Satyricon — Volume 05: Crotona Affairs

He began working in Hollywood as a truck driver at Paramount in the s. He began working with Hitchcock in , serving as his assistant director on Rear Window and To Catch a Thief Coleman also produced the television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Alfred Hitchcock Hour in the s and s.

Coleman retired in He earned several Emmy awards for his performances. Como hosted The Kraft Music Hall from to He continued to star on several television specials a year, including a Christmas show, through the s. Como was born in Canonsberg, Pennsylvania, on May 18, Como worked as a barber before he began singing with big bands in the s. Connally was born in Floresville on April 9, A politician in his own right, he served as a leading aide to his brother, John, who was seriously wounded in the assassination of President John F. The Price of Freedom.

John Connally later served as Secretary of the Treasury and was a candidate for the presidency before his death in Merrill Connally also served as a judge in Wilson County in the late s. He was featured in the tele-film Wild Texas Wind and the feature Rush. Connolly was born on April 9, She was best known for her debut role in the film The Crossing with Russell Crowe in She also starred in the Australian television series Paradise Beach as Tori Hayden in , and was Lily in the television series Breakers in Converse was born in Oregon City, Oregon, on April 3, She began her career on stage in Los Angeles while in her teens.

She soon became a leading stage actress on Broadway in such productions as Infernal Machine and Comedy of Good and Evil. She was married to actor Don Porter for 53 years until his death in Coombs was born in Lewiston, Maine, on November 26, Dressup aired from February of until Coombs also performed numerous live shows throughout Canada.

British character actress Beryl Cooke died in London on August 21, She was featured in British films from the s, appearing in Lovers, Happy Lovers! Cooper was born in Philadelphia in She began her career writing plays before joining the writing staff of the Captain Kangaroo television series for two years. Cooper later worked as a writer for People magazine. Coralluzzo died in New Jersey on July 30, , after going into a coma due to bleeding on the brain.

He began working in the wrestling business in the mid—s, and remained a fixture in New Jersey wrestling throughout his life. Corso, Gregory Gregory Corso, a leading poet in the Beat movement, died of prostate cancer at his home in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, on January 17, Corso was born in New York City on March 26, He spent a troubled childhood, Dennis Coralluzzo often in foster homes or jail. It was while in jail in his teens that he became an avid reader. It was in the early s that Corso, after meeting poet Allen Ginsberg, began his rise as a major literary figure.

Corso moved to San Francisco the following year, where his early collection, Gasoline, was published. He wrote a novel, The American Express, in , and published 13 volumes of poetry during his literary career. He was born in Castrogiovanni, Italy, on March 20, , and accompanied his family to Buffalo, New York, as an infant.

Celebrities

After his role in The Wizard of Oz, Cottonaro continued to appear in a handful of films. Cottonaro was also a prominent restaurateur in the Niagara Falls area until his retirement in Craig was born in Pleasantville, New York, on April 25, He began working in comics in the late s and, Cottonaro, Thomas J.

Cottonaro, one of the few surviving actors to play Munchkins in the fan- Thomas J. Cottonaro with his wife. Craig left comics to work as a commercial artist once EC folded. He returned to the field in the s, working at A. She began performing on stage at the age of four.

She was featured in numerous productions of Shakespeare in England and appeared on Broadway topless in the hit play Scuba Duba. During the s Craig operated the Royal Court Repertory, where she directed and wrote over 20 murder mysteries. She was also a popular performer in Las Vegas, where she had lived since Crispin was born in Paris in Television director Alan Crosland, Jr. The son of director Alan Crosland, he began working in films as an editor in the s. He also directed the film Natchez Trace and Fury River The faux band recorded two albums and were an opening act for Britney Spears.

Cuidera was born in Newark, New Jersey, in In the early s he began working at Quality Comics, where he was a creator for the long-running Blackhawk comic, which made its debut in Military Comics 1 in After the war he returned to Quality where resumed working on Blackhawk as an inker to Reed Crandall. Cuidera also served as art director for the Quality line.

After Blackhawk was sold to DC comics in the mid—s, Cuidera continued to ink the comic, then drawn by Dick Dillon, until Kim Robinson, who wrestled professionally as Cookie S. Cummings, was killed in a motorcycle acccident on August 11, Cushman was born in Marion, Michigan, on June 9, He was best known for his novel, Stay Away, Joe, that was adapted into a film starring Elvis Presley in Cushman authored numerous books set in exotic locations around the globe.

Another of his novels, Timberjack, was filmed in Dan Cushman Cookie S. Changing her name to Jenny Lewis, she began her career on the New York stage in small parts in the mid—s. Under the name Dagmar, she played the stereotypical sexy dumb blonde. She was one of the most prominent performers on early television, but her career largely faded away after the mid—s. Dan was born in Japan on April 7, He attended the Tokyo Academy of Music and joined the Japanese public broadcasting system as a composer following his graduation in He composed his first opera, Yuzuru, in Dan also worked in films, composing scores for over 20 during his career.

Variety, May 21, , Daneman was born in London on October 29, What a Lovely War as Czar Nicholas. French actor Jean Danet died in Paris on October 15, Danet was born on January 14, Dardis was born in New York in He began working at Berkley Books, serving as editor in chief from to He was the author of a critically acclaimed work on Hollywood screenwriters, Some Time in the Sun: He also authored biographies of silent film comedians Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton.

Darion was born in New York City on January 30, Davis was born in Canon, Georgia, on July 14, He played baseball with Duke University in the late s and spent two years with the Philadelphia Athletics after college in the early s. After serving in the U. Davis was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 2, He began wrestling in and teamed with Mike Rotundo to hold the U. Tag Team Title in Florida in They also held several other tag team belts.

