Oakwood Memorial Park, Chatsworth

Fred Astaire was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to Johanna (Geilus) and Fritz Austerlitz, a brewer. Fred entered show business at age 5. He was successful both in vaudeville and on Broadway in partnership with his sister, Adele Astaire. After Adele retired to marry in 1932, Astaire headed to Hollywood. Signed to RKO, he was loaned to MGM to appear in Dancing Lady (1933) before starting work on RKO's Flying Down to Rio (1933). In the latter film, he began his highly successful partnership with Ginger Rogers, with whom he danced in 9 RKO pictures. During these years, he was also active in recording and radio. On film, Astaire later appeared opposite a number of partners through various studios. After a temporary retirement in 1945-7, during which he opened Fred Astaire Dance Studios, Astaire returned to film to star in more musicals through 1957. He subsequently performed a number of straight dramatic roles in film and TV.

Adele and her brother Fred were the toast of Broadway in the 1920s and early thirties with such shows as Lady be Good and Funny Face. Many thought Adele was the greater entertainer of the pair, comparing her to Fanny Brice and Imogene Coca. Fred was far more serious about his craft and would rehearse tirelessly while his sister would refer to him as "Moaning Minnie" because he was seldom satisfied. After Adele married an English lord in 1932, Fred did one more show without her (The Gay Divorcee) then headed for Hollywood to begin his legendary career. One can't help wondering whether his stardom would have been as great without the early success of his partnership with Adele.

Michael Bondelli was born on 2 November 1956. He was an actor, known for The Day After Tomorrow (2004), The One (2001) and Daredevil (2003). He died on 14 October 2003 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Stephen Boyd was born William Millar on July 4, 1931, at Glengormley, Northern Ireland, one of nine children of Martha Boyd and Canadian truck driver James Alexander Millar, who worked for Fleming's on Tomb Street in Belfast. He attended Glengormley & Ballyrobert primary school and then moved on to Ballyclare High School and studied bookkeeping at Hughes Commercial Academy. In Ireland he worked in an insurance office and travel agency during the day and rehearsed with a semi-professional acting company at night during the week and weekends. He would eventually manage to be on the list for professional acting companies to call him when they had a role. He joined the Ulster Theatre Group and was a leading man with that company for three years, playing all kinds of roles. He did quite a bit of radio work in between as well, but then decided it was distracting him from acting and completely surrendered to his passion. Eventually he went to London as an understudy in an Irish play, "The Passing Day."

In England he became very ill and was in and out of work, supplementing his acting assignments with odd jobs such as waiting in a cafeteria, doorman at the Odeon Theatre and even busking on the streets of London. Even as things turned for the worst, he would always write back to his mother that all was well and things were moving along so as not to alarm her in any way or make her worry. Sir Michael Redgrave discovered him one night at the Odeon Theatre and arranged an introduction to the Windsor Repertory Company. The Arts Council of Great Britain was looking for leading man and part-time director for the only major repertory company that was left in England, The Arts Council Midland Theatre Company, and he got the job. During his stay in England he went into television with the BBC, and for 18 months he was in every big play on TV. One of the major roles in his early career was the one in the play "Barnett's Folly," which he himself ranked as one of his favorites.

In 1956 he signed a seven-year contract with 20th Century-Fox. This led to his first film role, as an IRA member spying for the Nazis The Man Who Never Was (1956), a job he was offered by legendary producer Alexander Korda. William Wyler was so struck by Boyd's performance in that film that he asked Fox to loan him Boyd, resulting in his being cast in what is probably his most famous role, that of Messala in the classic Ben-Hur (1959) opposite Charlton Heston. He received a Golden Globe award for his work on that film but was surprisingly bypassed on Oscar night. Still under contract with Fox, Boyd waited around to play the role of Marc Anthony in Cleopatra (1963) opposite Elizabeth Taylor. However, Taylor became so seriously ill that the production was delayed for months, which caused Boyd and other actors to withdraw from the film and move on to other projects.

