August 25
Born Today:
Ruby Keeler
Little Known Fact - The stage production of 42nd Street debuted on Broadway on August 25th, 1980 - the 70th birthday of tap dancer Ruby Keeler (1909-1993). She starred in the movie version in 1933, which was expertly directed by Busby Berkeley (1895-1976) and featured a young Ginger Rogers (1911-1995). Keeler married Al Jolson, star of the first talking picture, The Jazz Singer (1929) and abruptly retired from Hollywood in the early 1940s. She returned to Broadway in 1971, starring in a revival of No No Nanette, supervised by Berkeley.
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Movie: Broadway Melody of 1936 was released the summer of 1935