ON THIS DAY
FROM THE DAILY MAIL ARCHIVE MARCH 13, 1951
IVOR NOVELLO’S funeral at Golders Green yesterday had to be spectacular, whatever his own wishes might have been. His adoring public could not let him go without a dramatic farewell scene. By the time the service began the throng was ten-deep and totalled nearly 6,000. In the congregation sat the Oliviers, Anna Neagle and producer husband Herbert Wilcox.
MARCH 13, 1992
THe long bachelor life of Warren Beatty is finally over. The star who has romanced a string of leading ladies revealed that he has married actress Annette Bening. The ceremony was so intimate that even the actor’s elder sister, Oscar winner Shirley MacLaine, was not present. Recently, she doubted Warren would ever wed, saying: ‘He couldn’t make a commitment to lunch.’
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
LINDA ROBSON, 65. The ITV Loose Women panellist found fame as Tracey Stubbs in sitcom Birds Of A Feather with childhood friend Pauline Quirke (they both took 10p acting classes with Anna Scher). At the height of their fame, Robson (pictured) and Quirke ‘got paid maybe 250 grand’ to advertise Surf washing powder. But a reported rift between the pair allegedly saw Quirke decline a part in the 30th anniversary series of the sitcom in 2019. MOST Rev Michael Curry, 70. The first African-American bishop to lead the episcopal Church in the U.S. delivered the address at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018. He declared: ‘There’s power in love, don’t underestimate it.’ The descendant of enslaved Africans, he has been described as a ‘stunning preacher’ by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
BORN ON THIS DAY
CHARLES GREY (1764-1845). The 2nd earl Grey was prime minister between 1830 and 1834, but better known for the tea to which he gave his name. After receiving tea flavoured with bergamot oil from China as a gift, he asked British merchants for more. The world now drinks 6.5 million tons of the brew. GEOFFREY HAYES (19422018). The Cheshire-born actor (pictured) gave up a role in Z Cars to present ITV’S children’s show Rainbow from 1974 to 1992, alongside puppets Bungle, George and Zippy. He admitted: ‘ Other actors thought I was mad.’ After the show was dropped, he worked as a taxi driver and shelf stacker in Sainsbury’s.
ON MARCH 13...
IN 1868, the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson began in the U.S. Senate. IN 2021, english motorsport commentator Murray Walker died, aged 97.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION:
Togated (early 17th century)
A) Deluded. B) Protected, covered. C) Clad in a toga. answer below PHRASE EXPLAINED
A heck of a... Used for emphasis in various exclamations or statements. ‘Heck’ comes from 19th- century dialect and is a euphemism for hell.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
Don’t be afraid of death so much as an inadequate life.
Bertolt Brecht, German dramatist (1898-1956)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHy did the sandwich go to the dentist? Its filling had fallen out.
Guess The Definition answer: C.