Remembering Keely Smith, Martin Ransohoff, Frank Lary

As a teenager, Keely Smith teamed up with Louis Prima to form one of the most popular singing lounge acts in Las Vegas and on television in the late 1950’s. Her deadpan expression belied a beautiful voice, which she brought to all manner of songs for five decades after she split from Prima. Martin Ransohoff was the television and film producer best known for “The Americanization of Emily” (1964) and “The Cincinnati Kid” (1965). Frank Lary was one of the American League’s top pitchers in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s for the Detroit Tigers. He was known as “The Yankee Killer” for his mastery of the League’s best team.