Hollywood: Past, Present & Future

Joanne Dru, Mario Lanza & Jean Simmons

2012-01-31T10:01:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Joanne Dru was born on January 31, 1922 in Logan, West Virginia. Born Joan LaCock, she came to New York City in 1940 and found work as a model. That same year she was chosen by Al Jolson to appear in the cast of his Broadway show, Hold onto Your Hat. Her first film appearance was in Abie’s Irish Rose (1946). Over the next decade, Dru appeared frequently in films and on television. She was cast often in westerns films such as Red River (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), and Wagon Master (1950). She also appeared in All the King’s Men (1949), The Pride of St. Louis (1952), Thunder Bay (1953), and Three Ring Circus (1954). Dru was the elder sister of Peter Marshall, who is best known as the original host of The Hollywood Squares. She was also married to Red River co-star, John Ireland from 1949-1957. Joanne Dru died on September 10, 1996 from lymph edema in Los Angeles and her ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean.

Singer/ actor Mario Lanza was born on January 31, 1921 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He began studying to be a professional singer at the age of 16 and after appearing at the Hollywood Bowl in 1947, Lanza signed a seven-year contract with MGM. His movie debut was in That Midnight Kiss (1949), followed by The Toast of New Orleans (1950), and The Great Caruso (1951). Lanza was known to be rebellious, tough, and ambitious, and during most of his film career, he suffered from addictions to overeating and alcohol which had a serious effect on his health and his relationships. He made three more films before dying of a pulmonary embolism on October 7, 1959 in Rome. At the time of his death he was still "the most famous tenor in the world.” He is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. Numerous tragedies followed as Lanza's widow, Betty, moved back to Hollywood with their four children, but died five months later from a respiratory ailment. In 1991, Marc, the younger of their two sons, died of a heart attack at the age of 37; six years later, Colleen, their elder daughter, was killed when she was struck by two passing vehicles on a highway, she was 48. The couple’s elder son, Damon Lanza, died in August 2008 of a heart attack at the age of 55.

Actress Jean Simmons was born on January 31, 1929 in London, England. She was discovered by Val Guest, who cast her in Give Us the Moon (1944). She then went on to appear in Great Expectations (1946) and Hamlet (1948) for which she received her first Academy Award nomination. Other film credits include Uncle Silas (1947), Black Narcissus (1947), Adam and Evelyne (1949). The Actress (1953), The Robe (1953), Young Bess (1953), Desiree (1954), The Egyptian (1954), Guys and Dolls (19555), Elmer Gantry (1960), Spartacus (1960), All the Way Home (1963), and The Happy Ending (1969), for which she received her second Oscar nomination. In 1950, she married actor Stewart Granger, with whom she appeared in several films, the couple divorced in 1960. By the 1970s Simmons turned her focus to stage and television acting. Simmons died from lung cancer on January 22, 2010 in Santa Monica, California and her cremated remains are interred at Highgate Cemetery in London.

Barbara LaMarr

2012-01-30T09:30:00.000-08:00

Who died on this date:

On January 30, 1926, silent film actress Barbara La Marr died. She was born Reatha Dale Watson on July 28, 1896 in Yakima, Washington. She was known as "The Girl Who Is Too Beautiful." La Marr made the successful leap from writer to actress in Douglas Fairbanks, The Nut (1921). She appeared in over 30 films, wrote seven successful screenplays for United Artists and Fox Studios. La Marr's notable film credits include The Prisoner of Zenda (1922), and Trifling Women (1922). Although her film career flourished, she also embraced the fast-paced Hollywood nightlife, remarking in an interview that she slept no more than two hours a night.

La Marr was married five times. At the time of her death she was married to actor Jack Dougherty. Some years after her death, it was revealed that she had mothered a son by a man whose name has never been released. The child, Marvin Carville La Marr, was adopted by the actress Zasu Pitts. The child was renamed Don Gallery and grew up to become an actor and a sometime boyfriend of Elizabeth Taylor. On January 30, 1926, La Marr died of tuberculosis and nephritis in Altadena, California at the age of 29. She is interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

W.C. Fields, Victor Mature, Jimmy Durante, Harold Russell, Alan Ladd

2012-01-29T09:16:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Legendary comedic actor W.C. Fields was born William Claude Dukenfield on January 29, 1880 in Darby, Pennsylvania. He was known for his comic hard-drinking egotist who remained a sympathetic character despite his contempt for dogs, children and women. Fields starred in a couple of short comedies, filmed in New York in 1915. His stage commitments prevented him from doing more movie work until 1924. His best known film credits include Million Dollar legs (1932), The Fatal Glass of Beer (1933), David Copperfield (1935), My Little Chickadee (1940), and The Bank Dick (1940). Fields died on January 29, 1946 at the Las Encinas Sanitarium in Pasadena, California from alcohol related stomach hemorrhage. His cremated remains are interred at Forest Lawn Glendale.

Actor Victor Mature was born on January 29, 1913in Louisville, Kentucky. He was discovered while on stage at the Pasadena Playhouse, his first leading role was as a fur-clad caveman in One Million B.C. (1940). His other notable film roles include My Darling Clementine (1946), Samson and Delilah (1949), Million Dollar Mermaid (1952), and The Robe (1953). Mature was famously self-deprecatory about his acting skills. Once, after being rejected for membership in a country club because he was an actor, he cracked, "I'm not an actor — and I've got sixty-four films to prove it!" He was quoted in 1968 on his acting career: "Actually, I am a golfer. That is my real occupation. I never was an actor. Ask anybody, particularly the critics." Victor Mature died of leukemia on August 4, 1999 at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, California and is buried at St. Michael's Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky.

Who died on this date:

On January 29, 1980, actor/ comedian Jimmy Durante died. He was born on February 10, 1893 in New York City. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s. His jokes about his nose included referring to it as a "Schnozzola", and the word became his nickname. Durante retired from performing in 1972 after suffering a stroke that left him confined to a wheelchair. He died of pneumonia on January 29, 1980 in Santa Monica, California. And is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

On January 29, 2002, actor Harold Russell died. He won the best supporting Oscar winner for 1947 was not even a professional actor. Harold John Russell was born on January 14, 1914 in North Sydney, Nova Scotia and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He joined the Army on December 8, 1941, the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and became a paratrooper and explosives expert. In 1944, at Fort Mackall, North Carolina, he had a charge of TNT explode in his hands during a training exercise. The injuries were so extensive that both hands hand to be amputated. A short time after the accident, he was cast in an Army documentary, Diary of a Sergeant that detailed his rehabilitation efforts. Hollywood film director, William Wyler saw this documentary and offered Russell the part of Homer Parish in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). His performance in this film was critically and commercially well received, and he was nominated for a best supporting Academy. He beat out other veteran actors to win the award. Upon accepting the gold statuette, Russell was so moved by the rousing applause from the audience that he was overcome with emotion and reduced to tears. He also received an honorary Oscar, “For bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance in The Best Years of Our Lives.” He is the only actor to ever receive two Oscars for the same role.

Following this film, Russell attended Brown University and then became a founder member of AMVETS. He also made it is life long quest to help the disabled. He went on to appear in a handful of films and several television programs such as Inside Moves (1980), Trapper John, M.D. (1981), and Dogtown (1997). Russell wrote two autobiographies, Victory in My Hands (1947) and The Best Years of My Life (1981). In 1992, Russell caused a stir when he decided to sell his best supporting actor Oscar. Russell told the press that he wanted put some money away for his children and grandchildren. The Academy of Motion Pictures Sciences urged him not sell and even tried to purchase the statuette, offering $20,000 but Russell held out and it was eventually sold for more than $60,000 to an anonymous buyer. On January 29, 2002, Russell died from a heart attack at age eighty-eight. Harold Russell’s grave is found at the Lakeview Cemetery in Cochituate, Massachusetts.

On January 29, 1964, actor Alan Ladd died. He was born on September 3, 1913 was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Ladd’s film career began with small parts in such movies as Citizen Kane and Joan of Paris (1942). He came into his own as a leading man in This Gun for Hire (1942), in which he played "Raven," a hit man with a conscience. Ladd went on to star in many Paramount Pictures films that included The Glass Key (1942) and Lucky Jordan (1942). His cool, unsmiling persona proved popular with wartime audiences, and he was quickly established as one of the top box office stars of the decade and was often paired with actress Veronica Lake. In 1946, he starred in a trio of silver screen classics: Tow Years Before the Mast, The Blue Dahlia and O.S.S. Ladd played the title role in the 1953 western Shane, which was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. In November 1962, Ladd was found lying unconscious in a pool of blood with a bullet wound near his heart from an unsuccessful suicide attempt. In 1963 Ladd filmed a supporting role in The Carpetbaggers but did not live to see its release. On January 29, 1964 he was found dead in Palm Springs, California from an acute overdose of "alcohol and other drugs,” the death was rules an accident. Ladd was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale.

Ernst Lubitsch

2012-01-28T11:22:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Director Ernst Lubitsch was born on January 29, 1892 in Berlin, Germany. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as his prestige grew, his films were promoted as having "the Lubitsch touch." In 1947 he received an Honorary Academy Award for his distinguished contributions to the art of the motion picture. He was nominated three times for Best Director.

In 1918, he made his mark as a serious director with The Eyes of the Mummy, starring Pola Negri. Lubitsch enjoyed great international success and his reputation as a grand master of world cinema reached a new peak after the release of Passion (1919) and Deception (1920). Lubitsch arrived in Hollywood in 1922, and directed Mary Pickford in Rosita; the result was a critical and commercial success. He would establish a reputation for sophisticated comedy with such stylish films as The Marriage Circle (1924), and So This Is Paris (1926).

Lubitsch seized upon the advent of talkies to direct musicals. With his first sound film, The Love Parade (1929), Lubitsch hit his stride as a maker of worldly musical comedies and earned an Oscar nomination. Other notable film credits include The Merry Widow (1934), Ninotchka (1939), starring Greta Garbo, The Shop Around the Corner (1940), To Be or Not to Be (1942), starring Carole Lombard in her last film. Lubitsch died on November 30, 1947 from a heart attack in Hollywood and is buried at Forest Lawn Glendale.

Film Review of "The Help"

2012-01-28T09:40:00.000-08:00

The Help

Winner of the 2012 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer) and nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actress (Viola Davis) and Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer)

The Help, set in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi, follows Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan (played by Emma Stone), a young college graduate who has just returned home with a degree from Ole Miss. Skeeter dreams of becoming a real author, and immediately lands a job with the town newspaper as the writer of the cleaning column. She soon decides to secretly pen a book exposing what life is like from the point of view of the African American women who cook, clean and raise white children. Aibileen (played by Viola Davis) is the maid for Skeeter's best friend Elizabeth (played by Ahna O’Reilly). She does all the cooking, she cleans, she goes to the grocery story, and most important, she takes care of Elizabeth's daughter. Although reluctant at first, Aibileen is motivated by a desire to remember her late son and is the first maid to agree to talk with Skeeter.

The next maid to agree to tell her story is Minny (played by Octavia Spencer), who works for Hilly Holbrook (played by Bryce Dallas Howard), the town's queen bee. Minny is the best cook in town but Hilly's manipulative ways finally become too much for her, and she gets some nasty revenge on her overbearing employer. After which, Minny goes to work for Celia Foote, a naive young lady who is considered white trash by Hilly and her friends. As racial tensions rise and tragedy strikes in the town, more maids find the courage to come forward. Despite the possibility of terrible backlash, the women tell “all” for the book.

The movie sets the tone right away; the bright and sunshiny presentation cloaks the story, and along with genuine humor, lightens the weightiness of the subject matter and hints at the uplifting feeling of triumph and sisterhood that will ultimately prevail. How do you take a potentially highly emotionally charged, painful and divisive civil rights issue and make it into a pleasant, poignant unifying and uplifting story? First, you add a little Southern charm, and then throw in a dash of real, honest humor. Brilliantly adapted to the silver screen from Kathryn Stockett’s bestselling novel, The Help will make you laugh, and probably cry, and it will likely leave you a better person for having seen it.

Release – Dreamworks (2011)

Runtime - 137 minutes

Director – Tate Taylor
Cast - Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Anna Camp, Ahna O’Reilly, Jessica Chastain, Allison Janney

Watch trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_ajv_6pUnI

Film Review of "Hugo"

2012-01-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

Hugo

Winner of the 2012 Golden Globe for Best Director (Martin Scorsese) and nominated for 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Director

Martin Scorses’s Hugo is set in Paris in 1931 and begins with a breathtaking shot of the city, as the camera swoops down on to a busy railway station. It ends up on the 12-year-old Hugo, who is peering at the world from behind a giant clock. Hugo (Asa Butterfield) has inherited a love of tinkering with machinery from his late father, and has quite recently taken over the job of superintending the station's clocks from his drunken uncle. The boy lives in the hidden tunnels and passageways of the building, where he's repairing a 19th-century automaton. He's a crafty Charles Dickens like orphan, a cinematic voyeur looking out on the world. Fate has brought him there, and it then draws him into the orbit of a querulous old man, Georges (Ben Kingsley), who runs an old-fashioned shop on the station selling toys and doing mechanical repairs, assisted by his 12-year-old god-daughter, Isabelle. Hugo becomes involved with the old man when he's accused of theft and has a cherished book of drawings confiscated. He is then assisted by Isabelle in retrieving the book, and in turn, when he discovers she's forbidden to go to the movies, he takes her on a great "adventure", a visit to the lost world of silent movies. A labyrinth of plot twists takes the pair on a journey into a mysterious past in which they discover the origins of the movies in the late 19th century careers of the Lumière brothers.

Hugo is a moving, funny and exhilarating film, an imaginative history lesson in the form of a detective story. The film is a great defense of the cinema as a dream world, a complementary, countervailing, transformative force to the brutalizing reality we see all around us. It rejects the sneers of those intellectuals and moralizers who see in film a debilitating escapism. Hugo has a wonderfully gifted team behind it with a talented British cast (except for the delightful young American Chloë Grace Moretz as Isabelle). Scorsese has created a timeless and wondrously imaginative film. It’s a love letter to the cinema and its preservation. An instant classic.

Run-time – 1hour, 27 minutes

Production – Paramount Pictures (2011)

Director – Martin Scorsese

Cast - Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ray Winstone, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee, Helen McCrory, Michael Stuhlbarg, Frances de la Tour, Richard Griffiths, Jude Law

Watch trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5IP-78xH6g

Film Review of "War Horse"

2012-01-26T12:08:00.000-08:00

War Horse

Nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture

War Horse succeeds at offering a compelling look at multiple facets of World War I. The movie begins when Albert (played by Jeremy Irvine) suddenly becomes the young owner of an untrained and unruly horse. The pair forms a tight bond as the stubborn horse named Joey helps his young trainer beat the odds and save his parents farm from financial ruin. Despite their victory, Britain begins to deploy for war with Germany, and Joey is effectively enlisted in the British army, acting as the battle horse for Captain Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston) and leaving Albert behind. Nicholls is only the first of many people that Joey touches as he traverses one of the most horrifying human conflicts in history. The vignettes are masterfully woven together, and despite jumping from person to person, it successfully balances Joey’s experience with the overarching effect the war is having on people from all walks of life.

The marketing for the film might lead some moviegoers to think that War Horse is a mostly lighthearted and inspiring adventure suitable for young children but that would be a mistake. For casual audiences, this film may actually be one of the heavier films of the year, as the World War seemingly destroys everything in its wake (soldiers, innocents, and animals alike) but the heavy tone and heart-wrenching moments don’t detract from the overall success of the film. The unrelenting nature of the film is almost certainly intentional and helps ground audiences in the horrors of World War I. However, there’s no doubt that each of the vignettes can be exceptionally draining, especially because the terrible deeds of man far outweigh any moments of lightheartedness. Spielberg does manage to instill a number of the characters with enjoyable and lively personalities; however, even the most hopeful and cheerful of these personalities are ultimately overrun by the relentless war machine. As a result, the film can at times come across as a continuous descent into increasingly horrifying human experiences.

That’s not to say that there aren’t a number of lighthearted moments, mainly due to the success of the equine actors coupled with some inspired performances from their human counterparts. Joey exudes a tremendous amount of personality and provides believable reactions to the various scenarios portrayed onscreen. Spielberg makes use of the horses to great effect, showcasing the majesty and beauty of the animals, while successfully portraying the horrors that befell them. Jeremy Irvine is competent in the lead role as Albert, and there’s no doubt the actor was challenged selling the emotional bond between his character and Joey. Once the film gets rolling it moves at a brisk pace. War Horse offers a number of memorable moments both tragic and profound but even the most inspiring moments are wrought with the horror of the war. But with that said, War Horse is a compelling film with heart and is one of the best movies of the year.

Run-time - 1 hour 26 minutes

Director - Steven Speilberg

Touchstone Picures

Cast - Jeremy Irvine, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Kross, David Thewlis, Emily Watson, Niels Arestrup, Peter Mullan, Toby Kebbell, Tom Hiddleston

Watch trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7lf9HgFAwQ

Paul Newman, Charles Lane & Edward G. Robinson

2012-01-26T11:04:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actor Paul Newman was born on January 26, 1925 in Shaker Heights, Ohio. He won numerous awards, including an Academy Award for best actor in the 1986s, The Color of Money. Newman was a co-founder of Newman’s Own, a food company from which Newman donated all post-tax profits and royalties to charity. Newman attended the Yale School of Drama for one year before moving to New York City to study under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio. In 1953, he made his Broadway debut in the original production of Picnic. During this time Newman started acting in television. He had his first credited TV or film appearance with a small but notable part in a 1952 episode of the science fiction TV series Tales of Tomorrow. His first movie was The Silver Chalice (1954) and by 1958, he was one of the hottest new stars in Hollywood, starring in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), opposite Elizabeth Taylor. The film was a box office smash and Newman garnered his first Academy Award nomination.

Newman was one of the few actors who successfully made the transition from 1950s cinema to that of the 1960s and 1970s. His rebellious persona translated well to a subsequent generation. Newman starred in Exodus (1960), The Hustler (1961), Hud (1963), Hombre (1967), Cool hand Luke (1967), The Towering Inferno (1974), Slap Shot (1977), and The Verdict (1982). He teamed with fellow actor Robert Redford for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and The Sting (1973). His last screen appearance was as a conflicted mob boss in the 2002 film Road to Perdition opposite Tom Hanks. Newman announced that he would retire from acting on May 25, 2007. He stated that he did not feel he could continue acting at the level he wanted to.

Newman was married twice first to Jackie Witte from 1949 to 1958. He met actress Joanne Woodward in 1953. Shortly after filming The Long, Hot Summer, in 1957 he divorced Witte. He married Woodward early in 1958. They remained married for fifty years until his death. The Newman’s lived away from the Hollywood environment, making their home in Westport, Connecticut. Newman was well known for his devotion to his wife and family. When asked once about infidelity, he famously quipped, "Why go out for a hamburger when you have steak at home?" In June 2008, it was widely reported that Newman, a former chain smoker, had been diagnosed with lung cancer and was receiving treatment in New York City. In August, after reportedly finishing chemotherapy, Newman told his family he wished to die at home. He died there on September 26, 2008, surrounded by his family and close friends. His remains were cremated and final disposition is unknown.

Actor Charles Lane was born on January 26, 1905 in San Francisco, California. He appeared in numerous movies and TV shows, and at the time of his death may have been the oldest living professional American actor. He appeared in many Frank Capra films, including You Can't Take It With You (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946). He was a favored supporting actor of Lucille Ball, who often used him as a no-nonsense authority figure and comedic foe of her scatterbrained TV character on her TV series I Love Lucy, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour and The Lucy Show. Lane also appeared in the 1949 film Mighty Joe Young, and 1963’s It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. His final acting role was at the age of 101 in 2006's The Night Before Christmas. His last television appearance was at the age of 90, when he appeared in the 1995 Disney TV remake of its 1970 teen comedy The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, with Kirk Cameron. Lane died on July 9, 2007 and is buried at Home of Peace Cemetery in Colma, California.

Who died on this date:

On January 26, 1973, actor Edward G. Robinson died. He was born on December 12, 1893 in Bucharest. He began his acting career in 1913 and made his Broadway debut in 1915. He made his film debut in a minor and uncredited role in 1916. Robinson was popular in the 1930s and 1940s and was able to avoid many flops during a 50-year career that included 101 films. An acclaimed performance as the gangster Caesar Enrico "Rico" Bandello in Little (1931) led to him being typecast as a "tough guy" for much of his early career in works such as Five Star Final (1931), Smart Money (1931), Tiger Shark (1932), Kid Galahad (1937), Larceny Inc. (1942), Double Indemnity (1944), The Woman in the Window (1945), Scarlet Street (1945) and The Stranger (1946). As a memorable tribute to his past gangster roles, he appeared as 'Johnny Rocco' in Key Largo (1948). He also appeared in numerous 'B' movies such as Vice Squad (1953), Tank Battalion (1958).Director Cecil B. DeMille cast him as Dathan in The Ten Commandments in 1956. Robinson's acting career was later bolstered by notable roles in 1959's A Hole in the Head and the Cincinnati Kid (1965). Robinson's last film was Soylent Green (1973). Edward G. Robinson died from cancer on January 26, 1973 and was buried at Beth-El Cemetery in Queens, New York.

Ava Gardner

2012-01-25T10:45:00.000-08:00

Who died on this date:

On January 25, 1990, actress Ava Gardner died. She was born on December 24, 1922 in Grabtown, North Carolina. She was one of Hollywood's most beautiful actresses and was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for Mogambo (1953). She appeared in several high-profile films from the late 1940s to 1970s, including The Killers (1946), The Hucksters (1947), Show Boat (1951), The Snow of Kilimanjaro (1952), The Barefoor Contessa (1954), Bhowano Junction (1956), On the Beach (1959), The Night of the Iguana (1964), Earthquake (1974), and The Cassandra Crossing (1976).

Soon after her arrival in Los Angeles, Gardner met fellow MGM contract player Mickey Rooney; they married in 1942; she was 19 years old and he was 21. Rooney and Gardner divorced in 1943. Gardner was close friends with Howard Hughes in the early to mid-1940s and the relationship lasted into the 1950s. Gardner's second marriage was brief and to jazz musician and band leader Artie Shaw from 1945 to 1946. Her third and last marriage (1951–1957) was to singer and actor Frank Sinatra. She would later say in her autobiography that he was the love of her life. Sinatra left his wife, Nancy, for Ava and their subsequent marriage made headlines. The Gardner-Sinatra marriage was tumultuous and they divorced in 1957.

After a lifetime of smoking, Gardner suffered from emphysema and an auto-immune disorder (which may have been lupus). She suffered two stokes in 1986, which left her partially paralyzed and bedridden. Although Gardner could afford her medical expenses, Sinatra wanted to pay for her to visit a specialist in the United States, and she allowed him to make the arrangements for a medically-staffed private plane. Her last words (to her house keeper), were reportedly, "I'm so tired," before she died of pneumonia on January 25, 1990 in London. After her death, Sinatra's daughter, Tina, found him slumped in his room, crying, and unable to speak. Gardner was not only the love of his life, but also was the inspiration for one of his most personal songs, "I'm a Fool to Want You." Garner was buried at the Sunset Memorial Park in Smithfield, North Carolina, next to her brothers and parents.

Film Review of "Moneyball"

2012-01-25T10:05:00.000-08:00

Moneyball

Nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Lead Actor (Brad Pitt), Best Supporting Actor (Jonah Hill)

Baseball is the quintessential national game, with its own mystique and built-in traditions, but it is also a cut-throat business where change and innovation are important. Moneyball brings these elements together. In one of his better performances, Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane, a failed former Major Leaguer, and current general manager of the Oakland Athletics. His best players are constantly being poached by wealthier clubs, earning the A's the reputation of being "organ donors to the rich.” During a moment of insight and despair after losing three major stars, Billy is intrigued by a quietly spoken, overweight, bespectacled adviser working for the Cleveland Indians.

The man is Peter Brand (played by Jonah Hill), an economist from Yale who's never played the game but keeps whispering obscure advice to the Cleveland pros. He believes a winning team isn't necessarily made up of individual stars but of a combination of certain talents who together add up to runs. Such people are much cheaper to buy, probably easier to handle and certainly simpler to unload. Billy's immediately hooked on the idea that he might use Brand's complex formula to transform the A's into a truly winning combination rather than relying on luck, intuition and conventional wisdom. He hires Brand and sets about selling the idea to Oakland's old-fashioned scouts and coaches.

The movie is a brilliant study of group dynamics. Billy doggedly pursues his new obsession, attracting ridicule and probable disaster. He wins in the end, though not in a triumphant manner, and not permanently, but his life is changed. Moneyball has few scenes set on the playing field, none of them sustained. It's a film about baseball that demands little knowledge of the game. The moral of the film is fairly simple: Everyone’s value is subjective. Players not highly regarded by one team could become incredible assets to another. Numbers geeks not appreciated by baseball in general could prove invaluable to managers looking to change the game and the system. It’s not the kind of movie everyone will find priceless but Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill give good performances. Moneyball makes statistical analysis as fascinating as a pennant race and is an inspiration for underappreciated folks everywhere.

Released through Columbia Pictures (2011)

Runtime – 2 hours 13 minutes

Director – Bennett Miller

Cast – Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Chris Pratt, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Stephen Bishop, Tammy Blanchard

Watch trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4QPVo0UIzc

Review of Midnight in Paris

2012-01-24T09:25:00.000-08:00

Midnight in Paris

Winner of the 2012 Golden Globe for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Nominated for three Academy Awards - Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay

Woody Allen’s, Midnight in Paris is a romantic, funny, quirky, quasi-comedy set in Paris. The film begins with a beautiful montage tribute of picture-postcard images of Paris set to a traditional jazz score. In this film, Owen Wilson takes on the role as Gil, a disillusioned Hollywood screenwriter who comes to Paris with his gorgeous fiancée Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her parents. Idolizing the bohemian Paris of the 1920s, Gil finds that the city has revived his dormant longing to be a serious novelist. One night, while strolling alone in the city, Gil sees a mysterious antique vehicle roll up and its champagne-swilling occupants urge him to jump in. He travels back in time with them to a party where he encounters F Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Cole Porter and falls in love with Picasso's mistress, played by Marion Cotillard. Wilson plays the role exactly right: bemused and excited, while Cotillard has delicacy and charm. There are real laughs and enchanting cameos but when the action returns to the present, the movie begins to fizzle, and I have to say the final, crucial confrontation between Gil and Inez isn’t believable. But for simple pleasure, the sort of reliably stimulating pleasure Allen use to deliver in his films - sophisticated wit … Midnight in Paris does well. In the present, the film disappoints a bit but in the past, it zips along quite nicely. So perhaps it's the fantasy/ nostalgic theme of this movie, the retreat from the present day that has restored Allen to past days of brilliance. This film may not be a return to those days for Allen, but it's a vivid reminder of them.

Release – 2011 by Sony Pictures

Run time – 1 hour 34 minutes

Written/ director – Woody Allen

Cast - Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Carla Bruni, Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen, Owen Wilson, Tom Hiddleston

Watch trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atLg2wQQxvU

Review of "The Artist"

2012-01-23T10:27:00.000-08:00

"The Artist"

Winner of the 2012 Golden Globe for Best Picture - Musical or Comedy; Best Actor – Musical or Comedy (Jean Dujardin); Best Original Score

The film is set in the late 1920s and the story centers on George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), a famous movie star who is truly on top of the world. His movies are some of the biggest in Hollywood and he is constantly surrounded by fans who heap praise upon him. One day, by pure chance, he meets a young extra named Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), with whom he has an instant connection. What he doesn’t know is that his career is about to be turned upside down. He ignores warnings from producer (John Goodman) that talkies are about to become the “next big thing.” George refuses to change up his act, and watches his career sink lower and lower as Peppy rides the talkie wave and becomes a huge star. Much like actors in early films, star Jean Dujardin must over-emote in order to compensate for his inability to express himself verbally. But in doing so, he puts on a wonderful performance. A challenging role, to say the least, Dujardin never pushes himself so far that it becomes over done and we always know exactly how he feels. What’s more, the French actor looks as though he’s been ripped straight out of the era. He sells the drama, makes us laugh and is, in short, perfect as George Valentin.

The Artist presents George's life as the very kind of silent film he's trying to keep alive, allowing the audience to both re-discover the joys of silent film and fully understand George's plight. The character is so set in his ways it would actually hurt the film to hear George speak, and The Artist allows the viewer to see George as though his entire life is a silent film, which is how he would actually prefer it. This is only reinforced by the fact that the first time we see the character is on screen and through the 1927 audience’s eyes. George is so attached to his movie identity that his dog co-star is even with him in real life, performing little skits at the dinner table (the dog’s performance is actually one of the film’s greatest highlights). While the presentation and performances are terrific, The Artist with its unoriginal story line prevents it from being a truly great film. The story of the silent film actor being pushed aside to make way for talkies is not a new concept. Despite its flaws, The Artist really is a charming film. A love letter to the age of the silent film, and it recaptures the spirit of that era. The movie isn’t revolutionary but it is great entertainment.

Release Date: 2011-11-23

Distributor: The Weinstein Company

Length: 100 min
Starring: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, Penelope Ann Miller, and James Cromwell
Directed by: Michel Hazanavicius

Produced by: Thomas Langmann, Emmanuel Montamat
Watch the trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8K9AZcSQJE

Randolph Scott & Freddie Bartholomew

2012-01-23T09:34:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actor Randolph Scott was born on January 23, 1898 in Orange County, Virginia. Scott appeared in a variety of film genres; however, his most enduring image is that of a Western hero. Out of his more than 100 film appearances more than 60 were in Westerns. Around 1927, Scott developed an interest in acting and decided to make his way to Los Angeles and seek a career in the motion picture industry. Fortunately, Scott's father had become acquainted with Howard Hughes and provided a letter of introduction for his son to present to the eccentric millionaire filmmaker. Hughes responded by getting Scott a small part in Sharp Shooters (1928). In the next few years, Scott continued working as an extra and bit player in several films, including The Virginian (1929) with Gary Cooper.

In 1931 Scott played his first leading role in Women Men Marry and followed that up with a supporting part in, A Successful Calamity. Following that, however, Paramount cast him as the lead in Heritage of the Desert (1932), his first significant starring role and also the one that established him as a Western hero. By 1935 Scott was firmly established as a popular movie star and, thus, following the release of Rocky Mountain Mystery (1935), Paramount moved him up to a star of "A" features. Scott married twice. In 1936 he became the second husband of heiress Marion Du Pont, the daughter of William Du Pont. Reputedly the couple spent little time together and the marriage ended in divorce three years later. Prior to and between his first and second marriages Scott was romantically linked with several prominent film actresses, including Lupe Velez, Sally Blane, Claire Trevor and Dorothy Lamour. In 1944 Scott married Patricia Stillman, with whom he adopted two children. The marriage lasted until Scott's 1987 death.

His most notable feature films include Roberta (1935), Follow the Fleet (1936), The Last of the Mohicans (1936), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938), Jesse James (1939), Virginia City (1940), and My Favorite Wife (1940). Following Ride the High Country (1962), Scott retired from film at the age of 64. Scott died of heart and lung ailments on March 2, 1987 in Beverly Hills, California and he is buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Who died on this date:

On January 23, 1992, child actor Freddie Bartholomew died. He was born on March 8, 1924 in Willesden, England. He was one of the most famous child actors of the Golden Age of Hollywood. His best known films were David Copperfield (1935), Captains Courageous (1937) and Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936). Despite his great success and acclaim following David Copperfield, Bartholomew's childhood film stardom was marred by nearly constant legal battles and payouts which eventually took a huge toll on both his finances and his career. In adulthood, after World War II service, Bartholomew's film career dwindled rapidly, and he switched from performing to directing and producing in the medium of television. Suffering from emphysema, Bartholomew retired from television by the late 1980s. He died on January 23, 1992 from emphysema in Sarasota, Florida and his cremated remains were given to family with final disposition being unknown.

William Warfield & Jean Simmons

2012-01-22T16:18:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actor/ singer William Warfield was born on January 22, 1920 in West Helena, Arkansas. Warfield was a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and appeared in two Hollywood films, including a star-making performance as Joe in MGM’s Show Boat (1951), in which he sang “Ole Man River.” His other film was an overlooked movie called "Old Explorers." By 1976, Warfield, although still making various stage and television appearances, was not singing as much as he had in the past. He served as narrator in various orchestral works, such as Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait, for which he won a Grammy in 1984. Warfield died on August 26, 2002 in Chicago, Illinois and is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York.

Post script: I had the distinct honor of performing with and meeting Mr. Warfield on two occasions; in 1981 while I was a member of the Wheeling High School Wind Symphony and in 1983 while a member of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. On both occasions, Mr. Warfield performed “The Lincoln Portrait” and “Ole Man River.” He was a consummate professional and very gracious.

Who died on this date:

On January 22, 2010, actress Jean Simmons died. She was born on January 31, 1929 in London, England. She was discovered by Val Guest, who cast her in Give Us the Moon (1944). She then went on to appear in Great Expectations (1946) and Hamlet (1948) for which she received her first Academy Award nomination. Other film credits include Uncle Silas (1947), Black Narcissus (1947), Adam and Evelyne (1949). The Actress (1953), The Robe (1953), Young Bess (1953), Desiree (1954), The Egyptian (1954), Guys and Dolls (19555), Elmer Gantry (1960), Spartacus (1960), All the Way Home (1963), and The Happy Ending (1969), for which she received her second Oscar nomination. In 1950, she married actor Stewart Granger, with whom she appeared in several films, the couple divorced in 1960. By the 1970s Simmons turned her focus to stage and television acting. Simmons died from lung cancer on January 22, 2010 in Santa Monica, California and her cremated remains are interred at Highgate Cemetery in London.

Cecil B. DeMille, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Ann Sheridan

2012-01-21T09:28:00.000-08:00

Who died on this date:

On January 21, 1959, director Cecil B. DeMille died. He was born on August 12, 1881 in Ashfield, Massachusetts. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies. Among his best-known films are Cleopatra, Samson and Delilah, The Greatest Show on Earth, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture and The Ten Commandments, which also won best picture was his last and most successful film. DeMille began his career as an actor on the Broadway stage in 1900. DeMille also served as producer and/or director for many plays and found success in the spring of 1913 producing “Reckless Age” by Lee Wilson. That same year directed dozens of silent films, including Paramount Pictures first production, The Squaw Man (1914).

Cecil B. DeMille was known for being an instrumental catalyst for the rising status of many struggling or unknown actor such as Richard Dix, Richard Cromwell, and Horace Hahn. DeMille displayed a loyalty to certain supporting performers, and also cast leading actors such as Claudette Colbert, Gary Cooper, and Charlton Heston in multiple pictures. He was not known as a particularly good director of actors, often hiring actors whom he relied on to develop their own characters and act accordingly. He had a reputation for tyrannical behavior on the set, and he despised actors who were unwilling to take physical risks. DeMille was one of the first directors in Hollywood to become a celebrity in his own right.

During on-location filming in Egypt of the Exodus sequence for 1956's The Ten Commandments, the then-75-year-old DeMille climbed a 107-foot ladder to the top of the massive Per Rameses set and suffered a near-fatal heart attack. Though DeMille completed the film, it proved to be his last, for he never fully recovered from this episode, and died on January 21, 1959 of heart failure. He is buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

On January 21, 1927, child actor Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer died. He was born on August 7, 1927 in Paris, Illinois. He is best known for appearing in the Our Gang series as Alfalfa, one of the series' most popular and best-remembered characters. In 1934 on a sightseeing excursion Switzer and his family visited the Hal Roach Studios. Following a public tour of the facility, 6-year-old Carlbegan an impromptu performance and Producer Hal Roach was present that day and was impressed by the performance. He signed both Switzer to appear in Our Gang. He first appeared in the 1935 Our Gang short, Beginner’s Luck and by the end of the year; Alfalfa was one of the main characters in the series. Switzer's tenure on Our Gang ended in 1940, when Carl was twelve. He continued to appear in movies in various supporting roles. In the early 1950s, Switzer moved to Kansas and lived and worked on a farm near Wichita. On January 21, 1959 in Mission Hills, California, Switzer got into a fight with an acquaintance over some money and was shot to death.

On January 21, 1967, actress Ann Sheridan died. She was born on February 21, 1915 in Denton, Texas. She made her film debut in 1934 in Search for Beauty, and played un-credited bit parts in Paramount films for the next two years. Paramount made little effort to develop Sheridan's talent, so she left, signing a contract with Warner Bros. in 1936. Her career prospects began to improve. She gained the nicknamed "The Oomph Girl," and was a popular pin-up girl during the 1940s. Her notable film credits include Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), Dodge City (1939), Torrid Zone (1940), They Drive by Night (1940), The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942), Kings Row (1942), Nora Prentiss (1947), and The Unfaithful (1947). In 1966, during filming of the TV series Pistols ‘n’ Petticoats, Sheridan became ill and died from esophageal and liver cancer. She was cremated and her ashes were stored at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles until they were permanently interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in 2005.

Patricia Neal, Clive Colin, Audrey Hepburn & Barbara Stanwyck

2012-01-20T10:12:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Patricia Neal was born on January 20, 1926 in Packard, Kentucky. She was best known for her film roles in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), and Hud (1963), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1949, Neal made her film debut in John Loves Mary. That same year, she co-starred with Ronald Reagan in The Hasty Heart. It has been widely alleged that Neal had numerous love affairs with many of her leading male co-stars. Most notably during the filming of The Fountainhead (1949), Neal had an affair with her married co-star, Gary Cooper, whom she had met in 1947 when she was 21 and he was 46. By 1950, Cooper's wife, Veronica, had found out about the relationship and sent Neal a telegram demanding they end it. She suffered a nervous breakdown around this same time, following the end of her relationship with Cooper, and left Hollywood for New York, returning to Broadway. Her health took another turn in 1965, when she suffered three burst cerebral aneurysms during pregnancy, and was in a coma for three weeks. Neal worked sparingly in the following years. She returned to the big screen in The Subject Was Roses (1968), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award. Having won a Tony Award in her inaugural Broadway production (1947) and eventually becoming the last surviving winner from that first ceremony, Neal often appeared as a presenter in later years. Her original Tony was lost, so she was given a surprise replacement in 2006. Neal died at her home in Edgartown, Massachusetts on August 8, 2010 from lung cancer and was buried at the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Connecticut.

Actor Colin Clive was born on January 20, 1900 in Saint-Malo, France and is best remembered for his portrayal of Dr. Frankenstein in two Universal Frankenstein films, Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Although Colin Clive made only three horror films, the two Frankenstein movies and Mad Love (1935), he is widely regarded as one of the essential stars of the genre. His portrayal of Dr. Frankenstein was an inspiration for scores of other mad scientist performances in films over the years. Clive was also an in-demand leading man for a number of major film actresses of the era, including Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Corinne Griffith, and Jean Arthur. He also starred in the 1934 adaptation of Jane Eyre opposite Virginia Bruce. Colin Clive suffered from severe chronic alcoholism and died from complications of tuberculosis on June 25, 1937 at the age of thirty-seven. His cenotaph is located at Chapel of the Pines Crematory, but his ashes were scattered at sea in 1978 after they spent over 40 years unclaimed in the basement of the funeral parlor where his body was brought after his death.

