On this day in movie history - The Canary Murder Case (1929):

The Canary Murder Case

directed by Malcolm St. Clair,

written by S.S. Van Dine, Albert Shelby LeVino, Florence Ryerson and Herman J. Mankiewicz,

based on the novel by S.S. Van Dine,

was released in France on February 16, 1929.
Music by Karl Hajos.

Cast:

William Powell, Jean Arthur, James Hall, Louise Brooks, Margaret Livingston, Charles Lane, Lawrence Grant, Gustav von Seyffertitz, E. H. Calvert, Eugene Pallette, Ned Sparks, Louis John Bartels, Tim Adair, Oscar Smith.

Born on this day – Sol Negrin:

Sol Negrin

Cinematographer

Producer

Actor

February 16, 1929 – March 20, 2017

Credits:

...and Your Name Is Jonah (1979); A Call to Arms (2008); Across 110th Street (1972); Amazing Grace (1974); Baker's Dozen (1982); Blue Shirts (2000); Car 54, Where Are You? (1961–1963); Clean and Sober (1988); Coming to America (1988); Crazy Joe (1974); Dear John (1988); Dempsey (1983); East Side/West Side (1963–1964); Eischied (1979); Fame (1984); Great Performances (1971); Happy Hell Night (1991); I, the Jury (1982); Jamboree! (1957); Jaws 2 (1978); Johnny Garage (1983); Kay O'Brien (1986); Kojak (1974–1977); Light Fantastic (1964); Lime Street (1985); McCloud (1974); More Than Friends (1978); Naked City (1958–1959); Parades (1972); Pink (2010); Proof of the Man (1977); Redd Foxx: Video in a Plain Brown Wrapper (1983); RoboCop (1987); Sacred Eyes (2009); Salsa (1976); Some Trouble of a SeRRious Nature (2002); St. Elsewhere (1982–1983); Superman (1978); The Bedroom (2012); The Concert for Bangladesh (1972); The Deer (2009); The Defenders (1961–1962); The Edge of Town (2012); The Kingdom Chums: Little David's Adventure (1986); The Last Tenant (1978); The Line (1980); The Lucie Arnaz Show (1985); The Nothing Man (2010); The Patty Duke Show (1963–1964); The Rack (2002); The Scourge of the Vagabond Spectre (2009); The Story Lady (1991); The White Shadow (1980); Voodoo Blood Death (1965); Where's Poppa? (1970); Women at West Point (1979).

Born on this day – Olga James:

Olga James

Actress

Singer

February 16, 1929 – January 25, 2025

Credits:

Music:

Cannonball Adderley Presents the Nat Adderley Sextet Plus Rick Holmes / Soul of the Bible (1972); Carmen Jones / Original Movie Soundtrack (1954); David Axelrod / Heavy Axe (1974); Sammy Davis Jr. / 1956 Broadway Cast / Mr. Wonderful (1956); The Cannonball Adderley Quintet / The Happy People (1972).

Movies and television:

Carmen Jones (1954); Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty (2003); Hollywood Singing & Dancing: A Musical History - 1980s, 1990s and 2000s (2009); Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1950s: The Golden Era of the Musical (2009); Omnibus (1978); Sealab 2020 (1972); The Bill Cosby Show (1969–1971); The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (1956); Val Parnell's Sunday Night at the London Palladium (1957).

Born on this day – Jerry Goldsmith:

Jerry Goldsmith

Composer

Conductor

February 10, 1929 – July 21, 2004

Credits:

