Happy! - Nov 17 (Josef Marais)

Subject: Happy! - Nov 17 (Josef Marais)
From: Abby Sale
Date: 17 Nov 05 - 08:42 AM


Happy Birthday!

Josef (Pessach) Marais

was born

17 Nov 1905
In Lowry Pass, Union of South Africa


(Emigrated to US in 1939 and died in L.A. Apr 27 1978)


The loverly folksingers, Marias and Miranda, met at the radio station, Radio Free Europe. He, a South African and she a Netherlands refugee both spoke Dutch, of course. She assisted him in his Dutch broadcast to Nazi-occupied Netherlands. Europe for some time before accidentally learning she could sing. Trained for opera, in fact. A beautiful partnership soon formed.

One day when your computer is down so you've nothing to do, rent one of those many "Casablanca" rip-offs and see "Rope of Sand," 1949. The main characters are doing their intriguing in the foreground and all of a sudden in the background there's Marias and Miranda (ie, Mrs Marais) doing their nightclub act. They were allowed to do nearly the whole song. They performed two of Josef's compositions, "The Zulu Warrior" and "As the Sun Goes Down."

ALSO:
Luke Kelly born in Monto, 11/17/1940 (died of brain tumor 1/30/1984), a "Dubliner" 1962-64 & 1965-1980

Ontario: Gordon Lightfoot was born 11-17-1938

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