On This Day

Hi

On this day 25th March

80 years ago the actress Shirley jean Rickert was born she appeared as a dancer in In Old Oklahoma and as a child in neath the Arizona Skies.

Shirley Jean won a baby contest in Seattle when she was about 1 1/2 and her mother re-located the entire family to Hollywood as she was sure she had a child star. Her first movie was "How's my Baby" with Monty Collins and T. Roy Barnes. Shortly after that she went on an interview at the Hal Roach studio and became a part of Our Gang. She left the Gang to go to Darmour Studios to play Tomboy Tailor with Mickey Rooney and Billy Barty. In subsequent years she worked in more than a hundred movies, mostly musicals. When they stopped making major musicals in Hollywood she became a Striptease in Burlesque and travelled all over the US and Canada playing in Burlesque Theatres and nightclubs. Her mother took care of her daughter while she traveled and, when her mother died, she (for some reason she never figured out) moved to Buffalo, NY - you're either born in Buffalo or you're transferred there, you don't voluntarily move to Buffalo.

91 years ago Don Gibson was born he appeared in Sweetheart of Sigma Chi

88 years ago Dan White was born he was a trooper in She Wore A Yellow Ribbon ( perhaps in the same column as William), and also played Laredo in Red River.

118 years ago Ferris Taylor was born he appeared in A Man Betrayed.

18 years ago the actress Leona Maricle died aged 83 she had been in Without Reservations

50 years ago Robert Newton died aged 50. An unforgettable Long John Silver in Disneys Treasure Island, he appeared in The High and The Mighty. He also played Inspector Fix in Mike Todd's Around The World in Eighty Days, an alcoholic he dried himself out to appear in the role, when hs part was over he returned to drinking and by the time he was recalled back some weeks later for retakes he was dead.

And on this sad note

Regards

Arthur

Hi

Having spent the weekend in a small town in Oxfordshire called Wantage which its only claim to fame is that it was the birthplace of Alfred the Great. On this day is a day late.

On this day 26th March

101 years ago Alfred Ybarra was born.

60 years ago Johnny Crawfrod was born, the child star of the Rifleman he should not be confused with John Crawford who also appeared in a couple of John Wayne pictures.

30 years ago the actor Rory mallinson died aged 72 he was in The Wake of the Red Witch.

19 years ago the veteran actor Walter Abel died aged 88 he was in Island in the Sky.

2 years ago Jan Sterling died aged 82 she had been Oscar nominated for her part in The High and the Mighty.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

Back on Track with high winds blowing and torrential rain:

On this day 27th March

113 years ago the actor George Berenger was born, he appeared in the early John Wayne picture Three Girls Lost.

75 years ago the actor David Jansen was born, Spent most of his time playing in the Detective series Harry O and then llooking for a one armed man in The Fugitive, but when he appeared in front of the large screen he played the reporter in The Green Berets.

47 years ago Grant Withers committed suicide at the age of 55. One of John Waynes closest friends Withers was one of the first of his inner circle to die, followed closely by Ward Bond, it was the first signs that Duke's world was beginning to change.

44 years ago the Art Director James Basevi died aged 71 he had worked on 3 Godfathers, Fort Apache, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon and his final picture The Searchers.

11 years ago the actor Aldo Ray died aged 64, I liked him in We're No Angels with Humphrey Bogart and Peter Ustinov, He was the second person to pass on, on this day who appeared in The Green Berets.

Regards

Arthur

Hi
On this day 28th March

The storms around here have stopped and the sun is shining

96 years ago the composer Jimmie Dodd He wrote the Mickey Mouse March for the Mousketeers, and as James Dodd appeared in Flying Tigers was born.

73 years ago the actor Ron Soble was born he was in Chisum.

32 years ago the lyricist Dorothy Fields died aged 68 she wrote I Can't give you anthing but love which was played in Seven Sinners.

