On this day in television history - M Squad (1959):

M Squad

Season 2. Episode 16.
Episode entitled: The Third Shadow.
Released January 9, 1959.
Directed by James Neilson.
Written by Jack Jacobs.
Music by Benny Carter.

Cast:

Lee Marvin, Paul Newlan, Monica Lewis, Tony Travis, Alfred Shelly, Amy Fields, Richard Benedict, Guy Prescott, Ted Thorpe, Roy Engel, Stuart Holmes.

On this day in movie history – The Purple Gang (1959):

The Purple Gang (1959)

directed by Frank McDonald,

written by Jack DeWitt,

was released in the United States on January 5, 1960.
Music by Paul Dunlap.

Cast:

Barry Sullivan, Robert Blake, Elaine Edwards, Marc Cavell, Jody Lawrance, Suzanne Ridgway, Joe Turkel, Victor Creatore, Paul Dubov, Ray Boyle, Kathleen Lockhart, Nestor Paiva, Lou Krugman, Robert Anderson, Mauritz Hugo, James Roosevelt.

On this day in television history - M Squad (1959):

M Squad

Season 2. Episode 15.

Episode entitled: The Teacher.

Released January 2, 1959.

Directed by Don Medford.

Written by Frank Moss.

Music by John Williams.

Cast:

Lee Marvin, Paul Newlan, Tom Laughlin, Sue George, Burt Reynolds, Stanley Dyrector, Stuart Randall, Maida Severn, Ron Gorton.

On this day in television history - Johnny Staccato (1959):

Johnny Staccato

Season 1. Episode 16.

Episode entitled: Collector’s Item.

Released December 31, 1959.

Directed by John Brahm.

Written by Richard Carr, Stanford Whitmore.

Music by Elmer Bernstein.

Cast:

John Cassavetes, Eduardo Ciannelli, Ann Henry, Juano Hernandez, Frank London, Rupert Crosse, Linné Ahlstrand, Paul Cristo, Shep Houghton, Murray Pollack, Frieda Rentie, Edwin Rochelle, Dennis Sallas.

Born on this day – Val Kilmer:

Val Kilmer

Actor

December 31, 1959 – April 1, 2025

Credits:

Book:

I'm Your Huckleberry: A Memoir (2020).

Movies and television:

100 Years of the Hollywood Western (1994); 10th & Wolf (2006); 1995 MTV Movie Awards (1995); 1st Born (2019); 2:22 (2008); 2009 American Music Awards (2009); 5 Days of War (2011); 5 Second Movies (2008); 7 Below (2012); A Century of Science Fiction (1996); A Director's Journey: The Making of 'Red Dragon' (2003); A Soldier's Revenge (2020); A West Texas Children's Story (2007); ABC Afterschool Specials (1985); Academy Event: Heat (2016); Africa Unbottled (2001); Alexander (2004); Alta Voltagem (1997); American Cowslip (2009); American Masters (2009); American Meth (2008); At First Sight (1999); Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009); Batman Forever (1995); Batman Forever Heroes: Batman (2005); Batman Forever: Deleted Scenes (2005); Behind Closed Doors (2020); Beyond Batman: The Many Faces of Gotham City (2005); Beyond the Trailer (2010); Big Brother's Efourum (2005); Billy the Kid (1989); Biography (1987–2005); Blind Horizon (2003); Blood Out (2011); Bloodworth (2010); Bounty Hunters (2004); Breakfast (2005); Breathless (2012); B'Twixt Now and Sunrise (2011); Cabeça a Prêmio (2009); Canada A.M. (2006); Champion (2005); Charlie Rose (1996–2004); Cinema mil (2005); Cinema Twain (2019); Columbus Day (2008); Comanche Moon (2008); Conan (2013); Conspiracy (2008); Danger Zone: The Making of 'Top Gun' (2004); DC Fandome (2020); Dead Girl (1996); Deep in the Heart (2012); Deja Vu (2006); Déjà Vu: Surveillance Window (2007); Delgo (2008); Double Identity (2009); Dr. X's Creatures (2003–2008); Embracing the Chaos: A Conversation with the Cast of 'the Salton Sea' (2002); Entertainment Tonight (2007–2023); Entourage (2004); Fan des années 80 (2010); Felon (2008); Fight Against Time: Oliver Stone's Alexander (2005); Film '05 (2005); George and the Dragon (2004); Ghost Ghirls (2013); GMTV (2005); Good Day L.A. (2013); Good Morning America (2020 / 2021); Gun (2010); Gylne tider (2016); Hard Cash (2002); Hardwired (2009); HBO First Look (1998–2004); Heat (1995); Heat: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Filmmaker Panel (2017); Hollywood Insider (2019–2022); How to Rob a Bank (2024); Icons Unearthed (2024); Inside the Actors Studio (2000–2005); Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019); Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2005–2006); Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater (1995); Joe the King (1999); Kenny Loggins: Danger Zone (1986); Kill Me Again (1989); Kill the Irishman (2011); Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005); Knight Rider (2008–2009); Larry King Now (2013); Last Call with Carson Daly (2003–2004); Late Night with Conan O'Brien (2003–2005); Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (2013–2014); Late Show with David Letterman (1996–2000); Le Fossoyeur de Films (2021); Life's Too Short (2013); Live & Kicking (1999); Live with Kelly and Mark (2005–2006); MacGruber (2010); Magacine (2005); Making American Cowslip (2010); 'Masked & Anonymous' Exposed (2003); Masked and Anonymous (2003); Memorial: Letters from American Soldiers (1991); Mindhunters (2004); Mindhunters: Stunt Sequence (2005); Minty Comedic Arts (2020); Mon clown (2008); Mon plus grand moment de cinéma (2005); Moscow Zero (2006); MTV EMA Berlin '09 (2009); Mundo VIP (1997–1998); NeXt (1998); Nigella (2005); No Sleep TV3 (2016); Numb3rs (2007); Oliver Stone - Hollywoods Lieblingsrebell (2006); On the Set of 'Alexander' (2004); Oneohtrix Point Never: Animals (2016); Palo Alto (2013); Paydirt (2020); Planes (2013); Played (2006); Pollock (2000); Psych (2014); Real Genius (1985); Red Planet (2000); Red Planet: Deleted Scenes (2000); Richard & Judy (2004); Riddle (2013); Riddle Me This: Why Is Batman Forever? (1995); Riptide (2021); Robot Chicken (2014); Saturday Night Live (2000–2011); Saturday Night Live: Presidential Bash 2000 (2000); Saturday Night Live: The Best of Molly Shannon (2001); Seal: Kiss from a Rose (Batman Forever Version) (1995); Sean Carnage Parking Lot (2020); Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight - Batman Unbound (2005); Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight - Reinventing a Hero (2005); Shakespeare High (2011); Shootout (2005); Showbiz Today (1995); Song to Song (2017); Spartan (2004); Special Collector's Edition (2012); Spider-Man: Edge of Time (2011); Standing Up (2013); Stateside (2004); Streets of Blood (2009); Summer Love (2006); Tavis Smiley (2013); Tenacious D: To Be the Best (2012); The 26th Satellite Awards (2022); The 41st Annual Golden Globe Awards (1984); The 51st Annual Golden Globe Awards (1994); The 56th Annual Academy Awards (1984); The 66th Annual Academy Awards (1994); The 71st Annual Academy Awards (1999); The 9th Annual IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (1994); The Annual 1995 ShoWest Awards (1995); The Art of Zen (2016); The Bigger Picture (2005); The Birthday Cake (2021); The Choe Show (2021); The Cowboy (2016); The Daily Show (2002–2004); The Death of 'Alexander' (2005); The Doors (1991); The Doors: Break on Through (1991); The Doors: Featurette (1991); The Doors: The Road of Excess (1997); The Fourth Dimension (2012); The Fourth Dimension / Segment: The Lotus Community Workshop (2012); The Future Of (2022); The Ghost and the Darkness (1996); The Heaven and Earth Show (2004); The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996); The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2006–2008); The Love Guru (2008); The Making of 'Heat' (2005); The Making of Spider-Man: Edge of Time (2011); The Making of 'Tombstone' (2002); The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains (1987); The Man-Eaters of Tsavo (2025); The Missing (2003); The Money Programme (2004); The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1986); The Orange British Academy Film Awards (2004); The Prince of Egypt (1998); The Real McCoy (1993); The Reichen Show (2006); The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1999); The Saint (1997); The Salton Sea (2002); The Seventh Man (2003); The Showbiz Show with David Spade (2005); The Snowman (2017); The Spoils of Babylon (2014); The Steam Experiment (2009); The Super (2017); The Ten Commandments: The Musical (2006); The Thaw (2009); The Thaw: Behind the Scenes (2009); The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1994–2002); The Traveler (2010); The Tree Is Still There (2025); The Untold West (1993); The Wayne Brady Show (2003); This Morning (1995–2004); Thunderheart (1992); Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn (2014); Tombstone (1993); Top Gun (1986); Top Gun: Maverick (2022); Top Secret! (1984); Trudell (2005); True Romance (1993); Tussen de sterren (2003); Unconquered; Allan Houser and the Legacy of One Apache Family (2008); V Graham Norton (2003); Val (2021); Vivement dimanche (1999); Welcome to the Basement (2012–2013); Willow (1988); Willow: The Making of an Adventure (1988); Wings of Courage (1995); Wonderland (2003); World Premiere of Red Planet (2000); Wyatt Earp's Revenge (2012); XIII: The Conspiracy (2008); Xtravaganza (1997).