Who died on this date:

On January 20, 1993, actress Audrey Hepburn died. She was born on May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium. She remains one of the world's most famous actresses of all time, remembered as a film and fashion icon of the twentieth century. After appearing in several British films and starring in the 1951 Broadway play GiGi, Hepburn gained instant Hollywood stardom for playing the Academy Award winning lead role in Roman Holiday (1953). Later performing in Sabrina (1954), The Nun’s Story (1959), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), Charade (1963), My Fair Lady (1964) and Wait Until Dark (1967), Hepburn became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Although she appeared in fewer films as her life went on, Hepburn devoted much of her later life to UNICEF. Her war-time struggles inspired her passion for humanitarian work and, although Hepburn had contributed to the organization since the 1950s, she worked in some of the most profoundly disadvantaged communities of Africa, South America and Asia in the late eighties and early nineties. Upon return from Somalia to Switzerland in late September 1992, Hepburn began suffering from abdominal pains. She went to specialists and received inconclusive results, so decided to be examined while on a trip to Los Angeles. Doctors performed a laparoscopy and discovered abdominal cancer. Hepburn died in her sleep on the evening of January 20, 1993, at her home in Switzerland. After her death, Gregory Peck went on camera and tearfully recited her favorite poem, "Unending Love" by Rabindranath Tagore. She is buried at Tolochenaz Cemetery in Tolochenaz, Switzerland, a small cemetery that sits atop a hill overlooking the village.

On January 20, 1990, actress Barbara Stanwyck died. She was born on July 16, 1907 in Brroklyn, New York. She was nominated for the Academy Award four times, and won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. In 1923, a few months short of her 16th birthday, Ruby auditioned for a place in the chorus at the Strand Roof, a night club over the Strand Theatre in Times Square. A few months thereafter she obtained a job as a Ziegfeld girl in the 1922 and 1923 editions of the Ziegfeld Follies.

Stanwyck's first film was The Locked Door (1929), followed by Mexicali Rose in 1929. Neither film was successful; nonetheless, Frank Capra chose Stanwyck for his Ladies of Leisure (1930). Numerous memorable roles followed, among them the children's nurse who saves two would be juvenile murder victims in Night Nurse (1931), the ambitious woman from "the wrong side of the tracks" in Baby Face (1933), the self-sacrificing mother in Stella Dallas (1937), the con artist who falls for her would-be victim (played by Henry Fonda) in The Lady Eve (1941), the woman who talks an infatuated insurance salesman (Fred McMurray) into killing her husband in Double Indemnity (1944), the columnist caught up in white lies and Christmas romance in Christmas in Connecticut (1945) and the doomed wife in Sorry, Wrong Number (1948).

When Stanwyck's film career declined in 1957, she moved to television. Her 1961–1962 series The Barbara Stanwyck Show was not a ratings success but earned her first Emmy Award. The 1965–1969 Western series The Big Valley on ABC made her one of the most popular actresses on television, winning her another Emmy. Years later, Stanwyck earned her third Emmy for The Thorn Birds. In 1936, while making the film His Brother's Wife, Stanwyck met and fell in love with her co-star, Robert Taylor. Following a whirlwind romance, the couple began living together. Their 1939 marriage was arranged with the help of Taylor's studio MGM, a common practice in Hollywood's golden age. Taylor reportedly had affairs during the marriage. When Stanwyck learned of Taylor's fling with Lana Turner, she filed for divorce in 1950 when a starlet made Turner's romance with Taylor public. The decree was granted on February 21, 1951. After the divorce, they acted together in Stanwyck's last feature film The Night Walker (1964). Stanwyck never remarried and collected alimony from Taylor until his death in 1969. Stanwyck was no angel she also had an affair with actor Robert Wagner, whom she met on the set of Titanic. Wagner, who was 22, and Stanwyck, who was 45 at the beginning of the affair, had a four-year romance, as described in Wagner's 2008 memoir, Pieces of My Heart. Stanwyck broke off the relationship. Stanwyck died of congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at Saint John's Health Center, in Santa Monica, California on January 20, 1990. Her body was cremated, and her ashes scattered in Lone Pine, California.

Hedy Lamarr

2012-01-19T11:56:00.000-08:00

Who died on this date:

On January 19, 2000, actress Hedy Lamarr died. She was born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler on November 9, 1913 in Vienna, Austria. She was an actress celebrated for her great beauty who was a major contract star for MGM. Louis B. Mayer signed the actress to a film contract in 1937. At his insistence, she changed her name Hedy Lamarr, choosing the surname in homage to a beautiful film star of the silent era, Barbara La Marr. In Hollywood, she was usually cast in glamorous and seductive roles. Her American debut was in Algiers (1938). Her notable film credits include Boom Town (1940), Ziegfeld Girl (1941), White Cargo (1942), Tortilla Flat (1942), and making 18 films from 1940 to 1949. After leaving MGM in 1945, she enjoyed her biggest success as Delilah in Cecil B. DeMille’s, Samson and Delilah. However, following her comedic turn opposite Bob Hope in My Favorite Spy (1951), her career went into decline. She appeared only sporadically in films after 1950, one of her last roles being that of Joan of Arc in The Story of Mankind (1957). The publication of her autobiography Ecstasy and Me (1967) took place about a year after accusations of shoplifting, and a year after Andy Warhol’s short film, Hedy (1966). In the ensuing years, Lamarr retreated from public life, and settled in Florida. She was married five times. She died on January 19, 2000 from natural causes in Casselberry, Florida and her ashes were scattered in the woods near Vienna, Austria.

Cary Grant, Oliver Hardy, Danny Kaye, Curly Howard & Sydney Greenstreet

2012-01-18T08:34:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actor Cary Grant was born Archibald Alexander Leach on January 18, 1904 in Bristol. England. Nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Actor for Penny Serenade (1941) and None but the Lonely Heart (1944). Grant was named the second greatest male movie star of all time by the American Film Institute. Noted particularly for his work in comedy but also for drama, Grant's best-known films include The Awful Truth (1937), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Gunga Din (1939), The Philadelphia Story (1940), His Girl Friday (1940), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Notorious (1946), To Catch a Thief (1955), An Affair to Remember (1957), North by Northwest (1959) and Charade (1963). Grant remained one of Hollywood's top box-office attractions for almost 30 years. Grant was the first actor to "go independent" by not renewing his studio contract, effectively leaving the studio system. Grant was preparing for a performance at the Adler Theater in Davenport, Iowa on the afternoon of November 29, 1986 when he sustained a cerebral hemorrhage (he had previously suffered a stroke in October 1984) and he died later that day at St. Luke's Hospital.

Legendary comedic actor, Oliver Hardy was born on January 18, 1892 in Harlem, Georgia. He was best known as one half of the famous comic duo of Laurel and Hardy. Whixh began in silent films and lasted nearly 30 years, from 1927 to 1955. In 1910, a movie theater opened in Hardy’s home town in Georgia, and he became the projectionist, ticket taker, janitor and manager. He soon became obsessed with the new motion picture industry, and became convinced that he could do a better job than the actors he saw on the screen. A friend suggested that he move to Florida, where some films were being made. In 1913, he did just that, where he worked as a cabaret and vaudeville singer at night. The next year he made his first movie, Outwitting Dad, for the Lubin studio.

His size placed limitations on the roles he could play. He was most often cast as “the heavy” or the villain. He also frequently had roles in comedy shorts, his size complementing the character. In 1917, Oliver Hardy moved to Los Angeles, working freelance for several Hollywood studios. Later that year, he appeared in the movie The Lucky Dog, which starred a young British comedian named Stan Laurel. Between 1918 and 1923, Oliver Hardy made more than forty films for Vitagraph, mostly playing the heavy. In 1924, Hardy began working at Hal Roach Studios working with the Our Gang films.

In 1927, Laurel and Hardy began sharing screen time together in Slipping Wives, Duck Soup (no relation to the 1933 Marx Brother’s film of the same name) and With Love and Hisses. Roach Studios, realizing the audience reaction to the two, began intentionally teaming them together, leading to the start of a Laurel and Hardy series late that year. With this pairing, he created arguably the most famous double act in movie history. They began producing a huge body of short movies. They made their transition to talking pictures with Berth Marks (1929), Blotto (1930), Brats (1930), Another Fine Mess (1930) and many others.

In 1929, they appeared in their first feature, in one of the revue sequences of Hollywood revue of 1929 and in 1931, they made their first full length movie, Pardon Us although they continued to make features and shorts until 1935. The Music Box, a 1932 short, won them an Academy Award for best short film, their only such award. During 1950—51, Laurel and Hardy made their final film. Atoll K (also known as Utopia) and both suffered serious physical illness during the filming.In 1955, the pair had contracted with Hal Roach, Jr., to produce a series of TV shows based on the Mother Goose fables. However, this was never to be. Laurel suffered a stroke, which required a lengthy convalescence. Hardy had a heart attack and stroke later that year, from which he never physically recovered.

During 1956, Hardy began looking after his health for the first time in his life. He lost more than 150 pounds in a few months which completely changed his appearance. Hardy was a heavy smoker, as was Stan Laurel. Hardy suffered a major stroke on September 14, 1956, which left him confined to bed and unable to speak for several months. He suffered two more strokes in early August 1957, and slipped into a coma from which he never recovered. Oliver Hardy died on August 7, 1957 and was buried at the Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in North Hollywood. His friend Stan Laurel was too ill to go to his friend's funeral. He stated, "Babe would understand."

Actor Danny Kaye was born on January 18, 1913 in Brooklyn, New York. It was the stage production of the musical "Lady in the Dark" in 1940 that brought him critical acclaim. Samuel Goldwyn tried to sign Kaye to a movie contract for two years before he eventually agreed. Goldwyn put him in a series of Technicolor musicals, starting with Up in Arms (1944). His debut was successful, and he continued to make hit movies such as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) and The Inspector (1949). In 1954, he appeared with Bing Crosby in White Christmas (1954), which was based on the Irving Berlin song of the same name. In 1955, he made what many consider his best comedy, The Court Jester (1956). In 1960, he began doing specials on television and this led to his own TV series, The Danny Kaye Show (1963), which ran from 1963 to 1967. Kaye died on March 3, 1987 from a heart ailment in Los Angeles, California and is buried at the Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.

Who died on this date:

On January 18, 1952, comedic actor Jerome "Curly" Howard died. He was born on October 22, 1903 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the rotund, bald Stooge with the high voice and was the most popular member of The Three Stooges. His first stage experience was as a comedic conductor for the Orville Knapp Band in 1928. Curly joined The Three Stooges in 1932, replacing his brother Shemp Howard. He made more than 100 film appearances with the team before a massive stroke on the set of Haly-Wits Holiday (1947) forced him to retire. He recuperated enough to appear in Hold That Lion! (1947) and hoped to eventually return to the team. But another series of strokes deteriorated his health until he died from another stroke on January 18, 1952 at the age of 48. He is buried at Home of Peace Cemetery in East Los Angeles, California.

On January 18, 1954, actor Sydney Greenstreet died. He was born on December 27, 1879 in Sandwich, England. His stage debut was as a murderer in a 1902 production of "Sherlock Holmes". From then on he appeared in numerous plays in England and the US, working through most of the 1930s with Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne at the Theatre Guild. His parts ranged from musical comedy to Shakespeare. His film debut, occurring when he was 62 years old and weighing nearly 300 pounds, was as Kasper Guttman in the classic The Maltese Falcon (1941), with Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre. He teamed with Lorre in eight more movies after that. In eight years he made 24 films, all while beset by diabetes and Bright's disease. In 1949 he retired from films, and died on January18, 1954 in Hollywood, California and is buried at Forest Lawn Glendale.

Review of "The Descendants"

2012-01-17T19:06:00.000-08:00

The Descendants (2011, Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Winner of two Golden Globes – Best Motion Picture Drama and Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Drama – George Clooney

Directed by Alexander Payne, the creator of the Oscar winning “Sideways.”

The movie is set in Hawaii and is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic journey for Matt King (George Clooney) an indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki. The event leads to a rapprochement with his young daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell the family’s land handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries.

The movie explores the fine line between grief and anger, a line that’s even more treacherous when you’re angry at the person you’re grieving. Such somber material could be the basis for a piercing drama, and Payne doesn’t treat it lightly. He does let the comedy seep in, though, in a natural, rewarding way, without turning the King family’s problems into shambles. George Clooney, anchoring the film with his customary rock-solid charm, is also our emotional beacon: We look to him to know whether we should be laughing or crying. Payne likes to put his characters through the wringer but have them come out of it with a hard-won happy (or at least hopeful) ending. That holds true for The Descendants, so you don’t need to worry that the sadness of the story will leave you depressed. Overall, this grown-up, well-acted dramatic comedy is deeply fulfilling, maybe even energizing.

Watch trailer - http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thedescendants/

Rochelle Hudson & Virginia Mayo

2012-01-17T08:33:00.000-08:00

Who died on this date:

On January 17, 1972, actress Rochelle Hudson died. She was born on March 6, 1916 in Oklahoma Ciy. She was an actress from the 1930s through the 1960s and was a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1931. Hudson is best remembered for costarring in Wild Boys of the Road (1933), playing Cosette in Les Miserables (1935), playing Mary Blair, the older sister of Shirley Temple’s character in Curly Top, and for playing Natalie Wood’s mother in Rebel Without a Cause (1955). During her peak years in the 1930s, notable films included She Done Him Wrong (1933), Life Begins at Forty (1935), and Imitation of Life (1934). On January 17, 1972, Hudson was found dead in her home at the Palm Desert Country Club. Hudson died of pneumonia and complications of a liver ailment. Her remains were cremated and the ashes were scattered in the Thames River in London.

On January 17, 2005, actress Virginia Mayo died. She was born on November 30, 1920 in St. Louis, Missouri. After a short career in vaudeville, Mayo progressed to films and during the 1940s established herself as a supporting player in such films as The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), White Heat (1949), Wonder Man (1945), The Kid from Brooklyn (1946) and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947). At the zenith of her career, Mayo was seen as the quintessential voluptuous Hollywood beauty. Mayo remained an A-list actress into the mid-'50s, but then went into semi-retirement. She died of congestive heart failure on January 17, 2005 and is buried at Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California.

Review of "Unforgettable" a film from the Irvine International Film Festival

2012-01-16T13:20:00.000-08:00

Unforgettable, a film by Eric Williams

Brad Williams is nicknamed the "Human Google"and he can remember everyday of his life. In this riveting documentary by Eric Williams (Brad's brother), Brad finds himself at the center of unexpected worldwide media frenzy as only the second person ever studied at the University of California, Irvine for hyperthymesia, an extremely rare autobiographical memory condition. His unlikely journey provides an intimate and often humorous look at a very unique individual and a broader reflection into the mysteries of the human mind.

Feature documentary - 88 minutes, USA, director Eric Williams.
West Coast Premiere - January 15, 2012 at the 2012 Irvine International Film Festival

Watch the trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGWC8aUA8GA

Link to the Irvine film fest - http://www.irvinefilmfest.com/IrvineFilmFestival/Home.html

Review of "Lena" a film from the 2012 Palm Springs International Film Festival

2012-01-16T12:58:00.000-08:00

Lena (Emma Levie who plays the title role) lives in Rotterdam with her mother Danka (Agata Buzek), who puts a flag in the window whenever she has a man in the apartment so that Lena doesn’t interrupt. Danka constantly reminds Lena that she’s overweight and in the way: a burden in every sense. Lena doesn’t want to be defined by her size, but it seems she’s only free of it while dancing or having sex. All this changes when she meets Daan (Niels Gomperts). She spots him one night while she’s riding her moped and he’s running from the cops. Daan is handsome and apparently wealthy. He doesn’t mind Lena’s size. He might even be in love with her. He buys her expensive gifts and asks her to move in. Lena is happy to flee her miserable home life, but can she trust Daan?

Director Christopher Rompaey, examines divides of class, gender and body type. The film begins and ends with close-ups of Lena’s face, which in the interim we’ve witnessed shift from its innocent, vaguely cheerful gaze to something alive with rage, disappointment, ecstasy and when things go really bad, responsibility. Levie’s performance, which at times is flat and unemotional, is quite hard to watch, but this is balanced out by superb cinematography, which allows the viewer to feel the raw emotions and gritty nature of the often troubling subject matter of the film.

U.S. Premiere was on January 7, 2011 at the Palm Spring International Film Festival

Country: Netherlands/ Belgium (2011), Dutch, Polish with English subtitles, runtime 119 minutes

Watch trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqh_GmCu2NM

Review of "Among the Rugged Peaks - The Carla Laemmle Story"

2012-01-16T10:11:00.000-08:00

AMONG THE RUGGED PEAKS: The Carla Laemmle Story

This is a documentary well worth seeing about remarkeable actress Carla Laemmle, whose life is the equal of any movie she was in and that includes Bela Lugosi’s 1931 version of Dracula and Lon Chaney, Sr.’s The Phantom of the Opera (1925). One of Hollywood’s last remaining silent movie stars, and a woman before her time, Carla Laemmle celebrated her 102nd birthday on October 20, 2011.

Carla had the honor of the first speaking part in the horror classic, Dracula (1931). The opening line in the documentary, “among the rugged peaks that crown down upon the Borgo Pass, are found crumbling castles of a bygone age.” This is the title of her new documentary film ‘Among the Rugged Peaks – The Carla Laemmle Story’ narrated by Award Winning Actress Sally Kirkland. Carla, whose uncle was Universal Studios founder, Carl Laemmle, first arrived to Hollywood as a classically trained ballet dancer in 1921. Throughout her life she followed her diverse artistic passions, and appeared in a wide array of films like ‘King of Jazz’ in 1930 with George Gershwin, ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ in 1925 with Lon Chaney, and ‘Night and Day’ in 1946 with Cary Grant.

‘Among the Rugged Peaks – The Carla Laemmle Story’ was produced and directed by Tom Tangen. It takes Carla back to the original ‘Phantom of the Opera’ stage at Universal Studios to shed light on the risks and rewards of her life in film and dance. The documentarian does a fantastic job of re-telling Carla’s fascinating life story, through candid interviews with the actress and the people she has known.
The film premiered on January 15, 2012 at the 1st Annual Irvine International Film Festival. Ms. Laemmle made a special appearance and accepted the “Life Time Achievement Award” from the festival organizers. Asked after the screening if she had any advice for up and coming actresses, who are trying to make it in show business, Ms. Laemmle paused and with a sheepish grin candidly stated “sleep with everyone.”

A conversation with the director Tom Tangen - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_6OYIFn9GM

Link to the Irvine Film Festival - http://www.irvinefilmfest.com/IrvineFilmFestival/Home.html

Katy Jurado, Harry Carey & Carole Lombard

2012-01-16T08:51:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Katy Jurado was born on January 16, 1924 in Mexico City. Jurado had already established herself as an actress in Mexico in the 1940s when she came to Hollywood becoming a regular in Western films of the 1950s and 1960s. She worked with many Hollywood legends, including Gary Cooper in High Noon, Spencer Tracy in Broken Lance, and Marlon Brando. She made seventy one films during her career and became the first Latin American actress nominated for an Academy Award, as Best Supporting Actress for her work in 1954's Broken Lance, and was the first to win a Golden Globe. She had a torrid affair with the actor Marlon Brando, who at the time was also involved with actresses Movita Castaneda and Rita Moreno. Early in her film career, she claimed to have had an affair with John Wayne. Towards the end of her life, Jurado suffered from heart and lung ailments. She died from kidney failure and pulmonary disease on July 5, 2002 at her home in Mexico and was buried in Cuernavaca, Mexico, at the Panteón de la Páz cemetery.

Actor Harry Carey was born on January 16, 1878 in Bronx, New York. He is best remembered as one of the first stars of the Western film genre. Carey's rugged frame and craggy features were well suited to westerns and outdoor adventures. When sound films arrived, Carey displayed an assured, gritty baritone voice that suited his rough-hewn screen personality. He was the logical choice for the title role in MGM’s jungle epic Trader Horn. By this time Carey, already in his fifties, was too mature for most leading roles and the only starring roles that he was offered were in low-budget westerns and serials. He soon settled into a comfortable career as a solid, memorable character actor; he received an Oscar nomination for his role as the President of the Senate in the 1939 film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. His son, Harry Carey, Jr., would become a character actor, most famous for his roles in Westerns. Father and son both appear (albeit in different scenes) in the 1948 film, Red River and The Searchers. Harry Carey, Sr., died on September 21, 1947 from a combination of lung cancer, emphysema. And coronary thrombosis and was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York.

