Here are 10 things you should know about Edward Arnold, born 133 years ago today. One of Hollywood’s finest character actors, he specialized in playing men of authority, influence and wealth.
Tag: Lower East Side
10 Things You Should Know About James Cagney
Here are 10 things you should know about James Cagney, born 123 years ago today. He worked on Broadway, in vaudeville, in radio and television, but he was a true force of nature on the silver screen.
10 Things You Should Know About Edward G. Robinson
Here are 10 things you should know about Edward G. Robinson, born 128 years ago today. He was a more versatile actor than he is given credit for today.
10 Things You Should Know About Irving Berlin
Here are 10 things you should know about Irving Berlin, born 133 years ago today. The great Jerome Kern once said of Berlin, “Irving Berlin has no place in American music—he is American music,” and we couldn’t agree more.
We’re featuring Berlin’s music, as performed by a variety of artists, all day today on Cladrite Radio. Why not tune in now?
Happy 117th Birthday, James Cagney!
The unforgettable James Cagney was born 117 years ago today on New York City’s Lower East Side. Here are ten JC Did-You-Knows:
- Cagney’s first show biz gig was as a female dancer in the chorus line of the 1919 Broadway revue, Every Sailor.
- Cagney was three-quarters Irish and one quarter Norwegian.
- Having grown up on the Lower East Side, Cagney was conversant in Yiddish.
- Cagney’s brother William (actor/producer) and sister Jeanne (actress) both worked in pictures, too.
- Cagney was a Black Belt in Judo.
- Cagney was married to wife Frances for 64 years.
- On March 26, 1984, Cagney was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- Cagney and his wife, Frances, worked in vaudeville as “Vernon and Nye,” performing comedy routines and musical numbers.
- Cagney once operated a dance school for professional performers.
- Cagney’s first film, Sinner’s Holiday (1930), saw him and Joan Blondell reprising the roles they had played in Penny Arcade, the Broadway play on which the picture was based.
Happy birthday, James Cagney, wherever you may be!
