Today is the 112th birthday of the actor and singer Burl Ives. His voice is Frosty the Snowman’s in the stop motion animation TV shows from the mid 60s and I cannot not buy his records when I am at thrift stores. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left.

Song: A Holly Jolly Christmas

Today is the 95th birthday of Paul Lynde.  He had a lengthy and varied career, but I remember him best as Uncle Arthur.  Also, there is the EPIC of Halloween episode of The Paul Lynde Show.  Don't worry, I included the whole episode below.  I cannot even prepare you for the experience.  It is everything.  The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://waldina.com/2021/06/13/happy-95th-birthday-paul-lynde/

"The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer" - Lux Radio Theater - June 13, 1949

Starring Cary Grant and Shirley Temple.

"The House of the Seven Gables" - CBS Radio Mystery Theater - June 13, 1974

Plot:  A fresh take on Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic tale of tragedy shadowing the lives of the manor residents, and the curse visited upon them.

"The Rat" - CBS Radio Mystery Theater - June 12, 1974

Plot:  Enraged by the faithlessness of his wife, a genius scientist creates a highly-evolved rodent and sends it to attack his wife's lover.

Today is the 111th birthday of the modern-day explorer Jacques Cousteau. I remember watching reruns of his TV show The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau when I was a kid. He taught me about the world of the sea while his counterpart Marlin Perkins taught me about the world of the land on his show Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left.

Today is the 99th birthday of the singer and actor Judy Garland. Her life reads like a tragic Hollywood Musical that she could have played. Highs and lows and a legacy that is as strong as ever. The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left.

Song:  Over The Rainbow at the age of 21.  Recorded during a Command Performance radio program.

Song:  By Myself from The Judy Garland Show (1964)

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://waldina.com/2021/06/10/happy-99th-birthday-judy-garland/

"A Bargain in Blood" - CBS Radio Mystery Theater - June 10, 1974

Plot:  When a strange turn of events allows a young man to switch illnesses with the diseased, a young man uses his gift to win the approval of his sweetheart's father.

Today is the 115th birthday of the mysterious heiress recluse Huguette Clark.  Everyone loves a recluse, she is no exception. The mystery, the reasons why, the exceptionally bottomless wealth. It’s a great story. The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left.

Today is the 130th birthday of the composer who wrote the songs “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top,” and “Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall In Love”: Cole Porter.  Most of his recognizable songs were written within a 10-year period between the wars.  The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left.