The fate of two blonde bombshells...
Same June 29th date but separate and distinctly different fates were in the cards for the two biggest blonde bombshells in America in the 50's and 60's. One was a happy occasion, the other-tragic...
Marilyn Monroe met playwright Arthur Miller in 1951. Their friendship developed into love and eventually marriage, Marilyn's third, Arthur's second on June 29, 1956. Raised as a Christian, Marilyn would convert to Judaism before the couple got married in a civil ceremony in White Plains, New York. Marilyn soon discovered she was pregnant but the pregnancy was aborted to save her life. Suffering from endometriosis, she would not be able to give birth as a subsequent pregnancy showed. The marriage ended with a Mexican divorce in January of 1961...
On the night of June 29, 1967, 34-year old Jayne Mansfield was on her way to New Orleans after an appearance in Biloxi, Mississippi with a driver, her boyfriend Sam Brody and her 3 children (Mickey Jr., Zoltan and Mariska) when their 1966 Buick Electra crashed into a truck spraying mosquito fogger on U.S. Highway 90. Jayne, Sam and the driver (Ronnie Harrison) were killed immediately (although Jayne was not beheaded as most accounts reported). All 3 children survived. FYI: Mariska is Mariska Hargitay of "Law and Order" who still bares a scar on her head from an accident she doesn't remember...
In today's commentary: sharing some of your recent e-mails...
More June 29 Memories...
1652] Massachusetts declares itself an independent commonwealth (354 years later New Englanders are still independent. Tough but independent)...
1916] The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds play a 9-inning game with just one baseball (I hope they saved that baseball if there was anything left of it)...
1925] Marvin Pipkin (not related to the singing Pipkins) files for a patent for the frosted electric light bulb (way to go, Marv ! FYI: this bulb resulted in the "soft" light bulbs)...
1956] Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller say "I do" (part of feature story)...
1957] The Buddy Holly recording session in Clovis (NM) that resulted in "Peggy Sue" begins (the single would be released on September 20th and peak at #3)...
1961] Gary U.S. Bonds is #1 with "Quarter to Three"...
1964] The 1st draft of Star Trek's pilot "Cage" is released for all you Trekkies...
1967] Jayne Mansfield and 2 others die in a car crash (part of feature story)...
1972] The Supreme Court ruled the death penalty could constitute "cruel and unusual punishment" (Duh !)...
1986] The Boston Red Sox trade Steve "Psycho" Lyons for Tom Seaver (okay let's see: Tom Seaver, Steve Lyons, Tom Seaver, Steve Lyons, Tom Seaver, Steve Lyons...WHAT ? One's a hall of famer and the other will only get into the hall of fame by buying a ticket. What a steal)...
1990] For the 1st time ever, there are no-hitters in both leagues (and it hasn't been done since) with Dave Stewart for the Oakland A's (AL) and Fernando Valenzuela for the Dodgers (NL)...
1995] The shuttle Atlantis and the Russian space station Mir dock, forming the largest man-made satellite ever to orbit the Earth...
1996] Superman's Action Comic #1 (1938) is auctioned at Sotheby's to Maryland businessman Steve Geppi for $61,900...
2002] "Ready, aim, fire"...VP Dick Cheney is acting President for 2 hours as President Bush gets a routine colon screening (it's a good thing that Cheney didn't handle any of the Doctor's equipment)...
2002] Singer Rosemary Clooney dies at her Beverly Hills home at 74 following a long battle with lung cancer...
2003] Legendary actress Katharine Hepburn dies at age 96...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...
"E-mails, we get e-mails. We get lots and lots of e-mails"...
Riza Vettor of Boynton Beach, Florida, proud Mother-in-law of sportscaster Jim Gray: "I guess you did not remember who did the interview right after the Tyson-Holyfield fight. Jim Gray was there and asked Tyson why he bit Holyfield's ear, he replied, "the head butts, my kids will not want to look at my face. It will scare them because of the marks that the head butts caused". It was a great interview and Jim got an award for it". Thanks Sis...
Frank Kingston Smith of Scottsdale, (AZ) remembers Jim Rome commenting about Tyson, "slugs are taking over sports, especially the heavier contact sports". Rome also went on to call those like Tyson, "rapists, bar-brawlers and cannibals". I thought it was great radio"...
Paul Power of Nahant (MA): "I found your Tyson-Holyfield story had a lot of bite to it, though I did find it a bit ear-ie (er, eerie)". Paul on the Beach Boys: "I just had to check on your Beach Boys #1 mention because I thought Good Vibrations was #1, which it was, for 1 week but I was surprised to see that Help Me Rhonda was #1 for 2 weeks in Billboard" (I'm surprised no one noticed my mistake in years for "Kokomo". It wasn't 1998 as I had it but 1988)...
On "Naming Rights", Bob Sherwood of Manhattan: "I revel in the cleverness of the management group of my beloved Rose Bowl. Instead of becoming The Roto-Rooter Cotton Bowl or The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, they took major bucks and allowed for The Rose Bowl...presented by AT&T"...
"Happy Birthday, happy birthday"...
1930] Rather eccentric movie producer Robert Evans...
1943] No longer "little", Eva Narcissus Boyd...
1944] Gary Busey...
1947] Comedian Richard Lewis...
1948] Former Congressman Fred ("The Love Boat") Gandy...
1953] Men at Work lead singer Colin Hay...
1960] Evelyn "Champagne" King...
[Today is the 180th day of 2006 with 185 days remaining in the year and just 5 days until July 4th]
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