December 2003:

• 31- Paula Raymond, leading lady and supporting player at MGM in the early 1950s who appeared in CRISIS (1950), DEVIL'S DOORWAY (1950), DUCHESS OF IDAHO (1950) and later THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953) before moving into television, dies at the age of 79.
• 30- Francis Thompson, prolific documentary producer and director who won an Oscar in 1965 for the short film TO BE ALIVE, dies of pneumonia at 95.
• 30- The U.S. Postal Service unveils a new series of first class stamps featuring Disney characters Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Bambi and Thumper, Donald Duck, Jiminy Cricket, Simba and Pinocchio set to go on sale in the summer of 2004.
• 30- Patricia Roc, one of Britain's top 10 box-office stars for ten consecutive years during the 1940s and '50s best known for her work in films like MILLIONS LIKE US (1943), THE WICKED LADY (1945), THE BROTHERS (1947) and WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS (1947), dies at the age of 88.
• 28- Lou Jacobi, portly, balding character actor whose film work has included roles in THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK (1959), IRMA LA DOUCE (1963), and ROSELAND (1977), celebrates his 90th birthday.
• 27- Alan Bates, British stage and screen actor whose film work included THE ENTERTAINER (1960), ZORBA THE GREEK (1964), GEORGY GIRL (1966) and FAR FROM THE MADDENING CROWD (1967), dies of pancreatic cancer at 69.
• 25- Tony Martin, husband of actress Cyd Charisse and pop music vocalist of the 1940s and '50s whose film appearances have included roles in CABASH (1948), HERE COME THE GIRLS (1953) and HIT THE DECK (1955), celebrates his 90th birthday.
• 25- Dick Miller, short, craggy-faced actor best known for his roles in B-movies of the 1950s and '60s including IT CONQUERED THE WORLD (1956), A BUCKET OF BLOOD (1959) and THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960), celebrates his 75th birthday.
• 22- Wah Ming Chang, Academy Award-winning animator, costume designer and special effects artist whose seven decades of work in Hollywood included animation work for Disney, costumes for THE KING AND I (1956) and CLEOPATRA (1963), and special effects for THE TIME MACHINE (1960) and THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM (1962), dies at 86.
• 19- Les Tremayne, legendary voice of the Golden Age of Radio in the 1930s and '40s whose film appearances included roles in THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953) and NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1963), dies at 90.
• 19- Hope Lange, Oscar- and Emmy-nominated film and television actress whose movie appearances included roles in PEYTON PLACE (1957), THE YOUNG LIONS (1958) and WILD IN THE COUNTRY (1961), dies of an intestinal inflammation at the age of 70.
• 17- Bob Hope, late legendary entertainer whose best-known film work included the series of "ROAD" films with Bing Crosby, is memorialized with the renaming of Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport to Bob Hope Airport.
• 16- Broadway producers Richard Kaye and Chandler Warren announce plans for a new show entitled "Garbo ... the Musical" written by Mort Garson and Buddy Kaye and based on the life of legendary actress Greta Garbo.
• 16- The National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress announces 25 films slated to be preserved in 2004 by the National Film Registry, including such classics as THE SON OF THE SHEIK (1926), THE WEDDING MARCH (1928), GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 (1933), TARZAN ANDHIS MATE (1934), NAUGHTY MARIETTA (1935), YOUNG MR. LINCOLN (1939), NATIONAL VELVET (1944), WHITE HEAT (1949), BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969), and PATTON (1970).
• 16- Madlyn Rhue, veteran television character actress whose film appearances of the 1960s included roles in OPERATION PETTICOAT (1959) and IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD (1963), dies of complications from multiple sclerosis at 68.
• 14- Jeanne Crain, petite brunette leading actress of the 1940s and '50s best known for her roles in STATE FAIR (1945), CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN (1950), PEOPLE WILL TALK (1951) and PINKY (1949) for which she earned an Oscar nomination, dies of a heart attack at 78.
• 12- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced that filmmaker Blake Edwards, director of such films as BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961), THE GREAT RACE (1965) and VICTOR/VICTORIA (1982) starring his wife Julie Andrews, will receive an Honorary Award at the 2004 Academy Awards ceremony "in recognition of his writing, directing and producing an extraordinary body of work for the screen."
• 10- Sean McClory, Irish-born actor whose dozens of films and television appearances in the United States included roles in THE QUIET MAN (1952), RING OF FEAR (1954) and THE LONG GRAY LINE (1955), dies at age 79.
• 8- Lewis M. Allen, film and theatrical producer responsible for movies like THE CONNECTION (1962), Francois Truffaut's FARENHEIT 451 (1966) and LORD OF THE FLIES (1963), dies of pancreatic cancer at age 81.
• 5- Sol Leon, an executive vice president of the William Morris agency whose 60-year career representing major entertainment and literary figures included relationships with the likes of Joan Crawford, Loretta Young and Dick Van Dyke, dies at the age of 90.
• 3- Ellen Drew, contract actress at Paramount during the 1940s whose film work included roles in such films as Preston Sturges' CHRISTMAS IN JULY (1940), THE REMARKABLE ANDREW (1942) and MAN IN THE SADDLE (1951), dies at age 89.
• 3- David Hemmings, British actor who began his career as a teen singer and was later best known for his roles in BLOWUP (1966), CAMELOT (1967) and BARBARELLA (1968), dies on the set of a film in Romania at age 62.

November 2003:

• 30- Efrem Zimbalist Jr., stage, film and television actor best known for TV's "77 Sunset Strip" in the 1960s as well as movies like HOUSE OF STRANGERS (1949) and WAIT UNTIL DARK (1967), celebrates his 85th birthday.
• 28- Edmund L. Hartmann, veteran Hollywood screenwriter who wrote zany comedies for Bob Hope, Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, and the Three Stooges, including THE PALEFACE (1948), dies at 92.
• 24- The U.S. Postal Service announces its 2004 roster of new stamps including commemoratives honoring actor Paul Robeson, composer Henry Mancini and dramatist/screenwriter Moss Hart.
• 22- David Stern III, former newspaper publisher and author of the novel Francis, the Talking Mule which inspired a series of movies in the 1950s starring Donald O'Connor and the voice of Chill Wills, dies at age 94.
• 22- David Holt, former child actor and later jazz songwriter whose youthful film roles included playing Elizabeth Taylor's older brother in THE COURAGE OF LASSIE (1946), Sidney Sawyer in THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER (1938) and the crippled boy for whom the Lou Gehrig hit a home run in THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES (1942), dies at 76.
• 22- Arthur Hiller, Canadian-born film and television director whose movie credits include THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY (1964), LOVE STORY (1970) and MAN OF LA MANCHA (1972), celebrates his 80th birthday.
• 20- Henry Fonda, late Oscar-winning star of such films as THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940), TWELVE ANGRY MEN (1957) and ON GOLDEN POND (1981) who began his career at the Omaha Community Playhouse in Nebraska, is honored with the renaming of a street in Omaha as Henry Fonda Drive.
• 18- The American Film Institute announces plans for the seventh installment of its "AFI's 100" series of lists, dubbed "AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Songs: America's Greatest Music in the Movies," which will rank the 100 best songs in U.S. cinema.  A three-hour program announcing the results of the poll will air on CBS in June.
• 18- Mickey Mouse, legendary cartoon character created by Walt Disney who made his screen debut in the animated short film STEAMBOAT WILLIE which premiered on November 18, 1928, celebrates his 75th year in entertainment.
• 16- Albert Nozaki, Oscar-nominated art director whose nearly four-decade career at Paramount Pictures included work on THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953) and THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956), dies of pneumonia at 91.
• 15- Boris Karloff's original contract for FRANKENSTEIN (1931) ($12,925) and a model of a dinosaur used in KING KONG (1933) ($41,125) are among hundreds of items from classic Hollywood horror films auctioned off by Julien Entertainment.
• 15- Officials in Timisoara, Romania, birthplace of Johnny Weissmuller, the late Olympic swimmer-turned-actor best known for playing Tarzan in a series of films during the 1930s and '40s, announce plans to commemorate Weissmuller's 100th birthday in June.
• 14- Pat Boone, actor, singer and occasional songwriter whose best known movies of the 1950s include APRIL LOVE (1957), JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (1959) and STATE FAIR (1962), celebrates his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife Shirley.
• 14- Kathleen Hughes, buxom blonde B-movie actress whose film appearances included MR. BELVEDERE GOES TO COLLEGE (1949), THE GLASS WEB (1953) and IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953), celebrates her 75th birthday.
• 12- Penny Singleton, actress best known for playing the comic strip character Blondie in 28 films between 1938 and 1950, and who was also the voice of the mother on the television cartoon "The Jetsons," dies of complications from a stroke at age 95.
• 9- Fred J. Brown, Oscar-nominated film and television sound editor whose movie credits included ELMER GANTRY (1960) and THE EXORCIST (1973), dies at age 68.
• 9- The Lancaster, California childhood home of Judy Garland, star of such classic MGM musicals as THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) and MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944), catches fire and burns, causing $175,000 worth of damage.  Garland's family lived in the house in the early 1930s.
• 8- Henry 'Phace' Roberts, tap dancer who performed with the Copasetics on television and in such films as CABIN IN THE SKY (1943), STORMY WEATHER (1943) and THE COTTON CLUB (1984), dies at 92.
• 8- Debbie Reynolds, 71-year-old star of such films as SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952) and TAMMY AND THE BACHELOR (1957), announces plans for a December 6 auction of 300 movie costumes and props from her collection in an effort to raise money for the Hollywood Motion Picture Museum which she hopes will be a permanent home for the rest of her Hollywood collection.
• 5- Dorothy Fay Ritter, actress best known for playing opposite such western stars of the 1930s and '40s as Buck Jones, William "Wild Bill" Elliott and Tex Ritter, whom she later married, and who was also the mother of TV sitcom star John Ritter, dies at 88.
• 3- "Singular Sensations," a new series of Broadway evenings with stars of the musical stage and screen, opens with a week of performances by Carol Channing, Oscar-nominated star of THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (1967) but best known for Broadway's "Hello, Dolly!"  Other stars scheduled for "Singular Sensations" runs include Kitty Carlisle Hart, Shirley Jones, Mickey Rooney, Jane Powell and Sally Ann Howes.
• 3- John Barry, five-time Oscar-winning composer of scores for such films as BORN FREE (1966), THE LION IN WINTER (1968), SOMEWHERE IN TIME (1980) and OUT OF AFRICA (1985), celebrates his 70th birthday.

