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ITN
Famous NY kiss recreated
Famous NY kiss recreated
Around 150 couples have puckered up in New York's Times Square to recreate the famous kiss snapped by Alfred Eisenstaedt in 1945.As the 62nd anniversary of VJ Day was commemorated, the couples copied the impromptu kiss between a jubilant US sailor and a nurse as news came of Japan's surrender in World War II.Because he was busy snapping the historic day's events, Eisenstaedt didn't get a chance to get the couple's names for the shot which graced the cover of Life magazine and was distributed around the world.Over the years, many men have claimed to be the famous sailor who smooched the nurse later identified as Edith Shain.Recently, a Houston Police Department forensics specialist said the mystery man is Glenn McDuffie, an 80-year-old US Navy veteran who has striven for years to prove his claim and is now fighting lung cancer.Mr McDuffie said: "I couldn't be happier. This means everything to me. I thought I would die before I ever got anything done about it. That was my biggest fear."However, Carl Muscarello, 81, a retired policeman from Florida, is among those who still claim to be the smooching seafarer. He said: "My whole life has been dedicated to following the truth and I know for a fact I am the sailor."Mrs Shain, who is now 89, has made several appearances with Mr Muscarello in the past and two years ago posed with him for a kiss back in Times Square.Eisenstaedt, who was born into a Jewish family in Germany, emigrated to the US and lived in Jackson Heights in the New York borough of Queens from 1935.He worked as a photographer for Life magazine from 1936 to 1972. His photos of news events and celebrities, such as Sophia Loren and Ernest Hemingway, appeared on more than 90 Life covers.© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.
ITN | August 15, 2007
