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

Tension

directed by John Berry,

written by Allen Rivkin,

based on a story by John D. Klorer,

was released in the United States on November 25, 1949.
Music by André Previn.

Cast:

Richard Basehart, Audrey Totter, Cyd Charisse, Barry Sullivan, Lloyd Gough, Tom D'Andrea, William Conrad, Tito Renaldo, Ray Bennett, Virginia Brissac, Peter Brocco, Bert Davidson, John Gallaudet, Theresa Harris, John Indrisano, George Magrill, Kitty McHugh, Mike Morelli, Stephen Roberts, Carl Sklover, Hayward Soo Hoo, Arthur Tovey, Philip Van Zandt.

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

The Gangster

a.k.a. Low Company,

directed by Gordon Wiles,

written by Daniel Fuchs,

based on the novel Low Company by Daniel Fuchs,

released in the United States on November 25, 1949.

Music by Louis Gruenberg.

Cast:

Barry Sullivan, Belita, Joan Lorring, Akim Tamiroff, Harry/Henry Morgan, John Ireland, Sheldon Leonard, Fifi D'Orsay, Virginia Christine, Elisha Cook Jr., Ted Hecht/Theodore Hecht, Leif Erickson, Charles McGraw, John Kellogg, Helen Alexander, Ruth Allen, Murray Alper, Andy Andrews, Phil Arnold, Phyllis Ayres, Griff Barnett, Marie Blake, Leonard Bremen, Irene Brooks, Jean Calhoun, Dolores Castle, Gene Collins, Mikel Conrad, Clancy Cooper, Jeff Corey, Delese Daudet, Jimmy Dime, Rex Downing, Jay Eaton, Pat Emery, Franklyn Farnum, Michael Gaddis, Parker Gee, Greta Granstedt, Billy Gray, Don Haggerty, Jean Harrison, Bill Kennedy, Mike Lally, Edwin Maxwell, Sid Melton, Norma Jean Nilsson, Barry Norton, Marguerita Padula, Ralph Reed, Bob Reeves, Tommy Reilly, Jack Reynolds, Dewey Robinson, Jeffrey Sayre, Maxine Semon, Sammy Shack, Larry Steers, Larry Thompson, Anita Turner, Michael Vallon, Jane Weeks, Peter Whitney, Shelley Winters.

Recommended reading:

The Brooklyn Novels:

Summer in Williamsburg, Homage to Blenholt, Low Company

By Daniel Fuchs.

Introduction by Jonathan Lethem.

The novel Low Company was filmed as The Gangster a.k.a. Low Company (1949), directed by Gordon Wiles.

Published 2007.

Published by Black Sparrow Press.

ISBN 13: 9781574232103

ISBN 10: 157423210X

ASIN: 157423210X

Description:

Three classic novels in one volume: Summer in Williamsburg (1934), Homage to Blenholt (1936), and Low Company (1937).

Fuchs wrote, “I devoted myself simply to the tenement: the life in the hallways, the commotion at the dumbwaiters, the assortment of characters in the building, their strivings and preoccupations, their troubles.” These novels are as alive today as the day they were first printed, as exuberant. There are few novelists in America today who possess Fuchs’s talent, his energy, his sense of life.

Born on this day – Brad Davis:

Brad Davis

Actor

November 6, 1949 – September 8, 1991

Credits:

A Rumor of War (1980); A Small Circle of Friends (1980); Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985); American Playwrights Theater: The One-Acts (1989); And the Band Played On (1993); Baretta (1977); BBC2 Playhouse (1981); Blood Ties (1986); Catalogue of Ships (2008); Chariots of Fire (1981); Chiefs (1983); Child of Darkness, Child of Light (1991); Cold Steel (1987); Commitment to Life (2023); Eat My Dust (1976); Film '81 (1981); Hangfire (1991); Heart (1987); How to Survive a Marriage (1974–1975); I'm Healthy, I'm Alive and I'm Free (1977); Les rendez-vous du dimanche (1978); McLaren's Riders (1977); Midnight Express (1978); Midnight Express: The Finished Film (2008); Midnight Express: The Producers (2009); Midnight Express: The Production (2008); Our Time (1983); Querelle (1982); Robert Kennedy and His Times (1985); Roots (1977); Rosalie Goes Shopping (1989); Sexes (2005); Sybil (1976); Temporada de Caça (1988); Terror in the Aisles (1984); The 3rd Annual People's Choice Awards (1977); The American Parade (1976); The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (1988); The Edge (1989); The Greatest Man in the World (1980); The Habitation of Dragons (1992); The Hitchhiker (1987); The Player (1992); The Plot to Kill Hitler (1990); The Rainbow Warrior Conspiracy (1988); The Secret Life of John Chapman (1976); The Twilight Zone / Segment: Button, Button (1986); The Wizard of Babylon (1982); The Young Rebels (1970); Unspeakable Acts (1990); Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo (1986); What Really Happened to the Class of '65? (1978); When the Time Comes (1987).

