Andy Bass
@andybassny.bsky.social
1.2K followers 1.8K following 52 posts
Historian. Publications include “Martin Luther King, Jr.: Visits to Westchester, 1956-1967," Westchester Historian, 94(2). #PublicHistory #HistoricalAnniversaries Westchester County, New York
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by Andy Bass
andybassny.bsky.social
100 years ago today, October 6, 1925:

The Lincoln Exedra, a memorial to President Abraham Lincoln, was dedicated by the Lincoln Society in Peekskill, New York. The monument on South Street overlooks the spot where Lincoln stopped and spoke from aboard his Inaugural Train on February 19, 1861.
The land along South Street on which the Lincoln Exedra sits was donated to the Lincoln Society in Peekskill by its former president John W. Smith in 1921.  The memorial was designed by architect Gilbert Hart Anderson, a lifelong Peekskill resident.  Antonio S. Renza, president of the Peekskill Construction Company, built the foundation with granite from the local Mohegan Quarry.  The Exedra is owned today by the City of Peekskill.  (Andy Bass photo) A view looking west from South Street in Peekskill shows the Lincoln Exedra.  Visible in the background below behind the flagpole are the Hudson River and the Lincoln Depot Museum (red brick building) on South Water Street.  The 19th century building was the spot where Lincoln spoke from aboard his Inaugural Train on February 19, 1861.  (Andy Bass photo) The centerpiece of the Lincoln Exedra is a bronze tablet created by Tiffany Studios of New York City.  It features a bas relief profile portrait of Lincoln above an inscription about the memorial.  (Andy Bass photo) A closeup view of the bas relief profile portrait of Abraham Lincoln on the bronze tablet of the Lincoln Exedra on South Water Street in Peekskill, New York.  (Andy Bass photo)
andybassny.bsky.social
100 years ago today, October 6, 1925:

The Lincoln Exedra, a memorial to President Abraham Lincoln, was dedicated by the Lincoln Society in Peekskill, New York. The monument on South Street overlooks the spot where Lincoln stopped and spoke from aboard his Inaugural Train on February 19, 1861.
The land along South Street on which the Lincoln Exedra sits was donated to the Lincoln Society in Peekskill by its former president John W. Smith in 1921.  The memorial was designed by architect Gilbert Hart Anderson, a lifelong Peekskill resident.  Antonio S. Renza, president of the Peekskill Construction Company, built the foundation with granite from the local Mohegan Quarry.  The Exedra is owned today by the City of Peekskill.  (Andy Bass photo) A view looking west from South Street in Peekskill shows the Lincoln Exedra.  Visible in the background below behind the flagpole are the Hudson River and the Lincoln Depot Museum (red brick building) on South Water Street.  The 19th century building was the spot where Lincoln spoke from aboard his Inaugural Train on February 19, 1861.  (Andy Bass photo) The centerpiece of the Lincoln Exedra is a bronze tablet created by Tiffany Studios of New York City.  It features a bas relief profile portrait of Lincoln above an inscription about the memorial.  (Andy Bass photo) A closeup view of the bas relief profile portrait of Abraham Lincoln on the bronze tablet of the Lincoln Exedra on South Water Street in Peekskill, New York.  (Andy Bass photo)
andybassny.bsky.social
The late civil rights activists Paul and Orial Redd were commemorated with a street co-naming in the city of Rye, New York, on September 27, 2025. The Redds won a housing discrimination case in 1962 that led to the passage of fair housing laws in the state.

