February 26: Happy Birthday, Dane Clark

February 26: Happy Birthday, Dane Clark

Dane Clark's career proves that if a law degree doesn't get you anywhere, and if you can't find work as a construction worker, boxer, or model, try acting!
Not long after Clark ditched modeling for acting, he found himself working with the likes of Bette Davis, Cary Grant, and Humphrey Bogart--in fact, Bogey gave Clark his stage name.

In the mid-50's, Clark landed the starring role of Peter Chambers on the program Crime & Peter Chambers. This series was based on crime novels by Henry Kane. The protagonist in these pulps, Peter Chambers, was in the mold of the swinging playboy whose sidekick was Miss Amanda Foxworth.

Clark died on September 11, 1998.

August 23: Happy Birthday, Gene Kelly

Hey, thrill seekers, did you know that superstar Gene Kelly appeared in several episodes of Suspense? One of today's birthday boys did just that, lending his considerable acting chops to such episodes as "Thieves Fall Out," "The Man Who Couldn't Lose," and "The Most Dangerous Game."  

But what's just as thrilling is that in 1946 Cresta Blanca wines launched its radio program Cresta Blanca's Hollywood Players, on which it very proudly rolled out its stable of top Hollywood stars. Bette Davis, Gregory Peck, Joan Fontaine, and Gene Kelly were among the players. The show brought to listeners recently-written productions, both dramas and comedies. These included "Heaven Can Wait," "Kitty," "Pride of the Yankees," and "The Glass Key." The latter, in November of '46, presented Kelly's debut on the show.

This show's Kelly's versatility, since no one dances on the radio. Best known for Singin' In the Rain, Kelly is the only Pittsburgh-born dancer of which we are aware. He would've been one hundred and one today!

April 5: Happy Birthday, Bette Davis

Rumored to have intimidated--and insulted--Marilyn Monroe on the set of All about Eve, Bette Davis is one of the icons of the 40's and 50's. Known as a diva among divas, feuding with Joan Crawford and Humphrey Bogart and flicking her acerbic opinions into the air like so many ashes from her ever-present cigarettes, she was much more than a doe-eyed princess.

She first hit the airwaves in 1935 on an episode of Shell Chateau. From there, Bette Davis appeared in Command Performance, Calvalcade of America, and many episodes of Lux Radio Theater. Her most regular gig was on Whispering Streets, in 1958.