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René Descartes (Latinized: Renatus Cartesius; 31 March 1596 - 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, mathematician, scientist and lay Catholic who invented analytic geometry, linking the previously separate fields of geometry and algebra. He spent a large portion of his working life in the Dutch Republic, initially serving the Dutch States Army of Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange and the Stadtholder of the United Provinces. One of the most notable intellectual figures of the Dutch Golden Age, Descartes is also widely regarded as one of the founders of modern philosophy.- Nikolai (Mykola) Gogol was a Russian humorist, dramatist, and novelist of Ukrainian origin. His ancestors were bearing the name of Gogol-Janovsky and claimed belonging to the upper class Polish Szlachta. Gogol's father, a Ukrainian writer living on his old family estate, had five other children. He died when the Gogol was 15. Young Gogol was fond of the drama class at his high school in Nezhin, Ukraine. He was strongly influenced by his religious mother, as well as by the enchanting beauty of the Ukrainian folklore. He also called himself a "free Cossac".
At age 18 Gogol moved to St. Petersburg, became a student, and later a professor of history at the St. Petersburg University. His short stories, set in St. Petersburg, became a success. His play "Revizor" (1836, The Inspector General) had its premiere in St. Petersburg attended by the Tzar Nickolai I. But it also made him many powerful enemies who hated his satire on the corrupt Russian society. It was his friend Alexander Pushkin who suggested to him the subject for "Revizor". Pushkin also suggested the main idea of "The Dead Souls" (1842), a bitter satirical story of a crook, who was buying the names of dead surfs from various greedy landlords, for a tax-evasion scheme. In his other famous story "Shinel" (1842, The Overcoat) a poor clerk is intimidated both by thieves and by the government. Gogol's discontent against the slavery and social injustices in Russia caused him trouble. He escaped to Europe for 12 years, returning to Russia briefly to publish the 1st part of "The Dead Souls".
His religious beliefs were used by the State-controlled Orthodox Church to place guilt on him and to cause interruption of his literary work. In 1848 he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. After his return to Russia, he settled in Moscow, where he fell under the control of the fanatical Orthodox priest, Konstantinovskii, who demanded that Gogol quit writing and destroy the manuscript of the 2nd part of "The Dead Souls". Torn by his inner conflict with guilt and being under the pressure from the fanatical priest, Gogol burned his manuscript. He died nine days later in pain without having any food during his last days. In the 1931 excavation of his tomb, his body was found lying face down, which caused suspicion that Gogol was buried alive.
His style involves the elements of the fantastic and grotesque, with the taste for the macabre and absurd, following the tradition of E.T.A. Hoffmann. Fyodor Dostoevsky proclaimed, "We all came out from under his Overcoat", referring to Gogol's influence on Russian writers. Sometimes compared with Franz Kafka, Gogol had such followers, as Yevgeni Zamyatin, Vladimir Nabokov, and Mikhail A. Bulgakov. - Music Department
- Soundtrack
Otto Lindblad was born on 31 March 1809 in Karlstorp, Jönköpings län, Sweden. He is known for Walpurgis Night (1935), Nyordning på Sjögårda (1944) and Karl Fredrik Reigns (1934). He was married to Emma Andersson. He died on 26 January 1864 in Mellby, Sweden.- Edward Marshall was born on 31 March 1869 in Enfield Center, New Hampshire, USA. He was a writer, known for The Gay Retreat (1927) and The Old Flute Player (1914). He was married to Judith Berolde. He died on 26 February 1904 in London, England, UK.
- Composer
- Writer
José María Usandizaga was born on 31 March 1887 in San Sebastian, Spain. He was a composer and writer, known for Las golondrinas (1968). He died on 6 October 1915.- Kristian Zahrtmann was born on 31 March 1843 in Denmark. He died on 22 June 1917.
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Fraser Tarbutt was born on 31 March 1896 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor and assistant director, known for The Law of Blood (1916) and Mary Moreland (1917). He died on 16 June 1918 in France.- Elfriede Heisler was born on 31 March 1885 in Germany. She was an actress, known for Der Dritte (1912), Fürstenliebe (1912) and Die Tarantella (1912). She died on 21 February 1919 in Berlin, Germany.
