Showing posts with label 1939. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1939. Show all posts

Thursday, July 30, 2026

Born on this day – Peter Bogdanovich:


Peter Bogdanovich


Director

Writer

Actor

Producer

Critic

Film historian

July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022


Credits:

Books:

A Moment with Miss Gish; A Year and a Day Engagement Calendar 1992: A Desk Diary Adapted From the Works of Robert Graves; All I Wanna Do is Direct: My First Picture Shows 1965–1971; Fritz Lang in America; John Ford; Peter Bogdanovich's Movie of the Week; Pieces of Time: Peter Bogdanovich on the Movies; The Cinema of Alfred Hitchcock; The Cinema of Howard Hawks; The Cinema of Orson Welles; The Killing of the Unicorn: Dorothy Stratten 1960–1980; This is Orson Welles; Who the Devil Made It: Conversations with Legendary Film Directors; Who the Hell's in It: Conversations with Hollywood's Legendary Actors.

Movies and television:

100 Jahre Hollywood - Die Carl Laemmle Story (2011); 20 Most Horrifying Hollywood Murders (2006); 20/20 (2019); 3D: A Brief History (2004); 54 (1998); 78/52 (2017); 8 Simple Rules (2004); A Constant Forge (2000); A Decade Under the Influence (2003); A Film of Firsts: Peter Bogdanovitch on Red River (2014); A Final Cut for Orson: 40 Years in the Making (2018); Abandoned (2010); Above Suspicion (2019); AFI Life Achievement Award (1973–1975); AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies: 10th Anniversary Edition (2007); AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions: America's Greatest Love Stories (2002); Alfred Hitchcock: The Ultimate Spymaster (2008); All About 'the Birds' (2000); Allen Ludden's Gallery (1969); America Lost and Found: The BBS Story (2010); America This Morning (1988); American Experience (1996–2013); American Masters (1990–2011); Anatomy of a Scene (2001–2004); Apropos Film (1973); Are You Here (2013); Arena (1982); Argentina, 1985 (2022); Asking for the Moon (2003); Astaire and Rogers: Partners in Rhythm (2006); At Long Last Love (1975); Backstory (2000–2001); Ballyhoo: The Hollywood Sideshow! (1996); Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché (2018); Be Water / 30 for 30 (2023); Before the Fact: Suspicious Hitchcock (2004); Behind Closed Doors (2018); Bella Mafia (1997); Ben Johnson: Third Cowboy on the Right (1996); Between Us (2016); Beyond Doubt: The Making of Hitchcock's Favorite Film (2000); Biography (1987–2005); Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs and Blockbusters (2006); Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (2017); Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster (2021); Bret Easton Ellis Podcast (2016); Broken English (2007); Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That (2005); Budd Boetticher: An American Original (2005); By Bogdanovich (2011); Camera Three (1971–1976); Carl Laemmle (2019); Casting By (2012); CBS Mornings (1988); CBS News Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley (2022); Century of Cinema (1995); Charlie Rose (1997–2006); Cinema (1975); Cinéma! Cinéma! The French New Wave (1992); CinemAbility: The Art of Inclusion (2012); Claire Makes It Big (1998); Cold Turkey (2013); Coming Soon (1999); Commemoration: Howard Hawks' 'Rio Bravo' (2007); Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011); Culture Shock (2000); Cybill (1995); Daisy Miller (1974); Daisy Miller: An Introduction by Peter Bogdanovich (2003); Dedication (2007); Dinah! (1975); Dinner for Five (2003); Directed by John Ford (1971); Dirty Sexy Money (2007); Documentary Now! (2016); Dogtown (1997); Don't Let Me Go (2013); Dorothy Stratten: The Untold Story (1985); Dreaming the Quiet Man (2010); Dreaming with Scissors: Hitchcock, Surrealism & Salvador Dali (2008); Durant's Never Closes (2016); E! Mysteries & Scandals (1999–2001); E! True Hollywood Story (2000–2006); Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003); Edgar G. Ulmer: The Man Off-Screen (2004); Edge of Outside (2006); F for Fake (1973); Fade (2011); Fallen Angels (1995); Festival in Cannes (2001); Film '72 (1972); Film Genre (2002); Five Easy Pieces: BBStory (2010); Fragments of Paradise (2022); Get Shorty (2017–2019); Getting the Moon (2003); Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast (2016); Glanz und Elend in Hollywood: Natalie Wood (2009); Godard Made in USA (2010); Great Performances (1987–1988); Guilt by Association: Psychoanalyzing Spellbound (2008); Guilt Trip: Hitchcock and 'the Wrong Man' (2004); HARDtalk Extra (2005); HDVD Extra (2004); Highball (1997); Hitchcock and Dial M (2004); Hitchcock and 'Stage Fright' (2004); Hitchcock/Truffaut (2015); Hitchcock: Shadow of a Genius (1999); Hitchcock's Confession: A Look at 'I Confess' (2004); Hollywood Beat (1997); Hollywood Gangster (2008); Hollywood Greats (1999); Hollywood Insider (2021); Hollywood Legenden (2004); Hollywood Mavericks (1990); Hollywood Scandals (2011); Hollywood's Master Storytellers: Paper Moon (2016); How Far Would You Go for Love? (2010); How I Met Your Mother (2010); Howard Hawks on the Front Page and His Girl Friday (2017); Howard Hawks: American Artist (1997); Humboldt County (2008); Hustle (2004); I Am Burt Reynolds (2020); I Love New York (2002); Il était une fois... (2009); Il falso bugiardo (2008); Illegally Yours (1988); Independent Lens (2009); Infamous (2006); Insights (2021); Intimate Portrait (1999–2000); It Chapter Two (2019); It Conquered Hollywood! The Story of American International Pictures (2001); It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein (1994); Jackie Brown (1997); Jamais sur vos écrans (2016); Jean Renoir: Part One - From La Belle Époque to World War II (1993); Jean Renoir: Part Two - Hollywood and Beyond (1993); Jenseits von Hollywood - Das Kino des Otto Preminger (2006); Jerry Lewis - König der Komödianten (2006); Joanne Carson's VIPs (1973); John Cassavetes: A Discussion (2000); John Ford Goes to War (2002); John Wayne Standing Tall (1989); Johnny, weil Du Geburtstag hast (1977); Josef von Sternberg, the Man Who Made Dietrich (1994); Karloff and Me (2006); Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003); Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004); King of Cool (2021); Kraft Theatre (1958); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2005–2007); L'homme qui a vu l'homme qui a vu l'ours (1990); Lick the Star (1998); Liebe in Hollywood (1995); Lions Love (... and Lies) (1969); Los Angeles Overnight (2018); Love Hollywood Style (2004); Made in Hollywood: Teen Edition (2016); Magacine (1999); Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014); Marilyn Monroe - Ich möchte geliebt werden (2010); Mask (1985); 'Mask' Revealed: A Conversation with Peter Bogdanovich (2004); Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood (2010); Moonlighting (1987); Moving Pictures (1990); Mr. Hitchcock Meets the Smiths (2004); Mr. Jealousy (1997); My First Time (2006); My Left Hand Man (2011); Naked City: A Killer Christmas (1998); Never Say Goodbye AIDS Benefit by Yoko Ono (1995); New York at the Movies (2002); Nickelodeon (1976); Nightwalkers (2021); No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos (2008); Noises Off... (1992); Northern Exposure (1993); One Day Since Yesterday: Peter Bogdanovich & the Lost American Film (2014); One Handshake Away: Peter Bogdanovich and the Icons of Cinema (2024); One Lucky Moon (2024); Opening Night (1977); Orson Welles en el país de Don Quijote (2000); Orson Welles: What Went Wrong? (1992); Our Friend River (2006); Out of Order (2003); Out of the Blue and into the Black (1987); Palmer (2021); Paper Moon (1973); Passion and Romance: The Wings of the Dove (1999); Pearly Gates (2015); Personal History: Foreign Hitchcock (2004); Peter Bogdanovich in conversation with Jesse Hawthorne Ficks (2017); Phantom Halo (2014); Picture This: The Times of Peter Bogdanovich in Archer City, Texas (1991); Picture Windows (1994); Pieces of Time: Bogdanovich on the Movies (1987); Pollywood (2020); Pop Culture Beast's Halloween Horror Picks (2014); Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker (1991); Produced and Directed by Otto Preminger: An Appreciation by Peter Bogdanovich (2018); Prowler (1995); Pure Cinema: Birth of the Hitchcock Style (2007); Queen of the Lot (2010); Rated X (2000); 'Rear Window' Ethics: Remembering and Restoring a Hitchcock Classic (2001); Reborn (2018); Reinventando Hollywood (2008); Reputations (1999); Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Women (1997); Revisiting Mr. Jealousy (2021); Rizzoli & Isles (2011); Roger Corman, le pape du pop cinéma (2021); Saint Jack (1979); Saturday Night at the Movies (1974–2013); Scene Stealers (2004); Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001); Screwball Comedies... Remember Them? (1972); Searching for Orson (2006); Secret Identity (2011); She's Funny That Way (2014); Shootout (2005–2006); Sightings (1995); Silent Hollywood: Cult, Stars, Scandals (2005); Siskel & Ebert (2000); Six LA Love Stories (2016); Skeeter Hammond: Handles, Hops and the Fourth Dimension (2003); Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies (2020); Smiling Through the Apocalypse (2013); Srbi u Holivudu (2012); Stagecoach: A Story of Redemption (2006); Stardust Hollywood - Sternenstaub und Götterwelten (2013); Starlight (2014); Still Cher (2002); Strangers on a Train: A Hitchcock Classic (2004); Sunday AM (2007); Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso (2019); Talking Pictures (1979 / 1988); Talking Sopranos (2021); Tangiers by Friday (2024); Targets (1968); 'Targets': An Introduction by Peter Bogdanovich (2003); TCM Remembers 2022 (2022); TCM Remembers Peter Bogdanovich (2022); TCM: Twenty Classic Moments (2014); Tesla Nation (2018); Texas Monthly Talks (2004); Texasville (1990); That Was Orson Welles (2016); The 11th IFP/West Annual Independent Spirit Awards (1996); The 16th Annual Satellite Awards (2011); The 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2022); The 31st Annual Golden Globe Awards (1974); The 44th Annual Academy Awards (1972); The 50 Greatest Television Dramas (2007); The 51st State (1972); The Carson Podcast (2017); The Cat's Meow (2001); The Century / Segment: Picture This (1999); The City Girl (1984); The Clive James Interview (1991); The Cole Porter Project (2024); The Complete Citizen Kane (1991); The Creatress (2019); The David Frost Show (1972); The Definition of Insanity (2004); The Dick Cavett Show (1972); The Doorman (2007); The Dukes (2007); The Essentials (2001); The Fabulous Allan Carr (2017); The Fifth Patient (2007); The Good Wife (2014); The Great Buster (2018); The Great Professional: Howard Hawks (1967); The Independent (2000); The Informer: Out of the Fog (2006); The Irv Kupcinet Show (1975); The Lady from Shanghai: A Discussion with Peter Bogdanovich (2000); The Last of the Old Masters: Peter Bogdanovich on Allan Dwan (2009); The Last Picture Show (1971); The Last Picture Show Re-Release Promo (1971); The Last Picture Show: A Look Back (1999); The Look of Frances Ha (2013); The Look of the Film (2006); The Lost Print (2022); The Making of Highball (date?); The Making of 'Rebecca' (2008); The Maltese Falcon: One Magnificent Bird (2006); The Merv Griffin Show (1972); The Mike Douglas Show (1971–1973); The Moviemakers (1984); The Movies (2019); The Mystery of Natalie Wood (2004); The Next Picture Show (2003); The Old Man: Peter Bogdanovich Remembers John Ford (2016); The Oprah Winfrey Show (2004); The Oscars (2022); The Other Side of the Wind (2018); The Price of Heaven (1997); The Prime Gig (2000); The Private Life of a Masterpiece (2004); The Rabbit Will Die (2024); The Racket (1928); The Roy Leonard Show (1972); The Seventh Art (2012); The Shoe Store (1999); The Simpsons (2007); The Sopranos (2000–2007); The Sound of Silence: The Making of 'The Lodger' (2008); The Squid and the Whale (2005); The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011); The Story of 'Frenzy' (2001); The Tell-Tale Heart (2016); The Thing Called Love (1993); The Thing Called Love: A Look Back (2006); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1972–1975); The Trip (1967); The Trouble with Marnie (2000); The True Adventures of Raoul Walsh (2014); The Ultimate Romance: The Making of 'Notorious' (2008); The Watch (2011); The Wild Angels (1966); The Wild One (2022); The Wonderful World of Disney (1999); The Working Man (2011); They All Laughed (1981); They All Laughed 25 Years Later: Director to Director - A Conversation with Peter Bogdanovich and Wes Anderson (2006); They'll Love Me When I'm Dead (2018); This Is Orson Welles (2015); This Morning (2004); Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time, Parts 1-3 (2020); 'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris (2006); To Sir, with Love II (1996); Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream (2007); Tomorrow Coast to Coast (1974); Tomorrow, Yesterday, and Today (2010); Twelve (2008); U.S.A. Today: The Television Series (1988); Un jour, une histoire (2011); Unexplained Mysteries / Segment: The Curse of a Hollywood Icon (2003); Vittorio D. (2009); Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968); Wanderlust (2006); Warner Bros. 75th Anniversary: No Guts, No Glory (1998); We Blew It (2017); What Is Cinema? (2013); What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael (2018); What's Up, Doc? (1972); While We're Young (2014); Who Is Henry Jaglom? (1995); Willie and Me (2023); With Orson Welles: Stories of A Life in Film (1990); Working with Orson Welles (1993); WTF with Marc Maron (2015); y usted... de qué se ríe? / and you... what are you laughing at? (2000).

