| July 18 |
| 1910 -- Richard Bernard Skelton is born today in Vincennes, Indiana. Born into poverty, 'Red' left home when he was 10 years old because, as he often said (although most audiences thought he was joking), he was hungry. Joining a medicine show that travelled throughout the Midwest, he joined the vaudeville circuit at age 15 and at 17 married Edna, the first of three wives. With Edna as his manager and co-writer, Red became a radio star by 1937and then, beginning with his film debut in 1940, appeared and/or starred in 30 films between his 1938 debut and 1951, when he brought 'The Red Skelton Show to television. From then until 1971, Red used mime, physical comedy and memorable characters to brighten viewers' lives over the course of the next 20 years. A talented artist, Red's series of clown works brought him increasing recognition, especially after the cancellation of his weekly variety series. Red Skelton died of pneumonia on September 17, 1997. He was 84 years old. 1960 -- 'I'm Sorry' by Brenda Lee topped the charts and stayed there for 3 weeks. As far as we know, the 4'9"Brenda is the shortest singer to ever hit the top. (Okay, so the payoff wasn't great, but the tidbit is interesting.) 1964 -- The Beatles release 'A Hard Days Night.' 1969 -- Barbara Pepper, best remembered as the first Doris Ziffel on TV`s 'Green Acres,' dies of a coronary thrombosis. One of the sadder stories of Hollywood, Barbara never recovered from the death of her husband in a motorcycle accident in 1947. Overcome with grief, Barbara reportedly slipped deeper and deeper into alcoholism and depression and work became harder and harder to find. alcoholism and crippling depression both made it increasingly difficult for her to find work. Barbara Pepper was 57 years old when she died. 1970 -- Pink Floyd and Deep Purple played a free concert at London's Hyde Park. The only thing better would have been if Moby Grape opened. 1981 -- Kristen Anne Bell is born in Huntington Woods, Michigan. The daughter of a television news director and a registered nurse, Kristen made her Broadway debut in 2001 as Becky Thatcher in 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' and in 2004 began a three-year run as diminutive teenager/private investigator 'Veronica Mars.' Following 'Veronica's' cancellation in 2007, Kristin moved on to a number of big-screen roles (including the titular 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall') and small (she's the voice of 'Gossip Girl' and has a recurring villainous role on 'Heroes'). Happy Birthday, Kristen! 1989 -- Rebecca Schaeffer, former star of CBS sitcom 'My Sister Sam,' is tragically shot to death by an obsessed fan at her home in Los Angeles. Rebecca's murder prompted California to pass the nation's first anti-stalking law. Rebecca's final appearance on screen was the ironically-titled 1990 telefilm 'The Death of Innocence.' Rebecca was just 21 years old at the time of her murder. There are many fine resource groups available. Privacy Rights dot org is one of them. Stalking takes many forms and victimizes men as well as women. Stalking is not a show of love. You are not 'making' someone do it. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! |
| Red's films include 'DuBarry Was a Lady,' 'Ziegfield Follies,' 'The Fuller Brush Man' and, in 1950, he had a cameo in Lucille Ball's 'The Fuller Brush Woman.' |