100 Rifles (1969); 2 Days in the Valley (1996); 87th Precinct (1962); A Better Tomorrow II (1987); A Dennis the Menace Christmas (2007); A Gathering of Eagles (1963); A Ghost of a Chance (1973); A Girl Named Sooner (1975); A Patch of Blue (1965); A Step Out of Line (1971); A Tale of Two Galaxies (2007); A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1974); A Walton's Family Reunion (2010); Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies (1973); Adams of Eagle Lake (1975); Air Force One (1997); Alcoa Premiere (1962); Alien (1979); Alien Nation (1988); Alien: Covenant (2017); Alien: Isolation (2014); Alien: Resurrection (1997); Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986); Along Came a Spider (2001); Amazing Stories (1986); An Evening with Friends of the Environment (1990); Angie (1994); Anna and the King (1972); Archer (1975); Atlanta 1996: Games of the XXVI Olympiad (1996); Atop the Fourth Wall (2012–2016); Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999); Babe (1975); Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985); Bad Girls (1994); Bandolero! (1968); Barnaby Jones (1973–1980); Basic Instinct (1992); Basic Instinct 2 (2006); Ben Casey (1963–1965); Big Fat Liar (2002); Black Patch (1957); Black Saddle (1959–1960); Blonde Poison: The Making of 'Basic Instinct' (2001); Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963); Bracken's World (1970); Breakheart Pass (1975); Breaking Point (1964); Breakout (1975); Brokedown Palace (1999); Brotherhood of the Gun (1991); Brows Held High (2013); Bruce Nul: Le Film (2013); Building a Better Mummy (1999); Business as Usual (1978); Cabo Blanco (1980); Cain's Hundred (1961–1962); Cannonball (2017); Capricorn One (1977); Catching Up (1975); CBS Playhouse (1968); Chain Reaction (1996); China Doll (1975); Chinatown (1974); Cine Chalom (2020); City Hall (1996); City of Fear (1959); Climax! (1954–1958); Colorado Inside Out (2016); Coma (1978); Confessions of a Teenage Supergirl (2006); Congo (1995); Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972); Contract on Cherry Street (1977); Crawlspace (1972); Criminal Law (1988); Crosscurrent (1971); Curious George (2006); Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey! (2009); Curious George 3: Back to the Jungle (2015); Curious George: Go West, Go Wild (2020); Curious George: Royal Monkey (2019); Damien: Omen II (1978); Damnation Alley (1977); Dancing with the Devil: An Appreciation of 'The Mephisto Waltz' (2017); Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind (1980); Daughters of Darkness (1975); Deadpool 2 (2018); Deep Rising (1998); Dennis the Menace (1993); Despicable Me (2010); Destry (1964); Diamonds (1999); Diminishing Returns (2019–2022); Diminishing Returns Diminisodes (2021); Disney's Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra (1994); Django Unchained (2012); Do Not Fold, Spindle or Mutilate (1971); Dr. Kildare (1961–1966); Drawing First Blood (2002); Dusty (1983); Dynamite (1978); Eerie Magazine (2020); El tapón (2011); Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971); Executive Decision (1996); Explorers (1985); Extreme Prejudice (1987); Face of a Fugitive (1959); Fahrenheit 11/9 (2018); Fatal Attraction (1987); Fate Is the Hunter (1964); Fierce Creatures (1997); Fireback (1983); Fireball Forward (1972); First Blood (1982); First Knight (1995); Flaming Star (1960); Fleshing Out the 'Hollow Man' (2000); For Better or Worse (1959); Forever Young (1992); Forfiter (2021); Freud (1962); Full Circle (1960–1961); General Electric Theater (1959–1962); Gladiator (1992); Goliath (2016); Googas (2008); Greek Lightning (1973); Gremlins (1984); Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990); Gremlins: A Christmas Nightmare (2018); Gunsmoke (1960–1966); Guts and Glory (2002); H.E.L.P. (1990); Have Gun - Will Travel (1960); Hawkins (1973–1974); Hercules (1997); High Velocity (1976); Hollow Man (2000); Hollywood a Go Go (1965); Hollywood in Vienna 2019: A Night at the Oscars & A Tribute to Gabriel Yared (2012–2017); Homecoming (2018); Hoosiers (1986); Hop (2011); Hour of the Gun (1967); How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000); How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog (2000); Hren' 2.0 (2011); Hudson Hawk (1991); I.Q. (1994); Ilik Dudaklar (1978); In Harm's Way (1965); In Like Flint (1967); Inchon (1981); Indict and Convict (1974); Innerspace (1987); Innerspace II (2018); Inside Man (2006); International Velvet (1978); Islands in the Stream (1977); Jericho (1966–1967); Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017); Justine (1969); Karpuzcu (1979); King Solomon's Mines (1985); Kingdom of Heaven (2005); Kingdom of the Spiders (1977); Knight