October 17 Birthday Wishes

Spring Byington [1886 - 1971]
Jean Arthur [1900 - 1991]
John Marley [1907 - 1984]
Robert Lowery [1913 - 1971]
Marsha Hunt [1917 - ]
Rita Hayworth [1918 - 1987]
Beverly Garland [1926 - 2008]
Julie Adams [1926 - ]
Don Collier [1928 - ]
Robert F. Lyons [1939 - ]

Howdy Manco!!

Spring Byington was an accomplished stage actress long before she began to dabble in film. She appeared in her first film in 1930 and her next film was Little Women, in the role of the mother. She was immediately typecast as the warm, sweet, cheerful mother and appeared in dozens of these type of roles during the 30's, 40's and 50's. In 1954, the successful radio show, December Bride was moved to t.v. and Spring made it a hit for 5 years,1954-1959 in her role of lily Ruskin. She next appeared in my favorite western t.v. series, Laramie, for the last 2 years ,1962-1963 as their housekeeper. .Miss Byington retired from acting in 1968.

Jean Arthur first appeared in a John Ford silent film back in 1923 and spent the next 7 years making silent films, but once the " talkies" began and folks could hear that squeaky high voice of hers, she was on her way. She appeared in .Mr Deeds Goes To Town, .Mr Smith Goes To Washington and dozens of other films during the 30's and 40's and in 1944, she decided to quit movies and concentrate on Broadway/stage acting. She only made 2 more films before her retirement in the 60's, but one of them just happened to be, as the female lead in the 1953 western classic Shane. This is probably the role she will be best remembered for.

John Marley first appeared in film in 1942 and toiled away in small roles as Greeks, Mexicans and Mafia members in many of the t.v. series like Johnny Staccato, Black Saddle and The Rebel for over 20 years. He had a couple of good roles in the 1950's film, I want To Live and as the father in Love Story, but he hit it big in 1965, in his role of Jane Fonda's father, Frankie Ballou in the film, Cat Ballou. Then in 1972, he snagged the role of the vindictive, jealous movie producer, who woke up with his prized horse's head in his bed, in the smash it, The Godfather. It is this role that he will be best remembered for.

Without a picture of Robert Lowery, you probably won't remember him, but he first appeared in 1936 and had small parts in Drums Along The Mohawk, The Mark Of Zorro and The Rise And Fall Of Legs Diamond. In the late 50's, he was cast as Big Tim Champion in the t.v. series, Circus Boy. In middle age, Lowery began to bear a striking resemblance to Clark Gable and was selected to play the role he will probably be best remembered for, that of Govenor Cuthbert in the John Wayne film, McCintock. He's the one that literally wound up with egg on his face.

Marsha Hunt was a promising young actress in 1935, when she first appeared in the film, The Virginia Judge. Several of the 49 films she made between 1935-1949 were westerns, like Desert Gold, Arizona Rangers and Thunder Herd, but in 1949 her name came up in the McCarthy, House On Unamerican Activities Commitee and her movie career was virtually over. She was forced to move to small roles in t.v. series for years. She eventually got her revenge with her appearance in the 1996 film, Blacklisted, The Hollywood Years and has continued to act through 2011. She is 95 years old today!!

Rita Hayworth was one of the most beautiful women to ever grace the silver screen. First appearing in an uncredited role in Cruz Diablo in 1935, it was the 1941 film, You'll Never Get Rich with Fred Astaire that made her a star. In 1946, she made the film she is best remembered for, Gilda. It is reported, that she knocked out 2 of Glenn Ford's teeth during the fight scene in Gilda. She was the first Hollywood star to marry a real Prince, with her marriage to Prince Aly Khan. After Gilda, her career was in decline and she was replaced in the early 50's by Kim Novak. She appeared in the film, They Came To Cordura with Gary Cooper in the late 50's, but Rita was already showing the symtoms of what was then an undiagnosed disease, Alzheimers. On the set of one of her last films, The Wrath Of God with Robert Mitchum, crew members joked about a drinking problem, because she had difficulty remembering her lines. This disease eventually took her life at the young age of 68. In 1946, an expeditionary force into Canada's unexplored Headless Valley came upon an abandoned trappers shack. In it, they found 3 things. A candle, a can of beans and a picture of Rita Hayworth.

