On a special Thanksgiving Day edition of “Daily Variety” podcast, Marlo Thomas, the actor, author and activist, revisits the remarkable story of how her father, entertainer Danny Thomas, launched St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. And we take a Vintage Variety look back at how the St. Jude origin story played out in our pages.
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St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital opened its doors in 1962, after Danny Thomas spent more than a decade of barnstorming the country to host fundraisers. He also leaned on his Hollywood pals to help bring attention and bucks to his cause. St. Jude serves children facing pediatric cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. The organization’s ethos is that no family is turned away for lack of ability to pay. St. Jude provides an incredible level of services free of charge for families overwhelmed by the hardship of dealing with severe illness…