Who died on this date:

On January 16, 1942, actress Carole Lombard died. She was born on October 6, 1908 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She was known as the Queen of the 1930s screwball comedies. Lombard made her film debut at the age of twelve after in A Perfect Crime (1921). In the 1920s, she worked in several low-budget productions. Lombard achieved a few minor successes in the early 1930s but was continually cast in second-rate films. It was not until 1934 that her career began to take off. That year, director Howard Hawks encountered Lombard at a party and became enamored with her saucy personality, thinking her just right for his latest project. Film credits include Bolero (1934), My Man Godfrey (19336), for which she earned a best actress Academy Award nomination, Nothing Sacred (1937), Fools for a Scandal (1938), Made for Each other (1939), Vigil in the Night (1940), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941), and To Be or Not to Be (1942).

In October 1930, Lombard met William Powell. They had worked together in the films Man of the World and Ladies' Man. Unlike many of Lombard's other suitors at the time, Powell was urbane and sophisticated. He also appreciated her blunt personality and bawdy sense of humor. They married on June 26, 1931.She did not believe their sixteen-year age difference would present a problem, but friends felt they were ill-suited, as Lombard had an extroverted personality while Powell was more reserved. They divorced in 1933, but remained good friends and worked together without acrimony, notably in My Man Godfrey. In 1934, following her divorce from Powell, she carried on relationships with actors Gary Cooper and George Raft. Also during 1934, Lombard met and began a serious affair with crooner Russ Columbo. Columbo reportedly proposed marriage, but was killed in a freak shooting accident at the age of 26. To reporters, Lombard said Columbo was the love of her life.

Lombard's most famous relationship came in 1936 when she became involved with actor Clark Gable. They had worked together previously in 1932, but at the time Lombard was still happily married to Powell and knew Gable to have the reputation of a roving eye. They were indifferent to each other on the set and did not keep in touch. It was not until 1936, when Gable came to the Mayfair Ball that Lombard had planned, that their romance began to take off. Gable, however, was married at the time to oil heiress Ria Langham, and the affair was kept quiet. The situation proved a major factor in Gable accepting the role of Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind, as MGM head Louis B. Mayer sweetened the deal for a reluctant Clark Gable by giving him enough money to settle a divorce agreement with Langham and marry Lombard. Gable divorced Langham on March 7, 1939 and proposed to Lombard in a telephone booth at the Brown Derby. On March 29, 1939, during a break in production on Gone with the Wind, Gable and Lombard drove out to Kingman, Arizona and were married in a quiet ceremony with only Gable's press agent, Otto Winkler, in attendance.

When the US entered World War II at the end of 1941, Lombard traveled to her home state of Indiana for a War bond rally with her mother, Bess Peters, and Clark Gable's press agent, Otto Winkler. After raising over $2 million in defense bonds, Lombard addressed her fans, saying: "Before I say goodbye to you all, come on and join me in a big cheer! V for Victory!" On January 16, 1942, Lombard, her mother, and Winkler boarded a a DC-3 airplane to return to California. After refueling in Las Vegas took off and 23 minutes later, crashed into "Double Up Peak" near the 8,300 ft level of Mt. Potosi, 32 statute miles southwest of Las Vegas. All 22 aboard, including 15 army servicemen, were killed instantly. Shortly after her death at the age of 33, Gable (who was inconsolable and devastated by her loss) joined the U.S. Army Air Corp. Lombard is interred at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale. Although Gable remarried, he was interred next to her when he died in 1960.

Fran Ryan

2012-01-15T08:28:00.000-08:00

Who died on this date:

On January 15, 2000, actress Fran Ryan died. She was born on November 29, 1916 in Los Angeles, California. She performed comedy, singing and acting on stage in California and Chicago but was not to launch her television career for two decades. Her small screen debut came in an episode on Television's, Batman in 1966, followed by a bit part in The Beverley Hillbillies. Ryan's first supporting cast television role was as Aggie Thompson in first several episodes of The Doris Day Show. The same season she was offered the 'replacement' role on the hit series Green Acres as Doris Ziffel from 1969-1971. Ryan also starred on the long running TV Western series Gunsmoke during its twentieth and final season as Miss Hannah (Cobb). Fran Ryan also played the role of Rosie Carlson in the soap opera, Days of Our Lives (1976-1979) and Sister Agatha on General Hospital in (1979). She also did voices for numerous cartoons. She starred in many feature films, including Flush (1977), Big Wednesday (1978), Take this Job and Shove IT (1981), Pale Rider (1985), and in her scene-stealing cameo in 1981's Stripes, as a tortured cab fare to Bill Murray as the cabbie, in the opening scenes of the comedy film. Ryan died on January 15, 2000 and is buried at Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery in Hayward, California. My Great Grandfather Timothy Barry is buried in the plot directly behind, Miss Ryan and his headstone can be seen to the left.

Bebe Daniels, Humphrey Bogart, Shelley Winters, Donna Reed, Jeanette MacDonald, & Barry Fitzgerald

2012-01-14T09:35:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Bebe Daniels was born on January 14, 1901in Dallas, Texas. She began her film career during the silent era as a child actress, and became the star of musicals such as 42^nd Street (1933). She gained further fame on radio and television in Britain. In a long career, she made over 230 films. Daniels retired from Hollywood in 1935 and moved to London. On March 16, 1971, Daniels died of a cerebral hemorrhage in London. Her remains were cremated at London's Golder’s Green Crematorium and the ashes were then interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

Who died on this date:

On January 14, 1957, actor Humphrey Bogart died. He was born on December 25, 1899 in New York City. The American Film Institute has ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema. Bogart began acting in 1921 and became a regular in Broadway productions in the 1920s and 1930s. His first foray into movies was in The Petrified Forest (1936), and this led to a period of typecasting as a gangster with films such as Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) and others.

His breakthrough as a leading man came in 1941 with High Sierra and the Maltese Falcon. The next year, his performance in Casablanca raised him to the peak of his profession and, at the same time, cemented his trademark film persona, that of the hard-boiled cynic who ultimately shows his noble side. Other successes followed, including To Have and Have Not (1944); The Big Sleep (1946); Dark Passage (1947) and Key Largo (1948), with his wife (Lauren Baccall) in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948); In a Lonely Place (1950); The African Queen (1951), for which he won his only Academy Award; Sabrina (1954); and The Caine Mutiny (1954). His last movie was The Harder They Fall (1956). During a film career of almost thirty years, he appeared in 75 feature films.

Bogart met Lauren Bacall while filming To Have and Have Not in 1944. When they met, Bacall was nineteen and Bogart was forty-five. He nicknamed her "Baby." Their physical and emotional rapport was very strong from the start, and the age difference and different acting experience also created the additional dimension of a mentor-student relationship. Quite contrary to the Hollywood norm, it was his first affair with a leading lady. Bogart was still miserably married and his early meetings with Bacall were discreet and brief, their separations bridged by ardent love letters. Yet Bogart was still torn between his new love and his sense of duty to his marriage. Divorce proceedings were initiated by February 1945. Bogart and Bacall then married in a small ceremony at the country home of Bogart's close friend near Lucas, Ohio.

By the mid-1950s, Bogart's health was failing. A heavy smoker and drinker, he contracted cancer of the esophagus but almost never spoke of his failing health and refused to see a doctor until January 1956. A diagnosis was made several weeks later and by then it was too late to halt the disease. Bogart had just turned 57 when he died on January 14, 1957 after falling into a coma at his home. His cremated remains are interred in Forest Lawn Glendale and buried with him is a small gold whistle, which he had given to Lauren Bacall, before they married. In reference to their first movie together, it was inscribed: "If you want anything, just whistle."

On January 14, 2006, actress Shelley Winters died. She was born Shirley Schrift on August 18, 1920 in St. Louis, Missouri. She would appear in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television; her career spanned over 50 years until her death in 2006. A two-time Academy Award winner, she most remembered for her roles in A Place in the Sun, The Big Knife, Lolita, The Night of the Hunter, Alfie, and The Poseidon Adventure.

Her first movie was What a Woman ! (1943) and throughout the 1940’s, basically worked in bit parts. She achieved stardom with her breakout performance in George Cukor’s, A Double Life (1947). She quickly landed leading roles in The Great Gatsby (1949) and Winchester 73 (1950). But it was her performance in A Place in the Sun (1951), a departure from the sexpot image that earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Throughout the 1950s, Winters continued in films, including Meet Danny Wilson (1952) and Night of the Hunter (1955). She returned to the stage on various occasions during this time, including a Broadway run in A Hatful of Rain, in 1955-1956. She won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for The Diary of Anne Frank in 1960, and another award, in the same category, for A Patch of Blue in 1966. Notable later roles include Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita (1962), Alfie (1966) and Harper (1966). In 1972 she appeared in The Poseidon Adventure (for which she received her final Oscar nomination).

During her 50 years as a widely known personality, Winters was rarely out of the news. Her stormy marriages, her romances with famous stars, her forays into politics and feminist causes kept her name before the public. She delighted in giving provocative interviews and seemed to have an opinion on everything. In late life, she recalled her conquests in her autobiographies. She wrote of a yearly rendezvous she kept with William Holden, as well as her affairs with Sean Connery, Burt Lancaster, Errol Flynn and Marlon Brando. She died on January 14, 2006 of heart failure at the Rehabilitation Center of Beverly Hills and is buried at Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, California.

On January 14, 1986, actress Donna Reed died. She was born on January 27, 1921 in Denison, Iowa. Reed appeared in over 40 films and received the 1953, Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in From here to Eternity. She is also noted for her role in the perennial Christmas favorite. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). Her "girl-next-door" good looks and warm on-stage personality made her a popular pin-up for many GI’s during World War II. She worked extensively in television, notably as Donna Stone, an American middle class mother in the sitcom, The Donna Reed Show (1958–1966). Reed died from pancreatic cancer on January 14, 1986 in Beverly Hills, California and is buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.

On January 14, 1965, actress Jeanette MacDonald died. She was born on June 18, 1903 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is best remembered for her musical films of the 1930’s with Maurice Chevalier in Love Me Tonight, and The Merry Widow; Nelson Eddy in Naughty Marietta, Rose-Marie, and Maytime. During the 1930’s and 1940’s she starred in 29 feature films, four nominated for Best Picture Oscars, The Love Parade, One Hour with You, Naughty Marietta and San Francisco, and recorded extensively, earning three gold records. She later appeared in grand opera, concerts, radio, and television. MacDonald was one of the most influential sopranos of the 20th century, introducing grand opera to movie-going audiences and inspiring a generation of singers.

In 1929, famed film director Ernst Lubitsch was looking through old screen tests of Broadway performers and spotted MacDonald. He cast her as the leading lady in his first sound film, The Love Parade, which starred the Continental sensation Maurice Chevalier. In the first rush of sound films, 1929–30, MacDonald starred in six films, the first four for Paramount Studios. In hopes of producing her own films, MacDonald went to United Artists to make The Lottery Bride (1930) but the film was not successful. MacDonald next signed a three-picture deal with 20th Century Fox and was more successful. She took a break from Hollywood in 1931 to embark on a European concert tour. She returned to Paramount the following year for two films with Maurice Chevalier. In 1933 MacDonald left again for Europe and while there, signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Her first MGM film was The Cat and the Fiddle (1934), her co-star was Ramon Novarro. The plot about unmarried lovers shacking up just barely slipped through the new Production Code guidelines that took effect July 1, 1934.

Naughty Marietta (1935), directed by W.S. Van Dyke, was MacDonald's first film in which she teamed with newcomer baritone Nelson Eddy. Victor Herbert's 1910 score, with songs like "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life", "I'm Falling in Love with Someone", "’Neath the Southern Moon", "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp", and "Italian Street Song", enjoyed renewed popularity. The film won an Oscar for sound recording and received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. MacDonald followed Eddy to Universal, where they were scheduled to make one film together after he finished Phantom of the Opera (1943). MacDonald marked time by appearing as herself in Follow the Boys (1944), an all-star extravaganza about Hollywood stars entertaining the troops. After MacDonald and Eddy left MGM in 1942, they appeared frequently on radio together while planning several unrealized films that would have reunited them onscreen. MacDonald returned solo to MGM after 5 years off the screen for two films. Three Daring Daughters (1948), and The Sun Comes Up (1949), teamed MacDonald with Lassie, this proved to be her final. Offers continued to come in but things never moved beyond the discussion stages partly because of MacDonald's failing health.

MacDonald suffered in her later years with heart trouble. She worsened in 1963 and underwent an arterial transplant at Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas. Nelson Eddy, in Australia on a nightclub tour, pleaded illness and returned to the States at word of MacDonald's surgery. After the operation she developed pleurisy and was hospitalized for two-and-a-half months. Her friends kept the news from the press until just before her release. MacDonald was again stricken in 1964. On Christmas Eve she was operated on for abdominal adhesions. She was able to go home for New Year's, but in mid-January flew her back to Houston. It was hoped that pioneer heart surgeon Dr. Michael DeBakey, who had recently operated successfully on the Duke of Windsor, could perform the same miracle for her. She checked in on January 12, and a program of intravenous feedings was begun to build her up for possible surgery. MacDonald died two days later on January 14, 1965. MacDonald is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

On January 14, 1961, actor Barry Fitzgerald died. He was one of the all-time great character actors in Hollywood history was born William Joseph Shields on March 10, 1888 in Dublin, Ireland. The diminutive Irishman with the irresistible brogue did not start acting until late in life (age forty). Fitzgerald quit his job as a civil servant in Dublin to perform on the London stage with the Abbey Players. In 1930, he made his Hollywood film debut in Alfred Hitchcock’s, Juno and the Paycock but did not appear in another film for six years, when in 1936, he was coaxed by director John Ford into appearing in The Plough and the Stars. After which his big screen career took off and from 1930 to 1959, Fitzgerald appeared in over forty motion pictures, some of which include: Bringing Up Baby (1938), The Dawn Patrol (1938), How Green Was My Valley (1941), Two Years Before the Mast (1946), The Naked City (1948), Union Station (1950), and The Quiet Man (1952). In his many film roles, Fitzgerald usually played the archetypical Irishman or the affable clergyman and with his scene stealing grin was an audience favorite.

Tragedy struck on March 17, 1944, when the veteran actor hit two pedestrians, (killing one and severally injuring another) while driving his car on Hollywood Boulevard, near Sycamore Street. There was no evidence of drug or alcohol use and it appeared to be just a tragic accident but an overzealous Los Angeles District Attorney’s office still filed a complaint, charging Fitzgerald with vehicular manslaughter. The actor was arrested, booked and a trial date was set for January 9, 1945. At this hearing, Superior Court Judge William McKay dismissed the charges against Fitzgerald for lack of evidence.

Two short months later on March 15, 1945 at the annual Academy Awards ceremony, Fitzgerald was on top of the world when he became the first actor to be nominated for a best lead and supporting actor award for the same movie, Going My Way (1944). He lost the lead actor Oscar to his co-star Bing Crosby but took home the best supporting actor statuette. The following year the Academy board of directors changed the rules, not allowing an actor or actress to be nominated for the same role in two different acting categories in the same movie.

In October of 1959, Fitzgerald underwent a brain operation for an undisclosed illness; this left him incapacitated and unable to care for himself. The last two years of his life were spent in a Dublin area nursing home and he died on January 14, 1961 at Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Hospital from a heart attack at age seventy-two. His funeral was held in Dublin at St. Patrick’s Protestant Church of Ireland; in attendance were numerous personalities of the stage and government. He is buried at Deansgrange Cemetery in Dublin, Ireland and his tombstone epitaph is inscribed with his given name of William J. Shields.

Claire Trevor, the Academy Awards and the Golden Age of Hollywood

2012-01-12T15:13:00.000-08:00

Tonight 1/12/2012 at 5:00PM and 11:30PM PST on "Real Orange, SoCal PBS KOCE-TV, I discuss my book "Fade to Black Graveside Memories of Hollywood Greats 1927-1950" with Maria Hall-Brown at the Claire Trevor Theater on the campus of the University of California, Irvine. We discuss the founding of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the evolution of the awards ceremony, the Golden Age of Hollywood, actress Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Alice Brady, John Huston, Bette Davis and many others.

http://www.pbssocal.org/

Beaulah Bondi

2012-01-11T09:47:00.000-08:00

Who died on this date:

On January 11, 1981, actress Beulah Bondi died. She was born on May 3, 1888 in Valparaiso, Indiana. Her debut movie role was as "Emma Jones" in Street Scene (1931), this was followed by Rain (1932). She was one of the first five women to be nominated for an Academy Award in the newly-created category of "Best Supporting Actress" for her work in The Gorgeous Hussy (1936), although she lost the award to Gale Sondergaard. Two years later, she was nominated again for Of Human Hearts (1938), and lost again, but her reputation as a character actress kept her employed. She would most often be seen in the role of the mother of the star of the film for the rest of her career. Bondi played Jimmy Stewart’s mother in four films: It’s a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Of Human Hearts and Vivacious Lady. Bondi never married in real life and died from pulmonary complications due to broken ribs suffered when she tripped over her cat on January 11, 1981. Her remains were cremated and scattered in an unknown location.

Ray Bolger, Sal Mineo & Richard Boone

2012-01-10T08:59:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actor Ray Bolger was born on January 10, 1904 in Boston, Massachusetts. He is best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz” (1939). He began his career in vaudeville and his ability to ad lib movement won him many starring roles on Broadway in the 1930s. Bolger's film career began when he signed a contract with MGM in 1936. His best-known film appearances include The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Rosalie (1937), Sweethearts (1938), and The Harvey Girls (1946). Bolger also appeared in his own television sitcom with a variety show theme, Where’s Raymond? Or The Ray Bolger Show (1953-1955). Bolger died in Los Angeles on January 15, 1987 from bladder cancer and is interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.

Actor Sal Mineo was born on January 10, 1939 in the Bronx, New York. He is best known for his breakthrough performance as John "Plato" Crawford opposite James Dean in Rebel without a Cause (1955). He was nominated for a best supporting actor Academy Award twice, Rebel without a Cause, and Exodus (1960). His screen debut was in 1955’s, Six Bridges to Cross and other notable film credits include The Private War of Major Benson (1955), and Giant (1956). Mineo made an effort to break his typecasting as a Native American boy in Tonka (1958) and as a Jewish emigrant in Exodus (1960). By the early 1960s, he was becoming too old to play the type of role that had made him famous and was not considered appropriate for leading roles. A small role in Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) was Mineo's last appearance in a motion picture. In the late 1960s, Mineo became one of the first major actors in Hollywood to publicly acknowledge his homosexuality. On February 12, 1976, Mineo was stabbed to death in the alley behind his apartment building in West Hollywood, California. His remains are interred at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York.

Who died on this date:

On January 20, 1981, actor Richard Boone died. He was born on June 18, 1917 in Los Angeles, California. He starred in over 50 films and was notable for his roles in Westerns and for starring in the TV series Have Gone – Will Travel. After the World War II, Boone used the G.I Bill to study acting at the Actors Studio in New York. Serious and methodical, Boone debuted on Broadway in 1947. In 1950, Boone made his film debut in Hall’s of Montezuma and other notable film credits include, The Robe (1953), The Raid (1954), Man without a Star (1955), The Alamo (1960), The War Lord (1965), Hombre (1967), Big Jake (1971), and The Shootist (1976). Boone died on January 10, 1981 from pneumonia while suffering from throat cancer in St. Augustine, Florida and his cremated ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean off of Hawaii.

Thelma "Butterfly" McQueen, Alan Napier & Trevor Howard

2012-01-07T09:46:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Thelma "Butterfly" McQueen was born on January 7, 1911 in Tampa, Florida. She is best known for her debut role as Prissy, Scarlett O’Hara’s maid in the 1939 film, Gone with the Wind (1939). She also appeared in The Women (1939), Mildred Pierce (1945), and Duel in the Sun (1946). She then grew tired of the ethnic stereotypes and ended her film career. She died on December 22, 1995 at Augusta Regional Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia from burns sustained when a kerosene heater she attempted to light malfunctioned and burst into flames. A lifelong atheist, her body was donated to medical science.

