| May 21 |
| 1917 -- Raymond William Stacy Burr was born in New Westminster, BC. Originally a singer, he will always be known as Perry Mason, attorney extraordinaire, and, to a lesser extent, wheelchair-bound San Francisco police chief Robert 'Ironside.' According to imdb.com, he "was the original host of 'Unsolved Mysteries,' but hosted only its first special in January, 1987. He was then briefly replaced by Karl Malden. However, both actors requested salaries that show producer John Cosgrove deemed astronomical. So by the time the show became a regular series in 1988, Robert Stack had been hired as the permanent host." Burr was also known in horticultural circles for his love of orchids. He named one after Barbara Hale, his secretary Della Street on 'Mason.' Raymond Burr died September 12, 1993, of liver cancer. Active to the end, he starred in three 'Mason' tele-movies (one of which was released posthumously) and an 'Ironside' reunion movie the year of his death. 1973 -- under-appreciated singer and bandleader Vaughn Monroe died in Stuart, Florida, following stomach surgery. Although he was featured on one television show and hosted another in the '50s, and although he had more than 50 Billboard hits in the days before rock, his music is now largely forgotten by the public. He did receive some posthumous recognition when his 1946 version of 'Let It Snow' was featured on the first two 'Die Hard' soundtracks. At the time of his death, Vaughn Monroe was 61. 1987 -- Argentinian actor Alejandro Rey, who portrayed casino owner Carlos Ramirez on 'The Flying Nun,' died of lung cancer at the age of 57. 1989 -- pastels were packed away and people wore socks again as the last episode of 'Miami Vice' aired on NBC. During its peak, Czech composer Jan Hammer's theme song hit #1 on music charts worldwide. 1992 -- Bette Midler was Johnny Carson's last guest on NBC's "Tonight Show.'' She sang several songs, including a short duet with Johnny and a special version of 'Thanks for the Memories.' 1999 -- after 18 consecutive nominations and 18 consecutive losses for her portrayal of Pine Valley spitfire Erica Kane, 5'2" Susan Lucci finally wins a Best Actress Daytime Emmy for her work on 'All My Children.' As of this writing, Erica has been married 10 times, but that could still change. A lot. Really fast. It could've even changed in the time it took you to read this . . . (Note: her first marriage was to young Dr. Jeff Martin, portrayed by actor Charles Frank). 2003 -- Ruben Studdard beats out Clay Aiken to win the second season of 'American Idol.' |