Boyd made several films under contract before going independent. One of the highlights was Fantastic Voyage (1966), a science-fiction film about a crew of scientists miniaturized and injected into the human body as if in inner space. He also received a nomination for his role of Insp. Jongman in Lisa (1962) (aka "The Inspector") co-starring with Dolores Hart.

Boyd's Hollywood career began to fade by the late 1960s as he started to spend more time in Europe, where he seemed to find better roles more suited to his interests. When he went independent it was obvious that he took on roles that spoke to him rather than just taking on assignments for the money, and several of the projects he undertook were, at the time, quite controversial, such as Slaves (1969) and Carter's Army (1970). Boyd chose his roles based solely on character development and the value of the story that was told to the public, and never based on monetary compensation or peer pressure.

Although at the height of his career he was considered one of Hollywood's leading men, he never forgot where he came from, and always reminded everyone that he was, first and foremost, an Irishman. When the money started coming in, one of the first things he did was to ensure that his family was taken care of. He was particularly close to his mother Martha and his brother Alex.

Boyd was married twice, the first time in 1958 to Italian-born MCA executive Mariella di Sarzana, but that only lasted (officially) during the filming of "Ben Hur." His second marriage was to Elizabeth Mills, secretary at the British Arts Council and a friend since 1955. Liz Mills followed Boyd to the US in the late 1950s and was his personal assistant and secretary for years before they married, about ten months before his death. He died on June 2, 1977, in Northridge, California, from a massive heart attack while playing golf - one of his favorite pastimes - at the Porter Valley Country Club. He is buried at Oakwood Memorial Park in Chatsworth, California. It was a terrible loss, just as he seemed to be making a comeback with his recent roles in the series Hawaii Five-O (1968) and the English movie The Squeeze (1977).

It is a real tragedy to see that a man who was so passionate about his work, who wanted nothing but to tell a story with character, a man who was ahead of his time in many ways ended up being overlooked by many of his peers. One fact remains about Stephen Boyd, however--his fans are still passionate about his work to this day, almost 30 years after his death, and one has to wonder if he ever realized that perhaps in some way he achieved the goal he set out for himself: to entertain the public and draw attention to the true art of acting while maintaining glamour as he defined it by remaining himself a mystery.

Bob Crane was born in Waterbury, CT, the youngest of two sons. In school he was known for being a class clown and an intense music lover. His favorites were jazz and big band. Bob's specialty was the drums. After graduating from Stamford High School in 1946, he turned his attention to his love for music. He became a drummer with the Connecticut Symphony Orchestra for about a year. He was later dismissed for not being "serious enough". In 1949 Bob married Ann Terzian, his high school sweetheart. They had three children - Robert David Crane, Debbie, and Karen. In 1956 Bob and his family left the east and moved out west to California. There he began a lengthy, successful career in radio. He worked at KNX radio and became "King of the Airwaves" in Los Angeles. His radio program became a huge success, the most listened to on the air. This was due to Crane's personality and humor. He had charm and an undeniable quick wit. Hollywood's biggest and brightest were frequently interviewed by Bob on his show, including Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Marvin Gaye, Mary Tyler Moore, and Bob Hope. In the midst of his success, Bob's true goal was to make it big as an actor. He began to make guest appearances on such shows as The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961) and The Twilight Zone (1959). He also appeared in the 1961 films, Return to Peyton Place (1961) and Man-Trap (1961). In 1963 Bob got a role on the popular The Donna Reed Show (1958), as "Dr. Dave Kelsey". After two years the producers let him go, saying his character was "too suggestive". This was no problem for Crane. In 1965 he received the starring role in a new sitcom for CBS called Hogan's Heroes (1965). It was a comedy about a group of POWs in a Nazi prison camp. He played the smooth-talking, crafty "Colonel Robert Hogan". Hogan's Heroes became a hit show, finishing in the top 10 at the end of the 1965-66 season. Crane was nominated for an Emmy twice, in 1966 and 1967. He had reached the peak of his success. It was during this time that Crane met Patti Olson, known as Sigrid Valdis. She played "Hilda" on Hogan's Heroes. Bob divorced his wife, Ann, after 20 years of marriage, and married Patti in 1970. They married on the set of "Hogan's Heroes". They had a son, Scott Crane, in 1971. Also in 1971, the new president of CBS abruptly canceled Hogan's Heroes after a 6-year run. Following the end of Hogan's Heroes Bob continued to act. However the roles were few and not very fulfilling. He starred in Superdad (1973) and Gus (1976), two Disney films, and had guest spots on shows, including Police Woman (1974), Ellery Queen (1975), and The Love Boat (1977). Bob briefly had his own show, The Bob Crane Show (1975), in 1975. Unfortunately, NBC canceled the show after 3 months. In 1973 Bob bought the rights to the play "Beginner's Luck". He both directed the play and starred in it. The play went around the country, including California, Texas, Hawaii, and Arizona. In June, 1978 Bob took "Beginner's Luck" to Scottsdale, Arizona. It was in Scottsdale that the unthinkable happened. In the early morning hours of June 29, 1978, Bob Crane was brutally murdered in his rented apartment room. He was beaten to death while he slept, and strangled with an electrical cord. He was 49 years old. His murder remains unsolved.

