1893: Thomas Edison completed the world's first movie studio, then waited for Pauly Shore and "Encino Man."

Born 1895: John Ford, ace movie director, revered for his westerns, but also made the comedies "The Quiet Man" (1951), "Mister Roberts" (1955), and "Donovan's Reef" (1963). Died 1973.

Born 1904: S.J. Perelman, caustic humorist, intellectual writer, prominent in "The New Yorker," on Broadway, and for his Academy Award (1956's "Around the World in 80 Days"). He also wrote the Marx Bros. movie comedies "Monkey Business" (1931) and "Horse Feathers" (1932). Died 1979.

S.J. Perelman quotations:

• "Before they made S.J Perelman, they broke the mold."
• "Fate was dealing from the bottom of the deck."
• "Love is not the dying moan of a distant violin. It's the triumphant twang of a bedspring."

Born 1905: George Pal, animator and motion picture special effects wizard, his humorous output primarily devoted to the "Puppetoons" short film series combining cartoon techniques with puppets, plus the feature "tom thumb" (1958). Died 1980.

Born 1929: Morty Gunty, stand-up comedian. Died 1984.

Born 1937: Garrett Morris, actor, one of the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players on "Saturday Night Live" (1975-80).

Born 1938: Sherman Hemsley, actor, forever known as George Jefferson from "All in the Family" (1973-75) and "The Jeffersons" (1975-85). He starred in another prominent sitcom, "Amen" (1986-91).

Born 1968: Pauly Shore, stand-up comedian, actor, became a cult hero as host of MTV's "Totally Pauly," churning that success into several starring film roles (1992: "Encino Man," 1993: "Son in Law," 1996: "Bio-Dome").

1974: The "Good Times" sitcom premiered, a spin-off from "Maude," itself a spin-off of "All in the Family."

1982: "Producer" Larry "Bud" Melman presented "Late Night With David Letterman" on its NBC debut. The program continues at CBS under the title "Late Show With David Letterman."

Copyright ©2003 Mike Durrett. All rights reserved.