Luke Judge

84th day of 2010 – 281 remaining

Thursday, March 25, 2010
HUMBLE HOWARD DAY

Howard Cosell (Cohen) was born on this day in 1918. Cosell came to be the most liked — and the most disliked — sports journalist across America.

Cosell agreed when others described him as arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a show-off. And still others said he forgot to include irritating, generous, funny, paranoid, charming, egomaniacal and insecure.

A New York attorney, Cosell ventured into the world of network sports journalism through his association with WABC radio and TV in New York in the 1950s and early 1960s. He was featured as the boxing announcer for ABC Sports and, under Roone Arledge, filled various sports positions on Wide World of Sports — from horse racing to Olympic competition. Cosell would, in a stentorian and often difficult to understand syntax, make use of his abundant vocabulary that contained big, big words that sent sports fans scurrying for their dictionaries.

Always outspoken and frequently controversial, Cosell would Tell It like It Is, the title of one of his best selling books on the subject of sports and broadcasting. It was Cosell who would be the first to claim that Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali), would be a media star; and he championed Alis fight against the draft. His association with the boxer put him in front of Congressional committees and made him a regular guest lecturer in college classrooms.

Cosell later quit broadcasting boxing matches and openly expressed a loathing for that sport, and for football, as well. Humble Howard was also host of a weekly program (not a sports program) for ABC Contemporary Radio — interviews and commentary titled, Speaking of Everything.

Cosell was a major figure, with colleague Jim McKay, in bringing the hard news story to the minds and souls of a nation in 1972 when several Olympians were tragically slain during the Winter Olympics in Germany. He later became more outspoken, even against his own colleagues who he had worked with for so many years. Many people felt that Cosell became a bitter, broken man in his later years following the death of his wife, Emmy. She was the only one who could tell him to …shut up, Howard. Nobody cares.

The once-powerful voice that roared left Monday Night Football after fourteen years.

Howard Cosell died in 1995. Roon Arledge said, Howard Cosell was one of the most original people ever to appear on American TV. He became a giant by telling the truth in an industry that was not used to hearing it and considered it revolutionary.

Events
March 25
1902 – Irving W. Colburn patented the sheet glass drawing machine.

1911 – A turning point in labor laws — especially concerning health and safety — occurred as a result of a tragic fire in a New York City garment factory. Fire broke out at about 4:30p.m. at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company trapping young, immigrant workers behind locked doors. Many jumped to their deaths or were burned beyond recognition. The 18-minute fire left 146 dead; but they did not die in vain as new laws were passed to protect children and others from slave-type labor conditions. The owners of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company were indicted for manslaughter.

1913 – The Palace Theatre opened its doors in New York City. Ed Wynn was first on the vaudeville bill. Some 20 years later, Wynn would be named as radios top entertainer. He later became popular on television, as well.

1931 – Hal Kemp and his orchestra recorded Whistles, with Skinnay Ennis, for Brunswick Records. Both Kemp and Ennis sang in the Dorsey Brothers Concert Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Eugene Ormandy (later, conductor of the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra). The pair were part of the orchestra vocal quartet that also featured Nye Mayhew and Saxey Dowell in 1928.

1934 – Horton Smith won the first Masters golf tournament under the magnolia trees of Augusta National in Georgia.

1936 – The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Montreal Maroons in the longest hockey game to date. The game went on and on and on for 2 hours, 56 minutes.

1937 – Babe Ruth was reported to have received $25,000 a year for the Quaker Oats Company to use his name in ads for Quaker Oatmeal.

1941 – The first paprika mill was incorporated in Dollon, SC. Now you know where those little paprikas that spice up your potato salad come from…

1943 – Jimmy Durante and Garry Moore premiered on network radio. The pair replaced the popular Abbott and Costello following Lou Costellos heart attack. Durante and Moore stayed on the air for four years. Moore would later make the move to television with The Garry Moore Show and To Tell the Truth both on CBS. Durante would also become a TV star on ABC with The Jimmy Durante Show in addition to nightclub appearances, movies and records.