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Born on this day – Charles Cyphers:


Charles Cyphers


Actor

July 28, 1939 – August 4, 2024

Credits:

21 Jump Street (1988); A Force of One (1979); Aaron's Way (1988); Airwolf (1984); Alice (1978); Any Day Now (1999); Assault on Precinct 13 (1976); Barnaby Jones (1973–1977); Benson (1982); Big Bad Mama II (1987); Borderline (1980); Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1998); California Dreams (1994); Cannon (1972–1973); Celebrity Chatter and Things that Matter with Elijah (2023); Charlie's Angels (1977); China Beach (1988); Coming Home (1978); Cool Breeze (1972); Cousin Skeeter (2001); Critical Mass (2001); Dallas (1987); Dead Calling (2006); Deadly Games (1995); Death Wish II (1982); Deatherman (2012); Dog and Cat (1977); Dragnet (1989); Elvis (1979); ER (1995); Escape from New York (1981); FBI: The Untold Stories (1993); Freddy's Nightmares (1989); Friendly Fire (1979); Gibbsville (1976); Gleaming the Cube (1989); Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006); Gray Lady Down (1978); Grizzly II: Revenge (1983); Halloween (1978); Halloween II (1981); Halloween Kills (2021); Halloween: 25 Years of Terror (2006); 'Halloween': A Cut Above the Rest (2003); Halloween: The Inside Story (2010); Halloween: The Shape of Horror (2006); Hardball (1994); Hart to Hart (1981); Hill Street Blues (1985–1987); Honkytonk Man (1982); Hunter's Blood (1986); Hyperion Bay (1998); JAG (1995); Jake and the Fatman (1989); Little House: Look Back to Yesterday (1983); Loaded Weapon 1 (1993); Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993); Lou Grant (1979); MacArthur (1977); Mach 2 (2000); Major League (1989); Mancuso, FBI (1989); Matlock (1986); Memorial Day (1983); Methodic (2007); Murder in the First (1995); Murder One (1996); Murder, She Wrote (1991); Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher (1996–1998); Night Court (1988); Our House (1987); Our Town (1977); Pensacola: Wings of Gold (1998); Phyllis (1976); Renegade (1993); Rituals (1984–1995); Roc (1991–1992); Roots (1977); Santa Barbara (1987); SeaQuest 2032 (1994); Seinfeld (1995); Simon & Simon (1987); Sliders (1995); Someone's Watching Me! (1978); Starsky and Hutch (1976–1979); The Betty White Show (1977–1978); The Bionic Woman (1976); The Dukes of Hazzard (1979–1984); The Executioner's Song (1982); The F.B.I. (1973); The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One (1974); The Fog (1980); The George Carlin Show (1994); The George Wendt Show (1995); The Manhunter (1974); The Missiles of October (1974); The Night She Came Home!! (2013); The Onion Field (1979); The Outsiders (1990); The Quest (1982); The Secrets of Isis (1975); The Six Million Dollar Man (1976); The Slams (1973); The Tony Randall Show (1977); The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald (1977); Truck Turner (1974); Vigilante Force (1976); Wonder Woman (1977).

Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Born on this day – Peter Duryea:


Peter Duryea


Actor

July 14, 1939 – March 24, 2013

Credits:

12 O'Clock High (1964–1966); Adam-12 (1969); Bewitched (1965); Birth of a Timeless Legacy (2004); Blood of the Iron Maiden (1970); Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1965–1966); Catalina Caper (1967); Combat! (1965–1967); Daniel Boone (1965); Dr. Kildare (1965); Dragnet 1967 (1967–1969); Family Affair (1971); For the Love of Spock (2016); Gomer Pyle: USMC (1968); I Spy (1968); Insight (1972–1976); Kraft Suspense Theatre (1964); Leonard Nimoy: Star Trek Memories (1984); Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. (1966); Profiles in Courage (1964); Reflections on Spock (2004); Spacelift: Transporting Trek Into the 21st Century (2011); Star Trek (1966); Taggart (1964); Tempo (1970); The Bounty Killer (1965); The Carpetbaggers (1964); The Defenders (1964); The Donna Reed Show (1963); The Fugitive (1964); The Name of the Game (1969); The Outer Limits (1964); The Virginian (1966).

Sunday, July 12, 2026

On this day in movie history - News Is Made at Night (1939):


News Is Made at Night

directed by Alfred L. Werker,
written by John Francis Larkin,
was released in the United States on July 12, 1939.
Music by Samuel Kaylin.


Behind the scenes photograph:


Cast:

Preston Foster, Lynn Bari, Russell Gleason, George Barbier, Eddie Collins, Minor Watson, Charles Halton, Paul Harvey, Richard Lane, Charles Lane, Betty Compson, Paul Fix, Paul Guilfoyle, Ernie Alexander, Irving Bacon, Eugene Borden, Wade Boteler, Harold Goodwin, George Guhl, J. Anthony Hughes, William Irving, Robert Emmett Keane, Alberto Morin, James C. Morton, David Newell, Jack Norton, George O'Hara, Imboden Parrish, Arthur Rankin, Jack Richardson, Harry Strang, Billy Wayne.

