106th day of 2009 - 259 remaining
Thursday, April 16, 2009
LITTLE TRAMP DAY
In his autobiography, he wrote, “There are more valid facts and details in works of art than there are in history books.”
Charlie Chaplin’s life was a work of art and it began on this day in 1889 in London, England. He started on his acting career as a young child, performing on stage, then touring with Fred Karno’s company as a teenager. When he was twenty-four, Chaplin joined Mack Sennett’s Keystone company where he made over thirty films. These films were the making of the cane-twirling clown with the baggy pants. The character of the little tramp came to fulfillment in the 1915 film, The Tramp.
Four years later, he formed United Artists Corporation with other film artists, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith, and produced many independent films including The Gold Rush in 1925, City Lights in 1931 and Modern Times in 1936. His first talkie was The Great Dictator in 1940. And one of his most remembered films was made in 1952, Limelight.
Ostracized from the American film community and denied reentry after a trip abroad, because of his refusal to become an American citizen, his left-wing causes and his marriages to several teenagers, Charlie Chaplin lived in Switzerland from 1952 until 1972 with his fourth wife, Oona, the daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill.
In 1972, he returned to the United States (this time he was permitted entry) to accept a special award at the Annual Academy Awards. And, in 1975 he was knighted by the Queen of England. Two years later, on Christmas Day, the little tramp died at his home in Vevey, Switzerland.
Many have imitated or attempted to become the next Charlie Chaplin. However, as Max Sennett once said, Chaplin is the “greatest artist who ever lived.”
Events
April 16
1851 - A lighthouse was swept away in a gale at Minot’s Ledge, .
1900 - The first book of U.S. postage stamps was issued. The two-cent stamps were available in books of 12, 24 and 48 stamps.
1905 - An endowment of a college teachers’ pension fund was established by Andrew Carnegie. He donated $10,000,000 of personal money to set up the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
1922 - Belvin Maynard, better known as the ‘Flying Parson’, gave his first sermon from an airplane this day. No, Reverend Maynard was not found guilty of speaking ‘down’ to his flock...
1926 - The Book-of-the-Month Club in New York City chose as its first selection, Lolly Willowes or The Loving Huntsman by Sylvia Townsend as the offering to its 4,750 members.
1940 - The first no-hit, no-run game thrown on an opening day of baseball season was earned by Bob Feller. The Cleveland Indians blanked the Chicago White Sox 1-0.
1947 - Zoomar arrived. No, this is not about some comic book superhero or space alien. Zoomar is a lens demonstrated by NBC-TV in New York City. The Zoomar lens is a device that can feature close-up and long distance camera shots from a stationary camera. Eventually, the lens would be scaled down for use by regular photographers, not just for television. There are many different kinds of close-up/long distance lenses today, including the zoom lens named after the original Zoomar.
1957 - Polly Bergen starred in The Helen Morgan Story on the CBS television presentation of Playhouse 90.
1968 - Baseball’s longest night game was completed -- after 24 innings. The game took six hours, six minutes to play. The winner? The Houston Astros.
1973 - Former Beatle, Paul McCartney, leading the group, Wings, starred in his first TV special titled, James Paul McCartney. The show featured the new group, including Paul’s wife, Linda (on keyboards and backing vocals).
1978 - St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Forsch pitched a no-hitter beating the Phillies 5-0. His brother, Ken, repeated the feat with the Houston Astros a year later, making them the first brothers to throw major-league no-hitters. Bob tossed a second no-hitter in September, 1983, to set a record for Cardinal pitchers.
1980 - Composer and conductor Morris Stoloff died at age 81. He was musical director at Columbia Pictures for more than two decades, beginning in 1936. Stoloff won three Academy Awards, including one for The Jolson Story in 1946. Ten years later, his recording of Moonglow and Theme From Picnic topped the Billboard chart for three weeks.
1987 - From the Here’s How Not to Be like Howard Stern file: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) sternly warned U.S. radio stations to watch the use of indecent language on the airwaves. This was directed at shock jocks, like Stern, and those on your neighborhood radio station. Some stations, the FCC noted, had gone way beyond the seven dirty words made famous by comedian George Carlin in a routine from the early 1970s.