- (1867) Bill Hallman was an actor and vaudeville song-and-dance man in the off-season during his playing days. It kept his legs in shape and seems to have earned him more recognition than he ever received for what appears on the surface to have been a solid fourteen-year ML career. But that appearance is deceiving. Hallmans peak years came in 1893-96, when anything less than a .300 BA was a mark of failure. Consequently, his .272 career BA (built around four consecutive .300 seasons during his peak) was about average for his position and some 10 points below the league mark of .282. Hallman was also about dead average as a fielder and achieved black ink in a positive department only twice in his fourteen seasons. In 1891 he tied for the AA lead in games played, and ten years later he topped the NL in sacrifice hits. Hallman turned pro in 1886 with Wilkes-Barre of the Pennsylvania State Association as a pitcher but moved behind the plate when the regular catcher took sick one day prior to an exhibition game and hit a grand slam home run in his first at bat. He opened the following season with Hamilton, Ontario, of the International Association but returned to Wilkes Barre when the Canadian club signed Chub Collins. Philadelphia N acquired him in the spring of 1888 for insurance behind incumbent second baseman Charlie Ferguson. Although Hallman failed to win the job after Ferguson unexpectedly died, he claimed the spot in 1889. He then joined George Wood and Joe Mulvey in playing with Philadelphia teams in three different major leagues in three consecutive seasons before returning to the Phillies in 1892. Hallman remained a Philadelphia fixture until June 1897 when he and Dick Harley were traded to St. Louis for outfielder Tommy Dowd. Initially a favorite of Browns owner Chris VonderAhe's, he swiftly lost the fickle mogul's support once he was named manager of the club. Hallman was fined $200 by Von der Ahe after he broke his thumb in Cleveland and then contracted malaria that he claimed was brought on because "the dressing rooms which Von der Ahe furnishes his players are never clean." Hallman also contended that while the Browns were on the road for six weeks in 1897 the team wasn't paid, and he threatened, after he was traded to Brooklyn in November 1897, to "tie up" the St. Louis gate receipts when the Browns came to Brooklyn the following year in order to recover the s200 fine that had been deducted from his pay unfairly. Meanwhile he hit just .244 for the Bridegrooms and spent the next two seasons in the minors. A good year in 1900 with Buffalo in the newly renamed American League earned Hallman a contract with Cleveland when the AL went major in 1901. He lasted only 5 games in the Forest City before returning to the Phillies to fill the hole vacated by Nap Lajoie when he jumped to the Philadelphia AL club. While Lajoie was hitting .426 to lead the AL in 1901, Hallman batted .184, a mere 242 points less, to bring up the rear among NL qualifiers. He was retained as a "utility man" for two more seasons and then drifted back to the minors, where he finished his baseball career in 1909 with Denver of the Western League.
- Joachim Gasquet was born on 31 March 1873 in Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. He was a writer, known for Cézanne - Conversation with Joachim Gasquet (1990) and Une visite au Louvre (2004). He died on 6 May 1921 in Paris, France.
- A follower of Parnell who became disillusioned with parliamentary politics after Parnell's death, Arthur Griffith went to South Africa, and returned to Ireland to found the radical political party Sinn Fein around 1903 or 1904. Rumoured to have beaten a right-wing French newspaper publisher with a horse whip over slights/affronts to Maud Gonne. Died at 50, apparently of stress-related ill health, in 1922 only 10 days before Michael Collins was killed, after seeing Sinn Fein's reach the pinnacle of political power in post World War I southern (Roman Catholic Nationalist) Ireland.
- Emil Fenyvessy was born on 31 March 1859 in Ternye, Kingdom of Hungary, Austrian Empire [now Terna, Slovak Republic]. He was an actor and writer, known for Tragödie im Hause Habsburg (1924), Anna Karenina (1918) and A csikós (1913). He died on 20 March 1924 in Budapest, Hungary.
- Stacy Aumonier was born on 31 March 1877 in St Pancras, London, England, UK. Stacy was a writer, known for The Brown Wallet (1936), Dark Red Roses (1929) and Spy for a Day (1940). Stacy died on 21 December 1928 in Clarens, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland.
- Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev was born on March 19, 1872, into a wealthy noble family in Novgorod, Russia. His father, Pavel Diaghilev, was a distinguished General to the Russian Tsar Nicholas II. His mother died in childbirth but he grew up in a highly cultured environment. He studied piano and singing from the early age.
He also took lessons in painting at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, and studied music with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. From 1891-96, Diaghilev studied law and graduated from the Law Department of the St. Petersburg University. There he developed a life-long friendship with his fellow law student Alexandre Benois. They formed a circle of artists and art connoisseurs known as 'Mir Iskusstva' (World of Art). From 1898-1904 he founded and edited the influential art magazine "Mir Iskusstva" (The World of Art). From 1899-1901, Diaghilev was a special artistic adviser to the Imperial Directorship of Theatres and to Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Diaghilev's first partners Alexandre Benois and Leon Bakst became his life-long collaborators. They produced the first international art show of contemporary artists from Scandinavian countries and Russia in St. Petersburg in 1900. In 1904, they organized the then-largest ever portrait show in Tavrichesky Palace in St. Petersburg. That show also included a research of over 7 thousand portraits in various traditional and contemporary styles and involved art historians, restorers, and artists from many Russian cities. Alexandre Benois also collaborated with Diaghilev on publication of art catalogs, books and the 'Mir Iskusstva' art magazine, which promoted artistic innovations and challenged the existing order. Their book 'History of Russian Painting' (1904) became the first comprehensive work on the subject. In 1905 Diaghilev and Benois organized an important art exhibition of contemporary Russian artists in St. Petersburg and in 1906 he took a major exhibition of Russian art to the Petit Palais in Paris.
In 1906 Diaghilev settled in Paris and began the biggest Russian-European multicultural project in history which became known as the "Russian Seasons" and "Ballets Russes" (Russian Ballet). In 1907, he produced the first series of concerts of Russian music in Paris. Sergei Rachmaninoff, Aleksandr Glazunov, Aleksandr Skryabin, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov conducted their own works, as well as the works of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Aleksandr Borodin and Mikhail Glinka. In 1908, in the Paris Opera, he produced 'Boris Godunov', an opera by Modest Mussorgsky, starring Feodor Chaliapin Sr.. In 1909, he secured support from Grand Prince Vladimir Romanov and took a company of top Russian dancers, including Anna Pavlova and Vaslav Nijinsky to Paris. After several successful seasons in Paris, Diaghilev staged the "Russian Ballet" shows in Geneva, Madrid, Rome, London and New York. He later staged 'The Sleeping Beauty' by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in London.
Diaghilev's ability to link talented people with generous patrons was legendary. He made connections for Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, as well, as other artists with important Russian art collectors, such as Shchukin, Morozov, Ryabushinsky and others. Diaghilev managed to organize sponsorship for his large-scale "Russian Seasons" ballet and opera productions. From 1908-12 he produced Russian operas in Paris and, from 1913-14, he produced opera in London. There Diaghilev produced and directed opera 'Boris Godunov' with Feodor Chaliapin Sr. in the title role. In 1914, he transformed the opera 'Golden Cockerel' into an innovative cross-style ballet-opera and brought an updated 'Prince Igor' with Feodor Chaliapin Sr. to London. His "Ballets Russes" (Russian Ballet in Russian Seasons) was founded with assistance of choreographer Mikhail Fokin and artists Léon Bakst and Alexandre Benois. Diaghilev was associated with the dancers of the first rank, such as Anna Pavlova, Matilda Kshesinskaya, Tamara Karsavina, Vaslav Nijinsky, and George Balanchine. Diaghilev's ballet traditions were later continued by George Balanchine in the United States, Anna Pavlova and her troupe in Europe, and Serge Lifar at the Paris Opera.
Diaghilev collaborated with the best talents of his time; composers Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Igor Stravinsky, Darius Milhaud, Richard Strauss, Erik Satie, and Sergei Prokofiev. From the circle of Gertrude Stein, Diaghilev engaged such authors as Jean Cocteau and André Gide. Distinguished artists, such as Pablo Picasso, André Derain, Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Giorgio De Chirico, Alexandre Benois, Konstantin Korovin, Alexander Golovin and Pavel Tchelitchev worked with him as stage set and costume designers. One of Diaghilev's consultants was Guillaume Apollinaire, who also acted as writer and artistic adviser for "Ballets Russes" (Russian Seasons).
