Born on this day – Lynda Obst:

Lynda Obst

Producer

Writer

April 14, 1950 – October 22, 2024

Credits:

Books:

Dirty Dreams: A Novel (1990); Hello, He Lied (1996); Sleepless in Hollywood: Tales from the New Abnormal in the Movie Business (2013); The Sixties (1978).

Movies and television:

A Single Man (2009); Abandon (2002); Above Suspicion (2019); Adventures in Babysitting (1987 / 1989); Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008); Bad Girls (1994); Charlie Rose (1996); Contact (1997); Et la femme créa Hollywood (2016); Everything Is Copy (2015); Finding the 'Wonder Woman' Within (2017); Flashdance (1983); From Weepies to Chick Flicks (2010); Good Girls Revolt (2015–2016); GPS Fareed Zakaria (2018); Heartbreak Hotel (1988); Helix (2014–2015); Helix: Fabricating the Plague (2014); Hello, He Lied & Other Truths from the Hollywood Trenches (2002); Hope Floats (1998); Hot in Cleveland (2010–2015); How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003); I Love Your Work (2003); Inside 'Interstellar' (2015); Interstellar (2014); Naked Hollywood (1991); One Fine Day (1996); Pie in the Sky (1995); Red Carpet Report (2019); Reel Herstory: The Real Story of Reel Women (2014); Releasing the 'Flashdance' Phenomenon (2007); Sleepless in Seattle (1993); Someone Like You (2001); The 40th Annual Women in Film Crystal and Lucy Awards (2016); The '60s (1999); The Cycle (2013); The Fisher King (1991); The History of 'Flashdance' (2007); The Hot Zone (2019–2021); The Independents (2014); The Invention of Lying (2009); The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015–2024); The Making of 'the Siege' (2000); The Media Show (1988); The Siege (1998); The Soul Man (2012–2014); This Is My Life (1992); Very Scary People (2020).

Born on this day – Maria Ewing:

Maria Ewing

Opera singer

Soprano

March 27, 1950 – January 9, 2022

Credits:

Albums:

Carmen (2010); Don Giovanni (1984); From This Moment On (1990); La damoiselle elue; Iberia; Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune (1987); Pelléas et Mélisande (1992); Shéhérazade:  Alborada del gracioso; Ma mère l'oye; La valse; L'éventail de Jeanne - Fanfare; La vallée des cloches (1991).

Movies and television:

Carmen (1985–1989); Carmen by Georges Bizet (1991); Cosi fan tutte (1978); Dido and Aeneas (1995); Grâce à la musique (1980); Great Performances (1984–1995); La Périchole (1982); L'incoronazione di Poppea (1984); Salome (1992); The Barber of Seville (1981); The Marriage of Figaro (1976); The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1987); The South Bank Show (1997); Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem (1988).

On this day in movie history - Quicksand (1950):

Quicksand

directed by Irving Pichel,

written by Robert Smith,

was released in the United States on March 24, 1950.
Music by Louis Gruenberg.

Cast:

Mickey Rooney, Jeanne Cagney, Barbara Bates, Peter Lorre, Taylor Holmes, Art Smith, Red Nichols, Wally Cassell, Richard Lane, Patsy O'Connor, John Gallaudet, Minerva Urecal, Sidney Marion, Jimmie (Jimmy) Dodd, Lester Dorr, Kitty O'Neil, Jack Elam.

