On this day in movie history - Sleeper’s West (1941):

Sleeper’s West

directed by Eugene Forde,

written by Brett Halliday, Lou Breslow and Stanley Rauh,

based on the novel Sleeper's East by Frederick Nebel,

was released in the United States on March 14, 1941.
Music by Cyril J. Mockridge.

Cast:

Lloyd Nolan, Lynn Bari, Mary Beth Hughes, Louis Jean Heydt, Edward Brophy, Don Costello, Ben Carter, Donald Douglas, Oscar O'Shea, Harry Hayden, Hamilton MacFadden, Ferike Boros, George Chandler, James Conaty, Oliver Cross, Ralph Dunn, Harold Goodwin, Jesse Graves, Sherry Hall, Paul Kruger, Sam McDaniel, Charles Meakin, Charles R. Moore, Mantan Moreland, George O'Hanlon, Dick Rush, Syd Saylor, Allen D. Sewall, Harry Strang, Charles Tannen, Fred 'Snowflake' Toones.

Born on this day – Wolfgang Petersen:

Wolfgang Petersen

Director

Writer

Producer

March 14, 1941 – August 12, 2022

Credits:

37 degrees (2006); 4Pop (2004); 60 Million for Phantásia - How the 'Neverending Story' Goes to the Cinema kam (1984); Air Force One (1997); Anna and Totò (1972); Attacking Troy (2007); On the Kreuz legt (1974); Avenger (2006); Bambi Award 1984 (1984); Bernd Eichinger - Wenn das Leben zum Kino wird (2000); Bicentennial Man (1999); Please turning pages (1985); Charlie Rose (2000); Chicxulub (2006); Corazón de... (2006); Creating an Emotion (2000); Das Boot - The Complete TV Series (1985); The boat / The Boat (1985); Das ist Ihr Leben (1979); THAT! (2016); De película (1986); The Bernd (2012); Der Eine - der Andere (1969); Días de cine (2010); The golden Camera 1999 (1999); The Red Flag (1968); The City in the Valley (1975); Enemy Mine (1985); Film Genre (2002); Film legends. German (2005); Glamoroso! (1998); Hans im Glück (1976); Houses on Sunset Boulevard (1990); HBO First Look (1995–2006); Hollywood in Munich (1984); Hollywood Insider (2018) (2021); Hollywood Science (2006); Hollywood, Germany (1997); Hollywood's Best Film Directors (2012); HypaSpace (2006); I Will Kill You, Wolf (1971); Ich nicht (1969); In the Line of Fire (1993); In the Line of Fire: Behind the Scenes with the Secret Service (1993); In the Line of Fire: Catching the Counterfeiters (2001); In the Line of Fire: How'd They Do That? (2001); Instinct (1999); Cuckoo Years (1967); My Leben (2009); Michael Ballhaus - Encounter with the Eye of Hollywood (2001); Mundo VIP (2000); Well, that's it! (1983); NDR Talk Show (2016); Open Wound German Film (2017); One or the Other (1974); One Vision (1998); Ôsama no buranchi (1997); Oskar Langenfeld. 12 times / Starbuck Holger Meins (2002); Outbreak (1995); Plan exercise (1977); Poseidon (2006); Poseidon: A Ship on a Soundstage (2006); Poseidon: Upside Down (2006); Red Corner (1997); Reimagining the Neverending Story (2014); Rogue Waves (2006); Black and White as Days and Nights (1978); Shattered (1991); Shipmate's Diary (2006); Shooting 'In the Line of Fire' (1993); Smog (1973); City on Stilts (1965); Stardust Hollywood - Stardust and Gods (2013); In some places Glatteis (1975); Tatort (1971–1977); The 100 Greatest War Films (2005); The 55th Annual Academy Awards (1983); The Agency (2001); The Boat (1981); The Consequence (1977); The Directors (2000); The Making of 'Air Force One' (1997); The Making of 'Shattered' (1991); The Making of 'Troy' (2004); The NeverEnding Story (1984); The Perfect Storm (2000); Sounds mean more to me than words - Klaus Doldinger (2016); Treffpunkt Kino (1985); Troy (2004); Troy in Focus (2007); Troy: An Effects Odyssey (2004); Troy: From Ruins to Reality (2005); Troy: In the Thick of Battle (2005); Van der Valk and the Rich (1973); Four against the Bank (1976); Wetten, dass..? (1991–1993); Wolfgang Petersen: My Way to Hollywood (1995).

On this day in movie history - Rage in Heaven (1941 movie & novel):

Rage in Heaven

directed by W.S. Van Dyke, Robert B. Sinclair and Richard Thorpe,

written by Christopher Isherwood and Robert Thoeren,

based on the novel by James Hilton,

was released in the United States on March 7, 1941.
Music by Bronislau Kaper, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Eugene Zador.