In the early s he wrestled in Global as the Viper. After his unmasking in May of , he wrestled as Maniac Mike Davis. He later tag teamed with his brother, Tom Davis. De Bevere was born in Coutrai, Belgium, on December 1, He began his career as a cover illustrator for the humor magazine Le Moustique in the mid—s. De Bevere, who usually signed his work under the pen name of Morris, was best known for creating the cartoon gunfighter Lucky Luke in The character was featured in the comic magazine Spirou, and over thirty volumes of collections were compiled during its run.

Times of London , July 21, , 27c. DeCamp was born in Prescott, Arizona, on November 14, DeCamp was featured in the tele-film The Time Machine. Her final film credits include the horror film spoof Saturday the 14th and A Chip of Glass Ruby Elsewhere and Murder, She Wrote. He created the character of Josie, who was named after his wife, at Archie. The character headed a rock group in the s, Josie and the Pussycats. The popular series later became a CBS cartoon series and, in , a live-action film version was released.

DeCarlo also worked on The Archies cartoon series in the s. He also created, with George Gladir, Sabrina the Teenage Witch in the s, which later became a popular television series starring Melissa Joan Hart. After 40 years with Archie Comics, DeCarlo was fired in the s after pursuing legal rights to his characters.

De Cordova was born in Manhattan on October 27, He began directing productions for the Shubert theatrical empire after graduating from Harvard Law School. In he took over as executive producer of The Tonight Show. He remained with Johnny Carson for 22 years before retiring in De Cordova authored his autobiography, Johnny Come Lately, in With sisters Milly and Eadie, Elena performed for over 60 years. They also appeared in the films Bank Robber and Twin Sitters Elena is survived by sister Milly.

Eadie died in She began working with the BBC in and soon began working with the Radiophonic Workshop division. She utilized electronic musical scores for other BBC programs and documentaries, and also worked on the films Work Is Spanish film director and writer Amando de Ossorio died in January of De Ossorio was born in Portugal in He began his film career as an actor in the crime thriller Ultimo Dia.

He began directing films in the late s and was best known for helming the Blind Dead horror films in Spain. Amando de Ossorio right, with a Templar Knight zombie. She largely retired from composing in the mid—s. Times of London , July 23, , 17a. A pioneer adult film maker from the s, de Renzy was sometimes credited as Rex Borski. The younger de Rochemont was best known for his documentary film Windjammer.

Desmond was born in Detroit in He began his career on stage and appeared on Canadian television in the late s. He was also seen in the television series Manhattan, AZ. Variety, June 18, , Ninette de Valois, a leading ballerina and choreographer, died in London, England, on March 8, She began dancing after accompanying her family to England in the early s.

She quit dancing to become director of choreography at Abbey Theatre and the Old Vic Theatre in De Valois was also the founder of The Royal Ballet. She was created a Dame of the British Empire in and retired in Dever was born on March 9, Variety, May 14, , The family returned to England several years after her birth. De Vere studied art and began working with the Halas and Batchelor Studio in She joined the Guild Television Services in and crated the short animated film Two Faces in From the s she created such animated shorts as Cafe Bar , Mr.

Devi was born in Bhagalpur, India. He broke into films because of his resemblance to silent screen idol Rudolf Valentino, starring in the bio-film Valentino. He subsequently retired to Colorado, where he taught public speaking and drama at a local high school. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in She later moved to television where she worked with William Cowley to create the comic strip-based sit-com Dennis the Menace. She and Cowley also created another comic based television series, Hazel, starring Shirley Booth.

Survivors include her husband, actor Douglas Dick. Leading science fiction writer Gordon R. Dickson died of complications from asthma in Richfield, Minnesota, on January 31, Dickson was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on November 1, He moved to the United States in the mid—s and began writing professionally in the late s. He was best known for his Dorsai series which he began in He wrote eight books in the series and was at work on a ninth at the time of his death.

Teri Diver Gordon R. Diver, with her husband Ron Sevant, also directed nearly fifty videos from the mid—s including Selina , Attack of the 50 Foot Hooker , Sex Bandits and Decadent Obsessions Diver was born on September 6, She was a leading adult star from the early Troy Donahue, the handsome leading man from the s and s, died of a heart attack in a Los Angeles hospital on September 1, Donahue was born Merle Johnson, 89 Jr.

A journalism student at Columbia University in the s, he left school for an acting career. He subsequently starred as Sandy Winfield in the television detective series Surfside 6 and, in , joined the cast of Hawaiian Eye for a season as Philip Barton. He briefly played R. He was also seen in the tele-films Legion and Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story Donahue was a guest at the Memphis Film Festival in In she began making commercials for Old Navy, usually accompanied by a dog named Magic. Donati was born in Suzzara, Northern Italy, in He began his career working with Luchino Visconti on stage productions in the early s.

He was again working with Benigni on a production of Pinocchio at the time of his death. Dotan began his career as an entertainer in the early s after winning an amateur talent contest. He became a leading star in Israel, best known for his one-man show based on his early life. The younger Downes began a ardent admirer of opera at an early age and, after a teaching career, succeeded his father as the Times music critic after his death in Three years later Downes became host of the Texaco Opera Quiz broadcast during intermission of the live Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts.

Downes hosted the program from to Dudu Dotan and Zohar He was chairman of the Israel Union of Performing Artists since Dove was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, on January 7, She began working for the BBC in She earned three Emmy nominations for her work on the tele-films Ike: Edward Downes Downey, Morton, Jr.

Television talk show host Morton Downey, Jr. Angeles, California, on December 9, , the son of famed singer Morton Downey. He worked as a radio disc jockey from the s. He also was a political consultant before hosting radio talk shows in the early s. He began The Morton Downey Jr. Show for cable television in Often dealing with controversial or scandalous topics, the show became nationally syndicated the following year.

