Found on EBay – Olga Nethersole

Olga Nethersole in an undated postcard for sale on EBay. Olga Nethersole in “Sapho,” Jan. 1, 1907. “Nethersole has the most seductive of voices” … Notice the ad for a Times brochure about its fight against unions, “revised, clarified, strengthened and improved” by Gen. Otis since his return from the Far East.   Nethersole dies Jan. 10, 1951 at the age of 80.

A postcard promoting the appearance of Olga Nethersole at the Mason Opera House has been listed on EBay. Although she was quite prominent at the time, Nethersole is fairly obscure today. She’s not listed on imdb, so it seems likely she never appeared in films.  Bidding on the postcard starts at $5.

West Point Cancels Football Season After Player Dies of Game Injuries

Nov. 1, 1909: West Point cancels the remainder of the football season after the death of Eugene A. Byrne, whose neck was broken when players piled on him during a game with Harvard.

Teen Hoped to Bear Errol Flynn’s Child

Los Angeles Times file photo Errol Flynn and Beverly Aadland in a photo published Oct. 15, 1959.

Oct. 28, 1959: Jack Smith interviews Errol Flynn’s teenage girlfriend Beverly Aadland (whom Smith describes as the actor’s “last playmate”)  and her attorney Melvin Belli. Aadland says that most of her clothing is inaccessible because it’s under Flynn’s name. She says she isn’t pregnant but wishes she were.  I assume The Times used “protege” in headlines because it’s shorter than “girlfriend,” but it’s really silly, as several writers have noted.

Movie Star Bonus Mystery Photo

Photograph by Ray Graham / Los Angeles Times

Here’s a little bonus: A certain film star’s funeral. See if you can identify the (not very) mysterious pallbearers. Update: As most people realized, this is Errol Flynn's funeral. Curiously enough, although the papers reported that Jack Oakie was unable to get into the service because of tight security, he's in this picture. Also shown, from left: Mickey Rooney, Raoul Walsh, Guinn Williams and Otto Reichow. The other folks are unidentified.

Voices: Soupy Sales, 1926 - 2009

May 22, 1985: TV critic Howard Rosenberg interviews Soupy Sales: Once, when Tom Snyder noted in an interview that some of his detractors regarded him as "the Soupy Sales of the newsroom," Soupy replied: "Let me add there is nothing wrong with being a Soupy Sales. I must admit, though, when I have a bad day, I feel like I'm Tom Snyder."

Voices: Jack Nelson, 1929 - 2009

March 4, 1965: Jack Nelson covers a memorial for a civil rights demonstrator.

Nelson wrote: "Dr. King declared that 'the man who pulled the trigger is a sick, hate-filled man.' But he added that 'what killed Jimmie Lee Jackson' was more important than 'who killed him.' "Jackson was killed, Dr. King said, 'by the indifference of every white minster of the Gospel who has remained silent behind the safe security of stained-glass windows.’ "

Man Sues for Divorce, Claims Wife Had Affair With Stepson

Above, the woman at the center of the divorce case, Helen Elwood Stokes, Oct. 25, 1919. Oct. 20, 1919: W.E.D. “Weddie” Stokes Jr. says he had an affair with his stepmother. She later brought a $1-million lawsuit against him for defaming her.  May 20, 1926: William Earle (or Earl) Dodge Stokes dies at the age of 73.

Anyone looking to write a book about an early 20th century scandal will find a rich vein of material in the life of millionaire W.E.D. Stokes. His sensational allegations against his second wife are only part of his lurid tale. There’s also an incident in which he was shot by two showgirls who said they acted in self-defense. The plot turns in his legal cases are far too complex for the Daily Mirror, but it is quite a story. Bonus: Stokes was a eugenicist and wrote “The Right to Be Well-Born.”

Errol Flynn’s Body Arrives in Los Angeles

Oct. 19, 1959: Errol Flynn’s body arrives at Union Station.

No mourners or crowds greeted the arrival of Errol Flynn’s body, just the folks from Forest Lawn and a few reporters.

Beverly Aadland was groomed for show business starting at the age of 2.

Errol Flynn Called Teenage Lover ‘Little Wood Nymph’

Oct. 17, 1959: Florence Aadland releases Errol Flynn’s love letters to her teenage daughter, Beverly. Flynn called her his "little wood nymph” and “Woodsie.”

Errol Flynn’s Body En Route to Los Angeles

Oct. 17, 1959: Errol Flynn’s teenage girlfriend Beverly Aadland collapses in tears upon arriving in Los Angeles while Flynn’s secretary threatens reporters and photographers with a cane.