On This Day

Hi

On this day 2nd May

98 years ago the actor William Bakewell was born he appeared in Seven Sinners

Jut-jawed, light-haired American juvenile actor of the 30s, including his best known film, All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), but whose career dwindled for the most part into bit roles by adulthood..

111 years ago the actress and columnist Hedda Hopper was born she appeared in Reap the Wild Wind.
Her father was a butcher. In 1913 she met and married matinée idol DeWolf Hopper Sr. and in 1915 they moved to Hollywood, where both began active film careers. He became a star with Triangle Company, she began in vamp parts and turned to supporting roles. After her divorce she appeared in dozens of films, becoming known as "Queen of the Quickies". In 1936 she started a gossipy radio show and two years later commenced a 28-year stint as a newspaper gossip columnist, rival of Louella Parsons. In her last films she mostly played herself, a tribute to her influence in Hollywood. Her son became famous as investigator Paul Drake in the "Perry Mason" (1957) series.

81 years ago Roscoe Lee Brown was born he was in the Cowboys. A former college professor and completely opposite in politics to John Wayne the pair got on famously during the making of the film.

55 years ago the director Edwin L Marin died aged 52 he directed Tall in the Saddle

103 years ago Bing Crosby was born , this is a very loose connection as both he and John Wayne had cameo roles in Cancel My Reservation.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this Day 3 May

127 years ago the director of photographyA.F. Ericson was born he worked on Rough Romance

52 years ago the actor Tom Tyler died aged 50. The villain Luke Plummer in Stagecoach this is what IMDB has to say about him.

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Popular American star of silent and early sound Westerns and serials. Raised in Michigan, he went through a number of strenuous jobs (sailor, boxer lumberjack, coal miner, etc.) before landing in Los Angeles and getting work as a movie extra and stuntman. His good looks and athletic physique (he was a champion weight-lifter) led to an offer to play the lead in a series of silent Westerns, which he filmed under the stage name Bill Burns. In 1925, FBO signed him and changed his name to Tom Tyler. He became one of the studio's most popular action stars and initially made a smooth transition into talking pictures, for which he worked hard to lose his natural Lithuanian accent. As the Thirties progressed, however, he began to face stiff competition in the arena of B-Westerns and started taking supporting roles in larger budget pictures such as Stagecoach (1939) and Gone with the Wind (1939). In 1941, he took on perhaps his most famous role as the eponymous hero of Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941). This serial and several others brought him new fame, but within three years of playing Captain Marvel, Tyler's career was almost erased when his health failed. Rheumatoid arthritis crippled him and he was reduced to occasional minor supporting roles, often for 'John Ford (I)', for whom he had worked in a number of films prior to his illness . Nearly destitute, he returned to live with his sister in the Detroit area and died there of heart failure at the age of 50 in 1954.

34 years ago the actor Bruce Cabot died aged 68. He played good guys and bad guys in a number of John Wayne pictures including Chisum, Angel and the Badman, The War Wagon, Hatari, Big Jake, The Comancheros.

30 years ago the actor David Bruce died aged 62. He was in Flying Tigers

Regards

Arthur

H
On this day 4th May

103 years ago the actor Luther Adler (See Insert) was born he was the villain in Wake of the Red Witch. A very good actor this is what IMDB has to say about him

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The actor and Broadvway director Luther Adler was born into a Yiddish theatrical dynasty. One of the six children born to Jacob P. and Sara Adler, he made his debut in the world in New York City on May 4, 1903, originally billed as Lutha J. Adler. His full siblings Charles, Jay, Julia, and Stella (the famous acting teacher) as well as his half-siblings Celia and Abram Adler all appeared on Broadway, and his father Jacob, the biggest star of the Yiddish-language theater, was considered one of the great American actors.

The Yiddish theater was an important cultural venue in the days when the millions of Jewish immigrants in the greater metropolitan New York area spoke Yiddish as their first (and sometimes only) language. People who trained and appeared in the Yiddish theater were instrumental in the development of the modern American theater and film, and some, including Sidney Lumet, are still active in the 21st century. It was in this cultural milieu that Luther and his siblings got their grounding in acting and the theater.