Cast:

Robert Montgomery, Ingrid Bergman, George Sanders, Lucile Watson, Oskar Homolka, Philip Merivale, Matthew Boulton, Aubrey Mather, Frederick Worlock, Francis Compton, Gilbert Emery, Ludwig Hardt.

Recommended reading:

Rage in Heaven

By James Hilton.

a.k.a. Dawn of Reckoning.

Filmed as Rage in Heaven (1941) directed by W.S. Van Dyke.

ASIN: B00087E97K

Published by A.H. King.

First published 1925.

First Edition.

Description:

The novel Dawn of Reckoning, was first published in London in 1925. In 1932, it was published in New York under the title Rage in Heaven. In 1941, it was adapted in the movie 'A Rage in Heaven', a psychological thriller about the destructive power of jealousy which was directed by W. S. Van.

In this story, Phillip Monrell and his former college roommate Ward Andrews arrive at the Monrell home, where they meet Phillip's mother's secretary Stella Bergen. They are both strongly attracted to her but she ends up marrying the idle Phillip. Phillip is put in charge of the family steel mill, but is not suited for the job. He begins to exhibit signs of mental illness, particularly abnormal jealousy of any competition for his wife's affections. Despite this, he hires Ward to be the chief engineer at the mill. Eventually, Phillip's paranoid suspicion that Ward and Stella love each other drives him to try to kill his rival at work. Ward confronts him and quits. Stella, convinced that her husband is insane, leaves him and meets Ward. Phillip phones them and promises to grant her a divorce if Ward will talk with him in person. Despite Stella's misgivings, Ward agrees to see him. However, Phillip provokes a loud argument and Ward leaves. Afterwards, the madman kills himself, carefully framing Ward for the crime. Ward is arrested, convicted of murder and sentenced to be executed. A frantic Stella is unable to convince anyone of his innocence. The day before the execution, she is visited by Dr. Rameau, a psychiatrist who had been treating Phillip. He is convinced that Phillip committed suicide and that he would have left some message bragging about it. They go to the Monrell mansion and start searching. Mrs. Monrell reveals that her son kept diaries; then, Clark, the butler, recalls that he mailed a package to Paris. They take a flight to France and find the book, which saves Ward from execution.

Born on this day – Michael Villella:

Michael Villella

Actor

March 6, 1941 – November 23, 2024

Credits:

Amazing Stories (1987); Audition (2011); Getting Away with Murder (2007); Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006); Gotham / aka The Dead Can't Lie (1988); Hard to Die (1990); Love Letters (1983); Sleepless Nights: Revisiting the Slumber Party Massacres (2010); Sorority House Massacre II (1990); The Slumber Party Massacre (1982); The White Room (2008); Wild Orchid (1989); Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue (1991).

Born on this day – John Aprea:

John Aprea

Actor

Producer

March 4, 1941 – August 5, 2024

Credits:

A Guide for the Married Woman (1978); A Man Called Sloane (1979); After You (2013); Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1986); American Anthem (1986); American Heiress (2007); Another World (1989–1998); Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife (1987); Brother (2000); Bullitt (1968); Caged Heat (1974); Cold (2021); Cold Case (2009); Comeback (1982); Confessions of a Male Prostitute (1992); Crazy Mama (1975); Crazy Times (1981); CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2013); Cyber Tracker (1994); Dark Image (2017); Dark Justice (1993); Days of Our Lives (1999–2012); Dead Man on Campus (1998); Deadly Ransom (1998); Decker (2016–2017); Direct Hit (1994); Dirty People (2012); Drive Share (2017); Falcon Crest (1987); Fatal Confession: A Father Dowling Mystery (1989); Fix-it City (1978); Full House (1988–1991); Fuller House (2017); Getting Physical (1984); Hardcastle and McCormick (1985); Heaven Help Us (1994); Interglobal Trading Fund (2012); Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater (1995); Kate McShane (1975); Knots Landing (1988); Lie to Me (2010); Lost Angelas (2019); Mannix (1970); Matt Houston (1982–1984); Melrose Place (1993); Mrs. Columbo (1979); My Brother Jack (1997); Mystery Woman: At First Sight (2006); New Jack City (1991); Night Court (1989); NYPD Blue (2005); On Cinema (2013–2016); Pacific Blue (1999); Philly (2001–2002); Picasso Trigger (1988); Private Eye (1987); Renegade (1995); Rough Crossing (1997–2005); Savage Beach (1989); Saved by the Bell: The New Class (1993); Sharkskin (2015); Silk Stalkings (1993–1995); Simon & Simon (1985); Snapshot (2014); Space Junk (2019); Stevie D (2016); Stingray (1985); Street Hawk (1985); Sunset Park (1996); Sweet Kill (1972); Tales from the Darkside (1988); That Girl (1969); The 16th Annual Soap Opera Awards (2000); The Act (1983); The Another World Reunion (2003); The A-Team (1985); The Bay (2020–2023); The Christmas Pageant (2011); The Dark Side of Tomorrow (1970); The District (2000); The F.B.I. (1973); The Fall Guy (1986); The First Annual 'on Cinema' Oscar Special (2013); The Game (1997); The Gangster Chronicles (1981); The Godfather Part II (1974); The Godfather Saga (1977); The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 (1992); The Grasshopper (1970); The Hat Squad (1993); The Idolmaker (1980); The Manchurian Candidate (2004); The Montefuscos (1975); The New Mike Hammer (1984); The Powers of Matthew Star (1982); The Rock Rainbow (1978); The Rookies (1975); The Second Annual 'On Cinema' Oscar Special (2014); The Seven-Ups (1973); The Sopranos (1999); The Stepford Wives (1975); The Streetsweeper (2002); Three's a Crowd (1984); To the Limit (1995); Vengeance Unlimited (1998); Wonder Woman (1979).

