Where They Stood
History Podcasts
A podcast dedicated to Michigan history and morbidly amazing stories buried deep (and not so deep) in our family trees.
Location:
United States
Description:
A podcast dedicated to Michigan history and morbidly amazing stories buried deep (and not so deep) in our family trees.
Language:
English
Episodes
25: The April 2, 1977 Michigan Tornado
4/2/2024
April 2, 1977, the day before Palm Sunday, was not supposed to include a major weather event. However, a supercell that touched down in Kalamazoo and wrecked havoc all the way to Bath, MI, changed that for many people. Hear the stories from survivors and of the victims on the 47th anniversary of this horrific day, the "last" F4 tornado to hit Michigan.
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Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:01:23:00
24: The Jinx of the Hastings Family Part 3
1/23/2024
In this episode I dig deeper into the roots of the Hastings, Bennett and Gladding families. Also discussed are tips (and warnings) for your own research.
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Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:01:16:30
23: Just the Updates, Ma'am with Brittany Laidlaw
12/15/2023
She's baaaack! Join us as I read more of the stories we discussed in episode 8! WARNING: The dates I give are a mess and so is the audio but that tracks!
Sources: Newspapers.com, Ancestry.com
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Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:01:08:13
22: The Mighty Fitz
12/8/2023
In this episode we take a closer look at the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. Topics discussed: the interior of the ship, different ways to describe the shape of the Upper Peninsula, and if Lake Superior does give up her dead.
Please do not use this photo without seeking permission from Where They Stood podcast.
Transmission between Captain Cooper and the United States Coast Guard on November 10, 1975: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyaEDWf_dG8
Caitlin Doughty, The Lake That Never Gives Up Her Dead https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0Lg9HygEJc
Partial list of sources. Please contact Where They Stood for all of the sources.
https://orionmagazine.org/article/edmund-fitzgerald-shipwreck-lake-superior/
https://www.mybirthdayfacts.com/number-one-song.htm
https://www.eekwi.org/great-lakes/lakes/lake-superior#:~:text=It%20is%20the%20deepest%20(1%2C335,F%20(4%C2%B0C).
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/watertrails/lswt/more.html#:~:text=Except%20for%20shallow%20bays%20and,average%2C%20less%20than%20two%20hours.
https://www.jsonline.com/story/life/green-sheet/2023/05/03/what-to-know-about-the-edmund-fitzgerald-whose-wreck-inspired-song/70174467007/
https://www.jdpower.com/boats/shopping-guides/ship-abbreviations-common-prefixes-and-their-meanings#:~:text=SS%20%E2%80%94%20The%20Default%20Prefix,sail%20and%20oar%20propelled%20watercraft
https://www.ksat.com/travel/2019/08/05/why-soo-locks-are-so-important-to-us-economy-unlocking-value-of-engineering-gem/#:~:text=Built%20in%201855%2C%20the%20Soo,Ocean%20(and%20vice%20versa).
https://www.michigan.org/article/trip-idea/things-you-may-not-know-about-soo-locks
https://www.thoughtco.com/ships-champagne-and-superstition-1774054
https://ssedmundfitzgerald.org/fitz-timeline
https://www.mlive.com/entertainment/2017/09/here_are_the_12_things_people.html
https://shipwreckmuseum.com/the-launch-of-the-edmund-fitzgerald-june-8-1958/
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/education/geology/digging/taconite.html#:~:text=The%20taconite%20pellets%2
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Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:01:10:51
21: Masked Michigan Natives
12/2/2023
Let's play a little game, Dear Listeners. I tell you about some native, famous men from Michigan and you try to guess who they are! Intriguing stories, trivia, and perhaps too many Star Wars references. Oof. Also, no looking at the sources until after you listen!!!
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Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:01:01:58
20: SOS
11/17/2023
A story about a man, stuck in the Colorado Mountains, with only one hope, using SOS to signal for help. But this story, while fascinating, is not what it seems. Learn more about the secret that just wouldn't keep and how familial DNA broke an unsolved case wide open.
https://permies.com/t/136145/Wearing-wool-summer#:~:text=The%20obvious%20question%20was%3A%20'Wasn,summer%20and%20warm%20in%20winter.
