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The youngest of five children, and born with the drab, unlikely name of Josephine Cottle on April 5, 1922, this pleasantly appealing, Texas-born, auburn-haired beauty was only seventeen months old when her father, William, passed away. The family moved from Bloomington (her home town) to McDade (between Austin and Houston), where her mother, Minnie, made ends meet as a seamstress and milliner. The family eventually settled in Houston, where Gale took dance and ice skating lessons, developed a strong interest in acting, and performed in high school dramatics. Encouraged by her teachers, Gale by chance entered and was chosen the winner of a local radio talent contest called Jesse L. Lasky's "Gateway to Hollywood" in 1939. This took her and her mother to Hollywood, where she captured the national contest title.

Handed the more exciting stage moniker of "Gale Storm", she was soon put under contract to RKO Pictures. Although she was dropped by the studio after only six months, she had established herself enough to find work elsewhere, including at Monogram and Universal. Appearing in a number of "B" musicals, mysteries and westerns, her wholesome, open-faced prettiness made her a natural for filming. The programmers, however, that she co-starred in were hardly the talk of the town. Making her inauspicious debut with Tom Brown's School Days (1940), her '40s movies bore such dubious titles as Let's Go Collegiate (1941), Freckles Comes Home (1942), Revenge of the Zombies (1943), Sunbonnet Sue (1945), Swing Parade of 1946 (1946), and Curtain Call at Cactus Creek (1950), indicating the difficulty of finding material worthy of her talent. Arguably, her better movies include the family Christmas tale It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947), which co-starred Don DeFore; the overlooked western comedy The Dude Goes West (1948) opposite Eddie Albert; and the film noir piece The Underworld Story (1950) with Dan Duryea.

After years of toiling in films, Gale finally turned things around at age 30 by transplanting herself to the small screen. Her very first TV series, My Little Margie (1952), which was only supposed to be a summer replacement series for I Love Lucy (1951), became one of the most watched sitcoms in the early '50s while showing up in syndicated reruns for decades. Co-starring the popular film star Charles Farrell as her amiable dad, Gale's warmth and ingratiating style suited TV to a tee, making her one of the most popular light comediennes of the time. She segued directly into her second hit series as a cruise ship director in The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna (1956), which was better known as "Oh! Susannah" after it went into syndication. Co-starring woebegone Zasu Pitts as the ship's manicurist and her "Ethel Mertz" counterpart, this show lasted a season longer than her first.

In the midst of all this, the (gasp!) thirty-something star dared to launch her own Las Vegas nightclub and pop recording careers. Always looking much younger than she was, she produced a number of Billboard chart makers, including "I Hear You Knocking" (her first hit), "Memories Are Made of This", "Ivory Tower" and her own cover of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love". Her most successful song of the decade was "Dark Moon", which peaked at #4.

Gale's film career took a sharp decline following the demise of her second series in 1960. Most of her focus was placed modestly on the summer stock or dinner theater circuit, doing a revolving door of tailor-made comedies and musicals such as "Cactus Flower", "Forty Carats", "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" and "South Pacific". She finally appeared again on TV in a The Love Boat (1977) segment in 1979 after nearly a two-decade absence. It was later revealed in Gale's candid autobiography "I Ain't Down Yet" (1981) and on the talk show circuit that the disappearance was triggered by a particularly vicious battle with alcohol. Years later, Gale became an outspoken and committed lecturer, helping to remove the stigma attached to such a disease, particularly as it applied to women.

Fully recovered, she has been widowed twice (by actor Lee Bonnell in 1986 and Paul Masterson in 1996). Incredibly accommodating over the years, Gale has appeared on the nostalgia and film festival circuits to the delight of her many fans. She died on June 27, 2009, at a Danville, California convalescent home at age 87.

Joe Morgan played major league baseball for 22 seasons. Spending time with the Houston Colt .45's/Astros, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland A's. A two-time National League Most Valuable Player, Joe was part of Cincinnati's famous "Big Red Machine" in the 1970s. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990. Joe is currently lead baseball analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.

Betty Kern Miller was born on 16 December 1918 in Bronxville, New York, USA. Betty Kern was married to Marvin Leo Miller, Jack Cummings, Artie Shaw and Richard Alan Green. Betty Kern died on 5 April 1996 in Danville, Kentucky, USA.