Saturday, July 4, 2026

Born on this day – Ed Bernard:


Ed Bernard


Actor

July 4, 1939 – January 23, 2025

Credits:

Across 110th Street (1972); Act of Violence (1979); Amen (1987); Bare Witness (2002); Becker (2003); Beyond Westworld (1980); Blue Thunder (1983); Cold Case (2005); Cool Million (1972); D.A. Pursuit of Justice / Video Game (1997); Doogie Howser, M.D. (1991); ER (2005); Girl in the Cadillac (1995); Girlfriends (2002); Hardcastle and McCormick (1984–1985); Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993); In the House (1997); Intimate Stranger (1991); JAG (2002); Kojak (1974); Life with Lucy (1986); Love Story (1973); Mannix (1974); Mork & Mindy (1978); Murdock's Gang (1973); Nickels (1995); NYPD Blue (1999); Pinocchio's Revenge (1996); Police Story (1973–1974); Police Woman (1974–1978); Reflections of Murder (1974); Shaft (1971); Suddenly Susan (1998); Survival Game (1987); T.J. Hooker (1982–1984); That's My Mama (1974); The Hot Rock (1972); The Last Song (1980); The White Shadow (1978–1980); Together Brothers (1974); Trader Horn (1973); Two Marriages (1983); Under Cover (1987); Unwed Father (1974); What's Happening Now! (1987); What's Happening!! (1978); Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom (1995).

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Monday, June 29, 2026

Born on this day – Dalene Young:


Dalene Young


Writer

Producer

Actress

June 29, 1939 – May 9, 2025

Credits:

A Message from Holly (1992); Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn (1977); All About Manos (2017); Baby Luv (2000); Cab to Canada (1998); Can You Hear the Laughter? The Story of Freddie Prinze (1979); Christmas Miracle in Caufield, U.S.A. (1977); Cross Creek (1983); Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway (1976); Deadman's Curve (1978); E! Mysteries & Scandals (1998); Evidence of Blood (1998); Going Home (2000); Grimm (2012); HeartBeat (1985); I Love You Perfect (1989); Is There Life Out There? (1994); It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963); Jonathan: The Boy Nobody Wanted (1992); Journey of the Heart (1997); Juke Box Racket (1960); Little Darlings (1980 / 1982); Living a Lie (1991); Locked in Silence (1999); Marilyn: The Untold Story (1980); Miss Lettie and Me (2002); Pale Horse Pale Rider (1980); Panic in Echo Park (1977); Pig (2021); Silk Hope (1999); Sonny Boy (1989); Teen Lust (1978); The Baby-Sitters Club (1995); The Cat Killers (2000); The Last Dance (2000); The People Across the Lake (1988); The Plutonium Incident (1980); The Yarn Princess (1994); Why Me? (1984); Will There Really Be a Morning? (1983).

Tuesday, June 2, 2026

On this day in movie history - The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939 movie & novel):


The Gracie Allen Murder Case

directed by Alfred E. Green,
written by Nat Perrin,
based on the novel by S.S. Van Dine,
was released in the United States on June 2, 1939.
Music by Gerard Carbonara and Leo Shuken.

Cast:

Gracie Allen, Warren William, Ellen Drew, Kent Taylor, Judith Barrett, Donald MacBride, Jed Prouty, Jerome Cowan, H. B. Warner, William Demarest, Sam Lee, Al Shaw, Richard Denning, Irving Bacon, Lillian Yarbo.

Recommended reading:


The Gracie Allen Murder Case

aka The Smell of Murder

By S.S. Van Dine.

Filmed as The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939), directed by Alfred E. Green.

Published by Felony & Mayhem Press.
First published 1938.
ISBN-10: 1631942069
ISBN-13: 9781631942068

Description:

“Mr. Van Dine’s amateur detective is the most gentlemanly, and probably the most scholarly snooper in literature.”
Chicago Daily Tribune.

Gracie Allen breaks the Philo Phormula in a number of ways. First is its title: this is the only book in the series to modify “Murder Case” with more than one word, much less with the name of a character. And then there’s that character: Gracie Allen was a very real, much-loved comedienne in the 1930s, famous for her double act with George Burns, and in fact the plot revolves around her. Gracie’s centrality is no accident: Van Dine wrote the story as a vehicle for Allen, and actually created the novel only after the film had come out. So, do all these departures pay off? We’d be lying if we said that Gracie hits every single mark, but Van Dine does a surprisingly entertaining job of translating Ms. Allen’s delicious Ditzy Blonde persona to the page, and she makes a charming foil for Philo’s evergreen erudition.

Monday, June 1, 2026

Born on this day – Cleavon Little:


Cleavon Little


Actor

June 1, 1939 – October 22, 1992

Credits:

227 (1989); 5 Up, 2 Down (1991); A House Divided: Denmark Vesey's Rebellion (1982); ABC Afterschool Specials (1981); ALF (1987); All in the Family (1971); American Playhouse (1990); Another World (1982); Audioslave (2003); Audioslave: Show Me How to Live (2003); Bagdad Cafe (1990–1991); Biography (1996); Blazing Saddles (1974); Blazing Saddles: Back in the Saddle (2001); CBS Summer Playhouse (1988); Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970); Dear John (1989); Dinah! (1975); Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy 'Satchel' Paige (1981); Double Exposure (1982); E. Nick: A Legend in His Own Mind (1984); Entertainment Tonight (1989); Fantasy Island (1981); Fletch Lives (1989); FM (1978); Gene Wilder: Loved, Remembered (2017); Goin' to Chicago (1990); Greased Lightning (1977); High Risk (1981); Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter (1982); How the West Was Lost (2008); Hunt for the Stars (2024); In the Nick of Time (1991); Jimmy the Kid (1982); John and Mary (1969); Jouer sa vie (1982); Lincoln (1988); MacGyver (1989–1991); Midnight Caller (1990); Mod Squad (1972); Money to Burn (1973); Mr. Dugan (1979); Murder by Numbers (1989); Nightlife (1986); Now We're Cookin' (1983); Once Bitten (1985); Once Upon a Brothers Grimm / Segment: Little Red Riding Hood (1977); One of the Boys (1982); Ossie and Ruby! (1981); Perfect Harmony (1991); Police Story (1975); Remembering Gene Wilder (2023); Role Model: Gene Wilder (2008); Scavenger Hunt (1979); Separate But Equal (1991); Simon & Simon (1983); Special Collector's Edition (2010); Supertrain (1979); Surf II (1983); Tales from the Crypt (1992); Tanner '88 (1988); The $10,000 Pyramid (1975); The 24th Annual Tony Awards (1970); The 28th Annual Tony Awards (1974); The 29th Annual Tony Awards (1975); The 40th Annual Tony Awards (1986); The David Frost Show (1971–1972); The Day the Earth Moved (1974); The Fall Guy (1983); The Felony Squad (1968); The Gig (1985); The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971); The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2020); The Love Boat (1980); The Merv Griffin Show (1972–1975); The Mike Douglas Show (1975–1977); The New Temperatures Rising Show (1972–1974); The Rockford Files (1977); The Rookies (1975); The Salamander (1981); The Sky Is Gray (1980); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1970–1975); The Tony Randall Show (1977); The Very Very Best of the 70s (2020); The Waltons (1975); These Amazing Shadows (2011); Toy Soldiers (1984); True Colors (1991–1992); Uptown Saturday Night (1979); Vanishing Point (1971); What's So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968); Working in the Theatre (1985).

Sunday, May 17, 2026

Born on this day – Gretchen Dow Simpson:


Gretchen Dow Simpson


Painter

May 17, 1939 – April 11, 2025

Credits:

Books:

A Book of Paintings (1988); Gretchen's ABC (1991); Saltbound: A Block Island winter (1980).

Documentary:

Pawtucket Rising (2008).

Saturday, May 9, 2026

Born on this day – Constance Demby:


Constance Demby


Musician

Composer

Painter

Sculptor

Multimedia producer

May 9, 1939 – March 20, 2021

Credits:

Music:

Æterna (1995); Ambrosial Waves – Healing Waters (2011); Ambrosial Waves – Tidal Pools (2013); Arjuna Ardagh and Constance Demby – Guided Meditations: The Beloved (1998); Arjuna Ardagh and Constance Demby – Guided Meditations: The Heart Meditation (1998); Attunement: Live in Concert (2000); Breeze at Dawn (1989); Chronos (Original Soundtrack Recording) (1984); Constance Demby at Alaron – Live Concert Recording (1984); Eterna (Linda Bandino) and Constance Demby – The Journey Home; Eterna (Linda Bandino) and Constance Demby – The Master Healing Ray; Faces of the Christ (2000); Light of This World (1987); Live in Tokyo (2003); Novus Magnificat: Through the Stargate – 30th Anniversary Edition (2017); Novus Magnificat: Through the Stargate (1986); Polar Shift (1991); Sacred Space Music (1982); Sanctum Sanctuorum (2001); Set Free (1989); Skies Above Skies (1978); Sonic Immersion: A Vibratory Tonal Attunement (2004); Spirit Trance (2004); Sunborne (1980); Troubadour (1976); Various Artists – Illumination.

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

On this day in movie history - Chasing Danger (1939):


Chasing Danger

directed by Ricardo Cortez,
written by Robert Ellis and Helen Logan,
based on the story by Leonardo Bercovici,
was released in the United States on May 5, 1939.
Music by Samuel Kaylin.


Cast:

Preston Foster, Lynn Bari, Wally Vernon, Henry Wilcoxon, Joan Woodbury, Harold Huber, Jody Gilbert, Pedro de Cordoba, Stanley Fields, Roy D'Arcy, Carol Adams, Richard Alexander, Sam Ash, Eugene Borden, Egon Brecher, Don Brodie, Charles Brokaw, Harry Burns, Gino Corrado, Jean De Briac, Jimmie Dundee, Art Dupuis, Constant Franke, Robert Graves, Jamiel Hasson, Armand Kaliz, Arthur Loft, George Magrill, Francis McDonald, Louis Mercier, Tony Merlo, Leonard Mudie, Ruth Peterson, Arthur Rankin, Georges Renavent, Dick Rich, Jack Stoney, Paul Sutton, Harland Tucker, Michael Visaroff, Harry Worth.

Monday, May 4, 2026

Born on this day – Paul Gleason:


Paul Gleason


Actor

May 4, 1939 – May 27, 2006

Credits:

2005 MTV Movie Awards (2005); 21 Jump Street (1989); A Time to Revenge (1997); A*Teens: Dancing Queen (1999); Abominable (2006); Adam-12 (1971–1974); All My Children (1978); Another Life (1981–1984); Anything for Love (1985); Arthur (1981); B.L. Stryker (1990); Banacek (1972); Beauty and the Beast (1987); Best of the Best 4: Without Warning (1998); Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction / Creepy Comics (1999); Boiling Point (1993); Boy Meets World (1997); Cagney & Lacey (1984); Call to Glory (1984); CBS Playhouse (1969); Challenge of a Lifetime (1985); Chicago Hope (1999); C'mon, Let's Live a Little (1967); Cold Case (2005); Columbo (1975); Dallas (1985); Dark Skies (1996); Dawson's Creek (2003); Day at the Beach (1997); Dead Last (2001); Diagnosis Murder (1999); Die Hard (1988); Digital Man (1995); Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975); Doubletake (1985); Dragnet (2003); Drake & Josh (2004); Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985); Falcon Crest (1987); False Arrest (1991); Fastlane (2002); Fatal Confession: A Father Dowling Mystery (1990); Forever, Lulu (1986); Fort Apache the Bronx (1981); Fourth Story (1991); Friends (2000); George Lopez (2005); Ghost Chase (1987); Gimme a Break! (1986); Grace Under Fire (1997); Hardball (1990); Hardcastle and McCormick (1984); He Knows You're Alone (1980); Hill Street Blues (1984); Hit Man (1972); I Love Trouble (1994); Ike: The War Years (1979); In the Living Years (1994); It's About Time (1967); Johnny Be Good (1988); Kate & Allie (1986); L.A. Law (1991); Life Goes On (1989); Lifted (1988); Little Laura and Big John (1973); Loaded Weapon 1 (1993); Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1994); Looking for Richard (1996); Lost on Earth (1997); M.U.G.E.N (1999); Magnum, P.I. (1984); Majority Rule (1992); Malcolm in the Middle (2004); Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence (1992); Married People (1990); McCloud (1974); Melrose Place (1998); Miami Blues (1990); Miami Vice (1986); Mission: Impossible (1972); Money Talks (1997); Monty Nash (1971); Morgan Stewart's Coming Home (1987); Murder, She Wrote (1989–1992); MysteryDisc: Many Roads to Murder (1983); MysteryDisc: Murder, Anyone? (1982); Nash Bridges (1998); National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002); NewsRadio (1997); Night Game (1989); No Code of Conduct (1998); Not Another Teen Movie (2001); Nothing to Lose (1994); One West Waikiki (1994–1996); Panic in Year Zero! (1962); Petticoat Junction (1966); Private Duty Nurses (1971); Red Letters (2000); Remington Steele (1984); Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love (1994); Rich Girl (1991); Riptide (1984); Running Cool (1993); Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1984); Seinfeld (1994); Shadow Conspiracy (1997); She's Having a Baby (1988); Sidekicks (1987); Ski Party (1965); Social Misfits (2001); Special Collector's Edition (2011); Spooner (1989); Starting Now (1989); Sun Gods (2002); Supercarrier (1988); Superior Court (1986–1990); Tales from the Crypt (1991); Tender Mercies (1983); Texas (1982); The A-Team (1984–1986); The Bold Ones: The Lawyers (1971); The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (1971); The Book of Caleb (2008); The Breakfast Club (1985); The District (2001); The Drew Carey Show (1999); The Equalizer (1986); The F.B.I. (1968); The Giving Tree (2000); The Great Santini (1979); The Green Hornet (1967); The Guardian (2002); The Invaders (1967); The Making of Bret Michaels (2002); The Mike Douglas Show (1976); The Myersons (2001); The Organization (2001); The Passing (2011); The Pink Garter Gang (1971); The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper (1981); The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968); The Waiter (1993); The Weber Show (2001); The Wonder Years (1992); Then Came Bronson (1969); There Goes My Baby (1994); Toma (1973); Trading Places (1983); Veronica's Closet (1999–2000); Vigilante Force (1976); Walker, Texas Ranger (1997); Where Does It Hurt? (1972); Wild Cactus (1993); Winter A-Go-Go (1965); Wishman (1992); Women at West Point (1979).

