1919 Irene, the story of a shop girl charming a wealthy young man begins its run. Edith Day and Bobbie Watson star. James Montgomery wrote the book with music by Harry Tierney and Joe McCarthy. Irene ran seven months in the 1919-1920 season and an additional 428 performances in the 1920-21 season.

1930 Lili Hatvany says it's Tonight or Never. Her play about a prima donna (Helen Gahagan) and an opera scout (Melvyn Douglas) runs almost seven months. This is David Belasco's last production before his death.

1930 Marilyn Miller, Fred and Adele Astaire, and Eddie Foy, Jr., are all Smiles. This Ziegfeld production, with a score by Vincent Youmans, is based on a Noel Coward story about a French waif brought to America for a taste of the high life.

1941 Patricia Peardon is Junior Miss in this play adapted by Jerome Chodorov and Joseph Fields from Sally Benson's stories. Moss Hart directs this look at teenage sub-debs.

1964 Alan Alda plays a young writer having an affair with his prostitute neighbor in The Owl and the Pussycat by Bill Manhoff, which opens tonight at the ANTA Theatre. The prostitute was played by Diana Sands in this show that runs 421 performances. The movie is made in 1970 with George Segal and Barbara Streisand. 1999 Broadway brushed up its Shakespeare tonight, as Kiss Me Kate opened for the first time since 1965. It starred Marin Mazzie and budding actor Brian Stokes Mitchell as the famous leading duo and runs to this day, racking up over 800 performances since.

? By Sam Maher, Steve Luber and Anne Bradley