Rider (1983–1985); Kraft Mystery Theater (1963); L.A. Confidential (1997); Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2021); Launchpad (2021); Leave It to Beaver (1997); Legend (1985); Leviathan (1989); Lights Out (1972); Lilies of the Field (1963); Link (1986); Lionheart (1987); Logan's Run (1976); Lonely Are the Brave (1962); Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003); Love Field (1992); MacArthur (1977); MacGyver (1989); Magic (1978); Mahal Kita (2004); Malcolm in the Middle (2003); Malice (1993); Man About Town (2006); Man on the Beach (1961); Masada (1981); Matinee (1993); Medical Story (1975); Medicine Man (1992); Mom and Dad Save the World (1992); Monty Python's Flying Circus (1970–1974); Morituri (1965); Morning Joe (2023); Mr. Baseball (1992); Mr. Mom (1983); Ms. Marvel (2022); Mulan (1998); Murder Most Foul (1964); Música de cine (2008); Nick Quarry (1968); Night Crossing (1982); Nixon in the Den (2015); Nostalgia Critic (2010); Not Without My Daughter (1991); Omen IV: The Awakening (1991); One Hit Wonderland (2014); One Little Indian (1973); One of Our Spies Is Missing (1966); One Spy Too Many (1966); Only Fools and Horses (1996); Operation Eos (2021); Our Man Flint (1966); Outland (1981); Papillon (1973); Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1992); Patton (1970); Patton: A Tribute to Franklin J. Schaffner (1997); Peck's Bad Girl (1959); Perry Mason (1958–1963); Pete and Gladys (1960); Planet of the Apes (1968); Players (1979); Playhouse 90 (1958–1960); Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1965); Pleasure Island (1975); Police Story (1973–1979); Police Story: Confessions of a Lady Cop (1980); Police Story: The Freeway Killings (1987); Poltergeist (1982); Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986); Powder (1995); Prologue: The Artist Who Did Not Want to Paint (1965); Prometheus (2012); Prudence and the Chief (1970); Psycho II (1983); Pursuit (1972); QB VII (1974); Raggedy Man (1981); Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018); Rambo (2008); Rambo III (1988); Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985); Rambo: Last Blood (2019); Rambo: The Rescue (1986); Rambo: The Video Game (2014); Rank (2015); Ransom (1974); Rawhide (1961); Rent-a-Cop (1987); Retail Trek: The Partnership (2006); Revenge of Middle Management: Star Wars Ep3 (2014); Rio Conchos (1964); Rio Lobo (1970); Room 222 (1969–1974); Rudy (1993); Runaway (1984); S*P*Y*S (1974); Satisfaction Guaranteed (1976); Saturday Night Live (1994); Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023); Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010); Sebastian (1968); Seconds (1966); Selling a Hero (2002); Seven Days in May (1964); Shamus (1973); Shiloh (1996); Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season (1999); Shock Treatment (1964); Six Characters in Search of an Author (1976); Six Degrees of Separation (1993); Skin Deep (1982); Slave of Pleasure (1978); Sleeping with the Enemy (1991); Small Soldiers (1998); Soarin' (2001); Soarin' Around the World (2016); Solan Yaprak / Aga Düsen Kadin (1979); Some Jerk with a Camera (2011–2012); Speed (1994); Spielberg (2017); Spoof Trek IV: The Parody Home (2015); Stagecoach (1966); Star Trek Logs: An MTV Big Picture Special Edition (1991); Star Trek Phase II (2004); Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989); Star Trek: Enterprise (2001–2005); Star Trek: Enterprise E (2015–2018); Star Trek: Eye of the Tempest (2015); Star Trek: First Contact (1996); Star Trek: Incident at Beta 9 (2002); Star Trek: Insurrection (1998); Star Trek: Nemesis (2002); Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023); Star Trek: Roddenberry - The Rhaquenion Incident (2004); Star Trek: The Final Darkness (2004); Star Trek: The Infinite Chain (1994); Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979); Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994); Star Trek: The Romulan Wars (2006); Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001); STAR WARS EP 5: Attack of the Phantom Past (2016); Star Wars Ep 6: The Last Laser Master (2018); Starship Valiant: Crosses to Bear (2016); Starship Valiant: Legacy (2014); Stealing Time (2009); Studio One (1958); Studs Lonigan (1960); Sunburst II (1984); Supergirl (1984); Supergirl: The Making of the Movie (1985); Survival (2010); Take a Hard Ride (1975); Take Her, She's Mine (1963); Tarzan the Mighty Man (1974); Tatli Tatli (1975); Temple Grandin (2010); The 13th Warrior (1999); The 49th Annual Academy Awards (1977); The 70th Annual Academy Awards (1998); The 71st Annual Academy Awards (1999); The 72nd Annual Academy Awards (2000); The 73rd Annual Academy Awards (2001); The 74th Annual Academy