Today's Birthdays 9/24

[do_re_milla]

Posted: 9/24/04 at 4:10pm

F. Scott Fitzgerald 09/24/1896 - Dec 21, 1940 Source Material, Writer - THE GREAT GATSBY; THE VEGITABLE (produced by The Lenox Hill Players); THE YOUNG & THE BEAUTIFUL

Ben Oakland 09/24/1907 Lyricist, Composer - HOLD YOUR HORSES (Ona Munson); BLUES IN THE NIGHT (Leslie Uggams, Debbie Shapiro)

Audra Lindley 09/24/1918 - Oct 16, 1997 Wife of James Whitmore (1972-1979) divorced, performer - COMES THE REVELATION (Wendell Corey); HEADS OR TAILS (Werner Klemperer, Les Tremayne); SPOFFORD (Melvyn Douglas, Barbara Britton)

Theresa Merritt 09/24/1924 - Jun 12, 1998 performer - orig CARMEN JONES; TAMBOURINES TO GLORY (Judd Jones [beautiful voice], Robert Guillaume, Micky Grant); GOLDEN BOY; TRUMPETS OF THE LORD (Cicely Tyson); DIVISION STREET (John Lithgow, Christin Lahti); MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM; MULE BONE (Vanessa Williams)

Sheila MacRae 09/24/1924 Mother of Heather MacRae, wife of Gordon MacRae (1941 - 1967) divorced, performer - 1966 GUYS & DOLLS; tv's The Honeymooners, The Jackie Gleason Show; author: Mother of the Year

Arthur Malet 09/24/1927 performer - SHADOW OF A GUNMAN (Bruce Dern, Susan Strasberg); MOONBIRDS (Wally Cox, Phyllis Newman, Peggy Pope)

Kelly Brown 09/24/1928 - Mar 13, 1981 performer - GOLDILOCKS; FROM A TO Z (Hermione Gingold, Alvin Epstein); I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE (Lillian Roth, Elliot Gould, Jack Kruschen, Sheree North, Barbra Streisand)

Anthony Newley 09/24/1931 - Apr 14, 1999 Writer, Lyricist, Composer, Director, Performer, husband of Joan Collins (1963 - 1971) divorced; 1 daughter and 1 son - Newley will go on to be a legend in the theatre world by creating two new musicals. Stop the World--I Want to Get Off, a collaboration with Leslie Bricusse, opened in 1962 and was not only directed by Newley, but also featured him as a performer. Newley went on to work with Bricusse again in 1965 for The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd. Newley is also remembered for his performance as the inevitable Matthew Mugg in the movie, "Doctor Dolittle," starring Rex Harrison; perf'd in Cabaret Venues like RAINBOW & STARS where I saw him 2X's. I remember a song from a show he was writing about RICHARD III (of all things) that was positively beautiful.

Jim (James Maury) Henson 9/24/1936 - 5/16/1990 premier muppeteer, and voice of Kermit the Frog - There’s a fictional neighborhood where some of the residents are named Kermit, Big Bird, Bert & Ernie, Miss Piggy, and Oscar the Grouch. It’s called Sesame Street. The puppeteer first named his puppets, Muppets, in 1954 when he was working as a producer of the Washington, D.C. TV show, Sam and Friends.

SHOWS THAT OPENED ON THIS DATE:

1953 Take a Giant Step, starring the young Louis Gossett, opens today at the Lyceum Theatre. The Playbill for the production states that young Gossett is a high school student in Brooklyn who aspires to be a pharmacist.

1958 The Gate Theatre on Second Avenue hosts the opening of a new play by James Forsythe, Heloise, tonight. Twenty-four year old Alan Arkin is in the production.

1974 A revival of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof opens tonight at the ANTA Theatre. The play has been updated since its 1956 Broadway production, now including profanity in the script. Elizabeth Ashley stars as Maggie. Her co-stars include Keir Dullea, Fred Gwynne and Kate Reid. Michael Kahn, now director of the drama division at the Juilliard School, directs. The revival will run 160 performances.

Oh! Calcutta! 09/24/1976

1977 - Get out the polyester cruisewear! The Love Boat set sail -- on ABC-TV. Captain Stubing (Gavin MacLeod); Cruise Director, Julie McCoy (Lauren Tewes); Dr. Adam Bricker (Bernie Kopell); Bartender, Isaac Washington (Ted Lange); and Yeoman-Purser, Burl ‘Gopher’ Smith (Fred Grandy) took to the calm seas each week. The show’s theme, The Love Boat, written by Paul Williams and Charles Fox, was sung by Jack Jones. It was great to see stars like Ethel Merman & Ann Miller on this show.

Orpheus Descending 09/24/1989 - Vanessa Redgrave, Marcia Lewis, Tammy Grimes

ON THIS DAY IN:

1955 - Millions of Americans tuned in to watch Judy Garland make her TV debut on the Ford Star Jubilee. The CBS show received the highest television ratings to that time.

1961 - Bullwinkle J. Moose and his friend, Rocket J. (Rocky) Squirrel, were seen in prime time for the first time on NBC-TV. The Sunday night cartoon (7-7:30 p.m.) was called The Bullwinkle Show. Originally Bullwinkle and Rocky appeared on ABC in a weekday afternoon series, Rocky and His Friends.

1991 Children's author Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, died at age 87.

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

Milla

[Broadwaybaby614]

Posted: 9/24/04 at 6:19pm

And my mom!