Morbid Knowledge
https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/cadillac-mi-population
Deep In The Heart Of Texas
Song by Moe Bandy
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 09 Jan 1982 UPI “Survival, Motorist’s SOS Catches Eye of Passenger In Jet”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alan-lee-phillips-life-prison-dna-1982-killings-annette-schnee-bobbie-jo-oberholtzer-colorado/
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/alan-lee-phillips-dies-murdered-annette-schnee-barbara-bobbi-jo-oberholtzer-colorado-near-breckenridge-cold-case/
https://lawandcrime.com/crime/alan-lee-phillips-convicted-of-murdering-annette-schnee-bobbi-jo-oberholtzer/
https://www.oxygen.com/buried-in-the-backyard/crime-news/bobbie-jo-oberholtzer-annette-schnee-murder-alan-phillips
https://lawandcrime.com/crime/colorado-man-now-70-years-old-arrested-in-murders-of-two-women-the-cases-had-been-cold-since-1982/
Unsolved Mysterious, May 1991
Unsolved Mysteriousfandom.com
Man Rescued in Colorado Mountain Pass Is Accused in 1982 Murders
By Maria Cramer
May 27, 2021
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/27/us/phillips-colorado-sos-murder.html
https://www.colorado.com/articles/real-south-park-colorado
sound effect from Pixabay.com
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Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:01:16:37
19: Halloweeney
10/31/2023
Here are a few stories to get you in the Halloween mood!
Music by ALEKSEY CHISTILIN, "Alice In Dark Wonderland" via Pixabay.com
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Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:00:46:31
18: The Haunting of Holly Corr
10/20/2023
Okay, I wasn't really haunted...or was I? This is the story of Sleep Demons and Sleep Paralysis with some creepy Beaver Island tales thrown in the mix. Happy Halloween!
Song and Sound effects: courtesy of Pixaby.com
Episode Art: the picture of JFK that I personally took on my trip to Beaver Island in 1997 (picture is taken from the video I made that day)
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/hypnagogia
https://www.buzzfeed.com/danieldalton/wake-up-wake-up-wake-up
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/parasomnias/sleep-paralysis#:~:text=Sleep%20paralysis%20is%20a%20temporary,and%20certain%20mental%20health%20conditions.
https://www.bibco.com/beaver-island-and-tours-2/island-history/
Violent Ends Podcast Episode 75
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver_Island_Head_Light
https://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=205
https://99wfmk.com/lighthouse-ladies/
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/parasomnias/sleep-demon
https://www.detroitparanormalexpeditions.com/beaverisland
https://www.clickondetroit.com/features/2023/10/09/detroit-ghost-hunters-reveal-their-scariest-paranormal-experiences-best-evidence/
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Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:00:35:59
17: The Disappearance of Sarah Lonsberry
10/9/2023
Sarah Lonsberry disappeared on January 1, 1905, one cold, Michigan January. No one saw her leave and her concerned husband contacted the police. After years without a lead in the case, a serious of strange events caused the search to reopen and this time, with results. This is the story of the Dimondale Lonsberrys and one sheriff who wouldn't let this cold case go.
Wikipedia
Detroit Free Press Jul 15, 1928
Ancestry .com
The Evening News, Sault Saint Marie, Friday, September 11, 1908–Tipped Over, Two Drowned
Lansing State Journal, W.E. Lonsberry is Arraigned On Murder Charge, July 13, 1911
Lansing State Journal, Lonsberry Threatened Wife, July 24, 1911
Lansing State Journal, Lonsberry Relates History of His Life Leading Up To The Murder of His Wife, July 29, 1911
Lansing State Journal, Mrs. Lonsberry Is Near Death, March 29, 1912
Lansing State Journal, Mrs. Lonsberry Send to Asylum, March 26, 1912
Lansing State Journal, Lonsberry’s Son Robs Employers, Aug 2, 1911
Detroit Evening News, Body of Woman Missing Six Years Believed Found, July 19, 1911
Lansing State Journal, Story of Inhumane Cruelty Recited, July 21, 1911
Lansing State Journal, Alleged Wife Slayer Pleads Not Guilty, July 21, 1911
Find A Grave
Geneolgy Bank
Newspaper.com
So Dead Podcast
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Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:01:20:30
16: Frankenstein marries Dorothy Stine
9/30/2023
What do Frankenstein's monster and Charlotte, MI have in common? More than you might realize. This week's story tells of purposeful poisoning, the life of Billy Pratt, and answers the question: did Boris Karloff ever visit Charlotte?
