"28"

Given all the heroes and soldiers he played over his half century in film, this year, it’s only fitting that John Wayne’s birthday should fall around Memorial Day. 

Gary Cooper was born 113 years ago today, and while he'll always be remembered as the man who played their favorite cowboy or hero, many also recall him simply as the man with THAT FACE. (Just ask my wife!) When he broke into the movie scene in the mid-late '20s, talking pictures were still 2-3 years away. While Coop's arresting looks and "aw shucks" manner would have guaranteed him a solid career in silents, he had a nice baritone voice that only made him more appealing when talking pictures finally arrived. So as the talkies took off, so did Coop's career. The product of an authentic western upbringing in Montana, Coop represented something singularly American to his audience, and they loved him for it. Pair that with an understated style and a face that would force any cowgirl to stop a galloping mustang in its tracks, and you've got yourself a true Hollywood Legend who lives on in our dreams.

By the time ambitious model-turned-actress Grace Kelly hit Hollywood at the dawn of the ‘50s, she was possessed of near-perfect looks, enormous ambition, a healthy sex drive, and… a major Daddy complex. As stunning and talented as she was, Grace could never seem to please her self-made businessman father, Jack Kelly. Somehow this drew her physically to older men. (I’ll have to ask my shrink how that works).

Another strange truth about the movie biz: sometimes, a great idea will take decades to become a feature film. Case in point, Walt Disney’s much beloved “Lady And The Tramp.”

First, let’s take a moment to celebrate Spencer Tracy’s 104th birthday. And though he died back in 1967, his success and skill as an actor is still impressive today. If you don’t know him, you should. He’s our favorite pre-Method screen actor, a man with an astonishing and natural talent. He was also a raging alcoholic, the unabashed kind who’d disappear with a case of bourbon and ask you to check back in a week. The self-described Irish potato gave MGM publicists ulcers galore. But this was one hot potato – a man who’d command a scene, and usually nail it in one take.   Today he’s best remembered for his later rom-com offerings with real-life partner Katharine Hepburn, about as unlikely a match as Jesse Jackson and Sarah Palin. But together on-screen, they made beautiful music.

Though the celebratory pomp won't literally explode (with a 21-cannon salute!) until her "Official" birthday in June, it’s today that Queen Elizabeth II actually turns 90, and she shows no signs of slowing down. Her Majesty still rides horses, carries out Investitures (those big ceremonies where diplomats and Rolling Stone singers become Knights), and brightens over 400 engagements each year with her little-legged corgis and big hats. 

Previously obscured in my hazy memory, 1994 comes back like lightning when I review the happenings of that year. Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first black president. O.J. Simpson took us on the most famous ride ever in that white Bronco. Creating the ultimate rock and roll union, Michael Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley. Kurt Cobain committed suicide.