October 2003:

• 30- Gregory Peck, late Oscar-winning star of such films as TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH (1950) and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962), is remembered by contemporaries Lauren Bacall, George Stevens Jr., Elmer Bernstein, Angie Dickinson and Jane Fonda at a special tribute hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
• 30- Daily Variety reports that Anna Lee, 90-year-old actress whose film work has included HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941) and FLYING TIGERS (1942), has been unceremoniously dismissed from TV's "General Hospital," the soap opera on which she has played Lila Quartermaine for 25 years, the last five of which she has spent in a wheel chair due after an auto accident.
• 27- Teresa Wright, Oscar-winning stage and screen actress best know for her roles in such films as THE LITTLE FOXES (1941), MRS. MINIVER (1942), THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES (1942), SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943) and THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946), celebrates her 85th birthday.
• 27- Hollywood dance legends Cyd Charisse, Fayard Nicholas, the late Donald O'Connor and the late Gregory Hines, are among the honorees at "Gotta Dance! A Dance Tribute to Hollywood," the 9th annual gala of Career Transition for Dancers.  Other classic dancers in attendance included Arlene Dahl, Jane Powell, Marge Champion and swimming star Esther Williams.
• 27- "Never Gonna Dance," a new Broadway musical based on the Astaire-Rogers movie SWING TIME (1936) begins preview performances at New York's Broadhurst Theatre with an official opening scheduled for December 4.
• 25- Anthony Franciosa, Oscar-nominated film and television actor whose movies have included A FACE IN THE CROWD (1957), A HATFUL OF RAIN (1957) and THE LONG, HOT SUMMER (1958), celebrates his 75th birthday.
• 25- Jeanne Cooper, film and television actress whose movie appearances have included roles in THE MAN FROM THE ALAMO (1953), TONY ROME (1967) and THE BOSTON STRANGLER (1968) but who is best known for TV's "The Young and the Restless," celebrates her 75th birthday.
• 21- 20th Century-Fox announces plans to remake THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX (1965) which originally starred Jimmy Stewart, Richard Attenborough and Peter Finch.  Actors Dennis Quaid and Tony Curran as well as director John Moore have signed on to the new action-thriller.
• 20- Jack Elam, character actor best known for his villainous roles in such westerns as THE GUNFIGHTER (1950), RAWHIDE (1951), HIGH NOON (1952),  and ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968), dies at age 84.
• 20- The Walt Disney Company announces plans for a stage musical version of MARY POPPINS (1964) featuring plot revisions to bring it more in line with P.L. Travers' original books as well as several new songs to supplement the original Sherman Brothers score.  The show is schedule to open in London in December 2004.
• 20- Tony Curtis, 78-year-old star of such films as SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957) and SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959), volunteers to film a series of commercials promoting tourism to Hungary, from which his parents emigrated in the early in the 20th century.
• 17- Janice Rule, film and stage actress whose movie work included roles in GOODBYE, MY FANCY (1951), BELL BOOK AND CANDLE (1958) and THE SWIMMER (1968) and who later became a psychoanalyst, dies at 72.
• 17- The Carnforth railway station in northwest England immortalized in David Lean's classic British romance BRIEF ENCOUNTER (1945), starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard, reopens as a visitors' center complete with its famous tea room.
• 17- Veteran actors James Garner and Suzanne Pleshette whose film work has included roles in THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963) and THE BIRDS (1963) respectively, as well as MISTER BUDDWING (1966) in which they appeared together, announce plans to join the cast of the ABC sitcom "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" after the death of its star John Ritter.
• 10- Victoria Horne Oakie, widow of film comedian Jack Oakie and a former character actress herself who appeared in more than 40 films including THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR (1947), FOREVER AMBER (1947) and HARVEY (1950) and who wrote four books about Oakie after his death in 1976, dies at 91.
• 15- The Screen Actors Guild announces that Karl Malden, 91-year-old Academy Award-winning star of such films as A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951), ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) and POLLYANNA (1960), will receive a lifetime achievement award for his career accomplishments and humanitarian efforts at the guild's annual acting honors on February 22.
• 13- British Pathé, a cinema news service whose newsreels covered historical events for most of the 20th century, publishes a collection of more than 12 million historic photographs captured from frames of its archived newsreel footage.  The pictures are available at www.britishpathe.com.
• 13- MGM announces plans to remake THE PINK PANTHER (1964), Blake Edwards' crime comedy which originally starred Peter Sellers as Inspector Jacques Clouseau.  Steve Martin is in negotiations to appear in the remake.
• 9- Patricia Neal, 77-year-old Oscar-winning star of A FACE IN THE CROWD (1957) and HUD (1963), and Vanessa Redgrave, 76-year-old Oscar-winning star of such films as CAMELOT (1967) and JULIA (1977), are announced to be among the newest inductees to the Theater Hall of Fame with an official induction ceremony set to take place January 26, 2004.
• 9- Roger Moore, 75-year-old actor best known for playing secret agent James Bond from LIVE AND LET DIE (1973) until A VIEW TO A KILL (1985), is knighted by Queen Elizabeth of England for his work as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nation Children's Fund (UNICEF).
• 8- NBC, the media arm of American corporate giant General Electric, announces it has finalized a deal to purchase several entertainment assets from French media giant Vivendi Universal, including the Universal Studios movie production company.
• 5- Glynis Johns, South African-born English actress whose many film appearances have included MIRANDA (1948), MAD ABOUT MEN (1954), THE COURT JESTER (1956), THE SUNDOWNERS (1960) and MARY POPPINS (1964), celebrates her 80th birthday.
• 4- Charlton Heston, Oscar-winning star of such films as THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH (1952), BEN-HUR (1959) and PLANET OF THE APES (1968), celebrates his 80th birthday.
• 1- Julie Parrish, stage and screen actress of the 1960s whose film appearances included roles in THE NUTTY PROFESSOR (1963) with Jerry Lewis and PARADISE, HAWAIIAN STYLE (1966) with Elvis Presley, dies of ovarian cancer at 62.
• 1- Warner Bros. announces plans for a feature length movie modernization of Columbia Pictures' popular two-reelers from 1930s and '40s starring The Three Stooges.  Screenwriters Peter and Bobby Farrelly are developing the project which is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2005.
• 1- Officials of the 2003 AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival announce plans to honor Omar Sharif, Egyptian-born Oscar-winning star of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) and DR. ZHIVAGO (1965), at the organization's annual AFI Fest Tribute on November 11 in Hollywood.

September 2003:

• 29- Wesley Tuttle, western singer of the 1940s and '50s who appeared on radio and television and in such films as LAW OF THE NORTHWEST (1943), OKLAHOMA RAIDERS (1944) and NIGHT RIDER (1964), dies at 85.
• 28- Elia Kazan, influential stage and screen director whose films included A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN (1945), GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT (1947), A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951), ON THE WATERFRONT (1954), EAST OF EDEN (1955) and SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS (1961), dies at age 94.
• 27- Donald O'Connor, juvenile lead at Universal Pictures during the 1940s who played Peter Stirling opposite the talking mule in the studio's series of FRANCIS movies during the 1950s but was best known for his acrobatic dancing opposite Gene Kelly in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952), dies at 78.
• 24- Lyle Bettger, supporting actor best known for his "heavy" roles in such films of the 1950s as UNION STATION (1950), THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH (1952) and GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL (1957), dies at age 88.
• 24- Kirk Douglas, 86-year-old honorary Oscar winner and star of such films as CHAMPION (1949), LUST FOR LIFE (1956) and SPARTACUS (1960), returns home after a one-day hospital stay for gall bladder surgery.
• 24- Herb Gardner, playwright whose comedic plays-to-films included A THOUSAND CLOWNS (1965) and I'M NOT RAPPAPORT (1996), dies of lung disease at 68.
• 23- Charlton Heston, Oscar-winning star of such films as THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956) and BEN-HUR (1959), receives the American Film Institute's first Charlton Heston Award, a new award named in his honor and given to acknowledge people who have made distinguished contributions to movies and television and the AFI itself.
• 20- Gordon Mitchell, bodybuilder whose extensive A- and B-movie film career  included roles in PRISONER OF WAR (1954), THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (1955) and THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956), dies at age 80.
• 18- Robert Blake, former child star of the 1940s who appeared in several "Our Gang" comedies and other films before starring in the "Baretta" TV show of the 1970s, turns 70.
• 18- Officials with the Jewish Film Archives in Jerusalem announce that Jerry Lewis, 77-year-old comic whose films have included SAILOR BEWARE (1951), THE NUTTY PROFESSOR (1963) and THE BIG MOUTH (1967), will be honored with a Jerry Lewis World Jewish Film Festival in Tel Aviv in 2004.
• 16- Veteran film stars Ernest Borgnine, Jean Simmons and June Lockhart announce plans to appears in an independent romantic comedy, MADAM ,THE GRASS IS HIGH, set to begin filming in Hawaii in January.  Red Buttons could also make a cameo appearance in the film.
• 16- Sheb Wooley, actor best known for his supporting roles in westerns such as HIGH NOON (1952), MAN WITHOUT A STAR (1955) and GIANT (1956) who also recorded the 1958 pop hit "The Purple People Eater," dies at 82.
• 15- The birthplace of Ginger Rogers, Oscar-winning actress, dancer and comedienne most famous for her ten movie musicals with Fred Astaire in the 1930s and '40s, is designated a historic landmark by the City Council of Independence, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City.
• 15- Hume Cronyn, veteran character actor who died in June and whose film performances ranged from Alfred Hitchcock's SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943) to Ron Howard's COCOON (1985), is remembered by friends, family and his fellow actors at a ceremony in New York's Shubert Theater.
• 15- Fay Wray, leading lady of the 1920s and '30s best known as the love interest of the giant ape in KING KONG (1933), celebrates her 96th birthday.
• 15- Penny Singleton, Columbia contract player of the 1930s and '40s best known for playing the title character in the studio's series of "Blondie" movies beginning in 1938, celebrates her 95th birthday.
• 14- Harve Presnell, film actor best known for his roles in such movie musicals of the late 1960s as THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN (1964) and PAINT YOUR WAGON (1969), celebrates his 70th birthday.
• 11- Betsy Drake, actress and third wife of actor Cary Grant whose film appearances have included roles in EVERY GIRL SHOULD BE MARRIED (1948), ROOM FOR ONE MORE (1952) and WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER (1957), celebrates her 80th birthday.
• 11- Earl Holliman, rugged Southern actor best known for his supporting roles in westerns and war films such as BROKEN LANCE (1954), THE RAINMAKER (1956), GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL (1957) and THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER (1965), celebrates his 75th birthday.
• 8- Tab Hunter, 72-year-old former blond beach boy movie idol whose films have included ISLAND OF DESIRE (1952), TRACK OF THE CAT (1954), BATTLE CRY (1955) and DAMN YANKEES! (1958), signs a contract with Simon & Schuster to write his memoir, set to be published in two years.
• 8- Leni Riefenstahl, German director of such artistically lauded Nazi propaganda films as TRIUMPH OF WILL (1934) (showcasing Hitler's Nuremberg rally) and OLYMPIA (1938) (depicting the 1936 Berlin Olympics), dies at 101.
• 7- Elia Kazan, stage and screen director best known for such films as A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN (1945), GENTLEMEN'S AGREEMENT (1947), A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951) and ON THE WATERFRONT (1954), celebrates his 94th birthday.
• 6- Louise Platt, film, stage and television actress best known for her role as Lucy Mallory, the pregnant wife of a cavalry officer aboard the overland stage, in John Ford's STAGECOACH (1939), dies at age 88.
• 6- Jules Engel, innovative animator best known for choreographing dance sequences in Disney's animated feature FANTASIA (1940), dies at age 94.
• 3- Executors of the estate of Katharine Hepburn, the four-time Oscar-winner who died June 29, put the late actress's waterfront estate in the Fenwick section of Old Saybrook, Connecticut up for sale with an initial asking price of $12 million.
• 3- "Arthur Miller, Elia Kazan and the Blacklist: None Without Sin," a new documentary chronicling the friendship between playwright Arthur Miller, author of "Death of a Salesman" and "The Crucible," and Elia Kazan, stage and screen director best known for such films as GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT (1947) and ON THE WATERFRONT (1954), as well as their respective roles in the Hollywood Blacklist of the 1950s, airs on PBS as part of the network's "American Masters'' series.
• 2- The Muscular Dystrophy Association reports that its 38th Annual Labor Day Telethon, hosted by 77-year-old movie comedian Jerry Lewis, raised a record $60.5 million in pledges during the 21.5-hour fundraiser.  MDA fights neuromuscular diseases through research and services to those afflicted.
• 2- The Westerns Channel announces plans for an original documentary on Sam Peckinpah, director of such films as RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY (1962), MAJOR DUNDEE (1965) and THE WILD BUNCH (1969), due to air in 2004.
• 1- Rand Brooks, fair-skinned actor best known for playing Scarlett O'Hara's shy first husband, Charles Hamilton, in GONE WITH THE WIND (1939), dies at age 84.
• 1- Jack Smight, film and television director whose movie work included such films as HARPER (1966) and THE ILLUSTRATED MAN (1969), dies at age 78.

August 2003:

• 30- Charles Bronson, chiseled movie tough guy best known for his roles in such action thrillers as THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960), THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963), THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967) and the spaghetti western ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968), dies of pneumonia at age 81.
• 29- Richard Attenborough, baby-faced British actor who appeared in such films as IN WHICH WE SERVE (1942), A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (1946) and THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963) before stepping behind the camera to direct OH! WHAT A LOVELY WAR (1969), A BRIDGE TOO FAR (1977) and GHANDI (1982), celebrates his 80th birthday.
• 27- Tuesday Weld, blonde actress of the 1960s best known for her roles in THE CINCINNATI KID (1965), PRETTY POISON (1968) and her Oscar-nominated performance in LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR (1977), celebrates her 60th birthday.
• 27- Jinx Falkenburg, leading American cover-girl of World War II whose film appearances for Columbia Pictures included roles in SING FOR YOUR SUPPER (1941), LUCKY LEGS (1942) and COVER GIRL (1944) and who later hosted a pioneering talk-show on both radio and television, dies at age 84.
• 27- Bob Hope, legendary entertainer and film star who died July 27, is remembered at a memorial mass in North Hollywood attended by such luminaries as Mickey Rooney, Hal Holbrook, Raquel Welch, Julie Newmar, Phyllis Diller, Ed McMahon and former First Lady Nancy Davis Reagan.
• 23- Marion Hargrove, former World War II draftee who became a best-selling author recounting his misadventures in basic training and was immortalized onscreen by Robert Walker in MGM's film adaptation of his SEE HERE, PRIVATE HARGROVE (1944), dies at age 83.
• 22- Twenty-six letters by Audrey Hepburn, Oscar-winning star of ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953) and BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961), written by the actress to her father and friends between 1951 by 1987, are put up for sale by Kenneth W. Rendell, a specialist historical letters, for $175,000.
• 22- Leni Riefenstahl, German director of such artistically lauded Nazi propaganda films as TRIUMPH OF WILL (1934) and OLYMPIA (1938), celebrates her 101st birthday.
• 19- Trustees of the estate of Burt Lancaster, Oscar-winning star of such films as FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953) and ELMER GANTRY (1960), sue MGM claiming the studio owes the estate $2 million in shared revenues from the distribution of films including JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961) and THE BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ (1962).
• 19- Debra Paget, screen beauty of the 1950s whose film appearances included roles in BROKEN ARROW (1950), BIRD OF PARADISE (1951), BELLES ON THEIR TOES (1952), THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956) and LOVE ME TENDER (1956), celebrates her 70th birthday.
• 16- Ann Blyth, small, brunette actress of the 1940s and '50s best known for her role as Joan Crawford's conniving daughter Vita in MILDRED PIERCE (1945), celebrates her 75th birthday.
• 15- The Film Society of Lincoln Center launches a retrospective celebration of widescreen films called "The Whole Wide World: 50 Years of Widescreen Moviemaking" which features screenings of such classics as THE LONG GRAY LINE (1955), SPARTACUS (1960) and EL CID (1961) through September 4.
• 15- Rose Marie, comedienne best known for her role as Sally Rogers on TV's "The Dick Van Dyke Show" but who also appeared in such films as TOP BANANA (1954) and THE BIG BEAT (1958), celebrates her 80th birthday.
• 14- The Swedish Film Institute offers a sneak preview of "Before Ingmar Became Bergman," a new exhibit on filmmaker Ingmar Bergman's early film work composed of artifacts and footage donated to the institute by the 85-year-old director last year.
• 11- Officials of the 60th Venice Film Festival announce that Omar Sharif, the 71-year-old Egyptian actor who earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962), will receive a Golden Lion award for career achievement during the festival which begins August 27.
• 11- Arlene Dahl, glamorous redhead of the 1940s and '50s best known for decorating such films as THREE LITTLE WORDS (1950), WOMAN'S WORLD (1954), SLIGHTLY SCARLET (1956), and JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (1959), celebrates her 75th birthday.
• 11- Lincoln Center hosts a special 60th Anniversary Screening of CASABLANCA (1942), with presentations by guest speakers including Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne, Humphrey Bogart's son Stephen Bogart, Ingrid Bergman's daughters, Isabella Rossellini, Ingrid Rossellini and Pia Lindström, and Leslie Epstein, son of screenwriter Phillip Epstein.
• 10- Rhonda Fleming, ravishing redhead whose roles in such black-and-white films as SPELLBOUND (1945), THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE (1945) and OUT OF THE PAST (1947) took a backseat to her Technicolor appearance opposite Bing Crosby in A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT (1949), celebrates her 80th birthday.
• 10- Eddie Fisher, teen idol and pop singer of the 1950s who appeared in BUNDLE OF JOY (1956) with then-wife Debbie Reynolds and BUTTERFIELD 8 (1960) with subsequent wife Elizabeth Taylor, celebrates his 75th birthday.
• 9- Jacques Deray, French director best known for thrillers and crime films such as LA PISCINE (1969), dies at 74.
• 7- Daily Variety reports that Anna Lee, 90-year-old star of such films as HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941) and HANGMEN ALSO DIE (1943), is home from the hospital, having suffered a broken hip, but expects to return to her longtime role on ABC's "General Hospital" within a few weeks.
• 7- Omar Sharif, 71-year-old Egyptian actor best known for his roles in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) and DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965), is convicted of striking a police officer who attempted to intervene in an argument he was having at a casino near Paris and receives a one-month suspended sentence.
• 6- The Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland is launched with a 50th anniversary outdoor screening of a remastered print of MGM's classic musical THE BAND WAGON (1953) starring Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse.
• 5- Warner Bros. Home Video releases a 2-disc 60th Anniversary Special Edition DVD of CASABLANCA (1942) featuring two documentaries about the classic film as well as ten minutes of newly-found deleted scenes and outtakes.
• 5- The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces that theatre and film director Mike Nichols, whose movies have included WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (1966) and THE GRADUATE (1967), will be among the five artists honored at the 2003 Kennedy Center Honors in December.