7 years ago the stuntman Gil Perkins died four days after his 91st birthday. He was in How the West Was Won, The Alamo, The Greatest Story Ever told, The Sea chase and if you want to see him in close up he is the flogger in The Wake of the Red Witch.
This is what IMDB has to say about him:

[quote]
A champion athlete and trackman in his native northern Australia, Perkins always wanted to get into films; as a teenager he virtually ran away from home, taking a job as a deck hand on a Norwegian freighter. He eventually landed in Hollywood in the late '20s, during the era of part-silent, part- talkie movies, and (because his accent was mistaken for English) he played young Englishmen in some of his first films. He soon drifted into stuntwork, regularly doubling cowboy star William Boyd, putting a red toupee over his own blond hair to double Red Skelton, etc. Some of his most notable stunt jobs were in the sci-fi/horror field: He doubled star Bruce Cabot throughout "King Kong" (1933), stood in for Spencer Tracy as Mr. Hyde in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1941) and replaced Bela Lugosi as the Monster in the climactic battle sequence of "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" (1943). In addition to his feature films, Perkins turned up regularly in serials and on TV On many occasions, he also worked with special effects and rigging departments and helped set up large action scenes. By the 1960s, he was doing more acting than stunts; he ^Óofficially^Ô retired in 1972, although he took a number of subsequent jobs.

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IMDb mini-biography by
Tom Weaver <[email protected]>
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Trivia
Co-founder of the Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures in 1960.

Treasurer of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) from 1964-1979.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 28th March

98 years ago Dennis O'Keefe was born. A fine actor of the 40s and 50s he appeared with John Wayne in The Fighting Seabees.

67 years ago the actor Frank cGlynn jnr died at the young age of 34 he appeared in very few films but these included Westward Ho.

55 years ago the supporting actor Tex Cooper died aged 74 he featured briefly in Dark Command and The fighting Kentuckian.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

Sorry a day late but on this day March 30th

120 years ago The cinematographer Archie Stout was born the only cinematographer to win an Academy Awardfor his work on the second unit of The Quiet Man.

113 years ago the English actor Dennis oey was born he played Captain Munsey in Wake of the Red Witch.

46 years ago the acto Art Dilard died aged 53 the brother of Bert he appeared in The Night Riders.

35 years ago the actor Selmar Jackson died aged 82 he appeared in Dakota and Shepherd of the Hills.

34 years ago Peter Whitney died aged 55 he was in The Sea Chase.

7 years ago Terry Wilson died aged 75 he was a stuntman in numerous films with the Duke.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this Day 31st March

139 years ago the actor Don Alverado was born. aka Don Paige he appeared as himself in The Hollyood Handicap.

49 years ago the actor Harry Depp died aged 74 he was in Pals of the Saddle.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 1st April

74 years ago Debbie Reynolds was born she was in How the West Was Won

102 years ago the screenplay writer and producer Phillip Yordan was born what did he do with John Wayne the answer is nothing, but he is credited with writing Circus World and fronted for blacklisted writer Bernard Gordon.

45 years ago Duke R Lee died aged 77 he played the sheriff of Lordsburgh in Stagecoach.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this Day 2nd April:-

121 years ao the actor Charles McAvoy was born he was in Lady For A Night

87 years ago the actor and writer Tom Hubbard was born. He only appeared in 22 films many of which he had also writen. His film with John Wayne was among his last Without Reservations.

30 yeats ago the veteran actor Ray Teal died aged 74, An easily recognizable actor with a heavy moustache, he was memorable playing sheriffs and lawyers in numerous westerns including Chisum.

21 years ago Edmund Burns died aged 87 he played a company director in the serial Shadow of the Eagle.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 3rd April

99 years ago the acto Iron Eyes Cody was born. All along considered to have been a natural red indian as his history shows he invented himself. His book 'Iron Eyes' details the making of The Big Trail.
Iron Eyes Cody was born Espera DeCorti, the son of two first-generation immigrants from Italy. In 1924 he moved to California, changed his name - already shortened from "DeCorti" to "Corti" - to Cody, and started working as an actor, presenting himself as a Native American. He married an Indian woman, Bertha Parker, and together they adopted two Indian sons. Iron Eyes Cody lived and worked as an Indian for all his adult life; he labored for decades to promote Native American causes, and was honored by Hollywood's Native American community in 1995 for his efforts.

