December 1924 in Film & Television History

Events in Film & TV

Lady, Be Good!

Dec 1 George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin's 1st collaborative musical "Lady, Be Good!", featuring siblings Fred Astaire and Adelle Astaire as a brother and sister dance team, opens at the Liberty Theatre, NYC, runs for 330 performances

Music History

Dec 16 Noël Coward's "Vortex" premieres in London

Playwright, Director and Singer Noël Coward

The Last Laugh

Dec 23 German silent film classic "The Last Laugh" directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Emil Jannings is released

Music History

Dec 26 Frances Gumm (later Judy Garland), age 2½, billed as 'Baby Frances', makes her show business debut

Birthdays in Film & TV

Dec 2 John Herbert "Jonathan" Frid, Canadian actor (Barnabas Collins-Dark Shadows), born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (d. 2012)
Dec 5 (Georgios) "George" Savalas, Greek-American actor (Kojak; Kelly's Heroes), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 1985)
Dec 6 Wallace "Wally" Cox, American comedian and actor (Mister, Underdog, Peepers, Hollywood Squares), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1973)
Dec 14 Raj Kapoor, Indian actor known as "the greatest showman of Hindi cinema" (Awaara, Boot Polish), born in Peshawar, British India (d. 1988)
Dec 17 Sándor Lakatos, Hungarian violinist, bandleader, and actor (mostly as a gypsy violinist), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1994)
Dec 19 Cicely Tyson, American stage and screen actress (Roots; The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman), born in Harlem, New York City (d. 2021) [1]
Dec 19 Edmund Purdom, British actor (The Egyptian, Asissi Underground, Pieces), born in Hertfordshire, England (d. 2009)
Dec 19 Gary Morton [Morton Goldaper], American comedian, television producer, studio executive (Desilu), and second husband of Lucille Ball, born in New York City (d. 1999)
Dec 20 Errol John, Trinidadian actor & playwright (A Man from the Sun, The Nun's Story, Assault on a Queen), born in Port of Spain, Trinidad (d. 1988)
Dec 20 Judy LaMarsh, Canadian lawyer, politician (Member of Parliament, 1960-68), author, and broadcaster (CBC Radio), born in Chatham-Kent, Ontario (d. 1980)
Dec 23 Floyd Kalber, American television journalist & anchorman (NBC Weekend News Anchor-1973), born in Omaha, Nebraska (d. 2004)
Dec 25 Rod Serling, American screenwriter and TV host (The Twilight Zone; Night Gallery), born in Syracuse, New York (d. 1975)
Dec 28 Christine Norden, British actress (Little Shop of Horrors, Night Beat), born in Sunderland, England (d. 1988)
Dec 31 Taylor Mead, American writer, actor and performer (Factory, Taylor Mead's Ass), born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan (d. 2013)