This Day in Hollywood History – May 1st

This Day in Hollywood History

5/1

Births

1916 – Glenn Ford – American actor.  He starred in such notable films as Gilda and Blackboard Jungle

1916 – Jack Parr –American radio and television talk show host.  He was the original host of The Tonight Show before Johnny Carson.

1927 – Harry Belafonte – Jamaican-American singer, actor and political activist.  He is known for the popular calypso songs he sang in the 1950s, most notably “The Banana Boat Song”.  He starred in such notable films as Carmen Jones with Dorothy Dandridge and Island in the Sun with Joan Fontaine.  He was a very active supporter of Civil Rights in the 1960s and has continued his activism into the 2000s.

1939 – Judy Collins – American singer and songwriter.  She gained popularity during the 1960s with her folk music and political activism.

1944 – Rita Coolidge– American Grammy-Award winning singer who enjoyed popularity in the 1970s and early 1980s.  She was once married to fellow singer Kris Kristofferson.

Deaths

1952 – William Fox – Founder of the William Fox Studios which eventually became 20^th Century-Fox.  His company was one of the early film production studios that was based out of California.  He died at the age of 73.

1971 – Glenda Farrell – American actress of the 1930s.  She starred in such popular films as Little Caesar, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang and Gold Diggers of 1937

Events

1967 – Elvis Presley & Pricilla Beaulieu marry in Las Vegas.

This Day in Hollywood History – April 30th

This Day in Hollywood History

4/30

Births

1910 – Al Lewis – American actor best known for his role as “Grampa” on the 1960s TV series The Munsters.

1912 – Eve Arden – American actress whose career spanned over 60 years and all forms of media.  She is best known for playing the title role in the television series Our Miss Brooks and as the principle in Grease and Grease 2.

1926 – Cloris Leachman – Academy Award winning actress.  She won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in The Last Picture Show.  She is also known for her numerous television roles in series such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

1933 – Willie Nelson – American country singer best known for his songs, “On the Road Again” and “Always on My Mind”.  He is an activist for farmers and helped organize Farm Aid.

1940 – Burt Young – Best known for his role as Paulie in the Rocky movie series.

1943 – Bobby Vee – American pop singer of the 1960s who had hits with such songs as “Take Good Care of My Baby” and “The Night has a Thousand Eyes”.

1944 – Jill Clayburgh –  Award nominated actress who has starred in such films as An Unmarried Woman (for which she was nominated for an Academy Award) and I’m Dancing As Fast As I Can.  She has also had roles in the television shows Ally McBeal, Nip/Tuck and Dirty Sex Money.

1948 – Perry King – American actor famous for his roles in both film and television.  He was the star of the TV series Riptide.  He has also starred in numerous made-for-TV movies.

Deaths

1945 – Adolph Hitler – He committed suicide in his bunker one day after marrying his long-time mistress Eva Braun. His death brings about an unofficial end to WWII

1945 – Eva Braun – Adolph Hitler’s long-time mistress.  She commits suicide with him in his bunker.

1970 – Inger Stevens  – A Swedish born actress who made a career in American films and television.  She played the lead role in the TV series The Farmer’s Daughter and made numerous appearances in shows such as The Twilight Zone and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.  Her most notable film roles were A Guide for the Married Man and Hang ‘em High.  Her death was a suicide.

1974 – Agnes Moorehead – Award – Winning actress most known for her roles in the films Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons as well as her role Endora on the television series Bewitched.

1989 – Sergio Leone – Italian director, screenwriter and producer known for his “spaghetti westerns”.  His most well-known films are the “Man With No Name” trilogy that starred Clint Eastwood.  They include the films A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. He died of a heart attack at the age of 60.

Events

1945 – Adolph Hitler commits suicide

1975 – South Vietnam falls to the communist North Vietnamese forces shortly after the last helicopter containing Americans and South Vietnamese leaves the roof of the American Embassy in Saigon.

This Day in Hollywood History – April 28th

This Day in Hollywood History

4/28

Births

1929 – Carolyn Jones – American actress, best known for her portrayal of Morticia Addams in The Addams Family television series of the 1960s.   At one time, she was married to TV producer extraordinaire, Aaron Spelling.