July 2003:

• 28- True Eames Boardman, former child actor whose early film appearances included THE ROSE OF OLD ST. AUGUSTINE (1911) and BRONCHO BILLY'S HEART (1912) and who later became a radio and television writer, dies at 94.
• 27- Bob Hope, vaudeville, radio, film and television entertainer and stand-up comedian whose 80-year career included such films as ROAD TO SINGAPORE (1940) with Bing Crosby, as well as THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1938 (1938), SORROWFUL JONES (1949) and THE SEVEN LITTLE FOYS (1955), dies at 100.
• 25- John Schlesinger, Oscar-winning British-born director of such films as DARLING (1965), MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969) and MARATHON MAN (1976), dies at age 77.
• 25- Liza Minnelli, Oscar-winning star of CABARET (1972) and daughter of the late MGM musical icon Judy Garland, announces her separation from her husband David Gest whom she married at a star-studded affair in March  2002.
• 22- Christie's auction house announces that Orson Welles' Best Original Screenplay Oscar for CITIZEN KANE (1941), which had been consigned to Christie's by Beatrice Welles, the youngest of the actor-director's three daughters, has been pulled from a scheduled auction of entertainment memorabilia pursuant to a pending legal challenge to the sale by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
• 21- Residents of Omaha, Nebraska kick off a week-long celebration commemorating the 65th anniversary of BOYS TOWN, MGM's 1938 dramatization of the efforts of Father Flanagan on behalf of the city's orphans.  Among the participants are 82-year-old Mickey Rooney who starred in the film, and John Tracy, son of the late actor Spencer Tracy.
• 17- Leonard Fredrick Doss, color consultant for Technicolor Inc. on more than 100 motion pictures (mostly at 20th Century-Fox) including DAVID AND BATHSHEBA (1951), GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (1953), THE KING AND I (1956), SOUTH PACIFIC (1958), ELMER GANTRY (1960) and CLEOPATRA (1963), dies at 88.
• 15- Alexander Walker, British film critic who spent more than 40 years at London's Evening Standard newspaper and also wrote biographies of such stars as Audrey Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Rudolph Valentino, Peter Sellers, Ingrid Bergman and Vivien Leigh, dies at 73.
• 14- Joanne Woodward, Oscar-winning star of such films as THE THREE FACES OF EVE (1957) THE LONG, HOT SUMMER (1958), announces plans to co-star opposite her husband Paul Newman in HBO's adaptation of the best-selling novel "Empire Falls."
• 12- The U.S.S. Ronald Reagan, an aircraft carrier named for the former U.S. President and Warner Bros. contract player, is launched at a naval base in Norfolk, Virginia.
• 12- Benny Carter, jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer-arranger who played on more than 100 movie soundtracks and orchestrated music for the scores of such films as THOUSANDS CHEER (1943), THE FIVE PENNIES (1959) and THE GUNS OF NAVARONE (1961) dies at age 95.
• 11- Publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons releases a memoir of Katharine Hepburn called "Kate Remembered," written by biographer A. Scott Berg and based on more than 20 years of conversations with the actress but held from public release in compliance with Hepburn's wish that the book not be published until after her death.
• 8- Marjorie Fowler, daughter of screenwriter Nunnally Johnson and an Oscar-nominated film editor in her own right who worked on such films as SEPARATE TABLES (1958), ELMER GANTRY (1960) and DOCTOR DOLITTLE (1967), dies at 82.
• 8- Kim Darby, short-haired actress best known for her role as Mattie Ross opposite John Wayne in TRUE GRIT (1969), celebrates her 55th birthday.
• 6- Buddy Ebsen, 6'3" vaudeville song-and-dance man who appeared in such films as BORN TO DANCE (1936), CAPTAIN JANUARY (1936) and BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961) before gaining greater fame on television as Davey Crockett's sidekick in the Disney series and as Jed Clampett on "The Beverly Hillbillies," dies at the age of 95.
• 2- Venice Film Festival organizers announce plans to honor Katharine Hepburn with a screening of a restored print of SUMMERTIME (1955), a film directed by David Lean and co-starring Rossano Brazzi which was filmed in the Italian city and for which Hepburn earned her sixth Oscar nomination.
• 1- Fox Movie Channel, a cable network owned by 20th Century-Fox, announces it is terminating a planned summer-long Charlie Chan festival upon pressure from Asian-American groups who found the stereotypical depictions of Chinese people in the 1930s films racially insensitive.
• 1- Warner Home Video releases DVDs of four restored Charlie Chaplin films (THE GOLD RUSH (1925), MODERN TIMES (1936), THE GREAT DICTATOR (1940) and LIMELIGHT (1952)) as the first in a series of ten titles included in "The Chaplin Collection."

June 2003:

• 30- Buddy Hackett, short, round self-deprecating stand up comedian and character actor whose film appearances included roles in THE MUSIC MAN (1962), IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD (1963) and THE LOVE BUG (1968), dies at 78.
• 29- Katharine Hepburn, four-time Oscar winning actress and Hollywood icon for over seven decades whose many memorable film appearances have included BRINGING UP BABY (1938), THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940), WOMAN OF THE YEAR (1942), ADAM'S RIB (1949), THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951), GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967), THE LION IN WINTER (1968) and ON GOLDEN POND (1981), dies at age 96.
• 27- Buddy Ebsen, 95-year-old long-legged dance star of such films as BORN TO DANCE (1936) and CAPTAIN JANUARY (1936), is moved out of intensive care and expected to be released from the hospital shortly, having undergone treatment for an undisclosed illness.
• 26- The 28th Annual Judy Garland Festival in the late actress' home town of Grand Rapids, Minnesota kicks off with the grand opening of the new Judy Garland Museum, attended by such Judy Garland contemporaries as Margaret O'Brien and Donald O'Connor.
• 25- Miramax acquires the rights to a new screen version of the 1955 Broadway musical DAMN YANKEES! whose 1958 Warner Bros. film version starred Tab Hunter, Gwen Verdon and Ray Walston.
• 23- Buddy Ebsen, lanky 95-year-old film dancer and television star best know for his role as Jed Clampett on the 1960s TV series "The Beverly Hillbillies,'' is admitted to Torrance Memorial Medical Center in California for treatment of an undisclosed illness.  A hospital spokesperson reports his condition as good.
• 23- Gina Lollobrigida, Italian-born model and actress whose film work has included appearances in BEAT THE DEVIL (1953), TRAPEZE (1956) and COME SEPTEMBER (1961), opens a exhibition of her sculptures at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow.
• 21- Leon Uris, novelist and screenwriter whose film work included scripts for BATTLE CRY (1955), GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL (1957), THE ANGRY HILLS (1959) and EXODUS (1960), dies at age 78.
• 21- George Axelrod, play and screen writer whose pop-culture satires of the 1950s and '60s included such plays-to-film as THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (1952) and WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER (1955) as well as the novels-to-film adaptations for BUS STOP (1956), BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961) and THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962), dies of a heart attack at 81.
• 19- The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announces that Walk of Fame Star recipients for 2004 will include Oscar-winner Patty Duke for her film work and former MGM child-star Mickey Rooney for his live stage work.
• 19- Columbia Pictures announces plans to remake its 1957 western 3:10 TO YUMA which originally starred Glenn Ford and Van Heflin and was based on a short story by Elmore Leonard.  James Mangold is set to direct.
• 16- Carlos Rivas, Mexican-American character actor whose long list of credits in films includes THE KING AND I (1956), THE UNFORGIVEN (1960) and TRUE GRIT (1969), dies of complications from prostate cancer at age 78.
• 16- Gregory Peck, Oscar-winning leading man of such films as THE YEARLING (1946), GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT (1947) and ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953), is remembered by friends and family at a memorial service in Los Angeles which included a eulogy delivered by Brock Peters, the 75-year-old black actor who played Tom Watson opposite Peck in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962).
• 15- Hume Cronyn, stage and screen character actor whose 60-year career included memorable roles in such films as SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943), THE SEVENTH CROSS (1944), PEOPLE WILL TALK (1951) and SUNRISE AT CAMPOBELLO (1960) as well as several Tony-nominated stage roles opposite his wife, Jessica Tandy, dies of complications from prostate cancer at 91.
• 14- Gene Barry, radio, movie and television actor whose best-known film work included such B-movies of the 1950s as THE ATOMIC CITY (1952), ALASKA SEAS (1954), THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953) and RED GARTERS (1954), celebrates his 80th birthday.
• 13- Ernest Lubitsch, late director of such classic romantic comedies as NINOTCHKA (1939) with Greta Garbo and THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (1940) with Jimmy Stewart, is remembered in a three-week long retrospective of his films hosted by Film Forum in New York.
• 12- Gregory Peck, chiseled-featured leading man whose six-decade film career included such classics as SPELLBOUND (1945), THE YEARLING (1946), DUEL IN THE SUN (1946), GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT (1947), TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH (1949), ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953), MACARTHUR (1977) and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962) for which he won a Oscar, dies at age 87.
• 12- Vic Damone, crooner whose dozen film appearances of the 1950s and '60s included roles in ATHENA (1954), HIT THE DECK (1955), KISMET (1955) and an off-screen role as the soloist for the Oscar-nominated title song of AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER (1958), celebrates his 75th birthday.
• 10- Radio City Music Hall announces that a multimedia show featuring Frank Sinatra on giant screens alongside live musicians, a gospel choir and the Rockettes will premiere in October.
• 8- Herschel Burke Gilbert, Oscar- and Emmy-nominated composer who composed, arranged or orchestrated the music scores for 62 movies (primarily for Columbia Pictures) during the 1940s and '50s including THE THIEF (1952), THE MOON IS BLUE (1953) and CARMEN JONES (1954), dies at 85 of complications from a stroke.
• 7- James Arness, 80-year-old star of such westerns as WAGON MASTER (1950), HONDO (1953) and the popular "Gunsmoke" TV series, announces at a book signing at the Gene Autry Museum that the event will be his last public appearance.
• 6- Four of the ten surviving cast members of GONE WITH THE WIND (1939), including Cammie King (Bonnie Blue Butler), Fred Crane (Brent Tarleton), Mickey Kuhn (Beau Wilkes) and Patrick Curtis (Beau Wilkes as an infant), attend the opening of a museum collection devoted to the film in Marietta, Georgia.
• 3- Julie Andrews, Oscar-winning star of such classic musicals as MARY POPPINS (1964), THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965) and DARLING LILI (1970) announces plans to appear in a sequel to her popular Disney comedy from 2001, THE PRINCESS DIARIES, set to begin filming in November.
• 3- The American Film Institute's list of the 50 greatest film heroes and villains places attorney Atticus Finch of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962) (played by Gregory Peck) and serial killer Hannibal Lecter from THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1993) (played by Anthony Hopkins) at the top of their respective categories.

