Tag: Jack Benny
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GAIL BONNEY
December 15, 1901 Gail Bonney was born Goldie Bonowitz in Columbus, Ohio. She has a twin sister. Her screen career began in the late 1940s and continued for three decades. Her first screen credit came in January 1948 playing a gossipy woman (uncredited) in Slippy McGee. Bonney was seen in two 1950 films featuring Lucille Ball. …
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FRANK GERSTLE
September 27, 1915 Francis M. Gerstle was born in New York City on September 27, 1915. He appeared in 60 films between 1950 and 1970 and 110 television programs between 1951 and 1970. He was usually seen in stern authoritarian roles as cops, doctors, or military types. Gerstle (above left) uttered one of the most…
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DEAN MARTIN
June 7, 1917 Dean Martin was born Dino Paul Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio and became one of the most popular and enduring entertainers of the mid-20th century. A singer, actor, and comedian, Martin’s career breakthrough came in 1946 through his partnership with comedian Jerry Lewis, billed as Martin & Lewis. They performed in nightclubs and…
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HERB VIGRAN
June 5, 1910 – November 29, 1986 Herbert Vigran was a character actor from the 1930s to the 1980s. Vigran was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, but his family moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, when he was 16. He married Belle Pasternack in 1952 and they had two sons. Over his 50-year career, he made over 350…
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DENNIS DAY
May 21, 1916 Dennis Day was born Owen Patrick Eugene McNulty in New York City. He is best known for his professional relationship with Jack Benny, who he first teamed with on radio in 1939, and continued performing with until Benny’s death in 1974. His “Gee, Mr. Benny!” became a well-known catchphrase. He was an Irish…
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FRANK NELSON
1911-1986 Frank Nelson was born on May 6, 1911 (three months before Lucille Ball) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He started working as a radio announcer at the age of 15. He later appeared on such popular radio shows as “The Great Gildersleeve,” “Burns and Allen,” and “Fibber McGee & Molly”. Aside from Lucille Ball, Nelson is…
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LUCILLE BALL: A Life on TV
1949-1989 Lucille Ball performed in nearly every aspect of show business, but television was the medium on which she left her mark. From the late 1940s until her death on April 26, 1989, Lucille Ball lit up television screens worldwide with her talent. Below I’ve selected one program from each calendar year she was on…