Today's Birthdays 10/14

[do_re_milla]

Posted: 10/14/03 at 11:38pm

Francis Lightfoot Lee 10/14/1734 - 1/11/1797 American revolutionary leader; delegate to the second Continental Congress & signed Declaration of Independence, related to Robert E. Lee, source mat'l - 1776

Sam Livesey 10/14/1873 - Nov 7, 1936 performer, father of Jack, Roger & Barrie Livesey - BULLDOG DRUMMOND

Lillian Gish 10/14/1893 - Apr 29, 1993 sister of Dorothy Gish - 1930 UNCLE VANYA (Osgood Perkins [Tony's pop]); 1936 HAMLET (Judith Anderson, John Gielgud); ANYA (Constance Towers; 1973 UNCLE VANYA (Julie Christie, Geo. C. Scott, Nicol Williamson)

Allan Jones 10/14/1907 - Jun 27, 1992 performer - 1934 BITTERSWEET; fav film THE FIREFLY

Roger Moore 10/14/1927 husband of Doorn Van Steyn (1946 - 1953) divorced, Luisa Mattioli (1969 - 1996) divorced, Christina Tholstrup (2002 - present), Dorothy Squires (1953 - 196 divorced - A PIN TO SEE THE PEEPSHOW; THE PLAY WHAT I WROTE [replacement]

Harve Presnell 10/14/1933performer - THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN; ANNIE [replacement]

Lee Lawson 10/14/1941 performer - THE PLOUGH & THE STARS (Nancy Marchand, Roberta Maxwell, Christopher Walken); AN AMERICAN MILLIONARE (Josh Mostel, Austin Pendleton, Paul Sorvino)

SHOWS THAT OPENED ON THIS DATE:

1930 The Gershwin Brothers, George and Ira, are at it again tonight with the opening of their new musical, Girl Crazy. The show provides an outlet for several unknown stars, both on stage and in the orchestra pit. Ethel Merman stops the show singing "I've Got Rhythm" with an incredible 16-measure hold on the "I." She is later reported as being able to "hold a note longer than Chase Manhattan." Ingenue Ginger Rogers was also in the cast, singing "Embraceable You." In the orchestra are unknown musicians Benny Goodman, Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller and Gene Krupa. The show will run more than 34 weeks, racking up 272 performances.

1958 Pre-"Star Trek" William Shatner plays an American coping with the emotional issues of having an Asian girlfriend (France Nuyen) in Paul Osborn's The World of Suzie Wong, directed by Joshua Logan.

1961 Just like its forerunner, Guys and Dolls, a musical by the same team, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, opens tonight and triumphs with a story about life in the city. This time, Abe Burrows and Frank Loesser look not at the lowlife underground, but at the high life and the goings on within a high-rise office building. The story follows a young man's progression from window washer to CEO of a major company in New York. Although Hugh Lambert is credited with choreographing the show, Bob Fosse is on the bill as having done the "musical staging". Robert Morse co-stars with Donna McKechnie and Rudy Vallee in this musical comedy satire, which got rave reviews and ran for more than 1,400 performances.

1987 Lanford Wilson's Burn This opens at the Plymouth Theatre tonight after a successful run off-Broadway at the Mark Taper Forum and the Circle Rep. This play, about a dancer who finds a bully appealing, stars John Malkovich, Joan Allen, Jonathan Hogan, and Lou Liberatore. The show will run 437 performances.

ON THIS DAY IN:

1066 Normans under William the Conqueror defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings.

1939 - Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) was organized on this day -- to compete with ASCAP (American Society of Composers and Publishers). The two music licensing organizations’ goal is to ensure that composers, artists and publishers are properly paid for the use of their works.

1964 - The youngest person to receive a Nobel Peace Prize received the $54,000 award this day. Martin Luther King, Jr. donated the dollars to support civil rights in the U.S.

1977 - Crooner Bing Crosby suffered a fatal heart attack while playing golf at a course near Madrid, Spain. Crosby, 73, had just completed a tour of England that had included a sold-out engagement at the London Palladium.

1986 Holocaust survivor and human rights advocate Elie Wiesel (author of ZALMAN OR THE MADNESS OF GOD) was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

1987 - A media frenzy occurred when hundreds of rescuers came to the aid of little 18-month-old Jessica McClure. At 9:30 a.m. on this day, Jessica fell 22 feet into an abandoned well in her backyard in Midland, Texas. She was brought out of the well 58 hours later and was rushed to the hospital, where she underwent minor surgery. Gifts, especially stuffed animals, pouring into the hospital from well-wishers, most of whom had never met Jessica or her family.

1990 Composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein died in New York at age 72.

(sources: IBDB, NYT's ON THIS DAY, 440.com’s Those Were The Days, Playbill.com)

Milla Updated On: 10/14/03 at 11:38 PM