Ceremony video👇
youtu.be/4voRFouwZI0?...
Congressman George Latimer (D-NY-16) delivers remarks at the Paul and Orial Redd Way Street Naming Ceremony at Station Plaza in Rye, New York, on September 27, 2025.  He was the first of six elected officials to speak at the ceremony.  The others were New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (SD-35), State Assemblyman Steve Otis (AD-91), Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, Westchester County Legislator Catherine Parker (D7), and City of Rye Mayor Josh Cohn. Paul Redd, Jr., son of M. Paul Redd (1928-2009) and Orial Redd (1924-2024), unveils a new street sign commemorating his parents at Station Plaza in Rye, New York, on September 27, 2025.  Assisting with the unveiling are Anne Fausto-Sterling and Peter Sterling, daughter and son of Dorothy Sterling (1913-2008).  The noted author was a close friend of the Redds and a key ally in their struggle for fair housing.  She participated in a testing investigation that provided important evidence in the couple’s successful housing discrimination case in 1962. Participants and attendees of the Paul and Orial Redd Way Street Naming Ceremony stand beside the newly unveiled street sign at Station Plaza in Rye, New York, on September 27, 2025.

Pictured (alphabetically):

Marion Anderson, Co-organizer
Mayo Bartlett, Co-MC, attorney
Cheryl Brannan, Founder, Sister to Sister International
Terry Clements, Westchester County Legislator (D11), Majority Whip
Josh Cohn, Mayor, City of Rye
Aisha Cook, Pres., NAACP New Rochelle Branch
Christine Fils-Aime, Dir. of Constituent Services & Community Affairs, NYS Sen. Shelley B. Mayer (SD-37)
Janice Griffith, Pres., NAACP White Plains/Greenburgh Branch
James J. Henderson III, Pres., NAACP Port Chester/Rye Branch
Gina Jackson, Greenburgh Town Councilwoman
Ken Jenkins, Westchester County Executive
Steve Otis, NYS Assemblyman (AD-91)
Paul Redd Jr., son of Paul and Orial Redd
Tejash Sanchala, Co-MC, Exec. Dir. Westchester County Human Rights Commission
Peter Sterling, Redd family friend, neuroscientist
Andrea Stewart-Cousins, NYS Senate Majority Leader (SD-35)
Ingraham Taylor, Co-organizer
L. Joy Williams, Pres., NAACP NYS Conference
Carla Woolbright, former pres., NAACP New Rochelle Branch A mockup of a new “Walk Rye History” panel about Paul and Orial Redd Way was unveiled at the Street Naming Ceremony at Station Plaza on September 27, 2025.  The panel will be installed at an undetermined spot near the new street sign.  It was created by the Rye Historical Society and sponsored by the City of Rye.
andybassny.bsky.social
DAME JANE MORRIS GOODALL (1934-2025)
🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍
andybassny.bsky.social
Writer, poet and social reformer Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911) was born to free Black parents 200 years ago today in Baltimore, Maryland. She was a leading campaigner for abolition, women's suffrage and temperance. She lived the latter part of her life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
A reproduction of an engraved portrait of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper tops a plaque commemorating her on the façade of the Baltimore Convention Center in her birth city of Baltimore, Maryland.  The engraving was originally published in William Still’s 1872 book THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD.  (Andy Bass photo) A plaque inscribed with a narrative of the life of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper adorns the façade of the Baltimore Convention Center outside the Executive Offices on South Sharp Street.  It was donated by the George Moses Horton Society for the Study of African American Poetry.  (Andy Bass photo) A Pennsylvania State Historical Marker commemorating Frances Ellen Watkins Harper stands in front of her former home at 1006 Bainbridge Street in the Bella Vista neighborhood of Philadelphia.  It was dedicated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in 1992.  (Andy Bass photo) The Frances Ellen Watkins Harper House stands at 1006 Bainbridge Street in the Bella Vista Neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  The social reformer purchased the 3-story brick rowhouse in 1871 and owned it until her death in 1911.  It was her primary residence for most of that period.  The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976 and added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 2021.  In each case, the property was deemed significant because of its association with Harper.  The building remains a private residence today.  (Andy Bass photo)
andybassny.bsky.social
Hidden in plain sight.
andybassny.bsky.social
100 years ago today, Sept. 21, 1925:

The traffic tower in Meriden, Connecticut, innovative at the time, began operation in the intersection of Colony and Main Streets. It became a local landmark, remaining in service until 1967. Today, the retired tower is displayed 200 feet from its original site.
The retired Meriden Traffic Tower stands on the south corner of Hanover and Perkins Streets in the South Central Connecticut city.  It was originally erected 200 feet away in the middle of the intersection of Colony and Main Streets in 1925.  The tower’s signal heads were manually operated by a police officer who accessed the controller cabinet by climbing a fixed ladder underneath it.  The tower remained in service for 42 years until being removed and replaced by automated signals in 1967.  Local efforts to preserve the tower as a historic landmark began in 1974.  A dedication ceremony marking its relocation to its present site was held on October 14, 1993.  (Andy Bass photo) Each side of the Meriden Traffic Tower featured directional signs to two of three Connecticut citiesꟷ Hartford, Middletown, and Waterbury.  Although it now stands 200 feet from its original location, the tower retains its original compass orientation.  (Andy Bass photo) A plaque inscribed with a narrative history of Meriden’s Traffic Tower stands beside the structure on the south corner of Hanover and Perkins Street.  It was unveiled during a dedication ceremony marking the tower’s new location on October 14, 1993.  (Andy Bass photo)
andybassny.bsky.social
The U.S. Postal Service has issued a new stamp commemorating writer, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel (1928-2016). A dedication ceremony was held at the 92nd Street Y in New York City on September 17, 2025. Wiesel made 180 appearances at the 92nd Street Y from 1967 to 2014.
Participants in the Elie Wiesel stamp dedication ceremony stand beside a display of the stamp on the stage of the Kaufmann Concert Hall at the 92nd Street Y in New York City on September 17, 2025.  Left to right are master of ceremonies Lee Goldberg, Meteorologist at WABC-TV New York; Rabbi David Ingber, Senior Director of the Bronfman Center; Ronald A. Stroman, Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service; Elisha Wiesel, son of Elie Wiesel and Chairman of the Board of the Elie Wiesel Foundation; and Seth Pinsky, Chief Executive Officer of the 92nd Street Y.  (Andy Bass photo) The desk that Elie Wiesel regularly sat at during his many lectures at the 92nd Street Y is displayed on stage at the Elie Wiesel stamp dedication ceremony on September 17, 2025.  Wiesel made 180 appearances at the Upper East Side Jewish cultural institution from 1967 to 2014. Audio and video recordings of his lectures, readings and conversations at the 92nd Street Y are accessible in the Elie Wiesel Living Archive, an online multimedia repository.  (Andy Bass photo) USPS art director Ethel Kessler, designer of the Elie Wiesel stamp, stands beside a display of the stamp at the dedication ceremony at the 92nd Street Y in New York City on September 17, 2025.  Her design incorporates a black-and-white photograph taken by Sergey Bermeniev in 1999.  (Andy Bass photo) A cover for the Elie Wiesel stamp dedication ceremony program bears the First Day of Issue cancellation mark and signatures of seven participants.  The signers are master of ceremonies Lee Goldberg, national anthem performer Craig Stagg, speakers Seth Pinsky, Ronald A. Stroman, Rabbi David Ingber, and Elisha Wiesel, and stamp designer Ethel Kessler.  (Andy Bass collection)
andybassny.bsky.social
Blues legend B.B. King (1925-2015) was born 100 years ago today near Itta Bena, Mississippi. The singer/musician is considered one of the most influential electric guitarists of the 20th century. Hailed as "The King of the Blues," he helped bring the genre into the mainstream. 🎸
B.B. King holds his electric guitar “Lucille” in a press photo for the TV series EBONY/JET SHOWCASE.  King appeared on the magazine show three times: May 23, 1986; September 9, 1988; and April 10, 1992. (Andy Bass collection) B.B. King eats steamed broccoli during a guest appearance on the premiere episode of FEELING GOOD.  It aired on PBS November 20, 1974.  The weekly TV series about health was produced by the Children’s Television Workshop and ran for 24 episodes.  It was the production company’s first series aimed at adults.  (Andy Bass collection) B.B. King 1991 Pro Set SuperStars MusiCards card #14 (Andy Bass collection)
andybassny.bsky.social
September 15 is the annual Roberto Clemente Day in Major League Baseball. Commemorations of the Pittsburgh Pirates legend extend past the baseball world and well beyond Western Pennsylvania. Here are four Roberto Clemente murals in other parts of the Northeastern United States.
A mural commemorating Roberto Clemente adorns the side of 60 North Stockton Street in Trenton, New Jersey.  It was created by artists Lank Williams, William G. Kasso, and Leon Rainbow in 2014.  It was sponsored by the S.A.G.E. Coalition, a non-profit that organizes beautification projects in New Jersey’s capitol city. (Andy Bass photo) A mural commemorating Roberto Clemente adorns the rear of 33 Freedom Way in Great Brook Valley Gardens, a public housing complex in Worcester, Massachusetts.  It was created by muralist JEKS during the POW! WOW! Worcester international street art festival in 2019. (Andy Bass photo) A Roberto Clemente mural, “Espíritu de Carolina,” adorns the side of Burgos Hair Salon at 472 Niagara Street in the Hispanic Heritage District of Buffalo, New York.  It was created by Vinny Alejandro, Michele Agosto, Aileen Gonzalez Marti, and Arayoan Tylec of Los Artistas del Barrio Buffalo, a Hispanic arts collective.  It was dedicated on August 28, 2021. (Andy Bass photo) A Roberto Clemente mural, “The Great One,” adorns the entrance to Kvibe Studios at 186 Griffith Street in Jersey City, New Jersey.  It was created by artists Commodore and Joe Waks in 2021. (Andy Bass photo)
andybassny.bsky.social
100 years ago today, Sept. 7, 1925:

The Temple Building opened in Rochester, New York. The 14-story structure is unusual in that it was built as a combined church and office building. Today, it houses residential and commercial lofts, and the old church auditorium is now a multipurpose event venue.
A view looking south down Liberty Pole Way shows the north side of the Temple Building at the intersection of Achilles Street in downtown Rochester, New York, on August 2, 2025.  The Baptist Temple (organized in 1834 as the Second Baptist Church) built the structure in 1925 on the site of its previous church.  Its purpose in building its new church inside an office tower was to provide a source of ongoing financial revenue.  The Baptist Temple remained in the building until it relocated outside the city in 1965. Costanza Enterprises acquired the building in 1999 and renovated the interior to create the residential and commercial loft space present today.  At 218 feet in height, it is currently the thirteenth tallest building in the city of Rochester. (Andy Bass photo) A view looking northwest from East Avenue shows the top of the east side of the Temple Building in Rochester, New York, on August 2, 2025.  Visible is a pointed arch and several pinnacles, features characteristic of the building’s architecture.  According to the Landmark Society of Western New York, “it is Rochester’s only example of a 20th-century Neo-Gothic skyscraper.”  It was designed by Gordon & Kaelber and Carl R. Traver. (Andy Bass photo) The main entrance of the Temple Building is at 14 Franklin Avenue, across the street from the Liberty Pole in downtown Rochester, New York. An advertisement for church bonds to finance the construction of the Temple Building appeared in the June 18, 1925, issue of The Watchman-Examiner, a national Baptist newsletter.  The building opened less than three months later on September 7, 1925.
andybassny.bsky.social
Anne Jackson (1925-2016) was born 100 years ago today in Millvale, Pennsylvania. She and husband Eli Wallach comprised one of the most enduring acting duos, appearing together in numerous stage, film, and television productions from the 1940s to the 2000s. She excelled in both drama and comedy.
Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson on the cover of the Sunday New York News, January 10, 1965. (Andy Bass Collection) Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson in a still from the Columbia Pictures film THE TIGER MAKES OUT (1967).  The dark comedy was directed by Arthur Hiller.  (Andy Bass Collection) Anne Jackson in a still from the 20th Century Fox film THE SECRET LIFE OF AN AMERICAN WIFE (1968).  The comedy was written, produced and directed by George Axelrod.  The film was originally titled THE FEMININE MISTAKE.  (Andy Bass Collection) Anne Jackson in a still from the 20th Century Fox film THE SECRET LIFE OF AN AMERICAN WIFE (1968).  The comedy was written, produced and directed by George Axelrod.  The film was originally titled THE FEMININE MISTAKE.  (Andy Bass Collection)
andybassny.bsky.social
50 years ago today, August 18, 1975:

Earl Averill, Bucky Harris, Billy Herman, Judy Johnson, and Ralph Kiner were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Harris, who had Parkinson's disease, did not attend and was represented at the ceremony by his son.

🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢
Autographed Earl Averill Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque Postcard (Curteichcolor) Autographed Billy Herman Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque Postcard (Curteichcolor) Autographed Judy Johnson Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque Postcard (Curteichcolor) Autographed Ralph Kiner Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque Postcard (Mike Roberts Color Productions)
andybassny.bsky.social
Arkansas governor and U.S. senator Dale Bumpers (1925-2016) was born 100 years ago today in Charleston, Arkansas. His proudest achievement was as Charleston city attorney when he convinced the school board to become the first in the former Confederacy to integrate after the Brown decision.
andybassny.bsky.social
87 years ago today, August 8, 1938:

Baseball’s New York Giants played a memorial game for their late manager John McGraw in his birthplace of Truxton, NY. It was a fund-raiser to build a monument for the Hall of Famer in the town. A historical marker about the game was dedicated on August 2, 2025.⚾
William Swisher, Chairman of the John J. McGraw Historic Field Marker Dedication, addresses the gathering while standing next to the newly unveiled marker alongside Cheningo Road (CR 600A) in the Central New York town of Truxton on August 2, 2025.  Swisher, a retired school principal, and his late life Sarah, spearheaded the marker project and provided the funding for its creation.  The long-time Cortland County resident opined that the game commemorated by the marker was “one of the greatest athletic events in the history of Cortland County.” The newly unveiled John J. McGraw Historic Field Marker stands alongside Cheningo Road (CR 600A) in the Town of Truxton in Cortland County, New York, on August 2, 2025.  The memorial game commemorated by the marker was played four-and-a-half years after McGraw’s death.  His widow, Blanche McGraw, was among those in attendance.  The monument that the game raised funds for was erected four years later approximately a quarter-mile away. Bunting decorates the back of the John J. McGraw Field grandstand during the John J. McGraw Historic Field Marker Dedication Ceremony in Truxton, New York, on August 2, 2025.  The wooden structure was built in 1929, the year after the opening of the field.  McGraw, himself, provided part of funding for both the field and the grandstand.  William Swisher, who spearheaded the historical marker project, says his current effort is to get state and local officials to fund the grandstand’s needed restoration work. The John J. McGraw Monument stands on an island at the intersection of Main Street (NY 13), Truxton Tully Road, and Academy Street in Truxton, New York, approximately a quarter-mile from John J. McGraw Field.  It was dedicated in 1942.  The sculpture was designed by George Bull of the Nelson Memorial Company of Homer, New York, and the green mountain granite was carved by Beck and Beck of Barre, Vermont.  The front of the monument features a bas-relief portrait of McGraw and is inscribed, “In memory of John J. McGraw ꟷ Born in Truxton April 7, 1873 ꟷ Died Feb. 25, 1934 ꟷ A Great American ꟷ One of Baseball’s Immortals ꟷ Dynamic Leader of The New York Giants For Thirty years.”  The back of the monument reads, “On August 8, 1938 the New York Giants played an exhibition game with the Truxton ball team in this village which made possible the erection of this memorial.”
andybassny.bsky.social
The late David Cassidy of THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY was commemorated in his childhood hometown of West Orange, New Jersey, with a historical marker dedication on July 30, 2025. His two children spoke at the event and unveiled the marker. It stands alongside the baseball field where he played as a kid.⚾🎸🎤