Born on this day – Tanya Roberts:

Tanya Roberts

Actress

October 15, 1949 – January 4, 2021

Credits:

27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2021); 68th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade (1999); A View to a Kill (1985); A View to a Kill: Deleted Scenes with Introductions by John Glen (2006); A View to a Kill: Featurette (1985); A View to a Kill: Film '85 BBC Report (1985); A View to a Kill: The Royal Premiere (1985); Almost Pregnant (1992); Barbershop (2005); Biography (2000); Body Slam (1986); Bond Exhibit (2008); Burke's Law (1994); California Dreaming (1979); Charlie's Angels (1980–1981); Charlie's Angels: TV Tales (2002); Deep Down (1994); Designing Bond: Peter Lamont (2000); E! True Hollywood Story (2002–2006); Entertainment Tonight Presents: Charlie's Angels – Uncovered (1999); Eve (2005); Evening (1983); Eye on L.A. (1985); Famous Homes & Hideaways (2000); Fantasy Island (1982); Favorite Deadly Sins (1995); Fillmore! (2003); Fingers (1978); Greatest Heroes of the Bible (1979); Happy Hour (1999); Hearts and Armour (1983); High Tide (1997); Hollywood '84 (1984); Hollywood Squares (2001–2004); Hot Line (1994–1996); Hour Magazine (1981); I Can't Believe I Wore That (2005); Inner Sanctum (1991); Inside 'A View to a Kill' (2000); Inside TV Land (2000); Investigating Tarzan (1997); James Bond 007 at the Movies (1986); James Bond: Licence to Thrill (1987); Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater (1994); Legal Tender (1991); Miss Marple: Sleeping Murder (1987) / Britain's Favourite Detectives (2014); Murder Me, Murder You (1983); Na sowas! (1985); Night Eyes (1990); Off Centre (2002); Pajama Party (2000); Pleasure Cove (1979); Politically Incorrect (2001); Purgatory (1988); Racquet (1979); Sheena (1984); Silk Stalkings (1995); Sins of Desire (1993); TCM Remembers 2021 (2021); That '70s Show (1998–2004); The Alan Thicke Show (1981–1982); The Angry Beavers (1998); The Beastmaster (1982); The Beastmaster Chronicles (2020); The Blues Brothers Animated Series (1997); The Geraldo Rivera Show (1992); The Insider (2013); The John Davidson Show (1981); The Last Victim (1976); The List (2000); The Love Boat (1982); The Martin Short Show (1999); The Men Behind the Mayhem: The Special Effects of James Bond (2000); The Merv Griffin Show (1985); The Mike Douglas Show (1980); The Pandora Directive (1996); The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977); The Saga of 'the Beastmaster' (2005); The Test (2001); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1981–1982); The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (2008); The Yum Yum Girls (1976); Time & Again (2000); Tourist Trap (1979); TV Land Confidential (2007); Twisted Justice (1990); UnConventional (2004); Vega$ (1980); Waikiki (1980); Zuma Beach (1978).

Born on this day – Marie Laforêt:

Marie Laforêt

Actress

Singer

October 5, 1949 – November 2, 2019

Born on this day – Paul D'Amato:

Paul D'Amato

Actor

October 2, 1949 – February 19, 2024

Credits:

The Unusuals (2009); Light and the Sufferer (2007); The Living Wake (2007); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001–2005); Law & Order (1993–2002); The Opportunists (1999); Men Under Water (1998); Six Ways to Sunday (1997); Destination Anywhere (1997); Crimson Lights (1994); Dangerous Affairs (1993); American Playhouse (1988); Suspect (1987); A Case of Deadly Force (1986); F/X (1986); Murder Ink (1983); Heaven's Gate (1980); Firepower (1979); The Deer Hunter (1978); Heaven Can Wait (1978); The Six Million Dollar Man (1977); The Deadliest Season (1977); Slap Shot (1977); Code R (1977); Magnum Force (1973).

Stage play:

Requiem for a Heavyweight (1996).

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

Trapped

directed by Richard Fleischer,

written by Earl Felton and George Zuckerman,

was released in the United States on October 1, 1949.

Narrated by William Woodson.

Music by Sol Kaplan.

Cast:

Lloyd Bridges, Barbara Payton, John Hoyt, James Todd, Russ Conway, Robert Karnes, Douglas Spencer, Lyle Latell.

On this day in movie history - Thieves’ Highway (1949):

Thieves’ Highway

directed by Jules Dassin,

written by A. I. Bezzerides,

based on the novel Thieves’ Market by A. I. Bezzerides,

was released in the United States on September 20, 1949.
Music by Alfred Newman and Cyril J. Mockridge.