Jacob Adler owned and operated his own stage in New York's Lower East Side, and Luther began appearing in the family productions at the age of five with the Adler production of "Schmendrick." He made his official debut as an actor at the age of 13 at his father's theater and his Broadway debut at the the age of 18. Billed as Lutha Adler, he appeared in the Provincetown Players' production of Theodore Drieser's "The Hand of the Potter" in December 1921 at the Provincetown Playhouse,

Adler's first Broadway hit was "Humoresque" in 1923, and he appeared regularly in top productions throughout the '20s, including "Street Scene" (1929) and "Red Dust" (1929). Along with his sister 'Stella Adler" , Luther Adler was one of the original members of the Group Theatre acting company, which was formed in 1931 by Harold Clurman (his future brother-in-law), Cheryl Crawford, and Lee Strasberg. Others who would make their bones in the company were Elia Kazan, Julius "John" Garfield, Howard Da Silva, Franchot Tone, John Randolph, Will Geer, Clifford Odets and Lee J. Cobb.

The Group Theatre was dedicated to bringing realism to the American stage and was instrumental in introducing the Stanislavsky technique into American acting. Most members were leftists if not communists, and the collective wanted to produce plays dealing with social issues. For the Groupe Theatre, Adler appeared in "Night Over Taos" (1932), "Success Story" (1933), "Alien Corn" (1933) and two seminal works of the American stage written by Odets: "Awake and Sing!" (1935) and "Golden Boy" (1937). He played opposite leading ladies Katharine Cornell in "Alien Corn" (1933), his sister Stella in "Gold Eagle Guy "(1934), "Awake and Sing!" and "Paradise Lost" (both 1935), and Frances Farmer in "Golden Boy" (1937).

His appearance as the urban ethnic boxer Joe Bonaparte in Odets' "Golden Boy" arguably was his greatest role, but when the film was made in 1939, he was passed over for the improbably cast Wlliam Holden, a white-bread WASP. Although Adler appeared in many motion pictures, his reputation would remain primarily that of a stage actor.

Adler became a director on Broadway in 1942, though his first staging, "They Should Have Stayed in Bed", was a flop, lasting but 11 performances. He next directed Ben Hecht's pro-Israel propaganda play "A Flag is Born" in 1946, starring the great Paul Muni, a graduate of the Yiddish theater, and newcomer Marlon Brando, an Irish-American born-Protestant who had been trained by his sister Stella. The play, which raised money for Jewsh refugees from the Holocaust seeking sanctuary in Palestine, was a hit, running for 120 performances. He also directed "Angel Street" (1955) and "A View from the Bridge" (1960). He last appeared on Broadway as a replacement in the long running "Fiddler on the Roof."

Adler made his movie debut in 1937 with "Lancer Spy," but he never became a star in that medium. His best roles like "Golden Boy" and "Humoresque" were taken by other actors, including Group Theatre alumnus John Garfield. He had memorable supporting turns in the noir classic "D.O.A." (1950), in Joseph Losey's remake of "M "(1951), in Paul Muni's last film "The Last Angry Man" (1959), in the Holocaust drama "The Man in the Glass Booth" (1974), and as Paul Newman's mobster uncle in "Absence of Malice" (1981). He also worked frequently on television.

From 1938 until 1947, Adler was married to the actress Sylvia Sidney. They had one child, a son, Jacob. Luther Adler died in Kutztown, Pennsylvania on December 8, 1984. He was 81 years old.

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96 years ago the actor James Ellison was born he had a minor role in Central Arport.

32 years ago the actor John Wengraf died aged 77 he also appeared in Wake of the Red Witch.

Regards

Arthur

Hi Jay

Luther dler made two pictures with John Wayne his second cast A Giant Shadow many years after their first. I suppose the main difference was that while in the first they were nearly always on screen together, in the second I doubt if they even met.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 5th April