Awards (2002); The 75th Annual Academy Awards (2003); The 76th Annual Academy Awards (2004); The 81st Annual Academy Awards (2009); The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965); The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970); The Best of Times (1974); The Beverly Hillbillies (1993); The Blue Max (1966); The Boys from Brazil (1978); The Brotherhood of the Bell (1970); The 'Burbs (1989); The Cassandra Crossing (1976); The Chairman (1969); The Challenge (1982); The Cine-Masochist (2010–2017); The Clay of Kings (1953); The Crimebusters (1962); The Culpepper Cattle Co. (1972); The Detective (1968); The Don Is Dead (1973); The Edge (1997); The Expendables (1962); The Fantastic Heroes (1973); The Fear (El Miedo) (2006); The Final Conflict (1981); The Fire in Francesca (1977); The Flim-Flam Man (1967); The Forging of Heroes: America's Green Berets (2002); The Fugitive (1964); The General with the Cockeyed Id (1964); The Ghost and the Darkness (1996); The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (1966–1967); The Glass Bottom Boat (1966); The Going Up of David Lev (1973); The Great Train Robbery (1978); The Haunting (1999); The Helicopter Spies (1968); The Hemingway Play (1976); The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971); The Human Adventure (2022); The Illustrated Man (1969); The Karate Killers (1967); The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts (2003); The Kid (2000); The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002); The Ladiest Damn'd Lady: An Afternoon with Stella Stevens (2006); The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water (2002); The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock (1998); The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire (2000); The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze (2001); The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration (2003); The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses (2005); The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers (2006); The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends (2007); The Land Before Time XIV: Journey of the Brave (2016); The Last Castle (2001); The Last Hard Men (1976); The Last Run (1971); The Last Sex Act (1978); The Legend of Jesse James (1965); The Lineup (1954–1959); The List of Adrian Messenger (1963); The Lonely Guy (1984); The Loner (1965–1966); The Lost World (2014); The Low Down (2000); The Man (1972); The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964–2015); The Man Who Saved the World (1982); The Mephisto Waltz (1971); The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R. (1967); The Mummy (1999); The Omen (1976); The Omen (2006); The Oscars (2013); The Other (1972); The Pinball Arcade (2012); The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything (2008); The Prize (1963); The Public Eye (1992); The Real Nam: Voices from Within (2002); The Red Pony (1973); The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975); The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair (1983); The River Wild (1994); The Salamander (1981); The Sand Pebbles (1966); The Satan Bug (1965); The Science of Star Trek (1995); The Screaming Woman (1972); The Secret of NIMH (1982); The Sergeant and the Lady (1958); The Shadow (1994); The Simpsons (1990–2019); The Spiral Road (1962); The Spy in the Green Hat (1967); The Spy with My Face (1965); The Stripper (1963); The Sum of All Fears (2002); The Swarm (1978); The Traveling Executioner (1970); The Trouble with Angels (1966); The Twilight Zone (1959–1961); The Untouchables (1993); The Vanishing (1993); The Waltons (1972–1981); The Waltons: A Decade of the Waltons (1980); The Wanderer (1956); The Wedding Ringer (2015); The Wind and the Lion (1975); They Are Here: The Real World of the Poltergeists (2007); Thriller (1960–1962); Thunderheads (1972); Timeline (2003); To Trap a Spy (1964); Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970); Total Recall (1990); Troldspejlet & Co. (2019); Troldspejlet (1989–2000); Twee Handen Op Een Buik (2007); Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983); Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977); U.S. Marshals (1998); Under Fire (1983); Valentine (2001); Von Ryan's Express (1965); Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1965); Wagon Train (1961–1962); Wall Street (1987); Warlock (1989); Warning Shot (1966); Wayne's World (1992); We Get to Win This Time (2002); What If...? (2010); What's Up Doc? (1993–1994); Wild Rovers (1971); Winter Kill (1974); KRP in Cincinnati (1979); World in White (1957); Young Dr. Kildare (1972); Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series (2006–2009).

