Today we remember singer Tony Bennett. Born in Queens, New York in 1926, his given name was Anthony Dominick Benedetto. Comedian Bob Hope recommended he go by Tony Bennett instead of his then stage name, Joe Bari.
In his decades-long career, Bennett won 20 Grammys and collaborated with a wide range of artists—Aretha Franklin, Amy Winehouse, Willie Nelson, and Lady Gaga.
He lent his voice to causes important to him, including performing in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965 in support of civil rights activists.
Do you have a favorite Tony Bennett song?
🖼️: “Tony Bennett” by Everett Raymond Kinstler, 1995. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the artist. @smithsoniannpg
#HappyBirthday to legendary comedy writer/filmmaker #MelBrooks! Original creative papers from Brooks’ collaboration with #CarlReiner on “2,000 Year Old Man” are on view at #NationalComedyCenter, alongside the chairs where they sat each night enjoying dinner together.
“Treasures and Trouble: Looking Inside a Legendary Blues Archive” is now on display!
The collection explores Robert “Mack” McCormick’s one-of-a-kind vast music archive of the blues and blues musicians.
Learn more here: https://t.co/uDTekgHlGP
Thrilled to announce that we’ve received a donation of objects representing Bob Newhart’s life and career in comedy at @amhistorymuseum! https://t.co/caAcJTK0yT
Tonight, curator Eric Jentsch will be at #AwesomeCon in D.C. to discuss the cultural and historic importance of collecting, preserving, and sharing stories about superheroes.
Stay tuned as we share photos from his talk here!
📷: Costume worn by Christopher Reeve as Superman
Today #NationalComedyCenter celebrates #BobHope’s #birthday! His career touched every performance medium during a storied century-long life that spanned from 1903-2003. For more than 50 years, he crossed the globe performing for military troops, in partnership with the USOs.
Learn about Anna May Wong’s remarkable career and struggle to fight Hollywood typecasting and prejudice in this new @TeenVogue piece by me and my colleague Theo Gonzalves! Collaboration made possible by @historymadebyus https://t.co/sB4sqMy2Ig
“Humor tends to wilt through the decades; what was once a bite becomes a sloppy kiss,” @rachsyme writes. Not so with Preston Sturges, one of cinema’s first major auteurs.
https://t.co/2B8HDNT6or
Wherein I put my lifelong independent study of xenobiology to good use by documenting a curator's quest to sleuth out exactly which ALIEN flick the big prop egg in @amhistorymuseum is from. For @SmithsonianMag.
https://t.co/TiahpaOs8f
Sesame Street co-creator Lloyd Morrisett has died at the age of 93. His name might not be the most familiar to everyone who's ever watched the show, but he was a crucial figure in its development.
https://t.co/39YBx5jEZI
Today would have been Betty White's 101st birthday. In honor of the occasion, here is a new blog discussing the time capsule in the form of her World War II shoulder bag from the American Women's Voluntary Services. https://t.co/O6zWU7G3wz
A new study from AFI shows that women during Hollywood’s silent era represented a higher percentage of writers, directors and producers.
https://t.co/B9kDQTeEMg
Calling all pop culture fans! See your favorites from our @amhistorymuseum's theater, music, sports, TV and movie collections in a new wing full of entertainment history.
1️⃣Dorothy’s ruby slippers
2️⃣Muhammad Ali's robe
3️⃣Bill Nye’s lab coat
4️⃣Selena Quintanilla-Pérez's costume
The Smothers Brothers are back on the road! We're proud to hold their archive and objects from their history-making career here at @amhistorymuseum https://t.co/c69ZdUt90y via @YouTube
It was such a thrill to host #AnnaMayWong niece Anna Wong for a conversation about her aunt’s groundbreaking career and legacy as a Chinese American actor and style icon at the @amhistorymuseum#EntertainmentNation opening festival this weekend!
It was a pleasure to host Alan Muraoka, Carmen Osbahr (and Rosita!), and Akimi Gibson from @SesameWorkshop for a conversation about the impact of Sesame Street at @amhistorymuseum this weekend for the #EntertainmentNation opening festival!