34 years ago the actor Kenneth MacDonald died aged 70 he was in Back to Bataan

From IMDB

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Kenneth MacDonald began his career as a stage actor in the 1920s. In the early 1930s he came to Hollywood to break into motion pictures, but after several bit parts, he found employment difficult to come by. He hit upon the idea of a little self-promotion, and wrote a pamphlet called "The Case of Kenneth MacDonald," and distributed it to as many producers as he could find. The ploy worked; he started getting jobs at most of the studios in Hollywood, and became a regular fixture in Columbia's Charles Starrett series of "Durango Kid" westerns. He is probably best remembered, however, as a foil for many of Columbia's comedy teams in the studio's two-reelers, particularly with The Three Stooges. His suave demeanor and rich, booming voice fit perfectly the role of the con man, crooked lawyer or gang leader he often played, and he showed a surprising flair for physical comedy, taking a two-finger poke in the eyes from Moe Howard, a pie in the face from Larry Fine or an iron bar on the head from Curly Howard with the best of them. He left the Columbia shorts department in 1955 and semi-retired. He had a recurring role as a judge in the "Perry Mason" (1957) television series.

118 years ago the actor Lee Prather was born he appeared as an attorney in Reap The Wild Wind.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 6th May

93 years ago Stewart Grainger was born. He played George, John Wayne's partner in North To Alaska.

98 years ago the cinematographer Lucien Ballard was born. At one time married to the actress Merle Oberon when she had a near fatal car crash that threatened to end her screen career he developed a camera which he called an Obie (Oberon's nick name) which reduced the dramatic lighting and hid her scars. He was director of photography on True Grit and the Sons of Katie Elder.

14 years ago the actress Marlene Dietrich died aged 90. Much has been said and written about Marlene and Duke but she appeared in three pictures with him.

Regards

Arthur

Hi Kilo6

Central Airport was released as follows

US 15 April 1933
UK 25 September 1933
Finland 11 October 1933
Denmark 21 May 1934.

The following is from Fred Landesman's book

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Filmed under the working title 'Grand Central Airport' over a period of twenty-four days from November 21, 1932, to february 10, 1933. Negative cost of the film was $421,000. Shot at locations in West Los Angeles, the Jeffries Ranch, Alhambra Airport (substituting for Havana Airport) and the wettank on the Warners backlot in Burbank. The film earned domestic rentals of $393,000 and a furter $354,000 from foreign sources.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

I have to start with both a confession and an apology I have just looked back one year to on this day and found that for some reason I didn't post on May 7th.
The next day the 8th I put in all the details that should have been in on the previous day but credited them with the 8th of May, confusing but I'm sorry for that and the confusion it must have caused. Now hopefully one year late I can correct this.
So here goes.

On this Day 7th May

98 years ago the actor Edmund Macdonald was born

63 years ago the actor Wade Botela died age 54.

100 years ago the stuntman John Epper was born he stunted in a number of John Wayne's pictures and his sons Gary and Tony followed him into the busines.

121 years ago George 'Gabby' Hayes was born

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As a young man, George Hayes (insert) worked in a circus and played semi-pro baseball. He appeared in vaudeville and on the legitimate stage, primarily in stock companies. Retired in his 40s, he lost much of his money in the 1929 stock market crash and was forced to return to work. He had made his film debut prior to the crash, and continued working steadily until his second retirement in his late 60s. He gained fame as Hopalong Cassidy's sidekick Windy Halliday in many films between 1936-39. Leaving the Cassidy films, he was legally precluded from using the "Windy" nickname, and so took on the sobriquet "Gabby", and was so billed from about 1940. One of the few sidekicks to land on the annual list of Top Ten Western Boxoffice Stars, he did so repeatedly. In his early films he alternated between whiskered comic relief sidekicks and clean-shaven bad guys, but by the later 1930s he worked almost exclusively as a Western sidekick to stars such as John Wayne Roy Rogers and Randolph Scott. After his last film, in 1950, he starred as the host of a network television show devoted to stories of the old West for children, "The Gabby Hayes Show" (1950). Offstage an elegant and well-appointed connoisseur and man-about-town, Hayes devoted the final years of his life to his investments.

118 years ago the actor Selmer Jackson was born a veteran of almost four hundred pictures beginning from the 1920 he played doctors and lawyers and featrured in Dakota and The Shepherd of the Hills.

6 years ago Sir Douglas Fairbanks jnr (insert) died aged 90.

