| August 2 |
1905 -- Myrna Adele Williams is born in Radersburg Montana. When Myrna's father, a cattle rancher, was 21 he was elected to the State Legislature and moved his family moved to the state capital. It was there, at age 12, that Myrna made her stage debut at the Marlowe Theater. Tragically, Myrna's father died of influenza the following year and Myrna, her mother and brother moved to Los Angeles. Appearing in stage productions at Grauman's Theater to help support the family, Myrna was spotted on stage by Mrs. Rudolph Valentino, who helped her get some bit parts. It was after 'talkies' (and after she left Warner Brothers for MGM) that Myrna's career took off, especially with 1935's 'The Thin Man,' a landmark pairing with William Powell as suave detectives Nick and Nora Charles. There were six 'Thin Man' films, but they were not the only successes of Myrna's career; an already impressive resume' 'The Best Years of Our Lives,' 'The Red Pony' and both 'Cheaper By the Dozen' and its sequel 'Bells on Their Toes.' After Doris Day's 'Midnight Lace' in 1960, it was nine more years before she accepted another film role. Turning more to television for steady work, Myrna stood out in 'Etude in Black' on 'Columbo' and in the 1971 telefilm 'Do Not Fold, Spindle or Mutilate,' but Hollywood no longer had roles for the actress dubbed 'The Perfect Wife.' Myrna didn't lose her sense of humor, though; referring to nickname, she once said, 'Some perfect wife I am. I've been married four times, divorced four times, have no children, and I can't boil an egg.' Myrna's final role was in 1982 in the Tony Randall sitcom 'Hello, Sidney.' She died during surgery on December 14, 1993, while undergoing surgery. 'The Perfect Wife' was 88 years old. 1918 -- Beatrice Whitney Straight, cousin of Gloria Vanderbilt, is born in Old Westbury, New York. In a family of overachievers, her brother, at 16, became the youngest licensed pilot in England. Beatrice's work was primarily on stage and television ('Beacon Hill') with comparatively little work on film. One notable exception, of course, was her appearance as William Holden's wife in 1976's 'Network.' Beatrice died of pneumonia on April 7, 2001. She was 86 years old. 1922 -- Alexander Graham Bell dies of diabetes in Nova Scotia. He was 75 years old. According to Harold S. Osborne's 'Biographical Memoir of Alexander Graham Bell, 1847-1922,' during Bell's funeral, all the telephones in North America were silenced as a tribute. 1954 -- Actor Patrick Alan Lilley is born in Los Angeles. Known by his stage name of Butch Patrick, he's best known for the role of 'Eddie' on ABC sitcom 'The Monsters' and, as a teen, for his role in 'Lidsville.' (All the characters are hats.) Butch still appears at signings and conventions and continues to work in the music industry. 1962 -- Robert Zimmerman legally changes his name to Bob Dylan. 1965 -- CBS correspondent Morley Safer sent the first TV report from Vietnam indicating the US was losing the war. 1978 -- comedienne Totie Fields, a regular game show and talkshow guest (she had 40 appearances on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' alone), dies of a pulmonary embolism at her home in Las Vegas. Despite battling diabetes for years and breast cancer for the last few years of her life, Totie continued to perform. She was just 48 years old. (Fight the fight for yourself and those you love. Visit the American Diabetes Association's website.) 1981 -- Dr. Noah Drake gets a big hit; actor Rick Springfield, who in two years will join the cast of 'General Hospital,' hits #1 with 'Jessie's Girl.' The song will win a Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. 1992 -- She was not just the 'It' Girl; she was the 'Pepsi It Girl.' Talented young actress Hallie Kate Eisenberg is born today in East Brunswick, New Jersey. 1998 -- Puppeteer Shari Lewis, creator of 'Lamb Chop' and 'Charley Horse, dies of uterine cancer. She was 65 years old. |
| Describing herself as a youngster, Myrna said "I was a homely kid with freckles that came out every spring and stuck on me till Christmas." (Thanks to lifelikecharm dot com for use of the photo at left. Visit their website for a terrific virtual tour of Helena's past.) |
| John Dillinger was gunned down outside the Biograph Theater in 1934. He had just seen 'Manhattan Melodrama,' starring Myrna Loy. |
| Beatrice Straight's Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in the 1976 film 'Network' was not without controversey; at 5 minutes and 40 seconds, her performance was the briefest ever to win an Academy Award. |
| According to imdb.com, Butch's stepfather is two-time MLB All-Star Ron Hunt |
