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If you like the original version of "The Producers",  you'll have little trouble remembering the late Zero Mostel (who played Max Bialystock)  and the late Dick Shawn (who played LSD/Lorenzo). They both appeared in "the Producers", obviously.  They also had a background in live theater.  After doing this movie, both returned to the stage eventually.  What truly odd thing did these stage actors have in common?    (And why might it remind you of something about Redd Foxx?)

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2 hours ago, GeorgeStGeorge said:

Lots of tattoos?

Foxx always wore sweaters on "Sanford and Son" because the producers didn't want his tattoos to show.

George

True about Redd Foxx, but- AFAIK, neither ZM nor DS had any tattoos.   BTW, this one thing isn't EXACTLY something they have in common with Redd Foxx, not EXACTLY.   Then again, his claim to fame was more for television, and he was NOT known for live theater (not counting "stand-up comedy" as live theater in this case.)

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3 hours ago, GeorgeStGeorge said:

Did they both die onstage?

George

Redd Foxx, a TV actor, died onset while rehearsing a new show.  He fell over with a heart attack shortly after arguing with the director or something.  (His friends thought it was another fake heart attack at first.)

 

Zero Mostel was starting a new show, and died in his dressing room while awaiting his cue.  So, he died during a show, but not onstage.

Dick Shaun  died onstage at a show.  His one man shows were really weird.  He entered the stage by emerging from a pile of bricks on the stage, under which he waited for the show.  During the intermission, he would lie motionless on the stage.  The crew were under strict instructions not to interfere no matter WHAT he did onstage.   When he fell over and stayed motionless, one guy risked his job to check on him- and discovered a heart attack.  They called for an ambulance, but it was too late.  Personally, I think Dick Shaun would have chosen to die onstage during a show, making for the performance of a lifetime.  It seems like something he'd appreciate.

 

So, both died during a show.  IIRC, both died of heart attacks.

 

George takes the round!

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Donald Trump is a rarity in that he is one US President never to have held an elective office or a military command.  Presidents who had never held an elective office but DID have military commands were Zachary Taylor, US Grant, and Dwight Eisenhower.

Who is the other President never to have had an elective office or military command?  (He WAS a Secretary of Commerce.)

George

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I'm thinking that would be Gerald Ford.  He wasn't elected to the office of vice president but was appointed after the Spiro T Agnew issue and forced resignation for tax fraud, I think something like that.   And of course later, when Richard Nixon resigned he became the unlikely US president.

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On 7/21/2023 at 2:26 PM, GeorgeStGeorge said:

Donald Trump is a rarity in that he is one US President never to have held an elective office or a military command.  Presidents who had never held an elective office but DID have military commands were Zachary Taylor, US Grant, and Dwight Eisenhower.

Who is the other President never to have had an elective office or military command?  (He WAS a Secretary of Commerce.)

George

 

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18 hours ago, Human without the bean said:

I'm thinking that would be Gerald Ford.  He wasn't elected to the office of vice president but was appointed after the Spiro T Agnew issue and forced resignation for tax fraud, I think something like that.   And of course later, when Richard Nixon resigned he became the unlikely US president.

Ford was elected to the House of Representatives, and became Speaker of the House.  If he hadn't been appointed VP, he would have remained 3rd in line of succession, and when Nixon resigned, would have been the highest person on the list and become President anyway.   So, he had "an elective office."

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4 hours ago, GeorgeStGeorge said:

Raf is correct.  It was Hoover.

George

I'm interested in learning, especially when it comes to presidential trivia, what were some of the circumstances that made  HH president of the U.S.?

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1 hour ago, Human without the bean said:

I'm interested in learning, especially when it comes to presidential trivia, what were some of the circumstances that made  HH president of the U.S.?

From Wikipedia highlight mine):

Born to a Quaker family in West Branch, Iowa, Hoover grew up in Oregon. He was one of the first graduates of the new Stanford University in 1895. He took a position with a London-based mining company working in Australia and China. He rapidly became a wealthy mining engineer. In 1914, the outbreak of World War I, he organized and headed the Commission for Relief in Belgium, an international relief organization that provided food to occupied Belgium. When the U.S. entered the war in 1917, president Woodrow Wilson appointed Hoover to lead the Food Administration. He became famous as his country's "food czar".

After the war, Hoover led the American Relief Administration, which provided food to the starving millions in Central and Eastern Europe, especially Russia. Hoover's wartime service made him a favorite of many progressives, and he unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in the 1920 U.S. presidential election.

Hoover served as the secretary of commerce under presidents Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge. Hoover was an unusually active and visible Cabinet member, becoming known as "Secretary of Commerce and Under-Secretary of all other departments". He was influential in the development of air travel and radio. He led the federal response to the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. Hoover won the Republican nomination in the 1928 presidential election and defeated Democratic candidate Al Smith in a landslide.

So, while not having won any previous election, he was well-known for the work he did with other administrations.

George

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History has looked down negatively on Herbert Hoover's presidency who held the office during the beginning of the Great Depression.  And perhaps so, "The Great Engineer" understood hard work and value but his conservative philosophy withheld many Federal relief programs from getting started to help people who were starving and jobless during the depression.  Hoover didn't fully recognize what the country was going through in 1929.  Good stuff George.   Thanks.

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5 hours ago, GeorgeStGeorge said:

Actually, Hoover was a progressive early on.  He became more conservative later in life.

George

Well, that wasn't what I read.  He could have helped millions during the depression but failed to act.  Not wanting government to interfere.

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Oh Harry.

Harrison Ruffin Tyler was born in 1928. Last I checked he was still alive, which makes him absolutely remarkable. He was a chemical engineer, which is not what makes him remarkable. No, he's remarkable for nothing he achieved on his own, except maybe his longevity. I mean, to live to the age of 95 is pretty cool. But to be alive in 2023 is pretty cool for someone who...

Too much of a giveaway. What is it about Harrison Tyler that makes him a notable figure in American history?

 

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4 hours ago, modcat5 said:

Nope. Born in 1928. Pretty sure not a WWI vet. Probably too young for WWII.

Which makes his claim to fame even more hard to fathom.

*Food for thought*  I don't know who Harrison Tyler is.  But Frank Woodruff Buckles (born February 1, 1901 – February 27, 2011) was the last surviving American military veteran of World War I  {one}.   He was 111 years old.  He joined the Army when he was 16, anyway our guy, Harrison could have been a WWII vet being 16 in 1944.  Anyway, I'm just hanging around hoping that somebody will drop me a clue or a hint or something about who this guy may be?

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