121 Sentences With "costume ball" | Random Sentence Generator

Because, after all, what is the red carpet if not one big costume ball?

While working the Met Costume Ball, Mr. Isengart observed Madonna like a cake under a glass dome.

The pair were preparing for a Halloween costume ball at the hotel where Roxy worked as a dancer.

After Mr. Trump won the presidential election, he attended a costume ball at the Mercer estate on Long Island.

Future lectures will cover the shopping habits of society women on old Broadway and the Vanderbilt costume ball of 1883.

Watts, 47, and Schreiber, 48, met at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual costume ball in 2005 and immediately hit it off.

Nicholas Foulkes, the author of the 2008 book "High Society: The History of America's Upper Class," chose the 1883 Vanderbilt costume ball.

Her daughter, however, learned by accident when she attended a Halloween costume ball and encountered other guests dressed as Fred and Rose West.

CreditCreditAdrienne Grunwald for The New York Times Even with his superlative sleuthing skills, Sherlock Holmes may not have recognized a costume ball held in his honor the other night.

As for that teacher who dressed as the Grimpen Mire at the Babes' costume ball, Maria Fleischhack, 34, she received her shilling at the Friday dinner and became a Baker Street Irregular.

It's hard, when you hear 'ball' you think costume ball and you want to go over the top but I've made that mistake before so I'd rather just keep it simple and keep it pretty.

It doesn't fit in the setting — a gritty Old West edge-of-frontier outlaw town where virtually everyone just happens to be young, beautiful, clean, and dressed up like they're at a Victorian costume ball?

She is said to have brought Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon into the Trump campaign, and she is a guiding force at the annual costume ball hosted by her family at its Long Island estate.

Her therapist arrives for his normal consultation, a touch on the early side, having come from a costume ball, still attired in his get-up and mask, which he starts taking off as their session begins.

And that very Night, at the village Costume Ball—the laughter, The band, the strings of lights, the married flirt And the divorcée pretending to be perplexed— My friends and neighbors were having the time of their lives.

One example is artist Clay Spohn, whose Dadaesque 1949 installation "Museum of Unknown and Little Known Objects" — which included male and female "chastity belts" fashioned from bicycle seats — was displayed at the 1949 San Francisco Art Association's costume ball.

Amid a global depression in 1897, New York millionaires including banker J.P. Morgan and real estate heiress Caroline Astor spent several fortunes impersonating ancien régime royalty at a Waldorf Astoria costume ball while the unemployed huddled in the streets outside.

A homage to the global inspirations of Dior's original 1951 Le Bal Oriental, the legendarily lavish costume ball thrown by the Mexican mining heir Carlos de Beistegui, each scheme had its own custom-made plates, menus and Rubelli and Fortuny textiles.

All three are intensely glammed-up, vividly colorful versions of L'Engle's alien strangers, which underlines one of the odder things about this Wrinkle adaptation: it feels like a feature-length version of the costume ball from Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast.

There are notable excursions, including an Alpine holiday where Reynolds gets to swathe himself in immaculate knitwear, plus a New Year's costume ball, in Chelsea, but the first is like a snowy stage set and the second is as writhingly oppressive as one of Fellini's Roman jamborees.

Some of the tougher interviews suggest that Mr. Milewski would like "Dream Boat" to be more substantial, but that impulse is mostly kept at bay in favor of lighter scenes, like high-heel races around the pool, costume ball preparations and all-night dance parties that give way to poolside flirting.

"The Met is a costume ball, and there's so much riding on the Oscars, but Cannes is where you can establish personality," said the stylist Karla Welch, pointing out that film festivals offer multiple appearance opportunities: not just at a premiere, but during daytime photo calls as well as the diamond-studded parties thrown by brands like Vanity Fair and Chopard.

Late in the story she suggests that Mrs. de Winter wear a particular dress to a costume ball knowing Rebecca wore it to the costume ball the year before. It angers Mr. de Winter, and when the new wife confronts Mrs. Danvers about her deception Mrs.

Grand Duke Sergei was born on , at Borjomi,Chavchavadze, The Grand Dukes , p. 203 his father’s estate from Tiflis.Katin-Yartsev & Shumkov, Costume Ball at the Winter Palace, p. 54Hall, Imperial Dancer, p.

Nasiha Kapidžić-Hadžić (6 December 1932 – 22 September 1995) was a Bosnian children's author and poet. Her first children's book, Maskenbal u šumi ("Costume Ball in the Woods"), was published in 1962.

As Lady Sophia Murphy, she is the author of The Duchess of Devonshire's Ball (London: Sedgwick & Jackson, 1984), a photo-album of a costume ball given in 1897 by a previous Duchess of Devonshire.

Bradley Martin (December 18, 1841 – February 5, 1913) was an American socialite known for giving the Bradley-Martin costume ball at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City on the night of February 10, 1897.

In the battle that follows, Cupidon is injured protecting Clint. Preparing for the costume ball, Angelique tells Clio about the battle. Sophie warns her that Clarissa plans to expose her. Clio accuses Bart of cowardice—and he proposes.

University of California Press. p. 97. . The costumes were by Edith Head, including Kelly's memorable gold lamé gown for the film's costume ball. The car driven by Grace Kelly was a metallic blue 1953 Sunbeam Alpine Mk I.

His daughter Maud married Lt-General Alan Montagu-Stuart- Wortley. In 1897, she was one of the guests at the Duchess of Devonshire's Diamond Jubilee Costume Ball. His daughter Laura married Valentine Lawless, 4th Baron Cloncurry, an Irish nobleman.

A number of affiliated events are held in conjunction with Remembrance Day, including a costume ball the prior Friday evening, a "Remembrance Illumination" of Gettysburg National Cemetery graves, a fundraiser at the Gettysburg Cyclorama, a Citizenship Ceremony, and other events promote tourism to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

44 In the middle of the 1840s Musard's popularity began to decline.Cottrell p. 110 His last appearance in London occurred the summer of 1845, where he appeared at the Vauxhall Gardens, the Surrey Gardens, and at Queen Victoria's royal Costume Ball at Buckingham Palace.Carse p.

The second event was a costume ball held 9 February 1893 at the Moulin Rouge; along with merriment and drinking. Nude models walked about as living paintings and a nude woman was noted to be standing on a table at midnight. A lawsuit arose thereafter.

