From 1946 to 1956, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were show business supernovas. With an act that combined singing, slapstick, and spontaneous hijinks, the duo sold out nightclubs coast to coast, then went on, in quick succession, to conquer radio, television and film. Long before Elvis and The Beatles came along, Dean and Jerry were rock stars of comedy. Offstage, there was a cordial but cool friendship between the laid-back Martin and the more neurotic Lewis. But as the pressures of their success... READ ON

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, spiritualism—a belief that the spirits of the dead can communicate with the living—was all the rage. There was no trendier activity than holding a séance led by a medium, who would mediate between the living and the dead. The medium not only delivered messages from the dearly departed, but also demonstrated the presence of spirits in the room by levitating objects, ringing bells, and producing a substance from her body known as ectoplasm. Those were... READ ON

Before they were headlining movies and TV shows, these celebs were just like everyone else trying to make it in Hollywood: thrilled to call home to report that the “Flight Attendant #3” role was totally in the bag. Check out a few of today’s big names back when they were cast as no-names. 1. Jason Segel as “Watermelon Guy” in Can’t Hardly Wait 2. Lucy Liu as waitress on Beverly Hills 90210 3. Alexis Bledel as an unnamed student in Rushmore 4. Michelle Williams as Brad’s... READ ON

In the days before the Internet, writing a letter to a celebrity and sending it out via snail mail was almost a rite of passage. Nearly everyone did it. As a kid, I wrote letters to my favorite athletes requesting autographs, and was always thrilled—and a little shocked—when I received a response back. But now, celebrities typically connect with their fans via their own websites or on Twitter—so the magical quality of a written letter sent to a fan has largely been forgotten. Luckily, sites like... READ ON