[buddyjh]

317th day of 2009 - 48 remaining

Friday, November 13, 2009
THE SHEIK DAY

That great romancer of the silver screen, Rudolph Valentino, starred in The Sheik, which was released on this day in 1921. The Sheik firmly established Valentino’s popular reputation as the Great Lover, and his last film, the comical Son of the Sheik (1926), sealed that title.

But the actor never thought of himself as a conqueror of women -- nor as a great actor. He found the Sheik films rather silly. Rudy’s wife, Natacha Rambova responded to her husband’s screen image: “My husband is a great lover of home life.” However, the publication of Valentino’s volume of poetry, Day Dreams (1923), further fueled the public’s imagination and drove fans into bookstores with a vengeance.

Rudolph Valentino had plans to make more serious films beginning with an ambitious version of El Cid, to be called The Hooded Falcon. In town for the premiere of Son of the Sheik, he collapsed in New York on August 15, 1926. Valentino died eight days later from peritonitis -- before he could begin to work on films that would make the public forget his sheikly shenanigans.

So the grandiose romantic persona persists, and we remember Rudolph Valentino as the Great Lover, The Sheik.

Remember, too, these great films from Valentino:

The Conquering Power (1921), The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921), Beyond the Rocks (1922), Blood and Sand (1922), The Young Rajah (1922), Monsieur Beaucaire (1924), A Sainted Devil (1924), The Eagle (1925), Cobra (1925) and The Son of the Sheik (1926).

Events
November 13
1927 - After seven years of construction and over $48 million, the Holland Tunnel, New York City’s connection to Jersey City, NJ, opened to traffic. It was named after the chief engineer of construction, Clifford Milburn Holland, who died before the tunnel was completed.

1930 - The first revolving milk platform was used -- in Plainsboro, NJ. For the first time, 1,680 cows could be milked in seven hours. Now that’s a lot of milk!

1933 - The first sit-down strike was started. The U.S. Workers at the Hormel Packing Company plant in Austin, Minnesota (the home of SPAM) took action against management.

1940 - Alice Marble turned pro. The tennis star signed for $25,000 plus a percentage of the gate receipts.

1946 - The first artificial snow was produced -- by Vincent J. Schaefer over Mt. Greylock, Massachusetts.

1955 - NBC showed the first live TV program from a foreign country (noncontiguous). Scenes from Havana, Cuba were seen by viewers of Dave Garroway’s Wide Wide World program.

1965 - Julie Harris starred in Skyscraper, which opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway in New York City. The musical ran for seven months.

1968 - This was a good day for The Beatles. Their movie, Yellow Submarine, premiered in the U.S. and the single, Hey Jude, topped the pop music charts (it was in its 7th of 9 weeks at #1).

1975 - “Whoa Whoa Whoa, Feeeelings.” One of the great lounge-lizard songs of all time, Feelings by Morris Albert, went gold.

1977 - After 43 years as a regular feature in hundreds of newspapers, Al Capp brought his comic strip, Li’l Abner, to a final conclusion.

1982 - Business as Usual, the smash album by Men at Work, started a fifteen-week run at number one in the U.S. The tracks: Who Can It Be Now?, I Can See It in Your Eyes, Down Under, Underground, Helpless Automation, People Just Love to Play with Words, Be Good Johnny, Touching the Untouchables, Catch a Star, Down by the Sea.

1986 - The state of California put Fricot City on the auction block for $8.8 million. The ‘city’ was actually the former ranch/private estate of Desiré Fricot. It had become a California Youth Authority camp in 1945. Located about 60 miles southeast of Sacramento, Fricot City featured some twenty homes, two gymnasiums, two swimming pools, a full twelve-grade school, a fire station, an infirmary and a chapel.

1998 - These films made first runs in the U.S.: I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (Some Secrets Will Haunt You Forever), starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Brandy Norwood; I’ll Be Home for Christmas (This Yule, be cool.), with Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Jessica Biel and Adam Lavorgna; and Meet Joe Black (No one can die - while he loves!), starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Claire Forlani and Marcia Gay Harden.

1999 - “For the winner by unanimous decision and undisputed heavyweight champion of the world . . . Lennox Lewis!” Lennox Lewis tattoed Evander Holyfield for 12 rounds in Las Vegas, Nevada to earn a unanimous decision and capture the title.

