January 30th, 2016: Dorothy Malone, Vanessa Redgrave, a belated birthday greeting to Judy Norton...and More!

I loved to get all dusty and ride horses and plant potatoes and cotton.
-Dorothy Malone

Happy Saturday, January 30th, 2016!
 January 30 is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 336 days remaining until the end of the year.
I hope this finds you well. As I sat down to begin my blog today, Frank Sinatra was singing I'm Beginning to See the Light on the radio and the first sentence of my horoscope reads, "Your Goal is Simple: You want to leave things better than you found them." I detect a pattern and it sums it all up. 
One week ago today, we were in the midst of a blizzard! Today, temps are in the 50s! It may get up to 60 on Wednesday. Take a look at this clip from last week.

Let's talk about today and what it has brought us. This day in Broadway History, 1958: Dore Schary's Sunrise at Campobello—about FDR--premiered at Cort Theatre.

Sunrise at Campobello enjoyed a 556-performance run on Broadway. In 1960, two years after the play debuted, the film version premiered, also starring Ralph Bellamy

The year I was born (February 11th), January 30th was a Monday. It was Monday, under the sign of Aquarius. The US president was John F. Kennedy (Democratic). In that special week of January, In UK, Poetry In Motion by Johnny Tillotson was in the top 5 hits. The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity, directed by Masaki Kobayashi (also an Aquarian, February 14th), was one of the most viewed movies released in 1961 while Advise And Consent by Allen Drury was one of the best selling books.There were three networks. Your choices at 8PM were Cheyenne on ABC, Pete and Gladys on CBS, and National Velvet on NBC.

Cheyenne is an American western television series of 108 black-and-white episodes broadcast on ABC from 1955 to 1963.
The show was the first hour-long western, and in fact the first hour-long dramatic series of any kind, with continuing characters, to last more than one season. It was also the first series to be made by a major Hollywood film studio which did not derive from its established film properties, and the first of a long chain of Warner Brothers original series produced by William T. Orr.

Harry Morgan and Cara Williams from Pete and Gladys

Pete and Gladys is an American situation comedy television series starring Harry Morgan and Cara Williams that aired on CBS on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time for two seasons, beginning on September 19, 1960.
The last episode was broadcast on September 10, 1962.

The Shirelles

If you were listening to the radio, the number one song on this date was Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? sung by The Shirelles.
Number One at the box office was One Hundred and One Dalmations.
 One Hundred and One Dalmatians, often written 101 Dalmatians, is a 1961 American animated adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions and adapted from Dodie Smith's 1956 novel of the same name. It is the 17th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It stars Rod Taylor and Cate Bauer as, respectively,

Rod Taylor in The Time Machine (voiced Pongo in 101 Dalmations)

the voices of Pongo and Perdita, its canine protagonists, and Betty Lou Gerson as the voice of Cruella de Vil, its antagonist who kidnaps their puppies. 

Happy Birthday Dorothy Malone!  Written on the Wind (Best Supporting Actress), Man of a Thousand Faces, Artists and Models, Young at Heart, The Big Sleep. Her film career began in 1943, and in her early years she played small roles, mainly in B-movies.

After a decade in films, she began to acquire a more glamorous image, particularly after her performance in Written on the Wind (1956), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her film career reached its peak by the beginning of the 1960s, and she achieved later success with her television role as Constance MacKenzie on Peyton Place from 1964 to 1968.

Less active in her later years, Malone returned to films in 1992 as the friend of Sharon Stone's character in Basic Instinct.

 I'm allergic to politeness. -Dorothy Malone as Marylee Hadley in Written on the Wind

Vanessa Redgrave, is a great actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist. She is a 2003 American Theatre Hall of Fame inductee, and received the 2010 BAFTA Fellowship. (Source: Wikipedia)
Greenwich, United Kingdom

Also born on this date, 
Director Delbert Mann: Marty (Best Dir Oscar), Lover Come Back (which came out the year I was born, 1961) That Touch of Mink, Separate Tables, Desire Under the Elms

David Wayne was born on this date

To be alive is a terrible punishment some days, and on other days a terrible glory. Teach me to know it is a gift even when life is a walk in the valley of the shadow and I cannot help but fear evil.
Rabbi Chaim Stern

 David Wayne (January 30, 1914 – February 9, 1995) was an American stage and screen actor with a career spanning nearly 50 years.
Thomas Richard "Dick" Martin (January 30, 1922 – May 24, 2008) was a comedian and director. He was known for his role as the co-host of the sketch comedy program Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In from 1968 to 1973.
Today is also the birthday of Harold Prince! Did you know he turned down the original production of Hello, Dolly!?  