Born on this day – William Hjortsberg:

William Hjortsberg

Writer

February 23, 1941 – April 22, 2017

Credits:

Books:

Alp (1969); Angel's Inferno (2020); Falling Angel (1978); Gray Matters (1971); Jubilee Hitchhiker (2012); Manana (2015); Nevermore (1994); Odd Corners (2004); Sometimes Horses Don't Come Back (1963); Symbiography (1973); Tales and Fables (1985); Toro! Toro! Toro! (1974).

Movies:

Rich Hall's Continental Drifters (2011); Creating a Myth... the Memories of 'Legend' (2002); Angel Heart (1987); Legend (1985); The Georgia Peaches (1980); Thunder and Lightning (1977).

Born on this day – Michael Apted:

Michael Apted

Director

Producer

February 10, 1941 – January 7, 2021

Born on this day – Ron Thompson:

Ron Thompson

Actor

Singer

Songwriter

Dancer

January 31, 1941 – April 13, 2024

Credits:

American Me (1992); American Playhouse / This Ain't Bebop (1989); American Pop (1981); Amy Prentiss (1974); An Interview with Joe Black (2017); Armstrong Circle Theatre (1962); Baretta (1975–1976); Bottleneck (2006); Bronk (1975); Brown Eye, Evil Eye (1968); Cagney & Lacey (1985); [Cargo] (2018); Chicks, Man (2018); Crisis Center (1997); Death Ring (1992); Deep Cover (1992); Ethnically Ambiguous (2020); Fallen Arches (2000); Gena (2018); Happy Winter Solstice (2014); Hate Horses (2017); Ironside (1974); Last Days of Coney Island (2015); Low Town (2017); Mannix (1974); Natasha Hall (2021); Quincy M.E. (1977); Stitches (2017); Suffrage (2023); Tellers (2019); The Actor's Choice (2018–2019); The Dream Makers (1975); The Greatest American Hero (1982); The Gun (1974); The Jimmy Star Show with Ron Russell (2023); The No Mercy Man (1973); The Only One in the Room (2020); The Rebels (1976); The Streets of San Francisco (1975); The Waltons (1980); The White Buffalo (1977); This Ain't Bebop (1989).

Born on this day – Jessica Walter:

Jessica Walter

Actress

January 31, 1941 – March 24, 2021

Born on this day – Jeannie Epper:

Jeannie Epper

Stuntwoman

Actress

January 27, 1941 – May 5, 2024

Credits:

1941 (1979); 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003); 78/52 (2017); A Dangerous Place (1994); A Very Brady Sequel (1996); After (2012); All's Fair (1989); American Son (2008); Amy & Isabelle (2001); Armageddon (1998); Article 99 (1992); Avalanche Express (1979); Bad Boys II (2003); Behind the Taurus (2008); Beverly Hills Cop III (1994); Black Sunday (1977); Blade (1998); Blade Runner (1982); Blazing Saddles (1974); Blown Away (1994); Bound for Glory (1976); Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997); Catch Me If You Can (2002); Caveman (1981); Cedar Rapids (2011); Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981); Charlie's Angels (1976–1981); Charmed (2002); Cheyenne Autumn (1964); Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977); Clue (1985); Coffy (1973); Come See the Paradise (1990); Con Air (1997); Criminal (2004); Criminal Minds (2009); Dead Again (1991); Deathtrap (1982); Demolition Man (1993); Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995); Double Dare (2004); Dreamrider (1993); Drum (1976); Dynasty (1983–1986); Dynasty: The Reunion (1991); Earthquake (1974); Eaten Alive (1976); Eleventh Hour (2009); Elizabethtown (2005); Elopement (1951); Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988); Emergency! (1973); Epic Chick Fight (2013); Evilution (2008); Extreme Justice (1993); Extremities (1986); Fire Down Below (1997); Fletch (1985); Flight (2012); Flowers in the Attic (1987); Foxy Brown (1974); Freaky Friday (2003); Fun with Dick and Jane (2005); Getting Physical (1984); Ghost Warrior (1984); Ground Zero Texas (1994); Ground Zero Texas: Nuclear Edition (2021); Guns & Lipstick (1995); Hairless (2004); Hard Time: Hostage Hotel (1999); Hello, Dolly! (1969); High School High (1996); Hollywood's Hard Hitters: Women in Action (2023); Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992); Hot Pursuit (2015); I Heart Huckabees (2004); Innocent Blood (1992); Jane Doe: Ties That Bind (2007); Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001); Josh and S.A.M. (1993); K-9 (1989); Kazaam (1996); Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (2006); Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004); L.A. Heat (1997); Laverne & Shirley (1977 / 1979); Legacy (2004); Legal Eagles (1986); Little Big Man (1970); Logan's Run (1976); Mackenna's Gold (1969); Made for Each Other (2015); Mame (1974); Medical Center (1973); Melvin and Howard (1980); Metro (1997); Midnight's Child (1992); Million Dollar Mystery (1987); Minority Report (2002); Mobsters (1991); Money Train (1995); Monk (2005); Mother (1995); Murphy's Law (1986); Mystery Men (1999); National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989); Night of the Running Man (1995); Nothing Special (2010); November (2004); Off the Mark (1987); Orange County (2002); Our Man Flint (1966); Outrageous Fortune (1987); Patty Hearst (1988); Play Misty for Me (1971); Poltergeist (1982); Poseidon (2006); Private Resort (1985); Quarantine (2008); Retribution (1987); Road House (1989); RoboCop (1987); Romancing the Stone (1984); Running Red (1999); Rush Hour 2 (2001); Separate Lives (1995); Set It Off (1996); Sgt. Bilko (1996); Silver Streak (1976); Smokey and the Bandit II (1980); Soldier (1998); Soylent Green (1973); Spider-Man (2002); Spy Hard (1996); State of Play (2009); Steel (1997); Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story (2020); Submerged (2000); Supernatural (2005); Surrender, Dorothy (2005); Switch (1991); Switchblade Sisters (1975); Table for Three (2009); Tales from the Crypt (1989 / 1990); Terms of Endearment (1983); The Amanda Show (2001); The Amazing Spider-Man (2012); The Back-up Plan (2010); The Beastmaster (1982); The Big Valley (1965–1969); The Bionic Woman (1976); The Blues Brothers (1980); The Book of Eli (2010); The Boyfriend School (1990); The Cannonball Run (1981); The Day of the Locust (1975); The Don Is Dead (1973); The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006); The Final Terror (1983); The Florence Henderson Show (2009); The Fugitive (1993); The Gladiator (1986); The Hallelujah Trail (1965); The Happening (2008); The Interviews: An Oral History of Television (2014); The Italian Job (2003); The Jerk (1979); The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972); The Man with Two Brains (1983); The Mighty Ducks (1992); The Mike Douglas Show (1973); The Naked Cage (1986); The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991); The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988); The Ninth Configuration (1980); The Package (1989); The Poseidon Adventure (1972); The Princess Diaries (2001); The Rookie (1990); The Rookie (2019); The Silent Scream (1979); The Sweetest Thing (2002); The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982); The Towering Inferno (1974); The Towering Inferno: Running on Fire (2006); The Truth (2005); The World's Greatest Stunts: A Tribute to Hollywood Stuntmen (1988); Total Recall (1990); Used Cars (1980); Vamp (1986); Vegas Vacation (1997); Vendetta (1986); Warning Sign (1985); Whatever It Takes (2000); When Shoulderpads Ruled the World (2002); Where Are the Children? (1985); Wild Wild West (1999); Wonder Woman (1978).

On this day in movie history - High Sierra (1941):

High Sierra

directed by Raoul Walsh,

written by John Huston and W. R. Burnett,

based on the novel by W. R. Burnett,

was released in the United States on January 23, 1941.
Music by Adolph Deutsch.

Cast:

Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart, Alan Curtis, Arthur Kennedy, Joan Leslie, Henry Hull, Henry Travers, Jerome Cowan, Minna Gombell, Barton MacLane, Elisabeth Risdon, Cornel Wilde, Donald MacBride, Paul Harvey, Isabel Jewell, Willie Best, Spencer Charters, George Meeker, Robert Strange, John Eldredge, Sam Hayes, Zero the Dog, Eddie Acuff.