Animation Fun Facts for April 29, 2013

Birthdays: Duke Ellington , Duke Wellington, Sir Thomas Beacham, Zuben Mehta is 76, Tom Ewell, Rod McKuen, Fred Zinnemann, Jerry Seinfeld is 57, Michelle Pfeiffer is 54, Daniel Day Lewis is 55, Uma Thurman is 42 1771- Artist Benjamin West unveils his painting of the “Death of General Wolfe” at the Royal Academy in London. Wolfe was killed in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, which decided that Canada would be English. West’s portrayal of Wolfe in his actual uniform instead an idealized Grecian god was considered scandalously realistic and revolutionized painting. 1929- The film "All's Quiet on the Western Front" premiered. The world war one battlefield was constructed on a California ranch and dozens of veterans hired to be extras. When the antiwar film debuted in Germany, Nazis agitators were sent out to Berlin theaters to release rats, skunks and snakes in the theaters to scare people away. The star of the movie Lew Ayres ruined his career when he declared himself a conscientious objector during World War Two. 1944- Dancing Romeos, the last Our Gang comedy short was produced by MGM, which had bought the franchise in 1938 from Hal Roach.