His bellicose manner, both on screen and off, resulted in disenchantment by his advertisers, and the show was canceled in A Blessing in Disguise His other television credits include episodes of Tales from the Crypt and Diagnosis Murder. Jane Dudley Dance Group in , creating dance numbers to correspond with her feelings of social protest. Dudley moved to London in , where she continued to teach dance at the London Contemporary Dance School until her retirement in New York Times, Sept. A former professional wrestler, he subsequently became a well-known referee with the NWA in Los Angeles from the s through the s.

Dudley was born in New York City on April 3, Dunkel was born in Springfield, Ohio, in The Game of Kings, the first volume in the popular Lymond Chronicles series featuring the roguish hero Francis Crawford, was published in She began her second series with Niccolo Rising in She also wrote a series of thrillers featuring secret agent Johnson Johnson. Dale Earnhardt began racing in He also made a cameo appearance in the comedy BASEketball.

Eddington was born in Chicago, Illinois, on February 25, She married Flynn in August of and appeared in a small role in his film Adventures of Don Juan. The couple was divorced in July of She was subsequently married to actor Dick Haymes from until Her survivors include her daughter, actress Deirdre Flynn. Nora Eddington with Errol Flynn. Edmonds was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on September 24, He also starred in the soap opera Young Dr. He also appeared in the film House of Dark Shadows.

He began dancing while in his teens, appearing with Ninette de Valois with the Victor Wells Ballet in In the late s Edwards joined the Royal Ballet, where he spent the remainder of his career. Edwards also directed the Royal Ballet Choreographic Group for many years. He appeared on British television in a production of Cinderella in , and was featured in the films Romeo and Juliet and Tales of Beatrice Potter New York Times, Feb. He worked as a jazz pianist in New York nightclubs before moving to Los Angeles in the early s.

He worked with Judy Garland as an arranger for her television series. In Elliot was music director for the Los Angeles Summer Olympics, conducting the orchestra for the opening and closing ceremonies. He was working as a musical director for the Henry Mancini Institute at the time of his death. Emerick, Richard Anthropologist and documentary filmmaker Richard G. Emerick died at his home in Orono, Maine, on September 30, Emerick was born in Syracuse, New York, in He received a degree in anthropology in from Syracuse University and was the head of the anthropology department of the University of Maine from the late s.

During the s Emerick made documentary films about the Havasupai natives of the American southwest and the Iglulingmiut natives of the Canadian Arctic. He had recently completed a narration of the Inglulingmiut film project. Engel was a literary agent before he began working in films. He also produced the telefilm Killer by Night. Engel moved to Australia in the early s, where he worked as a producer for Australian television.

His final film, Winter Tale, was released in Enrico was born in Lievin, France, on April 13, He also directed the film The Father for the Son, and was featured often on Soviet television. Evans, Dale Dale Evans, the widow of singing cowboy legend Roy Rogers and his leading lady in films and on television, died of congestive heart failure at her home in Apple Valley, California, on February 7, She began her career singing on local radio in Dallas and, by , she was performing on the CBS radio program News and Rhythm.

Evans had divorced her third husband in and Rogers was widowed the following year when his wife died giving birth to a son. During the s Evans, astride her buckskin horse, Buttermilk, continued to costar with Rogers in the popular television series The Roy Rogers Show. Evans also appeared with evangelist Billy Graham during the s and wrote other inspirational books.

1. The Satyricon; Crotona Affairs!
2. Fools Rush In Where Monkeys Fear to Tread: Taking Aim at Everyone!
3. Expose - Episode 5 (BDSM Adult Erotic Romance) (Expose - The Series).
4. Racing Archive - JRA Yokohama (Japanese Edition).

Despite their tribulations Roy and Dale remained devout in their faith. Dale had suffered from heart problems over the past several years and Roy died in July of Evans was born in London on June 4, He began his acting career as a bit player and stunt man in British films in the mid—s.

Evans played the role of Lionel Petty in the television series Coronation Street from to He was also seen in the television mini-series Poldark and Heart of the Country Evans was born in Harwood, Pennsylvania, on February 5, He began working at EC Comics in , where he was best known as the artist for the military comic Aces High.

He also freelanced for Marvel and Warren. Evans was born in Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania, on April 28, He began teaming with Robert Novak in to write a political column, Inside Report. Everett was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, on November 23, She began singing gospel music at an early age before moving to Chicago in the s. Ewing was born in Memphis in She became devoted to the stage at an early age and, in the late s, hosted a radio program for children on a Memphis station.

She continued to oversee the troupe until her retirement in She was also seen in various television commercials and stage productions. Memphis Commerical Appeal, Oct. He was born in Sheffield, England, in Fahey was born in rural Maryland on February 28, He began playing the guitar at an early age and recorded his first album in Prairie, Cheers and Highway to Heaven.

Fant was also a sign language coach for the film Children of a Lesser God Fant was born on December 13, , in Greenville, South Carolina. A hearing child of deaf parents, Fant learned sign language as a small child. He became involved with the theater and helped form the National Theatre of the Deaf in Goodbar , Resurrection , Amy and Tuff Turn Farina Mimi Farina left, with sister Joan Baez. She and her husband, Richard Farina, recorded several hit songs in the s until he was killed in a motorcycle accident in Farina later became known as the founder of Bread and Roses in , which provided free concerts to the ill and imprisoned.

Farina was featured in several films including Fools and Massive Retaliation Fennell was born in England on December 11, He began his career writing comic strips in Great Britain during the s. His work on the Supercar comic led to a script writing assignment for the television series. He remained with Fleetways until He began his career on the Italian stage and, in , formed a touring company with his wife, actress Ida Carrara.

