Clive Davis, George Sanders, Bea Benaderet...and MORE!

Happy Birthday. Clive Davis

I’m not into one hit wonders. Clive Davis

Happy MONDAY April 4th, 2016!

April 4 is the 95th day of this year. There are 271 days remaining until the end of the year.
On the Roman calendar, this was known as the day before the nones of April (Latin: Prid. Non. Apr.).
Here in New York, it is COLD! We have had some beautiful spring like weather, but this is a sick April Fool's joke from mother nature. Here, however, it is warm in my office and I am looking forward to ALL that the day holds in store for me.
Today, is the birthday of Clive Davis. If any of my readers have a connection with him. He is on my bucket list of interviews. He is one of the biggest movers and shakers in the music industry. I would love to discuss the changes he has seen first hand and what he has embraced and what has been difficult for him.
There are other musical gems associated with this date. In 1964, The Beatles occupy the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.
In history, in 1968 – Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 6.

Happy Birthday, Bea Benaderet!

Notable Birthdays Today
Today marks the birthday of two television icons.   Bea Benaderet, American television, radio, and voice actress (d. 1968) and David White (April 4, 1916 – November 27, 1990) best known for playing Larry Tate, the boss of Darrin Stephens on the 1964–72 situational comedy Bewitched.  David White (birth name Daniel David White) was born to John Patrick White and Alice (Deasy) White in Denver, Colorado on April 6th, 1916. According to the 1920 United States Federal Census, the family resided in Durango City, Colorado and David had an older brother named William and an older sister named Margaret. The family moved to Blue Springs, Missouri shortly thereafter, where David attended elementary school with well-known theater producer Jennifer Reeder, and later to California, where David studied drama at Los Angeles City College during the late 1930's. Following the completion of his studies, David began acting professionally in regional theater, most notably at The Pasadena Playhouse.
After completing a four year stint in the Marines during World War II, David resumed his acting

career at the Cleveland Playhouse after the war. He made his Broadway debut on January 21st, 1949 in the play "Leaf and Bough", co-starring Charlton Heston. Unfortunately, the play was savaged by New York theater critics and abruptly closed after only three performances. David returned to Broadway in 1950 in a play entitled "The Birdcage", co-starring Maureen Stapleton. In 1952 David made his television debut in The Philco Television Playhouse production of Rich Boy, co-starring Grace Kelly.
Rosemary Lane and Frances Langford were both born on this date in 1913.
Elizabeth Wilson (April 4, 1921 – May 9, 2015) was a Tony Award-winning American actress whose career spanned nearly 70 years, including memorable roles in film and television. Wilson was inducted into to the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 2006. It is also the birthday of  Arthur Murray, born in 1895.
April 4 is the birthday of Kenneth Mars, He appeared with Madeline Kahn in What's Up, Doc? and Young Frankenstein.

Happy Birthday, David White

1922 – Elmer Bernstein, American composer and conductor (d. 2004).
Maya Angelou: April 4, 1928-May 28, 2014. (Today would've been her 88th birthday.)

For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness. ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Estelle Harris, American actress.

Born Today 1932 Anthony Perkins: A boy's best friend is his

Happy Birthday, Anthony Perkins!

mother. -Norman Bates in Psycho
Happy birthday to writer and biographer Kitty Kelley (April 4, 1942), author of "Jackie Oh!" (1978) and other works.

In memory, everything seems to happen to music. Tennessee Williams

Happy Birthday to Craig T. Nelson, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter.

Happy Birthday, Graham Norton!

Caroline McWilliams (April 4, 1945 – February 11, 2010) is best known for her portrayal of Marcy Hill in the television series Benson.McWilliams was a regular on the CBS soap, Guiding Light (as Janet Norris) for several years and also appeared in a short-term role (as Tracy DeWitt) on the NBC soap Another World. She also had a recurring role on Beverly Hills, 90210 playing the mother of Jamie Walters' character Ray Pruit.