During WWI Diaghilev made transformations in his projects by bringing together a larger diversity of talents. He understood the changes of cultural paradigm after WWI and updated the format of his project from 1917-29. His 1917 production of ballet 'Parade' was the first collaboration of Satie and choreographer Léonide Massine with Pablo Picasso, who at that time married the Russian ballerina Olga Khokhlova. In the 1920s, he produced innovative ballets 'Lani' and 'Le train bleu' (Blue Express) with choreographer Bronislava Njinska and costume designer Coco Chanel with participation of Pablo Picasso. Later he introduced avant-garde ideas from Vsevolod Meyerhold in his production of 'Stalnoi Skok' by Sergei Prokofiev with choreographer Léonide Massine and designer Sergei Jakulov. In 1928 production of 'Apollon musagete', Diaghilev collaborated with Igor Stravinsky, George Balanchine, and Coco Chanel.
Diaghilev brought cultures together and challenged the existing cultural order in a highly productive way. By expanding his international activities into art exhibitions and stage shows, Diaghilev connected people and ideas in what became arguably the first continuous large-scale cross-cultural and cross-genre project in the 20th century. From 1905-14 his "Russian Seasons" employed mostly Russian and French performers and artists, whom he already knew. After WWI, from 1918-29, Diaghilev welcomed all talents from all backgrounds; the best Russian and International performers, composers, authors and artists all came to him. His talent and exquisite taste ensured the highest quality of his "Russian Seasons" productions during the 25 years of his leadership and after. His idea of showing the best parts instead of a full-length ballets became a success, and ensured the revival of classic ballet in the 20 century. His partners became leaders of their own projects and carried his innovative style. His apprentices worked in major cultural centers across the world.
Sergei Diaghilev died in Venice, Italy on August 19, 1929. His funeral cortège proceeded by gondola to the cemetery island of San Michele where he was laid to rest. His tomb is visited by his graceful followers who made a tradition to lay red roses and ballet shoes. - David Miller was born on 31 March 1871 in Hutchesontown, Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He was an actor, known for Sleepless Nights (1932), Shirley (1922) and Verdict of the Sea (1932). He died on 1 January 1933 in Golders Green, London, England, UK.
- Willy Clarkson was born on 31 March 1861 in London, England, UK. He died on 13 October 1934 in London, England, UK.
- Additional Crew
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
William Clarkson was born on 31 March 1861 in St Paul, Covent Garden, London, England, UK. William is known for The Tempest (1905), King John (1899) and Sweet Nell of Old Drury (1900). William died on 13 October 1934 in Soho, London, England, UK.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Ernesto Vaser was born on 31 March 1876 in Turin, Italy. He was an actor and director, known for Il cuore non invecchia (1913), Ombre e bagliori (1916) and Il rimedio per le donne (1914). He died on 23 November 1934 in Turin, Italy.- Minnie Palmer was born on 31 March 1860 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was a writer, known for My Sweetheart (1918). She was married to John R. Rogers (1842-1932). She died on 21 May 1936 in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Jobyna Howland was born on March 31, 1880 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her father was a civil war veteran. Jobyna's family moved to Denver, Colorado where she studied acting. When she was a teenager she went to New York City and started modeling. The six foot tall redhead posed for Charles Dana Gibson's famous "Gibson Girl" sketches. In 1899 she was cast in the stage play Rupet Of Hentzau. Then she starred in the shows The Messenger Boy and Winsome Winnie. Jobyna wanted to play dramatic roles but her height and booming voice made her better suited for comedy. On October 2, 1900 she married novelist Arthur Stringer. The couple had a volatile relationship and separated several times before divorcing in 1914. Soon after she fell in love with playwright Zoe Akins and the two women moved in together in Los Angeles. At the age of thirty-eight she made her film debut in the 1918 drama Her Only Way.
