Today's Birthdays 10/3

[do_re_milla]

Posted: 10/2/06 at 9:59pm

Eleonora Duse 10/03/1859 - Apr 23, 1924 performer, One of the leading actresses of her day, "The Great Duse" championed the realistic playwrights of the early 20th century, and had some of her greatest successes in the works of Henrik Ibsen, notably 1923 LADY FR THE SEA; GHOSTS

Herbert Ross 10/03/1865 - Jul 18, 1934 performer - The Marriage of Kitty; At the Barn; Iris

Warner Oland 10/03/1879 - Aug 6, 1938 aka Johan Verner Ölund [Birthname], played "Charlie Chan" from 1931 - 1938 - 1907 A DOLL'S HOUSE (Alla Nazimova)

Viola Roache 10/03/1885 - May 18, 1961 performer - origs SWEET CHARITY; MY FAIR LADY

Morgan Farley 10/03/1898 - Oct 11, 1988 performer, producer - AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY (Miriam Hopkins)

Gertrude Berg 10/03/1899 - Sep 14, 1966 Source Material, Writer, Performer - Me and Molly (Gertrude Berg); A Majority of One (Gertrude Berg); Dear Me, The Sky is Falling (Gertrude Berg); MOLLY (Kaye Ballard, Daniel Fortus, Swen Swenson)

Thomas Wolfe 10/3/1900 - 9/15/1938 author, source material - Look Homeward Angel, You Can’t Go Home Again

Johnny Burke 10/03/1908 - Feb 25, 1964 Producer, Lyricist, Composer - CARNIVAL IN FLANDERS; DONNYBROOK!; SWINGING ON A STAR (Terry Berrell, Lewis Cleale, Michael McGrath)

Ray Stark 10/03/1914 - Jan 17, 2004 husband of Frances Arnstein; Son-in-law of Fanny Brice; The World of Suzie Wong (France Nuyen, Ron Rendall, William Shatner); Everybody Loves Opal (Eileen Heckart, James Coco, Brenda Vaccaro, Stubby Kaye, Don Harron); Any Wednesday (Sandy Dennis, Don Porter, Gene Hackman); Funny Girl (Barbra Streisand, Sidney Chaplin, Kay Medford, Jean Stapleton, Roger De Koven, Lainie Kazan); The Owl and the Pussycat (Diana Sands, Alan Alda)

James Herriot (James Alfred Wight) 10/3/1916 - 2/23/1995 - veterinarian, author, source material - All Creatures Great and Small

Gore Vidal - 10/3/1925 - BEST MAN - film's Myra Breckenridge, Burr; actor: Bob Roberts; screenplays - Ben Hur, Visit to a Small Planet, Suddenly Last Summer

Peter Frechette 10/03/1956 performer - Eastern Standard (Anne Meara); Our Country's Good (Cherry Jones); Any Given Day (Sada Thompson, Andrea Marcovicci, Victor Slezak); The Play's the Thing; 2005 The Odd Couple (Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Lee Wilkof, Olivia d'Abo); tv's & film's Grease 2; thirtysomething; Picket Fences; The First Wives Club; Profiler

Jack Wagner 10/03/1959 performer - JEKYLL & HYDE [replacement); tv's General Hospital, Melrose Place

SHOWS THAT OPENED ON THIS DATE:

1921 The Fan with Margaret Dumont

1938 In one of her most acclaimed performances, Helen Hayes plays Britain's Queen Victoria in Victoria Regina at the Martin Beck Theatre.

1957 Miss Lonelyhearts with Anne Meara, Ruth Warrick and Fritz Weaver

1961 Sail Away with Elaine Stritch

1962 Anthony Newley's new musical in which he stars, Stop the World -- I Want to Get Off, opens tonight at the Shubert Theatre. This allegorical show about an everyman was collaborated on by Newley and Leslie Bricusse, with Anna Quayle co-starring. The song "What Kind of Fool Am I?" would become a hit, and producer David Merrick proved himself no fool in his tactics. When faced with a mediocre New York Times review of World, he translated the critique into Greek and ran it in the show's print ads. A film version of Stop was released in 1966.

1967 The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter opens tonight at the Booth Theatre. This absurdist play featured Henderson Forsythe, Ed Flanders, Alexandra Berlin and Ruth White in a cast directed by Alan Schneider. Variety reports the basic story line as being about "a psychoneurotic rooming with a moronic couple." It is actually about a couple, Meg and Petey, who lodge an insecure and untidy man, Stanley. The chaos occurs when two menacing "friends" show up to help Stanley celebrate his birthday. Birthday will party on for almost four months.

1968 The Great White Hope with James Earl Jones, Jane Alexander, Hector Elizondo, Gil Rogers

1978 First Monday in October with Jane Alexander, Henry Fonda, Larry Gates

ON THIS DAY IN:

1901 - The Victor Talking Machine Company was incorporated on this day. After a merger with Radio Corporation of America, RCA-Victor became the leader in phonographs and many of the records played on them. The famous Victrola phonograph logo, with Nipper the dog, and the words “His Master’s Voice”, appeared on all RCA-Victor phonographs and record labels.

1954 - One of the favorite TV shows of our time was first seen on this day. Father Knows Best began its long run on CBS, then made the move to NBC in 1956. For Jim Anderson (Robert Young) and family, it was a made-for-TV marriage of over eight wonderful years.

1955 - “Good Morning, Captain!” It was Bob Keeshan’s first day at work in what became a TV institution via CBS: Captain Kangaroo. The children’s television milestone featured Mr. Green Jeans, Bunny Rabbit, Grandfather Clock, Mr. Moose and other characters.

1955 Walt Disney's "The Mickey Mouse Club" premiered on ABC.

1961 - Rob (Dick Van Dyke), Laura (Mary Tyler Moore), Sally (Rose Marie) and Buddy (Morey Amsterdam) debuted in The Dick Van Dyke Show on CBS-TV. Created by Carl Reiner, the show ran for five years (if you don’t include cable reruns).

1978 Henry Fonda makes his last Broadway appearance playing a Supreme Court Justice in Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee's drama, First Monday in October. The play is about the first female Supreme Court Justice, played by Jane Alexander.

1987 Playwright Jean Anouilh dies today. His 1942 adaptation of the Greek tragedy of Antigone is the most celebrated of his plays, though The Rehearsal and Ring Round the Moon would also receive revivals.

1995 Tommy Tune has broken his foot for the second time in two years and is left with no choice but to only sing and act his part in Busker Alley, which is beginning its tryout at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center tonight. Two other people dance for him in this show, but that doesn't work. Instead, the Broadway opening for November 16 is called off. The production was plagued with bad reviews from the start, and the $6 million debt left over from the broken foot and opening cancellation is not covered by Tune's insurance, which is only $3.5 million.

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

Milla
Updated On: 10/3/06 at 09:59 PM

[do_re_milla]

Posted: 10/3/06 at 10:33am

bump

[bryan]

Posted: 10/3/06 at 12:40pm

happy brithday to me today i turn 35 the same age as a backstreet boy.

[Enjolras77]

Posted: 10/3/06 at 1:15pm

Also, it should be noted that Warner Oland famous played Cantor Rabinowitz in 1927's The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson.