THE GREAT HOUDINI WAS BORN ON THIS DATE IN 1874

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Harry Houdini (born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a
Hungarian-born magician and escape artist, stunt performer, and actor/film
producer. He was noted for his sensational escape acts. In his later years,
Harry took his talent to the film arena where he both acted and started his
own film laboratory called The Film Development Corporation. Years later,
Harry would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1926 Houdini
died as a result of a ruptured appendix, after suffering a blow to the abdomen.

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HARRY JAMES WAS BORN ON THIS DATE IN 1916

Harry James 

Musician and bandleader, Harry James was an instrumentalist of the swing era. He
was one of the most popular bandleaders of the first half of the 1940s, and he
continued  to lead his band until just before his death, 40 years later. His was the
first "name band" to employ vocalist Frank Sinatra, in 1939. He wanted to change Sinatra’s name to ‘Frankie Satin’ but Sinatra refused. His later band included
drummer Buddy Rich. Harry James was second only to Glenn Miller as the most successful recording artist of 1942.  

Harry James and his Orchestra on The Ed Sullivan show

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Frank Sinatra, right, with Harry James and his orchestra in 1939

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ROBERT CONRAD ~ 76 TODAY

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Actor Robert Conrad is best known for his role in the CBS-TV series The
Wild Wild West
(1965 – 1969) , in which he played the sophisticated Secret
Service agent James T. West, and his portrayal of World War II flying ace Pappy Boyington in the NBC-TV series Baa Baa Black Sheep (1976 – 1978). He was
a recording artist of pop/rock songs in the early 1960s as Bob Conrad before
he started acting. He currently hosts a weekly 2 hour national radio show
called “The PM Show with Robert Conrad” heard on CRN Digital Talk Radio.  
 

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Robert Conrad with co-star Ross Martin (left) 

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Robert Conrad in Baa Baa Black Sheep

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‘’THE KING OF MOTOWN’’ IS 71 TODAY

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William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is a R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record
producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures
associated with Motown, second only to the company’s founder,Berry Gordy. As
an original member of Motown Record’s first vocal group The Miracles and as a
solo artist, Robinson made thirty-seven Top 40 hits for Motown between 1960
and 1987.

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IT’S KIM NOVAK’S BIRTHDAY ~ 78 TODAY

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Kim Novak is best known for her performance in the 1958 Hitchcock thriller Vertigo. She retired from acting in 1991 and has since become an accomplished artist of oil paintings. She lives with her Veterinarian husband on a ranch in Eagle Point, Oregon, where they raise livestock.

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Kim Novak with James Stewart in a scene from Vertigo

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1961

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