A stage actress from her early teens, Grace Cunard made her Hollywood debut in 1910. She soon partnered with actor/director Francis Ford at Univeral, where they began turning out serials. The films' success led to Cunard's nickname of "The Serial Queen," and by 1916 she and Ford were ranked among the most popular stars in Hollywood. Their careers began to falter by 1918, however, and while Ford went on to become a respected director and character actor well into the '40s, Cunard didn't have such luck. She began appearing in mostly B pictures, many made by lower-budget independent companies, and her career was mired there until she retired in the early '40s.

Frank Kelly Freas was born on 27 August 1922 in Hornell, New York, USA. He is known for Gentlemen Broncos (2009), Prisoners of Gravity (1989) and Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Fantasy (1991). He was married to Laura Brodian and Pauline H. Bussard. He died on 2 January 2005 in West Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Gloria Grahame Hallward, an acting pupil of her mother (stage actress and teacher Jean Grahame), acted professionally while still in high school. In 1944 Louis B. Mayer saw her on Broadway and gave her an MGM contract under the name Gloria Grahame. Her debut in the title role of Blonde Fever (1944) was auspicious, but her first public recognition came on loan-out in It's a Wonderful Life (1946). Although her talent and sex appeal were of star quality, she did not fit the star pattern at MGM, who sold her contract to RKO in 1947. Here the same problem resurfaced; her best film in these years was made on loan-out, In a Lonely Place (1950). Soon after, she left RKO. The 1950s, her best period, brought her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar and typecast her as shady, inimitably sultry ladies in seven well-known film-noir classics.

Rumors of being difficult to work with on the set of Oklahoma! (1955) helped sideline her film career from 1956 onward. She also suffered from marital and child-custody troubles. Eight years after divorce from Nicholas Ray, who was 12 years her senior (and reportedly had discovered her in bed with his 13 year old son), and after a subsequent marriage to Cy Howard ended in divorce, in 1960 she married her former stepson Anthony Ray (who was almost 14 years younger than she was.) This led former husbands Nicholas Ray and Cy Howard to sue Grahame; each man seeking custody of his respective child, putting gossip columnists and scandal sheets into overdrive. Grahame herself underwent electroconvulsive therapy after the ensuing stress caused a nervous breakdown. Surprisingly, however, Grahame and Anthony "Tony" Ray proved a happy couple. The union would be Grahame's longest marriage, lasting almost 14 years (10 years longer than her previous union with Ray's father); the couple had two children, Anthony Jr. and James.

