Camille Bohannon
William Henry "Bill" Cosby Jr. is 77 today. After flunking 10th grade,
he worked as an apprentice at a local shoe repair shop and began
performing stand up comedy at The Hungry I nightclub in San
Francisco.
Wonga Phillip "Phil" Harris (June 24, 1904 – August 11, 1995)
Harris was a singer, songwriter, jazz musician, actor, and comedian. He
was successful as an orchestra leader, but is remembered today for his
recordings as a vocalist, and his voice work in animation, one being Baloo
in Disney’s The Jungle Book (1967). Phil Harris was also a pioneer in radio
situation comedy, first with Jack Benny, and then in a series in which he co-
starred with his wife, singer-actress Alice Faye, for eight years.
Phil Harris and Alice Faye
The Three Stooges from left: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard
whose older brother Shemp Howard was the original third Stooge.
                     Moe Howard (Moses Harry Horwitz)
(June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975)
As the head stooge of the Three Stooges, Howard’s film and TV
career spanned four decades. The comedy trio was nominated
for an Academy Award for the 1934 film Men in Black.The parody
short is significant in that it was the only time that the trio would be
nominated for an Oscar.
Before fame, Howard constantly skipped school as a child to attend
local theater shows, and failed to break into Hollywood for several
years before forming the Three Stooges.
Stan Laurel (Arthur Stanley Jefferson)
(June 16, 1890 – February 23, 1965)
Stan Laurel, a British born comic actor, writer and film director, is
most remembered as Laurel of the comedic duo Laurel and Hardy,
Hardy being Oliver Hardy. Laurel began his career in the British
music hall, from where he took a number of his standard comic
devices. He served as an understudy to Charlie Chaplin and
gave his debut professional performance in a stage play in
Glasgow.
