| June 19 |
| 1905 -- Mildred Natwick is born in Baltimore. The first two-thirds of her career spanned a litany of terrific films: 'The Long Voyage Home' (1940), '3 Godfathers' (1948) 'She Wore a Yellow Ribbon' (1949), 'The Quiet Man' (1952), 'The Trouble with Harry' (1955) and 1967's 'Barefoot in the Park,' for which she was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress . The last third is including many guest starring roles and one co-starring job when she teamed with Helen Hayes as two crime-solving seniors in 'The Snoop Sisters,' a short-lived but still fondly-remembered NBC 'Mystery' wheel and for which Mildred, not Helen, won an Emmy as Best Lead Actress in a Limited Series. Her 1971 telefilm 'Do Not Fold, Spindle or Mutilate,' with Helen Hayes, Myrna Loy and Sylvia Sidney (this teaming with Hayes led to the 'Snoops'), is also still fun to watch. Mildred died of cancer on October 25, 1994, at the age of 89. 1914 -- Lester Raymond Flatt is born in Overton County, Tennessee. The team of Flatt and (Earl) Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys were one of the most popular country music acts of the '50s and '60s, but they became even more popular with their recording of 'The Ballad of Jed Clampett,' the theme from 'The Beverly Hillbillies,' and their recurring roles on the show as, well, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. Their popularity peaked nationally with the recording 'Foggy Mountain Breakdown' from the soundtrack of 'Bonnie and Clyde.' After a long-standing heart condition, Lester died of a heart attack on May 11th, 1979. He was 64 years old. Learn more about Lester, Earl and the boys at Flatt-and-Scruggs.com. Trivia: As depicted on 'The Beverly Hillbillies,' Lester and Earl's wives were, indeed, named Gladys and Louise, respectively, but on the show they were portrayed by Joi Lansing and Midge Ware. 1946 -- the Gillette Razor Company becomes the first network television sponsor as Joe Louis and spunky Billy Conn meet for the second time. Louis won the first one in a final-round TKO ('He can run, but he can't hide). This one doesn't have quite the suspense as The Brown Bomber wins this win on a KO in the 8th. 1952 -- Garry Moore and 'I've Got A Secret' debuts on CBS. Boris Karloff is the first celebrity guest. 1966 -- veteran of vaudeville, film and television Isaiah Edwin Leopold, best-known by his stage name of 'Ed Wynn,' dies of cancer in Beverly Hills. His befuddled character, which he called 'The Perfect Fool,' became his personna one notable exception: his dramatic twist in Rod Serling's 'Requiem for a Heavyweight.' Ed's last performance was in the posthumous Disney film 'The Gnome Mobile.' Isaiah/Ed was 79. 1998 -- Former 'Silver Spoon' Rick Schroder signs on for the role of tragic Detective Danny Sorenson on Steven Bochco's 'NYPD Blue.' |