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37-551: Harris was born in Linton, Indiana on June 24, 1904, but grew up in Nashville, Tennessee , and identified himself as a Southerner. His hallmark song was " That's What I Like About the South ." He had a trace of a Southern accent and in later years made self-deprecating jokes over the air about his heritage. His parents were circus performers. His father, a tent bandleader, gave him his first job as

74-508: A sundown town , prohibiting African-Americans from living there. In 1903, union miners drove black waiters from town, and the ban expanded to all of Greene County . Violence against African-Americans continued into the 1940s. Historian James W. Loewen cites Linton as an example of a town where strikebreakers were used as pretext for more general discriminatory practices. In the 1920s, small surface mines began to predominate, and their small, unreclaimed hills and strip-pit lakes still surround

111-538: A traveling carnival , local music and entertainment, and fireworks on the Fourth of July. This festival, beginning in 2010, celebrates the wildlife contained in the Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area . Goose Pond is a wetlands reclamation project south of the city, which has had some success at restoring marginal farmland to its natural condition. The goal is to encourage hunting, fishing and naturalist excursions. Linton

148-597: A celebrity golf tournament in his honor every year. Harris and Faye donated most of their show business memorabilia and papers to Linton's public library. Harris was inducted into the Indiana Hall of Fame. In 1994, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to him. Linton, Indiana Linton is a city in Stockton Township , Greene County, Indiana , United States. The population

185-535: A drummer with the circus band. His unusual first name "Wonga," is said to derive from a Cherokee word meaning "messenger of fleet" or, perhaps more accurately translated, "fast messenger." Harris began his music career as a drummer in San Francisco, in the mid-1920s playing drums in the Henry Halstead Big Band Orchestra. He formed an orchestra with Carol Lofner in the latter 1920s and started

222-441: A feature-length film, Melody Cruise . Both films were created by the same team that produced Flying Down to Rio , which started the careers of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers . He also starred in I Love a Bandleader (1945) with Leslie Brooks . Here he played a house painter who gets amnesia, then starts to lead a band. He recorded Woodman, Spare That Tree (by George Pope Morris and Henry Russell ) in 1947. His nickname

259-610: A free event that offered entertainment for all ages and musical tastes. The festival operated as a non-profit entity that strived to promote the musical arts, economic development, and tourism. It was funded in part by grants from the Indiana Arts Commission and corporate sponsors. The Linton Music Festival (LMF) was held annually on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday prior to Labor Day from 2005 to 2013 and featured 3 days of music. The Carnegie Heritage and Arts Center of Greene County

296-520: A general strike was called for all union workers in the town. As tensions rose, Linton Mayor Andrew Miller asked Indiana Governor James P. Goodrich to send in the Indiana National Guard and declare martial law . The presence of the National Guard heightened tensions even further, resulting in violence. The National Guard was ordered to fire upon citizens, but instead fired over the heads of

333-508: A long engagement at the St. Francis Hotel . In the 1930s, Lofner-Harris recorded swing music for Victor , Columbia , Decca , and Vocalion . The partnership ended by 1932, and Harris led a band in Los Angeles for which he was the singer and bandleader. In 1933, he made a short film for RKO called So This Is Harris! , which won an Academy Award for best live action short subject. He followed with

370-468: A long engagement. The couple adopted a son, Phil Harris Jr. (b. 1935). Harris and Marcia divorced in September 1940. Harris and Alice Faye married in 1941; it was a second marriage for both (Faye had been married briefly to singer-actor Tony Martin ) and lasted 54 years, until Harris's death. A Democrat , Harris supported the campaign of Adlai Stevenson during the 1952 presidential election . Harris

407-617: A small horse mill as well as a tannery . The city itself was officially chartered and named in June 1850, laid out by Hannah E. Osborn and Isaac V. Coddington. In the late 19th century, small underground coal mines began to appear near and almost inside the city and the population expanded rapidly. At the turn of the 20th century, the population was larger than it is today. At one point in the 1920s, there were at least 35 drinking establishments and an equal number of churches. In 1896, Linton drove 300 African-American strikebreakers from town and became

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444-474: A vain, stumbling husband, while Faye played his sarcastic but loving wife. Gerald Nachman has written that Harris was a soft-spoken, modest man off the air. In On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio John Dunning wrote that Harris's character made the show popular. The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show appeared until 1954. Harris continued to appear on Jack Benny's show from 1948 to 1952. Harris