Birthdays
November 13
1850 - Robert Louis Stevenson
author: Treasure Island, Kidnapped, Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, A Child’s Garden of Verses; died Dec 3, 1894

1856 - Louis Brandeis
jurist: Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court [1916-1939]; died Oct 5, 1941

1913 - Alexander Scourby
actor: The Big Heat, Affair in Trinidad; died Feb 22, 1985

1916 - Jack Elam
actor: Support Your Local Sheriff, High Noon, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Cannonball Run series, Pocketful of Miracles, Rawhide, Temple Houston, The Texas Wheelers, The Dakotas; died Oct 20, 2003

1922 - Madeleine Sherwood
actress: The Flying Nun, Hurry Sundown, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Broken Vows, Sweet Bird of Youth

1922 - Oskar Werner
actor: Ship of Fools, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Voyage of the ****ed, Fahrenheit 451; died Oct 23, 1984

1923 - Linda Christian
actress: The Devil’s Hand, Athena

1928 - Steve Bilko
baseball: St. Louis Cardinals 1B, Cubs, Reds, Dodgers, Tigers, Angels; died Mar 7, 1978

1932 - Richard Mulligan
Emmy Award-winning actor: Soap [1979-1980], Empty Nest [1988-1989]; S.O.B., The Hero, The Group, Little Big Man, Diana; died Sep 26, 2000

1934 - Garry Marshall
producer: The Odd Couple, Mork & Mindy, Happy Days; director: Pretty Woman, Beaches; comedy writer: **** Van Dyke Show, The Lucy Show; actor: A League of Their Own, Lost in America; brother of actress Penny Marshall

1938 - Jean Seberg
actress: Paint Your Wagon, The Mouse That Roared, Airport, Joan of Arc, Bonjour Tristesse; died Aug 30, 1979

1939 - Wes (Maurice Wesley) Parker
baseball: LA Dodgers [World Series: 1965, 1966/Gold Glove 1967-1972]

1941 - Dack (Norman) Rambo
actor: Dallas, All My Children, The Guns of Will Sonnett, Sword of Justice, The New Loretta Young Show; died Mar 21, 1994

1941 - Mel (Melvin Leon, Sr.) Stottlemyre
baseball: pitcher: NY Yankees [World Series: 1964/all-star 1965, 1966, 1968-1970]

1947 - Joe Mantegna
Tony Award-winning actor: Glengarry Glenn Ross [1984]; House of Games, Things Change, Airheads, Queen’s Logic, The Godfather Part III, Elvis: The Movie, The Money Pit, Three Amigos, Comedy Zone

1948 - Sheila Frazier
actress: The Hitter, Three the Hard Way, I’m Gonna Git You Sucker, Super Fly, Firehouse, The Lazarus Syndrome

1953 - Tracy Scoggins
actress: Lois and Clark - The New Adventures of Superman, Hawaiian Heat, Dynasty, The Colbys, Alien Intruder, Dead On, The Gumshoe Kid

1953 - Charlie Tickner
figure skater: Ice Capades, bronze medalist: Winter Olympics [1980]; U.S. Champion [1977, 1978, 1979, 1980]

1954 - Chris Noth
actor: Law & Order, Burnzy’s Last Call, Jakarta, Baby Boom, Sex and the City

1955 - Whoopi Goldberg (Caryn Johnson)
Academy Award-winning actress: Ghost [1990]; The Color Purple, Sister Act series, Made in America, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Comic Relief, The Whoopi Goldberg Show, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Bagdad Cafe, Whoopi; Grammy Award-winning comedienne: Whoopi Goldberg [1985]

1959 - Caroline Goodall
actress: Schindler’s List, Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story, Hook, Cliffhanger, The Princess Diaries

1963 - Vinny Testaverde
football: QB: University of Miami [Heisman Trophy winner: 1986]; Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens

1967 - Steve Zahn
actor: Bye Bye Birdie, Sophistry, Reality Bites, Crimson Tide, That Thing You Do!, From the Earth to the Moon, You’ve Got Mail, Chain of Fools, Dr. Dolittle 2, Riding in Cars with Boys

Chart Toppers
November 13
1944Dance with the Dolly - The Russ Morgan Orchestra (vocal: Al Jennings)
I’ll Walk Alone - Dinah Shore
The Trolley Song - The Pied Pipers
Smoke on the Water - Red Foley

1952You Belong to Me - Jo Stafford
Wish You Were Here - Eddie Fisher
Because You’re Mine - Mario Lanza
Jambalaya (On the Bayou) - Hank Williams

1960Save the Last Dance for Me - The Drifters
Poetry in Motion - Johnny Tillotson
Georgia on My Mind - Ray Charles
Wings of a Dove - Ferlin Husky

1968Hey Jude - The Beatles
Those Were the Days - Mary Hopkin
Love Child - Diana Ross & The Supremes
I Walk Alone - Marty Robbins

1976Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart
The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot
Love So Right - Bee Gees
Somebody Somewhere (Don’t Know What He’s Missin’ Tonight) - Loretta
Lynn

1984Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run) - Billy Ocean
Purple Rain - Prince & The Revolution
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham!
I’ve Been Around Enough to Know - John Schneider

Chart Topper November 13th, 1968...Hey Jude - The Beatles

[Victor Hugo]

Excellent job, thanks for all the Information Buddy.

[marty napier]

thank you buddy!

[Crystal Dragon]

Great Stuff as Always -- Thanks Buddy!!!