This Date in MSTory

BORN ON THIS DATE
1892: Arthur Caesar, who wrote the original story for the movie in episode 507- I ACCUSE MY PARENTS.

1895: Wallace Fox, director of the movie in episode 105- THE CORPSE VANISHES.

1912: Ned Le Fevre, who played a newscaster in the movie in episode 801- REVENGE OF THE CREATURE and an announcer in the movie in episode 804- THE DEADLY MANTIS.

1918: Marguerite Chapman, who played Laura Matson in the movie in episode 623- THE AMAZING TRANSPARENT MAN.

1924: Richard Walter, who played the monster in the movie in episode 416- FIRE MAIDENS OF OUTER SPACE.**

1925: John Dutra, who played a physician in the movie in episode 201- ROCKETSHIP XM.

1926: TV personality Joe Franklin, who was mentioned in a host segment in episode 205- ROCKET ATTACK USA.

1934: Joyce Van Patten, who was mentioned in a host segment in episode 322- MASTER NINJA I.*

1934: Soviet astronaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin, who was mentioned in a host segment of episode 1109- YONGARY MONSTER FROM THE DEEP.

1934: Robert E. Lessner, who did sound for n the movie in episode 513- THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE.

1940: Raul Julia, who played Aram Fingal and Rick in the movie in episode 822- OVERDRAWN AT THE MEMORY BANK.

1943: Arlon Ober, musical score composer for the movie in episode
704- THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN.

1944: Paola Quattrini, who played young Iole in the movie in episode 502- HERCULES.*

1957: Mark Mancina, score composer of the movie in episode 820- SPACE MUTINY.*

1971: Emmanuel Lewis, who was mentioned in a host segment in episode 311- IT CONQUERED THE WORLD.*

DIED ON THIS DATE
1969: Richard Crane (age 50; heart attack), who played Rocky Jones in episodes 413- MANHUNT IN SPACE and 417- CRASH OF MOONS.

1979: Quentin Lawrence (age 58), director of the movie in episode 101- THE CRAWLING EYE.

1981: Jesse Corallo (age 59), production manager and assistant director for the movie in episode 420- THE HUMAN DUPLICATORS.

1984: Eumenio Blanco (age 93), who played a show spectator in the movie in episode 615- KITTEN WITH A WHIP.

1993: Pavel Pavlenko (age 90), who played an old man in the movie in episode 813- JACK FROST.

2001: Giancarlo Prete a.k.a. Timothy Brent (age 59; brain tumor), who played Strike in the movie in episode 705- ESCAPE 2000.

2013: Norman Wallerstein, sound editor for the movie in episode 202- THE SIDE HACKERS.

2015: Rico Alaniz (age 95), who played Sgt. Luis Murillo in episode 319- WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST.

2015: Carl Mahakian (age 89), sound editor for the movie in episode 509- THE GIRL IN LOVERS LANE.

2016: Robert Horton (age 91), who played Jack Rankin in the movie in MST3K’s pilot, THE GREEN SLIME.

2018: Don Eitner (age 83), who played a soldier (the soldier at Observation Post #2) in the movie in episode 517- BEGINNING OF THE END.

2022: Richard Podolor (name misspelled “Podlor” in the movie credits; age 86) arranged and produced some of the music used in the movie in episode 209- THE HELLCATS.

2023: Topol (age 87), who was mentioned in a host segment in episode 310- FUGITIVE ALIEN.

2023: Robert Blake (age 89), who was mentioned in host segments in episodes 304- GAMERA VS. BARUGON and 305- STRANDED IN SPACE.

EVENTS ON THIS DATE
1951: Dick Contino’s first album, appropriately entitled “Dick Contino” is released. He played the title role in the movie in episode 307- DADDY-O and Stan Joyce in the movie in episode 601- GIRLS TOWN.

1959: Frankie Avalon, who played Tommy Carter in the movie in episode K18/1309- THE MILLION EYES OF SU-MURU, has the number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with the song “Venus.” It stays in the number one spot for five weeks.

1963: The Cascades song “Rhythm of the Rain” rises to its highest spot, number 3, on the Billboard charts. The group appeared in the movie in episode 204- CATALINA CAPER.

1979: The movie in episode 1106- STARCRASH was released in the USA, its country of origin.

2004: Rhino Home Video releases “The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 5.”

* = 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.