Recommended reading - The Moving Target / aka Harper (1949):

The Moving Target

aka Harper.

By Ross MacDonald.

ISBN-10: 037570146X

ISBN-13: 978-0375701467

Published 1949.

Back cover description:

CRIME FICTION

“Ross Macdonald remains the grandmaster, taking the crime novel to new heights by imbuing it with psychological resonance, complexity of story, and richness of style that remain awe-inspiring. Those of us in his wake owe a debt that can never be paid. – Jonathan Kellerman.

Like many Southern California millionaires, Ralph Sampson keeps odd company. There’s the sun-worshipping holy man whom Sampson once gave his very own mountain; the fading actress with sidelines in astrology and S&M. Now one of Sampson’s friends may have arranged his kidnapping. And as Lew Archer follows the clues from the canyon sanctuaries of the megarich to jazz joints where you get beaten up between sets, The Moving Target blends sex, greed, and family hatred into an explosively readable crime novel.

“Macdonald is one of a handful of writers in the [mystery] genre whose worth and quality surpass the limitations of the form.” – Los Angeles Times.

If any writer can be said to have inherited the mantle of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, it was Ross Macdonald. Between the later 1940s and his death in 1983, he gave the American crime novel a psychological depth and moral complexity that his predecessors had only hinted at. And in the character of Lew Archer, Macdonald redefined the private eye as a roving conscience whop walks the treacherous frontier between criminal guilt and human sin.

VINTAGE CRIME / BLACK LIZARD

Born on this day – Shelley Duvall:

Shelley Duvall

Actress

Producer

Singer

Writer

July 7, 1949 – July 11, 2024

Credits:

Albums:

Animal Express (1991); Hello, I'm Shelley Duvall…Merry Christmas (1991); Hello, I'm Shelley Duvall…Sweet Dreams (1991).

Movies and television:

19th Annual NAACP Image Awards (1987); 3 Women (1977); 50/50 / critique (2020); 9-1-1 (2018); A Conversation with Robert Altman (2000); Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (1997); Adventures from the Book of Virtues (1997); AFI Life Achievement Award (1994); Alberto Iglesias, el músico fiel (2006); Aliens for Breakfast (1995); Alone (1997); Altman (2014); An Accidental Studio (2019); An American Saturday Night (1991); Annie Hall (1977); Arena (1980); Backfield in Motion (1991); Baretta (1976); Bernice Bobs Her Hair (1976); Boltneck (2000); Booker (1984); Brewster McCloud (1970); Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976); Cannon (1973); Casper Meets Wendy (1998); Changing Habits (1997); Charlie Rose (1999); Cinderella: Rocked, Wired & Bluesed - The Greatest Video Hits / Segment: Shelter Me (2005); Cinderella: Shelter Me (1990); Clapper Board (1979 / 1981); Colorshopping Vol. 7 (2013); Debra Duncan (1998); Dr. Jack and Mr. Nicholson (2019); Dr. Phil (2016); Dreams in the Attic (2000); E! True Hollywood Story (2004); Earthquake Survival (1987); Entertainment Tonight (2016–2022); Faerie Tale Theatre (1982–1987); Film '80 (1980); Filmworker (2017); Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen (2012); Frankenweenie (1984 / 2012); Frasier (1995); Fridays (1981–1982); FRO Thizzle Reviews (2023); Frog (1988); Frogs! (1993); Good Morning, Texas (2000); Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight (1997); Hollywood Insider (2021); Home Fries (1998); Hour Magazine (1985); Howl: Inside the Forest Hills (2024); Howl: The Furlong Files (2023); Howl: The Shelley Files (2023); Hulkamania Forever (1990); It's a Bird's Life (1992); John & Leeza from Hollywood (1993); Karussell (1981); Kubrick by Kubrick (2020); Kubrick Remembered (2014); L.A. Law (1994); Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1994); Late Night with David Letterman (1993); Les Chroniques du Mea (2014–2018); Live from Smodcastle: The Forest Hills Premiere (2023); Love, American Style / Segment: Love and the Mr. and Mrs. (1973); Manna from Heaven (2002); McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971); Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme (1990); Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures (1986); Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (1994); Nashville (1975); Newton's Apple (1994); Nightmare Classics (1989); One on One with John Tesh (1992); Popeye (1980); Popples (1986); Punch-Drunk Love (2002); Reel to Reel (1998); Robert Altman: Giggle and Give In (1996); Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind (2018); RocketMan (1997); Room 237 (2012); Roxanne (1987); Saturday Night Live (1976 / 1977); Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dan Aykroyd (2005); Shadow Zone: My Teacher Ate My Homework (1997); Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories (1992–1993); Six Different Kinds of Light John Alcott (2015); Spécial cinéma (1981); Special Collector's Edition (2011); Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001); Stanley Kubrick: The Invisible Man (1996); Steven Spielberg: An American Cinematheque Tribute (1989); Stories from Growing Up (1991); Suburban Commando (1991); Tale of the Mummy (1998); Tall Tales & Legends (1985–1986); Terror in the Aisles (1984); The 100 Greatest Scary Moments (2003); The 10th Annual National CableACE Awards (1989); The 12th Annual CableACE Awards (1991); The 17th Annual CableACE Awards (1995); The 1993 Annual Vision Awards (1993); The 20th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (1993); The 4th Floor (1999); The 5th Annual Cable Ace Awards (1983); The 8th Annual Cable ACE Awards (1987); The 9th Annual CableACE Awards (1988); The Adventures of Shirley Holmes (1997); The Arsenio Hall Show (1989); The Best of Dan Aykroyd (1986); The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour (1982); The Chipmunks: Rockin' Through the Decades (1990); The David Frost Show (1971); The Directors (2000–2018); The Fairest of Them All (1983); The Forest Hills (2023); The Hughleys (1999); The Merv Griffin Show (1981); The Paul Simon Special (1977); The Player (1997); The Portrait of a Lady (1996); The Ray Bradbury Theater (1992); The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1997); The Secret World of the Very Young (1984); The Shining (1980); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1980); The Twilight Zone / Segment: A Saucer of Loneliness (1986); The Underneath (1995); Thieves Like Us (1974); Time Bandits (1981); Tomorrow Coast to Coast (1981); Twilight of the Ice Nymphs (1997); Twilight Theatre (1982); View from the Overlook: Crafting 'the Shining' (2007); VM Show Vol. 2 (2005); WatchMojo (2018); Welcome to the Basement (2013); Wishbone (1997).