481-567: Is one of the teams that plays against Hickory High in the motion picture Hoosiers . John Dunning (detective fiction author) John Dunning (January 9, 1942 – May 22, 2023) was an American writer of non-fiction and detective fiction . He was known for his reference books on old-time radio and his series of mysteries featuring Denver bookseller and ex-policeman Cliff Janeway. Born in Brooklyn , New York , in 1942, Dunning moved to his father's hometown of Charleston, South Carolina , at

518-460: Is responsible for preserving and maintaining the historic 1908 Margaret Cooper Public Library building (a Carnegie library ), which also houses the city's Phil Harris and Alice Faye memorabilia collection. Linton has been celebrating Independence Day since 1905. Events include the largest Independence Day parade in Indiana-bringing over 40,000 people to this city, a week-long visit from

555-799: The Kraft Music Hall , Burke's Law , F Troop , The Dean Martin Show , The Hollywood Palace , and other musical variety programs. He appeared on The American Sportsman which took celebrities on hunting and fishing trips around the world. Harris worked as a voice actor for a number of Disney animated films, providing the voice of Baloo the bear in The Jungle Book (1967), Thomas O'Malley in The Aristocats (1970), and Little John in Robin Hood (1973). In 1989, he reprised his role as Baloo for

592-493: The census of 2010, there were 5,413 people, 2,325 households, and 1,443 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,792.4 inhabitants per square mile (692.0/km ). There were 2,660 housing units at an average density of 880.8 per square mile (340.1/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 97.7% White , 0.1% African American , 0.3% Native American , 0.4% Asian , 0.3% from other races , and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of

629-738: The Old Algonquin Bookstore. At the urging of fellow authors, he returned to the world of novels in 1992 with his first Cliff Janeway novel, Booked to Die . In 1994 he closed the store and continued it as an internet and mail order business called Old Algonquin Books. In addition to compiling encyclopedic reference books about the history of radio programming , Dunning hosted a long-running weekly radio show, Old-Time Radio . Dunning received his first award nomination in 1981, when Looking for Ginger North received an Edgar Award nomination for "Best Paperback Original". The following year, Deadline

666-428: The age of three. In 1964 he left his parents' home and moved to Denver, Colorado , where, after a time working as a stable hand at a horse racing track, he got a job at The Denver Post . In 1970 he left the newspaper and took up writing novels, while pursuing a variety of jobs. Partly because of trouble with his publishers, in 1984 he stopped writing and opened a store specializing in second-hand and rare books called

703-403: The average family size was 2.87. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males. The median income for a household in the city

740-707: The cartoon series TaleSpin , but after a few recording sessions he was replaced by Ed Gilbert . Harris's final film role was in Rock-a-Doodle (1991), where he voiced Patou, the Basset Hound . Harris spent time in the 1970s and early 1980s leading a band that appeared often in Las Vegas, often on the same bill with bandleader Harry James . On September 2, 1927, Harris married actress Marcia Ralston (then known as Mascotte Ralston) in Melbourne , Australia, where his band had

777-448: The city. The lakes have provided a regular, if limited, amount of fishing tourism for decades. Signs of the underground mines remain as well, including tipples on private land and sinkholes that appear regularly on private property, roads and even within the city limits. By the 1940s, the underground mines were gone and the small surface mines had moved on or been consumed by large corporations such as Peabody Coal Company . These mines were

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814-427: The city. The population density was 1,949.7 inhabitants per square mile (752.8/km ). There were 2,792 housing units at an average density of 942.8 per square mile (364.0/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 98.30% White , 0.09% African American , 0.24% Native American , 0.24% Asian , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 0.24% from other races , and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.25% of

851-544: The land directly to buyers rather than to the city. On April 29, 1963, an F3 tornado struck Hoosier , north of Linton. It was the strongest tornado ever recorded in Greene County. The Linton Commercial Historic District and Linton Public Library are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . According to the 2010 census, Linton has a total area of 3.02 square miles (7.82 km ), all land. As of

888-442: The population. There were 2,325 households, of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.9% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

925-409: The population. There were 2,450 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and

962-524: The primary employers well into the 1980s. On April 24, 1919, telephone operators at the New Home Telephone Company, all women, started a strike, demanding higher wages, shorter hours, and recognition of their union by the company. The next day, New Home brought in strikebreakers to continue telephone service for the town. The presence of strike breakers agitated Linton locals, the vast majority of whom were union members themselves. In protest,

