Article Archives: Bumps in the Night

Pink Parker and his Monument to John Wilkes Booth

August 26, 2021 | by Al Hunter

Recently, I ran across an obscure booklet about a little-known episode in the post-assassination chronology of Abraham Lincoln. Surprisingly it was published and distributed by a man named Stewart Winning McClelland (1891-1977) a self-described “Sponsor” of Dale Carnegie courses from Indianapolis. More surprisingly is the fact that it was published … Read More

WFBM-TV Cap’n Star a.k.a. Sinister Seymour

August 19, 2021 | by Al Hunter

I’ve written about Jerry Vance, a.k.a. Larry Vincent, a.k.a. Cap’n Star, a.k.a. Sinister Seymour in past columns, mostly in conjunction with the late great Hal Fryar a.k.a. Harlow Hickenlooper, a.k.a. Grandpa Harlow. Confused? Well, so am I. However, if ever an Indianapolis children’s TV host from the Circle City’s golden … Read More

Helen Keller and 9/11

August 12, 2021 | by Al Hunter

This column first appeared in September 2011. We passed another sad anniversary last week as the first decade after the 9-11 terrorist attacks came to a close. The airwaves were full of tributes and once again we watched as many of the smiling, friendly faces of the almost 3,000 victims … Read More

Clark Gable in Indiana

August 5, 2021 | by Al Hunter

This column originally appeared in August 2010. It was 50 years ago that the “King of Hollywood,” Clark Gable died. They called him the king for good reason. Women swooned at his masculine screen presence and men viewed him as a man’s man. Best remembered as Rhett Butler in Gone … Read More

Hoosier Pied Piper of Doom The eastside genesis of Rev. Jim Jones, Part 2

July 29, 2021 | by Al Hunter

This story originally ran in 2009. In 1955, about 20 members of the Laurel Street Tabernacle joined with Jones to form the Wings of Deliverance church as a successor to his Community Unity church. This new church, located on North New Jersey and 15th streets, would be christened the “Peoples … Read More