Ponceludon is invited to a costume ball "only for wits." Upon arriving at the ball with Mathilde, he is manoeuvered into dancing with Blayac and is tripped. His spectacular fall earns him the derisive nickname "Marquis des Antipodes" by Milletail. Ponceludon tears off his mask and condemns their decadence.

In 2008, Jeff Beacher took his variety show on an 81 city tour entitled Beacher’s Costume Ball Tour, and in 2009, became a featured act on the Warped Tour and Mayhem Festival The Costume Ball Tour was in partnership with MySpace and enjoyed sold-out performances across America in a variety of venues from hotels, to nightclubs, to theaters. The first sold-out shows were in Shreveport, Louisiana, with a reported audience of over 2,000. Other cities on the tour included Dallas, Chicago, Miami, and San Diego. The tour included a fixed set of acts which offered a variety of performers as well as local artists who were hired along the route.

Doctors' Wives is a 1971 American drama film directed by George Schaefer and starring Dyan Cannon, Gene Hackman, Carroll O'Connor, Richard Crenna, Janice Rule, John Colicos, and Rachel Roberts. It was based on a novel by Frank G. Slaughter. The theme song, "The Costume Ball", was sung by Mama Cass Elliot.

In 1845, he arranged for Valentine to settle with him in Florence and stayed by her side, even though her husband took umbrage. At a costume ball, Valentine was insulted by her rival, Mathilde, and in response Demidov slapped his wife twice in public, which signalled their final separation soon thereafter.

The video also includes a dream sequence based on the band's early days and including a costume ball in a mansion. The scenes of the band playing in the ballroom may have been inspired by a concert the Ray Davies Quartet performed at the Lyceum Ballroom on New Year's Eve 31 December 1962.

Rag Ball () is a 1930 German comedy film directed by Carl Heinz Wolff and starring Harry Frank, Irene Ambrus, and Kurt Lilien. The title refers to a costume ball in which the guests turn up in tatters and rags. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Gustav A. Knauer and Willy Schiller.

Smith is a co-creator of DragOn, an annual drag and costume ball. DragOn focuses on raising money for the LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS community in New York City. Smith is passionately committed to advocacy in the LGBTQ community. DragOn was founded to create a space for people to experiment with drag and creative expression through costume.

Kelley goes to a cafe and has a coffee, where Haywood arrives with his love interest. Scott then leaves her room and hails a taxi. Kelley leaves the cafe and goes outside to walk to a costume ball, to which Scott is also traveling. When they arrive at the ball, they both see their love interests wearing masks and embrace them.

Alexander was also known for his sense of humor, as he once appeared for a costume ball dressed from head to toe in shining armour. Alexander was the first member of the House of Orange to have his photograph taken, and he was also the first to own a bicycle.In naam van Oranje 33, p. 788 Alexander's greatest attachments were hunting and horses.

Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna of Russia surrounded by her children: Helene, Georg Alexander and Karl Michael. Georg Alexander Michael Friedrich Wilhelm Franz Carl of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was born on at Remplin,Katin-Yartsev & Shumkov, Costume Ball at the Winter Palace, p. 60 a family estate acquired by his parents in Mecklenburg shortly before his birth.Beéche, The Grand Duchesses, p. 41.

In Wewak, at a costume ball, she met again Tas Hammersley and promised to visit him and his school in Pagui. One day, a ship like the Sea Lark anchored in front of Kopar. It was the Thetis, a government patrol boat with its captain Goya Henry. He used to be an aviator, who lost one leg in an accident which cost his only passenger's life.

They leave a message behind asking Carmilla and one of the governesses to follow once the perpetually late-sleeping Carmilla awakes. En route to Karnstein, Laura and her father encounter General Spielsdorf. He tells them his own ghastly story: At a costume ball, Spielsdorf and his niece Bertha had met a very beautiful young woman named Millarca and her enigmatic mother. Bertha was immediately taken with Millarca.

She and Siegel first met in January 1935, when she worked with his colleague Joe Shuster as the model for Lois Lane. They reacquainted at a costume ball in New York on April 1, 1948.According to and , this was the Newspaper Comics Council Comic Strip Ball, held at the Plaza Hotel on April 1, 1948. On March 1, 1951, Joanne gave birth to their daughter, Laura.

The concert parties were made up of professional group of actors that combined slapstick musical comedies, folk stories, acrobatics, moral sermons, magical displays and dance-music sessions. Ghana's first concert actor was Teacher Yalley, headmaster of Sekondi Elementary school. As early as 1903 Two Mac's performed for the black and white elite at a costume ball and concert at Cape Castle.Braun, K., & Cole, C. (1995).

Despite Marie's outrage, Louis proves to be too weak to stand up to his grandfather. Sometime later, Marie meets Swedish Count Axel Fersen at a costume ball, during which she wagers and loses an expensive necklace. Count Mercy, the Austrian ambassador, scolds her for her wanton behaviour but she pays him little mind. Marie then hosts a ball in an attempt to make amends with du Barry and please Count Mercy.

At the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con, the Baker Street Babes co-hosted "SherlockeDCC" which featured attendees Mark Gatiss, Sue Vertue, and Steven Moffat. Two members were interviewed on NBC’s The Today Show in 2012. The Baker Street Babes organized a "well-attended dinner" at the 2014 annual Sherlock Holmes celebration held in Manhattan by The Baker Street Irregulars and hosted a costume ball at the 2018 celebration.

In time, Todd's run from the law soon ends on the night of the annual Costume Ball at a place called Serenity Springs. Bo is able to corner Todd and Todd has no other choice but to surrender. In a bizarre twist of fate, Todd is given a pardon after saving the lives of Marty and Tina and Cord's son, C.J. and Viki’s daughter Jessica Buchanan. But Todd's trouble is only beginning.

When it is Dolokhov's turn to shoot, Pierre stands openly in front of the bullet, but Dolokhov miraculously misses him ("The Duel"). Before they all leave, Anatole asks Hélène to convince Natasha to come to the costume ball that she is hosting that evening. She agrees and they leave Pierre. Alone, Pierre reflects on his near-death experience and realizes that despite wasting his life, he wishes to live ("Dust and Ashes").

Edith had a much reduced income. She became Queen Victoria's Lady-in-Waiting (Lady of the Bedchamber) in 1895 taking the post left vacant by Susanna, Duchess of Roxburghe. She was asked personally by the Queen and she received £300 per year and served with eight other aristocratic maids of honour. In 1897, she was one of the guests at the Duchess of Devonshire's Diamond Jubilee Costume Ball on 2 July 1897.

