On this day in movie history – The Maze (1953 movie & novel):

The Maze

directed by William Cameron Menzies,

written by Daniel B. Ullman,

based on the novel The Maze by Maurice Sandoz,

released in the United States on June 24, 1953.

Music by Marlin Skiles.

Cast: Richard Carlson, Veronica Hurst, Katherine Emery, Michael Pate, John Dodsworth, Hillary Brooke, Stanley Fraser, Lilian Bond, Owen McGiveney, Robin Hughes, Jack Chefe, Clyde Cook, Bess Flowers, Kenner G. Kemp, Harold Miller, Bert Stevens.

Recommended reading:

The Maze

By Maurice Sandoz.

Illustrated by Salvador Dali.

ASIN: B0007E8F6K

Published by Doubleday Doran.

First published 1945.

Description:

The maze at Craven was built of yew trees in the eighteenth century, when such things were popular in Scotland. There were few people who could find their way through it, and when Mrs. Murray attempted the passage, she got a little closer to understanding the mysterious doings on the McTeam estate.

Sir Gerald’s hospitality was excellent as far as it went, but gusts had to be in their rooms at a certain hour and couldn’t leave them again until the next morning. Through the still, dark halls strange sounds echoed, oddly shaped spots of moisture appeared on the carpets, curious torchlight processions passed by outside the locked windows. Most of the guests left early; few ever returned. Through it all, some unknown power could be felt at work, directing the destinies of the Scotch family and their estates.

This macabre tale is interpreted by the fantastic drawings of the famous surrealist artist, Salvador Dali, which have enhanced the spirit of the tale as effectively as the clear and simple style of Mr. Sandoz. The two artists have collaborated to produce a masterpiece of the supernatural which should please the most discriminating collector.

Born on this day – Valerie Mahaffey:

Valerie Mahaffey

Actress

Producer

June 16, 1953 – May 30, 2025

Credits:

A Previous Engagement (2008); After Amy (2001); Ally McBeal (2000); American Playhouse (1986); An Enemy of the People (1990); Baby Talk (1991); Better with You (2010); Big Sky (2020–2021); Boston Legal (2008); Camp California (1989); Caroline in the City (1996); Cheers (1991); Children of the Mist (1993); Code Name: Dancer (1987); Crazy Eyes (2012); Crumbs (2006); CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2006); Dead to Me (2019–2022); Desperate Housewives (2006–2012); Devious Maids (2013–2015); Dinner at Fred's (1997); Dream On (1992); Echo 3 (2022); ER (1999); Fatal Confession: A Father Dowling Mystery (1990); Franklin & Bash (2014); Frasier (2003); French Exit (2020); Fresno (1986); George & Leo (1997); Glee (2011–2013); Good Morning, Miami (2004); Grey's Anatomy (2013); GRQ the Movie (2025); Hannah Montana (2010); Hart of Dixie (2014); Hollywood First Look (2021); If I Were You (2012); Impastor (2015); In Creative Company (2021); Jack and Jill (2011); Jack and Mike (1987); Judging Amy (2001); Jungle 2 Jungle (1997); Kirstie (2014); L.A. Law (1994); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2002); Less Than Kind (2012); Love & Money (2000); Monday Mornings (2013); Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures (1986); Murphy's Law (1988); My First Wedding (2006); National Lampoon's Senior Trip (1995); Newhart (1987); Night Visions / Segment: Neighborhood Watch (2001); No Pay, Nudity (2016); Northern Exposure (1991–1994); Out of Practice (2005); Par 6 (2002); Perry Mason: The Case of the All-Star Assassin (1989); Perry Mason: The Case of the Musical Murder (1989); Private Practice (2007); Quantum Leap (1990); Raines (2007); Raising Hope (2010); Seabiscuit (2003); Seinfeld (1991); Sully (2016); Summer Eleven (2010); Tales of the Unexpected (1984); Tell Me My Name (1977); That's My Bush! (2001); The 44th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1992); The 7th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (1980); The 8th Day (2025); The Client (1995–1996); The Doctors (1979–1980); The Exes (2012); The Man in the High Castle (2016); The Mindy Project (2016); The Powers That Be (1992–1993); The West Wing (2001); The Witch Files (2018); The Young Riders (1991); Till Death Us Do Part (1992); United States of Tara (2009); Wings (1993–1996); Witch Hunt (1994); Without a Trace (2004); Women of the House (1995); Women of Valor (1986); Workaholics (2015); Young Sheldon (2017–2020).