1954 – Radio Corporation of America (RCA) began commercial production of TV sets that were equipped to receive programs in living color. To buy one of those huge sets, television buyers spent $1,000 — and more.

1954 – Our wayback machine takes us to the RKO Pantages Theater in Los Angeles, as we remember the 26th Annual Academy Awards. Actor/singer/dancer Donald OConnor and actor Fredric March (in New York) kept the audience informed on who won what. From Here to Eternity (Buddy Adler, producer) was the big flick of the year, picking up the Oscar for Best Director for Fred Zinnemann, Best Supporting Actor for Frank Sinatra and Best Supporting Actress for Donna Reed, in addition to Best Writing/Screenplay (Daniel Taradash); Best Cinematography/Black-and-White (Burnett Guffey); Best Sound/Recording (John P. Livadary, Columbia SSD); and Best Film Editing (William A. Lyon). The Best Actor award for the films of 1953 went to William Holden for Stalag 17 while the Best Actress award went to Audrey Hepburn for Roman Holiday. Secret Love from Calamity Jane was the Best Music/Song of the Year (Sammy Fain, music, Paul Francis Webster, lyrics). An interesting note: The Best Writing/Story and Screenplay went to the 1953 version of Titanic (Charles Brackett, Walter Reisch, Richard L. Breen). Other memorable movies that year (some Oscar winners, some not): The Robe, Shane, Mogambo, The Moon is Blue and Hondo.

1961 – Elvis Presley performed his first post-Army appearance, a benefit for planning and building the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The concert raised well over $64,000 and raised public awareness of the need for the memorial.

1971 – Tom Jones went gold with his single, Shes a Lady. When Tom gingerly placed the gold disk on his stereo and played it, he was shocked to hear himself singing Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa… for more than four minutes and when he tried to stop it, he couldnt. Amazing!

1972 – The group, America, rode to the top of the pop music charts with their LP, America, and the single (included on the LP), A Horse with No Name. A Horse With No Name would be the groups only gold record and one of two number one songs (the other was Sister Golden Hair, 6/14/75). America placed 11 tunes on the pop music charts between 1972 and 1983. George Martin, the producer of The Beatles, was behind five America tunes, including Tin Man, Lonely People, Sister Golden Hair, Daisy Jane and Todays the Day. Dan Peek, Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell were the original lineup of the trio that won the Best New Artist Grammy in 1972.

1972 – Bobby Hull joined Gordie Howe to become only the second National Hockey League player to score 600 career goals. Hull played for the Chicago Blackhawks and Howe spent his NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings.

1985 – Oscar time again? Yes, and for the 57th time … and at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, no less. Host for the big show was actor/director Jack Lemmon (no stranger to Oscar, himself). The Best Picture of 1985 was Amadeus, produced by Saul Zaentz. The flick, about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, also won Oscars for Best Director for Milos Forman and Best Actor for F. Murray Abraham. The film also won top honors for Best Writing/Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Peter Shaffer); Best Costume Design (Theodor Pistek); Best Sound (Mark Berger, Thomas Scott II, Todd Boekelheide, Christopher Newman); and Best Makeup (Paul LeBlanc, **** Smith). Sally Field was pronounced Best Actress for Places in the Heart, Best Supporting Actor was Haing S. Ngor for The Killing Fields, and the Best Supporting Actress Oscar was given to Peggy Ashcroft for A Passage to India. Stevie Wonders I Just Called to Say I Love You from The Woman in Red took the honors for Best Movie/Song. And the Academy gave an honorary Oscar to Jimmy Stewart in recognition of more than 70 films in his 50-year career. Stewart earned one Oscar for Best Actor in Philadelphia Story (1940), and nominations for Best Actor in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Harvey, Its a Wonderful Life and Anatomy of a Murder.