Happy Birthday,  Christine Lahti, American actress and director
On this date in 1930, the Communist Party of Panama is founded.
Happy Birthday, Graham Norton, Irish actor and talk show host.

In 1979, Edgar Buchanan passed on  on this date in Palm Desert, California, USA.

Billy Wilder, Gloria Swanson (who passed on this date in 1983)  and Cecil B. DeMille during the shooting of ‘Sunset Boulevard’

David Cross best known primarily for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series Mr. Show, and his role as Tobias Fünke in the sitcom Arrested Development.

Gloria Swanson with Elizabeth Taylor

Cross created, wrote, executive produced, and starred in The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, developed and had a prominent role in Freak Show, appeared on Modern Family, portrayed Ian Hawke in the Alvin and the Chipmunks film franchise, and voiced Crane in the Kung Fu Panda film franchise.
Happy Birthday, Robert Downey Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter.
Happy Birthday,  Nancy McKeon, American actress.

Happy Birthday, David Blaine, American magician and producer.
Actor/singer Walter Charles

Notable Transitions on this date 
I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that this is the date that Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. We can only speculate about what would have lied ahead. You gave your life so that all Americans can be free, Dr. King. Rest

2013 – Roger Ebert, American journalist, critic, and screenwriter passes on

in Peace.
1983 – Gloria Swanson, American actress (b. 1899). I was lucky enough to have met her two years before her passing.

Priscilla Lane passed on on this date (she was the youngest of the Lane Sisters)

Gloria Swanson went to public schools in Chicago; Key West, Florida; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her film debut was as an extra in The Fable of Elvira and Farina and the Meal Ticket (1915). From the following year on, she had leading roles in pictures for Keystone, then a year with Triangle, and, in 1919, a contract with Cecil B. DeMille. DeMille transformed her from a typical Mack Sennett comedienne into a lively, provocative, even predatory, star. She collected husbands (e.g., the indigent Henri de la Falaise) and lovers (e.g., Joseph P. Kennedy, father of President John F. Kennedy). Kennedy produced her Queen Kelly (1929), directed by Erich von Stroheim (it was von Stroheim's copy of this film that Swanson was watching as Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd. (1950) when she leaped into the projection beam shouting, "Have they forgotten what a star looks like? I'll be up there again, so help me!"--ironic in that the butler-projectionist was, again, vonMusic in the Air (1934), but her kinds of films were over with by that time. She returned to the stage in the 1940s (Reflected Glory,  "Let us Be Gay," "A Goose for a Gander"). She was a clothes designer and artist; she founded Essence of Nature Cosmetics; and she made television appearances through the 1960s and 1970s, doing cameos and pushing health foods. She received Best Actress nominations for Sadie Thompson (1928), The Trespasser (1929) and Sunset Blvd. (1950).

The Education of H*Y*M*A*N*K*A*P*L*A*N opened on Broadway (1968)

Stroheim). She survived the switch to talkies, even learning how to sing for
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Ed  Stephan

1995 – Priscilla Lane, American actress (b. 1915)

Time is a precious thing. Never waste it. Gene Wilder

1999 – Lucille Lortel, American actress, artistic director and producer (b. 1900).
2013 – Roger Ebert, American journalist, critic, and screenwriter (b. 1942).
The New Moon opened in London (1929).
Rodgers and Hart's Higher and Higher opened on Broadway (1940)


Sondheim had three shows open on April 4th!
Anyone Can Whistle opened on Broadway (1964).
Follies opened on Broadway (1971)
Assassins opened on Broadway (2004)

In Other Entertainment News
Who would like to join our party tomorrow night? I'm looking forward to seeing William V Madison, Joanna Gleason, Barbara Barrie, Austin Pendleton, Maddie Corman celebrating Madeline Kahn and William's biography. It is all moderated by Valerie Smaldone. Check out my interview with Valerie in yesterday's blog. Don't you know the meaning of propriety?
Click HERE for more details. 