Born on this day – William Hurt:

William Hurt

Actor

March 20, 1950 – March 13, 2022

Credits:

50th Annie Awards (2023); A Couch in New York (1996); A Gala for the President at Ford's Theatre (1993); A History of Violence (2005); A Midsummer Night's Dream (1982); A Time of Destiny (1988); A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001); Acts of Violence (2006); Albert Brooks: Defending My Life (2023); Alice (1990); All the Way Home (1981); Altered States (1980); American Masters (1991 / 2019); Avengers: Endgame (2019); Avengers: Infinity War (2018); Beautiful Ohio (2006); Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands (2016); Black Widow (2021); Body Heat (1981); Body Heat: Interviews with Kathleen Turner and William Hurt (1981); Body Heat: The Plan (2006); Body Heat: The Post-Production (2006); Body Heat: The Production (2006); Bonnie & Clyde (2013); Broadcast News (1987); Cámara negra. Teatro Victoria Eugenia (2007); Captain America: Civil War (2016); Changing Lanes (2002); Children of a Lesser God (1986); Close Up (2012); Comme au cinéma (2005); Condor (2018–2020); Contaminated Man (2000); Corazón de... (2005 / 2006); Damages (2009); Dark City (1998); Days and Nights (2014); De Niro: A Self Portrait (2007); De película (1982–1986); De película (1987); Deconstructing 'the Village' (2005); Días de cine (2007–2012); Disclosure (2020); Do Not Disturb (1999); Dune - The Filmmakers' Vision (2014); Dune - The Production Story (2014); Dune (2000); Elie Wiesel Goes Home (1996); Endgame (2009); Entertainment Tonight (2006–2008); Especial Oscars 86 (1987); Eyewitness (1981); Fire in the Blood (2013); Frank Herbert's Dune: The Lure of Spice (2002); Frankenstein (2004); Giving Voice (2020); Goliath (2016–2021); Good Morning America (2022); Gorky Park (1983); Great Performances (1978); HBO First Look (2005–2008); Hellgate (2011); Hollywood Insider (2021); Humans (2015); Hunt for Justice (2005); I Love You to Death (1990); Inside 'The Village': A Movie Special (2004); Into the Wild (2007); Into the Wild: The Story, the Characters (2008); Ispoved neznakomtsu (1995); It's Like Life (2004); Jane Eyre (1996); Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985); Kojak (1977); Late Bloomers (2011); Lee Marvin: A Personal Portrait by John Boorman (1998); Lost in Space (1998); Lost in Space Forever (1998); Lost in Space: Deleted Scenes (1998); Loved (1997); Maddened by His Absence (2012); Making of... (1998); Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School (1990); Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant (2011); Marvel Studios: Assembled (2021); Marvel Studios: Legends (2021); Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story (2002); Michael (1996); Moby Dick (2011); Movie Magic (1995); Mr. Brooks (2007); Mr. Wonderful (1993); Mythic Quest (2021); Nearest to Heaven (2002); Neverwas (2005); Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King (2006); Noise (2007); One True Thing (1998); Oscar, que empiece el espectáculo (2008); Oscar's Greatest Moments (1992); Pantheon (2022–2023); Premio Donostia a Ian McKellen (2009); Premio Donostia a Willem Dafoe (2005); Race (2016); Rare Birds (2001); Rivière-des-Jérémie (2001); Robin Hood (2010); Robin Hood: Rise and Rise Again, Making Ridley Scott's Robin Hood (2010); São