1941 – Ann-Margaret – Five-time Golden Globe Award winning American actress.  She has been nominated for the Oscar, and Emmy and a Grammy.  She was born in Sweden but raised in America and has been a citizen since 1949.  She made a career as a sex-symbol and is still considered to be one of the most beautiful actresses.  Her most famous film appearances were in Bye, Bye Birdie, Carnal Knowledge, Tommy and The Grumpy Old Men films.

1948 – Marcia Strassman – American actress best known as Julie, Gabe Kaplan’s wife on Welcome Back, Kotter.  She also had a recurring role on M*A*S*H.  Currently, she is battling breast cancer.

Deaths

1970 – Ed Begley –  He won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in 1963s Sweet Bird of Youth.  He is the father of actor Ed Begley, Jr.

1977 – Ricardo Cortez –  American actor whose career began in the silent era.  He was sold to audiences as the Latin Lover type along with fellow actors Rudolph Valentino and Ramon Navarro.

This Day in Hollywood History – April 27th

This Day in Hollywood History

4/27

Births

1922 – Jack Klugman – American actor who appeared in films but is most notable for his memorable roles on television.  He won two Emmy Awards for his portrayal of slovenly Oscar Madison in the TV adaptation of The Odd Couple.  He later had a successful run playing Quincy, M.E. in the late 70s and early 80s.  He died in 2007 at the age of 83

1932 – Anouk Aimee – Popular French film actress.  She starred in A Man and A Woman in 1967, a film that brought her international fame as well as a Golden Globe for Best Actress and and Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.  She was married to British actor Albert Finney from 1970 to 1978.

1937 – Sandy Dennis – Academy and Tony award winning American actress.  She received the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of George Segal’s alcoholic wife in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?  She died on March 2, 1992 from ovarian cancer.

1959 – Sheena Easton –  Scottish singer who has made some occasional forays into acting.  She had a string of hits in the 80s, most notably, For Your Eyes Only, the theme from the 1982 James Bond film of the same name.

1962 – Grant Show – He rose to fame as Jake Hanson on the popular Melrose Place TV drama.  Most recently he starred as a swinger in the cancelled series Swingtown.

Deaths

1965 – Edward R. Murrow – An acclaimed broadcast journalist of the 30s, 40s and 50s.  During WWII, he made regular broadcasts from London, often as a blitz was occurring and began each show with the  famous line, “Hello America.  This is London calling.”  In the post war era, he hosted several programs including Person to Person and became known for his signature sign-off, “Good night, and good luck.”  He was a life-long heavy smoker and died from lung cancer at his home.

1996 – Joan Bennett – American film, television and stage actress.  Her film career began in the 1920s with silent movies.  In 1966, she starred in one of her most famous roles as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard  in the cult TV soap opera, Dark Shadows, for which she received an Emmy Award nomination.  Bennett died at the age of 80 from a heart attack.

Events

1981 – Former Beatle’s drummer Ringo Starr marries actress Barbara Bach.

This Day in Hollywood History – April 25th

 This Day in Hollywood History

4/25 

Births

1912 – Gladys Presley- Mother of the King of Rock n’ Roll, Elvis

1940 – Al Pacino –  An American actor and director best known for playing Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy.  After being nominated 7 previous times for an Academy Award for his performances is the first two Godfather installments, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, …And Justice For All, Dick Tracy  and Glengarry Glen Ross, he won for his portrayal of a blind Army officer in Scent of A Woman.  Pacino was among the last generation of Hollywood stars that began their career studying under Lee Strasberg at the famed Actors’ Studio.  In his personal life, Pacino has been linked to his Godfather co-star Diane Keaton and Beverly D’Angelo.

1946 – Talia Shire – She is the twice Oscar-nominated co-star of the Godfather trilogy.  She is the sister of director Francis for Coppola and aunt of actor Nicholas Cage and director Sofia Coppola.  She is, perhaps, best known for her portrayal if Adrian in the Rocky movies.

Deaths

1972 – George Sanders – He was an Academy Award winning British actor and brother of fellow actor Tom Conway.  He won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Addison DeWitt, the mentor of Marilyn Monroe’s character, Miss Casswell, in All About Eve.  Later in his career, he played Mr. Freeze in the Batman 1960s TV series.  Sanders also has the destinction of having been married to two of the Gabor sisters.  He was first married to Zsa Zsa from 1949-1954 and later to Magda for 6 weeks in 1970.  His death was a suicide.  In his suicide note he worote, “Dear World, I am leaving because I am bored. I feel I have lived long enough. I am leaving you with your worries in this sweet cesspool. Good luck” He was cremated and his ashes were scattered over the English Channel.

1995 – Ginger Rogers – She appeared in 73 films during her long Hollywood career.  Most notable were her films with Fred Astaire during the 1930s.  In a departure from the usually light fare and musicals she was known for, she starred in a dramatic role in 1940s Kitty Folye, which earned her a Best Actress Oscar.

 

This Day in Hollywood History – April 24th

This Day in Hollywood History

4/24

Births

1934 – Shirley MacLaine – Oscar-winning older sister of Warren Beatty.  She starred in numerous Oscar-worthy roles in movies such as The Apartment and Some Came Running.  She later became known for her interest in astrology and other spiritual matter concerning past lives and life beyond death.

1936 – Jill Ireland – British Actress who is most known to American audiences for her marriage to actor Charles Bronson.  She passed away from breast cancer on May 18, 1990.

1942 – Barbra Streisand – Award-winning singer and actress.  She has won numerous Grammies and an Oscar for her portrayal of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl.  She was previously married to actor Elliot Gould and is currently married to actor James Brolin.

Deaths

1968 – Tommy Noonan – He died at the age of 46 from a brain tumor.  Noonan is best known as the hapless boyfriend of Marilyn Monroe’s gold-digging character Lorelei Lee in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and as Judy Garland’s pal in A Star is Born.  He never achieved leading man success and later in his career produced soft-core fare such as Promises! Promises!, starring Jayne Mansfield and 3 Nuts in Search of a Bolt, with Mamie Van Doren.

1974 – Bud Abbott – One half of the comedy duo Abbot and Costello.  He is best known for playing the straight man to Lou.

1986 – Wallis Warfield Simpson (The Duchess of Windsor) – She is the American divorcee whom Prince Edward VIII abdicated his thrown for. 

Events

1953 – Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II

This Day in Hollywood History – April 23rd

This Day in Hollywood History

Births

 1928 – Shirley Temple Black – The greatest child star of all time and one of the only ones to actually not succumb to all the pitfalls of stardom that we all hear about in the tabloids.  Little Shirley Temple didn’t grow up to freebase crack, rob a video store or sue her parents for swindling her earnings.  Instead, Shirley Temple did what all good child stars should do – she went on to become the US Ambassador to Ghana.

1932 – Halston – Born Roy Halston Frowick, he shortened his name to just Halston and became a world-famous designer.  He was also one of the more prolific regulars at Studio 54 where he hung out with the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Andy Warhol.  One of his crowning achievements was designing the pillbox hat that was popularized by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.  Unfortunately, Halston left us too soon when he passed away from complications of AIDS.

1936 – Estelle Harris – She is best known for playing George Castanza’s mother on Sienfeld.

1936 – Roy Orbison – Blind singer of the monster hit Pretty Woman.

1939 – Lee Majors – The one and only Six Million Dollar Man and later star of The Fall Guy.  His other claim to fame is being the one-time husband of Farrah Fawcett.

1943 – Hervé Villechaize – The diminutive actor was best known for playing Tattoo, the side-kick of Ricardo Montalbon on Fantasy Island and the evil henchman Nick Nack in the James Bond flick, The Man with the Golden Gun. 

1944 – Sandra Dee – The sweetheart of the 1950s and early 1960s.  Best known for her roles in A Summer Place and Imitation of life, and Gidget, Sandra Dee project the image of the squeaky clean girl next door.  Later, she married rock n’ roll crooner Bobby Darin.

1949 – Joyce DeWitt – As Janet Wood, she was one third of Three’s Company.

1960 – Valerie Bertinelli – She was the drug-free daughter on One Day at A Time and later married guitarist Eddie Van Halen and has a son named Wolfgang.

Deaths

1983 – Buster Crabbe – He is best known as an Olympic medalist who later became the star of the Flash Gordon serials of the 1930s.

1986 – Otto Preminger – Austrian director of such famous Hollywood films as Laura, Anatomy of Murder and Carmen Jones. 

1990 – Paulette Goddard – Actress in such notable films as The Women and The Cat and the Canary.  She had marriages both to Charlie Chaplin and Burgess Meredith.

Events

1969 – Sirhan Sirhan sentenced to death for assassinating former Attorney General, Senator and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy.

Happy Birthday John Waters!