In 1960, Grahame resumed stage acting, combined with TV work and, from 1970, some mostly inferior films. She was described as a serious, skillful actress; spontaneous, honest, and strong-willed; imaginative and curious; incredibly sexy but insecure about her looks (prompting plastic surgery on her famous lips); loving appreciative male company; "a bit loony." In 1975, she was treated for breast cancer. Five years later, she was diagnosed with cancer again, although it is unclear if this was a new cancer or a metastasis of her breast cancer. Grahame eventually moved to England in 1978. Her busiest period of British and American stage work ended abruptly in 1981 when she collapsed from cancer symptoms during a rehearsal. She wished to remain in Liverpool with her partner, Peter Turner (almost 30 years her junior), but after Turner notified her children of her health condition and impending death, two of her children flew to England to retrieve her, insisting she return to the United States. She died a few hours later that same day of stomach cancer and peritonitis at St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan on October 5, 1981 at age 57.

George Gray was born on 30 October 1894 in Oakland, California, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Science Fiction Theatre (1955), Men Into Space (1959) and Rogues Gallery (1944). He was married to Elsie Tarron and Marie Klentz. He died on 8 September 1967 in Asheville, North Carolina, USA.

Raymond Greenleaf was born on 27 November 1892 in Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for All the King's Men (1949), Storm Warning (1950) and Ten Tall Men (1951). He died on 29 October 1963 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Russell "Lucky" Hayden was born as Hayden Michael Lucid, the son of Francis Lucid and Minnie Harvey Lucid on June 12, 1912 in Chico, California. In his early Hollywood career, he worked primarily behind the scenes as a film cutter, assistant cameraman, and sound recorder. In 1937, he began his acting career, taking on the name Russell Hayden to honor his friend, cameraman Russell Harlan. That year, he made his screen debut in Paramount's 10th Hopalong Cassidy film, Hills of Old Wyoming (1937). After that film, it was evident Hayden was the perfect replacement for his friend and YMCA roommate, James Ellison, to portray the youthful sidekick to William Boyd in the wildly successful Hopalong series. Hayden played the role of "Lucky Jenkins" in a total of 27 Hoppy films. Today, out of all six of Hoppy's young pals, Lucky remains the most popular. Russell Hayden's acting and producing career spanned 26 years, playing in 80 films and television shows. In 1947, he was in a film called Trail of the Mounties (1947), where he played the heroic lead as well as the villain. In 1950, he and James Ellison starred together in a series of 11 films in which he and Ellison were cast as lawmen of the west. The same year, he appeared in multiple episodes of The Marshal of Gunsight Pass (1950), and also appeared in one episode of The Gene Autry Show (1950). Between the 1952 and 1953, he and Jackie Coogan starred in a short-running western series called Cowboy G-Men (1952), making a total of 39 episodes. While working in Hollywood, Russell Hayden teamed up with fellow actor Dick Curtis to help create Pioneertown, a western movie set that has been used in many films. Russell Hayden was married twice, first to actress Jan Clayton (aka Jane Clayton) in 1938. They met during the filming of Sunset Trail (1938), one of three Hopalong films in which they acted together. The two had their only child, Sandra Hayden, in 1940. After the couple's divorce in 1943, Hayden married actress Lillian Porter in 1946. The two remained married until his death in 1981.

Jack Ingram was born on 15 November 1902 in Frankfort, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Superman (1948), Who's Guilty? (1945) and Federal Operator 99 (1945). He was married to Eloise Fullerton. He died on 20 February 1969 in Canoga Park, California, USA.

Al J. Jennings was born on 25 November 1863 in Virginia, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for The Lady of the Dugout (1918), Beating Back (1914) and The Tryout (1919). He died on 26 December 1961 in Tarzana, California, USA.

Fewer dames were tougher on the 40s and 50s screen than leggy (5'9") "B" star Adele Jergens, the tough-talking, plump-cheeked peroxide blonde who gave her fair share of tawdry trouble in backstage dramas, film noir, crime potboilers, and adventure yarns. She was just as headstrong at trying to bust out of the chorus lines and cheesecake parts to become a topnotch "A" actress draw. She failed in the latter but nevertheless left a respectable Hollywood legacy for the host of hard-as-nails babes that did leave an impression.

