November 11, 1962: "Seven Days In May" Is Published

November 11, 1962: Seven Days In May is published, written  by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II. A film based on it premiered on February 12, 1964. Kirk Douglas played the would-be hero, Burt Lancaster the villain, Frederic March the President caught in the middle, and Ava Gardner and Martin Balsam the people who hold the key to stopping a coup. Twilight Zone boss Rod Serling wrote the script.

Douglas, through his production company, and a friend of his, director John Frankenheimer, made the film. Frankenheimer didn't want to work with Lancaster again after clashing with him on The Birdman of Alcatraz, but Douglas insisted -- after beating the blacklist with Spartacus, he had that kind of clout (making him the George Clooney of his day). Oddly, Frankenheimer not only patched up his differences but became close friends with Lancaster, while he and Douglas fell out, and never worked together again.

President Kennedy had read the book, and was eager to see the film made, after the real-life actions of General Edwin Walker, whom Kennedy had forced to resign his commission. Kennedy had the White House staff cooperate with Douglas and Frankenheimer, heading up to Hyannis for a weekend so they could film outside without the Secret Service getting skittish over it. But, in a twist that Knebel and Bailey would have found poignant, JFK didn't live to see the premiere, for -- as the Warren Commission determined -- reasons that had nothing to do with a military coup.

March and Serling died in 1975, Gardner in 1990, Knebel in 1993, Lancaster in 1994, Balsam in 1996, Frankenheimer in 2002, Bailey in 2012, Douglas in 2020 (at the age of 103).

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November 11, 1962 was a Sunday. Actress Demi Moore was born.

Baseball was out of season. These games were played in the NFL:

* The New York Giants beat the Dallas Cowboyss, 41-10 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

* The Green Bay Packers beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 49-0 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

* The Washington Redskins beat the Cleveland Browns, 17-9 at District of Columbia Stadium (later renamed Robert F. Kennedy Stadium) in Washington.

* The Chicago Bears beat the Minnesota Vikings, 31-30 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 26-17 at the 1st Busch Stadium, formerly the last Sportsman's Park, in St. Louis.

* The Baltimore Colts beat the Los Angeles Rams, 14-2 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

* And the Detroit Lions beat the San Francisco 49ers, 38-24 at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco.

These games were played in the American Football League:

* The New York Titans, who became the Jets the next season, lost to the Dallas Texans, 52-31 at the Polo Grounds.

* The Boston Patriots beat the Denver Broncos, 33-29 at Bears Stadium (later renamed Mile High Stadium) in Denver.

* The Buffalo Bills beat the San Diego Chargers, 40-20 at Balboa Stadium in San Diego.

* And the Houston Oilers beat the Oakland Raiders, 28-20 at Frank Youll Field in Oakland.

There were 3 games in the NBA. This included a doubleheader at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. In the opener, the Boston Celtics beat the New York Knicks, 117-98. In the nightcap, the St. Louis Hawks beat the Detroit Pistons, 117-100 at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis.

And the Chicago Zephyrs beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 109-105 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. Elgin Baylor scored 42 and Jerry West 30, in defeat. Terry Dischinger scored 30 to lead the Zephyrs, who became the Baltimore Bullets the next season, and are now known as the Washington Wizards.

And there were 2 games in the NHL. The Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins, 4-2 at the Boston Garden. And the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Chicago Black Hawks, 5-3 at the Chicago Stadium. The New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings were not scheduled.

April 20, 1937: "A Star Is Born" Premieres

Janet Gaynor and Frederic March

April 20, 1937: A Star Is Born, directed by William Wellman, premieres. Among the people contributing to the script was Dorothy Parker, the writer, poet and critic associated with the Algonquin Round Table.

Janet Gaynor plays Esther Victoria Blodgett, a farm girl who wants to be a film star. She meets film star Norman Maine, played by Frederic March. He's impressed with her, and gets her a screen test. She gets a role, and a stage name: Vicki Lester.

They get married, but as her star rises, so does his drinking, and his star falls. He ends up committing suicide. Vicki wants to drop out of show business, but her grandmother, who funded her trip to Hollywood, convinces her to stick with it. Later, interviewed for the newsreels outside her next film premiere, she pays tribute to the man she loved, the man who gave her her big break, telling the crowd, "Hello, everyone: This is Mrs. Norman Maine."

James Mason and Judy Garland

It's been remade 3 times. In the 1954 version, James Mason keeps Norman as an actor, but Judy Garland plays Esther/Vicki as an aspiring singer. In 1976, both halves of the couple are singers: Kris Kristofferson plays John Norman Howard, and Barbra Streisand plays Esther Hoffman, who takes his name upon marriage but doesn't change her given name. A variation is that John doesn't drown himself, but rather drinks, drives, and crashes.

Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand

And in 2018, again, both were singers: Bradley Cooper as Jackson Maine, and Lady Gaga as Ally, whose maiden name is not revealed. And Jackson hangs himself. This film led to rumors of Cooper and Gaga becoming a real couple, which both have denied.

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga

So there have been gaps of 17 years, 22 years, and 42 years. That's an average of 27 years. So, look for another remake around 2045 or so.

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April 20, 1937 was a Tuesday. These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Washington Senators, 3-2 at Yankee Stadium. Monte Weaver outpitched Lefty Gomez. Former Philadelphia Athletics star Al Simmons went 3-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs for the Senators.

* The New York Giants beat their arch-rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers, 4-3 at Ebbets Field. Pitcher Hal Schumacher helped his own cause by driving home George "Kiddo" Davis with the winning run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the 9th inning. Mel Ott went 0-for-4.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 11-5 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds, 2-0 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Johnny Mize doubled home the winning run in the top of the 10th inning. Dizzy Dean allowed 13 hits, but kept the shutout through all 10 innings.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 4-3 at Navin Field in Detroit. (The ballpark was renamed Briggs Stadium in 1938, and Tiger Stadium in 1961.) Elden Auker outpitched Mel Harder. Lyn Lary and Roy Hughes each had 3 hits for the Indians. But Gerald "Gee" Walker went 4-for-4 with a solo home run for the Tigers. Hank Greenberg went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-0 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Cy Blanton pitched a 5-hit shutout. Paul Waner went 2-for-4. His brother, Lloyd Waner, did not play.

* The Chicago White Sox and the St. Louis Browns were rained out at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The game was made up as part of a 4th of July doubleheader. The ChiSox swept, 4-2 and 9-5.

* And the Boston Bees (as the Braves were known from 1936 to 1940) and the Philadelphia Phillies were not scheduled.