Side events include parties such as the surreal Costume Ball (Body Circus) with international DJs and musical stage performances. Also included are exhibitions, gatherings, meeting points and industry discussions. The three main days are open to the general public in a park also known as "Bodypaint City" where the World, Special and Amateur Awards are held. The festival is open to both adults and children and is considered a family-friendly environment.

Impoverished Count von Degenthal (Marshall) plans to commit suicide and spends his last night at a costume ball. There he meets lovely Lela Fischer (Maritza) and falls in love with her. A chance meeting with his former butler brings a job offer as a gigolo in a dance club. He dances with Jenny Kent (Boland), a wealthy American heiress, and she becomes so enamoured with him that she buys his castle, clearing all his debts.

Costume Ball, Bal Poudré at Warwick Castle in 1895 Through her royal association, Keppel became richer. The king permitted friends such as Sir Ernest Cassel to create endowments that kept her financially secure. Instead of giving her money directly from the Privy Purse, the king gave Keppel shares in a rubber company; these later gained her £50,000, the equivalent of around £7.5 million today. Edward let his own bankers and financial advisers manage her businesses.

The convention typically offers anime and live action screenings, AMV's, artist alley, concerts, cosplay masquerade, costume competitions, dances, dealers room, formal costume ball, game shows, iron cosplay, karaoke, LARP, live bands, maid cafe, manga library, panels, tabletop gaming, vendors, video gaming, and workshops. In 2015, the charity auction benefited the Lymphoma Research Foundation and raised over $1,800. The foundation was chosen due to the death of guest CJ Henderson from Lymphoma. In 2017, the charity auction benefited Ocean Conservancy.

In Switzerland, even with many difficulties, the homosexual movement kept its structures over the war. The Circle, a gay magazine, organized weekly club evenings in Zürich, that only subscribers could visit. Several elaborate systems were used to secure the anonymity of the participants, and only "Rolf", the editor of the magazine, had the names and addresses of everyone. For spring, summer, and fall big balls were organized, and there was also a big costume ball for carnival.

As a young newlywed, Alva Vanderbilt worked from 1878 to 1882 with Richard Morris Hunt to design a French Renaissance style chateau, known as the Petit Chateau, for her family at 660 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. A contemporary of Vanderbilt's was quoted as saying that "she loved nothing better than to be knee deep in mortar." She held a costume ball that cost $3 million to open the Fifth Avenue château. It was demolished in 1929.

The change in Lafayette Street's history is epitomized by the construction of the Schermerhorn Building in 1888 to replace the Schermerhorn mansion, where Mrs. William Colford Schermerhorn had redecorated the interior to resemble Louis XV's Versailles, it was thought, to give a French-themed costume ball in 1854 for six hundred New Yorkers,, p.723 at which the German Cotillion was introduced in America. A sign of changing times, in 1860 the W.C. Schermerhorns moved uptown to 49 West 23rd Street.

She is also curious about a cottage on the beach and about Ben, a dimwitted scavenger who constantly assures her he has said nothing and begs her not to commit him to the asylum, references the girl doesn't understand. Max's sister Beatrice and brother-in- law Giles convince him to revive his custom of hosting an annual costume ball at the estate. Mrs. Danvers suggests Mrs. de Winter replicate a dress worn by a family ancestor in a portrait hanging in the gallery.

In the 1980s the Harris sisters created a successful business, Coat Check Inc., to provide high-end event services (coat checking, waiter staff) to clients including The Metropolitan Costume Ball and Victoria's Secret. Their employees were actors and entertainers who needed flexible shifts to accommodate their unpredictable audition and performance schedules. In the late 1980s the sisters teamed up with Broadway composer Richard Adler (The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees) to record an album titled The Harris Sisters Sing Richard Adler.

Meanwhile, Clint offers to save the Saratoga Trunk from Soule in exchange for shares in the railroad. When Clio learns that Bart is paying Clint to do his dirty work, she hysterically accuses him of cowardice and sends him away. This excites Bart, who explains that he knows about her background, but wants to marry her anyway. The costume ball that evening is interrupted by the arrival of Clint and Cupidon, who were seriously wounded during a pitched battle with Soule's men.

It's interesting to notice that another source states that Robert Byron and The Widow Lloyd gave a Victorian party where men dressed in feminine apparel and Arden Hilliard masqueraded as a nun. That night Hilliard went through the gate of Balliol in his nun costume. Hilliard was promptly dismissed by Balliol. Translation: For example, another of my friends, Arden Hilliard, made a provocatorial act crossing the imposing portal of Balliol disguised as a nun to go to the costume ball of the club of Hypocrites.

The St. David School District is also the oldest in the San Pedro Valley. The annual San Pedro Valley Fair has been held at the St. David High School since 1934. In 2008 St. David held a celebration its 130 anniversary during the 75th San Pedro Valley Fair with a Town Reunion at the St. David School. Another popular cultural event held at the school is the annual 1880s Historic Costume Ball, which is patterned after a typical postbellum Indian War-era military ball.

In July 1897, the Duchess hosted the Devonshire House Fancy Dress Ball at Devonshire House, the London residence of the Dukes of Devonshire during the 18th and 19th centuries. The party was a costume ball thrown to celebrate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee. The Queen's Private Secretary, Francis Knollys, wrote to the Duchess that the Prince of Wales (who dressed as the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta) thought the party a success. At the ball, the Duchess dressed as Queen Zenobia of Palmyra.

The climax occurs at Manderley's annual costume ball. Mrs Danvers manipulates the narrator into wearing a replica of the dress shown in a portrait of one of the former inhabitants of the house—hiding the fact that the same costume was worn by Rebecca to much acclaim shortly before her death. The narrator has a drummer announce her entrance using the name of the lady in the portrait: Caroline de Winter. When the narrator shows Maxim the dress, he angrily orders her to change.

It was the climax of two days of festivities which included a parade of limousines featuring stars from the film, receptions, and a costume ball held at the Freedom Hall Coliseum. The next month, it was reported that fifteen minutes would be cut from the film for its general release. For the film's wide release, Panavision president Robert Gottschalk stated Raintree County would be released in certain theaters on large-format 70mm film prints for roadshow theatrical engagements and on standard 35mm film prints.

Back in Charleston, Davey disguises himself as a British aristocrat in order to infiltrate a costume ball Elden is holding for Sylvia. He spirits Sylvia away and, by describing the wedding gown that Elden bought from a pirate, convinces her that her fiancé is corrupt. However, Elden recognizes Davey and jails him. That night, Sylvia sneaks out to the Defiance and plans with Tom to paint a miniature armada on the lens of a telescope, which will trick Elden into thinking he is being attacked by pirates.

Tsar Nicholas II and Tsaritsa Alexandra in the garbs of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and his first wife Tsaritsa Maria Miloslavskaya The 1903 ball in the Winter Palace (, lit. "Costume ball of 1903") was a luxurious ball during the reign of the Emperor Nicholas II of Russia. It was held in the Winter Palace, Saint Petersburg, in two stages, on February 11 and 13. All the visitors were in bejeweled 17th-century style costumes, made from designs by the artist Sergey Solomko, in collaboration with historical experts.

ConClave has several established traditional attractions, most notably a well-supplied Convention Hospitality Suite, a Saturday Night Costume Ball, a merchandise area, several tracks of programming of interest to its membership, and a loyal following of staff and panel participants. Programming tracks include writing/literature, SF/Fantasy, Science/Space, Music, and Gaming. Recent additions to Conclave retinue have been a video room that screens rare anime and fan-created SF/Fantasy shorts, astronomical observing, and prep workshops for those interested in participating in NaNoWriMo.

Kit, meantime, comes home to find her husband and father working together but quarreling over Harry's unwillingness to interfere with Lee's work. An inspirational idea to scatter Harriet's soap on the property for sale, making Freeman fear a soap company's about to buy it, backfires when Harry talks the client out of it. A frustrated Lee is offered a job by Freeman and considers it, concerning his wife. Lee joins the rest of the family at a costume ball, where both Harry and Freeman are dressed as clowns.

Scripter Stefan Petrucha and artist Kirk Van Wormer created the graphic novel Boston Blackie (Moonstone Books, 2002) with a cover by Tim Seelig. A jewel heist at a costume ball goes horribly wrong, and the five-year-old son of the wealthy Greene family disappears and is presumed dead; the body is never found. The main suspect is Boston Blackie, who is still haunted seven years later by what happened that night. Drawn back into the case, he finds that the truth of what happened that night is awash in a watery grave.

Eddie Harrington (Bud Abbott) and Albert Mansfield (Lou Costello) are plumbers who receive a call about a leak in the private bathroom of Mr. Van Cleve (Thurston Hall), a wealthy businessman. The grumpy man, though his costume is ready, does not attend the ball but goes to bed instead. The leak is keeping him awake, but the costume ball that his wife (Nella Walker) is throwing downstairs is not. Eddie and Albert enlist the aid of a friend, Elsie Hammerdingle (Marion Hutton), a taxi driver, to take them to the mansion.

A small text from said winner is then chosen which will be cut in a stone plate and hung on the iconic "Zid od poezije" (Wall of poetry), also located on the main square. There is also a drama group named "Mirina" that base their play on events that occurred in the municipality itself, bringing humor to otherwise frustrating events, sometimes in a manner of light-hearted Schadenfreude. During the same period of Spring the Selca carnival takes place which offers its visitors a corso of modified vehicles and a costume ball.

Most of these recordings did not credit her. Bolduc sang accompaniments or played instruments for recordings by Juliette Béliveau, Eugène Daignault, Ovila Légaré, Alfred Montmarquette, Adélard St. Jean, and possibly others. Bolduc's first headlining performance came in November 1930, in Lachute at a costume ball. The audience was extremely receptive to her music and she was inspired to start a show that focused on her own songs. In March 1931 she took an offer from a burlesque company at the Théâtre Arlequin de Québec to perform as their main act.

She also published other Clay cartoons, that later were added to the London editions of Life in Philadelphia. Four cartoons in the original series depicted only whites and nine depicted only blacks. They interacted only in Plate 11: a middle-aged black woman inquiring of a young white French shopkeeper about purchasing "flesh coloured silk stockings." Clay's lampoons of white Philadelphians were gentle, and depicted a promenade in the park, a costume ball, an awkward courtship between staid Quakers, and an absurdly dressed woman being mistaken for a prostitute.

The Devonshires, who were close friends of the Prince and Princess of Wales, therefore, decided to throw a costume ball to celebrate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee. The Queen's Diamond Jubilee procession had taken place on 22 June 1897 and followed a route six miles long through London. More than 700 invitations were sent out a month before the event, although some reports of the event stated up to 3,000 invites. By accident, Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Maria, the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha did not receive invitations.

In 1912, The Evening News reported that Tree sold programmes at the Keats-Shelley Memorial matinees at the Haymarket Theatre. She was presented at the court by Margot Asquith in 1913, and she wore a white satin gown with a rose pink train made of tulle and lace. From as far away as California, the press commented on her attendance, with her sister Iris, at a fancy dress costume ball in 1913. The same year, she went in ancient Greek-style dress to the Picture Ball at Royal Albert Hall.

The Cabaret des Quat'z'Arts was founded in December 1893 by François Trombert on the site of the old Café du Tambourin. He named the establishment after the second annual Bal des Quat'z'Arts, an event of the École des Beaux-Arts. That costume ball was held 9 February 1893 at the Moulin Rouge and, along with merriment and drinking, included nude models as living paintings, a nude woman standing on a table at midnight, and a subsequent lawsuit. The term "Quat'z'Arts" referred to the school's four disciplines (architecture, painting, printmaking, and sculpture).

Giselle questions Robert about his relationship with Nancy and helps the pair reconcile by sending Nancy flowers and an invitation to the "King and Queen's Costume Ball" at the Woolworth Building. Edward locates Giselle at Robert's apartment. While Edward is eager to take Giselle home to Andalasia and finally marry, she suggests that they should first go on a date and get to know each other better, still conflicted about her feelings. Giselle promises to return to Andalasia after ending their date at the ball, which Robert and Nancy also attend.

Strange noises are heard behind the newly installed wainscoting, the wood of which came from the gallows known as 'Tyburn Tree'. The second story, "Something Old", takes place in the 1920s, where, at the Manor, a lavish costume ball is being held. During the ball young Felix de Momery announces his engagement to Ruth, much to the surprise and annoyance of his grandmother and his friends, Billy and Katherine. The young couple's future seems to be inextricably linked with another tragic wedding day and a ghostly bride who haunts the corridors.

