A BEVY OF BIRTHDAYS

February may be the shortest month, but it can boast of a long list of birthdays of the Mitch and Famous. But Mitch (McConnell), Kentucky’s rich and famous senior senator, was born on Feb. 20, and today is Feb. 15 — which has a lengthy birthday list itself, including the following (with year of birth) who have come and gone:

GALILEO GALILEI (1564)
CHARLES LEWIS TIFFANY (1812)
SUSAN B. ANTHONY (1820)
JOHN BARRYMORE (1882)
WALTER DONALDSON (1893)
HAROLD ARLEN (1905)
CESAR ROMERO (1907)

Of the above, the first four are probably the most famous, followed by the least famous, Walter Donaldson….and yet, he is one of the most prolific hit song composers of all time — not only in terms of quantity, but of dead serious songs such as this 1929 dirge:

Harold Arlen, if not for his score for THE WIZARD OF OZ, might be just as forgotten as Donaldson, but he has written many other quality songs, such as It’s Only A Paper Moon, Stormy Weather, I’ve Got The World On A String, Blues In The Night, and That Old Black Magic. He was also a fine vocalist, as in this rendering of his own composition:

Last, but least known for singing (much less, writing) songs, is actor Cesar Romero — but I have nonetheless caught this Latin lover in the act of singing a love song with words written by a lyricist who died in February (1970). And so it goes….

Speaking of Latin, if you dig the first clip best, here’s how to express it: Caterva carissima mea est Mortui Grati (My favorite group is The Grateful Dead).

Adios.