Actor Alan Napier was born on January 7, 1903 in King’s Norton, England. He is best known for portraying Alfred on the 1960s TV series Batman. Though his film career had begun in England in the 1930s, he had very little success before the cameras until he arrived and joined the British community in Hollywood in 1941. Film credits include Cat People (1942), The Uninvited (1943), The Song of Bernadette (1943), House of Horrors (1946), Macbeth (1948) and Joan of Arc (1948). In 1966, he was the first to be cast in the Batman TV series, as Bruce Wayne's faithful butler Alfred, a role he played until the series' cancellation in 1968. Napier's career extended into the 1980s, with TV roles and he finally retired in 1981. He suffered a stroke in 1987, hospitalized since June 1988, and had been gravely ill for several days, before his death of pneumonia on August 8, 1988, in the Berkeley East Convalescent Hospital in Santa Monica, California. His cremated remains are interred at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles.

Who died on this date:

On January 7, 1988, actor Trevor Howard died. He was born on September 29, 1913 in Cliftonville, England. His film credits include The Way to the Stars (1945), Brief Encounter (1945), I see a Dark Stranger (1945), Green for Danger (1946), They Made Me a Fugitive (1947), The Passionate Friends (1949), The Third Man (1949), and Sons and Lovers (1960), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Over time Howard easily shifted to being one of England's finest character actors. Howard's later works included such films as Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), Von Ryan’s Express (1965), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968), and Superman (1978). He died on January 7, 1988, from a combination of bronchitis and influenza and was buried at the St. Peter Churchyard in Arkley, England.

Loretta Young, Tom Mix & Victor Fleming

2012-01-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Loretta Young, the elegant award winning actress, whose on-screen image as the wholesome girl next door brought tremendous success in Hollywood was born Gretchen Michaela Young on January 6, 1913 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her parents were separated when Loretta was three years old when the family moved to Southern California. Needing money Loretta’s mother allowed the youngster to act in order to raise some cash for the family. Loretta’s first motion picture was 1919’s, The Only Way, in this film she played the small part of a crying child on an operating table. Loretta was very ambitious and strove for excellence on screen even in the early years of her film career. She was candid about wanting fame and stardom, not wanting to be just an actress.

In a film and television career that spanned seven decades (1919 to 1994), she appeared in one hundred motion pictures. She played opposite all of the major romantic leading men of the era, including Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Tyrone Power, Spencer Tracy, and James Cagney. She made an easy transition from silent film to talkies, and with her ever youthful appearance and wholesome image, delighted film going audiences year after year. Young’s major film credits include; The Sheik (1921), The Magnificent Flirt (1928), The Head Man (1928), Kismet (1930), Life Begins (1932), They Call it Sin (1932), The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933), Born to be Bad (1934), Shanghai (1935), The Call of the Wild (1935), Ramona (1936), Kentucky (1938), Ladies Courageous (1944), The Bishop’s Wife (1947), and It Happens Every Thursday (1953). In 1948, in a shocking upset, Young won the best actress Oscar for her portrayal of the witty Swedish maid, turned Congresswoman, Katrin Holstrom in The Farmer’s Daughter (1947). Young was nominated for a second best actress Academy Award in 1950 for Come to the Stable (1949), but lost to Olivia de Havilland.

While Young was very protective of her wholesome on-screen image, she was hard pressed to keep that image off screen. The many contradictions in her public and private life were exemplified by an early marriage (at age 17) that ended in divorce, and carried on numerous love affairs with many of her male co-stars, most notably Clark Gable with whom she co-starred with in 1935’s The Call of the Wild. This affair allegedly produced an illegitimate daughter (Judy Lewis) who was subsequently reported as being adopted. It has been noted that Judy was the right age to have been born during Young’s mysterious sojourn to Europe following filming of The Crusades in 1935 and that Judy’s uncanny resemblance to Gable is remarkable. To her dying day, Young remained coy and denied these allegations but left a tantalizing quote in the book Hollywood Royalty (1992), “Clark Gable certainly was everything that he appeared to be.”

In the early 1950’s as her film career began to wane, Young took a gamble and ventured into television. Her move to the small screen was roundly criticized but she determined to try anyway. On September 20, 1953, A Letter to Loretta (AKA, The Loretta Young Show) aired on NBC and had a successful eight year run. The remainder of her life was filled with philanthropic ventures. She wrote a book in 1961 entitled, The Things I Had to Learn, and made occasional forays into television. On August 12, 2000, Young died from ovarian cancer at the Los Angeles home of her sister Georgiana Montalban (wife of actor Ricardo Montalban). Her funeral service was held at the St. Louis Catholic Church in Cathedral City, California. Loretta Young is buried at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Culver City, her grave is unmarked and is interred within the same plot as her mother, Gladys Belzer.

Actor Tom Mix was born on January 6, 1880 in Mix Run. Pennsylvania. He was a star of many early western movies, making 336 films between 1910 and 1935, all but nine of which were silent features. He was Hollywood’s first Western megastar and is noted as having helped define the genre for all cowboy actors who followed. On the afternoon of October 12, 1940, Mix was killed a one car accident near Florence, Arizona. Mix is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Glendale.

Who died on this date:

On January 6, 1949, director Victor Fleming died. The acclaimed film director was born on February 23, 1889 in Pasadena, California. He began his career in Hollywood as a stuntman but soon found that his true calling was behind the camera as a director. Fleming’s motion picture directorial career spanned nearly thirty years from 1919 to 1948, and included forty-eight films. He won the 1940 best director Oscar for Gone with the Wind and is also famous for directing The Wizard of Oz (1939). Other notable film credits include: The Way of All Flesh (1927), The Virginian (1929), Renegades (1930), Treasure Island (1934), Captains Courageous (1937), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941), and Joan of Arc (1948). On January 6, 1949, while vacationing with his family near Cottonwood, Arizona, the award winning director died of a heart attack. His funeral was held at the Alban’s Episcopal Church in West Los Angeles. In attendance were numerous celebrities including Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, Louis B. Mayer, Samuel Goldwyn, and Van Johnson. Fleming is interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood, California.

Jane Wyman

2012-01-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Jane Wyman was born on January 5, 1917 in St. Joseph, Missouri. Known as a talented and classy actress whose award winning and distinguished film career was nearly overshadowed by her failed third marriage to actor and future U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Wyman came from a broken home; her parents divorced when she was very young and her father died prematurely. After high school with the help of her mother, she attempted to break into show business but early attempts failed. While attending the University of Missouri, she moonlighted as a radio singer under the name of Jane Durrell. She got her start in films in 1932 as a member of the chorus line in The Kid from Spain; other yet unknown cast members from this film included Betty Grable and Paulette Goddard. Throughout the early to late 1930’s, Wyman appeared in numerous “B” movies as a contract player at Warner Bros Studios and it was during this time that she met and eventually married actor Ronald Reagan. The pair first appeared on film together in Brother Rat (1938) and the two were married on January 26, 1940; they would appear together in three additional motion pictures. Their union lasted eight years, producing one biological daughter (Maureen Reagan) and one adopted son (Michael Reagan), and in 1948 ended in divorce. After Reagan became Governor of California and then President in 1980, Wyman refused to comment on their marriage and considered it bad taste to talk of ex-husbands.

Professionally, Wyman’s film career as a dramatic actress was not taken seriously until after appearing alongside Ray Milland in The Lost Weekend (1945). The following year she starred in The Yearling (1946) and received a best actress Oscar nomination. In 1949, she won the Oscar for her portrayal of a deaf-mute rape victim in Johnny Belinda (1948). This was the first time since the silent movie era that an actress had won the award by not saying a word. There were whispers that Academy voters had given her the Oscar out of sympathy, due to a recent miscarriage and tumultuous divorce from Ronald Reagan. Upon accepting the award, Wyman was quoted as saying “I accept this very gratefully for keeping my mouth shut for once. I think I will do it again.” In following years, she would be nominated twice more for best actress Academy Awards in 1952 for The Blue Veil (1951) and 1955 for Magnificent Obsession (1954).

In a film and television career that would span six decades from 1932 to 1993, Wyman would appear in eighty six motion pictures and numerous television series some of which include; Ready Willing and Able (1937), The Angel from Texas (1940), Bad Men of Missouri (1941), Night and Day (1946), The Glass Menagerie (1950), and Pollyanna (1960). Television credits include; Jane Wyman Presents: The Fireside Theatre (1955-58) and Falcon Crest (1981-1990). In 1993, she retired from show business and moved to the Palm Springs area; there she remained active as the national chairwoman of the National Arthritis Foundation. On September 10, 2007, Wyman died from of complications of arthritis and diabetes at her home in Rancho Mirage, California. The actress had been in failing health for several years prior to her death. Her funeral was held at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Palm Desert, California. She is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Cathedral City in the Mission Santa Rosa outdoor mausoleum, crypt 5F.

Ray Milland, Marion Davies, Zasu Pitts & Judith Anderson

2012-01-03T10:20:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actor Ray Milland, the charming but very private and introspective actor was born Reginald Alfred John Truscott-Jones on January 3, 1905 in Neath, Wales, England. The Welsh born actor often played the suave and romantic leading man during his prolific film career. He got his break in show business due to an accident, in 1929 as a then soldier in the British Calvary; he was chosen to replace an injured actor (who had been hit by a bus) in The Informer (1929). The bit part called for a soldier (Milland) to shoot into a target. The producers were so impressed by Milland (he had no previous acting experience) that he was offered another role in The Flying Scotsman (1929) and this led to a contract with MGM Studios and his Hollywood career was off and running. During an award winning film career that spanned five decades (1929-1985), Milland appeared in over one hundred and seventy motion pictures and television programs. Some of his most well known films are The Bachelor Father (1931), Bolero (1934), The Big Broadcast of 1937 (1936), Beau Geste (1939), Reap the Wild Wind (1942), The Uninvited (1944), The Trouble with Women (1947), Dial M for Murder (1954), Premature Burial (1962), Love Story (1970), Terror in the Wax Museum (1973), and Escape to Witch Mountain (1975).

His crowning achievement was in 1946, when he won the Oscar for best lead actor, portraying the alcoholic writer, Don Birnam in The Lost Weekend (1945). Upon accepting his award from Actress Ingrid Bergman, Milland appeared to be nervous and unprepared; he simply nodded, smiled and left the stage without uttering a word. He was the first and last best actor Oscar winner not to utter a single word of acceptance. He was a notoriously private person and stayed away from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. He never appeared in the gossip magazines and often preferred to stay home with a good book. In 1984, Milland was diagnosed with lung cancer; he continued to work in film and television right up until his death on March 10, 1986. The veteran actor died in his sleep at the Torrance Memorial Hospital in Torrance, California and his remains were cremated and scattered at sea, near Redondo Beach, California.

Actress Marion Davies was born on January 3, 1897 in Brooklyn, New York. She is best remembered for her relationship with William Randolph Hearst. Although her film career was primarily during the silent era, she did make a few movies during the early talkie period. Marion began her show business career in the Ziegfeld Follies in 1916. And made her screen debut in 1917's, Runaway Romany and during the next 10 years she appeared in 29 films. By the mid-1920s, however, her career was often overshadowed by her relationship with Hearst and their fabulous social life at San Simeon. She had met Hearst long before she had started working in films and he promised to finance several high profile movies and put Marion in the starring role. Hearst's relentless efforts to promote her career instead had a detrimental effect.

The coming of sound made Davies nervous because she had never completely overcome a childhood stutter. Her career survived, however, and she made several comedies and musicals during the 1930s, including Marianne (1929), Not So Dumb (1930), The Florodora Girl (1930), The Bachelor Father (1931), Five and Ten (1931), Polly of the Circus (1932), and Going Hollywood (1933). Her career, however, was hampered by Hearst's insistence that she play distinguished, dramatic parts as opposed to the comic roles. Davies last film was Ever Since Eve in 1937.

Hearst and Davies lived as a couple for decades but were never married, as Hearst's wife refused to give him a divorce. At one point, he reportedly came close to marrying Davies, but decided his wife's settlement demands were too high. Hearst was extremely jealous and possessive of her, even though he was married throughout their relationship. Davies was aboard the Hearst yacht when film producer Thomas Ince became ill and died. An "urban legend" revolves around a rumored relationship with Chaplin has endured since 1924. Chaplin (among other actresses and actors) and Davies were aboard the yacht the fateful night Thomas Ince died. Despite the lack of evidence to support a relationship, rumors have circulated that Hearst mistook Ince for Chaplin and shot him in a jealous rage. The official record shows that Ince suffered an attack of acute indigestion while aboard the yacht and was escorted off in San Diego by another of the guests, Dr. Daniel Carson Goodman, a Hollywood writer and producer. Ince was put on a train bound for Los Angeles, but was removed from the train at Del Mar when his condition worsened. He was given medical attention by Dr. T. A. Parker and a nurse, Jesse Howard. Ince told them that he had drunk liquor aboard Hearst's yacht. He was taken to his Hollywood home where he died the following day of a heart condition.

Hearst died on August 14, 1951 and in her last years, Davies was involved with charity work. She suffered a minor stroke in 1956, and was later diagnosed with cancer of the jaw. She had an operation which appeared to be successful. Soon after the operation Davies fell and broke her leg. She died of cancer on September 22, 1961 in Hollywood, California and is buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

Actress ZaSu Pitts was born on January 3, 1894 in Parsons, Kansas. Pitts enjoyed her greatest fame in the 1930s, often starring in B movies and comedy shorts, teamed with Thelma Todd. Switching between comedy shorts and features, by the advent of sound, she was relegated to comedy roles. Film credits include The Dummy (1929), Finn and Hattie (1931), The Guardsman (1931), Blondie of the Follies (1932), Sing and Like It (1934) and Ruggles of Red Gap (1935). Declining health dominated Pitts' later years, particularly after she was diagnosed with cancer in the mid-1950s. However, she continued to work until the very end, making brief appearances in several films. She died June 7, 1963 in Hollywood and is interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.

Who died on this date:

On January 3, 1992, actress Judith Anderson died. She was born on February 10, 1897 in Adelaide, Australia. She made her professional debut on stage in 1915, playing at the Theatre Royal in Sydney. In 1922, she made her Broadway debut. By the early 1930s, she had established herself as one of the greatest theatre actresses of her era and she was a major star on Broadway throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. In Hollywood, her opportunities were limited to supporting character actress work. She naturally preferred the stage in any event. In particular, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Alfred Hitchcock’s, Rebecca (1940). This role led to several film appearances during the 1940s in such films as Lady Scarface (1941), Kings Row (1942), All Through the Night (1942), Laura (1944), Specter of the Rose (1946), and The Diary of a Chambermaid (1946). She continued to act on the New York stage, winning a Tony Award in 1948. She was also appearing in television productions. On the big screen, she appeared in The Furies (1950), Salome (1953) and The Ten Commandments (1956). Anderson died on January 3, 1992 from pneumonia in Santa Barbara, California. Her remains were cremated and given to family and final disposition is unknown.

Dick Powell & Anne Francis

2012-01-02T08:42:00.000-08:00

Who died on this date:

On January 2, 1963, actor Dick Powell died. He was born on November 14, 1904 in Mountain View, Arkansas. He made his film debut as a singing bandleader in Blessed Event (1932). He went on to star in movie musicals such as 42^nd Street, Footlight Parade, and On the Avenue. In 1944, Powell's career changed forever when he was cast in Murder, My Sweet. The film was a big hit, and Powell had successfully reinvented himself as a dramatic actor. He was married several times, most notably to actresses Joan Blondell (1936-1944) and June Allyson (1945 until his death). Powell guest-starred in numerous television programs in the 1950s and 1960s and directed such films as The Enemy Below (1957) and The Conqueror (1956), starring John Wayne. The exterior scenes were filmed in Utah, downwind of U.S. above-ground atomic tests. The cast and crew totaled 220, and of that number, 91 had developed some form of cancer by 1981 and 46 had died of cancer by then, including Wayne. Powell died from lymphoma on January 2, 1963 and his body was cremated and interred at Forest Lawn Glendale.

On January 2, 2011, actress Anne Francis died. She was born on September 16, 1930 in Ossining, New York. She is best known for her role in the film classic Forbidden Planet (1956). She won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy award for her role in Honey West. Francis holds the distinction of starring in the first TV series with a female detective character's name in the title. Over her career, Francis appeared in scores of TV shows and movies. She made her film debut in This Time for Keeps (1947). In her early film career, she played supporting roles in films such as: Susan Slept Here, So Young So Bad, and Bad Day at Black Rock. Her first leading role was in Blackboard Jungle (1955). Francis found success in television and appeared in numerous TV shows. Francis was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2007 and died on January 2, 2011, from pancreatic cancer at a retirement home in Santa Barbara, California. Her ashes were given to family and final disposition is unknown.

Matthew Beard, Dana Andrews, Carole Landis & Cesar Romero

2012-01-01T10:08:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Child actor Matthew Beard was born on January 1, 1925 in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for portraying the character of Stymie in the Our Gang serial of the 1930s. After Beard left the series in 1935 at the age of ten, he went on to score some minor roles in feature films, such as Captain Blood (1935), and Jezebel (1938). By the time he was in high school, he had retired from acting. Falling into drug use and street life, Beard became addicted to heroin, and spent most of his early adult life in and out of jail because of it. Beard died from pneumonia on January 8, 1981 and is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Actor Dana Andrews was born on January 1, 1909 in Collins, Mississippi. He was one of Hollywood's best known stars of the 1940s, and continued acting though the 1980s. Andrews film debut was in The Westerner (1940), starring Gary Cooper. Other film credits include Ball of Fire (1941), The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), Laura (1944), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Where the Side Walk Ends (1950), and While the City Sleeps (1956). In the last years of his life, Andrews suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and he died from congestive heart failure and pneumonia on December 17, 1992. His remains were cremated and given to family, final disposition is unknown.

Actress Carole Landis was born on January 1, 1919 in Fairchild, Wisconsin. Landis dropped out of high school at age 15 and set off for Hollywood. Her 1937 film debut was as an extra in A Star is Born. She continued appearing in bit parts until 1940 when Hal Roach cast her as a cave girl in One Million BC (1940). The movie was a sensation and turned Carole into a star. A press agent nicknamed her "The Ping Girl" (because "she makes you purr"). Landis appeared in a string of successful films in the early forties, usually as the second female lead. In a time when the singing of many actresses was dubbed in, Landis's own voice was considered good enough and was used in her few musical roles. She had roles playing opposite fellow pin-up girl Betty Grable in Moon Over Miami (1941) and I Wake Up Screaming (1941).

By 1948, her career was in decline and she began an affair with actor Rex Harrison. Landis was reportedly crushed when Harrison refused to divorce his wife for her; unable to cope any longer, she committed suicide in her Pacific Palisades home on July 5, 1948 from an over dose of drugs. According to some sources, Landis left two suicide notes, one for her mother and the second for Harrison who instructed his lawyers to destroy it. During a coroner's inquest, Harrison denied knowing any motive for her suicide and told the coroner he did not know of the existence of a second suicide note. Landis is buried at Forest Lawn Glendale.

Who died on this date:

On January 1, 1994, actor Cesar Romero died. He was born on February 15, 1907 in New York City. His wide range of screen roles included Latin lovers, historical figures in costume dramas, characters in light domestic comedies, and as “The Joker” in television's Batman series. Romero played "Latin lovers" in films from the 1930s until the 1950s, usually in supporting roles. He starred as The Cisco Kid in six westerns made between 1939 and 1941. Other film credits include The Thin Man (1934), and Captain from Castile (1947). He made numerous TV appearances from the 1950s to the 1980s, most notably in Batman. Romero died on January 1, 1994 from bronchitis and pneumonia and his ashes are interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Pola Negri

2011-12-31T09:47:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Pola Negri was born on December 31, 1899 (although the date and year are in dispute) in Poland. She received fame through femme fatale roles from the silent era through the 1940s. Her Polish film debut was in 1914s, Slave to Her Senses and also appeared in a variety of films made by the Warsaw film industry, including Room No. 13, His Last Gesture, Students, and The Wife.

