On This Day

Hi

On this Day 12 December:-

90 years ago Frank Sinatra was born. He was in Cast A Giant Shadow.

116 years ago the actress Ottola Nesmith was born, she appeared in Reap the Wild Wind.

5 years ago the actor George Montgomery died aged 84.

4 years ago Eleanor Boardman died aged 93 she was in Bardelys the Magnificent.

77 years ago actress Kathrine Hepburn married Ludlow Ogden Smith.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 13th December:-

75 years ago Genevieve Page was born. Although the critics were very uncomplimentary about her role in Hondo she did win the Academy Award.

85 years ago the actor and director Don Taylor was born, he appeared in The Flying Leathernecks.

90 years ago the German actor Curd Jurgens was born, Better known as Curt Jurgens he was inThe Longest Day.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 14th December

Not a lot happened except:-

87 years ago the actor Peter Mamakos was born. Of American Greek extraction he appeared in The Searchers and The Conqueror.

92 years ago the actor, dancer and singer Dan Dailey was born. He played Jug Head Carson in The Wings of Eagles.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 15th December:-

41 years ago CircusWorld was released in Sweden.

46 years ago John Wayne finally finished filming The Alamo.

115 years ago the actor Rudy Bowman was born. He only appeared in six pictures but among them was private John Smith in Ford's She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.

27 years ago the actor Chill Wills died aged 75.

28 years ago Russell Birdwell died aged 74.

This link up is a very strange coincidence. On the day that the Alamo finished filming and although a couple of years apart, between them these two individuals more than anyone else were probably responsible for doing the most harm to the picture.
The first for his ill judged remarks in attempting to win the Best Supporting actor Academy Award.

The second for the ill judged and ultmately diasterous press campaign that severly damaged the picture almost beyond redemption.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 16th December:-

83 years ago John Fords daughter Barbara was born, besides being Ford's daughter she also worked on many of his pictures giving a double line up as one of Duke's co-workers.

85 years ago Dorothy Abbott was born. She appeared in Jet Pilot, ad if any one is keeping a record of this, one I missed she died 48 years later yesterday.

88 years ago Andy Shuford was born made his screen debut at the age of eight or nine and appeared in seventeen films up to 1933 including The Big Trail.

109 years ago the cinematographer Norbert brodine was born he shot Lady For A Night.

26 years ago the actor Lee Van Cleef died aged 64 he was with Lee Marvin in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Imo a very good actor.

70 years ago the actress Thelma Todd was found dead in very strange circumstances. She appeared in The Voice of Hollywood No 13.

Regards

Arthur

Hi Jay

Oops looks like my arthimatic let me down.

Regards

Arthur

Hi .

On this day:-

43 years ago Hatari was released in both France and Sweden

Sean Mercer: Pockets, what are you doing?
Pockets: I'm trying to milk the goat.
Sean Mercer: Well, that's the wrong kind of a goat - that's a ram!

39 years ago the picture El Dorado was released in Japan.

Milt: You've got a lot of faith in me, don't ya Nelse?
Nelse McLeod: Faith can move mountains, Milt. But it can't beat a faster draw. There's only three men I know with his kind of speed. One's dead. The other's me. And the third is Cole Thornton.
Cole: There's a fourth.
Nelse McLeod: Which one are you?
Cole: I'm Thornton.
[Milt withdraws]
Nelse McLeod: Aren't you glad you didn't try, Milt? Pick up your guns, both of you, real easy.
Cole: Like he said, real easy.

36 years ago the cinematographer Gus peterson died aged 76 he worked on the 1935 version of New Frontier.

43 years ago the actor Thomas Mitchell died aged 70 one of the great supporting actors among the many films he appeared in was Gone With the Wind, Its a Wonderful Life and with John Wayne the Long Voyage Home. I also liked him as a villian in The Secret of the Incas with Charlton Heston.

12 years ago the actress Janet Margolin died aged 50 she was in The Greatest Story Ever Told

49 years ago the musican and actor Eddie Acuff died he was in Flame of the Barbary Coast.

