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American leading man Victor John Mature was born in Louisville, Kentucky, to Clara P. (Ackley) and Marcellus George Mature, a cutler and knife sharpener. His father, born Marcello Gelindo Maturi in Pinzolo, Trentino, was Italian, and his mother was of Swiss-German and German descent. Mature worked as a teenager with his father as a salesman for butcher supplies. Hoping to become an actor, he studied at the Pasadena Playhouse in California. He auditioned for Gone with the Wind (1939) for the role ultimately played by his fellow Playhouse student, George Reeves. After achieving some acclaim in his first few films, he served in the Coast Guard in World War II. Mature became one of Hollywood's busiest and most popular actors after the war, though rarely was he given the critical respect he often deserved. His roles in John Ford's My Darling Clementine (1946) and in Henry Hathaway's Kiss of Death (1947) were among his finest work, though he moved more and more frequently into more exotic roles in films like Samson and Delilah (1949) and The Egyptian (1954). Never an energetic actor nor one of great artistic pretensions, he nevertheless continued as a Hollywood stalwart both in programme and in more prominent films like The Robe (1953). More interested in golf than acting, his appearances diminished through the 1960s, but he made a stunning comeback of sorts in a hilarious romp as a very Victor Mature-like actor in Neil Simon's After the Fox (1966). Golf eventually took over his activities and, after a cameo as Samson's father in a TV remake of his own "Samson and Delilah" (Samson and Delilah (1984)), he retired for good. Rumors occasionally surfaced of another comeback, most notably in a never-realized remake of Red River (1948) with Sylvester Stallone, but none came to fruition. He died of cancer at his Rancho Santa Fe, California, home in 1999.

John Paxton was born on 14 July 1920 in Missouri, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Spider-Man 3 (2007), A Simple Plan (1998) and Spider-Man (2002). He was married to Mary Lou Gray. He died on 17 November 2011 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA.

Kevin Brophy was born on 1 November 1953 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He was an actor, known for Hell Night (1981), The Long Riders (1980) and Lucan (1977). He was married to Amy Prettyman . He died on 11 May 2024 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA.

George J. Lewis was born on 10 December 1903 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He was an actor, known for Zorro's Black Whip (1944), Malice in the Palace (1949) and Radar Patrol vs. Spy King (1949). He was married to Mary Louise Lohman. He died on 8 December 1995 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA.

During the early 1970s QM Productions through its owner Quinn Martin dominated the action adventure television series genre. At one time QM produced more hours of network television programs per week than any other independent production company. Perhaps one of Martin's most lasting contributions to the genre was developing and perfecting the formula for the one hour television drama-- the number of acts (+ the "epilog"), the number of "beats" of action per act and the ability to end the act on a cliffhanger for the commercial break thereby assuring that the audience would stay tuned through the commercial.

James W. Gavin was born on 13 March 1935 in Denver, Colorado, USA. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Pearl Harbor (2001), Lethal Weapon (1987) and The Edge (1997). He died on 13 August 2005 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA.

Applewhite was born in Spur, Texas the son of a Presbyterian Minister. He graduated from high school in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1948. Applewhite briefly enrolled to study as a Minister but changed his mind and went into Music. In 1952 he graudated from Austin College. He then did a brief stint in the US army corps from 1954 to '56. By 1959 he had obtained his Masters in Music from the Univ. of Colorada at Boulder. He was hired as choral director at Univ. of Alabama in 1961. From 1966 to '70 he taught music at Houston's Univ. of St. Thomas. Applewhite even played leading roles at the Houston Grand Opera. However, in 1970 he was dismissed for 'health reasons of an emotional nature'. He even underwent some psychotherapy but of no avail. By 1972 he had divorced his wife and was estranged from his 2 children. During this period in his life he met divorceé Bonnie Lu Nettles a former nurse and mother of 4 who was now interested in astrology. The 2 lived as common-law partners and moved to Las Vegas and Oregon looking for 'spiritual awakening'. In 1974 Applewhite was jailed in Texas for auto theft and credit card fraud. In the period after his release Applewhite and Nettles began calling themselves "the Two" and "Bo" and "Peep" (respectively) and also "Do" and "Ti" (like the musical notes). They began to collect a group of disillusioned followers preaching that the body was just a 'container' and that a great big 'mother ship' would come from outer space to collect the true believers before the end of the world. The press initially dubbed them as a 'UFO cult'! In 1985 when Bonnie died from cancer, Applewhite said that she had been collected by the 'mother ship' and only her container (body) was left behind. By 1993 they were called 'Total Overcomers Anonymous'. On January 17, 1994 when an earthquake rocked California they claimed that it was a sign that the end was near. Applewhite and his followers now needed another sign. They got it, in March 1997 when comet Halle Bopp appeared in the night skies. Applewhite along with 38 other followers made a videotape recording their last messages for loved ones. At their 'ranch' - Rancho Sant Fe (30 miles north of San Deigo, California) they committed mass suicide by consuming vodka laced with phenobarbital and covering their heads with plastic bags. They were all dressed in black with new nike shoes - a uniform by which the 'aliens' who would pick them up could identify them by. They were found a few days later in their bunk beds. Applewhite would not have said it was suicide - they had simply "moved on".

