"A Doll's House" - Lux Radio Theatre - June 6, 1938

Staring: Joan Crawford as Nora and Basil Rathbone as Torvald

"Prisoner Of Zenda" - Lux Radio Theatre - June 5, 1939

STARING:  Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

NETWORK: CBS

DATE: June 5, 1944 Monday 9:00 PM

STARING:  John Milton Kennedy, Orson Welles, and Loretta Young

Today is the 114th birthday of Rosalind Russell.  Suggesting any one of her films to watch is in no way discounting any of the others. I adore The Women, His Girl Friday, Gypsy, and Mrs. Pollifax - Spy, just for starters.  You may have your own, it is hard to not have at least a couple.  The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left.

My Favorite Wife - Lux Radio Theatre - Dec 19, 1940 - Starring Rosalyn Russell, Laurence Olivier, and Gail Patrick

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://waldina.com/2021/06/04/happy-114th-birthday-rosalind-russell/

Seventy-three years ago today, the film Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. As a promotion for the film, the studio built 73 “dream houses” in various locations in the United States, selling some of them by raffle. The house built for the 1948 film still stands on the old Fox Ranch property in Malibu Creek State Park in the hills a few miles north of Malibu. It is used as an office for the Park.

Today is the 142nd birthday of the silent film star Alla Nazminova.  Her life story has the sort of arc that could only be believed as a work of fiction.  She was one of the most respected stage actresses and became the highest paid actress in Hollywood.  She produced her own films when no one was, she built a gigantic mansion, threw lavish parties and lived a very free lifestyle.  All that and she found time to be Nancy Reagan’s godmother.  The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left.

Today is 97th birthday of Colleen Dewhurst.  I was lucky enough to sit in on a Master Class given by her at Interlochen and was blown away by her life and career.  To be honest, I had only known her from the Anne of Green Gables series, but her stories and inspiration that day compelled me to see more.  That voice!  She was an amazing example of how life should be spent.  The world is better because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left.

Today is the 115th birthday of the one and only Josephine Baker.  Her iconic everything has cemented her in a time and place forever:  Paris between the wars.  The first song of hers that I ever heard was J’ai Deaux Amors and I remember really listening to it and seeking out more of her music.  Her story is tremendous and her trajectory is that of no other.  She started life in St. Louis and by the time of her death, the entire world was in love with her.  Parisians named a swimming pool in her honor.  The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left.

Today is the 69th birthday of the activist Gilbert Baker. I first learned of his exceptional contributions to the world through Randy Shilts’ book and was happy to see him get more exposure through Dustin Lance Black’s miniseries. You have done the world a great service if Google makes a doodle to celebrate your birthday. The world is a better place because he is in it and still feels the loss that he has left.

Today is the 131st birthday of Hollywood actress and gossip columnist Hedda Hopper. There were some really great scenes of her in the Bette Davis/Joan Crawford Feud that personalized her a bit more than I think I had ever really considered. If you listen to podcasts and are not already enjoying You Must Remember This, you really will. Start from the beginning or skip straight to the Hedda Hopper Louella Parsons season. The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left.