Actress Katie Cassidy wipes tears from her eyes as her half-brother Beau Cassidy speaks about their late father at the David Cassidy Historical Marker Dedication at Colgate Field in West Orange, New Jersey, on July 30, 2025.  Both Cassidys have followed their father into the entertainment business. Participants in the David Cassidy Historical Marker Dedication stand beside the newly unveiled marker on Franklin Avenue in West Orange, New Jersey, on July 30, 2025.  Left to right are Cara Baluzy, intern at Downtown West Orange Alliance; Joseph Fagan, Public Information Officer / Official Township Historian, Township of West Orange; Megan Brill, Executive Director, DWOA; Karen Ranieri, co-head organizer of the David Cassidy Historical Marker Dedication and co-founder of the David Cassidy Virtual Fan Club; Beau Cassidy, son of David Cassidy; Katie Cassidy, daughter of David Cassidy; Barb Collentine, co-head organizer of the David Cassidy Historical Marker Dedication, co-founder of the David Cassidy Virtual Fan Club, and President of the I Think I Love You Animal Foundation; Susan McCartney, Mayor of the Township of West Orange; Melanie Schowalter, Assistant to the Mayor of the Township of West Orange; Amy McCampbell, Social Media Coordinator, DWOA; and Shirley Harrington, volunteer. The newly unveiled David Cassidy historical marker stands on Franklin Avenue alongside Colgate Field in West Orange, New Jersey, on July 30, 2025.  The marker project was spearheaded and organized by Cassidy fans Barb Collentine and Karen Ranieri.  It was sponsored by the Downtown West Orange Alliance. Beau Cassidy and Katie Cassidy sit on the front steps of their father’s childhood home on Elm Street in West Orange, New Jersey, on July 30, 2025.  The Cassidys stopped by the house after the David Cassidy Historical Marker Dedication a couple of blocks away at Colgate Field.  The block-long street where David Cassidy lived from the ages of five to eleven is now co-named David Cassidy Way.  Legendary rock and roll photographer Henry Diltz attended the marker dedication and can be seen photographing the Cassidys in the reflection on the door behind them.
andybassny.bsky.social
A one-night-only event, A CHORUS LINE OFFICIAL 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, was held at the Shubert Theater in New York City on Sunday, July 27, 2025. Directed by original 1975 cast member Baayork Lee, it featured performances by alumni of various A CHORUS LINE productions and notable guests.
Donna McKechnie, Tony Award winner for her role in the original Broadway production of A CHORUS LINE, arrives at the Shubert Theatre on West 44th Street in New York City for the A CHORUS LINE OFFICIAL 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION on July 27, 2025.  McKechnie was among those who made special appearances in the performance.  She sang “The Music and the Mirror,” a musical number she regularly performed in the original 1975 production. A group of over three dozen aisle dancers enter the front of the Shubert Theater to perform in the A CHORUS LINE OFFICIAL 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION on July 27, 2025.  The aisle dancers were all alumni of various productions of A CHORUS LINE. Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose is all smiles as she greets theater goers in Shubert Alley following the A CHORUS LINE OFFICIAL 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION.  The triple-threat actor, singer, and dancer was among those who made special appearances in the performance.  She sang “What I Did for Love,” a musical number from the original production written by Marvin Hamlisch. A photo of the logo of the A CHORUS LINE OFFICIAL 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION is signed by the original 1975 Broadway cast members that appeared in the performance.  They are Kelly Bishop, Wayne Cilento, Baayork Lee, Priscilla Lopez, and Donna McKechnie.  Lee directed the event, which benefited Entertainment Community Fund programs serving dancers.
andybassny.bsky.social
Coat of "ARMS," not "Farms." Although Pennsylvania does have some beautiful farm country.
andybassny.bsky.social
The Pennsylvania State Historical Markers also have a consistent look that is easy to recognize, including the State Coat of Farms at top and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission listed as the sponsoring organization at bottom.
andybassny.bsky.social
Nobel laureate Baruch S. Blumberg (1925-2011) was born 100 years ago today in Brooklyn, New York. He was awarded the 1976 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his 1967 discovery of the Hepatitis B virus and subsequent development of a diagnostic test and a preventative vaccine against it.
A Pennsylvania State Historical Marker commemorating Nobel laureate Baruch S. Blumberg stands outside his former residence in the Society Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia at 323 South Lawrence Court.  It was dedicated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission on September 24, 2016.
andybassny.bsky.social
50 years ago today, July 25, 1975:

The landmark musical A CHORUS LINE opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre. The show, conceived and directed by Michael Bennett, won nine Tony Awards and ran for a then-record 15 years. It became a tourist attraction and helped revitalize Times Square.
Donna McKechnie appears on the cover of the August 1975 issue of After Dark magazine wearing the iconic red leotard and wrap skirt from her role as Cassie Ferguson in A CHORUS LINE.  For her performance in the original Broadway production, McKechnie went on to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, and a Theatre World Special Award. Kelly Bishop portrayed Sheila Bryant in the original Broadway production of A CHORUS LINE.  For her performance in the role, Bishop won the 1976 Tony Award for Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Musical) and the 1976 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. Marvin Hamlisch composed the music for A CHORUS LINE, for which he won a Tony Award for Best Original Score, Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Lyrics and Outstanding Music, and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama.  He also received a Grammy nomination for Best Cast Album.  His classic song “One” from the album is described by Playbill magazine as “one of the best-known theatre anthems in musical history.” A plaque commemorating the 15-year run of the original Broadway production of A CHORUS LINE is affixed to a wall in the lobby of the Shubert Theatre at 225 West 44th Street in New York City.  It was dedicated by Gary Stevens and Alan George on October 30, 1991.  At the time, the musical was the longest running show in Broadway history.  It is now the seventh longest.
andybassny.bsky.social
50 years ago today, July 11, 1975:

The Hangar Theatre opened in Ithaca, New York. The local landmark was originally built in 1934 as a municipal airport hangar. A grant from Gov. Nelson Rockefeller in 1973 provided the funding to convert the building to a regional theater of national prominence.
A view from the street shows the Hangar Theatre at 891 Taughannock Boulevard (NY 89) in Ithaca, New York, on June 29, 2025. Originally an airport hangar (1934-1966), its conversion to a theater was made possible by a grant from Nelson Rockefeller and the combined efforts of the Ithaca Repertory Theatre (renamed the Hangar Theatre Company in 1978), Cornell University, Ithaca College, the City of Ithaca, and others.  Planning consultant Thomas Niederkorn (1928-2020) was the person who first proposed converting the hangar building to a theater—rather than demolishing it—in 1967. Niederkorn was also responsible for securing the initial funding from Rockefeller in 1973.  Since opening in 1975, the Hangar Theatre has gained national prominence as a regional theater. A banner hanging from a corner tower of the Hangar Theatre on June 29, 2025, commemorates its 50th anniversary as a regional theater. A sign featuring the official logo of the Hangar Theatre stands at the front of the property at 801 Taughannock Boulevard (NY 89) in Ithaca, New York on June 29, 2025.
andybassny.bsky.social
50 years ago today, July 2, 1975:

TWILIGHT ZONE creator Rod Serling was laid to rest in Lake View Cemetery in Interlaken, New York. He had died four days earlier at age 50 following complications from open-heart surgery. The Serlings have had a summer cottage on nearby Cayuga Lake for generations.
Rod Serling’s decorated grave marker lies in Lot G, Plot 44 of Lake View Cemetery in the Village of Interlaken, Seneca County, New York, on June 29, 2025.  The marker is inscribed with his rank in the U.S. Army during Word War IIꟷTechnician Fifth Grade (Tec 5) Rod Serling’s grave was the first in a family plot in Lake View Cemetery in Interlaken, New York.  Interred alongside him are his wife of 27 years Carolyn K. Serling (1929-2020), his brother Robert Jerome Serling (1918-2010), and his sister-in-law Priscilla Elaine Serling (1943-2000).
andybassny.bsky.social
He appeared in the episode "The Joke's on Catwoman," that first aired on January 4, 1968. (Season 3, Episode 17, Series episode # 111).