Special thanks to: Julie Wheaton Myers and CGB for their monthly support of the podcast.
Image: By Universal Studios, NBCUniversal - Dr. Macro, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3558176
Sources:
Karloff: The Story of Boris Karloff by Peter Underwood, 1972
Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster on Amazon Prime
Wikipedia
Newspapers .com
Ancestry. Com
Geneologybank .com
Footloose
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a25686008/angels-with-filthy-souls-home-alone-gangster-movie/
Support the show
Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:00:55:37
15: Buffett, Bests, and Bras--My Tribute to Jimmy
9/20/2023
In reality, I have many *favorite* artists (as I have several *best* friends), but not every artist would garner an episode from me. This man most certainly does. Episode 15 is my own tribute to Jimmy Buffett but also a reflection of life itself: looking back, looking around, looking forward. Fins up, Parrot Heads.
Sources:
https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-one-particular-harbour-by-jimmy-buffett/
https://www.songfacts.com/facts/jimmy-buffett/one-particular-harbour
https://www.al.com/life/2023/09/jimmy-buffett-was-one-of-alabamas-favorite-sons.html
https://altoday.com/archives/53659-gov-kay-ivey-saddened-by-jimmy-buffetts-death#:~:text=Buffett%20was%20a%20student%20at,more%20than%20he%20loved%20academics.
https://www.mcphagwara.com/bio/margie-washichek/
https://www.news4jax.com/entertainment/2022/01/15/jimmy-buffett-looks-at-50-years-after-his-1st-key-west-gig/
https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/
Jimmybuffett.com
The Jimmy Buffett Scrapbook 3rd Edition, by Mark Humphry and Harris Lewine
Mile Marker Zero, The Movable Feast of Key West by William McKeen
https://www.wideopencountry.com/its-5-oclock-somewhere/
A Pirate Looks at Fifty by Jimmy Buffett
Two of my favorite Parrot Head friends: Shawn and Kelly
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Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:00:47:17
14: The Other Ballroom
8/21/2023
The story of Bobby Kennedy's bid for the 1968 Democratic Nomination, his last speech in California, and a Michigan woman who was waiting for him to speak in the other ballroom. Also, the story of the killer Ferris wheel (that never killed anyone).
Sources:
"Authority Song" by John Mellencamp
YouTube videos of Robert Kennedy and Edward Kennedy speaking
Pete Hamil's first hand account: https://www.villagevoice.com/pete-hamills-eyewitness-account-of-robert-kennedys-assassination/
https://www.maryferrell.org/pages/Essay_-_Incomplete_Justice_-_At_the_Ambassador_Hotel.html
Thurston Clarke recounts in his book, “The Last Campaign: Robert F. Kennedy and 82 Days That Inspired America.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/06/05/the-night-bobby-kennedy-was-shot-the-awful-scene-a-post-reporter-witnessed/
What Bobby Kennedy really meant when he said “Now it’s on to Chicago”
Rosey Grier: The Lineman Who Tried to Save RFK—And Voted for Trump
Gil Troy, Updated Jun. 03, 2018
https://www.thedailybeast.com/rosey-grier-the-linebacker-who-tried-to-save-rfkand-voted-for-trump
Patricia Guadalupe, June 6, 2018
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/how-rfk-s-assassination-set-back-latino-civil-rights-talk-n880156
Wikipedia
https://features.apmreports.org/arw/campaign68/a1.html
https://pueblo.gpo.gov/Publications/pdfs/6099.pdf
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/05/us/robert-kennedy-california.html
“Bobby For President” documentary on Netflix
https://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/rfkanniversary
https://www.fosters.com/story/news/2017/01/15/ask-jerry-just-3-requirements-to-be-us-president/22669349007/ Jerry Romansky Jan 15, 2017
https://www.npr.org/sections/politicaljunkie/2010/05/06/126563608/flashback-friday-on-this-day-in-1968-rfk-wins-indiana-prez-primary
Flashback Friday: On This Day in 1968, RFK Wins Indiana Prez Primary
May 7, 2010 8:03 AM ET by Ken Rudin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Democratic_Party_presidential_primaries#April:_McCarthy_triumphant,_Humphrey_enters
https://www.latimes.
