1823: William M. “Boss” Tweed, who was mentioned in a host segment in episode K17- TIME OF THE APES.
1905: Peggy Converse, who played Mrs. Obringer in the movie in episode 702- THE BRUTE MAN and Aunt Flavia McIntire in the movie in episode 805- THE THING THAT COULDN’T DIE.
1912: Albert E. Kennedy, sound editor for the movie in episode 801- REVENGE OF THE CREATURE.
1917: Jack Willoughby, camera operator for the movie in episode 206- RING OF TERROR and associate producer/cinematographer for the movie in episode 810- THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION.
1918: Louis Applebaum, a composer for the movie in episode 1311- THE MASK.
1922: Alberto (aka Albert) Dalbes, who played Carver in the movie “Il Raggio Infernale,” seen in episode 620- DANGER!! DEATH RAY.
1922: Doris Day, who was mentioned in a host segment in episode 311- IT CONQUERED THE WORLD.
1924: Marlon Brando, who was mentioned in a host segment in episode 323- CASTLE OF FU MANCHU.
1927: Bob Hoy, who played Masterson in the movie in episode 324- MASTER NINJA II, Charlie in the movie in episode 801- REVENGE OF THE CREATURE (in which he was also a stuntman) and a mole person in the movie in episode 803- THE MOLE PEOPLE.
1927: E. Thomas Case, makeup artist for the movie in episode 803- THE MOLE PEOPLE.
1930: Viktor Yakushev, cinematographer for the movie “Sampo,” seen in episode 422- THE DAY THE EARTH FROZE.
1931: Ron Phipps, production accountant for the movie in episode K09- PHASE IV.
1933: Robert Dornan, who played Lt. John Witkowski Jr. in the movie in episode 612- THE STARFIGHTERS.*
1939: Susanne Sidney, who played Carlie in the movie in episode 601- GIRLS TOWN.
1941: Eric Braeden, who played Ernest Graeber in the movie in episode 608- CODE NAME: DIAMOND HEAD.*
1942: Marsha Mason, who was mentioned in a host segment in episode 318- STAR FORCE: FUGITIVE ALIEN II.*
1943: Lou Bonacki, who played “first policeman” in the movie in episode 1304- MUNCHIE.*
1944: Lamberto Bava a.k.a. John M. Old Jr., director of the movie in episode 911- DEVIL FISH and assistant director for the movie in episode 1013- DIABOLIK.*
1947: Jonathan Welsh, who played Herman Stover in the movie in episode K16- CITY ON FIRE.
1949: Robert Lantos, producer for the movie in episode 822- OVERDRAWN AT THE MEMORY BANK.*
1954: Bundy Chanock, set medic for the movie in episode 1008- FINAL JUSTICE.
1957: Danny De La Paz, who played Ray in the movie in episode 403- CITY LIMITS.*
1958: Vanna Bonta, who played “student in lab” in the movie “Time Walker,” seen in episode 405- BEING FROM ANOTHER PLANET.
DIED ON THIS DATE
1972: Ferde Grofe Sr. (age 80), who composed the score in the movie in episode 201- ROCKETSHIP X-M.
1973: John Call (age 64), who played Santa Claus in the movie in episode 321- SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS.
1989: Norman Wooland (age 84), who played Dr. L.G. Blanchard in the movie in episode 901- THE PROJECTED MAN.
1989: Arthur Alexande (age 79), a producer for the movie in episode 507- I ACCUSE MY PARENTS.
1996: Herk Harvey (age 71), director of the shorts SPEECH: USING YOUR VOICE (shown in episode 313- EARTH VS. THE SPIDER), CHEATING (shown in episode 515- THE WILD WILD WORLD OF BATWOMAN), WHAT ABOUT JUVENILE DELINQUENCY? (shown in episode 518- THE ATOMIC BRAIN), WHY STUDY INDUSTRIAL ARTS? (shown in episode 609- THE SKYDIVERS) and SPEECH: PLATFORM POSTURE AND APPEARANCE (shown in episode 619- RED ZONE CUBA). Harvey also appeared in SPEECH: USING YOUR VOICE (he was the American flag speaker) and SPEECH: PLATFORM POSTURE AND APPEARANCE (he was the good speechmaker).
1999: Howard R. Cohen (age 56; heart attack), screenwriter for the movies in episodes 703- DEATHSTALKER AND THE WARRIORS FROM HELL and 1203- LORDS OF THE DEEP.
2001: Ron Phipps (age 70), on his birthday.
2009: Tom Smith (age 88), chief makeup artist for the movie in episode 1107- THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT.
2012: Nicholas King (age 79), who had a role in the movie in episode 509- THE GIRL IN LOVERS LANE.
2013: Don Kennedy (age 91), who played a reporter in WORLD WITHOUT END, riffed in MST3K’s first live show.
2015: Robert Rietty (age 92), who voiced Curt in the movie episode 323- THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU and also did uncredited voice work in the English dub of the movie in episode 1013- DIABOLIK.
2020: Brian Degas (age 84), who wrote the screenplay for the movie in episode 1013- DIABOLIK.
EVENTS ON THIS DATE
1930: At the Oscars: Cedric Gibbons, art director for the movie in episode 510- THE PAINTED HILLS, wins best art direction award for “The Bridge of San Luis Rey.”
1978: At the Oscars: Vilmos Zsigmond, a camera operator for the movie in episode 812- THE INCREDIBLY STRANGE CREATURES WHO STOPPED LIVING AND BECAME MIXED-UP ZOMBIES!!? and the cinematographer for the movie in episode 1103- THE TIME TRAVELERS, wins the best cinematography award for “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” John Dykstra (visual effects for the movie in episode 1201- MAC AND ME) and Richard Edlund (title designer for the movie in episode 606- THE CREEPING TERROR.) share a best visual effects award for “Star Wars.” John Williams, who composed the score for the movie in episode 307- DADDY-O, wins the best original score award for “Star Wars.” Walter Mirisch, executive producer for the movie WORLD WITHOUT END, riffed in MST3K’s first live show, and 806- THE UNDEAD, receives the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. Norman Reynolds, assistant art director for the movie in episode K09- PHASE IV, shared the award for best art direction/set decoration for “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” with John Barry, Leslie Dilley and Roger Christian.
* = If this appears next to a birthday, this person is alive, according to the IMDB. If you can supply evidence that he or she has died, and when, please let us know.
** = If this appears next to a birthday, the IMDB indicates that the person has died, but the IMDB does not have a full death date (probably just a month and year or just the year he or she died). If you can give us the exact date (with some sort of proof we can check), please let us know.
** = If this appears next to a death date, the IMDB does not have this person’s full birthday. If you can provide it (with some sort of proof we can check), please let us know.
This Date in MSTory is written and compiled by Christopher Cornell, Brian Henry and Steve Finley with assistance by Tim Brown, Gordon Lawyer and many other Satellite News commenters.
This Date in MSTory is copyright 2025. © All rights reserved. Do not reproduce This Date in MSTory items in any form without express written permission from the authors.
