Tag: Broadway
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FERNANDO LAMAS
January 9, 1916 Fernando Álvaro Lamas y de Santos was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He studied drama at school in his native country and later enrolled in a law course at college. He abandoned his studies to take up horse riding, winning trophies fencing and boxing and becoming the South American Freestyle Swimming Champion of…
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HELLO BROADWAY – GOODBYE, TV! / DESILU REVUE
December 20, 1959 [On December 20, 1959, many US newspapers carried stories about Lucille Ball’s plans to do Broadway, as well as her upcoming “Desilu Revue” and the end of the “Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”. Italics indicate quotes from Lucille Ball. The indented text and footnotes offers historical context on the articles, which are otherwise reproduced verbatim.] Lucille…
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WILDCAT
December 17, 1960 Wildcat is a musical comedy about Wildcat Jackson and her sister who come to oil country in 1912 to strike it rich. She runs into the prowess of Joe Dynamite, and a battle of the sexes and the oil tycoons ensues. Wildcat wasn’t written with the 48 year-old queen of comedy in…
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GLADYS HURLBUT
December 9, 1898 Gladys Hurlbut was an actress born in Dresden, a city in the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York, although some sources report that she was born in Norwich, Connecticut. She began her acting career on Broadway in 1920 and appeared in seven plays through 1949. As a playwright, she wrote three…
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TOO MANY GIRLS
October 8, 1940 Too Many Girls was an RKO film musical based on the stage musical of the same title. It was produced and directed by George Abbott, who had also directed the Broadway production. The music was composed by Richard Rodgers, the lyrics by Lorenz Hart, and the book was by George Marion, Jr. although…
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LIFE: 30 MILLION DOLLAR GAMBLE
October 6, 1958 The October 6, 1958 (volume 45, #14) issue of LIFE included a multi-page article about Lucy and Desi’s purchase of RKO Studios. In the above photo Desi clutches a book about famous novelists. Desilu Playhouse developed teleplays based on many great works of literature. The cover photo featured France Nuyen, star of…
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PAUL HARVEY
September 10, 1882 Paul Harvey was born as Roy Paul Harvey on September 10, 1882 in Sandwich, Illinois. He starred on Broadway in The Awful Truth (1922, above left with Bruce McRae and Ina Claire) and repeated his role in the film in in 1929, which is now presumed lost, although it was remade twice (without…
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The ‘Wildcat’ Episode, or, Did Broadway Love Lucy?
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RED SCARE!
July 22, 1940 Being the Ricardos (2021) is built around several real-life events in the lives of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Perhaps the most critical is the accusation that Lucille Ball was a Communist. Pointedly, the Los Angeles Herald Express used red (the color of communism and Ball’s famous locks) ink for a rare…
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MORONI OLSEN
June 27, 1889 Moroni Olsen was born in Ogden, Utah, to Mormon parents. During World War I, he sold war bonds for the US Navy. In 1923, Olsen organized the ‘Moroni Olsen Players’ in Ogden. He got his start on Broadway in 1920 starring as Jason (of the Argonauts) in Medea alongside “Lucy” cast member Byron Foulger. He…
Papermoon Loves Lucy 