Born on November 26, 1917, in Brooklyn New York, the youngest of four to working class Norwegian parents, she was christened Adele Louisa Jurgens (some sources say Jurgenson) and started her youth as a sports-minded tomboy before setting her young teen sights on an entertainment career as a dancer. After years of study (she earned a scholarship) at a Manhattan dance studio and following her graduation from Grover Cleveland High School, the knockout-looking 18-year-old found her way into the Broadway chorus line (billed as Adele Jurgens, her real name) of the Moss Hart/Cole Porter musical "Jubilee!", which introduced the classic Porter songs "Begin the Beguine" and "Just One of Those Things" and starred Melville Cooper and Mary Boland as the King and Queen and a young Montgomery Clift as Prince Peter.

The John Robert Powers Agency saw in Adele top runway model potential and quickly signed up the gorgeous girl and her gams. She willingly played the starlet game by being squired around town by big Broadway stars and handsome male eligibles, and finding promotional titles to further attract pin-up attention -- "Miss World's Fairest" at the New York 1939 World's Fair, as well as "The Champagne Blonde" and "The Girl with the Million Dollar Legs". She was even dubbed "The Number One Showgirl in New York City" at one point. By this time she had revised the spelling of her last name for the stage (Jergens). In between modeling assignments, Adele found dance work in other in cabaret revues, nightclubs, in the Rockette chorus line, and in such Broadway shows as Cole Porter's "Leave It to Me!" (1938) again starring Gaxton and Moore and co-starring "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" singing star Mary Martin; Cole Porter's "DuBarry Was a Lady" (1939) with Ethel Merman belting out "Well, Did You Evah?" and "Friendship"; "Louisiana Purchase" (in a replacement role) (1940), "Banjo Eyes" (1941) starring Eddie Cantor and the burlesque revue "Star and Garter" (1942) in which Adele had a featured role while understudying one of its headliners, Gypsy Rose Lee. She went on for Ms. Lee, Hollywood took immediate notice with Twentieth Century-Fox signing her up.

Adele started at the bottom rung at Fox with the usual decorative showgirl or good time girl parts in the musicals Hello Frisco, Hello (1943), Sweet Rosie O'Grady (1943), The Gang's All Here (1943)and Pin Up Girl (1944). When Fox dropped her option she was snatched up by Columbia in a seven-year contract. After minor parts again in the musicals Dancing in Manhattan (1944), Tonight and Every Night (1945) and State Fair (1945), she was entrusted with the lead femme role as Princess Armina of Baghdad in the Eastern adventure A Thousand and One Nights (1945) with Phil Silvers and handsome Cornel Wilde as Aladdin. She also displayed a brusque comic flair as the aptly-named Allura in the Rosalind Russell comedy She Wouldn't Say Yes (1945) as an hilariously-accented blonde briefly competing for Russell's man Lee Bowman. She top-lined her own musical albeit the quickly forgotten When a Girl's Beautiful (1947) which co-starred Marc Platt and Stephen Dunne.

After a lull, the former WWII pin-up (once nick-named "The All-American Girl" by the men of the 504th parachute infantry) was now being billed by Columbia as "The Eyeful" and returned to the musical genre with the fantasy Down to Earth (1947). Rita Hayworth plays a heavenly muse who, disturbed by a Broadway musical below the clouds that is mocking Greek mythology. Turning mortal, she takes things in her own hands by turning mortal and (not easily) replacing the show's tough-talking original goddess Adele Jergens in order to manipulate the proceedings. Adele gets to tap and sing (dubbed by Kay Starr) before she is fired.