The Lascivious Costume Ball is an annual masquerade ball held by the University of Chicago in Ida Noyes Hall. Founded by students in 1970, it was created as a rejection of the Washington Promenade, a formal dance held since 1903. Students would pay no fee if they came in the nude, half price for wearing a lascivious costume, and full price for remaining in "street clothes". It was held irregularly between 1970 and 1984 and was cancelled by school president Hanna Holborn Gray after that year's ball sent numerous students to the emergency room and provoked negative publicity.

In 2001, he achieved widespread fame with his short story collection Pletykaanyu ("Gossip Mom"). This was followed by a number of successful novels: Isten hozott ("Welcome", 2005), Tánciskola ("Dance School", 2008), Mellettem elférsz ("There's Room for You Beside Me", 2011), Megyek utánad ("I Follow You", 2014), Jelmezbál ("Costume Ball", 2016) and Vera (2019). Grecsó also worked as a screenwriter for the films ' (2007) and ' (2007). He is the author of the play Cigányok ("Gypsies"), adapted from the play of the same name by , which opened at the in Budapest on 15 October 2010 under the direction of Gábor Máté.

Herman demonstrated musical ability from an early age. His first public performance was in December 1874 at New York's Stadt Theatre, where he conducted an adult orchestra and cast and chorus of children in Schneewittchen, a fairy tale opera by his elder brother John C. Rietzel, who was also concertmaster. Around this same time Herman played the part of Mozart at a high society costume ball at the Academy of Music, where he played a piano solo and also accompanied children dancing to a polonaise and minuet. In July 1877, Rietzel traveled to Europe to study.

The Beaux Arts Ball (in French the Bal des Quatres Arts) is the annual costume ball traditionally given by the students of the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris in the spring, in the École building on the rue Bonaparte overlooking the Seine. Elaborately allegorical floats circled the room at midnight and were judged by a panel. "It is a riot, a revival of paganism, known elsewhere only in Italy. It is also, in its way, a hymn to beauty, a living explosion of the senses and the emotions," wrote E. Berry Wall in Neither Pest Nor Puritan.

Georges Franju was not very interested in the character or original story of Judex, stating that "Judex is the only film of Louis Feuillade that isn't good Louis Feuillade," but he wanted to recreate the film in the style of early French cinema that he remembered from his childhood.Ince 2005, p. 58. Jacques Champreux's idea for the film was to combine Georges Franju's film style with the elements of the story in the original Judex and started writing the screenplay with that in mind. Jacques Champreux and Georges Franju had the film open with a costume ball where everyone is wearing animal masks.

Divorce barrister Logan (Kendall) arrives back in London from a trip overseas to find the whole city fogbound. Unable to reach his flat, he books into the exclusive Royal Parks Hotel, where a costume ball is taking place. Many of the partygoers are also stranded by the fog and while some are happy to bed down for the night in the hotel lounge, Leslie (Barnes) sweet-talks Logan into letting her stay in his suite. Although the pair are attracted to each other, the night passes innocently with Leslie in the bedroom and Logan in the sitting-room.

Madame de Pompadour Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, better known as Madame de Pompadour, was the most famous and influential of the mistresses of Louis XV. She was the illegitimate daughter of a Paris fermier-general, and was married to a banker, Charles Guillaume Lenormant d'Étoiles. She was noticed by the King following one of his hunts, and formally met him at a costume ball celebrating carnival in 1745. By July, she was the King's mistress and was formally given the title of the Marquise de Pompadour. For the next twenty years she was the King's confidante and advisor, helping him choose or demote ministers.

While in New York, Morali attended a costume ball at "Les Mouches", a gay disco in Greenwich Village. As he gazed around the room, he was impressed by all the "macho male stereotypes" portrayed by the party guests. The idea came to him to put together a group of singers and dancers, each one playing a different gay fantasy figure. At first, Belolo was not involved in this project, but when he saw that Morali had succeeded in signing a licensing deal with Casablanca Records (one of the more famous disco labels), Belolo decided to become his close sidekick on the project.

The costume of Nurmi's Vampira character was inspired by the spooky The New Yorker cartoons of Charles Addams,Newsweek, May 24, 1954, p. 84. TV-Radio, "Vampire" later adapted for the TV series The Addams Family in 1964. As Nurmi told Boxoffice in a 1994 interview, she had dressed as Addams' at-the-time nameless ghoul-woman to attend Lester Horton's annual Hollywood costume ball the Bal Caribe in 1953. Nurmi's ghoul woman beat out over 2,000 attendees to win the evening's prize for best costume where she drew the attention of Hunt Stromberg, Jr., a Hollywood producer.

It was during this costume ball that Louis XV, who was dressed as a yew tree, met Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson d'Étiolles, who was costumed as Diana, goddess of the hunt. Jeanne-Antoinette, who became Louis XV's mistress, is better known to history as the Marquise de Pompadour. Foreign audiences were granted, including that of the Doge of Genoa in 1685 and the embassy of King Mahmud I of Turkey in 1742. However, of all the events that transpired in this room during the reign of Louis XIV, the Siamese Embassy of 1685 to 1686 has been cited as the most opulent.

The sequence is preceded by a shopping montage, in which Giselle (Adams) is treated to a shopping spree by Robert's daughter Morgan (Rachel Covey) to update her wardrobe in preparation for The King & Queen's Ball. The dress Giselle ultimately wears is meant to signify her "transformation into a contemporary New Yorker", as opposed to a more opulent outfit. Giselle and her betrothed, Prince Edward (James Marsden), arrive at The Kings & Queens Ball, a costume ball where they meet Robert (Dempsey) and his fiance Nancy (Idina Menzel). For "The King and Queen's Waltz", the conductor invites all gentlemen to ask a lady with whom they did not attend the ball dance.

Her schemes ultimately backfired; not only was she unsuccessful at breaking up David and Jenny, Herb found out about her fling and divorced her. David and Jenny were then embroiled in a spy storyline in 1985, taking them to Vienna, Austria with Viki & Clint. Jenny and David remained in Vienna. Thanksgiving 1983, Asa held a lavish costume ball in honor of his young wife Samantha. During the festivities, Olympia escaped captivity, revealed to Bo that she was still alive, and that Asa wasn’t really his father (the last bit turned out not to be true.) Olympia tried coaxing Bo into shooting Asa, but he couldn’t pull the trigger.