Born on this day – Floyd Dixon:

Floyd Dixon

Blues singer

Pianist

February 8, 1929 – July 26, 2006

Born on this day – Jean Simmons:

Jean Simmons

Actress

Singer

January 31, 1929 – January 22, 2010

Born on this day – Elio Petri:

Elio Petri

Director

Writer

January 29, 1929 – November 10, 1982

Credits:

A Husband for Anna (1953); A Quiet Place in the Country (1968); Angels of Darkness (1954); Cannes Film Festival (1970); Ciné regards (1978); Documenti su Giuseppe Pinelli (1970); Giorni d'amore (1954); Good News (1979); High Infidelity (1964); His Days Are Numbered (1962); I sette contadini (1958); Il carro armato dell'8 settembre (1960); Il maestro di Vigevano (1963); Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970); La Garçonnière (1960); Le mani sporche (1978); Le notti dei Teddy Boys (1959); L'impiegato (1960); L'Italia con Togliatti (1964); Men and Wolves (1957); Nasce un campione (1953); Nudi per vivere (1963); Pierrot the Fool (1965); Property Is No Longer a Theft (1973); Quando tramonta il sole (1956); Rome 11:00 (1952); The 10th Victim (1965); The Assassin (1961); The Hunchback of Rome (1960); The Monsters (1963); The Working Class Goes to Heaven (1971); The Year Long Road (1958); Todo modo (1976); Tre ipotesi sulla morte di Giuseppe Pinelli (1970); Un ettaro di cielo (1958); Vento del Sud (1960); Vlak bez voznog reda (1959); We Still Kill the Old Way (1967).

Born on this day – Jules Feiffer:

Jules Feiffer

Cartoonist

Writer

Production designer

January 26, 1929 – January 17, 2025

Credits:

Books:

A Barrel of Laughs, a Vale of Tears (1995); Backing into Forward: A Memoir (2010); Bark, George (1999); Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl (1961); Feiffer on Civil Rights (1966); Feiffer on Nixon, the Cartoon Presidency (1974); Feiffer's Album (1963); Feiffer's Children (1986); Feiffer's Marriage Manual (1967); Harry: The Rat with Women, a Novel (1963); Hold Me! (1962); I Lost My Bear (1998); Jules Feiffer's America: From Eisenhower to Reagan (1982); Kill My Mother (2014); Knock Knock (1976); Marriage Is an Invasion of Privacy and Other Dangerous Views (1984); Meanwhile— (1997); Passionella and Other Stories (1959); Pictures at a Prosecution (1971); Ronald Reagan in Movie America (1988); Sick, Sick, Sick (1958); Smart George (2020); Tantrum (1979); The Explainers (1960); The Feiffer Album (1962); The Ghost Script (2018); The Great Comic Book Heroes (1965); The Man in the Ceiling (1993); The Penguin Feiffer (1966); The Unexpurgated Memoirs of Bernard Mergendeiler (1964).

Movies and television:

A Broadway Lullaby (2012); ABC News Close-Up (1962); American Masters (1996–2017); Another Day, Another Doormat (1959); Bark, George (2003); Bernard and Huey (2017); Bird of Steel! (2025); Boomtown (1985); Carnal Knowledge (1971 / 1980); Cartoon College (2012); CBS News Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley (2011); Comedy Zone (1984); Dad Strangelove (2025); Day to Day Affairs (1985); Faerie Tale Theatre (1985); Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story (2012); Foofle's Train Ride (1959); Funny Already: A History of Jewish Comedy (2004); God's Will (2000); Great Performances (1985); Hand Drawn Life - The History and Influence of Newspaper Comic Strips (2019); Happy Endings / Segment: Kidnapped (1975); Herblock: The Black & the White (2013); He's Way More Famous Than You (2013); Hold Me! (2018); Horizon (2006); Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time (1992); I Lost My Bear (2005); I Want to Go Home (1989); Jules Feiffer's Hold Me (1981); Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1994); Les Chroniques du Mea (2014); Little Murders (1971); Little Murders: Random Acts of Violence with Jules Feiffer (2018); Maya Angelou And Still I Rise (2016); Mord i det hvite hus (1972); Munro (1961); Oh! Calcutta! (1972); Popeye (1980); Quest (1962); Reputations (1982); Shoestring Theatre (1964); Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle (2013); TCM Guest Programmer (2012); That Was the Year That Was – 1976 (1976); The Dancer Films (2011); The David Frost Show (1971); The Fifties (1997); The First Amendment Project: No Joking (2004); The Jewish Americans (2008); The Larry Solway Show (1976); The Legacy Project (2014); The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story (1996); The Merv Griffin Show (1970); The Naked Brothers Band (2008); The Nudnik Show (1991); The Phantom Tollbooth: Beyond Expectations (2012); The Tale of a Dog (1959); The Young Set (1965); Theater Talk (2010); To Live & Dialogue in LA (2019); Un alma pura (1965); VD Blues (1972); Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist (2007).

Recommended reading - Little Caesar by W.R. Burnett (1929 & 1981):

Little Caesar

By W.R. Burnett.

ASIN: B0012363AA

Published by Dial.

Published 1929.

Hardcover.

First edition.

Description:

Rico is a small, pale man, but he has guts, endurance and a steely single-mindedness. When Vettori sends the gang out to rob a local nightclub, Rico shoots a cop who pulls a gun on him. They get away, but Vettori is shocked. He had told Rico, no gunplay. That’s when Rico realizes that Vettori has gone soft. He’s too old to control the gang anymore. So Rico takes over. With the faithful Otero at his side, the rest of them quickly shift their allegiances. Now the world is Rico’s. It’s his gang, and he’s calling all the shots. But there is always a weak link, someone who’s ready to spill when the bulls get tough. And sooner or later the nightclub killing is bound to catch up with him.

Little Caesar

By Gerald Peary.

Edited by Tino Balio.

Published by University of Wisconsin Press.

Wisconsin / Warner Bros. Screenplays.

Published 1981.

First edition.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 029908454X

ISBN-13: 978-0299084547

Description:

Little Caesar, a 1931 Hollywood gangster classic, is viewed in revivals today with nearly as much audience enthusiasm as it enjoyed a half-century ago, in the depths of the Great Depression.

In general, the Hollywood film industry responded to the dark economic conditions of the 1930s with escapist and non-topical films. The fascinating exception was the gangster film, through which the studios joined in the debate over the spiritual and economic health of the nation. Little Caesar, considered by many to be an architype of the genre, is one of the most memorable dramatizations of the discontent and alienation, the deep anxiety and hostility shared by millions of Americans during those dark years.

Born on this day – Denis Sanders:

Denis Sanders

Director

Producer

Writer

January 21, 1929 – December 10, 1987

Credits:

A Film on Hitchhiking (1974); A Time Out of War (1954); Assignment: Underwater (1961); Computers Are People, Too! (1982); Computers: The Friendly Invasion (1982); Crime & Punishment, USA (1959); Czechoslovakia 1918-1968 (1969); Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970); Ford Star Jubilee (1956); Have Gun - Will Travel (1959); Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973); Mannix (1968); Naked City (1962); One Man's Way (1964); Ripcord (1962); Route 66 (1964); Shock Treatment (1964); Soul to Soul (1971); Subject: Narcotics (1951); The American West of John Ford (1971); The Defenders (1962); The Great Adventure (1964); The Naked and the Dead (1958); Trial: the City and County of Denver vs. Lauren R. Watson (1970); War Hunt (1962); What's the Big Hurry? (1974).

