Burroughs Graduate Ron Howard

By: Shelley Rizzotti

AKA Ronald William Howard

Born: 1-Mar-1954
Birthplace: Duncan, OK

Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Actor, Film Director, Film/TV Producer
Party Affiliation: Democratic

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Richie Cunningham on Happy Days

Ron Howard’s father was a writer for The Flintstones and an occasional actor who would bring his son onto the set with him. In Frontier Woman, an abysmal western featuring the elder Howard, young Ron made his film debut at the age of one. He was famous playing Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show, and remembers that even at the age of six or seven, the program’s producers welcomed and incorporated his suggestions. Later child acting included The Music Man with Robert Preston and The Courtship of Eddie’s Father with Glenn Ford.

As a young man, he starred as a hick opposite John Wayne in The Shootist, as an everykid in American Graffiti, and as Richie Cunningham on Happy Days. Still, when Howard first said he wanted to direct, it was generally taken as an unintentional joke. Howard made a deal with low-budget producer Roger Corman, agreeing to star in Corman’s Eat My Dust if he could star and direct the subsequent Grand Theft Auto.

Eat My Dust made money, as most of Corman’s films did, but Grand Theft Auto made more, and its success allowed Howard to direct several television movies during Happy Days breaks. After the sitcom ended, he directed Night Shift, which made Michael Keaton a star, Splash, which did the same for Tom Hanks, and Cocoon, which made Howard’s name as a director. Virtually all of his previous work had been in comedy, but Cocoon — science fiction with an all-star cast of Hollywood elderlies — was unexpected. Howard’s best accolades have come for Parenthood with Steve Martin, Apollo 13 with Hanks and Bill Paxton, and A Beautiful Mind with Russell Crowe. Howard received the Best Director and Best Picture Oscars for A Beautiful Mind.

Howard makes enjoyable popcorn movies that do not insult an audience’s intelligence. His “controversial” adaptation of The Da Vinci Code, which infuriated Opus Dei and was called sacrilegious by the Catholic Church, was a harmless spy thriller, and even Howard’s critical failures, like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, tend to do well at the box office, while his box office duds like Cinderella Man at least earn good reviews.

His films often feature roles for his brother, Clint Howard, their father, Rance Howard, and Howard’s wife, Cheryl. There was even a part for Corman in Apollo 13. Still active on television, Howard produced 24 with Kiefer Sutherland and Arrested Development with Jason Bateman.

Father: Rance Howard (writer-actor, b. 17-Nov-1928)
Mother: Jean Speegle Howard (actress, b. 31-Jan-1927, d. 2-Sep-2000)
Brother: Clint Howard (b-movie actor)
Wife: Cheryl Alley Howard (dated in high school, m. 7-Jun-1975, three daughters, one son)
Daughter: Bryce Dallas Howard (b. 1981)
Daughter: Jocelyn Carlyle Howard (twin, b. 1985)
Daughter: Paige Carlyle Howard (twin, b. 1985)
Son: Reed Howard (b. 1987)

High School: Burroughs High School, Burbank, California
University: University of Southern California (dropped out)

Academy of Achievement (1997)
Hillary Rodham Clinton for US Senate Committee
John Kerry for President
Obama for America
Emmy 1998 for From the Earth to the Moon
Oscar for Best Director 2002 for A Beautiful Mind
National Medal of Arts 2003
Hollywood Walk of Fame 6838 Hollywood Blvd.

TELEVISION
Arrested Development Narrator (2003-06)
Happy Days Richie Cunningham (1974-84)
The Smith Family Bob Smith (1971-72)
The Andy Griffith Show Opie Taylor (1960-68)
Dennis the Menace Stewart (1959-60)

FILMOGRAPHY AS DIRECTOR
Angels & Demons (7-May-2009)
Frost/Nixon (15-Oct-2008)
The Da Vinci Code (17-May-2006)
Cinderella Man (3-Jun-2005)
The Missing (26-Nov-2003)
A Beautiful Mind (13-Dec-2001)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (8-Nov-2000)
Ed TV (26-Mar-1999)
Ransom (8-Nov-1996)
Apollo 13 (30-Jun-1995)
The Paper (18-Mar-1994)
Far and Away (22-May-1992)
Backdraft (24-May-1991)
Parenthood (2-Aug-1989)
Willow (20-May-1988)
Gung Ho (14-Mar-1986)
Cocoon (21-Jun-1985)
Splash (9-Mar-1984)
Night Shift (30-Jul-1982)
Skyward (20-Nov-1980)
Cotton Candy (26-Oct-1978)
Grand Theft Auto (16-Jun-1977)

FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
Tell Them Who You Are (11-Sep-2004) Himself
Osmosis Jones (7-Aug-2001) [VOICE]
Welcome to Hollywood (27-Oct-2000) Himself
The Independent (12-Mar-2000) Himself
Return to Mayberry (13-Apr-1986)
Bitter Harvest (4-May-1981)
More American Graffiti (3-Aug-1979)
Grand Theft Auto (16-Jun-1977)
The Shootist (11-Aug-1976)
Eat My Dust! (1976)
The Spikes Gang (8-Jul-1974)
The Migrants (3-Feb-1974)
Happy Mother’s Day, Love George (17-Aug-1973)
American Graffiti (11-Aug-1973)
The Wild Country (15-Dec-1970)
Village of the Giants (20-Oct-1965)
The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (6-Mar-1963)
The Music Man (19-Jun-1962)
Door-to-Door Maniac (7-Dec-1961)
The Journey (19-Feb-1959)

EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.

Burbank’s Annual Festival

By: Shelley Rizzotti

Considered some of the worst roads in Burbank, Buena Vista Street and Empire Avenue are undergoing resurfacing construction which will tie these roads up until early August, reports suggest. Both roads were rated “very poor” during a citywide survey of roads in 2005. Stretching from Jeffries Avenue to the alley south of San Fernando Blv, this is the final phase of the $824,000 project. The funds are coming from 2 places — $600,000 from city redevelopment funds and the second from state gasoline-tax revenue.

Most of Buena Vista construction will be complete by July 24th where Empire Avenue will remain open. The final touches on Empire Avenue will take place through next week during the late night, early hours.

EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.

Outdoor Cats Ready For Duty

By: Shelley Rizzotti

We’ve all seen the signs ‘Will work for food.’ Feral Cats at the Burbank Animal Shelter literally will.

Cats that have not been socialized around humans can not be adopted out as house pets, therefore, when trapped and brought to the shelter, they have only one option-Relocation.

The Volunteers of the Burbank Animal Shelter (VBAS) fund a program wherein we will transport our undomesticated cats to places where they will be cared for.  Suitable homes include barns, stables, industrial sites and residential yards.

Outdoor cats require minimal care. They must be fed once a day and have some form of protective housing in which to escape from inclement weather and predators such as coyotes.

The VBAS provides support and advice as to how to keep the cats safe and healthy.

In return the cats provide an invaluable service to their adopters by keeping rodents at bay. Having cats on your property is a natural deterrent to rats and mice.

Keeping cats around your home is a much safer solution to pest control than poisons, and is a much more humane choice than traps. With a low adoption fee of $58, cats are also a much less expensive option.

For more information on how to work together with the VBAS to help feral cats please contact: Anne Macleod 818-469-3937 cal-mac@pacbell.net or visit our website www.basv.org

EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.

By: Shelley Rizzotti

Being that it’s the holiday season everyone’s pulling their Credit and ATM Cards out left and right to make purchases. This leaves you very susceptible to getting your information stolen and for thieves to obtain this information to buy themselves gifts with your money. There is a new technique crooks have been using which is known as “skimming”. Believe it or not it is actually “legal” to buy a small gadget called a skimmer on the internet for around $20.00 that will obtain all credit information with one swipe of a card. This is known to have happened many times at restaurants when the server takes your card to pay your bill. Earlier this year at a Redondo Beach Gas Station, a suspected employee may have used a handheld skimmer on the counter or installed a skimming device in the outside machine which obtained credit information and ATM pin numbers of over 1,000 gas station customers. This information was transferred to fake cards which removed more than $200,000 from the victims’ accounts. http://www.dailybreeze.com These are only a couple of examples, there are many ways that you can become a victim. Everyone should take extra precautions this holiday season. Here are a few tips:

1. When using a card if given the option always use “Credit” rather than “ATM”

2. Keep close attention to your card when a customer service representative handles it

3. Review all charges on monthly Bank and Credit Card Statements

4. Cash is always a great alternative

EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.