronze. Her lifelong passion for beauty, nature and humour suffuses her work & never more so than in her latest book.

It was whilst tending her allotment here in England with her friend Rosie Lee, that she discovered a new breed of Fairies, she then created one of the most enlightening little e-books I've ever seen.
It's a must have this Christmas, if you're looking for a gorgeous stocking filler, or if you want to buy something for yourself that's cheeky, naughty and indulgent, look no further than the 'Wanton Fairies For Beginners' e-book.

 

Fuchsia

 

Catherine welcome,  it's lovely to have you here I love your book, it's beautifully illustrated and the saucy poems accompany them perfectly.

Thankyou so much for inviting me. It's great to be here. Of course all the Wanton Fairies wanted to join in too.. but I realised it could have become a bit of a squish & then there's no knowing where that would have ended! 

What exactly inspired you down at the allotment and how did Wanton Fairies actually come about?

Well..although keen gardeners, my lifelong friend Rosie & I knew nothing about growing our own fruit & veg, so the allotment has been a 10 year learning curve with 95% sheer hard work..half the time wondering why & how on earth we still do it with day jobs too! 

However, it has also been a fantastic place to unwind, observe & feel a connection with nature through the seasons as well as relishing the abundant bonus of organic food.
For me it has also been a deep & invaluable source of inspiration for my art work.

Many of the Wanton Fairies have been observed & sketched in this special place. 

I think the idea first germinated there after a robust weeding session, when I sat down for a breather & sent a text to a friend along the lines of: "I've just seen a Lavender fairy, wearing a black silk thong, disappear into the rhubarb patch."

 

Lavender

 

 

 

The recipient of this text replied that on relaying the text to her husband "he disappeared into the garden for hours!" (They have a lot of lavender)
A few days later an idea hit me like 'a bolt from the blue' & i couldn't start or stop sketching fast enough.
Images of Wanton Fairies flooded my head & took over my life.

 

 

 

The sketches progressed to painting & with that the poems began emerging also. It was at this point Rosie & I began working on the poems together.
We had the most magical fun creating them, often finding ourselves convulsed with laughter as they evolved (many of which were far too rude to print).
Some I wrote, some Rosie wrote, some we fused! The fused ones are, I think, the best.
I tried to keep pad & pencil with me at all times.
Much of the inspiration happened whilst commuting to work & if I'd forgotten my pad I'd write on anything handy, laughing & muttering to myself as I wrote. (I did get some nervous looks from fellow commuters).
One of my favourite poems 'Yorkshire Fairy Hawthorn' was written by Rosie & i in a cafe on three flattened paper cups after a particularly arduous bike ride!

 

Yorkshire fairy 'Hawthorn'

Humour has been the driving force through much of my work over the years.
Who doesn't love the sound of laughter & its powerful intoxication as you enter its radar. It brings people together, helps you through the hard times & is a great healer.
 
 

 

Water Iris

 

 

Wanton Fairies are delightful rebels. In these times of restraint, where rules run riot, they allow you freedom through your imagination. They are good-naturedly unrestrained..inviting you to join in the rebellion. You too can unwind & if you so choose, join them half-naked in a tree to sip Elderberry wine.. Or dress outrageously in thigh-length leather boots & whip your friends with daffodils! You can please yourself..no one is judged.

Here are fairies you can relate to. The real McCoy. A glorious bouquet of natural beauties in all shapes, ages, sizes & temperaments. There's a fairy here to suit everyone.

Unconcerned by the honest imperfections of a little superfluous hair or weight. Spending their days in wanton, distracting, fertile mischief, these fun-loving beings are a rally against the air-brushed perfection of our time and a tonic for all open, like-minded folk who come into contact with them.

As a small child I was enchanted by the works of Arthur Rackham, Ronald Searle & Cicely Mary Barker's 'Flower Fairies' series.
Now the 'Flower Fairies' of childhood can be observed fully grown, with their saucy double-entendre poems alongside.

 

 

 

Sweet Pea

 

I thought that they would appeal to the baby boomers generation as an adult version of their favourite childhood 'Flower Fairies', but they have drawn a wider group of fans from teenagers to a growing band of delightful luminaries in their 90's, including a 94 yr old spitfire pilot who has the book & entire collection of prints & cards.Yes, they are a bit saucy, but we've kept to the clean side of saucy/double-entendre.
Its verse is as innocent or as naughty as you choose it to be. I'm told this gives it a "music hall & seaside peep-show charm."

