Today's Birthdays 9/17 - John Ritter, Anne Bancroft, Baz Luhrmann

[do_re_milla]

Posted: 9/17/03 at 5:57pm

David Oistrakh 9/17/1908 - 10/24/1974 brilliant Russian violin virtuoso, IMHO his Brahms & Sibelius Violin Concerti recording is the greatest.

Anthony Quayle 09/17/1913 - Oct 20, 1989 director, performer – TAMBURLAINE THE GREAT (Wm. Shatner, Colleen Dewhurst); SLEUTH (Keith Baxter, Phillip Farrar)

Hank Williams 09/17/1923 - Jan 1, 1953 performer, source material, composer/lyricist – HIGH ROLLERS & SOCIAL PLEASURE CLUB; HANK WILLIAMS: LOST HIGHWAY

Roddy McDowall 09/17/1928 - Oct 3, 1998 performer – 1953 MISALLIANCE (Richard Kiley, Tamara Geva); GOOD AS GOLD (Paul Ford, Zero Mostel); COMPULSION (Dean Stockwell, Michael Constantine, Suzanne Pleshette); THE FIGHTING COCK (Arthur Treacher, Rex Harrison); orig CAMELOT (John Cullum [bway debut], Julie Andrews, Robert Goulet, Richard Burton, Bruce Yarnell); THE ASTRAKHAN COAT (Brian Bedford, James Coco); my fav film’s HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY; MY FRIEND FLICKA

Anne Bancroft 09/17/1931 performer, Wife of Mel Brooks – 2 FOR THE SESAW (Henry Fonda, Bancroft’s bway debut); THE MIRACLE WORKER (Patty Duke, Patrical Neal, James Congdon); MOTHER COURAGE & HER CHILDREN (Barbara Harris, Gene Wilder, Richard Morse); THE DEVILS (Albert Dekker, Jason Robards); 1967 LITTLE FOXES (Richard Dysart, Geo. C. Scott, Austin Pendleton, Margaret Leighton, E.G. Marshall – what a cast!); A CRY OF PRAYERS (Paul Rudd, René Auberjonois, Frank Langella); DUET FOR ONE (Max Von Sydow)

Dorothy Loudon 09/17/1933 performer – origs NO WHERE TO GO BUT UP (Martin Balsam, Frank Campanella, Bert Convy, Mary Ann Mobley, Dean Taliaferro, Dean Taliaferro, Tom Bosley); THE FIG LEAVES ARE FALLING (David Cassidy, Barry Nelson); BALLROOM (Vincent Gardenia, Dorothy Danner); ANNIE (Laurie Beechman, Andrea McArdle, Danielle Brisebois); THE WESTSIDE WALTZ (Katherine Hepburn); NOISES OFF; JERRY’S GIRLS; COMEDY TONIGHT (Joy Behar, Mort Sahl); tv’s & film’s The Garry Moore Show, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Pat Crowley 09/17/1934 SOUTHERN EXPOSURE (Cameron Mitchell); tv’s & film’s Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, Red Garters

Ken Kesey 9/17/9135 author, source material: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

John Ritter 09/17/1948 - Sep 11, 2003 performer, son of Tex Ritter – THE DINNER PARTY (Henry Winkler, Jan Maxwell, Penny Fuller, Veanne Cox, Len Cariou – I happen to have enjoyed this show especially Len Cariou); tv’s 3’S COMPANY

Steve Sanders 09/17/1952 - Jun 10, 1998 performer, Singer for the popular country group the Oak Ridge Boys from 1987 to 1995. Shot himself to death – THE YEARLING (David Wayne, Lois Grandi, Barbara Miller, Dolores Wilson)

Rita Rudner 09/17/1955 MACK & MABLE (Bernadette Peters, Robert Preston, Lisa Kirk); SO LONG 174TH ST (Loni Ackerman, Robert Morse); MACK & MABEL

Baz Luhrmann 09/17/1962 producer/director – LA BOHEME; my fav film STRICTLY BALLROOM (is this coming to the stage?)

Kyle Chandler 09/17/1965 performer – 1994 PICNIC (Debra Monk, Ashley Judd)

Tara FitzGerald 09/17/1968 performer, Grandniece of Geraldine Fitzgerald – 1995 HAMLET (Ralph Fiennes, Francesca Annis)

SHOWS THAT OPENED ON THIS DATE:

1894 Arms and the Man opens tonight at the Herald Square Theatre. It stars Richard Mansfield, who himself describes the play as a "little satirical comedy of no great weight." This is the first American production of a George Bernard Shaw play. The New York Dramatic Mirror will proclaim that although the audience enjoyed it on press night, the language may be "too ironic for it to ever become popular with the average theatregoer."

Mr. Pickwick 09/17/1952 – (based on Pickwick Papers) Estelle Winwood

2000 The first Broadway revival of Gore Vidal's 1960 political drama The Best Man opens tonight at the Virginia Theatre. The production, which stars Charles Durning, Spalding Gray, Chris Noth, Elizabeth Ashley and Christine Ebersole, will play a limited run through Dec. 31, closing after 121 performances. The production is memorable for setting up a voting booth in the lobby and letting ticket holders "vote" for president. Vice President Al Gore beats Gov. George W. Bush decisively, but the November general election will have a surprise in store.

ON THIS DATE IN:

1917 Playwright George S. Kaufman becomes the newest member of the drama department at The New York Times. His beginning salary is $36 a week.

1972 The comedy series ''M.A.S.H.'' premiered on CBS.

1983 - Vanessa Williams, Miss New York, was crowned Miss America. Williams was the first black woman in the 62-year history of the Miss America Pageant to win the coveted title. Williams relinquished her crown during her reign when nude pictures of her were published in Penthouse magazine. She went on to enjoy popularity as a singer (Dreamin’, Save the Best for Last) and an actress (Candyman, Another You, Under the Gun).

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

Milla Updated On: 9/17/03 at 05:57 PM

[dotmarie]

Posted: 9/17/03 at 7:05pm

John Ritter It's so unfortunate he passed away a week before his birthday, on his daughter's 5th birthday, the day before his wife's birthday, and a week before his wedding anniversary. So sad.