Cast:

Richard Conte, Valentina Cortese, Lee J. Cobb, Barbara Lawrence, Jack Oakie, Millard Mitchell, Joseph Pevney, Morris Carnovsky, Tamara Shayne, Kasia Orzazewski, Norbert Schiller, Hope Emerson, Walter Baldwin, Robert Bice, Howland Chamberlain, David Clarke, Roy Damron, Jules Dassin, Al Eben, Robert Foulk, Joe Haworth, Percy Helton, Ted Jordan, Frank Kreig, Saul Martell, Edwin Max, John Merton, Ann Morrison, James Nolan, David Opatoshu, Frank Richards, Maurice Samuels, Mario Siletti, Irene Tedrow, George Tyne, Dick Wessel, Harry Wilson.

On this day in movie history - White Heat (1949):

White Heat

directed by Raoul Walsh,

written by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts,

based on a story by Virginia Kellogg,

was released in the United States on September 3, 1949.
Music by Max Steiner.

Cast:

James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien, Margaret Wycherly, Steve Cochran, John Archer, Wally Cassell, Fred Clark, G. Pat Collins, Paul Guilfoyle, Ian MacDonald, Robert Osterloh, Ford Rainey, Aline Towne, Jim Thorpe.

On this day in movie history - Madame Bovary (1949):

Madame Bovary

directed by Vincente Minnelli,

written by Robert Ardrey,

based on the novel by Gustave Flaubert,

was released in the United States on August 25, 1949.
Music by Miklós Rózsa.

Cast:

Jennifer Jones, James Mason, Van Heflin, Louis Jourdan, Alf Kjellin, Gene Lockhart, Frank Allenby, Gladys Cooper, John Abbott, Harry Morgan, George Zucco, Ellen Corby, Eduard Franz, Henri Letondal, Esther Somers, Frederic Tozere, Paul Cavanagh, Vernon Steele, Dawn Kinney.

Born on this day – Martin Amis:

Martin Amis

Writer

August 25, 1949 – May 19, 2023

On this day in movie history - The Barton Mystery (1949):

The Barton Mystery

aka Le mystère Barton,

directed and written by Charles Spaak,

based on the play The Barton Mystery by Walter C. Hackett,

was released in France on August 19, 1949.
Music by Daniel Lesur.

Cast:

Françoise Rosay, Fernand Ledoux, Madeleine Robinson, Georges Lannes, Nathalie Nattier, Loleh Bellon, Jacques Torrens, Maurice Teynac, Jean Marchat, Victor Vina, Régine Dancourt, Jacques Mattler, Robert Moor, Geneviève Morel.

On this day in movie history - Too Late for Tears (1949):

Too Late for Tears

directed by Byron Haskin,

inspired by the April 1947 serial in the Saturday Evening Post,

and the July 1947 novel by Roy Huggins,

was released in the United States on August 13, 1949.
Music by R. Dale Butts.

Cast:

Lizabeth Scott, Don DeFore, Dan Duryea, Arthur Kennedy, Kristine Miller, Barry Kelley, Billy Halop, Denver Pyle, Smoki Whitfield.

Born on this day – José Luccioni:

José Luccioni

Actor

August 1, 1949 – June 2, 2022

Credits:

Assassin's Creed II (2009); Asterix Versus Caesar (1985); Au théâtre ce soir (1976–1980); Beretta, derrière la voix (2013); Catherine & Co. (1975); Closed Shutters (1973); Comme un pot de fraises!.. (1974); Fan des années 70 (2012); Fan des années 80 (2010); Final Fantasy XV (2016); Final Fantasy XV: Comrades (2017); Gothic 3 (2006); Il était une fois... l'espace (1982); Joséphine ou la comédie des ambitions (1979); Jour de pluie (2017); L'aventure humaine (2003); Le dernier homme (2012); Le mouton noir (1979); Le théâtre de Tristan Bernard (1975); Les amours des années 50 (1985); Les amours des années grises (1981); Les malheurs de la comtesse (1973); Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven (2002); Murder Is a Murder (1972); N'oublie pas ton père au vestiaire... (1982); Nous ne l'avons pas assez aimée (1982); Overwatch 2 (2022); Pole Position (1984); Preuves à l'appui (1978); Runaway: The Dream of the Turtle (2006); Silver Anniversary (1979); Star Wars: The Old Republic / Video Game (2011); The Little Prince (2013); The Mysterious Cities of Gold (1982–1983); The Saboteur (2009); Un matin de juin 40 (1974); Watch Dogs (2014).

On this day in movie history - Scene of the Crime (1949):

Scene of the Crime

directed by Roy Rowland,

written by Charles Schnee,

based on the article Smashing the Bookie Gang Marauders by John Bartlow Martin,

was released in the United States on July 28, 1949.
Music by André Previn.

Cast:

Van Johnson, Arlene Dahl, Gloria DeHaven, Tom Drake, Leon Ames, John McIntire, Donald Woods, Norman Lloyd, Jerome Cowan, Tom Powers, Richard Benedict, Anthony Caruso, Robert Gist, Romo Vincent, Tom Helmore, Caleb Peterson, William Haade.

Born on this day – Maury Chaykin:

Maury Chaykin

Actor

July 27, 1949 – July 27, 2010

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