Negri ended up becoming one of the most popular Hollywood actresses of the era, and certainly the richest woman of the film industry at the time. Negri's first two Hollywood films were Bella Donna (1923) and The Cheat (1923). Initially Paramount utilized Negri as a mysterious European femme fatale, as they did with their other major actress Gloria Swanson, and staged an ongoing feud between the two actresses. Film credits include Forbidden Paradise (1924), Woman of the World (1925), Hotel Imperial (1927), Barbed Wire (1927), and The Woman from Moscow (1928), after which she temporarily retired from movies. This turned out to be a short lived retirement, Negri returned to Hollywood in 1931 to begin filming her first talking film, A Woman Commands (1932). The film itself was poorly received, but Negri sang the song "Paradise" in the film, and the song was a hit and for many years was considered to be a standard.

She made headlines and gossip columns with a string of celebrity love affairs with stars such as Charlie Chaplin and Rudolph Valentino. Negri met Rudolph Valentino at a costume party held by Marion Davies and William Randolph Hearst at San Simeon, and was Valentino's lover until his death in 1926. Negri caused a media sensation at his New York funeral in August 24, 1926, at which she "fainted" several times, and arranged for a large floral arrangement, which spelled out "P-O-L-A", to be placed on Valentino's coffin. The press dismissed her actions as a publicity stunt. At the time of his death and for the remainder of her life, Negri would state that Valentino was the love of her life.

Negri came out of retirement once to appear in the Walt Disney’s, The Moon-Spinners (1964). She spent the remainder of her years largely out of the public eye. Pola Negri died on August 1, 1987 from pneumonia; however she was also suffering from a brain tumor (for which she had refused treatment). Negri was interred in Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Tom Keene, Lew Ayres, Mary Brian & Dorothy Comingore

2011-12-30T10:14:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actor Tom Keene was born on December 30, 1896 in Rochester, New York. He is best known for his roles in B-Westerns of the 1930s and 1940s. He made his film debut in the 1923 short, The Just a Little Late Club. Other movie credits include, The Godless Girl (1929), Tide of Empire (1929), Sun Down Trail (1931), Our Daily Bread (1934), The Great Alaskan Mystery (1944), Dick Tracy’s Dilemma and Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947). His last film was Ed Wood directed, cult classic, Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959). Keene died from cancer on August 4, 1963 and is buried at Forest Lawn Glendale.

Who died on this date:

On December 10, 1996, actor Lew Ayres died. He was born on December 28, 1908 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is best known for starring as Paul in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) and for playing Dr. Kildare in several movies of the late 1930s. Ayres appeared with Greta Garbo in The Kiss (1929), Janet Gaynor in Servant’s Entrance (1934), with Joan Crawford and Jimmy Stewart in The Ice Follies of 1939 (1939). In 1948 he was nominated for a best actor Academy Award for his role in Johnny Belinda. His co-star, Jane Wyman fell in love with Ayres and left her husband Ronald Reagan for him. He was married three times, most notably to Ginger Rogers from 1934-1940. Ayres also made numerous TV appearances from the late 1950s to 1990s. Ayres died December 30, 1996 and was buried at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California next to the unmarked grave of Frank Zappa.

On December 30, 2002, actress Mary Brian died. She was born on February 17, 1906 in Corsicana, Texas. At the age of 16, she was discovered at a local Long Beach, California bathing beauty contest. Her first film was Peter Pan (1924) and Brian was dubbed "The Sweetest Girl in Pictures." During her years at Paramount, Brian appeared in more than 40 movies. She successfully transitioned to talking pictures with Varsity (1928) and The Virginian (1929) co-starring Gary Cooper and Walter Huston. Other film credits include The Royal family of Broadway (1930), Paramount on Parade (1930), The Front Page (1931), Manhattan Tower (1932), Shadows of Sing Sing (1933), College Rhythm (1934), Charlie Chan in Paris (1935), Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935), Navy Blues (1937), The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss (1936) and Affairs of Cappy Ricks (1937). She was absent from the screen from 1937 to 1943, and appeared in only a handful of films thereafter. Her last performance on the silver screen was in Dragnet (1947). Over the course of 22 years, Brian had appeared in more than 79 movies. Though she was engaged numerous times and was linked romantically to numerous Hollywood men, including Cary Grant and notorious womanizer Jack Pickford. She died of heart failure at on December 30, 2002 in Del Mar, California and is buried at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills.

On December 30, 1971, actress Dorothy Comingore died. She was born on August 24, 1913in Los Angeles, California. She is best known for her portrayal of Susan Alexander in Citizen Kane (1941). Other film credits include The Hairy Ape (1944) and The Big Night (1951). Her career ended in 1951, when she was caught up in the Hollywood blacklist and refused to answer question by the House Un-American Activities Committee. She struggled with alcoholism during her later life, and died from pulmonary disease on December 30, 1971 in Stonington, Connecticut. Her ashes were given to family and final disposition of her remains is unknown.

Lew Ayres & Florence Lawrence

2011-12-28T09:50:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actor Lew Ayres was born on December 28, 1908 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is best known for starring as Paul in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) and for playing Dr. Kildare in several movies of the late 1930s. Ayres appeared with Greta Garbo in The Kiss (1929), Janet Gaynor in Servant’s Entrance (1934), with Joan Crawford and Jimmy Stewart in The Ice Follies of 1939 (1939). In 1948 he was nominated for a best actor Academy Award for his role in Johnny Belinda. His co-star, Jane Wyman fell in love with Ayres and left her husband Ronald Reagan for him. He was married three times, most notably to Ginger Rogers from 1934-1940. Ayres also made numerous TV appearances from the late 1950s to 1990s. Ayres died December 30, 1996 and was buried at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California next to the unmarked grave of Frank Zappa.

Who died on this date:

On December 28, 1938, actress Florence Lawrence died. She was born on January 2, 1886 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She is often referred to as "The First Movie Star." When she was popular, she was known as "The Biograph Girl," "The Imp Girl," and "The Girl of a Thousand Faces." Lawrence appeared in more than 270 films for various motion picture companies. Lawrence was unsuccessful in transitioning from silent film to talkies.

During the filming of Pawns of Destiny 1914), a staged fire got out of control and Lawrence was burned and she suffered a serious fall. She went into shock for months. She returned to work, but collapsed after its completion. Universal refused to pay her medical expenses. Although only 29 years old, she never regained her stature as a leading film actress after taking time off to recover from her injuries.

Lawrence returned to the screen in 1936, when MGM began giving small parts to old stars for seventy-five dollars a week. Alone, discouraged, and suffering with chronic pain from a rare bone marrow disease, she was found unconscious in bed in her West Hollywood apartment on after she had ingested ant paste. She was rushed to a hospital but died a few hours later on December 28, 1938. Lawrence was interred in an unmarked grave at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California. She remained forgotten until 1991, when actor Roddy McDowall paid for a memorial marker that reads: "The Biograph Girl/The First Movie Star."

Marlene Dietrich

2011-12-27T10:06:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Marlene Dietrich was born on December 27, 1901 in Berlin, Germany. Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films. Her performance as Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel (1930), brought her international fame and provided her a contract with Paramount Pictures. Hollywood films include Morocco (1930), for which she was nominated for a best actress Academy Award, Dishonored (1931), Blonde Venus (1932), Shanghai Express (1932), The Scarlet Empress (1934), The Devil is a Woman (1935), Desire (1936), and I Loved a Soldier (1936).

Extravagant offers lured Dietrich away from Paramount to make The Garden of Allah (1936) and Knight without Armour (1937). By this time, Dietrich was labeled "Box Office Poison.” She returned to Paramount to make another romantic comedy, Angel (1937) but reception to the film was so lukewarm and Paramount bought out the remainder of her contract. In 1939, she appeared the western, Destry Rides Again, opposite Jimmy Stewart. The bawdy role revived her career. She played roles in Seven Sinners (1940) and The Spoilers (1942), both opposite John Wayne. While Dietrich arguably never fully regained her former screen glory, she continued performing in the movies.

From the early 1950s until the mid-1970s, Dietrich worked almost exclusively as a highly-paid cabaret artist, performing live in large theaters in major cities worldwide. In her sixties and seventies, Dietrich's health declined: she survived cervical cancer in 1965 and suffered from poor circulation in her legs. Dietrich became increasingly dependent on painkillers and alcohol. Dietrich's show business career largely ended on September 29, 1975, when she broke her leg during a stage performance in Sydney, Australia. Dietrich withdrew to her apartment in Paris and spent the final 11 years of her life mostly bedridden, allowing only a select few, including family and employees to enter the apartment. She died from renal failure on May 6, 1992 at the age of 90 in Paris and was buried at the Berlin-Schoneberg Cemetery in Berlin.

Richard Widmark & Elsa Lanchester

2011-12-26T13:43:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actor Richard Widmark was born on December 26, 1914 in Sunrise Township, Minnesota. He was nominated for a best supporting actor Academy Award for Kiss Of Death (1947), as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film. Early in his career Widmark specialized in similar villainous or anti-hero roles, but he later branched out into more heroic leading and support roles in westerns, mainstream dramas and horror films, among others. Widmark made his debut as a radio actor in 1938 and made his Broadway debut in 1943 with Kiss and Tell. Other film credits include The Street Car with No Name (1948), Don’t Bother to Knock (1952). Pick Up on South Street (1953), The Alamo (1960), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), How the West was Won (1962), Cheyenne Autumn (1964), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Coma (1978), and The Swarm (1978). In all, Widmark appeared in over 60 films before making his final movie appearance in the 1991 thriller True Colors. From 1942 until her death in 1997, Widmark was married to playwright Jean Hazlewood. He died after a long illness on March 24, 2008, at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut and is buried at the Roxbury Center Cemetery.

Who died on this date:

On December 26, 1986, actress Elsa Lanchester died. She was born on October 28, 1902 in Lewisham, London. She met actor Charles Laughton in 1927, and they were married two years later. She began playing small roles in British films, including the role of Anne of Cleves with Laughton in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933). Her role as the title character in Bride of Frankenstein (1935), brought her recognition. She played supporting roles through the 1940s and 1950s. She was nominated for a best supporting Academy Award for Come to the Stable in 1949 and Witness for the Prosecution 1957. Lanchester died on December 26, 1986 from pneumonia at the Motion Picture Actor Home. Her ashes were scattered at sea.

Humphrey Bogart

2011-12-25T09:39:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actor Humphrey Bogart was born on December 25, 1899 in New York City. The American Film Institute has ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema. Bogart began acting in 1921 and became a regular in Broadway productions in the 1920s and 1930s. His first foray into movies was in The Petrified Forest (1936), and this led to a period of typecasting as a gangster with films such as Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) and others.

Ava Gardner & Peter Lawford

2011-12-24T09:22:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Ava Gardner was born on December 24, 1922 in Grabtown, North Carolina. She was one of Hollywood's most beautiful actresses and was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for Mogambo (1953). She appeared in several high-profile films from the late 1940s to 1970s, including The Killers (1946), The Hucksters (1947), Show Boat (1951), The Snow of Kilimanjaro (1952), The Barefoor Contessa (1954), Bhowano Junction (1956), On the Beach (1959), The Night of the Iguana (1964), Earthquake (1974), and The Cassandra Crossing (1976).

Who died on this date:

On December 24, 1984, actor Peter Lawford died. He was born on September 7, 1923 in London, England. He was a member of the "Rat Pack", and brother-in-law to President John F. Kennedy. In his earlier professional years (late 1930s through the 1950s) he had a strong presence in popular culture and starred in a number of highly acclaimed films. Lawford made his film debut in Poor Old Bill (1930). His first major movie role was A Yank at Eton (1942), where he played a snobbish bully opposite Mickey Rooney. The picture was a smash hit, and Lawford's performance was widely praised. He won even greater acclaim for his performance in The White Cliff of Dover (1944), in which he played a young soldier in World War II. MGM gave him another important role in The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) and Son of Lassie (1945).

Lawford's busiest year as an actor was 1946, when two of his films opened within days of each other: Cluny Brown (1946) and Two Sisters From Boston (1946). He also made his first comedy that same year: My Brother Talks To Horses (released in 1947). He appeared with Frank Sinatra for the first time in the musical It Happened in Brooklyn (1947). Lawford was given other important roles in MGM films over the next few years, including Easter Parade (1948), Little Women (1949), and It Should Happen to You (1954). In 1959, Frank Sinatra invited the Englishman to join "The Rat Pack" and also got him a role in Never So Few. The casino caper Ocean’s Eleven (1960) was a project Lawford first brought to Sinatra's attention. It became the first film to feature all five main "Rat Pack" members Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop and Lawford. He also guest starred on various television series throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

His first marriage, in 1954, was to Patricia Kennedy, sister of then-US Senator John F. Kennedy. Lawford, along with other members of the "Rat Pack", helped campaign for Kennedy and the Democratic Party. Lawford and Patricia Kennedy divorced in February 1966. Lawford married his second wife, Mary Rowan, the daughter of comedian Dan Rowan in October 1971 when she was one day shy of twenty-second birthday. Rowan and Lawford separated two years later and divorced in January 1975. In June 1976, he married aspiring actress Deborah Gould, twenty-five, whom he had known for only three weeks. Lawford and Gould separated two months after marrying and divorced in 1977. During his separation from Gould, Lawford met seventeen-year-old Patricia Seaton, who would later become his fourth and final wife in July 1984, months before his death.

Peter Lawford died on December 24, 1984 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from cardiac arrest which was complicated by kidney and liver failure after years of drug and alcohol abuse. His body was cremated, and his ashes were interred originally interred at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles. Owing to a dispute between his widow and the cemetery, Lawford's ashes were removed and scattered in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California by his widow, Patricia Seaton Lawford, who invited the National Enquirer tabloid to photograph the event. A plaque bearing Lawford's name was erected at Westwood Village Memorial Park.

Ruth Roman

2011-12-23T11:21:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Ruth Roman was born on December 23, 1922 (other sources state her birth date as December 22. 1922) in Lynn, Massachusetts. She is best known for appearing in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 thriller, Strangers on a Train. In the 1950 film Three Secrets, she played a distraught mother waiting to learn whether or not her child survived an airplane crash. Although she never achieved the level of success as a leading lady that many predicted, Roman nevertheless worked regularly in film well into the 1960s after which she began making appearances on television shows. Greer died on September 9, 1999 in Laguna Beach, California, her remains were cremated and scattered at sea.

Darryl F. Zanuck

2011-12-22T11:20:00.000-08:00

Who died on this date:

On December 22, 1979, Legendary director/ studio executive Darryl F. Zanuck died. He was born on September 5, 1902 in Wahoo, Nebraska. He played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors. He earned three Academy Awards during his tenure. In 1933 he founded 20^th Century Films, releasing material through United Artists. In 1935 he bought out Fox studios, which became 20^thCentury Fox. Zanuck was vice-president of this new studio and took an interventionist approach, closely involved in editing and producing. In the 1950s, he withdrew from the studio to concentrate on independent producing in Europe. He returned to control of Fox in 1962, but became involved in a power struggle with the board and his son from around 1969. In May 1971 Zanuck was finally forced from "his" studio. Zanuck died on December 22, 1979 from cancer in Palm Springs, California. He is buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Betty Grable, June Storey & Anne Revere

2011-12-18T18:02:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Betty Grable was born on December 18, 1916 in St. Louis, Missouri. Grable had several nicknames during her career like: "the girl with the million dollar legs," "the quick-silver blonde," "the queen of the Hollywood musical," and "the darling of the forties." Her legendary swim suit photo made her the number-one pin up girl during World War II. Despite being noted for her good looks, Grable was a talented actress and appeared in several successful musicals during the 1940s like, Down Argentine Way (1940), Moon Over Miami (1941), Springtime in the Rockies (1942), Coney Island (1943), Pin-Up Girl (1944), and The Dolly Sisters (1945). However, she is best noted for her 1947 film Mother Wore Tights. By the 1950s, Grable was still making films like, Wabash Avenue (1950), Meet Me After the Show (1951), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), and How to be Very, Very Popular (1955). She retired from the movie industry in 1955. Grable died on July 2, 1973 from lung cancer and is buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.

Who died on this date:

On December 18, 1991, actress June Storey-Clark died. She was born on April 20, 1918 in Ontario, Canada. Storey was a screen actress in the 1930’s and 1940’s; she starred in forty-five motion pictures. She was primarily, a lead actress in B-westerns for Republic Pictures, and was Gene Autry’s leading lady in ten of his films. Her major screen credits include In Old Chicago (1937), Home on the Prairie (1939), Colorado Sunset (1939), In Old Monterrey (1939), South of the Border (1939), Carolina Moon (1940), Ride Tenderfoot Ride (1940), and Lone Wolf Takes a Chance (1941). June retired from acting in the late 1940’s, and married an Oregon rancher. She died on December 18, 1991 in Vista, California from cancer and is buried at Pacific View Memorial Park in Newport Beach, California.

On December 18, 1990, actress Anne Revere died. The versatile veteran character actress was born on June 25, 1903 in New York City. She was a graduate of Wellesley College and is a direct descendant of American Revolutionary hero, Paul Revere. She began her show business career on the Broadway stage and graduated to film in 1934’s Double Door. During her film career (1934-1977), which included nearly forty motion pictures, she often played the role of the strong, maternal figure. Her major film credits include: Men of Boys Town (1941), Remember the Day (1941), and A Place in the Sun (1951). She won the 1946 Oscar for best supporting actress in National Velvet (1945), and was nominated for the same award for The Song of Bernadette (1943) and Gentlemen’s Agreement (1947).

In 1947, a year after winning the Oscar, she refused to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities, was blacklisted and did not appear in another motion picture for twenty years. Unable to find work in films, she returned to the Broadway stage, where in 1961, she won a Tony Award for her performance in Toys in the Attic. She also made numerous television appearances during this period and her last role was in the soap opera, Ryan’s Hope (1977). Anne Revere died on December 18, 1990 at her home on Long Island, New York from pneumonia. She is buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Van Heflin

2011-12-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Van Heflin, the talented character actor who often played tough guys with a sensitive and often vulnerable side was born Emmett Evan Heflin, Jr. on December 13, 1910 in Walters, Oklahoma. In his youth, Heflin worked as a merchant marine and got his start in show business by accident while on shore leave in New York City. He was discovered by Broadway director Richard Boleslawski, who cast him in the play, Mr. Moneypenny. The play closed after a short run, and he returned to the sea but the acting bug had been planted. Three years later, Heflin returned state side, and enrolled in drama school. In 1936, after a successful run in which he appeared in eight Broadway plays, Heflin made the switch to motion pictures, and was quickly signed by RKO Pictures, and appeared in his first film, A Woman Rebels (1936). In a memorable screen career that included over fifty motion pictures from 1936 to 1971, Heflin’s most unforgettable movie credits include: The Outcasts of Poker Flat (1937), Santa Fe Trail (1940), The Three Musketeers (1948), Shane (1953), Battle Cry (1955), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), and Airport (1970). He won the best supporting actor Academy Award in 1943, for his portrayal of the hard drinking stooge, Jeff Harnett in Johnny Eager (1942). He almost always played the supporting role in films, his rugged characters seemed to possess a certain vulnerability that showed weakness which often lead to his characters into dire circumstances.

Heflin was an ardent health fanatic in his later years and often swam laps in his Los Angeles area apartment pool. On June 6, 1971, while completing his regular swimming routine, he suffered a heart attack. He was able to get to the side of the pool and hang onto a ladder but was unsuccessful in getting out of the water. Fellow tenants helped pull the stricken actor from the water but when paramedics finally arrived, he was unconsciousness and unresponsive. Heflin was transported to Citizens Emergency Hospital in Hollywood, where he lay in a coma for forty-seven days. The award winning actor died on July 23, 1971, at age sixty, never having regained consciousness. Van Heflin’s remains were cremated and scattered in the Pacific Ocean.