Outside of musicals, the hard-looking blonde (especially when her hair was let down), Adele started making headway in crime dramas and film noir starting with a nifty featured role as a glamour girl in The Corpse Came C.O.D. (1947). She followed that with hard-boiled roles in I Love Trouble (1948), The Dark Past (1948), Edge of Doom (1950), Armored Car Robbery (1950) and Side Street (1949). For the most part, however, it was the usual over-served hash that, while keeping her busy, also kept her locked in the "B" support ranks -- The Prince of Thieves (1948), Law of the Barbary Coast (1949), Slightly French (1949), Make Believe Ballroom (1949), Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick (1952), Somebody Loves Me (1952) -- when not leading in inconsequential material such as Ladies of the Chorus (1948) (as the mother of Marilyn's Monroe's character), The Mutineers (1949), The Woman from Tangier (1948), The Crime Doctor's Diary (1949) and the serial Radar Secret Service (1950).

Treasure of Monte Cristo (1949) was notable for the casting of Adele and future husband Glenn Langan. One might think that gorgeous Adele would end up a divorcée many times over, but she and Langan, who wed on October 6, 1951, stayed married until his death almost 40 years later. The 1950s, following good parts (Sugarfoot (1951)) but far more routine ones (Beware of Blondie (1950), The Traveling Saleswoman (1950), Blues Busters (1950)), Adele moved into TV work. After having son Tracy in 1953, Adele took a brief break from her career, then resumed it and found work on such programs as "Dangerous Assignment", "The Abbott & Costello Show", "Mr. and Mrs. North", "Make Room for Daddy", "The Public Defender", "I Married Joan", "My Favorite Husband", and "The Burns & Allen Show". Co-starring on film with husband Langan again in The Big Chase (1954), Jergens worked for a couple more years then left the business as the quality of her movies diminished with tawdry roles in Fireman Save My Child (1954), The Miami Story (1954), The Lonesome Trail (1955), Girls in Prison (1956) and Runaway Daughters (1956). She never returned but husband continued his career until the early 1970s; he also dabbled in real estate.

Glenn Langan died of cancer in 1991 and their only child, 48-year-old Tracy, who had become a film technician, died in 2001 of a brain tumor, which devastated the actress. Her health declined quickly after her son's death; she died the following year of pneumonia on November 22, 2002, just days before her 85th birthday.

Milton Kibbee was born on 27 January 1896 in Roswell, New Mexico, USA. He was an actor, known for The Mad Doctor of Market Street (1942), Junior Prom (1946) and Vacation Days (1947). He was married to Lois H. Wilson. He died on 17 April 1970 in Simi Valley, California, USA.

Thomas Glenn Langan spent most of his early life in his home town of Denver, Colorado. After completing his education he acted in local repertory companies before moving to New York. In 1942, he appeared on Broadway opposite Luise Rainer in J.M. Barrie's "Kiss for Cinderella". He garnered good critical reviews which led to a contract with 20th Century Fox the following year. With many top leading men of the era away on wartime duties, the tall, muscular Langan filled the gap in several A-grade productions.

Langan was usually seen in the role of the stalwart professional man, appearing to best advantage as a French professor in the romantic Margie (1946), a devoted young doctor protecting Gene Tierney from the evil machinations of Vincent Price in Dragonwyck (1946), and as one of the psychiatrists looking after demented patient Olivia de Havilland in the The Snake Pit (1948). Langan was also gainfully employed in escapist adventure, essaying a square-jawed privateer captain in Forever Amber (1947) and starring as Edmund Dantes -- descendant of the original protagonist of Alexandre Dumas -- in the updated and modernised, Treasure of Monte Cristo (1949).

In spite of these boosts to his career, his sturdy good looks and rugged appeal, Langan's popularity gradually waned by the early 1950s. He spent the next decade appearing on various television episodes and eventually achieved a kind of cult status as the irradiated 60-foot hero of Bert I. Gordon's often hilarious schlock sci-fi The Amazing Colossal Man (1957). After winding down his screen career in the 60s, Langan re-invented himself as a successful real estate salesman. He was married for forty years to the actress Adele Jergens.

