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A Dog 's Love A Dog 's Love is a 1914 American short silent fantasy film with subtitles , directed by Jack Harvey on his directorial debut . It stars Shep the Dog , Helen Badgley , and Arthur Bauer . The film is about a dog who loses his best friend , when a young girl is killed in an automobile accident , and focuses on his emotions in dealing with his loss . Well - received because of its " universally appealing " theme , the dog 's emotions were reported as surpassing the child 's histrionics . The film was shot on one reel by the Thanhouser Company , 1 , 007 feet ( 307 m ) in total . It was shot in standard 35mm and a spherical 1 . 37 : 1 format . It was distributed by the Mutual Film Corporation upon release . Kitty Kelly of The Chicago Tribune called it a " miniature masterpiece . " Copies of the film are in the Museum of Modern Art of New York City and the National Film , Television and Sound Archive of Ottawa film archive . Plot The film opens with an inter - title that reads " Poor little rich girl has no one to play with " and cuts to Baby Helen with her doll , looking out the window . A group of children play Ring a Ring o ' Roses in the yard . Next , Baby Helen goes to tea party set up on the yard and holds her doll , all by herself , with a lonely expression . The neighbor 's dog , Shep comes out of his dog house and barks , and Baby Helen rises with a joyful expression . She takes a piece of a muffin and tosses it through the boxwood hedge separating the two yards . Shep eats the muffin and Helen invites him to her tea party . Shep runs along the hedge and passes through to join her . Helen instructs Shep with her finger and Shep barks in understanding , Helen takes her seat and shares a muffin with Shep . An inter - title announces that a week later , Helen is out on an errand . Helen passes through the hedge and skips down the sidewalk and Shep barks at her . As Helen crosses the street , she is struck by a passing automobile and Shep races to the rescue . He tugs at her dress at the waist and finding that he is unable to move her , runs to Helen 's home and jumps against the screen door , barking repeatedly . As Helen 's parents are summoned , Shep leads them to Helen , where a passerby has scooped up Helen from the middle of the street . All three depart and the scene changes to a dimly lit room with Helen laid on a bed , seemingly dead . Her parents watch over her , with sad faces as a doctor inspects her and folds her arms across her chest . Beyond saving , her parents bury their heads in the pillow next to Helen as the doctor pens a note . Then Shep is shown resting against the side of the door in a feeble and sorrowful looking position . An inter - title confirms Helen 's death by announcing the parents have gone on " a visit to their lost darling " . The scene cuts to a grassy cemetery with lines of tombstones separated by a loose line of two trees . Helen 's parents approach her grave , marked by a group of flowers and a temporary marker at the head . Shep follows behind and pauses by a tree as Helen 's parents kneel and pause to grieve . The camera cuts to Shep , who appears sad with his eyes only half open . After the parents finish grieving , they stand up and walk to the stage left . Shep stays under the tree for a moment before approaching the grave . Through an overheard split , Shep is shown to be reminiscing about the party . The next scene shows Shep back home , lying on his side in apparent despair . His master tries to get Shep to eat some food , but the Collie refuses and turns on his side . His master pets him , confused as to what has his pet troubled so , but he gives up and departs . Another inter - title announces that " Shep makes daily visit to the florist " and shows Shep approach the shop and grabs a bunch of flower in his mouth before running away . Shep returns to her grave and he drops his flowers with the others . Shep looks to the left and sees a woman watering the flowers . Shep takes her watering can and runs back to Helen 's grave . The woman picks up the watering can and waters the flowers and picks up the flower bouquet brought by Shep . An inter - title announces that night has come and it shows Shep lying asleep near the hedge . A ghostly image of Helen , superimposed on the film , appears through hedge and awakens Shep . Helen leads Shep through the cemetery and to her grave . Shep crawls to her grave and lies across the flowers as Helen 's form disappears down into the grave . The camera lingers on Shep before fading . The final inter - title of the film announces " Don 't cry , it 's only make believe " showing Helen , holding flowers and leaning against Shep . This sequence and title may have served as a reminder to children in the audience it was all simply a dramatic story . Cast Shep the Dog as himself Helen Badgley as Baby Helen Arthur Bauer as Helen 's father <unk> Cooke Benham as Helen 's mother Fannie Bourke as a visitor Production Child actress Helen Badgley , also known as The Thanhouser <unk> , is described by the Thanhouser Company who made the film as a " precocious child actress who was very comfortable and expressive in front of the camera " . Shep the Dog , also known as The Thanhouser Collie , was a well - trained animal performer who appeared in a number of the company 's films during this period . The dog 's acting , in portraying a range of emotions including " depression " , " groveling pathos " and " joy " , was noted to be superior to the child 's performance . Shep was owned by the film 's director Jack Harvey , but Shep had prior experience working for Vitagraph under Arthur Ashley . While at Vitagraph , Shep received very little coverage and recognition in comparison to Jean , the " Vitagraph Dog " . Evidence suggests that Shep starred in Shep , the Hero . Jack Harvey believed Shep to be almost human , he would direct Shep entirely by voice and would speak to him with " man talk " instead of simple commands . At an unknown , but presumably later date , Shep 's mate of four years , Bessie , became ill and Harvey saw it take a terrible emotional toll on Shep . When Bessie died , Harvey stated it would cause Shep to die of a broken - heart . While A Dog 's Love was released little more than a month before Shep 's death in early November 1914 , two more films had yet to be released . Both The Barrier of Flames and Shep , the Sentinel would be released posthumously . Official musical accompaniment for works of this period were very rare and only one studio , Vitagraph , regularly made suggestions available to exhibitors . Thanhouser 's musical scores were an exception in 1914 , but the scores would only be created for the " Thanhouser Big Productions " such as Joseph in the Land of Egypt . In 1913 and 1914 , cue sheets or musical suggestions could be obtained inexpensively through various industry sources and retained their dominance . Given that these cue sheets were prepared without any specific film in mind , the music would be chosen to match the themes of the film . The film was shot on one reel by the Thanhouser Company , 1 , 007 feet ( 307 m ) in total . It was shot in standard 35mm and a spherical 1 . 37 : 1 format . It was distributed by the Mutual Film Corporation upon release . Release and reception The film was well received by film critics and even the passing mentions in The Moving Picture World remarked that it was a good offering with good photography . Jack Harvey 's debut film as a director was well received by the public due to its " universally appealing " theme . Thanhouser writes that the " loyal dog 's attachment to his little girl playmate is treated with pictorial beauty and simple , honest sentiment " , and notes that when it was released on October 4 , 1914 , reviewers praised the " double - exposure passages for their dramatic effectiveness " . Louis Reeves Harrison of The Moving Picture World ' review of the film stated , " This play becomes one of delicate pathos toward the end through some remarkable feats of double exposure , and it is one of beauty throughout because of the acting of a four - year - old tot , Baby Helen , a veritable star in her class . Shep contributes with exceptional intelligence - he is not eternally looking at his master out of scope for a word of command . ... I do not know what director handled this subject , but I suggest he apply his thought visualizations to the human characters of future stories . It is the exhibition of what passes in the minds and hearts of characters that brings an audience into closer sympathy with them and makes tense interest possible when melodrama merely brings a laugh . The double exposures are timed with such skill in this instance that all concerned in their production deserve high praise . They give beauty and dignity to a very simple story . " Kitty Kelly of the The Chicago Tribune wrote , " Two more attractive artists never collaborated in a single production than this star baby and this star dog . Of them it is impossible to say which is the more so , though one demonstrates the maximum of naturalness while the other is an exponent of the maximum of training . ... As a general thing , I disapprove of the agonies of film mortality and its frequent projection of cemetery scenes , but this is one of the situations that must be handed the label ' exception ' . ... The picture is a miniature masterpiece . " Contained within her review Kelly , also mentioned that baby Helen was placed in front of the camera so that even as she lay " dying " that she was still shown to be breathing . Kelly stated that no person would wish for a person to stop breathing for the sake of the film , but noted that it was not the best point of vision , but noted that the scene was well - managed . In Britain , The Bioscope reviewer agreed with other reviewers in finding the film to be , " ... a perfectly delightful little film . Although it is true that its plot , what there is of it , contains nothing very new , it is not merely a conventional dog and child picture of the ordinary type . It is , rather , an exquisite pictorial fancy , charmingly conceived for the most part and charmingly executed throughout . ... The picture is perfectly done , and not even in the ghost scenes toward the end is there anything banal or insincere in it . A film so full of tender sentiments and natural beauty should meet with the warmest of welcomes everywhere . " Today , copies of the film are in the Museum of Modern Art of New York City and the National Film , Television and Sound Archive of Ottawa film archives . The film was released in Thanhouser Classics Volume II : Under the Mutual Banner 1912 - 1914 . For the release , Andrew Crow composed and performed an original music score .
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2005 FA Cup Final The 2005 FA Cup Final was a football match played between Arsenal and Manchester United on 21 May 2005 at the Millennium Stadium , Cardiff . It was the final match of the 2004 – 05 FA Cup , the 124th season of English football ’ s primary cup competition , the FA Cup . Arsenal became the first team to win the FA Cup via a penalty shoot - out , despite being outplayed throughout the game , after neither side managed to score in the initial 90 minutes or in 30 minutes of extra time . The shoot - out finished 5 – 4 to Arsenal , with Patrick Vieira scoring the winning penalty after Paul Scholes ' shot was saved by Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann . As both teams were in the highest tier of English football , the Premier League , Arsenal and Manchester United entered the competition in the third round . Matches up to the semi - final were contested on a one - off basis , with a replay taking place if the match ended in a draw . Both clubs only needed one replay along the way to the final ; Arsenal 's tie against Sheffield United in the fifth round was decided by a penalty shootout , whereas Manchester United overcame non - league Exeter City in the third round , after the original tie ended goalless . Protests over the impending takeover of Manchester United by American businessman Malcolm Glazer had threatened to overshadow the final , though demonstrations in Cardiff required little intervention from the police . Both managers for the final made surprising changes to their team ; Arsène Wenger unconventionally deployed a defensive formation , while Sir Alex Ferguson left midfielder Ryan Giggs on the bench . Manchester United dominated the match , creating four times as many shots as their opponents , but struggled to find the breakthrough . In extra time , Arsenal 's José Antonio Reyes was sent off for a second bookable offence , becoming only the second player to be sent off in an FA Cup final . The British press unanimously agreed that Arsenal were fortunate to win ; Wenger himself admitted so in his press conference afterwards . A television audience of over 480 million worldwide watched the final ; in the United Kingdom , coverage of the match peaked at 12 . 8 million , making it the highest - rated game in Cup history since the 1996 final . The departures of captains Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane before the year end , coupled with the changing objectives of both clubs , meant the 2005 final is considered as the natural end point in the rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United under Ferguson and Wenger . Route to the final The FA Cup is English football 's primary cup competition . Clubs in the Premier League enter the FA Cup in the third round and are drawn randomly with the remaining clubs . If a match is drawn , the tie is replayed at the ground of the away team from the original match . As with league fixtures , FA Cup matches are subject to change in the event of games being selected for television coverage and this often can be influenced by clashes with other competitions . In September 2004 , it was announced that the Millennium Stadium was chosen as the venue for the semi - finals , in addition to the final . Arsenal Arsenal 's cup run started with a home tie against Stoke City . The visitors took the lead just before the break , but goals from José Antonio Reyes and Robin van Persie in the second half meant Arsenal won 2 – 1 . They then faced Wolverhampton Wanderers at home in the next round ; a goal apiece from Patrick Vieira and Fredrik Ljungberg secured a comfortable 2 – 0 victory . Arsenal 's opponent in the fifth round was Sheffield United . After 35 minutes Dennis Bergkamp was sent off for his apparent push on Danny Cullip . With eleven minutes of normal time remaining , Robert Pirès scored for Arsenal , but the team conceded a late penalty which Andy Gray converted . The equaliser for Sheffield United meant the match was replayed at Bramall Lane on 1 March 2005 . Both teams played out a goalless draw after full - time and throughout extra - time , so the tie was decided by a penalty shootout . Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia saved two penalties , which ensured progress into the quarter - finals . Bolton Wanderers hosted Arsenal at the Reebok Stadium in the sixth round of the competition . Ljungberg scored the only goal of the tie after just three minutes ; he had an opportunity to extend Arsenal 's lead in stoppage time , but hit the ball over from six yards . It was described by BBC Sport as the " most glaring miss of the match , if not the entire season . " Arsenal faced Blackburn Rovers in the semi - final which was played on 16 April 2005 . Two goals from Van Persie and one from Pirès gave Arsenal a 3 – 0 win , in a match marred by Blackburn 's aggressive tactics . Manchester United Manchester United , the holders of the FA Cup , began their defence of the trophy with a home tie against non - league Exeter City . United had made several first team changes and struggled to find a breakthrough in the tie . Even with the second half introductions of Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo , the visitors held on for a goalless draw . The match was replayed at Exeter 's home ground , St James Park on 19 January 2005 . Ronaldo scored the opening goal of the match in the ninth minute and Wayne Rooney added a second , three minutes from normal time . Manchester United 's opponents in the fourth round was Middlesbrough . Rooney scored twice in the team 's 3 – 0 victory – he lobbed the ball over goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer for his first goal and volleyed it for his second . Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren credited Rooney 's performance afterwards and said he made the difference in the tie . Everton hosted Manchester United in the next round at Goodison Park . A goal apiece from Quinton Fortune and Ronaldo in either half ensured a 2 – 0 win . Southampton was Manchester United 's opponent in the sixth round . After two minutes at St Mary 's United took the lead ; a shot by Roy Keane near the penalty area hit Southampton 's Peter Crouch and deflected into the goal . Ronaldo scored United 's second and additional goals from Scholes meant they progressed into the last four of the competition ; the final score was 4 – 0 . In the semi - final Manchester United faced Newcastle United at the Millennium Stadium . They took the lead in the 19th minute when Ruud van Nistelrooy scored , and Scholes extended the team 's advantage just before half time . Van Nistelrooy made it 3 – 0 in the 58th minute , before Shola Ameobi scored what proved a mere consolation a minute later , as Ronaldo added United 's fourth late on . Pre - match The final marked the fifth meeting between the two clubs in the 2004 – 05 season . Despite finishing six points ahead of Manchester United in the league , Arsenal had lost both league fixtures between the clubs , as well as a League Cup fifth - round tie , which was played out by the clubs ' fringe and reserve team players . Arsenal had won the season 's first encounter in the FA Community Shield , also at the Millennium Stadium , by a 3 – 1 scoreline . The clubs had met in an FA Cup final before – in 1979 , when Arsenal won 3 – 2 . Manchester United were appearing in their 17th FA Cup Final , their second in as many years , and had won the FA Cup on 11 of their previous 16 appearances ( including beating <unk> in the 2004 final ) . Two of these victories had yielded a domestic double ( in 1994 and 1996 ) and in 1999 they had won the FA Cup as part of a unique Treble , consisting of the cup , the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League . Arsenal were also appearing in their 17th Cup final – their fourth in five years . They had won the cup nine times previously , most recently in 2003 , when they beat Southampton in the final . Meetings between Arsenal and Manchester United were keenly contested during the 2000s and highly publicised by the media ; the cup final this season had added significance as neither club won the league after a decade of dominance , and it was their only chance of silverware . The emergence of Chelsea , who were crowned league champions in April , had presented a long - term threat to Arsenal and Manchester United 's duopoly on English football , as they were financed by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich . Chelsea were accused of " tapping - up " Arsenal defender Ashley Cole in January , and were linked to Manchester United 's Rio Ferdinand . Wenger welcomed Chelsea 's emergence , describing them as the " third force " in English football , but he raised concerns over their conduct and what he perceived as artificial growth . Asked whether Chelsea could dominate for the foreseeable , Wenger said : " I feel yes , because they are a financially doped club . They have enhancement of performances through financial resources which are unlimited . For me , it 's a kind of doping because it 's not in any way linked to their resources . " Despite the absence of Thierry Henry , ruled out through injury , and Arsenal 's poor recent record against Manchester United , Wenger believed his team were more than capable of winning the match : " What is good in football is that it is not predictable . [ … ] You act now like it is a decade that we haven ’ t beaten Manchester United – it 's not true . It 's two games . " It was reported on the eve of the final that Philippe Senderos would start ahead of first - teamer Sol Campbell . Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson dismissed suggestions that his team had been over physical in previous meetings against Arsenal . Referring back to the league fixture in October 2004 , he told reporters : " We committed three fouls on Reyes , for instance , but that hardly constitutes The Texas Chain Saw Massacre , does it ? There were six by them on Cristiano Ronaldo . " He questioned the character of Arsenal 's players after they lost their unbeaten record , and likened their protest to propaganda , as a way to disguise their crisis – " ... it was convenient for them to say they were kicked off the park . " United had struggled to score goals in the lead up to the final , and Ferguson stressed the importance of his team taking their chances . " Big games are usually decided that way . They are so close so that whoever gets in front has an advantage , " he said . Planned protests The build - up to the final had focused upon many Manchester United fans ' discontent at their takeover by American businessman and sports tycoon Malcolm Glazer , and large demonstrations were planned inside and outside the Millennium Stadium . Despite this , the final was played in the rain and only a small group of around 100 supporters held protests and sang anti - Glazer songs . The police were out in force but did not have any trouble to deal with . Match Team selection Wenger opted for a 4 – 5 – 1 formation , with Bergkamp playing as a lone striker . The absence of Henry also opened a place in midfield for Gilberto Silva , while José Antonio Reyes and Pirès were selected on the wings ahead of Ljungberg and Robin van Persie , who were both named as substitutes . As anticipated , Senderos 's form saw him selected at centre - back ahead of Campbell , despite the England international 's return from injury . Ferguson had a defensive selection dilemma ahead of the final , with both of his starting full - backs , Gabriel Heinze ( ankle ) and Gary Neville ( groin ) , having suffered injuries . Neville eventually recovered enough to make the substitutes ' bench , despite only playing in one of the team 's last five games , but Heinze missed the game entirely , Mikaël Silvestre taking his place at left - back . Neville 's absence meant that John O 'Shea started at right - back . Neville was joined on the bench by winger Ryan Giggs and goalkeeper Tim Howard ; Giggs ' omission was a surprise , and it meant that Darren Fletcher started on the right wing , while Ronaldo played on the left . Howard , on the other hand , had been competing for the number 1 jersey with Roy Carroll all season , and it was ultimately the Northern Irishman who was picked . Roy Keane was appearing in his seventh FA Cup Final having previously played in the 1991 , 1994 , 1995 , 1996 , 1999 and 2004 finals . This was the most number of finals for a player in the post - war period ; by 2010 however , Ashley Cole had reached his eighth final . Summary First half Manchester United kicked the game off , and also fashioned the first chance of the game ; Ronaldo beat Lauren on the left wing to put over a cross , only for Scholes to head the ball over the crossbar after losing his marker . Two minutes later , a break from José Antonio Reyes had Carroll scampering across from his goal to meet the Spaniard , forcing Reyes wide enough to allow the United defence time to get back . Manchester United had the ball in the back of the net on 27 minutes , when Ferdinand turned in the rebound after Jens Lehmann saved from Rooney , but the assistant referee ruled that Ferdinand was offside . After a brief Arsenal attack , Silvestre played a long , diagonal ball to Van Nistelrooy on the right wing . The Dutch forward controlled the ball and then outpaced Cole to the goal line ; he then cut the ball back to Rooney , whose first - time shot was turned over the bar by Lehmann . The consequent corner broke to Rooney on the edge of the penalty area , but his shot was deflected behind for another corner , which Scholes took . The England midfielder floated the ball over to the edge of the penalty area , where Rooney was waiting , only to volley it just over the bar . In the closing stages of the first half , Van Nistelrooy got his first shot on goal , turning Senderos only to send the ball trickling along the floor for Lehmann to save comfortably . The first half finished with a foul on Rooney , who had done well to break free of challenges from Cole , Vieira and Senderos , who eventually brought Rooney down . The English forward took the free kick himself , but it went over the bar to cheers from the Arsenal fans and the sound of the referee 's half - time whistle . Second half Manchester United fashioned the first chance of the second half after just three minutes , when Rooney cut inside from the right along the face of the penalty area , but his left - footed shot was blocked away for a corner kick . Soon after , Van Nistelrooy received the ball on the edge of the penalty area and held it up before playing a through - ball to Keane , but the Irishman 's low cross was diverted behind by Kolo Touré before it reached Rooney . United then had their third chance in the space of five minutes when Ronaldo shot just wide from 25 yards , from the left corner of the penalty area . Throughout the match , Lauren committed several fouls on Ronaldo , and confronted the Portuguese winger early in the second half , before finally being booked for persistent fouling in the 62nd minute . Ronaldo took the free kick himself but put it just over the bar from 30 yards . In the 64th minute , Arsenal were awarded a free kick for an O 'Shea foul on Reyes ; Bergkamp took the kick , which was headed away by Ferdinand , but only as far as Pirès , whose side - footed volley went over the bar . The free kick was to be Bergkamp 's last contribution to the final , as he was then substituted by Ljungberg in the 65th minute . United then went back downfield and Ronaldo took on Lauren , who dared not dive in for a tackle and risk a second yellow card . Ronaldo got past the Cameroonian full - back and then chipped a cross into the penalty area , but Van Nistelrooy was unable to make enough contact with the ball to force his header on target . A minute later , Silvestre found Rooney with another diagonal pass ; Rooney attempted to drive in a low cross , but it ended up heading towards goal and came back off the foot of the post . Fletcher was first to the ball but he fired a shot across the face of the goal and out for a goal kick . With their very next attack , United sent Ronaldo away down the left wing again ; he sent over another cross , but it was again too far in front of Van Nistelrooy . Reyes received his first yellow card in the 76th minute , when he was late in tackling Silvestre after the French defender had played a backpass to Carroll . The break in play allowed Manchester United to make their first substitution , bringing on Fortune for O 'Shea , who appeared to be struggling with a calf injury . With six minutes left in normal time , United won a corner on the left hand side , which Ronaldo played short to Scholes . Scholes returned the ball to Ronaldo , who crossed it into the penalty area , where Keane was unmarked at the back post . The ball eventually broke to the United captain , who shot , only to see four Arsenal players between him and the goal , ready to block his effort behind for another corner . Lehmann came to meet the second corner kick , but missed the ball , allowing it to go all the way through to Van Nistelrooy ; the Dutchman headed the ball goalwards , but Ljungberg was on the line and headed it up onto the crossbar and away . Arsenal then made their second substitution , bringing on Van Persie in place of Cesc Fàbregas . As the match entered injury time at the end of the second half , Ronaldo made yet another run down the left wing , outpacing Lauren to Rooney 's through - ball . The ball broke back to Rooney 30 yards from goal , but his shot went over the bar . The second half finished with a Wes Brown cross from the right wing that made its way across the penalty area to Ronaldo , but the Portuguese could only head the ball straight at Lehmann . Extra time Manchester United brought Giggs on at the start of extra time , the Welshman taking Fletcher 's place in the midfield . They immediately tried to play him in down the left wing , but the pass was over - hit and went beyond Giggs . Arsenal finally got their first shot on target in the seventh minute of extra time , when a Van Persie free kick – awarded for a foul by Silvestre – forced a diving save from Carroll . Four minutes later , Manchester United appealed for a penalty kick when a cross from Giggs struck Cole , but replays showed that the ball hit the Arsenal full - back in the midriff . United sustained their attack , and the ball came to Scholes in the penalty area , but his shot on the turn was well saved by Lehmann . The resultant corner was taken short by Scholes , before it was played back to him ; his cross found Van Nistelrooy unmarked in the area , but the Dutchman headed over the bar from the edge of the goal area . United then had another penalty shout when Giggs volleyed a long ball from Scholes into Touré 's body and up onto the Ivorian 's hand , but referee Rob Styles turned their claims down . Arsenal then brought on Edu to replace Pirès for the remaining 15 minutes . The second half of extra time began with yet another chance for Manchester United , this time constructed from a Giggs break down the left wing , but Van Nistelrooy failed in his attempt to back - heel Giggs ' cross into the goal and the opportunity was wasted . Five minutes into the second half , Reyes committed another late tackle on Silvestre , for which he received a final warning from referee Styles . Reyes himself was then the victim of a late tackle by Scholes , who was shown a yellow card . The match threatened to descend into a mass brawl soon after , when Fortune caught Ljungberg in the face with a flailing arm and then committed a high tackle on Edu , provoking a reaction from the Arsenal players . A shoulder - charge by Rooney on Cole resulted in an Arsenal free kick on the left wing ; Van Persie swung the ball over and it was only cleared as far as Ljungberg , but the Swede struck a shot with his shin and the ball spun wide . With a couple of minutes left in the extra period , Manchester United won a free kick on the left corner of the Arsenal penalty area when Vieira lazily tripped Ronaldo and received a booking , but Giggs ' cross from the free kick was headed away . Meanwhile , Manchester United 's substitute goalkeeper , Howard , was seen warming up behind the goal , suggesting that he was preparing to come on for Carroll in the event of a penalty shootout ; however , no substitution was made . The referee added two minutes of injury time at the end of extra time , during which time Manchester United won another free kick , but Scholes ' shot was straight at the Arsenal defensive wall . Then , with just seconds left in regulation time , Ronaldo made a break towards the Arsenal half , only to be cynically body - checked by Reyes . Referee Styles made no hesitation and showed Reyes a second yellow card , making the Spaniard the second player to be sent off in an FA Cup Final , after Manchester United 's Kevin Moran in 1985 . The full - time whistle went immediately after Reyes ' dismissal , and the match finished at 0 – 0 , making it the first FA Cup Final to result in a penalty shootout . Penalty shootout Van Nistelrooy took the first penalty for Manchester United , in front of the United fans , and sent Lehmann the wrong way to give United the early advantage . Lauren then converted the next penalty for Arsenal , before Scholes stepped up to take United 's second , only to see it saved by Lehmann , diving low to his right . The next six penalties were all scored – Ljungberg , Van Persie and Cole for Arsenal , Ronaldo , Rooney and Keane for Manchester United – leaving Vieira with the opportunity to win the FA Cup for his team . Although Carroll guessed the correct way to dive , Vieira 's kick was just out of his reach , giving Arsenal their 10th FA Cup . Match details Statistics Post - match As the Arsenal players ran towards Vieira and Lehmann to celebrate , Ferguson and Keane were seen consoling various players and staff members . Mark Lawrenson , the BBC 's co - commentator for the final , summarised to his counterpart John <unk> : " Well , we must congratulate Arsenal on the way they took the penalties – they were excellent [ ... ] But I have to say over the course of the 120 minutes , Manchester United have been mugged . " Wenger conceded his opponents were the better side , but praised his team 's resolve , telling reporters : " It was important to score the first goal and with neither team scoring it remained tight for a long , long period . There were some times in the second half when we were a bit lucky but we defended very well and to keep a clean sheet is good . " He admitted his players had practiced taking penalties , but was quick to point out " you don 't score because of the practising – keeping your nerve is more important . " Lehmann , who had been side - lined by Wenger during the course of the season , credited his teammates for scoring all five penalties , and described it as a " big mental achievement . " Cole called Arsenal 's win a " … great team performance , we didn 't have too many chances but we defended really well and battled really hard . " Henry , who sat out the final due to injury expressed sympathy for Manchester United , and recollected a similar experience from his early Arsenal career : " I know how they feel because we lost against Liverpool and did not deserve to lose . If your name is on the cup you win it . " Ferguson was proud of his team 's performance , but admitted their failure throughout the season to convert chances into goals , had cost them once more . Of the game , he continued : " In cup football , you need a break and we didn 't get one . We 've had luck in the past , so you understand it can happen . It 's not a nice experience but it 's one you have to accept . " Ferguson criticised the referee for failing to send Vieira off during extra - time as he fouled Rooney , and labelled Arsenal as " boring " for deploying negative tactics . Keane , like his manager , rued the missed opportunities and said it was a small consolation : " We dominated but I 'm sure the Arsenal players won 't be too bothered about that – they 've got the winners ' medals and the cup and we haven 't . " Writing for The Daily Telegraph , pundit Alan Hansen felt the ease in which Manchester United dominated the final and Arsenal 's inability to vary tactics highlighted why Wenger needed to make changes in the close season . Hansen agreed with Ferguson that United 's lack of goal threat cost them on the day , but felt their future was rosier than Arsenal 's . Nonetheless , he was of the opinion that Chelsea manager José Mourinho had little to be concerned about , concluding his piece with the sentence : " A London club did come away from Cardiff as big winners but it was not Arsenal , it was Chelsea . " In the same newspaper , Paul Hayward praised the performances of Rooney and Ronaldo – " surely the best one - club pairing of under - 21s in world football , " while ex - Arsenal player Alan Smith noted his former club 's win demonstrated how Wenger " for the first time , practically , in his nine - year Highbury tenure , had set up his side with the opposition in mind . " Capturing United 's sombre mood , The Times football correspondent Matt Dickinson wrote : " The black shirts turned out not to be in protest at Glazer but a reflection of their mood after the first FA Cup Final to be decided by a penalty shoot - out . " The match was broadcast live in the United Kingdom by both the BBC and Sky Sports , with BBC One providing the free - to - air coverage and Sky Sports 1 being the pay - TV alternative . BBC One held the majority of the viewership , with a peak audience of 12 . 8 million ( 67 . 1 % viewing share ) , which made it the most - watched final in nine years . The match itself was watched by 10 million viewers ( 61 % ) , and coverage of the final averaged at 7 . 3 million ( 50 . 5 % ) . Viewing figures compiled by The Guardian showed the BBC 's coverage was second only to ITV 's broadcast of the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final between Liverpool and A.C. Milan , which amassed 13 . 9 million viewers . Global audience figures for the 2005 FA Cup Final totalled 484 million . Aftermath and legacy The 2005 final was Vieira 's last match as an Arsenal player ; he joined Juventus in the close season for a combined total fee of € 20 million . Wenger 's decision to sell his captain was made so the team could benefit from Fàbregas , who broke into the first eleven during the season . In later years , Wenger deviated from his usual counter - attacking style , and imposed a fluent system , with less emphasis on physicality . The immediate seasons after Arsenal relocated to the Emirates Stadium in 2006 saw Wenger sell several experienced players , and integrate more young talent , as a means of fostering an identity with the club . Financing for the stadium however meant Arsenal prioritised its expenditure instead of the squad and trophies . Though Wenger managed to solidify the club ’ s position in the Premier League 's top four and secure the necessary funds to pay back its debtors , the 2005 Cup win represented Arsenal 's last silverware for nine years . In 2014 , he led Arsenal to a record - equalling 11th FA Cup , and became the successful manager in the competition 's history a year later , as his side beat Aston Villa . Like Arsenal , Manchester United endured a period of transition after the final . The Glazer 's takeover of the club resulted in disaffected fans setting up F.C. United of Manchester , which , as of 2016 , has become the largest supporter - owned football club in the United Kingdom . On the pitch , Manchester United began the 2005 – 06 season poorly ; they were eliminated in the group stages of the Champions League and the manager was booed at home after United lost to Blackburn Rovers . Journalist Henry Winter in December 2005 opined that Ferguson needed to resign , writing in his column : " Under Ferguson , United became football 's answer to the Magic Circle . But the magic now drains away and so , next summer , must Ferguson . " He stayed , however , and having already called time on Keane 's career at United , he began reinvigorating his squad , by signing defenders Nemanja Vidić and Patrice Evra . United returned to the Millennium Stadium eight months after the FA Cup loss , and beat Wigan Athletic to win the 2006 Football League Cup Final . Ferguson guided his team to their first League title in four years the following season , after stern competition from Chelsea , and won a further nine competitive honours until his retirement in 2013 . Kevin McCarra regards the final as a turning point in the rivalry between the two clubs : " ... Arsenal and United , who could barely be prised apart in 2005 , have since gone their separate ways . The signs of divergence were already apparent that afternoon . " The match is considered an example of Wenger setting his team up pragmatically and going against his ideals . Having later asserted he would never use the 4 – 5 – 1 system again , Wenger adopted the formation for Champions League matches and his approach resulted in Arsenal reaching the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final .
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Saw II Saw II is a 2005 American horror film , a sequel to 2004 's Saw and the second installment in the seven - part Saw franchise , directed and co - written by Darren Lynn Bousman . Co - written with series creator Leigh Whannell , it stars Donnie Wahlberg , Franky G , Glenn Plummer , Beverley Mitchell , Dina Meyer , Emmanuelle Vaugier , Erik Knudsen , Shawnee Smith and Tobin Bell . The film features Jigsaw being apprehended by the police , but trapping the arresting officer in one of his own games while showing another game of eight people — including the officer 's son — in progress on TV monitors at another location . It also explores some of John Kramer 's backstory , providing a partial explanation of his reason for becoming Jigsaw . After the financial success of Saw , a sequel was immediately green - lit . Leigh Whannell and James Wan were busy preparing for their next film and were unable to write or direct . Bousman wrote a script called " The Desperate " before Saw was released and was looking for a producer but many studios rejected it . Hoffman received the script and showed it to his partners Mark Burg and Oren Koules . It was decided that , with some changes , it could be made into Saw II . Whannell became available to provide rewrites of the script . The film was given a larger budget and was shot from May to June 2005 in Toronto . Saw II was released on October 28 , 2005 and , despite mixed reviews from critics , was a financial success , with opening takings of $ 31 . 9 million and grossing $ 88 million in the United States and Canada . It has remained the highest grossing Saw film in those countries . Bell was nominated for " Best Villain " at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards for his role as Jigsaw in the film . Saw II was released to DVD on February 14 , 2006 and topped charts its first week , selling more than 3 million units . At the time , it was the fastest - selling theatrical DVD in Lionsgate 's history . Plot As police investigate the scene of a Jigsaw " game " , in which an informant named Michael Marks was killed by a spike - filled mask locked to his neck , Detective Allison Kerry finds a message for her former partner and lover , Eric Matthews , and calls him in . Despite not wanting to be involved with the case , already dealing with a divorce and estrangement from his son Daniel , Eric reluctantly joins Kerry and Sergeant Rigg in leading a SWAT team to the factory which produced the lock from Marks ' trap . There they find and apprehend John Kramer , the Jigsaw Killer , who is weak from cancer . He indicates several computer monitors showing eight people trapped in a house ; among them are Amanda Young , the only known survivor , and Daniel . A nerve agent filling the house will kill them within two hours , but Kramer assures Eric that following his own game , simply sitting and chatting with Kramer , will see Daniel returned to him unharmed . At Kerry 's urging , Eric agrees in order to buy time for the tech team to arrive and trace the video signal . The victims are informed by microcassette recorder that antidotes are hidden throughout the house ; one is in the room 's safe , and a cryptic clue is provided . Xavier ignores a warning note and uses a key on the door , which fires a bullet through the peephole and kills Gus . They search the house for more antidotes after the room lets them out , with no success : Obi , who is revealed by tape to have helped with the abductions , is burned alive in a furnace trap which contained two antidotes ; Xavier throws Amanda into a syringe - filled pit intended for himself , and though she is able to retrieve the key , he is unable to unlock the steel door behind which the antidote sits before the timer expires . Throughout the game , they discuss connections between them and determine that each has been jailed before ; the sole exception is Daniel , who has nonetheless been arrested before . Meanwhile , Kramer passes the time with both idle and cryptic chat , eventually telling Eric that his survival of a suicide attempt after his diagnosis is the true reason for his games . With the little time left to him , he wants to inspire in others the new appreciation for life he had found . Eric , not interested in any of this , runs out of patience and returns to the monitors . He destroys several of Kramer 's documents and sketches at Kerry 's suggestion , but fails to provoke Kramer . As the tech team arrives , Kramer reveals the connection between the victims : Eric has framed all of them for various crimes , and Daniel will be in danger if his identity is discovered . Having left the others , Xavier returns to the safe room and finds a colored number on Gus ' neck . He kills Jonas , who followed him to the room , and begins hunting the others . Laura succumbs to the nerve agent after finding the clue revealing Daniel 's identity . Addison and Amanda abandon him , but Amanda returns after finding Jonas ' body . Addison finds a glass box housing an antidote , but her arms become trapped in the bladed arm holes , and Xavier leaves her to die after reading her number . Amanda and Daniel find a tunnel in the safe room which leads to a dilapidated bathroom with two rotting corpses . Daniel collapses inside just before Xavier finds them . Amanda notes that he can 't read his own number , and he cuts the skin from his neck . As he approaches , Daniel , who feigned his collapse , jumps up and slashes his neck with a hacksaw , killing him . Having seen Xavier chasing his son , Eric brutally assaults Kramer and forces him to lead Eric to the house . Kramer 's sitting area is revealed to be a lift , which they use to leave the factory . The tech team tracks the video 's source and Rigg leads his team to a house , where they find VCRs playing previously recorded images . As Kerry realizes the game took place before they found Kramer , the timer expires and a large safe opens , revealing Daniel bound and breathing into an oxygen mask . Eric enters the house alone and eventually locates the bathroom , where he is attacked by a pig - masked figure . He awakens shackled at the ankle to a pipe ; a tape recorder left by Amanda reveals that she intends to continue Kramer 's work after he dies . Amanda appears in the doorway and seals the door , leaving Eric to die . Outside , Kramer hears Eric 's screams and slowly smiles . Cast Donnie Wahlberg as Detective Eric Matthews Tobin Bell as John Kramer Shawnee Smith as Amanda Young Erik Knudsen as Daniel Matthews Franky G as Xavier Chavez Emmanuelle Vaugier as Addison Corday Dina Meyer as Detective Allison Kerry Beverley Mitchell as Laura Hunter Glenn Plummer as Jonas Singer <unk> Bent as Lieutenant Daniel Rigg Timothy Burd as Obi Tate Tony <unk> as Gus <unk> Noam Jenkins as Michael Marks Production Development and writing Saw II was immediately green - lit after Saw 's successful opening weekend a year earlier . Producers needed a script for a sequel but James Wan and Leigh Whannell , director and writer of Saw , were working on Universal Pictures 's Dead Silence . Music video director Darren Lynn Bousman had just completed a script for his first film The Desperate , and was trying to sell it to studios but was getting reactions that the script was very similar to Saw . A German studio eventually approached him with an offer to produce the film for $ 1 million . Just as they were looking for a cinematographer , the American cinematographer David A. Armstrong , who had worked on Saw , arrived on the scene and suggested showing the script to Saw producer Gregg Hoffman . Hoffman read the script and called Bousman wanting to produce " The Desperate " . After Hoffman showed the script to his partners Mark Burg and Oren Koules , the two decided that " The Desperate " was the starting script they needed for Saw II and two months later , Bousman was flown to Toronto to direct . Whannell polished the script , with input from Wan , in order to bring it into the Saw universe , but kept the characters , traps and deaths from " The Desperate " script . Bousman said , " But you could read the script for " The Desperate " and watch Saw II , and you would not be able to draw a comparison " . Wan and Whannell also served as executive producers . All the previous film 's crew members returned : editor Kevin Greutert , cinematographer Armstrong , and composer Charlie Clouser . This was to be Hoffman 's last film . He died unexpectedly on December 4 , 2005 . Only those key cast and crew members who were involved in the film 's ending were given the full script ; the rest received only the first 88 pages . If a particular page was rewritten , the old page was shredded . Members were also required to sign confidentiality agreements requiring them not to release any plot details . Reportedly , " four or five " alternate endings were shot in order to keep the ending a surprise . Bousman gave the actors freedom to change dialogue in the script . He said that 95 % of the time , the actors went by the script , with about 5 % being adlibs , which he said " made all of the difference in the world " . Hoffman said in an interview with Fangoria that they listened to fans ' suggestions . For instance , instead of only showing the aftermath of a character violently dying in a flashback , they would allow it to unfold as it happened . This was in contrast to Saw , in which most of the violence was implied off - screen . Filming and post - production Saw II was given a larger production budget of $ 4 million , compared to Saw 's budget of a little over $ 1 million . The marketing budget was an additional $ 2 million . The first shot , which involved shooting police cars and a SWAT van driving around the industrial docklands outside the soundstage , was filmed on April 29 , 2005 in Toronto . After two months of pre - production , principal photography took place over 25 days at Toronto 's Cinespace Film Studios from May 2 , 2005 to June 6 , 2005 . The ending was filmed on May 25 and 26 . The music and sound was recorded in July and Saw II was locked on July 16 . It was completely finished by September 9 . Visual effects were performed by <unk> Digital Pictures and post - production services were provided by Deluxe . Trap designs David Hackl , the film 's production designer , took three weeks to construct 27 sets on a single sound stage . The puppet Billy , used in the series to give instructions to Jigsaw 's victims , was originally created by Wan out of paper towel rolls and papier - mâché . Given the larger budget for the sequel , Billy was upgraded with remote - controlled eyes and a servo - driven mouth . In one trap , " The Needle Room " , Smith 's character Amanda is thrown into a pit of needles to find a key . In order for this to be done safely , four people , over a period of four days , removed the needle tips from syringes and replaced them with fiber optic tips . They modified a total of 120 , 000 fake needles . However , this number was insufficient and the pit had to be filled with styrofoam and other materials to make it appear to have more needles . The needles that were apparently stuck into Smith were actually blunted syringes stuck into padding under her clothing . For certain shots , a fake arm was used . Bousman came up with an idea whereby a character 's hands would get stuck in some sort of vessel and this resulted in the " Hand Trap " . It proved to be a challenge but after much discussion , Hackl , property master Jim Murray and art director Michele Brady came up with a suitable design . They arranged a glass box suspended by chains from the ceiling which contained a hypodermic needle with the antidote and which had two hand - holes on the underside . As soon as Vaugier 's character Addison put her hands into the holes razor blades would close in on her hands and any attempt to withdraw from the trap would cause her to bleed to death . In order for the trap to be used safely , the prop builders made the handcuffs move inside the box and fake blades that would retract from the actress 's hands , thus allowing her to slide her hands out . Hackl subsequently commented that the character did not have to put her hands into the trap as there was a lock with a key on the other side box that would have opened the contraption . The original idea for the " Furnace Trap " came from the house having been a crematorium at some point , but this would have involved turning the house into a funeral parlor , so it was instead decided that the furnace would be part of the house 's boiler system . The furnace was visualized in the form of a computer model so that Bousman could better understand how shots could be filmed . Using the computer model as a guide , the furnace was constructed in three days using cement board and tin with removable sides and top so Timothy Burd ( Obi ) could be filmed crawling inside . The furnace produced real flames and , in place of Burd , a stunt man using a fire - retardant gel crawled into the fire . Release Saw II was released in New Zealand , the United States , and the United Kingdom on October 28 , 2005 ; and November 17 , 2005 in Australia . The original teaser poster showing two bloody , severed fingers was rejected by the Motion Picture Association of America . Since the poster was already released and managed to " slip by " the MPAA , they issued a release stating the poster was not approved and was unacceptable ; Lionsgate removed the poster from their websites . The image was used instead for the film 's soundtrack cover . Lionsgate held the second annual " Give Til It Hurts " blood drive for the Red Cross and collected 10 , 154 pints of blood . Soundtrack The Saw II soundtrack was released on October 25 , 2005 by Image Entertainment . The video for " Forget to Remember " was also directed by Bousman . Home media Saw II was released on DVD , VHS , and Universal Media Disc on February 14 , 2006 through Lionsgate Home Entertainment . The DVD debuted as number one selling 2 . 5 million units in its first day . It went on to sell 3 . 9 million units its first week , becoming the fastest selling theatrical DVD in Lionsgate 's history . On October 24 , 2006 , an Unrated Special Edition was released , while an Unrated Blu - ray edition was also released with various special features on January 23 , 2007 . Reception Box office Saw II opened with $ 31 . 7 million on 3 , 879 screens across 2 , 949 theaters . The three - day Halloween opening weekend set a Lionsgate record . It became at the time , the widest release for Lionsgate and one of the best opening weekends for a horror sequel . For its second weekend it fell 47 % making $ 16 . 9 million . The film was closed out of theaters on January 5 , 2006 after 70 days of release . Saw II opened in the United Kingdom with $ 3 . 8 million on 305 screens , 70 % larger than the first instalment . It opened in Japan on 67 screens with $ 750 , 000 . Opening to $ 1 . 3 million on 173 screens it was the number one film in Australia . The film grossed $ 87 million in the United States and Canada and $ 60 . 7 million in other markets for a worldwide total of $ 147 . 7 million . The film is the highest - grossing film of the Saw series and Lionsgate 's fourth highest - grossing film in the United States and Canada . According to CinemaScore polls , 53 % of the audience were males under 25 years of age . The poll also indicated that 65 % of the audience were familiar with the first film . Critical reviews The film received generally mixed reviews from critics , who praised the acting , particularly the performances of Bell and Wahlberg , while criticizing the gruesome nature of the story . Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 36 % of 117 critics have given the film a positive review , with a rating average of 4 . 6 out of 10 . The site 's consensus was , " Saw II is likely to please the gore - happy fans of the original , though it may be too gruesome for those not familiar with first film 's premise " . Metacritic , which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics , gives the film a score of 40 based on 28 reviews . Robert Koehler of Variety gave the film a negative review , saying " cooking up new Rube Goldberg torture contraptions isn 't enough to get Saw II out of the shadow of its unnerving predecessor " . Gregory Kirschling of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B minus , saying " Saw II is just barely a better B flick than Saw " and that both films are " more clever and revolting than they are actually chilling " . He praised Bell 's performance as Jigsaw , saying " As the droopy - lidded maniac in the flesh , Tobin Bell is , for all the film 's <unk> , Saw II 's <unk> horror , a Terence Stamp look - alike who calls to mind a seedy General Zod lazily overseeing the universe from his evildoer 's lair " . He ended his review : " Where Saw II lags behind in Saw 's novelty , it takes the lead with its smoother landing , which is again primed to blow the movie wide open , but manages a more compelling job of it than the original 's cheat finish " . Kevin Crust of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a positive review , calling Saw II a " worthy follow - up to its grisly predecessor " . He said the story was " much more focused on an endgame than the original film . There are fewer credibility gaps and there are plenty of reversals to satisfy fans " . He criticized the use of numerous flashbacks , saying that it " rob [ s ] us of the pleasure of actually remembering for ourselves " . Laura Kern , writing for The New York Times , gave it a mixed review , saying that Bousman " delivers similar hard - core , practically humorless <unk> and hair - raising tension , but only after getting past a shaky beginning that plays more like a forensics - themed television show than a scary movie " and called Greutert 's editing " crafty " . She called the sequel " more trick than treat " and that it " doesn 't really compare to its fine predecessor - though it still manages to be eye - opening ( and sometimes positively nauseating ) in itself " . Empire 's Kim Newman gave the film three out of five stars . He said that the film improves upon Saw 's " perverse fascination with Seven - style murders and brutally violent puzzles " and that Jigsaw 's intellectual games make " Hannibal Lecter look like the compiler of The Sun 's quick crossword " . He ended his reviews saying , " Morally dubious it may be , but this gory melange of torture , terror and darkly humorous depravity appeals to the sick puppy within us all " . Accolades Tobin Bell was nominated for " Best Villain " at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards for his role as Jigsaw , though the award went to Hayden Christensen for his role as Darth Vader in Star Wars : Episode III – Revenge of the Sith .
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Alex Raymond Alexander Gillespie " Alex " Raymond ( October 2 , 1909 – September 6 , 1956 ) was an American cartoonist , best known for creating Flash Gordon for King Features in 1934 . The strip was subsequently adapted into many other media , from a series of movie serials ( 1936 – 1940 ) to a 1970s television series and a 1980 film . Raymond 's father encouraged his love of drawing from an early age , leading him to become an assistant illustrator in the early 1930s on strips such as Tillie the Toiler and Tim Tyler 's Luck . Towards the end of 1933 , Raymond created the epic Flash Gordon science - fiction comic strip to compete with the popular Buck Rogers comic strip and , before long , Flash was the more popular strip of the two . Raymond also worked on the jungle adventure saga Jungle Jim and spy adventure Secret Agent X - 9 concurrently with Flash , though his increasing workload caused him to leave Secret Agent X - 9 to another artist by 1935 . He left the strips in 1944 to join the Marines , saw combat in the Pacific Ocean theater in 1945 and was demobilized in 1946 . Upon his return from serving during World War II , Raymond created and illustrated the much - heralded Rip Kirby , a private detective comic strip . In 1956 , Raymond was killed in a car crash at the age of 46 ; he was survived by his wife and five children . He became known as " the artist 's artist " and his much - imitated style can be seen on the many strips he illustrated . Raymond worked from live models furnished by Manhattan 's Walter Thornton Agency , as indicated in " Modern Jules Verne , " a profile of Raymond published in the Dell Four - Color Flash Gordon # 10 ( 1942 ) , showing how Thornton model Patricia Quinn posed as a character in the strip . Numerous artists have cited Raymond as an inspiration for their work , including comic artists Jack Kirby , Bob Kane , Russ Manning , and Al Williamson . George Lucas cited Raymond as a major influence for Star Wars . He was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1996 . Maurice Horn stated that Raymond unquestionably possessed " the most versatile talent " of all the comic strip creators . He has also described his style as " precise , clear , and incisive . " Carl Barks described Raymond as a man " who could combine craftsmanship with emotions and all the gimmicks that went into a good adventure strip . " Raymond 's influence on other cartoonists was considerable during his lifetime and did not diminish after his death . Biography Early life and career Raymond was born in New Rochelle , New York , the son of Beatrice <unk> ( née Crossley ) and Alexander Gillespie Raymond . Alex was Roman Catholic . His father was a civil engineer and road builder who encouraged his son 's love of drawing from an early age , even " covering one wall of his office in the Woolworth Building " with his young son 's work . After the death of his father when he was 12 , he felt that perhaps there was not as viable a future in art as he had hoped and attended Iona Prep on an athletic scholarship . Raymond 's first job was as " an order clerk in Wall Street " . In the wake of the 1929 economic crisis , he " enrolled in the Grand Central School of Art in New York City " and began working as a solicitor for a mortgage broker . Approaching former neighbor Russ Westover , Raymond soon quit his job and by 1930 was assisting on Westover 's Tillie the Toiler , through which Raymond was " introduced to [ the ] King Features Syndicate " , where he became a staff artist and for which he would produce his greatest work . Raymond was influenced by a variety of strip cartoonists and magazine illustrators , including Matt Clark , Franklin Booth and John La Gatta . From late 1931 to 1933 , Raymond assisted Lyman Young on Tim Tyler 's Luck , eventually becoming the ghost artist in " 1932 and 1933 ... [ on ] both the daily strip and the Sunday page " , turning it " into one of the most eye - catching strips of the time " . Concurrently , Raymond assisted Chic Young on Blondie . In 1933 , King Features assigned him to do the art for an espionage action - adventure strip , Secret Agent X - 9 , scripted by novelist Dashiell Hammett , and Raymond 's illustrative approach to that strip made him King Features ' leading talent . Flash Gordon , Jungle Jim and Secret Agent X - 9 Towards the end of 1933 , King Features asked him to create a Sunday page that could compete with Buck Rogers in the 25th Century , a popular science - fiction adventure strip that had debuted in 1929 and already spawned the rival Brick Bradford in 1933 . According to King Features , syndicate president Joe Connolly " gave Raymond an idea ... based on fantastic adventures similar to those of Jules Verne " . Alongside ghostwriter Don Moore , a pulp - fiction veteran , Raymond created the visually sumptuous science - fiction epic comic strip Flash Gordon . The duo also created the " complementary strip , Jungle Jim , an adventurous saga set in South - East Asia " , a topper which ran above Flash in some papers Raymond was concurrently illustrating Secret Agent X - 9 , which premiered January 22 , 1934 , two weeks after the two other strips . It was Flash Gordon that would outlast the others , quickly " develop [ ing ] an audience far surpassing " that of Buck Rogers . Flash Gordon , wrote Stephen Becker , " was wittier and moved faster , " so " Buck 's position as America 's favorite sci - fi hero " , wrote historian Bill Crouch , Jr . , " went down in flames to the artistic lash and spectacle of Alex Raymond 's virtuoso artwork . " Alex Raymond has stated , " I decided honestly that comic art is an art form in itself . It reflects the life and times more accurately and actually is more artistic than magazine illustration — since it is entirely creative . An illustrator works with camera and models ; a comic artist begins with a white sheet of paper and dreams up his own business — he is playwright , director , editor and artist at once . " A. E. Mendez has also stated that " Raymond ’ s achievements are chopped into bite - sized pieces by the comic art cognoscenti . Lost in the worthwhile effort to distinguish comics as an art form , the romance , sweep and beauty of Raymond 's draftsmanship , his incomparable line work , is dismissed . To many , it 's just pretty pictures . Somehow or another , it 's OK for people like Caniff and Eisner to borrow from film . That ’ s real storytelling . But for Raymond to study illustrators , well , that 's just not comics . " Debuting on January 7 , 1934 , Raymond 's first Flash strip introduced the " world - famous polo player " , improbably roped into a space adventure alongside love - interest Dale Arden and scientist Dr. Hans Zarkov . Transported by rocket to the planet Mongo , " which was about to collide with Earth " , the trio " immediately became embroiled in the affairs of Mongo 's inhabitants — particularly those of its insidious warlord , Ming " , who would become Flash Gordon 's nemesis throughout the franchise 's many incarnations . Early in 1935 , Hammett decided to depart as writer of Secret Agent X - 9 in order to pursue a career in Hollywood . While it has been presumed that Raymond took on the writing duties of the strip until a replacement could be found , biographer Tom Roberts instead believes that the strip was written by committee during editorial conference , a view R. C. Harvey believes is supported by the strips themselves . Saint author Leslie Charteris was hired to take over the writing of the strip in September 1935 , but the pair would only collaborate on one storyline . By the end of 1935 , " the [ work ] load was too much for Raymond , " who left Secret Agent X - 9 to artist Charles Flanders , in order to devote more time to his meticulous Sunday pages . Raymond 's work on X - 9 is said to particularly reach for " the feel of the best pulp interior art of the time , " a style that would evolve with his own so - called " great flourishes " and " later blossom to full effect in Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim " . " Under his pen , " writes Maurice Horn , his Sunday pages " became world famous ( especially Flash Gordon ) . " However , historian and critic R.C. Harvey argues that " despite Raymond 's great talent as an illustrator , his deployment of the comic - strip medium ( on X - 9 ) was not very impressive . " Harvey feels that Raymond 's work suffers in comparison to Milton Caniff 's contemporaneous work , with Raymond 's failings as a visual storyteller less noticeable on a weekly Sunday strip , where the space afforded played to his skills as an illustrator . Raymond 's sensual artwork — for which the artist particularly " studied popular illustrators , " including pulp artist Matt Clark , whose work Raymond 's male figures particularly evoke — outshone its borders and " attracted far more loyal readers than ... [ the ] rather contrived and unconvincing adventure stories " his work depicted . Raymond swiftly became " among the most highly - regarded — and most imitated — in all of comics " for his work on the weekly strip , with Harvey declaring his work on the strip " a technical virtuosity matched on the comics pages only by Harold Foster in Prince Valiant . " Raymond evolved the layout of the strip from a four - tier strip in 1934 to a two - tier strip in 1936 , reducing the number of panels but doubling their size . Combining this with a removal of dialogue from speech balloons to captions at the bottom of the panel afforded Raymond the space to create detailed and atmospheric backgrounds . Against these spacious backgrounds , the placement of characters in heroic pose " lent the entire enterprise a mythic air . " Flash Gordon gained a daily strip in 1940 , illustrated by Austin Briggs . Raymond left the Sunday strip in 1944 to join the Marines , whereupon the daily strip was cancelled and Briggs assumed Sunday duties , continuing until 1948 . Briggs was succeeded on the Sundays by Emanuel " Mac " Raboy , while the daily strip was revised in 1951 by Dan Barry . Barry also took over Sunday duties after Raboy 's death in 1967 . Run above Flash Gordon , Raymond 's Jungle Jim is described by Armando Mendez as " a thing of beauty ... always more than just a topper or a shallow response to Hal Foster 's exquisite Tarzan " . The companion strip evolved over time , morphing from an initial " two tiers and up to six panels [ layout ] , with speech balloons " into " a single row , of four very tall panels with declamatory text and static , vertical composition " . Raymond 's skill and artistic dexterity , however , kept the storytelling constant and the artwork vibrant . Jungle Jim was " set in contemporary times and the exotic Malay peninsula of islands , [ but ] was intended to hark back to the original tales of Kipling , Haggard and Burroughs " . Military career Raymond took the war in Europe seriously enough to incorporate it into his strips , with Flash returning to Earth in the Spring of 1941 . Jungle Jim found himself involved in the conflict too , fighting in the U.S. Army . Raymond was becoming " restive about doing his duty " , a restlessness increased by the knowledge that four of his five brothers were already enlisted . In February 1944 , Raymond left King Features and his work on the Sunday Flash Gordon / Jungle Jim pages to join the US Marines , commissioned as a captain and serving in the public - relations arm . Raymond is quoted as stating " I just had to get into this fight ... I 've always been the kind of guy who gets a lump in his throat when a band plays the ' Star Spangled Banner ' " . Shortly thereafter , he " was sent to Quantico for training in the curriculum of the Aviation Ground Officer 's School , " and was soon producing " posters and patriotic images from a government office in Philadelphia . " His most famous image from this time is " Marines at Prayer , " which " was destined to become a well - known and well - circulated image of Marines on a battlefield pausing for worship . " Raymond also " designed the official 1944 Marine Corps Christmas card . " Desiring " to get closer to the action , " he then trained at the Marine Corps Air Station in Santa Barbara before serving in the Pacific Ocean theater " on the 1945 cruise of the escort carrier USS Gilbert Islands . " Treated by his fellow marines ( who had been raised on Flash Gordon ) as a celebrity , he was nonetheless seen as " a down - to - earth fellow , " and well liked . He saw " a period of intense combat in June 1945 , " and was " made an honorary member of <unk> - 143 in August 1945 . " Raymond had , in May 1945 , designed a squadron patch for the men of <unk> - 143 , after which the " squadron adopted the new name ' The Rocket Raiders ' . " He was demobilized as a Major in 1946 . Upon his return , Raymond was unable to return to Flash Gordon . King Features were not prepared to usurp Austin Briggs from the Sunday strip and pointed out that Raymond had left voluntarily to enlist . Relatives of Raymond recall the artist as resenting this decision , which left him feeling " cast off with so little regard . " However , King Features offered Raymond the opportunity to create a new strip . Rip Kirby Raymond 's " police daily strip , " named after its central character - J. Remington " Rip " Kirby - debuted on March 4 , 1946 , conceived ( and initially scripted ) by King Features editor Ward Greene . The plotting of the strips is harder to attribute , the scant evidence available supporting the notion that Raymond was more than simply an illustrator . However , as was relatively commonplace on such strips , published credit went to Raymond , whose name was the major selling feature ; the artist even managed to gain a part - ownership deal with King and a better split of the profits than was usual . Rip Kirby was Raymond 's reintroduction to newspaper strips after the war , and he was quick to forge a new " up - to - date " style for the strip , while keeping ties to the audience he had built up with Flash Gordon , Jungle Jim , and Secret Agent X - 9 . Running alongside the post - World War II reintegration of America 's military into civilian life , Rip ( like Raymond ) was " an ex - Marine , " who " set himself up as a private detective " a vocation tailor - made to provide daily thrills . Described by Stephen Becker as " modern and almost too intellectual " , the strip eschewed many of the pulp fictional detective tropes ( e.g. alcoholism , two - fisted assistants , and an assortment of interchangeable femmes fatale ) . Instead , " [ Rip ] did more <unk> than <unk> , and smoked a leisurely pipe while he did it ; " " had a frail , balding assistant ... instead of a two - fisted sidekick ; " " had a steady girlfriend ... [ and ] [ i ] f that wasn 't enough , he even wore glasses ! Rip " lived and worked in a recognizable , glamorous , modern New York City on cases involving very human frailties and vice " , and " grew older as the strip progressed " , a continuity advancement little seen in the strips of the time ( although pioneered in " Gasoline Alley " and Mary Worth ) . Raymond noted the change in subject matter , commenting that " I wanted to do something different and more down to earth . " Stylistically , " Raymond turned to the Cooper Studio - Al Parker advertising style for inspiration , spurring a new generation of comic artists to follow a fresh direction " , that of " glorify [ ing ] contemporary post - War American life " . Although the strip was published entirely in black and white , Raymond worked hard to add tone through artistic technique . " Raymond nevertheless [ colored ] through his use of varying linework ... [ creating ] color through contrast " . His new style was much imitated throughout the industry and became known as ' the Raymond style ' . Circulation of the strip rose steadily , and it was the artist who was apportioned most of the praise - including being awarded the fourth Reuben Award in 1949 . He also served as the National Cartoonists Society 's president from 1950 until 1952 , putting into place the committee structure responsible for overseeing the organization , and threw himself into championing the medium as an art form . Raymond profited in recognizability as well as financially , and continued on the strip until his untimely death in September 1956 . His collaborator from 1952 was writer Fred Dickenson ( who wrote the strip for a further 34 years ) , and he was succeeded artistically by magazine and Prize Publications ' Young Romance illustrator John Prentice . Commentators have said that Prentice echoed the Rip Kirby artistic style , but lacked " Raymond 's excellent design sense , " although he continued to draw the strip until his retirement in 1999 , the strip itself concluding shortly after . Legacy In 1967 , Woody Gelman , under his Nostalgia Press imprint revived some of his earlier work . Regarded by Time magazine in 1974 — alongside Prince Valiant author - illustrator Hal Foster — as " some sort of genius " , and described in Jerry <unk> and Hames Ware 's Who 's Who in American Comic Books as " [ p ] <unk> the most influential artist on early comic books " , Raymond 's legacy as an artistic inspiration is immense . Harvey argues that it is because of Raymond and Foster that the illustrative style became the dominant one used for adventure strips . " His work and Foster 's created the visual standard by which all such comic strips would henceforth be measured . " Biographer Tom Roberts also believes Raymond 's work on Rip Kirby " inspired all the soap opera style strips of the fifties and sixties " . Roberts argues that strips such as Apartment 3 - G " can trace their origins to the success of Raymond 's strip " . Although his work was rarely seen outside of the newspaper " funny pages " , as Raymond preferred to focus his energies on strip work , he also produced a number of " illustrations for Blue Book , Look , Collier 's and Cosmopolitan " . as well as Esquire . The " heightened realism " of Raymond 's photorealistic style has been " chastised for making his pictures too realistic , too gorgeous for its own sake " , although many commentators believe that this very method " plunges the reader into the story " . Raymond 's work has a " timeless appeal , " many aspects of which — including the use of feathering ( a shading technique in which a soft series of parallel lines helps to suggest the contour of an object ) — have inspired generations of cartoonists , his work becoming " the raw material for the swipe files of future generations " . His work on Rip Kirby is especially noted for its use of " sophisticated black spotting " , a technique Raymond used from <unk> " for pacing " reasons . Fellow - cartoonist Stan Drake recalled that Raymond called his black areas " pools of quiet " , serving as they did " as a pause for the viewer , something to slow the eye across the strip 's panels " . Specific influences Alex Raymond 's " influence on other cartoonists was considerable during his lifetime and did not diminish after his death " . George Lucas has cited Raymond 's Flash Gordon as a major influence on his Star Wars films ( which , cyclically , inspired the 1980 Flash Gordon film ) , while Raymond 's long shadow has fallen across the comics industry ever since his work saw print . Comics artists who have cited Raymond as a particularly significant influence on their work include Murphy Anderson , Jim <unk> , Frank Brunner , John Buscema , Gene Colan , Dick <unk> , José Luis García - López , Frank <unk> , Bob Haney , Jack Katz , Everett Raymond <unk> , Joe Kubert , Russ Manning , Mort Meskin , Sheldon Moldoff , Luis Garcia <unk> , Joe Orlando , Mac Raboy , John Romita Jr . , Kurt <unk> , Joe Sinnott , Dick Sprang and Alex Toth , among many others . In particular , Raymond has been named as a key influence by many of the most influential and important comic book artists of all time . EC Comics - staple Al Williamson cites Raymond as a major influence , and is quoted as saying that Raymond was " the reason I became an artist " . Indeed , Williamson ultimately assisted on the Flash Gordon strips in the mid - 1950s , and Rip Kirby in the mid - 1960s ( all post - Raymond ) . Key Golden Age artists credit Raymond with influencing their work . The artistic creators of Batman ( Bob Kane ) and Superman ( Joe Shuster ) credit him ( alongside Milton Caniff , Billy DeBeck and Roy Crane ) as having had a strong influence on their artistic development . Decades later , the herald of the Silver Age ( and co - creator of most of Marvel Comics 's pantheon of heroes ) , Jack " King " Kirby also credits Raymond , alongside fellow strip artist Hal Foster , as a particular influence and inspiration . Cerebus creator Dave Sim has published a comic book since 2008 called <unk> which is an examination of Alex Raymond 's career ( and the techniques of other <unk> like Stan Drake and Al Williamson ) structured around a hypothetical storyline set during the last day of Raymond 's life . Death On September 6 , 1956 , Raymond was killed in an automobile accident in Westport , Connecticut . Driving fellow cartoonist Stan Drake 's 1956 Corvette at twice the 25 mph ( 40 km / h ) speed limit , he hit a tree and was killed . Roberts describes in his biography the circumstances as a result of the weather . Driving in the convertible with its top down , Raymond decided to reach his destination quicker rather than stop to put the top back up when rain started to fall . Drake was thrown clear of the crash , but Raymond , with his seat belt buckled , died instantly . Speculation surrounds the nature of his death , with some , Drake included , believing Raymond was suicidal . Raymond had been involved in four automobile accidents in the month prior to his death , which led Drake to say Raymond " had been trying to kill himself " . Author Arlen Schumer ascribes the motive for suicide as being related to Raymond 's personal life . Schumer alleges that Raymond had been having affairs , and that his wife was refusing to grant him a divorce . R. C. Harvey is dismissive of this motivation : " <unk> suicide strikes me as an odd way for a man of Raymond 's sophistication to react to his disappointment in romance " . Harvey also notes that no mention of any alleged affairs is made in Tom Robert 's biography , " probably out of consideration to Raymond 's surviving family " . Drake has also been quoted as speculating that Raymond " hit the accelerator by mistake " instead of the brake . Raymond is buried in St. John 's Roman Catholic Cemetery in Darien , Connecticut . Personal life Raymond married Helen Frances Williams on December 31 , 1930 , with whom he had five children . The names of his three daughters — Judith , Lynne and Helen — were immortalized in that of Rip Kirby 's girlfriend , Judith Lynne " Honey " Dorian . The Raymonds also had two sons : Alan W. and Duncan . He was the great - uncle of actors Matt Dillon and Kevin Dillon . His younger brother , Jim Raymond , was also a cartoonist , and also an assistant to Chic Young on Blondie . Collected editions Raymond 's work has been collected a number of times . Most recently : Flash Gordon ( hardcover , Checker Book Publishing Group ) : Volume 1 ( collects Raymond 's earliest Sunday Strips starting from the first , printed on January 7 , 1934 ; 98 pages , October 2003 , ISBN 0 - <unk> - 3 - X ) Volume 2 ( collects strips from 1935 and 1936 ; 100 pages , December 2004 , ISBN 0 - <unk> - 6 - 4 ) Volume 3 ( collects the pages printed between October 25 , 1936 and August 1 , 1937 ; 96 pages , May 2005 , ISBN 1 - 933160 - 25 - X ) Volume 4 ( collects strips printed between 1938 and 1940 ; November 2005 , ISBN 1 - 933160 - 26 - 8 ) Volume 5 ( collects " The Ice Kingdom of Mongo " , " Power Men of Mongo " , and " The Fall of Ming " ; 1940 to 1941 ; 80 pages , November 2005 , ISBN 1 - 933160 - 27 - 6 ) Volume 6 ( collects the pages printed from August 1941 to May 1943 ; 100 pages , April 2007 , ISBN 1 - 933160 - 28 - 4 ) Volume 7 ( collects the final strips from mid - 1943 , until the final Raymond issue from February 1945 ; 100 pages , December 2006 , ISBN 1 - 933160 - 20 - 9 ) Rip Kirby ( hardcover , IDW ) : Volume 1 ( collects strips printed between 1946 and 1948 ; 2009 , ISBN 978 - 1 - 60010 - 484 - 8 ) Volume 2 ( collects strips printed between 1948 and 1951 ; March 2010 , ISBN 978 - 1 - 60010 - 582 - 1 ) Volume 3 ( collects strips printed between 1951 and 1954 ; November 2010 , ISBN 978 - 1 - 60010 - 785 - 6 ) Volume 4 ( collects strips printed between 1954 and 1956 ; August 2011 , ISBN 978 - <unk> ) Flash Gordon & Jungle Jim ( hardcover , IDW ) : Volume 1 ( collects strips printed between 1934 and 1936 ; December 2011 , ISBN 978 - 1 - <unk> - 015 - 3 ) Volume 2 ( collects strips printed between 1936 and 1939 ; August 2012 , ISBN 978 - 1 - <unk> - 220 - 1 ) Volume 3 ( collects strips printed between 1939 and 1941 ; April 2013 , ISBN 978 - <unk> ) Volume 4 ( collects strips printed between 1941 and 1944 ; NYP ) Awards Alex Raymond received a Reuben Award from the National Cartoonists Society in 1949 for his work on Rip Kirby , and he later served as President of the Society in 1950 and 1951 . He was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1996 . He was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 2014 . Maurice Horn calls Raymond " one of the most celebrated comic artists of all time as the creator of four outstanding comic features ( a feat unequaled to this day ) , " noting that he " received many distinctions and awards during his lifetime for his work , both as a cartoonist and as a magazine illustrator . "
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Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker ( August 22 , 1893 – June 7 , 1967 ) was an American poet , short story writer , critic , and satirist , best known for her wit , wisecracks and eye for 20th - century urban foibles . From a conflicted and unhappy childhood , Parker rose to acclaim , both for her literary output in publications such as The New Yorker and as a founding member of the Algonquin Round Table . Following the breakup of the circle , Parker traveled to Hollywood to pursue screenwriting . Her successes there , including two Academy Award nominations , were curtailed when her involvement in left - wing politics led to a place on the Hollywood blacklist . <unk> of her own talents , she deplored her reputation as a " <unk> . " Nevertheless , her literary output and reputation for sharp wit have endured . Early life and education Also known as Dot or Dottie , Parker was born Dorothy Rothschild to Jacob Henry and Eliza Annie Rothschild ( née Marston ) at 732 Ocean Avenue in Long Branch , New Jersey , where her parents had a summer beach cottage . Dorothy 's mother was of Scottish descent , and her father was of German Jewish descent . Parker wrote in her essay " My Hometown " that her parents got her back to their Manhattan apartment shortly after Labor Day so she could be called a true New Yorker . Her mother died in West End in July 1898 , when Parker was a month shy of turning five . Her father remarried in 1900 to a woman named Eleanor Francis Lewis . Parker hated her father and stepmother , accusing her father of being physically abusive and refusing to call Eleanor either " mother " or " stepmother " , instead referring to her as " the housekeeper " . She grew up on the Upper West Side and attended a Roman Catholic elementary school at the Convent of the Blessed Sacrament on West 79th Street with sister Helen , despite having a Jewish father and Protestant stepmother . ( Mercedes de Acosta was a classmate . ) Parker once joked that she was asked to leave following her characterization of the Immaculate Conception as " spontaneous combustion " . Her stepmother died in 1903 , when Parker was nine . Parker later went to Miss Dana 's School , a finishing school in Morristown , New Jersey . She graduated from Miss Dana 's School in 1911 , at the age of 18 . Following her father 's death in 1913 , she played piano at a dancing school to earn a living while she worked on her verse . She sold her first poem to Vanity Fair magazine in 1914 and some months later was hired as an editorial assistant for another Condé Nast magazine , Vogue . She moved to Vanity Fair as a staff writer after two years at Vogue . In 1917 , she met and married a Wall Street stockbroker , Edwin Pond Parker II ( 1893 – 1933 ) , but they were separated by his army service in World War I. She had ambivalent feelings about her Jewish heritage given the strong antisemitism of that era and joked that she married to escape her name . Algonquin Round Table years Her career took off while she was writing theatre criticism for Vanity Fair , which she began to do in 1918 as a stand - in for the vacationing P. G. Wodehouse . At the magazine , she met Robert Benchley , who became a close friend , and Robert E. Sherwood . The trio began lunching at the Algonquin Hotel on a near - daily basis and became founding members of the Algonquin Round Table . The Round Table numbered among its members the newspaper columnists Franklin Pierce Adams and Alexander Woollcott . Through their re - printing of her lunchtime remarks and short verses , particularly in Adams ' column " The Conning Tower " , Dorothy began developing a national reputation as a wit . One of her most famous comments was made when the group was informed that famously taciturn former president Calvin Coolidge had died ; Parker remarked , " How could they tell ? " Parker 's caustic wit as a critic initially proved popular , but she was eventually terminated by Vanity Fair in 1920 after her criticisms began to offend powerful producers too often . In solidarity , both Benchley and Sherwood resigned in protest . When Harold Ross founded The New Yorker in 1925 , Parker and Benchley were part of a " board of editors " established by Ross to allay concerns of his investors . Parker 's first piece for the magazine appeared in its second issue . Parker became famous for her short , viciously humorous poems , many about the perceived ludicrousness of her many ( largely unsuccessful ) romantic affairs and others wistfully considering the appeal of suicide . The next 15 years were Parker 's greatest period of productivity and success . In the 1920s alone she published some 300 poems and free verses in Vanity Fair , Vogue , " The Conning Tower " and The New Yorker as well as Life , McCall 's and The New Republic . Parker published her first volume of poetry , Enough Rope , in 1926 . The collection sold 47 , 000 copies and garnered impressive reviews . The Nation described her verse as " caked with a salty humor , rough with splinters of disillusion , and tarred with a bright black authenticity " . Although some critics , notably the New York Times reviewer , dismissed her work as " flapper verse " , the volume helped cement Parker 's reputation for sparkling wit . Parker released two more volumes of verse , Sunset Gun ( 1928 ) and Death and Taxes ( 1931 ) , along with the short story collections <unk> for the Living ( 1930 ) and After Such Pleasures ( 1933 ) . Not So Deep as a Well ( 1936 ) collected much of the material previously published in Rope , Gun and Death and she re - released her fiction with a few new pieces in 1939 under the title Here Lies . She collaborated with playwright Elmer Rice to create Close Harmony , which ran on Broadway in December 1924 . The play was well received in out - of - town previews and was favorably reviewed in New York but closed after a run of just 24 performances . It did , however , become a successful touring production under the title The Lady Next Door . Some of Parker 's most popular work was published in The New Yorker in the form of acerbic book reviews under the byline " Constant Reader " ( her response to the whimsy of A. A. Milne 's The House at Pooh Corner : " <unk> <unk> <unk> up . " ) . Her reviews appeared semi - regularly from 1927 to 1933 , were widely read , and were later published in a collection under the name Constant Reader in 1970 . Her best - known short story , " Big Blonde " , published in The Bookman magazine , was awarded the O. Henry Award as the best short story of 1929 . Her short stories , though often witty , were also spare and incisive , and more bittersweet than comic . She eventually separated from her husband , divorcing in 1928 , and had a number of affairs . Her lovers included reporter - turned - playwright Charles MacArthur and the publisher Seward Collins . Her relationship with MacArthur resulted in a pregnancy , about which Parker is alleged to have remarked , " how like me , to put all my eggs into one bastard . " She had an abortion , and fell into a depression that culminated in her first attempt at suicide . It was toward the end of this period that Parker began to become politically aware and active . What would become a lifelong commitment to activism began in 1927 with the pending executions of Sacco and Vanzetti . Parker travelled to Boston to protest the proceedings . She and fellow Round Tabler Ruth Hale were arrested , and Parker eventually pleaded guilty to a charge of " loitering and sauntering " , paying a $ 5 fine . Parker was claimed to be a patron of Polly Adler bordello or brothel in New York . Hollywood In 1934 , she married Alan Campbell , an actor with aspirations to become a screenwriter . Like Parker , he was half - Jewish and half - Scottish . He was reputed to be bisexual — indeed , Parker claimed in public that he was " queer as a billy goat " . The pair moved to Hollywood and signed ten - week contracts with Paramount Pictures , with Campbell ( who was also expected to act ) earning $ 250 per week and Parker earning $ 1 , 000 per week . They would eventually earn $ 2 , 000 and in some instances upwards of $ 5 , 000 per week as freelancers for various studios . She and Campbell worked on more than 15 films . In 1936 , she contributed lyrics for the song " I <unk> on the Moon " , with music by Ralph <unk> . The song was introduced in The Big Broadcast of 1936 by Bing Crosby . With Robert Carson and Campbell , she wrote the script for the 1937 film A Star is Born , for which they were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing — Screenplay . She wrote additional dialogue for The Little Foxes in 1941 and received another Oscar nomination , with Frank Cavett , for 1947 's Smash - Up , the Story of a Woman , starring Susan Hayward . After the United States entered the Second World War , Parker and Alexander Woollcott collaborated to produce an anthology of her work as part of a series published by Viking Press for servicemen stationed overseas . With an introduction by Somerset Maugham the volume compiled over two dozen of Parker 's short stories along with selected poems from Enough Rope , Sunset Gun , and Death and Taxes . It was released in the United States in 1944 under the title The Portable Dorothy Parker . Parker 's is one of only three of the Portable series ( the other two being William Shakespeare and The Bible ) to remain continuously in print . During the 1930s and 1940s , Parker became an increasingly vocal advocate of causes like civil liberties and civil rights , and a frequent critic of those in authority . She reported on the Loyalist cause in Spain for the Communist magazine The New Masses in 1937 . At the behest of Otto Katz , a covert Soviet Comintern agent and operative of German Communist Party agent Willi <unk> , Parker helped to found the Hollywood Anti - Nazi League in 1936 ( which was suspected by the FBI of being a Communist Party front ) . The Hollywood Anti - Nazi League 's membership eventually grew to some 4 , 000 strong . Its often wealthy members ' contributions ( probably not intended to support Communism ) were , in the words of David <unk> , " able to contribute as much to [ Communist ] Party funds as the whole American working class " . Parker also served as chair of the Joint Anti - Fascist Rescue Committee . She organized Project Rescue Ship to transport Loyalist veterans to Mexico , headed Spanish Children 's Relief and lent her name to many other left - wing causes and organizations . Her former Round Table friends saw less and less of her , with her relationship with Robert Benchley being particularly strained ( although they would reconcile ) . Parker met S. J. Perelman at a party in 1932 , and despite a rocky start ( Perelman called it " a <unk> ordeal " ) — they remained friends for the next 35 years , even becoming neighbors when the <unk> helped Parker and Campbell buy a run - down farm in Bucks County , Pennsylvania . Parker was listed as a Communist by the publication Red Channels in 1950 . The FBI compiled a 1 , 000 - page dossier on her because of her suspected involvement in Communism during the McCarthy era . As a result , she was placed on the Hollywood blacklist by the movie studio bosses . Her final screenplay was The Fan , a 1949 adaptation of Oscar Wilde 's Lady Windermere 's Fan , directed by Otto Preminger . Her marriage to Campbell was tempestuous , with tensions exacerbated by Parker 's increasing alcohol consumption and Campbell 's long - term affair with a married woman while he was in Europe during World War II . They divorced in 1947 , then remarried in 1950 . Parker moved back to New York in 1952 , living at the Volney residential hotel at 23 East 74th Street on the Upper East Side . From 1957 to 1962 , she wrote book reviews for Esquire , though these pieces were increasingly erratic owing to her continued abuse of alcohol . She returned to Hollywood in 1961 and reconciled with Campbell . In the next two years , they worked together on a number of unproduced projects . Campbell committed suicide by drug overdose in 1963 . Later life and death Following Campbell 's death , Parker returned to New York City and the Volney residential hotel . In her later years , she would come to denigrate the group that had brought her such early notoriety , the Algonquin Round Table : These were no giants . Think who was writing in those days — Lardner , Fitzgerald , Faulkner and Hemingway . Those were the real giants . The Round Table was just a lot of people telling jokes and telling each other how good they were . Just a bunch of <unk> showing off , saving their gags for days , waiting for a chance to spring them ... There was no truth in anything they said . It was the terrible day of the wisecrack , so there didn 't have to be any truth ... Parker was heard occasionally on radio , including Information Please ( as a guest ) and Author , Author ( as a regular panelist ) . She wrote for the Columbia Workshop , and both Ilka Chase and Tallulah Bankhead used her material for radio monologues . Parker died on June 7 , 1967 , of a heart attack at the age of 73 . In her will , she bequeathed her estate to Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr . Following King 's death , her estate was passed on to the NAACP . Her executor , Lillian Hellman , bitterly but unsuccessfully contested this disposition . Her ashes remained unclaimed in various places , including her attorney Paul O 'Dwyer 's filing cabinet , for approximately 17 years . Posthumous honors In 1988 , the NAACP claimed Parker 's remains and designed a memorial garden for them outside their Baltimore headquarters . The plaque reads , Here lie the ashes of Dorothy Parker ( 1893 – 1967 ) humorist , writer , critic . Defender of human and civil rights . For her epitaph she suggested , ' Excuse my dust ' . This memorial garden is dedicated to her noble spirit which celebrated the oneness of humankind and to the bonds of everlasting friendship between black and Jewish people . Dedicated by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People . October 28 , 1988 . On August 22 , 1992 , the 99th anniversary of Parker 's birth , the United States Postal Service issued a 29 ¢ U.S. commemorative postage stamp in the Literary Arts series . The Algonquin Round Table , as well as the number of other literary and theatrical greats who lodged there , helped earn the Algonquin Hotel its status as a New York City Historic Landmark . The hotel was so designated in 1987 . In 1996 the hotel was designated a National Literary Landmark by the Friends of Libraries USA based on the contributions of Parker and other members of the Round Table . The organization 's bronze plaque is attached to the front of the hotel . Her birthplace was also designated a National Literary Landmark by Friends of Libraries USA in 2005 and a bronze plaque marks the spot where the home once stood . In 2014 , Parker was elected to the New Jersey Hall of Fame . In popular culture Parker was the inspiration for a number of fictional characters in several plays of her day . These included " Lily Malone " in Philip Barry 's Hotel Universe ( 1932 ) , " Mary Hilliard " ( played by Ruth Gordon ) in George Oppenheimer 's Here Today ( 1932 ) , " Paula Wharton " in Gordon 's 1944 play Over Twenty - one ( directed by George S. Kaufman ) , and " Julia Glenn " in the Kaufman - Moss Hart collaboration Merrily We Roll Along ( 1934 ) . Kaufman 's representation of her in Merrily We Roll Along led Parker , once his Round Table compatriot , to despise him . She also appeared as " Daisy Lester " in Charles Brackett 's 1934 novel Entirely Surrounded . She is mentioned in the original introductory lyrics in Cole Porter ' song Just One of Those Things from the 1935 Broadway musical Jubilee which have been retained in the standard interpretation of the song when it became part of the Great American Songbook . Parker appears as a character in the novel The Dorothy Parker Murder Case by George <unk> ( 1984 ) , in a series of " Algonquin Round Table Mysteries " by J.J. Murphy ( 2011 – ) , and in Ellen Meister 's novel Farewell , Dorothy Parker ( 2013 ) . She is the main character in a short story , " Love For Miss Dottie , " by Larry N Mayer , which was selected by Mary <unk> for the collection Best New American Voices 2009 ( Harcourt ) . She has been portrayed on film and television by Dolores Sutton in F. Scott Fitzgerald in Hollywood ( 1976 ) , Rosemary Murphy in Julia ( 1977 ) , Bebe Neuwirth in Dash and Lilly ( 1999 ) and Jennifer Jason Leigh in Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle ( 1994 ) . Neuwirth was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance , and Leigh received a number of awards and nominations , including a Golden Globe nomination . Parker , along with other figures of the era including Ira Gershwin and George Gershwin , is featured as a character in Act 1 , Scene 12 of the stage musical version of Thoroughly Modern Millie , " Muzzy 's Party Scene " . Television creator Amy Sherman - Palladino named her production company ' Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions ' in tribute to Parker . <unk> comedian Jen Kirkman portrayed Dorothy Parker in an edition of the Dead Authors Podcast at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles in 2011 . A one - woman show , Dorothy Parker 's Room Enough For Two starring <unk> Frankel , was produced in July 1993 at the Groundlings Theatre in Hollywood , California . Prince features a song entitled " The Ballad of Dorothy Parker " , on his 1987 album Sign o ' the Times . The Wild Colonials song , " Vicious Circle " from Life As We Know It EP ( 2007 ) is about Dorothy Parker . The chorus lyrics are , " I know how Dorothy Parker felt with someone in her way . " In the 1999 film Girl , Interrupted , the character Lisa recites Parker 's poem " Resume " . The Thrilling Adventure Hour podcast has Dorothy Parker as a recurring character ( as played by Annie Savage ) and member of the Algonquin Four . After being struck by a comet , the group gained powers parodying The Fantastic Four . Parker gained rock - like skin as a self - proclaimed " rock man " , and is the dim - witted muscle of the team . Her catchphrase is " Dorothy Parker smash ! " Tucson actress Lesley Abrams wrote and performed the one - woman show Dorothy Parker 's Last Call in 2009 in Tucson , Arizona at the Winding Road Theater Ensemble and reprised the role at the Live Theatre Workshop in Tucson in 2014 . The play was also selected to be part of the Capital Fringe Festival in DC in 2010 . Her poem " Threnody " was recorded by <unk> <unk> , of ABBA fame . Lyrics taken from her book of poetry Not So Deep as a Well were , with the authorization of the NAACP , used by Canadian singer Myriam Gendron to create a folk album of the same name .