On this day in television history - M Squad (1959):

M Squad

Season 3. Episode 14.
Episode entitled: The Ivy League Bank Robbers.
Released December 25, 1959.
Directed by Francis D. Lyon.
Written by Stuart Jerome and Maxwell Shane.
Music by Benny Carter.

Cast:

Lee Marvin, Paul Newlan, Carol Ohmart, Jimmy Lydon, Ron Starr, Steve Gravers, Ben Hammer, Denny Niles, Richard Tyler, Howard Wright.

On this day in television history - Johnny Staccato (1959):

Johnny Staccato

Season 1. Episode 15.

Episode entitled: The Unwise Men.

Released December 24, 1959.

Directed by Robert B. Sinclair.

Written by Frank Dana, Shirl Hendryx.

Music by Elmer Bernstein.

Cast:

John Cassavetes, Eduardo Ciannelli, Marc Lawrence, Jack Weston, Marge Redmond, Bernard/Bernie Fein, Walter Maslow, Vincent Barbi, Terry Frost, George Boyce, Lillian O'Malley, Harry Raven, Edwin Rochelle, Jeffrey Sayre.

On this day in television history - M Squad (1959):

M Squad

Season 3. Episode 13.

Episode entitled: One of Our Armored Cars Is Missing.

Released December 18, 1959.

Directed by Herman Hoffman.

Written by Whitman Chambers.

Music by Benny Carter.

Cast:

Lee Marvin, Paul Newlan, Laurie Mitchell, Richard Carlyle, Joyce Meadows, Jerry Oddo, Logan Field, William Forrest, Joe Haworth, Norman Leavitt.

On this day in television history - Johnny Staccato (1959):

Johnny Staccato

Season 1. Episode 14.
Episode entitled: The Return.
Released December 17, 1959.
Directed by James/Jim Hogan.
Written by James Landis.
Music by Elmer Bernstein.

Cast:

John Cassavetes, Eduardo Ciannelli, Virginia Vincent, Tom Reese, Garry Walberg, Ben Hammer, Perry Ivins, Irene James, Robert Gibbons, Lillian O'Malley, Jack Ramstead, Edwin Rochelle, Dennis Sallas.

On this day in television history - M Squad (1959):

M Squad

Season 3. Episode 12.
Episode entitled: The Upset.
Released December 11, 1959.
Directed by Herman Hoffman.
Written by Jerry Sohl.
Music by Benny Carter.

Cast:

Lee Marvin, Paul Newlan, Adam Williams, Richard Newton, Tommy Cook, Rosemary Day, John McKee, Barbara Knudson.

On this day in television history - Johnny Staccato (1959):

Johnny Staccato

Season 1. Episode 13.

Episode entitled: A Piece of Paradise.

Released December 10, 1959.

Directed by John Cassavetes.

Written by Robert L. Jacks.

Music by Elmer Bernstein.

Cast:

John Cassavetes, Eduardo Ciannelli, Bert Freed, Walter Burke, Midge Ware, Jan Harrison, Sid Raymond, Wally Brown, Pamela Searle, Nanita Greene, Marianne Gaba, Don Ames, Kenneth Gibson, James Gonzalez, Stuart Holmes, Joe Ploski, Arthur Tovey, John Zimeas.

