Birthdays: Solomon 970 BC, Noah Webster,
Dr. Joseph Guillotine, William Pitt the Younger, General Pierre Beauregard, Ian
Fleming, Jim Thorpe, The Dion Identical Quintuplets 1930, Gladys Knight, Jerry
West, Dietrich Fisher-Deiskau, Sandra Locke, T-Bone Walker, Taffy Abel (one of
the first professional hockey stars), John Fogarty is 71, Carey Mulligan is 31,
Carol Baker is 85. Frank Gladstone
1929 - 1st all color talking
picture, "On With the Show" exhibited (NYC).
1935- Tortilla Flat published. The
first novel by John Steinbeck.
1941- THE WALT DISNEY STRIKE-
Labor pressures had been building in the Magic Kingdom since promises made to
artists over the success of Snow White were reneged on, and Walt Disney’s
lawyer Gunther Lessing encouraged a hard line with his employees. On this day,
in defiance of federal law, Walt Disney fired animator Art Babbitt, the creator
of Goofy, and thirteen other cartoonists for demanding a union. Babbitt had
emerged as the union movements’ leader.
Studio security officers escorted him off the lot.
That night in an emergency meeting
of the Cartoonists Guild, Art’s assistant on Fantasia, Bill Hurtz, made the
motion to strike, and it was unanimously accepted. Bill Hurtz will later go on
to direct award winning cartoons like UPA’s "Unicorn in the Garden".
Picket lines go up next day in cartoon animation’s own version of the Civil
War.
1954- Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M
for Murder in 3D premiered.
1960- George Zucco 74, a character
actor who specialized in horror movies like Blood from the Mummies Hand, died.
One version says he died of fright in a mental hospital in San Gabriel
California. He was convinced that H.P. Lovecraft's Great God Cthulu was after
him. He actually died of natural causes in a nursing home.
1966- the It’s a Small World
exhibit, which had been created for the 1964 NY Worlds Fair, reopened at
Disneyland, California.
1977- George Lucas' space fantasy film STAR WARS opened generally (The
premiere was May 25). This blockbuster was the first film where the filmmaker
retained the licensing rights for merchandise instead of the distributor, known
in Hollywood as the 'backend deal'. Several studios including Universal passed
on the film because the prevailing wisdom was sci-fi films didn't make
money.
1983- “What a Feeling” the theme
from the film Flashdance by Irene Cara reaches the top of the pop charts.
Everyone dancing with leggings and baggy sweaters.
1998- Saturday Night Live comedian
Phil Hartman was shot to death by his wife Brynne as he slept. She was a heavy
drink and pill user. At 6:00am as the LAPD were knocking Brynne turned the gun
on herself.
2005- Actress
Lindsay Lohan was photographed passed out in her car shortly after a court
hearing for a previous DUI.
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