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John Bingham , 7th Earl of Lucan Richard John Bingham , 7th Earl of Lucan ( born 18 December 1934 ; presumed dead ) , commonly known as Lord Lucan , was a British peer suspected of murder who disappeared in 1974 . He was born into an Anglo - Irish aristocratic family in Marylebone , the eldest son of George Bingham , 6th Earl of Lucan by his marriage to Kaitlin Dawson . An evacuee during the Second World War , Lucan returned to attend Eton College , and then from 1953 to 1955 served with the Coldstream Guards in West Germany . He developed a taste for gambling and , skilled at backgammon and bridge , became an early member of the Clermont Club . Although his losses often exceeded his winnings , he left his job at a London - based merchant bank and became a professional gambler . He was known as Lord Bingham from April 1949 until January 1964 . Once considered for the role of James Bond , Lucan was noted for his expensive tastes ; he raced power boats and drove an Aston Martin . In 1963 he married Veronica Duncan , with whom he had three children . When the marriage collapsed late in 1972 , he moved out of the family home at 46 Lower Belgrave Street , in London 's Belgravia , to a property nearby . A bitter custody battle ensued , which Lucan lost . He began to spy on his wife and record their telephone conversations , apparently obsessed with regaining custody of the children . This fixation , combined with his gambling losses , had a dramatic effect on his life and personal finances . On the evening of 7 November 1974 , the children 's nanny , Sandra Rivett , was bludgeoned to death in the basement of the Lucan family home . Lady Lucan was also attacked ; she later identified Lucan as her assailant . As the police began their murder investigation , Lucan telephoned his mother , asking her to collect the children , and then drove a borrowed Ford Corsair to a friend 's house in Uckfield , East Sussex . Hours later , he left the property and was never seen again . The car was later found abandoned in Newhaven , its interior stained with blood and its boot containing a piece of bandaged lead pipe similar to one found at the crime scene . A warrant for Lucan 's arrest was issued a few days later , and in his absence the inquest into Rivett 's death named him as her murderer , the last occasion in Britain a coroner 's court was allowed to do so . Lucan 's fate remains a fascinating mystery for the British public . Since Rivett 's murder , hundreds of reported sightings have been made in various countries around the world , although none have been substantiated . Despite a police investigation and huge press interest , Lucan has not been found and is presumed dead ; a death certificate was issued in 2016 . Early life and education Richard John Bingham was born on 18 December 1934 at 19 Bentinck Street , Marylebone , London , the second child and elder son of George Bingham , 6th Earl of Lucan , an Anglo - Irish peer , and his wife Kaitlin Elizabeth Anne Dawson . A blood clot found in her lung forced his mother to remain in a nursing home , so John , as he became known , was initially cared for by the family 's <unk> . Aged three years , he attended a pre - prep school in Tite Street with his elder sister , Jane , but in 1939 , with war approaching , the two were taken to the relative safety of Wales . The following year , joined by their younger siblings , Sally and Hugh , the Lucan children travelled to Toronto , moving shortly thereafter to Mount Kisco , New York . They stayed for five years with multi - <unk> Marcia Brady Tucker ; John was enrolled at The Harvey School and spent summer holidays away from his siblings at a summer camp in the Adirondack Mountains . While in the U.S. , John and his siblings lived in grandeur and wanted for nothing , but on their return to England in February 1945 they were faced with the stark realities of wartime Britain . Rationing was still in force , their former home at Cheyne Walk had been bombed , and the house at 22 Eaton Square had had its windows blown out . Despite the family 's rich ancestry , the 6th Earl and his wife were agnostics and socialists and preferred a more austere existence than that offered by Tucker , an extremely wealthy Christian . For a time , John suffered nightmares and was taken to a psychotherapist . As an adult he remained an agnostic , but ensured his children attended Sunday school , preferring to give them a traditional childhood . At Eton College , John developed a taste for gambling . He supplemented his pocket money with income from bookmaking , placing his earnings into a " secret " bank account , and regularly left the school 's grounds to attend horse races . Although according to his mother his academic record was " far from creditable " , he became Captain of Roe 's House , before leaving in 1953 to undertake his National Service . He became a second lieutenant in his father 's regiment , the Coldstream Guards , and was stationed mainly in Krefeld , West Germany . While there , he also became a keen poker player . Career On leaving the army in 1955 , Lucan joined a London - based merchant bank , William Brandt 's Sons and Co . , on an annual salary of £ 500 ( equivalent to £ 11 , 830 in 2015 ) . In 1960 he met Stephen Raphael , a rich stockbroker who was a skilled backgammon player . They holidayed together in the Bahamas , went water - skiing , and played golf , backgammon and poker . Lucan became a regular gambler and an early member of John Aspinall 's Clermont gaming club , located in Berkeley Square . Although he often won at games of skill like bridge and backgammon , he also accumulated huge losses . On one occasion he lost £ 8 , 000 , or about two - thirds of the money he received annually from various family trusts . On another disastrous night at a casino he lost £ 10 , 000 . That time his stockbroker uncle , John Bevan , helped him to pay the debt , and Lucan repaid his uncle two years later . Lucan left Brandt 's in about 1960 , shortly after he had won £ 26 , 000 playing chemin de fer . A colleague had been promoted before him , and he protested and then gave up his job , saying " why should I work in a bank , when I can earn a year 's money in one single night at the tables ? " He travelled to the US , where he played golf , raced powerboats , and drove his Aston Martin around the West Coast of the United States . He also visited his elder sister , Jane , and his former guardian , Marcia Tucker . On his return to England he moved out of his parents ' home in St John 's Wood and into a flat in Park Crescent . Personal life Marriage Lucan met his future wife , Veronica Duncan , early in 1963 . She was born in 1937 to Major Charles Moorhouse Duncan and his wife Thelma . Her father had died in a car accident while she was still very young , following which the family had moved to South Africa . Her mother remarried , and when her new step - father became manager of a hotel in Guildford , the family returned to England . Along with her sister , Christina , she was educated at St Swithun 's School , Winchester , and after displaying a talent for art she went on to study at an art college in Bournemouth . The two sisters later shared a flat in London , where Veronica worked as a model and later as a secretary . Christina 's marriage to the rich William Shand - Kydd introduced her to London high society , and it was at a golf - club function in the country that Veronica and Lucan first met . News of their engagement appeared in the Times and Telegraph newspapers on 14 October 1963 , and the two were married at Holy Trinity Brompton Church on 20 November . After a high society ceremony attended by , amongst other dignitaries , Princess Alice , Countess of Athlone , the couple honeymooned in Europe , travelling first class on the Orient Express . Lucan 's already embattled finances were given a welcome boost by his father , who provided him with a marriage settlement designed to finance a larger family home and any future additions to the Lucan family tree . Lucan repaid some of his creditors and leased number 46 Lower Belgrave Street , Westminster , redecorating it to suit Veronica 's tastes . Two months after the wedding , on 21 January 1964 , the 6th Earl of Lucan died of a stroke . In addition to a reputed £ 250 , 000 inheritance , Lucan acquired his father 's titles : Earl of Lucan ; Baron Lucan of Castlebar ; Baron Lucan of Melcombe Lucan and Baronet Bingham of Castlebar . His wife became the Countess of Lucan . Their first child , Frances , was born on 24 October 1964 , and early the next year they employed a nanny , Lillian Jenkins , to look after her . Lucan tried to teach Veronica about gambling and traditional pursuits like hunting , shooting , and fishing . He bought her golf lessons , although she later gave up the sport . Lucan 's daily routine consisted of breakfast at 9 : 00 am , coffee , dealing with the morning 's letters , reading the newspapers , and playing the piano . He sometimes jogged in the park and , while he had him , took his Doberman Pinscher for walks . Lunch at the Clermont Club was followed by afternoon games of backgammon . Returning home to change into evening dress , the earl typically spent the remainder of the day at the Clermont , gambling into the early hours , watched sometimes by Veronica . In 1956 , while still working at Brandt 's , he had written of his desire to have " £ 2m in the bank " , claiming that " motor - cars , yachts , expensive holidays and security for the future would give myself and a lot of other people a lot of pleasure " . Although he was described by his friends as a shy and taciturn man , with his tall stature , " luxuriant guardsman 's moustache " and masculine pursuits , his exploits made him popular . His profligacy extended to hiring private aircraft to take his friends to the races , asking a car dealer he knew to source an Aston Martin <unk> coupé , drinking expensive Russian vodka and racing powerboats . In September 1966 he unsuccessfully screen tested for a part in Woman Times Seven , prompting him to automatically decline a later offer from film producer Cubby Broccoli , to screen test him for the role of James Bond . As a professional gambler he was undoubtedly a skilled player , once rated amongst the world 's top ten backgammon competitors . He won the St James 's Club tournament and was Champion of the West Coast of America . He gained the moniker " Lucky " Lucan , but as his losses easily outweighed his winnings , in reality he was anything but lucky . He had interests in thoroughbred horses , although in 1968 he paid more in race entry fees than he received in winnings . Despite some arguments over money , his wife remained largely ignorant of his losses , retaining the use of accounts at Savile Row tailors and various Knightsbridge shops . Following the births of George ( b . 1967 ) and Camilla ( b . 1970 ) , she struggled with post - natal depression . Lucan became increasingly involved in her mental well - being and in 1971 took her for treatment at a psychiatric clinic in Hampstead , although she refused to be admitted . Instead , she agreed to home visits from a psychiatrist and a course of anti - depressants . In July 1972 the family holidayed in Monte Carlo but Veronica quickly returned to England , leaving Lucan with their two elder children . The combined pressures of maintaining their finances , paying for Lucan 's gambling addiction and Veronica 's weakened mental condition took their toll on the marriage ; two weeks after a strained family Christmas in 1972 , Lucan moved into a small property in Eaton Row . Separation Some months later Lucan moved again , to a larger rented flat in nearby Elizabeth Street . Despite an early attempt by his wife at reconciliation , by that point all Lucan wanted from the marriage was custody of his children . In an effort to demonstrate that Veronica was unfit to look after them , he began to spy on his family ( his car was regularly seen parked in Lower Belgrave Street ) , later employing private investigators to perform the same task . Lucan also canvassed doctors , who explained that his wife had not " gone mad " , but was suffering from depression and anxiety . Lucan told his friends that nobody would work for Veronica ( she sacked the children 's long - term nanny , Lillian Jenkins , in December 1972 ) . Of the series of nannies employed in the house , one , 26 - year - old <unk> Sawicka , was told by Veronica that Lucan had hit her with a cane and had , on one occasion , pushed her down the stairs . The countess apparently feared for her safety and told Sawicka not to be surprised " if he kills me one day . " Sawicka 's time at the Lucan household ended late in March 1973 . While with two of the children near Grosvenor Place , she was confronted by Lucan and two private detectives . They told her that the children had been made wards of court and that she must release them into his custody , which she did . Frances was collected from school later in the day . Lady Lucan applied to the court to have the children returned , but concerned about the case 's complexity , the judge set a date for the hearing three months ahead , for June 1973 . To defend herself against Lucan 's claims about her mental state , Veronica booked herself a four - day stay at the Priory Clinic in Roehampton . While it was acknowledged that she still required some psychiatric support , the doctors reported that there was no indication that she was mentally ill . Lucan 's case depended upon Veronica being unable to care for the children , but at the hearing , he was instead forced to defend his own behaviour toward her . After several weeks of witnesses and protracted arguments in camera , on the advice of his lawyers he conceded the case . Unimpressed by Lucan 's character , Mr Justice Rees awarded custody to Veronica . The earl was allowed access every other weekend . Thus began a bitter dispute between the two , involving many of their friends and Veronica 's own sister . Lucan again began to watch his wife 's movements . He recorded some of their telephone conversations with a small Sony tape recorder and played excerpts to any friends prepared to listen . He also told them — and his bank manager — that Lady Lucan had been " spending money like water " . He continued to pay her £ 40 a week , although he may have cancelled their regular food order with Harrods . He delayed payment to the milkman and — knowing that Veronica was required by the court to employ a live - in nanny — the childcare agency . With no income of her own , Veronica took a part - time job in a local hospital . A temporary nanny , Elizabeth Murphy , was befriended by Lucan , who bought her drinks and asked her for information on his wife . He instructed his detective agency to investigate Murphy , looking for evidence that she was failing in her duty of care to his children . This they found , although he dispensed with the detective agency 's services when they presented him with bills amounting to several hundred pounds . Murphy was later hospitalised with cancer . Another temporary nanny , Christabel Martin , reported strange telephone calls to the house , some with heavy breathing and some from a man asking for non - existent people . Following a series of temporary nannies , Sandra Rivett started work in late 1974 . Gambling Losing the court case proved devastating for Lucan . It had cost him an estimated £ 20 , 000 and by late 1974 his financial position was dire . As he drank more heavily and started chain - smoking , his friends began to worry . In drunken conversations with some of them , including Aspinall 's mother , Lady Osborne , and her son , Lucan discussed murdering his wife . Greville Howard later gave a statement to the police describing how Lucan had talked of how killing his wife might save him from bankruptcy , how her body might be disposed of in the Solent and how he " would never be caught " . Lucan borrowed £ 4 , 000 from his mother and asked Marcia Tucker for a loan of £ 100 , 000 . Having no luck there , he wrote to Tucker 's son , explaining how he wished to " buy " his children from Veronica ; the money was not forthcoming . He turned to his friends and acquaintances , asking anyone plausible to loan him money to fund his gambling addiction . The financier James Goldsmith guaranteed a £ 5 , 000 overdraft for him , which for years remained unpaid . Lucan also applied to the discreet Edgware Trust . On request , he supplied details of his income , which was apparently around £ 12 , 000 a year from various family trusts . He was required to provide a surety and received only £ 3 , 000 of the £ 5 , 000 he asked for . Much to their managers ' consternation , his four bank accounts were hugely overdrawn ; Coutts , £ 2 , 841 ; Lloyds , £ 4 , 379 ; National Westminster , £ 1 , 290 ; Midland , £ 5 , 667 . Even though by then he was playing for much lower stakes than had previously been the case , Lucan 's gambling remained completely out of control . Ranson ( 1994 ) estimates that between September and October 1974 alone , the earl ran up debts of around £ 50 , 000 . Despite these problems , from late October 1974 his demeanour appeared to change for the better . His best man , John Wilbraham , remarked that Lucan 's apparent obsession over regaining his children had diminished . While having dinner with his mother he cast aside talk of his family problems and turned instead to politics . On 6 November he met his uncle John , apparently in good spirits . Later that day he met 21 - year - old Charlotte <unk> Colquhoun , who said that " he seemed very happy , just his usual self , and there was nothing to suggest that he was worried or depressed " . He also dined at the Clermont with racing driver Graham Hill . At the time , casinos could open only between 2 : 00 pm and 4 : 00 am , so Lucan often gambled into the early hours of the morning . He took tablets to deal with his insomnia and therefore usually awoke around lunchtime . On 7 November though , he broke routine and called his solicitor early that morning , and at 10 : 30 am took a call from Colquhoun . They arranged to eat at the Clermont at about 3 : 00 pm , but Lucan failed to appear . Colquhoun drove past the Clermont and Ladbroke clubs , and past Elizabeth Street , but could not find his car anywhere . Lucan also failed to arrive for his 1 : 00 pm lunch appointment with artist Dominic Elwes and banker Daniel Meinertzhagen , again at the Clermont . At 4 : 00 pm Lucan called at a chemist 's on Lower Belgrave Street , close to Veronica 's home , and asked the pharmacist there to identify a small capsule . It turned out to be <unk> 5 , a drug for the treatment of anxiety and depression . Lucan had apparently made several similar visits since he separated from his wife , although he never told the pharmacist where he got the drugs . At 4 : 45 pm he called a friend , literary agent Michael Hicks - Beach , and between 6 : 30 pm and 7 : 00 pm met with him at his flat on Elizabeth Street . Lucan wanted his help with an article on gambling he had been asked to write for an Oxford University magazine . He drove Hicks - Beach home for about 8 : 00 pm , not in his Mercedes - Benz , but in " an old , dark and scruffy Ford " , possibly the Ford Corsair he borrowed from Michael Stoop several weeks earlier . At 8 : 30 pm he called the Clermont to check on a reservation for dinner with Greville Howard and friends . Howard had called him at 5 : 15 pm and asked if he wished to come to the theatre , but Lucan had declined and made the alternative suggestion to meet at the Clermont at 11 : 00 pm . He failed to arrive and did not answer his telephone when called . Murder Sandra Rivett Sandra Eleanor Rivett was born on 16 September 1945 , the third child of Albert and Eunice <unk> . The family moved to Australia when she was two years old , but returned in 1955 . Sandra was a popular child , described at school as " intelligent , although she does not excel academically " . She worked for six months as an apprentice hairdresser before taking a job as a secretary in Croydon . Following a failed romance she became a voluntary patient at a mental hospital near Redhill , Surrey , where she was treated for depression . She became engaged to a builder named John and took a job as a children 's nanny for a doctor in Croydon . On 13 March 1964 , she gave birth to a boy named Stephen , but , as her relationship with John was failing , she returned home to live with her parents and considered giving the baby up for adoption . Her parents took on the responsibility and adopted him in May 1965 . Sandra later worked at an old people 's home , before moving to Portsmouth to stay with her elder sister . While there she met Roger Rivett ; the two married on 10 June 1967 in Croydon . Roger was serving as a Royal Navy able seaman and later worked as a loader for British Road Services , while Sandra worked part - time at <unk> Orphanage in Purley . In summer 1973 he took a job on an Esso tanker , returning to their flat in Kenley a few months later by which time Sandra was employed by a cigarette company in Croydon . Their marriage collapsed in May 1974 when , suspicious of Sandra 's movements while he was away , Roger went to live with his parents . She was by then listed on the books of a Belgravia domestic agency and had been caring for an elderly couple in that district . A few weeks later she began to work for the <unk> . Sandra normally went out with her boyfriend , John <unk> , on Thursday nights , but had decided to change her night off and thus , had seen him the previous day . The two last spoke on the telephone at about 8 : 00 pm on 7 November . After putting the younger children to bed , at about 8 : 55 pm she asked Veronica if she would like a cup of tea , before heading downstairs to the basement kitchen to make one . As she entered the room , she was bludgeoned to death with a piece of bandaged lead pipe . Her killer then placed her body into a canvas <unk> . Meanwhile , wondering what had delayed her nanny , Lady Lucan descended from the first floor to see what had happened . She called to Rivett from the top of the basement stairs and was herself attacked . As she screamed for her life , her attacker told her to " shut up " . Lady Lucan later claimed at that moment to have recognised her husband 's voice . The two apparently continued to fight ; she bit his fingers , and when he threw her face down to the carpet , managed to turn around and squeeze his testicles , causing him to release his grip on her throat and give up the fight . When she asked where Rivett was , Lucan was at first evasive , but eventually admitted to having killed her . Terrified , Lady Lucan told him she could help him escape if only he would remain at the house for a few days , to allow her injuries to heal . Lucan walked upstairs and sent his daughter to bed , then went into one of the bedrooms . When Veronica entered , to lie on the bed , he told her to put towels down first to avoid staining the bedding . Lucan asked her if she had any barbiturates and went to the bathroom to get a wet towel , supposedly to clean Veronica 's face . Lady Lucan realised her husband would be unable to hear her from the bathroom , and made her escape , running outside to a nearby public house , the Plumbers Arms . Lucan may have called at the Chester Square home of Madelaine Florman ( mother of one of Frances 's school friends ) sometime between 10 : 00 pm and 10 : 30 pm . Alone in the house , Florman ignored the door , but shortly afterwards she received an incoherent telephone call and put the receiver down . Blood stains , which after forensic examination were found to be a mixture of blood groups A and B , were later discovered on her doorstep . Lucan certainly called his mother between 10 : 30 pm and 11 : 00 pm and asked her to collect the children from Lower Belgrave Street . According to the Dowager Countess , he spoke of a " terrible catastrophe " at his wife 's home . He told her that he had been driving past the house when he saw Veronica fighting with a man , in the basement . He had entered the property and found his wife screaming . The location from which he made this , and possibly the call to Florman , remains unknown . The police forced their way into Lady Lucan 's home and discovered Sandra Rivett 's body , before his wife was taken by ambulance to St George 's Hospital . Lucan drove the Ford Corsair 42 miles ( 68 km ) to Uckfield , in East Sussex , to visit his friends , the Maxwell - Scotts . Susan Maxwell - Scott 's meeting with Lucan was his last confirmed sighting . Investigation By the time Detective Chief Superintendent Roy Ranson arrived at Lower Belgrave Street early on Friday 8 November , the divisional surgeon had pronounced Sandra Rivett dead and forensic officers and photographers had been called to the property . Other than the front door , which the first two officers on the scene had kicked in , there was no sign of a forced entry . A blood - stained towel was found in Veronica 's first - floor bedroom . The area around the top of the basement staircase was heavily blood - stained . A blood - stained lead pipe lay on the floor . Pictures hanging from the staircase walls were askew and a metal banister rail was damaged . At the foot of the stairs , two cups and saucers lay in a pool of blood . Rivett 's arm protruded from the canvas sack , which lay in a slowly expanding pool of blood . The light fitting at the bottom of the stairs was missing its bulb ; one was noted nearby , on a chair . Blood was also found on various leaves in the adjoining rear garden . Officers also searched 5 Eaton Row , into which Lucan had moved early in 1973 , and after interviewing his mother ( who had called to take the children to her home in St John 's Wood ) , his last address at <unk> Elizabeth Street . Nothing untoward was found , although on the bed , a suit and shirt lay alongside a book on Greek shipping millionaires , and Lucan 's wallet , car keys , money , driving licence , handkerchief and spectacles were on a bedside table . His passport was in a drawer and his blue Mercedes - Benz parked outside , its engine cold and its battery flat . Ranson then visited Veronica Lucan at St George 's Hospital . Although heavily sedated , she was able to describe what had happened to her . A police officer was left to guard her , should her assailant return . Rivett 's body was taken to the mortuary , and a search was undertaken of all local basement areas and gardens , skips and open spaces . After removing her corpse from the canvas sack and beginning the post mortem examination , pathologist Keith Simpson told Ranson he was certain that Rivett had been killed before her body was placed in the sack , and that in his opinion the lead pipe found at the scene could be the murder weapon . Her estranged husband , Roger , had an alibi for the night concerned , and was eliminated from the police 's enquiries . Other male friends and boyfriends were questioned and discounted as suspects . Her parents confirmed that Sandra had a good working relationship with Lady Lucan , and was extremely fond of the children . Meanwhile , Lucan had yet to make an appearance , and so his description was circulated to police forces across the country . Newspapers and television stations were told only that Lucan was wanted by the police for questioning . Hours earlier , Lucan had again called his mother , at about 12 : 30 am . He told her that he would be in touch later that day , but declined to speak with the police constable who had accompanied her to her flat ; instead , he said he would call the police later that morning . Ranson discovered that Lucan had travelled to Uckfield when he was called by Ian Maxwell - Scott , who told him that Lucan had arrived at his home a few hours after the murder , and spoken with his wife , Susan . While there , the earl had written two letters to his brother - in - law , Bill Shand - Kydd , and posted them to his London address . Maxwell - Scott also called Shand - Kydd at his country house near Leighton Buzzard and told him about the letters , prompting the latter to immediately drive to London to collect them . After reading them , and noting that they were bloodstained , he took them to Ranson . When asked why she did not immediately inform the police of Lucan 's presence , Susan Maxwell - Scott said she had not seen any newspapers or television news , or listened to any radio broadcasts that might have warned her of the importance of his visit . Meanwhile , Lucan 's children were taken by their aunt , Lady Sarah Gibbs , to her home in <unk> , Northamptonshire , where they would remain for several weeks . On the day Veronica Lucan was discharged from hospital , a High Court hearing confirmed that the children could return to live with her . Repeated press intrusions later forced the family to move to a friend 's home in Plymouth . The Ford Corsair that Lucan had been seen driving and whose details had the previous day been circulated across the country was found on Sunday in Norman Road , Newhaven , about 16 miles ( 26 km ) from Uckfield . In its boot was a piece of lead pipe covered in surgical tape , and a full bottle of vodka . The car was removed for forensic examination . Later statements from two witnesses suggest that it was parked there sometime between 5 : 00 am and 8 : 00 am on the morning of Friday 8 November . Its owner , Michael Stoop , also received a letter from Lucan , delivered to his club , the St James 's . However , Stoop threw the envelope away and it was therefore not possible to check its postmark to see where it had been sent from . Ranson suspected a suicide , but a thorough search of Newhaven Downs was judged impossible . A partial search was made , using tracker dogs , although all that was found were the skeletal remains of a judge who had disappeared years earlier . Police divers searched the harbour , and a partial search using infra - red photography was undertaken the following year , to no avail . A warrant for Lucan 's arrest , to answer charges of murdering Sandra Rivett , and attempting to murder his wife , was issued on Tuesday 12 November 1974 . Descriptions of his appearance , already issued to police forces across the UK , were then issued to Interpol . Forensics The forensic examination of the lead pipes found at the murder scene and in the Corsair 's boot revealed traces of blood on the pipe from 46 Lower Belgrave Street . This proved to be a mixture of Lady Lucan 's ( blood group A ) and Sandra Rivett 's ( B ) blood . Hair belonging to Veronica Lucan was also found on that pipe , but none belonging to Sandra Rivett . The pipe found inside the car had neither blood nor hair on it . Home Office scientists were unable to prove conclusively that both pipes were cut from the same , longer , piece of piping , although they thought it likely . The tape wrapped around both was similar , but those too could not be conclusively linked . The letters written to Bill Shand - Kydd were stained with blood considered to be from both women . The letter to Michael Stoop had no blood on it , but it was later proven that the paper it was written on had been torn from a writing pad found in the Corsair 's boot . An examination of the blood stains found inside 46 Lower Belgrave Street demonstrated that Rivett had been attacked in the basement kitchen , while Lady Lucan had been attacked at the top of the basement stairs . The bloodstains found inside the Ford Corsair were of the AB blood group ; the report concluded that this might have been a mixture of blood from both women . Hair similar to Lady Lucan 's was also found inside the car . Media reaction By the afternoon of Friday 8 November , the newspapers ' early editions carried photographs of the <unk> across their front pages , accompanied by headlines like " body in sack ... countess runs out screaming " , and " <unk> murder – earl sought " . A meeting that day at the Clermont , between John Aspinall , Daniel Meinertzhagen , Charles Benson , Stephen Raphael , Bill Shand - Kydd and Dominic Elwes , became the cause of much press speculation . Meinertzhagen and Raphael later insisted that the gathering was just a rational discussion between concerned friends , keen to share anything they knew about what had happened , but the relationship between the police and Lucan 's social circle was strained ; some officers complained that an " Eton mafia " worked against them . Susan Maxwell - Scott refused to add to her statement , and when Aspinall 's mother , Lady Osborne , was asked if she could help locate Lucan 's body , she replied " The last I heard of him , he was being fed to the tigers at my son 's zoo " , prompting the police to search the house and the animal cages there . They searched fourteen country houses and estates , including Holkham Hall and Warwick Castle , to no avail . Amidst concerns expressed by the Labour MP Marcus Lipton that some people were " being a bit snooty " with the police , Benson wrote a letter to The Times asking him to either identify those people or " kindly withdraw his remarks " . To their cost , Private Eye accused James Goldsmith of being at the Clermont meeting , when he was actually in Ireland . Dominic Elwes went to see Lady Lucan in hospital and was reportedly deeply shocked both by her appearance and her statement " Who 's the mad one now ? " Elwes was apparently unhappy at some of the negative press coverage of the countess , and was later ostracised by his friends for his part in an article critical of Lucan , which appeared in the Sunday Times Magazine . He committed suicide in September 1975 . Rivett 's case made headlines around the world . Within days of the murder , newspapers reported on Veronica Lucan 's statement to the police , with claims that she had pretended to collude with her husband to ensure her safety . In January 1975 Veronica gave an exclusive interview to the Daily Express . She also appeared in a murder reconstruction , in the same newspaper , complete with posed photographs taken inside the house . Inquest The inquest into Sandra Rivett 's death opened on 13 November 1974 and was led by the Coroner for Inner West London , Gavin Thurston . Two witnesses were called to the courtroom , which was packed with reporters ; Roger Rivett , who confirmed that he had identified his wife 's body , and the pathologist , Keith Simpson , who confirmed that Rivett had died from being hit on the head with a blunt instrument . At Ranson 's request , the hearing was then adjourned . Further adjournments were made on 11 December 1974 and 10 March 1975 , before a full inquest was scheduled for 16 June 1975 . The hearing began with the swearing - in of the jury and introductions from various legal representatives , including a lawyer hired for Lucan by his mother . Thurston introduced the jury to the case and explained their duties . He had selected 33 witnesses to be called over the following few days , including Veronica Lucan , who each day wore a dark coat and white headscarf . Thurston questioned her on her relationship with Lucan , her marriage , her financial affairs , her employment of Rivett and what had happened on the night of the attack . The Dowager Countess 's QC attempted to ask Lady Lucan about the nature of their relationship , if she hated her husband , but Thurston ruled his line of questioning inadmissible . Woman Detective Constable Sally Blower , who had taken a statement from Frances on 20 November 1974 , read the young girl 's words to the court . Frances had heard a scream , and a few minutes later had watched as her mother ( blood on her face ) and father had entered the room . Her mother had then sent her to bed . She later heard her father calling for her mother , asking where she was , and watched as he left the bathroom and walked downstairs . She also described how Sandra Rivett did not normally work on Thursday nights . The landlord of " The Plumbers Arms " described how Lady Lucan had entered his bar covered " head to toe in blood " before she fell into " a state of shock " . He claimed that she shouted " Help me , help me , I 've just escaped from being murdered " and " My children , my children , he 's murdered my nanny " , although no name was mentioned . Pathologist Keith Simpson outlined his post mortem examination , concluding that death was caused by " blunt head injuries " and " inhalation of blood " . He confirmed that the lead pipe found at the scene was most likely responsible for Rivett 's injuries , although some , to the left eye and mouth , he thought more likely to have been caused by punches from a clenched fist . The last person to confirm seeing Lucan alive , Susan Maxwell - Scott , told the court that the earl looked " dishevelled " , and his hair " a little ruffled " . His trousers had a damp patch on the right hip . Lucan had told her that he was walking , or passing by the house when he saw Veronica being attacked by a man . He let himself in but slipped in a pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs . He told Maxwell - Scott that the attacker ran off , and that Veronica was " very hysterical " and accused him of having hired a hitman to kill her . Once the hearing had ended , Thurston made a summary of the evidence presented and told the jury their options . At 11 : 45 am , their foreman announced " Murder by Lord Lucan " . Lucan became the first member of the House of Lords to be named a murderer since 1760 , when Laurence Shirley , 4th Earl Ferrers , was hanged for killing his bailiff . He was also the last person to be committed by a coroner to a Crown Court for unlawful killing ; the coroner 's power to do so was removed by the Criminal Law Act 1977 . Rivett 's body , which had been held for several weeks following the murder , was released to her family and cremated at Croydon crematorium on 18 December 1974 . A police spokesman cited Lady Lucan 's desire not to upset the family as a reason for her non - attendance at the cremation . Lucan 's defence Lucan 's friends and family were critical of the inquest , which they felt offered a one - sided view of events . His mother told reporters that it did not serve " any useful purpose at all " . Veronica 's sister , Christina , said she felt " great sadness and sorrow " at the verdict . Susan Maxwell - Scott continued to press the earl 's claims of innocence and claimed to feel " awfully sorry " for the countess . However , as Lucan remained absent , his description of " a traumatic night of unbelievable coincidence " came only from the letters he authored and the people he spoke with soon after Rivett 's murder . While his fingerprints were not found at the scene , his assertions make no provision for the lead pipe discovered in the boot of the Ford Corsair , the claims by some that he discussed murdering his wife , or the lack of a viable suspect for the man he claimed to have seen fighting her . No sign of a forced entry was found , and officers attempting to demonstrate that Lucan could have seen into the basement kitchen , from the street , could only do so by stooping low to the pavement . The basement light was not working , making it even more difficult to see into the room ; its lightbulb ( which was tested and found to be in working order ) was found removed from its holder and left lying on a chair . Furthermore , Lady Lucan claimed not to have entered the basement that night , contradicting the earl 's version of events ; his wife 's account is supported by the forensic examination made of the blood splashes and stains around the property . Some traces of her blood were found in the basement , the rear garden and on the canvas sack used to store Rivett 's body , although this may have been due to contamination at the scene . The man Lucan claimed to have seen could not have left through the basement 's front door as it was locked , and the rear door led to a walled garden through which no trace of an escape was found . No signs that the man left by the ground level front door were discovered , and no witnesses reported seeing any such person near 46 Lower Belgrave Street . In contrast to his defenders , the national press were almost unanimous in their condemnation of Lucan . Their leader - writers ignored the threat of libel and identified him as Rivett 's killer . Bankruptcy and estate As Lucan 's bankruptcy proceeded , in August 1975 his creditors were informed that the missing earl had unsecured debts of £ 45 , 000 and preferential liabilities for £ 1 , 326 . His assets were estimated at £ 22 , 632 . The family silver was sold in March 1976 for around £ 30 , 000 . His remaining debts were repaid by the Lucan family trust in the years immediately following his disappearance . His family was granted probate over his estate in 1999 , although no death certificate was issued , and his heir , George Bingham , Lord Bingham , was refused permission to take his father 's title and seat in the House of Lords . Following the passage of the <unk> of Death Act 2013 , Bingham began a new attempt to have his father declared dead , which proved successful in a High Court hearing at the Rolls Building on 3 February 2016 . He therefore inherited his father 's title , becoming the 8th Earl of Lucan . Ultimate fate and reported sightings The last confirmed sighting of Lucan was at about 1 : 15 am on 8 November 1974 as he exited the driveway of the Maxwell - Scott property , in his friend 's Ford Corsair . Since then , his whereabouts and ultimate fate remain a mystery . Detective Chief Superintendent Roy Ranson initially claimed that Lucan had " done the honourable thing " and " fallen on his own sword " , a view publicly repeated by many of Lucan 's friends , including John Aspinall , who shortly before his death in 2000 said he believed the earl was guilty of Rivett 's murder , and that his body lay " 250 feet under the Channel " . Veronica Lucan believes her husband killed himself " like the nobleman he was " . Ranson later changed his view , explaining that he considered it more likely that suicide was far from Lucan 's thoughts , that a rumoured drowning at sea was implausible and that the earl had moved to southern Africa . Thirty years after the murder , the detective leading a new investigation into Lucan 's disappearance told the Telegraph that " the evidence points towards the fact that Lord Lucan left the country and lived abroad for a number of years . " Speaking to author John Pearson before she died , Susan Maxwell - Scott suggested that Lucan might have been helped out of the country by shadowy underground financiers , before being judged too great a risk and killed and buried in Switzerland . A similar theory was proposed by advertising executive Jeremy Scott , who was familiar with some of the Clermont Set . Lucan 's disappearance has captivated the public 's imagination for decades , with thousands of sightings reported across the world . One of the earliest , shortly after the murder , turned out to be a British ex - politician , John Stonehouse , who had attempted to fake his own death . The police travelled to France in June the following year to hunt another lead , to no avail . A sighting in Colombia turned out to be an American businessman . John Miller , a bounty hunter who kidnapped the fugitive train robber Ronnie Biggs , claimed in 1982 to have captured the earl , but was later exposed by the News of the World as a hoaxer . In 2003 a former Scotland Yard detective thought he had tracked the earl to Goa , India , although the man he traced was actually Barry Halpin , a folk singer from St Helens . In 2007 , reporters in New Zealand interviewed a homeless British expatriate who neighbours claimed was the missing earl . More recently , responding to claims that the two eldest Lucan children were sent to Gabon in the early 1980s so that their father might secretly watch them " from a distance " , George Bingham denied ever visiting the country . His mother dismissed the newspaper claims of sightings as " nonsense " , reiterating that in her opinion " he was not the sort of Englishman to cope abroad " .
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IWGP Heavyweight Championship ( IGF ) The IWGP Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned by the Inoki Genome Federation ( IGF ) promotion . The title shares its name with New Japan Pro Wrestling 's ( NJPW ) IWGP Heavyweight Championship , from which it split due to a decision made by IGF and NJPW founder Antonio Inoki . " IWGP " is the abbreviation of NJPW 's fictional governing body , the International Wrestling Grand Prix . During the title 's history , IGF recognized it as the official IWGP Heavyweight Championship , continuing the history of the title after an error made by NJPW in Inoki 's eyes . NJPW recognized the title as the IWGP 3rd Belt Championship , a championship that was merely represented by a previous version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship 's title belt . The title was briefly used in the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) promotion , which recognized it as the IWGP Heavyweight Championship . As a professional wrestling championship , the title was won via a scripted ending to a match or awarded to a wrestler because of a storyline . The inaugural champion was Brock Lesnar , who was the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion before being stripped of the title due to issues with NJPW . IGF recognized him as the official IWGP Heavyweight Champion afterwards . All title changes occurred at IGF or NJPW - promoted events . There were a total of three reigns among three wrestlers during the title 's brief history before being unified with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship . History On October 8 , 2005 , at New Japan Pro Wrestling 's ( NJPW ) Toukon <unk> New Chapter event in Tokyo , Japan , Brock Lesnar defeated Kazuyuki Fujita and Masahiro Chono in a Three Way match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship . He held the title for 280 days , having three successful defenses , until he failed to show up for a scheduled title defense . NJPW thus stripped Lesnar of the championship on July 15 , 2006 . Lesnar cited visa issues along with NJPW owing him compensation for his reasons at failing to appear at the planned title defense . After this series of events , NJPW founder Antonio Inoki left NJPW and created a new promotion , the Inoki Genome Federation ( IGF ) . Inoki then recognized Lesnar as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion due to Lesnar never having lost the championship in a match and Lesnar still maintaining physical possession of the title belt . NJPW recognized Lesnar as the IWGP 3rd Belt Champion and not the IWGP Heavyweight Champion , maintaining their stance on having stripped him of the title in 2006 . On June 29 , 2007 , IGF held its debut show with Lesnar defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Kurt Angle in the main event . Angle defeated Lesnar to win the championship at the show with Angle going on to appear in the American Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) promotion with the physical title belt . TNA also referred to the title belt as the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in the same manner as the IGF , recognizing Angle as the official IWGP Heavyweight Champion . NJPW did not recognize Angle as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion , instead it viewed Angle as the second IWGP 3rd Belt Champion . Angle went on to have two successful defenses as champion . His first defense came in TNA in a feud against Samoa Joe . Angle first appeared with the title belt in TNA on the July 5 , 2007 episode of TNA 's television program TNA Impact ! . The title belt became relevant to the storyline rivalry between Joe and Angle heading into TNA 's Hard Justice pay - per - view ( PPV ) event . Leading up to TNA 's Victory Road PPV event on July 15 , 2007 , TNA X Division Champion Joe and TNA World Heavyweight Champion Angle teamed together to face TNA World Tag Team Champions Team 3D ( Brother Devon and Brother Ray ) in a Tag Team match with the stipulation being whoever scored the pinfall or submission for their team won the championship of the person pinned or made to submit . Joe pinned Brother Ray in the bout , thus winning the World Tag Team Championship for himself and a partner of his choosing . Joe chose to hold the title alone and challenged Angle to a Winner Take All match at Hard Justice for the TNA World Heavyweight , TNA X Division , TNA World Tag Team , and the IWGP Heavyweight Championships on the July 19 2007 , episode of Impact ! . Angle accepted the match , with Joe and Angle facing at Hard Justice on August 12 , 2007 in Orlando , Florida for all of the titles . Angle defeated Joe at the event to win the TNA World Tag Team and TNA X Division Championships , while retaining the TNA World Heavyweight and IWGP Heavyweight Championships . Afterwards , TNA slowly faded out using the IWGP Heavyweight Championship with Angle going on to defend the title at IGF and NJPW promoted shows , with the title being referred to as both the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP 3rd Belt Championship . Angle 's second defense of the title was at NJPW 's Wrestle Kingdom II in Tokyo Dome event on January 4 , 2008 where he defeated former NJPW recognized IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yuji Nagata to retain the IWGP 3rd Belt Championship . Angle 's last defense was against then NJPW recognized IWGP Heavyweight Champion Shinsuke Nakamura in a unification match on February 17 , 2008 at NJPW 's Circuit 2008 New Japan ISM event where the winner would be the unified IWGP Heavyweight Champion . Angle lost the match , thus ending the existence of the IGF recognized IWGP Heavyweight Championship . IGF later introduced another title five years later with the IGF Championship on December 31 , 2013 . Belt designs The title design featured a black leather base with five gold plates spaced evenly apart , with the center plate being the largest . On the center plate the words " IWGP Heavyweight Champion " were featured alongside the caricature of an eagle or similar bird of prey . Reigns The inaugural champion was Brock Lesnar , as recognized by IGF as the official IWGP Heavyweight Champion . There were a total of three reigns among three wrestlers during the title 's brief history before being unified with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship . Title statistics
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Ten Dollar Bill ( Roy Lichtenstein ) Ten Dollar Bill ( also referred to as The Dollar Bill ) is a 1956 proto - pop art lithographic drawing by Roy Lichtenstein . Considered to be a combination of Americana art and cubism , the work is referred to as the beginning to Lichtenstein 's work on pop art . Twenty - five editions of the lithograph were made by Lichtenstein , which were exhibited at several galleries . The piece is based on the design for the ten - dollar bill and has influenced several of Lichtenstein 's later works . The picture has received generally favorable reception from critics , and is considered to be one of the best artistic portrayals of currency . Background and history Roy Lichtenstein began experimentation with printmaking in the late 1940s , well before its rise in popularity in the early 1960s . Lichtenstein created his first lithograph and woodcut artwork in 1948 while he was working on receiving his graduate degree in fine arts from Ohio State University . During the late 1940s , he created abstract paintings influenced by several artists , especially Pablo Picasso . From 1951 through early 1956 , Lichtenstein painted what were considered by Gianni Mercurio to be " jagged , post - cubist " designs of famous American artworks . Many of his pieces reflected portraits of the American west , especially Native Americans and cowboys , as well as other themes , such as images of president George Washington . Lichtenstein referred to the period as his " American " series , and it was generally negatively received by critics . Lichtenstein also began experimenting in abstract expressionism , using the technique on several of his western painting designs . These were poorly received , however , being compared by one critic to " the doodling of a five - year old " . In 1956 , Lichtenstein created twenty - five editions of Ten Dollar Bill and gave them to several private collectors and museums . Starting in late October 1994 , Ten Dollar Bill went on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington , D.C. , along with 89 of Lichtenstein 's print artworks . As a part of " The Prints of Roy Lichtenstein " , the piece was displayed in Washington until January 8 , 1995 , before it was moved to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and put on display as part of that city 's <unk> ' 95 , starting in mid - February of that year . The tour moved in May to the Dallas Museum of Art , the final place it was displayed . In December 1996 , Lichtenstein and his wife donated 154 prints of his artwork to the National Gallery of Art for permanent keeping . This donation included several famous pieces , including Crying Girl , along with one of the editions of Ten Dollar Bill . Another edition of Ten Dollar Bill was a part of the showcase opening exhibit " $ how Me the Money : The Dollar As Art " for the American Numismatic Association Money Museum in Colorado Springs , Colorado . This exhibit ran from October 4 , 2002 , until December 1 . The lithograph was shown alongside work from Andy Warhol , Robert Dowd , and others . Later , the work was made a part of the " Roy Lichtenstein Prints 1956 - 1997 " collection , created entirely from the family gallery of Jordan Schnitzer . This tour began in June 2006 at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art , and traveled across the country , exhibiting in Las Vegas and Austin , Texas , among other places . The collection tour ended in 2008 . Description Based on the design for the United States ten - dollar bill , Ten Dollar Bill measures 14 by 28 . 6 centimetres ( 5 . 5 by 11 . 3 in ) , and is drawn on sheets of paper with dimensions of 42 . 8 by 57 . 6 centimetres ( 16 . 9 by 22 . 7 in ) . Classified as a proto - pop art work , the lithograph is considered by Janis Hendrickson to be " a Picasso - esque vision of what currency could look like " , as well as a " humorous " combination of " established art forms and Americana " . The drawing has the dimensions and shape of the ten - dollar bill , and completely covers the space needed , which has led to Lichtenstein being considered by Hendrickson as " almost seeming to be forging money " . Hendrickson also describes the picture as being a " brand - new bill of tender and not a picture of one " . Mary Lee Corlett and Hendrickson noted that the " schematic head " of the medallion portrait of Alexander Hamilton , the prominent feature of the print , " shows him as a planar , anteater - like being " with a " hair - do of the young Picasso " and eyes similar to a " figure by Francis Picabia " . According to Hendrickson , the exterior framing for The Dollar Bill was " simplified " from the original dollar design , appearing in " an imbalanced , drunken fashion " . The lithograph has full margins surrounding the main design , as well as the signature " rf Lichtenstein " and a number between one and 25 , followed by / 25 , reflecting the print number of the specific work , as well as the years 1956 / 79 . Reception Stephen Goode , a critic for Insight on the News , considered the piece to be the beginning of the Pop Art movement , labeling the work " a sign of things to come as other artists tackled common yet sacrosanct items , including the American flag " . Lichtenstein , reflecting on his work , told reporters , " The idea of counterfeiting money always occurs to you when you do lithography " . Despite the assessments of critics , Lichtenstein , in an interview with Joan Marter , considered the work to be " a kind of Cubist dollar bill , not a Pop one " . He continued , " The fact it was a ten - dollar - bill at all [ suggests that ] there was some kind of Pop influence on me that I wasn 't aware of so much . They 're really not Pop at all . They 're more funny , or humorous , or something " . In the book Off Limits : Rutgers University and the Avant - garde , 1957 - 1963 , the piece was described as a " humorous , Cubist abstraction of the currency " . Discussing the piece after edition 10 was given to the National Gallery of Australia , critic <unk> Babington considered Lichtenstein 's early works , including Ten Dollar Bill , to be " intriguing precursors to the artist ’ s subsequent development " . She called it a " finely hand - drawn lithograph " , and considered the work to be " the only hint of Lichtenstein ’ s imminent obsession with American popular culture " . Babington finished by noting , " we see Lichtenstein first taking an everyday object , symbolic of the growing American consumer culture , as his subject matter " .
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" Edward VI of England Edward VI ( 12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553 ) was King of England and Ire(...TRUNCATED) | 9,198 |
" Tintin and the Picaros Tintin and the Picaros ( French : Tintin et les Picaros ) is the twenty(...TRUNCATED) | 14,018 |
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