February 17

This Day in Humor with Mike Durrett

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Born 1919: Kathleen Freeman, actress, known for a wide variety of comic character parts in television and motion pictures, including 11 appearances with Jerry Lewis (1961: "The Ladies' Man," 1963: "The Nutty Professor"). Her other films include "Singin' in the Rain" (1952), "The Blues Brothers" (1980), and "Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult' (1994). Among her sitcom work, extended runs on "Topper" (1953-54), "The Donna Reed Show" (1958-60), and "The Beverly Hillbillies" (1969-71). Her final role in Broadway's "The Full Monty" brought her a Tony nomination. Died 2001.

Born 1925: Hal Holbrook, actor, came to prominence in a one-man show as humorist Mark Twain, winning a Tony Award for the role in 1966. From 1990-94, he was a regular on Burt Reynolds' sitcom "Evening Shade."

Born 1929: Patricia Routledge, actress, best remembered as social climber Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced "Bouquet") in the classic British sitcom "Keeping Up Appearances" (1990-95).

1933: In the "Blondie" comic strip, Blondie Boopadoop married wealthy heir Dagwood Bumstead, prompting the groom's father to disinherit him.

Born 1934: Barry Humphries, British comedian, best known for his character Dame Edna Everage. He won a Tony for his one-person Broadway show in 2000.

1958: The "BC" comic strip debuted in newspapers.

Copyright ©2003 Mike Durrett. All rights reserved.