Today's Birthdays 5/8
Today's Birthdays 5/8
#0Today's Birthdays 5/8
Posted: 5/7/05 at 7:27pm
Oscar Hammerstein I 05/08/1847 - Aug 1, 1919; Began as a cigar maker, then became an opera impressario; Producer, Writer, Composer, Theatre Owner/Operator; father of Arthur & Willie Hammerstein, grandfather of Oscar Hammerstein II, Elaine Hammerstein; Oscar founded The Manhattan Opera Co. (now the Hammerstein Ballroom) to create a venue where everyday people could enjoy opera. When it more than successfully competed w/the Met, the Met paid Hammerstein $1.2 million to stop putting on operas for a decade. - origs Naughty Marietta (Emma Trentini); Where Do We Go From Here? (Don DeFore, Hugh Martin); Glorious Morning (Vera Allen)
Ezio Pinza 05/08/1892 - May 9, 1957 performer, 1 of the legendary operatic bassos - origs South Pacific; Fanny; film's Mr. Imperium; Strictly Dishonorable; The Ezio Pinza Show; Tonight We Sing; Bonino
Fernandel 5/8/1903 - 2/26/1971 French comedian, director - tv's & film's Around the World in 80 Days; Freddy; Dynamite Jack; Paris Holiday; Ali-Baba et les quarante voleurs; Carnaval; Hercule
Roberto Rossellini 5/8/1906 - 6/3/1977, Ingrid Bergman's ex, father of Isabella Rossellini; Italian film director, writer - tv's & film's Seven Deadly Sins, The Messiah; Strombolli; Blaise Pascal; Caligula; Europa '51
Sir David Attenborough 5/8/1926 - brother to Sir Richard Attenborough; during World War Two, his parents adopted two German Jewish girls, who had been brought to Britain as part of the Kindertransport; director, naturalist, author: Life on Earth, Trials of Life, film's The Life of Mammals, The Private Life of Plants, The Life of Birds; As head of BBC-2 he introduced British audiences to colour TV, and gave the go-ahead to Monty Python's Flying Circus.
Don Rickles 5/8/1926 - performer - film's CPO Sharkey, Casino, Blazing Saddles, Kelly’s Heroes, Beach Blanket Bingo, The Rat Race; my favs the Toy Story films
Peter Cookson 05/08/1913 - Jan 6, 1990 producer, performer - origs Message for Margaret (Miriam Hopkins); The Heiress (Wendy Hiller, Basil Rathbone); The Little Blue Light (Melvyn Douglas, Arlene Francis, Burgess Meredith); Seagulls Over Sorrento (Leslie Nielsen, John Randolph, Rod Steiger); Can-Can; Four Winds (Conrad Nagel, Ann Todd, Ludmilla Toretzka); Rashomon (Oscar Homolka, Claire Bloom, Akim Tamiroff, Rod Steiger)
Salome Jens 05/08/1935 - wife of Ralph Meeker (1964 - 1966) divorced; performer - Sixth Finger in a Five Finger Glove; A Far Country; After The Fall; But For Whom Charlie; 1965 Tartuffe, I'm Solomon; A Patriot for Me (Maximilian Schell, Tom Lee Jones [bway debut]); tv's & film's Superboy; Terror from the Year 5000; [1959 tv] The Cherry Orchard; Harry's War; Cats & Dogs
Peter Benchley 5/8/1940 grandson of Robert Benchley, author: Jaws, The Deep, The Island
Keith David 05/08/1954 performer, dir. - The Lady from Dubuque (Irene Worth); Jelly's Last Jam; 1994 Hedda Gabler; Seven Guitars; film's Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Great Santini, Take This Job & Shove It, An Officer and a Gentleman; director: The Curse, The Further Adventures of Tennessee Buck
Janet McTeer 05/08/1961 performer - 1997 A Doll's House (Jan Maxwell); tv's & film's Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage; 1992 Wuthering Heights; Carrington; Tumbleweeds; Tideland
Melissa Gilbert 5/8/1964 performer, wife of Bruce Boxleitner - tv's Little House on the Prairie, The Miracle Worker, Her Own Rules, Ice House
SHOWS THAT OPENED ON THIS DATE:
1933 New York's Theater Guild presents Somerset Maugham's adaptation of Luigi Chiarelli's drama, The Mask and the Face. Among the cast of the five week run are Leo G. Carroll, Shirley Booth, Humphrey Bogart, and Judith Anderson.
1956 Look Back in Anger, by John Osborne, strikes a cord to rage against complacency. Kenneth Haigh plays an angry young man who lashes out at his wife (Mary Ure) and best friend (Alan Bates). Tony Richardson stages at the Royal Court in London.
1962 - Zero Mostel starred in one of his most famous roles, in the Broadway production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The comedy opened at the Alvin Theatre in New York City. Audiences laughed through the entertaining show for a total of 964 performances.
1985 Broadway's Ritz Theatre becomes center-court as David Wiltse's play about tennis, Doubles, is served up. Playing the middle-aged players are John Cullum, Ron Liebman, Austin Pendleton and Tony Roberts. The play will stay aloft 277 performances before game, set and match will be decided Jan 4, 1986 as they close.
ON THIS DAY IN:
1945 - This day was celebrated throughout the free world. It was V-E Day. The Allied Forces had achieved victory in Europe with the unconditional surrender of Germany. The surrender had been made official on May 7th at Reims, France.
1967 American playwright and director Elmer Rice died today in Southampton, England. Among his many works is the Pulitzer Prize winning Street Scene. He was 75 years old.
On May 8, 1973, militant American Indians who had held the South Dakota hamlet of Wounded Knee for 10 weeks surrendered.
1886 Atlanta pharmacist John Styth Pemberton invented the flavor syrup for Coca-Cola. His secret elixir was originally used for medicinal purposes. So Dr. Pemberton went to the right place to sell his new product: Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Pemberton’s medicine was sold to make people feel better. It’s “the pause that refreshes.” It’s “the real thing.”
(sources: IBDB, NYT's ON THIS DAY, 440.com’s Those Were The Days, Playbill.com, imdb)
Milla
Updated On: 5/7/05 at 07:27 PM
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