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Biography from Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia:
Although he never quite reached the pinnacle of screen success and industry importance that his famous father attained, Doug Jr. did all right for himself, carving his own niche in movie history. The product of his father's first marriage, young Doug was an overweight, overly sensitive child who, as he later admitted, had serious selfesteem problems before losing weight and following in the family footsteps, beginning with a starring role in Stephen Steps Out (1923). Tall and slender, with an easily recognizable family resemblance but a decidedly more serious mien, he appeared in many silent films-including Stella Dallas, Wild Horse Mesa (both 1925), Broken Hearts of Hollywood (1926), Is Zat So? (1927), A Woman of Affairs and The Barker (both 1928)-often cast as a spoiled, reckless youth. Doug Jr. got little encouragement from his famous father; indeed, their relationship during this period was little more than cordial.

Gradually, Fairbanks earned respect for his efforts. He impressed moviegoers as the brash reporter in Frank Capra's The Power of the Press (1928) and as the leading man in Joan Crawford's last silent film, Our Modern Maidens (1929). Doug Jr. got the girl both on- and off-screen; he and Crawford were married shortly after the completion of filming.

The early talkie years found Doug Jr. at Warner Bros.-First National, at first in such trifles as Forward Pass (1929) and Loose Ankles (1930), but soon in highly dramatic roles in The Dawn Patrol, Outward Bound, Little Caesar (all 1930), and Chances (1931) that finally took him out of the "callow youth" classification. Although he was never wholly convincing as a tough guy, Fairbanks played one in many hard-boiled Warners melodramas, some of which-Union Depot, Love Is a Racket (both 1932), and The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933)-numbered among his best films of the 1930s. In fact, the more one sees of his work from this period (in films like 1932's It's Tough to Be Famous and 1933's The Narrow Corner the more obvious it becomes that Fairbanks was a real unsung talent. He left Warners in 1934 to freelance, making several pictures in England (the best of which were 1934's Catherine the Great and 1937's Jump for Glory) before scoring a triumph as likable blackguard Rupert of Hentzau in David O. Selznick's elaborate remake of The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), starring Ronald Colman. It was Fairbanks' first full-blooded swashbuckling role, and he reminded moviegoers of his famous father, clad in black clothes, sporting a dapper little mustache, and wielding a saber with panache. (He and his father drew close around this time, and even talked of making a film together before Senior's death in 1939.)

Doug Jr. made several delightful if unimportant romantic comedies-including The Joy of Living, Having Wonderful Time, The Rage of Paris and Young in Heart (all 1938)-before returning to robust adventure films with Gunga Din (1939, as the daring Sergeant Ballantine in this rousing classic), The Sun Never Sets (also 1939, once again helping save the British Empire), Safari, Green Hell (both 1940), and The Corsican Brothers (1941, another swashbuckler, this time playing twins). He also produced and starred in Ben Hecht's bizarre black comedy, Angels Over Broadway (1940).

During World War 2 Fairbanks served with distinction as a commander with the U.S. Navy. When he returned to movie work in 1947, it was in the title role of Sinbad the Sailor (1947), an eye-filling Arabian Nights adventure that saw him adopting some of his late father's larger-than-life gestures and man nerisms. He appeared opposite Betty Grable in That Lady in Ermine (1948), and then produced and cowrote two costume vehicles for himself: The Exile (1948) and The Fighting O'Flynn (1949) before starring in a taut, contemporary thriller, State Secret (1950), in England. Fairbanks, a lifelong Anglophile who numbered members of the royal family among his friends, moved to Britain in the early 1950s. His subsequent screen work was both spotty and undistinguished (although he personally fared better than did the films themselves): Three's Company, The Triangle, The Genie (all 1953), Destination Milan, The Last Moment (both 1954), Red and Blue (1967). He also produced several films, including Another Man's Poison (1952) and Chase a Crooked Shadow (1958), and hosted, produced, and often appeared in the anthology TV series "Douglas Fairbanks Presents" (1952-57). Returning to the U.S., he toured in a number of stage plays, made TV guest appearances, and appeared with several other Hollywood "legends"Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, and John Houseman-in Ghost Story (1981), his last feature film to date. His talent has never been fully appreciated. His first volume of autobiography, "The Salad Days," was published in 1988; the second, "A Hell of a War," in 1993.

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Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day May 8th the rain is hammering down on the conservatory roof and in half an hour I have to leave for work.

However:-

125 years ago Lorin Raker was born he was in Without Reservations

91 years ago John Archer was born. Named Ralph Bowman he had wide staring eyes which made him perfect for playing eccentric types in pictures. He appeared in Overland Stage Raiders.