81 years ago the actress Jan Sterling was born
One of Hollywood's more talented and watchable stars on screen was sullen, stick-thin 50s actress Jan Sterling who didn't quite reach the top echelon of stardom but certainly ensured audiences of a real good time with her sexy pout and flashy ways in soaps, film noir and saucy comedy. Jan was born Jane Sterling Adriance in Manhattan in 1921 to a well-to-do family. Her mother remarried when Jan was a youngster and the family relocated to Europe where Jan was schooled by private tutors in London and Paris. At 15, the teenager, who by this time possessed a strong British accent, was enrolled in Fay Compton's dramatic school in London. A strong-minded young lady with a heartfelt passion for acting, she returned to Manhattan to conquer Broadway and by the age of 17 had found her first ingénue role in "Bachelor Born," playing (naturally) a young British lady. Over the next 11 years, she dominated Broadway as proper British ladies while billing herself as Jane Adrian. One of her highlights was working with the legendary Ruth Gordon in 1942 in Ruth's first play entitled "Over 21." As Billie Dawn in the Chicago company of "Born Yesterday," Jan bowled over the critics and seemed almost a shoo-in to do the 1950 film version but she lost out in the end to Judy Holliday. The ash-blonde broke quickly into films supporting Oscar-winning Jane Wyman in Johnny Belinda (1948) in a key, emotional role. To her delight, her docile, ladylike image was finally behind her as she ventured on in movies playing cheap floozies, hard-bitten dames, and lethal schemers. She stood out in such 'bad girl' film roles as Caged (1950), Ace in the Hole (1951), Flesh and Fury (1952), The Human Jungle (1954), and Female on the Beach (1955), while making a nicer, or at least a more sympathetic impression, in Sky Full of Moon (1952) and The High and the Mighty (1954), which earned her an Oscar nomination. Married and divorced to actor John Merivale in the 1940s, Jan's career slowed down considerably after the death of her second husband, actor Paul Douglas, in 1959. She refocused on stage and TV but at a slower step. She also involved herself in humanitarian causes. In the 70s, she entered into a strong personal relationship with actor Sam Wanamaker. They never married but stayed together until his death in 1993. Inactive for nearly two decades, Jan made an appearance at the Cinecon Film Festival in Los Angeles in the fall of 2001, still charming audiences at the age of 80. On 26 March 2004, Jan Sterling passed away at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. She was 83.

66 years ago the actor Earl Askam died aged 30 he had featured in The First Rebel

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 4th April

78 years ago the stuntman Roydon Clark was born he appeared in a number of John Wayne pictures throughout the 40s 50s and 60s.

108 years ago he actress Ethel Wales was born she was in Maker of Men.

131 years ago he actor Samuel S Hinds was born he was in The Spoilers and Pittsburgh.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day one year ago I reported the births and deaths of such illustrious actors as Gregory Peck, Spencer Tracy Brian Donlevy and Howard Hughes.

Now a year on its time for some of the lesser names to join the list

On this day 5th April

100 years ago the actor Grady Sutton was born he was in A Lady Takes A Chance.

117 years ago Ben Taggart was born he was in Pittsburgh

32 years ago William Taggert died aged 49 he was a reporter in The High and The Mighty

10 years ago Charlene Holt died aged 67 she was in El Dorado.
She was crowned "Miss Maryland" in 1956 and was a semi-finalist that same year in the Miss Universe Contest held in Long Beach, California.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 6th April:

66 years ago Pedro Armandariz jnr was born. Still making and prducing films he was in The Undefeated and Chisum.

102 year ago he actor William Challee was born he played a minor role in Without Reservations.

111 years ago he cinmatographer Harold Rosson was born

Harold G. "Hal" Rosson, a cinematographer known for his subtle and imaginative lighting, was born in Genaseo, New York on August 24, 1895, although some sources cite his birthday as April 6, 1895, or in 1889.

Rosson entered the movie industry in 1908 as an actor at the Vitagraph Studios in Brooklyn, New York. Eventually, he quit acting to become an assistant to director of photography Irvin Willat at the Mark Dintenfass Studios. Moving on to the Famous Players Studio in 1912, he served as a "film johnny," or jack-of-all-trades, working as an assistant, extra and handyman, while simultaneously holding down a job as an office boy in a stock brokerage. By 1914, he was employed by a small theater in Brooklyn, where his duties included being the projectionist and manning the ticket booth.

Rosson finally abandoned New York for California in December 1914, and gained employment at Metro Pictures as assistant to both property man Danny Hogan and director of photography Arthur A. Cadwell. He moved back to New York when Metro relocated there, eventually becoming a director of photography in 1915. His first film has been cited as "David Harum" (1915) for director Alan Dwan (film credits for cinematographers were not inaugurated until 1919, under the influence of the American Society of Cinematographers, which Rosson joined in 1927). As a cinematographer, he also worked for the Kalem Company, Famous Players and Essanay before his career was cut short by WWI, during which he served in the army.

After being demobilized, he got a job as assistant to cinematographer H. Lyman Broening on "The Dark Star'" (1919), which starred Marion Davies and was shot in Fort Lee, NJ. He became an employee of Davies production company, Cosmopolitan Productions, which had been set up for her in 1918 by her lover, William Randolph Hearst. In 1920, was signed by Mary Pickford to shoot movies starring her brother Jack.

