Tag: Desi Arnaz
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ROCK HUDSON
November 17, 1925 Rock Hudson was born Roy Harold Scherer Jr. on November 17, 1925 in Winnetka, Illinois. One of the most popular movie stars of his time, Hudson’s screen career spanned four decades. A prominent heartthrob of the Golden Age of Hollywood, he achieved stardom with his role in Magnificent Obsession (1954), followed by All That Heaven…
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LUCY’S COURTSHIP BECOMES HER FIRST NEW TV SHOW
November 3, 1957 On November 3, 1957, syndicated columnist Margaret McManus wrote about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s new venture, “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”, which began airing on November 6, 1957 with “Lucy Goes to Havana”, an origin story of the Ricardos first meeting. The 75-minute program featured Hedda Hopper, Cesar Romero, Rudy Vallee, as well as…
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TV GUIDE(S)
November 2, 1957 The November 2, 1957 edition of TV Guide (Vol. 5, No. 44, issue #240) featured Lucille Ball on the cover in a caricature by noted artist Al Hirschfeld. This was Hirschfeld’s tenth TV Guide cover. This was Lucille Ball’s eighth of 39 covers, having appeared on the cover of the very first…
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SHEPARD MENKEN
November 2, 1921 Shepard Menken was born in New York City on November 2, 1921. He is sometimes billed as “Shep” Menken or Shepard Menkin. He made his film debut in 1949 with a supporting role in The Red Menace, in which he played Henry Solomon. The film dealt with the growing fear of communism, something…
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JOAN BANKS
October 30, 1918 Joan Elinor Banks was born in Petersburg, West Virginia. She studied Russian ballet as a girl and her talent earned her a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Art. She attended Hunter College. Banks was a regular on the popular 1930s radio series “Gangbusters.” She married fellow “Gangbusters” actor Frank Lovejoy in 1940. …
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ELSA LANCHESTER
October 28, 1902 Elsa Sullivan Lanchester was born in Lewisham, London. She studied dance in Paris under Isadora Duncan, whom she disliked. When the school was discontinued due to the start of the World War I, she returned to the UK. “My parents were always a bit arty. They were ‘advanced’. They supported pacifism, vegetarianism,…
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DON GARNER
October 24, 1923 Don Garner was born Gordon Garner in Greeley, Colorado. He attended Gardena High School in Gardena, California, and Los Angeles City College. Garner appeared in a total of 37 motion pictures plus network television. During the Korean War, he traveled with actor Raymond Burr in a USO tour in the Far East. He…
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HY AVERBACK
October 21, 1920 Hyman Jack Averback was an accomplished Producer / Director and Actor who was born in Minneapolis and moved to California with his family when he was 9. He graduated from the Edward Clark Academy Theater in 1938 and eventually got a job announcing at KMPC Beverly Hills before World War II. As part of…
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LUCY & DESI: DIVORCED!
October 16, 1944 On this date in 1944, Lucille Desiree Ball was granted a divorce from Desiderio Alberto Arnaz in a Los Angeles Superior court. The two had separated on September 6, 1944. Ball’s mother, Desiree “Dede” Ball, was in court to substantiate Lucille’s accusations. Arnaz was then in the military, serving as a Staff…
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BENNETT GREEN
October 13, 1904 Bennett Green was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on October 13, 1904. He is primarily remembered as Desi Arnaz’s camera and lighting stand-in on “I Love Lucy” but also frequently appeared on camera. His first screen appearance was uncredited, in the Universal serial Raiders of Ghost City (1944). His first appearance on TV…