Birthdays
April 16
1660 - Hans Sloane
doctor, naturalist, collector: instrumental in the founding of the British Museum [the national museum and library of the United Kingdom]: Sloane left his personal collection to Great Britain upon his death; died in 1753
1866 - Jose de Diego
patriot and political leader of Puerto Rico; April 16 is a legal holiday in Puerto Rico in honor of de Diego; died July 17, 1918
1867 - Wilbur Wright
aviator: one of the Wright Brothers; died May 30, 1912
1871 - John Millington Synge
poet, playwright: The Playboy of the Western World, The Aran Islands, Shadow of the Glen, Riders to the Sea, The Well of the Saints; died Mar 24, 1909
1889 - Sir Charles (Spencer) ‘Charlie’ Chaplin
actor, comedian; died Dec 25, 1977; see Little Tramp Day [above]
1913 - Les Tremayne (Henning)
actor: The War of the Worlds, Francis Goes to West Point, The Slime People, I Love Melvin; died Dec 19, 2003
1914 - John Hodiak
actor: The Miniver Story, Conquest of Cochise; died Oct 19, 1955
1917 - Barry Nelson (Nielsen)
actor: Airport, The Shining, Pete ’n’ Tillie, The Human Comedy, Island Claw, Shadow of the Thin Man; died Apr 7, 2007
1919 - Merce Cunningham
dancer, choreographer: films: Changing Steps, Beach Birds for Camera
1921 - Sir Peter Ustinov
Academy Award-winning actor: Spartacus [1960], Topkapi [1964]; Quo Vadis, Death on the Nile, Beau Brummel; died Mar 28, 2004
1922 - Kingsley Amis
novelist: The Crime of the Century, Lucky Jim; died Oct 22, 1995
1923 - Bennie Green
trombonist, lyricist: The Diamond and the Goose; journalist; died Mar 23, 1977
1924 - Henry Mancini (Enrico Nicola Mancini)
Academy Award-winning composer: Moon River [1961], Days of Wine and Roses [1962], Breakfast at Tiffany’s score [1961], Victor/Victoria score [1982]; composed themes for The Pink Panther, Mr. Lucky, Peter Gunn, Charade, NBC Mystery Movie, NBC Nightly News, Love Theme from Romeo & Juliet; 20 Grammy Awards; died June 14, 1994
1927 - Edie Adams (Elizabeth Edith Enke)
actress: The Apartment, The Oscar, Love with the Proper Stranger, The Ernie Kovacs Show; spokesperson for Muriel Cigars: “Hey big spender, spend a little time with me.”; died Oct 15, 2008
1929 - Roy Hamilton
singer: You’ll Never Walk Alone, If I Loved You, Ebb Tide, Unchained Melody, Don’t Let Go, You Can Have Her; died July 20, 1969
1930 - Herbie Mann (Soloman)
jazz musician, flautist: Hijack, Superman, Comin’ Home Baby, Bang! Bang!, Violets Don’t be Blue; died July 1, 2003
1933 - Ike Pappas
newsman: CBS News
1935 - Bobby Vinton (Stanley Vintulla)
singer: Roses are Red [My Love], Blue on Blue, Blue Velvet, Mr. Lonely, There! I’ve Said It Again, My Melody of Love
1939 - Dusty Springfield (Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien)
singer: Wishin’ and Hopin’, You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me, The Look of Love, Son-of-a-Preacher Man, The Windmills of Your Mind, A Brand New Me; group: The Springfields: Silver Threads and Golden Needles; inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [3-15-99]; died Mar 2, 1999
1942 - Jim (James Reynold) Lonborg
baseball: pitcher: Boston Red Sox [Cy Young Award: 1967/World Series: 1967/all-star: 1967], Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies
1947 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor)
Basketball Hall of Famer: LA Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks: NBA career record: games played [1.560], points [38,387], field goals [15,387], blocked shots [3,189] cameo role: Airplane!
1947 - Gerry Rafferty
singer, songwriter: Stuck in the Middle with You, Star, Baker Street
1949 - Bill Spooner
musician: guitar: group: The Tubes: LPs: Young and Rich, T.R.A.S.H., Love Bomb
1953 - Jay O. Sanders
actor: Tucker: The Man and His Dream, Crime Story, Aftermash
1954 - Ellen Barkin
Emmy Award-winning actress: Before Women Had Wings [1997 miniseries]; Diner, Tender Mercies, Wild Bill, Bad Company, Daniel, Sea of Love, Eddie and the Cruisers
1963 - Jimmy Osmond
singer: group: The Osmonds: the youngest Osmond
1965 - Jon Cryer
actor: Heads, Hot Shots!, Superman 4: The Quest for Peace, Pretty in Pink, No Small Affair, Partners, The Famous Teddy Z
1976 - Lukas Haas
actor: Boys, Leap of Faith, Rambling Rose, The Lady in White, Witness, Mars Attacks!
Chart Toppers
April 16
1946Oh, What It Seemed to Be - The Frankie Carle Orchestra (vocal: Marjorie
Hughes)
You Won’t Be Satisfied - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal: Doris Day)
Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief - Betty Hutton
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter
1954Wanted - Perry Como
Cross Over the Bridge - Patti Page
Here - Tony Martin
Slowly - Webb Pierce
1962Johnny Angel - Shelley Fabares
Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley
Slow Twistin’ - Chubby Checker
She’s Got You - Patsy Cline
1970Let It Be - The Beatles
ABC - The Jackson 5
Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum
Tennessee Bird Walk - Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan
1978Night Fever - Bee Gees
Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees
Lay Down Sally - Eric Clapton
Someone Loves You Honey - Charley Pride
1986Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
Kiss - Prince & The Revolution
Manic Monday - Bangles
She and I - Alabama
Happy Birthday Gerry Rafferty
02 - Baker Street.zip
Guapo Vic.
Linear Mode
