Month: November 2011

Great Google doodle today.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835), Dick Clark (1929), Bill Walsh (1931) and Sandra Oh (1970) were all born on November 30th.

And it’s not a national holiday!

Seriously?!

It’s the birthday of Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, in Florida, Missouri (1835), who wrote Life on the Mississippi (1883), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), and his own favorite, The Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (1891). He was cynical and irreverent, but he had a tender spot for cats. There were always kittens in the house, and he gave them names like “Sin” and “Sour Mash.” “Mamma has morals,” said his daughter Suzy, “and Papa has cats.” He swore constantly and without shame. His streams of profanity broke his wife’s heart on a daily basis. One day he cut himself shaving, and she heard a string of oaths from the bathroom. She resolved to move him to repentance, and she repeated back to him all the bad words he had just said. He smiled at her and shook his head. “You have the words, Livy,” he said, “but you’ll never learn the tune.” After he published The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he found himself awash in cash, which he invested in a typesetting machine that was very complicated and very ingenious and demanded more and more investment and in the end would not work. He had to declare bankruptcy, and he decided to go on a worldwide lecture tour, the proceeds of which he would use to pay back all of his creditors. His visits to Africa and Asia convinced him that a God who allowed Christians to believe that they were better than savages was a God he wanted no part of. He was a funny man and is remembered for his humorous sayings. He said, “It is better to keep you mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.” He also said, “Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”

The Writer’s Almanac from American Public Media (2005)

As a teenager, Clark began his career in broadcasting in 1945 in the mailroom of station WRUN in Utica, New York, working his way up to weatherman and then newsman. After graduating from Syracuse University in 1951, Clark moved from radio into television broadcasting at station WKTV in Utica. Here, Clark hosted Cactus Dick and the Santa Fe Riders, a country music program which became the training ground for his later television hosting persona. In 1952, Clark moved to Philadelphia and radio station WFIL as a disc jockey for Dick Clark’s Caravan of Music. At that time, WFIL was affiliated with a television station which carried Bandstand, an afternoon teen dance show. Clark often substituted for Bob Horn, the show’s regular host. When Horn was jailed for drunken driving in 1956, Clark took over as permanent host, boosting Bandstand into Philadelphia’s best-known afternoon show. From that point on, he became a fixture in the American television broadcasting arena.

In 1957, the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) picked up the program for its daytime schedule, changing the name to American Bandstand.

The Museum of Broadcast Communications

William Ernest Walsh. . .Led 49ers to three Super Bowl wins (XVI, XIX, XXIII) in 10 years. . .Overall record: 102-63-1. . . Got first head coaching job at age 47. . .Led 49ers to first-ever NFL title in just three years. . . Won six NFC Western division titles, three NFC championships. . .NFL Coach of Year, 1981; NFC Coach of Year, 1984. . .Widely recognized as passing offense expert with keen ability to evaluate talent. . . Born November 30, 1931, in Los Angeles, California. . .Died July 30, 2007, at age of 75.

Pro Football Hall of Fame

It’s also the birthday

… of Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Inspector Lewis Erskine and Stuart Bailey is 93.

… of Robert Guillaume, 84.

… of G. Gordon Liddy, 81. If the good die young, Liddy will live forever.

… of movie director Ridley Scott. He’s 74. Three nominations for the best director Oscar: Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down.

… of Terrence Malick, 68.

… of David Mamet. The playwright is 64. Two Oscar nomintations for writing, Wag the Dog and The Verdict.

… of Mandy Patinkin. “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” Patinkin is 59.

… of Billy Idol, 56.

… of Bo Jackson, 49.

… of Ben Stiller. He’s 46.

… of Amy Ryan, 42.

Oliver Winchester was born 201 years ago today. A clothing manufacturer, Winchester bought a small failing division of Smith & Wesson in 1850, the division that made a rudimentary repeating rifle. In 1860, an engineer working for Winchester, Benjamin Tyler Henry, developed the first successful repeating rifle. It was improved upon and became known as the Winchester in 1866.

Winston Churchill was born on this date in 1874.

Lucille Ball married Desi Arnaz 71 years ago today.