To date 32 voluptuous Wanton Fairies have been observed & painted in various stages of deshabille..as they pose amongst blooms, fruits & foliage, accompanied by their saucy verse.
The first book of 15 fairies is out now as an ebook. 

We have had many requests for a hard copy & hope in time to find the right publisher for all 32 along with a third book which is in gestation. 

There are many ideas for other Wanton fairy books & plans for a range of Wanton Fairy products.

The main aim is to spread some light-hearted fun & happiness through this little book & engage  a wider audience.

Everyone will be sure of a warm welcome if they choose to step inside its virtual pages into our garden of delights. Who knows WHAT may happen in there..

Wanton Fairies are adept at liberating the inner fairy in the open-minded!

 

You have an international following and have exhibited your art work in places such as Royal Academy, Mall Galleries, Royal Society Of British Artists, Society Of Women Artists and many more.

 

 Do you have any plans to exhibit in the new year?.

I do plan to exhibit, but have not decided where as yet. (I need to finish more art work first!)

The 32 Wanton Fairy watercolour originals have taken quite some time to paint & I'd like to exhibit them all together to coincide with publishing the book 'Wanton Fairies For Beginners' as a real book, so until that happens they will be safely stored away.

My other artwork is varied & covers a wide variety of subjects from the familiar to the strange so a visit to an exhibition may not necessarily include Wanton Fairies...but you never know....They can be MOST persuasive!

....In fact ...was that a 'Pine Tree' Wanton Fairy that just flew before my eyes!? ...Oh ..there could be another painting on the way..&..a poem... Perhaps the poem first! ....It IS Christmas after all! 

Here goes: 

Pine Tree Fairy

In the Yuletide forest deep,

Where all seems quiet and fast asleep,

If you look hard you may well see

A Pine Tree fairy in her tree.

She needs no thermal underwear

To guard her from the cold, crisp air.

In drifts of snow she struts he stuff,

In bobble-hat and big fur muff. 

(First draft..I'll run it past Rosie!)

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE



Merry Christmas Catherine and you also dear reader, to find out more about 'Wanton Fairies For Beginners'  follow the link below.

#WantonFairies looks its very best on iPad  iTunes or iMac with the latest OXF Mavericks updated. 

Wanton Fairies For Beginners  Website   http://t.co/0nvE6eCtq4

Follow  On Twitter  @WantonFairies

 

 

 

 

 

 

Humorist And Historian Frank Jordan Talks About Mental Health.

Fifi And General Frankie

My guest today is a Humorist,  Historian, my mentor and my friend,  Frank Jordan.


How many writers have the courage to talk openly about their mental health problems?

Fiona, there are dozens of books written by authors who have suffered one sort of mental illness or another.  Myself, I suffer from Prolonged and Severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and there are times (like the last three months) that I cannot connect with the humor I am particularly fond of writing.  The last couple of years have been especially challenging for me.  I was diagnosed with multiple health problems and actually spent a great deal of time (one year) in a Hospice House.  I couldn’t write anything then.  But among my best friends are writers of great and glorious humor:  Martin Shuttlecock, Charpacabra, the inimitable Colonel Juan, and now I have you, my own find, FiFi.  When I could not write (or would not write) I still read everything you all wrote, and laughed despite the depths of my despair.  Laughter heals… well maybe not insane cackling

How many of us (writers) have felt the depths of despair, alone, unable to reach out?  I can say honestly I have.

If you have ever put words on a page for others to read, you have felt despair, loneliness, and being unable to reach out.  Take Emily Dickinson for example; she never published a thing during her lifetime.  She came from a truly loving, but puritanical family who thought much of what she wrote and filed away was unacceptable.  Given the time and Emily’s difficulties in reaching out in a socially acceptable way for an unmarried woman living at home with a difficult father, she was condemned to be alone, despairing of ever having contact with the persons (or persons) to whom she was writing.  She was absolutely unable to reach out.

Do you feel that being able to write and express yourself has brought you freedom and liberation…maybe acted as therapy to heal you?

To be honest with you Fiona, most of my mental anguish is of my own making with a liberal dash of abuse from family members who should never have done what they did.  Their actions against a helpless child in no way mitigate my own boorishness, or the feelings of superiority I felt coming back from war, the tough guy patriot.  The therapy I’ve received from very knowledgeable and caring therapists, many of who went through the same anguish I went through.  The rest is up to me, to be a good person and to not hurt anyone else.

