Part 23: "He Enjoyed Tricking People," She said.
Here's what I grapple with. Did my father believe his lies sometimes, or lie so often that he became confused about reality?
Part 22: Making A Brand New Start of It, New York, New York
If I had to point to a time when my father had some prestige and success, it would've been the years from 1944-1948. He was young, talented,
Part 21: Live and In Person: Famous, Beautiful, and Talented.
Riley was young in the mid-1940s. New York offered him many fantastic opportunities to find work and meet new people.
Part 17: Riley's Early 20s and His Journal: A Look Back
“They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by...
Part 16: Women, a Nudist Lawyer, Colonel Tom Parker, and Hillbillies.
My Dad introduced me to Colonel Tom Parker, telling Parker that it was my 16th birthday."Oh? Sweet sixteen and never been kissed?"
Part 15: Women, Sid Grauman, and Hillbillies.
In 1937 I went to California. I felt the need to explore new possibilities. Sid Grauman saw me perform at a theater and agreed to be my agen
Part 14: Alma Anderson, Riley’s First Wife’s Suicide
When I was a little girl, Dad told me about Alma. He announced, out of the blue, that his first wife committed suicide.
Part 13: A Wedding, A Short Con, and Drifting
Riley started this journal late in life, maybe in the 1980s. With some pages, he begins with his age, then he includes not only personal...
Part 10: Riley's Real Troubles Begin
Reading through the reports from The Eastern Carolina Industrial Training School for Boys, I noticed a dramatic change in tone after the...
Part 8: Things Boys Got In Trouble For in the Early 1900s
I found this list of habits and offenses that could categorize a kid as a delinquent back in the 1920s. The list was in a pamphlet at the...