A very popular performer in 1980s porn, Trinity Loren was an instantly recognizable figure with her large natural breasts at a time when silicone implants were beginning to dominate the adult film industry. More voluptuous than your average porn princess, Trinity's ample figure and relaxed presence made her a sought-after performer, and she graced over 180 productions. Unfortunately, like too many others in the business who get mixed up in the fast lane of Hollywood (whether in porn or "legit" films), Trinity suffered from overwhelming depression, and died due to an accidental drug overdose in 1998.

Trinity first gained notice from her spreads in men's magazines and further solidified her reputation on the strip-club circuit, flaunting her striking figure and frizzy amber hair. She graduated to hardcore features in 1985. On screen she was a natural, appearing fresh yet relaxed with her co-stars, who often became friends off set. Performance-wise she was just as adept, showing the kind of control and energy that women half her size would have envied. Halfway through her career she married porn star Barry Wood (aka Barry Woods), but the marriage ended in divorce after the birth of their daughter, Tess, near the end of the decade. Soon afterwards Trinity left porn, moved to Texas and tried to make a new life for her and her daughter, but an ongoing legal dispute with Hunter over custody of the child soon put a damper on her plans for a quiet life. Lengthy (and expensive) court proceedings followed, with the unfortunate result that Trinity lost custody of her daughter. After the proceedings, she moved to California to be able to be near her child. The combination of her marital problems, legal troubles and her ongoing clinical depression resulted in her developing an addiction to both prescription and non-prescription drugs. Her fight against the addiction ended on October 24, 1998, when she died as a result of an accidental overdose. She was 34. Ironically, before her death Trinity had been working, as part of her recovery therapy, on her autobiography. She is buried at the Chatsworth Oakwood Memorial Cemetery in Chatsworth, California, under her real name, Roxanne McPherson.

Dorothy Mackaye was born on 8 May 1899 in Denver, Colorado, USA. She was a writer and actress, known for Ladies They Talk About (1933) and Lady Gangster (1942). She was married to Paul Kelly and Ray Raymond. She died on 5 January 1940 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Anthony Magro was born on 1 March 1923 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) and Murder, She Wrote (1984). He was married to Doris Magro. He died on 17 November 2004 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.

He appeared in a number of John Wayne movies and made headlines in 1953 when he roped Pres Eisenhower as a gag during his inaugural parade. He asked the President's permission first, but Secret Service agents were unamused by the incident. Mr Montana was a fixture on the rodeo circuit in the USA and Canada and also appeared in more than 60 annual Tournament of Roses parades in Pasadena, California, waving to the crowd from a silver saddle.

Ida Moore was born on 1 March 1882 in Altoona, Kansas, USA. She was an actress, known for Johnny Belinda (1948), The Egg and I (1947) and The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950). She died on 26 September 1964 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Richard Reeves was born on 10 August 1912 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Target Earth (1954), Dance with Me, Henry (1956) and Adventures of Superman (1952). He died on 17 March 1967 in Northridge, California, USA.

Ginger Rogers was born Virginia Katherine McMath in Independence, Missouri on July 16, 1911, the daughter of Lela E. Rogers (née Lela Emogene Owens) and William Eddins McMath. Her mother went to Independence to have Ginger away from her husband. She had a baby earlier in their marriage and he allowed the doctor to use forceps and the baby died. She was kidnapped by her father several times until her mother took him to court. Ginger's mother left her child in the care of her parents while she went in search of a job as a scriptwriter in Hollywood and later to New York City. Mrs. McMath found herself with an income good enough to where she could send for Ginger. Lelee became a Marine in 1918 and was in the publicity department and Ginger went back to her grandparents in Missouri. During this time her mother met John Rogers. After leaving the Marines they married in May, 1920 in Liberty, Missouri. He was transferred to Dallas and Ginger (who treated him as a father) went too. Ginger won a Charleston contest in 1925 (age 14) and a 4-week contract on the Interstate circuit. She also appeared in vaudeville acts which she did until she was 17 with her mother by her side to guide her. Now she had discovered true acting.