On this day in movie history - The Big Steal (1949):

The Big Steal

directed by Don Siegel,

written by Gerald Drayson Adams, Daniel Mainwaring and Geoffrey Homes,

was released in the United States on June 29, 1949.
Based on the short story The Road to Carmichael's by Richard Wormser, published in The Saturday Evening Post (1942).
Music by Leigh Harline.

Cast:

Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, William Bendix, Patric Knowles, Ramon Novarro, Don Alvarado, John Qualen, Pascual García Peña.

Born on this day – Bruno Kirby:

Bruno Kirby

Actor

April 28, 1949 – August 14, 2006

Born on this day – Doug Sheehan:

Doug Sheehan

Actor

April 27, 1949 – June 29, 2024

Credits:

10 (1979); A Mom for Christmas (1990); Alice (1983); Battle of the Network Stars XVI (1984); Battle of the Network Stars XVII (1984); Charlie's Angels (1978); Cheers (1983); Clueless (1997–1999); Columbo (1993); Cops n Roberts (1995); Crash: The Mystery of Flight 1501 (1990); Day by Day (1988–1989); Day by Day (1988–1989); Dear John (1980); Diagnosis Murder (2000); Dynasty (1982); Family Feud (1982); General Hospital (1979–1982); Heavens to Betsy (1995); In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders (1988); Just Men! (1983); Kaz (1979); Knots Landing (1983–1988); Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again (2005); MacGyver (1990); Passions (2002); Promised Land (1997); Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1999–2003); Stranger in My Bed (1987); Style & Substance (1998); That Was Then (2002); The $10,000 Pyramid (1983); The $25,000 Pyramid (1983); The Arsenio Hall Show (1989); The Knots Landing Block Party (1993); The Magical World of Disney (1990); The Merv Griffin Show (1980–1985); The Regis Philbin Show (1982); What I Like About You (2003).

On this day in movie history - Impact (1949):

Impact

directed by Arthur Lubin,

written by Jay Dratler and Dorothy Davenport,

based on a story by Jay Dratler,

was released in the United States on April 1, 1949.
Music by Michel Michelet.

Cast:

Brian Donlevy, Ella Raines, Charles Coburn, Helen Walker, Anna May Wong, Robert Warwick, Clarence Kolb, Art Baker, William Wright, Mae Marsh, Sheilah Graham, Tony Barrett, Philip Ahn, Glen Vernon, Linda Leighton, Jason Robards, Erskine Sanford, Ruth Robinson, Lucius Cooke, Tom Greenway, Ben Welden, Joel Friedkin, Joe Kirk, William Ruhl, Mary Landa, Harry Cheshire.

On this day in movie history - The Set-Up (1949):

The Set-Up

directed by Robert Wise,

written by Art Cohn,

based on the book-length narrative poem by Joseph Moncure March,

was released in the United States on March 29, 1949.
Music by C. Bakaleinikof and Roy Webb.

Cast:

Robert Ryan, Audrey Totter, George Tobias, Alan Baxter, Wallace Ford, Percy Helton, Hal Fieberling, Darryl Hickman, Kenny O'Morrison, James Edwards, David Clarke, Phillip Pine, Arthur 'Weegee' Fellig.