Paulo - Cinemacidade (1994); Saturday Night Live (1989); Second Best (1994); Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003); Smoke (1995); Spotlight on Location: One True Thing (1998); Success in the System (2014); Sunshine (1999); Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024); Supermensch (2013); Syriana (2005); Tangled Web: Making Kiss of the Spider Woman (2008); Tavis Smiley (2010–2015); TCM Remembers 2022 (2022); The 1986 Annual D.W. Griffith Awards (1986); The 21st BAFTA Awards (1990); The 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2023); The 39th Annual Tony Awards (1985); The 40th Annual Tony Awards (1986); The 41st Annual Tony Awards (1987); The 43rd Annual Golden Globe Awards 1986 (1986); The 4th Floor (1999); The 53rd Annual Tony Awards (1999); The 54th Annual Academy Awards (1982); The 57th Annual Academy Awards (1985); The 58th Annual Academy Awards (1986); The 59th Annual Academy Awards (1987); The 60th Annual Academy Awards (1988); The 61st Annual Academy Awards (1989); The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards (2011); The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2010); The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2012); The 78th Annual Academy Awards (2006); The Accidental Tourist (1988); The Beast Within: The Making of the Incredible Hulk - The Video Game (2008); The Best of Families (1977); The Big Brass Ring (1999); The Big Chill (1983); The Big Chill: A Reunion (1999); The Blue Butterfly (2004); The Challenger Disaster (2013); The Clock (2010); The Countess (2009); The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him (2013); The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them (2014); The Doctor (1991); The Flamingo Rising (2001); The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films (2014); The Good Shepherd (2006); The Host (2013); The Incredible Hulk (2008); The King (2005); The King of Queens (2002); The King's Daughter (2022); The Last Full Measure (2019); The Legend of Sasquatch (2006); The Making of 'Gorky Park' (1983); The Making of 'the Incredible Hulk' (2008); The Miracle Maker (1999); The Miracle Season (2018); The Movies (2019); The New Bike (2009); The Odyssey of John Dos Passos (1994); The Oscars (2022); The Plague (1992); The Proposition (1998); The Real Robin Hood (2010); The River Why (2010); The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1996); The Secrets of Dick Smith (1991); The Simian Line (2000); The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1996–1998); The Unspeakable (2021); The View (2015); The Village (2004); The Year: 2022 (2022); The Yellow Handkerchief (2008); Today (1981–2022); Too Big to Fail (2011); Too Commercial for Cannes (2006); Trial by Jury (1994); Trial of Midnight Rider: Railroaded in the Deep South (2018); Tuck Everlasting (2002); Twentieth Century Fox: The Blockbuster Years (2000); United We Stand, Divided We Fall: The Making of 'Captain America: Civil War' (2016); Until the End of the World (1991); Vantage Point (2008); Vantage Point: An Inside Perspective (2008); Varian's War: The Forgotten Hero (2001); Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC - The Color Wheel (2002); Welcome to the Basement (2014–2016); Winter's Tale (2014); ... y otras mujeres de armas tomar (1998).

