“I was, am, severely dyslexic and couldn’t spell, still can’t spell. So I was discouraged from writing and embarrassed.” Fannie Flagg on her challenges in writing.
Patricia Neal was born in Birmingham, Alabama, the only child of Marion Leona (LeGore) and William Hurbert Neal. When she started her acting career, she had to change her name because there was already a well-established actress named Patricia Neal. She chose the first name Fannie because her grandfather recalled it being used by many vaudevillian comedians.
The Neal family lived at 212 59 Way South in 1950. William was a moving picture machine operator in a theater and worked 57 hours the previous week. Among the occupations in the neighborhood were machinist, elementary teacher, plumber, and locomotive switchman. Everyone on the page is from the South except one Latvian immigrant.
Later life
Flagg began writing early, completing a play at age 10. She entered the Miss Alabama pageant and won a scholarship to an acting school. She co-hosted a local morning show and then moved to New York City.
She wrote skits for a nightclub and filled in as a performer when needed. Allen Funt, host of the Candid Camera TV show, saw her perform and hired her as a staff writer/performer.
She won first place in a contest for a short story in 1978. This story became the basis for her novel Coming Attractions, which was later reissued as Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man, which became a New York Times bestseller. She’s written several other books, including Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, her best-known book. This was made into the film Fried Green Tomatoes. Flagg received an Oscar nomination for co-writing the screenplay.
As an actor, Flagg appeared on stage, screen, and television. She was also well known for being on game shows, particularly The Match Game. Fannie has spoken publicly about her dyslexia. She never knew she was dyslexic until a teacher, seeing the misspellings on her Match Game answers, wrote to her about the condition. Looking at videos of the show, it seems that co-panelist Brett Somers may have been the only one onstage who figured out Flagg’s dyslexia.
Flagg currently splits her time between California and Alabama.
Other happenings on September 21, 1944:
- The Battle of Porkuni was fought between Estonians serving in the Red Army and Estonian pro-independence and Waffen-SS units. The battle resulted in Soviet victory.
- The Battle of Rimini ended in Allied victory.
- San Marino declared war on Germany.
- Japanese destroyer Satsuki was bombed and sunk in Manila Bay by American aircraft.
- The St. Louis Cardinals clinched their third straight National League pennant with a 5–4 win over the Boston Braves in the first game of a doubleheader.
- Born: Hamilton Jordan, White House Chief of Staff to President Jimmy Carter, in Charlotte, North Carolina (d. 2008)
Tomorrow – A mafia informer
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Sources
- Wikipedia.org
- Ancestry.com
- Onthisday.com
- Picryl.com
- Youtube.com
Famous People and Their First Census 