May 2003:

• 29- REBIRTH OF A NATION (2003), a re-edited version of D.W. Griffith's Civil War classic THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915), "remixed" by African-American artist and musician DJ Spooky to commentate on the original film's portrayal of blacks and the Ku Klux Klan, debuts at the American Museum of the Moving Image.
• 29- Bob Hope, entertainer, comedian and star of such films as the "Road To" movies of the 1940s co-starring Bing Crosby and SON OF PALEFACE (1952) opposite Jane Russell, celebrates his 100th birthday.
• 28- Martha Scott, stage and screen actress who originated the role of Emily in Thorton Wilder's "Our Town'' and earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress for her performance in the 1940 film version as well as praise for such films as THE HOWARDS OF VIRGINIA (1940), THE DESPERATE HOURS (1955), THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956) and BEN-HUR (1959), dies at age 90.
• 26- Kathleen Winsor, author whose racy 1944 novel "Forever Amber" became a model for romantic best sellers and inspired the 1947 Otto Preminger film starring Linda Darnell and Cornel Wilde, dies at age 83.
• 26- James Arness, tall, deep-voiced film and television star best known for westerns such as CARBINE WILLIAMS (1952), HONDO (1953) and TV's long-running "Gunsmoke" series, celebrates his 80th birthday.
• 25- Sloan Wilson, novelist whose "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" about post-war suburbanites struggling with their social aspirations inspired the 1956 film starring Gregory Peck and Jennifer Jones, dies of Alzheimer's disease at 83.
• 25- A high-definition digital restoration of Charlie Chaplin's 1936 comedy MODERN TIMES and a new documentary, "Charlie: the Life and Art of Charles Chaplin," debut at the Cannes Film Festival, with DVDs available from Warner Bros. Home Video in July.
• 24- Jules Levy, film and television producer responsible for movies like HELZAPOPPIN' (1941) and PARDON MY SARONG (1942) as well as such popular TV series as "The Rifleman" and "The Big Valley," dies at age 80.
• 24- Rachel Kempson, stage and screen actress and matriarch of the Redgrave acting family (including her husband Michael Redgrave, her daughters Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave, and her granddaughter Natasha Richardson) who appeared in such films as THE CAPTIVE HEART (1946), TOM JONES (1963) and THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE (1968), dies at 92.
• 23- Betty Garrett, film and television star best known for such MGM musicals as TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME (1949) and ON THE TOWN (1949) and such TV sitcom's as "All in the Family" and "Laverne & Shirley," is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on her 84th birthday.
• 23- Joan Collins, large and small screen actress who appeared in such films as THE VIRGIN QUEEN (1955) and THE OPPOSITE SEX (1956) but is best known for her role as Alexis Colby on TV's "Dynasty," celebrates her 70th birthday.
• 22- Warner Bros. announces the studio is in talks with filmmaker Tim Burton and the estate of author Roald Dahl about a new movie adaptation of the children's classic "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" which was first filmed as the musical WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY starring Gene Wilder in 1971.
• 18- Albert Sendrey, motion picture and television orchestrator, arranger and composer who worked at MGM in the 1940s and '50s and contributed to more than 170 movies including THE YEARLING (1946), A DATE WITH JUDY (1948), AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951), HIGH SOCIETY (1954) and FINIAN'S RAINBOW (1969), dies at age 91.
• 15- Constance Cummings, dark-haired actress whose prodigious film career included such movies as THE CRIMINAL CODE (1931), MOVIE CRAZY (1932), THIS MAN IS MINE (1934) and REMEMBER LAST NIGHT? (1935) as well as a such British films as BLITHE SPIRIT (1945), celebrates her 93rd birthday.
• 14- Media giant AOL Time Warner announces a campaign that will allow customers to choose which classic titles Warner Home Video will release on DVD in December. The "DVD Decision 2003" promotion, run in partnership with America Online and Turner Classic Movies, will permit AOL users to vote for five out of a list of twenty classic titles.  Those titles not chosen will be released on DVD without fanfare in 2004 or 2005.
• 14- Dame Wendy Hiller, Oscar-winning British stage and screen actress whose best known films have included PYGMALION (1938), MAJOR BARBARA (1941), I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING (1945) and SEPARATE TABLES (1958), dies at age 90.
• 14- Robert Stack, clear-spoken, square-jawed actor whose 60-year career included roles in such films as TO BE OR NOT TO BE (1942), A DATE WITH JUDY (1948), BWANA DEVIL (1952), THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY (1954) and WRITTEN ON THE WIND (1956) before he became television's Elliott Ness on "The Untouchables" in the early 1960s, dies of heart failure after a battle with prostate cancer at the age of 84.
• 12- Katharine Hepburn, four-time Oscar winner and star of such films as ALICE ADAMS (1935), BRINGING UP BABY (1938), WOMAN OF THE YEAR (1942), THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951), THE LION IN WINTER (1968) and ON GOLDEN POND (1981), celebrates her 96th birthday.
• 10- Carol Channing, 82-year-old former Broadway star of "Hello, Dolly!" whose film work has included appearances in THE FIRST TRAVELING SALESLADY (1956) and THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (1967), marries plans her childhood sweetheart, Harry Kullijian.
• 10- American Movie Classics airs a restored version of Sergio Leone's spaghetti western THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966) featuring 14 minutes of newly restored footage.
• 9- Roger Moore, 75-year-old actor best known as the star of seven James Bond movies beginning with LIVE AND LET DIE (1973), is released from the hospital after being fitted for a pacemaker.
• 3- Suzy Parker (Dillman), red-headed model for Coco Chanel in the 1950s whose film work included appearances in FUNNY FACE (1957), KISS THEM FOR ME (1957) and TEN NORTH FREDERICK (1958), dies at age 69.
• 2- Conrad L. Hall, Oscar-winning cinematographer who contributed to such films as THE PROFESSIONALS (1966), COOL HAND LUKE (1967) and BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969), is honored posthumously with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

April 2003:

• 30- Al Lewis, character actor best known for his role as Grandpa on TV's "The Munsters" but whose film appearances included roles in PRETTY BOY FLOYD (1960) and THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY? (1969), celebrates his 93 birthday.
• 29- French media giant Vivendi Universal announces plans to sell its American entertainment business, including the Universal Studios movie production company which it purchased in 2000, in order to pay down billions of dollars of debt.
• 29- Jane Russell, buxom Hollywood star of such films as THE OUTLAW (1943), SON OF PALEFACE (1952) and GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (1953), is honored by Operation Children at the organization's 20th annual fundraiser.
• 26- Peter Stone, Oscar and Tony-winning stage and screen writer whose film work included screenplays for FATHER GOOSE (1964), for which he shared the Oscar with co-writers S.H. Barnett and Frank Tarloff, CHARADE (1963) and SWEET CHARITY (1969), dies of pulmonary fibrosis at 73.
• 26- Animator Joe Barbera, 92-year-old co-creator of cartoon legends "Tom and Jerry," "The Jetsons" and "Yogi Bear," writes a letter to the Los Angeles City Council opposing a proposal to demolish two buildings that once housed Hanna-Barbera Studios in Hollywood.  The proposal would make room for a development of stores and apartments.
• 25- Charlton Heston, 78-year-old Oscar-winning star of such films as THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956), BEN-HUR (1959) and SOYLENT GREEN (1974), officially steps down as president of the National Rifle Association during a special farewell tribute at the NRA's annual convention in Orlando, Florida.
• 23- Shirley Temple Black, former child star best known for such Depression-era musicals as BRIGHT EYES (1934), HEIDI (1937) and THE LITTLE PRINCESS (1939) as well as juvenile roles in THE BACHELOR AND THE BOBBY-SOXER (1947) and FORT APACHE (1948), celebrates her 75th birthday.
• 22- Andrea King, Warner Bros. leading lady and supporting actress of the 1940s and '50s best-known for her roles in GOD IS MY CO-PILOT (1945), THE MAN I LOVE (1946) and MY WILD IRISH ROSE (1947), dies at age 84.
• 22- Eddie Albert, red-headed character actor whose extensive career has included roles in movies like BROTHER RAT (1938), ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953), OKLAHOMA! (1955) and ATTACK! (1956) as well as TV's "Green Acres," celebrates his 95th birthday.
• 21- An auction of personal effects belonging to the late Audrey Hepburn, Oscar-winning star of ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953), BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961) and MY FAIR LADY (1964), raises $177,000 for the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund.  Among the items sold was a Givenchy ball gown worn in FUNNY FACE (1957) which sold for $17,000.
• 21- SCi Games Ltd. and Gotham Games launch a new video game based on MGM's 1963 film THE GREAT ESCAPE in which players can assume the likeness of various characters and break free from the Nazi's Stalag Luft III prison camp.
• 20- Irving Foy, last survivor of the famed "Seven Little Foys" vaudeville act that crisscrossed the country from 1912 to 1928 and was the subject of the 1955 film THE SEVEN LITTLE FOYS starring Bob Hope as Eddie Foy Sr. and James Cagney as George M. Cohan, dies at 94.
• 16- Marlon Brando, 79-year-old Oscar-winning star of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951), settles a palimony suit brought by Maria Cristina Ruiz, the actor's former maid and mother of three of his children, who sued in 2002 when Brando ended her financial support.  The settlement was described as "amicable" though terms were not disclosed.
• 16- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announces plans for a 100th birthday tribute to the late director Vincente Minnelli, whose classic films for MGM included MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944), MADAME BOVARY (1949), AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951), THE BAND WAGON (1953) and GIGI (1958), to be held on April 30 at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
• 16- Les Tremayne, 1940s radio actor who played supporting roles in such films as DREAM WIFE (1953), FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956) and NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) before turning to television in the 1960s, celebrates his 90th birthday.
• 15- Maurice Rapf, son of MGM executive Harry Rapf and screenwriter on such films as SONG OF THE SOUTH (1946) and SO DEAR TO MY HEART (1949) who helped found the Screenwriters Guild (later renamed the Writers Guild of America) before becoming a professor in the film studies department at Dartmouth University, dies at 88.
• 15- Bob Hope, 99-year-old comedian and star of such films as the "Road To" movies of the 1940s co-starring Bing Crosby and SON OF PALEFACE (1952), is honored with the rededication of one of his stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the release by Universal of the "Bob Hope 100th Birthday Tribute Collection" (12 DVDs featuring 17 of his movies).  Hope himself was too frail to attend the event, but was represented by his daughter Linda.
• 14- Addie McPhail, actress whose bit-parts in films included roles in THE BIG PALOOKA (1929) and MIDNIGHT DADDIES (1930) but who was best know as the widow of silent movie star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, dies at age 97.
• 12- John Carradine, late film, television and stage actor whose best known movie were CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS (1937), STAGECOACH (1939), THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940), HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944) and THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (1962), is inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.
• 12- Ann Miller, veteran Hollywood comedienne and tap-dancing star of such films as STAGE DOOR (1937), EASTER PARADE (1948), SMALL TOWN GIRL (1953) and KISS ME KATE (1953), celebrates her 80th birthday.
• 11- Columbia Pictures announces plans to remake and modernize the studio's classic musical BYE BYE BIRDIE (1963) which originally starred Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke and Ann-Margret.
• 11- Oleg Cassini, Russian-born fashion designer who designed costumes for his then-wife, actress Gene Tierney, for such films as THE RAZOR'S EDGE (1946), THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR (1947) and ON THE RIVIERA (1951), celebrates his 90th birthday.
• 8- Karen Morley, blonde film actress of the 1930s whose films included MATA HARI (1931), SCARFACE (1932), DINNER AT EIGHT (1933) and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (1940), dies of pneumonia at age 93.
• 8- John Gavin, leading man of the late 1950s and early 1960s best known for his roles in IMITATION OF LIFE (1959), PSYCHO (1960) and SPARTACUS (1960), celebrates his 75th birthday.
• 7- Vera Zorina, noted ballerina of the 1930s whose limited film career included appearances in such movie musicals ON YOUR TOES (1939), LOUISIANA PURCHASE (1941) and STAR-SPANGLED RHYTHM (1942), dies at the age of 86.
• 7- James Garner, rugged, easy-going film and television actor whose movie work has included roles in THE CHILDREN'S HOUR (1962), THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963), THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY (1964) and DUEL AT DIABLO (1966), celebrates his 75th birthday.
• 7- The John F. Kennedy Library and Museum announces that thirty letters written by author Ernest Hemingway to screen siren Marlene Dietrich between 1949 and 1959 have been donated to the library by Dietrich's daughter, Maria Riva.  The letters reportedly detail the friendship that existed between the two icons and will be made public in 2007.
• 4- Anthony Caruso, actor whose more than 100 film appearances of the 1940s and '50s included western, outlaw and gangster roles in such films as ACROSS THE PACIFIC (1942), CATTLE QUEEN OF MONTANA (1954), THE OKLAHOMAN (1957) and NEVER STEAL ANYTHING SMALL (1959), dies at 86.
• 4- Adalberto 'Resortes' Martínez, Mexican song-and-dance man best known for his tap dancing, crooning and physical comedy in dozens of films of the 1950s and '60s, dies at age 87.
• 4- The American Film Institute inaugurates its new Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, a refurbished 1938 Art Moderne movie palace in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland which will host AFI festivals, screenings and special events.  Among the opening's activities were a screening of THE OX-BOW INCIDENT (1943).
• 2- Michael Wayne, eldest son of cinema icon John Wayne and producer of many of his father's films including THE ALAMO (1960), MCLINTOCK! (1963), THE GREEN BERETS (1968) and BIG JAKE (1971), dies of heart failure after complications from lupus at age 68.
• 2- Buddy Ebsen, long, lanky dancer of the 1930s whose film appearances have included BROADWAY MELODY OF 1936 (1935) and BORN TO DANCE (1936) as well as later nonmusical parts in DAVY CROCKETT: KING OF THE WILD FRONTIER (1954) and BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961) as well as TV's "The Beverly Hillbillies," celebrates his 95th birthday.
• 2- Rita Gam, second-lead actress whose film work has included roles in SIGN OF THE PAGAN (1955), ANNIBALE (1960) and KING OF KINGS (1961) but who is best known for giving interviews about Grace Kelly (for whom she was a bridesmaid), celebrates her 75th birthday.
• 1- The Hollywood Reporter announces that Jane Powell, singing star of such classic MGM musicals as ROYAL WEDDING (1951) and SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (1954), has been signed to co-star in the new Stephen Sondheim-John Weidman musical "Bounce" which premieres June 30 at Chicago's Goodman Theatre and could continue on to Broadway.
• 1- Universal Studios announces plans for a remake of KING KONG (1933) which originally starred Fay Wray as a beautiful actress who becomes the object of a gigantic ape's affections.  The remake will be directed by Peter Jackson and is scheduled to begin production later this year.

March 2003:

• 31- Anne Gwynne, leading lady of several sci-fi and horror films of the 1940s including the serial FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE (1940), BLACK FRIDAY (1940), THE BLACK CAT (1941) and MURDER IN THE BLUE ROOM (1944), dies of a stroke at 84.
• 30- Frankie Laine, popular crooner since the late 1940s who has sung the title songs to such classic films as BLOWING WIND (1953), MAN WITHOUT A STAR (1955) and GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL (1957), celebrates his 90th birthday.
• 30- The Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum, honoring the "Happy Trails" singing King of the Cowboys and his wife, closes in Victorville, California and prepares to move to Branson, Missouri in time to reopen on Memorial Day weekend.
• 28- The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra announces plans to screen a new print of Charlie Chaplin's classic silent feature CITY LIGHTS (1931) with a restored version of Chaplin's own score played by the orchestra on May 31 in UCLA's Royce Hall.
• 26- Debbie Reynolds, star of such classic musicals as SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952) and THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN (1964), receives a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Friends and former co-stars on hand included Cyd Charisse, Janet Leigh, Margaret O'Brien, Hugh O'Brian, Ann Rutherford, John Saxon, Esther Williams, Jane Withers, Rod Taylor and Jayne Meadows.
• 25- Warner Bros. announces plans to release a 2-disc special edition DVD of GIANT (1956) starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean and featuring a remastered, widescreen digital transfer as well as audio commentaries and three hours of new and archive documentaries.
• 24- Philip Yordan, Oscar-winning screenwriter whose film work included scripts for DILLINGER (1945), DETECTIVE STORY (1951) and BROKEN LANCE (1955), dies of pancreatic cancer at age 88.
• 23- Fifty-nine previous Oscar winners, including such classic stars as Julie Andrews, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, George Chakiris, Olivia de Havilland, Kirk Douglas, Celeste Holm, Claude Jarman Jr., Jennifer Jones, Shirley Jones, George Kennedy, Martin Landau, Karl Malden, Hayley Mills, Rita Moreno, Patricia Neal, Margaret O'Brien, Jack Palance, Luise Rainer, Mickey Rooney, Eva Marie Saint, Maximillian Schell and Teresa Wright, appear on the telecast of the 75th Annual Academy Awards in a special tribute to previous winners.
• 23- Peter O'Toole, seven-time Oscar-nominated star of such films as LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) and THE LION IN WINTER (1968), receives an Honorary Oscar for career achievement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
• 20- Liza Minnelli, 57-year-old Oscar-winning star of CABARET (1972) and daughter of actress Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli, enters a "self-help" program at the Caron Foundation, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in rural central Pennsylvania.
• 20- Elizabeth Taylor, 71-year-old two-time Oscar winning actress, announces that her appearance at the 75th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday will mark her swan song from acting, and she will instead focus her attention on AIDS activism.
• 18- Peggy Conklin, a stage actress best known for her wide variety of dramatic and comic performances on Broadway from the 1930s through the 1950s but who also appeared in a half-dozen films including THE DEVIL IS A SISSY (1936) and HAVING WONDERFUL TIME (1938), dies at 96.
• 17- Mercedes McCambridge, Oscar-winning second-lead actress best known for her performances in such films as ALL THE KINGS MEN (1949), JOHNNY GUITAR (1954) and GIANT (1956), celebrates her 85th birthday.
• 15- Robert Blake, 69-year-old former child star of the 1940s who appeared in several "Our Gang" comedies and other films before starring in the "Baretta" TV show of the 1970s, is released on bail after almost a year in jail awaiting a preliminary hearing which determined Blake should stand trial for the 2001 shooting death of his wife.  No trial date has been set.
• 14- Michael Caine, six-time Oscar-nominated British-born actor whose film work has included ZULU (1964) and ALFIE (1966), celebrates his 70th birthday.
• 12- Paramount Pictures announces plans to finance a remake of Danny Kaye's 1947 comedy THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY with Jim Carrey playing the title role and Steven Spielberg directing.
• 12- Dimension Films and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer announce that actor John Travolta is in negotiations to star in a remake of Jimmy Stewart's Oscar-nominated comedy HARVEY (1950) based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a man whose best friend is an invisible, 6-foot-tall rabbit.
• 11- Walt Disney Pictures announces it has bought remake rights to TOPPER (1937) about a man haunted by a married pair of ghosts, one of whom was played by Cary Grant. The remake is intended as a vehicle for director Adam Shankman and comedian Steve Martin.
• 10- Burt Bacharach, 73-year-old Oscar-winning songwriter of such movie tunes as "What's New, Pussycat?" from the 1965 film and "Raindrops are Falling on my Head" from BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969),  is released from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after undergoing oral surgery for an abscess.
• 9- Stan Brakhage, American experimental filmmaker who created over 400 films beginning in the 1950s, among them "Window Water Baby Moving" (1959) documenting the birth of one of his children and "The Text of Light" (1974) examining light filtered through a heavy glass ashtray, dies of cancer at age 70.
• 9- Marina Ladynina, popular Russian film comedienne during the 1930s and '40s best-known for such films as TRACTOR DRIVERS (1939) and SWINEHERD AND SHEPHERD (1941), dies at 94.
• 9- Mickey Spillane, detective and mystery story writer whose novels have inspired such films as THE LONG WAIT (1954), KISS ME DEADLY (1955) and THE GIRL HUNTERS (1963), celebrates his 85th birthday.
• 8- Lynn Redgrave, film, stage and television actress (and daughter of British actor Michael Redgrave) who earned an Oscar nomination for her performance in GEORGY GIRL (1966), celebrates her 60th birthday.
• 5- Bernard Joseph Schwab, the last of the four brothers who founded the legendary Schwab's Pharmacy on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood which catered to actors, writers and other film industry workers from 1932 until it closed in 1983, dies at 94.
• 4- The American Film Institute announces plans to open the newly restored Silver Theater and Cultural Center, a three-screen art-deco movie theater in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., on April 4.
  AFI Silver will showcase festivals, screenings and special events, including filmmaker interviews, panels, discussions and musical performances, many of which were previously conducted in the AFI's theater at the Kennedy Center.
• 4- Horst Buchholz, German actor whose Hollywood credits include roles in Billy Wilder's ONE, TWO, THREE (1961) and THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960), dies at age 69.
• 2- Fred Freiberger, veteran film and television writer who wrote and produced the sci-fi horror film THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953), dies at 88.
• 2- Fully restored prints of silent film comedian Harold Lloyd's THE FRESHMAN (1925), THE KID BROTHER (1927) and SAFETY LAST (1923), all with new scores, screen at the HBO Comedy Film Fest in Aspen, Colorado.