Saturnino Orestes Armas “Minnie” Miñoso Arrieta is 86 today. Miñoso played for the Indians, the White Sox, the Cardinals and Senators from 1949-1964. He also played for the White Sox in 1976 (3 games) and in 1980 (2 games). At 54 in 1980, Miñoso was the second oldest ever to come to bat. More significantly, he was a 9-time All-Star and had a career BA of .298.

Vin Scully is 84 today. Scully started broadcasting Dodger games in Brooklyn in 1950. Seems unlikely now, but Scully called NFL games for CBS 1975-1982.

John Mayall is 78. He should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for his influence alone — Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Mick Taylor, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie among those once in the Bluesbreakers. That’s Mayall in 2004 in the photo and with Clapton for his 70th birthday the year before. Crank it up.

Diane Ladd is 76. Ladd has appeared in more than 100 films and television programs and has been nominated for the best supporting actress Oscar three times including her portrayal of Flo in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and in a film with her daughter Laura Dern, Rambling Rose.

The outstanding Tigers catcher Bill Freehan is 70.

Garry Shandling is 62.

Joel Coen, the Joel of the Coen Brothers, is 57. (Ethan was 54 in September.) Films by the brothers include O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Raising Arizona, The Hudsucker Proxy, Miller’s Crossing, Blood Simple, The Man Who Wasn’t There, No Country for Old Men, Barton Fink, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, Burn After Reading, A Serious Man and True Grit.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is 52.

Actress Kim Delaney is 50.

Don Cheadle is 47. Cheadle was, of course, nominated for the best actor Oscar for his performance in Hotel Rwanda.

Mariano Rivera is 42 today. He can’t pitch forever, right?

C.S. Lewis was born on this date in 1898. He’s the author of the seven-volume children’s series The Chronicles of Narnia.

Louisa May Alcott was born on this date in 1832.

“Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,” grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.

“It’s so dreadful to be poor!” sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress.

“I don’t think it’s fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all,” added little Amy, with an injured sniff.

“We’ve got Father and Mother, and each other,” said Beth contentedly from her corner.

The four young faces on which the firelight shone brightened at the cheerful words.

The Library of Congress’s Today in History has a lot about Alcott.

The first Army-Navy football game was 121 years ago today. Navy won 24-0.

George Harrison died 10 years ago today.

Stan the Man is 91. He batted .331 lifetime. It ought to be a national holiday.

After 22 years as a Cardinal, Stan Musial ranked at or near the top of baseball’s all-time lists in almost every batting category. The dead-armed Class C pitcher was transformed into a slugging outfielder who topped the .300 mark 17 times and won seven National League batting titles with his famed corkscrew stance and ringing line drives. A three-time MVP, he played in 24 All-Star games. He was nicknamed The Man by Dodgers fans for the havoc he wrought at Ebbets Field and was but one home run shy of capturing the National League Triple Crown in 1948.

Baseball Hall of Fame

Today is also the birthday

… of “That Girl” Marlo Thomas, now 74.

… of Malcolm John “Mac” Rebennack, Jr. That’s Dr. John, in the right place, wrong time. He’s 71 today.

… of actress Juliet Mills. Hayley’s older sister and John’s older daughter is 70. Juliet Mills first appeared in a movie in 1942, when she played an infant.

… basketball hall-of-famer Earl Monroe. The Pearl is 67.

… of writer-director-actor Harold Ramis. He’s 67. Ramis co-wrote the screenplay and directed “Groundhog Day,” enough to make me a fan. He was the doctor in the film.

… of Goldie Hawn. Kate Hudson’s mom is 66.

… of the other Judy Garland daughter, Lorna Luft. She’s 59.

… of journalist and editor Tina Brown. She’s 58.

… of the not so desperate Nicollette Sheridan. She’s 48.

… of Björk Guðmundsdóttir. Björk is 46.

… of football hall-of-famer Troy Aikman. He’s 45.

… of probable future baseball hall-of-famer Ken Griffey Jr. Junior is 42.

… of Michael Strahan, 40.

Coleman Randolph Hawkins was born on this date in 1904. According to Wikipedia:

Lester Young, who was called “Pres”, in a 1959 interview with The Jazz Review, said “As far as I’m concerned, I think Coleman Hawkins was the President first, right? As far as myself, I think I’m the second one.” Miles Davis once said: “When I heard Hawk, I learned to play ballads.”

François-Marie Arouet was born in Paris on this date in 1694. We know him as Voltaire.

“Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.”