The 31st annual Bistro Awards, March 8: It was

a moment in jazz history: Standing on the small stage together at the end of our show at Gotham Comedy Club was jazz legend Jon Hendricks (ASCAP/Bob Harrington Lifetime Achievement Award), Annie Ross (Outstanding Contributions to the World of Jazz), Janis Siegel (Sustained Excellence in Jazz Performing and Recording),Yolande Bavan (formerly of Lambert, Hendricks  and Bavan), and Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Kurt Elling, who introduced and presented Mr. Hendricks with his Bistro Award. (from Sherry Eaker)

Happy Birthday, George Sanders!

I would like to end this blog today by celebrating one of cabaret's greatest assets, George Sanders. He has been a part of the cabaret scene for as long as I can remember.
Today is his birthday. Here is our MINI interview!
What does this birthday mean to you?
Getting closer to Social Security!

What is your Morning Motivation?
What is this thing called “morning”?

How do you approach social media marketing?
What is this thing called “social media marketing”?

It’s Twitter’s 10th birthday. So how do you feel about it now – love it or hate it?
What is this thing called “Twitter”?

What is your dream gender reversal role?
 When I was in my twenties, I wanted to play Cecily Cardew in The Importance of Being Ernest.  Now I would like to play Lady Bracknell.

You haven't changed a bit, George!

What do you still want that you don't have now?
 Not much.  A pool home in Palm Springs?  A pool boy?

What are you doing to make the world a better place?
Recycling.  Never buying things in plastic bottles that are available in boxes, glass, or cans. (i.e.  Laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, Windex, soda, etc.)

WHAT TALENT DO YOU WISH YOU HAD?
I believe all “talents” can be learned if you work hard enough at it.  How do you get to Carnegie Hall?
Practice, practice, practice.

What makes you look so young at your age? (from Pat Cooper!)

Thanks, Pat.  But we haven’t seen each other in 20 years.  You have no idea what you’re talking about.

How do you stay focused on what matters most?
What matters most STEALS FOCUS.  It upstages everything else.

Please follow George on Facebook!

Thank you, to all of the artists mentioned in this blog for the gifts you have given to the world and continue to give!

With grateful XOXOXs ,

 

 

Check out my site celebrating the legacy of Dolly Gallagher Levi!

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

        

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

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Keeping Entertainment LIVE!
 

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

Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com

PLEASE CELEBRATE WITH US THURSDAY NIGHT April 7th in NYC


Don't Tell Mama Presents...

Wendy Scherl returns in What Do You Do All Day?  Directed by the incredible Helen Baldasarre with great musical direction by Matthew Martin Ward. Wendy is an amazing vocalist with a rangy and rich sound. “This is someone to watch!” Go see her, you can thank me later.
- Sue Matsuki   In “What Do You Do All Day”, Wendy Scherl shares anecdotes and song about the numerous hats she wears every single day as a wife, a mother of two boys and two dogs, a short order cook, a daughter, a house manager, a chauffeur and Cabaret Singer! Her show is both touching and real, theatrical and funny!
This show WILL sell out! So reserve today and be a part of his star studded audience!
You will truly be amazed by what this full-time executive director of a family of four accomplishes every day!  Wendy will wow you with both her choice of material and her talent!
After graduating from Northwestern University with a BA in Theatre, Wendy performed in numerous
regional theatre productions around the country, including some of her favorite productions: Hair (The official 20th Anniversary Production in Chicago), Grease (numerous roles), Annie (Grace), The Pajama Game (Babe), and Godspell.  

$20.00 Cover/Two Drink Minimum Cash Only Reserve at 212-757-0788 (after 4PM or through me)

$5.00 OFF COVER OF ALL MAC MEMBERS
Richard Skipper Celebrates is the publicist for Wendy Scherl and What Do You Do All Day? at NYC's Don't Tell Mama. For press reservations, interview requests, or more information, contact Richard Skipper at Richard@RichardSkipper.com or 845-365-0720