Ferro also appeared in over two dozen films during his career, including three for director Lina Wertmuller. FitzSimons was born in Dublin, Ireland, in FitzSimons also appeared in the film as Forbes. He served as an associate producer on several films in the s including Mohawk , The Restless Breed and Courage of Black Beauty During the s he embarked on a successful solo career.

The Freeway Killings Flanagan was born in Detroit, Michigan, on March 16, He began playing the piano at an early age, performing in Detroit clubs. Oscar-winning special effects director A. Flowers died of complications from pneumonia and emphysema in Fullerton, California, on July 5, Flowers was born in Hillsboro, Texas, in He moved to California in the mid—s and was employed by MGM as a handyman and painter at the studio. He subsequently became involved in creating special effects for films and television series. He worked on the Combat! Flowers received Academy Awards for his special effects work for the films Tora!

Flowers Forward, Robert H. Forward, a radio and television producer and occasional actor, died at his Los Angeles home on January 30, Forward was born in San Diego in He began his career as a disc jockey in San Francisco and was soon working as a radio announcer, producer and director. He returned to radio in as an announcer and producer on station KMPS.

Forward also appeared in Adam and The D. Foster, Gloria Gloria Foster, a leading stage and film actress, died at her home in Manhattan on September 29, During the s she performed infrequently, starring in the Broadway production of Having Our Say, and A Raisin in the Sun at the Williamstown Theatre festival in She also appeared in the film Too Much Johnson. She was featured in the films Stage Door Canteen and All My Sons , before beginning her career on television. She hosted the television series Blind Date from to , and also served as a panelist on such quiz shows as Answer Yes or No and Prize Foxx, Chief Dave Professional wrestler David Joseph Farrar, who wrestled as Chief Dave Foxx, collapsed and died in Massachusetts after competing in a match.

Foxx began his career in the late s in Knoxville, Tennessee. He wrestled throughout Tennessee, Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Francis was born Arlene Kazanjian in Boston on October 20, She remained with the program until the series ended in Steel Hour and Front Page Challenge. She also appeared as herself in a episode of Scarecrow and Mrs. Francis was married to actor Martin Gabel from until his death in He began his career in the s playing with the Harlem-based Savoy Sultans. Francis published his autobiography, David Gets His Drum, in Freeman was born in Chicago on February 17, She began her career in films in the late s, appearing in over movies.

Adventures in Slumberland , FernGully: The Klumps and Shrek Belmont in Lotsa Luck from to The Witness Killings At the time of her death she was performing in the Broadway production of The Full Monty. She had earned a Tony nomination for her performances as a piano player in the play earlier in the year. Freeman was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, on April 3, A popular nightclub performer from the s, he used his musical abilities to comic effect accompanying such artists as Rosemary Clooney and Percy Faith.

Freeman appeared as himself in the film Manhattan Memories and was featured regularly in the television satire That Was the Week That Was. Freeman was born in Hungary in and came to the United States while in his early teens. He settled in New York City and entered wrestling in He remained active in the ring through the s. Fricke was born on February 23, Frick was born in Lycksle, Sweden, in He began working in films in the mid—s, directing the films Big Business and Framed aka Strul He subsequently began directing television commercials.

The son of film executive Charles W. Fries, the younger Fries began his career working as an editor at Columbia Pictures. He served as editor on the Spider-Man television series and the mini-series The Word. Fries also served as vice president for post production for Fries Entertainment, producing the tele-film The Right of the People and the horror film Phantom of the Mall: The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Published first published June 1st To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

To ask other readers questions about The Satyricon; Crotona Affairs , please sign up. Be the first to ask a question about The Satyricon; Crotona Affairs. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Elisabeth Stevens rated it it was amazing Mar 08, These turns were extremely violent and often deadly. If a chariot had not already been knocked over by an opponent before the turn, it might be overturned or crushed along with the horses and driver by the other chariots as they went around the post.

Deliberately running into an opponent to cause him to crash was technically illegal, but nothing could be done about it at Patroclus' funeral games, Antilochus in fact causes Menelaus to crash in this way , and crashes were likely to happen by accident anyway. The chariot race was not as prestigious as the stadion the foot race , but it was more important than other equestrian events such as racing on horseback, which were dropped from the Olympic Games very early on.

In Mycenaean times the driver and owner would have been the same person, and therefore the winning driver received the prize. However, by the time of the Panhellenic Games, the owners usually had slaves who did the actual driving, and it was the owner who was awarded the prize. Arsecilas, the king of Cyrene, won the chariot race at the Pythian Games in BC, when his slave driver was the only one to finish the race. In BC the Athenian general Alcibiades had seven chariots in the race, one of which won; obviously he could not have been racing all seven chariots himself.

Philip II of Macedon also won an Olympic chariot race in an attempt to prove he was not a barbarian, though if he had driven the chariot himself he would likely have been considered even lower than a barbarian. This rule also meant that women could technically win the race, despite the fact that women were not allowed to participate in or even watch the Games. This happened rarely, but a notable example is the Spartan Cynisca, daughter of Agesilaus II, who won the chariot race twice. Chariot racing was also an event at other games in the Greek world, and was the most important event at the Panathenaic Games in Athens.

At these games, the winner of the four-horse chariot race was given amphorae of olive oil, an extremely expensive prize, as this was more oil than an athlete would ever need in his career. Most of it was probably sold to other athletes. There was another form of chariot racing at the Panathenaic Games, known as the apobotai or the anabotai. This involved jumping out of the chariot and running alongside for some distance the anabotai ; the apobotai apparently also including jumping back into the chariot after running alongside it.

