Today’s Jewish Birthday

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Adolph Zukor

He invested in a chain of theaters, leading in 1912 to Zukor establishing the Famous Players Film Company, later through mergers to become Paramount Pictures, with studios on both coasts.  Zukor purchased chains of movie theaters, guaranteeing audiences for the films he produced with such well-known stars as  Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. (SDJW staff report]

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Adolph Zukor Read More »

Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Today's Jewish Birthday

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Bonnie Franklin

Bonnie Franklin (January 6, 1944-March 1, 2013) was remembered for her role as the single mother Ann Romano in the 1975-1984 television series One Day at a Time. Created by Norman Lear, the series addressed a variety of social issues including premarital sex, sexual harassment, and suicide. [SDJW staff report]

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Bonnie Franklin Read More »

Jewish Celebrities, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Today's Jewish Birthday

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Kevin Pillar

Scaling the left field wall on April 15, 2015 to rob the Tampa Bay Rays of a homerun was voted as the play of the year by Pillar’s Toronto Blue Jays fans. Less than two months later, Pillar hit two home runs in the same game off Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals. [SDJW staff report]

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Kevin Pillar Read More »

Jewish History, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Today's Jewish Birthday, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Victor Borge

One routine involved adding a number to any word containing the sound of a number, so, for example, “wonderful” became “twoderful” and “anyone for tennis?” became “any two for elevennis?”  Another shtick was reading books aloud, making special sound effects to indicate punctuation. [SDJW staff report]

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Victor Borge Read More »

International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Today's Jewish Birthday, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Isaac Asimov

The family immigrated to the United States in 1923 and owned candy stores, where, as youngsters, Isaac, his sister Manya, and brother, Stanley, all worked. The stores stocked science fiction magazines and newspapers, perhaps accounting for Isaac becoming a science fiction writer and Stanley a vice president of Long Island Newsday. [SD Jewish World staff]

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Isaac Asimov Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Today's Jewish Birthday, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: J. D. Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye, featuring the adventures of the cynical Holden Caulfield, was greeted enthusiastically by literary reviewers and by high school teachers, but in other parts of the country, it was denounced as smut because of Salinger’s frequent use of such words as “goddamn,” bastard,” “Chrissakes.”[SDJW Staff report]

Today’s Jewish Birthday: J. D. Salinger Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Today's Jewish Birthday, USA