Frank Sinatra, Edward G. Robinson, Van Johnson & Anne Baxter

2011-12-12T10:06:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Singer/ actor Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was born on Hoboken, New Jersey. He began his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s. His professional career had stalled by the 1950s, but it was reborn in 1954 after he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in From Here to Eternity. He followed that with a nomination for Best Actor for The Man with the Golden Arm, and critical acclaim for his performance in The Manchurian Candidate. He also starred in such musicals as High Society, Pal Joey, Guys and Dolls and On the Town. He was married four times, most notably to actresses Ava Gardner (1951–1957) and Mia Farrow (1966–1968). Throughout his life, Sinatra had mood swings and bouts of depression. Sinatra garnered considerable attention due to his alleged personal and professional links with organized crime. Sinatra began to show signs of dementia in his last years and after a heart attack in February 1997, he made no further public appearances. After suffering another heart attack, he died on May 14, 1998 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and was buried at Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California.

Actor Edward G. Robinson was born on December 12, 1893 in Bucharest. He began his acting career in 1913 and made his Broadway debut in 1915. He made his film debut in a minor and uncredited role in 1916. Robinson was popular in the 1930s and 1940s and was able to avoid many flops during a 50-year career that included 101 films. An acclaimed performance as the gangster Caesar Enrico "Rico" Bandello in Little (1931) led to him being typecast as a "tough guy" for much of his early career in works such as Five Star Final (1931), Smart Money (1931), Tiger Shark (1932), Kid Galahad (1937), Larceny Inc. (1942), Double Indemnity (1944), The Woman in the Window (1945), Scarlet Street (1945) and The Stranger (1946). As a memorable tribute to his past gangster roles, he appeared as 'Johnny Rocco' in Key Largo (1948). He also appeared in numerous 'B' movies such as Vice Squad (1953), Tank Battalion (1958).Director Cecil B. DeMille cast him as Dathan in The Ten Commandments in 1956. Robinson's acting career was later bolstered by notable roles in 1959's A Hole in the Head and the Cincinnati Kid (1965). Robinson's last film was Soylent Green (1973). Edward G. Robinson died from cancer on January 26, 1973 and was buried at Beth-El Cemetery in Queens, New York.

Who died on this date:

On December 12, 2008, actor Van Johnson died. He was born on August 25, 1916 in Newport, Rhode Island. Johnson was the embodiment of the "boy next door," playing "the red-haired, freckle-faced soldier, sailor or bomber pilot who used to live down the street" in MGM movies during the war years. At the time of his death on December 2008, he was one of the last surviving matinee idols of Hollywood's "golden age." Johnson performed at social clubs in Newport while in high school and moved to New York City after graduating from high school in 1935 to join an off-Broadway revue. He was an understudy to Gene Kelly in the Broadway musical Pal Joey. He was introduced to an MGM casting director by Lucille Ball. This led to a screen test at Columbia Pictures and then Warner Bros. Studios. His all-American good looks and easy demeanor were ill-suited to the gritty movies Warner made at the time, and the studio dropped him at the expiration of his six-month contract. Shortly before leaving Warner, he was cast as a cub reporter opposite Faye Emerson in the 1942 film Murder in the Big House.

His big break was in A Guy Named Joe (1943) with Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne. Midway through the movie's production, he was involved in a car crash that left him with a metal plate in his forehead and a number of scars on his face that the plastic surgery of the time could not completely correct or conceal; he used heavy makeup to hide them for years. Dunne and Tracy insisted that Johnson not be removed from the cast despite his long absence. With many actors now serving in the armed forces, the accident proved to be a major career break for Johnson. MGM built up his image as the all-American boy in war dramas and musicals, with his most notable starring roles including Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944), Two Girls and a Sailor (1944), Easy to Wed (1946), In the Good Old Summertime (1949), Battleground (1949), Go For Broke (1951), Remains to Be Seen (1953), and Brigadoon (1954). Johnson was dropped by MGM in 1954, after appearing in The Last Time I Saw Paris with Elizabeth Taylor. He enjoyed critical acclaim for his performance in The Caine Mutiny (1954).

During the 1950s, Johnson continued to appear in films and also appeared frequently in television guest appearances. In the 1970s, after twice fighting bouts of cancer, Johnson began a second career in summer stock and dinner theater. In 1985, returning to Broadway for the first time since Pal Joey, he was cast in the starring role of the musical La cage aux Folles. Van Johnson lived in a penthouse on Manhattan’s Upper Eastside until 2002, when he moved to an assisted living facility in Nyack, New York. He died there of natural causes on December 12, 2008. He had been ill for the previous year and receiving hospice care. His body was cremated and final disposition is unknown.

On December 12, 1985, actress Anne Baxter died. The multi-talented Academy Award winning actress was born on May 7, 1923 in Michigan City, Indiana but grew up in Bronxville, New York. In 1936, at the age of thirteen, Baxter made her Broadway theater debut in Seen but not Heard, garnering rave reviews but she yearned for Hollywood’s bright lights. An initial foray into film in 1937 was unsuccessful and Baxter returned to Broadway. Then in 1940, at age seventeen, she was given another chance and was given a screen test at 20th Century Fox Studios, and was offered a seven year movie contract. Before she could make a movie for Fox, she was loaned out to MGM where she appeared in 20 Mule Team (1940). Her early film career was filled great success and roles that other actresses would have had to work for years to attain. She was an actress who relied on her charm rather than great beauty and would star in over fifty motion pictures and numerous television series from 1940 to 1985, her film credits include: The Pied Piper (1942), The North Star (1943), Angel on My Shoulder (1946), The Walls of Jericho (1948), Follow the Sun (1951), and Cimarron (1960). She won the best supporting actress Oscar in 1947 for The Razor’s Edge (1946) and was nominated in 1951 for All About Eve (1950). Perhaps her most famous role is that of the beautiful and conniving Queen Nefretiri in Cecile B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1956).

In 1960, tiring of the bright lights and glamour of Hollywood, she retired from film and settled with her second husband Randolph Galt on a cattle ranch in Australia. In 1970, after a decade away from show business, she yearned to return to the screen saying, “Acting is not what I do. It’s what I am. It is my permanent, built in cathedral.” She then became a staple of television appearing in numerous programs such as East of Eden (1981) and Hotel (1983). Her last appearance was in the made for television movie, The Masks of Death (1984). On December 8, 1985, while walking along Madison Avenue in Manhattan, she collapsed from a stroke. Baxter was rushed to Lenox Hill Hospital, where she lay in a coma for eight days. She died on December 12, 1985, never regaining consciousness. Anne Baxter’s cremated remains are interred at the Lloyd-Jones Cemetery next to the historic Unity Chapel in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Her ashes rest under a small tree memorial which is marked by a non-descript marker. It is near the now empty gravesite of her famous grandfather (Frank Lloyd Wright’s remains were disinterred and moved to Scottsdale, Arizona in the mid-1980’s). The cemetery is situated in the valley not far from Wright’s historic Taliesin estate.

Dorothy Lamour, Victor McLaglen & Ed Wood

2011-12-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Dorothy Lamour was born on December 10, 1914 in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is best remembered for appearing with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope in the “Road to” movies. In 1936, she moved to Hollywood and began appearing regularly in films for Paramount Pictures. The role that made her a star was Ulah in The Jungle Princess (1936). While she first achieved stardom as a sex symbol, Lamour also showed talent as both a comic and dramatic actress. She was among the most popular actresses in motion pictures from 1936 to 1952. During the World War II, Lamour was among the most popular pinup girls among American servicemen. Some of Lamour's other notable films include The Hurricane (1937),Disputed Passage (1939), Beyond the Blue Horizon (1942), My Favorite Brunette (1947), and the best picture Oscar winner The Greatest Show on Earth (1952). She died at her home in North Hollywood, California from a heart attack on September 22, 1996 and is buried at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills.

Actor Victor McLaglen, the tough guy actor with a heart of gold was born on December 10, 1886 in Tunbridge, England. The son of a Protestant Minister, Victor was the second eldest of eight children. After turning eighteen, the adventuresome young man immigrated to Canada. It was there where he found his calling with forays into show business with travelling circuses, vaudeville shows, Wild West extravaganzas, and even prize fighting challenges.

McLaglen’s distinguished and award winning career in motion pictures spanned nearly four decades from 1920 to 1959 and included over one hundred films. His early movies found him type cast as the tough guy in action adventure pictures but as his popularity increased diversity in roles developed. He was a versatile actor, who was able to move effortlessly between the tough guy, lovable rouge, and debonair leading man, his major film credits include: What Price Glory (1926), The Magnificent Brute (1936), Gunga Din (1939), Fort Apache (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), and Rio Grande (1950). He was a favorite actor of director John Ford, who cast McLaglen as an Irishmen in many films, even though he was British. In 1935, McLaglen was nominated and won the Academy Award for best actor for his portrayal of the dim-witted giant in John Ford’s, The Informer and was nominated in 1953 for a best supporting actor Oscar in The Quiet Man (1952), co-starring John Wayne.

McLaglen died on November 7, 1959 at his Newport Beach, California home from congestive heart failure. His funeral service was held at the Church of the Recessional at Forest Lawn, Glendale in attendance were over two hundred mourner that included numerous Hollywood personalities. The eulogy was delivered by fellow actor and good friend, Donald Crisp who spoke of McLaglen as “a great and kindly man of mighty physique and generous nature.” The actor’s remains were cremated and are interred in the Columbarium of Eternal Light within the Garden of Memory at Forest Lawn, Glendale. McLaglen is interred only a few feet from legendary actor Humphrey Bogart.

Who died on this date:

On December 10, 1978, director Ed Wood died. He was born on October 10, 1924 in Poughkeepsie, New York. In the 1950s, Wood made a number of low-budget films now enjoyed for their technical errors, unsophisticated special effects, large amounts of ill-fitting dialogue, eccentric casts and outlandish plot elements, although his flair for showmanship gave his projects at least a modicum of critical success. Wood's popularity waned soon after his biggest name star Bela Lugosi died. He was able to salvage a saleable feature from Lugosi's last moments on film, but his career declined thereafter. His infamy began two years after his death, when he was awarded a Golden Turkey Award as Worst Director of All Time. The lack of filmmaking ability in his work has earned Wood and his films a considerable cult following. He died on December 10, 1978 in Los Angeles and his ashes were scattered at sea.

Margaret Hamilton, Broderick Crawford, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., & Gene Barry

2011-12-09T09:45:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Margaret Hamilton was born on December 9, 1902 in Cleveland, Ohio. She was best known for her portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. A former schoolteacher, she worked as a character actor in films for seven years before she was offered the role that defined her public image. In later years, Hamilton made frequent cameo appearances on television sitcoms and commercials. She also gained recognition for her work as an advocate of causes designed to benefit children and animals, and retained a lifelong commitment to public education.

Hamilton's unlikely career as a film actress was driven by the very qualities that placed her in stark contrast to the stereotypical Hollywood glamour girl. Her image was that of a New England spinster, extremely pragmatic and impatient. Hamilton's plain looks helped to bring steady work as a character actress. She made her screen debut in 1933 in Another Language. Hamilton went on to appear in These Three (1936), Saratoga, You Only Live Once, Nothing Sacred (all 1937), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938), and My Little Chickadee (1940). She strove to work as much as possible to support herself and her son; she never put herself under contract to any one studio and priced her services at $1000 a week.

In 1939, Hamilton played the role of the Wicked Witch of the West, opposite Judy Garland's Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz, creating not only her most famous role, but also one of the screen's most memorable villains. Hamilton was chosen when the more traditionally attractive Gale Sondergaard refused to wear makeup designed to make her appear ugly. In the 1940s and 1950s, Hamilton had a long running role on the radio series Ethel and Albert in which she played the lovable, scattered Aunt Eva. During the 1960s and 1970s, Hamilton appeared regularly on television. She did a stint as one of the What's My Line? Mystery Guests on the popular Sunday Night CBS-TV program. She reprised the image of Elmira Gulch from The Wizard of Oz for her role as Morticia Addams' mother Hester Frump in The Addams Family.

During the 1960s she was a regular on the CBS soap opera, "The Secret Storm," and in the early 1970s, she joined the cast of ‘As the World Turns.’ She had a small role in the made-for-TV film The Night Strangler (1973) and appeared in Sigmund and the Sea Monsters. She would reprise her role as the Wicked Witch of the West in an episode of Sesame Street, but after complaints from parents of terrified children, it hasn't been seen since 1976. Hamilton also appeared as herself in an episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and continued acting regularly until 1982. Her last role was a guest appearance as a veteran journalist on an episode of Lou Grant. She lived in New York City for most of her adult life and her Gramercy Park apartment building also boasted James Cagney as a tenant. On May 16, 1985, she died in her sleep following a heart attack. There is conflicting information about the exact location where her ashes were scattered one sources states that they were scattered at her home in Amenia, New York, while another source says it is Cape Island, Maine.

Broderick Crawford, the husky, gravelly voiced actor of both film and television was born on December 9, 1911 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents Lester and Helen Crawford were successful vaudevillian performers. His mother excelled in comedic roles on stage and film. Broderick’s successful career in show business began on the Broadway stage in 1937’s Of Mice and Men. In that same year, he ventured to Hollywood and appeared in his first motion picture, Woman Chases Man (1937). In a film and television career that spanned over four decades (1937-1982), Crawford appeared in over eighty feature films that included; Ambush (1939), Beau Geste (1939), Slightly Honorable (1940), The Black Cat (1941), North to the Klondike (1942), Larceny, Inc. (1942), Black Angel (1946), A Kiss in the Dark (1949), Lone Star (1952), Born Yesterday (1950), and The Last Posse (1953). Crawford was not the typical Hollywood leading man type with a deep voice, large and burly physique. He primarily played supporting roles as tough guys in “B” westerns.

In 1949, Crawford was not a big box office star. Director Robert Rosen was casting the lead role for the film, All the Kings Men, a film adaptation of Robert Penn Warren’s fictionalized account of the life of flamboyant Louisiana politician, Huey Long. Rosen was not looking for a big star for his film. On the contrary, all he needed was an actor like Crawford, whose unknown stature, powerful build, and raspy voice, fit the persona of Willie Stark (AKA Huey Long). For this role, Crawford won the best lead actor Academy Award for 1949. Crawford was unable to follow up the success of All the Kings Men, and his film career slowed. In 1955, he got another big break, this time on the small screen, playing one of the most memorable and legendary roles in television history that of Chief Dan Mathews in Highway Patrol (1955-1959). Crawford successful television career lasted for twenty plus years. On April 26, 1986, Broderick Crawford died after suffering a massive stroke at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Palm Springs, California and was buried at Ferndale Cemetery in Johnstown, New York.

Actor Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. was born on December 9, 1909 in New York City. He was the only child of famed silent film star Douglas Fairbank and Anna Beth Sully. He began his career during the silent film era with supporting roles in a range of films featuring many of the leading female players of the day. Notable film credits include Stella Dallas (1925), An American Venus (1926), Women Love Diamonds (1927), Our Modern Maidens (1929), Woman of Affairs (1929), Morning Glory (1933), Outward Bound (1930), The Dawn Patrol (1930), Little Caesar (1931), Prisoner of Zenda (1937), and Gunga Din (1939). His first notable relationship was with the actress Joan Crawford, whom he married on June 3, 1929 in New York City. The couple divorced in 1933. On May 7, 2000, Fairbanks died of a heart attack in New York. He is buried next to his father at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

Who died on this date:

On December 9, 2009, actor Gene Barry died. He was born Eugene Klass on June 14, 1919 in New York City. Barry chose his professional name in honor of John Barrymore and made his Broadway debut as Captain Paul Duval in the 1942 revival of Sigmund Romberg's The New Moon. In 1950, Barry began appearing on TV with the "NBC Television Opera Theatre.” In 1955, he appeared on the CBS anthology series Appointment with Adventure.

Barry appeared in his first movie, The Atomic City (1952), and then was cast as "Dr. Clayton Forrester" in the sci-fi classic, The War of the Worlds (1953). In 1955, Barry returned to television and had a recurring role in the situation comedy Our Miss Brooks. From 1958-1961, he starred in Bat Masterson, a fictionalized recounting of the life of the real-life U.S. Marshal / gambler. In his next TV series, Burke's Law, Barry played a millionaire who always used a chauffeured limousine and who solved crimes, first as the Chief of Detectives and then as a secret agent. This series was telecast from 1963 to 1965. For his performance in it, Barry won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in 1965.

Barry returned to Broadway on two occasions, 1962 in The Perfect Setup, and in 1983 in the Broadway premiere of the musical La Cage aux Folles. For his portrayal of Georges, Barry was nominated for a Tony Award. Barry died on December 9, 2009 at Sunrise Senior Living in Woodland Hills, California and is buried at Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, California.

Fay Bainter

2011-12-07T10:44:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Fay Bainter was born on December 7, 1894 in Los Angeles, California. Her short ten year film acting career (1934 to 1944) began with This Side of Heaven (1934) and concluded with Dark Waters (1944). During this brief ten year period, she appeared in twenty-seven motion pictures that included: Quality Street (1937), The Shinning Hour (1938), Young Tom Edison (1940), Woman of the Year (1942), Cry Havoc (1943), and Heavenly Body (1944). In 1939, Bainter was the first actress to be nominated for two separate Academy Awards in the same year, best actress, White Banners (1938), and best supporting actress, Jezebel (1938). She lost in the best actress category but won the best supporting actress Oscar for her portrayal of Aunt Belle in Jezebel (opposite Bette Davis, who won for best actress). Due to confusion in the voting, the Academy was forced to change the rules. Bainter came out of semi-retirement in 1961 to film, The Children’s Hour, and was again honored with a best supporting actress Oscar nomination but lost to Rita Moreno. Bainter died on April 16, 1968 at her home in Los Angeles, California from pneumonia. Her funeral service was held at the All Saints Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills. She is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Washington D.C., lawn section 3, space 2456-1, next to her husband, U.S. Navy, Lt. Commander Reginald Venable.

Agnes Moorehead, Lynn Fontanne & Don Ameche

2011-12-06T09:59:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Agnes Moorehead was born on December 6, 1900 in Clinton, Massachusetts. She appeared in more than seventy films beginning with Citizen Kane (1941) and on dozens of television shows during a career that spanned more than thirty years, Moorehead is most widely known to modern audiences for her role as Endora on the 1960’s TV series Bewitched. While rarely playing leads in films, Moorehead's skill at character development and range earned her one Emmy Award, two Golden Globes and four Academy Award nominations. She appeared in the 1956 movie The Conqueror, which was shot near Saint George, Utah, downwind from the Yucca Flat, Nevada nuclear test site. She was one of over 90 (of 220) cast and crew members, including costars Susan Hayward, John Wayne, and Pedro Armendariz, as well as director-producer Dick Powell, who, over their lifetimes, all developed cancer. Moorehead died of uterine cancer on April 30, 1974 in Rochester, Minnesota and is buried at Dayton Memorial Park in Dayton, Ohio.

Actress Lynn Fontanne was born on December 6, 1887 in Woodford, England. From the late 1920s onward, Fontanne acted exclusively with her husband Alfred Lunt. She made only three movies, but nevertheless was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1931’s, The Guardsman. Lynn Fontanne died on July 30, 1983 and is interred next to her husband at Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Who died on this date:

On December 6, 1993, actor Don Ameche died. He was born on May 31, 1908 in Kenosa, Wisconsin. His acting career spanned sixty years and he won the 1985 Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Cocoon. He made his film debut in 1935 and by the late 1930s, had established himself as a leading actor in Hollywood appearing films such as Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938), The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939), Heaven Can Wait (1943), Trading Places (1983). He also enjoyed a substantial Broadway career and appeared in numerous TV shows. Ameche died on December 6, 1993 from prostate cancer and his ashes are buried at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery in Dubuque, Iowa.