Daisy was so incredibly sad to not be able to raise her daughter, but kept tabs on Nina by staying in touch with her mother, Myra. When Myra called to tell her Palmer was trying to interfere with Cliff and Nina, Daisy came into town to defend her daughter and Cliff's love. Myra had a seance where Nina was able to communicate with her "dead mother" who encouraged Nina to follow her heart. Daisy dressed up in a beautiful dress and mask for the costume ball and was able to be in the same room as her daughter for the first time in years.

Appearances by the New York Ukulele Ensemble included New York City's Art Parade and the thirty-first annual Village Halloween Costume Ball at the Theater for the New City in 2007, and the Gershwin Hotel's Living Room Series and the New York Ukulele Fest, which was founded by Uke Jackson, in 2006. The group went on a hiatus in 2008 and in 2009 Uke Jackson sold the New York Ukulele Fest to a promoter. The New York Ukulele Ensemble performed original songs and tunes drawn from a variety of music genres. Their music is meant to present audiences with entertainment that frequently challenges cultural suppositions.

The first issue was distributed September 3–5, 1960, at Pittcon (the 18th World Science Fiction Convention in Pittsburgh). That issue featured an article about Captain Marvel and Fawcett Comics, the first "All in Color for a Dime" installment. In 1961, Lupoff wrote an article for Comic Art about the launch of Xero and his focus on comics: :The night of the costume ball, Pat and I showed up in our costumes: hastily devised Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel outfits. Mine was made from a set of long underwear, and hers was nothing but a man’s red T-shirt emblazoned with felt lightning, plus a yellow sash.

On May 17, 1959, she was presented as the Queen of The Congress at the 23rd Annual Congress of Beauty, a costume ball in the Biltmore Hotel sponsored by the Hollywood Hair Design Council in conjunction with the California Cosmetologist Association, which had a circus theme and entertainment for thousands of beauty operators. With her red-gold hair in a new style, she handed out preliminary trophies to a parade of models displaying both new styles and new colors for hair.Los Angeles Times, May 17, 1959, "Hair Stylists Intrigued by Latest Modes", p. 2.Los Angeles Times, May 18, 1959, "Actress Rules as Queen for Beauty Exhibit", p. 5.

A fancy ball at Caoudal's studio Jean Gaussin is a shy and unsophisticated young man from Provence, who has come to Paris to study. At a costume ball given by the sculptor Caoudal, amid the noisy dance music and the mad whirl, the confused Gaussin withdraws and sings of his native country, in a broad and expressive cantabile, one of the few aria-like passages that the opera contains. Fanny, whose fancy is captured by this young man, so strangely different from her friends, promptly makes his acquaintance, and, as the guests are shouting for her to come to supper, takes him away with her.

While brooding in his study over how to be a more effective crime fighter, Bruce Wayne saw a bat come through his window. Reflecting that "criminals are a superstitious, cowardly lot," Bruce adopts the persona of a bat in order to conceal his identity and strike fear into his adversaries. In the later elaborations on the origin, Bruce is terrified by bats as a child, and in the Silver Age story The First Batman (later retold in the 1980 miniseries The Untold Legend of the Batman) the inspiration for the batsuit comes in part from a bat costume worn to a costume ball by his father Dr. Thomas Wayne, M.D.

School traditions include a hall fight and the singing of the Brevitate Vitae. Six dances are held every year, including the costume-ball and the freshman-ball. Many clubs have been founded in MR, these include: An Art club (with five divisions for: Visual art, music, dancing, literature and films), Herranótt acting guild (the oldest theatric club in northern Europe), Computer academy and a Nerd club (which merged and became known as The Academy), Traveller's club, Sport's club, Riding club, Science club, Novelist club, Chess club and the Rowing club (which was historically a club for rowing, but is now a male/female-cheerleading team).

Standing Cavalier by Judith Leyster Edgar Vincent, 1st Viscount D'Abernon dressed as the Frans Hals painting Portrait of Willem van Heythuysen posing with a sword, for a costume ball in 1897, by James Lafayette The painting served as inspiration to many, not just the poetry of Loosjes. Judith Leyster made a period copy, though she exchanged the rapier for a walking stick. Several people have posed in this stance in costume, most recently Kehinde Wiley who made a painting of a young black man in the same pose. In his 1989 catalog of the international Frans Hals exhibition Slive claimed it was previously incorrectly dated as 1635 but was actually painted 10 years earlier.

In the United States, however, the opposite was true: quadrilles were termed cotillions until the 1840s, when it was realised that all the distinctive figures of the earlier dance had been taken up into the newer. The German cotillion was introduced to New York society at a costume ball with a Louis XV theme given by William Colford Schermerhorn in the early winter of 1854.Lloyd R. Morris, Incredible New York: Life and Low Life of Last Hundred Years 1979:17-19. Here, too, waltzes, mazurkas, fun, games and boisterous behaviour at private parties took on a more important role,Aldrich (1991), page 17 and only some figures of the earlier dances survived.

Legend states that upon the death of his father, Gunzburg learned the remaining family fortune was non-existent. Left with only the money he had in a checking account, he purchased his passage to America and used what was left to throw a costume ball in July 1934. Co-hosted by Gunzburg and Prince and Princess Jean-Louis de Faucigny-Lucinge, "Le Bal de Valses", aka "A Night at Schoenbrunn", had as its theme the Imperial Court at Vienna in 1860. Gunzburg appeared as Archduke Rudolf, Denise Bourdet as Marie Vetsera, Prince de Faucigny-Lucinge as Emperor Franz Josef, his wife Baba de Faucigny-Lucinge as Empress Elizabeth, and Carlos de Beistegui as Ludwig of Bavaria.

Hyde was chosen as Miss America at the Chu Chin Chow Ball at the Hotel des Artistes in New York on the evening of February 1, 1919, the year before the start of the better-known Miss America pageant centered in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The ball's beauty contest had been promoted beforehand, and the event drew socialites, artists, and several hundred young women. It was a costume ball with emphasis on 'oriental' costumes, and Hyde's harem outfit, which was heavily jeweled and embroidered, would later be restored and insured for $80,000. The jury consisted of note artists Charles Dana Gibson, Harrison Fisher, Howard Chandler Christy, Penrhyn Stanlaws, and James Montgomery Flagg, who afterwards painted Hyde's portrait.