Yesterday was Judy Norton's Birthday! She is most well known as Mary Ellen on one of my favorite TV shows, The Waltons. I reached out to her yesterday for a mini interview. I hope you enjoy.

Finish this sentence: I'll never be too old to…
Have fun and be creative.

When did you get your first professional break? Was it one of those "God, I hope I get it" moments?
In 1971 when I was cast in The Homecoming.  It was one of the first auditions I did where I was totally self-confident.  I really knew that character.

Just how much are you willing to pay for a premium ticket to “Hamilton”?
The going house rate.

What do you most want to be true about yourself?
That I’m a good, honest person and treat others with kindness.

Besides your performance career, what are you passionate about?
Horses.
If you could have lunch with one Celebrity, who would it be and where would you like to take them?
I would have loved to have lunch with Katherine Hepburn at, La Salamander - this wonderful little outdoor cafe in Villeneuve Les Avignon, France

Read more about Judy Norton HERE

I also had a mini interview with Allan Harris recently.  

Here is: 

Finish this sentence:I'll never understand why... people believe Trump can be good for our country. 
 Change one thing ?
Courtesy in returning phone calls to people on all levels.

Your last appearance was... in Hollywood, FL with my band doing songs from my last CD Black Bar Jukebox. We had an amazing show, the stage and crew were state of the art. We were there to celebrate MLK Day, and I did a song I wrote called I Do Believe in his honor.
My next appearance will be at the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival and is called Crooners Caucus it features myself with 2 other male jazz vocalists, Jamie Davis and Vuyo Sotashe. I'm looking forward to hearing these singers and sharing the focus with other male jazz vocalists of color. After that I'm pretty psyched about another concert I'm doing for

Black History Month with Doug Wimbish (bass player from Living Colour) Marc Cary (piano) and Daru Jones (Jack White's drummer.) It's called The Bridge and we are doing political tunes and historical music that influenced us individually as musicians and as black men growing up in the US. This concert will be at Le Poisson Rouge on February 19th. We are sharing the bill with Charenee Wade and her tribute to Gil Scott Heron. So this should be an amazing evening of music!
Read more about Allan Harris HERE

In other Entertainment News
Members of the original cast of LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA will reunite for benefit concert for LCT. Tickets and info.

Thank to ALL that are mentioned in this blog for the gifts you have given to the world and continue to give! 

Make 2016 the year of YES!

With grateful XOXOXs ,

 

 

Check out my site celebrating the legacy of Jerry Herman's Hello, Dolly!

The role of Dolly Levi in the musical was originally written for Ethel Merman, but Merman turned it down; as did Mary Martin (although both eventually played it). Merrick then decided to audition Nancy Walker. Eventually, he hired Carol Channing, who ultimately created Dolly her signature role. Director Gower Champion was not the producer’s first choice, as Hal Prince and others (among them Jerome Robbins and Joe Layton) all turned down the job of directing the musical. READ MORE HERE

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.  FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!

Please do what YOU can to be more aware that words and actions DO HURT...but they can also heal and help!   

        

Happy Birthday, Harold Prince

Here's to an INCREDIBLE tomorrow for ALL...with NO challenges!

Please leave a comment and share on Twitter and Facebook

Happy Birthday, Gene Hackman

Keeping Entertainment LIVE!
 

TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED DAY

Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com

Sarah Rice, Broadway's original Johanna of Sweeney Todd, will sing a Valentine's Day concert of songs from the operetta, classical and musical theatre repertoire, with Paul Jackel, in upstate New York, Feb. 14. - See more at: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/kiss-me-sweeney-todds-sarah-rice-sings-of-love-with-paul-jackel-feb.-14-111546#sthash.bYCP2Q2p.dpuf

February 13th, Peter Filichia in conversation with Richard Skipper at American Popular Song Society  Local 802 AFM 322 W 48th St, New York, New York 10036  AT 1:30PM! with Musical Director Michael Lavine Barbara Minkus and an all star cast join  Peter Filichia and Richard Skipper to celebrate the 1963/64 Broadway Season Talk/Performance/Book Signing http://www.americanpopularsongsociety.org  Call Richard Skipper Celebrates at 845-365-0720 if you need more details. Many surprises are in store.  Please contact me if any questions. Please LIKE Richard Skipper Celebrates on Facebook Admission is Free for Members/$15.00 for Non-Members . Doors open at 12:30 for those who want to buy sheet music Also members can take tables and sell their stuff. 2:30 -1:30 "Flea Market" 1:30 seating - showtime: 1:45 - 3:30.