Born on this day – Françoise Prévost:

Françoise Prévost

Actress

Writer

January 13, 1929 – November 30, 1997

Credits:

Les gens de Faillac (1995); Vive la mariée (1985); La côte d'amour (1982); L'amour nu (1981); Merry-Go-Round (1980); Le soleil en face (1980); Miss (1979); Apostrophes (1978); Bonjour Amour (1977); Mala, amore e morte (1977); The Pink Telephone (1975); The Return of the Exorcist (1975); Pas de frontières pour l'inspecteur: Le bouc émissaire (1975); Mais où sont passées les jeunes filles en fleurs (1975); La prova d'amore (1974); The Sinful Nuns of Saint Valentine (1974); Van der Valk und die Reichen (1973); Le violon de Vincent (1973); Les anges (1973); When Love Is Lust (1973); Témoignages (1973); Van der Valk und das Mädchen (1972); Le inibizioni del dottor Gaudenzi, vedovo col complesso della buonanima (1971); The Contract (1971); Le belve (1971); The Hideout (1971); La prima notte del Dottor Danieli, industriale, col complesso del... giocattolo (1970); Mont-Dragon (1970); Il tuo dolce corpo da uccidere (1970); Un caso di coscienza (1970); La donna a una dimensione (1969); Naked Violence (1969); It Takes a Thief (1969); Les vieilles lunes (1969); The Fourth Wall (1969); Winter Wind (1969); Rabbit in the Pit (1969); A Woman on Fire! (1969); Spirits of the Dead (1968); Johnny Hamlet (1968); Italian Secret Service (1968); L'espace d'une nuit (1967); Pronto... c'è una certa Giuliana per te (1967); The Other One (1967); Enter Inspector Maigret (1966); Via Macau (1966); The Murder Clinic (1966); Galia (1966); La cage de verre (1965); Ein Mann im schönsten Alter (1964); Vacances portugaises (1963); Un tentativo sentimentale (1963); Il processo di Verona (1963); Bekenntnisse eines möblierten Herrn (1963); Il mare (1962); The Condemned of Altona (1962); Bon Voyage! (1962); Sign of the Lion (1962); Gli anni ruggenti (1962); L'inspecteur Leclerc enquête (1962); Paris Belongs to Us (1961); Le jeu de la vérité (1961); Kraft Mystery Theater (1961); Par-dessus le mur (1961); The Girl with the Golden Eyes (1961); The Season for Love (1961); La reine Margot (1961); Love Play (1961); La caméra explore le temps (1959–1961); Time Out for Love (1961); I Promised to Pay (1961); Merci Natercia! (1960); Women Are Like That (1960); The Enemy General (1960); Le bel âge (1960); Le second souffle (1959); Cette nuit là... (1958); Foreign Intrigue (1953–1954); Virgile (1953); The Three Musketeers (1953); Nez de cuir (1952); The King's Musketeers (1951); Clara de Montargis (1951); Les miracles n'ont lieu qu'une fois (1951); Jean de la Lune (1949).

Born on this day – Sergio Leone:

Sergio Leone

Director

Producer

Writer

January 3, 1929 – April 30, 1989

Credits:

The King of Ads (1991); Once Upon a Time in America (1984); Duck, You Sucker! (1971); Once Upon a Time in the West (1968); The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966); For a Few Dollars More (1965); A Fistful of Dollars (1964); Sodom and Gomorrah (1962); The Colossus of Rhodes (1961).

On this day in movie history - The Bishop Murder Case (1929):

The Bishop Murder Case

directed by David Burton and Nick Grinde,

written by S.S. Van Dine and Lenore J. Coffee,

based on the novel by S.S. Van Dine,

was released in the United States on December 31, 1929.
Music by William Axt.

Cast:

Basil Rathbone, Leila Hyams, Roland Young, Alec B. Francis, George F. Marion, Zelda Sears, Bodil Rosing, Carroll Nye, Charles Quatermaine, James Donlan, Sidney Bracey, Clarence Geldart, Delmer Daves, Nellie Bly Baker.

Recommended reading - The Bishop Murder Case (1929):

The Bishop Murder Case

By S.S. Van Dine.

# 4 in the Philo Vance mystery series.

Published by Scribners.

First published 1929.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0684179776

ISBN-13: 978-0684179773

Description:

Master sleuth Philo Vance is baffled by a series of grisly murders committed by the sinister “Bishop,” who uses Mother Goose rhymes for inspiration. The killings are the handiwork of genius gone awry, and the suspects are all distinguished intellectuals of the highest order: a physicist, a mathematician, an astronomer, a chess master. Set against the rich tapestry of New York City in the gilded 1920s, this is a brilliant mystery featuring the debonaire, aristocratic sleuth who was America’s first classic detective.

