Passing Angels - for December

[Mamie]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 7:15pm

Some of the wonderfully talented ladies of the past who celebrated their birthdays in December. They're gone - but their contributions to the entertainment world will make them live forever in our hearts and our memories:

Mary Martin (12/01/1913 – 11/03/1990)



Maria Callas (12/2/1923 – 9/16/1977)



Lillian Russell (12/04/1860 – 6/06/1922)



Lynn Fontanne (12/06/1887 – 7/30/1983)



Agnes Moorehead (12/06/1900 – 4/30/1974)



Hermione Gingold (12/09/1897 – 5/24/1987)



Margaret Hamilton (12/09/1902 – 5/16/1985)



Una Merkel (12/10/1903 – 1/02/1986)



Dorothy Lamour (12/10/1914 – 9/22/1996)



Frances Bavier (12/14/1902 – 12/06/1989)



Lee Remick (12/14/1935 – 7/02/1991)



Gladys Cooper (12/18/1888 – 11/17/1971)



Betty Grable (12/18/1916 – 7/02/1973)



Edith Piaf (12/19/1915 – 10/11/1963)



Irene Dunne (12/20/1898 – 9/04/1990)



Dame Peggy Ashcroft (12/22/1907 – 6/14/1991)



Lynne Thigpen (12/22/1948 – 3/13/2003)



Ruth Roman (12/23/1923 – 9/09/1999)



Ruth Chatterton (12/24/1893 – 11/24/1961)



Ava Gardner (12/24/1922 – 1/25/1990)



Carol Haney (12/24/1924 – 5/10/1964)



Fay Templeton (12/25/1865 – 10/03/1939)



Evelyn Florence Nesbit (12/25/1884 – 1/16/1967)



Marlene Dietrich (12/27/1901 – 5/06/1992)



Hildegarde Neff (12/28/1925 – 2/01/2002)



Viveca Lindfors (12/29/1920 – 10/25/1995)



Anna Magnani (12/30/1908 – 9/26/1973)



It's hard to believe that I've been posting these for a full year now. I want to thank everyone who's commented on the thread or sent me PM's thanking me for the Angel's thread. Believe me - it was an act of love.
Updated On: 12/2/06 at 07:15 PM

[StageManager2]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 7:27pm

Yay! I share a birthday with Dorothy Lamour and Una Merkel -- two very beautiful ladies.

[TomMonster]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 7:48pm

Mine's coming up on the 8th...Where's my picture? Of course, I'm not quite dead yet.

Happy almost b-day SM2!

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 9:23pm

As usual..WONDERFUL. Thank You Mamie.

[Bluemoon]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 9:26pm

My lord, Agnes Moorehead was stunning.

Thanks for bringing the year full circle!

Posted: 12/1/06 at 9:33pm

lookit all them beauties!!!!

(i still cant believe/accept that Lynn Thigpen is gone.)

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 9:55pm

Mamie, I love you for doing this each month.

Wow, December is the month that brought two of my favorite witches.

Updated On: 12/2/06 at 09:55 PM

[Glebb]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 10:07pm

Mamie, WOW!

[Mamie]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 10:12pm

Actually your two witches were BORN in December, not taken. I celebrate their coming, not their departure!

[cturtle]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 10:26pm

thanks, as always! i love that photo of piaf :)

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 10:44pm

Marlene Dietrich was in a class by herself. Irene Dunne, too. Oh, hell, they ALL were!

And there's still no one like any of them.

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 10:47pm

I can't stop looking at that picture of Lee Remick....absolutely STUNNING !

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 11:24pm

That Lee Remick photo IS a stunner.

But what's up with Anna Magnani and that kitty?

[Mamie]

Posted: 12/2/06 at 6:58am

PJ - I searched and searched for a really good photo of AM and with only one exception, that was the best I could come up with. This actress was known for her earthy portrayals - not necessarily for her stunning looks. The only exception I could find was a very tiny, out of focus photo where she was actually laughing out loud. When I tried to enlarge it, it became so out of focus that you couldn't see it.

Had it been anyone else, I wouldn't have used it. I would have just left them off the list. But it does look like AM! (If anyone has a better one - PLEASE send me a copy. I'll be happy to replace this one.)

Updated On: 12/2/06 at 06:58 AM

[StageManager2]

Posted: 12/2/06 at 7:49am

How about this one, Mamie:



BTW: At Wikipedia and IMDb, it lists her birth date as March 7, 1908.

Updated On: 12/2/06 at 07:49 AM

[Incognito]

Posted: 12/2/06 at 9:06am

Wow, what a looker Agnes Moorehead was in her day...

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/2/06 at 9:18am

Great images, as always, Mamie.

A lovely tribute.

Posted: 12/2/06 at 9:47am

I *LIKE* the one with the kitty!!!

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/2/06 at 9:51am

Anna's just showing us her... kitty.

[hannahshule]

Posted: 12/2/06 at 11:40am

Yes, I hardly recongnized Agnes there!
Another beautiful and inspiring lot here Mamie!
(And who was Hildegarde Neff? that's a very lovely photo)

Posted: 12/2/06 at 11:45am

i love that bemused expression on Lynn Fontanne's face!

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 12/2/06 at 12:29pm

Hildegarde Neff starred on Broadway in Silk Stockings.

She made a "comeback" in Billy Wilder's Fedora starring William Holden. A strange film, but I really liked it. Ms. Neff was chilling in it. (Am I the ONLY person on the planet who actually saw Fedora?)

[cturtle]

Posted: 12/2/06 at 12:51pm

i saw FEDORA and remember really liking it too. it's based on a tom tryon piece, is it not?

and whenever i see a photo of lee remick, i just wanna cry.

[TomMonster]

Posted: 12/2/06 at 12:53pm

I miss Lee Remick. She was so sweet, charming, talented and gorgeous. *sigh*

[Mamie]

Posted: 12/2/06 at 3:09pm

Thanks, SM2. I've updated the photo. I had decided against that pic because she was frowning. The kitty pic wasn't exactly a smile - but it wasn't a frown either.

As for the birthdates - I found 3 different ones for Ms. Magnani. One came from an Italian fan site. You never know which is actually correct. (Some actresses changed their 'official' birthdays so many times that I gave up looking after finding 5!). I just decided in the multiple dates that the actual birthday wasn't as important as honoring the lady. We hadn't included Ms. M before so it seemed appropriate - and convenient - to use the December date. You'll notice that Margaret Hamilton is listed here for the second time. That's another case of multiple birthdays being listed. In her case I didn't mind listing her twice!

Updated On: 12/2/06 at 03:09 PM