In these races there was a second driver who held the reins while the first driver jumped out, but of course neither of these were considered the winner. The Circus probably dated back to the time of the Etruscans, but it was rebuilt by Julius Caesar around 50 BC so that it had a length of about metres and a width of about metres. One end of the track was more open than the other, as this was where the chariots lined up to begin the race.

The Romans used a series of gates known as carceres, an equivalent to the Greek hysplex. These were staggered in the same way as the hysplex, but they were slightly different because Roman racing tracks also had a median the spina in the centre of the track. The starting positions had to be lined up on one side of the spina, rather than across the entire track as they were in Greece. When the chariots were lined up the emperor or whoever was hosting the races, if they were not in Rome dropped a cloth known as a mappa, signalling the beginning of the race.

Once the race had begun, the chariots could move in front of each other in an attempt to cause their opponents to crash into the spina. The spina had "eggs", similar to the "dolphins" of the Greek races, which may have dropped into a channel of water that ran along the top of the spina to signify the number of laps remaining. The spina eventually became very elaborate, with statues and obelisks and other forms of art, so that the spectators often could not see the chariots on the other side but they seem to have thought this was more suspenseful and exciting.

At either end of the spina there were turning posts metae , and spectacular crashes took place there as well, as in the Greek races. Crashes in which the chariot was destroyed and the charioteer and horses incapacitated were known as a naufragium, also the Latin word for a shipwreck. However, a race consisted of only 7 laps and later 5 laps, so that there could be even more races per day , instead of the 12 laps of the Greek race. There were four-horse chariots quadrigae and two-horse chariots bigae , but the four-horse races were more important. In rare cases, if a driver wanted to show off his skill, he could use up to 10 horses, although this was extremely impractical.

The Roman drivers also wore helmets and other protective gear, unlike the Greeks, and they wrapped the reins around their arms, while the Greeks held the reins in their hands. Because of this the Romans had a much harder time letting go of the reins after a crash, so they could be dragged around the circus until they freed themselves. They carried knives to cut the reins in such a situation.

A famous attempt to reconstruct a Roman chariot race can be seen in the movie Ben-Hur. Another important difference was that the charioteers themselves, the aurigae, were considered to be the winners, although they were usually also slaves as in the Greek world. They received a wreath of laurel leaves, and probably some money; if they won enough races they could buy their freedom. Drivers could become celebrities throughout the Empire simply by surviving, as the life expectancy of a charioteer was not very high. One such celebrity driver was Scorpus, who won over races before being killed in a collision at the meta when he was about 27 years old.

The horses, too, could become celebrities, but their life expectancy was also low. The Romans kept detailed statistics of the names, breeds, and pedigrees of famous horses. Seats in the Circus were free for the poor, who by the time of the Empire had little else to do, as they were no longer involved in political or military affairs as they had been in the Republic. The wealthy could pay for shaded seats where they had a better view, and they probably also spent much of their times betting on the races.

The emperor's palace was located close to the Hippodrome, and he would often watch the games as well. This was one of the only opportunities for the general population to view their leader. Julius Caesar frequently watched the races specifically so that the public could see him, although he apparently was not very interested as he usually brought something to read. Nero was interested in the races almost to the exclusion of everything else. He was a driver himself, and won the chariot racing event at the Olympic Games, which were still being held in the Roman era.

Under Nero the major racing factions began to develop. The four most important factions were the Reds, Blues, Greens, and Whites. They had existed before Nero, probably as friends and patrons of the various stables that produced the racehorses. Nero, however, subsidized them so that they grew almost beyond his control. Each team could have up to three chariots each in a race. Members of the same team often collaborated with each other against the other teams, for example to force them to crash into the spina a legal and encouraged tactic.

Drivers could switch teams, much like athletes can be traded to different teams today. There were many other circuses throughout the Roman Empire; there was even another major circus outside Rome, the Circus Maxentius. There were major circuses at Alexandria and Antioch, and Herod the Great built four circuses in Judaea. In the 4th century Constantine the Great built a circus in his new capital at Constantinople.

Byzantine chariot racing Like many other aspects of the Roman world, chariot racing continued in the Byzantine Empire, although the Byzantines did not keep as many records and statistics as the Romans did. Constantine preferred chariot racing to gladiatorial combat, which he considered a vestige of paganism.

The Olympic Games were disbanded by the later Christian emperors, but chariot racing continued to be popular. The Hippodrome of Constantinople really a Roman circus, not the open space that the original Greek hippodromes were was connected to the emperor's palace and the 37 Church of Hagia Sophia, allowing spectators to view the emperor as they had in Rome. There is not much evidence that the chariot races were subject to bribes or other forms of cheating in the Roman Empire.

In the Byzantine Empire there seems to have been more cheating; Justinian I's reformed legal code prohibits drivers from placing curses on their opponents, but otherwise there does not seem to have been any mechanical tampering or bribery. Chariot racing in the Byzantine Empire also included the Roman racing clubs, but by this time only the Blues and Greens were important.

One of the most famous charioteers, Porphyrius, was a member of both the Blues and the Greens at various times in 5th century. However, they were now more than simply sports teams. They gained influence in military, political, and theological matters, with,. They also developed in something like street gangs, responsible for robberies and murders.

Although they had rioted as far back as the reign of Nero, the rioting throughout the 5th century and into the 6th century culminated in the Nika riots of during the reign of Justinian, which began when some of their members were arrested for murder. Chariot racing seems to have declined after this incident, but they had in any case become much too expensive for the racing teams, or even the emperors, to pay for. The Hippodrome in Constantinople remained a sanctuary for the emperors, until it was sacked during the Fourth Crusade in During the looting, the Crusaders removed a set of bronze statues of four horses, originally part of a monument depicting a quadrigae that was built by Constantine the Great.