She married in March 1929, and after several months realized she had made a mistake. She acquired an agent and she did several short films. She went to New York where she appeared in the Broadway production of "Top Speed" which debuted Christmas Day, 1929. Her first film was in 1929 in A Night in a Dormitory (1930). It was a bit part, but it was a start. Later that year, Ginger appeared, briefly, in two more films, A Day of a Man of Affairs (1929) and Campus Sweethearts (1930). For awhile she did both movies and theatre. The following year she began to get better parts in films such as Office Blues (1930) and The Tip-Off (1931). But the movie that enamored her to the public was Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933). She did not have top billing, but her beauty and voice were enough to have the public want more. One song she popularized in the film was the now famous, "We're in the Money". Also in 1933, she was in 42nd Street (1933). She suggested using a monocle, and this also set her apart. In 1934, she starred with Dick Powell in Twenty Million Sweethearts (1934). It was a well-received film about the popularity of radio.

Ginger's real stardom occurred when she was teamed with Fred Astaire where they were one of the best cinematic couples ever to hit the silver screen. This is where she achieved real stardom. They were first paired in 1933's Flying Down to Rio (1933) and later in 1935's Roberta (1935) and Top Hat (1935). Ginger also appeared in some very good comedies such as Bachelor Mother (1939) and Fifth Avenue Girl (1939), both in 1939. Also that year, she appeared with Astaire in The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939). The film made money but was not anywhere successful as they had hoped. After that, studio executives at RKO wanted Ginger to strike out on her own.

She made several dramatic pictures, but it was 1940's Kitty Foyle (1940) that allowed her to shine. Playing a young lady from the wrong side of the tracks, she played the lead role well, so well in fact, that she won an Academy Award for her portrayal. Ginger followed that project with the delightful comedy, Tom, Dick and Harry (1941) the following year. It's a story where she has to choose which of three men she wants to marry. Through the rest of the 1940s and early 1950s she continued to make movies but not near the caliber before World War II. After Oh, Men! Oh, Women! (1957) in 1957, Ginger didn't appear on the silver screen for seven years. By 1965, she had appeared for the last time in Harlow (1965). Afterward, she appeared on Broadway and other stage plays traveling in Europe, the U.S., and Canada. After 1984, she retired and wrote an autobiography in 1991 entitled, "Ginger, My Story".

On April 25, 1995, Ginger died of natural causes in Rancho Mirage, California. She was 83.

Jack Shannon was born on 31 August 1894 in Toledo, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Sundown Riders (1944), Man from Montana (1941) and The Mystery Rider (1928). He was married to Grace Cunard and Ruby May Huff. He died on 27 December 1968 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

A prolific character actor of imposing presence, Robert F. Simon drifted into acting via the Cleveland Playhouse, hoping that this would cure his natural propensity for shyness. After training at the Actor's Studio in New York he had a ten year run on Broadway (1942-52) in which he cut his teeth--both as actor and as stage manager--on anything from drama to musical comedy. In a roundabout way, he was even able to fulfill his original career goal of becoming a traveling salesman: as understudy to the great Lee J. Cobb as Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman".

Robert started in films in 1950, but over the years came often to be typecast in stereotypical roles of benevolent authoritarianism or grouchy executive stress. At times he drew unkind reviews from the critics. He was considerably better served by the small screen, where, for some 35 years, he became a familiar face as generals, police captains, doctors, journalists and attorneys. We may remember him most fondly as George Armstrong Custer's disapproving superior, General Alfred Terry, in Custer (1967); as the sympathetic, long-suffering father of Darrin Stephens in Bewitched (1964); or as Maynard M. Mitchell, one of the wackiest of generals ever to have served in the Korean War (or any other war), in M*A*S*H (1972).