The concert with about 300 singers, accompanied by soloists and the orchestra of the National Gallery of Art was held in the grand hall of the historic National Building Museum. Today the Washington Sängerbund continues its long tradition of preserving German music and German Culture in the Washington Metropolitan area with numerous concerts and musical performances during the year, often in conjunction with other groups. Its repertoire consists of music in the German language and rehearsals are held weekly on Friday evening. In addition the Sängerbund sponsors other social activities such as an annual "German Fasching - Costume Ball", brings authentic German flavor to several local Oktoberfests, or plays host to visiting choruses from Germany.

"So Close" is a song written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz for the musical fantasy film Enchanted (2007), recorded by American singer Jon McLaughlin. In the film, the song is performed by McLaughlin as himself, a band vocalist, musically accompanying main characters Giselle and Robert as they dance together at a costume ball. The song's lyrics describe both their relationship with each other, as well as Giselle's journey and growth as a character. Enchanted's songs become more contemporary in style as Giselle matures into a modern-day young woman, with "So Close" resembling the style of music featured in Disney films during the 1990s, a theme similarly reflected by the character's choice of wardrobe during the scene.

Hyde depicted in J. S. Pughe's illustration, A cabinet that could afford it, 1905. Menu for the ball given by James Hazen Hyde, January 31, 1905 Following his father's death, Hyde was the majority shareholder and in effective control of The Equitable. By the terms of his father's will, he was scheduled to assume the presidency of the company in 1906. Members of the board of directors, including E. H. Harriman, Henry Clay Frick, J.P. Morgan, and company President James Waddell Alexander attempted to wrest control from Hyde through a variety of means, including an unsuccessful attempt to have him appointed as Ambassador to France. On the last night of January 1905, Hyde hosted a highly publicized Versailles-themed costume ball.

Jim keeps his spirits high, with the philosophy that one should Spread a Little Happiness. Jill is an American heiress who lives next door at a stately home, The Towers, with her wealthy father Henry Kemp and her cousin Minerva (who, like Jim, is the poor relation of her family). When Guy is credited with saving Henry from drowning (a task which Jim actually accomplished, unbeknownst to anyone but him and Guy), all at Merton Chase are invited to a costume ball at The Towers, but Jim is not allowed to attend. Jill, meanwhile, has disguised herself as a servant girl, Sarah Jones, in order to hide from a police officer who has accused her of physical assault on him.

Fernando meets and is enchanted by Manolo's four daughters. As he meets each of the first three one by one, he falls in love and has sex with each of them, determining to marry. With each one, however, a complication arises: Clara (Miriam Díaz-Aroca), a widow who only recently lost her husband and who seeks solace with Fernando; Violeta (Ariadna Gil), a lesbian who is attracted to Fernando only when he is dressed as a woman for a costume ball and Rocío (Maribel Verdú), a social climber who is about to marry into a royalist family for the security it would provide and who only momentarily succumbs to Fernando's charms. Heartbroken each time, the father of the girls encourages Fernando to have patience.

The 1970 Parallel Time storyline of the Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows was heavily inspired by Rebecca including the costume ball scene. The second Dark Shadows motion picture Night of Dark Shadows also took inspiration from the novel. The film was parodied on The Carol Burnett Show in a 1972 skit called "Rebecky", with Carol Burnett as the heroine, Daphne; Harvey Korman as Max "de Wintry" and in the guise of Mother Marcus as Rebecky de Wintry; and Vicki Lawrence as Mrs Dampers The plots of certain Latin- American soap operas have also been inspired by the novel, such as Manuela (Argentina), Infierno en el paraíso (Mexico), the Venezuelan telenovela Julia and its remake El Fantasma de Elena on Telemundo.

Science Professor Thayer, is haphazard, and suffers numerous comedic moments, chemicals that take on a life of their own, pairs of wires that should never be brought near each other during a storm, zap, and improving one's skating skills except on thin ice. Sophomore year again has Harvey being berated by his children, the school's beat reporter is there to welcome him and puts up with the snobby kids. Harvey is off to meet his last year's roommates and the requisite toast to success. He is asked to join their fraternity and has the usual hazing period to endure, polishing shoes, washing floors and the most challenging, dressing in drag and getting a retired colonel to sign his dance card at a costume ball.

During this time, About 40 employees and bodyguards were employed on the estate, which encompassed seven kilometres of river, French gardens, orchard greenhouses, several farms, three mills, a hunting lodge, a rectory and some abandoned school buildings. The most important room, the most original and most beautiful room of the château is the rotunda on the first floor. This reception room with its high windows overlooking the Indre valley and opening on to François Coty's study is crowned at a height of 9.2 metres by a cupola decorated with a trompe l'oeil by Charles Hoffbauer, a receiver of the Grand Prix de Rome 1924, and depicted a costume ball with friends and family; among them Coty's son-in-law, Paul Dubonnet, actresses Mary Marquet, Edwige Feuillère and Cécile Sorel, the ballet masters Serge Lifar and Serge Diaghilev, the painter Foujita, and the Aga Khan.

Devonshire House as featured in The Queen's London (1896)Victoria in her official Diamond Jubilee photograph by W. & D. Downey In 1897, The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire hosted the Devonshire House Ball at Devonshire House, the London residence (in Piccadilly) of the Dukes of Devonshire in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Duke had served as a Member of Parliament and a cabinet minister as a member of the Liberal Party and the Duchess, known as the Double Duchess, was the widow of the William Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester. Following the death of Prince Albert in 1861, Queen Victoria had withdrawn from social life and "the mantle of royal entertaining" was passed to the Prince of Wales and his wife, Alexandra. During the 1870s, they hosted a costume ball at Marlborough House, their London residence, which was considered a success and carried on the popularity of such events.

Homosexual interpretations of Batman and Robin have attracted even more attention during the Modern Age of Comic Books, as sexual and LGBT themes became more common and accepted in mainstream comics. At the Worldcon costume ball in 1962, a number of fans appeared as the Justice Society of America, including Fred Patten and Rick Norwood as The Flash, Dick Lupoff as Batman, and Harlan Ellison as Robin. Lupoff and Ellison struck a homoerotic pose for the cameras. Writer Warren Ellis addressed the issue of Batman's sexuality obliquely in his comic book The Authority from Image Comics where he portrayed the character of the Midnighter, a clear Batman pastiche, as openly gay and engaged in a long term relationship with the Superman analogue Apollo. The Ambiguously Gay Duo is a 1996 animated parody previously featured on The Dana Carvey Show and Saturday Night Live, with many similarities to Batman, not least the animated title sequence of the 1960s TV series.

On 3 September 1951 Beistegui held a masked costume ball, which he called Le Bal oriental, at the Palazzo Labia. It was one of the last truly spectacular events in the famous ballroom, and it was one of the largest and most lavish social events of the 20th century. The guest list included the Aga Khan III, Barbara Hutton, Gene Tierney, Countess Jacqueline de Ribes, Jacques Fath, Count Armand de La Rochefoucauld, Duff and Lady Diana Cooper, Orson Welles, Daisy Fellowes, Paul-Louis Weiller, Cecil Beaton, Gala Dalí, Baron de Chabrol, Desmond Guinness, Alexis von Rosenberg, Baron de Redé, Prince and Princess Chavchavadze, Arturo Lopez-Willshaw, Patricia Lopez-Willshaw, Dimitri Hayek, Fulco di Verdura, Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, Princess Natalia Pavlovna Paley, Nelson Seabra, Aimée de Heeren, Princess Ghislaine de Polignac, Princess del Drago, Princess Gabrielle Arenberg, Hélène Rochas, Princess Caetani, Princess Colonna, Prince Mathieu de Brancovan, the painters Fabrizio Clerici and Leonor Fini, and many others. Christian Dior and Salvador Dalí designed each other's costumes.

Nancy Reagan on the set of Diff'rent Strokes Diff'rent Strokes was also known for its many "very special episodes", most notably an anti-drug episode ("The Reporter") that featured First Lady Nancy Reagan, who promoted her "Just Say No" campaign and "The Bicycle Man", a two-part episode that guest starred Gordon Jump as a pedophile who lures Arnold and Dudley into his bicycle shop and attempts to molest them. Another episode involved a con artist (played by Whitman Mayo) posing as a relative of Arnold and Willis in an attempt to get access to the inheritance they were left by a former neighbor. Another episode ("Skin Deep or True Blue") involved Kimberly's new boyfriend, Roger Morehouse, not allowing his sister, Emily (Melora Hardin), to go to their school's costume ball with Willis because he is black. A more humorous episode on pollution and the enviornment ("Green Hair") had Kimberly's hair turning green from acid rain.

View of Senate House from London Eye Due to its imposing architecture, Senate House is popular with the film and television industries as a shooting location; often for official buildings. Films that have featured the building include the 1995 version of Richard III (interior of a government building), the 1984 film of Nineteen Eighty-Four (exterior of the apartment building where O'Brien lives), Blue Ice (a hotel), Spy Game (lobby of CIA Headquarters), Batman Begins (lobby of a court), The Dark Knight Rises (a costume ball), Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (a war office), Fast & Furious 6 (Moscow Interpol HQ) and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (Moscow restaurant). It is often referred to affectionately by locals and students as "the Uncle Joe Building" for the same reason. For television, the building has featured in Jeeves and Wooster (the exterior of Wooster's Manhattan apartment building), The Day of the Triffids (as itself) among other programmes, as well as first season of Killing Eve.

In 1883, however, Astor was forced to formally acknowledge the wealthy socialite Alva Erskine Smith, first wife of horse breeder/railroad manager William Kissam Vanderbilt, thereby providing the Vanderbilts, the greatest "new" fortune in New York, entrance into the highest rungs of society. An oft-repeated New York legend has it that Alva Vanderbilt had planned an elaborate costume ball for her housewarming, with entertainments given by young society figures, but at the last minute notified young Caroline Astor (Lina's youngest daughter) that she could not participate, because Astor had never formally called on Vanderbilt. Also likely, Astor had noted the rising social profile of the Vanderbilt family, led by Alva and Willie and, viewing them as useful allies in her efforts to keep New York society exclusive, had called formally on the Vanderbilts prior to Alva's lavish ball which Astor herself attended. The Vanderbilts were subsequently invited to Astor's annual ball, a formal acknowledgement of their full acceptance into the upper echelon of New York society.

Fantastic As the child of two Shakespearean actors—Fritz Sr. and Virginia (née Bronson)—Leiber was fascinated with the stage, describing itinerant Shakespearean companies in stories like "No Great Magic" and "Four Ghosts in Hamlet", and creating an actor/producer protagonist for his novel A Specter is Haunting Texas. Although his Change War novel, The Big Time, is about a war between two factions, the "Snakes" and the "Spiders", changing and rechanging history throughout the universe, all the action takes place in a small bubble of isolated space-time about the size of a theatrical stage, with only a handful of characters. Judith Merril (in the July 1969 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction) remarks on Leiber's acting skills when the writer won a science fiction convention costume ball. Leiber's costume consisted of a cardboard military collar over turned-up jacket lapels, cardboard insignia, an armband, and a spider pencilled large in black on his forehead, thus turning him into an officer of the Spiders, one of the combatants in his Change War stories.

Belgrade is portrayed as a place where crime consists of classic robberies and murders, but whose biggest problems are wars between opium cartels, which use the city as a route for smuggling the drug further into Europe and the United States. The plot of the first season starts with a peculiar and brutal murder occurring at a costume ball at which most of the Belgrade social elite is gathered. Inspector Tanasijević soon discovers that the cause of the eerie events, which multiply by the day, is an ancient relic: namely, the Holy Lance Jesus was pierced with on the cross, which seems to possess mystical power. The Inspector discovers there are people ready to do anything to acquire the Lance, and is sucked into a tangled web of crime involving a range of interest groups: the Russian White army under General Vrangel, the Soviet Union Secret Police (OGPU and NKVD), the Serbian Black Hand movement, IMRO, the Yugoslav communists, elements of the Belgrade underbelly and, not least, a secret society going under the name of Thule.

William Armstrong, who spearheaded the investigation The Armstrong Commission, formally the Joint Committee of the Senate and Assembly of the State of New York to Investigate and Examine into the Business and Affairs of Life Insurance Companies Doing Business in the State of New York was an investigation begun in late 1905 when the New York State Legislature initiated an investigation of the life insurance companies operating in New York. It began after an accumulation of complaints by consumers and other insurers, and was catalyzed by rumors that James Hazen Hyde, a vice president and expected next corporate president of The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, had charged the expense of an immense costume ball that year to the corporate account. Known as "the Armstrong Committee", the New York Legislature Insurance Investigation Committee of 1905 eventually issued a report highlighting a number of questionable practices. The legislature in New York and several other states adopted many of the recommendations, including a restriction on policies with lengthy deferred payouts, including the 19th century version of tontines.