On this date guitarist Les Paul (aka Lester Polfus) was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Best known for the guitar that bears his name, Les Paul was a country-music guitarist, jazz-pop musician and pioneer in music technology. In 1941, Paul built his first solid-body electric guitar and over the next decade he developed revolutionary engineering techniques such as close miking, echo delay, and multi-tracking.
On this date Jackie Mason was born in Sheboygan. Known as the Jewish Will Rogers and one of the original "Borscht-Belt comics," Mason's first one-man Broadway show, The World According To Me, played to sell-out, standing-room only crowds for two years and was a phenomenal success on its American and European tours. It earned a Tony Award for Outstanding Theatrical Achievement in 1989 as well as Outer Critics Circle Award, Ace Award, Emmy Award and Grammy nomination.
On this date film and TV actress Charlotte Rae (aka Charlotte Lubotsky) was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Rae is best known for her role as Mrs. Edna Garrett, the house mother on the TV sitcom
The Facts of Life which aired from 1979 to 1986. She also portrayed Silvia Schnauser on Car 54-Where Are You? and Molly, the mail lady, on Sesame Street. [Source: Internet Movie Database]
On this date Spencer Tracy was born in Milwaukee. He attended the Northwestern Military Academy in Lake Geneva and Ripon College. He won Academy Awards for Best Actor in Captain Courageous and Boys Town.
On this date Kato Kaelin was born in Milwaukee. He made a few appearances in film and TV, but is mainly known for his testimony in the O.J. Simpson trial. Kaelin lived on Simpson's estate when O.J.'s wife was murdered. [Source: Internet Movie Database Inc.]
Christopher Crosby Farley was born in Madison on February 15, 1964. He studied theatre and communications at Marquette University. After finishing school Farley joined the cast of the Second City Theatre, where he was discovered by Saturday Night Live producer, Lorne Michaels.
Chris would have been 46 years old today.
** Having grown up in Madison and having friends that went to Edgewood (where Chris went to high school) I heard lots of funny stories about his antics. One of my favorites: Chris swung across the gymnasium on a rope during an all-school assembly -- wearing only his tighty whities.
On this date [in 1970] film actress Heather Graham was born in Milwaukee. Graham's filmography includes roles in Drugstore Cowboy (1989), Boogie Nights (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), and The Hangover (2009)
Happy Birthday to Mr. Baseball, Bob Uecker!
Comments [0]