ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE NOVEMBER 30, 1949
THIRTEEN laymen and experts, who spent a year probing the British film crisis, today blamed four problems: extravagance, lack of planning, overpaid stars and slow shooting. Red tape and friction between bosses and workers were also cited by a Board of Trade working party.
NOVEMBER 30, 1964
CROWDS stood in Hyde Park Gate yesterday to see Sir Winston Churchill on his 90th birthday. They cheered when he appeared in a green velvet siren suit — and there was a flash of the old fire as he brushed away a supporting arm.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
BILLY IDOL, 62. The Middlesex-born Generation X punk singer and actor had a hit with White Wedding when he went solo in 1982. Real name William Broad, his stage name came from a teacher who said he was idle. He nearly lost his leg in a 1990 motorbike accident, which stopped him taking a big role in The Doors movie and playing the feared android assassin T-1000 in Terminator 2. JOSEPH CORRE, 50. The entrepreneur is the son of fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren. He founded the Agent Provocateur lingerie firm (he sold it ten years ago for £60 million) after seeing lagerflavour nipple gel in a shop and thinking: ‘Is that the state of the nation?’ In 2007, he returned his MBE to protest against the actions of ‘morally corrupt’ Tony Blair, signing his letter: ‘Knickers Forever!’
BORN ON THIS DAY
JUNE POINTER ( 1953- 2006). The Californian singer was the youngest of the four Pointer Sisters, who had hits with I’m So Excited and Jump (For My Love). Her parents were church ministers who banned the girls from dancing or listening to the radio — which her father called ‘the Devil’s work’ and punished with a whipping. VIRGINIA MAYO (1920-2005). The U. S. actress starred with leading men such as Paul Newman, Danny Kaye and James Cagney ( pictured with her). The Sultan of Morocco sent a fan letter, saying she was ‘tangible proof for the existence of God’.
ON NOVEMBER 30…
IN 1982, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the best-selling album ever, was released. IN 2005, John Sentamu became the Church of England’s first black archbishop when enthroned as Archbishop of York.
WORD WIZARDRY GUESS THE DEFINITION Pandiculation (coined 1611)
A) Repetition of words in speech disorder. B) Stretching accompanied by yawning. C) Moving food about on the plate for want of an appetite. Answer below.
PHRASE EXPLAINED Draconian measure:
A very harsh action. From Draco, 7th-century BC first legislator of Athens, who set up a legal code in which most crimes were punishable by death.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
SINGLE women have a dreadful propensity for being poor — which is one very strong argument in favour of matrimony. Jane Austen, English novelist (1775-1817)
JOKE OF THE DAY
MY GIRLFRIEND and I went on our ninth date to see the new superhero film. The dates were: Dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner, BATMAN! Guess the Definition answer: B.