Born on this day – Robert Trebor:

Robert Trebor

Actor

Director

June 7, 1953 – March 11, 2025

Credits:

52 Pick-Up (1986); Baywatch (1989); Boomtown (2003); Dark Justice (1992); Dying on the Edge (2001); Empty Nest (1989); Face of Fire (1959); Frank's Place (1988); Gorp (1980); Hail, Caesar! (2016); Hercules and the Lost Kingdom (1994); Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995–1999); Hip-Hop Headstrong (2010); Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (2004); JoAnne (2011); Joe Bash (1986); Magnum Force (1973); Making Mr. Right (1987); Meet Market (2004); Miami Vice (1985 / 1988); Murphy Brown (1989); My Demon Lover (1987); Night Court (1990); Out of the Darkness (1985); Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1991); Raise Your Voice (2004); Simon & Simon (1986); Tales from the Crypt (1992); Talk Radio (1988); The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones (1999); The Devil's Rejects (2005); The First Time (1981); The Nutt House (1992); The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985); The Sex O'Clock News (1985); The Shadow (1994); The Streets of San Francisco (1973); The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1993); Turk 182 (1985); Universal Soldier (1992); Wedding Daze (2004); Xena: Warrior Princess (1996–1999).

Recommended reading - Meet Me at the Morgue, by Ross Macdonald (1953):

Meet Me at the Morgue

By Ross Macdonald.

Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

First published 1953.

ISBN-10: 0307740773

ISBN-13: 9780307740779

Description:

“My favorite . . . [Macdonald] is first among those novelists who raised the genre from its roots in pulp fiction to serious literature.” – P.D. James, from Talking About Detective Fiction.

“[The] American private eye, immortalized by Hammett, refined by Chandler, brought to its zenith by Macdonald.” – New York Times Book Review.

“Macdonald should not be limited in audience to connoisseurs of mystery fiction.  He is one of a handful of writers in the genre whose worth and quality surpass the limitations of the form.” – Los Angeles Times.

“Most mystery writers merely write about crime.  Ross Macdonald writes about sin.” – The Atlantic.

“Without in the least abating my admiration for Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, I should like to venture the heretical suggestion that Ross Macdonald is a better novelist than either of them.” – Anthony Boucher.

“[Macdonald] carried form and style about as far as they would go, writing classic family tragedies in the guise of private detective mysteries.” – The Guardian (London).

“[Ross Macdonald] gives to the detective story that accent of class that the late Raymond Chandler did.” – Chicago Tribune.

Somebody in Pacific Point is guilty of a kidnapping, but what probation officer Howard Cross wants to find most is innocence: in an ex-war hero who has taken a tough manslaughter rap, in a wealthy woman with a heart full of secrets, and in a blue-eyed beauty who has lost her way. The trouble is that the abduction has already turned to murder, and the more Cross pries into the case the further he slips into a pool of violence and evil. Somewhere in the California desert the whole scheme may come down on the wrong man. Somewhere Cross is going to find the last piece of a bloody puzzle – a mystery of blackmail, passion, and hidden identities that might be better left unsolved.

On this day in movie history - Cry of the Hunted (1953):

Cry of the Hunted

directed by Joseph H. Lewis,

written by Jack Leonard,

based on a story by Marion Wolfe,

was released in the United States on May 8, 1953.
Music by Rudolph G. Kopp.

Cast:

Vittorio Gassman, Barry Sullivan, Polly Bergen, William Conrad, Mary Zavian, Robert Burton, Harry Shannon, Jonathan Cott, Frank Arnold, Sonia Charsky, Harry Cheshire, Jay Lawrence, Nolan Leary, Eugene Mazzola, Inez Palange, Fred Santley, George Selk, Bill Walker, Helen Winston.

Born on this day – Phillip Borsos:

Phillip Borsos

Director

Producer

Writer

May 5, 1953 – February 2, 1995

Credits:

Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990); Cooperage (1976); Do It with Joy (1977); Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995); Highway Heartbreaker (1992); Hollywood North (2003); Inventing Grace, Touching Glory (2003); Nails (1979); One Magic Christmas (1985); Spartree (1978); The Cider House Rules (1999); The Grey Fox (1982); The Mean Season (1985); The Night Before the Morning After (1980); The Shadow (1994); Tootsie (1982); Weird Science (1985); We're Talkin' Serious Money (1992).

On this day in movie history - The Wages of Fear (1953 movie & novel):

The Wages of Fear

French title: Le Salaire de la peur,

directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot,

written by Henri-Georges Clouzot and Jérome Geronimi,

based on the novel by Georges Arnaud,

was released at the Cannes Film Festival in France on April 15, 1953.
Music by Georges Auric.

Cast:

Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Folco Lulli, Peter van Eyck, Véra Clouzot, William Tubbs, Darío Moreno, Jo Dest, Antonio Centa, Luis De Lima, Grégoire Gromoff, Josep Palau i Fabre, Faustini, Seguna, Darling Légitimus, René Baranger, Pat Hurst, Evelio Larenagas, Jeronimo Mitchell, Ricardo, François Valorbe, Rico Zermano.

Recommended reading:

The Wages of Fear

Original title: Le Salaire de la peur.

By Georges Arnaud.

Originally published in 1950.

This English language translation edition was published in 1968.

Paperback.

Avon edition.

ASIN: B000VDT4KS

Description:

Las Piedras, beaching port. There are hundreds of them, coming from who knows where, to forget the impasse of their existence in the tropics. For a handful of dollars, these low-rankers are ready to do anything. Ready to face kilometers of impassable track, behind the wheel of a dilapidated truck, to transport nitroglycerin. At the slightest deviation, at the slightest shock, it is death. An epic of pure anguish...