“So Philo Vance will be darting around again. Good!” – Rex Stout.

“A nightmarish shocker, a dazzling deductive work… Vance’s greatest triumph.” – Chris Steinbrunner.

Born on this day – Robert Scheerer:

Robert Scheerer

Director

Producer

Actor

December 28, 1929 – March 3, 2018

Born on this day – John "Bud" Cardos:

John "Bud" Cardos

Director

Actor

Stuntman

December 20, 1929 – December 31, 2020

Born on this day – Christopher Plummer:

Christopher Plummer

Actor

December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021

Born on this day – Hilary Harris:

Hilary Harris

Director

Cinematographer

December 9, 1929 – October 26, 1999

Born on this day – John Cassavetes:

John Cassavetes

Actor

Director

Writer

December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989

Credits:

A Woman Under the Influence (1974); Affair in Havana (1957); Alcoa Theatre (1958); Alexander the Great (1963); Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1956); Appointment with Adventure (1956); Armstrong Circle Theatre (1955); Bandits in Rome (1968); Before Opening Night (2010); Big Trouble (1986); Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1965–1967); Brass Target (1978); Breaking Point (1963); Burke's Law (1964–1965); Capone (1975); Channing (1963); Climax! (1956); Columbo (1972); Combat! (1965); Crime in the Streets (1956); Danger (1954–1955); Devil's Angels (1967); A Child Is Waiting (1963); Dr. Kildare (1962); Edge of the City (1957); Faces (1968); Flesh & Blood (1979); General Electric Theater (1959); Gloria (1980); Gloria (1999); Goodyear Playhouse (1955); Heroes (1977); Husbands (1970); Johnny Staccato (1959–1960); If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969); King Kongs Faust (1985); Kraft Suspense Theatre (1965); Kraft Theatre (1955–1956); Love Streams (1984); Lux Playhouse (1959); Lux Video Theatre (1951); Machine Gun McCain (1969); Minnie and Moskowitz (1971); Marvin & Tige (1983); Mikey and Nicky (1976); NBC Television Opera Theatre (1954); Nightside (1973); Off to See the Wizard (1968); Omnibus (1954); Opening Night (1977); Our Virgin Island (1958); Playhouse 90 (1957); Ponds Theater (1955); Profiles in Courage (1965); Pursuit (1958); Rawhide (1961); Robert Montgomery Presents (1954); Rosemary's Baby (1968); Saddle the Wind (1958); Shadows (1958); She's So Lovely (1997); Studio One (1958); Taxi (1953); Tempest (1982); The 20th Century-Fox Hour (1956); The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1964); The Dirty Dozen (1967); The Elgin Hour (1955); The Fury (1978); The Haircut (1982); The Incubus (1981); The Killers (1964); The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976); The Legend of Jesse James (1965); The Lloyd Bridges Show (1962–1963); The Long, Hot Summer (1966); The Night Holds Terror (1955); The Virginian (1966); The Webster Boy (1962); Too Late Blues (1961); Two-Minute Warning (1976); Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1965); Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981); Woman Under the Influence (2017); You Are There (1953).

Born on this day – Betta St. John:

Betta St. John

Actress

Singer

Dancer

November 26, 1929 – June 23, 2023

Credits:

The Third Man (1965); Rendezvous (1960); The City of the Dead (1960); Tarzan the Magnificent (1960); International Detective (1960); The Four Just Men (1960); Armchair Theatre (1959); The Invisible Man (1959); BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1959); Corridors of Blood (1958); The Snorkel (1958); ITV Play of the Week (1958); High Tide at Noon (1957); Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957); The Errol Flynn Theatre (1956); Rheingold Theatre (1955–1956); The Count of Monte Cristo (1956); Alias John Preston (1955); The Naked Dawn (1955); The Vise (1955); The Law vs. Billy the Kid (1954); The Student Prince (1954); The Saracen Blade (1954); Dangerous Mission (1954); All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953); The Robe (1953); Dream Wife (1953); Jane Eyre (1943); Lydia (1941); Waldo's Last Stand (1940); Destry Rides Again (1939).