He eventually rejoined Metro (which in 1924, merged with Goldwyn Studios and then with Louis B. Mayer Productions to become Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), where he made his reputation. At MGM, he was the lighting cameraman on "Red Dust" (1932), "Red-Headed Woman" (1932) and "Bombshell" (1933), on which his camera work showed off star Jean Harlow's platinum blonde look to maximum advantage. Rosson was married to Harlow for two years, from 1933 to 1935, which was indicative of his high status in the film community. In 1935 he moved to England to work for Alexander Korda`s London Film Productions, but eventually he returned to MGM.

Rosson became a noted cinematographer in color, using the skills he had developed shooting in black & white to soften the palette created by the Technicolor process. Due to its need for high light levels, Technicolor often created gaudy images that resembled a child's coloring book. Rosson was able to make the colors more subtle, and was the recipient along with W. Howard Greene with an honorary Academy Award plaque for his color photography on "The Garden of Allah" (1936) in 1937. (The cinematography category was not split into color and B&W categories until the awards for 1939. The awards for color cinematography made for the 1936, '37 and '38 production years were awarded on the basis of a recommendation of a committee of leading cinematographers that viewed all the color pictures made during the year. For the 1967 awards, the B&W category was eliminated.)

Rosson also was hailed for his photography on "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), for which he received the first of his five Academy Award nominations. When Rosson shot "Oz," he had the aid of two cameramen lent to M.G.M. by Technicolor, and enjoyed the advice of Technicolor consultant Henri Jaffa, whose title was Technicolor Color Director. (All early Technicolor films were overseen by a consultant from the company, to ensure that cinematographers and directors didn't use the process in ways Technicolor deemed improper and that violated their aesthetic criteria.)

Ironically, four of his five Oscar nominations for best cinematography were for his B&W work. His B&W cinematography for "The Asphalt Jungle," for which he received his fourth Oscar nomination, is noted for creating the stark atmosphere that was central to the story and the overall success of the John Huston picture.

He retired in 1958 after shooting "Onionhead" for director Norman Taurog, though he returned to shoot "El Dorado" (1968) for Howard Hawks. In addition to shooting eight films for Alan Dwan between 1915 and 1929 and "The Asphalt Jungle" and "The Red Badge of Courage" for John Huston, Rosson also worked multiple times with directors Josef von Sternberg, Sam Wood, Cecil B. DeMille, W.S. Van Dyke, Howard Hawks, Mervyn LeRoy, Norman Taurog, Fred Zinnemann, and Vincente Minelli. He shot the 'The Trolley Song' in "Meet Me in St. Louis" for Minnelli and "On the Town" (1949) and "Singing in the Rain" (1952) for Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. His most famous collaboration was with director Victor Fleming, starting in 1923 with "Dark Secrets" and culminating in 1939 with his work on "The Wizard of Oz." (In December 1938, under the direction of producer David O. Selznik, Rosson shot the burning of Atlanta sequence for "Gone With the Wind," for which Fleming was credited as the director.)

Rosson died on September 6, 1988 in Palm Beach, Florida, well into his nineties. His long life was a fitting cap to a long and productive career.

IMDb

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 7th April

89 years ago the actor R.G.Armstrong was born. He appeared in El Dorado

A golden career was reflected in his name. Robert Golden Armstrong ("Bob" to his friends) was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 7, 1917. R.G. attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While there, he was frequently performing on stage with the Carolina Playmakers. After graduating, R.G. headed to New York, where his acting career really took off. In 1953, R.G., along with many of his Actor's Studio buddies, was part of the cast of "End As a Man" -- this became the first play to go from Off-Broadway to Broadway. The following year, R.G. got his first taste of movies, appearing in Garden of Eden (1954). However, he returned to New York and the live stage. R.G. received great reviews for his 1955 portrayal of Big Daddy in the Broadway production of "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof." In 1958, R.G. took the plunge to Hollywood -- he appeared in 2 movies, a TV series, and did numerous guest appearances on TV shows that year, usually Westerns such as "The Rifleman," "Have Gun, Will Travel" and "Zane Grey Theater" among others. R.G. would go on to appear in 80 movies and 3 TV series in his career, and guest starred in 90 TV series, often in Westerns, often as a tough sheriff, or a rugged land baron. R.G. was a regular cast member in the TV series "T.H.E. Cat" (1966): he portrayed the tough, one-handed Captain MacAllister. And during the filming of the movie _Steel (1980)_ in Kentucky, watching the mammoth Kincaid Tower being built, he had some good friends in the cast; "You become a family on the set," R.G. said in an interview at the time. But even though R.G. had a long, wonderful, versatile career, the younger generation knows him as spooky Lewis Vandredi (pronounced VON-drah-dee), who just wouldn't let the main characters have a good night's sleep on the "Friday the 13th" (1987) TV Series. Finally retiring after 6 successful decades in show business -- his last film appearance was Purgatory (1999) (TV) -- R.G. and his lovely wife Mary are mostly just enjoying life in sunny California, and still travel and vacation in Europe occasionally. His upbeat, fun-loving personality makes him a delight for all who come in contact with him.