Born on this day – Phil Rickman:

Phil Rickman

Writer

March 6, 1950 – October 29, 2024

Credits:

Books:

A Crown of Lights (2001); All of a Winter’s Night (2017); Candle Night (1991); Curfew / aka Crybbe (1993); December (1994); Friends of the Dusk (2015); Merrily’s Border (2018); Merrily’s Border: The Marches Share Their Secrets (2009); Midwinter of the Spirit (1999); Night After Night (2014); Oxcrimes (2014); Story Behind the Book: Volume 5 (2015); Suspense Magazine November 2013 (2013); The Bones of Avalon (2010); The Chalice (1997); The Cure of Souls (2001); The Echo of Crows (2025); The Fabric of Sin (2007); The Fever of the World (2022); The Heresy of Dr Dee (2012); The House of Susan Lulham (2015); The Lamp of the Wicked (2003); The Magus of Hay (2013); The Man in the Moss (1994); The Prayer of the Night Shepherd (2004); The Remains of an Altar (2006); The Secrets of Pain (2011); The Smile of a Ghost (2005); The Wine of Angels (1998); To Dream of the Dead (2008); Wine of Angels / Candlenight (2002).

Movies and television:

Midwinter of the Spirit (2015); Philosophy for Our Times (2018).

Born on this day – John Hughes:

John Hughes

Director

February 18, 1950 – August 6, 2009

Born on this day – R. D. Call:

R. D. Call

Actor

February 16, 1950 – February 27, 2020

Credits:

Not a Stranger (2018); Wildfires (2016); Rogues of LA (2014); Castle (2014); Silent Night in Muncie (2012); Perception (2012); Burn Notice (2012); Night Walkers (2012); Follow the Prophet (2009); Adventures in Appletown (2008); Into the Wild (2007); The Work and the Glory III: A House Divided (2006); The Drop (2006); Babel (2006); Dark Heart (2006); The Work and the Glory II: American Zion (2005); Supernatural (2005); JAG (2002); Murder by Numbers (2002); I Am Sam (2001); The Weight of Water (2000); Family Law (2000); Malaika (1998); Logan's War: Bound by Honor (1998); Walker, Texas Ranger (1993–1998); Diagnosis Murder (1998); The Practice (1998); Waterworld (1997); EZ Streets (1996–1997); Last Man Standing (1996); Waterworld (1995); The X-Files (1994); Murder, She Wrote (1984); Jack Reed: Badge of Honor (1993); Cruel Doubt (1992); Other People's Money (1991); Golden Years (1991); State of Grace (1990); Young Guns II (1990); Paradise (1990); Born on the Fourth of July (1989); L.A. Takedown (1989); Knightwatch (1988–1989); Unconquered (1989); War Party (1988); Judgment in Berlin (1988); Colors (1988); No Man's Land (1987); Timestalkers (1987); The Children of Times Square (1986); At Close Range (1986); Brewster's Millions (1985); Trapper John, M.D. (1985); V (1985); 48 Hrs. (1982); General Hospital (1982); Little House on the Prairie (1982); Barnaby Jones (1979).

Born on this day – Adam Beckett:

Adam Beckett

Director

Producer

Animator

Special effects artist

Teacher

February 1, 1950 – March 1979

Credits:

The Cell (2000); Piranha (1978); Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977); Kitsch in Synch (1975); Sausage City (1974); Flesh Flows (1974); Evolution of the Red Star (1973); Heavy-Light (1973); Dear Janice (1972).

Born on this day – Jon Polito:

Jon Polito

Actor

December 29, 1950 – September 1, 2016

On this day in movie history - Highway 301 (1950):

Highway 301

directed and written by Andrew Stone,

was released in the United States on December 1, 1950.
Narrated by Edmon Ryan.
Music by William Lava.

Cast:

William P. Lane Jr., John S. Battle, W. Kerr Scott, Steve Cochran, Virginia Grey, Gaby André, Edmon Ryan, Robert Webber, Wally Cassell, Aline Towne, Richard Egan, Edward Norris.

On this day in movie history - Woman On the Run (1950):

Woman On the Run

directed by Norman Foster,

written by Alan Campbell, Norman Foster and Ross Hunter,

based on the short story Man on the Run by Sylvia Tate,

was released in the United States on November 29, 1950.
Music by Arthur Lange and Emil Newman.

Cast:

Ann Sheridan, Dennis O'Keefe, Robert Keith, John Qualen, Frank Jenks, Ross Elliott, Jane Liddell, Joan Shawlee, J. Farrell MacDonald, Steven Geray, Victor Sen Yung, Reiko Sato, Syd Saylor, Milton Kibbee, Tom Dillon.

Born on this day – Debra Hill:

Debra Hill

Writer

Producer

Director

November 10, 1950 – March 7, 2005

Born on this day – Markie Post:

Markie Post

Actress

November 4, 1950 – August 7, 2021

Credits:

$50,000 a Minute (1985); 20 Years of Must See TV (2002); 30 Rock (2008); ACME Saturday Night (2010); B.J. and the Bear (1980); Back in the Game (2013); Backyard Wedding (2010); Barnaby Jones (1979); Behind the Zipper with Magda (1998); Beyond Suspicion (1993); Blackout (1988); Body Language (1984); Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979); Camp Cool Kids (2017); Card Sharks (1978-1981); Chasing the Dragon (1996); Cheers (1983); Chicago P.D. (2014–2017); CHiPs (1979); Christmas on the Bayou (2013); Christmas Reservations (2019); Code Red (1982); Cook Off! (2007); Dave's World (1994–1996); Dog's Best Friend (1997); Double Dare (1976–1977); E! True Hollywood Story (2002); Eight Is Enough (1980); Electra Woman and Dyna Girl (2001); Entertainment Tonight (1990 / 2021); Family Feud (1977); Fan des années 90 (2011); Fantasy Island (1983–1984); Four Christmases and a Wedding (2017); Frankie & Annette: The Second Time Around (1978); Gangster Wars (1981); Ghost Whisperer (2006); Gilbert (2017); Glitter (1984); Glitz (1988); Go (1983); Harry Anderson: The Tricks of His Trade (1996); Hart to Hart (1979); Hearts Afire (1992–1995); History of the Sitcom (2021); Hollywood Squares (2000); Hotel (1984–1985); House Calls (1980); Intimate Portrait (1995); I've Been Waiting for You (1998); Keep the Gaslight Burning (2018); Late Boomers (2001); Love Unplugged (2017); Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1986); Magic in the Magic Kingdom (1988); Man Up! (2011); Massarati and the Brain (1982); Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour (1983); Matt Houston (1983); McClain's Law (1981); Muffin Top: A Love Story (2014); Night Court (1984–1992); Not Just Another Affair (1982); Odd Man Out (1999–2000); Presidential Inaugural Celebration for Children (1993); Rack and Ruin (2014); Rack and Ruin Web Series / TV Pilot (2015); Santa Clarita Diet (2018); Scene of the Crime (1984); Scrubs (2002–2006); Semi-Tough (1980); Simon & Simon (1981); Six Pack (1983); Someone She Knows (1994); Soundtrack (2019); Stranger at My Door (1991); Super Bloopers and Practical Jokes (1986); Super Password (1985–1987); Survival on the Mountain (1997); Sweet Sweet Summertime (2017); The $10,000 Pyramid (1983–1988); The $100,000 Pyramid (1985–1987); The $25,000 Pyramid (1983–1988); The $25,000 Pyramid (1985–1987); The 24th Annual International Broadcasting Awards (1984); The 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2022); The 44th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1992); The 54th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade (1985); The 5th Annual American Comedy Awards (1991); The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards (2021); The Arsenio Hall Show (1989–1993); The A-Team (1983–1984); The Chipmunks: Rockin' Through the Decades (1990); The District (2003–2004); The Fall Guy (1982–1985); The Gangster Chronicles (1981); The Greatest American Hero (1981); The Incredible Hulk (1979); The Kids Are Alright (2018–2019); The Lazarus Syndrome (1979); The Love Boat (1982–1983); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1983–1986); The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1995); The Wildest West Show of the Stars (1986); There's Something About Mary (1998); Till Dad Do Us Part (2001); To Catch a Crimes (2006); Today (1986); Transformers Prime (2010–2013); Tricks of the Trade (1988); Triplecross (1986); TV Tales (2002); Twice in a Lifetime (2000); Visitors of the Night (1995); VR.5 (1995); Win, Lose or Draw (1988); Women of the Net (1998).

Born on this day – John Candy:

John Candy

Actor

Comedian

October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994

Born on this day – Tom Petty:

Tom Petty

Musician

Singer

Songwriter

October 20, 1950 – October 2, 2017

Credits:

Albums:

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976); You're Gonna Get It! (1978); Damn the Torpedoes (1979); Hard Promises (1981); Long After Dark (1982); Southern Accents (1985); Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) (1987); Into the Great Wide Open (1991); Songs and Music from "She's the One" (1996); Echo (1999); The Last DJ (2002); Mojo (2010); Hypnotic Eye (2014); Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 (1988); Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 (1990); Full Moon Fever (1989); Wildflowers (1994); Highway Companion (2006); Mudcrutch (2008); 2 (2016); American Treasure (2018); The Best of Everything (2019); Wildflowers & All the Rest (2020); Finding Wildflowers: Alternate Versions (2021); Angel Dream (Original motion picture soundtrack to the movie: She's the One) (2021).