She also appeared in The Way Of The Woman with Norma Talmadge and in the comedy Second Youth. Her brother, Olin Howard, became a successful actor too. Jobyna starred in the 1922 Broadway show The Texas Nightingale which was written by her girlfriend Zoe. Then she appeared in the hit musical Kid Boots with Eddie Cantor. During the 1930s she made several comedies with Bert Wheeler & Robert Woolsey including The Cuckoos, Dixiana, and Hook Line And Sinker. She and Zoe became known for hosting lavish dinner parties and for their frequent arguments. They remained close even after Zoe got married in 1932. Her final film was the 1934 comedy Ye Old Saw Mill. Jobyna returned to Broadway in January of 1936 to star in O Evening Star. The show flopped and closed after only five performances. Sadly on June 7, 1936 she died from heart disease at the age of fifty-six. She was buried at Forest Memorial Park in Glendale, California.- John Hays Hammond was born on 31 March 1855 in San Francisco, California, USA. He died on 8 June 1936 in Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA.
- Koichi Kishi was born on 31 March 1909 in Osaka, Japan. He was a director and actor, known for Im Frühling - Ein Film von japanischen Frühlingsfesten (1934), Dai-yon sakuhin (1932) and Jippun-kan no shisaku (1932). He died on 17 November 1937.
- Afonso Celso was born on 31 March 1860 in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil. He was an actor, known for Maria, Maria (1978). He died on 11 July 1938 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Kathrin Clare Ward was born on 31 March 1871 in Bradford, Massachusetts, USA. She was an actress, known for The Isle of Lost Ships (1929), Air Eagles (1931) and Man Against Woman (1932). She was married to Charlie Ward. She died on 14 October 1938 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Actor John (Johnnie) Harron was born in New York City on March 31, 1903, a younger brother of silent screen star Robert Harron. John got his first taste of the movie business with an unbilled bit in one of his brother's many classic films, Hearts of the World (1918). After all the tabloid hoopla of his brother's sudden and mysterious shooting death in 1920 (listed as "accidental" but some claim it might have been suicide), John was practically handed a movie career on a silver platter.
Taking Bobby's place portraying young, innocent, wholesome romantic leads opposite silent screen's top femme stars, John literally coasted through hundreds of films. Although he showed major promise starring or co-starring in such jazz-era mementos as The $5 Baby (1922), The Ragged Heiress (1922), Dulcy (1923), My Wife and I (1925), The Boy Friend (1926) and Silk Stockings (1927), he never managed to win the kind of fame brother Bobby received. By the arrival of sound, John had been relegated to bit and unbilled parts again in second-string films.
Following location work on his last picture, John returned home unusually exhausted. He traveled to Seattle for a bit of fishing and rest and relaxation but, shortly after arriving, developed a raging headache and went into the hospital. Diagnosed with spinal meningitis, John died suddenly on November 24, 1939 at the hospital. He was only 36 and was survived by his wife of ten years, actress Betty Westmore, and young daughter Colleene.- Writer
- Soundtrack
Otakar Hanus was born on 31 March 1890 in Prague, Cechy, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]. He was a writer, known for V tom domecku pod Emauzy (1934), Nase jedenáctka (1930) and Starý hrích (1930). He died on 25 February 1940 in Prague, Protektorát Cechy a Morava [now Czech Republic].- Sound Department
Harvey Cunningham was born on 31 March 1902 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Harvey is known for Tiger Rose (1929), Law of the Wolf (1939) and Death Goes North (1939). Harvey was married to Louise Falk. Harvey died on 3 August 1940 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Helene von Bolvary was born on 31 March 1892 in Esztergom, Austria-Hungary [now Hungary]. She was an actress, known for Az asszonyfaló (1918), Udvari levegö (1919) and Az obsitos (1917). She was married to Géza von Bolváry. She died on 13 April 1943 in Budakeszi, Hungary.