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Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:01:03:36
13: Love at the County Fair
8/10/2023
They fell in love at the Eaton County Fair and then, they became parents of a country music legend. This episode takes a long look at some family history, the settling of Chester, MI (again) and the evolution of marriage. Oh, and I finally set a rumor to rest: NO, "he" wasn't necessarily from Charlotte, MI...but his momma sure was! And, "he" did live here... when he was one year old. Find out who "he" is and so much more in this episode!
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Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:00:41:09
12: Where I Stood
8/3/2023
A long, long time ago (1988)
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile...(Debbie Gibson, George Michael, Glen Medeiros)
And I knew if I had the chance, I could share a dance
and maybe be happy for a while...
But March made me shiver
Bad news on our doorstep and I absolutely cried....
But this isn't about the day the music died. This was about the day I almost died and it's about my first experience with losing someone I loved. This is a personal story, about Where I Stood in July of 1988, as I was moving out of my childhood and into a confusing, hormonal life as a teenager. Join me in reliving this event and growing up in the late 1980s.
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Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:00:51:56
11: Andrew Jackson, Eaton County and the Petticoat Affair
7/18/2023
Berrien, Livingston, Van Buren, Barry, Cass, Livingston, Ingham and Eaton. No, I did not just read you a list of counties under a tornado watch. But, If you live in mid or Southern Michigan, you’ve heard these names before because of course, these are the names of… Andrew Jackson’s presidential cabinet members. Learn more about our country’s 7th president, a territory called Michigan (trying to become a state), John Eaton, (Andrew Jackson’s secretary of war caught in a scandal) and….Eaton trying to beat up Ingham??? This episode is FULL of it..."it" being amazing info to help you and your DJ Trivia Team.
Picture of John Eaton, courtesy of Florida Department of State.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/andrew-jackson#andrew-jackson-s-early-life
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/bios/andrew-jackson
Taraross.com This day in history
Britannica
https://thehermitage.com/learn/andrew-jackson/childhood/
https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2008/12/elizabeth-hutchinson-jackson.html
https://michiganology.org/stories/steps-to-statehood-for-michigan/#:~:text=Congress%20said%20Michigan%20had%20work,85%2C000%20people%20living%20in%20Michigan.
Steps to Statehood for Michigan--MICHIGAN HISTORY CENTER STAFF
https://www.michigan.gov/dmva/about/history/military-events/highlights/the-toledo-war
https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/petticoat-affair/
Dictionary.com
Wikipedia.com
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Worcester-v-Georgia
https://owlcation.com/humanities/3-Famous-Duels-Involving-Andrew-Jackson
https://medium.com/omgfacts/the-true-story-of-andrew-jacksons-swearing-parrot-6189abaa3155
https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Attempt_to_kill_King_Andrew.htm
https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2015/05/crisis-chronicles-the-man-on-the-twenty-dollar-bill-and-the-panic-of-1837/
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Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:00:55:25
10: The Wheatons Part 2
6/27/2023
According to Marriage and Divorce 19th Century Style written by Margaret Wood, “A man could divorce his wife for one instance of adultery but a woman could only obtain a divorce if her husband was physically cruel, incestuous, or bestial in addition to being adulterous." Zella Belle Wheaton, from Charlotte, MI, was part of this 19th century marriage culture and caught in the snare of wanting a divorce but unfortunately, being a woman accused of adultery, she was thrown into a jail cell. Also discussed, the city of Detroit and Lou Gehrig?? Yes, Lou Gehrig.
One last thing, I have some STRONG opinions about Warren "Woody" Woodbury. Soooorry if you find him likeable!
Sources:
https://99wfmk.com/chestermichigan/
Genealogybank
Wikipedia
https://www.eatoncounty.org/479/Sheriffs-of-Eaton-County
https://www.legalchoices.org.uk/dictionary/culpa#:~:text=Blameworthiness%20or%20a%20fault.,culpa%20(I%20am%20at%20fault)
https://www.historicdetroit.org/buildings/book-cadillac-hotel
Ann Arbor Daily Argus
Google Maps
Charlotte Republican
https://www.pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/patient-information/conditions-treated-a-to-z/arteriosclerosis#:~:text=What%20Is%20Arteriosclerosis%3F,diabetes%20and%20certain%20genetic%20influences.
Cornell Law Schools, Legal Information Institute
Detroit News
Politicalsailor, a descendent of Zulla Delle’s daughter, Elizabeth. Politicalsailor is the Ancestry username of this person who uploaded some really cool photos of Wheaton family artifacts.
Marriage and Divorce in the 19th century https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2018/02/marriage-and-divorce-19th-century-style/
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-racist-slutshaming-history-of-adultery-laws
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Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:00:50:58
9: The Wheatons Part 1
6/15/2023
A ghost town, pioneer days of Charlotte, MI and...wrestling a toothless bear? Meet the Wheatons which include the first sheriff of Eaton County, a two time mayor of Charlotte, MI and the descendants that brought these stories to us. Also, I have a returning guest and I'm SURE you're going to love the story I'm forcing him to share!
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Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:00:49:37
8: Just the Headlines, Ma'am with Brittany Laidlaw
5/25/2023
Something different! Please join ma-self and my dear friend, Brittany as I read her some bonkers headlines I've found while researching, she tells me what she thinks the story is about and then, I read the rest of the story. Dipshitery and hilarity ensue! Hope you enjoy this episode!
Sources:
Newspapers.com
Genealogybank.com
WILX.com
Support the show
Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:00:48:20
7: Potter's Field
5/16/2023
Maple Hill Cemetery in Charlotte, MI has a mystery. There are 37 unmarked graves buried SOMEWHERE inside its gates. This is the story of how these resting places were discovered on paper and one man's efforts to find them. Bonus Material: all you wanted to know about decomposition, cadaver dogs and my favorite park as a child that was once a cemetery.
CALL TO ACTION: Please, contact me on the Where They Stood Facebook page or contact the Maple Hill Cemetery in Charlotte, MI if you can help with a Ground Penetrating Radar machine or a cadaver dog. Please, help!
SOURCES:
Interview with Chuck Brandon
www.inverse.com
"What Cadaver Dogs Really Sniff For In The Hunt For The Dead" by Lucy Huang, July 27, 2017
Maplehillcemeterycharlottemi.com
Wikipedia--Potter's Field
"An inside look at the 6 most haunted places in the Lansing area," Rachel Greco, Lansing State Journal, October 25, 2019
How Stuff Works: State Funded Funerals: What Happens to the Unclaimed Dead by Adina Soloman
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Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:00:50:33
6: Little House and the Backstory
5/3/2023
This is the backstory of one of the most famous couples in America, who never knew of their fame. They are legends of our time but not their own. Get to know this pioneer couple who faced so many hardships, including a moment where they were faced with giving up their second born daughter, Laura.
Sources:
Pioneergirl.com
Nancy Cleavland
Ancestry.com
Google
John Bass, president, director and historian of the Ingalls-Wilder-Lane Historic Alliance, located in Shreveport, La.
Little House on the Prairie.com Caroline Ingalls
DECEMBER 12, 2015 BY SARAH S. UTHOFF
https://littlehouseontheprairie.com/about-caroline-ingalls-ma/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Michigan_Triangle
Old World Wisconsin FB page article from Feb 1, 2022
Lansing State Journal,
Sarah Leach, Holland Sentenial
July 14, 2022
Four drowned in Lake Michigan waters in a single day. What happened and what can we do?https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/accident/2022/07/14/riptide-currents-led-multiple-drownings-lake-michigan-waterways/10056562002/?fbclid=IwAR2ZHbnZ2tyxYl1d-bxkm1IxtK_T45qoOQ11Mdme1SatEoGsYVw4CGjvR-c
WebMD Sleep Paralysis November 17, 2022
https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-paralysis
CNN–The Real Reason Mary Ingalls Went Blind
https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/03/health/mary-ingalls-blind-little-house-on-prairie/index.html
On Our Own-Bobby Brown
June 22, 1989, MCA
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald-Gordon Lightfoot
August 1976, Reprise
Laura Ingalls Wilder Family Correspondence
https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/tp/id/55378
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Music: Saint Kilda Wedding by Harpo Marks
Duration:00:40:51