On this day in 1937, author and dramatist, J. M. Barrie died of pneumonia in London at the age of 77. Born James Matthew Barrie on 9 May 1860 in in Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland. Perhaps best remembered as the author of Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up (1904) the play about the ageless boy and an ordinary girl named Wendy who have adventures in the fantasy setting of Neverland. The play was developed by Barrie into the 1911 novel Peter and Wendy. George Bernard Shaw described the play as “ostensibly a holiday entertainment for children but really a play for grown-up people.”
When he was 6 years old, Barrie’s next-older brother David (his mother’s favourite) died two days before his 14th birthday in an ice-skating accident. This left his mother devastated, and Barrie tried to fill David’s place in his mother’s attentions, even wearing David’s clothes and whistling in the manner that he did. Barrie’s mother apparently found comfort in the fact that her dead son would remain a boy forever, never to grow up and leave her. Barrie married Mary Ansell (1894-1909 divorce). They had no children. Before his death, he gave the rights to the Peter Pan works to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, which continues to benefit from them as Peter Pan has been adapted many times. My favorite adaptation is Steven Spielberg’s Hook (1991) with Robin Williams as a grown up Peter.
The Final Footprint – Barrie is interred in the Barrie and Ogilivie family plot in Kirriemuir Cemetery. The family plot is marked by three large upright markers. A bronze Peter Pan statue was erected in Kensington Gardens, London. Barrie was portrayed in the semi-biographical film, Finding Neverland (2004), by Johnny Depp. The film was nominated for an Oscar, as was Depp, and also stars Kate Winslet and Hoffman. Neverland Valley Ranch was named by Michael Jackson after Barrie’s Neverland.
On this day in 1953 American citizens who were convicted of spying on behalf of the Soviet Union in 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed by the federal government of the United States in 1953 in the Sing Sing correctional facility in Ossining, New York, at the ages of 35 and 37. Julius Rosenberg was born on May 12, 1918, in Manhattan. Ethel Greenglass was born on September 25, 1915 in Manhattan. The couple were accused of providing top-secret information about radar, sonar, jet propulsion engines, and valuable nuclear weapon designs. At that time, the United States was the only country in the world with nuclear weapons.
The Rosenbergs’ sons, Michael and Robert Meeropol and other defenders, maintained that Julius and Ethel were innocent of spying on their country and were victims of Cold War paranoia. After the fall of the Soviet Union, much information concerning them was declassified, including a trove of decoded Soviet cables, code-named VENONA, which detailed Julius’s role as a courier and recruiter for the Soviets and Ethel’s role as an accessory. In 2008 the National Archives of the United States published most of the grand jury testimony related to the prosecution of the Rosenbergs; it revealed that Ethel had not been directly involved in activities, though still acted as an accessory, and had full knowledge of Julius’s espionage activity and played the main role in the recruitment of her brother for atomic espionage.
Jean-Paul Sartre described the trial as
“a legal lynching which smears with blood a whole nation. By killing the Rosenbergs, you have quite simply tried to halt the progress of science by human sacrifice. Magic, witch-hunts, autos-da-fé, sacrifices – we are here getting to the point: your country is sick with fear … you are afraid of the shadow of your own bomb.”
Others, including Jean Cocteau, Albert Einstein, Nelson Algren, Bertolt Brecht, Dashiell Hammett, Frida Kahlo, and Diego Rivera, protested the position of the American government in what the French termed the US Dreyfus affair. Einstein pleaded with President Truman to pardon the Rosenbergs. In May 1951, Pablo Picasso wrote for the communist French newspaper L’Humanité, “The hours count. The minutes count. Do not let this crime against humanity take place.” The all-black labor union International Longshoremen’s Association Local 968 stopped working for a day in protest. Cinema artists such as Fritz Lang registered their protest. Pope Pius XII appealed to President Dwight D. Eisenhower to spare the couple, but Eisenhower refused on February 11, 1953.
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The funeral services were held in Brooklyn on June 21. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were buried at Wellwood Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery in Pinelawn, New York. The Times reported that 500 people attended, while some 10,000 stood outside:
The bodies had been brought from Sing Sing prison by the national “Rosenberg committee” which undertook the funeral arrangements, and an all-night vigil was held in one of the largest mortuary chapels in Brooklyn. Many hundreds of people filed past the biers. Most of them clearly regarded the Rosenbergs as martyred heroes and more than 500 mourners attended to-day’s services, while a crowd estimated at 10,000 stood outside in burning heat. Mr. Bloch [their counsel], who delivered one of the main orations, bitterly exclaimed that America was “living under the heel of a military dictator garbed in civilian attire”: the Rosenbergs were “Sweet. Tender. And Intelligent” and the course they took was one of “courage and heroism.”
- The E. L. Doctorow novel The Book of Daniel (1971) is based on the Rosenberg case as seen through the eyes of a (fictionalized) son. Doctorow wrote the screenplay of the Sidney Lumet film Daniel, starring Timothy Hutton.
- The main character in Sylvia Plath’s novel The Bell Jar is morbidly interested in the Rosenbergs’ case. The novel begins with the sentence, “It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York.”
- Images of the Rosenbergs are engraved on a memorial in Havana, Cuba. The accompanying caption says they were murdered.
- The song “Julius and Ethel” by Bob Dylan is based on the Rosenberg case.
On this day in 1975, Sicilian American mobster and boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1957–1966, “Momo”, “Mooney”, “Sam the Cigar”, “Sammy”, Sam Giancana died from multiple gunshot wounds in his home in Oak Park, Illinois at the age of 67. Giancana was killed shortly before he was scheduled to appear before a U. S. Senate committee investigating supposed CIA and Cosa Nostra collusion in plots to assassinate President John F. Kennedy. Born Salvatore Giangana to Sicilian immigrants in Little Italy, Chicago.
The Final Footprint – Giancana was entombed next to his wife Angelina in the Giancana family private mausoleum in Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois.
#RIP #OTD in 1991, actress (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The More the Merrier, You Can’t Take It with You, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Shane), Jean Arthur died from heart failure in Carmel-by-the-Sea at the age of 90. No funeral service was held. She was cremated, and her remains were scattered off the coast of Point Lobos, California
On this day in 2013, actor James Gandolfini died of an apparent heart attack in Rome at the age of 51. Born James Joseph Gandolfini, Jr. on 18 September 1961 in Westwood, New Jersey. Perhaps best known for his role in The Sopranos as Tony Soprano, a troubled crime boss struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia. Gandolfini garnered enormous praise for this role, winning both the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series three times.
The Final Footprint – Gandolfini’s funeral service was held on 27 June 2013 at the Episcopal Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in Morningside Heights, New York City. He was cremated.
#RIP #OTD in 2013, singer and guitarist known for his yodeling abilities and his use of falsetto (“Rose Marie”; “Guess Who”), Slim Whitman died from heart failure in Orange Park, Florida aged 90. Black Creek Methodist Church Cemetery in
Middleburg, Florida
| Anton Yelchin | |
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 at the Deauville American Film Festival in September 2011 |
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And on this day in 2016 actor Anton Yelchin died at his home in Studio City, Los Angeles when his car accidentally pinned him against a fence, at the age of 27. Born Anton Viktorovich Yelchin on March 11, 1989 in Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg. Perhaps best known as Pavel Chekov in three Star Trek films: the first film, Star Trek (2009); the first sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness (2013); and the posthumously released Star Trek Beyond (2016). He was also known for his work in independent cinema.
Born to a Russian Jewish family, Yelchin relocated to the United States, where he began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television and film roles. His role for Steven Spielberg’s miniseries Taken was significant in furthering his career. He starred in multiple television series, including Huff and the posthumously released Trollhunters.
at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
at the Deauville American Film Festival in September 2011
The Final Footprint
He was featured in the “In Memoriam” section during the 89th Academy Awards.
In October 2017, a bronze statue of Yelchin was erected at his grave in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Celebrities present at the unveiling ceremony included Jennifer Lawrence, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, J. J. Abrams, Emile Hirsch, Demi Moore, Jon Voight, Drake Doremus and Jeremy Saulnier. Saldana spoke at the ceremony, paying tribute to Yelchin: “It is a bittersweet moment, because we’re here for Anton, and he’s not here with us. But, it alleviates my heart knowing that we’ll keep him alive. We’re going to keep remembering him in the hopes that by practicing all the things he believed in and remembering all the love that he gave us, and all the joy he gave us, we’re able to just keep him here with us.”
Other notable Final Footprints at Hollywood Forever include; Mel Blanc (yes, his epitaph is “That’s All Folks!”), Chris Cornell, Cecil B. DeMille, Victor Fleming, Judy Garland, Joan Hackett, John Huston, Jayne Mansfield’s cenotaph, Hattie McDaniel‘s cenotaph, Tyrone Power, Nelson Riddle, Mickey Rooney, Bugsy Siegel, Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, Rudolph Valentino, and Fay Wray.
#RIP #OTD in 2020 actor (Chariots of Fire, Alien, The Fifth Element, The Aviator, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit), Ian Holm died in hospital in London at the age of 88. Highgate Cemetery, London
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The Final Footprint – Fitzgerald is entombed in the Sunset Memorial Garden Mausoleum, Sanctuary of the Bells, in Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. Other notable Final Footprints at Inglewood Park include; Ray Charles, Betty Grable, Etta James, Robert Kardashian, Gypsy Rose Lee, Billy Preston, Cesar Romero, Big Mama Thornton, T-Bone Walker, and Syreeta Wright.
The Final Footprint – His funeral was held at the First United Methodist Church of Austin where he and his wife, Nellie Connally, had been members since their days living one block to the south in the Texas Governors Mansion, 1963–1969. The Connallys are interred at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin. Other notable final footprints at Texas State Cemetery include; Stephen F. Austin, J. Frank Dobie, Barbara Jordan, Tom Landry (cenotaph), James A. Michener (cenotaph), Ann Richards, Edwin “Bud” Shrake, Big Foot Wallace, and Walter Prescott Webb.
On this day in 1837, Italian poet, essayist, philosopher, and philologist, Giacomo Leopardi died in Naples at the age of 38 during the cholera epidemic. Born Giacomo Taldegardo Francesco di Sales Saverio Pietro Leopardi on 29 June 1798 in Recanati, Papal States. Although he lived in a secluded town in the ultra-conservative Papal States, he came in touch with the main thoughts of the Enlightenment, and by his own literary evolution, created a remarkable and renowned poetic work, related to the Romantic era.
The Final Footprint – Thanks to Antonio Ranieri’s intervention with the authorities, Leopardi’s remains were prevented from being ignominiously buried in the common grave (as the strict hygienic regulations of the time required) and he was entombed in the atrium of the church of San Vitale at Fuorigrotta. In 1939 his tomb, moved to the Parco Virgiliano, was declared a national monument.
On this day in 1968, Italian author and poet, 1959 recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature “for his lyrical poetry, which with classical fire expresses the tragic experience of life in our own times”, Salvatore Quasimodo died from a cerebral hemorrhage in a hospital in Naples at the age of 66. Born on 20 August 1901 in Modica, Sicily. Along with Giuseppe Ungaretti and Eugenio Montale, he is one of the foremost Italian poets of the 20th century.
The Final Footprint – He was interred in the Cimitero Monumentale in Milan.
On this day in 1986, American lyricist and librettist, who in collaboration with Frederick Loewe, created some of the world’s most popular and enduring works of musical theatre for both the stage and on film, Alan Jay Lerner died of lung cancer in Manhattan at the age of 67. Born on 31 August 1918 in New York City. He won three Tony Awards and three Academy Awards, among other honors. My favorite Lerner and Loewe musicals are My Fair Lady (1956) and Camelot (1960). He married eight times: Ruth Boyd (1940–1947), singer Marion Bell (1947–1949), actress Nancy Olson (1950–1957), lawyer Micheline Muselli Pozzo di Borgo (1957–1965), editor Karen Gunderson (1966–1974), Sandra Payne (1974–1976), Nina Bushkin (1977–1981) and Liz Robertson (1981–1986 his death).
On this day in 1994, United States Army veteran, composer, conductor and arranger, Grammy, Emmy and Oscar winner, Henry Mancini, died of pancreatic cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 70. Born Enrico Nicola Mancini on 16 April 1924 in Cleveland, Ohio. His parents emigrated to America from the Abruzzo region of Italy. Perhaps his best-known works include the theme to The Pink Panther film series (“The Pink Panther Theme”), the Peter Gunn Theme from the television series, the song “Baby Elephant Walk” from the Howard Hawks’s film Hatari (1962) starring John Wayne, and for the songs “Moon River” from the Blake Edwards‘ film Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) starring Audrey Hepburn and “Days of Wine and Roses” with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, from the 1962 Edwards’s film of the same name starring Jack Lemmon. Mancini was married to Virginia “Ginny” O’Connor (1951-1994 his death). The Final Footprint – Mancini was cremated.
On this day in 1878, American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor of the New York Evening Post, William Cullen Bryant died at the age of 83 of complications from an accidental fall suffered after participating in a Central Park ceremony honoring Italian patriot Giuseppe Mazzini. Born 3 November 1794 in a log cabin near Cummington, Massachusetts. Perhaps best known for his poem “Thanatopsis”. The title is from the Greek thanatos (“death”) and opsis (“sight”); it has often been translated as “Meditation upon Death”.
On this day in 1963, African American civil rights activist from Mississippi involved in efforts to overturn segregation at the University of Mississippi, Medgar Evers was assassinated by gunshot in front of his home in Jackson, Mississippi. He was 37 years old. Born Medgar Wiley Evers on 2 July 1925 in Decatur, Mississippi.
On this day in 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were stabbed to death in front of her home 875 South Bundy Drive, Brentwood, Los Angeles, at the ages of 35 and 25 respectively. Nicole Brown was born 19 May 1959 in Frankfurt, West Germany. Ronald Lyle Goldman was born 2 July 1968 in Cook County, Illinois.
Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California. O. J. Simpson was tried for the murders of both his ex-wife and Goldman. In October 1995, after a public trial that lasted nearly nine months, Simpson was acquitted of both murders. In a 1997 civil trial, a jury found Simpson liable for the wrongful death of Goldman and awarded $33 million (USD) in damages to the Goldman family. The rights to O. J. Simpson’s book, If I Did It, a first-person account of how he would have committed the murders, had he committed them, were awarded to the Goldman family in August 2007. The family was granted the proceeds from the book in 2007 as part of the
civil jury award against the ex-football star they had been trying to collect for over a decade. The Goldmans own the copyright, media rights and movie rights. They also acquired Simpson’s name, likeness, life story and right of publicity in connection with the book, according to court documents, ensuring Simpson would not be able to profit from the book. After renaming the book If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer, the Goldmans published it in September 2007 through Beaufort Books. The Goldman family contributed a portion of proceeds from the book sale to the newly founded Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice. The foundation provides grants for multiple organizations and programs that provide resources to victims and survivors of violent crimes. In 1994, Nicole Brown’s sister Denise established The Nicole Brown Charitable Foundation to help victims of domestic violence.
On this day in 2003, Academy Award winning actor Gregory Peck died at his home in Los Angeles from bronchopneumonia at the age of 87. Born Eldred Gregory Peck on 5 April 1916 in La Jolla, California. My favorite Peck movie roles include: as John Ballantyne in Alfred Hitchcock’s Spellbound (1945) with Ingrid Bergman; as Harry Street in The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952) based on the Ernest Hemingway short story of the same title, with Ava Gardner; as Joe Bradley in William Wyler’s Roman Holiday (1953) with Audrey Hepburn; as James McKay in Wyler’s The Big Country (1958) with Jean Simmons and Charlton Heston; as Sam Bowden in Cape Fear (1962) based on John D. McDonald’s novel The Executioners, with Robert Mitchum; as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) based on the Harper Lee novel of the same name, with Robert Duvall. Peck was married twice; Greta Kukkonen (1942-1955 divorce) and Veronique Passani (1955-2003 his death).
The Final Footprint – A Requiem Mass was held for Tracy on June 12 at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in East Hollywood. Active pallbearers included George Cukor, Stanley Kramer, Frank Sinatra, James Stewart and John Ford. Out of consideration for Tracy’s family, Hepburn did not attend the funeral. Tracy was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Other notable Final Footprints at Forest Lawn Glendale include; L. Frank Baum, Humphrey Bogart, Lon Chaney, Nat King Cole, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis, Jr., Jean Harlow, Sam Cooke, Walt Disney, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Michael Jackson, Louis L’Amour, Carole Lombard, Tom Mix, Casey Stengel, Jimmy Stewart, and Elizabeth Taylor.