Ron Waranch was born on 1 September 1931 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA. Ron is known for Diff'rent Strokes (1978). Ron was married to Rosemary Forsyth, Barbara N Nelson and Mary Carolyn Gibbs. Ron died on 5 January 2010 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA.

Mary Blake was born on 18 March 1916 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She was an actress, known for Code of the Range (1936), Union City (1980) and Oh, Duchess! (1936). She was married to Paul Hoy Helms Jr.. She died on 22 October 2014 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA.

Margaret Fitts grew up in Los Angeles. She graduated from Stanford University in 1945, where she studied speech, drama and journalism. She wrote a regular column for the Stanford Daily in her senior year. Ms. Fitts applied to the junior writers' program at MGM and was accepted, signing a studio contract in 1947. Her scripts were primarily adaptations, a noted exception being her original story and screenplay, The King and Four Queens. After leaving MGM in 1954 she worked in television for a time, then retired from the film business.

Ed Friendly was born in New York on 8 April 1922 and spent the summers of his youth in Idaho where he participated in rodeos. After Pearl Harbor he joined the United States Army as a private and emerged as an infantry captain. Friendly served in various parts of the Pacific Theater during World War II.

After the war, Friendly joined the advertising agency Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborne (BBD&O) where he apprenticed as a director for radio and television. After succeeding, he moved on to ABC where he was the Director of Advertising Sales. Later he became a contract producer with CBS and then he went to NBC where he was the Vice President of Special Programs.

In 1967 Friendly relocated to Los Angeles where he launched his own production company, Ed Friendly Productions Inc. Together with George Schlatter he produced the groundbreaking sketch comedy series "Laugh-In" which went on to win several Emmys and popularized the phrase "Sock it to me." One of his other major credits was as producer on "Little House On The Prairie".

In partner with his close friend Lorne Greene, Friendly purchased his first race horse in 1970 at the Del Mar yearling sale. Together with his first wife Natalie they owned on average over 60 horses. Among their winning horses were Friendly Michelle, Vivid Angel, Goldigger's Dream, Gray Slewpy and Purely Cozzene. In 1993 Friendly founded the Throughbred Owners of California. He served as president of the California's Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and was a founding member of the National Thoroughbred Association (now known as the National Thoroughbred Racing Association).

One of the bright lights of the 1930s musical stage, actress/singer Doris Carson was the granddaughter of "The Ravels," a popular 19th century vaudeville team, and was the daughter of character actor James B. Carson. Her career started when she understudied Ruby Keeler in Florenz Ziegfeld Jr's musical "Show Girl" (1929) with music by the Gershwins. A two-week substitution for Miss Keeler led to important roles in Gershwin's "Strike Up the Band" (1930), Kern & Harbach's "The Cat and the Fiddle" (1931) and Rodgers & Hart's "On Your Toes" (1936) in which she played Frankie Frayne. In London's West end she appeared in Cole Porter's "Nymph Errant" (1933). In 1940 Carson appeared with Edward Everett Horton in "Springtime for Henry," directed by Henry Levin at the Bass Rocks Theatre in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Although she was a favorite on Broadway, she never succeeded in the film industry.

Shamus Locke was born on 3 February 1924 in Navan, Co. Meath, Ireland. He was an actor, known for It's Alive (1974), You Can't Fool an Irishman (1949) and The Turners of Prospect Road (1947). He died on 30 September 2003 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA.

Pete Rozelle ranks as the most successful executive in the history of American sports. Under Rozelle's management of commissioner, professional American football overtook baseball as America's past-time and television came to maturity as the prime conduit for sports entertainment.

When Rozelle took over the NFL as Commissioner in 1960, the league had only 12 teams and was facing competition from the upstart American Football League. The popularity of pro football was such that attendance at stadiums was lagging and some franchises were making as as $75,000 a season in TV rights. In the first decade under Rozelle, the NFL expanded and instituted the title game between the NFL and AFL that became known as the Super Bowl, preparatory to the 1970 merger of the two leagues under the NFL banner. Stadiums were packed and season tickets became such hard-to-come items that one had to inherit them or wait for the death of other holders before becoming part of the hallowed few with the treasured ducats. In the first decade of his commissionership, the value of a franchise increased dramatically.