Regards

Arthur

Hi Vera

Barbara Ford was assistant editor on The Quiet Man and rio Grande.
She was also the editor on Wagon Master, but of course John Wayne didn't appear in that picture, the lead being taken by Ward Bond and also starred Harry Carey and Ben Johnstone.

Regards

Arthur

Hi Senta

He played Scarlett's father and was very prominent in the first half hour of the picture until he fell from his horse whilst jumping a fence and subsequently died.

I must admit when mentioning his films I completely forgot Stagecoach which was the one he won the Academy award for.

I also some times get him mixed up with Barry Fitzgerald which is crazy as they have nothing whatsoever in common.

Regards

Arhur

Hi

On this day 18th December:-

87 years ago the writer and director Hal Kantor was born, he directed I Married A Woman.

94 years ago John Wayne's younger brother Robert E Morrisson was born. Working at Batjac for his brother he was a production co-ordinator on The Alamo and McLintock.

On the same day the director Jules Dassin was born. A noted director he made Re-Union in France with John Wayne and Joan Crawford. In a film that was designed to boost Crawford's film appeal at a time she was struggling. Later an expert in the world of film noire he was indicted at the HUAC hearings and despite all efforts by Darryl Zanuck to protect him, he was forced to leave Hollywood for Europe. Settling down in Greece he married the actress Melina Meccuri and they appeared together in Never on a Sunday which Dassin also directed. When his ewife died he continued living in Greece by choice and as far as I am aware he still does. He is also one of the only, if not the only living director who worked with Duke pre war.

91 years ago the writer producer and director George Stevens was born. Responsible for Gungha Din, Shane, Giant and The Greatest Story Ever Told, He was also credited with the story that when Duke had to utter the line "Truly this man was the son of god"
Stevens said "Say it again Duke only this time with more awe".
to which Duke replied-
"Aw truly this man was the son of god"

A great story but unfortunately just that - a story.

128 years ago the actor Sidney Bracey was born, who? I hear you ask, he appeared in The Deciever and Maker of Men.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 19th December:

I thought at one time it was going to be an all British day but the US kicked in at the last minute.

90 years ago the British actor Simon Lack was born he appeared in The Longest Day.

78 years ago the English actor James Booth was born.Oe of his best roles as we have already discussed was in Zulu but he was also in Brannigan.

82 years ago the Scottich actor Gordon Jackson was born. Seen on British television as the Hudson in Upstairs and Downstairs and also as George Cowley in the Professionals, He also appeared in The Great Escape and in Cast A Giant Shadow.

55 years ago Tige Andrews married Norma Nadine Andrews.

60 years ago Noel Toy married Carlton Young.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day20th December:-

81 years ago the child actor Sammy McKim was born he appeared in New Frontier and later after serving in the US Army he began working as an artist for Disney.

89 years ago the actor Lowell Gilmore was born he appeared in The Sea Chase and Blood Alley

100 years ago the actor Albert Dekker was born one of the Wild Bunch,he was also in In Old Oklahoma and In Old California.

112 years ago the writer James Kevin McGuiness was born.

136 years ago the actor Charles Grapewine was born he was in Lady and Gent

52 years ago Allyn Ann McLerie married George Gaynes

55 years ago Stewart Grainger married Jean Simmons

Regards

Arthur

Hi

On this day 21st Descember

43 years ago Hatari was released in Finland and West Germany.

79 years ago Pedro Gonzales-Gonzales was born he was in among many Rio Bravo and The High and the Mighty.

38 years ago the actor Steuart Erwin died aged 65 apart from having his own TV show he also appeared in Men Without Women.

17 years ago the actor Bob Steele died age 81, the son of Robert North Bradbury he was a very famous figure in westerns including McLintock.

Regards

Arthr

Hi Keith,

We obviously think alike although Ford Hawks and Hathaway figure largely in Dukes life and history Bradbury remains a peripharel figure. i think he should be up there with them and in some cases stand level with Ford.

Regards

Arthur