They Say It's Their Birthdays

Sally Rand was born today in 1903.  She was one of the most famous strippers of the 20th century (were there famous strippers before the 20th century?--perhaps Lady Godiva).

Her actual name was Helen Beck.  It was changed for show biz reasons (and not because she was ashamed).  The surname was inspired by Rand McNally.  Her specialties were an ostrich feather dance and a balloon bubble dance.

It's also the birthday of Iron Eyes Cody, born in 1904.  He was known for portraying Native Americans in the movies.  He's the one who sheds a tear in the "Keep American Beautiful" ad.

Turns out he was lying all those years. (And he did claim, even in private life, to be an Indian). He was born Espera Oscar de Corti, an Italian American.  I guess there were already enough Italian actors out there in Hollywood.

Robert Karvelas was born 99 years ago today.  He was an actor, though you can be excused for not knowing his name.

He's best known for playing Larrabee on Get Smart.  If you were a fan of the show, you remember Larrabee.  Don Adams played the lead, Maxwell Smart, a bumbling spy.  Larrabee was so dumb he made Smart look like James Bond. (By the way, Karvelas was Adams' cousin.)