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- John Denis was born on 15 April 1913 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Long Way Home (1960). He died on 15 April 1913 in London, England, UK.
- Master Breezy Reeves Jr, born Reeves Barnes Eason, also billed as "Breezy" Eason Jr, was born in California in 1914, son of actor/film director B. (William) Reeves Eason and actress Jimsy Mayo. Handsome, cute blonde boy who starred in mostly westerns from the age of two. He was known as 'Universal's Littlest Cowboy' until he was hit by a truck at the age of six while riding his bike to a music lesson near his home at 6200 Fountain Avenue in Los Angeles. He never regained consciousness and died of his injuries after surgery at California Hospital.
- Gladys Ethel McClure was born on August 5, 1914, to Samuel Hugh McClure and Flora Parthenia McClure of Fort Worth, Texas. She attended Tenth Ward School in Ft. Worth and a finishing school in Chatham, Virginia. Gladys moved to Beverly Hills, California, to make her home with her sister, actress Adrienne Ames. Gladys appeared on stage and screen as Linda Marsh (sometimes Linda March). On November 26, 1933, Gladys was a passenger in a car returning from a Stanford University football victory celebration. Going toward San Francisco on Bayshore Highway, the car crashed into another, and Gladys was among four killed. Her sister Adrienne had just married actor Bruce Cabot and was notified of the accident on her honeymoon in Honolulu. After a service in California, the body was taken home to Fort Worth. Gladys was interred on December 7, 1933, in the family plot at Fort Worth's historic Oakwood Cemetery. In 1947, her sister Adrienne Ames was buried beside her.
- Winston Doty was born on 18 February 1913 in Malta, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Peter Pan (1924), One Terrible Day (1922) and A Pleasant Journey (1923). He died on 1 January 1934 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Weston Doty was born on 18 February 1913 in Malta, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Peter Pan (1924) and One Terrible Day (1922). He died on 1 January 1934 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Infante Gonzalo of Spain was born on 24 October 1914 in Madrid, Spain. He died on 13 August 1934 in Krumpendorf, Carinthia, Austria.
- Michimi Tamagawa was born on 1 August 1913 in Kyoto, Japan. She was an actress, known for Meakashi soshichi: zenpen futari no fukushusha (1925), Hibashira (1926) and Kyôko to Shizuko (II) (1926). She died on 24 November 1934.
- Odel Conley was born on 17 November 1913 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926). He was married to Lyda May Muse. He died on 6 May 1935 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Norman 'Chubby' Chaney was born on 18 October 1914 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He was an actor, known for Love Business (1931), Shivering Shakespeare (1930) and Pups Is Pups (1930). He died on 29 May 1936 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
- Animation Department
Elmer Wait was born on 11 September 1913 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is known for Porky the Wrestler (1937) and Porky's Garden (1937). He died on 20 July 1937.- Mary Blackford was born on 22 July 1914 in Bristol, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi (1933), Merrily Yours (1933) and Love Time (1934). She died on 25 September 1937 in Santa Monica, California, USA.
- Actress
Genevieve Phillips was born Edith Genevieve Phillips born on February 8, 1913 in Los Angeles, California. Genevieve decided she wanted to be an actress at a young age. After graduating from Beverly Hills high school she enrolled in drama school. Then she moved to New York City and began working in the theater. In 1933 the beautiful brunette made her film debut in the musical My Weakness. The following year she toured with the show Everybody On Deck. She was signed by Paramount in 1935 and given bit parts in the films One Hour Late and Collegiate.
Unfortunately her career quickly stalled and she started suffering from depression. Genevieve lived with her parents on South Maple Drive in Los Angeles. On March 18, 1938 she went into her bedroom and shot herself in the head. Her close friend, Denny Beach, found her unconscious body and she was taken to the hospital. Tragically she died later that evening at the young age of twenty-five. She was cremated and buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.- Herti Kirchner was born on 3 September 1913 in Kiel, Germany. She was an actress, known for Du bist so schön, Berlinerin (1936), Acht Mädels im Boot (1932) and Wer küßt Madeleine? (1939). She died on 1 May 1939 in Berlin, Germany.
- Richard Seaman was born on 4 February 1913 in Aldingbourne, West Sussex, England, UK. He was married to Erica Popp. He died on 25 June 1939 in Stavelot, Belgium.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Beatrice Coleman was born on 14 July 1914 in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for The Little Stranger (1936). She died on 14 May 1940 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actress
Edna Waldron was born on May 17, 1913 in Kansas City, Missouri. She started her career as a model and signed a contract with Hal Roach. In 1934 she was chosen out of three thousand actresses for a featured role in the musical The Merry Widow. Edna also appeared in the movies Reckless and Our Relations. Her shapely legs earned her the nickname "The Gam Girl". Unfortunately her career consisted mostly of small parts. On May 22, 1935 she married actor Jimmy Aye and became the sister-in-law of actress Marion Aye. In July of 1937 Edna and Jimmy were both injured in a car accident. The couple were divorced the following year. They reconciled in 1940 while working together in the movie Brother Orchid. They were planning to remarry but tragically on August 24, 1940 Edna died. Two days earlier she had been severely burned while trying to save a child in a fire. She was only twenty-seven years old.- Ken 'Snakehips' Johnson was born on 10 September 1914 in British Guiana [now Guyana]. He was an actor. He died on 8 March 1941 in London, England, UK.
- Ken Johnson was born on 10 September 1914 in Georgetown, British Guiana. He was an actor, known for The Torso Murder Mystery (1939). He died on 8 March 1941 in London, England, UK.
- Actor
- Stunts
Jack Budlong was born on 22 February 1913 in New York, USA. He was an actor. He was married to Verne Rogers. He died on 5 August 1941 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Irene Bennett was born on 17 December 1913 in Oklahoma, USA. She was an actress, known for Lady Be Careful (1936). She died on 25 August 1941 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Eric Findon was born on 2 March 1913 in Paddington, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Cupid in Clover (1929) and The Rising Generation (1928). He died on 25 August 1941 in Wavre, Walloon Brabant, Belgium.
- Werner Mölders was born on 18 March 1913 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. He died on 22 November 1941 in Breslau, Silesia, Germany [now Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie, Poland].
- Sueo Oe was born on August 2, 1914 in Maizuru, Kyoto, Japan. Oe won the bronze medal in the men's pole vault at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. In the wake of his Olympic triumph Sueo went on to set a national record in the men's pole vault at four meters and thirty-five centimeters in 1937 that stood for twenty-one years. Oe joined the Imperial Japanese Army in 1939. Sueo was killed in action during the Battle of Wake Island at the tragically young age of 27 on December 24, 1941.
- Maria Clara Ruiz was born on 27 October 1914. She was an actress, known for Tagailog (1951), Bago lumubog ang araw (1930) and Anak ng kadiliman (1937). She was married to Pedro Santos. She died on 31 December 1941 in Baliuag, Bulacan, Philippines.
- Richard Korn was born on 1 April 1914 in Frankfurt an der Oder, Brandenburg, Germany. He was an actor, known for Fahrendes Volk (1938), Karussell (1937) and Der Herr Papa (1936). He died on 6 February 1942 in Velizh, Smolensk Oblast, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia].
- Eva Stettiner was born on 6 February 1914 in Stuttgart, Baden Württemberg, Germany. She died on 26 March 1942 in Riga-Jungfernhof, Außenlager Ghetto Riga.
- Carmen Bailey was born on 26 May 1913 in Mexico. She was an actress, known for California Frontier (1938), Asegure a su mujer (1935) and El diablo del Mar (1935). She died on 16 July 1942 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Paul Guertzman was born on 7 February 1913 in Kichinov, Russia. He was an actor, known for His Private Life (1928), Betrayal (1929) and The Wolf of Wall Street (1929). He died on 17 July 1942.
- Peter Zvon was born on 9 January 1913 in Chrudim, Cechy, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]. Peter was a writer, known for Tanec nad placom (1989). Peter died on 19 October 1942 in Bratislava, Slovenský stát [now Slovakia].
- Champion track and field athlete Foy Draper was born on November 26, 1911 in Georgetown, Texas. Draper attended the University of Southern California, where he won the IC4A championship in the 200 m in 1935. Moreover, at the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, Germany Foy ran the third leg for the American 4 x 100 m relay team that won the gold medal with a world record time of 39.8. In addition, Draper reportedly held the world record for the 100 y dash at a time when it would have been a hand-timed 9.4. During World War II Foy served as a pilot on the twin-engine attack bomber A-20B 'Havoc' in Thelepte, Tunisia. On January 4, 1943 Draper and two crew members took off to fly to Fonduck, Tunisia to participate in the battle of Kasserine Pass. Foy and his two crew members never returned from said flight. His date of death is often cited as February 1, 1943. Draper's memory is honored at the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial that's administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission in Carthage, Tunisia.
- Actor. In the years 1933-36 he performed at the City Theaters in Warsaw. In addition, in the 1934/35 season he was in the group of the "Stara Banda" revue theater, and in 1936 he played in the Chamber Theater. He played mainly in movies, great external conditions predestined him to the roles of lovers. During the war, from 1940, he played in open theaters. In 1942, arrested by the Gestapo, on November 19 of that year he was sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, where he was murdered.
- Martijn de Vries was born on 18 September 1913 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. He was an actor, known for De leugen van Pierrot (1922) and Koningin Elisabeth's dochter (1915). He died on 30 April 1943 in Sobibór Concentration Camp, Lubelskie, Poland.
- Luz Long was a German Olympic long-jumper, notable for winning the silver medal in the event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin and for giving technical advice to his competitor, Jesse Owens, who went on to win the gold medal for the long jump. Luz Long won the German long jump championship six times in 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, and 1939. He went on to finish third in the 1938 European Championships in Athletics long jump with 7.56 m.
- Wilhelm Tauchen was born on 23 July 1914 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. He was an actor, known for Jana, the Girl from the Bohemian Forest (1935) and Jana (1935). He died on 17 July 1943.
- David Bacon was born on 24 March 1914 in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for The Masked Marvel (1943), The Boss of Big Town (1942) and Someone to Remember (1943). He was married to Greta Keller. He died on 13 September 1943 in Hollywood, California, USA.
- Additional Crew
Edward O'Hare was born on 13 March 1914 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was married to Rita O'Hare. He died on 27 November 1943 in Pacific Ocean, near the Gilberts Islands.- Alan Davis was born on 30 August 1913 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Big Guy (1939), King of the Underworld (1939) and Over the Wall (1938). He was married to Peggy Shannon. He died on 11 December 1943 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Cinematographer
Mikhail Kapkin was born on 23 March 1913 in Borisov, Minsk Governorate, Russian Empire [now Minsk oblast, Belarus]. Mikhail was a cinematographer, known for Ukraine in Flames (1943). Mikhail died on 1 February 1944.- Michael Wittmann was born on 22 April 1914 in Germany. He was married to Hildegard Burmester. He died on 8 August 1944 in Normandy, France.
- Alberto Quintero Álvarez was born on 25 January 1914 in Acambaro, Guanajuato, Mexico. He was a writer, known for The Balloon of Cantoya (1943) and El vengador (1949). He died on 20 August 1944 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico.
- Actor
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
During the Second World War, Second Lieutenant Robert Meltzer served with Company A, 2nd Ranger Battalion. An ardent anti-Nazi, an earlier attempt to join the Abraham Lincoln Brigade and fight in the Spanish Civil war had been foiled by his family.
Recently assigned as 1st platoon leader of Abel Company, Meltzer was killed by enemy machine gun fire on 21 August, 1944, in or near Le Folgoët, France, as he was leading his men through an opening in a hedgerow in an attempt to take charge of some German soldiers who had supposedly surrendered. His remains were later interned at the Brittany American Cemetery in St James, France (Plot I Row 5 Grave 12).
Robert Meltzer was the second youngest of six children born to Russian Jewish immigrants, Joseph and Ida Alderman Meltzer of Oakland, California. Joseph Meltzer worked as a superintendent at a local insurance company office and would go on to be a Bay area business leader and active in political and social circles until his death in 1930. The Leonard J. Meltzer Boys & Girls Club in Oakland is named after his oldest son, a former county deputy district attorney who died in 1947.
On 9 December, 1924, the Oakland Tribune ran a photograph of Robert Meltzer rehearsing with Piedmont Boy's Pioneer troupe for their annual play "Who Knows".
In 1935, during the depths of the Great Depression, Meltzer caused a controversy among many state and school leaders when, as editor of the Pelican, the University of California at Berkeley student humor magazine, he published five pages of "Communist Art".
Before the war, Meltzer had worked as an uncredited writer on The Great Dictator (1940) and had written for director/writer Orson Welles.
The Writers Guild of America (West), states that "the Robert Meltzer Award honors one act of bravery by remembering another, recognizing an artist's singular act of courage in defense of freedom of expression and the rights of writers everywhere".- Actress
Lorraine Marshall was born on 10 June 1914 in Connecticut, USA. She was an actress. She was married to Larry Stewart. She died on 29 September 1944 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Lis Smed was born on 27 November 1914 in Denmark. She was an actress, known for Thummelumsen (1941), Biskoppen (1944) and Giftes - nej tak! (1936). She died on 24 November 1944 in Denmark.
- György Faragó was born on 14 November 1913 in Budapest, Austria-Hungary [now Hungary]. He was an actor, known for A Pál-utcai fiúk (1925). He died on 3 December 1944 in Budapest, Hungary.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Although his career was short-lived, McPhail was fortunate enough to have appeared in some of the finest musicals and operettas of the late 30s. Jeanette MacDonald took an early interest in this handsome baritone, when he performed in the chorus of San Francisco and other of her pictures. The studio signed him on at nineteen as the back-up for Nelson Eddy in The Girl of the Golden West (1938), although McPhail did not get screen time. His career flared briefly in 1939 and 1940, when he appeared with MacDonald, Judy Garland, Eleanor Powell and future wife Betty Jaynes in a series of musical pictures. Although the studio groomed him as the next Nelson Eddy, it failed to recognize the changing interests of the moviegoing public, who tired of his style of singing. His marriage failed, and he took to drink. Roles dried up, and after an earlier suicide attempt, McPhail succeeded in poisoning himself on December 6, 1944.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Seemingly suave, cultivated actor by nature, definitely huge in both talent and girth, and capable of playing much older than he was, Hollywood of the early '40s tragically lost Laird Cregar before it could fully comprehend on how to best utilize his obvious gifts. He was born Samuel Laird Cregar in a well-to-do section of Philadelphia, eventually dropping his first name after forging an acting career. At age eight his parents sent him to England and enrolled him at the Winchester Academy. During his school's off time, his pique in acting escalated after being employed as a page boy with the Stratford-on-Avon Players. Thereafter, his mind was set to become a professional actor. Returning to the U.S., he attended Episcopal Academy in Philadelphia and the Douglas Adams School in Longport, New Jersey. Again, he found meager jobs, such as an usher, in order to stay close to the theater. Awarded a scholarship to the Pasadena Community Playhouse, he trained there for two years before going out on his own and finding minor work on the bi-coastal stage and finding minuscule parts in films.
Laird's break came of his own making. After witnessing Robert Morley's triumph in the title role of "Oscar Wilde" on Broadway, Laird set upon finding backing for his own version of the play. Debuting in Los Angeles and finding resounding success there as well as in San Francisco, film studios began competing for his services with Twentieth Century-Fox winning out. He made his feature debut opposite Paul Muni in Hudson's Bay (1940) in the boisterous role of a fur trapper and solidified his movie standing by appearing flamboyantly as a bullfighting critic at odds with Tyrone Power's matador in the popular Technicolor classic Blood and Sand (1941). He then went on to show a scene-stealing prowess for stylish farce as one of Jack Benny "suitors" in the drag comedy Charley's Aunt (1941).
By the time Laird cut a mean, sinister path in I Wake Up Screaming (1941), playing a detective so insanely hung up on a murdered girl (Carole Landis) that he deliberately frames an innocent man (Victor Mature) for her crime, it was obvious films could rely on him for any of their comedic or dramatic ventures. There seemed nothing he couldn't do, but it was obvious audiences loved him as the 300 lb. man you love to hate - goaded on by his nefarious doings in the film noir classic This Gun for Hire (1942) starring Alan Ladd and Rings on Her Fingers (1942) with Gene Tierney.
On the Los Angeles theater front he gave Monty Woolley a run for the money in Woolley's signature stage role of Sheridan Whiteside in "The Man Who Came to Dinner". Along with the good came some contrived roles in a few mediocre films ranging from training officers to hammy-styled pirates. Even so, he usually stood out among the other actors in some fashion. He even played the Devil himself in the exquisitely humor-laced Ernst Lubitsch comedy Heaven Can Wait (1943).
His film career was capped by his definitive Jack the Ripper in The Lodger (1944). Investing the psychotic role with an intense, gripping realism and off-putting, oily charm, he led a brilliantly seasoned cast and relished a death scene in the film (in truth, the real-life serial killer was never caught) that dared to forever stereotype him as a Sydney Greenstreet-like villain. Unfortunately, his early death robbed film audiences of seeing what course Laird's career would have taken. Sure enough, his last celluloid offering in Hangover Square (1945) was as another despicable character with murder on its maniacal mind. Top-lining a cast that included Linda Darnell (as an object of his affection), and George Sanders, he this time portrayed a temperamental composer who suffers from a split personality disorder and, prone to periodic blackouts, commits brutal murders. Another compelling death scene had his mad character wildly pounding out a concerto while the room around him goes up in flames and the ceiling crashes down on him.
Laird's obsession with avoiding the inevitable stereotype as a "heavy heavy" and wistful pursuit of a romantic leading man career compelled him to go on a reckless, unsupervised crash diet (from 300 lbs to 200 lbs), which is evident by his drastically trimmed-down look in his last film. This proved too strenuous on his system and he was forced to undergo surgery for a severe stomach disorder. His 30-year-old heart gave out on the morning of December 9, 1944, only days after his operation. He was survived by his mother.- Ferenc Csík was born on 12 December 1913 in Kaposvár, Hungary. He died on 29 March 1945 in Sopron, Hungary.
- Luisa Ferida started as a stage actress and first appeared in films with La Freccia d'oro (1935) in a supporting role but because of her photogenic looks and talent as an actress, she soon graduated to leading parts at the end of the thirties. In 1939, whilst working on An Adventure of Salvator Rosa (1939) directed by the celebrated Alessandro Blasetti, she met Osvaldo Valenti. The pair became romantically involved and had a son. Valenti had been linked with many Fascist officials and personalities for years, and this is the reason why he featured on the partisans' hit list. He was finally arrested in Milan, alongside a pregnant Ferida in April 1945. They were both sentenced to be executed and shot immediately in the street.
- Dolores Casey was born Margaret Dolores Katherine Casey in Brooklyn, New York. She was educated at Sacred Heart Academy. Then she studied journalism at Columbia University and started modeling. A talent scout spotted her and signed the nineteen year old to a contract at United Artists Studio. She spent a year at the studio but never made a single film. In 1933 producer Samuel Goldwyn hired her to be one of his "Goldwyn Girls" dancers. Dolores made her film debut in the musical Roman Scandals with Lucille Ball. Soon after she signed a lucrative contract at Paramount. The dark haired beauty had small parts in the films Dames, Big Brown Eyes, and The Case Against Mrs. Ames.
She developed a severe case of tuberculosis in 1936 and was hospitalized for several months. Her Hollywood friend, including William Frawley and director Ray McCarey, helped pay for her medical bills. Dolores returned to acting in 1938 with a role in Doctor Rhythym. She dated Arthur Tracy and was briefly engaged to director Bob Linden. Sadly her tuberculosis returned and she was forced to quit making movies. Her final film was the 1939 drama King Of Chinatown. On July 5, 1943 she married Lee Wynne, a doctor. The couple lived a quiet life in Los Angeles but her health quickly deteriorated. Tragically on May 11, 1945 she died from tuberculosis. Dolores was only thirty-two years old. She was buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York. - Keiko Sonoi was born on 6 August 1913 in Matsu Village, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. She was an actress, known for The Life of Matsu the Untamed (1943), Yukiwariso (1939) and Minami jujisei (1941). She died on 21 August 1945 in Ashiya, Hyogo, Japan.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Evelyn Thawl was born on 28 August 1914 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for Out Where the Stars Begin (1938). She was married to David Fridmann. She died on 13 September 1945 in Brooklyn, New York, USA.- Director
V.C. Desai was born on 12 October 1913 in Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India. He was a director, known for Nirdosh (1942), Sadhana (1939) and Sri Thyagaraja (1937). He was married to Nalini Jaywant. He died on 25 January 1946 in Baroda, Bombay Presidency, British India.- Cornelius Johnson was born on 28 August 1913 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He died on 15 February 1946.
- Diane Dahl was born on 18 September 1914 in Coos Bay, Oregon, USA. She was an actress, known for Tripping Through the Tropics (1934). She died on 10 March 1946 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Make-Up Department
Wilma Ryan was born on 7 July 1913 in Los Angeles, California, USA. Wilma is known for Rascals (1938). Wilma died on 15 March 1946 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Daughter of director James Cruze and actress Marguerite Snow. As an infant, Julie appeared in Thanhouser films with her mother. Julie's father filed a suit against her asking to cancel some deeds that he'd left to her in the amount of $150,000. He contended that Julie was incompetent in handling her own affairs and wanted the court to name her a guardian. James claimed that the money was intended to save expenses of administration in the event of his death. Julie fought back claiming that the money was deeded to her in property in order avoid it being taken away due to debts. Julie won the case.- Valeri Zhelobinsky was born on 9 November 1913 in Tambov, Tambov Governorate, Russian Empire [now Tambov Oblast, Russia]. Valeri was a composer, known for Anna (1936), Bolshie krylya (1937) and Red Army Days (1935). Valeri died on 13 August 1946 in Leningrad, RSFSR, USSR [now St. Petersburg, Russia].
- Johnnie Neblett was born on 18 June 1913 in Houston, Mississippi, USA. He was married to Angelyn Orr and Angelyn Orr. He died on 15 September 1946 in Niles, Illinois, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Mathea Merryfield was born on 26 June 1913 in Stockton, California, USA. She was an actress, known for She Shall Have Music (1935). She died on 28 January 1947 in Stockton, California, USA.- Patricia Farr was born on 15 January 1913 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. She was an actress, known for This Gun for Hire (1942), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) and Tailspin Tommy (1934). She was married to Robert Mayo. She died on 23 February 1948 in Burbank, California, USA.
- Rod Bacon was born on 6 June 1914 in Denver, Colorado, USA. He was an actor, known for The Masked Marvel (1943), Public Enemies (1941) and The Gay Vagabond (1941). He was married to Annette Louise Devorak. He died on 28 February 1948 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.
- Ross Lockridge Jr. was born on 25 April 1914 in Bloomington, Indiana, USA. He was a writer, known for Raintree County (1957). He was married to Vernice Baker. He died on 6 March 1948 in Bloomington, Indiana, USA.
- Placido Rizzotto was born on 2 January 1914 in Corleone, Sicily, Italy. He died on 10 March 1948 in Corleone, Sicily, Italy.
- Unity Mitford was born on 8 August 1914 in Kensington, London, England, UK. She died on 28 May 1948 in Oban, Argyll, Scotland, UK [now Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK].
- Christian Kautz was born on 23 November 1913 in Brussels, Belgium. He died on 4 July 1948 in Bremgarten, Switzerland.
- Robert Love was born on 24 January 1914 in Connecticut, USA. He was an actor, known for I Cover Chinatown (1936). He died on 8 July 1948 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Jacob Sarvetnick was a child prodigy on the violin, destined to become Jan Savitt, leader of a popular swing band. Of Russian-Jewish ancestry, his father had variously worked as a motor mechanic and as a drummer in Tsar Nicholas II's Imperial Regimental Orchestra. In the U.S. from the age of fifteen, Jan became the youngest musician to play in the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, and, from there, he advanced to concert master for the great Leopold Stokowski. In the wake of multiple scholarships and being recipient of the Philharmonic Society's Gold Medal Award, he was soon leading his own string quartet. In 1935, after graduating from the Curtis Institute of Music with a B.A., Jan suddenly decided to forsake classical for popular music and organise a dance band. He was eventually engaged by Philadelphia radio station KYW as musical director. The resulting national broadcasts proved popular with audiences and 'Jan Savitt & His Top Hatters' (so named, because their ensemble uniform consisted of white tie, tails and top hat) soon became one of the most highly rated big bands in America, playing the swank hotels, theatres and ballrooms. The band featured a unique beat called 'shuffle rhythm' (which may, or may not, have been originated by another bandleader, Henry Busse).
The 'Top Hatters' comprised between fifteen and eighteen musicians, plus vocalists. Famous sidemen included trombonist and future television composer Earle Hagen, drummer Nick Fatool and trombonist Urbie Green. Among the vocalists were Carlotta Dale, future movie actress Gloria DeHaven and Bon Bon (aka George Tunnell), the first black musician to work long-term in a white orchestra. Jan's theme song was "Quaker City Jazz". Other unique compositions for the band included the swinging "720 In the Books" (by arranger Johnny Watson), "Meadowbrook Shuffle", "It's a Wonderful World" and "Now and Forever". Jan also had noteworthy hits with his interpretation of "Tuxedo Junction" and "Make Believe Island". By the early 1940's, he added swing versions of classical compositions (mostly arranged by Jack Pleis), such as "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", "Prelude to Carmen" and Claude Debussy's "Afternoon of a Faun" to his repertoire. The band was featured in several B-movies, released by Warner Brothers and Columbia.
After World War II, Jan was forced to reduce the size of his band (now based on the West Coast) to eight musicians, due to tax debts. In 1948, on his way to a one-nighter in Sacramento, he suffered a cerebral haemorrhage and later died in a local hospital at the age of just thirty-six.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Raymond Baird was born on 30 September 1913 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He was an actor, known for Oh, Say Can You Hear? (1937) and The History of Psychology: Freud, Jung, & Psychoanalysis (2006). He died on 15 November 1948 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA.- Stunts
- Actor
Irving Gregg was born on 9 September 1914 in Canada. He was an actor. He died on 3 December 1948 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- John Morley was born on 28 October 1913 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Too Many Wives (1937). He died on 1 April 1949 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.
- Doris Krüger was born on 29 November 1913 in Tetschen, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Decin, Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for Fräulein (1939), Ich verweigere die Aussage (1939) and Einquartierung bei Klawunde (1938). She was married to Otto Gebühr. She died on 17 August 1950 in Berlin, Germany.
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Frank Graham was born on 22 November 1914 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Cosmo Jones in the Crime Smasher (1943), The Three Caballeros (1944) and Horton Hatches the Egg (1942). He died on 2 September 1950 in Hollywood, California, USA.- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Orhan Veli Kanik was born on 13 April 1914 in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire [now Istanbul, Turkey]. Orhan Veli is known for Intikam Melegi / Kadin Hamlet (1976), Ata Demirer Gazinosu (2020) and The Yard (2018). Orhan Veli died on 14 November 1950 in Istanbul, Turkey.- Soundtrack
Blues singer/pianist Cecil Gant was born in Nashville, TN, in 1913. Although he learned to play piano and had secured in various roadhouses and clubs in the South, he wasn't a full-time musician. He joined the US Army during World War II, and he was at a war-bond rally in Los Angeles, CA, in 1944 when, during a break in the entertainment, he asked if he could go on stage and perform a couple of songs. As it turned out he was the hit of the show, and was asked to perform at other rallies in the L.A. area. He began to make a name for himself and it wasn't long before he was offered a recording contract, by Gilt Edge Records. He released a song in late 1944, "I Wonder", which shot to #1 on the R&B charts. Audiences liked both his smooth, crooner-style vocals and his wild, foot-stomping piano playing (he was an influence on future rocker Jerry Lee Lewis). Although he continued to record on a variety of labels, none of his songs had the success that "I Wonder" did. His career frustrations led him to develop a drinking problem, which further hurt his career; in 1951, his health having been weakened by his alcohol consumption, he caught pneumonia and died in Nashville.- Actor
Leroy Strine was born on 20 November 1914 in Frederick, Maryland, USA. He was an actor. He died on 28 February 1951 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA.- Kalevi Mykkänen was born on 12 January 1914 in Kuopio, Finland. He was an actor, known for Elinan surma (1938) and Isoviha (1939). He was married to Salme Saara Sylvia Vesanto. He died on 10 March 1951.
- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Karl Roos was born on 14 April 1914 in Denmark. He was a writer and director, known for For folkets fremtid (1943), Jørgensen får arbejde (1942) and Under stråtag og lyre (1942). He died on 7 April 1951 in Denmark.- Margaret La Marr was born on 9 October 1913 in Tennessee, USA. She was an actress, known for Red Wine (1928), Happy Days (1929) and The Red Rider (1934). She died on 19 June 1951 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Writer
- Animation Department
Sam Cobean was born on 28 December 1913 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA. Sam was a writer, known for Willoughby's Magic Hat (1943), The Cocky Bantam (1943) and Dizzy Newsreel (1943). Sam died on 2 July 1951.- Harry Kingston was born on 3 September 1913 in Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Buck Rogers (1950), Cameo Theatre (1950) and Pulitzer Prize Playhouse (1950). He died on 4 July 1951 in Hollywood, California, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ananias Berry was born on 18 August 1913 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Lady Be Good (1941), Boarding House Blues (1948) and $50,000 Reward (1924). He was married to Juanita Moore and Valaida Snow. He died on 5 October 1951.- Actress
Marion Shelton was born on 12 December 1914. She was an actress. She was married to Gordon Douglas. She died on 13 February 1952 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Charles Waldron Jr. was born on 24 September 1914 in North Hempstead, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Family Theatre (1949), For You I Die (1947) and Open Secret (1948). He was married to Anne Louise Baker. He died on 18 April 1952 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
John Garfield was born Jacob Julius Garfinkle on the Lower East Side of New York City, to Hannah Basia (Margolis) and David Garfinkle, who were Jewish immigrants from Zhytomyr (now in Ukraine). Jules was raised by his father, a clothes presser and part-time cantor, after his mother's death in 1920, when he was 7. He was sent to a special school for problem children, where he was introduced to boxing and drama. He won a scholarship to Maria Ouspenskaya's drama school. He joined the Civic Repertory Theatre in 1932, changing his name to Jules Garfield and making his Broadway debut in that company's Counsellor-at-Law. Joined the Group Theatre company, winning acclaim for his role in Awake and Sing. Embittered over being passed over for the lead in Golden Boy, which was written for him, he signed a contract with Warner Brothers, who changed his name to John Garfield. Won enormous praise for his role of the cynical Mickey Borden in Four Daughters (1938). Appeared in similar roles throughout his career despite his efforts to play varied parts. Children Katherine (1938-1945), David Garfield (1942-1995) and Julie Garfield (1946-). Active in liberal political and social causes, he found himself embroiled in Communist scare of the late 1940s. Though he testified before Congress that he was never a Communist, his ability to get work declined. While separated from his wife, he succumbed to long-term heart problems, dying suddenly in the home of a woman friend at 39. His funeral was mobbed by thousands of fans, in the largest funeral attendance for an actor since Rudolph Valentino.- Jack Parsons was born on 2 October 1914 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He died on 17 June 1952 in Pasadena, California, USA.
- Don Sugai Matsuda was born on 6 September 1913 in Portland, Oregon, USA. He was an actor. He died on 14 October 1952 in Ada County, Idaho, USA.
- Rudolf Margolius was born on 31 August 1913 in Prague, Cechy, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]. He died on 3 December 1952 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic].
- Horst Caspar was born on 20 January 1913 in Radegast, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. He was an actor, known for Begegnung mit Werther (1949), Friedrich Schiller - Der Triumph eines Genies (1940) and Burning Hearts (1945). He was married to Antje Weisgerber. He died on 27 December 1952 in Dahlem, Berlin, Germany.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Osmo Saarnio was born on 20 May 1914 in Helsinki, Finland. He was an actor, known for Kaikki rakastavat (1935), Tanssi yli hautojen (1950) and Miehen vankina (1943). He was married to Elvi Saarnio. He died on 28 April 1953.- Florence Sottong was born on 6 January 1914 in New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Life or Honor? (1918), The Little Patriot (1917) and Les Misérables (1917). She died on 8 May 1953 in New York, New York, USA.
- Julia De Burgos was born on 17 February 1914 in Carolina, Puerto Rico. She was a writer, known for Julia: All in Me (2002) and Vida y poesía de Julia de Burgos (1978). She was married to Armando Marín and Ruben Rodrigues Beauchamp. She died on 5 July 1953 in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Costume Designer
Harold Clandenning was born on 2 January 1914 in New York, USA. He was a costume designer, known for Drums of Tahiti (1953), Flame of Calcutta (1953) and Tarzan and the Huntress (1947). He died on 20 August 1953 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Gordon Parfitt was born on 13 April 1913 in Pontypool, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for The Wooing of Anne Hathaway (1938) and Rule Britannia (1939). He died on 7 October 1953 in Marylebone, London, England, UK.
- Writer
- Director
- Music Department
Dylan Thomas was born at the start of the First World War in the "ugly, lovely town" of Swansea, an industrial, coastal town on the South Wales Coast. He published his first volume of poetry, "Eighteen poems" in 1934 and went on to write many more volumes of poetry as well as many short stories, filmscripts, broadcast stories and talks. His work is mainly known for the darkly brooding Welsh Puritanism contrasting with the strong emotions and sensuality. Although regarded as a "Classic Welsh writer," he never spoke Welsh. He is best known for the poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" and the wonderful "Under Milk Wood." The latter was broadcast by the BBC with the subtitle "A play for voices" and, although people have since attempted films and plays, none are as successful as the simple radio version.- Jack Leonard was born on 6 January 1913 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was a writer, known for The Narrow Margin (1952), His Kind of Woman (1951) and The Secret Fury (1950). He was married to Dale Kathlyn de Wint. He died on 9 January 1954 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Larry Russell was born on 14 October 1913 in Indiana, USA. He was a composer, known for The Finest Hours (2016), Naked Lunch (1991) and Supernatural (2005). He was married to Inez James. He died on 14 February 1954 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Leon Golebiowski was born on 31 December 1914 in Kielce, Swietokrzyskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Pierwsze dni (1952). He died on 15 February 1954 in Lublin, Lubelskie, Poland.
- Nita Pike was born Juanita Magda Pike on August 1, 1913 in Paris, France. Her father, James Pike, was an American who worked in advertising. When she was a child her family moved to Los Angeles, California. At the age of eighteen Nita was hired by Samuel Goldwyn to be one of his "Goldwyn Girls". She made her film debut in the 1931 musical Palmy Days with Eddie Cantor. Then the beautiful blonde appeared in the films The Merry Widow, Espionage, and Sherman Said It. Sadly in 1934 her older brother James died in a car crash. Nita was injured in a 1935 car accident and later sued the driver for $25,000. On April 16, 1938 she married actor Allen Edwards, who was twenty years older than her. Charlie Chaplin cast her as a secretary in his 1940 comedy The Great Dictator.
She continued making movies but most of her roles were bit parts. Her final film was the 1951 comedy Here Comes The Groom. Nita and Allen had a happy marriage and she enjoyed being a housewife. The couple lived with their dog Toddy in an apartment on N. Doheny Road in Los Angeles. When Allen died from natural causes on May 8, 1954 she was devastated. Just three days later, on May 11, later she committed suicide by taking an overdose of pills. She was only forty years old. In a note she said "Please give Toddy to Dot and Harry Bloomfield. Please cremate me in this nightgown with my darling Allen at the same time". Nita was cremated with her husband and they were buried together at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. - Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
- Cinematographer
Robert Capa was born on 22 October 1913 in Budapest, Austria-Hungary [now Hungary]. He was a cinematographer, known for Temptation (1946), Paris Cavalcade of Fashions (1948) and The 400 Million (1939). He died on 25 May 1954 in Thai Binh, Vietnam.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Alda Mangini was born on 13 July 1914 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. She was an actress, known for Atto di accusa (1950), Ivan, Son of the White Devil (1953) and Ecco la radio! (1940). She was married to Alfredo Clerici. She died on 19 July 1954 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.