On this day in movie history - The Breaking Point (1950):

The Breaking Point

directed by Michael Curtiz,

written by Ranald MacDougall,

based on the novel To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway,

was released in the United States on October 6, 1950.
Music by Max Steiner.

Cast:

John Garfield, Patricia Neal, Phyllis Thaxter, Juano Hernández, Wallace Ford, Edmon Ryan, Ralph Dumke, Guy Thomajan, William Campbell, Sherry Jackson, Donna Jo Boyce, Victor Sen Yung.

On this day in movie history - Dark City (1950):

Dark City

directed by William Dieterle,

written by John Meredyth Lucas and Larry Marcus,

based on the story No Escape by Larry Marcus,

was released in the United States on October 6, 1950.
Music by Franz Waxman.

Cast:

Charlton Heston, Lizabeth Scott, Viveca Lindfors, Dean Jagger, Don DeFore, Jack Webb, Ed Begley, Harry Morgan, Walter Sande, Mark Keuning, Mike Mazurki.

Born on this day – Jeff Conaway:

Jeff Conaway

Actor

October 5, 1950 – May 27, 2011

On this day in movie history - The Sleeping City (1950):

The Sleeping City

directed and written by George Sherman,

was released in the United States on September 20, 1950.
Music by Frank Skinner.

Cast:

Richard Conte, Coleen Gray, Richard Taber, John Alexander, Peggy Dow, Alex Nicol, Carroll Ashburn, Frank Baxter, Dort Clark, Mickey Cochran, Russell Collins, James Daly, Henry Hart, Ralph Hertz, Tom Hoirer, Richard Kendrick, Jack Lescoulie, Jimmy Little, William Martel, Rod McLennan, Florence Morrison, James O'Neill, Herbert Ratner, Hugh Reilly, Ernest Sarracino, Robert Strauss, Michael Strong, Mimi Strongin, Victor Sutherland, Frank M. Thomas, Frank Tweddell, James J. Van Dyk.

Recommended reading - Jealous Woman (1950):

Jealous Woman

By James M. Cain.

First published in 1950.

Published by Black Lizard Books.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0887390889

ISBN-13: 978-0887390883

Description:

An ambitious Reno salesman. A wealthy would-be divorcée. An insurance policy. It’s a toxic combination in this noir thriller by an MWA Grand Master . . .

Jane Delvan had dark, red hair and plenty of shape of a nice, refined kind. To Ed Horner she was only a little fancy flirtation under the Nevada moon, but he found some peculiar circumstances developing when Jane’s husband, Tom Delavan, himself came to town, followed very shortly afterwards by his first wife, the beautiful but jealous Lady Sperry.

Ed wondered what kind of game Jane Delavan was playing with him, leading him on as she was? And why should Lady Sperry take a heated interest in him of a sudden? What were the cause of secret midnight callers roaming at will through hotel bedrooms? Suddenly Ed Horner found himself slowly being ringed about by a group of hard-hating, highly emotional people who all had motives that involved them in a case of murder and the Jealous Woman.

If Las Vegas is a city of lovers, in Reno, the business is divorce. Six weeks in Reno can erase the darkest marriages, and the only question is how to pass the time – craps or roulette? Jane Delavan is a roulette woman, a stately beauty from back East who is too classy for the motel where she’s shacked up. She’s come for a divorce, but her husband has other ideas. He wants an annulment, and in exchange offers to take out a $100,000 insurance policy on himself – just in case something happens to him before their paperwork goes through. Jane is cunning enough to make sure that if she wants something to happen, it will. Ed Horner is the insurance agent sent to settle the agreement, and it doesn’t take long for Jane to settle him. They fall in love over twenty-five-cent roulette and soon have a bigger score in mind. In the Biggest Little City in the World, a king-size scheme is brewing . . .

“Cleverly plotted.” – The New York Times.

“Swift and absorbing.” – The Wall Street Journal.