- Script and Continuity Department
- Editor
Eleanor Hall was born on 31 March 1881 in New York, New York, USA. She was an editor, known for The Wreck of the Hesperus (1927). She was married to Robert North. She died on 6 January 1944 in Beverly Hills, California, USA.- Herman van Pels was born on 31 March 1889 in Osnabrück, Germany. He was married to Auguste van Pels. He died on 6 September 1944 in Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp, Oswiecim, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Music Department
Leo Borchard was born on 31 March 1899 in Moscow, Russia. Leo is known for Der Dämon des Himalaya (1935). Leo died on 23 August 1945 in Berlin, Germany.- Jack Johnson, one of the greatest professional boxers in history and the first African American to wear the world's heavyweight championship belt, is one of the seminal figures in sports and American social history as he was both a mirror on and lightning rod for racism. Many white Americans could not accept the fact that an African American occupied the cat bird's seat in the world sports hierarchy as the world's heavyweight championship then, as it was throughout most of the 20th Century, was the ultimate athletic accomplishment. In his prime, Johnson was as tough and indomitable in the ring as the young Mike Tyson (the last great true undisputed champ before the title fragmented into a kaleidescope of competing titles) and as controversial as Muhammad Ali, the Black Muslim convert who won the title under his birth name Cassius Clay and was stripped of his title after refusing to be inducted into the U.S. military. It took a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to keep Ali out of jail while many states enacted laws to prevent the recognition of mixed-race marriages due to Jack Johnson, who married three white women, violating one of the ultimate taboos in America.
Born on March 31, 1878 in Galveston, Texas, Jack was the son of former slaves. He dropped out of school after only five or six years to take a job as a stevedore. Johnson supposedly learned to box from the white boxer Joe Choynski after the two were incarcerated after a fight; at the time, prize fighting was illegal in Texas. Choyinski had fought some of the top heavyweights of his era, including future champs "Gentleman Jim (1942)" Corbett and James J. Jeffries. Jeffries would later come out of retirement to try to retake the heavyweight title from Johnson in a July 4th, 1910 title match that was dubbed "The Fight of the Century".
Eighteen months earlier, on Boxing Day 1908, Johnson had wrested the heavyweight title from Tommy Burns when he was awarded a TKO in the 14th round. The victory came five years after Johnson had won the World Colored Heavyweight Championship. Jeffries had refused to meet Johnson in a title match at the time, keeping the color bar in tact even though it already had been broken at a lower weight class. Joe Gans had become the first African American to win a title belt when he became lightweight champion in 1902, but Johnson becoming the heavyweight champ was different. Racist white Americans were outraged and the hunt for "The Great White Hope" was on.
Uninterested in assuming "The Great white Hope" mantle, Jeffries was not an avowed racist and really did not want to fight any more. However, the undefeated former champion was goaded into coming out of retirement to face Johnson by such people as the writer Jack London. Sources say he was offered an unprecedented $120,000 (approximately $2.8 million in 2012 dollars) to fight Johnson. The former champ was out-of-shape and had to burn off 100 lbs. to get down to fighting trim. In their match up on the Fourth of July in Reno, Nevada, Johnson knocked him to the canvas twice, something that had never before happened in his illustrious his career. Jeffries' corner threw in the towel at the start of the 15th round to prevent the former champ from the humiliation of being knocked out.
Johnson won a $65,000 purse (approximately $1.5 million in 2012 dollars) in his title defense. News of his victory touched off celebrations among black folk across the country and sparked race riots in 50 cities in 25 states. ("Race riot" at the time meant a white-on-black conflict, "riots" that were initiated by lynching-minded whites.) Twenty-three African Americans and two whites perished in the riots, and hundreds more injured.
A movie made of the match, "Jeffries-Johnson World's Championship Boxing Contest, Held at Reno, Nevada, July 4, 1910 (1910)", received wide distribution, but many local politicians stepped in to ban the movie from being shown in their bailiwicks, lest there be more violence. Even former President Theodore Roosevelt, a sports enthusiast, came out against the distribution of the movie in particular and boxing movies in general. (T.R. was friendly to the aspirations of colored people; at the time, the Republican Party -- the Party of Abraham Lincoln -- was the political home of African Americans.)