From IMDB

78 years ago the actress Doe Avedon was born. Tipped for a bright tuture she appeared in The High and the Mighty but after marrying the director Don Siegel she retired from films.

91 years ago the veteran actor from Death Valley Days Stanley Adams was born. He appeared in North to Alaska.

4 years ago sadly we said goodbye to John Agar.

61 years ago Russell Hopton died aged 45 he was in Tall in the Saddle.

17 years ago the latin star Alberto Morin died aged 86 he was in The Wings ogf Eagles and Rio Grande. Along with Rudolph Valentio he was one of the original latin lovers.

18 years ago the Director Albert S Rogell died aged 86 he made In Old Oklahoma.

Regard

Arthur

Hi Jay

Doe Avedon performed with credit in Deep in My Heart, but in general, as you say her films were few and not that memorable.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On his day 8th April

88 years ago the author of The Shootist Glendon Swarthout was born.

3 years ago Neil 'Bing' Russell was born. THe father of Kurt Russell he appeard in a number of pictures.

Quote

Although best known as the sheriff on "Bonanza" (1959) and Robert in The Magnificent Seven (1960), Russell's notoriety on a national level was as the owner of the Portland Mavericks Baseball Club. Helming the only independent team in the class A Northwest League, Russell was an innovator. Before Bull Durham (1988), there were the Mavericks. Russell kept a 30 man roster because he believed that some of the players deserved to have one last season. His motto was simply one three lettered word - not WIN - although the Mavericks did just that - no, the word was FUN. He created a park that kept all corporate sponsorship outside the gates, hired the first female general manager in professional baseball, and the following year hired the first Asian American GM/Manager. That same season his team set a record for the highest attendance in Minor league history, and went on to win the pennant. Ex-major leaguers and never-weres who couldn't stop playing the game flocked to his June tryouts, which were always open to anyone that showed up. From as far away as Capetown, and France, players would head to Portland for a chance with Russell's Mavericks.

Bing appeared in two pictueres with John Wayne and came to a sticky end in both of them. In The Horse Soldiers he played Dunker and died while having his leg amputated, and in the second Rio Bravo he was shot by Claude Akins just after the opening credits.

34 years ago the writer Charles Hoffman died aged 60 he had contributed to the script of Re-Union in France

49 years ago the actress Dorothy Sebastian died aged 53 she had appeared in Reap the Wild Wind and The Deceiver.

54 years ago the actor Fred Malatesta died aged 62 he had been in Bardelys the Magnificent.

And finally breaking my own rule about repeating myself today marks a decade since Ben Jhnsone died. lest we forget.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 9th April

84 years ago Arthur Batanides was born he appeared in Brannigan.

104 years ago Ward Bond was born. One of John Waynes best and life long friends he appeared in numerous pictures, with and without the Duke.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 10th April

77 years ago Max von Sydow was born he played Christ in The Greatest Story Ever Told.

80 years ago the actor Lyndon Brook was born he appeared in The Longest Day.

85 years ago Sheb Wolley was born he appeared in The War Wagon had his scenes deleted in Rio Bravo and wrote and sang The Purple People Eater.

34 years ago Harry Strang died aged 79 he appeared in The Alamo and The Wings of Eagles.

44 years ago the director Michael Curtiz died aged 75, he first worked with Wayne on Noahs Ark, and then directed Trouble Along The Way. His last film was the Comancheros during which he was often ill and Wayne directed in his absence.

5 years ago Charles Atkins died aged 54 he was in The Alamo and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 11th April

88 years ago the actor Cameron Mitchell was born he was in They Were Expendable

104 years ago the actress Shirley Grey was born. She made three films with John Wayne Hurricane Express, Texas Cyclone and The Life of Jimmy Dolan.

Regards

Arthur