Born on this day – Niels Arestrup:

Niels Arestrup

Actor

Writer

Director

February 8, 1949 – December 1, 2024

Credits:

20 Heures le Journal (1999–2014); 8:30 p.m. on Sunday (2021); 28' (2022); 96 hours (2014); A Private Affair (2002); A Prophet (2009); Albert Savarus (1993); Will in the cinema (1976); Arte Journal (2024); At Eternity's Gate (2018); At the Field of The Night (2014); Barbablù, Barbablù (1987); Baron noir (2016); Broth culture (1991–1992); By the Sea (2015); C à vous (2011–2021); Calls (2019); Captain Marleau (2017); Champs-Elysées (1982); Charlie Goofy (1987); Cinema 3 (2009–2010); Citizen Langlois (1995); City Empires (1998); Sunday Click (2018); Compression (2024); Minor Misdemeanour (1994); Demain les mômes (1976); Diesel (1985); Diplomacy (2014); Diplomacy: Making of (2015); Divertimento (2022); Bittersweet (1987); Dream On (2000); Du blues dans la tête (1981); Breaking and Entering (1986); En aparté (2023); Adieu (2009); Fernando Krapp wrote me this letter (2000); Film Önü / Arkasi (2020); Fragments of Antonin (2006); The Rise and Fall of a Small Business of Cinema (1987); Abominable Stories / Segment: The Passion of a Heartless Woman (1979); I, You, He, She (1974); Jacques Audiard - Cinema at Heart (2021); The Cherry Orchard (1982); The Dance of Death (1982); La derelitta / Cinema 16 (1977–1988); The Last Map (1974); The Abandoned Woman (1992); The Great Dune (1990); The The Trojan War Will Not Take Place (1984); The War of One Man (1981); The Caesar Night (2006–2019); La nuit des Molières (1920); The animal share (2007); The Shadow's Share (2000); The Passion of a Woman Without a Heart (1979); Rumba (1987); The Crossing of the Looking Glass (2011); La vie de château (1984); The candidate (2007); The Midnight Circle (1994–1995); Le goûter chez Niels (1986); The great chessboard (1983); Le grand journal de Canal+ (2007–2016); The Big Night (1976); Le petit théâtre d'Antenne 2 (1980); The Picnic of Lulu Kreutz (1999); The Rainbow Warrior (2006); The Return of Elisabeth Wolff (1982); The Saturday Novel (1980); Le Temps des Cerises (2008); The Whirlwind of Days (1979); The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1977); The Last Days of the Victim (1995); The enquêtes by Éloïse Rome (2002); The Heirs (1981); The Wolves Between Them (1985); Black Butterflies (2022); Wild Ponies (1983); The secrets of the Princess of Cadignan (1982); Letters to a Young Poet (2010); The invitation (2009); The Guest (2021); The Blue Bird (1981); Lulu (1978); Lumière (1976); Manon Roland (1989); Meeting Venus (1991); Memoirs of a French Whore (1979); Plural of Monsieur The Jurors (1974); Miss O'Gynie and the Flower Men (1974); Myster Mocky Presents (2020); Nowhere Else (1995–2000); On est en direct (2021); One can't please everyone (2001); On n'est pas couché (2015–2016); Our Children (2012); Papa lumière (2015); Parlez-moi d'amour (2002); The more it goes, less (1977); Profession (2018); Rausch der Verwandlung (1989); Return to Montauk (2017); Rewind (1998); Sarah's Key (2010); Second Chance (1976); See You Up There (2017); Alone (1981); Sincerely Charlotte (1985); Small World (2010); Leaving the factory 2017 (2017); Stavisky (1974); Studio Gabriel (1996); Suite black (2009); Tauwetter (1977); Télé Caroline (1989); The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005); The Big Picture (2010); The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007); The Dune (2013); The French Minister (2013); The Future Is Woman (1984); Tea or coffee (2001–2015); The Song of Roland (1978); The Woman Cop (1980); Villa Caprice (2020); Foreign City (1988); Vivement dimanche (2015–2019); Briskly next Sunday (2011–2021); War Horse (2011); You Will Be My Son (2011).

On this day in movie history - Criss Cross (1949):

Criss Cross

directed by Robert Siodmak,

written by Daniel Fuchs,

based on the novel by Don Tracy,

was released in the United States on January 19, 1949.
Music by Miklós Rózsa.

Cast:

Burt Lancaster, Yvonne De Carlo, Dan Duryea, Stephen McNally, Esy Morales, Tom Pedi, Percy Helton, Alan Napier, Griff Barnett, Meg Randall, Richard Long, Joan Miller, Edna Holland, John Doucette, Marc Krah, James O'Rear, John 'Skins' Miller, Jean Bane, Ralph Brooks, Dolores Castle, Michael Cisney, Corky (the Dog), Tony Curtis, Gene Evans, Sam Finn, Lee Tong Foo, Timmy Hawkins, Geraldine Jordan, George Lynn, Robert Osterloh, Garry Owen, Kenneth Patterson, Jose Portugal, Isabel Randolph, Suzanne Ridgway, Beatrice Roberts, Stephen Roberts, John Roy, Vito Scotti, Ann Staunton, Diane Stewart, Kippee Valez, Charles Wagenheim, Robert Winkler, Bud Wolfe.