On March 15, 1972, The Godfather—a three-hour epic
chronicling the lives of the Corleones, an Italian-
American crime family led by the powerful Vito
Corleone (Marlon Brando)—was released in theaters.

The Godfather was adapted from the best-selling book
of the same name by Mario Puzo, a novelist who grew
up in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen and got his start
writing pulp stories for men’s magazines. Controversy
surrounded the film from the beginning: Soon after
Paramount Pictures announced its production, the
Italian-American Civil Rights League held a rally in
Madison Square Garden, claiming the film would
amount to a slur against Italian Americans. The
uproar only increased publicity for the movie.

Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004)

‘The Godfather’ of filmmaking, Francis Ford Coppola.

    
Starring Mary Martin as Maria and Theodore Bikel as Captain
von Trapp, the original Broadway production of The Sound
of Music premiered at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November
16, 1959, where it won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical
and Best Leading Actress. It later moved to the Mark Hellinger,
where it would end its lauded run on June 15, 1963 after 1,443
performances.    

ROSS SIMPSON

Clement Clarke Moore – 1779-1863

SANDY KOZEL

On this day in 1877, Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893) was declared
the winner and 19th president of the United States after the 1876
presidential election by the United States Congress. However, it
was Samuel J. Tilden (below), who won the popular vote on Nov. 
7, 1876. Hayes served a single term, as he had promised in his 
inaugural address.

Samuel Jones Tilden
(February 9, 1814 – August 4, 1886)
He was the 25th Governor of New York.

ROSS SIMPSON

The poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement C. Moore (" ‘Twas
the night before Christmas…") was published on this day in 1823.