The political action taken against the Fight of the Century movie was a harbinger of things to come. For Jack Johnson was an unapologetic and boastful black man who did not hide the fact that he was a lover of white women. He violated what was, in most parts of the country, the ultimate taboo. Miscegenation and intermarriage was outlawed by many states (and would be until the Supreme Court struck down such laws in 1967) and many states had on their books the "one drop of blood" rule to determine a person's racial classification. Under the "one drop of blood" rule, if a person had one African American ancestor, even unto the fifth or sixth generation (or beyond), meaning they were only 1/32nd or 1/64th "black", they were classified as black and treated as third-class citizens, denied fundamental rights such as the franchise.
Jack Johnson married three white women and consorted with others. Six months after the Jeffries fight, he married Etta Terry Duryea, a Brooklyn socialite whom he physically abused and who killed herself in a fit of depression in September 1912. This was intolerable to bigots, and they moved against Johnson. They arrested him that October for violating the Mann Act, an anti-prostitution edict that forbade the interstate transportation of women for immoral purposes, for his relationship Lucille Cameron, a white woman who became his second wife in December. That a white woman would have a relationship with a black man equated in the bigot's eye with a harlot and Lucille was characterized as a prostitute. Her refusal to cooperate with the authorities led to the collapse of their case, but they tried again.
He was soon arrested after his second marriage, charged with violating the Mann Act yet again. This time, they had the right "witness", Belle Schreiber, an alleged prostitute whom he had allegedly had an affair with in 1909-10 who was cooperating with the feds. His relationship with Schreiber actually predated the passage of the Mann Act in 1910, but despite the Constitution forbidding ex post facto laws, an all-white jury convicted him in June 1913. One of the ironies of the trial was that the judge was himself to become a major figure in professional sports and a seminal figure himself in American racism. For the federal judge who oversaw Jack Johnson's trial was none other than the famed bigot Kenesaw M. Landis, a native Georgian who would, as the first Commissioner of Major League Baseball, keep African Americans out of the sport by enforcing the color bar.
Before being sentenced to a year and day in federal prison, Johnson skipped bail and fled the country with Lucille. In April 1915, in Havana, Cuba, he defended his title against the white 'giant' Jess Willard, a 33-year-old Kansas farmer who stood nearly 6'7" tall. Willard was six inches taller than Johnson, almost four years younger, and a counter-puncher of enormous power who in 1913 had killed Jack "Bull" Young with a blow to the head. Since Willard was a counter-puncher, Johnson was forced to do all the leading in the fight, and he tired in the heat of Havana after 20 rounds. Willard knocked him out in the 26th round and the reign of the first black champion was over.
There would not be another African American heavyweight champion until Joe Louis beat Jimmy Braddock (the Cinderella Man (2005) in 1937. Louis was careful to comport himself with what his handlers considered "dignity" (not being a rowdy, boastful stud like Jack Johnson, who verbally and physically abused white and black men alike and was fabled for his sexual prowess) so as not to incur the wrath of white bigots. (Though popular with whites, Louis was frequented caricatured on sports pages as an ape or monkey, common racist visual tropes employed in the mass media of his time.) And there would not be another transgressive black champ until Sonny Liston, the Mafia-owned heavyweight champ of the early '60s, who was bested in his transgressions by Muhammad Ali, the man who took his title belt away from him.
By the time Ali (then called Cassius Clay) beat Liston in 1964, Jack Johnson had been dead for 18 years. He died in a car crash in North Carolina on June 10, 1946, after allegedly leaving a restaurant in a huff after it refused to serve him for being a Negro. In the 31 years between the loss of his title and his death, Johnson had returned from his exile to the United States and served his prison sentence. He kept boxing far past his prime, into his 60s, in exhibition bouts, sanctioned fights, and unsanctioned smokers. During World War II, he used to fight exhibitions as part of the War Bond drives. (He had divorced Lucille in 1924 and married his third wife Irene Pineau in 1925. She told a reporter at his funeral, "I loved him because of his courage. He faced the world unafraid. There wasn't anybody or anything he feared.")
