September 18 Dateline

Birthdays

1587 - Francesca Caccini, Italian composer, singer, lutenist, poet, and music teacher of the early Baroque era. She was known by the nickname "La Cecchina", given to her by the Florentines. Listen to her Ciaccona. Luigi Cozzolino, violino; Andrea Benucci, chitarra; Alfonso Fedi, clavicembalo; Francesco Tomei, viola da gamba.  YouTube, uploaded by Massimo Carota. Accessed September 18, 2018)

1709 - Dr. Samuel Johnson, English writer who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. He was a devout Anglican and a generous philanthropist.

1905 - Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson), Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses of all time, Garbo was known for her melancholy, somber persona due to her many portrayals of tragic characters and for her subtle performances. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Garbo fifth of the greatest female stars of classic Hollywood cinema. Garbo launched her career with a secondary role in the Swedish film The Saga of Gösta Berling. Her performance caught the attention of Louis B. Mayer, chief executive of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), who brought her to Hollywood in 1925. She stirred interest with her first American silent film, Torrent. Her performance in Flesh and the Devil, made her an international star. For her performances, she received her first of the three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1932, her success allowed her to dictate the terms of her contract, and she became increasingly selective about her roles. She continued in films such as Mata Hari, Inspiration, Grand Hotel, Queen Christina, and Anna Karenina. Many critics and film historians consider her performance as the doomed courtesan Marguerite Gautier in Camille (1936) to be her finest.

1939 - Frankie Avalon (born Francis Thomas Avallone), American actor, singer, and former teen idol. Avalon had 31 charted U.S. Billboard singles from 1958 to late 1962, including the number one hits "Venus" and "Why" in 1959. Avalon's first film was a short appearance in Jamboree, playing a trumpet and singing "Teacher's Pet". In the late 1950s, teen idols were often given roles in films, supporting older male stars in order to attract a younger audience. Alan Ladd's daughter was a Frankie Avalon fan, who recommended that he co-star with her father in the Western Guns of the Timberland.  Avalon sings two songs, "The Faithful Kind" and "Gee Whiz Whillikins Golly Gee"; both were released as singles.

Lefties:
None known

 

 

More birthdays and historical events, September 18 -  On This Day

Historical Events

1809 - London's Royal Opera House opens with a performance of Shakespeare's  Macbeth. The foundation stone was laid by the Prince of Wales, and was incorporated into its present structure after a fire demolished it in 1856.

1919 - The Netherlands gives women the right to vote.

September 17 Dateline

Birthdays

1711 - Ignaz Holzbauer, Austrian composer and conductor (Listen to Holzbauer's magnificent Missa in C major. Chorus: St. Thomas Chorschule Wettenhausen Orchestra: Johann Christian Bach Akademie Köln Conductor: Jürgen Rettenmaier. YouTube, uploaded by KuhlauDilfeng3, accessed September 17, 2018.)

1883 - William Carlos Williams, American poet, writer and physician, closely associated with modernism and imagism. In addition to his writing, Williams had a long career as a physician practicing both pediatrics and general medicine. He was affiliated with Passaic General Hospital, where he served as the hospital's chief of pediatrics from 1924 until his death. The hospital, which is now known as St. Mary's General Hospital, paid tribute to Williams with a memorial plaque that states, "We walk the wards that Williams walked".

1928 - Andy McDowall (born Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall), English-born American actor, film director and photographer. He is best known for portraying Cornelius and Caesar in the original Planet of the Apes film series, as well as Galen in the spin-off television series. He began his acting career as a child in England, and then in the United States, in How Green Was My Valley, My Friend Flicka and Lassie Come Home. As an adult, McDowall appeared most requently as a character actor on radio, stage, film, and television. For portraying Augustus in the historical drama Cleopatra (1963), he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. He also served in various positions on the Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Selection Committee for the Kennedy Center Honors, further contributing to various charities related to the film industry and film preservation. He was a founding Member of the National Film Preservation Board in 1989, and represented the Screen Actors Guild on this Board until his death.

1931 - Anne Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano), American actress, director, screenwriter and singer. She was the recipient of an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy Awards. She is one of only 24 thespians to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting. Associated with the method acting technique, having studied under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio, Bancroft made her film debut in the noir thriller Don't Bother to Knock. Bancroft made her Broadway debut with the play Two for the Seesaw, winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. The following year she portrayed Anne Sullivan in the original Broadway production of The Miracle Worker, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. Her film career was revived when she was cast in the acclaimed film adaptation of The Miracle Worker, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her film career further progressed with Oscar nominated performances in The Pumpkin Eater, The Graduate, The Turning Point, and Agnes of God.

1962 - Baz Luhrmann ((born Mark Anthony Luhrmann), Australian director, writer, and producer with projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music, and recording industries. He is the most commercially successful Australian director, with four of his films in the top ten highest worldwide grossing Australian films of all time. On the screen he is best known for his "Red Curtain Trilogy", consisting of his romantic comedy film Strictly Ballroom, the romantic tragedy William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, and Moulin Rouge!. Following the trilogy, projects included Australia, The Great Gatsby, and his television period drama The Get Down for Netflix. Additional projects include stage productions of Giacomo Puccini's La bohème for both the Australian Opera and Broadway and Strictly Ballroom the Musical.

Lefties:
None known

 

More birthdays and historical events, September 17 -  On This Day

 

Historical Events

1787 - The U.S. Constitution is adopted by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. It creates a federal union of sovereign states and a federal government to operate the union. Having won the War of Independence against the British, America is launched into the world. The two hundredth anniversary (American Bicentenary) is celebrated in 1976, taking the original date from the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

1961 - In Trafalgar Square, some 15,000 people protest in said to be London's largest ever "ban the bomb" gathering, which ends with 850 arrests including actress Vanessa Redgrave, jazz musician George Melly, and philosopher Bertrand Russell.