Animation Fun Facts for 12/12/12

Birthdays: Frank Sinatra, Edvard Munch, Gustav Flaubert, Auguste Rodin, Edward G. Robinson, former NY Mayor Ed Koch, Zack Mosley –the cartoonist who drew “Smilin' Jack", Connie Francis, Dionne Warwick, Cathy Rigby, Tracy Austin, Bill Nighy is 62, Tom Wilkerson is 64, Jennifer Connelly is 42 1952- The first Screen Actors Guild Strike. President Walter Pidgeon -Dr. Morbius in Forbidden Planet- had the movie stars hit the bricks to win television and commercial residuals. The final deals were settled by then SAG president Ronald Reagan in 1960. Ronnie compromised with the studio heads (who later backed his bid for the governorship of California) that only residuals for films after 1955 would be paid. Actors who made their big hits in the 30's and 40s like Laurel and Hardy, the Marx Brothers, The Little Rascals and Mickey Rooney were left out. Mickey Rooney, who's Andy Hardy movies were the box office champs of the mid-1940's put it mildly: "Reagan screwed me !!" 1980- The song “Whip It” by Devo won a gold record. 1991-Actor Richard Gere married supermodel Cindy Crawford.