Timelines for year 1934

Mickey Rooney

Began his career as a contract player for MGM in 1934.

When The Four Seasons finally made it, their age was something of an embarrassment. They were a good ten years older than The Beach Boys. The record companies thought no teenagers would listen to a band in their thirties. Valli was 28 when "Sherry" became a hit, and the record company thought it would be better if he were considered 25, so his age was changed. But his real age and birth date (1934) were on the back of an album Valli made as part of The Four Lovers, a group he was in before The Four Seasons. Then, when The Four Seasons were arrested in Columbus, Ohio, for not paying for the hotel rooms the prior year, Valli's mug shot became public, and based on his driver's license and police record, it became obvious that he was born in 1934.

John Ford

Enlisted in the US Naval Reserve in 1934, commissioned as a lieutenant commander. He served on reserve and active status until 1951, when Captain John Ford was retired with the honorary rank of rear admiral.

In the 5th edition of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (edited by Steven Jay Schneider), 9 of his films are listed: Judge Priest (1934), Stagecoach (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941), My Darling Clementine (1946), Rio Grande (1950), The Quiet Man (1952), The Searchers (1956) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962).

Gertrude Stein

She sarcastically advocated awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to 'Adolf Hitler': "...because he is removing all the elements of contest and of struggle from Germany. By driving out the Jews and the democratic and Left element, he is driving out everything that conduces to activity. That means peace..." (New York Times Magazine, May 6, 1934).

Abby Lewis

Primarily a stage actress, active on Broadway from 1934. Worked in more than 400 radio shows with only sporadic appearances on television.

John Indrisano

Defeated Vearl Whitehead at Legion Stadium in Hollywood, California in 10 rounds on 16 March 1934, and retired .

Tom Neal

Was once engaged in 1934 to Inez Martin, a one-time Follies girl and ex-mistress of murdered racketeer Arnold Rothstein, who was shot to death inside a Park Central Hotel room on November 4, 1928. Martin was twice Tom's age. His father put an end to the whole thing by threatening Tom with disinheritance of the family's million-dollar fortune.

1934: Tom Neal was knocked out in 2 rounds by "One of Harvard's most outstanding boxers", Bill Smith at the Indoor Athletic Building at Harvard University in an amateur boxing match. Smith went on to win the light-heavy-weight N.C.A.A. championship in 1935 and had a record of 103-3-0.

Macaulay Culkin

Studied at the School of American Ballet. The school is the official training academy of the New York City Ballet. Its founders (in 1934) were Lincoln Kirstein and George Balanchine.

Leonard Penn

Stage actor; active on Broadway from 1934-1941.

Frankie Thomas

Starred with both of his parents in his first movie, Wednesday's Child (1934).

Natacha Rambova

Greta Garbo once expressed a desire to meet Rambova. Garbo called her 'Mata Hari (1934)_ costar, Ramon Novarro, asking for an introduction. The actor asked Natacha to his apartment, but made the mistake of inviting a number of other people, thereby transforming the rendezvous into a reception. When Garbo arrived at Novarro's door and saw the crowd inside, she turned and fled. Thus the two woman, who had similar faces, never met. But they did have a mutual acquaintance in the screenwriter Mercedes de Acosta.

Mary Livingstone

In 1934 she and Jack Benny adopted a girl whom they named Joan Benny.

Claudette Colbert

In Italy, in her early films, most notably the multi-Oscar winner It Happened One Night (1934), she was dubbed by Nella Maria Bonora. Unlike other prominent Hollywood actresses, Colbert didn't have an 'official Italian voice': She was often dubbed by Giovanna Scotto and Lidia Simoneschi but Marcella Rovena, Andreina Pagnani, Tina Lattanzi and Lia Orlandini lent their voice to her at some point as well.

She was so convinced that she would lose the Oscar competition in 1935 to write-in nominee Bette Davis, that she decided not to attend the awards ceremony. When she, contrary to her belief, won that year for her performance in It Happened One Night (1934) she was summoned from a train station to pick up her Oscar.