John Waters is, in my mind, a complete genius and I want to take the time to say wish him a very happy 63^rd birthday, although he seems so ageless to me.  He is considered the pioneer of movies made in bad taste.  It’s a label given to him by others, but not me.  You have to have a huge set of balls on you to take the cinematic risks he does with his Dreamland gang.  I see nothing that is in better taste than to see a talking asshole on the screen or Divine eating poo that freshly came out of doggie’s behind in Pink Flamingos.  He is a visionary that has made his fame and fortune outside of the realm of mainstream Hollywood and I love him for it.  He is also one of the wittiest people I have ever come across as well.  I have his filmed lecture, This Filthy World on my DVR and refuse to delete it as it’s a hoot to just watch on a random evening at home.  He is intelligent, yet darkly humorous.  He runs the gamut of subjects, from films like the notorious Mom and Dad, to sitting in the audience at trials, to scaring little kids.  Waters is also an author that writes in the most candidly humorous style that you can’t help but laugh out loud. 

I also thank him for providing Divine with the proper vehicles to showcase her talent.  As I child, I remember seeing her in the original Hairspray movie and thinking how fantastic she was.  She is sorely missed.

 John Waters is a cinematic treasure and I eagerly await anything he directs, writes or is otherwise involved in.   If you read this, I think that Pink Flamingos definitely needs to be turned into a Broadway musical.  If the talking asshole isn’t family friendly, I don’t know what is!

R.I.P. Linda and Marilyn

I’m going to deviate a bit from the vintage Hollywood theme of the blog to pay homage to two ladies that are stars of “The Other Hollywood”.  Linda Lovelace and Marilyn Chambers are the reigning queens of the Golden Age of porn films and this day in history marks two anniversaries.  The recently, departed Marilyn Chambers, star of the Mitchell Brothers’ Behind the Green Door was born on this date in 1952.  Deep Throat star Linda Lovelace, sadly, was in a fatal car crash on this day in 2002.  While these lovely ladies of lurid cinema are no longer with us, they leave a body of work that speaks for itself.  They helped make porn a mainstream indulgence for the masses and paved the way for todays stars like Jenna Jameson to earn success as well as credibility as a business woman who is her own brand and an advocate of sexual freedom.  Both ladies also shared a personal connection.  Aside from careers in porn, they, at different times, were married to Chuck Traynor, a man who made his livelihood in various areas of the porn industry.  He basically discovered Lovelace and, after divorcing her, went on to marry Chambers and revive her porn career in the 1980s.

Whether you like porn or not, you cannot deny it’s impact on our culture and Lovelace and Chambers are, no doubt, a part of that.  R.I.P. 

This Day in Hollywood History – April 22nd

This Day in Hollywood History

4/22

Births

1926 – Charlotte Rae, the loveable original housekeeper from Diff’rent Strokes (you know the show that produced the most notorious child stars, Dana Plato, Todd Bridges and Gary Coleman) and house mother Edna Garrett on The Facts of Life (the show that brought us a girl named Tootie).

1928 – Aaron Spelling – television produced extraordinaire.  This is the man that brought The Mod Squad, Charlie’s Angels, Dynasty and Beverly Hills, 90210 into our lives and I thank God every day for his genius.  His first wife was Carolyn Jones, Morticia Addams from The Addams Family.

1935 – Glenn Campbell – The Rhinestone Cowboy and Wichita Lineman all in one.  He started out as a musician with the Beach Boys who filled in for Brian Wilson when he was not up for touring and enjoyed his own successful singing career along with a bit of acting.  He also was one half of a torrid couple with the country songbird Tanya Tucker.  Their exploits fueled tabloid stories throughout the late 70s.

1937 – Jack Nicholson – He is the only actor to have earned 3 Academy Awards.  I considered him one of the greatest in all the history of cinema.  He actually has one thing in common with crooner Bobby Darin.  Each grew up believing that their grandmothers were their mothers while they thought their actual mothers were their sisters.  It’s a crazy mixed up situation that was born out of the unforgiving society of the 1930s and it’s bias against unwed pregnant women. 

1950 – Peter Frampton –He Came Alive on this date.  He enjoyed enormous success with his life rock album in 1976 but fell from grace along with the Bee Gees and Disco in the cinematic disaster Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

1952 – Marilyn Chambers – Adult film actress.  Star of Behind the Green Door and Ivory Snow model. See below.

Deaths

2002 – Linda Lovelace – Adult film star. She starred in Deep Throat.  She died in a car crash.  See below.