Born on this day – Tracy Wright:

Tracy Wright

Actress

December 7, 1959 – June 22, 2010

Credits:

All Hat (2007); Apartment Hunting (2000); Blind Spot (1997); Blindness (2008); Blue (1992); Book of Knives (1995); Bubbles Galore (1996); Childstar (2004); Dangerous Offender: The Marlene Moore Story (1996); Dice (2001); Dog Park (1998); Eclipse (1994); Elimination Dance (1998); Good Stuff (2001); Green Door (2008); Highway 61 (1991); It's Me Gerald (2005); Joe's So Mean to Josephine (1996); Last Night (1998); Liberty Street (1995); Manson, My Name Is Evil (2009); Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005); Midwest of Eden (2005); Monkey Warfare (2006); My Addiction (1994); My Summer Vacation (1996); Northern Town (2006); Permission (1997); Picture Claire (2001); Slings and Arrows (2005); Superstar (1999); The 2000 Canadian Comedy Awards (2000); The fires of Joanna (1998); The Five Senses (1999); The Kids in the Hall (1991); This Movie Is Broken (2010); Trigger (2010); Twitch City (1998–2000); Wake Up, Jerk Off (1993); Wasaga (1995); When Night Is Falling (1995); You Are Here (2010); Yo-Yo Ma Inspired by Bach (1997).

On this day in television history - M Squad (1959):

M Squad

Season 3. Episode 11.
Episode entitled: Voice from the Grave.
Released December 4, 1959.
Directed by Francis D. Lyon.
Written by Stuart Jerome, Irwin Winehouse and A. Sanford Wolfe.
Music by Benny Carter.

Cast:

Lee Marvin, Paul Newlan, Carole Mathews, Nan Leslie, Robert Karnes, Lyle Latell, Ed D. Cramer, Edward Kramer.

On this day in television history - Johnny Staccato (1959):

Johnny Staccato

Season 1. Episode 12.
Episode entitled: The Wild Reed.
Released December 3, 1959.
Directed by Boris Sagal.
Written by Richard Carr.
Music by Elmer Bernstein.

Cast:

John Cassavetes, Harry Guardino, Olive Deering, J. Pat O'Malley, Joseph Sargent, Guy Remsen, Len Lesser, Carl Christie, Barbara Dodd, Harry Raven.

December in movie history - Gangster Story (1959):

Gangster Story

directed by Walter Matthau,

written by Paul Purcell,

based on a story by Richard Grey and V.J. Rheims,

was released in the United States in December, 1959.
Exact release date unknown.
Music by Alex Compinsky.

Cast:

Walter Matthau, Carol Grace, Bruce MacFarlane, Garry Walberg, Raikin Ben-Ari, David Leonard, John Albright, Clegg Hoyt, Leonard Bremen, Vic Tayback.

On this day in television history - M Squad (1959):

M Squad

Season 3. Episode 10.

Episode entitled: Another Face, Another Life.

Released November 27, 1959.

Directed by Sidney Lanfield.

Written by Stuart Jerome, Irwin Winehouse and A. Sanford Wolfe.

Music by Benny Carter.

Cast:

Lee Marvin, Paul Newlan, James Douglas, Barbara Stuart, Jay Novello, John Archer, Ethel Shutta, Will J. White, John Bryant, Charles J. Conrad, Wally Rose.

On this day in television history - Johnny Staccato (1959):

Johnny Staccato

Season 1. Episode 11.
Episode entitled: The Poet’s Touch.
Released November 26, 1959.
Directed by Robert Parrish.
Written by Hollis Alpert, Robert Hector.
Music by Elmer Bernstein.

Cast:

John Cassavetes, Mike Kellin, Steven Marlo, Ken Walken, Lelia Goldoni, Nick Dennis, Garry Walberg, Sylvia Lewis, Gilbert Brady, Edwin Rochelle.

Born on this day – Dominique Dunne:

Dominique Dunne

Actress

November 23, 1959 – November 4, 1982

On this day in television history - M Squad (1959):

M Squad

Season 3. Episode 9.

Episode entitled: Death by Adoption.

Released November 20, 1959.

Directed by Murray Golden.

Written by Joel Murcott.

Music by Benny Carter.

Cast:

Lee Marvin, Paul Newlan, Gail Kobe, Rayford Barnes, David Leland, Danny Davenport, Bill Quinn, Bill Erwin, Robert Jordan, Judith Paige, Jani Allen.

On this day in television history - Johnny Staccato (1959):

Johnny Staccato

Season 1. Episode 10.

Episode entitled: Tempted.

Released November 19, 1959.

Directed by Robert B. Sinclair.

Written by Francis M. Cockrell, Richard Carr.

Music by Elmer Bernstein.

Cast:

John Cassavetes, Elizabeth Montgomery, Eduardo Ciannelli, Fred Beir, Murray Alper, Lionel Decker, Marty Green, Lillian O'Malley, Edwin Rochelle, Harry Wilson.