999-558: The protestors and only minor injuries were sustained. The strike ended with New Home agreeing to raise wages and lower working hours but refusing to recognize the telephone operators' union. In 1952, General Electric built a factory on the southeast side of the city. This factory employed several hundred until the mid-1980s, when GE phased out most of their small motors production in the U.S. The factory building remained empty due to Environmental Protection Agency regulations until GE tore it down beginning in 2014. The company plans to sell

1036-483: The show's music. When Harris exhibited a knack for snappy one-liners, he joined the cast, portraying himself as a hip, hard-drinking Southerner whose good nature superseded his ego. He gave the others nicknames, such as "Jackson" for Jack Benny. (Addressing a man as "Jackson" or sometimes "Mr. Jackson" became popular slang in the early 1940s.) His signature song was "That's What I Like About the South." Many of his vocal recordings were comic novelty "talking blues," similar to

1073-485: The songs of Bert Williams , which are sometimes considered a precursor to rap. In 1942, Harris and his band joined the U.S. Merchant Marine and served for 16 weeks. In 1946, Harris and wife Alice Faye began co-hosting The Fitch Bandwagon , a comedy-variety program that followed the Jack Benny show on Sunday nights. On The Fitch Bandwagon and its later incarnation as The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show , Harris played

1110-989: Was "Old Curly." In 1950, Harris recorded a hit novelty song, the million-seller, "The Thing," which hit number one on the U.S. chart. Additionally, he appeared in The Wild Blue Yonder (1951), alongside Forrest Tucker and Walter Brennan . He made a cameo appearance in the Warner Bros. musical, Starlift , with Janice Rule and Dick Wesson , and was featured in The High and the Mighty with John Wayne in 1954. Harris made two feature films with Jack Benny for Paramount Pictures , Man About Town (1939) and Buck Benny Rides Again (1940). Both films also featured Eddie "Rochester" Anderson . In 1936, Harris became musical director of The Jell-O Program Starring Jack Benny singing and leading his band, with Mahlon Merrick writing much of

1147-550: Was $ 26,477, and the median income for a family was $ 36,138. Males had a median income of $ 32,213 versus $ 17,304 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 15,554. About 8.2% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over. The tagline for the Linton Music Festival was " Mayberry meets Woodstock ." In 2010, over 12,000 people attended. The festival prided itself in being

Phil Harris - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-438: Was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the city was 39.8 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.1% were from 45 to 64; and 19.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 5,774 people, 2,450 households, and 1,526 families residing in

1221-539: Was 5,133 at the 2020 census . A coal mining city, it is located southeast of Terre Haute . Linton is part of the Bloomington, Indiana, metropolitan area . Linton was essentially founded around the entrepreneuring of John W. Wines, who first sold goods in the Linton area, briefly in 1831. Although he would later relocate to Fairplay, Indiana , he returned and opened a general store in Linton in 1837. He would later build

1258-418: Was a lifelong friend of singer and actor Bing Crosby . He appeared on telecasts of Bing's Pro-Am Golf Tournament from Pebble Beach, California , and appeared in an episode of ABC's short-lived sitcom The Bing Crosby Show . After Crosby died in 1977, Harris replaced him as commentator for the annual Bing Crosby Pro-Am Golf Tournament . Harris was a resident and benefactor of Palm Springs, California , and

1295-406: Was active in many local civic organizations. Harris died of a heart attack at age 91 in his Rancho Mirage home on the night of August 11, 1995. He is interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery , Cathedral City, California . Harris was a benefactor of his birthplace of Linton, Indiana , establishing scholarships in his honor for promising high school students, performing at the high school, and hosting

1332-457: Was nominated for this same honour. Dunning's novel Booked to Die won the Nero Award and was nominated for the 1993 Anthony Award in the "Best Novel" category. The follow-up to this novel, The Bookman's Wake , was nominated for the 1996 Edgar Award in the "Best Novel" running. On May 30, 1969, Dunning married Helen Rose Korupp. Dunning died on May 23, 2023, at the age of 81, following

1369-425: Was recording songs as early as 1931. He sang with a deep baritone voice. Songs by Harris include the early 1950s novelty song , " The Thing ". The song describes the hapless finder of a box with a mysterious secret and his efforts to rid himself of it. In 1956, Harris appeared in the film Good-bye, My Lady . He made numerous guest appearances on 1960s and 1970s television series, including The Steve Allen Show ,

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