Dick Whittinghill

Dick Whittinghill has a star for his work in radio. It is on the south side of Hollywood blvd in the 6300 block. He is a Montana native. I'm from Minnesota but it's interesting to me that he and I share the same birthday. Starting in the 1950's Whittinghill served as morning DJ on Los Angeles radio channel KMPC. He also appeared on the shows Dragnet and Adam-12. For his 30 years of radio personality, Whittinghill was admitted into the radio hall of fame. Not much else exciting to find about this gent but I'm sure all the hollywood stars of the 50's and beyond would be very familiar with his name.

David Niven

Niven was British actor born in 1910. He spend time in the military before his acting career and, again, after the break out of the second world war. A life long jokester, there are innumerable stories of Niven cracking wise, easing pre-battle tensions, calling out the absurd in uncomfortable situations and, generally speaking, showing incredible wit. Niven resigned from the army the first time because he felt there was no room for advancement and his insubordination was prevalent. He tried to sign up as a film extra but was not authorized to work in the U.S. until his British paperwork came through so he went to Mexico for a short time and cleaned guns for visiting hunters. He spent a few years doing just extra work before catching the eye of Goldwyn who contracted him and gave him a chance to gain notoriety. In 1956 Niven achieved rich success playing Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days. He is also one of a few actors to play James Bond. In all, Niven made more than 100 movies and his perhaps best known for his mustachioed role in the Pink Panther series as Sir Charles Lytton. In 1958 Niven received an Academy award for his performance as Major Pollock in Separate Tables. In 1983 Niven succumbed to Lou Gehrig's disease and passed away. His star is on the south side of the 6300 block of Hollywood blvd.

Pat Buttram

Pat Buttram was born in 1915 to a minister. He is best remembered as Gene Autry's sidekick and for playing Mr. Haney in Green Acres. Although he went to college to study for the ministry, he gained attention through his performances in plays and later went on to perform in numerous radio shows. When Gene Autry returned from service in World War 2, he chose Buttram as his sidekick. They made over 40 movies and over 100 episodes of television together. Buttram had a very unique voice which he claimed never got through puberty. He used this voice later in life in several animated films. Later in life Buttram played Mr Haney in Green Acres. He is regularly quoted saying "CBS cancelled everything with a tree - including Lassie" when they canceled numerous shows in 1971 and moved into urban settings. Buttram was a diehard Republican and helped Ronald Reagan write several speeches. He passed away in 1988 from renal failure. The Film star for Pat Buttram can be found on the south side of Hollywood blvd in the 6300 block.

Joseph Cotten

Born in Petersburg Virginia in 1905, Joseph Cotten achieved fame as an actor. He was one of Hollywood's leading men starting in the 40's. As a day job Cotten played professional football. Yeah. That's for real. After college Cotten was a lifeguard, ad agent and, later, a theatre critic. This led him to becoming more involved theatrically. In 1930 Cotten started his broadway career, quickly gaining the attention of Orson Welles who gave him lead roles in numerous productions at the Mercury Theatre Company. In 1939 he played Tracy Lord in the stage production of The Philadelphia Story opposite Katharine Hepburn. This one year run led Cotten to Hollywood. He paired up with his old friend Orson Welles as best friend Jedediah Leland in Citizen Kane. This film catapulted Cotten's career on screen. Playing a number of lead roles through the 1940's led Cotten to be named the 17th biggest star in 1945. Cotten continued to live in notoriety and work in both film and television for the next 40 years, in lead roles and supporting, (which he preferred) but he never outshined the success he found in the 40's. Cotten died at the age of 88 in 1994 of pneumonia. Cotten's film star is on the south side of the 6300 block of Hollywood Blvd.

Don DeFore

This gentleman received a star for his work in television. It is located near the southwest corner of Hollywood and Highland. Living from 1913 to 1993, DeFore made a name for himself, first in film, then on television. Hailing from Iowa, he moved to Los Angeles and spent three years at the Pasadena Playhouse perfecting his craft. He went on to perform in various live productions the numerous films. Best known for his role as the friendly neighbor "Thorny" on "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," DeFore was nominated for a Primetime Emmy. The awards show for which he later served as president. DeFore ran a restaurant for 5 years in Frontierland, Disney. He was a Republican Delegate in 1980. He co-wrote a book with his daughter about her time working with orphans in Korea and he was appointed by President Reagan as a Peace Corps Advisor. He was also a 33rd degree Freemason, whatever that means.

Buddy Clark

Buddy Clark earned a star for his work in the recording realm. It is located near the southwest corner of Hollywood and Highland. Buddy Clark was one of the nation's most treasured crooners. His career spanned the 3rd and 4th decade of the 20th century. Born in 1912, Samuel Goldberg in Dorchester, Massachusets, he made his big band start as a tenor in 1932. This was not advantageous to his trajectory but, as he transitioned to baritone, he found greater success. His biggest hit was the song "Linda". This song was essentially commissioned by a show business lawyer for his 6 year old daughter Linda. She later achieved fame singing in the group "Wings" and was married to Paul McCartney. Clark served in the military during world war II. Clark died tragically in a plane crash on Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood in 1949. Her is Buddy Clark's famous song "Linda" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynyn3UQPlWU

Richard Widmark

A recipient of a star for achievements in film, Richard Widmark can be found on the southwest corner of Hollywood and Highland. Hey, this guy is a Minnesota native, like myself. He was born in the sunrise township of Minnesota in 1914. After moving with his family to Illinois, Widmark attended Lake Forest College and first studied then taught acting. He made a name for himself as a radio actor. He stared in numerous radio projects through the 1940's. Widmark broke on the film scene as a villainous sociopath in the 1947 film "Kiss of Death". He was nominated for the academy award for best supporting actor and was awarded the Golden Globe for best newcomer. He played the villain in a few other follow up films before moving into heroic roles as the 1940's faded. Widmark continued to play heroes and villains over the next 40 years, often producing in the same films. He worked on over 60 movies, his final project being "True Colors" in 1991. Fun fact: Widmark's daughter was married to Sandy Koufax. Fun fact #2: Although making a career out of carrying guns, he was a stark advocate for gun control. He passed away in 2008 after a long illness. Here is a video crediting Widmark with the advent of the upmarket psycho specialist. It's worth a view as it's only 2 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYb66PW9u1U This video credits his style of villainy with performances by Dennis Hopper, John Malkovic, Javier Bardem and Michael Shannon.