February 2003:

• 28- Carol Channing, 82-year-old former Broadway star of such shows as "Hello, Dolly!" and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" whose film work has included appearances in THE FIRST TRAVELING SALESLADY (1956) and THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (1967), announces plans to marry her childhood sweetheart from 70 years ago, Harry Kullijian, with whom she grew up in San Francisco.  No date has been set, and the wedding will be Channing's fourth.
• 27- Jean Sullivan, Warner Bros. contract player of the mid-1940s who appeared in UNCERTAIN GLORY (1944) and ESCAPE IN THE DESERT (1945) before becoming a ballet and flamenco dancer, dies at age 79.
• 27- Johny Carpenter, B-western actor, writer and producer of the 1950s whose films included SON OF THE RENEGADE (1953), THE LAWLESS RIDER (1954) and I KILLED WILD BILL HICKOK (1956) and who gained greater fame off-screen for his work with disabled children, dies at 88.
• 27- Daily Variety reports that Miramax films is negotiating for the rights to make a new movie version of the hit 1950's Broadway musical "Guys and Dolls," the first film version of which, starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra and Vivian Blaine, was made by Sam Goldwyn in 1953.
• 25- "Tea at Five," a one-woman show about the life and career of Katharine Hepburn which debuted at the Hartford Stage Company in February 2002 and stars Kate Mulgrew, moves to Broadway's Promenade Theatre for a ten-week engagement.
• 25- Diane Baker, brown-haired actress of the 1960s whose 30-year career has included roles in such films as THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK (1959), THE PRIZE (1963) and MARNIE (1964), celebrates her 65th birthday.
• 25- Peter O'Toole, seven-time Oscar-nominated star of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962), and Julie Christie, Oscar-winner for DARLING (1965) and star of DR. ZHIVAGO (1965), announce plans to appear in director Wolfgang Petersen's upcoming film TROY, an adaptation of Homer's Trojan War epic "The Illiad" set to begin shooting in April.
• 24- Martin Scorsese, director and film preservation activist, announces plans for a documentary chronicling the history of British cinema, in keeping with the style of his previous documentaries "My Voyage to Italy" and "A Personal Journey Through American Movies."
• 24- Alberto Sordi, Italian comedian whose more than 150 film appearances included memorable roles in LO SCEICCO BIANCO (THE WHITE SHEIK) (1952), I VITELLONI (1953) and UN AMERICANO A ROMA (AN AMERICAN IN ROME) (1954), dies of a heart attack at 82.
• 24- Walter Scharf, ten-time Oscar-nominated composer who wrote, arranged or conducted music for over 150 movies including HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON (1952), THE JOKER IS WILD (1957) and FUNNY GIRL (1968), dies of heart failure at age 92.
• 22- John Mills, mild-mannered English actor whose eight-decade career has included roles in such films as IN WHICH WE SERVE (1942), GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1946), THE ROCKING HORSE WINNER (1949), SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON (1960), RYAN'S DAUGHTER (1970) and GANDHI (1982), celebrates his 95th birthday with family and friends, including daughters Hayley and Juliet.
• 22- Daniel Taradash, Oscar-winning screenwriter whose credits include such films as GOLDEN BOY (1939), FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953) and PICNIC (1955), dies at age 90.
• 20- Thomas W. Phipps, playwright and screenwriter for films and television whose movie work included BROADWAY MELODY OF 1940 (1940) and A YANK AT ETON (1942) but who was best known for his hour-long TV dramas of the 1950s, dies at 89.
• 18- Beth Marion, leading lady in numerous B-westerns of the 1930s including BETWEEN MEN (1935) with Johnny Mack Brown, SILVER SPURS (1936) with Buck Jones and THE FUGITIVE SHERIFF (1936) with Ken Maynard, dies at 90.
• 18- Melanie, Sofia, Amanda and Justin von Trapp, adolescent great-grandchildren of Capt. Georg von Trapp whose seven children and marriage to ex-nun Maria inspired Rodgers and Hammerstein's THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965), launch a musical career with the release an album of traditional songs (including some from the musical).
• 18- Peter Mangone, 63-year-old Marilyn Monroe fan, announces he has located a presumed-lost five minutes of home video footage he took of Monroe in New York in 1955 when he was 14 years-old and invited to accompany the actress on some errands around town.  The 8mm color film is in mint condition and is being restored by the Colorlab Company.
• 16- The ABC television network airs a made-for-TV version of Meredith Willson's "The Music Man" (at 7:00pm EST) starring Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth and featuring one song cut from the 1962 film: Marian singing "My White Knight" in the library.
• 13- Stacy Keach Sr., character actor who worked as a contract player at Universal Pictures in the 1940s and later as a producer for RKO before returning to acting in television commercials, dies of congestive heart failure at age 88.
• 13- Kim Novak, blonde bombshell of the 1950s best known for her roles in such films as PICNIC (1955), THE EDDY DUCHIN STORY (1956) and VERTIGO (1958), celebrates her 70th birthday.
• 12- Peter O'Toole, seven-time Oscar-nominated star of such films as LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) and BECKET (1964), finally accepts his invitation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive an honorary Oscar at the Academy Awards ceremony on March 23.
• 12- Franco Zeffirelli, Italian-born film director twice-nominated for Academy Awards for his work on such films as ROMEO AND JULIET (1968) and the mini-series "Jesus of Nazareth" (1977 TV), celebrates his 80th birthday.
• 11- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces that Paul Newman, 78-year-old Oscar-winning star of such films as CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (1958), THE HUSTLER (1961) and COOL HAND LUKE (1967), has received an Academy Award nomination (his tenth) as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in ROAD TO PERDITION (2002).
• 9- Vera Hruba Ralston, Czech-born ice skating star whose B-movie career at Republic Pictures in the 1940s and '50s included such films as THE FIGHTING KENTUCKIAN (1949) and THE WILD BLUE YONDER (1951), dies of cancer at age 79.
• 9- The Professional Dancers Society honors Angela Lansbury, 77-year-old film and television actress and Broadway musical star, with the organization's Gypsy Award at a ceremony in Los Angeles at which it also pays tribute to Betty Grable.
• 8- Elizabeth Taylor, Oscar-winning star of such films as CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (1958), BUTTERFIELD 8 (1960) and CLEOPATRA (1963), is honored with Dame Elizabeth Taylor Day in Laguna, California where she attends an "Art for AIDS" fund-raiser.
• 8- The governing boards of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, American's two largest actors unions, endorse a plan to merge the 150,000 members of both unions under a single new umbrella organization which should have increased clout at the bargaining table with big media companies.
• 6- Roger Ebert, 60-year-old film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times known for his famous "thumbs up"/"thumbs down" reviews, undergoes surgery for papillary cancer, a common and curable type of thyroid cancer, at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.  He is expected to make a full recovery.
• 6- Ronald Reagan, longtime Warner Bros. contract player whose film appearances included roles in BROTHER RAT (1938) and KINGS ROW (1942) and who later became President of the United States, celebrates his 92nd birthday.
• 6- Fabian, teen idol of the 1950s whose film career of the 1960s included such films as HOUND-DOG MAN (1959), NORTH TO ALASKA (1960), HIGH TIME (1960) and THE LONGEST DAY (1962), celebrates his 60th birthday.
• 4- Daily Variety reports that Olivia de Havilland, two-time Oscar-winning actress for her roles in TO EACH HIS OWN (1946) and THE HEIRESS (1949), as well as other notable Oscar winners from the classic Hollywood era, will be making appearances on this year's 75th Annual Academy Awards telecast on March 23.
• 4- Beatrice Welles, daughter of Oscar-winning actor-director Orson Welles, sues RKO and Turner Entertainment Co. demanding payment of royalties on her father's masterpiece CITIZEN KANE (1941) or return of the rights to the movie after an archivist discovered a 1944 agreement which appears to terminate a 1939 profit-sharing deal Welles signed with RKO Pictures.
• 3- Elizabeth Taylor, two-time Oscar-winning actress and AIDS activist whose films have included NATIONAL VELVET (1944), FATHER OF THE BRIDE (1950) and GIANT (1956), appears on CNN's "Larry King Live" to promote her new book Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair With Jewelry.
• 1- Stuart Whitman, brawny leading man who made numerous film appearances during the 1950s before playing leading roles in such films as MURDER, INC. (1960), THE COMANCHEROS (1962) and THE MARK (1961) for which he earned an Oscar nomination, celebrates his 75th birthday.