Steve Moore was born on 15 June 1954 in Danville, Virginia, USA. He was an actor, known for Love Kills (1998), We're Funny That Way (1998) and Just for Laughs (1987). He was married to Lois Bromfield. He died on 24 May 2014 in Danville, Virginia, USA.

Billy O'Connor was born on 10 August 1913 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for It Can't Last Forever (1937). He died on 26 December 1939 in Danville, Illinois, USA.

Dan Terry was born on 22 December 1924 in Kingston, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for The Hustler (1961) and Birth of a Band (1954). He died on 27 December 2011 in Danville, Illinois, USA.

Richard Khim was born on 11 May 1931 in Seoul, Korea. He is known for Charlotte's Web (1973), Jonny Quest (1964) and It's the Wolf (1969). He died on 21 February 2017 in Danville, California, USA.

Molly LaMar was born on 3 April 1971 in Danville, Illinois, USA. She died on 28 December 2017 in Danville, Illinois, USA.

Leekeleek was an actor and director, known for Leek-e-Leek feat. Lil Zay: Out the Galaxy (2012), Lil Durk: They Forgot (2017) and Leekeleek: Money Ova Everything (2012). He died on 26 July 2018 in Danville, Illinois, USA.

C.W. Smith was born on 28 October 1947 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA. He was married to Deborah L. Beach. He died on 4 November 2017 in Danville, Pennsylvania, USA.

Eben Henson was born on 27 January 1923 in Danville, Kentucky USA. He is known for Raintree County (1957), Hitting the Cycle (2012) and Pharaoh's Army (1995). He was married to Charlotte Henson. He died on 25 April 2004 in Danville, Kentucky, USA.

Charlotte Henson was born on 3 January 1931 in Mercer County, Kentucky, USA. She is known for Pharaoh's Army (1995). She was married to Eben Henson. She died on 13 February 2024 in Danville, Kentucky, USA.

Barbara Drake was born on 28 February 1930 in Borger, Texas, USA. She was an actress. She died on 18 December 2016 in Danville, California, USA.

Jesse Birnbaum was born on 21 October 1923 in Passaic, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for The Candidate (1972). He was married to Elizabeth Haesly. He died on 24 July 2011 in Danville, California, USA.

Joseph Garney Cannon was born on 7 May 1836 in Guilford, North Carolina, USA. He died on 12 November 1926 in Danville, Illinois, USA.

Gloria Laughlin was born in 1927 in New Castle, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress. She was married to Frank Carr. She died in 2021 in Danville, California, USA.

Joseph Gurney Cannon was born on 7 May 1836 in Guilford, North Carolina, USA. He died on 12 November 1926 in Danville, Illinois, USA.

Peggy Johnson was born on 4 November 1952 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. She died on 24 December 2019 in Danville, Illinois, USA.

Wendell Scott was born on 21 August 1921 in Danville, Virginia, USA. He is known for Greased Lightning (1977) and ABC's Wide World of Sports (1961). He was married to Mary. He died on 23 December 1990 in Danville, Virginia, USA.

Gene Pearson was born on 31 October 1922 in Fresno, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Federal Man-Hunt (1938) and Harry Rosenthal and His Bath and Tennis Club Orchestra (1929). He died on 16 October 2001 in Danville, Contra Costa, California, USA.

Ed Ott was born on 11 July 1951 in Muncy, Pennsylvania, USA. He was married to Sue. He died on 3 March 2024 in Danville, Pennsylvania, USA.

Daniel Smith was born on 12 March 1953 in Alliance, Ohio, USA. He died on 20 September 2013 in Danville, Kentucky, USA.

Art Klein was born on 19 March 1946 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School (2005), Bottle Shock (2008) and Killer Movie (2008). He was married to Sally . He died on 9 November 2021 in Danville, California, USA.

Jovette Marchessault was born on 9 February 1938 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. She was a writer, known for Firewords, Part 2: Jovette Marchessault (1986) and Les Terribles Vivantes: Louky Bersianik, Jovette Marchessault, Nicole Brossard (1986). She died on 31 December 2012 in Danville, Québec, Canada.