Bert Lahr and Leila Hyams

2011-12-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

Who died on this date:

On December 4, 1967, actor Bert Lahr died. He was born Irving Lahrheim on August 13, 1895 in New York City. He is best remembered for his roles as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz (1939). In 1927 he debuted on Broadway and played to packed houses, performing classic routines. Lahr made his feature film debut in 1931's Flying High but aside from The Wizard of Oz (1939), his movie career was limited and he made occasionally appearances on television. He died on December 4, 1967 from cancer and was buried at the Union Field Cemetery in Ridgewood, New York.

On December 4, 1977, actress Leila Hyams died. She was born on May 1, 1905 in New York City. Her relatively short film career began in silent films, and ended in the mid 1930s. She made her first film in 1924, and with her blonde hair, delicate features, and good natured demeanor, was cast in a string of supporting roles, where she was required to do very little but smile and look pretty. She proved herself capable of handling the small roles she was assigned, and over a period of time she came to be taken seriously as an actress. By 1928 she was playing starring roles, achieving success in Alias Jimmy Valentine (1928) and The Thirteenth Chair (1929). The quality of her parts continued to improve as the decade turned, including a role in The Big House (1930), Surrender (1931), Freaks (1932), Island of Lost Souls (1933) and Red Headed Woman (1932), The Big Broadcast (1932) and Ruggles of Red Gap (1935). After ten years and fifty films, Hyams retired from acting in 1936, but remained part of the Hollywood community for the rest of her life. She died on December 4, 1977 in Bel Air, California. Her remains were cremated and scattered.

Virginia Mayo and Jean Parker

2011-11-30T09:06:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Virginia Mayo was born on November 30, 1920 in St. Louis, Missouri. After a short career in vaudeville, Mayo progressed to films and during the 1940s established herself as a supporting player in such films as The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), White Heat (1949), Wonder Man (1945), The Kid from Brooklyn (1946) and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947). At the zenith of her career, Mayo was seen as the quintessential voluptuous Hollywood beauty. Mayo remained an A-list actress into the mid-'50s, but then went into semi-retirement. She died of congestive heart failure on January 17, 2005 and is buried at Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California.

Who died on this date:

On November 30, 2005, actress Jean Parker died. She was born on August 11, 1915in Deer Lodge, Montana. She was discovered by a secretary to MGM boss Louis B. Mayer and had a successful film career and major credits include Little Women, Lady for a Day, Gabriel Over the White House, The Ghost Goes West, Rasputin and the Empress and The Flying Deuces. Later in life, Parker continued a successful stint on the West Coast theatre circuit and worked as an acting coach. She spent her final years in the Motion Picture and Television Home in Woodland Hills. Mayo died there from a stroke on November 30, 2005 and was buried at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills.

Cary Grant

2011-11-29T16:32:00.000-08:00

Who died on this date:

On November 29, 1986, actor Cary Grant died. He was born Archibald Alexander Leach on January 18, 1904 in Bristol. England. Nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Actor for Penny Serenade (1941) and None but the Lonely Heart (1944). Grant was named the second greatest male movie star of all time by the American Film Institute. Noted particularly for his work in comedy but also for drama, Grant's best-known films include The Awful Truth (1937), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Gunga Din (1939), The Philadelphia Story (1940), His Girl Friday (1940), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Notorious (1946), To Catch a Thief (1955), An Affair to Remember (1957), North by Northwest (1959) and Charade (1963). Grant remained one of Hollywood's top box-office attractions for almost 30 years. Grant was the first actor to "go independent" by not renewing his studio contract, effectively leaving the studio system. Grant was preparing for a performance at the Adler Theater in Davenport, Iowa on the afternoon of November 29, 1986 when he sustained a cerebral hemorrhage (he had previously suffered a stroke in October 1984) and he died later that day at St. Luke's Hospital.

Gloria Grahame and Rosalind Russell

2011-11-28T09:36:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Gloria Grahame was born on November 28, 1923in Los Angeles. She began her acting career in theatre, and in 1944 she made her film debut. Despite a featured role in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), MGM did not believe she had the potential for major success, and sold her contract toRKO Pictures. Often cast in film noir roles, Grahame received a nomination for an Academy Award for best supporting actress for Crossfire (1947), and she won the Oscar for her work in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952). She also appeared in Sudden Fear (1952), Human Desire (1953), The Big Heat (1953), and Oklahoma (1955), but her film career began to wane soon afterwards. Grahame had a string of stormy romances and failed marriages during her time in Hollywood, including marriages to director Nicholas Ray. She died on October 5, 1981 from stomach cancer in New York and was buried at Oakwood Memorial park in Chatsworth, California.

On November 28, 1976, actress Rosalind Russell died. She was born. Russell started her career as a fashion model. In the early 1930’s, Russell went west to Los Angeles to be a contract actress for Universal Pictures. When she first arrived on the lot, she was ignored by most of the crew and later told the press she felt terrible and humiliated at the studio, which had influence on her self-confidence. Unhappy with Universal's leadership, and second-class film status at the time, Russell set her sights on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. She debuted with MGM in 1934’s Evelyn Prentice and, although the role was small, she was noticed, with one critic saying that she was "convincing as the woman scorned." She starred in many comedies, such as Forsaking All Others (1934), and Four's a Crowd (1938), as well as dramas, including Craig's Wife (1936) and The Citadel (1938).

Russell was first acclaimed when she co-starred in the MGM drama West Point of the Air (1935). In 1939, she was cast as catty gossip Sylvia Fowler in the all-female comedy The Women, directed by George Cukor. The film was a major hit, boosting her career and establishing her reputation as a comedienne. Russell continued to display her talent for comedy in the classic screwball comedy His Girl Friday (1940), directed by Howard Hawks. In the 1940s, she made comedies such as The Feminine Touch (1941) and Take a Letter, Darling (1942), dramas including Sister Kenny (1946), and Mourning Becomes Electra (1947), and a murder mystery The Velvet Touch (1948).

Over the course of her career, Russell earned four Academy Award nominations for Best Actress: My Sister Eileen (1942); Sister Kenny (1946); Mourning Becomes Electra (1947); and the movie version of Auntie Mame (1958). She received a Special Academy Award, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, in 1972. The awarded trophy for the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is an Oscar statuette. Russell scored a big hit on Broadway with her Tony Award-winning performance in Wonderful Town (1953), a musical version of her successful film of a decade earlier, My Sister Eileen. Russell reprised her starring role for a 1958 television special.

Perhaps her most memorable performance was in the title role of the long-running stage hit Auntie Mame and the subsequent 1958 movie version, in which she played an eccentric aunt whose orphan nephew comes to live with her. From the late 1950s to the mid-1960s, she continued to shine with older roles in a large number of movies, giving notable performances in Picnic (1955), A Majority of One (1961), Five Finger Exercise (1962), Gypsy (1962), and The Trouble with Angels (1966). Russell died on November 28, 1976 after a long battle with breast cancer and was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Gene Tierney

2011-11-19T15:09:00.000-08:00

Born on this date:

Actress Gene Tierney was born on November 19, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York. Acclaimed as one of the great beauties of her day, she is best remembered for her performance in the title role of Laura (1944) and her Academy Award nominated performance for best actress in Leave Her to Heaven (1945). Her film debut was in a supporting role as Eleanor Stone in The Return of Frank James (1940) and followed by Hudson's Bay (1941). In 1944, she starred in what became her most famous role: the intended murder victim, Laura Hunt, in Otto Preminger’s, Laura, opposite Dana Andrews. During 1953, Tierney's mental health problems were becoming harder to hide and her long string of personal troubles finally took its toll. She consulted a psychiatrist and was admitted to Harkness Hospital and received 27 shock treatments. Tierney attempted to flee but was caught and returned. She became an outspoken opponent of shock treatment therapy, claiming that it had destroyed significant portions of her memory. Gene Tierney died on November 6, 1991 from emphysema and was buried at Glenwood Cemetery in Houston, Texas.

Veronica Lake and Dick Powell

2011-11-14T09:27:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Veronica Lake was born on November 14, 1922 in Brooklyn, New York. In 1938 Lake moved with her mother and stepfather to Beverly Hills, where her mother enrolled her in the Bliss-Hayden School of Acting. Her first appearance on screen was for RKO, playing a small role among several coeds in the 1939 film, Sorority House. Similar roles followed, including All Women Have Secrets and Dancing Co-Ed. During the making of Sorority House director John Farrow first noticed how her hair always covered her right eye, creating an air of mystery about her and enhancing her natural beauty.

Her breakthrough film was I Wanted Wings (1941) and Sullivan’s Travel’s (1941), in which she received both popular and critical acclaim. For a short time during the early 1940s Lake was considered one of the most reliable box office draws in Hollywood. She became known for onscreen pairings with actor Alan Ladd. Although popular with the public, Lake had a complex personality and acquired a reputation for being difficult to work with. She began drinking heavily during this period and people began refusing to work with her. Paramount cast Lake in a string of mostly forgotten films. A notable exception was The Blue Dahlia (1946). After breaking her ankle in 1959, Lake was unable to continue working as an actress and drifted between cheap hotels in New York City. Her physical and mental health declined steadily. By the late 1960s Lake was apparently immobilized by paranoia. Lake died on July 7, 1973 of hepatitis and acute renal failure (complications of her alcoholism) in Vermont. Her ashes were scattered off the coast of the Virgin Islands as she had requested. A memorial service was held in Manhattan, but only her son and handful of strangers attended. In 2004 some of Lake's ashes were reportedly found in a New York antique store.

Actor Dick Powell was born on November 14, 1904 in Mountain View, Arkansas. He made his film debut as a singing bandleader in Blessed Event (1932). He went on to star in movie musicals such as 42^nd Street, Footlight Parade, and On the Avenue. In 1944, Powell's career changed forever when he was cast in Murder, My Sweet. The film was a big hit, and Powell had successfully reinvented himself as a dramatic actor. He was married several times most notably to actresses Joan Blondell (1936-1944) and June Allyson (1945 until his death). Powell guest-starred in numerous television programs in the 1950s and 1960s and directed such films as The Enemy Below (1957) and The Conqueror (1956), starring John Wayne. The exterior scenes were filmed in Utah, downwind of U.S. above-ground atomic tests. The cast and crew totaled 220, and of that number, 91 had developed some form of cancer by 1981 and 46 had died of cancer by then, including Wayne. Powell died from lymphoma on January 2, 1963 and his body was cremated and interred at Forest Lawn Glendale.

Grace Kelly, Penny Singleton and Eve Arden

2011-11-12T09:30:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Grace Kelly was born on November 12, 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of 20, Grace Kelly appeared in New York City theatrical productions as well as in more than forty episodes of live drama productions broadcast during the early 1950s Golden Age of Television. In October 1953, with the release of Mogambo, she became a movie star, a status confirmed in 1954 with a Golden Globe Award and Academy Award nomination as well as leading roles in five films, including The Country Girl, in which she won the Oscar for best actress. On April 18, 1956, she married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco and became The Princess of Monaco. She retired from acting at 26 to enter upon her duties in Monaco. She died on September 14, 1982, when she lost control of her automobile and crashed after suffering a stroke. Her daughter Princess Stephanie, who was in the car with her, survived the accident. Princess Grace is buried at the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Who died on this date:

On November 12, 2003, actress Penny Singleton died. She was born on September 15, 1908 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During her sixty year career Singleton is best known for her role as Blondie in the Blondie film series from 1938 until 1950. She also provided the voice of Jane Jetson in the animated series, the Jetson’s. Singleton began her show business career when she was a child, singing at a silent movie theater, and toured in vaudeville as part of an act called "The Kiddie Kabaret.” She was cast opposite Arthur Lake in the feature film Blondie in 1938, based on the comic strip. As Dagwood and Blondie Bumstead they proved so popular that a series of 27 sequels were made from 1938 until 1950. Singleton died on November 12, 2003 from a stroke and was interred at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in San Fernando, California.

On November 12, 1990, actress Eve Arden died. She was born on April 30, 1908 in Mill Valley, California. Her almost 60-year career crossed most media frontiers with supporting and leading roles, but she may be best-remembered for playing the sardonic but engaging title character, a high school teacher, on Our Miss Brooks, and as the Rydell High School principal in the films Grease and Grease 2. She made her film debut in Song of Love (1929) but her movie career began in earnest in 1937 when she appeared in the films Oh Doctor and Stage Door. Her many memorable screen roles include At the Circus (1939), Mildred Pierce (1945) for which she received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress, and Anatomy of a Murder (1959). Arden's quick wit made her a natural talent for radio and television. She died on November 12, 1990 from cancer and is interred at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Robert Ryan and Pat O'Brien

2011-11-11T08:29:00.000-08:00

Who was born on this date:

Actor Robert Ryan was born on November 11, 1909 in Chicago, Illinois. He was an actor who often played hardened cops and ruthless villains. Ryan attempted to make a career in show business as a playwright, but had to turn to acting to support himself and appeared on stage and in small film parts during the early 1940s. Ryan's breakthrough film role was in Crossfire (1947), for which he was nominated for best supporting Academy Award. Other film credits include The Set-Up (1949), On Dangerous Ground (1951), The Longest Day (1962), Billy Bud (1962), Battle of the Bulge (1965), and The Dirty Dozen (1967), The Wild Bunch (1969). He also made numerous appearances of stage and television. Ryan died in New York City on July 11, 1973 from lung cancer and his ashes were scattered.

Pat O’Brien (November 11, 1899 – October 15, 1983) See October 15^th blog

Vivien Leigh and Fred MacMurray

2011-11-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

Who was born on this date:

Actress Vivien Leigh was born on November 5, 1913 in Darjeeling, India, a city near the foot of Mount Everest. Her father Ernest Hartley was a Calcutta stock broker. She began her career on the stage in her early teens and in 1935 appeared on the London stage for the first time. She changed her stage name to Vivien Leigh because it sounded more feminine, using her first husband’s (Herbert Leigh Holman) middle name as her new last name and changed the “a” in Vivian to an “e.” Leigh was known for her fiery personality on and off screen and in a short twenty year film career (1935 to 1965), appeared in nineteen films that included: Things are Looking Up (1935), Gentlemen’s Agreement (1935), Fire Over London (1937), Waterloo Bridge (1940), Caesar and Cleopatra (1945), Anna Karenina (1948), The Deep Blue Sea (1955), and Ship of Fools (1965).

Leigh is best known for her famous portrayal of firebrand heroine Scarlett O’Hara in Victor Flemings Civil War epic, Gone with the Wind (1939). This performance starring opposite Clark Gable earned her the first of two best actress Academy Awards (1940). Her second best actress Oscar (1952) came in A Street Car Named Desire (1951) in which she portrayed the neurotic Blance DuBois starring opposite Marlon Brando. After 1951, her film career began to wane, and she appeared more on the stage.

The celebrated actress was beleaguered with illness most of her adult life, she suffered from manic depressive episodes (bipolar disorder), endured the tragedy of two miscarriages, one of which occurred as the result of an onset accident while filming Caesar and Cleopatra (1944), and she contracted tuberculosis in her early thirties. On July 7, 1967, while at her London apartment, Leigh died from the tuberculosis that had plagued most of her adult life. Following her death and as a tribute to the award winning actress, the lights of the West London theater district were dimmed in her honor. Leigh’s ashes are scattered near her country home, on the Lake at Tickerage Mill, East Sussex, England.

Who died on this date:

On November 5, 1991, actor Fred MacMurray died. He was born on August 30, 1908 in Kankakee, Illinois. He appeared in more than 100 movies and was a successful television star in career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s. MacMurray is well known for his role in the 1944 film noir Double Indemnity. Later in his career, he became better known as the paternal Steve Douglas, the widowed patriarch on My Three Sons, which ran on ABC from 1960–1965 and then on CBS from 1965–1972.

In his heyday, MacMurray worked with some of Hollywood’s greatest names, including Billy Wilder and actors Barbara Stanwyck, Humphrey Bogart and Marlene Dietrich. He played opposite Claudette Colbert in seven films, beginning with The Gilded Lily. He co-starred with Katharine Hepburn in Alice Adams and with Joan Crawford in Above Suspicion, and with Carole Lombard in four films. Despite being typecast as a "nice guy," MacMurray often said his best roles were when he was cast against this type by Wilder. In 1944, he played the role of Walter Neff, an insurance salesman who plots with a greedy wife to murder her husband in Double Indemnity. Sixteen years later he played Jeff Sheldrake, a two-timing corporate executive in Wilder's Oscar winning comedy The Apartment. In another turn in the "not so nice" category, MacMurray played the cynical, duplicitous Lieutenant Thomas Keefer in 1954's The Caine Mutiny.

MacMurray's career got its second wind beginning in 1959, when he was cast as the father figure in a popular Disney comedy, The Shaggy Dog. In the 1960s, he starred in My Three Sons, which ran for 12 seasons, making it one of America's longest-running television series. Concurrent with My Three Sons, MacMurray stayed busy in films, starring in 1961 as Professor Ned Brainerd in Disney's The Absent Minded Professor and in its sequel, Son of Flubber (1964). Later in life he suffered from a variety of illness, first suffering from throat cancer in the late 1970s and then a stroke in 1988. This stroke left his right side paralyzed and his speech affected, although with therapy he was able to make a remarkable recovery. He also suffered from leukemia but died from pneumonia on November 5, 1991. He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Burt Lancaster, James Dunn and Martha Vickers

2011-11-02T08:28:00.000-07:00

Who was born on this date:

Actor Burt Lancaster was born on November 2, 1913 in New York City. He was noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile (which he called "The Grin"). After initially building his career on "tough guy" roles Lancaster abandoned his "all-American" image in the late 1950s in favor of more complex and challenging roles, and came to be regarded as one of the best actors of his generation as a result. Lancaster was nominated four times for Academy Awards and one once for Elmer Gantry in 1960. Other notable film credits include The Killers (1946), Marty (1955), The Kentuckian (1955), Trapeze (1956), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), The Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Midnight Man (1974), and Atlantic City (1980). In 1953, Lancaster played one of his best remembered roles with Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity. It was named one of "AFI's top 100 Most Romantic Films" of all time. Lancaster vigorously guarded his private life. He was married three times. His first two marriages ended in divorce. He claimed to have been romantically involved with Deborah Kerr during the filming of From Here to Eternity. However, Ms. Kerr had stated that while there was a spark of attraction, nothing ever happened. He also had an affair with Joan Blondell and Shelly Winters. He was plagued by numerous illnesses in later life and died from a heart attack on October 20, 1994 at his Century City home. He was cremated and his ashes were buried under a large oak tree in Westwood Memorial Park.

Actor James Dunn was born November 2, 1901 in New York City. He worked in vaudeville (as a song and dance man), the theater, and as an extra in several silent films before being signed to a movie contract with 20th Century-Fox studios in 1931. Known for his boy next door roles, Dunn’s film and television career spanned nearly four decades (1929-1967) and included over fifty feature motion pictures. In 1946, he won the best supporting Oscar for his portrayal of the drunken waiter, Johnny Nolan, in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945). His other notable film credits include: Society Girl (1932), Take a Chance (1933), Mysterious Crossing (1936), and Killer McCoy (1947). He also starred alongside Shirley Temple in her first three films, Stand Up and Cheer (1934), Baby Take a Bow (1934), and Bright Eyes (1934). In 1950, Dunn retired from motion pictures and began to work exclusively in television and he became one the first Hollywood film actors to star in his own television series, It’s a Great Life (1954-56). On September 3, 1967, Dunn died at the Santa Monica Hospital after undergoing abdominal surgery. James Dunn’s remains were cremated and the ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.

Who died on this date:

On November 2, 1971, actress Martha Vickers died. She was born on May 28, 1925 Ann Arbor, Michigan. She began her career as a model and cover girl and her film debut was in a small un-credited part in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1941). She played minor roles in several films during the early 1940s, and by the end of the decade had progressed to featured supporting roles, including the role of the nymphomaniac younger sister of Lauren Bacall’s character in The Big Sleep (1946). During the 1950s, Vickers' film career stalled, however she continued to act in television until her final performance in 1960. Vickers was married three times; most notably to Mickey Rooney (June 3, 1949 – September 25, 1951). She died of esophageal cancer on November 2, 1971 and was buried at Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood, California.