January 2003:

• 30- Tippi Hedren, 72-year-old former New York fashion model chosen by Alfred Hitchcock to star in his 1960s thrillers THE BIRDS (1963) and MARNI (1964), is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• 30- Mary Ellis, British operetta and musical comedy actress for over 70 years whose career also included three films for Paramount during the 1930s -- ALL THE KING'S HORSES (1934), PARIS IN SPRING (1935) and FATAL LADY (1936) -- dies at the age of 105.
• 29- Peter Shaw, British-born television producer, former William Morris talent agent and longtime husband of actress Angela Lansbury whose hit TV series "Murder, She Wrote" he produced, dies of congestive heart failure at 84.
• 29- Oscar-winning actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, who appeared together in such films as THE LONG, HOT SUMMER (1958), FROM THE TERRACE (1960) and PARIS BLUES (1961), celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary.
• 29- John Forsythe, film and television actor whose movies have included THE GLASS WEB (1953) as well as Hitchcock's THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY (1955) and TOPAZ (1969) but who is best known for his roles on TV's "Charlie's Angels" and "Dynasty," celebrates his 85th birthday.
• 29- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences responds to Peter O'Toole's reluctance to accept an honorary Oscar at the Academy Awards ceremony on March 23 by saying the award is for achievement, not for retirement -- pointing out that Paul Newman and Henry Fonda both won competitive Oscars after receiving honorary awards -- and that the award will be available for O'Toole to pick up this year or whenever he is ready.
• 28- Peter O'Toole, 70-year-old seven-time Academy Award-nominated actor and recipient of this year's honorary Oscar for career achievement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, sends an open letter to the AMPAS expressing reluctance to accept the award before he is 80.
• 27- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces that Peter O'Toole, 70-year-old seven-time Academy Award-nominated actor whose films have included LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962), BECKET (1964), THE LION IN WINTER (1968) and GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS (1969), will receive an honorary award at the Oscar ceremony on March 23, saluting him for "remarkable talents [that] have provided cinema history with some of its most memorable characters."
• 26- The ABC television network airs a Bob Hope Centennial Tribute (an hour before the Super Bowl) which kicks off a year-long celebration of the legendary entertainer's 100th birthday on May 29.  The tribute features vintage footage from Hope's career as well as a prerecorded birthday message from American President George W. Bush.
• 26- Anne Jeffreys, film and television actress who appeared in several B-grade westerns and crime films for Republic Pictures and RKO during the 1940s (including DICK TRACY (1945) in which she played Tess Trueheart) as well as occasional musicals such as STEP LIVELY (1943), celebrates her 80th birthday.
• 25- Cliff Norton, radio and television comedian whose film credits include IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD (1963), FRANKIE AND JOHNNY (1966) and FUNNY LADY (1975), dies at 84.
• 25- Robert Rockwell, radio, film and television actor best known for his role as Philip Boynton, the shy biology teacher and love interest for Eve Arden, in OUR MISS BROOKS, a radio series which evolved into a TV sitcom and eventually a 1956 film, dies at age 82.
• 24- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences opens "And the Oscar Went To ...," an exhibit of 100 historic Oscar statuettes representing all 75 years of the Academy Awards, including ten of the 15 original Oscars given at the first awards ceremony in 1929. The exhibit is housed in the Grand Lobby Gallery of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is open to the public through April 17.
• 24- Zsa Zsa Gabor, 85-year-old Hungarian-born actress who was seriously injured in a car accident on November 27, is released from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and moved to a suite at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital, a hospital that caters to aging stars.
• 23- Jeanne Moreau, French actress and screen beauty whose film work has included Louis Malle's ASCENSEUR POUR L'ECHAFAUD and LES AMANTS (both 1958) as well as François Truffaut's JULES ET JIM (1962) and Orson Welles' THE TRIAL (1963), celebrates her 75th birthday.
• 23- Chita Rivera, Broadway musical and dance star of the 1950s and '60s whose most famous film role was that of Nickie opposite Shirley MacLaine in Bob Fosse's SWEET CHARITY (1969), celebrates her 70th birthday.
• 23- Officials in Rimini, Italy, birthplace of Italian filmmaker Frederico Fellini whose movies include LA DOLCE VITA (1960) and 8 1/2 (1963), announce plans for a five-room museum on the ground floor of the Fellini's home in which his storyboards and sketches will be displayed.  The museum is scheduled to open in October 2003.
• 22- Bill Mauldin, Pulitzer Prize-winning World War II cartoonist for Stars and Stripes and The 45th Division News who appeared in two post-war movies, John Huston's THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE and and Fred Zinnemann's TERESA (both 1951), dies of pneumonia at age 81.
• 22- Doris Fisher, songwriter who with her partner Allan Roberts, wrote dozens of hit songs in the 1930s and '40s as well as musical numbers for more than 20 films including "Put the Blame on Mame" and "Amado Mio" in GILDA (1946) and songs in DOWN TO EARTH (1947), DEAD RECKONING (1947) and THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (1948), dies at age 87.
• 21- Members of the Raleigh, North Carolina City Council and the TVLand cable network announce plans for a bronze statue of Andy Griffith and Ronnie Howard as Sheriff Andy Taylor and his son Opie, their characters from "The Andy Griffith Show," will be installed at Raleigh's Pullen Park.  In addition to their TV work, Griffith and Howard both appeared on the big screen in films like A FACE IN THE CROWD (1957) and THE MUSIC MAN (1963) respectively.
• 19- Jean Stapleton, Emmy award-winning character actress best known for her role as Edith Bunker on TV's "All in the Family" but whose film appearances have included DAMN YANKEES (1958), BELLS ARE RINGING (1960) and UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE (1967), celebrates her 80th birthday.
• 17- Richard Crenna, veteran film and television actor who began his career as a child radio performer and appeared in such popular TV series as "Our Miss Brooks" and "The Real McCoys" in addition to his work in films like THE PRIDE OF ST. LOUIS (1952), THE SAND PEBBLES (1966) and WAIT UNTIL DARK (1967), dies of heart failure at age 76.
• 15- The United States Supreme Court upholds a 20-year copyright extension which Congress passed in 1998, protecting hundreds of thousands of books, movies and songs which were close to being released into the public domain.
• 13- Norman Panama, veteran Hollywood screenwriter who, with his partner Melvin Frank, created scripts for such films as ROAD TO UTOPIA (1945), MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE (1948), WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954), KNOCK ON WOOD (1954) and THE FACTS OF LIFE (1960), dies at age 88.
• 14- Julie Andrews, 67-year-old Oscar-winning star of such films as MARY POPPINS (1964) and THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965), announces plans to direct a revival of "The Boyfriend" at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, New York.  The play debuts August 5, and Andrews hope to take it on to Broadway.
• 14- 20th Century-Fox kicks off a year-long series of special edition DVDs releases featuring restored presentations of some of its most lauded Studio Classics beginning with ALL ABOUT EVE (1950), GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT (1947) and HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941), all with feature-length audio commentaries and other special features.
• 14- 20th Century-Fox announces that actor Steve Martin is in negotiations to star in the studio's remake of CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN (1950) which originally starred Clifton Webb, Myrna Loy and Jeanne Crain and was based on the popular children's book by Frank B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey.  The remake is set to begin shooting in March.
• 13- Billy Gray, former child star whose film appearance include roles in JIM THORPE -- ALL AMERICAN (1951), ON MOONLIGHT BAY (1951) and THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) but who is best known for his role as Bud on TV's "Father Knows Best," celebrates his 65th birthday.
• 12- Luise Rainer, German-born, two-time Oscar-winning Best Actress for her performances in THE GREAT ZIEGFELD (1936) and THE GOOD EARTH (1937), celebrates her 93rd birthday.
• 11- Anthony Havelock-Allan, British film producer and scriptwriter who worked on such classic films as BRIEF ENCOUNTER (1945), GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1946), ROMEO AND JULIET (1968) and RYAN'S DAUGHTER (1970), dies at 98.
• 11- Richard 'Dick' Simmons, longtime MGM contract player who had small roles in over 50 films during the 1940s and '50s including LOVE LAUGHS AT ANDY HARDY (1947), LADY IN THE LAKE (1947) and THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1948) before becoming TV's "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon," dies of complications from Alzheimer's disease at age 89.
• 8- Ron Goodwin, British composer of more than 60 film scores including OPERATION CROSSBOW (1965), THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES (1965), WHERE EAGLES DARE (1968), THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN (1969) and Alfred Hitchcock's FRENZY (1972), dies at 77.
• 5- Jean Kerr, playwright and author whose writings inspired the film versions of THAT CERTAIN FEELING (1956), PLEASE DON'T EAT THE DAISIES (1960) and MARY, MARY (1963), dies of pneumonia at age 80.
• 5- Massimo Girotti, Italian actor whose work in the Italian cinema included roles in Roberto Rosellini's UN PILOTA RITORNA (A PILOT RETURNS (1942)), Luchino Visconti's OSSESSIONE (OBSESSION (1943)), Vittorio De Sica's LA PORTA DEL CIELO (DOOR OF THE SKY (1943)) and Bernardo Bertolucci's LAST TANGO IN PARIS (1972), dies of heart failure at age 84.
• 4- Conrad L. Hall, Oscar-winning cinematographer who contributed to such films as THE PROFESSIONALS (1966), COOL HAND LUKE (1967) and BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969), dies of bladder cancer at 76.
• 2- Anna Lee, English-born actress who made THE MAN WHO CHANGED HIS MIND (1936) and KING SOLOMON'S MINES (1937) before immigrating to Hollywood where she appeared in such films as HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941), FLYING TIGERS (1942), FORT APACHE (1948) and THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965), celebrates her 90th birthday.

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