Monday, April 27, 2026

Born on this day – Judy Carne:


Judy Carne


Actress

April 27, 1939 – September 3, 2015

Credits:

12 O'Clock High (1964–1966); 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2016); 7 Nights to Remember (1966); A Pair of Briefs (1962); Alias Smith and Jones (1971); All the Right Noises (1970); Beyond Vaudeville (1990); Bicentennial Minutes (1975); Blankety Blank (1980); Bloopermania (1987); Bonanza (1963); Cade's County (1972); Danger Man (1961); Dateline: Hollywood (1967); Dead Men Tell No Tales (1971); Dr. Kildare (1964); E! Mysteries & Scandals (1999); Entertainment Tonight (2015–2018); Everybody's Talking (1967); Fair Exchange (1962–1963); Funny Farm (1974); Funny You Should Ask (1968); Get Christie Love! (1975); Gidget (1965); Give Us a Clue (1979); Gunsmoke (1966); Gypsy (1966); Hollywood's Talking (1973); Hour Magazine (1983); I Dream of Jeannie (1966–1969); Ironside (1974); Jack Hylton's Monday Show (1958); Juke Box Jury (1959–1960); Letters to Laugh-in (1969); Love on a Rooftop (1966–1967); Love, American Style / Segments: Love and the Last Joke; Love and the Advice Column; Love and the Single Sister (1969–1973); Match Game (1973); NBC Children's Theatre (1971); On Stage – London (1957); On the Brighter Side (1961); On the Line (1982); Only with Married Men (1974); Out of Order (1981); Pat Boone in Hollywood (1967–1968); Pebble Mill at One (1978); Police Woman (1976); QB VII (1974); Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967–1971); Rowan & Martin's Laugh-in: 25th Anniversary Reunion (1993); Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In: A Valentine's Day Special (1994); Run for Your Life (1968); Sandler and Young's Kraft Music Hall (1969–1970); Saturday Night at the Mill (1980); Storybook Squares (1969); Stu's Show (2023); The $10,000 Pyramid (1973); The 100 Greatest TV Quotes & Catchphrases (2006); The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards (2015); The ABC Afternoon Playbreak (1974); The Americanization of Emily (1964); The Andy Williams Show (1970–1971); The Baileys of Balboa (1964–1965); The Basil Brush Show (1980); The Best of the Ed Sullivan Show (2022); The Big Valley (1967); The Bob Braun Show (1977); The Cheaters (1962); The Cross-Wits (1976–1977); The David Frost Show (1969–1972); The Dick Cavett Show (1970); The Eamonn Andrews Show (1969); The Ed Sullivan Show (1969–1971); The Farmer's Daughter (1965); The Geraldo Rivera Show (1990); The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour (1969); The Hollywood Palace (1969); The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1966–1971); The Howard Stern Show (1990); The Jerry Lewis Show (1968); The Joey Bishop Show (1968–1969); The John Gary Show (1969); The Kraft Music Hall (1969); The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1965–1967); The Match Game (1968); The Merv Griffin Show (1969–1974); The Mike Douglas Show (1967–1970); The Patty Duke Show (1966); The Rag Trade (1961); The Sixties (2014); The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1968); The Tim Conway Comedy Hour (1970); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1969–1972); The Woody Woodbury Show (1967–1968); This Is Tom Jones (1969); This Is Your Life (1970); Thriller (1973); TV's 50 Funniest Catch Phrases (2009); U.S. Open Sores (1989); What About Me (1993); Who's Moody? (1960); Win with the Stars (1968–1969); You Don't Say (1968); Zero One (1962).

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Born on this day – Jason Miller:


Jason Miller


Writer

Actor

Director

April 22, 1939 – May 13, 2001

Credits:

Written work:

Barrymore's Ghost (2000); Lou Gehrig Did Not Die of Cancer (1971); Nobody Hears a Broken Drum (1970); That Championship Season (1972); Three One-Act Plays (1973).

Movies and television:

A Dog Called... Vengeance (1977); A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss (2010); A Home of Our Own (1975); A Mother's Courage: The Mary Thomas Story (1989); A Touch of Scandal (1984); Cinemassacre's Monster Madness (2007–2014); De película (1983); Deadly Care (1987); Des Teufels Advokat (1977); Don Adams' Screen Test (1975); F. Scott Fitzgerald in Hollywood (1975); Fear and Love: The Story of the Exorcist (2024); Finding Home (2003); Good Morning America (1984); Light of Day (1987); Marilyn: The Untold Story (1980); Miller's Tale (2011); Minty Comedic Arts (2023); Mommy (1995); Monsignor (1982); Murdered Innocence (1996); Night Heat (1987); Occulture (2023); Paradox Lake (2002); Reward (1980); Rudy (1993); Small Kill (1992); Terror in the Aisles (1984); That Championship Season (1982 / 1999); The 27th Annual Tony Awards (1973); The 46th Annual Academy Awards (1974); The 74th Annual Academy Awards (2002); The Anatomy of Horror (1995); The Best Little Girl in the World (1981); The Dain Curse (1978); The Eternal (1998); The Exorcist (1973); The Exorcist III (1990); The Exorcist III: Legion (1990); The Fear of God: 25 Years of 'The Exorcist' (1998); The Henderson Monster (1980); The Horror Hall of Fame (1990); The Joe Spinell Story (2001); The Making of: The Nickel Ride (2019); The Merv Griffin Show (1974); The Mike Douglas Show (1974); The Nickel Ride (1974); The Ninth Configuration (1980); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1974); Toy Soldiers (1984); Vampire (1979); Visionado obligado (2011); Welcome to the Basement (2014).