By Muhammad Ali's time, Jack Johnson was a symbol of black pride and black power to African Americans like Ali and Miles Davis, who put out an album in 1971, "A Tribute to Jack Johnson", inspired by his spirit. That the same year James Earl Jones was nominated for an Oscar playing a watered-down, white-washed version of Johnson in the film version of Howard Sackler's Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Great White Hope (1970), which was criticized by many, including critic Pauline Kael as trucking in white liberal clichés. Comedian Redd Foxx, who had been befriended by the elderly Jack Johnson, turned down a role in the film as its caricature of the great fighter bore little resemblance to the man he had known. Even in death, Johnson remained controversial, seemingly robbed again of his legacy by the white establishment. - Dudley Clements was born on 31 March 1889 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for New Faces of 1937 (1937), Hideaway (1937) and Yes or No (1920). He died on 4 November 1947 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Tommy Ryan was born on 31 March 1870 in Redwood, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Madison Square Garden (1932), Jeffries Boxing with Tommy Ryan (1899) and Jeffries Throwing the Medicine Ball (1901). He died on 3 August 1948 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Ester Blenda E. Nordström was born on 31 March 1891 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden. She was a writer, known for En rackarunge (1923) and En piga bland pigor (1924). She died on 15 November 1948 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden.
- Stanley Sargent was born on 31 March 1895 in California, USA. He was an actor, known for Sophie's New Foreman (1913), Sophie's Birthday Party (1914) and Snakeville's New Waitress (1914). He died on 28 September 1949 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Make-Up Department
Walter Hermann was born on 31 March 1884 in Austria. He is known for Tough Assignment (1949). He died on 7 November 1949 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Félix Medel was born on 31 March 1880 in Mexico, D.F., Mexico. He was an actor, known for Campeón sin corona (1946), La posesión (1950) and La sombra de Chucho el Roto (1945). He was married to Sara Jarero. He died on 24 February 1951 in Mexico D.F., Mexico.
- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
Eddie Dunn was born on 31 March 1896 in Brooklyn [now in New York City], New York, USA. He was an actor and director, known for The Gay Falcon (1941), The Great Dictator (1940) and A Fig Leaf for Eve (1944). He died on 5 May 1951 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Clifford Brooke was born on 31 March 1873 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for A Woman's Face (1941), The Sea Hawk (1940) and Wilson (1944). He was married to Edith Mildred Drake. He died on 28 December 1951 in Santa Monica, California, USA.- Additional Crew
J. Clifford Brooke was born on 31 March 1873 in England. He is known for Devil-May-Care (1929). He died on 29 December 1951 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actress
- Writer
Alexandra Kollontai was born on 31 March 1872 in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire. She was an actress and writer, known for Red Love (1982) and Revolutionens kvinnor (2006). She was married to Pavel Dybenko and Vladimir Ludvigovich Kollontai. She died on 9 March 1952 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union.- Phoebe Rudd was born on 31 March 1876 in Wisconsin, USA. She was an actress, known for What Price Orphans (1925). She died on 8 February 1953 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Major Merriweather was born on 31 March 1905 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He was married to Hattie Spruel. He died on 23 February 1953 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
- Hosea Steelman was born on 31 March 1876 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1916). He died on 4 July 1953 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Writer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Clemens Krauss was born on 31 March 1893 in Vienna, Austria. He was a writer, known for Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), Fear Anxiety Depression (1989) and Opernführer (1965). He was married to Margarethe Abraham and Viorica Ursuleac. He died on 16 May 1954 in Mexico City, Mexico.- Production Manager
Louis Baum was born on 31 March 1890 in Germany. He was a production manager, known for Look for the Silver Lining (1949), Winter Meeting (1948) and You Can't Get Away with Murder (1939). He died on 20 March 1955 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Leslie Swabacker was born on 31 March 1885 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Leslie was a writer, known for Batman (1943), The Desert Hawk (1944) and The Phantom (1943). Leslie died on 11 June 1955 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Jack Vyvyan was born on 31 March 1889 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Shop at Sly Corner (1946), This Man Is News (1938) and The Interrupted Journey (1949). He died on 28 December 1955 in Chiswick, London, England, UK.
- Leon Luszczewski was born on 31 March 1893 in Lemberg, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Lviv, Ukraine]. He was an actor, known for Ziemia obiecana (1927), Pan Tadeusz (1928) and Romans panny Opolskiej (1928). He died on 9 February 1956 in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland.