#1
Posted: 7/24/07 at 11:55am
Alexandre Dumas, père 07/24/1802 - 12/5/1870 writer, source mat’l – 3 MUSKETEERS; KEAN; MONTE CRISTO
William Gillette 07/24/1853 - 4/29/1937 writer, performer; Cousin of writer Clare Kummer; Was the first actor to be universally acclaimed for portraying Sherlock Holmes, having staged the first authorized play in 1899; in one of his productions of "Sherlock Holmes," he gave a young unknown actor the supporting role of Billy, the messenger boy. That actor was the later famous comedian Charles Chaplin; as Holmes, he smoked a curved Meerschaum pipe, rather than the more accurate straight clay pipes that Holmes always smoked in the stories. Gillette did this because it was nearly impossible for him to do believable "business" with the clay pipes. Because of this, one of the stereotypical Holmes trademarks is a Meerschaum; his home in East Haddam, Connecticut, is known as Gillette's Castle and is now a state park. The castle was built for him and contains many ingenious and unique items designed by him; for example, no two of the forty-seven interior doors are alike; performed his Sherlock Holmes around 1,300 times. – 1899 Sherlock Holmes; Three Wise Fools (James Kirkwood, Charles Coburn); 1974 SHERLOCK HOLMES (John Wood, Tim Pigott-Smith, Barbara Leigh-Hunt); tv's & film's The Battle at Fort Laramie; The Delayed Special; Too Much Johnson; Sherlock Holmes; Held by the Enemy; Secret Service; The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
E. F. Benson 07/24/1867 - Feb 29, 1940 writer, dir. Source mat’l – Aunt Jeannie (Mrs. Patrick Campbell); MAKE WAY FOR LUCIA (Cyril Ritchard); tv's MAPP & LUCIA (Geraldine McEwen, Prunella Scales and Nigel Hawthorne)
Robert Graves 07/24/1885 – 12/7/1985 writer, source mat’l – I CLAUDIUS
Lila Lee 07/24/1901 - Nov 13, 1973 performer, mother of James Kirkwood, wife of James Kirkwood (divorced) - Edgar Allan Poe (James Kirkwood); The Milky Way
Alexander Cohen 7/24/1920 - Apr 22, 2000 producer; father of Christopher & Barbara Cohen, husband of Hildy Parks; known for bringing quality plays to Broadway for six decades is born today. Lastly represented on Broadway by the Noel Coward play, Waiting in the Wings, starring Lauren Bacall and Rosemary Harris, he will produce 101 Broadway shows, including the 1964 Hamlet starring Richard Burton, Harold Pinter’s drama The Homecoming, Peter Brook’s Tony Award-winning La Tragedie de Carmen, James Joyce's Ulysses in Nighttown starring Zero Mostel, Dario Fo's Accidental Death of An Anarchist, Long Day's Journey Into Night and Ah, Wilderness, both starring Jason Robards and Colleen Dewhurst. In 1967, he conceived and originated the national Tony Awards telecast.
Jacqueline Brookes 07/24/1930 performer – origs. Tiger at the Gates (Michael Redgrave, Morris Carnovsky); MORE STATELY MANSIONS (Ingrid Bergman, Coleen Dewhurst, Arthur Hill); 1977 CHERRY ORCHARD; tv's & film's Sea of Love; The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear; Whispers in the Dark; The Good Son; Losing Isaiah; Ghost Story; Another World; The Secret Story; As The World Turns
Ruth Buzzi 07/24/1936 performer – orig. SWEET CHARITY; tv’s & film's ROWAN & MARTIN’S LAUGH-IN; Adventures in Homeschooling; The Jetsons; That Girl; Disneyland Sunday Night Series; Love American Style; Freaky Friday; The Love Boat; Up Your Alley; Fallen Angels
Chris Sarandon 07/24/1942 performer, Susan Sarandon’s ex, now married to Joanna Gleason [l;ucky gal!]; The son of a Greek immigrant and restaurateur, he was born and raised in Beckley, West Virginia, where, as a teen, he appeared on the musical stage and played drums and sang back-up with a local band called The Teen Tones. Graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1960, his band was so good they found themselves touring and backing up such music legends as Bobby Darin, Gene Vincent and Danny and the Juniors. Chris attended West Virginia University majoring in speech, and appeared in such musical productions as "The Music Man" as Harold Hill. He went on to attend the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he received his master's degree in theater and met first wife Susan Sarandon. Touring with improv companies and in regional theater productions, he made his professional debut in "The Rose Tattoo" in 1965 and later joined the Long Wharf Theatre Company for a season. – The Light in the Piazza [replacement]; THE ROTHSCHILDS; NICK & NORA (Barry Bostwick, Joanna Gleason, Debra Monk, Christine Baranski, Faith Prince); tv's & film’s PRINCESS BRIDE (love it; what's happening w/the new musical?); Child’s Play, Deadly Temptress, The Nightmare before Christmas, The Guiding Light; Law & Order; Fright Night
Michele Lee 07/24/1942 performer; Wife of Fred Rappaport (1987 - present) Wife of James Farentino (1967 - 1982) divorced – BRAVO GIOVANNI (Cesare Siepi, Maria Karnilova, Lainie Kazan); HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING; ALLERGIST’S WIFE; tv's & film's Knot's Landing; How To Succeed; Will & Grace
Michael McCormick 07/24/1951 performer, Alison Bevan’s hubby – origs. – OLIVER; LA BETE; 2003 GYPSY; 2006 The Pajama Game; 1997 1776; Curtains
Kristin Chenoweth 07/24/1968 performer; Was engaged to Marc Kudisch; Chenoweth turned down the role of Miss Dorothy in 'Thoroughly Modern Millie' on Broadway; Finished 1st runner-up in the Miss Oklahoma pageant; Earned a bachelor's degree in musical theater from Oklahoma City University, which she attended on a full scholarship to study voice. Afterwards, she studied for and earned a master's degree in opera performance. – STEEL PIER; CHARLIE BROWN; 2 that I loved EPIC PROPORTIONS & Candide; WICKED; The Apple Tree (Marc Kudisch, Brian d'Arcy James); Concert @ the MET; tv's & film's West Wing; Bewitched; The Music Man; Kristin; 2006 The Pink Panther; Pushing Daisies; Running With Scissors
Anna Paquin 7/24/1982 performer - The 24 Hour Plays 2004 & 2006; film's X-Men I, II, III; The Piano, Jane Eyre, Amistad, Almost Famous, Finding Forrester, Buffalo Soldiers; Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee; Blue State
SHOWS THAT OPENED ON THIS DATE:
1983 Mame with Angel Lansbury, Jane Connell, IMHO the late GREAT Anne Francine
1997 Following a sold-out limited run at Greenwich House, Douglas Carter Beane's comedy, As Bees in Honey Drown, begins a commercial Off-Broadway run today at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. Although Bo Foxworth has taken over the lead role from Josh Hamilton, who must leave to honor a film commitment, most of the cast, including J. Smith-Cameron, T. Scott Cunningham, Sandra Daley, and Mark Nelson, remains intact. Saw it 3X's; Can't wait for THE BAND WAGON!
2001 Mike Nichols' starry production of Chekhov's The Seagull begins performances at Central Park's Delacorte Theatre. Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline head the cast as Arkadina and Trigorin. Also in the cast are Marcia Gay Harden as Masha, Natalie Portman as Nina, Christopher Walken as Sorin, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Konstantin, John Goodman as Shamrayev, Debra Monk as Polina, Stephen Spinella as Medvedyev and Larry Pine as Dorn. I could kick myself, missed this 1!
2003 Big River w/Tyrone Giordano, Michael McElroy, Michael Arden); wonderful production
ON THIS DAY IN:
1985 Film buffs will be interested to know that up until this day in 1985, Tony-winner Mandy Patinkin was to star opposite Meryl Streep in the Mike Nichols film Heartburn. After this one day of shooting, however, Patinkin is replaced on the project by Academy Award-winner Jack Nicholson. The Evita star's future film credits will include 1987's "The Princess Bride" (my favorite Mandy Patinkin film appearance) and 1990's "Dick Tracy." He will return to Broadway in fall 1998 with his one-man show Mamaloshen.
(sources: IBDB, IMDB, NYT On This Day, & 440.com’s Those Were The Days, playbill.com)
Milla
William Gillette 07/24/1853 - 4/29/1937 writer, performer; Cousin of writer Clare Kummer; Was the first actor to be universally acclaimed for portraying Sherlock Holmes, having staged the first authorized play in 1899; in one of his productions of "Sherlock Holmes," he gave a young unknown actor the supporting role of Billy, the messenger boy. That actor was the later famous comedian Charles Chaplin; as Holmes, he smoked a curved Meerschaum pipe, rather than the more accurate straight clay pipes that Holmes always smoked in the stories. Gillette did this because it was nearly impossible for him to do believable "business" with the clay pipes. Because of this, one of the stereotypical Holmes trademarks is a Meerschaum; his home in East Haddam, Connecticut, is known as Gillette's Castle and is now a state park. The castle was built for him and contains many ingenious and unique items designed by him; for example, no two of the forty-seven interior doors are alike; performed his Sherlock Holmes around 1,300 times. – 1899 Sherlock Holmes; Three Wise Fools (James Kirkwood, Charles Coburn); 1974 SHERLOCK HOLMES (John Wood, Tim Pigott-Smith, Barbara Leigh-Hunt); tv's & film's The Battle at Fort Laramie; The Delayed Special; Too Much Johnson; Sherlock Holmes; Held by the Enemy; Secret Service; The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
E. F. Benson 07/24/1867 - Feb 29, 1940 writer, dir. Source mat’l – Aunt Jeannie (Mrs. Patrick Campbell); MAKE WAY FOR LUCIA (Cyril Ritchard); tv's MAPP & LUCIA (Geraldine McEwen, Prunella Scales and Nigel Hawthorne)
Robert Graves 07/24/1885 – 12/7/1985 writer, source mat’l – I CLAUDIUS
Lila Lee 07/24/1901 - Nov 13, 1973 performer, mother of James Kirkwood, wife of James Kirkwood (divorced) - Edgar Allan Poe (James Kirkwood); The Milky Way
Alexander Cohen 7/24/1920 - Apr 22, 2000 producer; father of Christopher & Barbara Cohen, husband of Hildy Parks; known for bringing quality plays to Broadway for six decades is born today. Lastly represented on Broadway by the Noel Coward play, Waiting in the Wings, starring Lauren Bacall and Rosemary Harris, he will produce 101 Broadway shows, including the 1964 Hamlet starring Richard Burton, Harold Pinter’s drama The Homecoming, Peter Brook’s Tony Award-winning La Tragedie de Carmen, James Joyce's Ulysses in Nighttown starring Zero Mostel, Dario Fo's Accidental Death of An Anarchist, Long Day's Journey Into Night and Ah, Wilderness, both starring Jason Robards and Colleen Dewhurst. In 1967, he conceived and originated the national Tony Awards telecast.
Jacqueline Brookes 07/24/1930 performer – origs. Tiger at the Gates (Michael Redgrave, Morris Carnovsky); MORE STATELY MANSIONS (Ingrid Bergman, Coleen Dewhurst, Arthur Hill); 1977 CHERRY ORCHARD; tv's & film's Sea of Love; The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear; Whispers in the Dark; The Good Son; Losing Isaiah; Ghost Story; Another World; The Secret Story; As The World Turns
Ruth Buzzi 07/24/1936 performer – orig. SWEET CHARITY; tv’s & film's ROWAN & MARTIN’S LAUGH-IN; Adventures in Homeschooling; The Jetsons; That Girl; Disneyland Sunday Night Series; Love American Style; Freaky Friday; The Love Boat; Up Your Alley; Fallen Angels
Chris Sarandon 07/24/1942 performer, Susan Sarandon’s ex, now married to Joanna Gleason [l;ucky gal!]; The son of a Greek immigrant and restaurateur, he was born and raised in Beckley, West Virginia, where, as a teen, he appeared on the musical stage and played drums and sang back-up with a local band called The Teen Tones. Graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1960, his band was so good they found themselves touring and backing up such music legends as Bobby Darin, Gene Vincent and Danny and the Juniors. Chris attended West Virginia University majoring in speech, and appeared in such musical productions as "The Music Man" as Harold Hill. He went on to attend the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he received his master's degree in theater and met first wife Susan Sarandon. Touring with improv companies and in regional theater productions, he made his professional debut in "The Rose Tattoo" in 1965 and later joined the Long Wharf Theatre Company for a season. – The Light in the Piazza [replacement]; THE ROTHSCHILDS; NICK & NORA (Barry Bostwick, Joanna Gleason, Debra Monk, Christine Baranski, Faith Prince); tv's & film’s PRINCESS BRIDE (love it; what's happening w/the new musical?); Child’s Play, Deadly Temptress, The Nightmare before Christmas, The Guiding Light; Law & Order; Fright Night
Michele Lee 07/24/1942 performer; Wife of Fred Rappaport (1987 - present) Wife of James Farentino (1967 - 1982) divorced – BRAVO GIOVANNI (Cesare Siepi, Maria Karnilova, Lainie Kazan); HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING; ALLERGIST’S WIFE; tv's & film's Knot's Landing; How To Succeed; Will & Grace
Michael McCormick 07/24/1951 performer, Alison Bevan’s hubby – origs. – OLIVER; LA BETE; 2003 GYPSY; 2006 The Pajama Game; 1997 1776; Curtains
Kristin Chenoweth 07/24/1968 performer; Was engaged to Marc Kudisch; Chenoweth turned down the role of Miss Dorothy in 'Thoroughly Modern Millie' on Broadway; Finished 1st runner-up in the Miss Oklahoma pageant; Earned a bachelor's degree in musical theater from Oklahoma City University, which she attended on a full scholarship to study voice. Afterwards, she studied for and earned a master's degree in opera performance. – STEEL PIER; CHARLIE BROWN; 2 that I loved EPIC PROPORTIONS & Candide; WICKED; The Apple Tree (Marc Kudisch, Brian d'Arcy James); Concert @ the MET; tv's & film's West Wing; Bewitched; The Music Man; Kristin; 2006 The Pink Panther; Pushing Daisies; Running With Scissors
Anna Paquin 7/24/1982 performer - The 24 Hour Plays 2004 & 2006; film's X-Men I, II, III; The Piano, Jane Eyre, Amistad, Almost Famous, Finding Forrester, Buffalo Soldiers; Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee; Blue State
SHOWS THAT OPENED ON THIS DATE:
1983 Mame with Angel Lansbury, Jane Connell, IMHO the late GREAT Anne Francine
1997 Following a sold-out limited run at Greenwich House, Douglas Carter Beane's comedy, As Bees in Honey Drown, begins a commercial Off-Broadway run today at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. Although Bo Foxworth has taken over the lead role from Josh Hamilton, who must leave to honor a film commitment, most of the cast, including J. Smith-Cameron, T. Scott Cunningham, Sandra Daley, and Mark Nelson, remains intact. Saw it 3X's; Can't wait for THE BAND WAGON!
2001 Mike Nichols' starry production of Chekhov's The Seagull begins performances at Central Park's Delacorte Theatre. Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline head the cast as Arkadina and Trigorin. Also in the cast are Marcia Gay Harden as Masha, Natalie Portman as Nina, Christopher Walken as Sorin, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Konstantin, John Goodman as Shamrayev, Debra Monk as Polina, Stephen Spinella as Medvedyev and Larry Pine as Dorn. I could kick myself, missed this 1!
2003 Big River w/Tyrone Giordano, Michael McElroy, Michael Arden); wonderful production
ON THIS DAY IN:
1985 Film buffs will be interested to know that up until this day in 1985, Tony-winner Mandy Patinkin was to star opposite Meryl Streep in the Mike Nichols film Heartburn. After this one day of shooting, however, Patinkin is replaced on the project by Academy Award-winner Jack Nicholson. The Evita star's future film credits will include 1987's "The Princess Bride" (my favorite Mandy Patinkin film appearance) and 1990's "Dick Tracy." He will return to Broadway in fall 1998 with his one-man show Mamaloshen.
(sources: IBDB, IMDB, NYT On This Day, & 440.com’s Those Were The Days, playbill.com)
Milla