The horses still exist, but they are now at St. The First Thousand Years. Sport in Ancient Greece and Rome. Arenas for Chariot Racing". The Power of Spectacle in Ancient Rome. A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Based on the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus, it tells the story of a slave named Pseudolus and his attempts to win his freedom by encouraging the romance between his master's son Hero and a young virgin named Philia, owned by Marcus Lycus, a dealer in courtesans, and promised to swaggering soldier Miles Gloriosus. The humor is broad, bawdy and fast-paced. Directed by Broadway legend George Abbott and produced by Harold Prince, it was a smash, running performances.

The show's creators originally wanted Phil Silvers in the lead role of Pseudolus, but he turned them down. So did Milton Berle. Eventually, Zero Mostel was cast. The production was in trouble out of town. Director Abbott tried various fixes, including simplifying the complex plot, but nothing worked. Famed director Jerome Robbins, who idolized Abbott, and who had originally promised to direct the production before dropping out, was called in to make changes. Robbins had "named names" during the McCarthy era, and some feared he and the formerly blacklisted Mostel would clash, but they worked together well enough to turn the show around.

They soon worked again on Fiddler On The Roof. The biggest change Robbins demanded was a new opening number to introduce the bawdy, wild comedy. Stephen Sondheim complied, creating the famous song "Comedy Tonight.

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The young lovers were played by Brian Davies and Preshy Marker. Karen Black was originally cast as the ingenue but was replaced out of town. The show won several Tony Awards: The score, Sondheim's first time on Broadway writing both words and music, was coolly received, however, not even garnering a nomination. It also features the great--if ailing--clown Buster Keaton and the man who turned down the lead in the Broadway production, Phil Silvers.

The script was adapted for the screen by Melvin Frank and Michael Pertwee. It rearranges the plot and cuts most of the songs. The movie was not well-received when first released, but has since acquired a cult following. Larry Blyden, who played Hysterium, the role created by Jack Gilford, also helped produce. Two songs were dropped from the show, and two new Sondheim songs were added. The production ran performances, but had to close soon after Phil Silvers suffered a stroke.

The show won Tonys for Silvers and Blyden. The musical was also revived with great success in , starring Nathan Lane as Pseudolus, who was replaced later in the run by Whoopi Goldberg and also by David Alan Grier. The production, directed by Jerry Zaks, ran performances. Lane won the Best Actor Tony for his work. The production and its revival were staged at the Strand Theatre and the Piccadilly Theatre respectively, and featured Frankie Howerd starring as Pseudolus.

Incidentally, Isla Blair played Philia in the production. Characters Pseudolus A Roman slave, owned by Hero, who seeks to win his freedom by helping his young master win the heart of Philia, who is a virgin in the house of Marcus Lycus. Hero Young son of Senex who falls in love with the virgin, Philia. Philia A virgin in the house of Marcus Lycus, and Hero's love interest. Senex A Roman Senator living in a less fashionable suburb of Rome.

Marcus Lycus A purveyor of courtesans, who operates from the house to the left of Senex. Domina The wife of Senex. A manipulative shrewish woman whom is loathed by even her husband. Erronius The elderly neighbor to the right of Senex who is searching for his two children, kidnapped in infancy by pirates.

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Gymnasia A mute courtesan from the house of Lycus, for whom Pseudolus falls. Miles Gloriosus A conceited captain in the Roman army. Hysterium The chief slave in the house of Senex. Crassus A merchant at the docks film only. Tintinabula A courtesan in the house of Lycus. Vibrata A courtesan in the house of Lycus. Geminae Twin courtesans in the house of Lycus. Panacea A courtesan in the house of Lycus. Domina's Mother Senex's whip-wielding mother-in-law talked of in the play but seen only in the film. The image is not at all contemporary with Plautus and bears no necessary similarity to how he really looked.

According to Morris Marples, in the early years of Plautus life he worked as a stage-carpenter or scene-shifter. After having worked in the theater, his talent as an actor was eventually discovered, and he adopted the names 'Macchius' a clownish stock-character in popular farces , and 'Plautus' a term meaning "flat-footed".

Tradition also says that he eventually made enough money to go into the shipping business, but that the venture collapsed. He then is said to have worked as a manual laborer and studied Greek drama particularly the New Comedy of Menander in his spare time. His studies led to the production of his plays, which were first produced between c. Plautus attained such popularity, that solely his name was a guarantee of theatrical success. Plautus' comedies, which are among the earliest surviving intact works in Latin literature, are mostly adaptations of Greek models for a Roman audience and are often directly based on the works of the Greek playwrights.

The Funny Thing action is drawn from incidents in three of these plays: Plautus was a popular comedic playwright while Roman theater was still in its infancy, still feeling the birth pangs of theatrical evolution. Simultaneously, the Roman Republic was expanding its sphere of influence and control. Plautus and the Gods of Roman Society H. Tolliver discusses the state gods of Rome and their importance as seen in the Plautine Theater. These gods were an important part of everyday life to the Romans of Plautus time and a citizen had a duty to his state to worship them.

Tolliver tells us that the gods were not exactly like our contemporary gods. They were worshipped but also stood as a national symbol, somewhat like our flag of today. State religion also served as a political tool. If the gods supported a corrupt leader, then the people should too. Plautus is sometimes accused of teaching the public indifference and mockery of the gods. Any character in his plays could be compared to a god. Whether to honor a character or to mock him, these references were demeaning to the gods. These references to the gods include characters comparing a mortal woman to a god or saying he would rather be loved by a woman than the gods.

Pyrgopolynices from Miles Gloriosus vs. In Pseudolus, Jupiter is compared to the Ballio the pimp. It is not uncommon too for a character to scorn the gods as seen in Poenulus and Rudens. However, when a character scorns a god, it is usually a character of low standing such as a pimp. Plautus perhaps does this to further demoralize the characters. The audience is not supposed to love the pimp, so by making the pimp do sometime against the proper conventions of society, the audience will dislike the character even more. Tolliver also relates the ways in which the gods are referenced to by the stock characters.

Soldiers often bring ridicule among the gods. The young men, meant to represent the upper social class, often belittle the gods in their remarks. The parasites, pimps, and courtesans often praise the gods with scant ceremony. Tolliver goes on to argue that drama both reflects and foreshadows social change. There was most likely already much skepticism about the gods during Plautus era. Plautus did not make up or encourage irreverence to the gods, but reflected ideas of his time. He is known to have fought in the First Punic War and his birth, therefore, is placed around the year B.

Plautus would have been living at the exact time as Naevius, but began writing later. Marcellus was the head of the family, the Marcelli, who were also one of the most powerful families in Rome. Boyle, there is a reference in Plautus Miles Gloriosus to a foreign poet, showing that poets might have been imprisoned for unbridled speech. Naevius imprisonment and eventual exile is a case of state censorship that may have been a factor in Plautus writing.

Naevius was being exiled when Plautus was writing and this must have had an effect on what Plautus chose to speak about in his plays. Leigh has devoted an extensive chapter about Plautus and Hannibal in his recent book, Comedy and the Rise of Rome. He says that, the plays themselves contain occasional references to the fact that the state is at arms West believes that this is inserted commentary on the Second Punic War.

In his article, On a Patriotic Passage in the Miles Gloriosus of Plautus, he states that the war engrossed the Romans more than all other public interests combined. Therefore, it is reasonable to say that Plautus, according to P. Harvey, was willing to insert [into his plays] highly specific allusions comprehensible to the audience. Leigh writes in his chapter on Plautus and Hannibal that, the Plautus who emerges from this investigation is one whose comedies persistently touch the rawest nerves in the audience for whom he writes. While they would eventually move on Philip V in the Second Macedonian War, there was considerable debate beforehand about the course Rome should take in this conflict.

In the article Bellum Philippicum: Their speech is littered with words such as pietas and aequus, and they struggle to make their father fulfill his proper role. While he makes no specific reference to the possible war with Greece or the previous war that might be too dangerous , he does seem to push the message that the government should take care of its own people before attempting any other military actions.

Plautus was notably influenced by the political events of his time and thus gives modern readers a greater insight into the politics of the ancient world and how an average Roman citizen living during his time might have viewed those events and the attitudes they might have possessed as a result. Greek Influence The influence of Greek playwrights is obvious when looking at the texts of the plays of Plautus.

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Added to this, and just as telling, is the overt use of Greek names and language. Though the Greek influence is quite evident, Plautus plays are in no way Greek plays. Greek influence only penetrates the texts of Plautus plays superficially, i. Everything that comes in between these things is Roman. The ancient Greek playwright that best embodies Old Comedy is Aristophanes.

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Each of these plays and the others that Aristophanes wrote are known for their critical political and societal commentary. It is extremely conscious of the world in which it functions and analyzes that world accordingly. Comedy and theater were the political commentary of the time the public conscience. In Aristophanes The Wasps, the playwright s commentary is unexpectedly blunt and forward. For example, he names his two main characters Philocleon and Bdelycleon, which mean pro-cleon and anti-cleon, respectively.

Simply the names of the characters in this particular play of Aristophanes make a political statement. Cleon was a major political figure of the time and through the actions of the characters about which he writes Aristophanes is able to freely criticize the actions of this prominent politician in public and through his comedy.

The most notable difference, according to Dana F. Sutton is that New Comedy, in comparison to Old Comedy, is devoid of an serious political, social or intellectual content and could be performed in any number of social and political settings without risk of giving offense. Instead, there is much more of a focus on the home and the family unit something that the Romans, including Plautus, could easily understand and adopt for themselves later in history. For example, in Menander s Dis Exapaton there is a focus on the betrayal between age groups and friends.

The father-son relationship is very strong and the son remains loyal to the father. The relationship is always a focus, even if it s not the focus of every action taken by the main characters. In Plautus, on the other hand, the focus is still on the relationship between father and son, but we see betrayal between the two men that wasn t seen in Menander.

There is a focus on the proper conduct between a father and son that, apparently, was so important to Roman society at the time of Plautus. This becomes the main difference and, also, similarity between Menander and Plautus. They both address situations that tend to develop in the bosom of the family. But the attitudes on these relationships seem much different a reflection of how the worlds of Menander and Plautus differed.

Anderson discusses the believability of Menander versus the believability of Plautus and, in essence, says that Plautus plays are much less believable than those plays of Menander because they seem to be such a farce in comparison. He addresses them as a reflection of Menander with some of Plautus own contributions. Anderson claims that there is unevenness in the poetry of Plautus that results in incredulity and refusal of sympathy of the audience.

Prologues The poetry of Menander and Plautus is best juxtaposed within the context of the prologues. Lloyd makes the point that albeit the two prologues introduce plays whose plots are of essentially different types, they are almost identical in form [26] He goes on to address the specific style of Plautus that differs so greatly from Menander. He says that the verbosity of the Plautine prologues has often been commented upon and generally excused by the necessity of the Roman playwright to win his audience.

Plautus might seem more verbose, but where he lacks in physical comedy he makes up for it with words, alliteration and paronomasia punning. In Miles Gloriosus, for instance, the female concubine s name, Philocomasium, translates to lover of a good party which is quite apt when we learn about the tricks and wild ways of this prostitute. Character Plautus characters many of which seem to crop up in quite a few of his plays also came from Greek stock, though they too received some Plautine innovations.