1991 – Hollywoods best got all dolled up and headed over to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to watch Billy Crystal host the 63rd Academy Awards show. Billy sported an Armani tuxedo as did actors Jeff Goldblum, Tom Hanks, Dennis Hopper, Steve Martin and Denzel Washington. Also clad in Armani … gowns … were Oscar nominees Michelle Pfeiffer, Julia Roberts and Jessica Tandy, prompting Womens Wear Daily to refer to the occasion as the Armani Awards. Best Picture of the year (1990) was Dances with Wolves (Jim Wilson, Kevin Costner, producers). Costner also won for his Best Direction of Dances with Wolves. The Best Actor Oscar went to Jeremy Irons for Reversal of Fortune. Best Actress was Kathy Bates for Misery. The prize for Best Supporting Actor was claimed by Joe Pesci for GoodFellas and Best Supporting Actress was Whoopi Goldberg for Ghost. The Best Music/Song was presented to Stephen Sondheim for Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man) from **** Tracy.

Birthdays
March 25
1867 – John Gutzon Borglum
sculptor: Mt. Rushmore National Memorial [George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt]; died March 6, 1941

1867 – Arturo Toscanini
68 years in musical career: conductor: Milan, Carnegie Hall, Philadelphia Orchestra, NBC Symphony Orchestra; cellist at age 19; died Jan 16, 1957

1881 – Bela Bartok
composer: Mikrokosmos, Concerto for Orchestra, Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste, Solo Sonata for Violin, Concerto No. 2 for Violin and Orchestra; died Sep 26, 1945

1901 – Ed Begley
actor: The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Sweet Bird of Youth, Sorry Wrong Number, On Dangerous Ground, The Oscar; died Apr 28, 1970

1903 – Frankie Carle (Carlone)
pianist, bandleader [w/Horace Heidt], led own band: Saturday Night is the Loneliest Night of the Year, wrote: Oh What It Seemed to Be, Falling Leaves, Lovers Lullaby; died Mar 7, 2001

1908 – David Lean
Academy Award-winning director: Lawrence of Arabia [1962], The Bridge on the River Kwai [1957]; Dr. Zhivago, A Passage to India, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations; died Apr 16, 1991

1909 – Dutch (Emil John) Leonard
baseball: pitacher: Brooklyn Dodgers Washington Nationals [all-star: 1940, 1943-1945], Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs [all-star: 1951]; died Apr 17, 1983

1918 – Howard Cosell (Cohen)
TV sports commentator; died Apr 23, 1995; see Humble Howard Day [above]

1919 – Jeanne Cagney
actress: A Lion is in the Streets, Quicksand; sister of actor James Cagney; died Dec 7, 1984

1921 – Nancy Kelly
actress: The Great Gatsby [1926], To the Shores of Tripoli, The Bad Seed; died Jan 2, 1995

1921 – Simone Signoret (Kaminker)
Academy Award-winning actress: Room at the Top [1959], Ship of Fools, Is Paris Burning?; died Sep 30, 1985

1922 – Eileen Ford
founded famous modeling agency [1946]: Ford models

1925 – (Mary) Flannery OConnor
writer: A Good Man is Hard to Find; died Aug 3, 1964

1928 – James A. Lovell Jr.
astronaut: first to complete 4 spaceflights, first to make 2 flights to the Moon: aboard Gemini 7 [1965: spent 14 days in space] for rendezvous in orbit with Gemini 6; commander of Gemini 12 [Nov 1966: last Gemini mission]; command module pilot of Apollo 8 [Dec 1968: mans first flight around the moon]; commander of Apollo 13 [Apr 1970: planned lunar landing that was aborted after an explosion on Apollo service module

1932 - Woody (Woodson George) Held
baseball: NY Yankees, KC Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, Baltimore Orioles, California Angels, Chicago White Sox; died Jun 10, 2009

1932 - Wes Santee
runner: miler: Americas greatest mile prospect of all time, who never quite ran the mile in under 4 minutes; banned by AAU for expense violations just before 1956 Olympics

1934 - Johnny Burnette
The Master: singer: Dreamin, Youre Sixteen; brother of singer Dorsey Burnette; killed in boating accident Aug 14, 1964

1934 - Gloria Steinem
feminist; publisher: Ms.