My advice for anyone going through depression is to seek help to find out what the root of the depression is.  And to work on it every day until you can cope with it and life on your own terms.  And laugh your ass off whenever you have an opportunity.  Make someone else laugh or at least smile to lighten their load.  In the end, you are alone most often with yourself, so it is best to be as good a person as you can be.

If it wasn't for Frank Jordan believing in me at a time when I had stopped believing in myself,  my collection of short stories published in Café Spike, would have never progressed to the depths of which I have taken them. I'm massively grateful to both Frank and Martin Shuttlecock .....Top Blokes!

To read more from Frank Jordan follow the link bellow. 

http://www.cafespike.com/litter-from-america-mother-was-right/

.

Sam Irvin Talks About His Latest Movie MY SANTA.

Christmas is in the air and what better way to get us in the mood for the festive season, is watching great Christmas movie.

I'm honoured,  today for the second time I have as a guest in my blog.  Hollywood film director, author, lecturer, producer, screen writer. The great Sam Irvin.

Sam! welcome back, it's lovely to have you here again. I feel  should be pouring us large glasses of eggnog.

Thank you for having me again. Eggnog it is! Cheers!

You have just finished directing the movie MY SANTA which premiers on the 29th of November on ION Network Channel.

MY SANTA is a very sweet romantic holiday film with touches of comedy. It's about a single mother, Jen, who was abandoned by her ex-husband on Christmas Eve several years prior to our story. Since then, Jen has been raising their now seven-year-old son, Eric, who, like most kids, is wild about Christmas. Unfortunately for Jen, the holiday season brings back a flood of traumatic memories of her divorce so she has a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit. Compounding her depression is the fact that she's never really been able to open herself up to the possibility of love from another man... until she meets Chris, the local mall Santa, who has an infectious love of all things Christmas -- and a secret identity. He's the son of Santa Claus. And he falls head-over-heels in love with Jen. 

Behind the scenes of  MY SANTA

Would you like tell us all about it and it's wonderful cast.

We have an amazing cast! Matthew Lawrence (MRS. DOUBTFIRE) plays Chris, the son of Santa Claus. His sidekick is played by Jim O'Heir ("Jerry" on PARKS AND RECREATION). Jen is played by Samaire Armstrong (DIRTY SEXY MONEY, ONE TREE HILL, ENTOURAGE). Her best friend/neighbor/baby-sitter is played by the hilarious comic actress Julie Brown (EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY, CLUELESS, STRIP MALL, MEDUSA: DARE TO BE TRUTHFUL). Jen's co-workers at her office are played by Paul Dooley (BREAKING AWAY) and Channing Chase ("Pete Campbell's" mother-with-dementia on MAD MEN). They made my job easy!

Can folk here in the UK watch the movie also.

Unfortunately, I don't know yet when the film with be broadcast in the U.K., but I will keep you informed!

Meanwhile, I've gotten quite a splash of publicity in the U.K. with a full-page photo and story in The Telegraph about my younger days working as an intern on Brian De Palma's THE FURY starring Kirk Douglas -- which has just come out in the U.K. on Blu-ray featuring a 50-minute on-camera interview with me about the making of the film... PLUS my first short film called DOUBLE NEGATIVE. Here's a link to The Telegraph article...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/10397690/My-internship-on-Brian-De-Palmas-The-Fury.html 

I must ask you before we finish up here.

 I'm huge fan of Sam's book!  "Kay Thompson From Funny Face To Eloise"   Have you started on the script yet?

I can't talk specifics yet, but I am very happy to report that I am in negotiation with a well-known public figure who wants to option the book for a possible dramatic motion picture adaptation which he would produce. All the stories you hear about "development hell" in the movie industry are true, so this doesn't necessarily mean that a movie about Kay will get funded and "green lit." But, at least there is interest and movement -- and a burning desire to make it happen. My participation will most likely be as an executive producer and historical advisor. Fingers crossed! 

Sam it's such a privilege, many thanks. Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Ditto to you and all your loyal readers! It's been a pleasure. Again! Until next time... Cheers!

You can find out more about Sam Irvin here in my Blog or why not pop over to his website .

www.KayThompsonWebsite.com

Thanks again, Fiona!!!

Thanks everyone for dropping by, my American readers don't miss out on a cosy night in with MY SANTA which premiers ION at 9pm 29th November.