| June 29 |
| 1915 -- Ruth Warwick, eventual wife of philandering newspaper mogul Charles Foster Kane and future ruling diva of Pine Valley, USA, is born in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Stage-trained and a singer in her own right, Ruth came into the national spotlight when Orson Welles cast her in her first film role as wife Emily to his 'Citizen Kane.' Among the many innovations Welles brought to the screen, Ruth is prominent in perhaps the most remembered: to show the passage of time and the deterioration of a marriage, Welles used time lapse photography and an ever-lengthening and sterile breakfast table to show the breakdown between Charles and Emily. It was for this role that Ruth earned her nickname, 'Mrs. Citizen Kane.' Contrary to popular belief, though, 'All My Children' wasn't Ruth's foray into soap operas: she was Springfield RN Janet Jones from 1953-54 on 'Guiding Light' and in Springfield and among the original cast of Oakdale's 'As the World Turns' from 1956-1960 as Chris's sister, Aunt Emily Hughes. (okay, I know way too much about soap opera geography). But it was as iron lily Ruth Tyler (remember that her first husband, Dr. Charles Tyler, had a jones for downtrodden nurse Mona Kane, single mom of troublesome Erica) that she truly shone. Ruth's talent and sense of style made herself and Phoebe Tyler (a role she still played occasionally until her death) classics in soap opera-dom. By the way, here's a triller ('killer trivia') for you: who was married most often, Phoebe Tyler or Ruth Warwick? Answer: according to imdb.com, Phoebe's full name was Phoebe English Tyler Wallingford Matthews Wallingford. Ruth's name was Ruth Warwick Rolf Neubert McNamara Neubert Freda Cushing (yes, just like Phoebe, Ruth married, divorced and eventually remarried the same man.) So, with a final score of 6 - 4, Ruth wins! Ruth wins! Ruth wins! (Or, depending on your perspective, Ruth loses! Ruth loses! Ruth loses!) Regardless, we tv fans lost on January 15, 2005, when Ruth died in NYC of complications from pneumonia. She was six months shy of her 90th birthday. 1925 -- Cara Williams, an actress whose most popular character was famous before she ever appeared on screen, is born Bernice Kamiat in Brooklyn. In October 1954, 'December Bride' debuted on CBS. The wildly popular comedy, which hit the Top Ten each of its first four seasons, featured Harry Morgan as neighbor Pete Porter, who, like George Gobel and 'spooky ol' Alice,' quipped and dead-panned stories about his unseen wife, Gladys. No problem, right? Right. At least not until 'December Bride' was cancelled and network execs gave Morgan's character his own series. And with a title like 'Pete and Gladys' it was time to give Gladys a place on the screen. The task would have been difficult for any actor, but the talented Cara met with consistently high reviews. Disappointingly, the show itself was cancelled after just two seasons, but CBS remained so high on Cara's talents that they ordained her the next great comedienne, ala Lucille Ball, and gave her 'The Cara Williams Show,' in which she and Frank Aletter portrayed divorced office workers who marry but must keep their relationship secret. A shuffle at 'Black Rock' signaled a change in direction at CBS, though, and led to the demise of the eponymous show after just one season. In many ways, that was also the end of Cara's show business career. Cara, who was married for eight years to John Barrymore, Jr., became more and more successful in interior design and, according to imdb.com, in championship poker as well. (We're guessing that Cara figured if she had to deal with sharks, she might as well have the better hand!) 1944 -- William Gareth Jacob Busey is born in Goose Creek, Texas. While Gary's career has often been overshadowed by outlandish off-screen activities, the man has talent. Often forgotten is his 1978 Best Actor nomination for the lead in 'The Buddy Holly Story' (Jon Voigt won for 'Coming Home'), an honor that spelled an end to his (non-reality) television work. Prior to that, though, Gary had an interesting run of solid guest-star roles in 'Baretta,' 'Bonanza' and 'Kung Fu.' (NOTE: it's popularly reported that Gary was the last actor who was 'killed' on 'Gunsmoke.' Not true; his character in Episode #633, 'The Busters,' dies from a blood clot on the brain after being kicked by a horse.) Gary also starred in one (non-reality) series, with Jack Elam and a pre-Luke Skywalker Mark Hamill in 1974's 'The Texas Wheelers.' Happy Birthday, Gary! 1966 -- Neil Diamond makes his debut on 'American Bandstand.' 1967 -- at approximately 2:25 a.m., Jayne Mansfield, riding along with two other adults in the front seat of a 1966 Buick Electra 225, are killed when their vehicle crashes into the back of tractor-trailer on US 90 near Biloxi, Mississippi. Three of her children -- including 3 and 1/2 year old Mariska -- are in the backseat and receive only minor injuries. Jayne was just 34 years old. Daughter Mariska (pronounced muh-RISH-kuh) is co-star of NBC's Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. 1970 -- Liza Minelli airs a television special on NBC. In 1978, actor Bob Crane, who played Colonel Robert Hogan in the TV show "Hogan�s Heroes", was found bludgeoned to death in Scottsdale, AZ. He was 49 years old. Prime suspect John Henry Carpenter was tried -- and acquitted -- in 1990. 1994 -- Barbra Streisand sets a record for the largest- grossing concert series. Her Madison Square Garden shows bring in approximately $16 million. 2003 -- Great Kate, legendary Katharine Hepburn, dies at the age of 96. And that kind of brilliance doesn't need any embellishment . . . |