Beverly Garland made her film debut in tHe 1950 film, D.O.A and then began to appear in several of Roger Corman's b-horror flicks, like Swamp Women, Curucu, Beast Of The Amazon and It Conquered The World before beginning a prolific career that spanned 1950-2004. She appeared in many westerns like Desperado, The Badlands Of Montana and her role as the widow, who puts on her husbands badge in Gunslinger, with John Ireland, for which she is probably best remembered. She guest starred on just about every t.v. series on for more than 30 years including, Yancy Derringer, Daniel Boone, Perry Mason etc, before taking on regular roles on Scarecrow And .Mrs King and Port Charles. All this while managing the 2 California hotels built by her husband which bear her name, one 155 room and the other a 255 room hotel. A sassy ,smart, and savvy lady.

Julie Adams career has spanned 1949-2011 so far. She first appeared in an uncredited role in the 1949 film Red Hot And Blue and followed that up with The Dalton Gang. She has appeared in dozens of westerns like Marshal Of Helldorado, The Lawless Breed and The Man From The Alamo and it appeared that she was on her way to becoming a leading lady in westerns, when in 1954 she took on the female lead in the film she will ALWAYS be remembered by everyone for, the horror classic, Creature From The Black Lagoon. She has appeared in a few more films like Tarawa Beachhead and Gunfight At Dodge City, but most of her work has been in every t.v. series on since the 50's, including The Rifleman, Cheyenne, The Virginian, Tate, Laredo etc. One of the most prolific actresses in Hollywood and still going.

If you don't know who Don Collier is, you beter go back and take westerns, 101 all over again!! Collier has appeared in over 200 films and t.v. series starting in the 1948 film, Massacre River. He has appeared in several of John Wayne's films, including Fort Apache, El Dorado, The Undefeated and The War Wagon He is probably best known for his role of Marshal Sam Butler in the 50's t.v. series, Outlaws, but has also had regular roles on The Young Riders and The High Chaparral. He is simply, the eternal lawman, when it comes to westerns!!

Robert.F.Lyons first appeared in the ole 1960's t.v. series, I Dream Of Jeannie and has continued to appear on most of the popular t.v. series though the years. He is an excellent character/supporting actor, who is probably best remembered for his roles in Murphy's Law and Death Wish II.

Ed

Howdy pards!

Ed, you forgot to mention Jean Arthur as Calamity Jane in The Plainsman; Robert Lowery as the second actor to play Batman in the 1949 serial Batman and Robin; and Don Collier as the Gum Fighter in the Hubba Bubba bubble gum commercials with Dub Taylor.

Also today:

Irene Ryan (1902-1973) was a vaudeville, radio, and screen actress who was in many movies and TV shows before gaining fame as Granny on The Beverly Hillbillies from 1962 to 1971. In 1972 she was cast as Berthe in the Bob Fosse musical Pippin, which earned her a Tony Award nomination. In the song she sang in the play, No Time At All, she sings the line "a man who calls me Granny." She suffered a stroke during a performance of Pippin in 1973. While she was in the hospital, she underwent surgery for an undiagnosed brain tumor. She passed away about a month later.

Montgomery Clift (1920-1966) made his screen debut in Red River with John Wayne, but his second film, The Search, got him his first Oscar nomination. He would also be nominated for Best Actor Oscars for A Place in The Sun and From Here to Eternity. He was in a car accident during filming on Raintree County, and the physical and emotional effects the accident would begin what some called the "longest suicide in history", as Clift, worried about what the damage to his face would do to his career, descended into alcoholism. In an interview while filming The Misfits, Marylin Monroe, herself having substance abuse issues, described Clift as "the only person I know who is in worse shape than I am." And while his 12 minute appearance in Judgement At Nuremberg earned him his last Oscar nomination, he struggled to learn his lines. He died of a heart attack caused by the lingering effects of dysentery, chronic colitis, and an underactive thyroid.