88 years ago the Critic and columnist Hedda Hopper married de Wolf Hopper snr.

82 years ago in Dublin Charles B Fitzsimons was born, the brother of Maureen O'Hara he appeared in The Quiet Man.

66 years ago the singer Ricky Nelson was born he appeared in Rio Bravo.

28 years ago the |Irish actress Eileen Crowe died aged 80 she was Mrs Playfair in The Quiet Man.

12 years ago George Peppard died aged 65 he had one of the major pivotal roles in How The West Was Won.

Regards

Arthur-

Hi

On this day May 9th

123 years ago the actor Guy Usher was born. During his career he appeared in almost 200 pictures including In Old california, Lady For A Night and Reap the Wild Wind.

96 years ago Al Rosen was born and actor and also a production managaer he appeared in Without Reservations.

38 years ago the actor Phil Arnold died aged 58, he featured inThe Conqueror, Jet Pilot and The Comancheros.

31 years ago Phillip Dorn (Insert) died aged 73. Born in Holland he was in The fighting Kentuckian.

21 years ago Edmund O'Brien (Insert) died aged 69. Dutton Peabody in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, he also played General Barton in The Longest Day.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day it looked at one time as if it would be a soley musical day.

102 years ago the composer Dimitri Tiomkin as born. Who can forget his stirring Were off to Missouri from Red River, his gentle ballad Green Leaves of Summer from The Alamoand the rollicking along theme from the War Wagon, one of the truely great film composers.

and another great

35 years ago Max Steiner died aged 83 Like Tiomkin his music covered some of the mightiest and majestic pictures including The Searchers Trouble Along the Way and Big Jim McLain.

36 years ago the actress Mari Blanchard died aged 43 she featured in McLintock.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 11th May

79 years ago the Scottish actor Bernard Fox was born well known on American television for playing pompous British types in F Troop, McHales Navy and Hogans Heroes, in Big Jake he was the shepherd who is rescued from hanging by Duke.

86 years ago the actor Denver Pyle was born see hem in The Alamo and The Horse Soldiers.

95 years ago the comediene Doodles Weaver was born he was the sheriff in Cancel My Reservation.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day the 12th May

113 years ago the actor James P Burtis was born he played Detective Hemingway in The Hurricane Express.

11 years ago the director Arthur Lubin died aged 96 he directed four pictures with John Wayne straight on the trot:- Idol of The Crowds, Adventures End, I Cover the War and California Straight Ahead.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 13th May

114 years ago the actor Frank Rice was born he made almost 130 pictures through the 1920s and 30s, including The Oregon Trail and Somewhere in Sonoa.

125 years ago the actor Duke R Lee was born. Often working for John Ford. Toward the end of his career he appeared in The Oregon Trail and was un-credited in Stagecoach.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 14th May

72 years ago the actress Sian Phillips was born in Wales. A gifted actress she played a WREN in The Longest Day

69 years ago the actor Lloyd Battista was born he appeared as Neemo in Chisum and has this memorable exchange with John Wayne:-

Neemo: So if you want these horses, I sell them to you. Did you bring some gold with you?
John Simpson Chisum: No.
Neemo: Silver?
John Simpson Chisum: Just lead!

57 years ago the western actor Chuck Baldra was killed in an auto accident at the age of 49 during the 1930s he appeared in eleven of John Wayne's pictures including many of his films made at Monogram.

8 years ago Frank Sinatra died aged 84 he appeared in Cast A Giant Shadow.

3 years ago Robert Stack died aged 84 he was in The High and The Mighty and made his reputation starring in he title role in the Batjack production The Bullfighter and the Lady.

2 years ago the actress Anna Lee died aged 91. One of the grand old ladies she was a particular favourite of John Ford and appeared in many of his films.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 15th May and for the first time in almost a year and a half of reporting On This Day, nothing happened that was not reported one year ago.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 16th May

101 years ago the actor Henry Fonda was born he appeared in Fort Apache

124 years ago the Scottish actress Mary Gordon was born she like Fonda also appeared in Fort Apache playing Ma

And finally I would just like to wish Harry Carey a happy Birthday.

Regards

Arthur