1938 - Hoyt Axton
singer, musician, songwriter: Greenback Dollar, The Pusher, Joy to the World, Never Been to Spain [Axtons mother, Mae Boren Axton, wrote Elvis Presleys Heartbreak Hotel]; actor: The Rousters, Gremlins, Disorganized Crime, The Civil War, Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long, King Cobra; died Oct 26, 1999

1940 – Anita Bryant
singer: Paper Roses, Till There Was You; Miss Oklahoma and runner-up to Miss America [1958]; Florida orange juice spokesperson

1941 – Barclay Plager
hockey: NHL: SL Blues

1942 – Aretha Franklin
Lady Soul: Grammy [15] Award-winning singer; Respect, Baby I Love You, Natural Woman, Chain of Fools, Think, Day Dreaming; first woman inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [1987]; actress: The Blues Brothers

1943 – Paul Michael Glaser
actor: Starsky & Hutch, Single Bars Single Women; director: Butterflies are Free, The Air up There, The Cutting Edge, The Running Man, The Amazons, Band of the Hand

1947 – Elton John (Reginald Kenneth Dwight)
musician, singer songwriter: Your Song, Honky Cat, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Bennie & The Jets, Daniel, Philadelphia Freedom; actor: Tommy; established the Elton John Aids Foundation [1992]

1948 – Bonnie Bedelia (Culkin)
actress: Die Hard, Die Hard 2, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Presumed Innocent, They Shoot Horses Dont They

1948 – Kelly Garrett
actress, singer: Your Hit Parade, Headliners with David Frost: That Was the Week that Was

1949 – Neil Jones
musician: group: Amen Corner: Gin House Blues, Bend Me Shape Me, [If Paradise Is] Half as Nice

1949 – Jean Potvin
hockey: NHL: LA Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, NY Islanders, Cleveland Barons, Oklahoma City Stars, Minnesota North Stars

1951 – Maizie Williams
singer: group: Boney M: Daddy Cool, Brown Girl in the Ring, Rivers of Babylon

1953 – Mary Gross
actress: The Santa Clause, Troop Beverly Hills, Feds, Club Paradise, Billy, A Mighty Wind; comedienne: Saturday Night Live; sister of actor, Michael Gross

1961 – John Stockwell (Samuels)
actor: Born to Ride, Top Gun, City Limits, Christine, Losin It, My Science Project; director: Undercover

1965 – Sarah Jessica Parker
actress: Sex and the City, Miami Rhapsody, L.A. Story, Honeymoon in Vegas, The Little Match Girl, The Innocents, Annie, Square Pegs, A Year in the Life, Equal Justice; opera singer: Hansel and Gretel, Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci, Parade; dancer: Cincinnati Ballet Theatre, American Ballet Theatre

1966 – Jeff Healey
musician: guitar, singer, songwriter: group: Jeff Healey Band; CBC radio show: My Kind of Jazz; died Mar 2, 2008

1967 – Debi Thomas
figure skater: Olympic bronze medalist [Calgary, Alberta, 1988]

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Chart Toppers
March 25
1948Now is the Hour – Bing Crosby
Im Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover – The Art Moonie Orchestra
Beg Your Pardon – Francis Craig
Ill Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) – Eddy Arnold

1956Lisbon Antigua – Nelson Riddle
The Poor People of Paris – Les Baxter
A Tear Fell – Teresa Brewer
Heartbreak Hotel – Elvis Presley

1964She Loves You – The Beatles
Fun Fun Fun – The Beach Boys
Twist and Shout – The Beatles
Saginaw, Michigan – Lefty Frizzell

1972A Horse with No Name – America
Puppy Love – Donny Osmond
Mother and Child Reunion – Paul Simon
My Hang-Up is You – Freddie Hart

1980Another Brick in the Wall – Pink Floyd
Working My Way Back to You/Forgive Me, Girl – Spinners
Him – Rupert Holmes
Why Dont You Spend the Night – Ronnie Milsap

1988Never Gonna Give You Up – Rick Astley
I Get Weak – Belinda Carlisle
Man in the Mirror – Michael Jackson
Life Turned Her that Way – Ricky Van Shelton

Happy Birthday Aretha Franklin

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