Rozelle made the decision to televise games on all of the-then three national networks. In the 1960s, football flourished as it was the ideal sport to exploit the new technologies such as videotape. The popularity of the sport exploded and by the end of the decade it was the nation's #1 sport.

Rozelle also should be remembered for helping break down the barriers that limited opportunities for African American players, though the rival AFL showed the way in drafting black players from small, traditionally African American colleges ignored by the NFL.

Born in South Gate, California, on March 1, 1926, Alvin Ray Rozelle -- who had been nicknamed Pete as a child of five by his uncle -- grew up in the Los Angeles suburb Lynwood, California. He served a two-year hitch in the Navy tour, then attended Compton Junior College and the University of San Francisco, a Jesuit school, where he graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in 1950.

Rozelle worked as a public relations officer for USF's athletic-department while a student, and then was hired as USF's assistant athletic director after graduating, leading to a job with the Los Angeles Rams, which hired Rozelle as publicity director in 1952. In 1955, Rozelle left the NFL for corporate public relations, but the Rams appointed him as general manager in 1955.

Bert Bell, the serving NFL commissioner, had recommended Rozelle as his diplomatic skills would be useful in settling an ownership dispute among the Rams owners. It was his political skills rather than his skills as a sports franchise general manager that made his reputation. Although he was quite successful at marketing the franchise, pioneering the sale of souvenirs, he was less successful at trades and scouting.

When Commissioner Bell died on October 11, 1959, NFL Treasurer Austin Gunsel took over management of the League for the rest of the season. The 50-year old Gunsel was a former F.B.I. agent who had served as both J. Edgar Hoover's administrative assistant and as the head of the NFL's investigative department under Bell before being made League treasurer in 1956 (a post he would hold until his retirement in 1966).

Gunsel was the favorite to be appointed permanent commissioner. However, at the January 1960 NFL general meeting held after the season concluded, the NFL owners -- facing competition from the upstart AFL, which had completed its first season -- elected Rozelle of the Rams the new Commissioner after 23 ballots. Rozelle's diplomacy and intelligence, as well as his marketing skills, had won him the job. He was 34 years old.

Rozelle presided over the League for 29 years, until 1989. When he retired, the NFL was hurt by drug scandals, unresolved labor problems, and Rozelle's long-standing feud with Oakland Raiders coach-owner Al Davis, the former AFL Commissioner who had resigned over the merger with the NFL.

Rozelle died on December 6, 1996, in Rancho Santa Fe, California, from brain cancer. His name had been synonymous with football, as that of Judge Kenesaw M. Landis had been with baseball two generations earlier, during its reign as America's favorite (outdoor) sport.

Marguerite Henry was born on 13 April 1902 in Wisconsin, USA. She was a writer, known for King of the Wind (1989), Justin Morgan Had a Horse (1972) and Misty (1961). She was married to Sidney Crocker Henry. She died on 26 November 1997 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA.

Louise Baker was born on 18 May 1909 in Ohio, USA. She was a writer, known for Her Twelve Men (1954). She died on 18 June 1981 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA.

Seth Banks was born on 19 October 1915 in Ruleville, Mississippi, USA. He was a costume designer and actor, known for To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), 9 to 5 (1980) and The Fury (1978). He died on 28 September 1982 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA.

Carol Anders was born on 23 September 1931 in Santa Monica, California, USA. She died on 8 January 2022 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA.

Josephine Lovett was born on 21 October 1877 in San Francisco, California, USA. She was a writer and actress, known for Our Dancing Daughters (1928), The Fighting Blade (1923) and Annie Laurie (1927). She was married to John S. Robertson. She died on 17 September 1958 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA.

Harold Brown was born on 19 September 1927 in New York City, New York, USA. He was married to Colene D. McDowell. He died on 4 January 2019 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA.

Pete Newell was born on 3 August 1915 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is known for Blue Chips (1994), The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame... (2005) and ESPN SportsCentury (1999). He was married to Florence Jean O'Connor. He died on 17 November 2008 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA.

Joan B. Kroc was born on 27 August 1928 in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. She was a producer, known for Mass Appeal (1984). She was married to Ray Kroc and Roland Smith. She died on 12 October 2003 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA.

Ray Boone was born on 27 July 1923 in San Diego, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Kid from Cleveland (1949), 1948 World Series (1948) and 1954 MLB All-Star Game (1954). He was married to Patricia Dorothy "Patsy" Brown. He died on 17 October 2004 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA.

Jack Landman was born on 5 January 1952 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. Jack was an editor and director, known for The Newton Boys: Portrait of an Outlaw Gang (1976) and Please, Don't Bury Me Alive! (1976). Jack died on 17 August 2012 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA.

Glen William Bell Jr. was born on 3 September 1923 in Lynwood, Los Angeles County, California, USA. Glen William died on 16 January 2010 in Rancho Santa Fe, San Diego County, California, USA.