Indeed, since Plautus was adapting these plays it would be difficult not to have the same kinds of characters roles such as slaves, concubines, soldiers, and old men. By working with the characters that were already there but injecting his own creativity, as J. Lowe wrote in his article Aspects of Plautus Originality in the Asinaria, Plautus could substantially modify the characterization, and thus the whole emphasis of a play [29] The Clever Slave One of the best examples of this method is the Plautine slave, a form that plays a major role in quite a few of Plautus works.

The clever slave in particular is a very strong character; he not only provides exposition and humor, but also often drives the plot in Plautus plays. Stace argues that Plautus took the stock slave character from New Comedy in Greece and altered it for his own purposes. What Stace argues gives us both evidence of Plautus creativity and his Greek source material. In New Comedy, he writes, the slave is often not much more than a comedic turn, with the added purpose, perhaps, of exposition.

However, because Plautus found humor in slaves tricking their masters or comparing themselves to great heroes, he took the character a step further and created something very distinct. In fact, of the approximate proper names in the surviving plays of Plautus, about names, are Greek. Seaman proposes that these Greek names would have delivered a comic punch to the audience because of their already basic understanding of the Greek language. Not only did men billeted in Greek areas have opportunity to learn sufficient Greek for the purpose of everyday conversation, but they were also able to see plays in the foreign tongue.

Also, by using his many Greek references and showing that his plays were originally Greek, It is possible that Plautus was in a way a teacher of Greek literature, myth, art and philosophy; so too was he teaching something of the nature of Greek words to people, who, like himself, had recently come into closer contact with that foreign tongue and all its riches. At the time of the plays Rome is expanding, and having much success in Greece.

Anderson has commented that Plautus, is using and abusing Greek comedy to imply the superiority of Rome, in all its crude vitality, over the Greek world, which was now the political dependent of Rome, whose effete comic plots helped explain why the Greeks proved inadequate in the real world of the third and second centuries, in which the Romans exercised mastery. Plautus was known for his adaptations of Greek originals but, his plays are much more authentic than just adaptations. Plautus was not merely imitating his Greek forefathers he was distorting the plays that he had in mind.

Copycat or Creative Playwright? Plautus was known for the use of Greek style in his plays. However, this has been a point of contention among modern scholars. One argument states that Plautus writes with originality and creativity the other, that Plautus is a copycat of Greek New Comedy and that he makes no original contribution to playwriting. However, the reality lies in the middle of these two arguments. Plautus writes with a remarkable amount of creativity. However, he was influenced greatly by the Greek New Comedy playwrights of the past particularly Menander. Anderson would steer any reader away from the idea that Plautus plays are somehow not his own or at least only his interpretation.

Anderson says that, Plautus homogenizes all the plays as vehicles for his special exploitation. Against the spirit of the Greek original, he engineers events at the end It seems more likely that Plautus was just experimenting putting Roman ideas in Greek forms. Greece and Rome, although always put into the same category, were entirely different worlds with entirely differently paradigms and ways-of-life. Geoffrey Arnott says that we see that a set of formulae [used in the plays] concerned with characterization, motif, and situation has been applied to two dramatic situations which possess in themselves just as many difference as they do similarities.

He writes about Greeks like a Greek. However, it is also important to note that Plautus and the writers of Greek New Comedy, such as Menander, were writing in two completely different contexts. Contaminatio One idea that is important to recognize is that of contaminatio, which refers to the mixing of elements of two or more source plays. Plautus, it seems, is quite open to this method of adaptation, and quite a few of his plots seem stitched together from different stories. However Plautus might have expanded himself upon the original plot in order to make a statement about Roman culture versus Greek culture the possibility of another Greek play which happens to fit the space left by Dis Exapaton seems too improbable.

Plautus attack on the genre whose material he pirated was, as already stated, fourfold. He deconstructed many of the Greek plays finely constructed plots; he reduced some, exaggerated others of the nicely drawn characters of Menander and of Menander s contemporaries and followers into caricatures; he substituted for or superimposed upon the elegant humor of his models his own more vigorous, more simply ridiculous foolery in action, in statement, even in language.

Plautus took what he found but again made sure to expand, subtract, and modify. While Plautus changes much of what he found in the older comedies, he didn t throw all Greek aspects out the window he, and his audience, were familiar enough with Greek culture that they could appreciate such jokes. He clearly saw something in those plays that made him leave such a strong Greek air in his adaptations.

It seems to be the consensus of at least some scholars that Plautus is influenced by the Greeks only insofar as he needed to when devising his plays during the infancy of Roman comedy. He seems to have followed the same path that Horace did, though Horace is much later, in that he is putting Roman ideas in Greek forms. He is not only imitating the Greeks, but he is in fact distorting, cutting up, and transforming the plays into something entirely Roman. In essence it is Greek theater colonized by Rome and its playwrights. Stagecraft In Ancient Greece during the time of New Comedy, from which Plautus drew so much of his inspiration, there were permanent theaters that catered to the audience as well as the actor.

The greatest playwrights of the day had quality facilities in which to present their work and, in a general sense, there was always enough public support to keep the theater running and successful. However, this was not the case in Rome during the time of the Republic when Plautus would have been writing his plays. Though the debate about this topic has sometimes been hindered by a lack of evidence, scholars have illuminated parts this field, and thus facilitated further research of the subject. What they have found is that while there was public support for theater and people came to enjoy tragedy and comedy alike, there was a notable lack of governmental support.

The result was that there was not a permanent theater until Pompey dedicated the first one in 55 B.