This Day in Pop Culture for August 6

1911: We Love Lucy

It was on this day in 1911 that Lucille Desiree Ball was born in Jamestown New York. When Lucy was just 14-year-old, she began a romance with a 23-year-old whom her mother thought was a hoodlum. Her mother arranged to send Lucy to the John Murray Anderson School for Dramatic Arts in New York in an effort to separate the two.

While attending school, Lucy met Bette Davis who was also attending the school. She began her long career in 1929 working as model and then later taking the stages of Broadway using the stage name, Diane Belmont. This led her to a few minor film roles during the 1930s. It was also during time that Lucille met Desi Arnaz, a Cuban bandleader. The two eloped in November 1940.

In 1948, Lucy was cast in the CBS radio show, My Favorite Husband which was big success and CBS wanted to develop the same show for television, a common practice during the early days of TV. Lucy agreed but only if the part of the husband would be played by Desi. It is said that I Love Lucy was not only a hit for the couple on screen but was also an attempt to keep their marriage together as Desi was known to be attracted to other women. It didn’t. I Love Lucy ended in 1957. Desi and Lucy’s marriage ended in 1960.

In 1961, Lucy married Gary Morton and it was also that same year that Lucy became the first woman to run a major TV studio known as Desilu which produced Mission: Impossible, Star Trek and others. Lucy later starred in other TV series: The Lucy Show (1962-1968), Here’s Lucy (1968-1974) and Life with Lucy (1986). Her last public appearance was during the 61st Academy Awards in 1989. She died four weeks later. She is gone, but we are forever in love with Lucy. (Image: Wikimedia)

1999: He Saw Dead People

Most people are probably unaware of the Disney connection with the movie The Sixth Sense. The story goes like this: the former president of production of Walt Disney Studios, David Vogel, loved reading M. Night Shyamalan’s spec script for the movie. So much so, he bought the rights to the script for $3 million promising that Shyamalan could direct it. Bad move. Disney sacked him and then sold the production rights to Spyglass Entertainment (but the distribution of the movie would be handled by Disney’s Buena Vista Pictures).

The spooky story where a young boy could see and talk to dead people starred Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Donnie Wahlberg and Mischa Barton. The movie also brought an awareness of the fairly unknown director.

The biggest surprise and what made the movie so popular was the amazing twist ending that none of us saw coming. It was brilliant.

Not only did the movie make money (over $672 million) it was nominated for six Academy Awards. Sadly, no Oscars were handed out and while still popular, Shyamalan hasn’t achieved the same level of fame from one of his movies since.

1923: Swimmer Henry

Henry Sullivan became the first American to swim across the English Channel from Dover, England to Calais, France. It took him 27 hours, 25 minutes.

1948: Diver Vicki

American Vicki Draves won her second diving gold medal during the London Olympic Games in the 10-meter platform.

1926: Swimmer Gertrude

Gertrude Ederle became the first American woman to swim across the English Channel from Cap Gris-Nez, France to Kingsdown, England. It took her 14 hours, 39 minutes.

1956: DuMont Airs its Last Broadcast

Long before FOX television network, there was another major network that competed with ABC, NBC and CBS – DuMont.

DuMont was a company that originally created TV sets. On this day, the network aired its last broadcast featuring a boxing match which might have been shown on only five stations nationwide. At least, that is one theory. There are conflicting reports on that actual end date of the network.

The DuMont Broadcasting Corporation’s name was later changed to “Metropolitan Broadcasting Company” to distance the company from what was seen as a major flop. In addition, DuMont was the only major TV network to cease programming for 50 years before UPN and WB networks shut down in 2006. (Image: Wikimedia)

1960: Chubby Check Did “The Twist”

Come on baby, let’s do The Twist! Ernest Evans was a great singer when he was younger. One songwriter was so impressed with Ernest, he arranged a private concert for him to entertain Dick Clark and his wife Barbara. Ernest performed an impression of Fats Domino. Barbara was so impressed, she said that he should go by the name Chubby Checker in Fats’ honor. On this day, Chubby performed his version of “The Twist” on Clark’s TV show, American Bandstand which made “The Twist” a dance sensation. (Image: Wikimedia)